Eden

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Celestia arched her back, stretching and groaning in the comforting warmth of her morning sun as it slowly peeked over the mountainous surroundings. The tall fjords that flanked Sol Point's wide, gently moving river still fell in the shade, as their angle didn't allow the sun to strike them directly. The big eastern face of the Sol Point estate, however; shined brilliantly in her morning sun, its white walls, dark wood trim, wide windows, and peaked roofs being a fairly grand departure from the home Celestia had known for a thousand years. Canterlot Castle, so far from where she now stood, was a boisterous, proclaiming building, showing off the nation's strength and wealth.

Unlike the massive Canterlot Castle, Sol Point's grand size was not to be flashy, but for simple comfort. Celestia stood two-fold taller than any other pony in Equestria, her lengthy horn adding to that size considerably. The halls, doorways, and windows of Sol Point were scaled up to fit her size, as was the furniture in her study and bedroom, however; all of the furniture within the other areas of the estate were crafted to accommodate the standard pony.

Like a starling in the nest of a crow, the staff seemed inadequate when going about their business within the high ceilings and tall doorways of Sol Point. Celestia, however; felt perfectly at home. Even now, a full week after arriving in the estate, the staff made comments on how they felt tiny in the home. She assured them that after some time things would come to feel normal. If she were to be honest, things still didn't feel totally normal for her, either. It was slightly jarring being the head of the nation one day then... nothing the next.

Those who had been closest to her gained the greatest reward any pony could ask for; the opportunity to become permanent staff in the estate. Much to her pleasure, and a bit to her surprise, all of those Celestia had invited to take the positions accepted with mirth. Raven Inkwell, who had served as her secretary since before Luna's return, Chef Tea Leaf and her team of cooks; Pan Sear and Flip, Tremor and Clean Sweep, a young married couple that had been part of Canterlot's cleaning staff for quite some time now, and lastly, Mint and his lovely marefriend Vesper, who had met each other a number of years back after becoming gardeners in one of the many grand gardens around Canterlot Castle, were the ones she had grown closest to, and was overjoyed that they had all agreed to live with her until they wished to retire.

Unlike Celestia's situation, the change of location did not mean a change of job; they all still did what they had done within the confines of Canterlot Castle, but the main difference was not with the content of their jobs, but with how they were allowed to do their jobs. Celestia had an odd set of rules for them to follow; they were the polar opposite of what they had all been expected to do while working at Canterlot Castle. The staff was to never rush, worry, or stress over their work. There were no deadlines for when things must be done; as long as they were done, things were fine. One would think with such rules that, after a time, the staff would become lazy and take advantage of this system.

In Celestia's eyes, she could only see the opposite. She had seen staff become lazy over time because they had lost interest with their work. If the staff is never over-worked, stressed, or worried, then they are happy. When ponies are happy, they work better. Secondly, motivation came in the form of very healthy paychecks for their full-time commitment. Third to that was the fact that Sol Point was not just Celestia's home, it was theirs, as well. Every staff member ate from the same table, relaxed by the same fireplace, read from the same library, played in the same river, and slept under the same roof. If they slacked and did not do their job, then by default they hurt themselves as well as those around them.

"Good morning, Celestia." croaked the tired voice of Raven, causing Celestia to turn around to see her secretary standing in the wide open, boisterously sized double doors of the entry hall.

She had clearly just woken up; her white fur was ruffled in places, her brown mane tangled and frazzled, and her black-frame glasses didn't rest on her muzzle.

"Sleep well, Raven?"

She nodded, moaning tiredly as she came up beside Celestia. "As always."

From the smooth stone platform they stood upon spanned a welcoming, gently sloping staircase as if the home were to see regular travel, and before that staircase lay the estate's expansive gardens, which currently still remained in the shade. The surrounding trees meant the early hours of the morning could be spent without the heat of the sun, leaving the air crisp and cool, dew still glimmering on the leaves of the many, many plants that provided the estate with its own supply for fresh veggies and fruits.

From many rows of plants appeared half of a mint-colored stallion, his head doing a quick flip to throw his pale gray mane from his face as he used a hoof to wipe sweat from his brow.

"Good morning, dear Mint!" chimed Celestia, waving to the gardener.

"Oh, good morning to you, Celestia... and Raven!"

Vesper, a violet-furred mare with curly black hair, now too popped up not too far from Mint. "Hey, Celestia!"

"Getting an early start to pulling weeds and plucking fruits?"

"Yep!" "As always!" they returned.

Celestia smiled. "Best to work while it's still cool out, hm?"

"Oh yeah, doing this mid-day wouldn't be fun." returned Vesper.

"Are there any fresh strawberries over there?" called Raven, bringing Celestia's attention to her.

"Yeah, tons. Want one?"

Raven smiled. "Yes, I do. Toss the best one you can find over here!"

Vesper crouched below the thick foliage, remaining for only a moment before coming back up and hurling a strawberry in Raven's direction. With flawless precision, Raven's magic caught the red berry, eliciting a giggle from Celestia as she chomped down on the fruit.

"Thank you!"

"Anytime, Raven!"

With that, Raven turned for the open front doors, Celestia following as she waved goodbye to the gardeners. As they entered the entry hall, Celestia paused, drawing her gaze upward into the impressive space. Being the only place in the estate to span all three floors, the entry hall served as a way of getting to the second and third floors via a large, quite grand spiraling staircase of black, shiny cast-iron. Each floor had its own balcony within the hall which provided both a way of getting from the stairs to the halls of the floors as well as a wonderful place to stand in the morning and look out across the garden and valley. The eastern face of the entry hall was almost entirely window, four huge panes allowing a nearly unobstructed view.

Looking down from the impressive space she watched Raven continuing on into the main room, Celestia's pace quickening to a trot as she caught up with her friend. The estate's main room lived up to its title, as it took up nearly all of the first floor, only the kitchen and fairly massive food pantry occupying space on the ground level. When coming down the hall into the first part of the main room, the living room, one was greeted by a wide-mouthed fireplace flanked by two massive windows off to the right, soft carpets, wide couches, and white lounging cushions. Directly ahead stood two glass doors which led out to a wide porch, those two doors currently opened to let the breeze through. To the left, separated from the living room by a few plain support pillars, was the dining room, its huge, dark wood table stretching from one side of the room to the other. Each side of the table was equipped with five chairs, and at the table's head, rather than a grand throne or ornately carved seat, was a simple white cushion for Celestia to sit upon during mealtime.

Lastly, even further to the left of the dining room, was the kitchen. It was cut off by a proper wall, but this wall came with a wide, open window for food to be served through and to allow the other members of staff easy access to the various brewing machines that stood on the counter. Past this open window, standing before one of two stoves, was Chef Tea Leaf, her status as head chef marked by her sleek black chef's jacket. As Raven and Celestia entered the main room, she turned to address them, a smile dawning on her expression.

"Oh! Good morning! Breakfast'll be done soon, your High-"

Tea's words caught in her throat. Her clay-brown cheeks flushed red, Celestia giving a gentle chuckle at Chef's little blunder.

"Old habits die hard, dear Chef."

Tea smiled. "That, they do. Still got a bit of adjusting to do, ya know?"

Celestia nodded as she came to the head of the table, sitting on her cushion. "We all do. Even I'm not accustomed to this life as of yet."

At Sol Point, three words had been forbidden; 'Highness', 'Majesty', and 'Princess'. At Sol Point, Celestia was Celestia; she was not Princess Celestia or Her Highness. She was a pony, just like her staff. The long horn and grand, swan-like wings gracing her body were no longer symbols of superiority. She did not look down upon them, despite being twice their height. The fact she still retained every power within the government she once held did not mean she was their leader or ruler. For the first time in her life, she was an equal to those around her.

"Would you like your morning tea?" inquired Raven, looking over her shoulder as she now stood before the tea brewing pot.

"Oh, of course."

The tea brewer got the most use out of any machine in the kitchen besides the stand mixer and the oven. While everypony in the estate enjoyed a cup of coffee in the morning, the tea brewer was used all throughout the day. Luna's jokes that Celestia ran off of pure sunlight and twelve gallons of herbal tea sweetened with honey weren't too hyperbolic.

"Got any special requests this morning, Celly?" Chimed the ever cheerful voice of Flip.

A cheery, spry young Unicorn, Flip was the youngest member of the staff, and had been at Chef Tea Leaf's side for a fair two years now. Her incredibly curly blonde mane and tail always seemed to shimmer in whatever light shined upon them, and her pale blue fur reminded Celestia of how Luna's fur had once been.

"Not this morning, I'm afraid. The creative juices aren't flowing."

The third cook, Pan Sear, poked her head around the wall, her deep orange eyes gleaming against her purely white fur and mane. "Well, you should get them going again. Those apple dumplings you came up with the other day were incredible."

The sharp clink of metal on porcelain cut the air for a moment as Raven trotted from the brewing machines to Celestia, her magic stirring the cup of tea held in her aurora.

"Thanks, Raven." smiled Celestia as she accepted the steamy brew, taking a sip before looking back to Pan Sear. "They were indeed wonderful, but only because of the expert execution of the pastries by Flip."

Flip waved her hoof, blushing. "Oh, I'm just doing my job."

In many ways the filly was similar to Twilight's delightful friend Pinkie Pie. While Flip bounced a lot less and adhered to the laws of physics a lot more, she still spoke with the same mannerisms and cheery tone. Curly hair, high-pitched voices, adorable smiles, and skilled pastry chefs; one would think they were related. Pan Sear, on the other hoof, stood at the other end of the spectrum. She was a fair bit older than Flip, and always seemed far more... stoic. It was a Luna-type stoic. A gentle smile, calm eyes, and soft speech. Celestia was beginning to see why she had chosen her staff; they were familiar.

"Ah, but you are doing your job very well. Maybe this evening I'll sit down and brainstorm ideas. Creative confections have always been a favorite of mine." returned Celestia as she took another sip of tea.

"I'd like to see you come up with something crazier than the peanut butter and jelly hayburger." added Chef Tea, looking over her shoulder.

"That was a million-bit idea. If you ever open another restaurant, I'll be disappointed if I don't see it on the menu."

Tea snorted out a little laugh. "Oh, if I do, it'll be on there."

While Chef Tea Leaf was extremely skilled in her craft, she had a quality Celestia valued greatly; dedication. It had been a while since she had encountered somepony so horribly dedicated and tenacious in what they want to do. Her life story was quite a mouthful. Moving from Fillydelphia to Prance, getting her chef's certifications, then moving back Fillydelphia, then moving again to Canterlot where she attended schooling at Canterlot University for a Business Masters, then moving on to open two failed restaurants, then three successful ones, then leaving her kitchen and securing a job as the Castle's head chef. She had packed more life into twenty years than Celestia had into a hundred.

"I smell food."

Celestia looked up to see Clean Sweep, a brown-furred, gold-maned Pegasus. She instantly noticed that Tremor wasn't at her side. Thus far, the two were inseparable.

"Where's that husband of yours?" Celestia asked.

Clean sat herself down at the table. "Lazy wings is still in bed."

That brought a smile to Celestia's face. The staff had her encouragement to sleep in as long as their work wasn't effected, and thus far, only a few had actually followed that suggestion. To the surprise of everypony in the room a flash of blue light ignited from Celestia's horn, a stack of papers from Equestria's new head; Luna, appearing before where Celestia sat at the table. Along with the documents, sitting alone atop the stack, was a rolled up parchment closed by Luna's personal seal; a pale blue wax stamp with the depiction of an Alicorn at its center.

While Celestia was certainly retired, she wasn't up for the idea of relinquishing all of her duties. She had, essentially, slid into the seat Luna once occupied; second in command. She retained every power she once held and could return to Canterlot at any time if she wished. What Sol Point had given her was freedom. The bills and propositions that once consumed her being were now methods of keeping current with the times and dodging the clutches of boredom.

"Do you want me to take those to the study?" Raven asked.

Celestia nodded, handing the stack and personal letter off to Raven's magic. As she departed down the short hall leading out of the main room, she passed a tired looking Tremor, whose blue mane and white fur were in a state similar to hers; messy and disheveled.

"Ah, I see you've decided to join us for breakfast," Celestia called with a smile.

"Hey, honey!" Chimed Clean Sweep as she pulled the chair beside her out, allowing Tremor to drag himself into it.

"Mh, good morning."

The two shared a little kiss.

"Breakfast'll be done in 5!" Tea leaned through the kitchen window. "Somepony should go tell Mint and Vesper, they always take forever cleaning up."

Celestia stood from her cushion, bringing her tea with her. "I'll be back with them shortly."

As she went from the dining room down the hall Raven returned from the third floor, trotting her way down the staircase.

"Breakfast is in 5." plainly informed Celestia, sipping her brew after speaking.

Raven let out a little gasp of excitement. "Oh, good! I'm starving."

Through the wide open front doors Celestia stepped, standing just on the fringe of the stairs as she peered out across the garden, the sun now high enough to shine past the tall oaks off at the far end of the garden.

"Oh, dear Mint and Vesper! Breakfast is on in 5 minutes!" Celestia called out with a bit of song in her voice.

From both sides of the expansive garden peeked Mint and Vesper's heads.

"Oh, cool! Thanks, Celestia!" "Thanks for letting us know!" came their simultaneous responses.

Celestia tipped her head to them, turning back for the doors. As she came further and further into the estate the scent of breakfast became more potent, and as she rounded the corner of the hall, she was met with a full spread of delicious food placed at the center of the big dining room table. Her mouth watered as she trotted to her cushion, replacing her cup of tea with the fork and knife beside her plate.

French toast, pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, strawberry and maple syrup, fruit salad, toast, croissants, danishes, biscuits, butter, and homemade peach jam. Her front hooves rubbed together in anticipation. She looked up to the three chefs, who sat together at the right side of the table with Raven, who naturally sat closest to Celestia.

"Another incredible meal, dear chefs." she spoke with a smack of her lips, her magic working to bring many different items to her plate.

"Thank you, Celestia." "Thanks, Celly!" "You're very welcome."

Celestia gave them a warm smile as she dug into her breakfast.

The tip of a quill dipped into the puddle of ink within the jar beside one of the many documents and bills sent by Luna in the early morning, Celestia signing her name in perfect, beautifully calligraphic text before setting the paper with the 'done' stack, moving on to the next. The evening sun radiated through the curtains of the westerly facing windows of the study, lighting the room with a blissful orange glow. The study, which was technically the fourth floor, stood proudly at the corner of the estate and served as a place where one could observe the entire valley. All four walls of the square room were adorned with large pane windows, each window taking up much of the wall space while providing a most wonderful view.

The study was much more than just an office for Celestia, it was a place where her staff could come to write, read, paint, watch the sun set, listen to music from the phonograph, or enjoy themselves by the fireplace. It was referred to as 'her study' only as a formality. Just as the library, study, and even the whole estate were said to be 'hers', they were truly 'theirs'. The staff were welcome within every corner of the estate, save for her bed quarters.

Currently, at the far end of the room in the leftmost corner, Raven sat comfortably in an armchair before the extinguished fireplace, her eyes focused on her novel. The room was totally quiet, as neither of the mares had decided to play one of the many, many records Celestia had dragged along with her.

The library of music, same with the estate's library of books on the second floor, held one trait that separated them from the collection of books and music she had kept in her quarters within Canterlot Castle; every book was a book she had never curled up with, and every record was a piece her ears had never been witness to. It was a choice that, thus far, she was pleased with, as she had recently finished a novel that she would have never considered reading and she had discovered a new album and genre that she was quite fond of.

As she signed another bill, her eyes glazed over the still rolled up letter her sister had sent; the first personal letter Luna had sent since Celestia's retirement. She found herself having a hard time undoing the wax seal and unfurling the scroll to discover what had been inked within. Every time her eyes snapped to it, the shadow of guilt that hung over her happiness cast its darkness, if only for a split second. Despite a departure party that left her heart warmer than the sun, she still felt guilty that she had left her sister, student, and niece behind, despite the fact that Twilight and Cadance had been off with their own tasks for quite some years now. Sighing and gathering her courage, she embraced the scroll with her magic, gently undoing its wax seal and unfurling it.

Dear Celestia.
I shan't bother trudging over the ever-so customary 'I miss you', as I know that, in your infinite wisdom, you are mostly likely able to ascertain that I do indeed miss you. In place, I wish to extend words I feel I didn't quite properly speak the morning of your leaving. I have never, in my long time of life, been happier for you. Knowing you now live under the kind veils of joy and relaxation makes my heart calmer than I could possibly express through writing. Since eternities beginning I have feared for what the future may hold for you. I feared what may come of you in the face of the seemingly insurmountable foes we have dueled in the past. Now, I know you are happy, calm, and without the stresses of this ever exciting occupation that you call 'being a Princess'.

As your sister, and simply being who I am, I understand your mind clouds itself with the vile creature that is guilt. Ask yourself this; what is there to feel guilty over? I assume it to be the fact myself and our family are not standing close by as we once were, but I assure you, we are there. No distance can separate our hearts, for love is the only thing to transcend the vastness of space and remain intact. I know well.
Be free. Be happy. Don't eat too many cakes.
Love, Luna, and every soul beneath the sun you bring up in the morning.

The scroll fell from Celestia's magic, a shuddering gasp breaking the quiet air tears dripped down her cheeks. Through blurred vision she looked at the scroll, the corner of her hoof held in her teeth as she tried, and failed, to suppress her crying. She looked up to Raven for only a moment, that moment being long enough for her to see the concern in her secretary's eyes.

"What... what's the matter?"

Celestia took a deep breath, drying her eyes with her hoof as she sat up a little straighter. "I-I... I'm simply getting a little emotional over my sister's letter."

Raven stared for a moment. She observed something that if Celestia had caught another doing she would have scolded them for; hiding emotion.

"You're still acting like a Princess. Hiding your tears."

Celestia's breath caught as she looked back up to Raven. "Old habits die hard..."

There was a short laugh shared between the two as Celestia looked back down to the letter, her magic holding it out straight as she skimmed the text, sniffling as she let her tears return.

"What did she say that made you so emotional?"

Celestia chuckled, wiping her eyes as she tried composing herself. "'L-Love is the only thing to transcend the vastness of space and remain intact. I know well.'"

Her eyes shut hard, tears gleaming in the evening sun as they rolled down her pure, white cheeks.

"You're still upset about what you had to do to all those years back..."

A quick nod brought Raven to her hooves, her book being left behind as she walked to Celestia's side.

"'At Sol Point, there will be happiness'." quoted Raven, bringing Celestia's gaze to her, "You don't seem too happy."

Celestia let out a stifled laugh. "I am happy... happier than I've ever been. These, for the most part, are tears of happiness."

"For the most part?"

Celestia sniffled, looking back at the letter. "For the most part."

Point of Entry

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If there was a single thing the staff of Sol Point had been allowed to retain from their old ways in Canterlot castle it would be routine. Every evening, for the most part, followed the same pattern. Dinner was always right at six o'clock, and always lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. Post-supper meant the kitchen and dining room needed to be spiffed up, so the whole staff, despite the constant dismissals of the chefs, always went to work clearing dishes, scrubbing pans, and wiping counters.

Celestia too pitched her hoof into the mix, much to the dismay of her significantly smaller friends, as the lumbering Alicorn had a habit of not watching where she walked. When ten ponies plus the Goddess of the Sun herself all piled into one kitchen and tried to do the same task at the same time, it became more counter-productive than productive. Be that as it may, it was a good way to transition into the period of the night where the staff migrated into the living room to lounge around the fire and either laugh about the day or the new bruises caused by Celestia stepping on somepony's hoof.

It was typical of the family to remain in the main room till the clock struck midnight, Celestia being the only one to consistently depart for long periods of time. She would often trot off to spend an hour or two in the study, listening to records or reading and writing. Tonight, however; she found herself in Sol Point's fairly massive library, the space taking up nearly all of the second story; only a few other smaller, more utilitarian spaces occupied the floor such as the laundry room and a few generic closets.

Out of all the places in the estate, the library was easily the grandest. Filled to the brim with literature, only three east-facing windows, the floor, and the ceiling did not contain books; every inch of wall real estate was occupied by hardwood, lacquered shelves. In the center of the room, stretching all the way to the high ceiling, stood a single, huge bookshelf that nearly split the room in two. The ornately carved shelves were built from the same dark mahogany that comprised most other things within the estate, and when combined with the soft red carpet, the gentle light given off by the four light fixtures in each corner, and the gold leaf ceiling marked with the same sun as Celestia's flanks, the room was a truly relaxing place. It was gentle on the eyes even when the morning sun blazed in through the three eastern windows. The gold leaf ceiling helped to reflect light around the room; be it sunlight or light from a bulb, one could always see wonderfully.

As she browsed over the thousand-plus novels, Celestia's mind wandered over her choices. Non-fiction or fiction? Something cheerful, or dark? Adventure, or mystery? Smiling, her magic pulled forth a book from the Non-fiction area, the thick, blue hardback book's title reading; "The Thermodynamic Effects of Prolonged Magic Use While in Confined Spaces". Shaking her head at the ridiculous title, she placed the book back in its place.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say Twilight lived here." she mumbled as she continued on.

Celestia yelped in surprise as a bright flash occurred right before her, sparks of magic pinging off the bookshelves as the spell died down. She opened her eyes to see the scowling face of Discord, his hands held firmly on his hips.

"Now, just what in the world do you think you're doing?"

Celestia stammered, taking a step back. "W-What... what do you mean?"

Discord scoffed. "What do you mean; what do I mean?"

With a sigh, Celestia put her hoof over her face. "Discord... why are you here?"

"You retired?"

The hoof came down. "Yes, I did."

"And left your nocturnal, insane sister in charge of all of Equestria!?"

Celestia stood up straighter. "Luna is not insane! She thinks differently than most ponies do, and her dreamweaving takes a lot out of her!"

Discord's fuzzy lion-like paw waved in dismissal. "Put it how you wish. Nonetheless; you retired and didn't tell me? When did this whole grand idea come about? Are you planning on spending the rest of your time in Canterlot's library reading?" he exclaimed, waving his hands around the room as he looked over all the books.

"Seems you only know part of my retirement."

Discord's brow raised as Celestia turned away, going to the library's entrance, "Oh? And how is that?" he questioned.

With a spell, the door came open, and Celestia stood aside, aiming her hoof down the hall and allowing Discord to look.

"Wha- this isn't Canterlot Castle! Where in the world are we?"

Celestia smiled. "Sol Point."

"What in the name of Equestria is a 'Sol Point'?"

"You can teleport; go outside and see for yourself."

There was a flash, Celestia smiling in anticipation as she leaned against the bookshelf. After a short time, Discord flashed back into existence before her, his eyes wide and jaw agape. He looked around the library for a second before bringing his stare back to Celestia.

"This is Sol Point. My estate and home."

Still, Discord was speechless. He stared at Celestia's smile for a moment longer before finally shutting his jaw. "You've... never once mentioned that you had an estate."

"I haven't told anyone for the last 200 years. This place is a secret."

Discord's eyes widened, his lips curling into a grin. "A secret!? You, Princess Celestia, have kept such a huge secret for 200 years!?"

She nodded, prompting Discord to bounce on his hoof... and claws. "Oh, my little Celly has finally done something for herself!! Doesn't it feel just... absolutely wonderful!?"

Celestia rubbed her neck, lowering her head. "I... am happy, yes; but I still feel a little guilty about this whole situation."

Discord's brow raised once more. "What? Why would you feel guilty?"

"Sol Point is... selfish. I've kept it from my family, and... well, they can't be here with me."

A scoff and a wave of a paw was Discord's return. "Selfish? Did you somehow forget the definition of selfish?" Discord's eyes darted around the library, "Where's a dictionary? There's at least 3 trillion books in here..."

"I don't think there is one... actually."

Discord looked to Celestia, rolling his eyes and snapping his fingers, a dictionary appearing before him. Without ever touching the book, the pages flipped rapidly, eventually stopping as a pair of reading spectacles zapped into existence upon his face. He cleared his throat, holding his head back and peering down at the book, a claw following along as he read.

"Devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare. Regardless of others."

The book turned to Celestia, his claw still in the area of the definition of 'selfish'. "Do you see a picture of yourself?"

"Discord, I get your point..."

The book snapped shut. "I don't see a picture of you."

"I understand what-"

"Is this place harming anyone or causing your 'family' any harm?"

Celestia sighed, beginning to become annoyed. "No, but that doesn't change the fact that I feel bad Luna, Twilight, and Cadance can't be here."

"That, Celestia, is not guilt; that is longing."

Celestia peered into Discord's yellow eyes for a moment, caught a little off-guard by his sudden insight.

"Maybe you're right. I... maybe I have had too much time to think about everything."

"Oh, thinking is a great way to ruin things. I try to avoid thinking."

Celestia grinned. "It shows. You certainly didn't think through teleporting to me. What if I had been in the bath?"

"Then you would have been wet. Besides, who takes a bath at..." Discord held up his wrist, a watch appearing. "8:30?"

"When you're retired, you can do whatever you want, when you want."

"Precisely, which is why I'm here, as I'm sure you're wondering my reason."

Celestia cocked her head to the side, raising a brow.

"You see, Celestia; I too am... technically retired. Fluttershy, with her husband and all, has been quite occupied as of late, and she says it's becoming a little bothersome having me around so much... which I totally understand!" Discord looked only a tiny bit hurt. "So, when I was informed of your retirement, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to spend time with you!"

Celestia laughed. "A fine proposition, Discord; but I'd prefer if my estate didn't become your second home."

"You're afraid that I'll run about ruining everything, aren't you?"

"I- no, that's not at all what I'm worried about. I'm not worried about anything... I simply wished for this place to be private."

"Would you turn away your sister if she wanted to stay here with you?"

"Discord; Luna is my sister. You and I aren't even related. That would be totally different." Celestia chuckled nervously. "I... barely even know you."

Discord snapped his fingers. "Then this would be a perfect time to get to know me, and for me to get to know you! If you are afraid that I'll sew chaos through your wonderful home, then you must have forgotten that I'm reformed."

Celestia stared at Discord for a time, the hopeful smile spread over his face bringing a tightness to her chest. She couldn't turn him away.

She sighed, rubbing her hoof against her leg nervously. "Look, Discord; there's still a few problems with this. My estate only has enough bedrooms for myself and my staff, and..."

He scoffed. "Unlike you ponies, I don't need an entire room just to catch some Zs." suddenly, Discord shrunk down to the size of a mouse, a tiny bed appearing along with him. "You see, I'm quite compact." his magic undid the work, the bed disappearing and his body returning to normal size. "On top of that, I'm sure you have a large bed. Fluttershy let me sleep with her quite often."

Celestia threw her head back in a roaring laugh, her hoof stomping on the floor. "Please, don't joke like that! Oh, Discord; I'm sorry to tell you, but you're not sleeping with me!"

"Suit yourself; according to Fluttershy, I make a great pillow."

Celestia laughed again as she went for the door of the library. "I'll take her word for it, Discord."

"So... are you letting me stay here?"

Celestia paused her walking, sighing. "I... suppose I am." she looked back, concern clear in her expression. "Do you promise that you won't disrupt the tranquility my staff and I enjoy so dearly?"

"You have my word."

"Good." Celestia began her trek out of the library, Discord following. "Now, why don't we go to the main room? I think you've got some ponies to meet."

"Ah, this staff I keep hearing you speak of?"

"Indeed."

"What does a Draconequus eat?" inquired Flip, looking up at Discord.

Rather than take a seat in an empty cushion on one of the three couches, Discord had created himself an odd, yet very fitting seating arrangement. In total defiance of conventional gravitational laws, Discord sat comfortably in a red armchair that hung from the ceiling.

Discord pulled at the fluff of hair on his chin. "I suppose the same things you ponies eat, plus fish."

Chef Tea sat up. "You eat fish?"

"Oh, yes. Carpe and Salmon have become quite a favorite."

Tea swirled the glass of bourbon held in her hoof as she tilted her head back. "Fish... I've never cooked a fish."

