> This Was A Bad Idea... Or Was It?
>  by GoddessofChaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Behold, Eris...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia walked through the castle gardens on a sunny afternoon. Her younger sister, Luna, was at her side and they were deep in conversation as they strolled along the path. Statues were placed at various posts along the edge and ,as usual, Luna turned left instead of going straight ahead. Celestia stopped her. 
"Let's go this way for a change," she suggested, nodding at the trail in front of her.
"Alright," Luna agreed. They continued and reached an unusual statue at a curve in the path.
It was very peculiar indeed. Made of mismatched animal parts, its posture was bent at impossible angles. An expression of terror was frozen across its face and it stood on a granite pedestal, marked with a brass label.  Carved into the scrap of golden metal was a single word: Discord.
Celestia stopped and looked up at the beast's form. Luna did the same.
"A bit for your thoughts Celestia," She said quietly.
"I'm thinking about the faults I made when I created him," She nodded toward Discord. "I'm thinking about improvements I could make."
Luna turned to her sister. "Could make? Celestia, you aren't suggesting that-"
"I create an improved version of him?" Celestia pondered this for a moment. "That might not be such a bad idea." 
"Celestia," Luna warned.
"What?"
"When Discord wreaked havoc on Equestria the last time and even the time before that, you promised that you weren't going to practice that kind of magic anymore."
"It was an agreement," Celestia countered. "Not a promise."
"It's a bad idea is what it is. What if the new one turns out like him?"
"It won't," Celestia promised. "I learned from my mistakes when I was young."
They continued their walk until they reached the castle. After dinner, she bid Luna goodnight and walked to her own room. Two guards stood at attention at her door, bowing as she passed.
"I wish to be alone tonight," She told them. "I will give you the night off."
"Thank you, your highness," they mumbled and trotted off down the hall.
Celestia closed her doors behind her and locked them before walking to her bookshelf and sifting through it. At last, she found the one she needed and carried it to a stand. The book was dusty and dog eared, and Celestia was careful as she flipped through the pages. She stopped at a page with a title written in fancy writing at the top: Creating Life. The ingredients seemed near impossible to get: a star from the sky, a rainbow's beam, a ray of the sun, it went on and on.
Celestia levitated a cauldron from a dark corner and filled it with water. She left it to simmer on a floating flame and pushed outside onto the balcony. Time to lower the sun, but not just yet. She thought.  Celestia pointed her horn toward the setting sun and felt a warm feeling ignite on the tip. Straining her eyes upward, she saw that it had worked. An orb of light floated at the tip of her horn, and she walked slowly beck to the cauldron, carefully setting it in the water. The ray of sun hissed as it touched liquid and Celestia watched as it floated at the top for a moment, before fully submerging itself. Steam rose of the surface, and Celestia quickly galloped outside and summoned water from an endless waterfall below, levitating the blob of water for a moment. 
This was a difficult process, making a natural rainbow, and must be precise and quick. Celestia flicked the water up into the air, and caught it. The essence of the rainbow swirled in the small sphere of water as Celestia carried it back to the cauldron. Ignoring the plethora of colors that spun hypnotically, she focused on her next task: Getting a star from sky.
Celestia lowered the sun and waited while her sister raised the moon from her location. The stars appeared one by one, and Celestia surveyed the heavens until she found the perfect star. She pulled it out of the sky the same way she did the sun ray, only instead of a warm feeling, it was cold. She dropped it in the cauldron, making the water freeze over. Celestia left it to thaw naturally like the directions said and went in search of her other ingredients.


The game hall was Celestia's least favorite room in the castle. Prince Blueblood loved exotic pets, sending out guards to bring him new ones every time the desire struck him. When they died, he would stuff them instead of burying them, keeping them in the game hall. 
The room had long since received a dusting- Blueblood hadn't visited in quite a while- and Celestia figured he never would again. Celestia selected a deer antler and a tuft of fur from a lion. She worked a eagle's talon loose and broke off a goat's horn, followed by its hoof. She shuddered at the snapping sound it made and began her search for a dragon; she needed its fang.
Rounding a corner, she found herself face to face with one. Letting out a yelp in surprise, Celestia dropped the objects with a clatter. The snarling dragon crouched motionless though, and Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. She dismantled a fang from its terrible mouth, gathered her various animal parts and continued her hunt. After finding the snake's scale, Celestia carried the objects back to her room, when she found that the sheet of ice now clung to the edges of the heating cauldron.
She waited until the ice was completely gone and dropped in the animal parts, one by one.
"Just needs one more thing," She murmured and turned to the desk, littered with scrolls, quills and ink bottles. She opened the drawer beneath it and pulled out a pair of scissors.
Holding her mane over the cauldron (which had begun to bubble) she snipped of a small chunk of her mane. It was barely noticeable and the pastel colored snippet disintegrated as soon as it touched the water. Celestia returned the scissors to their drawer and began to stir the mixture with a spoon.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Celestia? It's Luna."
"I'll be right there!" Celestia called back and laid the spoon on the table. As Celestia went to open the door, a sudden breeze blew through the balcony opening, hitting a necklace that had been dangling from a shelf directly above the cauldron. It wasn't anything elaborate; it was just a simple pink, wood beaded one she had kept from Maredi Gras (Mardi Gras). The wind swirled the necklace around for a moment before it lost its grip on the shelf and dropped into the cauldron with a dull plop. It disintegrated like all the ingredients had, unbeknownst to Celestia. Luna walked over to the cauldron and peered into the mixture, now a transparent pink color. Assuming that Celestia intended on making a girl version of Discord, she said nothing and instead sat on the rug in front of the fireplace. Celestia came to join Luna and levitated the book over to them. We should have a new Discord any minute now," She told Luna. Noticing that the balcony doors were open, she shut them just as the cauldron began to tremble.

