Chapter 13 - Are You Still Sleeping?
A faint chime-like noise rang through the air as Celestia finished casting her spell. She touched down on the grass and gazed out over the grounds. The stealthiest owl couldn't hold a candle to the quietness of Luna's wings, so when she touched down beside her sister it was not without a small amount of surprise, causing Celestia to jump at her sister's sudden appearance.
"Luna," she sighed. "Don't sneak up on me like that, especially during a time such as this."
"My apologies," Luna replied. "I wasn't trying to scare you."
When Celestia didn't reply, Luna followed her gaze. She was looking at the stars. Their work had started after sunset and carried them far into the night. The moon was high and the stars shone brightly. Celestia's eyes slid over them carefully, as if she were counting them.
"It's a beautiful night, sister," Celestia said finally. Luna nodded, and a silence started to stretch out between them.
Finally, Luna said, "Sister, would you like to visit Twilight?"
"It's late, Luna. I don't want to disturb-"
"You won't be disturbing anypony. I know you want to see her."
Celestia nodded, and the pair began to make their way across the campus. It was eerily silent. Celestia couldn't help but feel out of sorts in the night. Their steps echoed through the still night air in a way they never could in daylight. Shadows spread out across the ground where they ought not to be, and dim light from the moon and stars slithered across surfaces like water. In truth, it freaked Celestia out a little.
She would never say so, of course, but she would never have to. Luna knew how Celestia felt out of place in the night, just as she felt out of place in the day. It was a more than a difference between them. It was a divide. They were contradictory to each other, yet balance between them was imperative. Balance that Luna sometimes felt danced on the edge of knife.
But they were sisters. Their friendship and love for each other made the dance possible, and the order they brought to the world only strengthened their bond.
Luna glanced up at her older sister. She was quiet. Celestia was hardly ever quiet.
"Sister," Luna said. "Is there a reason you have yet to visit Twilight? She's been studying here quite a while now, but you haven't visited her once. Is she no longer your student?"
The door to the infirmary eased open with a long, drawn out creak that echoed up into the rafters above. The noise disturbed the peaceful quiet in the worst way, but the racket was lost on the unicorn slumbering in the room. The sisters made their way past the beds and towards Twilight.
Celestia gazed down at the unconscious pony and was silent. Luna waited patiently.
"Of course she's still my student, Luna," Celestia said finally. She spoke quietly, almost in a whisper, as if she could disturb Twilight's rest. "But I've taught her everything I can through study and textbooks."
"Then why send her here? Is this place not the embodiment of study and textbooks?"
"No, it's not."
"But this academy is no longer the place of advanced magical knowledge it once was," Luna said. "Somehow it's transformed itself into a school for the privileged, creditable only in name. We have advanced studies, yes, but..."
Celestia shifted her eyes to meet her sister's. "There was no more she could learn from her tower in Canterlot. This place is full of knowledge, not just in books but in the teachers and the students."
Luna sighed as she came to understand. "You thought she would make friends here."
Celestia looked back to Twilight. "Was I wrong?"
Luna shifted her weight and took a moment before she answered. "From what I gather, she has become friendly with some of the faculty."
"Well, that's a start."
"And when I say 'faculty'..." Luna trailed away. Celestia looked up and tilted her head, inviting her sister to continue. "When I say 'faculty,' I mean Discord," she finished.
Celestia went rigid. Her face grew hard and twisted with suspicion. "What?" She said.
"Listen to me, sister," Luna said. "I know you mistrust him, understandably so, but I don't believe he did this. The two of them have become close during her time here."
"What have you seen?"
"Very little, but enough to know there is something between them. I've seen her speaking to him in the courtyard before class. He was the first to go looking for her when she fled from the dance. He has spent much of his time here in the infirmary since the attack. He's worried about her. He cares. They're friends-"
"Discord has never cared for anything," Celestia replied. "Why was she on the grounds at such a late hour?"
"Mahogany has told me that she accidentally locked her inside the library. Twilight must have been making her way back."