"We've got a river, maybe there's fish in it." noted Flip.

"What seasonings would go good with a fish, though? I read a book a long time ago from Griffonstone on how they prepare meat, but I don't remember a thing..."

"If it helps, Fluttershy would grill them."

Tea hummed, sipping at her drink. "Fluttershy, huh?"

Discord glared down at Tea. "Yes, Fluttershy. I think I can anticipate what you're about to ask."

"I take it she was just a friend."

"And only a friend, especially now that she's married."

Tea winced, drawing in a sharp breath through her teeth. "Ouch."

Discord sighed, slouching into his chair.

The conversation fell quiet, though total silence did not take over the main room. The pop of the fire and gentle rush of the river beyond the open windows maintained a calming ambiance, never letting true silence set in. A loud yawn from Mint, who was still snuggled against Vesper upon the middle couch, drew Celestia's eyes to him. It was quite late into the night; Raven had fallen asleep at the fire with her book as a pillow, and Tremor and Clean Sweep had already retreated to their shared bedroom for the night, though Celestia suspected the couple was not immediately going to bed; the way their wings were excitedly unfurled had been a good indication of that.

Yawning herself, Celestia stretched out her hind legs, her limbs dangling off the edge of her big white cushion.

"I just noticed; you're not wearing your crown." Discord commented, drawing Celestia's gaze up to him.

"Indeed."

"Or your... chest thing and shoes. I've never seen you without them."

Celestia nodded. "I don't often equip my attire when I'm here," Celestia smirked. "If I'm doing paperwork, I'll put on my crown. It reminds me I still have a position in this world."

"Paperwork? You're retired..."

"I know. Luna sends me my share of work in the morning before she goes to bed."

Discord clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "You're a workaholic."

"And I'm an alcoholic." added Chef Tea, a glass of bourbon swirling in her hoof.

"That's something you shouldn't be proud of, Chef." Celestia smiled in return.

"I dunno, I think being able to drink three glasses of this and never gag is quite the accomplishment."

Celestia shook her head, chuckling quietly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, dear Chef."

Chef Tea held out her glass. "It does help me sleep!"

"Speaking of sleep..." began a drowsy Pan Sear. "I'm going to bed."

There was a round of 'goodnight's from those still in the main room as Pan Sear stood from the couch, stretching as she did.

"You tired yet, honey?" Mint asked Vesper, who had just now begun climbing from atop her partner.

"Yeah... I am."

"Same." Mint looked to Celestia, Discord, and the two remaining chefs. "Goodnight, everypony."

Again, the group gave their collective 'goodnight'.

"I assume you and Flip will be departing soon?" inquired Celestia.

Chef Tea nodded as she finished a sip of her bourbon. "After this glass, I will. Dunno about Flip, though."

Flip's head rose from its resting place on her hoof. "What?"

"You goin' to bed soon?"

Flip rubbed her face with her hoof. "Yeah... soon; as in now."

In response to Flip beginning to stand, Tea drank down the little bit of bourbon left, smacking her lips. "I'll adhere to this 'now', as well."

Celestia smiled as she watched the two chefs head off towards the estate's entry hall and staircase. She looked over to Raven, who still slept soundly by the fire, her book under her chin and her glasses set off to the side. With a tired groan, Celestia got to her hooves, spreading her long, swan-like wings out as she stretched, the firelight bringing a lively orange glow to her feathers.

"I assume I'm about to hear a 'goodnight' from you, as well?"

Celestia shook her head as Discord dismounted his chair, the seat simply vanishing as he returned to a normal position before her. "No, actually; I think I'll be in the study for a while before I finally go to sleep."

"I assume you'd prefer to be alone?"

Celestia nodded, beginning off towards the entry hall.

"Ah, well... I'm going to find someplace comfortable to sleep."

"Don't get too creative. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find you in my tea kettle." smiled Celestia over her shoulder.

Discord hummed. "A tea kettle, eh? Sounds cozy..."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Discord."

"Yes; goodnight."

Cloud 9

View Online

The half moon high in the midnight sky did a lackluster job of lighting up the estate and its valley. Lucky for Discord, what, or rather; who he watched shined in their own light. He stood on the high third story roof of the estate, his position giving him a perfect view into the study Celestia occupied. A fire that had been large an hour ago simmered away in the fireplace, and a few candles within the room gave it a glow that matched the warmth of who sat at the room's single large desk.

Her ever-waving mane seemed a little less lively than normal, almost as if it were reflecting her relaxed state. In the room's orange light her pink eyes and pure white fur glowed with life, her figure untainted by the distracting crown, peytral, and shoes she was accustomed to wearing. She didn't move often; if there was movement, it was a little stir of her posture or her horn lighting up to change the record on the phonograph across the room.

Originally, Discord planned on spawning himself a bed atop the roof and sleeping under the stars, but his attention had been caught by the white Alicorn in the study. She wasn't doing anything exciting or interesting, but for some reason, he found himself captivated by just her sight. There was something so odd about seeing a pony he had only ever known as a deity, ruler, and in many ways, enemy simply doing what someone would do in their private time.

What captivated him the most wasn't what she did; however, it was what she wasn't doing. She wasn't smiling. She didn't look happy. Her expression wasn't a neutral one, it was one of deep thought and reflection, and one could tell there was something far deeper than simple thought going on within her mind. It was clear she was troubled by something. Her eyes shifted around occasionally, and her hoof would rub against her foreleg ever so frequently.

She didn't seem to be reading or writing, either. There were papers on her desk, but they rarely drew her attention. Part of him wanted to enter the study and try to find out exactly what was plaguing her so much, but the other half of his mind was smart enough to actually stop and think. He had always been an eavesdropper, and had always pried his way into affairs that weren't of his concern, but something compelled him to keep his nose away from Celestia.

It might be the fact he was, if nothing, intimidated by her. He had seen her get mad before. He didn't know ponies could snort flames. Fitting for the Goddess of the Sun, he supposed.

He let out a huff, looking away from Celestia and up into the night sky, the few clouds that crawled by glowing in the moon's light. He held up a paw, snapping his fingers as he teleported into the estate's dark main room. The fire had died down quite a bit, its embers and tiny flames providing no light or heat. The doors and windows were still open, leaving the room in a chilly state. Funny enough, Raven was still asleep at the foot of the fireplace, though she now lay on her side as opposed to her stomach.

As quietly as possible, Discord lay down on one of the three couches in the room, a big, quilted blanket puffing into existence and falling over his sprawled figure. After a few stretches, he finally got comfortable beneath the warm covers, sleep wrapping its arms around him.

Forks clinked against plates, drink glasses tapped against the hardwood table, and conversation sang in a hushed mix of voices. Morning light filled the dining room and warmed all who it touched. The scent of freshly prepared food still hung on the air. The family, as they did every morning, sat around the table, Celestia at its head sitting on her cushion, and Discord at the other end in a flamboyant, extravagant throne of his own conjuring. It had been a little bit of a passive-aggressive jab at Celestia's once preferred style. Funny, he thought, to see how one can go from a throne to a simple pillow within a week.

Only two attendees held their silence at the table. While the staff chatted and laughed, Discord and Celestia remained quiet. Celestia had at least spoken a few words since she had come downstairs at dawn. She was now smiling, at least. There was something quite clear to Discord, however; something was far different about the Alicorn across from him. While he had still never formally gotten to know her, he knew enough to recognize her hushed tone, lack of speech, and soft steps in the halls to be abnormal.

Her walk didn't have much of a bounce to it, and her eyes always seemed to wander along the ceiling or walls as she moved, her gaze never dead on as it was when she would trot down the halls of her castle. He had always seen her walking perfectly, no matter the occasion. Posture straight, a perfect gait in her step, and her head held straight and proud. Her wings too seemed inactive. They rarely unfurled, keeping their white feathers hidden away. She seemed far smaller than he remembered. Standing up totally straight, he stood a tiny bit taller than she, but in the past, if they were face to face, she had seemed far larger.

Now, the one time he had been standing before her, it was clear she cared not to hold herself in the imposing manner she was used to. Slouched, soft spoken, slow walking, and gentle-eyed. It was totally abnormal. In the back of his throat constantly rested a question, one that would sometimes open his mouth in anticipation to form the words, but his mind held that question back every time. 'Is there something wrong?'.

Something has to be wrong. Since the beginning she had been Princess Celestia. At the other end of the table was not Princess Celestia. That was Celestia. Possibly it was who she has always been. With a title came a façade, and when one holds a title for two thousand years, that façade becomes far more attached. Now that she had renounced that title, or at least put it upon a shelf for later use, that façade had fallen away, and it had fallen away quickly and harshly. It was shocking to see how someone so ingrained in their work, so dedicated to a life style, could leave it behind and walk out with no scars.

Discord thought a moment. He stared at Celestia, watching her fork stabbing at her pancakes and potato squares, her eyes never moving up to meet his. Maybe she hadn't walked out with no scars.

"So, Mr. Discord, is your meal good? You... haven't eaten much."

Discord blinked rapidly, snapping his gaze to Chef Tea, who sat only two chairs down from him.

"My apologies, I've been a little enthralled with my own mind. And, please; no need for that 'Mr.' business."

Tea nodded. "Gotcha." she paused a moment, smirking as she leaned her head his direction, watching as his invisible magic brought a forkful of syrup-soaked pancakes to his waiting mouth. "The food's good, though, right?"

Too occupied with chewing to produce a verbal answer, Discord simply nodded, a little smile on his lips.

"I thought thinking was a good way to ruin things." finally commented Celestia, bringing Discord's gaze to her smile.

"Oh, it is, which is why I'm currently trying to not do it."

"This place'll do that to you." injected Raven as she took a drink of orange juice.

"Do what to me?"

"Make you think. When you don't have much to do, and all you've got to listen to is the rushing of the river and rustling of the leaves, your mind will wander. There's no escaping it."

Discord stared at the strangely wise Unicorn for a second before taking a smaller bite of pancakes. He expected Celestia to say something like that.

"It begs the question, Discord; why would one wish to escape the mechanization of their own thoughts?"

Celestia's smile was no longer there, instead replaced by a questioning look. A look that was somehow severe, as if she were questioning him on something that he had done wrong.

"Because... I don't like dwelling on the past."

Celestia sat up straighter, that questioning look fading to one that he could only comprehend as understanding.

"The trick is to not dwell, but to understand."

There was Princess Celestia.

"Personally, I interlock dwelling and understanding."

Instantly, and internally, Discord winced. He steeled himself for the coming lesson. Instead, he watched as Celestia tilted her head to the side a tiny bit, her brows coming up.

"They aren't too far from each other."

Not wanting to agitate the wisdom dispenser further, Discord went back to his meal. If there was one thing he could nitpick about her, it would be her tendency to go off on tangents. She was a teacher, after all.

The high noon sun brought an all-encompassing warmth to the estate's front garden. The air was stuffy and thick with the moisture evaporating from the moist soil. As Discord floated a few inches from the dirt, mainly to keep himself clean, he watched Celestia help her two gardeners gather the ripest fruits and vegetables. What Discord found the most intriguing about this situation was the lack of magic Celestia employed. Just as the two earth pony gardeners did, she would use her hooves to dig up root vegetables and her teeth to pluck fruits and such from their stems.

He too found it odd that she was helping in the first place. He knew quite well she wouldn't be caught dead digging around in the gardens of the castle, but here she stood; her pure white hooves now brown with dirt and her knees dusty from occasionally crouching down. She truly did appear as if she were just... a normal pony. Her impressive height, lengthy, spiraling horn, and perfectly pristine wings no longer caused her to stand out as a superior or ruler.

Celestia huffed out a tired breath as she wiped her brow with the tip of her wing, the feathery limb giving a few flaps to adjust its feathers before furling back to her side. She looked back at Discord, their eyes locking for a second.

"You've been quiet." she commented.

"Well, there's not much to say..."

Celestia eyed his paw as it gently tugged at the gray hair hung from his chin.

"Enthralled with your own thoughts?"

Discord blinked, staring at Celestia's little smile.

"More enthralled with you, actually."

Celestia's eyes widened, and instantly, Discord realized exactly what he had just said, his tugging pausing.

"I-I mean I'm... just- just... it's strange that you're in the garden!" he exclaimed, holding up his paws as if to defend from an attack.

Celestia giggled at the deep blush and horrified look plastered over his face.

"Bit of a Freudian slip, hm, Discord?" taunted Celestia.

"What I meant is that your behavior is unusual!" he put his paws on his hips. "It wasn't a Freudian slip, just a simple misunderstanding on your part!"

Celestia tilted her head to the side. "Oh, I'm sure. Now... how do you mean; my behavior is unusual?"

"I- well... you seem so quiet..."

"There's not much to say." she returned with a cheeky grin.

Discord pressed an open paw into his face. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure.

"Alright, let's try this from scratch. Celestia; I find your current mood and patterns of speech to be far from the norm I've come to expect!" Discord spouted with annoyance, only eliciting another giggle from Celestia.

"I'm retired; do you still expect me to prance about with my head held high and speak as if I'm addressing a bunch of dignitaries?"

Discord stumbled over his tongue for a moment. "Well... no, but I-"

"I understand; you've only ever seen me as a ruler, Princess, and mentor."

He paused. "Yes... precisely."

She offered a warm smile. "Give it another week or so, and I'll seem normal to you," she looked away to Vesper, who was only a few rows down going about her work. "my friends too expressed their concern for how I acted."

"So... there's nothing wrong with you?"

Celestia laughed. "No! There's nothing wrong with me! I'm relaxed!"

Discord huffed out a breath of relief, the little act catching Celestia's eye.

"I appreciate your concern, Discord." smiled Celestia as her horn came to life, lifting a basket of freshly picked tomatoes from the dirt at her hooves as she stepped past Discord.

He remained hovering in place for a moment as Celestia trotted over to Vesper, her speech with the mare a bit too quiet to make out. Still remaining in a hover, he leaned down, plucking an unripened tomato from its vine, looking at it for a second before turning it into a perfectly fresh apple. Hovering as if he were reclining in a chair, he snacked on the snappy fruit, waiting patiently as Celestia cheerfully chatted with her gardener.

The two finished up, Celestia giving her a bright smile as she turned away and began back towards Discord, who joined up with her, hovering at her side.

"Did you see any aphids while you were picking stuff!?" shouted Mint from the far end of the garden.

"Not a single one! You and Vesper have done a wonderful job!"

"Glad to see our work is paying off!"

Celestia simply nodded to him, looking over to the hovering, snacking Discord. "If you'll excuse me, I'm off for a bath now."

"Ah; that's why I've been floating about!" Discord's posture mimicked the position one would take if lying on a couch. "You see; I don't have to deal with dirt!"

"Not all of us have the luxury of being free from the constraints of reality." she chuckled as the two approached the estate's front entrance.

Instead of continuing up the stairs as Discord expected, Celestia turned off down a little stone-paved path he hadn't noticed until this point. The path led around the front of the estate to the side, coming to a wooden pathway built into the side of the structure that went all the way around to the western side of the home. As he followed, his suspicions were confirmed, as the narrow pathway suspended above the bay of the river led right to the big porch that extended out from the main room.

Discord paused, looking at the porch for a moment as Celestia continued on. He took a final bite of his apple, the core vanishing with a snap of his fingers as he dropped his paws to his sides in annoyance.

"This porch isn't up to code." he taunted.

Celestia turned around to see him adorned with an orange safety vest and hard hat. She rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"I paid for this place with my own money, and I own the land; therefore, I can do what I want."

"You need a guard railing. This isn't OSHA approved, at all."

Celestia stood right at the edge of the porch, peering at her distant reflection for a second before turning back to Discord.

"My money, my estate."

With that, she leapt from the porch into the crisp river, her body hitting the water with a substantial splash.

Discord hadn't ever spent much time high off the ground, lounging on clouds and such, but he understood fully why Pegasi enjoyed it so much. From the little fluffy cloud that he and Celestia sat upon he could see almost to the horizon's end. He could see where Sol Point's river led far down into the winding valley, and where it split off into two separate paths. He could see the highest peaks and the lowest valleys, the spanning forests and the fields of grass. Its natural beauty struck him with awe, his eyes never quite able to divert away from the untamed wilderness that surrounded Sol Point, which now seemed so tiny when juxtaposed with its surroundings.

He too found awe with something he had just only noticed about Sol Point; there wasn't a single other sign of civilization within view. The estate stood totally alone and totally independent as if it were its own tiny nation. It sat peacefully without the influence of governments, taxes, or even other ponies. He couldn't help but ponder exactly where Sol Point was on a map. He had been a resident of Equestria, and even its ruler at one point, for quite a long time, and he didn't recognize a single thing about the landscape around Sol Point.

A flutter from Celestia's damp wings drew his gaze over to her. Instead of returning inside to get a towel, she had shot straight into the vertical and found a nice cloud to sit upon, allowing the sun and wind to dry her fur. Celestia's attitude and demeanor was still a constant cause for surprise. This morning, and the night before, there had seemed to be something critically wrong with her emotions, as if something horrible was plaguing her mind. Now, she sat across from him with a little smile resting on her lips, her wings half-unfurled and posture somewhat slouched.

He was finally pin-pointing what about her was so strange; she was at peace. He hadn't ever really seen such a state of life within another being. Fluttershy was always calm, sure, but she still had her work to do, and she still worried about the things in her life and stressed over the future. He didn't see that in Celestia. She gave off an aura of total calm, a calm that only comes from true inner peace. He watched as her eyes shut, her chest expanding as she drew in a long breath.

"Mark my words; it'll rain tomorrow."

Discord smirked, raising a brow. "I didn't know you had a part-time job as a weather radar."

Celestia laughed, looking to Discord. "When you pile on as many years as I have, you get good at predicting things." she looked back out over the land, chuckling to herself. "That, and the few meteorology books I've read might help."

"Well, then how do you know it'll rain tomorrow?"

"It's humid, the sky this dawn was a deep red, and there's been a lot of cumulonimbus clouds gathering since this morning... among other things."

Discord's brow raised. "What does the sky being red have to do with anything?"

"Air density." Celestia looked to the east, tracing along the sky with her hoof. "Low pressure air carries more moisture, and it always follows dry, high pressure air. The dry air's already moved past."

"That old head of yours is packed to the brim with useless information, isn't it?" he jokingly inquired, crossing his legs as he lounged back in the cloud.

"You only know the surface, Discord."

A hard breeze gave lift to Celestia's mane, causing her to face towards the wind. "And it's been windy."

"And chilly. My paws are getting cold all the way up here."

"Welcome to high altitudes."

Celestia stood up, walking to the edge of the cloud as she looked down at the estate some thousand feet below. Discord followed, standing at Celestia's side as he too peered downward, getting a little bit of vertigo. Without a word, Celestia walked off the edge, going into free-fall and leaving Discord behind.

"Oh, well goodbye!" he shouted.

"You can fly! jump off!" Celestia yelled, her voice getting more distant as she fell.

He rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers and teleporting to the porch of the estate. He looked up, Celestia but a white dot with ribbons of color at either end as she continued her rapid descent. Finally, her wings opened, and she made a few tight circles down to the porch, landing with a gallop and a bright smile.

"Cheater." she taunted, trotting on past him and through the doors of the main room.

"I technically flew here."

"Mhm, and I technically fell here."

Downpour

View Online

Discord's head shot from his pillow, the crash of thunder rocking him from a once peaceful slumber. As the earth-shaking rumble faded, the main room filled with the muffled patter of heavy rain, drawing his eyes to the pitch black outside world, the tiny bit of light coming from the single bulb in the kitchen being just enough for him to see the patterns of water on the windows. He shuffled around on the couch, pulling his blanket up further as he snuggled back into his bedding. If there was one thing Celestia's great size was good for, it was that her blankets were twice, if not three times the size of what would be normal, meaning he was able to secure himself a properly sized sheet and not have to conjure one up every night.

As with everything, the blanket was a pure, silky white fabric with ornate golden stitching around the edges. He found it comical how she followed the same color palettes and themes with most things in her life. It was fitting for her to have such tastes in décor, her pearly, almost pink fur and the golden ordainments she once wore matched perfectly with most things around her. It was a bit odd to see that most of the furniture and trim of the estate was made from darker species of wood rather than lighter ones. Perhaps it was simply to add contrast.

The soft clapping of hooves against the metal stairs in the entry hall perked Discord's ears. He sat up, listening as the pony reached the bottom of the stairs and began making their way down the hall. As he suspected, Celestia's bright figure appeared from down the hall as she made her way towards the kitchen, her white coat and waving mane standing out profusely against the night.

"Did the thunder wake you up, too?" he asked tiredly.

She jumped, "Oh! I didn't even see you. Uh, no, I've been up. Came down for some tea."

Discord rubbed his face, moaning as he stretched. "Staying up late doing whatever it is that you do in that study of yours?"

Celestia simply hummed, her back turned to him as her magic worked with the tea brewer. Discord sat up fully, blinking as he looked out the windows to the hefty storm beyond. "Well, looks like you were right..."

"About?"

"The storm."

"Of course I was right."

Discord gave a hearty laugh at her confidence. "Are you sure you aren't a part-time weather radar?"

She chuckled, looking over her shoulder, "At this point, I suppose I am."

Celestia continued on preparing her drink, Discord looking on for a short while longer before throwing his blanket off to the side as he stood up, groaning as he arched his back, a few pops sounding off from his spine as he stretched.

"You aren't going to try to get back to sleep?" inquired Celestia as she walked into the main room.

"Maybe in a while. I've always been a fan of storms."

Discord watched as she went to the closed patio doors, that rumble of the rain taking over the room as she looked outside.

"I wonder if it's raining in Canterlot."

Her voice held only a little tone of longing.

"You miss that old castle, don't you?"

"How could I not? Leaving was like saying goodbye to a life-long friend. I didn't just leave my castle behind, I left my entire life behind."

"If you're so troubled about retiring, then why did you retire in the first place?"

"I'm not troubled by it, per say. Surprised at myself is more apt. I never thought I'd actually do it. The day I decided to build this estate, I thought; 'You're never going to make it out here, Celestia. You've made yourself too essential.'" she chuckled, still staring out into the murky, stormy night. "I'm glad I was wrong."

She was so incredibly hard to read. She always had been. No matter how hard Discord focused, he couldn't see what she felt. At times, it seemed she was horribly downtrodden by something as if she carried the weight of burden on her shoulders, but the next moment she was as free as a bird; cheerful and happy. Maybe what he saw that perplexed him wasn't a skillful concealment of emotion, but a total openness of emotion.

"So, that's why you started training a protege, hm? A successor to allow you to fall back to here?"

"In a few ways; yes. Twilight's rise as a Princess wasn't entirely to get me away from the front lines. I knew that one day, I'd falter. And, up until a few years ago, if I had faltered, then all I love would have fallen with me. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't keep letting myself be the only thing standing between Equestria and her foes. Twilight... has become far more than a student or Princess. She's the light in the dark. She's the one who keeps the peace, and the one who keeps freedom in place."

Discord didn't quite know how to respond. He stared at Celestia, her eyes still resting with what lay beyond the windows, or possibly her own faint reflection. He noticed her hoof rubbing against her other front leg as if she were nervous about something.

"I'm still worried about things. I worry if I've done a good enough job making sure my family can fill the roles I've left behind. I'm confident in Twilight. I have been for a long time now. Cadance has done a wonderful job, and so has her husband... but I worry about Luna. I'm sure she can deal with being in charge, especially since she was the one that wanted the position, but I worry about her being alone. The fact I'm not there... Discord, you don't know what it's like in her mind. It's... not a healthy mind. The dreams and nightmares she sees, the premonitions she gets about the past and the future, and the thoughts she can hear. I've always been there to listen to her. I'm the only one she trusts to take her seriously and to not see her as some sort of maniac. She doesn't trust Twilight, or Cadance, or any of her staff to actually listen."

She sighed, placing her hoof on the window and pushing her forehead into the glass, the tip of her horn connecting, as well.

"She told me to not worry about her, and she's said in her letters that she's overjoyed I'm finally relaxing and doing what I want for a change... but how can I not worry about her? How can I not feel guilty about what I did to her in the past?"

The high-pitched howl of the tea maker cut the room, drawing both Celestia's and Discord's attention to the column of steam spewing from the clear glass kettle. Celestia made her way to the machine, taking the kettle off the element as she began brewing her tea. She huffed out a heavy sigh, lowering her head.

"I apologize for dumping all of that on you."

"Keep going."

Celestia looked back, a look of surprise plastered on her face.

"Well, it's quite clear you need to actually tell someone these things." he put a paw on his chest. "I'd be a bad friend if I didn't listen."

"You... consider me a friend?"

"Well, you did let me into your home, after all."

"E-Even after the things I've done? We... don't have a bright past."

"And that means we can't have a bright future?"

Celestia drew her gaze to the side, speechless. In the near darkness of the main room, he could have sworn he caught the glimmer of a tear rolling down her cheek.

"You don't... know how much that means to me."

Her voice was incredibly soft, almost unintelligible over the rumbling downpour outside. Discord now took the speechless role, not quite knowing how he should respond as Celestia collected her steaming cup of tea, her hoofsteps lumbering, almost solemn, as she made her way into the living room. She stood beside the couch in which Discord had made his bed, her eyes resting within her tea for a time before she looked up, her horn coming to life as she magically caught fire to one of the half-burnt logs in the fireplace.

"Having you here has brought a lot of things to my mind that I've... more or less forgotten about."

Celestia huffed as she looked back into her tea, sitting down across from Discord, his blanket getting trapped beneath her.

"When you are tasked with protecting an entire nation... and you and only a few others are the only ones who stand on the podiums of power, you have to make decisions quickly. There's no time to think. There's no time to think of the future, or of the past. No time to wonder if what you're doing is wrong, because the only thing you've ever known is being right."

She looked up, her bright pink eyes seeming to dance and shimmer in the dim firelight.

"It was, I suppose, easy enough for Luna to forgive me. She's my sister. Our bond is deeper than any other relationship imaginable. But... you forgave me for locking you away in stone. You forgave my student for doing the same. Y-You look upon somepony who has stripped away countless years of your life..." Celestia's eyes shut hard, tears flowing freely, her breaths shuddering. "a-and you called her a friend..."

Before her head could fall, Discord wrapped her in a tight hug, his paws barely able to connect thanks to her size. Unexpectedly, Celestia's head rested on his shoulder, her gentle cries barely making it over the rain beyond. He held her at tight as he possibly could, her tears warm on his shoulder. Her silky fur ruffled beneath his paw as he gently pet down her neck, her crying instantly weakening from the comforting embrace.

Something pulled Discord from this moment. His vision seemed to travel from his body to a place above him and Celestia, where he looked down to ponder on what was happening. The sounds of the world seemed to blur away into nothing as he realized the circumstances. The Princess Celestia was in his arms, crying on his shoulder, telling him things she had most likely only ever let loose in front of those she trusted and loved the most. His heart felt heavy. Breathing had become a chore. Something about her gentle weeping hit him in a place he didn't know he had. It was the same feeling that had struck him when Fluttershy had wept before him. He dreaded the feeling.

"You've done more for me than just let me live in your home, you know?" Discord began, his voice a little sweeter than he intended.

Celestia brought her head up, sniffling as she locked eyes with him, his arms still around her.

"You've forgiven me for my past, as well. If you hadn't done the things you'd done, I probably wouldn't be here. I would never have met Fluttershy, either. You and that dorky student of yours showed me just how wonderful it can be to have friends and to love others. For that... I thank you."

Her lips quivered as her eyes darted over Discord's face, her pained frown turning to a smile. She returned the embrace, resting her head in the crook of his neck not to cry, but to offer affection. A smile crept onto Discord's expression, his eyes closing as he savored every moment of the hug that he could. He felt Celestia's head come up, his eyes opening to meet with hers. She laughed, looking away.

"You're extremely sweet when you want to be." she chuckled, Discord finally letting her go.

