Discord sat under the night sky, looking out over the recovering land below him. It had been a few days since the whole event, yet he still felt a pang a guilt for his actions, and what they had led to.
But should he? If Celestia had been the one manipulating him, should he really be the one feeling regret?
It didn't matter. What he had done was his choice, and he knew that. Nor would he ever let it go.
It wasn't often he found a comfortable space in Canterlot - the patch of grass he had found was a lucky find. And, as much as he preferred his own creations, he had to admit that the sight of a weakly lit Ponyville offered a rather... relaxing feel.
These past few days, he hadn't spoken to anyone. Not even Fluttershy. Well - ever since he had confronted Celestia about his suspicions of her recent actions, he wasn't sure what to say to a single pony. It wasn't because he felt guilty, however, it was because he felt... betrayed.
He probably had the right to, but if Celestia hadn't done what she did, would he actually do any of those things?
The draconequus was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the rustling of grass behind him, as a sign of someone approaching. It was actually when the sound stopped that he swung his head around, only to meet the last pony he wanted to see right now.
"Didn't expect to see you here." He snorted, turning his head away from her to stare back at Ponyville in the distance. His tone didn't stop her from trotting up to his side and sitting next to him.
A few moments of silence passed, when Discord decided to speak again. "So, what exactly brings you here?" He asked without even glancing in her direction.
"I couldn't sleep." She replied distantly.
The corner of the chaos embodiment's lip perked up slightly. "Oh my, I wonder why that would be."
Her giving a huff of amusement was a bit of a surprise to him. "Is it becoming obvious at this point?"
Discord gave a roll of his eyes. "You've always been a predictable mare, Celestia."
From the corner of his eye, the draconequus saw her look up at him. "Even when something like this happens... you can still guess what's going on."
He finally found the strength to face her, though he was careful not to show any other emotion but anger, perhaps even mixed with disappointment. "There's one more question I forgot to ask you yesterday, Celestia."
Her expression remained neutral, as she awaited for him to speak.
"Why did you do it?"
The alicorn's eyes glimmered under the moonlight as she thought up an answer. "It's like I said... I wanted to know you cared."
However, Discord shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I'm not talking about recent events alone, I mean... ever since you freed me. Why did you even consider such a thing?" He again, stared off into the distance.
Celestia seemed taken aback by his statement. She stared at the ground, as if it would answer for her, then looked up at him again. "You needed a chance, Discord. Yet, I knew very well that I was not at all the pony to do so. I hate how I brushed you off my shoulder and made you somepony else's problem, but let's face it." She followed his gaze towards the dim-lighted town below. "I couldn't have done it, at least not personally. Though, I did think of something else, but I never wanted you to find out. Unfortunately, you did..."
Discord let out a scoff. "So you claim that planning out every step of my path to becoming a 'good guy' is a contribution to my reformation? I'm afraid I can't put your name in the credits, Celestia."
The princess breathed in, attempting to keep her patience. "I know. It was wrong, but I just had to make sure. Please believe me when I say, I was not at all trying to get revenge for your evil doings in the past. I am not one for revenge." He could merely feel her magenta eyes land on him again. "I'm one for forgiveness, but forgiveness is a difficult thing to do - especially when it's your arch nemesis."
"Yes, Celestia. Your arch nemesis is someone who makes it rain chocolate from cotton candy clouds, while changing the colour of the ground and sky. What a nightmare." When she raised a brow, he then added on, "...and completely erasing the laws of physics. But I still stand by my point."
A quiet giggle escaped the alicorn. "Alright, I admit it. What you did wasn't all that... 'evil'. It's just... how you went about it." Her ears drooped. "It drove you mad. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how to go about your reformation."
"Oh really?" Discord flicked his ear.
"No, I didn't. Again, I feel bad that I left it all to Fluttershy. Then again, you two share a strong bond, which is rather heartwarming to know. She had all of her faith that you would defeat Tirek as planned. As you know, I did not."
"No. You didn't." He bluntly agreed.
The princess remained unphased. "I didn't originally plan any of that, until it actually happened. I wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself, but when you failed..." She noticed that he was only half listening, so she nudged his shoulder with her wing. "Discord, I could've just dealt with you myself, but I didn't. I decided to go along with it." His attention almost fully caught, Celestia lay a hoof on his shoulder. "I didn't give up on you."
Discord just blinked. For once, he was unsure how to respond. Luckily, Celestia did that for him.
"Look, I'm sorry for how misleading my actions were. They even mislead myself - it took me a whole sleepless night to be able to put this all into words." Her lids fell over her eyes. "I never wanted to manipulate you, I was just trying to keep you from a life of chaos. Not that I'm completely against chaos - but having too much of one thing leaves too little of another."
Her head drooped, as she took a step back from him. Her horn then glowed as she pulled out a familiar object out from behind her.The draconequus looked in confusion at the bouquet of flowers she held in front of her.
"You've shown me that you understand the importance of friendship. You've shown me that you care for those who care for you." She brushed a hoof over the flowers., sitting back down on her rump again."I don't think I necessarily need to keep a close eye on you anymore... for the most part." Her tone became more loose on that last sentence, a slight smirk appearing on her lips.
Discord returned his own grin. "Wise choice in words. Though, why test your own trust towards me with such a serious matter?"
"Discord... I put an entire empire in danger by sending my student with five of her seventeen to twenty year old friends, all so that she could learn a lesson about self sacrifice." Celestia said flatly. "However, I would have jumped into action if I was needed. With Tirek... I couldn't."
The draconequus gave a casual shrug. "Well maybe, but you were preparing your student to be a princess."
The mare gave a sly smile. "Who says that I have nothing in store for you?"
The chaos embodiment widened his eyes over-dramatically. He let out a gasp and covered his mouth with his hands. "No, Celestia! Please! Anything but that!" He reached out his lion paw to grab something, but there was nothing to grab on to. He let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh... Rarity's always using her fainting couch! I though her element was generosity!"
Celestia couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. Not in my lifetime would I even consider giving you a coronation."
"That's a very long lifetime then."
She gave a gasp, but it was only half serious. "Excuse you! You've lived just as long as I have."
"...I'm a year younger than you." He mocked, before he suddenly calmed. "...Well, this is a surprise."
Celestia tilted her head. "What is?"
"This conversation changed drastically." He stated.
She paused, then gave a shrug, which wasn't something she would usually do. "Like I said - you know just what path you want to to take. If that's the case, I cannot continue to treat you like an outcast." She glanced at the flowers she still held in her hooves, then stood up, and began trotting back to the castle - which was rather far from where they were sat - which raised another question for Discord.
"Why were you all the way out here, Celestia?" He asked, making her stop for a moment. She turned her head, keeping a blank expression.
"I could ask you the same thing..." She simply replied, before spreading her wings and flying off into the night.