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Between The Two Of Us

“Miss Cyclis, you have another suitor!”

Good Word, the small, frail advisor for the Wind Princess, practically galloped into the massive throne room. Cyclis, the aqua colored alicorn princess with a snow white flowing mane, was seated at her throne in the main hall of the kingdom’s palace after taking a short nap. It was a slow day in the Eastern Kingdom of Zephyra, an island nation off the east coast of the much larger Kingdom of Equestria. She smiled at her advisor, “Who’s the hopeful boy this time?”

The excitable advisor pointed his horn to the massive doors of the entrance to the palace and smirked. “He’s not the kind of prince you’d expect to see everyday. He’s from Canterlot. Apparently he’s got a flair for the... Chaotic...”

The doors swung forward to reveal the new suitor. For what happened next, Cyclis could never have prepared herself. The glint of yellow and red eyes full of fun and mischief shone from beyond the doorway. Without a moment’s notice, in slithered the strangest thing the princess had ever seen. His mane was cut short and even, save for a few hairs too long. His head bore the horns of both a goat and a deer. A lion’s paw drummed its fingers on his thigh while the claw of an eagle waved to Good Word happily. As he walked, the uneven click of his one hoof rang through the main hall. As the hoof hit the ground, the other scaled, reptilian foot treaded softer. None of these mismatched oddities were what caught Cyclis’s eye though. She noticed one thing and one thing only: that sincere snaggle-toothed smile.

“Prince Discord, madam, and might I say this castle is magnificent!” His voice was smooth, yet it accented at the most random of times.

She smiled and extended her hoof to him, “I am honored to meet a prince of Eques-”

“Hello, Gorgeous Prince!” The sudden shout from the creature made the princess flinch and the advisor jump suddenly. “Hello, gorgeous prince!” The castle echoed loudly back. “Oh, stop it. You’re too kind!” Discord chuckled as he waved his hand, pretending to be flustered by the complement. "I do enjoy the echo!"

Good Word dashed up and stuck his nose right in the mad prince’s face, “You will NOT interrupt the princess in such a manner!”. The sound of laughter caused the two of them to swivel their heads toward the throne, where the princess was giggling loudly. “Are you alright ma’am?” Good Word stuttered as he tilted his head, looking surprised.

“I’m fine, Good Word!” she managed to spurt out between giggles. “Don’t worry, his interruption is pardoned with good reason.”

“Good reason?” the advisor queried, looked confused. “What good reason is that?”

She wiped away a tear, smiling ear to ear, “He made me laugh, Good Word.”

Good Word looked up at Discord, who turned to him and smiled cheekily. The advisor snorted and walked out, “Well, alright then, ma’am, I will be on my way. Call if you require any assistance!”

The princess returned her attention to the strange creature before her. “May I ask, Discord, was it? What exactly are you?”

He smiled and and replied cheerfully, “I, your majesty, am what most ponies call a Draconequus. I share the body parts of many other creatures.”

The princess smiled softly. “I can see that. So Mr. suitor, what plans did you have in mind to win me over?”

Discord raised one eyebrow and chuckled. “Plan? Why would I have one of those silly things? Plans are for those who are afraid of what the world has to offer.”

She tilted her head, intrigued. “Well then, what do we do now?”

The Draconequus smiled wryly and simply said,“Let’s just play it by ear.”

Cyclis first led Discord through the palace, informing him on the history of her Kingdom of Zephyra. She explained how Her kingdom has thrived on such a small island by itself for its entire existence. Even though it wasn’t far off the coast of Discord’s native kingdom, Equestria, Zephyra has never tried asking for outside assistance.

“How old is your kingdom exactly?” inquired Discord.

Cyclis blushed, knowing this would also reveal her age.

He frowned. “You’re not embarrassed about your age are you?”

She looked up and away, hiding her red cheeks. “It is not a usual question to be asked of a mare...”

He laughed softly. “Your highness, if it helps comfort you, I can’t even remember when I was born. I am as ancient as I am strange. Come to think of it... I might be even stranger than that!”

Cyclis's cheeks faded back to normal and she let out a quick sigh. “My kingdom was founded close to three and a half centuries ago.”

Discord raised eyebrow. “Three centuries? You don’t look a day over two centuries!”

The bashful alicorn giggled and looked away, trying to hide that she began to blush again. They carried on to continue her tour of the kingdom.

As Cyclis and Discord walked through the streets of the city outside the palace walls, citizens of the island stared with curiosity and confusion at the royal Draconequus.

The eccentric prince glanced at them, hearing the whispers of gossip. “I’m guessing a wide array of creatures don’t reside on the island, right?” He noticed the majority of the citizens were but earth ponies and unicorns.

Cyclis let out a soft sigh and shook her head. “I’m afraid so. We live a sort of isolated lifestyle. Seldom do ponies visit our kingdom, and even rarer do our citizens leave. We enjoy the lives we live here. No one has ever needed to leave.”