"This is your fault! Getting all emotional with me..." he huffed jokingly.

"I know, I get like this at night." she sighed. "Too much time to think."

Discord shook a finger at her. "I told you to not do that! It's dangerous!"

The two shared a little laugh, simultaneously diverting their gazes as a deep blush lit up their cheeks. Celestia looked into the fire, taking the first drink of her sweetened tea, Discord simply peering off out the glass doors of the patio.

"Thank you, Discord." Celestia began, her eyes still locked with the small fire. "I... needed to hear that."

"I've done nothing that would require thanks, Celestia. Quite the opposite, if you think back."

Celestia looked back to Discord, smiling as she floated her cup of tea up in a toast. "Well, let's not dwell on a dark past."

Frames

View Online

Rain pattered heavily on the roof of the study, the occasional rumble of distant thunderclaps marking the minutes as they went by. The fireplace at the far wall of the study cast warmth and light into the dark room. The morning sun barely made it past the thick sheet of dark gray clouds above, leaving the estate quite dim; places such as the halls being shrouded in near total darkness. It was a lazy morning; Celestia had taken notice that the staff seemed a little more relaxed, as did Discord, who was currently reclining by the fire in a beach chair, his eyes concealed behind heavily tinted sunglasses. According to him, he didn't want the rain to ruin his 'beach day'.

The fizzle of magic filled the room for a moment as Luna's morning documents arrived, both Discord and Celestia staring at the papers for a moment as they were lowered to the desk, the most notable thing being a manila envelope atop the stack of bills.

"What's up with the envelope?" Discord inquired from the other end of the room, his brow raised as he took off his sunglasses.

"I don't quite know." the mentioned envelope was lifted up, Celestia popping the wax seal from its flap. "It's from Luna; it's got her seal on it."

Inside was a letter, and upon pulling the letter out, she found there to be a photograph behind it. Knowing her proper package-opening etiquette, the letter was given attention first.

Dear Celestia
I have always been a proponent of portraits, as you know. My recent adventure to the Hooviet Union provided me with a great many examples to witness, as it seems their governing body, too, appreciates the sight of their own figure. I have learned that the best way to better relations with any culture is not to just know, but in some cases, follow their customs. To that end, I provide you with a copy of my own portrait. A modernized one; as you know, I've grown very fond of my Kommandant uniform. Of course, the final product is far larger. I do hope your estate has a proper 11x17 photograph frame somewhere. If not, I can provide one.

It would please me greatly if you could, in turn, send photos of yourself and your staff so I may adorn my study with your likelihoods. If my memory serves, I do believe you brought a camera with you. I hope you haven't eaten too much cake.
Love, Luna.

Celestia laughed as he set the letter down. "Oh, this is going to be amazing."

"What great gift has the youngling sent you?"

She laughed harder as the photo was removed from the envelope, prompting Discord to simply teleport behind Celestia's desk so he could see for himself. Held within her yellow magic was a photograph of not Princess Luna, but Commander Luna; her crown was the only thing signifying she had any role besides a military one. She wore a finely pressed dark gray jacket with wide lapels, the left lapel near the collar having a little crescent moon pin. On the right breast was a very modest number of medals; only 2. One was a brilliantly shining silver moon with wings spreading from either side and hung from a short ribbon of blue fabric with a white stripe down its center. Beside it resigned a similarly styled pin; the moon was replaced with a sun, and the blue fabric was instead a vibrant orange. Being only a 2/3rd's portrait, and since she was sitting down, most of her lower half was concealed, but one could still see the handle and hilt of a sword hung at her side. The background was the unmistakable scene of the nighttime throne hall, and in the darkness behind Luna one could faintly make out the figures of her two personal guards, their yellow eyes glaring right at the viewer.

"Oh, such a traditionalist. She still refers to it as her 'Kommandanten' uniform." smiled Celestia, her eyes still browsing the finer details of the wonderful photo.

"Did you accidentally leave Equestria under some sort of military dictator?"

Celestia laughed, looking over at Discord. "No, I did it intentionally!" she looked back to the picture, still chuckling. "Jokes aside, she's not a dictator. Luna has always played a bit of a larger role with the Guard than I have, especially since she formed her own wing of the Royal Guard. She attends briefings, parades, training exercises... all the sorts of things I got quite tired of years ago."

Discord grinned. "Your sister is way cooler than you."

"Oh, I agree."

Celestia looked around the study, trying to find a proper frame. "I think I might have to ask her for a frame... I don't know if I have one this size."

"How big's that picture?"

"Uh, 11 by 17."

Discord snapped his fingers, a properly sized frame made from a shiny, lacquered cherry wood appearing in his out-stretched paw

"Well, look at that." smiled Celestia, taking the frame and placing the photo inside.

"See, I'm good for lots of things."

"Like cheering me up."

Discord stared at her radiant, almost compassionate smile. "Like cheering you up, yes."

A card-stock leg was unfolded from the back of the fairly large frame, allowing it to be placed at the other end of Celestia's desk. She tilted her head, admiring the photo with a smile.

After a moment, she looked to Discord. "She's imposing, isn't she?"

"Imposing might be an understatement."

Celestia brought her hoof from her chair, placing it on the corner of the picture as she stared into Luna's eyes. "She'll do great things for our country."

Discord's fingers snapped, reappearing in the middle of the room as opposed to behind Celestia's desk, his figure now adorned in a flashy military uniform, a ceremonial sword sheathed at his hip. "Like finally conquering the Griffons!" he proclaimed, drawing his sword.

"She's not going to conquer anypony; Equestria isn't a marauding nation."

He slid his sword back into its sheath, "Under the rule of Commander Luna, it shall be!"

"I think you're going a little over-board with this." Celestia returned, the annoyance in her voice not quite catching Discord's attention.

He hastily hovered over, taking the stack of documents Luna had sent in his hands, "The only thing going over-board will be the military's budget!" he jested, floating on his back and holding the papers up to his face, flipping through them.

A yellow aurora surrounded the documents, ripping them from his hands. "What do you have against my sister?"

Discord held up his paws in defense. "Nothing! I'm simply poking fun!"

"I know, but it seems that you've been quite... aggressive with the fun poking."

"Well, I've always enjoyed taunting little Lulu," he went back to his feet, snapping his fingers to rid himself of that garish uniform, "She's adorable when she's angry."

Celestia hummed, leaning her head close to Discord. "And I'm not? You haven't even tried to mess around with me yet."

"Celestia, fire comes out of your nose when you get mad enough. That's not adorable, that's frightening."

Celestia giggled as she leaned back into her previous pose. "You've only gotten me that angry once before."

"Even considering that, when you're normal mad, it's still... sort of scary." Discord held his head up, puffing out his chest and standing up straighter in a mimicking fashion. "You're like a lion or something; you get all big and huffy." he then relaxed, slouching a bit. "Lulu seems to get smaller."

"Make no mistake; my sister is far less controlling of her anger than I am. She may not exert herself as I do, but she's far more brash with her punishments. She's fast, too."

There was a little pause as the two looked at the picture of 'Commander' Luna. Discord scoffed, hovering up and sliding through the air back to his lawn chair. "Your sister is a weirdo."

"Maybe, but she's my weirdo, and I love her more than my country and my people. I'd let Canterlot crumble before I let her go."

Celestia's eyes remained on the photo for a second before she huffed out a breath, standing from her chair and crouching as she rummaged through the cabinet built into the lower part of the desk. Last night's talk may have cheered her up in the moment, but it was increasingly clear to Discord that the things troubling her mind were there to stay. There was something about the look in her eyes whenever she looked at Luna's picture that seemed to echo feelings of pain. After a little more clunking around below, Celestia rose to her hooves with quite the nice camera held in her yellow magic. She looked at the machine for a moment, holding it to her eye and looking through the viewfinder.

"Sadly, I don't have any way of developing the negatives. I'll have to send Luna the roll of film."

Discord sat up. "I didn't know you had a camera."

"Oh, I've got a camera, all right." she smiled, still admiring the brass and chrome photo-snapper. "This was the very first Maneolta to come out of their shop, and they dedicated it to me. They even engraved my name on the bottom plate."

Discord's eyes widened. "Goodness, aren't you lucky."

She hummed, walking from behind her desk after slinging the finely built camera around her neck by its lanyard. "It's not luck. It's something I've only just come to understand in my last hundred years or so. My ponies trust me with these things. I've been gifted so many incredible, sentimental things not because I'm the Princess, but because they know I will keep their gifts forever. By being immortal, I suppose I'm a living time capsule. I still own many things that date all the way back to before Luna's," she paused a second, "nightmare."

"It's certainly a cool responsibility; you get all sorts of free stuff!"

Celestia laughed as she looked down at the camera. "That, I do."

As she walked towards the stairs leading down to the third floor, Discord hovered up from his chair, snapping his fingers to disappear it from existence.

"So, what do you need a camera for?" he inquired, hovering at her side as she trotted down the steps.

She lifted up the camera, humming. "Don't quite know... what exactly does a camera do again?" she returned with a cheeky grin.

Discord's paw slapped to his face, groaning. "Let me rephrase that. What are you taking pictures of?"

Celestia giggled as she began down the spiral stairs to the second-floor. "Luna wanted some pictures of the family and of myself. This'll also prove to be an interesting way of telling her you're here."

Discord gave an insulted scoff, crossing his arms over his chest as he floated on his back. "You haven't told her yet?" I'm truly hurt."

"You'll be fine, I'm sure. It just hasn't been imperative for me to write about it."

He held the back of his paw to his forehead. "Oh! I'm not important enough to make it on the list with all of the other incredibly interesting things that happen around here!"

He could almost hear her eyes roll as she hopped from the two final steps of the stairs onto the hardwood floors of the first floor's entry hall. As the two came into the main room, they found it to be oddly placid; besides the sounds of the rain and the warm fire tickling the dark room with light and heat, there were no sounds of speech. Every couch sat unoccupied, as did every chair at the dining table. Curiously, Celestia walked over to the kitchen's entrance, peering in to finally find some of the staff. Around the big island in the kitchen stood the three chefs, their attention totally devoted to a game of poker.

Celestia brought up her camera, looking into the viewfinder as she adjusted the aperture, exposure, and shutter speed to compensate for the dim lighting. The wonderfully smooth, mechanical snap of the camera capturing the moment caused Flip to look over her shoulder, her expression one of slight confusion. After a moment, Tea too looked up from her cards upon noticing Flip's change in attention.

"I didn't know you had a camera." commented Tea, her words bringing Pan Sear's attention up, as well.

"Had it for some time now. Don't know why I haven't taken more pictures of everypony with it."

"And, uh, why did you take our picture?" Flip asked with a raised brow.

Celestia smiled as she trotted away from the entrance. "A better question is why haven't I before?"

As she came back into the main room, Discord joined back with her as they continued back down the hall into the entry hall. Celestia stood idly for a time, looking up in the high space and humming.

"Now we have to find everypony else." she explained more to herself than to Discord.

"Well, I found two of them."

Celestia turned around to find him looking out the big window beside the tall main doors; beyond the home in the expansive, stormy garden were Mint and Vesper, going about their work despite the heavy rains. Celestia smiled, watching for a moment before quickly making her way up the stairs to the second floor balcony within the hall where she was able to get a wonderful angle on the couple. She twisted the lens, zooming in to where only the two were visible in the shot, and quickly adjusted the light sensitivity settings for the brighter outdoors shot. She took a moment to ensure the focus was perfect before snapping the picture of the rain-soaked gardeners standing side-by-side before their plants.

"Everypony decided to be photogenic today, I guess." Celestia joked as she reduced the zoom and preemptively prepared the camera for another indoor shot.

Discord clapped his paws together, gasping in excitement. "Oh, and I have the perfect picture for you to take of me!"

"And that would be?"

A flash of light followed Discord's teleportation to her where he now lay across her back, his elbow resting on the top of her head, and his head resting in his open paw. She giggled, holding the camera out in her magic and aiming it at them as she made sure they were both within frame. She closed her eyes, the glow around her horn increasing in brightness for a moment as she magically threw her sight to the viewfinder, adjusting a few more setting before ceasing the spell.

"Smile." she said, looking up at Discord through her brow.

"Don't I always?"

Again, she giggled as she snapped the photo.

Carpe Diem

View Online

Scattered clouds drifted high above the estate, the noon sun offering light and warmth to the once dark and stormy valley. A gentle breeze occasionally jostled the trees, the ever peaceful sound of leaves colliding with their neighbors mixing in with the constant rush of the river and distant chirping of songbirds. The air tasted fresh and clean, the lingering scent of wetness the storm brought still noticeable. The only signs remaining of yesterday's torrential downpour and clapping thunder were the few puddles remaining in the uneven parts of the dirt and the slight murkiness of the river thanks to the runoff from the surrounding valley fjords.

Celestia closed her eyes, her ears focusing on the sounds of her surroundings and her breaths deep and drawn out. She shuffled a bit, getting her legs into a more comfortable position beneath her, the big towel she had laid out on the patio to sit upon ruffling as she moved against it. Her ear flicked as the unmistakable mechanical whir of a fishing rod's reel being cast sounded off in the distance, her eyes opening and locking with the little boat Discord occupied as it bobbed downstream. The various lures hooked on his boonie hat glimmered in the noon sun, the thin line of his fishing rod occasionally doing the same as it hung in the air like the cable of a drawbridge.

She watched as he suddenly tugged at his rod, leaning back in his seat as he rapidly reeled in a catch, moments later a fairly large trout breaching the water with a splash. He exclaimed in joy, reaching out and grabbing the flopping fish with a paw as he unhooked it, placing it within the boat and beginning to prep his lure for another cast.

"Hey, Celly!" chimed Flip, bringing Celestia's gaze around to the young chef, "Lunch's ready!"

She smiled, nodding as Flip went back through the doors of the patio. "Thank you, Flip. I'll be in soon."

After a moment, the filly poked her head back out, looking not at Celestia, but at something in the distance. She brought her hoof up to shield her eyes from the sun, squinting. "Is Discord fishing?"

Celestia chuckled, looking out at the Draconequus. "That, he is."

"Where'd he get a boat?"

"The same place he gets everything; the snap of his fingers."

Flip hummed, continuing to stare at the gleeful Discord as he cast his lure far from his little boat. "Should we tell him lunch is ready?"

Celestia shook her head, smiling as she stood up from her towel. "He'll be fine."

Flip remained staring at Discord for a moment longer as Celestia passed by her. "Chef Tea's right... I dunno how to cook a fish."

Celestia pushed her plate away with a hoof, her fork falling to the empty saucer with a clink as she let out a groan. "Oh, I can't eat another bite..."

Chef Tea, who was at the other end of the table collecting dishes, laughed. "Finally?"

Celestia took a pause, looking over the unoccupied table before her, all of the staff having finished their meals and gone off on their business a while ago.

She slouched, tilting her head and hiding behind her mane. "I'm a lot bigger than the average pony..."

Tea chuckled heartily, coming up to Celestia and putting her hoof on her hind leg. "Aw, I know that, Celestia!"

The two smiled, Celestia taking the smaller chef with a hoof and pulling the mare into her side. "I know you do, I was joking!"

Flip poked her head through the window of the kitchen's dividing wall, scowling at Tea. "Did you hurt Celly's feelings?"

"No, no! No, I didn't!" Tea waved her hooves in defense, her eyes darting to Celestia's. "Tell her!"

"Flip; Chef Tea didn't hurt my feelings."

The young chef narrowed her eyes at Tea. "Good."

Celestia let go of Chef Tea, tapping her on the flank as she went back to collecting dishes. "You'll have to try harder than that to hurt me. I've been walking around for something like three thousand years; I've heard it all."

"Like?"

Celestia huffed out a breath, tapping her chin. She held her silence a moment, Tea almost able to see the cogs in her mind turning.

"Scooberlotcher."

Tea's muzzle scrunched, a short scoff of laughter coming from her nostrils. "A what?"

"Scooberlotcher; somepony who doesn't work hard. I got called that by the Queen of Griffinstone quite a few times."

"Griffinstone had a Queen?"

"At one point, yes. Quite a long time ago." Celestia chuckled to herself. "She hated Luna; back then I was a little more liberal with letting my sister use her dreamwalking skills as a weapon."

Tea shivered. "Yeah; that's why I never made her upset. She'll literally haunt your nightmares."

The conversation was cut as an unexpectedly feminine shrill came from outside, Celestia looking over her shoulder out the window to see Discord recoiled back at one end of his little boat, a familiar red and orange avian standing at the other end with what looked to be a fish hanging from its, or rather; her beak. Celestia laughed, quickly standing up and going to the patio door, Tea following.

"Give that back!" Discord exclaimed, his invisible magic surrounding the uninvited Phoenix and snatching the fish from her mouth, prompting the avian to screech at him.

"I see you've met Philomena!" Celestia called, her voice drawing both Discord's and Philomena's attention to her.

"What!? You know this feather-brain?!"

Philomena screeched angrily in return, swinging her talons and Discord despite still being held in his magic.

"Philomena's my friend! She's been my pet forever!"

"Pet!? Since when did you have a pet Phoenix!?"

"Since a fair two thousand years ago!"

Discord looked at Philomena, the two glaring at each other before he finally allowed the Phoenix to stand on her own.

"Now, Philomena; Discord worked hard to catch those fish!" she scolded, pointing an accusing hoof at her. "Apologize!"

Philomena hid her face behind a wing, her apologetic chirp inaudible to Celestia and Tea. Discord had a quick word with the Phoenix, his speech again too quiet to be heard.

"I forgot Philomena came with you." commented Tea, watching as Discord began rowing his boat back towards the estate, Philomena sticking along for a free ride.

"She's just as retired as I am; free to do as she pleases."

"As long as she doesn't steal fish from Discord?"

Celestia laughed. "Yes; no fish-thieving."

As the boat pulled up to the porch Discord floated himself and his fishing gear up onto the wooden platform with Celestia and Tea, Philomena chirping happily as she flew up to Celestia, landing on her outstretched foreleg.

"Good day, Philomena." Celestia tickled the feathers of her friend's stomach with her other hoof. "Looks like you've put on a little weight!"

Philomena squawked, aiming her wing at Celestia's stomach, prompting her to giggle. "Indeed; I have too."

"She... understands you?" Discord asked as he snapped his fingers to de-materialize his boat.

"Of course; she's nearly as old as I am." Celestia moved herself and Philomena closer to him. "Now, you two need a proper introduction; Discord, this is Philomena. Philomena; Discord."

The two stared at each other for a second before Philomena held out her wing, Discord looking at the feathery limb for a moment before taking the feathers at the very tip in his paw, shaking.

"Ah; that's a good sign," Celestia commented with a smile.

"What's a good sign?"

"She gave you a wing and not her talons. When she shakes with ponies she doesn't like, she'll use her talons." Celestia chuckled. "She's got quite the grip, too."

Discord smiled, looking to Philomena. "Well! I'm glad we could get off on the right foot!" he held up his avian-like arm, waving his own talons. "Or talon, as it were."

Philomena nodded.

"So; have a good fishing trip?" asked Celestia as she began for the door, keeping her foreleg held up for Philomena.

"Quite a good trip. I caught five trout... almost four trout had you not intervened." he returned jokingly, following Celestia inside, his hat, tackle box, and fishing rod all disappearing, leaving him with just his ice chest of fish as he followed her and Tea inside.

"Want me to try and cook one of those for dinner tonight, Discord?" Tea inquired, smiling up at him as he trailed her into the kitchen.

"Cooking one now would be better, my dear Chef; I haven't had lunch."

Tea looked a little less enthusiastic. "Now?"

"Well, why not?" he too now looked a little worried as he set the ice chest down beside the fridge.

"I... don't know how to cook a fish. I was going to go find that book on how they prep meat in Griffinstone..."

He scoffed, waving a paw. "Oh, you'll be fine. Just de-scale it and grill it on a pan."

She perked up. "Oh! Alright, I can manage that."

Flip came in from the pantry, cheerful as ever. "What happened?" she chimed.

"We're gonna cook a fish." Tea informed, flipping the ice chest open with a hoof.

"I don't know how to cook a fish..."

"Eh, Discord says we just grill it." Tea lifted one of the trout from the chest, looking at it for a moment. "We're professionals; we can figure this out."

Discord's lunch had simply been a trial run for Chef Tea and her two cooks. After discovering the basics of how to perfectly cook, de-scale, and de-bone a fish, they had come together for dinner to prepare Discord the best fish of his life. Fortunately, the estate's library contained Tea's mentioned book, and after studying its contents for an entire afternoon, Tea, Flip, and Pan Sear went to work after preparing the family their dinner. Unfortunately for Discord, however; he had to wait while everyone else ate their food, but Tea had promised him that the wait would be worth it.

The evening air in the dining room hung heavy with the scent of the sizzling fish and the other things the three chefs were preparing along with it. The way Discord occasionally shuffled in his chair at the dining table and licked his lips made it quite clear to Celestia he was giddy with anticipation; for her, the scent of the fish was somewhat unpleasant, but for him, it was most likely akin to smelling a cake baking.

A squawk from Philomena drew Celestia's attention under the table to see the Phoenix standing beside Discord's chair, looking up at him.

Discord too looked down, raising a brow. "And what do you want?"

Philomena tapped her stomach with her wing, holding her beak open.

"Wha- well I'm not the one making the fish! Go ask them!" Discord returned, pointing a finger into the kitchen.

"I think she's asking for a raw one, Discord."

He looked to Celestia, staring for a moment before bringing his gaze back to the nodding Phoenix. He scoffed, holding out a paw and teleporting one of his catches from the freezer to his paw, Philomena holding her beak open as he gifted the chilly fish to her.

"That's awfully nice of you Discord," Celestia commented, looking to Philomena as she gleefully hobbled by with her prize. "Especially since you can catch your own fish, young lady."

Philomena gave a squawk of indifference as she trotted along into the living room, her wings half unfurled to keep her balance. Raven, Mint, and Vesper now too watched from their couch as Philomena hopped over to the fire, her wings carrying her up onto the marble ledge before the flames as she tossed the fish into the blaze. Silence reigned supreme, every pair of eyes on Philomena, the Phoenix never turning to notice the crowd staring at her as she simply focused on her fish.

Discord leaned back in his chair, pointing his open hands at Philomena. "I'm the God of Chaos and that surprised me."

Celestia nodded. "That's Philomena."

The sound of hoofsteps brought the attention from Philomena to the hall as Clean Sweep and Tremor came in. "Hello," Clean commented plainly.

"Don't disturb it." Mint explained, pointing a hoof at Philomena.

"Wha- oh, Philomena's here." Tremor spoke as he and Clean Sweet went to the middle couch.

Mint hushed. "Quiet. We're observing nature."

The couple complied, they eyes now resting with the ever-still Philomena. Moments of total quiet passed before Philomena stepped forward, the flames of the fire caressing her as if they were fabric as she leaned in and retrieved her partially cooked fish, hopping down and trotting towards the open door of the balcony.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Celestia asked, seeming to be the only one unphased by the events.

Philomena stopped, looking at the bewildered Discord and squawking past the fish in her beak.

Celestia turned to him. "She thanked you." She now looked back to Philomena, smiling. "You can enjoy your free meal now."

Again, she squawked, hobbling out the door and taking flight, quickly gaining altitude and disappearing above the estate. Discord pressed at his temples with his fingers, his eyes wide as he let out a long sigh.

"She just showed up..."

Celestia hummed.

"Hung out for an evening..."

She hummed for a few seconds longer.

"Then stole my fish and left."

"Yep. She's a free-loader."

He threw his arms up. "She cooked it, too!"

"She's picked up quite a few skills along the way."

"Ya know," Vesper piped up. "Mint and I once saw her gather up some sticks and make a fire to cook a starling."

"Along with... everything that just happened." Discord returned, his tone less bewildered. "Is she fire-proof?"

"Indeed. She's a Phoenix, after all."

Discord held his silence for a moment before slouching into his chair. "Whatever. I still got my fish to look forward to."

"Actually," Flip leaned through the kitchen's divider wall window. "It'll be another little while. I burnt the Kale chips."

Discord flipped around. "Kale? Do I look like I'm on a diet? Can't you slice some potatoes up and make proper chips?"

Flip went blank a moment. "I could. I will! Great idea!"

Celestia giggled. "I don't know, Discord; I think you've gotten a little thicker since you came here."

He scoffed. "You act as if that's my fault."

She grinned, "Well, you are the one eating the food, after all."

"Not eating every bite plus some of what your chefs make would be a travesty."

"That, it would be."

Discord set his fork to his totally empty plate, the paw once holding the utensil taking a white cloth napkin from the table. He daintily dabbed the napkin on his lips, setting it back to the table and intertwining his fingers, resting his chin on his fists as he looked over the three chefs before him, their expressions worried.

"So...?" began Chef Tea.

He nodded. "So."

Celestia contained her giggle as she watched from the sidelines, the nervous aura of the three chefs thick enough to cut.

Flip rubbed her hoof against her foreleg. "Were my chips good?"

Discord looked past them, his stare thoughtful. "Good..."

"Like... did they taste good?"

He hummed, looking at her. "Good is such a simple term."

A snort of laughter broke through the hoof Celestia held to her mouth. A long pause of silence was finally broken by Discord sighing as he sat up straight.

"I have a deal for you three."

They nodded, remaining quiet.

"Can I have that for every meal for the rest of my life?"

The worried frowns flipped instantly, the three chef's eyes lighting up like Hearth's Warming trees.

"Of course!" "I-I'm glad you liked it so much!" "So, my chips were good?" came the responses.

"You'd want fish for breakfast?" Celestia cut in.

"Maybe not for breakfast... I do love the waffles you make, Flip."

She blushed, her smile beaming. "Thanks, Discord."

"No, thank you. Thank all of you. That was... absolutely delicious. I see why you're such a renowned chef, miss Tea Leaf."

Tea also blushed as she waved her hoof at him. "Oh, stop it with the 'miss Tea'. I'm just doing my job."

"Well, you and your staff are doing a fine job."

"Goodness," Celestia began, "That must have been a very good fish because it takes a lot to make him become that serious."

"Oh, it was a very good fish." Discord assured with a nod.

"Well," began Chef Tea. "If you keep catching the fish for us, I have no problem continuing to cook them for you."

"You've got a deal!" Discord turned to Celestia. "As long as your fish-thief bird doesn't show up again, I should be able to sustain a healthy supply of fish."

"She's not a thief! You gave her that fish."

He hummed. "Maybe so, but you're forgetting that she nearly took one right from my line."

Celestia's mouth opened in preparation of a rebuttal, but her words failed to come forth, a little sound of defeat coming from her after a second. "I suppose you're right in that aspect..."

"If she asks nicely, I'm more than happy to give her more."

Celestia smiled. "That's nice of you, Discord."

"If I didn't, I'm sure you'd throw me out."

She chuckled. "You're right; I would."

Pocket

View Online

The cool dawn air filled Celestia's lungs as she took in a long, deep breath. Smiling, she pulled her head back through the wide open window behind her desk in the study, turning to face the inside of the room and taking a sip of her morning coffee, her horn holding a gentle glow as she worked to bring forth the day. Setting the mug to a coaster off to the right of where her writing mat lay, she looked up into the fairly dim room, the aurora around her horn gaining intensity as she brought two logs from a brass rack beside the fireplace, dropping them inside and setting them ablaze. Her magic's attention now went to the phonograph that stood at the left wall of the room, a spell surrounding the tone arm and dropping it to the beginning of the record, a static-y crackle coming as a prelude to the first track as it began to play.

Humming along to the slow piano and gentle male vocals, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, letting the song wash over her as if it were the waves of the ocean. Seeming to move on its own merit, her hoof tapped in unison with the bass drum hits that now worked their way into the music, her head now bobbing side to side as it too followed the music's rhythm.

"♫Walk with an angel because she said she can't fly♫" she sang aloud, resuming her humming as she had only memorized portions of the song.

"♫I was the king, but not the king of anything♫"

Her voice had gained volume and her tone now followed the highs and lows of the song appropriately.