"And where was Discord?" Celestia's hard tone didn't falter.
Luna sighed. "He spends most of his nights in the gardens. That night was no exception."
"Wards protect this school. Even before our reinforcements they could have easily repelled an attacker such as the one that hurt Twilight." Celestia met Luna's gaze. Her eyes were ablaze with furious certainty. "Tell me that it couldn't have been him."
"Sister," Luna brushed her wing against Celestia's. "You took away Discord's powers and brought him here so he might be reformed. Yet you refuse the possibility that he might finally be changing for the better."
Celestia's anger dampened, and despair started to creep into her.
"You might be right about that, Luna," she said. "But in my eyes the evidence is strong against him, and he's done little in the past to sway my judgement now."
Celestia looked back to her student. It was obvious whatever Twilight was in was far deeper than sleep. Her body was as still as stone, with only the slight fall and rise of her chest to indicate life.
"What do you think would have happened?" Celestia said quietly. Luna raised her eyebrows in question. Celestia finished, "If I sent her somewhere else? Or if I imprisoned Discord in stone instead of allowing him to live without his powers?"
Luna tilted her head. "Are you worried about her destiny?"
Celestia gently brushed a piece of Twilight's mane from her bandaged cheek. "I just wanted to help her achieve it. I wanted to keep her safe. But it seems my judgement has led her astray."
"If what you told me about her fate is true," Luna said. "It won't matter where we lead her. She will find it, no matter what."
"I know." Celestia drew away from the bed. "I just hope it doesn't destroy her in the process."
Discord hated this room. It was too neat. Too clean. What he sought was nowhere to be found in Luna's office, and this was the only other place it could be. The file cabinets were all the same height, stacked side by side and carefully organized by name. Discord floated near the floor, squinting in the darkness. The room was illuminated by pale moonlight that entered through a lone window, and this was the only light Discord had to read by.
The room held the records of every student that had ever attended Celestial Academy, including those currently enrolled. It took some searching, but eventually Discord found the cabinet he was seeking.
He pulled open the drawers and rifled through the files. It took everything he had not to tear them from the drawer and spread them all over the room. It would have been a great improvement to the symmetry, but he couldn't leave any evidence of his being there. A paper storm would have Discord written all over it.
A paper storm, he though. I've got to add that to my list of things to whip up when I get my powers back.
Discord's eyes caught sight of the name, and he tightened his grip around the edge of the file.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Discord froze. Celestia stood in the doorway, silhouetted by moonlight that streamed into the room behind her.
"I asked what you think you're doing," she said.
Discord shut the drawer and flashed a smile. "Oh you know," he said. "Checking for termites!"
"I know what you're doing." Celestia ventured into the room, falling deeper into shadows as she advanced on him. "You're using her."
"Who?"
"You know very well who," she snapped. "I told you to stay out of this, and I want you to stay away from Twilight."
"What, that purple unicorn who got attacked?" His banter truly knew no end. "Why would I want to be around her in the first place?"
"Her magic." Celestia paused. She stood face to face with Discord, tall and unmovable as ever. "She's special. Twilight has more raw natural ability than anypony I've ever encountered. You have no doubt noticed it yourself. Such things don't escape you easily."
Discord shrugged. "I may have noticed."
"It could have been you who attacked her," she continued. "But then again it might not have been. Either way, I don't doubt the possibility that you plan to use her magic for your own gain."
"It's not like I've never done that before, I admit," Discord said.
"I know-"
"But," Discord held up a claw and interrupted her. "It wasn't in my plans this time. Although it is a very good idea." He broadened his smile. "Maybe she could lift this pesky curse of mine!"
"Forget it," Celestia said harshly. "Not even Twilight could lift that mark from you."
She turned and started towards the door.
"Stay away from her, Discord," she said without turning. "I mean it."
"I'm sure you do." This earned him a quick scowl, then the princess was gone.
The drawer was open again almost immediately, and the file removed. He opened it right there and flipped through the pages.
