//------------------------------// // Unaware of the obvious // Story: Start, Fall Apart, Rebuild // by Fret //------------------------------// It may of not been every night, but Celestia often met up with Discord on the edge of the Everfree. However, it was as if on each day she could visit for an even less amount of time than the previous meeting. It's because Celestia was caught in the middle. There was a point when she wanted to tell at least Luna about her best friend - but she couldn't bring herself to speak of a draconequus in the first place. Every day, every night, she turned to her sister and opened her mouth to begin the story, but when Luna moved her eyes to look back at her, she shut it closed. And there were times where Discord would ask why she had to leave so early, or came so late. Her excuse was always 'royal duties'. Except it wasn't. Sometimes she had to wait until Luna or other ponies in the castle fell asleep, and sometimes she had to escape while there were eyes that could spot her. She'd say something to briefly explain herself, then run off before they'd suspect the truth. This had been happening for a year. However, it didn't feel like it. Everyday seemed the same, making every minute go quicker. If there wasn't such thing as a calendar, she would think it had been a month, and that's it. She wasn't saying her life was boring. Her sister could be quite the laugh. Nor was she saying she disliked being a princess. It was an honor for ponies to look up to her. It was the fact she was enjoying the life she wasn't sharing. Ponies aged around her... both close and strangers to her. But she and her sister stood, staying the same age while a pony lives a whole life, foal to elder. Okay... she was exaggerating. She was ectually aging, just ever so slowly, and from what she knew, as soon as she got a cutie mark, she'd age even slower to the point where she cannot die of old age. Of course, she had Luna, yes. But something about her relationship with Discord was different. She saw Luna every day, ever since she wakes up in the morning to the point when she goes to bed at night. But at the sight of Discord, Celestia noticed that her heart seems to leap in her chest. A happiness that seemed to be lost was found again. But why? That's what she was trying to find in these books. Nothing at all. Perhaps she should ask Starswirl? No... he's a genius, he'd figure out something was up. Maybe Luna would be a better candidate... The princess shut her book, and set it back on the shelf where she found it. Once she did, she began her search for her sister. Her first guess was her room, and she was correct. Luna was kneeling on her bed looking through a book about stars. Unlike herself however, Luna was easily distracted with her reading, and noticed Celestia step in her room straight away. "Hi Celie! What brings you to our secret lair of secrety secrets?" She announced in sort of a Royal Canterlot Voice style, minus the volume. "Just thought I'd ask you something." She began, trotting over to Luna and sitting next to her. "Is it about constellations? 'Cause I bet I can name every single one of them by heart!" She boasted. Celestia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Nope... I'm confused about something that I... read." "Why ask me? Starswirl's the smart one." Luna pointed out. "Err... I couldn't find him." She shrugged. "Are you asking me to call you dumb?" "...When you put it that way... please, what is thine question?" Her mind took a hundred and eighty degree turn. Celestia twiddled her hooves before asking away. "When your pulse starts rushing, and you feel warm and fuzzy, what feeling is that?" She tilted her head. Luna just paused and stared at her, a grin slowly spreading across her face. Suddenly, her sister started bursting out with laughter, falling over on her back. Hey giggles seemed to be relentless. Celestia just sat there, confused. "Mind to tell me what's so funny?" She asked after about thirty seconds of the younger alicorn's cackling. Slowly, Luna started to calm down, ending her laughing fit with a few coughs. "Oooo.... somepony's hormones are kicking in!" She nudged her shoulder. Celestia raised a brow. "Luna... in alicorn years, I'm seventeen!" She said. "If anything, my hormones kicked in, at least, twenty years ago." "They need to be triggered though." Luna winked twice, hinting at something. "Sooo whom is the special somepony?" "Huh?" An embarrassed blush spread across Celestia's face. "You have a crush Celie! Tell me who! Tell me who!" Her sister continued to give her a sly smirk. "Excuse me, but at what point did I mention having a crush?" Her tone changed into literal annoyance. Luna chuckled. "That feeling you mentioned before. You're such a bookworm that you don't know the feeling of love!" Just to tease her, she pressed herself against her older sister. Celestia gave a scowl. "I-I said I read it somewhere, Luna! I'm in love with nopony." With that, she stood up and stormed out of the room, blocking out her sister's cackling. Annoyed, Celestia swung her bedroom door open, and closed it with her magic once she was on, and collapsed onto the bed. Nopony ever told her what a crush would feel like. She never got the chance to ask her parents, and being a princess, in her opinion, excludes any gossip like that with others. So, yes, no one ever told her anything about the feeling of love. But a crush wasn't love. Not to her. It was an interest in something that eventually passed by. As Luna said, it was hormones, yelling at her to look for a mate. That's all a