Maria woke a few hours later, finding that she was laid comfortably on a lounge chair, covered in a thin silk blanket. She sat up quickly, glancing around the room. It looked similar to a regular living room, with a fireplace, a love seat, and a coffee table. The only odd thing about the room was that the stairs leading to it was upside down instead of right side up.
Twas the norm of Discord.
Maria swung her legs over the side of the couch, stretching. She remembered the last few moments after the race, shuddering at the thought of what would've happened had Discord not come to her rescue. Her mind brought forth the small detail of him calming her down, blushing slightly at the thought of his fingers running through her hair.
She shook her head, trying to disregard the memory. "If this keeps happening, I doubt I'll have the heart to leave him," she muttered to herself.
Her eyes darted towards a door, which was shut firmly. Standing to her feet, the female draconequus approached it. It looked like a simple wooden door with a golden knob. Her hand curled gently around the handle, turning it just so, allowing the door to ease open with an old creak.
Behind the door was a long hallway, one that she vaguely recalled Discord leading her down when she first arrived. The tour he had given her was quite short, and he only gave her the names of each room. She decided that she'd explore while looking for Discord.
Her "feet" padded down the halls, soon approaching the first door on her left. It opened silently, and she slipped inside. It was a simple room, complete with a small bed-small compared to her bed, that is, and a simple dresser. Her eyes wandered over every detail of the room, finding it lacking uniqueness.
Turning, she left the room, shutting the door behind her. She crossed the hallway to the other door, sticking her head in. It, too, lacked pizzazz. Besides the difference in color-the first room had wall painted the color of emeralds, the second colored a pale purple. Maria left that room, traveling down farther to the next room, which didn't have a door parallel to it. Curious, she stepped in, finding it different than the last two.
The room itself was bigger, even more so than her own bedroom. The walls were a creamy yellow, the curtains an off white. The bed set aside a large amount of space, enough for two people to lay with some elbow room. The window was huge, allowing a breath-taking view of the Everfree Forest. It actually didn't look to bad from this view, nor did it appear frightening or intimidating. It was a simple forest with average trees. The inhabitants; however, were another thing. Not knowing what might lurk around was enough to give Maria a cold shiver down her spine.
Still, she wondered what the purpose of this room was. Her eyes widened slightly as her mind made a small conclusion: Discord had set aside a bedroom for the two of them if she agreed to stay with him.
As much as she loved the idea, she fought to remind herself that her focus was on returning home. She had made it partially through the first day without fully falling for him all over again. That left only six more days to survive.
Honestly, Maria wanted to give up and finally allow herself to live with Discord, but the nagging voice in her head told her that she needed to go back home and relieve the worry of her father. No doubt her mom missed her dearly as well. With newfound courage, she concluded that she had to leave. No matter how much Discord had made her love him, the well-being of her family concerned her.
She left the room, shutting the door firmly. She sighed, her cheeks glowing with a faint dusting of pink. Maria continued down the hall, confused to see that there were no more rooms, just an opening that lead to the main room. After reaching the clearing, she took a right to enter the dining room.
The dining room was a large room, with a door that lead to the kitchen. She strolled past the wooden dining table, which was bare of any food, and entered the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, she checked the fridge, the freezer, and even each of the few cabinets in a search for any food. Without success, she sighed, leaning against the stove.
There was a possibility that she could summon up a meal for her, but she actually missed the smell of cooking food dearly. A grin sprouted on her face, and she summoned up an apron, tying it around her waist. Her thoughts churned as she pondered what kind of meal she'd prepare.
***
Discord sat in his own bedroom, thinking quietly to himself.
Or rather, talking out loud to his own reflection.
"That was a brilliant idea," his image scoffed. "You almost got her hurt!"
"I didn't mean for that to happen!" he growled. "I just thought a bit of friendly competition would've been fun for her,"
"I bet she won't even think about being with you after that!"
Discord heaved a sigh, eyes pointed downwards. He knew that his image was right. Maria probably won't even speak to him after that. It was his fault, since he didn't say anything about the pedals. His head hung low, though a smile tugged at his lips as he recalled the way she clung to him after he saved her.
"Don't even," mirror Discord growled. "She was just scared and you were the nearest thing to her. Face it! She's not going to be with you. Believing otherwise is just going to get you hurt,"
Discord was about to remark when a mouth-watering smell drifted into the room. Maria was...cooking?
He ignored the protests coming from his reflection as he teleported to the kitchen, where he saw Maria bustling about the kitchen singing to herself.
"'Cause you are the piece of me,
I wish I didn't need!
Chasing, relentlessly, still fine and I don't know why.
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy?
If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?"
