"Isn't a banquet supposed to be about food?" Discord whispered. "When are we going to get to the meal-serving part?" He eyed the food-piled table hungrily.
Fluttershy reached over to place a hoof on his knee. "There shouldn't be that many more speakers," she whispered. That's what she hoped, at least. The noble unicorn standing and talking about the virtues of charity was the third pony who had wished to give a 'small toast'.
Soon, though, they finished and sat down. Twilight quickly stood up at the head table, neighboring Fluttershy and Discord's, and tapped a spoon against her glass. "Thank you, Lady Lucky, for that toast," she said quickly. "Now, without further ado...I would like to officially begin the Sunset Charity Banquet!" She gestured to the long table of food set along the wall—an invitation for everyone to go and fill their plates.
Quite a few nobleponies started forming a line at the table, while others decided to mingle and chat. A small crowd approached Twilight at the head table, and a few started to head for Fluttershy and Discord.
He quickly grabbed one of her front hooves, teleporting them to the back of the now-long food line. "Sorry, but I prefer to have chatting and kissing up wait until I have a full stomach," he said quietly to her.
"That's fair..." she said, leaning to the side to peer at the food ahead. The long table was actually several long tables, each piled with a different kind of food—starting with salads and vegetable platters, and ending with a dessert table, which featured a towering, three-tier cake.
A couple of ponies got in line behind them, and started trying to chat up the two of them. Fluttershy spoke with them politely, trying not to promise anything to anyone, while Discord seemed more disinterested, not even really trying to hide it. At the back of her mind, she wondered if so many ponies would be trying to speak with them if their other friends were there.
The Sunset Charity Banquet was an event that Twilight had organized to support the various charities in Canterlot, and even a few outside of it. Tickets needed to be purchased, aside from those gifted to the largest donors of each charity as a 'thank you', and all proceeds would then go directly to charity.
Twilight had hoped to have more princesses than herself at the event, so that ponies would be more interested in buying tickets and coming. They had all discussed it during their last Council meeting, but found that Fluttershy and Discord were the only ones who could reasonably make it.
Applejack and Rainbow were working on preparing for harvest, Rarity was buried under a pile of custom orders, and Pinkie and Cheese had three different birthday parties to throw for the week. Even Spike was busy, away on a trip to the Dragon Lands. Fluttershy was busy at the sanctuary, but knowing she was the least busy out of her friends, especially with volunteers helping her, she had agreed to come to the banquet.
She was glad Discord had come with her, even though he didn't have to. Twilight was still busy chatting with nobles and donors, and she didn't personally know anyone else there. She said so quietly to Discord as the line slowly crept forward, ponies hemming and hawing over which foods to take.
He was quiet for a few moments, then shrugged. "As...boring as this all is, I couldn't leave you to face the rabble of admiring nobles alone," he said. "Besides, we get free food, I get to bask in the attention of ponies before crushing their hopes of leeching something off of me...and I doubt Twilight would begrudge us leaving early if we had to."
"True," she said with a nod, looking around at the surrounding ponies before slowly shifting her attention to her friend. Twilight was smiling and chatting with a couple of well-dressed unicorns. But Fluttershy could see the bags under her eyes, and that she looked almost ready to nod off.
"Twilight seems...tired," she said quietly to Discord. "I guess work has been hitting her hard, too."
"Yeah..." Discord said. "I wonder what's up with this month and work piling up on top of all our friends?"
"It might just be a coincidence," she pointed out. "Still, maybe there's something we can do to help her."
He hummed in thought, stroking his beard. "Well, with how quiet and boring this whole thing is, I'm starting to nod off myself!" he declared. "Surely it wouldn't hurt to liven things up a little bit." He raised his fingers into a snapping position, and Fluttershy felt blood rush from her face.
"No, wait, Discord—" she said. But it was too late. His fingers snapped, and his magic rushed out. For a few seconds, everything was calm, and she partially hoped his magic had only done something very quiet.
Then, the large centerpiece cake of the dessert table exploded.
Ponies all around yelped, dodging the bits of cake that went flying everywhere. It seemed that most of the food tables, and several shell-shocked guests, were now covered in frosting and cake batter.
The room was silent for a few moments. Fluttershy bit her lip, looking between Discord and Twilight. Discord grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. Twilight was stunned.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up. "Discord!" she yelled in a booming Canterlot Voice that she had practiced but very rarely used.
Discord looked shocked that she was angry, and Fluttershy could see that he was slightly worried. "Yes, Twilight?" he said as innocently as he could.
She gestured towards the mess the cake had become. "Only your magic could do something like this, without leaving a sign of where it came from!"
