//------------------------------//
// Morn, Noon, and Evening: Princess Celestia and Discord 
// Story: Third Gear OSS: Sharing Hearts Is Magic 
// by BNuts 
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	Celestia rose early, as she always must, in order to raise the sun that would rouse all of Equestria from their slumber. As much as she didn't like to be reminded of her royal duties and how they automatically distanced her from her subjects, it was a fact of her life, and it could not truly be ignored. As she worked her magic to bring the dawn, the elder Princess of Equestria sighed.
"Now what has you so down?"
"Discord! I didn't even sense... no, of course I wouldn't be able to sense you're approach. Did you want something?"
"Now now, Celestia, calm down. I'm not here to make trouble, or at least not my usual volume of trouble." Here the Draconequus paused dramatically. "But I fear that before I can get down to the business at paw, claw, or talon I need an answer: why the sigh, dear Princess?"
Celestia stared at the Spirit of Chaos, who had on at least three separate occasions been one of the most wily and dangerous threats to Equestria. She didn't know what it was about him, but ever since Fluttershy had succeeded in her efforts to start guiding him on the path to being at least Chaotic Good, he had seemed... more sincere and open to... correction -- Celestia guessed she could put it that way. And the more Discord was this way, the more Celestia somehow found herself confiding in him. 

"Today is Hearts and Hooves Day," she said, testing the waters.
"Ah." Discord stopped his slow walking around (he seemed to find it difficult to stand still for very long) and turned back toward Celestia. "Is that it? That can't possibly be it."
Celestia sighed, and decided to have out with it all at last. "I've been wondering, for some time, actually, whether I would have a Special Somepony in my life before I found a successor as the Princess of the Sun."
"Really? I wonder which one of those I could help you with," Discord tapped his chin with a claw as he thought of the possibilities.
Celestia chuckled. "No offense to you, but I doubt ponies would trust you very far with the sun, at least not yet."
"Really? I think I'd make a great Alicorn Princess, Princess."
"Please don't," Celestia rested a hoof over Discord's talon, which he had been about to snap.

"Very well. As there are very few who could raise and lower the sun instead of you, without also vacating the Moon's post, what kind of 'special' would your Special Somepony be?"
"He would have to somepony who understands responsibility, and all the weight that comes with it. Somepony with untold patience who isn't in complete awe of me. Somepony who could stand beside me as an equal, and be... normal with me, instead of always calling me 'Princess.' Somepony who either doesn't understand the distance between royalty and other ponies, or to whom it doesn't matter at all."
"Is this a list of characteristics of an ideal match for marriage? I thought you just wanted somepony to hang out with for Hearts and Hooves Day."
"You're right, for once." Under her breath, Celestia added, "not that a marriageable stallion wouldn't be nice."
"As nice as that is," Discord said, blinking in surprise, "we only have so much to work with. Lets see who we've got." He snapped his claw, and the pad of paper on which he had been scribbling notes vanished, to be replaced by a Magic Eight Ball.
"You can't be serious," Celestia said.
"Well, that's a fine way to show your appreciation. And really, the success of this depends more on how serious you are than how serious I am. And for once I'm perfectly serious. After all, if you're busy going on dates, imagine all the mischief I could get off to."
"'Mischief?'"
"I meant to say 'chaos.' Can you be serious here? I'm holding a Magic Eight Ball, and it's burning to be used." The black ball turned slightly red, as though it really was getting hot.
"Okay, fine." Celestia thought this was all a waste of time, but it was still worth a try, somehow. She focused.
Discord began to shake the ball. "Who is Celestia's ideal match, among those living in this world right now?"
"That's not a yes-no question,"
"This is a Magic Eight Ball, dear Celestia. I would have thought you'd know that. Now focus."
"Focusing,"
Discord stopped shaking the ball, and then waited, peering into it. "Well, that can't be right," he said, and before Celestia could ask a question, he shook the ball again. Paused and stared a second time. Shook it a third time. "That's just outright impossible," he said, shaking it a fourth time. "Ridiculous," he said, shaking the ball. "Utterly ridiculous. One last try, maybe?" While Celestia watched with a raised eyebrow, he gave the ball a really good shake. "This thing must be busted," he decided, and he tossed it on the ground.
Now more curious than ever before, Celestia picked the item up with her magic and decided to take a peak: DISCORD. The Princess of the Day rolled her eyes, and gave the ball a good shake of her own, and it came up: DISCORD.
"I told you it was impossible," he said.
Celestia looked over the ball at the Draconequus, and the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to be the exact opposite of impossible, ridiculous, or unlikely: here was the only being who was possibly longer-lived than she, an individual of such great power that, should he wish it, the world could be just the way he wanted it to be with a snap of his claw or paw or tail. He was the only one, other than Luna, Celestia's own sister, who did not always call Celestia 'Princess' first. And he certainly was not in awe of her. Moreover, he was the first and last of his kind, so far as anyone knew. Deep down, that had to be a great loneliness to bear -- one similar to the one Celestia had felt regarding Luna after she'd been forced to banish Nightmare Moon, or to the one she felt after Starswirl forbade her from seeing the King Sombra of the Inverse Equestria.
"Maybe, or maybe not," Celestia said aloud.
"Eh? You can't mean..?"
Celestia smiled. "Does it disturb you?"
"A lot less than I'd like it to, given your less-than-friendly history."
"We don't have to marry," Celestia said, covering her mouth with a hoof to stifle a giggle. "But won't you be my Special Somepony for today?"
Discord paused, and he thought, then he hung his head in a sign of submission. "Fine, but only for today."
"That's all I could ask,"
"Or should ask," Discord muttered.
"I heard that," Celestia said, smiling.


* * *


Throughout the day, when Princess Celestia had a moment to spare (which was often, since most ponies were out pursuing romantic possibilities instead of going about their normal business), ponies saw strange sights: Discord giving her flowers, or sweets, or little baubles to wear; Discord taking Celestia to the derby or the theatre or to a meal; Discord being a letter-perfect gentlestallion. But it was Hearts and Hooves Day, and all these actions were perfectly within the spirit of the time.
"Well, do you still think it's ridiculous now?" Celestia asked Discord as afternoon began to turn to evening. She had a flower in her hair, and she was wearing a simple pale blue evening dress. She had even went to the effort of putting on a light layer of makeup. Discord was wearing a necktie, but that was as far as he went.
"I honestly don't know how to answer that," he said.
Celestia laughed lightly. "Well then, have you enjoyed our time together?"
"Have I? That sounds like it's almost over, but we're not through here yet, oh no!"
"What do you..?"
"We have only done all the mundane things, but Celestia, did you forget who you were with? With me, the impossible is possible."
"Oh-ho. In that case," Celestia said, "I'm game for doing the impossible if you are,"
"You're on," Discord raised an arm.
"As long as we put things back the way they're supposed to be when we're done."
"I said 'you're on,' didn't I?"
They vanished in a flash of light, to do what only the supremely magical could do. Night had already risen when Celestia and Discord returned from playing among the stars. They had tried, really they had, to put everything back, but somehow things looked just a little bit brighter for the both of them. "Maybe we should do this again sometime," Celestia said, with a genuine and brilliant smile on her face as the stars twinkled above.
"It wouldn't be impossible," Discord said, and in parting he bowed and kissed the top of her foreleg -- an old courting gesture that perhaps only the ancient Houses still used. Only the grin on the Draconequus's face did not reveal whether or not it was a joke. Celestia was willing to out-wait him and see.