"♫Call me mister righteous even if I always sin♫"

Drawing in a breath, she resumed humming as the chorus ended, a quieter, more relaxed part of the song now taking over. Over the music came the crackle of magic, her eyes opening to find that Luna's morning documents had arrived; the stack was a far shorter than normal, and atop it was an envelope similar to the one used to send her portrait, this time the parcel clearly containing more than a single paper. Still humming and tapping her hoof to the song, she set the stack off to the side, giving her attention to the envelope first, undoing the familiar light blue wax seal to find a letter as well as many smaller photos.

Dear Celestia
Enclosed are the photos you provided me of your staff... and Discord. As you can most likely assume, I found myself awestruck to see that picture. I do hope he has not caused problems. If he has, inform me. He may be far from me, but he is not out of reach. Changing to the matter of these photos; I have given you two copies of each. I know they shall find their place in your album, but I thought it best to provide extras in case you wished to frame some for display. Secondly, and I do hope you do not mind me doing so, I submitted all of the photos to local newspapers for them to use in articles. None of your photographs gave any clues as to the whereabouts of Sol Point, so I felt there was no harm; only good, in fact. The citizens of our country have been quite enthralled with the prospect of your departure, and many have come to me with questions on how your life has been playing out. When the pictures I provided to the papers were published, many articles sprung up about how they had never seen the fun-loving side of you. One even rambled along with the subject of your missing Royal Attire; weeks ago, one would never see you without them.

Even when you are far from this land of ours, you bring it happiness. I was witness to many of the castle staff pouring over the pictures and many discussions on how strange it was to see Discord in your company. Do send him my greetings, and tell Chef Tea Leaf that I dearly miss how she prepared my dinner. Chef Chopping Block is a wonderful cook, but Chef Tea Leaf put such a great caliber of love into her work that nothing could ever match it.
I do so dearly miss you, sister. Love, Luna.

Sure enough, within the envelope were duplicates of the pictures she had taken, a smile dawning on her lips as she flipped through the little rectangular photos. Looking up, her magic called upon a fairly large binder that sat on a shelf at the other end of the room, its spine reading 'life since the advent of photography' written in her usual calligraphic penmanship with a little sketch of her sun beside the text. Setting the album before her on the desk and opening it to a random page, she flipped to the very end, the already slim number of empty pages now further slimmed as she began sliding pictures into their protective, clear pockets.

"I'm gonna need another one of these soon." she commented upon depositing the last photo, leaving only three more pages vacant of pictures.

Admiring the photos one last time, she closed the album and levitated it back into its home, her attention now turning to the duplicates as she pondered what could be done with them. Discord was currently asleep, so having him conjure up some frames was well out of the question. Shuffling through them, an idea clicked in her mind. Such grand pictures needed to be preserved, and keeping them in her album didn't quite meet the requirement. With the photos in her magic, she got up from her chair, turning off the record player and quietly making her way down the stairs of the study, making sure to keep her hoof falls quiet as to not wake the still soundly sleeping staff.

Shuffling her way down the hall, she came to the third-floor balcony, her eyes wandering from the tall interior of the entry hall to the fabulous dawn landscape that lay beyond the tall windows. Carefully trotting her way down the cast iron spiral staircase she came to the first floor of the hall, turning and going to the wall that stood to the right of the tall main doors. To anyone but her, this wall looked totally ordinary. There wasn't a single thing to indicate a secret door or panel, as to anyone but her, there was no door or panel. Working with her magic, she cast arcane spells of ancient origin to bring forth a simple wooden door, and with a push of a hoof, the door swung into the once-solid wall to show her into a room similar to the interior of the estate.

The hardwood floors, white walls, high convex ceiling, and dark wood highlights made the room seem as if it were just another place within Sol Point, but when one's eyes wandered to the few big windows in the room, one would find this idea to fall quite flat. Instead of the wide river, lush vegetation, and high valley fjords was a purely gray void, a void that spanned in all directions. This room's true location was not within the estate, or anywhere within Equestria, or even anywhere within the known universe. In simple terms, it was a pocket dimension; a place only Celestia could access, and for fairly short periods of time, considering the great strain it put upon her magic.

This little room was the one place the items she held closest to her heart could be kept where they would be safe no matter what. Only a few things of value remained in the physical estate; anything she felt a close tie to was placed within this little room that dangled in space. The photos held in her magic made the cut, despite being the least valuable thing in the room in terms of actual material value. Walking inside, she took a deep breath, the ancient, dusty scent of the room being pleasantly familiar. Smiling, she looked over the very first crown she had even been adorned with as it sat upon a little white pillow beside many other valuables, its silver construction still as shiny and untarnished as the first day of its conception and the simplistic jewel mounts and engravings reminding her of a far-gone time when things were far less complicated.

Suddenly, she felt a presence. Moreover; the dimension felt a presence, an outsider, one who should not belong. The gray void beyond the windows had begun to crack, black space leaking in.

"You have a pocket dimension?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she flipped around, her now angered eyes meeting with Discord's. Without a word, she encompassed him in a spell, forcing him out of the room and back into the entry hall. With haste, she slammed the door shut, turning back to her world as her magic worked within the space to seal the leaks, which by this point had already begun to widen. The breaks in the void had spread to the structure itself, little breaks in the wooden floor appearing and the panes of glass rattling in their window frames. Shutting her eyes, she poured magic into the realm, leak after leak beginning to close, and the cracks in the wood beginning to repair themselves.

She took a deep breath, her head throbbing as she frantically looked around the now silent room. She let out a sigh of relief; she had been quick enough to re-stabilize things before the multidimensional space beyond the confines she had constructed could do any real harm. Now, burning anger began to wash over the relief she felt, her entire body feeling warm as she flipped around and stomped towards the door. Flinging it open, her eyes met with Discord's, and instantly, she encompassed him in a tight spell, holding him in place as she came close.

"Do you realize what your ignorance nearly caused?" she growled, her eyes burning into his.

"I-I-"

She dipped her head, glaring at the fear-ridden Draconequus through her brow. "Why did you follow me."

The magic she cast to hold him in place had begun to increase its pressure, a warmth akin to standing right before a fire too spreading through the magic.

"I-I saw you come downstairs, and-"

"I have maintained that place for a thousand years. I will not have its security and secrecy jeopardized by you."

Frightened beyond the capacity to speak, Discord stumbled over his own tongue for a fair while, the heat from her magic becoming uncomfortable.

"P-Please put me down."

"Do you know what you almost caused?" she enunciated.

"Celestia, I forgot that pocket dimensions are fragile."

She aimed her hoof back at the shut door. "Every item of importance that I have ever owned is within that place, everything that I've been able to keep over my life, every gift, treasure, and trinket. You nearly caused that place to collapse inward on itself," a puff of black smoke drifted upward from her nostrils, Discord's eyes following it for a moment before he returned her glare, "Think before you act."

"I-I will, and I forgot they can be fragile, now please; put me down. I feel like I'm in an oven."

His words took a moment to push past the flames of rage burning in her mind, the spell totally ceasing and dropping him to his feet.

"I'm sorry."

"You're very lucky."

"Yes, I am. Like I said, I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Celestia closed her eyes, letting her head fall and taking a long, deep breath. There was a break of silence between the two while Celestia collected herself.

"Please don't kick me out."

"I'm not going to kick you out. It was a mistake."

Again, she took a deep breath, bringing her head back up and looking at Discord, her eyes no longer burning with anger.

"I shouldn't have held you like that. I'm sorry."

"You had every right to remove me."

"Maybe so, but... I was far too rough." she sighed, looking away. "I should have better control over my anger."

Discord chuckled. "Even you can't control your emotions."

"If I can't do it, no pony can."

"Speaking of things no pony else can do... how in the world did you get a pocket dimension to actually remain stable?"

"Stable until you showed up."

Her words had a bite to them. A little embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, until I showed up."

"You'll have to ask my sister how to get a pocket dimension into a stable state; she did most of the technical work."

"She did?"

Celestia nodded. "She was the architect, and I was the designer. That may explain why you destabilized the place so horribly by just coming inside. The different types of magic we wield might have been clashing."

Humming in acknowledgement, he looked past Celestia to the closed door. "So... this place is like a vault?"

"Yes. Every material item I've ever cared about is within that room." the photos still held by her magic were held up. "I was going to put these in there."

He stared at the pictures, seeing the one of himself and Celestia. "You... were going to keep that picture of us in there?"

"Of course. This is the only picture of you and me together."

Discord remained speechless a moment, looking from Celestia to the photo, then back again. "I... don't quite know what to say."

A bit confused, Celestia turned the pictures back to herself. "I don't see what you're getting so flustered about."

"You consider that memory important enough to keep it forever. That means an incredible amount to me."

"Oh! Well, you're very welcome, Discord," she looked over her shoulder at the shut door. "If you'll stay here a moment, I'd like to put these away now; maintaining this is starting to become a bit bothersome."

"You don't mind if I... take a peek inside, do you?"

She scowled. "Yes, I do mind. Just... stay here a moment."

With an agitated haste, Celestia flipped around, the door swinging open to allow her a quick entrance, her eyes meeting with his for a split second as she looked over her shoulder, quickly closing the door. A little shocked, Discord remained totally still as the newfound silence of the entry hall seemed to ring in his ears. He took a breath, holding up his paw and talons to find them shaking quite profusely with fear.

"Well, that was terrifying." he mumbled, holding his hands back down and resuming his idle stance.

"Good morning, Discord!" chimed Chef Tea from the third-floor balcony, Discord looking up to see the mare peering down at him.

"Oh, good morning!"

"What's with the door?" she asked, the clack of hooves on iron echoing in the tall space as she descended.

"It's Celestia's."

"Okay, but where did it come from? There's never been a door there before..."

"It's Celestia's pocket dimension."

Tea paused about midway down the stairs as she stared at Discord for a moment. "Pocket dimension?"

"Yes. Hard things to make, and even harder to get them to stay around. Somehow, she's gotten this one to remain stable."

"A pocket dimension... I have so many questions."

"Well, don't bother asking. She's not in a question answering mood. Apparently, this door is 'secret'."

Resuming her descent, Tea chuckled. "Not in a question answering mood, huh?"

"I may or may not have angered her."

The door of the hour gave off a click as it swung open, Celestia stepping out and making sure to shut it with haste.

"Good morning, Celestia." spoke Tea as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

Celestia stared at the chef with wide eyes, her mouth hung open a tiny bit. "G-Good morning," she replied after a moment.

"Where's that door go? And... what's a pocket dimension?"

Celestia now glared at Discord, who held his hands up in defense. "I didn't say anything."

"Good."

"Why's it so secret? What's in there?" Tea prodded, beginning to approach Celestia and the door.

A glow surrounded Celestia's horn, the door behind her vanishing with a pop. "It is secret because I say it is secret." she proclaimed, heading for the stairs.

"Told you she's not answering questions." Discord said with a smirk.

"Indeed, I am not. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish my coffee and listen to music."

Tea and Discord remained silent as the unusually agitated Alicorn trotted her way up the stairs.

Tea whistled. "Must be something cool in there."

"Something cool is in there; my picture." Discord returned, holding his head up proudly.

"Ew."

Discord scowled at her. "Ew? Excuse you; I look wonderful in that photo."

"And that's why she hid it in an entirely different dimension?"

"She put your picture in there, too."

Tea hit her hoof on the marble. "Damn."

"Chef Tea, before I forget!" echoed Celestia, both Discord and Tea looking up to see she had come back to the balcony of the third floor, "My sister wanted me to inform you that she dearly misses your cooking."

Tea blushed. "Awww~, she's too kind. Make sure she knows I'm grateful."

"She shall. Oh, and Discord; she said hello to you, as well."

For a millisecond, Discord hazarded making some sort of jest about Luna, but the more rational parts of his mind reminded him that he was currently on thin ice. "Oh... uh, tell her I said hello in return."

"I shall."

With that, she disappeared back over the railing, Discord looking back down to Tea, who now looked up at him.

"Haha, Luna likes me more." Tea taunted, turning and heading for the hallway of the main room.

Grumbling, Discord folded his arms across his chest as he hovered along behind.

Ire

View Online

The gentle knock of a hoof, or possibly a paw or talon, on wood brought Celestia's eyes from the papers on her desk, her gaze meeting with the worried face of Discord as he peeked his head up through the stairwell.

"Am I allowed in?"

Celestia laughed. "Oh course you're allowed in."

Coming all the way up the stairs, Discord stood idly, one arm held by his hand.

"You look troubled," Celestia observed, speaking before Discord could gain the courage to speak up.

"Yes; I want to formally apologize for earlier."

She raised a brow. "Apologize for what?"

"Well, making you upset, and... nearly causing the collapse of your pocket dimension."

Celestia chuckled sweetly, her expression turning to sympathy rather than confusion. "Discord, you don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I made you angry," he paused, raising his brows in emphasis, "quite angry. I, well... feel bad for doing that, and I..." he took a quick breath. "I want to make it up to you."

Clearly taken aback by his sudden sweetness, Celestia remained quiet for a fair while as she pondered the Draconequus at the far end of the room.

"You want to make it up to me?"

"Yes. You see, one fish per meal doesn't quite cut it for my appetite, and my stock of fish in the freezer is running quite dry. I was going to go back out later this evening, and I thought it'd be nice if you could come with. So we could spend some time together."

Again, she held her silence, studying him. She had been courted many many times, and his little request followed every pattern and guideline she had ever come to know. There was an ulterior motive to this suggestion.

"That sounds lovely," Celestia finally returned with a chipper tone, "When do we leave?"

Surprised she had actually said yes, Discord stumbled for a moment. "Well, I was thinking right at sundown. Fish are more active at night than during the day."

"And it can get surprisingly warm during the day." added Celestia.

He smiled. "That, too."

"So, it's a date, then." she confirmed.

"I suppose it is."

Shuffling nervously for a second, Discord finally gathered his bearings and descended back down the stairs. Celestia chuckled, her magic plucking a fresh piece of paper from a little wooden shelf at the far left end of the desk, her ink and quill readied.

Dear Luna.
I have a date tonight...

The gentle waves of the river rocked the little vessel ever so gently, the motion having a lulling effect much how the cradling of a foal in their mother's hooves would. Idly, sat Celestia, one eye squinted to keep the late evening sun out as she watched Discord fiddle around with his fishing equipment at the bow of their sailboat. The pearly vessel had carried them quite the distance from Sol Point, as the grand building had been totally out of view for a fair half hour by this point. Downstream, they traveled, the crisp air and breezy wind a wonderfully calming combination with the splash of water and the songs of birds.

The bright sunset was somewhat deceiving, however; as the sun sat low enough on the horizon to not be shrouded by the bank of clouds that had rolled in from the west, and the more powerful storms always came from the west. Celestia would be lying if she said she wasn't worried. Their ship was only a meter or so longer than a standard dinghy; it could only comfortably accommodate four or five ponies, and if Celestia were to move from the stern to the bow, the entire balance of the ship would change.

"You know, we might be swimming back home if this storm hits." commented Celestia, her head turned skyward.

"If things get too wicked we can just turn around."

She laughed. "We're already five miles downstream. Turning around at this point would be quite difficult."

"Eh. You'll do fine."

"I'll do fine?"

He looked up from the lure he had been baiting. "You're driving, aren't you?"

"Indeed, I am," she smiled. "Admiral Celestia has this fine vessel under control."

Grinning, Discord snapped his fingers, a white Captain's cap with a smooth black brim popping into existence on Celestia's head, her horn causing it to sit crooked. She looked up through her brow, giggling.

"If this ship has an Admiral on board, it needs a name." Celestia thought aloud.

"Oh! How about 'Sun Skimmer'?"

Celestia tapped her chin. "HMS Sun Skimmer. That's quite nice, actually."

"HMS, huh? So now we're part of the Royal Navy?"

"With Admiral Celestia on deck, we are."

"Admiral Celestia and Commander Luna. That sounds way better than Princess."

Celestia laughed. "Quite so. Always been more of a mariner than my sister, especially since I don't get seasick."

"Silly land-lovers!" Discord proclaimed with a scruffy voice, "Can't handle the ire of the blue yonder!"

"'Blue yonder' refers to the sky, Discord."

"Oh. Well... then... the ocean," he threw his paws up. "I don't know."

Celestia shook her head, laughing as she looked back to the clouds above, their gray hues somewhat disguised by the brilliant fires of orange and pink caused by the sunset. She took a deep breath, wishing she could slouch into the bench at in the stern, but her size compared with the meager seat only allowed for her to sit straight with her forehooves between her haunches.

"You know," Celestia began, "I've never once considered owning a boat."

Finishing the preparation of his lure, Discord skillfully flicked his fishing rod out over the stern, the rapid click of the reel undoing being a prelude to a distant plonk of the bobber striking the river. "Really? It seems like you like sailing."

"I do, but Canterlot is far from any body of water. Logistically, it would be horrible."

"You didn't think of a boat when you were building the estate?"

"Stupidly, no," she laughed, "I didn't think of a boat, but I basically gave the estate a dock; the back porch is low enough to where it might as well be a dock!"

"Well, you know, I can make things last."

Celestia cocked a brow. "By what do you mean?"

"The things I create, I can give them persistence. I could do so for our intrepid little ship here."

"Really? That doesn't put a tax on your magic, or anything?"

He took a paw from the fishing rod, flicking it in dismissal. "Tax. As if. I'd take a passenger ship to do anything to this powerhouse," that free arm curled into a flex, his muscles showing a surprising amount of definition.

Celestia giggled, holding her hoof over her mouth. "You can make a passenger ship, but not a simple pocket dimension?"

He scoffed. "Simple? Unlike you and your goofy sister, I don't have strong ties to the fabric of the universe and inter-dimensional space."

"Which is odd, considering you can create matter with the snap of your fingers."

"Ah, I do not create matter. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. I simply re-arrange it."

She smirked. "Been doing your physics homework, hm?"

"Your student-turned-Princess is to thank for that. When you told her to study my magic she studied my magic. I had so many wires plugged into me I felt like a phone switchboard."

Celestia gave a hearty laugh. "That's Twilight," she sighed, looking off to the side with a smile of reminiscence, "I do miss her. It makes me happy to see that after all these years she's still so enthusiastic about things."

"So, back to the topic; would you like to keep our boat around?"

"HMS Sun Skimmer? Of course! This cute little boat has served us well thus far," Celestia confirmed, her hoof caressing the smooth wood rim of the stern.

The distant, constant rumble of thunder overlapped the conversation, bringing both Celestia's and Discord's eyes skyward.

Discord hummed, taking note of the stormy bank that shrouded the sky, ever so slowly creeping its way toward the sun on the horizon.

"Thinking we should turn back?" Celestia inquired, noting the seemingly concerned expression Discord held.

"No, I was thinking that this will only make the fishing better. Not only does fishing improve at night, but it improves with rain."

Celestia clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Stacking the odds against these poor fish."

"If they didn't want to get eaten then they should stop tasting so good."

Celestia blinked as a raindrop landed on her muzzle. She turned her head skyward to the nearly black blanket of clouds that shrouded the night sky, keeping the moon's light from washing over the land. Sundown had been a fair twenty minutes ago, and the constant, ever-so periodic rumble of thunder seemed to mark the minutes. Occasionally, off in the distance, a brilliant white bolt would flash through the clouds, and their frequency had only risen as time went on.

"Oh! We got a bite, mares and gentlecolts!" Exclaimed Discord as he began vigorously reeling in his line.

The wind too had begun picking up, giving the vessel a little more gusto as it cruised down the river. As worried as Celestia was about the storm, she couldn't deny enjoying herself. The slight chill of the wind and cool river air combined into an almost intoxicating mixture, and the sounds of the breeze in the sail and the claps of thunder worked into a melody no musical artist could hope to replicate.

Celestia looked on as Discord plucked a wiggling fish from the water, its scales shimmering in the orange light of the lantern that hung from a pole on the bow. Struggling a moment, he finally got his paw around the fish, setting his rod off to the side and removing the hook from its mouth, quickly tossing the fish into the ice chest beside him.

"That's five now! It took me an hour to catch five fish during the day, and it's only been a half hour! I told you night fishing was better."

"Is five enough?"

His smile went blank. "Enough for what?"

"Enough for us to turn around."

"You do realize that I can fish if we're going upstream, correct?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

Celestia pushed the handle of the rudder right, sending the boat into a sharp left turn, and sending Discord into the side of the bow. Her horn came alive as she worked the sail's control rigging, adjusting its angle to allow the vessel to cruise head-long into the wind.

"A little warning would be appreciated." Discord grumbled.

She grinned. "What? Sea's too rough?"

"No, I just got stuck with a crappy captain."

Celestia crossed her forelegs over her chest, scowling. "For your information, that was a perfect turn. We didn't lose a single knot of speed."

"The goal of a turn should also be to not give your passengers a concussion."

"Maybe you could create yourself a crash helmet."

"At this rate, I just might."

Celestia smiled, leaning back into the stern bench as Discord went back to prepping his line.

With haste, the tin bucket held in Celestia's magic scooped water from the inside of the boat, quickly tossing it back into the river before going back for a second scoop. The thrashing of the rain over-powered any and all other sounds on the river. The whipping of the sail in the horrendous winds and the thunder clapping nearby could barely make it past the constant rumble of the torrential downpour. The lantern that once hung from its little pole on the bow had long since fallen off into the river, and even if it had remained, it wouldn't have stayed alight for long. Luckily, Celestia's horn was able to provide light, for without it, their surroundings would be pitch black.

"Celestia!"

She looked up from bailing water from the ship to see a bright orange flotation vest being held out to her.

"Discord, I can swim!"

"Safety first!"

Celestia rolled her eyes, taking the vest with a spell, undoing its little plastic buckles, and stepping through the left leg hole before curling her right leg to her chest, slipping her hoof through the right hole and re-doing the buckles.

"Quite the downgrade from your Royal Attire!" Discord shouted with a smirk.

"Oh, close your muzzle and spawn yourself a bucket! Water's coming in faster than I can bail it out!"

He complied, a tin pail similar to hers popping into existence and quickly being put to work. Celestia's jaw had begun to chatter, the wind rushing over her totally soaked coat and mane causing the already chilled rain to be even colder. Just as before, however; she couldn't deny enjoying herself. Her heart raced, her hooves shook from cold and excitement, and her lips couldn't help but curl into a grin. The rocking of the waves. The cacophony of rain. The distant and near booms of thunder. If not for the silhouettes of the valley fjords at their sides, she would have an easy time believing they were at sea.

For the first time in quite a while, she felt alive.

"I don't really understand this!" Discord exclaimed.

She looked up, meeting his gaze as they continued to bail water from the hull.

"What don't you understand?!"

"We're in a headwind!"

"And!?!"

"Why are we going forward?!"

"It's called the Berhoouvlli effect!"

"That doesn't help!"

She scoffed. "I apologize for not having my aerodynamics textbook handy!"

A wave crashed into the side of the little ship, rocking it hard to the right and nearly throwing Discord's ice chest from inside the hull. He yelped, dropping his pail and better securing his belongings beneath the bench in the bow. Not only did the rain fill the hull, but so did the waves, which had become quite impressive for a river. It was a very wide river, after all.

Resting her magic a moment, Celestia paused her bailing and watched Discord tie a thick rope around the chest holding his catches, "This is quite exciting!"

Another wave hit the bow dead on this time, pitching the ship up and giving the feeling of weightlessness for a split second. Taking the brunt of the impact, Discord had to grip the bow bench to not go airborne.

"Death isn't exciting!!" he yelled, finishing the knot around his ice chest with haste and re-gripping the bench.

"If you think this is dying, then you haven't lived!"

He stared at the bright grin on her face for a moment, "And I thought your sister was crazy!"

"Can't handle the ire of the blue yonder?!" she taunted.

He pointed a finger at his chest. "I never claimed I could!!"

Chuckling, Celestia resumed scooping water and flinging it overboard. The wind suddenly changed directions. Instead of coming from head on, it came from the left, the sail and its rigging struggling against the sudden shift. The ship listed to the right, Celestia quickly working the rigging to try and make adjustments for the sudden shift, her magic working in tandem with the ropes and the rudder to keep them from capsizing. The rope which had been limiting the sail's sway snapped, sending the mast swinging violently to the right.

A crack broke the air, a crack not of lightning, but of an incredible impact. Discord looked up as the ship rocked hard from the sudden shift in the sail's position, and he too looked up because the light provided by Celestia's horn had ceased. He stared at the slouched Alicorn in the stern, her limp forelegs no longer able to hold her upright as she fell to the side, half of her upper body hanging off the edge of the boat.

"Celestia!?"

She didn't respond, the sail now swinging freely from side to side and rocking the boat with it. Panic gripped his thoughts.

"Celestia!"

Still, she lay motionless, her face concealed behind her totally soaked mane. Scrambling to his feet, he tried to make his way to her, his progress stopped by the out of control sail that thrashed port to starboard as if it were a crazed animal. The rudder too had nothing holding it in place, the waves and wind taking control of the ship and beginning to push it off-course. Gaining some courage, he lunged forward, arms outstretched, and caught the lower bar of the mast, all of his might being put into holding the thing steady, the wind doing too good of a job at catching the fabric.

Taking a hand off for only a split second, he snapped his fingers to bring forth a bundle of thick burlap rope and began hastily tying one end around the lower, horizontal pole of the mast. Holding the rope in both hands now as if it were an out of control kite he shuffled along to the stern, finding a metal hoop along the edge of the hull to tie the length. With the swinging, whipping mast now under control, he hurried to Celestia and pulled her upright, her head rolling to the side and her soaked mane concealing her face. He brushed her hair aside, finding her mouth slightly agape and her eyes shut.

He patted her cheek in hopes of a response, "Celestia?"

Still, nothing. He took a panicked look around, having no idea which direction their vessel now headed or which direction the bank of the river lay. He brought a hand up, snapping his fingers to create a flashlight, which was quickly clicked on and shined into the thick sheets of rain. Faintly, to the rear of the ship, he could see land. Breathing a sigh of relief, he embraced her limp figure, his flashlight still in his hand as he teleported them to the muddy bank of the river.

Struggling with her weight, he let her down gently to land, staring for a moment before taking a look around at their surroundings. To their front lay a tree-line, and with haste, he put the flashlight in his mouth and sat the limp Alicorn upright, her half-unfurled wings getting in the way of him wrapping his arms around her chest and pulling her towards the nearest tree trunk. The journey was a fair struggle, he hadn't quite anticipated her being so heavy.

"Just because..." he grunted, heaving to pull her along, "you're the Princess of the Sun... doesn't mean you have to weight as much as the sun!"

Finally, he reached the grassy area beneath the trees, his breath nearly gone as he held her in a sitting position to allow him to fold her right wing back to her side. With the soaked, muddy feathers now furled back to their right place, he gently let her down on her side, taking a few breaths before crouching down and putting his ear to her chest. He sighed a breath of relief as the strong thump of her big heart filled his ear.

"Oh good, you're not dead." he stood back up, shining his flashlight around at the dark landscape and riverbank before them.

After a second, he had a realization. He aimed his light towards the river, their sailboat no longer visible.

"My fish..."

Genuine and Honest

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Through the cacophony of rain slamming against the canopy of leaves above, Discord heard something. He sat up straighter, his ears perking as his eyes darted to Celestia, who still lay motionless in the grass beside him. He aimed his flashlight at her, watching with intent as her hoof twitched. Leaning in, he heard a little groan escape her lips, his eyes wide in anticipation as her head lolled side to side.

"Celestia?"

Her eyes finally fluttered open, her gaze darting around and taking a moment to finally lock with his.

"You alright?"

"Wha-?"

"Are you okay?"

She winced, slowly bringing up a hoof and holding it to the side of her head. "No."

"Does everything still work?"

She gave a weak smile. "Yes... everything still works."

