Donut Nights 3: Nightmare Night Canoodling

by Azure129

Chapter 2: What a Fright...

While Donut Joe and Luna were greeting the ponies and preparing to commence the Nightmare Night Ball, Celestia and Discord had just been standing in Celestia’s room looking at each other in silence. Celestia had an eyebrow raised while Discord had a pensive look on his features, his arms crossed over his chest.

Being as close ‘friends’ as they were these days, it was very easy for them to sense when something was off about the other and very hard for them to ignore when something was off about the other.

Finally Discord narrowed his eyes at Celestia slightly. “So…what did Luna want to talk to you about?”

Celestia blinked. She bit her lip, considered, then replied, “What did you and Joe end up talking about while we were gone?”

“I asked you first.”

“And I asked you second.”

Discord had to smile a little. “You’re getting better at being cheeky.”

Celestia smiled a little too. “I learned from the master.”

They shared a soft laugh.

Then Celestia moved closer and started using her magic to straighten some white and purple roses in one of her decorative vases for Nightmare Night. “I suspect Luna and Joe talked to us about the same thing.”

Discord swallowed but maintained an aloof tone. “It’s a possibility. Those two are constantly in cahoots these days, after all.”

“Then I guess it shouldn’t be a big deal for you and I to talk about it with each other.” She glanced to him as she finished with the flowers.

He shrugged. “I suppose not…though the Nightmare Night costumes might be a little distracting for a ‘talk’, and we all know the last thing my attention span needs are extra distractions.” He snapped away his costume for the moment.

“Yes, you might be right.” She turned to him and used her magic to remove her costume as well.

Discord took a deep breath. “Now then, back to our unusually serious-sounding conversation.” He gestured to Celestia with a cheeky grin. “Ladies first.”

The sun princess sighed but nodded with a small smile. “Luna thinks you and I have gotten so close as friends that sometimes we act like we’re more than friends. And she used our costume for this evening as an example.” She cleared her throat. “I told you that when you and I first started spending time together, she’d tease me that we were a little smitten. I never took her seriously, but…our friendship really has developed in an odd way. Her point’s a little more understandable now.” She smiled up at him. “And Joe talked to you about the same thing—the two of us being strangely close?”

The chaos master nodded. “Sort of. That was his main point, at least.” He cleared his throat, his gaze dull. “And yes, well…of course you and I have a strange friendship; it sprung up after a thousand years of anger and distrust and all out war and turned into two people actually relating over the past and the present and even the future. It’s bound to be a little different. No need to read much more into it.”

“Oh.”

Discord blinked and his eyes went to hers. Had that ‘Oh’ almost sounded…disappointed?

Celestia’s eyes were downcast for a just moment. But then she looked up and was smiling like usual again. “Well,” she cleared her throat, “at least that settles it then. Our friendship came from unusual circumstances—that’s why we’re such unusual friends.”

Discord looked at her, considering. Then he nodded. “Yes…” he floated up and around her, “we could be more than friends, but we’re not: simple as that.”

“Yes, simple as…” Celestia blinked and glanced to him. “We…could be…?”

Discord shrugged as he came around in front of her again, still floating on his back. “Well, it’s possible the way anything is theoretically possible. Friends who have a lot of history together could easily develop an attraction, or they couldn’t. We could date or we could not date—that’s the question. And right now, we’re not dating.” He landed again. “The point is we’re two mature people…”

Celestia gave him a dry look.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Okay, you’re mature, and I’m mostly mature…but we’re both still adults, which means we’re perfectly in control of our romantic lives. So if we were curious about pursuing something together, we’d just…explore the option. It’s not like we’re afraid or anything.”

“Afraid?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“Afraid of what we might find out,” Discord explained with ease. “After all, if we tried and there was nothing there, nothing would change. And if we tried and there was something there…well, all we’d be doing is facing the truth.” He shrugged. “See, nothing to worry about.”

Celestia swallowed. “But we did sort of confront the possibility already last Hearthswarming, after all…when I kissed you and you kissed me.” She blushed lightly.

He just waved her off. “Oh I wouldn’t count that. That was an act of friendship followed by a practical joke. We barely discussed anything seriously—mostly because I was concerned you’d kick me out like a skittish foal again if I pushed things and spoil all of the friendship fun we were starting to have.”

“I am not skittish.” Celestia pouted a little. “I’m just not used to surprise advances.”

“Which is why I’m trying to talk about this with you in my own overly over-the-top, roundabout way instead of just springing it on you!” Discord huffed, a blush entering his features.

“Discord, what are you saying?” Celestia tilted her head in utter confusion now. “And why are you getting so worked up?”

The chaos master rolled his eyes. “I’m ‘saying’ that two people could kiss to know if they want to be more than friends. And I’m ‘getting worked up’ because you know that we’re both too stubborn to actually do something like that to move past this little bump in our friendship unless we get caught up in some overly dramatic moment!”

Celestia’s eyes widened, her blushing became complete, and her voice almost cracked. “Discord, that’s ridiculous!”

Discord flung his arms out to the side. “This whole thing is ridiculous! Us being able to spend time together and actually enjoy it is ridiculous! Me putting time with you over time with a lot of giggling and eager and very attractive mares is ridiculous! You blushing right now is ridiculous! And me going through this whole elaborately crafted back and forth just to get us to this point is ridiculous!” He looked at her with wide, uncertain eyes now. “You’re dealing with me, Tia—ridiculous is kind of par for the course.” He almost smiled.

Celestia almost smiled too. Then she blinked a few times. “Discord…” she sighed, “I just want us to be okay.”

“Well…” he sighed as well, “you know what we have to do to make that happen.” He grimaced. “And…maybe I want to be okay too.”

Celestia looked into his eyes. Then she furrowed her brow in determination.

Discord looked back and furrowed his brow in determination too.

Then the sun princess leaned up and gave the chaos master a brief kiss on the lips before she instantly pulled back.

Discord blinked then scowled slightly. “Oh come on, that’s not enough to tell. What, are you trying to wake me up from a spell with a quick peck again? More like this…” He moved in and gave her a kiss that lingered a moment, then pulled back.

Celestia blinked a few times, blushing lightly, then looked to him again as her own scowl softened. “That wasn’t much better, Discord. You said we’re adults, so we should face this like adults—calmly and fully, no matter what. Here….” She put her hoof in his paw, came close, and kissed him again; slowly this time, gently, letting them savor for a moment before she pulled back to look up at him once more.

Discord was blushing softly, just looking into her wide eyes with his own wide eyes. Then he found words again, his voice low. “Better…but you should really tilt your head more if you want the full experience. And we should be closer.” He shifted near her.

Celestia blinked a few times. Her voice quieted. “Really?”

“Yes.” Discord went on in a quiet tone. “And we should hold each other…just to be sure. Like this….” He put her hoof on his shoulder and put his other arm around her back.

“Oh…” Celestia managed faintly as they became comfortable. She brought her hoof up to his side. “I see.”

And then their eyes closed and they both leaned for another kiss. This time they lingered, savoring…feeling…breathing lightly together. Eventually, they gently pulled back, though they continued to hold each other close.

Discord blinked a few times, his eyes completely hazed, his voice low. “Yeah, um…like that. That’s how to kiss to tell…whatever it was we were trying to tell.”

“Hmm?” merely came from Celestia in a breathy sigh as she gazed at him with pure warmth.

Discord blinked. “Celestia?” His grin picked up on one side as he raised an eyebrow.

A small giggle left her. “Discord, I…” But then she blinked a few of times; her violet eyes came back into focus and went wide. “I…I-I, um… What just…?” Her face flushed scarlet.