"What about all the unicorns—ah," he said. Having his defense cut off before he could even say it made sweat start to form on his brow. "Would you believe that the cake was part of an alien plot that I heroically stopped?"
"No, I wouldn't," she said dryly. "Because not only is there no proof aliens exist, but the chefs in the royal kitchen spent hours today making it from scratch!" She scowled. "Not that I imagine you appreciate hours of working by hoof, since you can just do everything with your magic!"
The crowd of ponies all seemed to lower their heads and back away. Discord's eyelid twitched. "Now, Discord, just remember our breathing exercises..." Fluttershy said, trying to calm him. He took a deep breath, but it was only to speak up again.
"So what?" he said, crossing his arms. "You've looked bored through this whole formal event! I figured it could use some livening up. And some of these ponies could learn to let loose a little." He gestured at a couple of ponies who still seemed shell-shocked at being covered in cake.
Twilight sputtered for a few moments, her face turning red. "I can't believe you, Discord!" she finally snapped. "This stunt...you're just as careless and irresponsible as ever!"
Fluttershy bit back a gasp, a hoof flying to her mouth. Her eyes turned to Discord. His eyes narrowed, and his hands balled to fists at his side. To anyone else, he would have looked angry...but she could sense that Twilight's words had cut him deeply.
"And why should I care about a fancy pants event by a bookworm princess in the first place?" he snapped right back. "You know what? I don't even want to be here!"
"Good!" she said. "Because I think it's best you leave."
"I will!" he shouted, turning on his heels and away from her. With a snort, he snapped his fingers and teleported away.
The room was shrouded in awkward silence for a few moments. Then, Twilight's anger seemed to dissolve, and she sighed, sitting back in her chair and rubbing her eyes. She seemed more tired than ever, now.
A flash of light right in front of Fluttershy made her blink. A coupon appeared in midair and floated into her hooves. For One Free Teleportation to Chaosville—Tear Apart, it read.
"Twilight?" Fluttershy said, holding up the coupon. Twilight looked up wearily. "I'm...going to head back home."
"Alright," Twilight said with a small nod. "...feel free to take a plate with you. Of whatever's left, anyway."
Fluttershy thanked her, gathering a bit of salad and some carrots without frosting onto a plate, placing it on her back, and gripping the coupon. She ripped it in half and disappeared in a flash of light.
She appeared in the middle of their living room, with Discord nowhere to be seen. With a groan, she went into the kitchen and placed her plate on the table, then spread her wings and began to fly around the house in search of him.
After a couple of minutes of searching, she finally spotted him when she glanced out of a window. He was sitting outside with his back to the house. She dropped to her hooves and galloped towards the front door, her mind racing by the time she got there and threw it open.
Some ponies who didn't know him accused Discord of being heartless whenever he caused his chaos, that he didn't care about the consequences of his actions or ever feel guilt. Fluttershy couldn't stand when ponies talked about him like that—if they spent any amount of time close to him, they would realize that Discord cared deeply about his friends...and he deeply felt guilt if he realized he had done something wrong.
But right now, she needed to be there for Discord. He was sitting on the edge of the floating island, his legs dangling over the abyss, his head drooping as though under a great weight. He was staring at his hands, though his eyes were so blank she could sense he wasn't really seeing or thinking about them.
Slowly, she approached him. Then, she took a seat next to him, extending a wing and draping it over his back. He flinched, his head shooting up to look at her. She did her best to give him a reassuring look.
"...I really had egg on my face there, didn't I?" he said.
She bit her lip and slowly nodded. "A bit," she said. "But, I mean...it's not the biggest mess you've made. Even in Canterlot Castle."
He chuckled, but it was clear his heart wasn't it in. He turned his attention back to his clasped hands. "...I doubt Twilight wants to see my face around right now," he muttered.
"I...don't know," she admitted. "She just seemed...really tired, actually."
"Great," he grumbled. "So I ruined an event, made her angry, and only managed to make her even more tired." He crossed his arms with a huff.
She leaned against his side. On the one hoof, she wanted to talk to him about what he had done, and about why acting without thinking wasn't a very good idea. But on the other...he was clearly already aware that he had messed up, and was feeling guilty enough without her piling it on. So she elected to remain quiet, pressing herself close to him.
After a few minutes sitting like that, her stomach suddenly growled, making both of them flinch. "Ah, right...you weren't able to get food because of me," he muttered.
"I-I still managed to grab a plate!" she quickly assured him. This didn't seem to make him feel much better. "Why don't we go inside and have dinner together? I can even boil a kettle of tea."