crush was. Desperation. Yet, how did she know if it was a crush? She'd known Discord for a year now. Every night they'd meet, they'd become better friends. That's all they were though... --- Celestia crouched in the shrubs, searching for a certain draconequus for her to surprise. For the moment, he was nowhere in sight, but she knew very well that if she didn't show up soon, he'd come and wait at the end of the forest. Usually, waiting just a few hoof-lengths away from where she was hiding. The last three months she'd visited Discord, he'd always found a way to sneak up on her. But not today. This would be her chance to pin him down and be the leader. Where is he though? He should be here by now... it was quite late. A lot later than her usual time. Suddenly, she started to roll, someone pushing her onto her side, out of the shrubs. Once she stopped, she looked up to once again see Discord looking down at her victoriously. She gave a frustrated groan. "Oh come on! How did you spot me that time?!" She watched as he let his whole body drop on top of her lazily. "Really, even at night, somepony with your bright coat could be spotted from the depths of the ocean." He rolled his eyes. Celestia just pulled tongues at him. "Usually I'd take that as a compliment." "Well, it wasn't an insult!" Discord pointed out, tapping the end of her nose with his lion paw. She just giggled. "Also, I'm getting bored that it's always you who's pinning me." She mused. Discord raised a brow at this. "Meaning?" Celestia didn't say anything, just pushed herself off the ground, to Discord's surprise. She then flipped onto her belly, keeping Discord in place. She saw Discord's cheeks go red, making her giggle once again. "Aww, now your my little Dissy!." The alicorn taunted. "Hmph. Once out of countless times." He scoffed. This made Celestia give him an angered look. "Fine." She shrugged, copying Discord's exact move before and falling on him. Only this time, he couldn't get up like her, for she was actually stronger than him. However, he was slender and cunning, so just in case, she wrapped her hooves around the outline of his head so he couldn't slither out from under her. "Let's see you escape me." Discord gave her a look that showed her challenge was excepted, and started to shuffle beneath her. Celestia gave him a smug look at his pathetic attempts, which only urged him to keep trying. But nothing worked, he was trapped under her. Again, he tried to slither down, but she blocked him from doing do with her hoof. He realized it was hopeless. "Okay, you win." He sighed. She gave a grin, but let him up. "Alright, so what did you want to do?" --- "Discord!" Celestia called happily to the draconequus waiting for her near the tree they always did. She reached up to his height, and gave a friendly nuzzle. Discord chuckled, then poked at something on her head that wasn't her horn. "A certain princess forgot to take her regalia off!" He teased. Celestia sighed. "Oops." She gave a fake laugh, levitating her royal clothing off, and settling them next to the tree. "Remind me to collect those later." She told him. "Remind me to remind you." "Deal...?" She tilted her head. As she did, she blinked her eyes closed and started to yawn. "Somepony's tired." Discord concluded. "I'm taking that means no games tonight then?" "Sorry... duties today were..." She yawned again. "Busy." "Well," Discord began, dropping onto the ground. "Luckily, there aren't any clouds in the sky tonight." He pointed up the the black sky. He was right - the sky was clear. Again, not many stars were out, but she'll admit, there were more than usual. She smiled, then dropped beside the draconequus, leaving a small gap between them. "Woah! Look, a shooting star!" She exclaimed, reaching a hoof to a bright light flying across the sky. "Those are so rare! Make a wish." Whether Discord obeyed her or not, she didn't know, for she closed her eyes and made her own wish. She opened her eyes again and looked at him, realizing he had indeed. "So, what did you wish for?" He raised a brow. "I can't tell you, it's my wish." She retorted. "But I'm your best friend!" He pouted. The mare sighed. "Okay." She shuffled right next to him and leaned up into his ear and whispered, "I wished we could be friends forever." When she said this, a cold wind passed over them, making her shiver. Discord looked at her and smiled. "I don't think anything could stop us from being so. It's been nine months, after all." He managed to shuffle his wing underneath her so that he could carry her even closer. The wind came again, but Celestia didn't shiver this time. The warmth of Discord's fur was enough to trap in heat around her. She gave a small giggle, settled her head under his, and closed her tired eyes. --- We're friends... that's all... friends... She told herself. I don't have a crush on anyone! Then it hit her. Her stomach tightened as she realized what she was doing. Why am I denying this anyway? Whether she did or didn't, was it really a bad thing? Oh yes, very bad. And deep down she knew why. ...Their kind has an obsession with creating disharmony among other beings. They think it's fun, really. And something creating corruption between others for the joy of it is probably one of the most evil things one can do.' Starswirls words echoed in her head. Though she didn't believe Discord would do such a thing, it's what zipped her mouth shut when she wanted share her knowledge about him. It was bad enough she was in a forbidden friendship, but if they took their relationship too far... It would be an affair.