Discord shrugged and watched the home-stuck ponies go about their lives. “Personally I could never stay in one place for long. Too consistent for me.”

She looked at him and smiled sincerely. Suddenly a loud growl is head. Discord's stomach was begging for food. Cyclis couldn't contain her laughter and grabbed something off a nearby market stall, making sure to leave money on the counter for payment. She handed the prince a fresh apple. “Eat up. you haven’t eaten since you arrived.”

“Ah, I love apples! Thank you ma’am!” he happily accepted the Zephyrian fruit and sunk his teeth into it. “Thith ith delithith!” He sputtered as small chunks of apple flew out of his mouth and just about landed on the princess. He quickly covered his mouth and turned away. “Thorry!”

Cyclis smiled and grabbed herself an apple. “It’s quite alright!” She claimed, taking a bite out of her apple.

He turned to face her, only to be sprayed with chunks of apple himself. He flinched at the sudden barrage of chewed fruit.

He wiped the chunks off his face and glared at her. Her togue was stuck out in a playful manner, but she quickly pulled it back in when she saw his look of disapproval.

They both stared at each other blankly for a few seconds before Discord burst out into laughter. The confused princess cringed at the sudden crack in the silence. After a couple seconds of his giggle fit, Discord was struck with a case of hiccups. He was unable to stop and Cyclis started laughing back at him. As his hiccups dissipated and her laughter calmed , they decided it was about time to head back to the palace.

As they made their way up the winding path to the palaces gates, she spent some time thinking about the day they'd spent together. He was calm and sweet one second, yet loud and lovably childish the next. He made her feel beautiful, young and like she was the only pony that mattered in the world. That's when Cyclis knew this wasn’t just another date. She could tell Discord and her were destined to sit at the throne together.

By the time the two of them had reached the main hall, the sun was already setting along the oceans horizon. They made their way to the balcony over looking the west coast of the island.

Cyclis looked up at Discord, who was getting comfortable in a lounge chair. “So, tell me, what is Equestria like?”

Discord looked back at her and smiled. “It’s quite a large country. In the very center of the country, a tall mountain range stretches across the sky. On a plateau on the side of the largest mountain lies the city of Canterlot, Equestria's capital city. There, many high class ponies reside and live their fanciful lives.”

“Are you the only mythical being in Equestria?” She asked him, sitting in a chair next to him.

His expression changed drastically, showing a serious side of him that she didn't expect, but it wasn't an unwelcoming attitude. It was as if he was reminiscing on thoughts of his childhood. “What? Oh no, my two sisters are Alicorns, actully. They're also the true leaders of Equestria. I'm the youngest so I'd only take the throne if something happened to both of them.”

Cyclis raised her eyebrows. She had found out how he fit in with the royal family. “You have sisters? And they are alicorns?” She was intrigued as to how such a family could exist.

Discord nodded. He sat up and gathered his thought before responding. “Well, there’s no true family connection, but none of us had family when we were born, if 'born' is even the right word. It was more like we all just, appeared a long time ago. A few years after the pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies came to colonize Equestria. To be honest, I don't even remember any of this. I only know as much as I do because Celestia and Luna, my sisters, have much better memories than I. They had appeared a long time before I did, and by the time I came into existence, they had already started their paths to becoming the princesses. When I finally showed up, no one really wanted me. My appearance came as, well, frightening to most ponies. But both Luna and Celestia thought I was perfect, so they decided to adopt me. They’ve been like big sisters to me ever since.” A smile stretched across the now very vulnerable prince's face. When Cyclis looked up at his gleaming face, she saw more than happiness in those uneven eyes of his. She saw love. The real kind of brotherly love one only has for someponies who have always been there for him.

A similar smile made its way onto the smitten alicorn's face as she nuzzled against his neck. “Well aren’t you just a big old softy?”

Discord tried holding back a giggle, her head playfully tickling his neck. he gazed over the ocean towards his home and replied, “Yeah I guess I am..." Noticing the last of the sun disappear behind the vast ocean, he stood up slowly. "Anyways, it’s almost nighttime, I must return to Canterlot." The lanky yet graceful prince took a bow towards his date. "I would be honored if you would allow me another chance to visit your kingdom. I very much enjoyed being in such a wonderful place.” He said politely.

The princess smiled and bowed back. “I would be honored if you would return. I enjoyed your company.” She gently nuzzled his neck before giving his cheek a quick peck.

He raised his eyebrows before blushing and smiling. “Farewell Princess Cyclis.”

“Farwell Prince Discord.” She said, noticing Good Word enter the hall from a side door.

As the guards shut the palace doors behind the ecstatic prince, Good Word approached the princess. “So how did the day go?”

Her cheeks were red as she thought of all the kindness he showed her throughout the day. “It was... fun.” As her smile grew, Cyclis turned and headed toward her bedroom, giggling like a school-mare.

Good Word glanced back at her, seeing how happy this prince has made the lonely princess of Zephyra. He smirked. “Shall I prepare for his return?”

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