“You were dazed…” Discord practically purred. “And I must say, I’m touched…” he added as he let his paw fingers brush gently against the fur at the small of her back.

Celestia’s features flooded with fire. And then a flash of magic left her horn, and suddenly she teleported away!

“Celestia?” Discord blinked and glanced around then rolled his eyes with a scowl. “Oh really…now who’s the one who’s only mostly mature?” With a huff he snapped himself away, easily following her magic to where she had gone (which wasn’t far).

---

At the party, meanwhile, Luna and Donut Joe were center stage as the shining couple of the evening: whether they were greeting ponies, mingling with new friends, or dancing to the latest song from the band, they brought happiness and warmth to the frightfully fun ball.

At the moment, they had just bumped into Fancy Pants, one of the elite political leaders of Canterlot (dressed in black and white stripes like a jail pony).

Fancy Pants smiled and gave a bow of his head. “Princess Luna, exquisite party—you’ve truly made this holiday one of the highlights of the social season.”

“Thank you.” Luna smiled. “I’m glad everyone is enjoying the Ball.”

“And Sir Donut Joe…” Fancy Pants turned to her companion, “how wonderful to see you accompanying the princess. You two certainly seem the life of the party. And what a regal costume.”

Donut Joe smiled. “Thank you, Fancy Pants. But please, uh, just call me Donut Joe.” He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know I’m the princess’s beau, but that doesn’t mean I deserve a title or anything. I’m still just a simple baker.”

Fancy Pants only smiled more. “Well, you certainly do deserve some sort of accolade for pleasing our night princess so thoroughly. Everyone’s gotten to know her so much better ever since you both announced your relationship and she started to bring back some nightlife to Canterlot. This ball especially is a triumph. And your happiness together has truly been a delight to behold.”

Donut Joe beamed a little. “I’m just happy to help her with being princess for all of you.” He looked to Luna with his eyes half-lidded and a small smirk. “Told you you’ve made the nights something even more spectacular than they already were, Luna.”

“Indeed.” Fancy Pants nodded, his gaze warm

Luna blushed slightly. “Fancy Pants…Joe…” She cleared her throat and resumed some of her normal confident tone. “Thank you both. I’ve never been happier being princess of the night than I am these days.”

Fancy Pants nodded. “Quite right.” Suddenly a new haunting yet fun dance song started to play from the band. Fancy smiled more. “I say, this is Fleur dis Lee’s favorite song.” He gestured with his head over to a tall, white unicorn wearing a white silk dress as a ghost then looked back to the couple before him. “You two have inspired me—I think I’ll ask her to dance. Have a splendid night!”

“And you as well, Fancy Pants.” Luna waved to him.

“Yeah, you two have fun,” Joe added, waving too.

Fancy Pants gave them both a wave and then trotted off in the direction of Fleur.

The night princess smiled at Donut Joe. “You’re always so calm and good with the dignitaries. It helps me be the same way and not get carried away with formality or worry about how the perceive me.”

Donut Joe rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re just ponies, like I’m a pony or you’re a pony, and I’ve learned that the best thing with most ponies is just to be straight with them. And besides, I don’t get intimidated easily by fancy titles after all the time I’ve spent around princesses.”

Luna laughed softly. “You know, Celestia always had Starswirl as her royal advisor when we were younger. It feels nice to sort of have you now as one for myself.” She smiled more. “You guide me just by being here; I always feel better with you.”

Donut Joe’s whole look brightened. “Advisor to the night princess? Now that’s a title I’d be happy to take…especially since I always feel better with you too.” He chuckled. “I don’t have to be a wizard though, do I? My magic’s not quite there yet, and I don’t make capes and funny hats look good; I’m better with aprons.”

“Oh Joe…” Luna chuckled too.

“Er…pardon me, Princess Luna?”

Luna blinked and looked forward as a slightly older mare in a white apron and chef’s hat approached her. “Yes, Chef Sugar Spice?”

The aproned mare gave a bow of her head and smiled. “The kitchen staff and I just wanted to thank you so much for hiring extra help so that we could take breaks and enjoy the ball tonight too.”

Luna smiled warmly. “And I want to thank you and the staff again for putting on such a lovely party this evening…and for letting me assist with some of the baking.” Her smile turned a little sheepish. “I know I am not quite at a professional caliber yet, but it was important to me to contribute to the pastries for personal reasons.” She blushed lightly.

“Of course, Princess.” Sugar Spice nodded. “We were happy to have you in the kitchens.” She glanced at Joe. “And don’t listen to a word she says, Donut Joe—she’s developed quite a bit of skill at baking. You’d have been very impressed seeing her in action.”

“I always am.” Donut Joe gave Luna a warm smile that made her sigh and give him a little nudge (thankfully it wasn’t too strong, and he stayed on his hooves without too much effort).

Sugar Spice laughed softly. “And Donut Joe, it really is great to see you here tonight. It’s been so nice to get to know you and the other bakers in the area better over the last few months. Starting a Pastry Chef Guild has brought so much innovation to the industry here in Canterlot.”

Donut Joe smiled more as he looked Sugar Spice’s way again. “Aw, you can thank Luna for that—she’s the one who started getting the castle bakers in contact with the city bakers and even bakers from different parts of Equestria so that they could all share recipes and techniques and even help each other out at their shops and here at the castle. I only helped her by calling in some contacts. I’m just glad it’s really done something great for baking in Canterlot and that it’s introduced so many new friends.”

Luna smiled shyly and waved them both off. “Oh, twas not much. I just realized how much I had been fortunate enough to learn from my time with Joe and thought a similar chance to connect and learn would be good for others.”

Sugar Spice smiled more. “Well, it’s been wonderful for others, Princess Luna, truly. And this whole party has been too.”

“Thank you.” Luna’s smile warmed. “And I hope you’ve picked out a fun costume for the evening.”

Sugar Spice nodded. “Yes, a witch. I’ll change as soon as my break comes. Though I’m afraid ponies will be hard pressed to beat that group costume some of the maids put together of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. I hope that wasn’t in poor taste.” She smiled sheepishly.

“Nonsense.” Luna shook her head and laughed. “I smiled very much when I saw them.”

“Yeah, me too.” Donut Joe chuckled. “I think Twilight and the girls’ll get a big kick out of it.”

Sugar Spice’s smile perked up again. “Well, I should get going and oversee the rest of the desserts being brought before my break starts. Have a nice night you two.” She bowed her head.

Luna and Donut Joe both nodded their heads in return as they watched her go.

Donut Joe’s smile picked up on one side as he glanced at Luna again. “I’m not the only one who’s naturally good with ponies, Luna. I know you can be a little reserved, but you’ve gotten so great at helping the local bakers. And the staff really appreciates the extra time and consideration you’ve been taking for them lately. I can tell.”

“I’ve just come to appreciate your business, Joe, and the ponies who work so hard for the castle and Canterlot and Equestria.” Luna smiled more, looking down. “And it’s nice to help the subjects and to feel so liked by them…and to like myself at the same time.”

Donut Joe gave her a little nuzzle. Then he pulled back and took a deep breath. “Hey Luna? Want to head out to the veranda for a little bit? I’d like to admire the night. And also I…I thought it’d be nice to talk alone.” He blushed lightly.

Luna blinked then blushed lightly too. “Yes. I’d like some time together…to talk.”

He held out his foreleg. “Let’s go then, Luna Baby.”

She took his hoof and nodded. “As you wish, Joe of the Donuts.”