"Twilight Sparkle," he mumbled aloud as he read. "Education: Canterlot Magic Kindergarten, Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns, blah blah blah..."
He scanned the pages, not entirely sure what he was looking for. He came to the school record room more on impulse than on a conscience decision. Maybe he would find something that would help lead to the attacker. Maybe he was merely curious. Probably a mixture of both.
Discord was starting to get bored when something caught his eye. It was a letter from Celestia, attached to the Celestial Academy admittance paperwork in the recommendations section. He read it closely.
[CONFIDENTIAL]
Order of Admittance, Princess Celestia
Twilight has proven herself far beyond expectations, and her knowledge has outgrown what I can offer her here in Canterlot. I hereby grant her the Grand Celestial Education Grant. She will be attend Celestial Academy free of any and all expenses in favor of her continued study and safekeeping.
-Princess Celestia
"Safekeeping?" Discord questioned aloud.
The letter was not at all a recommendation but a command. It was her academy, and Celestia had the right to admit anypony she wished, but something about the letter seemed off. It was short and cold. Celestia was never short and cold. Well, she was when she was talking to Discord, but he was special. No, he expected her to sing praise upon praise of Twilight's skill for several pages, but the little note was all he could find.
And the note ended strangely. Safekeeping. What did that mean? Why did Twilight need safekeeping?
"What are you up to, Celestia?" Discord mumbled to himself.
He scoured the rest of the file but found nothing else of interest. At most he learned that Twilight was a massive over-achiever. He found comments about reports and research papers she submitted to her teachers in Canterlot that were borderline publishing material. There were some accounts of work she did on her own merely out of curiosity. Besides broadening Discord's understanding of just how obsessed with learning Twilight was, the record did little to aid in the current situation.
He slid the file back into the drawer, in the wrong place, and shut it with a loud metal clang. His business done, Discord slithered out of the room.
"Why do I keep coming back here?" No answer. "It's not like I have anything better to do, but still." Silence.
The infirmary was an eerie place at night. Discord preferred having the open night sky above him, not dark rafters that faded into shadow as the ceiling rose. Rosemary had tucked Twilight snugly into the bed for the night, and Discord lounged on the next bed over.
"Celestia says you're special," he said. "I have to admit you're different from the rest of the students. You actually care about magic. So many of the students here couldn't care less about learning. I imagine they're here for the education section on their resumes. 'Celestial Academy' would look pretty good one of those things."
Silence. Twilight slept on. Discord shook his head at her.
"Look at that," he continued. "I'm finally talking to you, like you wanted from the beginning, and you're unconscious. You won't even sneeze when I do this-" He tickled her nose with the fluffy end of his tail. She didn't respond. "See? Not even a twitch."
He drew his tail away and said no more. The silence stretched on. The moon slid slowly across the sky, and the shadows in the room followed suit. She didn't move an inch.
"You should wake up."
Nothing. He shook his head and yawned.
"What am I going to do with you, Sparkle?"
"Discord."
"Mrm..."
"Discord." A hoof jabbed sharpy into his shoulder.
"Go away," he grumbled, hardly conscience. He opened one eye slightly to see who was bothering him. "Rosemary? What are you doing in my room?"
The nurse blinked once, then let out a hearty laugh and said, "Your room? This is the infirmary, you loon!"
Discord shot up from where he lay. "H-how did I-"
"I for one," Rosemary interrupted, a smile appearing in the corner of her mouth. "Think it's very sweet."
"Sweet?"
Rosemary nodded and waved her hoof at him. "You were so worried about your favorite student, you couldn't stand to leave her alone at night." She bobbed her head side to side in jest, giggling.
"That's not true!" Discord snapped. "I was just in here for a second last night. I sat down and I dozed off. That's it! Nothing else!"
Rosemary smiled and turned to her desk. "Right," she said sarcastically. It wasn't a second until Discord's frazzled expression was inches from her face.