Unexpectedly, he pulled her up and wrapped her in a tight hug, her muddy cheek pressing into his chest. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Instantly, what murky darkness she could see began spinning, her head throbbing and a horrible feeling coming to her stomach. "W-Whoa... alright, Discord... I'm, uh, I'm still quite dazed."

"Oh," he quickly broke the hug, lowering her back to the ground. "Sorry."

"You're alright..." she groaned, covering her eyes with her hoof, "I do not feel good."

"What's wrong? Is there some way I can help?"

"I just need a moment..."

Discord's fingers snapped, an umbrella appearing in his hand. He held it over her, the water falling through the canopy above no longer reaching her. The hoof that shielded her eyes came down, her gaze meeting his through the darkness.

She gave a warm smile, one that, despite the cold winds and rain, melted his heart. "Thank you, Discord."

"Of course, Celestia."

They shared a smile for a moment before Celestia let her head back down to the grass, her eyes closing as she huffed out a sigh.

"Where's HMS Sun Skimmer?"

"Lost to the river," he sighed, "took my fish with it."

She whined. "Really? She's gone?"

"Indeed."

"That was our ship..."

"I can always make another."

"But.. that one was ours. We named it."

Discord offered a gentle smile. "Well, we'll just have to make the next one ours, as well, now won't we?"

Her eyes came back open, their pink hue seeming to shine in the darkness. "We will, indeed."

Again, their eyes remained locked and their lips kept curled in a smile for a few seconds, Celestia breaking the gaze as she looked off to the side, the blush gleaming on her cheeks hardly visible.

"So," Discord began, "Can we get out of here? I'm freezing."

Celestia groaned as she slowly rolled onto her stomach, taking a deep breath as she coped with her spinning vision and overwhelming dizziness.

"I think I can walk."

Discord raised the hand free of an umbrella coming up, his fingers poised for a snap. "I was more thinking I could teleport us back to the estate."

"Waitwaitwait!" a yellow aurora surrounded his wrist, "don't!"

He stared at her in confusion for a second. "Uh... why not?"

"I still need a moment. Being teleported is already dizzying enough..."

"How long is 'a moment'? I'm starting to feel a little chilly."

He snapped his fingers, a small chili appearing in his palm. Celestia stared at the veggie for a second before looking up at Discord's stupid grin.

"That was truly terrible."

He nodded. "I know, wasn't it great?"

She rolled her eyes, her horn igniting as she performed some kind of spell, one Discord could see no effect from.

"Alright..." she began, groaning as she slowly stood up, her legs wobbly, "I suppressed the urge to throw up... you can teleport us now."

"T-Throw up?"

She looked at him for a second. "Yes, that's what a concussion does. Especially one this severe."

"That sounds exciting."

She huffed out a sigh, keeping her head low. "Quite."

"Well... ready?"

She sighed again. "Ready."

"Here's your tea."

Celestia tiredly brought her chin from the dining room table, her vision still seeming to spin.

"Thank you, Raven," she replied with a groan.

Raven nodded, stepping back, but still keeping her eyes on the Alicorn, as did every other member of staff around the dining room table. Celestia sat in her usual place at the tables head, a damp towel still draped over her shoulders. Taking a good drink of the fresh, hot brew, Celestia let her head back down to the table, her periodic groaning being the only sound besides the rain beyond. It had only been a fair 10 minutes since Discord and Celestia had reappeared on the porch, soaked and muddy from their misadventures, and in that time the feeling in her stomach had only worsened, as did the dizziness and painful thump in her head.

"No fears, Discord, M.D. is on the case!" called Discord as he entered from the hall, a stethoscope around his neck and his figure adorned with a white doctor's jacket.

Celestia turned her gaze to him, leaving her chin resting the table. "Fantastic."

He came to her side, taking a knee and holding up a hand, snapping his fingers to materialize a bone saw. "So, you've got some head pain?"

She glared at him through the corner of her eye, her look saying everything. He stared for a moment before getting rid of the saw, a second snap of the fingers bringing forth a standard first aid kit.

"So, uh..." Chef Tea stated, her look of concern shared by Flip and Pan Sear, who stood to the right of the table with Raven, "should you send a letter to Princess Luna... or go to a hospital, or something?"

"Yeah," Tremor, who stood with his wife, concurred, "concussions aren't something to be left alone."

Celestia winced as Discord parted her colorful mane on the left side of her head just below her ear, dried crimson tarnishing the gently hued hair.

"There's nothing to do but rest," she sighed, "I just need a moment."

Discord rolled his eyes. "You've said you need a moment for the past thirty minutes."

Celestia responded with a grumble, closing her eyes while he dabbed a cotton ball on the bruised laceration left by the mast.

Discord whistled. "That mast was movin'. This whole area's pretty bruised."

Chef Flip gasped, turning and trotting away from where she stood between Tea and Pan Sear, "I'll grab some ice!"

Celestia's eyes came open, her gaze following Discord's hand as he pulled a bandage from the first aid kit. "Ah-ah-ah, wait a second."

He paused, looking at her for a second. "Uh... what?"

"Don't put that sticky little thing in my mane. Just... leave the wound open."

He dropped the bandage back into the box. "Your call, don't blame me if it gets infected."

She chuckled. "This cut'll be gone by morning. Us Alicorns are quite good at healing."

"I goth th ieth!" blabbered Flip as she trotted in, a white cleaning cloth bundled to hold a few ice cubes held in her mouth.

Celestia smiled as the young chef dropped the ice before her. "Thank you, Flip."

"You're welcome, Celly!"

The bundle of ice became surrounded by a yellow aurora of magic as it floated to the place the mast had struck, causing her to sigh in relief. "That feels better already."

"So," Mint, who stood with Vesper to the left of the table with Clean Sweep and Tremor, began, "aside from the concussion, how was the trip?"

"Enjoyable." "Disastrous." stated both Celestia and Discord, respectively.

They locked eyes, Discord's arms crossing over his chest. "Enjoyable?"

She giggled. "Overall. You didn't enjoy yourself?"

"I was enjoying myself until we got tossed around like a rock in a blender. Not to mention, I lost all my fish."

Celestia drew in a sharp breath, adjusting where the ice rested on her wound. "And we lost HMS Sun Skimmer."

There was a second of silence as every staff looked to Celestia, who returned their collective gazes.

"Sun Skimmer?" "The HMS Sun Skimmer?" "What's a Sun Skimmer" "You named that little boat?" came the simultaneous questions.

"We did name it. Discord named it, actually," she looked at him from the corner of her gaze, keeping her head aimed forward, "in fact, that ship was a gift."

Now all eyes went to Discord, who was frozen in place as if he had looked a cockatrice in the eye.

"A gift?" Raven inquired with a grin, her look being shared by her comrades.

He cleared his throat, standing from where he knelt beside Celestia, his fingers snapping to de-materialize his doctor's apparel. "Yes, a gift. A gift that, luckily, I can make another of."

"While that may be so, that was our ship," Celestia turned her head to look up at him, "you used a piece of your magic to make it a true, tangible object."

He waved a paw at her. "It barely made a dent. Something that small is quite menial to my abilities."

She frowned. "But, you still created something for me, and you had to give a piece of yourself to do so. That's a greater gift than any."

Their eyes remained locked, but he didn't feel her gaze, he felt the gazes of every other member of the staff staring at him. He quickly glanced over them, feeling as if he were the defended standing before a jury.

"I-I, uh... well, you're welcome, Celestia," he stuttered, looking down to her.

There was that smile. A smile no different than any other she had worn before, but somehow, he could tell it meant more than what it presented on the surface.

"You two really are adorable together," Raven commented, eliciting a few stifled giggles from the chefs around her.

"Adorable!?" "Adorable?!" They rebutted in unison.

Simultaneously, their wide eyes met, the pair remaining speechless for a while before Discord cleared his throat, breaking the gaze he held with Celestia as he turned to Raven, holding his head up in distinguishment.

"I am not adorable, I am handsome, let us clear that up."

Raven dipped her head, looking at Discord through her bangs. "But you don't deny that you and Celestia make a cute couple?"

Celestia began massaging her temples, "I don't need this now," she grumbled in a low tone.

"We're good friends and we enjoy each other's company. There is no couple here." He stated firmly, crossing his arms.

"You two have been inseparable for the last week." Vesper prodded, bringing some nods of agreeance from the other staff.

Celestia groaned as she pushed herself into a standing position. "I'm going to sleep."

"As am I!" Discord concurred, standing off to the side and letting Celestia lumber along between him and the table, "I'm tired, and don't wish to be verbally tossed around after I just got finished being physically tossed around."

He snapped his fingers, disappearing off to somewhere. The staff turned their attention to the wobbly Celestia as she made her way towards the hallway.

"You know, he was blushing," Raven commented.

Celestia stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder and staring at Raven for a time before looking over all the other members of the staff. "Goodnight, everypony."

With cheeky grins and suggestive tones, the staff returned her goodnight. Groaning in what was either annoyance or pain, Celestia turned her head forward and slowly continued on, her body swaying as she lumbered along. Coming into the entry hall, her eyes met with Discord's, as he stood in waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Who does she think she is?" he exclaimed in a low tone, making sure his speech was only heard by her.

She offered a weak smile, continuing past and up the stairs. "She's just poking fun."

Discord lifted into the air, staying off to the side of the stairs and following their spiraling pattern upward, keeping pace with Celestia, "'Cute couple'!? Calling me adorable... preposterous."

"She said we were adorable, not you."

He rolled over, floating on his back and holding up his arms. "We're not adorable! We're frightening. You snort flames, and I do whatever it is that I do."

"I suppose we do make a good team, though."

Discord nodded. "Exactly; a team. A team of friends."

"Nothing more than friends."

"Exactly."

Celestia paused her ascension, stopping on the second-floor landing and teetering side to side, her head drooping and eyes closing as she quietly groaned.

"You... doing alright?"

She weakly nodded. "Just need a moment."

"Are you sure you shouldn't go to a hospital or something?"

"I'm fine."

After a second's more wobbling, she dropped to her haunches, huffing out a breath. Discord watched her with concern, his hand nervously rubbing his knuckles as he hovered at the other side of the railing.

"That spell's wearing off," she grumbled.

"Spell?"

"The one stopping my stomach from rejecting its contents."

His brows raised. "Oh."

She groaned, slowly sliding to her stomach, keeping her chin resting on her front hooves. A crushing feeling of guilt suddenly came over Discord as he watched the pained Alicorn before him. His tenacity in continuing on despite the storm had caused her pain. If they had turned around, Celestia wouldn't have a concussion, and they'd still have HMS Sun Skimmer. He'd also still have his fish. And Ice chest.

"I-uh, I'm sorry."

She rolled her head to the side to look at him, now keeping her cheek on her hooves. "Why?"

"I caused this. This is my fault."

She stared at him for a second. "How is this your fault?"

"You said we should've turned around, but I kept us going."

For the third time, there was that heart-warming smile. "If I wanted us turned around, I would have done it, whether you would have liked it or not."

He held his tongue, her eyes locked with his for only a moment longer before he looked off to the side. "Well, maybe so, but... still, I-I feel this is somehow my fault."

She sighed, turning her head back to where her chin sat on her hooves. "This isn't your fault, Discord. It was an accident."

Again, he stayed quiet. Silence failed to fall, the heavy thrash of rain against the windows of the entry hall filling the tall, dark space with a constant yet soft rumble.

"I also failed as a friend."

She looked back. "What?"

"I wanted to have tonight be fun, and I wanted to repay you for nearly destroying your pocket dimension," he sighed, lowering his head, "I didn't quite do that..."

She chuckled sweetly. "Discord, I had a wonderful time with you tonight! I haven't felt so alive in a long time, and I haven't felt so happy just talking with somepony in a long time, as well."

He looked up, his frown flipping to a gently hopeful smile. "Really?"

"Really. This concussion isn't anything to worry about, it's just a little bump on the head. If anything, it made this night even more exciting... albeit a little annoying."

"Well... I-I'm more than happy to hear that."

Their eyes remained locked for a while, Discord being the first to look away. Celestia giggled, turning her head and putting her cheek on her hooves, "I thought you said you weren't adorable," she said sweetly.

He crossed his arms. "I did say that, because I'm not adorable."

She chuckled. "I don't quite know about that."

"You're just flattering me."

"I'm not flattering you, I'm being honest."

"What, you think I'm cute?"

"You're cute when you get all sweet."

He scoffed. "Sweet. I'm not being sweet, I'm being genuine."

She nodded. "Yes. I'm being honest, and you're being genuine."

"Exactly."

The chat died down, again the rumble of rain taking over. Celestia took a deep breath, standing up and teetering a bit, leaning against the railing to keep herself steadied.

"Goodnight, Discord," she mumbled, beginning her wobbly trip up the last flight of stairs.

"Goodnight, Celestia."

Marks of the Past

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"Aaaaand... perfect."

Chef Tea Leaf stood back, admiring how perfectly she had garnished the stack of French toast with fresh berries, powdered sugar, and syrup. Chef Pan Sear now came in, her deep orange magical aurora gently placing a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in the top corner of the tray that held Celestia's breakfast.

"Got the egg!" chirped Flip, a cast-iron pan held in her light blue magic being held above the plate on the tray, a shiny, stainless steel spatula being used to scoop up the perfectly cooked sunny-side up egg and place it right beside the French toast.

"I wonder, how do you think Discord likes his eggs?" Tea asked, looking left to right at her comrades.

"Scrambled; it's chaotic." Pan Sear returned.

"Yeah," Flip nodded, "it'd have to be scrambled."

The three shared a little chuckle, Tea looking down to the tray of breakfast before humming thoughtfully. "So, who's taking it up to her?"

Instantly, the tray was encompassed within a light blue aurora, Flip trotting off with it. "That'd be me."

"Well," began Tea as she stepped off to the side, going for the tea kettle that sat in the serving window, "there's that problem solved."

Pan simply hummed as she went about tidying up the little mess made by preparing Celestia's breakfast. With the tea kettle in-hoof, Tea went to the sink, opening the hinged lid on the chrome vessel and began filling it with water. From within the vessel echoed a scream, the startled Tea jumping and dropping the vessel into the sink. A bright flash of magic lit up the kitchen, causing her to flip around to find a totally drenched Discord standing behind her, the sleeping cap on his head hanging over his face.

"There are nicer ways to wake someone, you know?" he grumbled, taking his cap off and wringing it out.

"W-Why were you in the kettle?!" Tea exclaimed.

"I was sleeping, is that so strange?"

"It is when you're doing it in a tea kettle!"

Discord scoffed, waving a paw. "Whatever. Now, if you'll excuse me," he snapped his fingers, materializing a towel, "I've got to go dry off, thanks to you."

Another strobe flashed in the kitchen, Discord disappearing out onto the porch as he began drying himself. Still stunned, Tea watched the Draconequus through the kitchen window before looking to Pan Sear, who threw a cleaning rag to her. Their eyes locked for a second before Tea looked down at the puddle caused by Discord's wetness.

"You got him wet," shrugged Pan with a grin.

Tea grumbled under her breath as she dropped the cloth to the puddle, beginning to mop up the water with her hoof.

Before Celestia’s grand bedroom door, stood Flip. It was a daunting door, one of great height, yet nothing more. It was a simple wood-panel door just as all the others in the hall were. It carried no grand designs, etchings, or markings to suggest its occupant was the Princess Celestia. Despite that, Flip always found herself a little anxious when before the door; it seemed as if she needed to state her reason for being before it. Tossing her anxieties to the side, she brought up a hoof, giving a quick rap that rang through the quiet morning.

"Celestia?"

Curious, she held her ear to the door, listening to the silence within. She tried once more, bringing more force to her knock.

"I brought you breakfast..."

Again, nothing.

Flip sighed, gaining the courage twist the brass handle with a spell. She watched as the door slowly swung inward to reveal the Alicorn's bedroom, the place holding a comforting orange glow thanks to the morning sun. Sprawled out on her back in an unflattering manner in bed lay Celestia; her hind legs dangling loosely in the air, her wings spread against the sheets, and her mane and tail a total mess. She looked like she was more in a coma than asleep. Now, as if standing before a new door, Flip stood rigidly with the Monarch’s breakfast in her magic. Stepping closer, she came to the bedside, her eyes wandering along Celestia's sprawled figure as she pondered whether she should wake her or not.

She looked so horribly comfy, it would be almost a crime to wake her. Disturbing somepony in such a sound sleep seemed wrong. But, maybe she was hungry. She always had a big appetite, especially in the morning. Taking a deep breath, Flip leaned forward, nuzzling her cheek into Celestia's side to try and wake her. She craned her head back as Celestia mumbled, her left wing giving a little flutter.

"Celestia?"

That little stir had been nothing more than that; a little stir. Her peaceful motionlessness returned, prompting Flip to lean in and nuzzle her once more, this time being a little more persistent. Grumbling a few noises that were meant to be words, Celestia rolled onto her side to face Flip, her wings furling back to her sides as her eyes finally fluttered open.

"You awake now?"

Celestia's only reply was a groggy nod, her eyes closing again as she stretched, a loud, prolonged yawn leaving her wide-open maw as her legs spread out before her.

"I brought breakfast..."

Moaning and finishing her stretch, Celestia blinked a few times as she finally met Flip's gaze, her eyes bloodshot.

"Thank you, Flip," she croaked in a raspy, tired voice.

"You feeling okay?"

Again, she responded with a slow nod as she lazily rolled onto her back, "Yes, I feel okay. Not great, but okay."

"Do you... need anything?"

Before Celestia could make her reply, the crackle of magic broke the air as Discord teleported into the doorway, a damp towel hung around his neck.

"Oh, good! You're awake!"

Craning her head up for only a moment to see him, Celestia nodded, "barely."

Flip raised a brow at the Draconequus as he stepped inside. "What's with the towel? Go for a morning swim?"

"An unplanned swim, yes. There I was, snoozing away in the tea kettle when your," he looked to Celestia, who currently had her head laid back on her pillows, "chef so inconsiderately poured a bunch of water inside," he took the towel off his shoulders, snapping his fingers to de-materialize it, "I was having flashbacks of last night in that Celestia-forsaken storm."

"I wish I wasn't an adjective..." Celestia mumbled.

"You were... sleeping in the tea kettle?" Flip inquired.

"Well, of course. You should try it some time."

Taking a moment to look from Discord to Celestia, who, again, still had her eyes shut and head laid back into her pillows, Flip gave a little hum of confusion masked as understanding, "I'll... get right on that."

"Is she even awake anymore?" Discord asked in annoyance, aiming an open palm at the motionless Alicorn.

Celestia mumbled something.

"Yeah, she's awake. Uh, Celestia, where do you want me to put your breakfast?"

Celestia's reply was to take the tray from Flip's magic and hover it closer to herself.

"Oh. Okay," standing idly for a moment, Flip turned for the door, stepping past Discord as she made her departure, "have a good breakfast, Celly!"

Discord watched after her as she left, his gaze remaining with the open door for a moment before he looked to Celestia.

"So, how're you feeling?" he cooed in a sweet tone, coming to the side of the bed.

Beginning to sit up, Celestia groaned as she went into the upright, "Oh, not too horrible. I'm still a bit dizzy, but nothing that'll stop me from eating every last bite of this."

Chuckling, Discord looked on as she took the standard pony sitting position; her front hooves between her haunches, though, unlike any other time, her posture was horribly slouched and her wings were hung loosely from her sides as opposed to being firmly kept down or fully unfurled.

"Goodness me, you look like an old dog."

Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, Discord leaned forward and, to Celestia's surprise, pulled her mane off as if it here a loosely held on wig, leaving her head totally smooth. Materializing a brush in the other hand, Discord gave the disheveled, disembodied mane a few tidying strokes, ironing down any frayed hairs and gingerly placing the mane perfectly back upon Celestia's head. Leaning back, he met Celestia's gaze, who now looked at him with an oddly neutral look rather than the surprise he had expected.

"Want me to do your tail next?" he asked with a hopeful grin, holding up his brush.

Celestia's tail quickly curled around her side, her hoof coming over and holding it against her. "My tail's fine, thank you."

"Suit yourself, you'd look a lot better."

"I just woke up."

"Ah, yes, speaking of you just waking up, how'd you raise the sun in your sleep?"

Celestia took a sip of her orange juice. "Pardon?"

"The sun woke up, but you didn't."

"Yes, I did. I got up at 6 just as I do every morning and brought up my sun," the light clink of metal on porcelain temporarily broke her speech as she stabbed down a strawberry, "only difference is I immediately went back to sleep."

"Your sun, hm?"

Celestia held her tongue for a moment as she ate a big bite of fruits she had gathered on her fork. Upon swallowing, she stayed quiet for a little while longer.

"I say my sun, but it's quite the inverse. I am the sun's pony."

Clearly taken aback, Discord's head went back as he raised a brow, "Do elaborate."

"The sun chose me to be its conduit, I did not choose to be the sun's conduit. She reached out to me, and I accepted."

"She?"

Sipping at her juice, she nodded, "She. She has a voice, and it's most certainly a she."

Discord silently stared as she continued on with her meal and paid him no further heed.

"The sun has a voice, and it's most certainly a she," he spoke more to himself than Celestia.

"Everything has a voice if you listen."

"And I thought your sister was weird."

"Get to know me better and I'm sure you'll find we're just about equal."

Discord took in a sharp breath as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm slowly seeing that."

Giggling, Celestia brought a healthy forkful of French Toast and egg to her waiting maw.

"So," Discord began as he hovered up and over the bed, going to the opposite side, "how's that cut of yours?"

"See for yourself."

Reluctantly accepting, he reached out and parted her mane where he remembered her wound being, and after a time of searching, he drew a blank.

"Well, you were right. It totally healed," leaning back, he put his hands on his hips, "didn't even leave a scar."

"It did leave a scar, I just covered it up."

He raised a brow. "Covered it up?"

"Indeed. A little spell my sister and I devised many years ago to totally cover up scars," again, she took a forkful of food to her mouth, "keeps me looking pretty," she explained past her food.

"You have so many that they need to be covered up?"

She nodded, swallowing and readying another bite.

"Does this spell come undone?"

Her fork paused just before her mouth, her gaze meeting his and remaining for quite some time before she spoke up, "You'd like to see my scars?"

Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it'd be interesting..."

Taking that bite from her fork, Celestia placed the utensil back to the tray and hovered it off to the side, her posture straightening and eyes closing as the aurora around her horn became brighter. Randomly across her entire body began to shine little pillars of yellow light, and after a few seconds, the points of contrast faded, leaving Celestia covered in a long life-time's worth of old, healed up wounds. Awestruck, Discord began pacing his way around the bed, his eyes darting from wound to wound. Each of her legs had a healthy collection of slices and tears, her underbelly too having several wounds he could only identify as stab wounds. Her flanks, particularly right upon her Cutie marks, were a number of lacerations that clouded the once clear image of the sun on her flanks. Along with wounds from weapons were magical scars, scars left by high-powered spells. Right beneath her left wing was the most notable of them; a hoof-sized blast that spidered out as the roots of a plant would.

Her chest too held many marks, though the collection of slices, stabs, and blasts were nothing compared to the three gashes that ran diagonally across the length of her breast, three gashes that had clearly been made by some horrid beast eons ago. Out of everything, however; Discord found himself entirely enamored with a single wound that he had just now noticed. Silent and still, he stood and stared at a single, long cut along her throat, just below her chin. He could understand her being able to survive the many other wounds he saw across her figure, but that cut seemed impossible.

"No, I will not tell you about my throat." she commented suddenly, her firm, almost brooding voice breaking his trance.

"I... won't ask, then."

She held her peace as he continued investigating, his attention now moving to the blast mark under her left wing, "What about this one? That... that looks like it hurt."

"The physical pain I felt was nothing compared to the emotional," Celestia took a sharp breath, her head drooping a little, "that mark was my sister."

Her voice suddenly had a quiver to it.

"Look, Celestia... if this is bothering you..."

"No, no. I'm fine. It's good for me to see these things, and to talk about them. I've had that spell cast for so long that even I've forgotten about these marks."

Not quite knowing how to reply, Discord remained quiet as she took a step back, angling his head to the side as she looked to the three gashes across her chest.

"I'm going to guess those were made by a Manticore, or something?"

Celestia looked down at her chest, staring for a moment before looking up, confusion clear in her expression. "You're going to guess a Manticore did that?"

Now confused as well, Discord blinked a few times. "Yes... was I right?"

"Are you joking like you normally do?"

Entirely confused, he quickly shook his head, blinking rapidly. "Wha- no, I'm asking what caused those!"

"Do you not remember, or something?"

Exclaiming in frustration, Discord threw his hands up, "No, of course I don't remember when you got attacked by a Manticore!"

Placing a hoof over the three cuts, she leaned forward, looking into his eyes with a look of what he could only decipher as shock, "Discord, you did this."

Those four words echoed in Discord's mind as if they were a racket ball. Totally frozen, his mind worked to make sense of what he had just heard.

"You don't remember?"

Discord looked down as he brought up his avian-like hand, his eyes darting over his talons, "I didn't do that... I-I don't remember... at all."

"How do you not remember?"

He looked up, the look in his eyes being one of pure horror and sorrow, "I-I don't know... when did this happen?"

"Long ago. Very long ago. It happened the day you took Equestria from myself and Luna."

Still holding a look of terror, Discord sat down on the foot of the bed, his hand on the side of his head. "I don't remember doing that to you..."

"Maybe it be best that it remains a mystery..."

"No," he darted his gaze to her, "I want to know... I need to know."

Taking a deep breath, Celestia looked down at the cuts, tracing along the very bottom-most one with the tip of her hoof. "You did this right as you threw my sister and I through a portal to Tartarus. I was standing, facing you, on the very edge of the portal, and you whipped your hand across my chest, then pushed me in."

She looked up, and for a split second was able to see the morning's sun glimmer off a single tear as it rolled down his cheek. Silently, they maintained eye contact, Celestia feeling a pit in her gut she hadn't felt in 26 years. The look in his eye was the same look Luna had given her so, so many times the night of her return. Her memory had failed her for most of her actions, and the look of terror plastered over her young face was identical in every way to the look Discord offered.

"I-I'm... I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, Discord. It's in the past."

"Does it haunt you?"

His voice was broken, his lip quivering and eyes misty. It was taking every ounce of his being to suppress his tears.

"What.. do you mean?"

"D-Does it haunt you? When you look at me, does that moment come up?"

Celestia drew in a sharp breath, straightening her posture. "Sometimes..."

That look of horror remained as he drew his gaze from hers, staring off into a corner of the room.

"I'm sorry..."

"You've more than made up for it, Discord. You don't need to apologize."

Snapping his fingers to bring forth a handkerchief, he dried his eyes and blew his nose, remaining silent after the fact as he de-spawned the little cloth.

"I... I don't understand how I forgot something like that."

"Are you sure you wanted to know about this?" she offered a little smile, hoping to lighten the mood, "I can always erase your memory again."

He looked back to her, "If you're haunted by it, then so should I be."

She sighed, "I can understand wanting to know for the sake of knowing, but don't do what my sister did for months after she returned. Don't punish yourself for things you did in the past," again, she smiled, "follow your own rules; don't dwell on the dark past."

Taking a deep breath, Discord gave a little nod. "Right... don't dwell on a dark past."

Scooting forward, she placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, gently chuckling, "Come on, lighten up a little. I'm not upset with you over this, and there's no reason you should be, either."

Meeting her gaze, he gave a weak smile, "You're right. Besides, you're the one talking about these things, you should be the one getting upset."

"That's what I thought! I was surprised at how shaken you were by this whole thing."

Awkwardly shrugging, he laughed along, "Well, it's not every day you find out that you've seriously scarred somepony you care for."

Her smile slowly fading to a look of understanding, Celestia looked off to the side as she slowly nodded. "No, it's not. Trust me, I understand the feeling all too well."

The conversation went quiet, both Discord and Celestia holding their silence and keeping their eyes on random places in the room. For a little while, totally silent, they sat, her hoof still on his shoulder. For a little while, they went into their own minds, and stayed for a time. After what had felt like whole minute, Celestia finally gave him a few pats before moving back to where she previously sat.

