//------------------------------//
// Clean Slate 
// Story: This Was A Bad Idea... Or Was It? 
// by GoddessofChaos 
//------------------------------//

Celelestia peered through a crack in Eris's doorway and saw the young chimera stretched out on her bed, sleeping with her hands behind her head like she always did. The Grand Galloping Gala had just ended, and Luna had already retired to her room a long time ago.
Celestia sighed and shut the door, quietly so as not to wake Eris.
"Replacing me, eh Celestia?" Celestia gasped. She knew that voice.
"Discord," She stated. 
"Oh, don't be surprised Celestia. You knew I'd come back again."
"Show yourself," She demanded.
"Gladly," Discord ambled out of the shadows, hands behind his back. "You know, you should really be careful of where you let your creations play." he criticized. "The female version of me presenting herself in front of my statue? Honestly Celestia, I thought you had more sense than that." Smiling at her dismayed expression, he continued. "What's her name again?" He snapped his fingers repeatedly as if trying to remember something, causing several pink clouds to appear out of nowhere and begin raining chocolate milk.
Ignoring them he looked at Celestia pointedly. "Well? What's her name?"
Celestia opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. "Eris," She finally spoke.
"Ah, Eris." He seemed to contemplate the name moment. 
Celestia interrupted and said, "If you've come to cause chaos, I'll -"
"Send the Elements of Harmony after me?" Discord cut her off. He noticed the clouds and waved his hand, making them disappear with a pop. "Please, Celestia, I've decided that chaos has gotten a bit... boring."
Celestia scoffed, hardly daring to believe it.
"No really, I've found a new interest." Seeing Celestia's diverted expression, he nodded toward Eris's door. "I would like to get to know Eris a little better, to put it lightly."
Celestia's eyes widened. 'You don't mean to imply-" She started laughing. "You?.... In LOVE!" she prodded a hoof in his general direction "That's rediculous!"
Discord scowled. "I see nothing funny about it," He crossed his arms. "Everyone falls in love, Celestia. It's a fact of life."
This only made her laugh harder, and Discord exhaled impatiently.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Eris stirred from her sleep. She could hear laughing on the other side of the door, and Eris stretched before smacking her lips. She had a bad taste in her mouth, probably from the cider she had drank and slipped off the side of her bed. She turned the handle and groggily said, "What's going on?" She froze, her eyes wandering from the teary eyed Celestia to the exasperated Discord, before screaming, slamming her door closed, and leaning back against it, groping for the lock. she flipped it and threw open the balcony doors, closing them behind her and stretching her wings, flying right off the railing of the balcony and heading for the garden.
"It can't be." she told herself, traveling over the field she had played in earlier and over the hedge to the marble pedestal the statue of Discord posed on. It was gone, with not even a trace of stone scattered on the ground. The flat surface seemed undisturbed and smooth, as if nothing had ever stood on it. Eris hand her hand over it, searching for indentations, a disruption in the texture, anything. 
But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Eris, my darling," She squeaked at the sound of an unfamiliar voice and immediately made the alegation that it was Discord. "Now's not the time for a game of hide and seek."
Eris, unsure of what to do, dove into a large shrub nearby, holding her breath as Discord appeared over the top of the hedge. "Are you here?" seeing Discord in the flesh for a second time brought another thought to her mind: He's hurt Celestia.
Gathering her haunches beneath her, Eris gritted her teeth and prepared for launch, not thinking of what terrifying illusions he might bestow on her. As he wandered closer, Eris let out a feral snarl and ambushed him.
Discord yelped from surprise as Eris bowled him over and they rolled to a stop, Discord pinned to the ground. "What did you do to Celestia." She snarled fiercely. She was answered as Celestia flew gracelfully on the other side.
"Eris, I'm fine," She reassured the young Chimera. Eris turned to look back at Discord, who gave her a coy grin.
In turn, Eris snarled in disgust and pushed away from him. "What is he doing here?"
"Eris, Discord's changed. He's not going to wreak any havoc around here anymore."
Eris stared at Celestia, shocked. "You believe him?"
"If he was going to take over the world, he would have done it more subtly." Celestia reasoned.
Eris slid her gaze over to Discord, who was watching the whole thing. She clenched her jaw at his smug expression and her fists followed suit. "So he's staying with us then,"
"Where else would he go?"
'Back where he belongs!' Eris thought stubbornly. She didn't dare voice the contemplation, but instead started to walk toward the hedge.
"Where are you going?" Celestia catechized.
"To bed," Eris answered instantly. She gave Discord another disapproving look before taking off into the night sky, straight toward the castle.
Celestia sighed and turned to Discord. "Charming isn't she?"
Discord watched Eris's form melt into the castle's and looked to the grass. "She doesn't trust me."
"Well, can you blame her?" Celestia stretched her wings out and folded them. "Give her time. For now, why don't I show you to your room?"
Discord followed Celestia back to the castle, where Celestia gave him a room in a secluded tower. Left to himself, Discord laid on the bed and steepled his fingers. "Give her time," he echoed Celestia's words and frowned. "i'm not sure I can wait very long," he told himself. "I'll just have to speed things up a little." He sat up and snapped his fingers. A rose appeared in his hand, and he tilted his head at it. The rose suddenly grew teeth and began to snap at him. "We can't have that, now can we?" He murmured. Discord gave the rose a good squeeze and it melted away into nothing.
He  opened the front doors and descended the steps, finding a rosebush at the end on the steps. they were white, but Discord picked them anyway and formed a small bundle. He snapped his fingers and teleported to the hallway just outside Eris's room. He laid them down just outside her door and left, teleporting back to his suite and crawling under the covers.
'I hope she likes them' He thought before his eyelids slid closed.