The Vow
"I'm still learning to love, just starting to crawl."
He lost count after five. It wasn't that he didn't care - he did, very much so - he just figured keeping track of all the refusals would make him lose any sort of hope he had left.
So he kept asking, not constantly, just every now and then. He'd slip it into a conversation as if it was a topic as simple as the weather, but every time, she would say no. She was never rude or annoyed with it, no matter how many times he persisted. She would give a small sweet smile, shake her head and keep postponing it.
She drove him crazy, and to be fair, this was not in a way he liked.
The first time hurt the worst, like a slap to the face and his heart felt like it had been crushed. It took a while, but she had assured him that she did love him, it was just that Equestria wasn't ready for a Prince of his stature so soon. Discord couldn't deny that - it was three thousand years ago - and they were still quite young at the time, even for immortal beings. Celestia had told him they had forever to be together anyway, and that marriage could wait.
The second time was more or less a joke, but that time around, it hurt the both of them. It was when he had gone mad with chaotic power, and she had done all in her power to stop him, but it was useless. His only trade to calm down was for her to become his Queen of Chaos, and she had refused. If Discord wasn't a heartless monster at the time, he would have apologized for making her cry the way she did back then. Never had he seen Celestia break down like that, but it seemed love was the worst sort of disharmony in all of the land.
The other three he counted were worthless compared to the others. They slightly hurt, but not as much as those two. They weren't memorable either.
...he just wished that the first two were worth remembering for a good reason.
But alas, life was far from perfect.
However, right now, in this current time frame, neither of them could deny the fact that for the first time in forever, things were content between them once again. They were happily in love, openly courting and finding joy. It was just like the storybook fairytales.
Though, despite this happiness, something inside of Celestia's mind kept itching at her.
This night was like any other - beautiful beyond words could describe, with the stars sparkling at their brightest and the moon at it's fullest - and the two lovers were in Celestia's bedroom chambers, intertwined on her bed, breathing heavily, basking in the afterglow of lovemaking. It was a wonderful moment, sweet and passionate...
-still, a little voice was whispering to Celestia's soul. It had been for quite some time, ever since Discord had returned and became reformed - the way he used to be before he went mad with chaotic power - and the voice refused to go away. It said unintelligible murmurs that made her feel uncomfortable, and almost doubtful. Before she had never felt this way, but love still swelled in her heart. It was a horrible paradox and she tried to ignore it, to just enjoy life and love for once, but something refused to fully allow it.
"Why is it that you always refuse?" Discord whispered.
"I beg your pardon?" Celestia murmured, as she felt a small smirk spread it's way across her expression. "Last I checked, you most definitely had my consent. More than enough of it, in fact."
He couldn't help but laugh at her statement, and he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
She pressed further into the kiss, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and pulling him in closer, to leave no space at all. Oh, how she adored this. They were two completely different species, souls intersecting, but hearts intertwined.
"Oh, Tia," Discord softly chuckled. "You know I love it when you tease me like that-" He traced a talon under her chin, slightly tickling her. "But I didn't mean it that way."
"Then pray tell what else you mean?" Celestia inquired.
A moment of silence passed, and he let out a sigh, looking into her sweet lavender eyes. "Why do you always say no to my proposals?" he asked. "Now, let me make this much clear, I'm not popping the question again, I just want to know why you always refuse it."
Celestia felt frozen in his embrace, and her gaze raked over him thoughtfully.
Twelve. That was exactly how many times he had asked. She always kept count. What with his being captured in stone for a thousand years, it delayed the number, but either way, it was a hefty number for proposing to the one you love. And every time, she said no.
Sometimes the proposals were extravagant, but most of the time, they were simple.
"Tia?"
"You know I love you, isn't that all that matters?" she finally managed. "Why do we need a piece of paper to confirm it? Besides, we both know I wouldn't want a big wedding or anything like that."
"How about a Las Pegasus drive-thru wedding?" he said, with a bit of a laugh.
Celestia's smile shifted, and she shook her head playfully. "Either way, understand that you are in my heart," she said simply. "Why do we need marriage if all we could ever have is right here?"
Discord pursed his lips, thinking hard as he ran his talons through her mane.
"You know, for a Princess, you're very simple," he observed.
"We're basically married," she continued. "All I'm lacking is the ring and a higher royal title."
He genuinely laughed. "Queen Celestia does sound so much more appealing than Princess," he mused. "Queen makes you sound like the mature, beautiful mare you are. Princess is so juvenile."
There it was.
The little scratchy muffled voice in the back of her brain.
Discord had said the same thing to her so long ago - she couldn't blame him for forgetting - but this shook her heartstrings.
"And King Discord sounds pretty neat, doesn't it?" he joked.
However, he noticed the sudden downfall in her expression.
"Something wrong?"
Celestia let out a sigh, and looked up for her gaze to meet his. Now was when she realized that it was not a voice in the back of her mind...
...it was the sound of muffled tears.
"Discord, how much do you remember of our past?" she asked shakily.
He shrugged. "Bits and pieces," he admitted. "Little fragments, just flashbacks more or less. Being encased in stone did a lot to my brain, you know. I would say that it had been destroyed during those years, but I lost my sanity long ago... not like I want to find it, anyhow."
She wanted to smile at his little joke - really, she did - but she couldn't.
"Then I want to tell you some of it," she declared. "Stop me if you recognize any of it."
Noticing her expression turning stern, Discord released a deep breath and nodded. He could be serious if he had to. For her, he would do anything.
"Alright," she murmured. "Do you remember our childhood?"
"Of course," he replied. "That's clear as crystal."
Celestia pursed her lips, and nodded. "What about our teenage years?" she inquired.
He moved his talons in a so-so motion, to signify that it was fuzzy to him.
"Well," she hesitated. "It all started at our first Gala..."