Discord was staring into space, thinking about, sadly, the newly-named Princess of Friendship. Just the thought of her brought some...less than awkward ideas into his head. He clenched his hands into fists and slammed them against the trunk of his thinking tree.
Ever since his visit with Cadence, Discord had been considering telling Twilight about his feelings. But, that was still undecided.
It bothered him greatly that as powerful a being as he was, he wasn't able to confront a mare about his feelings.
Discord had never had to deal with this kind of situation before. Eons ago, he had almost developed an interest for Celestia, but she could never appreciate that chaotic nature that he possessed. Celestia was solely entrenched in everything harmonic. If she found something that went against it, she would either work to correct it, or eliminate it altogether. Discord had known from the get-go that trying to pursue a relationship with her would not have been a good idea.
Twilight was a different story. True, Twilight had been raised by the same precedents Celestia believed in, but she possessed the ability to harness both the powers of Harmony and Chaos. She couldn't execute chaos magic properly without damaging something in the process, but the point is she could do it.
Discord smiled at the thought of training Twilight in the Art of Disharmony. Though her stick-in-the-mud mentor would forbid it, Discord could just imagine Twilight creating chaos like he did.
His smile quickly disappeared as he thought back to his feelings. This whole undecided crush thing had been going for quite some time now, and no matter what, he couldn't get over her.
Cadence had given him advice, but he couldn't tell her. How would she react? Would she stop being his friend? Would she freak out at him? Discord knew that she'd probably reject him. He hadn't exactly earned her respect in the past. They had been getting along better, but saying that they were more than friends was a pretty far-fetched idea.
He banged his head against the tree trunk. "Why does life have to be hard?" He looked down, resting his head on the thick branch beneath him.
All this grief was making him sick. How tame he had gotten. All of these problems caused by his stupid emotions. And Twilight, of course.
Discord leaned back against the tree trunk. He had to do something. He couldn't let her continue plaguing his mind. He would only tell her as a last resort. What could he do?
"Friendship, a blessing and a curse. If only there was something I could--Wait, that's it!" He summoned some scrolls and quills.
"Who better to ask for help than your friends?" He used his magic to animate the quill to writing itself.
He opened his mouth to begin dictating before stopping. "Hmm. Knowing them, this kind of thing could only lead to giggles and gossip. Ah, well. If they spill, I'll wreak some insufferable vengeance upon them, but in the politest way possible. Anyway, Dear Fluttershy..."
The Mane Six sans Twilight were all gathered at Fluttershy's cottage. They had all received letters from Discord stating to meet here for some important matters. Obviously a little surprised at first, but they figured they might as well see what he wanted. What they couldn't figure out was why Twilight wasn't here. She was usually always on time, but she hadn't shown up yet. They would soon realize the reason why.
Discord appeared in front of them, startling a few unsuspecting ponies.
"Discord, please, do you mind announcing your arrival? I can think of a much more civilized way of showing up," Rarity huffed, flipping her mane.
"Since when do I have to be civilized? Besides, we're all friends here. And friends enjoy surprises, right?" He embraced them all in a group hug, earning himself several smacks.
"I know I do! Parties are a lot more fun when they're surprises! I mean, who doesn't like surprises?" Pinkie jumped out of Discord embrace, smiling as usual.
"Wow, Pinkie, I never knew that," Rainbow said in a sarcastic tone.
"But, you've known me forever. How could you not have known about that till now?" Pinkie asked with an innocent look.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to bother answering that."
"Okay, Discord, I think we're gettin' off track. Why're we here? What's so important?" Applejack faced the draconeques with a questioning look.
"And, Discord, do you know where Twilight is? She should have been here by now," Fluttershy looked towards the crystal palace that their lavender friend occupied.
Discord silently groaned. He knew that question would come up. She was the whole reason they were here. Discord had known that Twilight would be in Canterlot visiting her parents today. She had told him to let him know that he couldn't go down to his favorite room today.
Discord was rather thankful for the break, since now he could talk to the rest of them without worrying about her popping over.
"Well...that's actually what I need to talk about," Discord's voice took on a more serious tone.
"Why whatever do you mean, Discord?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.
"We'll talk inside. So, get," He ushered them into the little cottage.
The five mares all fit comfortably into Fluttershy's abode. The faint smell of animal fur wafted around the room, which was to be expected. Fluttershy offered each of them a cup of tea, which they politely accepted.
Discord closed the door and walked over to them, sitting down in one of the chairs and grabbing a teacup. He took a sip, then placed it on the table he had just summoned. Now for the hard part.
"So, Discord, what's the big deal? It's not normal for you to have matters that would be considered 'important,'" Rainbow lounged back on the comfy couch, holding her cup in her hoof.
Discord scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I...," he sighed, "It's hard to explain."
"Don't worry, Discord. We're all friends here. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll be able to help you," Fluttershy said in her usual kind voice.
"Of course, we'll help you. Friends help each other. And if you don't help them, then you're not friends. But, we are friends, so we will help you!" Pinkie bounced in place, a smile once again visible.
Discord looked at the mares present. He could trust them, well, most of them.
"Fine, but you must promise me you won't laugh. This is rather serious for me, and I'd very much appreciate it if you all would consider it likewise," Discord leaned back in his chair, giving the impression that this, whatever it was, wasn't a joke.