"...I think I'm going to head to bed, actually," he said with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't really feel hungry."
She frowned, her ears drooping. If he was skipping a meal, this must have really been eating away at him. "Are you sure?" she said. "I can make leftovers soup..."
He paused, as though briefly considering it. "...no, thanks," he said. "I'll just...eat a big breakfast tomorrow."
"If that's what you want," she said, offering him a hoof as he stood up. "I'll come and join you in a few minutes, after I eat."
"No rush," he said, smiling and gently ruffling her mane. She leaned into his touch, reaching up to place a gentle hoof on his wrist. He paused for a moment...and then pulled away, heading back inside.
She sighed and followed him, then went into the kitchen and began to slowly chew on the food she had gotten.
Once she had finished dinner, and after taking a quick shower, she crawled into bed beside Discord. He laid underneath the covers with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around himself, making it difficult to tell whether he was asleep or awake.
She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, her lips only lightly brushing against his skin, before laying her head on her pillow and closing her eyes. Listening to the sound of his breathing, she slowly drifted off to sleep, where towers of cakes and stunned ponies drifted through her dreams.
Something brushed against her side, disturbing her dreams. She frowned, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to reclaim sleep. But when something soft and feathery tickled her back hooves, sleep slipped a little further away...and she slowly pieced together that the 'something' was Discord.
He nudged her again, causing her to slowly blink fully awake. "Cordy?" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was still dark, and the nearest clock told her that it was the dead of night.
Once she had taken a few seconds to wake up a little more, she turned to her husband to see what he wanted. It was immediately obvious that he was still asleep—his eyes were shut, and he hadn't reacted at all to the sound of her voice. But his sleep didn't seem to be restful at all. He was tossing and turning, a frown on his face as he accidentally nudged her again.
"No, no..." he mumbled. "Not right..."
Her heart panged for him. She slowly wrapped her forelegs around his neck, gently running a hoof through his mane. "Shh," she said. "It's just a bad dream...I'm right here for you. It's okay."
He continued to turn and stir, groaning and whining as his upsetting dream continued. She continued to shush and stroke him, and slowly, his stirring stopped, though his expression was still quite upset.
She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, hoping it would be enough to calm him fully. Instead, he started to stir again...but this time, he blinked fully awake.
"...sorry," he said as his eyes met hers. "Did I wake you?"
"Well...yes," she said. "But that doesn't matter now. Did...did you have a nightmare?"
He was silent for a few moments, then slowly nodded. "If it's quite alright," he said quietly, "I'd rather not go into the details. Once was quite enough."
"Of course," she said just as quietly, running a hoof through his mane. "...could you tell me what caused it, though? It could make you feel better, to get it off your chest..."
He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling, where some fake magic stars were twinkling. "...I'm...not totally careless and irresponsible, am I?"
She blinked a few tears out of her eyes, hugging him even more tightly. "Of course not," she whispered into his ear. "You've improved so much and taken on so many responsibilities, and...thinking about what happened is proof that you do care."
"...caring doesn't do much good if I keep making wrong choices," he said. He rubbed at his eyes. "What was I thinking? No, don't answer, I already know I wasn't. Ugh...I should have stopped and thought, or at least listened to you."
"...maybe you should have," she said gently. "But, do you think something like this is going to make Twilight mad at you forever?"
"It might," he said. "Maybe if you annoy a pony too many times, you run out of chances! Maybe I've taken too many prime times to aggravate her!"
"I don't think that's true," she said. "After all...she forgave you after...lots of bigger things than this." Tirek and the Battle of the Bell came to mind, but she pushed the thoughts away. They were painful times for everyone, but they were in the past.
His eyes shone with even more guilt for a few seconds, probably remembering the same instances she was. Then, he blinked, and they both took a deep breath at the same time. When his eyes opened again, he seemed a little calmer, like a few of his worries had been taken off of his shoulders.
"...you think she'll forgive me if I apologize?" he asked for confirmation. She smiled and nodded. "...should I throw in a gift while I apologize?"
"That'd be a nice gesture," she said with a nod. He sat up. "Oh, you don't have to pick it out now!"
"If I don't, I don't think I'll be able to get a restful sleep," he said, rubbing at his eyes. "You can go back to sleep without me...I already have a pretty good idea of what to give her."
She crawled out of bed as his feet hit the floor. "I want to help," she said, trotting alongside him down the hall. "Besides...after we pick it out, I can throw a little something together for a midnight snack."
His stomach gurgled quietly, and he clutched at his torso. "...I'd like that," he said. "But, gift first! I don't want to get so distracted by your cooking that I forget."