They shared a laugh as they trotted onto the dance floor again, took a few quick turns together to move around the couples, and finally burst through the window doors out onto the veranda, laughing and happy.

As doors closed behind them, their laughter subsided among the quiet and peace of the night air.

Luna smiled warmly at Donut Joe. “Do you think we should have asked Discord and Celestia to look after things while we’re gone?”

Donut Joe waved her off. “Eh, the party’s going great, and we’re still close by. It’s not like we snuck off to elope or anything.” He blushed. “We just wanted a minute to talk. Besides, it might have taken a little while to find them in there.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Hmm…actually, I do not recall having seen them yet at all, come to think of it. Perhaps they have not come downstairs yet. Strange… What do you think happened?”

Donut Joe shrugged. “Maybe they decided to elope…”

They shared a laugh.

Then Luna sighed. “Joe…I’m glad you asked me out here. I actually did want to talk to you about something.” She shifted on her hooves.

Donut Joe blinked but nodded. “Really? Me too. Luna?”

With a faint flash of silver magic, she had suddenly changed back into her usual form. She made her fangs disappear and looked to him with her own soft smile. “I just want to be myself for this.”

Donut Joe grinned a little then reached into his pocket and pulled out his baker’s hat to place it on his head. “Maybe I’ll be myself too then.

Luna laughed softly.

They moved to face each other.

“Ladies first…” “…You first, Joe…”

They hesitated as they spoke over each other then laughed and tried again.

“No, you should really go first, Joe. What I have to say is rather significant.”

“Oh. But, no, you should go first, Luna. What I wanted to say is kind of a big deal too.”

“Really?” “Really?”

They raised eyebrows at each other.

“Is it about…us, Joe?”

“Yeah. How did you know? I… Wait, yours is about us too?”

“Oh yes.”

Looks of curiosity gave way to intrigued smiles.

“Joe, I…”

“Luna, we…”

“I’ve been wanting to say…or rather I’ve been feeling…”

“Wait, you’ve been feeling too?”

“Well, yes…”

“So have I…I…”

“Do you mean to say…?”

“Are we both trying to say…?”

“I love you.” “I love you.”

The words left them both at the same time. They just looked at each other with very wide eyes for a moment and then proceeded to speak over each other again.

“I’m sorry, what?” “What’d you say?”

They both blushed.

“I love you.” “I love you.”

They blushed even more. Then their eyes lit up.

“You really feel the same way, Joe?”

“Yeah, I’ve just been waiting for the right night, and I figured Nightmare Night…”

“And I too! I’ve been thinking it over for weeks, but I wasn’t sure if it was too soon or if I had already waited too long—the Modern Mare magazines make the modern social policy about this kind of confession very unclear. But still this special evening seemed like a good time….”

“I think it’s the perfect time, Luna Baby…Luna Love.”

“So then we’re…”

“Yes, we’re both in…”

“And you’re happy…”

“I’m over the moon.” Donut Joe couldn’t help himself.

Luna’s smile beamed as she giggled and then suddenly pounced at him in the biggest embrace she’d ever shared.

By now, of course, Donut Joe was quite used to her passionate side coming out in matters of the heart (and had learned to brace himself for impact), but this degree exuberance was new for him. He quickly collapsed to the ground in surprise from her alicorn strength and the intensity of her kiss as her lips found his. Everything felt so good, so warm, so perfect, so…so…so…

A lovely dark haze of love settled over him with his Luna Love.

---

Normally, so long after sunset, Celestia’s study would have been quite empty of its owner. However, the sun princess now sat at her desk, trying to observe a scroll. She used her magic to raise a quill for signing the decree, but the writing implement wobbled so much that she spilled a jar of ink nearby.

Celestia sighed, used her magic to clean up the mess, managed to sign the scroll, then set the quill aside.

There was a pop of magic behind her now. She blushed.

“What are you doing?” came Discord’s voice lightly to her ears.

Celestia swallowed as she brought a new scroll before her. “Paperwork.”

“Really?”

She nodded, still not turning to look at him (though she was wholly incapable of focusing on the scroll now). “Yes. It lets me think.”

A chuckle entered Discord’s voice. “Clearly we need to find you more interesting hobbies. You were picking up some good ones by hanging out with me.”

Celestia took in and let out a deep breath.

“Tia…” Discord approached and came to her side. His gaze was dull, but there was something tender in his tone. “You liked it too. Didn’t you?”

Her eyes widened. They hesitantly came up to his. “So…you liked when we…?” She blushed.

Discord nodded, a small smile growing. “Why do you think I came back for seconds? Thirds? And that fourth one was…whew.” He chuckled lightly. “And you…? I mean, I had my reasons for liking it, and I’m sure you have yours…if you did like it.” He swallowed, his grin faltering a little. “Just curious….”

Celestia blushed more and was silent. Then she spoke carefully. “You know…from a biological standpoint…”

Discord gave a dramatic sigh. “Celestia, enough—we get it! It’s just like what you said last Hearthswarming after the ‘incident’: even if a guy and a girl hate each other, they can find a way to like physically touching if they try. You know that’s not what’s happening here.” He frowned at her.

“It’s what’s happening a little,” the sun princess replied though, blushing more.

Discord blinked and lost his scowl.

Celestia took a breath. “I don’t get out much, Discord. And considering my position, my fame, my power…stallions haven’t approached me in awhile. Some ponies are barely brave enough to greet me informally, let alone…” A small smile came to her lips. “I’ve been jealous of Luna, you know. She and Joe… I’m so happy she’s found someone to be close to besides me…even if I haven’t.” She swallowed. “Not that I’ve been looking, but still…it’s nice to feel noticed.” She let out a deep sigh. “So, yes…when we kissed…it’s been so long, part of me liking it may be very biological, Discord. I hope you’re not disappointed.” She looked up at him.

The chaos master just looked down at her with wide eyes and a faint blush of his own. “Tia, I said it wasn’t fair to say the whole reason we liked it was biological. I didn’t say that wasn’t a factor.” He swallowed and half smiled. “You think it’s been a long time for you? I was in stone for a thousand years: no one touched me for a millennium! So now that I’m back…I’ll admit there’s a bit of a biological influence going on.” He sighed and rolled his eyes to the side. “…Which probably explains my dating spree lately…and my choice of very young and attractive and unfortunately very high maintenance mares so far.” A chuckle left him.

“So…is that really the main reason you’ve been choosing mares like the ones you’ve been choosing?”

Discord blinked and glanced over to see Celestia looking down and blushing lightly.

“Yes, I think so.” He nodded. “Why?”

She shrugged. “Because I just thought they were your ‘type’. And if they are…then I’m afraid I’m very different from them.” She smiled a little.

Discord tilted his head. Then he smiled a little too. “Oh, I’m Discord, I’m chaos—I can have many types. But even if their type is my favorite at the moment, you’re not so very different—more like the best version of one of them actually.”

Now Celestia raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.

Discord explained. “For instance, you’re not exactly high maintenance but you do require devotion, I think. And I can appreciate that. And your beauty is much more refined and classic—and much more my speed actually. Who needs all the makeup and wacky mane styles the young mares are sporting these days? And being ‘young’ is a relative thing when you can live for centuries…and maybe it’s sort of nice to have that in common with someone.” He chuckled. “And you are too unforgettable ever to be part of a spree. You’re the alternative.”

Celestia (blushing lightly now) blinked. “What do you mean?”

Discord shrugged. “I don’t get bored with you. I could take my time with you…if we wanted. I’ve never found myself in such an interesting position with a lady.” He sighed and leaned back against her desk a little. “Caring about people is a strange thing…and very surprising.”