"All right, Discord. We'll take this serious. Now, what's the trouble?" Applejack drank some of her tea, proceeding to wipe off her mouth with her hoof.
Discord took a deep breath. "You all remember what happened with Tirek, right? I'd be surprised if you didn't." They all nodded in agreement.
"Then I'm sure you remember being trapped in those bubbles."
"That was a very horrifying moment for all of us, I'm sure," Rarity shivered at the memory.
"But, what does that have to do with anything?" Rainbow scratched her head.
Discord exhaled once more, "Well, when...Twilight agreed to give up her magic for her friends, I was so sure she wasn't going to have me released." He smiled. "I am so glad I was wrong. She would not give in until I was freed. I just..."
The others gave him compassionate looks. They all knew that moment had been a great impact on Discord that day. Finally being truly accepted as a friend. Was this the important matter?
"Discord, we already know all this. Why would you tell us something we already know? I don't think anypony forgot," Pinkie asked quizzically.
"I wasn't done," He cringed. Now came the hard part. "After that day, something was different. I...began noticing a few things about...Twilight. She called me her friend, something I thought would never happen. I mean, I wasn't exactly trying to be her friend."
"Well, now the truth comes out," Applejack crossed her forelegs.
"Applejack," Fluttershy scolded in a reprimanding manner.
"It's okay, Fluttershy. Anyway, I began to think about her more than I would've liked to. Every time I would see her, I would think about that moment. Well, maybe not all the time, but most of the time. In the past, I would only see her for her power. That mare could blow up an entire city if she got aggravated."
They all nodded knowingly, recalling the Smarty Pants incident. She didn't blow up the city, but she did create some chaos.
"Now, I'm beginning to see her as something...more. I can now call her my friend, just like I can for all of you. But, deep inside me, though it pains me, something in me wants to call her something more," Discord took a quick glance at the mares with him.
Some of them had looks of surprise. The rest of them shared knowing looks, indicating that they knew something he did not.
Rarity gave a sly smile, "Oh, I see what you're saying." She giggled.
"I never thought you to be the type," Rainbow gave a similar smirk.
Discord lowered his eyebrows, "I know, I know. Discord has feelings. Shout it out to the world. This became Deja vu rather fast." He smacked his face with his lion paw.
"So, are you saying you like Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, sharing a smile.
Discord groaned, "How else would you interpret it?"
"Well, this is great because Twi--mmph!" Applejack slapped a hoof onto the exuberant pink mare's face.
"Story for another day, Pinkie," Applejack gave a pointed look. Pinkie understood and nodded.
"This is wonderful, Discord. Everyone needs someone in their life," Rarity patted Discord's paw.
"It's not wonderful," Discord quickly shook off her hoof before getting up.
"Why ever not?" Rarity raised a eyebrow.
"Don't you see? She's my polar opposite. Harmony's her thing, Chaos's mine. Even if I wanted to pursue a relationship, it would never work out. She'd reject before I finish my sentence," Discord huffed, sitting down on the floor while resting his head on his claw.
The five mares shared knowing looks.
"Well, that explains why you didn't want her here," Applejack lowered her eyelids and smiled.
"You get a sticker for figuring out my motives," Discord replied half-heartedly.
"Aw, I want a sticker," Pinkie stuck out her bottom lip.
"Anyway, Discord, you shouldn't think like that," Fluttershy stated gently.
"Fluttershy is right. You don't know how Twilight thinks. She might return the feelings if you told her," Rarity smiled at her last conversation to the mare in question.
Discord shook his head, "Nope, not gonna happen. It'll be a sunny day in Tartarus before I give her a confession."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Yeesh, dramatic much?"
"I kinda doubt Twi would reject you just like that. Knowing her, she'll look it up in the dictionary," Pinkie snickered.
Discord turned away. He felt a hoof touch his shoulder.
"Discord, I'm going to give you the most cliché advice in the book. You need to tell her. You never know--"
"Unless you try. It's like my visit with Cadence again, I swear," Discord rolled his eyes.
"The point stands, Discord. Twi's not one to flat out ignore somethin' like this. The worse thing she could do is say 'no.'" Applejack assured him.
"And if she does, then she's not the one for ya. It's as simple as performing a double-flip corkscrew," Rainbow nodded her head.
"That maneuver's not easy," Fluttershy looked over at Rainbow.
"Well, for me, at least."
Discord sighed. The same advice, just given in a different way. He thought about it. Would it be so wrong? Having a relationship with a mare would be a new experience for him. Twilight would make a great companion. She had several facets that Discord admired.
If he told her, he'd be lifting a huge burden off of his shoulders. At least then he would know how she felt. They had gotten considerably closer. Who knows?
Discord sighed, "I shall think about it. I haven't decided yet. But, I'm not counting it out. Like you said, the least she can do is turn me down. I thank you all for the advice. Some better than others, but I'm not one to pick and choose. Usually," Discord wrapped them all in a hug. One which they all accepted.
Discord went home to think it over. He couldn't exactly picture how it might play out. He couldn't decide what her answer would be. They had gotten close over the past few weeks. She might accept him or reject him. Love was a foreign concept to him. He had never truly loved something or someone before. He had been too caught up in his chaos that he never had the chance to seek it.
Now, that he was reformed, the idea wasn't all that bad. It'd be nice to call someone something more.
Would Twilight be the one? He'd find that out someday.