"Alright, get out of here before you make us both sad again. I didn't order a side of melancholy with my breakfast," she joked with a smile, the tray holding her breakfast floating back before her from where it had been held off to the side.

Chuckling, Discord stood up from the edge of the bed, "Yes, and I didn't want a sadness sundae for dessert."

Laughing together, they shared a smile as Discord went for the door, "I'll be down once I finish my breakfast and after I've had a shower."

Pausing in the doorway, he cocked a brow, "You're not going to stay in bed and get some rest?"

She scoffed, "Rest. I'm nearly fully recovered. Besides, you and I have a fishing trip to finish."

Perking up, Discord beamed a bright smile. "Oh! That... that, we do! I'll get us another ship ready," holding up his hand and prepping his fingers for a snap, he grinned to her, "don't forget to cover those scars back up. You're far prettier without them."

Staying for a mere second just to hear her giggle, he snapped his fingers and disappeared from the doorway.

Au Revoir

View Online

The hushed scratching of quill on paper barely made it past the dull rumble of fire, the flames dancing in the fireplace at the far end of the study occasionally punctuating the silence with a pop. In such wondrous silence, Celestia had a hard time remembering she wasn’t alone; in an armchair of his own design, Discord lounged while reading a book that, curiously, was upside down, and Raven lay on her back, legs dangling freely in the air, on a cushioned bench below a window just beside the fireplace, a book held in proper orientation with her magic floating above her face.

Taking a moment to look from her work, Celestia peered out of the window Raven sat below to watch her sun departing below the horizon, her horn glowing a little brighter for a moment to give it that final little nudge. She always thought it was comical how, in the past, she would nearly pass out every time the sun needed commanding. Nowadays, it took less energy to stand up.

In the dim, evening glow, flashed a green hue, bringing her gaze to Discord, who now had a scroll perched atop his head. In silence, both she and Raven watched as he looked up through his brow before plucking it from betwixt his horns and unrolling it, his eyes scanning for just a moment as he read.

“Ah! Spike and Shining Armor want me for game night! It’s been a fair while since I’ve seen either of them,” he explained, rolling the parchment back up.

Celestia cocked a brow. “Game night?”

“Indeed! We order up some pizza, break out the board, and get to conquering!”

Raven giggled. “Nerd.”

“Says the pony reading…” Discord snapped his fingers, stealing her book from her magic and delivering it to his hand, “Daring Do and the Rogue Clockmaker.”

She scowled, ripping her book from his hand with a spell, “Daring Do isn’t a nerdy book!”

“Right, and I’m a neurologist.”

Raven blinked a few times, “What’s that even supposed to mean?”

“Well, you told a lie, so I figured I would too.”

She groaned, rolling her eyes and resuming her reading. Grinning, Discord brought his gaze to Celestia, “So, can I go?”

“You’re asking me for permission?”

“No, I’m asking your pen.”

She whistled. “Snappy one tonight, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t I always?”

“I suppose you are, and yes, you can go with your friends. You’re an adult, you don’t need to ask me if you want to do things.”

“Wonderful!” Excitedly springing from his chair, Discord snapped his fingers to remove said chair from existence and simultaneously grant himself a bowler hat and suitcase, “Au revoir, mon cheri!”

And, with that, he disappeared.

Raven looked away from her book, meeting Celestia's gaze, "Does this mean I get my Alicorn back?"

Celestia laughed, "Yes, this means you can have me back! I do apologize for, more or less, being non-existent for the last while. I've spent so much time with Discord that I've barely seen you or the rest of the family."

Raven glared through her brow. "Don't tell me you feel guilty about spending so much time with him..."

"I-I... it's been in the back of my mind."

"Celestia, you really gotta stop doing that."

Celestia tilted her head down, hiding behind her colorful, waving mane, "I know, but... I can't help the thought from creeping in every once and a while."

"We're not going to be mad that you've made a new friend, in fact, quite the opposite. When we all first got here, I thought I would never see you happier, then Discord showed up, and you've been like a beam of sun ever since. You've known the family and me for years now. You've known Discord for two weeks. You should be spending your time with him, because you need to get to know him, and because he makes you happy, and when you're happy, we're happy."

Peeking from behind her mane, Celestia gave a weak smile, "Really?"

"Really. I'm glad you've made another friend. How long as it been since you've had somepony you can go out and do things with?"

Taking a breath, Celestia held her silence as she thought, "I don't think I ever have."

"Then don't let your own, unfounded apprehensions stop you from enjoying his company."

Celestia smiled, nodding, "I won't, and thus far, I haven't"

Chuckling to herself, Raven looked back to her novel, "I think it's funny I have to keep telling you to not feel guilty about things."

"You've always been a voice of reason for me, Raven. Assuredness in one's actions doesn't come with age, even after two thousand years of it."

"You'd think it would."

"Funnily enough, I think I'm more apprehensive about things now-a-days than I was in my earlier years. I think that might be because I've made several split second decisions that have shaped a thousand years of history... and ruined a thousand years of life."

Raven drew in a sharp breath, "That's heavy."

Celestia huffed a stifled laugh, drooping her head for a moment, "I know, I'm sorry."

"You can't help it, I know. The silence and solitude of being up here always makes you emotional."

Looking to where Discord once sat, Celestia nodded, "Yes, and especially without Discord here."

Raven too looked to the void space, "Yeah, it's already quieter without him."

"He really has become part of our family here."

Raven peered up to her, "You think so?"

She nodded, "He weaseled his way in, but he did a great job of doing it."

Chuckling to herself, Raven leaned back into her bench and resumed reading, "Now, he's just gotta finish weaseling his way into your heart."

"Oh, you be quiet."

Rolling her head back, Raven laughed heartily, Celestia joining in with a jovial chuckle.

"You're awfully quiet this morning, Celestia."

Celestia's gaze was drawn up from her plate to the semi-worried expression of Pan Sear, who sat in between her chef comrades on the right side of the table.

She offered a disingenuous smile, "Not much to talk about."

"Every other morning you've been talkative," followed up Flip, "I haven't heard a word since you came down."

Momentarily diverting her gaze from the chefs to the rest of the family at the table, Celestia began to feel terribly tiny in her seat, "I-I, well, I just haven't found anything to talk about."

"Or anyone to talk to." Raven, sitting closest to Celestia on the left side of the table, commented, leaning in closer as she grinned.

Now, Celestia's eyes landed on the empty place at the far end of the table, both a magically created chair and a Draconequus missing from that spot. She let out a short sigh, her head drooping a tiny bit.

"That, too."

There was a little break of silence as all eyes remained on the down-trodden Alicorn, Raven's once cheeky expression quickly flipping to a concerned frown.

"You miss him this much?" Tremor inquired, eliciting nods from Clean Sweep, who sat beside him, and Vesper and Mint, who too were sitting together on that same side of the table.

"Yeah, he's only been gone for like... 12 hours," Added Mint.

Celestia shared a few quick glances with the two couples.

"I do miss him, yes. I... I don't know, I got quite used to coming down right at dawn and having some time with him before everypony woke up. Not having that this morning... made me a little sad."

From the whole family came a long round of 'awww~'s, causing Celestia's posture to sink down further.

Reaching over, Raven placed a comforting hoof on Celestia's shoulder, "come on, he's not gone forever!"

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact..."

"Well, at least you've still got us." Vesper returned with a sweet smile, the rest of the family sharing that sentiment.

Taking a look around, the bright smiles of her friends brought Celestia from her stupor, her posture straightening a bit as she returned their joyous grins.

"I'll always have you. I... do wish to extend the same apology I gave to Raven last night to all of you; sorry I haven't been around as much as of late."

Chef Tea blew a raspberry, waving her hoof in dismissal, "Really, you're apologizing for having fun?"

Raven leaned back, crossing her forelegs, "I told you everypony else felt the same way."

"Yeah, of course we do!" Reassured Clean Sweep with a genial tone, Tremor nodding along, "If we didn't, we'd be terrible friends."

Collectively, the group nodded or mumbled in agreement.

"Thank you... thank you all," Celestia chuckled at herself, shaking her head, "I worry myself over stupid things sometimes..."

"Wasn't that your job for two thousand years?" Tea asked.

Laughing, she nodded, "Basically! Always so much bickering and yelling about things that, a month down the line, didn't matter. I'm sure Luna's enjoying herself."

As if on queue, magic fizzled from Celestia's horn, moments later a stack of papers with the ever-so-customary personal scroll from Luna appeared in the air before her.

"That timing couldn't have been better..." Raven commented.

Setting the stack onto the floor beside herself, Celestia nodded, "It truly couldn't have been."

"How's Luna been holding up?" Asked Vesper as she finished a bite of her waffles.

"Good, I assume. She hasn't written about anything bad, only good. She says the entire nation got a kick out of the photos I took."

There was a pause of silence, all eyes going to her.

"You gave all our pictures to the papers?" Raven inquired with a raised brow.

"Luna did. I... should have asked for all of your permissions, in hindsight."

"Wait..." began Flip, "so all of Equestria saw us?"

Silently, Celestia nodded.

"Cool! We're famous!"

"None of you are upset that photos of you were released without your consent... are you?" Celestia inquired, her voice holding that saddened tone once more.

"When you said you were taking pictures, I assumed it was for the papers... so..." Vesper explained, getting a nod of agreeance from her stallion-friend Mint and the other members of staff.

Huffing a little breath of relief, the concerned expression Celestia held faded as she looked to her meal, "Wonderful. I'm glad to hear I haven't upset anypony."

Raven scoffed. "You let us live in a huge house, feed us good food, and pay us a lot. You're gonna have to try real hard to make anypony mad."

Celestia chuckled along with her and the family, "Quite right, you are, Raven."

Yellow magic surrounded a perfectly ripened strawberry that hung happily from its stem, a gentle tug freeing the fruit and levitating it upwards to an inspecting, scrutinizing pink eye. Giving a little nod, Celestia dropped the berry in a little wicker basket containing its friends, the gathering of little red fruits destined to become toppings for pancakes or filling in a pie. Again, another berry of similar hue and plumpness was picked and held up for inspection, however; this time, a discrepancy was discovered. Cruising along the red, almost cratered surface of the berry was a single aphid, an aphid that after a quick spell, ceased to exist.

“No place for you here, friend.”

Thus, the now intruder-less berry joined its comrades in the basket.

“We should plant more trees in here,” came the comment from Vesper, who’s curly black mane bobbed along a few rows down.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“More shade. By noon it gets hot in here.”

Celestia hummed, squinting and peering up at her sun perched high in the cloudless blue sky, “That, it does. If you want shade trees, I’d suggest planting them now. By time they’re big enough, even I might not be around!”

The two shared a little laugh, Vesper peeking up over the tomato bushes, “Maybe we could have Discord appear some trees into the garden. He made an entire boat, I’m sure some trees wouldn’t be too much of a task.”

Returning Vesper’s smile with a weak smirk, Celestia looked back down to her berries, “When he finally gets back, I’ll have to ask him.”

Vesper kept her gaze on the impressively tall Alicorn as she continued on with her helping, “You’re a lot less cheerful today.”

Sighing, Celestia stopped her berry inspecting, “Indeed.”

Chuckling gently, Vesper nodded in understanding, “Back when we were still in Canterlot there was a day Mint got sick and couldn’t be in the gardens. I felt… empty, like he took a chunk of me with him.”

Celestia brought her gaze up to meet Vesper’s, “You perfectly summed up how I feel.”

Again, Vesper nodded, “Once you’re in love with somepony, it’s hard to be away from them.”

There was a pause, the two maintaining their eye contact, “I assume you’ve implied I’m in love with Discord.”

“Wha- implied? I… I thought you were in love with him, vice versa. That’s why you spend so much time with him and go fishing… right?”

“I clearly remember saying that I enjoy him being around and love his company, but I’m not in love,” returned a firmly resolute Celestia, her head held a little straighter as she continued plucking and inspecting berries.

“You’re not?”

Celestia paused, her gaze diverting off into the distance, “I...” she sighed, her head drooping back down, “I have a crush on him, but that’s it.”

“You’re lying to yourself more than me.”

Her head raised back up, her gaze instantly locking with Vesper’s.

“Celestia, I don’t know if you noticed or not, but you’re retired, and falling in love with Discord isn’t going to start a scandal or something.”

“I know that, but-“

“But what?”

Celestia’s mouth hung open, her mind quickly trying to put her reasoning into words.

“I… I’m a difficult pony to love.”

“Now that’s a lie.” Vesper returned with a smile.

“In terms of companionship. I’ve… had a few partners that have left because of my neglect. I’ve always let governing and leading take a hold of my life, and I’ve never left room for love.”

“Kinda hard to do that when you’re retired, isn’t it?”

Rubbing her foreleg with a hoof, Celestia nodded, “it is, yes, but I…” she shut her eyes, taking a deep breath, “I always end up hurting those who I let into my heart. I don’t want to do that to him. I don’t want his name to be on the list of lovers who went wrong.”

“Celestia, not only are you retired, but you’re immortal, and so is he! You’ve got all the time in the world to spend with him, and you’ve got every day to nurture your bond!”

Seeming on the brink of tears, Celestia drew her head back up, “Immortality is the problem! It’s always been the problem! I would go a week without seeing my lover, and to me, it felt like an hour… to him, it felt like a month! I-I didn’t feel that urgency that you or Mint feel; the urgency to spend every waking moment with somepony you love!”

Taking a shuddering breath, Celestia shut her eyes, a single tear going down her cheek, “T-That’s how I lost Luna. That’s how I-I let ponies I loved slip through the cracks in my mind. T-Things are different now… I-I have more time, all the time in the world, maybe, b-but I know that the same thing will end up happening! It always does! Over and over, history repeats itself, and I can’t let Discord pull himself in with me and get hurt! I love him too much to let that happen to him!”

The once happy, calm noon air became heavier as the gasping, shuddery cries of an Alicorn sang through the garden. Celestia’s body shook, her legs looking like Jello as the tears fell. Quickly, Vesper made her way through the tomato bush and over the strawberry shrubs to Celestia, rearing up and doing her best to get her hooves around Celestia’s neck to hug her. Almost instantly, it seemed to help her tears, her much larger head coming to rest on Vesper’s back, a tiny bit of dampness being felt thanks to the streams leaking down her white cheeks.

“Calm down, Celestia. Calm down.”

Giving in to the wobble of her legs, Celestia dropped to her haunches, Vesper maintaining her tight embrace and continuing to let the much larger being weep into the violet fur of her back.

“You don’t have meetings, or paperwork, or dignitaries, or Parliament, or foreign trips to stop you from loving him anymore, Celestia. All you have is time.”

Sniffling, Celestia lifted her chin up, “I-I… I know I have time. Time is what I worry about. It’s all I’ve ever worried about. I have it all… but I still worry.”

“Hey, Lunch’s ready!” suddenly chimed the cheerful voice of Flip, causing Vesper to dart her gaze towards the ever-so grand double doors of the estate to see the blue-furred Unicorn in the doorway.

“Uh… having a moment?” Flip called, cocking her head.

Vesper simply waved her hoof, shaking her head. Clearly confused, Flip stood idly a moment, her mouth ajar and brow raised as she shrugged and turned to return to the estate.

“T-Thank you… Vesper.” Sniffled Celestia after a moment.

Breaking her embrace and standing back, she nodded, “That’s what friends are for, Celestia.”

A smile broke through the clouds that had shrouded Celestia’s sorrows, and without warning, she pulled Vesper into a painfully tight hug, her much smaller figure being no struggle at all to be lifted up and embraced, “And I couldn’t ask for better friends, Vesper.”

The Statement

View Online

The study’s late evening glow was suddenly overwhelmed by a bright white flash, Celestia blinking a few times and looking up from her papers to see, finally, her Draconequus standing a short distance away with the same bowler hat and suitcase he had left with.

Instantly, Celestia dropped her quill and scrambled to her hooves, “Discord!”

“Ah, hello. Sorry for t-“

His speech was cut short as she reared up and wrapped him in a tight hug, squeezing him into her chest.

“Oh, I missed you!”

“You did?” he returned, voice straining.

She pressed her cheek against his neck, nodding, “Of course, I did! I started to miss you the second you left!”

Speechless, he remained still, mouth slightly ajar and eyes darting around as his mind scrambled to come up with something to say.

“I-I missed you, too.”

Finally, she released her grip, bringing her hooves from around his chest to upon his shoulders, keeping herself propped up as she gave a bright smile.

“I should hope so! Did you have fun with Spike and Shining?”

Still terribly confused by her sweetness, he stumbled over his tongue for a moment, “Uh, yeah… yeah, we had a lot of fun.”

“That’s good. I assume that’s what took you so long to get back?”

Looking off to the side, he nodded, “I was going to apologize for that. I planned on being back this morning, but we got carried away, and then we all went out for lunch, and… well, time flew by.”

Giggling, Celestia dismounted him, going back to all fours and turning for her desk, “I figured as much.”

“You’re not too upset that I was gone for so long, are you?”

“No! Of course not,” sitting back behind her desk, she offered that smile that always made him feel so warm inside, “I’m just glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad I’m back, as well…”

“Have you told the family you’re back yet?”

“Uh, no… I came right to you.”

She perked up, “Oh! Well, we’ve gotta let everypony know you’re home!”

Again, she stood from her desk and began trotting for the study’s stairs, Discord standing idly as she passed him by.

“I’m home?”

Just before the first step, Celestia paused. “Um, yes… you’re home, aren’t you?”

“You consider this to be my home?”

“Of course, I do, and I consider you part of this family. Part of my family. A crucial part, at that.”

“You do?”

She nodded, “Yes, I do. I can’t really imagine spending another day without you, if I were to be honest.”

Stunned, Discord remained quiet as he blinked a few times, “Really?”

Again, she offered a simple nod.

“Wow. I-I, uh. Thank you.”

She smiled, “No, Discord, thank you. Thank you for being so sweet and loving.”

He blushed, giggling and waving a hand at her, “You’re too kind!”

Celestia laughed along, shaking her head and continuing downstairs, “Oh, stop being flamboyant and come say hello to everypony else!”

“Celestia, want me to brew you another cup?”

Celestia sat up in her white cushion by the fireplace, her eyes going from her empty cup to Raven, who stood in the kitchen to where she was visible through the serving window.

Levitating the empty cup into the air, Celestia smiled. “That would be lovely.”

Raven’s magic took control of the cup, maneuvering it into the kitchen as she began to prep the tea kettle.

“You essentially run on herbal tea and sunlight, don’t you?”

Looking down to the tiny Draconequus that sat in his own little recreation of the main living room in the middle of the normal sized living room, Celestia nodded. “Essentially.”

“On a base level, we all run on sunlight.” Commented Tea after taking a drink of bourbon, she and her two chefs sitting in their usual places in the middle couch.

Discord rolled his head back, looking over the tiny couch he sat in, “Oh? How’s that?”

“Well, we eat plants, and plants eat sunlight… so technically, we run on sunlight just like plants do.”

Humming, Discord looked back into his tiny fireplace, tugging on his chin tuft, “Well, I mainly eat fish… so…”

“Fish eat smaller fish, and smaller fish eat moss and stuff, and that’s a plant, so if you go full circle, it’s the same case.”

Celestia leaned back into her cushion, crossing her forelegs over her chest, “The sun’s pretty cool.”

Discord aimed a finger at her, “You're biased, you have no say.”

“Well, can you prove me wrong?”

“I can, indeed. The sun is hot, not cool.”

There was a moment of silence while Celestia stared down the tiny Discord, “You know, it’d be a shame if some clumsy Alicorn stepped on you.”

Snapping his fingers, Discord instantly swapped places with her, his normal size returning as he lounged in her cushion while she sat on his tiny couch, “Wouldn’t it?”

A tiny yellow spark came from Celestia’s horn as she returned to her normal size and teleported right before her confiscated cushion, “Wouldn’t it.”

Again, her horn ignited, a yellow aurora surrounding Discord and putting him back in his tiny couch. Smirking, she turned around and fell back into her cushion, her wings spread against its soft surface as she got comfortable again.

“I’ve got one of those here… why haven’t I been using it?” asked Discord as he stood from his seat and walked to the little replica of Celestia’s cushion, plopping down into it in a similar fashion as she had.

“Comfortable, isn’t it?”

He nodded, “Far more comfortable.”

“I elect Discord to be under house arrest, because without him, all the fun goes away,” declared Chef Pan Seer with a raised hoof.

“I second that motion,” confirmed Chef Tea with a nod.

Chef Flip nodded, “Yeah, I third that.”

Celestia clapped her hooves. “All in favor?”

Every voice but Discord’s rang out in a loud, confirming “aye”.

Again, she clapped her hooves. “Motion carried. Discord, you are hereby not allowed to leave Sol Point because you’re too lovable.”

“Rules only do good when you can enforce them.”

He grinned, holding up a poised hand and snapping his fingers, disappearing and taking his tiny furniture with him. Celestia’s horn quickly came to life, and a split second later he, in normal size, was teleported back into the middle of the living room.

“Gee, looks like this is a good rule,” she said with a smirk.

“Wha- how did you do that?”

“Discord, it’s not hard to trace your magical signature when you only teleport onto the roof.”

He crossed his arms. “Fair point.”

“Here’s your tea.”

Looking to Raven, Celestia smiled and accepted her piping hot brew with her hooves rather than a spell. “Oh! Thank you, Raven!”

“Of course, your-Celestia.”

Instantly, Raven winced.

Celestia rolled her head back, laughing. “Still haven’t gotten used to things?”

Raven stomped a hoof, “It’s so hard to not say it! It’s still so ingrained! I even still have that official, uptight tone when saying ‘you’re welcome’.”

The staff and Celestia shared a chuckle as Raven sat down in the unoccupied couch closest to Celestia.

“Yeah, I still catch myself trying to say, ‘your Highness’ all the time,” agreed Mint, who got a nod of agreement from Vesper, Clean Sweep, and Tremor, who all sat on the same couch together.

“Again, why exactly are we not allowed to call you ‘Highness’ or ‘Princess’ any longer?” Discord inquired as he walked to the couch Raven had taken, sitting down beside her.

Celestia put a hoof on her chest, “Because I’m no longer in charge. I’m not the head of the state.”

“Shining Armor’s retired, and he still goes by ‘Captain’.” Discord retorted.

“Of course he does, he’s a ranked officer. Officers always keep their rank after they retire.”

“So, then why not keep your title?”

Celestia took a pause, tapping her mug with her hoof as she looked off to the side.

“I want to hear my name.”

He nodded. “Got tired of hearing ‘your Highness’ all day, hm?”

Celestia nodded along, “Yes. Ponies would rarely say ‘Princess Celestia’. Only my close friends and adjutants would do that.”

“Does Lulu still go by ‘Princess’, or has she told everypony to call her ‘Commander’?” Discord asked with a smug grin.

Celestia gave a little glare of annoyance, “I’m sure she still goes by ‘Princess’.”

Shrugging, Discord crossed his legs, leaning back into the couch, “You never know with her.”

“I remember,” began Clean Sweep, drawing all attention to her, “the very first time Tremor and I entered Luna’s quarters to do the evening tidying. It was only, oh, a week or so since she had returned, and when we walked in, the entire room was strewn with military strategy books, maps, old pictures from the Third Griffon War, and then… just scattered on her bed, a full suit of dark blue and silver armor and a massive sword.”

Discord snorted a stifled laugh, biting his index finger.

“I’ve never been more confused in my life,” Clean Sweep concluded with a chuckle, Tremor and the rest of the staff laughing along.

Blushing in embarrassment on her sister’s behalf, Celestia nodded. “Yes, that was the day I introduced her to the archives of Canterlot Library. She found some old war documents, and it snowballed from there.”

“I still have questions about the armor… where’d she get it and why’d she have it?”

“That armor, like my own suit, is a fair thousand years old. I kept it in a very secure, special place when… when she left,” the slight look of melancholy that had taken her once happy expression faded back to reminiscent joy as she took a pause to remember, “we spent hours sitting in her quarters going through all of those books and papers. Then, suddenly, her ears perk, she bolts upright and, staring straight ahead, simply said, “Sister, where hast thou kept mine armored ordainments?”

Celestia was the only one to truly have a laugh, the staff and Discord offering stifled chuckles or a simple little huff from the nose. Leaning back into her cushion, Celestia took a drink of her tea, her expression showing her mind remained in the past.

“She seemed so young those first months. So much like a little filly. Curious out of her mind. She couldn’t read books fast enough. I’d sit beside her, reading aloud to her while she read a book of her own, and she’d remember both what I said and what she herself read.” Celestia chuckled, sipping her tea. “I still don’t know how she could do that.”

A moment of quietness passed by, the staff and Discord not quite knowing how to respond.

“I miss Luna.” Chef Tea commented after a second.

“Yeah, so do I,” concurred Vesper with a nod.

“You should invite her over!” piped up Flip, “She could come by for a day and we could all see her for a while!”

Celestia smiled, “I’m actually a step ahead of you. She’ll be here in three weeks.”

Flip, along with the other staff, perked in their seats.

“Wait, really?” asked Raven.

Celestia nodded. “We had to plan in advance so she could schedule her days… or nights around it. She plans on staying for a day and a half.”

“This won’t interfere with any possible fishing trips, will it?” Discord inquired with a grin.

“There won’t be any fishing trips for her visit to interfere with.” Celestia returned, grinning smugly as she did, yet maintaining a firm enough tone of voice to show that she wasn’t really joking.

“Maybe we could bring her along?”

“I suppose you’ll have to craft us a vessel large enough.”

Pausing a moment, Discord tugged at his chin tuft. “I suppose I’ll have to… yes.”

With her last cup of tea for the night firmly held in a spell, Celestia dropped into her desk’s chair, keeping her wings unfurled as she laid back into the cushioned seat, breathing in the fresh midnight air that weaved its way through the study’s open windows. Normally, the phonograph below the window would be playing a record to drown out the silence, but on such a perfectly quiet night, she couldn’t help but enjoy the calm. There were no lights or candles lit within the study, leaving the half-moon up above to gift what little light it provided. It was that perfect amount; enough to find one’s way around, but not enough for one to make out the finer details. Like an old photograph; under-exposed, monochromatic, and beautiful in an indescribable way.

“Oh, forget it, I can’t wait till morning!”

Celestia looked up to the stairs as Discord’s unmistakable silhouette entered. At least, it had been a perfectly quiet night.

Leaning back in her chair, Celestia raised a brow and made sure to keep her tone soft, “What’s happening?”

“I can’t wait, I tried, but I can’t!” Rambled Discord, not making sure to keep is tone soft.

Holding her hoof to her lips, Celestia gave a soft shush, “Everypony’s sleeping, Discord. No need to shout.”

He huffed out a breath, his posture slouching a bit, “Right, sorry.”

“So, continue on with your ranting. What can’t wait till morning?”

She watched as his silhouetted hand raised, signaling for her to follow.

“But, I just sat down…”

“Oh, yes, you look very busy. Come, I’ve got something to show you.”

Groaning and bringing her cup of tea with, Celestia dragged herself from behind her desk.

“Why is it so dark in here?” Asked Discord as he lead Celestia down into the hall.

“Beautiful night. No reason to light a candle.”

As they came to the entry hall balcony, Discord shrugged, “understandable. So, anyway, you know how I was late coming back from game night?”

Beginning the descent down the spiral staircase and watching as Discord simply hovered along, following the pattern downwards, she nodded, “Yes, I do remember quite well.”

“Well, I was gone because I was doing research.”

Nodding, Celestia hummed.

“You see, I may just snap my fingers and create anything, but I still have to put a picture in my mind. And, if I give myself a few seconds, I can make something like a house or a tree. Something fairly basic, but still more complex than a cup or a fence.”

“Alright…”

“So, I spent an entire day thinking on this one.”

Celestia paused at the bottom of the stairs, allowing him a moment to get back to his feet and continue leading.