Her gaze warmed. “It grows on you…and it suits you, Discord.”

“Thanks.” He moved a little closer to her.

Celestia smiled softly and blushed rosier. “You’re right you know; I was dazed before.”

“Knew it.” Discord blushed with a grin. “You think I’m pretty, don’t you?” He puffed up his chest.

Celestia’s smile grew into a small smirk. “Let’s call it ‘roguish’. And you might be right about something else too…. Maybe liking it really wasn’t all biological. There are other things. Maybe I just like you.” Her eyes lowered.

Discord nodded, his eyes lowering as well. “I like you too. Weird, huh?”

“Unexpected.” Their eyes met again…and they paused as they suddenly realized how close they were. A quiet moment passed.

Then Discord cleared his throat. “So, this is where you work all day?”

Celestia blinked then nodded. “Yes. Late afternoons mostly, after court.”

He grinned at her and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh come on, you’ve never taken a break for a game or to gossip with a buddy or to take a little nap while you’re on the clock?”

“Well…sometimes,” the sun princess admitted with an impish grin. “But I try to keep things very professional in here each day.”

“So you throw the raging parties only at night then?”

“Luna’s the better night princess, Discord.”

“I’m not so sure…” The chaos master leaned closer. “It’s been my experience that you know your way around moonlit fun…even if you should be in bed at sunset so you can be a perfect princess for sunrise.”

Celestia’s smile grew. “I’m not perfect. And you’re a bad influence.”

“I know.” Discord eyes hazed a little, looking directly into hers.

Celestia looked into his again…and at him standing there before her, so close. She swallowed and added softly, “I really try to keep this place for professional matters.”

Discord’s voice was soft too, though he didn’t move away from her. “I know that too.”

Another quiet moment passed. Then they shifted closer until their mouths met in tender kiss; as their eyes closed, they held each other, lingering.

Finally their lips separated with light sighs. They still remained caught in each other’s grasp as their eyes fluttered open.

Discord grinned like a Cheshire cat as he gazed down at Celestia. “Biology’s fun. Especially when you combine it with ‘other things’. It seems so wrong and yet it feels so right—don’t you think, Tia?” He gave a low chuckle and moved in closer, his hands taking a firmer hold around her to lean her back a little.

Celestia’s eyes popped open wide; then suddenly with another burst of magic she teleported away on him yet again!

Discord blinked then scowled. “Oh come on, Tia! I thought we settled this. And what part of ‘a thousand years alone as stone’ didn’t you understand?! I’ve had enough of hard to get! You are lucky you’re so enchanting!” He snapped himself away (following her magic again).

However, rather than ending up next to Celestia this time, Discord found himself in the hallway outside of her closed bedroom door.

He raised an eyebrow, scratching his head. “Huh? How did I end up outside? I…Tia?” He knocked on the door. “I know you’re in there, I can sense your magic.”

Behind the door came the muffled voice of the sun princess. “Uh…hello, Discord. I put up a barrier spell. I’m changing back into my costume. I need privacy.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, are you serious? We put on our costumes in front of each other before. I clasped your necklace! You buttoned my shirt! What are you talking about?”

She sighed. “I just…need a minute, Discord. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Discord blinked then scowled, arms crossed. “You know what, I was wrong—you ARE high maintenance AND too pretty for your own good AND an old stick in the mud who has no fun!” He snapped himself away as the sound of Celestia gasping was heard and then snapped himself back (now wearing his Frankenstirrup’s monster costume again). “And I’m going to win that costume contest with my half of our costume all on my own! So there!” He stuck out his tongue at the door and snapped himself away again.

Just then Celestia opened the door, her gaze full of concern and her mouth open as though about to speak. But, seeing him gone, she looked around and then pouted. “Fine, Discord! May the better half of our costume win!” She remained still for a moment, clearly waiting (hoping?) for a response, but when none came, she scowled, used her magic to resume her Frankenstirrup’s monster’s bride costume, turned around and firmly closed her bedroom door behind her.

---

Donut Joe wasn’t sure what had happened. All he remembered was being surrounded by some gentle, tender, consuming darkness. And now he felt the warmth (and smelled the moonflower scent) of a mare cuddled up with him. A familiar hoof brushed through his mane now as a familiar light giggle met his ears. Donut Joe’s eyes fluttered open, and he soon realized that he and Luna were on a cloud hovering just above the ballroom veranda while Luna cuddled and doted on him. He blinked and looked to her. “Luna Baby? What happened?”

She giggled, gazing into his eyes. “After the exchange of vows between ourself and thee, we did kiss our bold paramour. Apparently, thou was overwhelmed by our passionate advances and succumbed to a swoon.”

Donut Joe raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I fainted?”

Luna nodded. “Indeed we are, thou most sweet and sensitive of stallions.” She brushed her hoof through his mane again.

Donut Joe blushed. “I-I didn’t faint.” He gave a sheepish half smile. “I just, um…I’m tired, and it’s been a big night. I…” And then his eyes went very wide. He sat up more and looked to Luna again. “You love me and I love you—we really said that? It wasn’t a dream?”

She nodded. “Thou art correct, mine aspiring consort.”

Donut Joe had to chuckle a little. “Oh, okay then.” He raised an eyebrow. “Luna…why art thee talking in this way?” he teased.

“Shh…” She pressed her forehead to his. “Tis a romantic, wonderful moment. The old speech is so much more poetic, so much more suited to such an enchanted evening. And we appreciate thine effort to match it, but please feel free to speak in the modern way. There is something about thine clear, firm, rugged speech that we find most alluring…” Her eyes hazed more.

Donut Joe cleared his throat with a sultry look of his own. “Well, I suppose I ought to get back to it then, Luna Baby.” He nuzzled her. “Luna Baby Love…”

Luna blushed. “Oh Joe…Our Joe…of the Donuts.” She nuzzled him back. “Dearest love…”

“Being in love’s nice…” Donut Joe sighed as he finally pulled back.

“Yes, tis…” Luna beamed. “We never thought anypony would…” She blushed more, looking down a little. “Thou art the first stallion ever to profess such feelings to us.”

“That’s crazy, you know.” He chuckled, gazing into her eyes. “Stallions should have been falling all over themselves with love for you for ages.”

Luna gazed back into his eyes. “As should mares have fallen for thee. And yet here we and thou are together…in love.”

Donut Joe nodded. “In love...” His eyes fluttered a little.

Luna giggled. “Pray, do not swoon again, darling. We prefer thee here with us gazing into our eyes.”

“Yeah,” Donut Joe chuckled. “And you don’t faint either, okay, Luna Love?” He winked.

Luna blinked. “Us? But why…”

Before she could say more, Donut Joe put a foreleg over her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her as deeply as he could. He even managed to tilt back her head as they savored everything for what seemed like an endless moment.

Meanwhile, Luna’s eyes had quickly fluttered closed as she melted with his advances and lost herself in this new, sweet embrace together.

Finally, Donut Joe pulled back a satisfied smirk upon his lips at the sight of Luna’s dazed look; her eyes had barely opened, and a blush flooded her dark cheeks.

“Luna? Beautiful lady of the night?”

“Thou art a formidable match for us in passion.” Luna let out a shuddery sigh. “And such a stallion…”

“Your stallion…” Donut Joe winked.

“Indeed.” Luna giggled. “And I am yours too.”

They nuzzled once more and pulled back with sighs. Then they nestled alongside each to gaze up at the night sky for a moment in happiness.

Luna spoke, her tone returning to normal. “Joe, there has been a change in our relationship…”

Donut Joe nodded. “…And that means we have to tell the ponies officially somehow. I know…just like when we started dating.”