"It's time!" Luna stood and watched in awe as the cauldron bubbled and shook. Finally, it ceased and a very large bubble rose from the surface. It was a bright pink resembling a bubblegum bubble. it floated out of the cauldron and came to rest on the floor and exploded after a few seconds. It wasn't a huge explosion, but a small one, with the residue splattered across the floor. In the center of it all, was a very odd creature. It seemed to be alseep, until Celestia stepped forward and gave it a prod with her horn. It stretched its figure out and Celestia smiled.

"I did it!" She exclaimed. "I created another Discord... only better and not so evil!" her joy quickly turned to confusion as the new Discord rolled over, showing its face.

"It's a... it's..." Celestia was to shocked for words, so Luna finished for her.

"A girl!" She stepped forward and said to nobody in particular: "Behold, Eris!"

> Growth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eris grew at a surprisingly fast rate. Celestia taught her to read and write while Luna gave her Astronomy lessons every Sunday night. Eris caught on to the equestrian language quite quickly, repeating things that Celestia and Luna said and reading books out loud to both of them.
She was very friendly, and quickly became well known throughout the castle staff. Eris rarely got into mischeif, but was curious as any colt or filly.
History lessons came daily, although Celestia kept her away from the story of Discord until Eris herself came across it. Then, Celestia had no choice but to tell her. She remembered it quite clearly.

Eris walked into Celestia's room one night(she preferred walking over flying), her history book held up in front of her. It was winter and the week before Hearth's Warming Eve. The castle was decorated with the traditional decorations and Eris had been taught the importance of Hearth's Warming Eve.
"Tia, who's this?" Eris asked showing her the picture of Discord. Celestia swallowed the tea she had been drinking and attempted to change the subject.
"What are you doing reading those books?" She chided gently. "I gave you the week off from studying."
"I was just looking through it," Eris answered. "Now who's this?" She tapped her taloned finger on the Discord picture and Celestia sighed.
His name is Discord, and he was a very bad creature."
"He looks just like me," Eris commented.
"He does, doesn't he? Anyway, I created him in hopes of making him into an advisor."
"An advisor?" Eris wrinkled her nose. "What's that?"
"A close friend who gives the other friend advice," Celestia explained. "Discord was a good advisor to start with, but he turned evil. He started doing things that weren't right in Equestria."
"Like what?"
"Turning buildings upside down,  making it rain chocolate milk-"
"Chocolate milk!" Eris licked her lips. "That doesn't sound so bad."
"But he also caused disharmony throughout Equestria. Luna and I destroyed him-" Eris gasped.
"You killed him?"
"No, of course not," Celestia reassured Eris. "We turned him to stone. He stayed that way for a while until he somehow broke out of his statue prison.
"My personal student Twilight Sparkle and her friends turned him back, and he now sits in the castle gardens."
Eris looked back at the picture and frowned. "Why does he look like me though?"
"I wanted to try again and remake him as you. It worked, but in a way I hadn't expected."
"Am I like Discord at all?" Eris asked.
"No, you're nothing like him. He was always getting into trouble and didn't like school at all. He never had the patience for it. He was also loud; you're quiet."
"So I won't turn out like him?"
"I don't think so," Celestia replied, although she was uncertain about it. She noticed Eris yawn and smiled. "I think it's time for you to go to bed," She remarked.
Eris crawled onto Celestia's back and curled up between her wings. Celestia carried her back to her room and gently shouldered her into the bed. Eris buried half of her face deep in the pillow as Celestaia pulled the covers over her.
"Goodnight, Eris," Celestia whispered. Eris yawned in response and Celestia walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
----------------------*Three Years Later*--------------------------------
Eris stalked across the castle lawn, her eyes intent on her prey. She had reached maturity six moths ago,to which Celestia now regarded Eris as a teenager. She slunk forward like a cat, her long body hovering inches from the ground. Eris paused, rocked her haunches from side to side and sprang into the air, diving on top of the ball. She rolled over and tossed it into the air with her legs. before it even hit the ground, Eris gave it a smack that would have sent an opponent staggering. It soared high over a hedge and Eris could just detect the hollow sound it made as it finally touched down.
Eris loped gracefully across the grassy area and spread her wings, allowing them to aid her on her jump over the high hedge. She hit the ground running, gradually slowing to a stop just in front of her red ball.
"Well that was convenient," Eris stated to herself. Grasping the ball in her hands, it was then that she noticed the strange looking shadow. her eyes traced it back to its origin, a large statue of an odd looking beast. Eris stepped closer, narrowing her eyes against the bright sun that blotted out the details on the statue. The features became clearer as Eris came face to face with it, and she didn't need the nameplate to know who it was.
"Discord," she breathed, peering up at him. His shocked expression stared straight over her antlers and Eris flew in a cirle around him.
"Wow, you really do look like me," She commented.
"Eris! Eris where are you?" Eris recognized the voice of Celestia and gave one last look at Discord's statue before flying over the hedge and to Celestia was standing, at the crest of the hill.
"It's time to get you ready for the Grand Galloping Gala," Celestia told her.
"I thought I told you I wasn't going," Eris replied, dropping to the ground and walking alongside Celestia.
"You're considered royalty, so you really don't have a choice." Celestia countered.
"Please don't make me wear a dress," Eris said, attempting a compromise.