Discord's smile grew as he listened to her melodic voice. Watching her move about the kitchen was hypnotizing in itself. Suddenly, she turned, yelping in fright when she saw that he was watching her.
"Have you ever thought about not standing behind me?" she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I swear, you're gonna give me a heart attack!"
He changed the subject, eyes locking on the pot she had been stirring, the source of the delicious smell. "What's that?"
She glanced back at the pot. "Oh this? It's beef stew. My mom taught me how to make it," she said. "I...I thought it'd be a good way to thank you for saving me earlier,"
Discord's eyebrows rose slightly. She was...thanking him?
Perhaps he still had a chance?
***
The two sat at the table, neither saying a word. Maria avoided eye contact, instead focusing on her chewing.
Discord struggled to find some way for them to spend time together. A way that wouldn't backfire on him.
He soon crafted a delightful plan, one that was sure to assist in his quest for her heart.
"Maria? Would you like to play a game with me?" he asked. She looked up, as if startled by the suddenness of his voice.
"Sure. What game?"
A grin curled around his lips. "Just a simple game, hide and seek, if you will," he said. "But I feel that we should wager something,"
"Wager?"
"Yes. You hide and I'll try to find you. If I manage to, then you have to give me something. If you win, you can have whatever you want."
Maria looked at him uncertainly, so he added quickly, "I swear I won't use my magic to find you,"
"But won't you be able to sense my magic?" she asked pointedly.
He thought for a moment, cursing that she'd pointed that fact out. "Fine. You can change into your pony form. I can't sense you when you use that transformation spell. How'd you learn that anyway?"
She looked away. "I...kinda took one of Twilight's spell books,"
A snicker escaped his lips before he could stop it. "My dear, I might be rubbing off on you more than I thought,"
A small smile played on her lips. "Maybe so..." she instantly erased the grin, looking at him. "What exactly do you want?"
"I'd think it would be obvious at this point, dear," he thought. Instead he answered, "That, Maria, I will keep a secret until I find you,"
At the mention of a challenge, she stuck her chin out defiantly. "You mean if you find me,"
He smirked. "If I find you," he corrected himself.
Maria pushed her chair away from the table, standing. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on a form. A swirl of violet surrounded her and a small mint green pony appeared with a navy blue mane.
"Give me thirty seconds," she said.
Discord stood as well. "I guess that's fair," he grumbled. Turning his back, he began to count to thirty. Maria took this moment to trot off in the opposite direction. When she was a good distance away, she teleported to the bedroom she found earlier. She walked to the closet and hid in there. It was fairly roomy, and she could easily lay down.
Discord had finished counting, doing a mental calculation of where Maria could have been. Hiding in her room would be a bad mistake, and Maria wasn't one to give herself up so easily. The kitchen was automatically off limits, since that was the closest area to him.
While he was counting, he felt a disturbance in the magic around him, meaning that Maria had teleported. If he could concentrate well enough, he could trace the general area of where she went.
Closing his eyes, he mentally searched for the trace of teleportation. It appeared to be going into the hallway where he set up their room.
He cursed himself for not blocking those areas off. It'll be awkward to explain why those rooms were there...
He flicked the thought from his mind, teleporting to the desolate hallway. He checked each room carefully, leaving no stone overturned.
Meanwhile, Maria was trying not to doze off. Her stomach was full of the delicious dinner she had made, and she was still tired from earlier. Her eyes drooped shut for a moment. The serenity and calm atmosphere was quickly slashed when she heard footsteps. Sitting up, she tried to bury herself into the clothes that were hanging in there. The clean smell of the cloth calmed her for the moment, until she heard Discord purr, "I'm going to find you, Maria. This is the only room I haven't fully checked."
She squeezed her eyes shut, as if she was trying to block out his teasing calls. She knew she was caught. Why did she teleport here?!
Discord checked under the large bed, finding nothing but collecting dust. That meant she could be hiding in the closet.
Maria was sure Discord could hear her heart, as it was pounding in her own ears. Her mind raced -- what would Discord ask from her? Would she give it to him?
The closet door remained shut, and there was no noise whatsoever, not even his steady breaths. She stilled like a statue, not moving, believing it was a trick. When nothing happened, she dared herself to check under the doorway, seeing no feet waiting on the other side.
She heaved a silent sigh, leaning against the coat that hung in the closet.
Wait...coat?
Maria whirled around to see Discord looking down at her. In an instant, he picked her up and hugged her close. "I found you..." he whispered in her ear. "Now for my prize,"
"W-what do you want?" she stuttered, teleporting a few feet away, now in her true form.
Discord quickly approached her, leaving her with no way out. He lifted her chin and gently pressed their lips together.
Maria was glad that the dark was able to hide her blush.