“You’re not adding something onto the house, are you?”

Now he paused, turning and looking at her in the darkness of the entry hall, “No, something far better.”

"Far better, hm?”

“Yes. I went to the Crystal Kingdom’s Royal Library and looked at tons of books for ideas. That, and I had to think of what your preferences would be without asking, obviously, because that would have ruined the point. Cadance helped out a bit in that regard.”

“We’re going towards the porch, so I think I have an idea of what this is…”

Sliding open the glass door and letting her through first, Discord nodded, “Ah, I think you’re catching on.”

“Discord, you really don’t have to go through so much trouble…”

“Any trouble this caused is made up for the fact that I’m doing this for you.” He grinned, holding up a snap-readied hand. “Not to mention, I’ve always been intrigued by yachts.”

That ever-so-familiar snap of Discord’s fingers broke the cool, quiet air, and with that snap came a sight that caused Celestia’s heart to skip a beat and her breath to catch in her chest. With a mast nearly as high as Sol Point’s roof, a hull as white and gleaming as her coat, a design as elegant as the contour of her wings, brass finishings as gold as the sun on her flanks, and a pink pinstripe running down the side that matched the hue of her eyes to perfection, the ship was more than a mere vessel. It was a statement. This statement’s hull, if brought from the river and held in juxtaposition with the estate, would measure a fair bit longer than the totality of the home. The center structure of the statement too stood out; it was a fair bit taller and wider than what Celestia had seen, and on top of that, it stretched all the way to the edge of the hull rather than being totally encompassed on all sides by deck, splitting the ship in two. To access the bow, one must pass through a door that matched the slope of the forward part of the structure, and vice-versa for the stern. Adding to that sharpness was the fact the ship wasn’t equipped with a single guard railing. From the tip of the bow to the platformed stern, the perimeter of the hull was open.

Celestia dropped to her haunches, her eyes darting over the ship, as they knew not what to stop and observe. A hoof came up to cover her mouth as she exhaled a tear-shaken breath, her eyes shutting hard and the first tears rolling their way down her cheeks.

“It’s big, but this river is, like, a thousand hoof lengths wide, so I’m figuring we’ll be able to sail around without much issue.” Commented Discord as he stepped closer to the sitting Alicorn.

Celestia shook her head, her once slow tears turning to hard, yet joyous, sobs.

“I also modeled it after you. The colors and everything… you know, they match.”

Still unable to respond, Celestia finally re-opened her eyes, her hoof moving only slightly from before her mouth as she stared in pure disbelief at what lay before her.

“D-Discord… Discord…”

He sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulder and giving a little hug. “You’re welcome, Celestia.”

Her wing unfurled, encompassing him in her soft feathers to return the embrace. Discord drew his eyes down to her, a moment passing before she looked up, her teary eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

“Discord…” She looked back out to the ship for a second, her hoof coming back up to cover her mouth as the tears of happiness that wetted her cheeks arrived with more power, “S-She’s beautiful. I-I don’t… I don’t know what to say!”

“Just as beautiful as you are, Celestia.”

Her cheeks flushed red, a giddy giggle escaping her lips as the wing wrapped around him tightened its embrace, pulling him closer.

“Thank you, Discord.”

With that, she craned her head to his, pecking him a little kiss on the lips. Instantly, his cheeks went red, his eyes widening and every motion of his body freezing. Smiling and giggling once more, Celestia released him from her wing, standing and looking out towards the ship.

“Come on, I want to see what she looks like on the inside!” She chimed, her wings beating hard at the air to give her flight.

Remaining frozen for another few seconds, Discord finally shook his head, bringing himself back to reality and hovering off the porch.

“Right… right, let’s do that.”

Vexations

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Celestia snorted awake, her eyes blinking rapidly and her legs scrambling to put her upright in her bed. Something had landed on her in her sleep, and she was almost certain the sound of a spell being worked had been in the morning air. Through tired, blurry vision she spotted a single piece of paper lying in her lap, and curiously, she took it in her magic to find it was an administrative document from Canterlot. Groggily groaning, she sat up further to see Luna’s usual stack of documents spilt across the white carpet beside her bed. She sighed, rubbing her face with a hoof and surrounding the pile of papers with a spell, doing her best to get them back into a uniform stack and ensure Luna’s personal letter remained upon the top of the stack.

Staring at the now organized papers, she had an epiphany; Luna sent her papers late into the morning. She flipped to the right, struggling with her blurry vision for a time before being able to make out the time on her nightstand’s clock; 9:24. With haste, she flung her silky covers to the side and fumbled out of bed, her mane horribly frazzled and the normally perfect feathers of her wings ruffled and misplaced.

With the twist of a knob, the shower’s warm, comforting spray came to a halt, leaving the steamy bathroom quiet save for the metronome-like drip as the last bits of water leaked from the showerhead to the tile. Celestia gave her legs and wings a good shake, flinging off some residual water before she took her towel down from atop the steamed-over glass door, beginning to dry her mane as she pushed the door open with a hoof and stepped into the morning sun. A little candle in the windowsill placed the scent of vanilla in the late morning air as it wafted in through the ajar window, her nostrils flaring as she drew in a deep breath. Finishing with her mane, she maneuvered the towel along her body, working to dry the rest of her figure as she watched her hazy reflection in the slightly-steamed mirror, the open window bringing in cool air and de-fogging most things quite quickly.

Time ticked by as she looked over herself, her thoughts barely paying any heed to the towel in her magic as it, almost working on its own, went about drying her hind legs and tail. Her eyes went to her neck and chest, her mind painting on the scars she carried invisibly beneath a veil of magic. In her mind’s eye, she looked at the three slashes across her breast and the single slice along her throat. Slowly, her hoof came up to feel the perfect, slightly damp fur that covered where one of the three slashes lay, not a single bump or blemish being felt beneath. After a moment, her eyes drew back up to their reflection as her towel finished drying her hindquarters. Blinking a few times, she looked back to the towel as she hung it back over the shower door, nudging it with her leg to re-close it.

Then, a brilliant flash broke the room, her heart skipping a beat as she jumped back in surprise as Discord appeared a few hoof-lengths in front of her.

He clapped his hands together, smiling, “Ah, wonderful! You’re nice and awake!”

Scowling and letting out a long sigh, Celestia nodded, “Far more awake than I was a moment ago, thanks to that heart-attack.”

“So, ready to begin the day?”

She blinked, staring him in the eye for a moment. “Discord, I just got out of the shower. I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet.”

He snapped his fingers, procuring a tray stacked with a bowl of oatmeal, a plate of sunny-side up eggs, hashbrowns, buttered and jammed toast, pancakes, fruit, and a cup of orange juice. “Well, it just so happens the chefs prepared you a little something.”

Her eyes widened a little. “Oh! Well, wonderful! I… how’d they know I was up… and how’d you know I was up?”

Discord smirked, raising a brow at her. “You’re serious, right?”

Confused, she blinked rapidly, “Y-Yes… I’m serious.”

“Celestia, you weigh enough to break a scale if you stood on it, it wasn’t hard to hear you clopping around up here.”

Her posture straightened, her brow furrowing. “I’m not that heavy!”

Taking both hands off the tray and keeping it in place with an invisible spell, Discord aimed a finger at a rather robust scale of steel construction that sat propped in the corner by the window. "That's why you have a reinforced scale, right?"

Celestia held her head up in distinguishment, placing a hoof on her chest. “I’ll have you know that, ratio-wise, my weight is right where it should be for my size.”

“Yes, but you still... weigh a lot.”

Pausing for a moment to think, she shrugged in concurrence. “I suppose I do, yes.”

“So,” Discord placed his hands back on the floating tray, holding it out to her, “Are you gonna eat breakfast so we can get underway with the maiden voyage?”

Accepting the tray with a spell and laughing, Celestia nodded. “Yes, yes, I’ll hurry up and eat so we can get going,” turning away and heading for the open bathroom door, she looked over her shoulder to him, “if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be up in the study.”

“Don’t let any rogue sailboat masts get you on your way there!”

A yellow ring of magic surrounding his wrist, bringing his hand up and slapping him with his own palm. He rubbed the spot of impact with the hand that had been forced to strike him, his other hand aiming an accusing finger at her, “Hey, don’t bite the hand that feeds you!”

Instantly, the previously used wrist was surrounded by magic once more, prompting him to quickly grasp it with the opposite hand and lean his head back to avoid being struck once more.

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry!”

“Good. Now, like I said, I’ll be in the study.”

With that, she turned her head up and walked out of the bathroom.

Discord grabbed the handle of the tea kettle, his other hand bringing up a mug with the text ‘best princess’ printed in black lettering as he began filling the vessel with piping hot tea. Putting the kettle back on its element, he turned to exit the kitchen, but only got as far as a rotation before he paused, his surroundings catching him a little off-guard. Chuckling to himself, he looked around the kitchen, his free hand going to his hip. He found it quite comical. He was the one who designed the ship, yet the thing still managed to surprise him with its grandeur. The most lavish of homes would blush at his work. Even spaces for utilitarian purposes, like the little kitchen he stood in, surpassed Sol Point in their design. The cabinets were made of polished, lacquered mahogany, the walls a smooth, pearly pinkish-white, the floor tiled with marble, the countertops granite, and all that could be made of metal was made of a perfectly sheened brass.

“I’d hate to imagine how much this ship would cost if it were real…” he commented to himself, looking around.

Finally finishing his ogling, Discord stepped out of the kitchen into the somewhat cramped hall, his eyes still wandering the beautiful interior as he walked to the staircase which led up into the ship’s center structure and living room. Unlike the interior, the living room wasn’t part of the hull, and thus, its walls were mostly made of large windows, allowing for one to be in the comfort of the indoors while having a nearly unobstructed view of mostly anywhere around the ship.

Standing at the top of the stairs a moment, he looked around before finally spotting Celestia. She stood right at the tip of the bow, her wings half-spread and her mane and tail lofty with the oncoming winds. Just at the top of the stairs, he stopped, an almost trance-like state taking him over, his eyes unable to move from her. Just the sight of her made something deep within his core warm and fuzzy. Simply seeing her was enough to make him smile.

He shook his head, snapping himself from the trance and resuming his approach of the bow-facing door. Upon reaching said door, however; he stopped again, his hand hovering just above the shiny brass handle, his eyes once more locked with her vibrant figure. A question rose through his thoughts, taking priority over any other for a split second; ‘do you like me, too?”. He could feel the words resting in the back of his throat, his lips seeming to part, ever so slightly, on their own in preparation to ask the question. Suddenly, that warm fuzziness turned cold, a sickly feeling taking his stomach as he imagined posing such a question to her.

Thus far, she had shown him nothing but what he could only conceive as love. Every statement, sentence, word, and syllable unintentionally formed music that, to his ears, was greater than any. Her words had, in recent days, never once brought negative feelings with them. It wasn’t too crazy of him to assume she too felt more than friendship and camaraderie towards him… at least, that’s how it felt. But, why should she love him? She hadn’t any real reason to. Sure, he had been kind, and given her quite the grandiose gift, but he had heard many-a-tale of stallions going to great lengths to woo the mare his heart’s eye had chosen, only for her to reject him.

An annoyed scowl now too his expression. He was Discord. A god. And here he stood, heart racing and nerves unwired at the thought of asking some silly Alicorn if she loved him. He hadn’t been this worried since he had rescued her on the river during that terrible storm. His thoughts paused, elaborating on themselves. He had been less worried when he, Starlight Glimmer, Thorax, and Trixie had gone off and saved Equestria, and the danger had been far more imminent than that night on the water. What about her brought up so much emotion?

He grumbled, finally opening the door, “Love is a stupid emotion,” he muttered, quietly latching the door behind him.

Looking over her shoulder, Celestia met his gaze, her smile widening as he approached, “Oh! Good morning, Discord.”

“Good morning, indeed.”

She looked from his eyes to the mug in his hand, then back again, “Did you bring me a cup of tea?”

He tilted his body sideways, hiding the cup from view, “How do you know I didn’t brew this for myself?”

“Because the mug says 'best princess' on the side of it."

He shrugged, “Fair enough.”

Celestia giggled, accepting the mug with a spell and bringing it close to her lips, not taking a drink just yet, “Thank you, Discord.” She took a moment to give him a little smile before taking a sip, the cup staying only a short distance from her lips as she stared off into the distance.

“It doesn’t need more honey, does it?”

She shook her head, “No, not at all. It’s perfect.”

Discord smiled. “Wonderful.”

There was a pause of silence as Celestia once more sipped at her brew, Discord remaining where he stood and keeping his eyes on her. After a moment, she looked back to him, their eyes meeting and causing him to instantly turn away, a light blush lighting up on his cheeks. Snickering to herself, Celestia turned back around, her tea coming back to her lips as she resumed watching the valley scroll past.

With every passing day, Celestia came to appreciate the beauty of her home’s surrounding landscape more and more. Through the lens of her Maneolta, she watched the riverbank scroll past, her magic fiddling with the exposure, zoom, and shutter speed to get the lighting just right for a shot. A little spot of magic that hovered above the shutter switch came down, the camera letting out a beautiful, smooth mechanical click as it captured a split second of the sunset-lit riverbank. Smiling and taking the camera from her eye, Celestia took a moment to enjoy the sights around her without the assistance of a viewfinder. From the bright white, gold-embellished armchair she occupied within the ship’s living room, one of two rooms to be in the section above the hull, she could see nearly 180 degrees thanks to the large bay windows Discord had designed the room with. Turning her attention in the direction of the ship’s travel, her camera came back to her eye as she prepped for another shot.

With the sun hung low on the horizon and the clouds a bit broken, the lighting and blazing colors were perfect for good photography. Late in the day and early in the morning; the golden hours of photography. She had already gotten quite a few good snaps, but one never knows how good their picture is until it’s developed. That said, she was sure the pictures of Discord posing with the few large salmon he had caught would come out just fine. The thought of his goofy smile and giddy hopping upon catching soon-to-be-food fish brought a wider smile to her lips than what was already there. In such a short time, she had made more memories with him than what a whole ten years of life could produce.

With each day’s passing, she came to value his company and companionship more and more. Her smile faded a bit, eyes diverting from the beautiful river bank and valley fjords as her thoughts collided. Every soul she had let into her heart, some way or another, walked out the other side with scars. Her sister, her close friends, her lovers. It seemed the only exception to the rule had been Twilight. Somehow, despite her best efforts, she managed to neglect those she held most dear. The thought of her and Discord’s relation ending in such a way frightened her to no end. There was, of course, the facts Vesper had brought up a few days ago. She was retired. Nothing in her life could keep her from him. No meetings. No parades. No court. No foreign trips. Just freedom.

The more she thought, the less attentive of her photography she became, her other eye now open and her view not focused in on the viewfinder, rather, something far in the distance. Was it ridiculous of her to be so apprehensive about wishing to further their relationship? Was she simply being paranoid and unjustly reluctant? For weeks now, those questions plagued her mind, cropping up nearly any time she laid eyes on him. Maybe her reluctance and apprehension weren’t fear of hurting him, but fear of him hurting her. She hadn’t ever been able to decide. In the depths of her mind, since the very first moment he had arrived, were the memories of when they had been enemies. If she opened her heart, allowing him in, and allowing herself into his heart, would things revert to how they had been? Would the dark past come back to rear its bloody, torn face and tarnish the light of the future?

Did it truly matter if such an outcome was to become reality? She had always entered relationships with ponies knowing fully that she would either outlive them or somehow drive them away. At the end of every day, those were the only two outcomes, and that fact never stopped her, for the darkness that followed the death of a friend or the splitting of a friendship never outweighed the light they brought. She could choose to never love, keeping herself shut away from the ponies who she was sworn to love and care for, and in doing so, she may save her heart from the rips and tears of relationship, but by doing that, she would never truly know the light. If she were to turn her back on Discord, leaving him behind because of fears with no true bearing, her heart would never know the warmth his presence may bring. She wanted to take that next step. She wanted to tell him her heart had its proverbial arms outstretched to him, but fear stopped her.

Letting her thoughts wander from worry and apprehension back to photography, she brought the viewfinder to her eye, sighting in and adjusting settings to take a picture of the sunset as the ship followed a bend in the river, giving her a nicely unobstructed view of her sun that seemed to be perched atop the horizon line of the not-so-distant mountains. What she couldn’t figure out was why she felt such fear. She thought, maybe, she was intimidated by him. Maybe it was fear of history repeating itself. Maybe it was the fear of saying three words she only spoke to those who hold a place in her heart. The three words that would, undoubtedly, change her life. Was that where the fear came from? The fact her life would change forever if she were to say just three words?

She sighed. Her eyes shut, her camera lowering, ears falling flat and her hoof coming up to rub her face.

“Stop being so afraid, Celly. You’re doing the same thing you always do. You’re complicating it.”

Again, she took a deep breath, her hoof falling away and her eyes coming back open and being diverted back out to the dusk-glow riverbank.

“For the first time in your life, you’re free. You found somepony… someone who you can love without bounds. You found someone who won’t grow old.”

Finally, a little smile broke through her cloudy expression as she chuckled, “You found someone who might love you more than you love them.”

Her bright smile returned as she thought of just how nervous and love-struck he had been acting for the past while. More than once now had she caught him staring at her as if she were a mural that called out for the eyes to wander it. If he was trying to not look in love, he was failing. Quite miserably, too. She was accustomed to his demeanor being one of superiority and nonchalant-ness, and he had always exulted an air carefreeness and indifference, as if none of the things around him mattered. Since he had come to Sol Point, that had all fallen to the wayside, and she knew well why that was the fact. Love makes even the strongest of beings turn to mush.

Again, she sighed, shaking her head, “Love is such a silly emotion.”

The sound of a door being opened drew her attention towards the ship’s stern as Discord entered from the stern deck.

“How’s the photography going?” he asked, making his way towards where she sat.

Looking at her camera then back to him, Celestia blinked a few times, “Oh… it’s going well…” she paused as he took a seat on the couch across from the armchair she occupied, a little table separating them, “Hard to not get good pictures.”

He chuckled, crossing his legs, “I’d imagine. This entire place is so..." he looked to her, staring for a moment as a little smile crept onto his lips, "beautiful."

Smiling, Celestia brought the camera to her eye, turning it for a portrait shot and quickly adjusting the exposure and shutter speed before snapping a picture of Discord.

“Especially with you here.”

Young Fools

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On her back, Celestia gazed up into the twilight sky. The western horizon glowed a faint violet, while the eastern had just begun to show the stars of Luna’s night. Not a single cloud shrouded the sky, leaving all to be seen. A little pang of hunger brought Celestia’s mind from its drifting state, her attention going from the sky to Discord, who was lying beside her, staring up into the sky just as she had been.

“What should we do for dinner?” she asked, bringing his gaze to her.

He hummed, crossing his legs and tapping his chin. “Tis a good question…”

She smirked. “’Tis’? You sound like my sister.”

“She still speaks in old Equestrian?”

“Well… you sounded like my sister years ago.”

He nodded. “I’ll take that as a no.”

Celestia rolled onto her side, now facing him. “So, the question still stands; what shall we do for dinner?”

“Well, I’ve got my fish… but you don’t eat fish…”

Celestia nodded in confirmation.

He shrugged. “I don’t quite know, honestly.”

Celestia gasped in realization. “What if we had a picnic? With a fire, like we’re camping!”

“A picnic? Like… out here on the deck, or…?”

“No, you oversized snake, somewhere along the coastline once we reach it!”

Discord sat up. “’Oversized snake’?!?” There is nothing snake-like about me!” he exclaimed with a scowl.

Grinning, Celestia nodded. “You’re right, you’re more like a ferret.”

He threw his head to the side, rolling his eyes and waving a hand at her. “Oh, big words coming from the pony with cotton candy for a mane!”

With that, Discord snapped his fingers to remove her mane and turn it into a big, fluffy ball of cotton candy.

Celestia scrambled to her hooves. “Hey, give that back!”

Standing, Discord held the ball of candy behind his back. “Why? Not like you were using it!”

Her horn lit up, but before she could encompass the candy, Discord grabbed her horn, cutting off her magic.

“Ah! No cheating!”

Rearing up, she began reaching behind him with her hooves. “Cheating!? You used magic first!”

Giggling and stepping back to not fall from her weight, he continued evading her. “I’m the ref, so I make the rules!”

Wrapping her hooves around him, Celestia knocked him to the deck, trapping him beneath her, causing his grip on her horn to come loose, as well as his grip on the cone which held her mane. Laughing triumphantly, she quickly reverted his magic, returning her mane to its rightful place. Putting her hooves on either sides of his neck, she glared down at him with a grin.

“Forgot to read the part in the rules where it says I win, hm?”

Snapping his fingers once more, Discord spawned a book with the text ‘RULES’ printed on its cover. Quickly, he flipped through it, finishing it in a matter of seconds.

“Doesn’t seem to be in there.”

Quickly, he reached up, grabbing the end of her long, waving mane and took a bite from it. Celestia gasped, looking at the bite-mark in her once pristine mane before glaring down at Discord.

Swallowing his bite, he grinned. “Sort of a banana flavor to it.”

“Oh, I should toss you into the river.”

He reached up, touching her nose with a talon. “You’d get all lonely again!”

Celestia smiled at the little gesture. “You’re right. Like the weasel you are, you’ve worked your way into my heart.”

His smile went blank. “What?”

Her smile too disappeared, a look of horror replacing it. “I-I… I mean that you’ve, uh, become part of my life!”

There was a bout of silence, the two staring at each other for a moment.

“Celestia…”

“Discord…?”

“Did you mean that?”

“Did I mean what?”

He paused for a moment. “That I worked my way into your heart?”

Wincing, she diverted her gaze, “W-Well, I’ve grown quite close to you over these past weeks…”

He hummed, nodding along. She looked down to him for a moment, a look of hope in his eyes. A pit opened in her stomach, and her legs shook.

“And… what I meant… I mean, I value our relationship more than most, and…”

Discord rubbed his shoulder, his chin tucking into his neck as he looked away. “Have you grown as close as… I have to you?”

“How close do you feel to me?”

He paused, thinking of how to put things into words.

“I… if you went away, I don’t really know what I’d do with the rest of my life.”

A mix of emotions shot through Celestia. Happiness lifted her heart, for he too held her in such a high place in his heart, yet sadness tugged it back down, as she knew that her constant dismissal of him and her inability to admit her feelings had undoubtedly caused him some turmoil and doubt. Fear seemed to push down upon her and make her smaller, because she stood in a position she couldn’t back out of without breaking his heart. She couldn’t tell him “we’re good friends, nothing more” any longer.

“I-I feel the same way. When you left to visit your friends a few days ago, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It… was the worst day I’ve had in a while, actually.”

His eyes lit up. “It was?”

She gave a quick nod. “Having you around brings my heart a warmth I haven’t felt from anyone else in quite some time.”

He reached up, touching his finger to her chest. “You feel happy in there?”

In silence, she nodded once more.

“But… is it… love?”

She drew in a sharp breath. “Yes.”

That same finger now quickly tapped as if he were trying to listen for something within. “There’s love for me in there?”

Placing her hoof on his chest, she let a little smile tug at the corners of her lips. “There’s love for me in here, isn’t there?”

He tucked his head inward, peering at her through his brow. "Yes," he squeaked.

Celestia giggled, bringing her face close to his, their muzzles nearly touching. "I'm glad I'm not alone."

To his surprise, her lips locked with his, the kiss beginning as a fairly awkward affair as Discord didn't quite know what to do. Trying to let himself melt into the embrace, he closed his eyes, relaxing and opening the hand which had been on her chest, placing his open palm over her heart. For another little moment, the two remained in the kiss, her hoof still resting upon his chest and his palm still on hers. Backing away, their lips left one another with a smooch, their eyes locking in the relative darkness of the night and their bodies remaining unmoved.

Snickering, Celestia took her hoof from his chest, placing it over the hand he held to her heart. "What's this doing here, hm?"

Caught a bit off-guard, he stumbled over his tongue for a moment. "I-I was feeling your heart..."

Again, she laughed. "Feeling for what?"

"You said it felt warm and happy. I... guess I wondered if I could feel that."

Holding back a third giggle, her lips curled inward, a little chortle of laughter escaping her throat.

"Well, did you feel anything?" she asked after a moment of recomposure.

His nervous look finally changed to a tiny smile. "Nothing, actually."

Letting herself laugh fully, she slid his hand across to the opposite side of her chest. "That might be because you had your hand in the wrong place."

His smile disappeared as he blushed, the look plastered upon his face making Celestia's smile widen.

"You really are adorable," she commented.

He smirked at her. "Alright, you're the only one that can say I'm adorable. No one else can."

"So, I gained the keys to your heart, as well as the keys to the word 'adorable'?"

He brought up his other hand, snapping his fingers and procuring an old-style key, a paper tag which dangled from it via a bit of string reading 'adorable' in fine inked letters. "Yes, and you can only use it when we're alone. Don't do it around your staff. They might get the wrong idea."

She smiled. "Can I call you Dissy, too?"

"Only if I get to call you K.K."

She sighed. "Fine. Deal."

He closed his hand around the key, making it disappear without a sound, his now empty hand opening and extending to her to offer a hand/hoofshake. "Sounds good to me, K.K."

She took her hoof from his other hand, accepting the shake. "Indeed, Dissy."

He cringed. "I already don't like this deal."

"Neither do I, but we already shook on it."

His mouth opened, but before he could get a word in, she blurted out "No take-backs!"

He scowled. "Oh, fine."

A little moment of silence passed before they both shared a laugh.

"Alright, lets stop acting like a bunch of young fools and get back to finding the coast so we can do this picnic," she explained as she stepped back, letting him float into the upright.

"Agreed, I could eat a horse by now!" he chortled, nudging her with his elbow.

She whistled. "Good thing you don't do shows."

"Oh, I do, just for small audiences."

Smirking, she turned for the door of the ship's center structure. "And you still get boo'd off stage."

He followed close behind, holding his head high and putting a distinguished hand upon his chest. "It's simply a testament to how skilled I am."

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that."

It had become quite a dark night. If not for the fire, nothing but the horizon line would be seen. A blanket of clouds had shrouded the night sky, concealing Luna’s beautiful night from the eyes and hiding its pale blue light. Along with this thick darkness came the cold, and once more, if not for the fire, the two would find themselves shivering. Despite the warmth of the fire, however, the two were still cuddled together, Celestia’s wing unfurled and wrapped around Discord to hold him close, and his arm went around her back, tucked under her other still-furled wing to hold her closer.

Their gazes rested with the flames before them, or at least, Discord’s gaze did. Celestia had her attention focused on the duo of marshmallows she held above the fire with a spell, making sure they didn’t melt too much or catch ablaze. The main course had been finished a while ago; Discord had fried two fillets of Salmon on a little grill grate over the fire, and Celestia had made herself a grilled cucumber sandwich with ingredients Discord had created. Now came Celestia's favorite part of any meal; dessert.

“We need to do this more often.” Discord commented, bringing Celestia’s gaze to him for a moment.

“What, cuddle by a fire?” She asked with a loving smile.

He returned the smile, bobbing his eyebrows. “More cuddling, indeed. But, I was thinking we should have more picnics.”

“Why not every night?”

“Well, your chef is far better at cooking a fillet than I am.”

Celestia paused for a moment. “She's a far better cook than I, as well. We could always have her tag along, she is my chef after all.”

He tightened the grip of the arm he hugged her with, pulling her into his side. “Maybe I'd keep my sub-par cooking to keep our time alone.”

Smiling lovingly, she pecked him with a kiss. “Maybe I would, too.”

The two shared a little giggle, becoming enthralled with their embrace as they turned to face each other, Celestia bringing her foreleg up and putting it around his back to pull his chest into hers. Their lips locked, the kiss beginning in a somewhat awkward fashion as if it were the first time either of them had kissed a lover. But, slowly, the inhibitions melted away, as did the sounds of the world around them; the pop of the fire and the gentle, distant crash of the waves fell out of focus as their lips danced, the feeling of it all becoming more natural with each passing second.