"Fine," Celestia agreed. "But you at least need to take a bath and brush your mane."
Eris ran her eagle hand through the white part of her mane and down to the nape of her neck, where the hair changed to black, zebra like bristles.
"You've got a deal," Eris answered.
After a bath, a quick comb through the mane and (after a deliberate chase around the bathroom) a quick spritz of perfume, Eris finally descended the stairs with Luna, Celestia and her cousin, Blueblood. Trumpets sounded alongside a voice announcing their arrival. "Mares and Gentlecolts, please accompany me in welcoming the royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Hooves beat against the tile floors in response followed by cheers.
"Just remember to smile and wave," Celestia whispered to her before stepping into the light with Luna at her side. the smiled and walked down the red carpet to the stairs, where they would greet the guests officially. Blueblood and Eris were allowed to mingle, and Eris sucked in a deep breath as the trumpet sounded again.
"Ready?" She turned to Blueblood, who gave her a curt nod.He had never paid much attetion to Eris before, but she had been hoping for a change of behavior. This was the Grand Galloping Gala after all, her first time out at a public party at that.
"Please welcome Prince Blueblood, accompanied by the newest member of the royal family, Princess Eris!"
"Princess?" Eris muttered, shocked that they had announced her as that. She did her best to stay calm as they traipsed down the red carpet. Cameras flashed and Eris suddenly remebered celestia's advice: smile and wave.
she gave the cameras a toothy grin, baring her pearly white fangs to the ponies who possessed cameras. She waved with her lion paw, and then her eagle hand, rotating between the two.
"Eris, over here," voices shouted.
"They like me," She whispered. "They actually like me." Her face hurt by the time she and Blueblood reached the end and climbed the steps to greet Celestia and Luna, and they each congratulated her."You did great," Celestia told her as she passed.
As Eris turned down to the ballroom, she realized that her real challenge was yet to come: Talking with the elite of Canterlot. 
> Conversations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eris took a deep breath and descended down to the ballroom. Ponies were dressed in elegant gowns and dashing tuxedoes, conversing amongst themselves. Eris looked around uneasily, unsure of what to do.
"Eris!" Eris turned at the sound of her name to see a group of six ponied headed towards her."hello Eris, my name is Twilight Sparkle," A purple unicorn introduced herself. She was wearing a  purple dress, with rhinestone star patterns across the fabric.
"Ah, yes Twilight," Eris suddenly remembered. "Celestia talks of you often."
"That's nice to know," Twilight said. "Allow me to introduce my friends. This is Fluttershy," the purple unicorn nudged a soft yellow pegasus forward, wearing a flower in her hair and a simple green gown. "And Rarity, she made these dresses by the way." Twilight nodded to a white unicorn looking elegant in a fashionable red dress, hemmed with matching sequins, who was talking to a very high up looking stallion. "My friend Pinkie Pie is around here somewhere- ah there she is, over by Applejack's apple stand buying an apple fritter." a pink earth pony with a fluffly magenta mane was emptying her sack of bits into a bucket, ready to take what looked like the entire stand. "Come one, I'll take you to meet them." Eris followed Twilight to a stand where a line was forming behind Pinkie Pie.
"Now Pinkie, Ah thank you should save some treats for everypony else," The orange earth pony was trying to reason with her magenta maned friend. She noticed Twilight and Eris and added. "Twilight, if you and your friend want somethin' ya'll will have ta wait at the back of the line."
"Oh, I'm not interested in purchasing anything right now, I just want you to meet my new friend Eris. She's an advisor to the princess."
"Well it's nice to see a new face 'n all, but ah kinda have mah hooves full..." She gestured to Pinkie Pie, who was chattering on about some random story.
"Then let me help you," Twilight turned her attention to Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie, I think you should get the pony polka going on. It was a hit last year." Pinkie Pie stopped talking. 
"That's a great idea Twilight. Does your friend want to also?"
"I think I'll pass on that," Eris said.
"Okey dokey!" Pinkie Pie bounded off to the dance floor, where Octavia and a few others were playing various instruments.
"Thank ya kindly Twilight, and it's nice ta meet ya Eris, but I've got business ta take care of."
"We'll see you during the Wonderbolts performance," Twilight responded. She turned to Eris. "My friend, Rainbow Dash is performing with the Wonderbolts this evening, so you'll see her then. This is her first show with them, so it should be exciting."
"Sounds fun," Eris said enthusiastically. "Do you have seats reserved already?"
"No, we were planiing on getting there early and choosing seats in the front row."
"What if I get you up in the VIP box?"
"Oh, there's no need for that," Twilight replied as they walked over to a table. "Besides, rounding up all of the girls will be super hard, and it's almost time to go over there anyway."
"Okay then," Eris took a drink from a nearby waiter and sipped from it. She frowned at the taste, peering into the contents of the glass. "Hmm," she murmured
"Something wrong?"
"Oh nothing," Eris reassured her. "It's just that I don't think I've ever tried this before ."
Twilight stared at the gold liquid and smiled. "It's apple cider," she told Eris. "Non-alcoholic from the looks of it."
"Oh,"
"So where are you from?" Twilight asked, casually  changing the subject.
"Canterlot." Eris said simply, taking another drink from her glass of cider.
"Really?" Eris nodded, wondering why Twilight sounded so shocked.
"Where are you from?" Eris countered.
"Ponyville. You can see it from some parts of the castle." Twilight noticed that the ballroom was starting to empty. "It's time for the show. I'll see you later, Eris."
"Goodbye Twilight Sparkle." Eris watched her depart and set her glass on the table. She stood and walked back out to the entrance, where Celestia and Luna were waiting.