“Yes.” Luna nodded too. “I’m sorry for the formality, but I like to keep my subjects informed about the major events in my life. It’s tradition. Though…I’m not sure what to say exactly. I suspect most ponies already thought we were in love.”

“Yeah.” Donut Joe blushed a little. “It’s sort of delicate.”

“They’ll probably just be curious about what the future holds for us,” Luna added softly.

Donut Joe frowned a little and nodded.

Luna frowned a little as well. “I could just tell them something vague—that we’re going to enjoy each other’s company all the more…”

“Or you could be a little more specific…”

Luna raised an eyebrow.

He went on, smiling a little as he glanced at her. “For two crazy kids who went and fell in love, we haven’t talked much about the future, have we? Sometimes I think we even avoid it a little…for lots of reasons…”

“Oh.” Luna swallowed. “Yes…. Being in love can lead to many things. We both know there might be difficulties for us, but you’re right—at this point, we must face them. And especially if the other ponies will be curious.”

Donut Joe managed to smile a little more. “We get along pretty good, Luna—I’m sure once we talk about things, we’ll figure out something for the future pretty quickly.”

“Of course.” Luna tried to smile too. “We’ve already agreed that we love each other—deciding our future must be much less scary.”

“Yeah.” He swallowed. “Uh…we’ll just say things until we agree…even if there are limitations.”

“Yes, something like that.” She nodded. “And I’m sure any changes now will only lead to more happiness.”

They managed to keep eye contact and maintain their smiles for another moment. But something was faltering in the look they shared.

Finally Luna let out a deep breath and glanced away. “Well, um…we don’t have to decide anything or tell anypony anything right now. Why don’t we take some time and think about things and then discuss them together? And then perhaps we can address telling others. ”

“Okay.” Donut Joe nodded, clearing his throat. “Let’s give that a try. A little time to think might be good; especially after a night as big as this one.”

“And in the meantime, I suppose we should get back to the party. The ponies will be missing us.” The night princess used her magic to move the cloud down to the veranda. They climbed off.

Donut Joe and Luna just stood before each other now.

Luna shrugged. “We should probably get back into costume too if we’re going back in.”

“Oh, yeah.” Donut Joe stowed his hat in his jacket pocket again as Luna used her magic to turn herself in to Nightmare Moon once more and made her fangs appear to put back into her mouth.

Donut Joe tried to smile a little again as he looked to her. “Want me to get us some punch or something?”

“Tis all right.” Luna tried to smile a little again too. “I, er…I might try to go off and find my sister actually. I want to…talk to her about how things went with Discord. You get punch and enjoy mingling with the ponies.”

Donut Joe blinked but swallowed and nodded. “Yeah…actually, maybe I’ll find Discord, see how things went too.”

They nodded to each other…but their smiles fell a little more.

And then the pair re-entered the ballroom, this time going their separate ways.

---

At the party, meanwhile, the girls had been enjoying themselves immensely, especially Twilight…until she had noticed two things as the evening progressed: Luna and Donut Joe disappearing at some point and not coming back for a while…and Discord and Celestia still being nowhere in sight.

The friendship princess grew particularly concerned though when she finally saw Discord and Celestia teleport into the party…on opposite sides of the room. And though they were wearing what looked like a partners costume (a famous horror fictional couple she recognized from her days reading the classics as a younger filly), they didn’t show any signs of going anywhere near each other.

Twilight’s concern became greater still when she saw Luna and Donut Joe suddenly enter from a veranda door and likewise go their separate ways (Luna unknowingly toward Discord’s side of the ballroom and Donut Joe unknowingly toward Celestia’s).

“Come on, Sugar Cube—we’re all going to dance together! You coming, Twilight?”

“Yeah, Twilight, seeing a princess dance always makes everypony happy!”

Twilight blinked and looked at Applejack and Pinkie Pie who had summoned her (while her other friends stood just behind them, waving her over to the dance floor).

She smiled and nodded. “Sure, everypony. And you’re right, Pinkie, what’s a party without a princess dancing?” She gave a sheepish shrug and smile. “That princess might as well be me.”

“I think that’ll be very nice, Twilight.” Fluttershy smiled.

“And who wouldn’t want to dance at a party as fancy and fashionable as this one?” Rarity’s eyes brightened.

“Yeah, let’s get dancing!” Spike grinned and slid up close to Rarity.

“Let’s party!” Rainbow Dash flew up and swung a hoof through the air.

Suddenly the band struck up a new tune, and the girls all started to cut a rug.

Twilight even broke into her signature style of crazy dancing. Yet as she enjoyed herself with her friends, she also tried to keep an eye out for whatever was going on with the pony sisters and their close gentlepony companions (thought the dancing and mingling crowd of the ballroom soon blocked her view of either set of friends).

---

On one side of the ballroom, Discord stood alone leaning against a table as he finished chugging his third glass of punch, a dull look in his eyes. He sighed as he snapped a fourth glass full.

“Oh!”

“Hey!”

Somepony had just bumped into him, nearly spilling his punch everywhere. Discord turned with a scowl, but then blinked at the sight of who had just interrupted him: a certain nighttime princess dressed as an unforgettable former villain (though Nightmare Moon’s classic evil grin had been replaced by an unusual slight frown at the moment).

“Luna?” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Why are you over here? Shouldn’t you be off living out a romantic fairytale with your baker on the dance floor?” He attempted a smirk. But when Luna just sighed instead of smiling and delivering a playful quip back to him, he had to tilt his head. “Wait…are you and Joe not together right now…on purpose?” He observed her closely. “Did something happen I should know about?”

Luna blinked a few times then blushed and glanced away. “Tis nothing.”

“Tis most certainly not nothing, otherwise you wouldn’t be slipping into old-timey speech.” Discord countered. “What, did Equestria’s most perfect couple have a tiff?”

“Just the opposite, in fact.” Luna sighed as she magically poured herself a glass of punch but didn’t drink.

Discord raised an eyebrow again.

Luna noticed and finally just pouted with a scowl. “Never mind. You’d just laugh at me.”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Well, of course I will—if what happened is funny. But if it’s something that’s bothering the stern night princess, then it’s probably something serious. And I’ve got nothing better to do right now anyway, nowhere to be, no one to be with, so you might as well share while I’ve got a gap in my busy schedule.”

Luna blinked. “But what about Celestia?” She raised an eyebrow and glanced around. “Wait, where is Celestia? Why is she not with you? You’re still in your partners costume, after all.”

“We had a disagreement.” Discord sighed. “She thinks she’s not ridiculous, I disagreed.”

Luna tilted her head and couldn’t help a small smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Discord shook his head, arms over his chest. “No, I’m still stubbornly fuming. Now then, stop changing the subject.” He leaned back against the punch table. “You and Joe—what’s going on? Your mismatched romantic affair mildly amuses me, and I’d hate to think there’s any trouble in it.”

The night princess looked down a little at first but then took a deep breath and spoke. “Joe and I…. We told each other that we love each other for the first time tonight. And I think that now we’re unsure what to do next.”

She looked up to see Discord with a raised eyebrow at first. But then the chaos master smirked and lowered his eyes playfully. “Oh come now, Luna—even if you were on the moon for a thousand years, I’m pretty sure you have a general idea of what ‘in love’ ponies do.”

Luna scowled at him. “Oh, forget it, I knew you wouldn’t be a help. You can’t take this seriously.”