With that, he threw open the door to the library and flew up to the shelves. "Start looking for anything about magic!" he shouted down. Fluttershy nodded, flapping her wings and scanning the shelves for anything that fit what he was looking for.
After about a half-hour of searching, the two of them had found a small pile of magic books, which Discord dropped in front of the reading pony statue and began to sift through.
He tossed books away when he saw their titles, or after flipping through all the pages...but there were two books that he set in a separate pile. "Which do you think Twilight would like better?" he asked, holding them up. "Pre-Equestrian Magicks of the Frozen North, or An Attempted Studies on the Terrors of Chaos?"
Fluttershy frowned in thought, looking between the two old, worn books. "The first one, I think," she said. "Especially since the second is an 'attempted' study...which I'm guessing wasn't written by you?"
He shook his head, looking fondly at the book. "I remember it coming out, and I just laughed and laughed at everything they got wrong...I mean, perhaps Twilight would appreciate the comedy, but she might not get the joke." He let go of the book, allowing it to float back to the shelf.
With a snap of his fingers, a red ribbon appeared and tied itself around the Frozen North book. He tucked it under his arm and turned to her. "Now...you said something about a snack?" His stomach gurgled eagerly.
She smiled, and began to fly towards the kitchen with him. "It may not be much, but I can throw a couple of sandwiches together," she said.
He licked his lips. "Sounds delightful. ...could we heat something up, too? Warm comfort food sounds good."
She nodded, trying to remember what all was in the fridge that she could prepare.
After a relatively small midnight snack—Discord ate plenty, but not as much as he usually did—the two of them went back to bed, hoping to catch a few good hours of sleep. Fluttershy stayed awake for some time, a wing draped over his back, just to be sure that his nightmares wouldn't return.
Once she was sure that he was sleeping soundly and peacefully, she nodded off to sleep herself, this time dreamlessly.
She woke up earlier than Discord that morning...but instead of getting up, she snuggled close to his side, draping her wing over him in the hopes that it would convince him to sleep longer. For a few minutes, she laid there quietly, her breathing in sync with his.
Then, he began to stir awake, yawning loudly and stretching himself out like a large cat. He smacked his lips, turned to her...and smiled, tapping his nose against hers. "Good morning, Flutters," he said, lightly pecking her lips.
"Good morning," she said, returning the light pressure. "...how did you sleep?"
"Eh," he said with a shrug, standing and stretching his arms. "My dreams could have used a pinch more of excitement and chaos, but it sure beat the night terrors."
She crawled out of bed, stretching out her wings with a yawn. "What would you like for breakfast?" she asked, heading out the door and towards the kitchen.
He placed a hand over his stomach. "...I still don't have much of an appetite," he said. "Or maybe I'm just full from those sandwiches. I'd think about skipping breakfast and going right to apologizing to Twilight, but..."
She gave him a look. He grinned sheepishly. "I'll take whatever you want to fix," he said. "No skipping breakfast in this house, I know, I know."
This made her relax. In the kitchen, she fixed a quick meal of cheesy scrambled eggs. Discord poked, prodded, and stirred his meal, but he did clean his plate, even complimenting her on her cooking.
As soon as they both finished, he sent the dishes into the sink with a flick of his claw. Then, he reached into his coat and pulled out a stopwatch. "It's early in the morning," he said. "But not that early. Would Twilight be up at this time? And would she be busy?"
She glanced at the nearest wall clock. "Well...we could go to Canterlot Castle and see," she suggested. "If she's asleep or busy, we can always tour the gardens quickly and then come back."
His shoulders relaxed. "That's...true," he said. "Wait...are you...coming with me, then?"
"If you want me to," she said. "Discord...it's going to be your responsibility to give Twilight the gift you chose and apologize. But I can still be there to support you."
He paused, staring at her for a few moments...and then smiled. He stood up and summoned the book they had chosen, the ribbon still wrapped around it. "Well, no point in putting this off!"
She stood next to him as he tightly gripped the book. He snapped his fingers, teleporting them both to Canterlot Castle.
They appeared in front of the throne room doors, where a familiar griffon in gold armor was standing guard. "Princess Twilight is—oh, it's you two," Gallus said. "If you're here to see Twilight, she's going through her agenda, but she might take a break to see you...maybe." He gave Discord a look.
Discord flinched, taking a step back as his ears (and even his horns) drooped. Fluttershy stepped closer and patted his lower back. "I'm right here if you need me," she said. "But Discord...you can do this." She smiled encouragingly up at him.