"Having fun?" Celestia asked.
"I met Twilight Sparkle and her friends." Eris answered.
"That's wonderful," Celestia walked down a few stairs. "Would you like to go to the Wonderbolts show?"
"Sure." They departed for the stadium in a carriage, just as a certain statue in the gardens, now webbed with cracks began to break free of his prison.
Discord splayed the fingers on his left hand, wriggling them around until his entire hand was free. The stove covering his arm , and he was now free to push off the rest, working the chunks off his face.
With one final groan, Discord tossed a chunk off his face and stretched.
"It's good to be free again," He declared, hopping off his pedestal. "Now, to unleash chaos once more!" he rubbed his hands together and watched as a carriage flew overhead.
"Well now, the princesses are on the move." He spread his wings and began to follow them, making his body blend in with the sky, turned orange from the setting sun. Discord finally found a hold on the carriage, clinging to it as it began to spiral downwards. He snapped his fingers and teleported to the royal box, where he pulled a disguise from a nearbye guard and stood at attention inside. how odd it is to stand on four legs, he thought to himself.  I don't know how the ponies can stand it. 
He waited as Celestia and Luna stepped in followed by...
Discord gasped. The female him turned and gave him a funny look before taking a seat on the right of Celestia. 
"She created another me," he murmured, barely audible. leaving the husk of his disguise behind, he slithered invisible to stand in front of the female version of himself. She stared right through him for a while until casting her eyes off to the left, as if bored by the display in front of her.
So pretty... Discord thought. He suddenly shook his head violently  What are you saying? He scolded himself. He floated away, back into the guard disguise. Although he fought against it, Discord's mind had other ideas.
Though he hated to admit it to himself, he was in love with Eris.
> Clean Slate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celelestia peered through a crack in Eris's doorway and saw the young chimera stretched out on her bed, sleeping with her hands behind her head like she always did. The Grand Galloping Gala had just ended, and Luna had already retired to her room a long time ago.
Celestia sighed and shut the door, quietly so as not to wake Eris.
"Replacing me, eh Celestia?" Celestia gasped. She knew that voice.
"Discord," She stated. 
"Oh, don't be surprised Celestia. You knew I'd come back again."
"Show yourself," She demanded.
"Gladly," Discord ambled out of the shadows, hands behind his back. "You know, you should really be careful of where you let your creations play." he criticized. "The female version of me presenting herself in front of my statue? Honestly Celestia, I thought you had more sense than that." Smiling at her dismayed expression, he continued. "What's her name again?" He snapped his fingers repeatedly as if trying to remember something, causing several pink clouds to appear out of nowhere and begin raining chocolate milk.
Ignoring them he looked at Celestia pointedly. "Well? What's her name?"
Celestia opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. "Eris," She finally spoke.
"Ah, Eris." He seemed to contemplate the name moment. 
Celestia interrupted and said, "If you've come to cause chaos, I'll -"
"Send the Elements of Harmony after me?" Discord cut her off. He noticed the clouds and waved his hand, making them disappear with a pop. "Please, Celestia, I've decided that chaos has gotten a bit... boring."
Celestia scoffed, hardly daring to believe it.
"No really, I've found a new interest." Seeing Celestia's diverted expression, he nodded toward Eris's door. "I would like to get to know Eris a little better, to put it lightly."
Celestia's eyes widened. 'You don't mean to imply-" She started laughing. "You?.... In LOVE!" she prodded a hoof in his general direction "That's rediculous!"
Discord scowled. "I see nothing funny about it," He crossed his arms. "Everyone falls in love, Celestia. It's a fact of life."
This only made her laugh harder, and Discord exhaled impatiently.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Eris stirred from her sleep. She could hear laughing on the other side of the door, and Eris stretched before smacking her lips. She had a bad taste in her mouth, probably from the cider she had drank and slipped off the side of her bed. She turned the handle and groggily said, "What's going on?" She froze, her eyes wandering from the teary eyed Celestia to the exasperated Discord, before screaming, slamming her door closed, and leaning back against it, groping for the lock. she flipped it and threw open the balcony doors, closing them behind her and stretching her wings, flying right off the railing of the balcony and heading for the garden.
"It can't be." she told herself, traveling over the field she had played in earlier and over the hedge to the marble pedestal the statue of Discord posed on. It was gone, with not even a trace of stone scattered on the ground. The flat surface seemed undisturbed and smooth, as if nothing had ever stood on it. Eris hand her hand over it, searching for indentations, a disruption in the texture, anything. 
But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Eris, my darling," She squeaked at the sound of an unfamiliar voice and immediately made the alegation that it was Discord. "Now's not the time for a game of hide and seek."
Eris, unsure of what to do, dove into a large shrub nearby, holding her breath as Discord appeared over the top of the hedge. "Are you here?" seeing Discord in the flesh for a second time brought another thought to her mind: He's hurt Celestia.
Gathering her haunches beneath her, Eris gritted her teeth and prepared for launch, not thinking of what terrifying illusions he might bestow on her. As he wandered closer, Eris let out a feral snarl and ambushed him.
Discord yelped from surprise as Eris bowled him over and they rolled to a stop, Discord pinned to the ground. "What did you do to Celestia." She snarled fiercely. She was answered as Celestia flew gracelfully on the other side.
"Eris, I'm fine," She reassured the young Chimera. Eris turned to look back at Discord, who gave her a coy grin.
In turn, Eris snarled in disgust and pushed away from him. "What is he doing here?"