Discord chuckled. “Hey, I am taking it seriously. I just don’t see what the big problem is.” He shrugged. “So you’re in love—fine. Now you just go right back to cultivating your budding romance: spend more time alone, become even closer, move in together, get married, make little foalish princesses of the night and mini donut bakers.”

Luna blushed dark red against her black coat as she glared at him.

Discord’s look went dry. “I’m not joking. This is what you both want, right? For your relationship to keep moving forward? Well, those are a few of the directions it could take.”

“But it’s complicated Discord.” Luna’s glare faded to a pout. “Joe and I lead very different lives. We like being together, but…well, I have to stay in the castle to tend to my duties, and Joe must stay at the shop to keep it running. I am destined to sacrifice for the nation and overthrow evil, Joe’s happiest having a good day selling donuts to customers and bringing ponies smiles with sweets. I’m a nearly immortal princess and Joe is a normal pony…” She winced. Her voice lowered. “There are limitations to how much we can have together…and now we’ll finally have to face them.”

“The only limitations are the ones you set on yourselves.”

Luna blinked and looked up to see Discord frowning slightly. But when their gazes met, he blinked a few times and rolled his eyes. “Look,” he went on, “not to be sappy, but you love each other. That’s a rare thing. And you’ve already had the courage to make it work so far! So what if the details are going to be little chaotic? At least your relationship is interesting. Don’t put so much pressure on yourselves to make it perfect by silly orderly standards. Just…let yourselves be okay. Okay?”

Luna looked into his eyes but then blinked a few times too. “But those ‘silly orderly standards’ are some of the foundations of pony relationships…”

Discord gave a dramatic sigh and floated up in the air, circling around Luna. “Oh, you pony sisters; always complicating things with your orderly ways.” He paused in front of her and moved closer. “How did you feel when you told each other?”

Luna just blinked, her eye wide.

Discord scowled. “Bad, good, appalled, furious? Pick an emotional state! The night’s not going to go on forever even if you are disguised as Nightmare Moon right now—that means I don’t have all evening, you know.”

“I…” Luna blushed. “Touched…” she finally replied. “I felt touched when we said we loved each other.”

“Mmm hmm…” Discord nodded. “And now that you know how you both feel, do you want him to the love to stop?”

“No. No, I don’t.” Luna shook her head.

“And how do you feel when you’re around him?” Discord crossed his arms. “And try to keep the sappiness of your reply to a minimum please.”

“I…” Luna considered then smiled, “warm…safe…happy…like my heart is full. And I think he feels the same.” She looked up at Discord. “We’re good together.”

Discord looked down at her, almost smiling a little too. “Then everything’s fine deep down, isn’t it?”

Luna’s smile lingered for a moment but then faltered. “But what if simply feeling love for each other is the most we can manage? We decided not to worry about the details of our time together until later, but now is later…. What if we can’t make any kind of a life together for the time we have? What if we won’t be happy? I’m not even sure what I want, I’m not even sure what Joe wants…” Even with Nightmare Moon’s eyes, Luna’s eyes still shimmered with emotion and worry. “What if we lose each other even if we love each other?”

Even Discord had to frown again at the sight of those eyes and that sad question. He landed. Then he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “You know, Luna…don’t let this get around, but I feel like that all the time about my friendship with the girls. For a while I didn’t want our friendship to grow because I was afraid we’d hit a point where we couldn’t sustain it—we’re very different, and I figured they’d find reasons not to like me or I’d find reasons not to like them, and then it would all be over. But…we kept moving forward anyway. And somehow it’s still okay. “

“Really?” Luna’s whole look softened.

The chaos master shrugged. Then he cleared his throat and resumed his normal aloof tone. “The point is, you can’t be afraid of problems. Just enjoy what you have now, Luna. And I think if you want to be happy together, you’ll find a way.” He sighed. “You know, Joe’s probably a little afraid too. Maybe if you talked, you could help each other be less afraid.”

A small smile returned to Luna’s lips. “Perhaps you’re right. Thank you, Discord.”

Discord waved her off. “Oh, just get going and don’t make this moment any more overly sentimental than it already is.” Yet he couldn’t help smiling too.

“Very well.” Luna’s smile grew. “But first, enough trying to change the subject.” He raised an eyebrow, and she went on. “I believe I mentioned Celestia before our conversation about Joe progressed: she’s not by your side this evening, though you seem to still be sharing a costume. Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

Discord pouted. “You won’t like it.”

“Try me.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Well…I suppose I took Joe’s advice about thinking of your sister and I as a more than friendly couple, and Celestia took your advice about the same thing.”

“So you talked?” Luna prompted.

“Talked…teased…” he cleared his throat, “…necked.”

Luna looked back at him with wide eyes.

“Well, how else were we supposed to figure out if we could like each other like that!?” Discord scowled. “The only other time we ever kissed was when you put that sleeping beauty spell on me, but I was asleep for that. And even though Celestia and I were awake for the kiss I gave her afterwards to make things even, it didn’t really count, and…”

“You did what?!” Luna exclaimed.

Discord blinked then cringed a little. “Oh…that was supposed to be a secret.” He sighed deeply. “Try not to tell Tia I told you—she’s already found enough reasons to be unhappy with me.”

Luna considered for a moment. “So, back then you kissed to…”

“…Just to make things even so she wouldn’t feel so bad about the kiss she had to give me to break the spell,” Discord explained.

“And you kissed—or rather necked—tonight because?”

“To see whether we worked as more than friends.”

There was silence for a moment. Then Luna sighed and prompted. “So?”

Discord swallowed and blushed. “We both sort of liked it…”

Luna leaned closer to him as she prompted again, “But…”

“But…” Discord swallowed, “…maybe I came on a little strong. In my defense though, she’s far too skittish. All I did was agree with her—agree with her—that maybe part of us exploring this was physical, and suddenly she teleports away in fright!” He pouted, blushing more. “And fine, okay, maybe me popping into her study after her to continue the kissing was a bit much—letting her take the time for something so passionate and chaotic in the middle of all that orderly paperwork.” He had to chuckle but then scowled again as he went on. “But then she just teleports away on me again, locks me out of her room, and tells me she needs privacy.” He threw up his arms. “I mean, if she was just going to reject me at the drop of a hat, then why bother exploring this with me in the first place!”

Luna managed to hold back a smile. “So what you’re upset about is the fact that she ‘rejected’ you…which, by the way, she didn’t exactly do.”

“Fine. I’m upset she rejected me.” Discord sighed and slouched against the punch table, arms crossed over his chest. “I was sort of becoming intrigued by the idea of…” He blinked and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at her. “What do you mean she didn’t exactly reject me?”

“Discord, I know my sister.” Luna smiled. “Rejection would have come in the form of her shutting down your advances and telling you directly she had no interest in you, and possibly getting angry if you went too far in pursuing the matter.”

Discord considered, his brow furrowed in a pensive way. “Hmm…that is how she acted last Hearthswarming when I kissed her. But then tonight I don’t understand what…”

Luna moved closer and lowered her voice. “Discord, Celestia brought up the physical because she was nervous. But then you actually pursued the physical, and that’s not Celestia’s strong point in matters of the heart. She prefers the emotional. She’s reserved as a mare. She prides herself on her poise, her calm demeanor, her ability to run Equestria gently and to guide ponies as a mentor and friend. She’s not comfortable with spontaneous, outlandish passion. She needs to ease in to gentle intimacy. She’s a lady who needs time to grow confortable with a gentlepony.”

Discord raised an eyebrow, blushing slightly.