He paused, looking worried for a second. She took a deep breath, gesturing for him to do the same. He breathed in deeply...and they breathed out at the same time, letting their bodies relax.
"Okay. You're right. I can do this," he said. She suspected he was talking to himself as much as to her. With another deep breath, he turned to the large throne room doors and spoke to Gallus. "I'd like to talk with Twilight."
The griffon rose an eyebrow. But, after a moment of consideration, he nodded and opened the door to the throne room. "Princess Twilight, Discord is here to see you," he announced. Twilight responded, though neither Fluttershy nor Discord could hear exactly what she said. Gallus came back out, paused...and nodded Discord towards the open door.
Discord slowly walked inside, though his feet and tail dragged against the ground.
"Fluttershy?" Gallus said. "...would you like to enter, too?"
"Yes, please," she said. "But, um...please don't announce me. I just want to be there as moral support for Discord."
Gallus smiled and nodded, opening the door a little wider. Fluttershy smiled and thanked him, stepping inside as the door closed behind her.
The throne room was practically empty—besides her and Discord, Twilight was the only other pony in the room, checking things off on a checklist. As Discord approached her throne, she set the paper and quill aside to turn her attention to him, her expression neutral.
Discord paused just a foot away from her throne, his grip tightening on the book, which he held behind his back. He glanced up at Twilight, then at some of the open windows in the room...and then at Fluttershy, who stayed near the doors. His body seemed to lose some tension at the sight of her, and he turned back to Twilight.
He nervously shuffled his feet, then handed the book over to Twilight. "...sorry for ruining the banquet," he mumbled, still not able to look her in the eye. "I just...you looked so bored. I thought a prank on those stiffs would cheer you up. I should have known better, and should have tried to think of something that would help without ruining your hard work."
She slowly took the book, a smile flickering across her face as she read the title. "Thank you, Discord," she said. "And...I'm sorry, too."
He lifted his head, looking shocked. "You...are?"
"I said...lots of things I shouldn't have," she said, setting the book to the side. "It was wrong of me to say that you were careless and irresponsible. Even if I...wasn't pleased with what you did, you've shown through the years that you do care, and you can be responsible...sometimes." Her smile was teasing.
A smile spread on his own face. "Careful, your Highness," he teased. "What will the noble stiffs say if they hear all these compliments you're giving me?"
She chuckled. "Well. Whatever they said, I'd let them know there's not a friend like you in all the world."
"Yeah, and you're never getting rid of me!" he said, laughing. "No matter how much you might want to sometimes."
They both laughed, and Discord stepped a little closer, holding out his paw. Twilight smiled and reached out. They both shook, reaffirming their friendship. Fluttershy beamed, her wings fluttering.
"So...I'll get out of your mane now," Discord said, stepping back. "Unless there's something else I could do to make things up for you?"
Twilight frowned in thought, rubbing at her chin. "Well...we managed to clean the banquet hall without trouble, but we have gotten a lot of dry cleaning bills..."
Discord snapped his fingers, summoning a small pile of bits. "Thank you," Twilight said. "...these aren't ones you just took from the royal coffers, are they?"
"Of course not! Pinkie Promise, yadda yadda, baked goods in my eye," he said, waving away her worry. "I hope you enjoy the book...and don't overwork yourself."
"I won't," she said with a nod. "Have a nice day, Discord."
He smiled, then turned and walked back towards the doors, standing taller than he had when he first entered. He locked eyes with Fluttershy and beamed at her.
He managed to hold in his excitement until they exited the room and the doors were closed behind them—but as soon as they were shut, he cheered loudly, fireworks firing behind him.
"That went well," Fluttershy said with a smile. Gallus rolled his eyes at Discord.
"I feel so much lighter, now that she's forgiven me!" he said, floating in the air. "And she even apologized for what she said!"
"It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" she said. He paused in mid-air...then dropped and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"Thank you for helping me," he said. "With the gift, and just being there...thank you."
She smiled and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, nestling her cheek into his fur. "You're welcome," she said. "But, you know...you did all the work of saying the apology and giving the gift. And you did very well." She pulled away enough to show him her bright smile. "I'm proud of you."
His wings fluttered on his back. "...well. While I'm still being sappy and mushy enough to apologize, I should probably go and apologize to the guests whose evening I disrupted," he said. With a snap of his fingers, a guest list appeared in his hand.
"I can give moral support with those, too," she said with a smile. "Where do we start?"
He smiled back at her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close as his eyes flicked over the list. She smiled and draped a wing over his back, hoping to convey how much faith she had that he would do the right thing, and do it well.