"Eris, Discord's changed. He's not going to wreak any havoc around here anymore."
Eris stared at Celestia, shocked. "You believe him?"
"If he was going to take over the world, he would have done it more subtly." Celestia reasoned.
Eris slid her gaze over to Discord, who was watching the whole thing. She clenched her jaw at his smug expression and her fists followed suit. "So he's staying with us then,"
"Where else would he go?"
'Back where he belongs!' Eris thought stubbornly. She didn't dare voice the contemplation, but instead started to walk toward the hedge.
"Where are you going?" Celestia catechized.
"To bed," Eris answered instantly. She gave Discord another disapproving look before taking off into the night sky, straight toward the castle.
Celestia sighed and turned to Discord. "Charming isn't she?"
Discord watched Eris's form melt into the castle's and looked to the grass. "She doesn't trust me."
"Well, can you blame her?" Celestia stretched her wings out and folded them. "Give her time. For now, why don't I show you to your room?"
Discord followed Celestia back to the castle, where Celestia gave him a room in a secluded tower. Left to himself, Discord laid on the bed and steepled his fingers. "Give her time," he echoed Celestia's words and frowned. "i'm not sure I can wait very long," he told himself. "I'll just have to speed things up a little." He sat up and snapped his fingers. A rose appeared in his hand, and he tilted his head at it. The rose suddenly grew teeth and began to snap at him. "We can't have that, now can we?" He murmured. Discord gave the rose a good squeeze and it melted away into nothing.
He  opened the front doors and descended the steps, finding a rosebush at the end on the steps. they were white, but Discord picked them anyway and formed a small bundle. He snapped his fingers and teleported to the hallway just outside Eris's room. He laid them down just outside her door and left, teleporting back to his suite and crawling under the covers.
'I hope she likes them' He thought before his eyelids slid closed.
> A Bit Extreme
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Eris woke up, she realized that she had forgotten to close the curtains on one of her windows. She closed it and got back into her bed, trying to regain what precious moments she still had of her sleep. They were gone, and Eris officially declared it the time to rise and prepare for the day. Eris pulled open the curtains and made her bed, forgetting the previous night's events. she brushed her hair carefully, running her hand throught the silky white locks. She scrubbed her teeth and opened the door, catching something out of the corner of her eye right as she was about to step on it. She jumped back and stared at it for a moment.
"Oh," Eris wandered closer, drawing into a kneeling position and staring at the object that lay outside her door. They were roses.
White roses, and Eris picked them up cautiously, bringing them to her nose. The sweet smell filled her nostrils and she smiled. Bringing them into her room, Eris dug a vase out of a drawer and set the roses inside, carrying the vase to the windowsill so they could get plenty of sunshine.
Eris carried on, the roses having put her in a good mood. She walked down to the dining room, where she found celestia, Luna and Discord having a joyful conversation.
"Eris!" Luna noticed her entrance. "Nice of you to join us."
Eris stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Discord, who was calmly sipping a glass of orange juice. "I have to pay a visit to Ponyville," Celestia announced as Eris sat down. "I'll be gone until tomorrow."
Luna looked up from her cereal bowl and added, "And I've been called to attend the grand opening of a new shopping mall. I won't be back until late in the night."
Eris realized that they were leaving Discord and Eris alone in the castle. She scowled at her toast and began to plan out a schedule. She would read, play outside for a while, maybe rearrange her room...
Deep in her thought, she didn't notice Celestia and Luna leave until Discord cleared his throat. Eris looked up, glowered at him and returned to her breakfast.
"Did you like my gift?" He broke the silence for the second time. Confused, Eris met his gaze again.
"What?"
"The flowers I left for you."
"The fl-" realization hit home in Eris. "Oh. Yeah, they were nice."
The distilled silence ensued until Eris stood up. "I've got some things to catch up on." she said and left for the library, leaving Discord to watch her go.
She didn't look back, but instead hunted in the library for something interesting to read. After flying from shelf to shelf, Eris still hadn't found anything that struck her fancy. She sighed and went back to her room gazing out the window.
She grabbed her ball and walked outside,not wanting to waste such a nice day.
Eris tossed the ball ahead of her, pouncing on it every couple of feet and kicking it ahead of her. She reached the shade of a tree and tossed it over the crest of a hill.
Smiling, Eris took to the air, circling over the blue spec on the ground. It was all very simple. Dive, grab the ball and pull away.
Eris dove, grinning as she picked up speed. She reached out to grab the ball, and at the last second, Discord appeared.
"What the-" Eris forgot to pull up and crashed into Discord, driving them down the hill and into a pond.The landed with a large splash. Eris fought to the surface, spewing water out of her mouth.
"Since when is there a pond here?" She growled.
"You have to admit, it's convenient," Discord was floating on the surface, stirring the water with his finger.
Eris glared at him.
"What?"
"What do you mean what?" Eris floundered to the edge, flicking water off her arms. "You almost killed us and i'm covered in pond scum!" Grimacing, Eris stalked back to her room.
Discord chased after her. "Wait, I'm sorry,"
"I don't want your apology."
"Then at least accept my help."
"I don't want your help eith- AAAGHHH!" Eris was hit in the back by an icy jet of water. She spun around to see Discord holding a water gun. She stared at him. "Fine! You have my attention." She folded her arms.
"I'm sorry that I landed us in a pond. I only wanted to play around with you, but apparently I was off when I tried to steal the ball from you."
Eris open her mouth, but found she had nothing to argue. Instead, she turned around and walked inside. She took a bath to free herself from the disgusting algae and dried herself off, curling up on her bed for a nap.