Luna’s gaze warmed. “In other words, she’s not at all like those party-going mares you’ve been courting lately. She wants a good, sincere, relationship: and she deserves that. I’m afraid if you want to be close to my sister, you’ll have to take that preference into consideration. And if you can’t, it’s better to let her know now that so that both of you can move on. Because while you’re here fuming and drinking your weight in punch, I’m sure she’s off somewhere worrying herself about hurting your feelings and also trying desperately not to become flustered by the flames of romance you clearly stirred inside of her.”

“Well…” as lowered his arms his eyebrow remained arched deep in thought, “maybe you do have a point. I…” Discord blinked as blushing flooded his features. “Flames of romance?” The chaos master practically scoffed. “L-Luna, really, now you’re getting corny. And it sounds even worse coming out of Nightmare Moon’s mouth.” He swallowed and turned away to finish off his glass of punch.

Luna laughed softly. “Discord you’re blushing. You actually do care for Celestia, don’t you? Even if she’s not comfortable necking without a thought in the world.”

“Ugh…” He sighed so deeply, yet the blushing remained. “Why do you and Joe care about this so much?”

Luna couldn’t help herself. “Because your flirtatious potential romantic affair mildly amuses us, and we would hate to think there was any trouble in it.”

Discord almost cracked a smile. Then he cleared his throat, his voice low. “Tia…is sort of okay…as a mare. And maybe I’ve come to value our time together a little particularly…and especially now. And…maybe it was sort of cute when she teleported off. And maybe I like that this is a little more challenging than I’m used to. And that’s all you’re getting from me.”

Luna gave a soft giggle. “Just let her know how you’re feeling, and let her explain to you how she feels. Then give her a little space. If she doesn’t feel pressured, she’ll be able to think more clearly and realize that perhaps she doesn’t mind you popping into her study for more than witty banter.” She sighed and shook her head. “Necking in her study—really Discord, that’s her perfect space of professionalism. If she let you have a kiss with her in there, she really must like you too. Just change your approach. It’ll help.” She winked.

Still blushing lightly, Discord crossed his arms over his chest again and smirked. “So I suppose now that we’ve had this great talk together, you’re supposed to go talk to Joe and I’m supposed to go talk to Celestia.”

Luna chuckled. “Yes, I believe so. So I’ll go find my paramour and I’ll leave you to yours.”

Discord nodded as well. “All right, let’s try to go fix our romantic messes then. Might as well end Nightmare Night on a high note.”

“Yes, that’s the Nightmare Night spirit.” Luna held her head high. “Let’s be off then.”

The two of them shared a nod and then departed; Discord snapped himself away as Luna trotted back onto the ballroom floor, her eyes peeled for the familiar yellow and brown tones of a certain unicorn stallion.

---

Meanwhile, on his own side of the ballroom Donut Joe had just been sort of wandering aimlessly through the crowd. He smiled and greeted a pony here and there, but somehow without Luna by his side, his enthusiasm was lacking. Mostly now he looked around hoping to see the familiar face of Twilight Sparkle and Spike—at least they might cheer him up.

However, the next familiar face he spotted turned out to be Celestia’s.

She was still dressed as Frankestirrup’s Monster’s bride…but with no Frankenstirrup’s monster beside her. And though she smiled and greeted ponies, as soon as she was left alone for a moment she sighed and looked down with a frown into a full glass of punch.

The sight made Donut Joe frown too. He tried to smile though as he approached her and cleared his throat. “Uh…Celestia?”

Celestia blinked and smiled at him as she looked up. “Joe? Hello. I hope you’re having a nice night.” She blushed lightly. “Um…is Luna around? I wanted to talk to her.”

Donut Joe swallowed. “Er…yeah, she’s somewhere around here. But I’m not sure if she’s nearby. We haven’t been together for a little bit.” As he saw Celestia raise an eyebrow, he cleared his throat and went on. “And is Discord around? You’re still doing your partners costume…right?”

Celestia blinked then looked down. “I…I don’t know. It’s complicated.” She looked back into her untouched glass of punch on the table beside her.

Donut Joe frowned and moved closer. “Celestia, are you and Discord okay?”

She tried to smile. “We had a disagreement, I’m afraid.”

“Oh…what about?”

Celestia pouted a little. “He thinks he’s reasonable, and I disagreed.”

Donut Joe tried very hard not to smile too much. “Aw, but you two are such good friends. I’m sure you’ll work it out.”

The sun princess just frowned though. “I’m not sure we can. I’m not even sure where to begin.”

He nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Celestia glanced up at him with a soft smile. “Joe, I appreciate the offer…and the fact that you’re not using my title. But you don’t have to try and help. You should go off and find Luna and spend the rest of the night being happy together. And besides…I know you find it hard to talk to me.”

“Oh.” Donut Joe blushed a little. “You figured that out?”

She nodded, smiling sheepishly. “I’m afraid so. I’ve seen my fair share of subjects get nervous near me, but you take the cake. ”

Donut Joe’s own smile turned sheepish. “I’m sorry, Celestia. It’s just because of Luna and me and…. I mean…I know I’m probably not the kind of guy you’ve ever imagined for your sister. I’m not special like you and Luna and Discord… I’m not even a normal pony destined for a great thing like Twilight and her friends. I’m just me. And it’s hard to think of a way to show you how much I care about and respect your sister and how I’d do anything to keep her happy and safe.”

Celestia’s gaze warmed. “I know all of that just from you saying the words, Joe. And you’re kind and understanding and fun and caring—all of that’s more special than you realize. And that’s exactly the type of pony I always pictured for Luna. You make each other happy. I’m proud you’re courting my sister.”

Donut Joe’s eyes went a little wide. “Really?”

“Yes.” Celestia nodded. “And I hope soon you’ll be able to stop thinking of me as ‘The Princess of Equestria Celestia’ or even as ‘Luna’s big sister’. I want you to think of me as your friend…and I’d almost like to think of you as my brother.”

Donut Joe blushed a lot more but swallowed and nodded. “Okay, we could try that. But, uh…” he smiled a little again, “you know, if I’m like your brother that makes you like my sister. And when sisters are having trouble with guys—guys like Discord, for example—brothers usually help them out.”

Celestia blushed but smiled more. “Yes, I suppose they do.” She swallowed. “Promise you won’t think it’s silly?”

He smiled warmly. “Nothing about you is silly, Celestia. You’re a smart lady with good head on her shoulders. Now tell me what’s up.” Donut Joe grinned a little. “And if this Discord character is giving you trouble, then as your brother maybe I’ll have to go over and rough him up a bit. But I want to hear your side of the story first.”

Celestia chuckled. “All right, all right.” She let out a breath and explained. “After talking to you and Luna earlier, Discord and I sort of came to the conclusion that…maybe we do spend more time together than friends usually do and maybe we are closer than friends usually are…so maybe we might like being more than friends even if we don’t realize it.”

Donut Joe nodded. “Yeah, Luna and I had our suspicions.” He frowned a little. “Sorry, I hope we didn’t push you guys too much by bringing it up tonight.”

“It’s all right.” The sun princess smiled. “Luna explained she felt she had to say something after seeing our costume together. It was better hearing the assumption from her than from a stranger.” She swallowed. “Anyway, Discord and I tried to talk about the idea and figure out where we stand and what to do about it. And that sort of led to, well…er….” She blushed darkly.

“Celestia, it’s okay.” Donut Joe smiled warmly. “I’m like your brother, remember? And I’m an adult. You don’t have to feel embarrassed. What, did you two kiss or something?”

“Repeatedly, I’m afraid.”

“Oh.” He blinked and blushed.