"It was an accident! That's it!" He insisted, his claw gripping the side of the desk tightly. She pushed him away.
"Ok, ok," she said. "I was only teasing." She turned back to some paperwork on her desk and began filling it out.
Discord crossed his arms and leaned back slightly. "Well it wasn't funny," he said.
"Discord, it's okay," Rosemary looked up from her work and smiled. "You're friends. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Friends?" Discord cringed, but Rosemary didn't seem to notice. She was opening cabinets taking inventory of all the medicines she had, and Discord followed after her. Occasionally a bottle or two would float down to the counter for later use.
"No, no," he continued. "You got it wrong. We're not friends."
Rosemary studied a bottle of clear liquid. The label was small and covered in the tiniest typeface ever conceived. Without looking up she said, "Yes you are."
"No, no. We're not. We're...I'm a teacher, and she's a student, and she happened to be around when I was around and our paths... crossed here and there but we're just two beings in a building with a hundred other beings we're...we're not anything-"
"Discord. Honestly..." Rosemary lowered the levitating bottle and faced him. "You don't have to be so defensive."
"Defensive? I'm not defensive-"
"Look," Rosemary sighed. "I know you've never been keen on the idea of having friends. Or colleagues. Or anything resembling a good relationship with anybody in this school, least of all the students. So, I understand that this must be a little disorienting for you. But there's nothing wrong with a student and a teacher being good friends." Rosemary beamed a brilliant smile. "Just look at me," she continued. "I try to make friends with everypony I can, faculty and students included."
A voice sounded from the doorway, "A practice I don't recommend."
Rosemary jumped in surprise and wheeled around.
"Luna!" she said. "I was just..."
Luna strode into the room and continued, "It's important that the professors here maintain discipline, and respect. Letting students walk all over you is no way to command their attention in the classroom."
"Can that not be done with a friendly demeanor, at least?" Rosemary offered.
Luna gave a small smile. "Of course. And in your case, I think it's good that you try to be friendly. It's important to have a nurse in the school that the students can easily approach with health concerns."
Rosemary blushed a little and smiled. "Thank you, Princess," she said. "I need to finish this work so I can start tending to Twilight. Did you need something from me?"
"Actually, no. I came looking for that one," she tossed her gaze unto the draconequus floating nearby. "Discord."
"Yes?" He answered.
"You're late for class."
His ears perked up. "Really?" he asked. "What time is it?"
"Late enough for your class to have begun without you. Get going!"
Discord grumbled then slithered off. He had forgotten about his current occupation, and was not at all looking forward to resuming his regular routine.
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I have one complaint- you need more consistant spacing. That every three-four paragraph spacing is driving me MAD.
Okay... This AU story is absolutely awesome. Faved and tracking.
Yay.
Vunderbar. I'm loving this, even though I normally keep a distance from the dark tagged stories. Keep up the good work!
yay! i need more
I wonder when Discord will notice that he got a full nights sleep for the first time in like forever ...
I also wonder if Twilight's presence had anything to do with it ...
Oh my gosh!
I just got the connection. Chapter 12, Lullaby. Chapter 13, Are You Still Sleeping? It's like his lullaby put her to sleep, and he's asking if she's still sleeping! Awww, he really does care. Plus, that's brilliant!! 
Unless I'm totally over-thinking the titles, heh. He fell asleep at Twilight's bedside, that's so cute. He really slept too. That's big. Ooooh, Discord is onto you, Celestia. He's got eyes like a HAWK! Literally. Maybe. I wonder if the reinforced wards will help. Will this attacker keep attacking? Probably, or this wouldn't be dark, would it? I'm just guessing. I hope we get to see what's going on in Twilight's head. Some stories, when ponies are in a coma, there's this whole other world that they're in. Also, can Twilight hear Discord? I've heard that people in coma's can hear if someone talks to them. Alright, I'll shut up now. Til next chapter!
Yay a new chapter
And Discord is so cute :D
I'm on this power train.
and I'm not letting go.