A maid called her down for lunch, where she and Discord ate in silence. He made no attempt at conversation and neither did Eris. She spent the afternoon in her room, desperate for anything to keep her busy. Eventually, Eris ventured out of the safety of her room and crept down the hallways and found herself once again in the library. She looked around, not watching the path in front of her and ran into something. Eris attempted to pull free of whatever it was, but found her struggles futile.
"Get... off... me!" Eris glared up at her attacker, who was none other than Discord.
"No."
"No?"
"A hug fixes everything." Discord told her. "So, until you hug me bag, I'm not letting go."
Fuming, Eris fought against Discord's iron grip.
Exhausted, Eris stopped. An idea struck her mind, but she quickly eliminated it.
'How desperate are you?' The little voice in the back of her head taunted.
Eris had no other option. Locked in discord's tight-but forceful- embrace, Eris asked Celestia in her head what she had ever done for things to come to this and kissed Discord. On the lips.
Eris's plan worked. taken by surprise, Discord's arms slackened enough for Eris to wriggle out and away.
She pelted back to her room and locked the door before sprinting to her bathroom and disinfecting her mouth several times. 
> Crazy Talk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It wasn't worth it!" Eris wailed as she came up for air. She plunged her head back into the pool of water and soap bubbles, rubbing her mouth vigorously.
Meanwhile, Discord was still dazed from Eris's kiss. He stood in the library, his eyes glazed over and his mouth agape.
"I can't believe she did that," he said out loud. Shaking his head to clear the clouds, Discord wandered up to Eris's room. He knocked on the door.
"LEAVE ME ALONE TO DIE!" Discord took a step back from Eris's dismaying cry.
"Uh, it's me," Silence. "I just wanted to say thank you." Still nothing. "I'll be outside, in case you're interested," Discord called.
Eris never came out. She skipped dinner, curled up on her bed, the cutains closed and the doors locked. Eris fell asleep several times, but her state of conciouness became permanent when there was another knock at her door.
"Eris? It's Luna, are you alright?" Forcing herself to crawl out of bed, Eris opened the door to let Luna in.
"Wow, you look miserable." Luna commented.
Eris closed the door. "I know,"
"So what happened? Discord said you missed dinner. He's worried about you."
"I kissed him," Eris whispered. it was barely audible, and Luna leaned closer. 
"What?"
"I kissed Discord, alright! He kept hugging me and wouldn't let me go so I finally got fed up and kissed him!"
Eris pulled the sheets over her head an didn't move.
Luna opened her mouth and closed it. "Eris, I... I don't know what to say."
"And to make things worse, he's two hundred times my age!"
Luna stood there, deflated. "Well, uh, I'll talk to him, if you want me to." Eris shifted under the cover, but said nothing. "I'll send Celestia up when she gets here."
Luna left, and Eris found the strength to get out of bed and do a few things. She brushed her teeth for the second time and made her bed and re opened the curtains. Dawn was approaching and as Eris moved away, she gasped as she stepped on something thay alomost carried her off her feet.
Looking down, she realized it was a shard of glass. In her desperation to shut out the outside world, she must've knocked the vase off the windowsill. The water had long sinced dried up, and Eris carefully picked up the broken pieces and disposed of them, and collected the roses, leaving them on a table.
She couldn't bring herself to throw them out, and Eris sat in her desk chair staring at them.
All in all, she was confused about how she felt about Discord. He had tossed them into the pond, but it had been an accident. The roses had been a sweet gesture, but he was almost as old as Celestia! She pushed the thought aside, coming to the conclusion that it could never work out and looked back at the horizon. The sun was justmaking appearance over the distant hills, and with a flash of hope, Eris realized that Celestia would be home soon.
Eris opened a balcony door to let a warm breeze in. She sighed and prayed that today would be a good day.

Meanwhile, Celestia had just arrived at the castle. Luna was waiting just inside the castle doors and they hugged. "How have things been since you got back?" Celestia asked. Luna sighed. "I think you should talk to Eris. She might have a better look on this subject than I do."
Concerned, Celestia rushed up to Eris's room and pushed the door open. "Eris?"
The young chimera was standing on the balcony, but flew in at the sound of Celestia's voice. "Thank goodness," Eris said.
"Luna tells me that something has been troubling you." Celestia closed the door. "Would you like to tell me about it?"
Eris exhaled and told her everything.
"Even if I did like him, he's way older than me." Eris finished.
Celestia nodded slowly, absorbing Eris's story.
"I'll talk to Discord," Celestia decided. "But I will expect you at breakfast. I will send a guard to fetch you." Eris took a deep breath as Celestia departed from Eris's room.
Celestia continued on to Discord's room and knocked on the door. A moment later, he opened it. He sighed. "I'm in trouble aren't I?" Celestia shook her head. "Not at all. I would just like to have a word with you." Discord pushed the door open more and let Celestia pass through.
"I have spoken with Eris," She said. "And I think you two would be closer if you were a bit younger."
"That's the roadblock?" Discord folded his arms. "My age is the problem?" He scowled. "Can that be fixed?"
"I have a spellbook that contains a youth potion, but it is incredibly hard. It takes a year to create and the ingredients and requirements are very precise. One error and the entire thing could be ruined."
"So it can be helped."
"Are you willing to wait?" Celestia questioned.
"I will wait for as long as it takes." Discord replied solemnly, and he meant it.
> The Gala
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*A year later. The day of  the Grand Galloping Gala*
Discord knocked on Celestia's door and waited for her to open it. She did and ushered him inside, closing the door behind them. She began to fill phials with a bright blue liquid, of which Discord assumed was the youth potion.