Celestia smiled a little again. “Then we, um…both realized we liked what had happened and tried to talk about it more, but things got a little carried away. And I sort of panicked and disappeared on him a few times…and then magically locked him out of my room. And we ended things by fighting.” She sighed. “And now he’s upset, and I’m upset, and I’m not sure what to do next.” She looked down into her punch glass again with a frown, still lightly blushing.

There was quiet at first.

Then Donut Joe spoke again. “So you like this guy, huh, sis?”

Celestia glanced up and nodded. “I find him interesting. And he makes me smile.”

“And he’s nice to you?” Donut Joe prompted.

Her smile returned. “I know he seems a little rough around the edges, but yes, he does treat me nicely.” She laughed. “You know, if we go to a party, no matter how many girls he dances with or how much fun he’s having, he always leaves with me to escort me back here for sunrise. And he talks to me like I’m an actual pony, not just a princess. And he listens to me. And we have fun together.”

“Okay.” Donut Joe nodded. “Then why did you run away from him before when you were kissing?”

Celestia’s eyes widened and went down. “Because we kept talking about, erm…how much of our attraction was just ‘biological’. And it started to overwhelm me. I never let myself enjoy how charming Discord could be until tonight. And I didn’t realize until now just how much I’ve missed having a gentlepony companion in my life. And I didn’t want all of that to cloud my judgment about what to do next. And I didn’t want to just keep going with that attraction as the foundation for…whatever we could have together.”

“Okay.” Donut Joe moved closer. “Well then, Celestia, I think you should explain all of this to Discord. He probably doesn’t realize how you’re feeling. And he might have some of his own doubts.” As she glanced up at him again, Donut Joe went on, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess what I’m saying is you two only just started trying to be more than friends tonight—I don’t think it would take too much for you to start over on different terms. And if he really cares about you, he’ll respect what you’re comfortable with for being more than friends. But if he can’t, and if you can’t see things his way, then, well, better you know now. And then you can go and find somepony who will treat you right like you deserve to be treated, and Discord can keep seeing other mares. But…if Discord’s okay about things…and if he’s really the guy you want…let yourself have that.”

Celestia just looked back at him with wide eyes for a moment. Then her gaze grew tender. “Joe, when did you get so wise, and why have I not appointed you and your understanding ways to the royal court yet?”

Donut Joe chuckled. “Celestia, I’m just a baker, and a stallion who’s had a chance to understand a lot more about caring for a lady these days. But either way I’m glad what I said helped put a smile back on your face.” His look softened. “You were reminding me of Luna, just before we got together last winter. She seemed so unsure a lot of the time. But then we talked and things got better.”

“Speaking of Luna…” Celestia’s gaze warmed, “what exactly happened that separated you two tonight?

Donut Joe blinked and blushed a little. “I, uh…I think we just decided we needed a little time apart. Something sort of came up—it’s a good thing but it made us think a bit, that’s all.”

Celestia tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

Despite his blushing, Donut Joe cleared his throat and went on, shuffling a hoof on the floor. “Celestia…let’s say two ponies were seeing each other and their feelings got as strong as they could get. So they told each other. But then they didn’t know what to say next or what was going to happen with them because they future was complicated. So they started to get pretty worried. What should they do?

Celestia’s eyes practically sparkled. “You mean you and Luna told each other that you…”

Donut Joe smiled a little. “Luna and I are in love, Celestia.”

The sun princess suddenly had that same giddy look Luna had just before diving on him back on the veranda, and Donut Joe worried for a moment that he was going to get caught by another surprise alicorn hug. He grinned sheepishly and quickly went on. “So you’re okay with me feeling about Luna…and Luna feeling like that about me.”

“Oh yes!” Celestia finally just giggled and nodded. “I want you to feel everything you can for her, and I want her to have the same with you.”

Donut Joe beamed.

Celestia’s gaze warmed. “And as for what’s next for you two, I think ponies in your situation should be very proud of their feelings, and that they should talk more about them and realize things can turn out okay as long as they work together and have each other.”

“But what if our lives just can’t…be in harmony?” Donut Joe’s smile fell. “We’ve been avoiding talking about the future and how we could make things work; we never bring it up. We know we have a lot of differences. We’re not even sure yet what we want.” He swallowed. “And I don’t have as much time as…as Luna to…”

Celestia’s gentle voice interrupted. “Joe, your lives have more harmony already than you realize; you can build and grow from that. And I think you’ll both realize what you want together if you think carefully and talk. And as for time…no pony is ever really sure how much of that he has for anything. I know it’s not much to give you, but I can tell you from all I’ve seen in my life that what needs to happen will happen and that love finds a way. And for what it’s worth, I think you fill your time most nobly, Joe, and that you instill more value and quality and love into it than many ponies remember to do. You make your time count; and Luna sees it too.”

Donut Joe’s featured glowed, his eyes full of warmth. “Thanks, Celestia. I do my best. And I’ll do my best not to let you down…and to make everything Luna and I have matter as much as I can.”

“I know.” Celestia put a hoof over him and hugged him then pulled back. “Now please go talk to my sister, let her know that you think you can both handle this, and then let her have some time alone if she still needs it. She’ll come home. You can trust in that.”

Donut Joe nodded. “Okay. And you go talk to Discord when you’re ready. And let me know how it turns out, all right? It’ll go better than you think—trust me.”

Celestia nodded in return. “Promise, brother.”

Joe chuckled. “See you around, sis.” He winked then concentrated his magic hard and teleported away.

Smiling, Celestia watched him go. Then, with a swallow, she trotted off into the party looking for a certain special draconequus dressed as her monster husband.

However, before Celestia got very far, she paused as a small burst of magic went off before her. A rolled up scroll appeared floating in the air now before her eyes with a purple rose tied to it. She observed the rose as she removed it and then used her magic to unfurl the scroll. She read.

‘Hi Tia. Do me a favor and meet me outside on a cloud above the eaves of the ballroom. I promise, nothing ‘biological’. I’ll be waiting…all night if that’s what it takes.

Please come,

~D’

Celestia’s gaze softened. Then she sent the rose and scroll away, smoothed back her mane a little, straightened her dress, and teleported off into the night with a blush.

The thrill of change, magic, love, and fear were all in the air. The first Nightmare Night Ball was certainly turning into one of the most unforgettable royal evenings Equestria had ever known.

Author's Note:

Wow, I spent way too much time obsessing over making little emotional details in this one come out just right, lol. But I'm happy with how this chapter turned out, and I hope you all are too

As for the third chapter, it's about the same length as each of these last two chapters, but about half way through Nightmare Night ends and then we cut to a few weeks later, so I might decide to split it into a third chapter and an epilogue. Either way, you'll definitely get the end of what happens during Nightmare Night before Halloween (and, if I decide to post the epilogue stuff separately, that'll be along a few days after that).

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Comments

[Nerfyy]

i really like this so far
but it really feels like 'The Most Chaotic Night Ever!!!' never happened here
its like Discord never had any feeling for her before
which he had there
i thought that was the same storyline o.0 or did i just misunderstannd something? xDD

[Azure129]

7677831 Oh sorry about that ^^ Nope, unless I put a tag in the story description saying a story is a prequel/sequel to something else or unless I add a note saying a story occurs in the same universe as another one, please think of all of my stories as occurring in separate different potential universes from each other. At the moment, I think the only sets of stories I have that occur in the same world are my Fiendship is Magic stories and these Donut Nights stories. When the MCNE sequel comes out (which will be posted as a separate story), I'll also designate that one as being in the same universe of MCNE. But usually everything I write is separate from everything else. Thanks for asking :)

[howard035]

My favorite part was the declaration of mutual love scene, so incredibly sweet! "Luna love."