"After nine years in development, hopefully, a new chapter will have been worth the wait."
More please? It's just so good!
This is an awesome fanfic!
The problem? The awesome author who doesn't update at all.
I don't know how people don't feel guilty about this, I try to update every day and publish a chapter within two days at the most.
I know stuff like this takes time, but this is just ridiculous.
3500949
Speak for yourself, I try the same and still haven't finished my first chapter. Some people just have trouble with inspiration and crap.
3541014 lol yup
seriously I am the worst when I have writer's block
instead of being productive I whine and complain about it
Day 92:
Still no sign of an update. I don't know how much more I can last... I need my fix. I'm growing increasingly more desperate, and I'm starting to worry about my sanity. I can't go on like this. I need more. I need it.
3563576 I'm heartwarming to see people still interested in my fic. I kind of want to do some rewrites, but haven't found the time.
3565949
Do what you may, but just try to not leave us all hanging for too long, 'kay? 
Well, take your time. I might be impatient, but I was really just commenting to let you know your fans are still alive.
3566449 I'll do my best
I need to know what happens next! This is just too good
oooohhh my gawddd
this is too gooooooooooddddd gahh!
I think I'm pretty good at catching grammar mistakes.
Do you need an editor or anything?
Because if you do, I'd be happy to help.
3656464 ha! I knew you would like it XDDDD It's in my top 5 for the best feanfics everr xD
3812211 lmao ikr
I think I know which one is your favorite
3818988
It's not to hard to guess xDDD
3822004 lmfao
indeed kitty blackmail sixtos
3824155
I'll wear that name with pride xDDD
3828277 LMFAO that's not weird
:rainbowlaugh 
usually someone would be pissed if I called them that but okay
3829086
xDDD maybe he would get annoyed xD But I'll take my destiny xDDD it's also a good way to shock my friends xD
3832796 LMFAO xD
Honestly he started something he couldn't stop
I.e thrax raping him in his sleep
3835823 xDDDD
3837451 wHY THE FUCK AM I STILL WATCHING THIS
3840789
XDDDBECAUSE WE ARE BOTH HIGHON OXYGEN XDDD
3842278 OKAY
XD XD XD
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME
3843688
EVERYTHING XDDD BUT THATS ALRIGHT
3843713 OMFG
FUCK LOGIC
FUCK EVERYTHING
3843717
BUT FUCK IT HARD XD
3843718 FUCK YES
Hasn't been updated in six months? Sorry, but that makes this story, more than likely, dead. It was amazing and brilliantly written, but it just depresses me to see that it won't continue, especially since it was said that everything was planned out.
3889936 I haven't given up on it.
3891814 I have hope for it, like any stories that get into this kind of situation, but not much.
3891814 PLEASE I beg you!! I will give you anything but I really WANT to read want happens next, the story is SOO awesome, have a pretty interesting plot, the relationship between Twilight and Discord is absolutly lovely and well write it soo please in Celestia's name continue with this PLISSSS I'm dying to read the next chapter
I check back on this every couple days, just wishing that it was updated. It was such a unique story. Please don't be dead!
this is LITERALLY the BEST DISCOLIGHT story I have ever read. Don't be dead, pleaasassseeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never begged for a fanfic to keep going so much in my life!!!!!!!
ok, as long as you haven't given up on it ^^ but seriously, this is amazing. not only are the characters well developed, but you're able to fabricate a new setting and this story is so very different from the usual DISCOLIGHT stories. It's just so... well, amazing really. So pleaase I beg you I know I'm being selfish because I'm pretty sure you have so much work to do, but it's so awesome and I just... please!!! >.<
I just reread it again, and I just... please update >.>
OK add my name to the list of readers that are patiently waiting for a new chapter because this story is awesome.
I imagine they're here for the education section on their resumes. 'Celestial Academy' would look pretty good one of those things
'Celestial Academy' would look pretty good on one of those things.
Is it dead?
4303795 Maybe the word you're searching for is LIFT lift into the air and lift from his chair