"The directions say that it's ten millimeters to a year, so you've got a lot to drink." She handed the phial to Discord and warned him: "It's bitter,"
Discord downed it, setting the phial on the table and accepting the next one from Celestia. He drank it and frowned. "Shouldn't something be happening?"
"The potion takes affect when the doses stop after ten minutes. Like I said, you've got a lot to drink."
Dose after dose, Discord drained each one, reminding himself what this was for. He kept Eris in his mind the whole time.
An hour later, Discord forced the last one down his throat and set the phial on the table. 
"Now we wait," Celestia said, scanning over the recipe. Ten minutes later, a groggy feeling set itself upon Discord's brain. He moaned and Celestia looked up from the book. "Are you alright?" She took a step closer and through Discord's eyes, the room began to swim. "I'm fine," He assured her. "Just a bit... tired." He slid onto the floor and fell unconcious.
Discord's dreams were all past memories. The time he was trapped in stone, his reign of chaos in Equestria; they sped by in a blur, until it abruptly stopped at a recollection. It was when he was young, the day Celestia finally released him from education, a particularily dreadful time. It faded to black and white, and finally to blackness. It was all over.

Discord woke up in sunlight. Celestia was sitting by the window and Discord stretched, sitting up. Celestia noticed his awakening and walked over.
"How do I look?" Discord asked. He noticed that his voice hadn't changed, as he was five years old, the age of a fully grown adult.
"Younger," Celestia said simply, levitating a small mirror over to him. He grasped it on the edge and stared at his reflection.
His goatee was gone. His eyebrows, usually white, were black and a shock of white hair covered the top of his head. His antler and horn were shorter and the fang that poked out of his mouth was non-existent. He tested his wings-they worked- and flexed his muscles.
"How's your memory?" Celestia asked. 
"I remember everything,"
"Do you feel different at all?"
"Not really."
"Then I guess we should get you ready for the Gala."
"Celestia please, I don't think the Gala is really my thing. It's so boring and sophisitcated."
"Eris is going. Besides, how am I supposed to explain another young chimera running around the castle. I think it would be better to do this publically." Discord agreed, and they teleported back to his room, where Celstia pulled a brush through his hair and made him brush his teeth.
"Am I presentable enough for you?" Discord asked dryly.
"You look fine. Now, I'm going to check on Eris, and I'll come get you when it's time to go. I want you to make a special appearance."
Celestia left and walked down to Eris's room, where she sat in front of her mirror toying with her hairbrush. her expression was dull, like it had been all year. Celestia had not seen her smile since the day she had left the castle to Ponyville, and she rarely spoke to anyone.
Eris's head rested in the palm of her lion paw and she didn't bother to look up as Celestia approached. Eris didn't portest as Celestia gently took the brush from her and began to stroke it through her hair.
"I have a gift for you," Celestia told her, pulling an exotic flower from seemingly nowhere, placing it in Eris's hair. "It's a tiger lily," Celestia told her. "One of Twilight's friends collected it from the Everfree Forest."
"Mmmm." Eris was clearly unimpressed, only giving the flower a quick glance.
"Come on, it's time to go." Celestia nudged Eris to her feet and followed her out until they reached the closed doorway."
"Try to look happy," Celestia pleaded. Eris nodded, standing next to Blueblood. Celestia joined Luna, and they went out to greet the cheering ponies. They took their places at the thrones and watched as Blueblood and Eris walked down. Surprisingly, Eris was smiling as if everything was right in the world, waving to the ponies behind the velvet ropes, who snapped her picture. When she and Blueblood reached the two sisters, Celestia smiled.
"Thank you," she whispered to Eris. Eris returned her praise with a curt nod and walked down to the ballroom. She sat doen at a table and accepted a glass of ciderfrom a waiter, drinking it dry and setting the glass on the table.
"Bad day?" Eris pulled her eyes away from the white tablecloth to see a white unicorn wearing a dark blue gown.
"Do I know you?"
"No, but you know my friend, Twilight Sparkle." Eris concentrated on the recollections of last year's Gala and pulled a certain detail.
"You're Rarity."
"Yes, and you are Eris. Love the tiger lily by the way. It's a perfect splash of color onto your white hair."
Rarity sat down. "Bad day?" she repeated.
"How did you guess?"
"Nopony downs a glass of cider that quickly unless they're drunk or depressed," The white unicorn told her. 
"I've just been a little... occupied nowadays." Eris chose her words carefully. 
"Ah, well there's no cure for that now is there?" Rarity sympathized.
"That's a nice dress," Eris commented. 
"Thank you, I made it myself. I actually own a boutique back in Ponyville."
"Really?"
"Yes, have you ever been in Ponyville before?"
"No," Eris replied. "I've been to Manehattan once or twice and a few times outside of the castle to Canterlot, but that's really it for my travel background."
"You should come down sometime."
At that moment, the royal trumpet sounded. The talking and music ceased as Princess Celestia approached the microphone. She cleared her throat.
"Welcome, my little ponies, to another fantastic Grand Galloping Gala." She said cheerfully. "Now as you know, a year ago I had welcomed Discord as a member of the Royal Court. At his request, I have modified his age to five years." Ponies began to murmur and gasp, including Rarity and Eris.
"She never told me she had planned this!" Eris said, shocked. "A youth potion takes a year to brew. she's been keeping secrets."
Celestia raised a hoof for silence and continued: "Please welcome Discord to his first Grand Galloping Gala. Treat him kindly." The curtain on the stage parted and Discord stepped out.
Eris gasped. "That can't be him,"
Rarity was silent, her mouth agape in utter bewilderment. She had every right to be.
Discord, now young and handsome, dashing even, was dressed in a tuxedo jacket. He stepped gracefully over to the micro phone and leaned down to speak into it.
"I'm very glad to be here, everypony." He announced warmly. "I have also brought along a little surprise for you all. Now don't worry, it isn't chaos," He chuckled at his joke, and the ponied chimed in nervously. "but I've brought along a friend of mine. Please give a round of applause to DJ P0N-3 or to her friends, Vinyl Scratch." He cast him arm out to the opening curtain, revealing DJ P0N-3 and her DJ set. the white unicorn spun a record around to make a scratching noise and started the music with a pumping beat that filled the ballroom. A light blue pony with a rainbow mane and tail- Rainbow Dash, as Eris remembered from The Wonderbolts performance- let out a hoot and stepped onto the dance floor. She was joined by Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle. A few brave stallions came to join them, and eventually, every young pony at the gala was dancing to the upbeat music. A few of the older ponies retreated outside to the gardens and Eris laughed.
"Leave it to Discord to find a way to liven up the Gala." She remarked.
"Well, I'm glad you like it." Eris spun around to see Discord himself standing behind her chair. "What fun is a party without dancing, eh?" His gaze flickered to Rarity for a moment. "Nice to see you Rarity. Love the dress."
"Uh.." Rarity was left speechless as Discord redirected his attention to Eris.
"So what do you think?"
"Of what? You or this?" she gestured to all around her.
"Well you've already given your opinion about the Gala so... me, I suppose."
"You look different," Eris remarked. "Younger." Eris noticed that Discord seemed a little crestfallen about her observation, but quickly brightened up.
"You two should be dancing," He pulled them to their feet and pushed them onto the dance floor. "Have fun!" He commanded.
They began to dance, compelled by the music. Eris realized that her caution was slowly deteriorating, and the depression that she had bottled up for the past year came spilling out as she danced. Rarity and Eris caught up with Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie, and they laughed and talked, their fun sides getting the best of them.
From the sidelines, Discord had eyes only for Eris. He had never seen her so happy, and smiled. Ambling over to the DJ box, he murmured something to DJ P0N-3. she nodded and spun the record, changing the song. The first part of it was quiet, consisting of only drums.
"Hey, wait a second," Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "I know this song. It just came out yesterday. It's ah.. oh, I forgot the name of it. Starts with Party Rock though." (A.N. Can you guess what the song is? Sorry guys, I know author's notes are a bit unprofessional -at least in my world- but i promise this is the only time I will do this. I had to put Party Rock Anthem in here.) The beat suddenly exploded into a song that could make you-figuratively-lose your mind. The lyrics stated so, and the ponies went crazy. "I know all the dance moves," Rainbow Dash bragged. "Just follow my lead." Eris and the ponies did so, and Eris found herself catching on pretty quick.
"I've never had this much fun in my life!" She confessed over the music. Eris shuffled. She laughed. She danced until she thought she'd pass out from exhaustion, and at the end of the song, Eris stumbled to a nearby chair and collapsed in it.
The ffour other ponies did the same.
"Too bad Applejack or Fluttershy couldn't come." Pinkie Pie panted.
"You mean didn't come." Rainbow Dash corrected. "Fluttershy doesn't like parties anyway, and Applejack is busy preparing for Applebuck season. I swear, that pony does preparations earlier each year." The five girls rested throughout The next song, and were ready to continue dancing until the next song became a slow dance.
A bold pegasus stepped over to the group and asked Rarity to dance with him. She accepted out of politness (and that the pegasus was rather handsome), and Pinkie Pie announced that she was going over to the buffet table to see if there was anything good to eat. Rainbow Dash noticed Spitfire and Soarin' in the VIP section and flew off, telling Eris and Twilight that she was just going to say hello.
Twilight and Eris continued the conversation without them, but were immediately interrupted by Discord.
"Eris, would you care to dance with me?" He asked.
Eris gave him a smile and accepted, allowing him to take her onto the dance floor. 
"So," Eris said.
"So," Discord echoed.
"Fun party, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Why weren't you dancing?" Eris asked.
"Oh, I was. You just couldn't see me."
"Liar."
"I never lie." Discord insisted. "It goes against what I believe in."
"Really?"
"Mmhmm."
"So how long were you and Celestia planning this youth potion?"
"Since the day you uh, you know."
"Why did you do it?"
"It's complicated."
"That's not an answer."
"In my world, it is."
Eris had no reply to Discord's reasoning. The song finished, Eris broke away from Discord. "thank you for the dance," She said. "But I must be getting back to my friends now. Twilight will be wondering where I am." Twilight knew where she was of course. She could see the two chimeras from the table she sat at. Pinkie Pie returned with a few cupcakes and Rarity rejoined the little group. Raibow Dash did as well, flopping into the seat. Eris stole a cupcake from Pinkie's stash  and began to nibble on it.
"So," Rarity said casually. "You and Discord, huh?"
"What about him?"
"Oh come on, Eris!" Rainbow intervened. "Anypony can see that you two like each other."
"What? No!" Eris denied her feeling towards Discord. He had take a youth potion for her. He had given her flowers. He had danced with her. He was handsome too, and her age now.
"Someone's in denial!" Pinkie Pie sang.
"I don't like him!" Eris protested. She finished off the cupcake and took another glass of cider to wash it down.
Thankfully, the ponies dropped the subject.
'But I do like him.' Eris thought. 'How can I be so stupid?'