Celestia's one ear perked as she heard a tiny 'whoosh’ of flame, her one eye opening to see the marshmallows were engulfed in fire. She hummed in surprise through their kiss, breaking the engagement as she turned her attention to the marshmallows, her magic quickly encompassing them in totality to extinguish the fire.

“Good job, you nearly ruined dessert.”

She looked back to him. “Hey, this is your fault! You distracted me.”

“You kissed me first!”

Leaning in, she smirked, “Maybe, but you started it, since you were the one to pull me closer.”

Pulling her closer… again, he returned her smile as their muzzles nearly touched. “Sure, but right after that, you gave me a little kiss right here,” he explained in a rather soft tone, his finger coming up to tap his lips.

“You tempted me.”

“You gave into peer pressure.”

Another ‘whoosh’ caught Celestia’s attention, her head snapping towards the fire to see the marshmallows were, again, on fire. Yelping, her magic ceased the flames and brought the overly-toasted treats away from the heat. She looked back to Discord, the two staring at each other for a single second before they both burst out laughing, Discord leaning himself into Celestia as if his fit had taken his strength.

Celestia regained a bit of her composure, huffing out a breath as she levitated graham crackers and some squares of chocolate to herself. “I’m just going to stop talking for a second and actually make our s’mores before something else happens.”

Discord patted her on the shoulder as he suppressed his laughter. “Yes, yes, you do that. Burnt marshmallow isn’t quite my style.”

Completing two treats, Celestia floated one of the sweet sandwiches to him and the other to herself. “Well, luckily, the marshmallows aren’t burnt, just crispy.

Accepting the sticky sweet, Discord observed the thing for a second. “And sticky… how am I supposed to eat this thing without getting it all over my hands?”

Taking a bite of her own treat, Celestia shrugged. He did a double take between her and the s’more before chomping down on the chocolate-y, sugary, crunchy goodness. His posture melted as he let out a long moan, his current bite only being chewed a few times before he bit off another, far larger bite. Giggling, Celestia watched as he finished off his s’more before she had even taken a second bite. He held up his hands, looking at his marshmallow and chocolate dirtied fingers as he smacked and licked his lips, making sounds Celestia could only imagine a newborn foal making.

She laughed as she swallowed her second bite. “I’ve seen newborns with more grace.”

He scowled. “I’d like to see you eat the thing without getting it all over!”

Celestia sat back a bit, distancing herself from him to show she hadn’t a single speck of s’more on her coat, and her lips were nearly perfectly clean. “Observe.”

Waving a sticky hand in dismissal, he scoffed. “Always so clean and perfect.”

“A little Princess still seeps through every once-and-awhile.”

His eyes went wide. “That’s right! You were the Princess at one point! Honestly, it’s hard to remember.”

She laughed. “What, did you forget?”

“Almost, yes. Nothing about…” he held both hands out, waving them up and down as if they were scanning her, “this matches with what I used to know.”

“You have yourself to thank for that. Before you showed up, I was content with spending the next thousand or so years doing nothing and relaxing. Then you came, and… I’ve never felt this free and happy in my whole life.”

Cleaning his hands with a washcloth he had created, Discord looked at her through his brow. “Aw, come on, now, you’re embellishing!”

She leaned in close, her expression stern. “No, I’m serious. You’ve changed my life forever, and I not only thank you for doing so… but I love you for doing so. Before now, I always felt like I had to keep all the things in my mind hidden away, and I felt like I’d never be able to let myself fall in love again,” pausing, she smiled and gave him a little kiss, “you showed me I was wrong.”

“You… never thought you'd love again?”

Nodding, she sighed. “I've had many relationships over my life, and… I’ve never had one end well. The fear of our relationship eventually crumbling terrified me. I didn’t want us to end up hating each other, or for me to drive you away with my negligence… but I had to realize things in my life are different now. I'm not the Princess anymore, and I don’t have to devote my time to my country,” a sweet smile took her expression, “I can devote it to you.”

Taking her by surprise, Discord reached out and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Oh, you're such a big, dramatic dork,” he commented in a soft voice, rubbing his cheek against hers.

She unfurled her wings, encompassing him with them and bringing her forelegs up to return his embrace. “I know… I'm terrible.”

“But,” he leaned back a bit to look her in the eye, “don’t hide yourself from me. I know I sometimes tease you when you talk to me about things, but I don’t do it with ill intentions. If we're going to be together, then I want to help you with whatever problems you have.”

Celestia's eyes shimmered in the firelight, her lip seeming to quiver a bit. “That… that is the sweetest thing you've ever said.”

He chuckled, “Well, good thing I’ve got the rest of time to try and top it.”

Shedding a single tear, though maintaining her smile, Celestia pulled him back into their hug. For a moment, they stayed silent, the sound of the fire and the crash of waves now taking dominance.

“Did you originally come to Sol Point with the intent of making me fall in love with you?” asked Celestia after a time.

Keeping his arms around her, he leaned out of the embrace to look her in the eye. “Honestly, not really. I wanted to become friendlier with you, but as the days ticked by, I began to… well, feel something more.”

She tightened her grip, pulling him back to her. “Then this has been the best accident of my life.”

Together, they moved closer and locked lips, the kiss developing further as the seconds ticked by and their want for one-another grew. The hands Discord held behind Celestia began caressing her back beneath her soft, feathery wings, eventually finding where the two wings met with her back. Splitting his fingers into V shapes, he massaged right at the silky soft bases of her wings, causing her back to arch and push her chest into his as she moaned through the kiss.

Falling back onto their blanket, she kept him on top, throaty moans leaking through her lips as his fingers continued to massage her sensitive wing bases. Carefully, her tongue pressed against his lips, the faint flavor of chocolate and marshmallow hitting her senses. She giggled, breaking their kiss, but keeping their muzzles close.

“Let’s sleep out here tonight.” Discord declared, cutting in before Celestia could jest about the flavor of s'mores.

“Out here?”

“Yes, together, under the stars.”

She looked past him into the blanket of clouds high above. “You mean under the clouds?”

He shook his head. “You got what I mean.”

“Are you sure? We’ve got a perfectly good yacht over there.”

“I’m positive. We’ll put some more wood on the fire and get a blanket from the ship.”

Showing apprehension, but not for the reasons Discord suspected, Celestia looked off to the side.

His expression went to one of concern. “Is… something wrong?”

“No, no, I just…”

“Something’s wrong, don’t lie.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I just don’t know if it would be comfortable out here.”

“Why not? It’s a beautiful night, and the fire would keep us plenty warm.”

Still diverting her gaze and seeming to shrink below him, she stayed quiet for a moment. “Maybe, but, well… I move around a lot in my sleep…”

He brought his face close to hers. "Maybe with me holding you, you'll be still."

Offering a reluctant smile, she moved back an inch. "I-I appreciate the sentiment, but, really, I-"

"Celestia."

She held her breath, looking into his concerned eyes for a moment.

She sighed. “Discord, I… I sometimes have dreams. Bad ones. Ones that wake me in the dead of night."

"You do?"

She nodded. "I've never mentioned it before. It's... actually the main reason I never wanted us sleeping in the same room together," she sighed, "I've always felt a little guilty about that, thinking you might feel I didn't enjoy your company enough, or like you enough."

He chuckled lightly, offering a re-assuring smile. "You know, I was only joking when I suggested we sleep together when I first got here, right?"

She too smiled. "Yes, I know, but the more friendly we became, the more I started considering it. Coming downstairs in the morning to find you sleeping on the couch, or in the tea kettle... or on the ceiling, it always made me feel as if I was... pushing you away?"

"You worry about really silly things."

"Oh, I'm well-aware. It's always been like this, but I'm now truly able to sit down and talk and think about these things. Especially with you here. I don't have to hold any of it in any longer."

He leaned forward, putting his hand on her cheek and kissing her. "And don't ever hesitate to tell me what's on your mind. I want to hear every word of it."

Mushing her muzzle into his, she giggled, "trust me, no you don't."

He locked his lips with hers once more, "you're probably right."

Through their kiss, the two let out little giggles as the embrace they shared gained potency, both of Celestia's hooves rising to tug him closer, and his other hand moving up to take her other untouched cheek. Cautiously, Celestia poked the tip of her tongue through her lips, gently tracing it along his soft lower lip. A tiny, throaty moan escaped him as he returned the favor, the very tips of their tongues slipping past one another. Turning his head, Discord furthered their loving engagement, his one hand sliding from her cheek to the back of her neck, his fingers digging into her mane. She giggled, thoroughly enjoying his tenacity. Moving her hooves down his body, she pulled his midsection into her own, the feeling of his body against hers being a very welcome sensation.

Surprising her, he somewhat broke their kiss as he gently bit her bottom lip, eliciting another little giggle from her. He tugged just a little bit, causing only the tiniest tinge of pain with his bite before releasing her, letting his lips rejoin hers in their lustful dance. For a moment longer, their kiss went on, the tips of their tongues eventually meeting once more, but for only a moment before Celestia pulled her head back, their lips finally departing. Their eyes opened, their gazes locking as steamy, lustful gasps escaped their wetted lips. Giving a little chuckle, Celestia smiled as she began caressing his lower back with one of the two hooves she held him with.

"That... that was good," she commented in a low voice.

He replied by planting her with one last tiny kiss. "So, think we'll spend the night out here together?"

"I think we shall. You've done a fine job or persuading me."

Chuckling, he gently caressed her cheek with the hand he had kept held up. "I was hoping you'd say so."

"So, what do you say we make a few more s'mores? I want to see you trying to eat one again."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, ha-ha. I didn't use any magic, you did," he took his hands away from her, grabbing one of her forelegs and bringing it before them, "I'd like to see you eat one using these things."

She smirked. "This might become the second deal you'll make tonight which you'll come to regret."

He glared at her with determination. "We'll just have to see."

Giggling, she lit up her horn and brought up the skewer which the two previous marshmallows has been cooked upon, stabbing another pair of sugary puffballs onto it and hovering it over the fire. The two moved out of their embrace, sitting side-by-side but still staying close as they watched the slowly rotating skewer held within Celestia's aura.

"Don't burn them this time."

She hit him with her shoulder. "Don't start kissing me, then."

He leaned his head over, pressing his cheek against hers. "Honestly, it's hard to not."

He planted a kiss upon that cheek, eliciting a few excited giggles from her as he continued to tickle her velvety fur with smooches, eventually working his way down to her neck.

"G-Goodness, Discord, the marshmallows are going to get jealous!" she blurted, blushing brightly.

His own cheeks red, she smiled as he pressed his muzzle into her neck, "Why, am I too sweet?" he inquired, his hot breath steamy against her skin.

She laughed, "Yes, you are!"

The very tip of his tongue graced her coat. "Well, I hope you like 'too sweet'."

She gasped as he gently bit her neck, his (in her opinion, absolutely adorable) snaggle-tooth holding the bit he had pinched against his bottom teeth. Tugging only a little, he was quick to release her and again lick her in the same place he had bitten as if to help comfort an invisible wound. Again, a little gasp escaped her as he dragged his tongue up the length of her neck, only stopping once he had reached her cheek, where he left one last kiss. Quickly, she moved to take him in a loving kiss, the lustful engagement only lasting a moment before she broke it, turning her attention to the marshmallows over the fire and moving them away from the flames, and having done so just in time, as any longer and they would have caught ablaze.

"See? I didn't burn them," she commented innocently, her tone having lost that melty, lustful quake it had held moments ago.

"Dang. It didn't work."

She chuckled as her magic worked to prepare their two s'mores. "Had you gotten feelsy with my wings once more, I think you would have succeeded."

Holding out his open palm to accept his s'more, he smiled. "Can I try again?"

She brought up a hoof, bestowing herself and him with a s'more. "Later tonight, indeed," she gave him a suggestive grin, "the rest of me feels a little left out, too."

He put the corner of his s'more in his mouth, offering a loving smile, "Happy to oblige."

Taking his first bite, and thus far being able to keep his hand clean, he watched as she pulled a rather skillful move with her s'more, her hoof moving quickly to rotate the treat onto its end to where it stood vertically, and with haste, she bit it in its entirety, moving her hoof away as she devoured the s'more in a few bites. With her mouth totally full of sticky s'more, she smiled at his somewhat shocked expression. Looking to her hoof, she found that only a little bit of melty chocolate had been left behind, and to Discord's dismay, she reached across and wiped the melted chocolate on his chest as if he were a napkin.

He held his arms out and looked down at his chest in the fashion one would if water had been split on them. "Hey! You're licking that off!"

She swallowed a good portion of the goo-y, sugary treat, smiling to him. "Happy to oblige."

Discord snorted awake as something rocked him from his sleep. Blinking rapidly, he craned his head up to glance about at the blurry, dark world. The moon above was still shrouded by clouds, and the once greatly burning fire he and Celestia laid by was at a mere smolder. Again, something moved him, causing him to look over at the still sleeping Celestia to see she had indeed been the one to wake him. Through blurry eyes he watched her for a moment, her back legs giving a little kick after a moment; the same movement that had woken him up.

Through her uneasy slumber she mumbled and groaned, her foreleg now pushing against the blanket, pressing her back against Discord. Overcoming his tired state of mind, he finally realized what was happening; she was dreaming, and it was quite clearly one of the nightmares she had spoken of. Feeling a nervous knot in his stomach, and feeling a bit more awake, he continued to watch her soft thrashing and listen to her quiet mumbling and groaning.

He was a bit frightened. He didn’t know weather he should wake her, or let her sleep. He knew that waking somepony who sleepwalks is never a good idea, but did the same apply for somepony having a nightmare? Carefully, he laid back down, draping his arm over her and hugging her in an attempt to comfort her. Again, her back leg kicked at the air, quiet mumbles of unintelligible words escaping her with nearly each heavy exhalation.

Pulling himself closer, Discord held her as close as possible, trying to make his long body into a sort of C shaped pillow to embrace her with. His arm moved from being draped over her raised up as he started to lovingly pet down the length of her soft wing, hoping to help her through whatever storm her mind had created.

“You're alright, Celestia. Whatever it is, its just a dream.” He cooed softly, carefully poking his opposite arm underneath her to tug her closer.

The tremble in her hind limbs looked to be subsiding. He continued softly speaking to her, his hand still gently stroking her wing. The mumbles and groans escaping her lips had begun to calm, as had her rather hard breathing. After a time, stillness started to return to her slumber, the sporadic, panicked kick of her hind leg finally ceasing and her voice falling silent.

He sighed a breath of relief as he snuggled his face into the back of her neck, the warmth of her body and her scent; a mixture of campfire and sweet perfume, drifted into his nostrils as he calmed his nerves and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would soon take him away. Wiggling a bit, he got more comfortable, keeping both his arms around her as if he were hugging a big pillow for warmth.

His heart skipped a beat as she bolted awake, screaming in a way he had never heard her or any other creature scream before. She scrambled into a sitting position, her eyes wide and breathing sporadic as she looked around the dark beach.

“Luna!! Luna! Don’t! I-I… I…”

Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes locked with the smoldering ashes remaining in the fire pit. Letting out a long, shivering sigh, her head drooped and her ears went flat with her head.

“I-It wasn’t real. It-it only happened once. N-Never again.”

Discord’s hand gingerly came to rest upon her shoulder, the act meant to comfort having the opposite effect as Celestia yelped, jumping and flipping around to face him.

“Celestia! It’s me!” He blurted, quickly holding up both hands and moving back as he anticipated her to do something drastic.

All that came, however; was her glaring stare, her fear and pain filled gaze burning into his. In what little light there was, he could see the start of tears welling up in her eyes.

Her breath shook as she shut her eyes, hiding behind her mane. “I-I-I’m sorry…”

“Awww~!” exclaimed Discord as he moved back to her, taking her in a big, comforting hug and letting her nuzzle the side of her face into his chest, “there’s no reason at all to be apologizing!”

Her response was a restrained whimper, her body shaking in his embrace as she quietly and softly wept.

“You’re alright, Celestia,” he cooed, petting from the top of her head all the way down to her wings, “it was just a dream, you’re alright now.”

"I w-wanted… I wanted our first morning together to be happy.”

Putting both hands on her shoulders and moving her back, he looked down to meet her teary gaze. “Who says it can’t still be happy?”

She remained quiet, sniffling and breaking her eye contact with him.

He took her chin in his hand, turning her face back to him as he craned his head down to where their muzzles nearly touched. “Whatever dream you had, it was in the past. Whatever problems you had back then are solved now. The past was dark, for both of us, but right now, here and now, things are brighter than they’ve ever been,” he gave her a kiss, a kiss she hadn’t expected, and thus, hadn’t reciprocated, “you waking up the way you did isn’t going to ruin how happy I am.”

Her sorrowful expression slowly turned into a smile, a somewhat inhibited smile that was undermined by her wet cheeks and blood-shot eyes, but a smile nonetheless.

In a timid fashion, she returned his kiss. “You… really are the sweetest Draconequus I’ve ever met.”

“Oh? How many Draconequus have you met?”

She let out a tiny giggle as she planted a peck of a kiss on his nose. “Two. The old you, and this you.”

“Well, then you're easily the sweetest Celestia I’ve ever met.”

The two shared a laugh and a kiss.

“Didn’t have a fancy for Princess Celestia?”

“I prefer Retired Celestia far more.”

“I think I prefer Retired Celestia far more, as well.”

Again, they laughed together, a bout of silence taking over once their laughter ceased.

“Well,” began Discord as he looked towards the smoldering fire pit, “are we going back to sleep, or…?”

Closing her eyes, Celestia focused on something unseen to him, her ears angling forward as if she listened for something in the distance.

“It's too late to go back to bed.”

He raised a brow. “Well, then what time is it?”

“About half past 5, which means it's time for her to start rising.”

Her eyes reopened as she turned back to him, finding a perplexed expression contorting his face.

“And… you know this how?”

“I ask where she is, and she tells me.”

He blinked a few times. “Well, that certainly is a unique skill.”

She smiled innocently. “I think so.”

Clearing his throat, he looked towards the dying fire. “So, should we make some tea on this wonderful morning?”

“Oh, I think that sounds lovely. What say you get the kettle and tea, and I’ll get wood for the fire?”

With a snap of the fingers, the said items appeared, floating just a short distance above his outstretched hand. “Easier done than said.”

Her horn crackled to life, a stack of 6 freshly chopped logs popping into existence within the smoldering fire pit.

“I concur.”

Giggling, the two went to work preparing their tea.

Dear Sister,
As I watched over your slumbers, the clouds of fear, pain, and anger which shroud you from the lights of comfort reverberate into mine own waking life. What memories and visions plagued a rest that had started as peaceful and happy are but curses so begrudgingly forced upon you by the disharmonious who have lived in time. Curses I hold no elixir for. Tried, I did, to remove my own image from the reality you dreamt. These frames of the mind are untamperable when drawn from memory rather than conjured from free thought. In these two thousand years my heart has held a tempo I am still without a reason for as to why.

It pains me knowing my own deeds are what brings your nights such stress. Pains me even more that nothing in my power can be done to truly negate what you feel. Your distance only pains me more in this regard. If not for the mortal obligations I face within this waking realm, every night you place your head down to rest and every morning it raises to return you from slumber, no matter if sleep brought terror or not, I would be there to follow you through each beat. Still not proper compensation for past wrongs, I do think. Maybe I embark upon a futile search, seeking to right wrongs done so long ago. My dear adjutant Frolicsome Meadowlark does often say I have more than fully reconciled with a millennium’s past mistake, but guilt and unease has never fled from my thoughts.

Know you are not alone in the seemingly empty road that is the past. Know I feel whatever pain you carry is unjust pain. Know your actions years ago have left me with no hate for you. Guilt, of which you do so feel for my banishment, should not be felt. You detest me saying so, and you have made your case many times, but I stand resolute. Should it be needed, I would suffer those thousand years again. For you, I would. You know how little of how much I love you, and how close I hold you to my heart. I am given such meager tools to express such feelings. Words are but sound, as writing is but symbols. No way is there for me to truly convey how dear you are to me.

Anxiously, I wait for this month to pass so my visit with you can be underway.

-Luna

Celestia kept her eyes on the finely calligraphic name of her sister for a time before letting the letter fall to the coffee table she sat before in the Boundless Chaos’s living room. She drew in a sharp breath, looking out the big bay window to her side at the foggy, dim coastline that scrolled by in the distance, the morning sun hardly able to make it past the thick cloud cover and blanket of fog which hugged the coast.

“Leave it to my sister to make the statement ‘I’m sorry for the past, I love you and miss you’ into a three-paragraph essay,” she commented, her voice holding a stern, serious, almost melancholy tone rather than a joking one.

Looking up from his book and dipping his head to peek over his bi-focal reading glasses, Discord gazed at her from his chair opposite the table. “I take it she was mentioning your dream this morning.”

Having her gaze remain beyond the confines of the ship, she nodded. “She was. She spoke of how she wished she could be here to comfort me when I wake up from a nightmare, as she has in the past, but there’s something she doesn’t know,” meeting his gaze, her thoughtful expression shifted to a little smile, “she doesn’t know I have you.”

He returned her smile. “I told you I’m here for you.”

“I know, and I don’t think you realize what a difference you’ve already made in my life. This morning… you let me forget about that nightmare. I didn’t break down in tears- “

She paused as she noticed his look, a look that said ‘Oh, really?’.

“I didn’t spend 5 minutes weeping, is what I mean, and I didn’t pace around nervously or take a walk with my cup of tea to let myself unwind and to meditate on things. You… did all of that in a minute.”

Looking away once more, she peered out at the misty coastline and drew in a breath.

“You’ve made me feel free again.”

No words came from Discord, his tongue caught in his throat is he failed to come up with an adequate reply.

“You’re… welcome, I suppose,” He finally returned.

She turned back to him. “I am welcome. I’m more thankful than I can say.”

Still speechless, he chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s… nothing really, I’m just doing what I should as a lover; be there when you need me.”

“And I want to be here for you, too. Don’t hesitate to talk about things that trouble you,” she chuckled, blushing a little, “I feel like I’m taking the spotlight, since I’ve been the only one talking about my past.”

He shrugged. “Other than…" he shuddered, his nose wrinkling, "the things I had done to you, I don’t really have anything to mention.”

She sat up straighter. “But you do! You feel bad about what you’ve done to me all those years ago.”

Tilting his head and raising a corner of his mouth, he looked off to the side, “true, but it’s not… complicated? I feel terrible and disgusted about it, and seeing that scar on your chest brought all that stuff to the surface. That’s about it.”

“So, you repressed those memories because you felt ill about them?”

“If you put it in such a way, I suppose so, yes.”

“And seeing the cuts on my chest upset you?”

He paused, looking down to the floor for a moment before turning his gaze back up to hers. “Immensely, yes. Not just the three I caused… all of them. I don’t like the idea of anyone hurting you… at all. If I were to be honest, it angered me.”

She looked a bit worried, yet there was something more to the look in her eyes. Disappointment was, somehow, a vibe he got.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m… a lot sappier than you thought I was.”

“No-no-no, it’s not that… it’s…” she paused, sighing, “since that day I showed you my scars, they’ve also been back on my mind, bringing a lot of old memories up with them. That spell… up until that point I hadn’t undone it in years. I’ve been thinking about this, debating if I should or not, since I’m not in the public eye and whatnot… but I want to keep that spell undone. Forever.”

Looking a bit surprised, he closed his book. “You do?”

She nodded. “I know it would be a little jarring for the staff and yourself… especially yourself, but reading Luna’s letter reminded me of something. These memories and dreams I have are my own. She can’t fight them off, and neither can you. It’s my undertaking, something I must face. I think wearing my scars is the first step. The only reason I ever began to cover them was to keep myself hidden from them, not to keep them hidden from my ponies. I started telling myself it was to keep an image of strength, keeping my body so clean and unharmed, but I know it’s a lie.”

“I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer is yes.”

“Y-you’re sure?”

He put a hand on his chest. “If I told you no, I’d be the worst lover to ever love. What you want to do with your life is none of my business, especially if you feel that what you want to do will make things better.”

She blushed lightly, dipping her head and looking at him through her brow. “I couldn’t ask for a better lover.”

“Neither could I, Celestia.”

For a little moment, they remained silent as they looked into one another’s eyes. Celestia was the first to break their gaze as she shut her eyes, holding her head up and straightening her posture. Yellow magic began to glow around her horn, seconds later pillars of that same yellow light began rising from many places on her body, the brightest spots being beneath her left wing and her chest. Gradually, the lights died down, their departure leaving a sight that, despite having seen it once before, still seemed so incredibly foreign to him.

It gave him pause. The many marks and cuts dotting her once perfect body reminded him of how imperfect she was. It only made him love her more.

“You said that spell kept you looking pretty,” he commented, bringing her eyes to him, “I think you’re far more beautiful with it gone.”

She held up a leg and traced a long gash with her hoof. “You really think so?”

Quietly, he nodded. After a little while of looking over herself, Celestia brought her gaze to his, her lips curling into a smile.

“I love you, Discord.”

“I love you, too, Celestia.”

Epilogue

View Online

Discord paused at the railing of the third-floor balcony within Sol Point’s entry hall. Smiling, he leaned against the rail to look down at Celestia standing on the estate’s stone-paved entry platform in front of the inviting, wide open double doors. It was just a bit past 9 A.M, putting the eastern morning sun in just the perfect position to shine its warm orange light past the trees and mountains into the ever-so-lively and lush garden that lay proudly before the estate. That calm light too shined upon Celestia, whose figure always seemed to glow whether stood in direct sunlight or darkness. Her radiance glowed brighter than ever in the current moment, as she was adorned with a purely white, silky, long-flowing dress, and her temple wore a crescent bouquet of wildflowers she had picked a mere hour ago from both the garden and the surrounding wilderness.

He could hardly take his eyes of her. Somehow, for every day of the last month they had been together, she seemed to get more and more beautiful. Today was the first time since his unplanned arrival at the estate he had seen her wearing any form of garments, that is, unless one counted the stocking and lingerie she sometimes adorned herself with during their nights on the Boundless Chaos. This was, he supposed, a far different type of garment for a far different type of occasion. Today was a red-letter day, after all; it was the day Princess Luna came to visit. One could tell without being told the occasion. Not only was Celestia preened and dressed, but as were the estate's staff, the estate itself, and even Discord. He had combed his tuft of chin fur, slicked up his black mane, and put on a little suit jacket, complete with a tie.

This was Princess Luna, after all. This proud estate and her staff wouldn’t dream of putting on a poor presentation for her Highness.

“Hey, Discord.”

He jumped, flipping around to see a pristinely kept Raven wearing a nicely pressed jacket similar to his, as well as a small black scarf, standing a distance behind him down the hall.

“Wha- where in the world did you come from?!”

“Uh… I was in my room getting cleaned up? Didn’t you hear my door open?”

“I suppose I didn’t… regardless, it’s rude to sneak up on someone like that!”

She shook her head, “whatever. You look nice, by the way.”

He smiled, standing up a bit straighter, “oh, why thank you! You too look smashing in your suit and scarf.”

She chuckled, her azure magic lighting up for a moment as she adjusted her lapels, “thanks to you, as well. I always questioned why I bothered bringing nice clothes with me to this place, but I guess it paid off.”

“Oh, well, with Her Highness visiting, we've all got to be kept at some sort of standard.”

Raven snorted out a little laugh as she continued on down the hallway, “can't be standing around how we usually look. I stopped bothering with combing my mane and tail, like, a month ago. Not much reason in getting cleaned up to sit around reading, eating, and walking all day, is there?”

He nodded in concurrence. “Indeed, no point at all.”

Looking after her for a moment, he watched as she trotted down the spiral steps before turning his gaze back towards Celestia. He had noticed that, as time had gone on, the estate staff had become far more relaxed than when he had first shown up. Raven had always worn some type of secretarial-type jacket and kept her mane tied up into a ponytail, the Chefs were always seen in their pressed chef's coats, especially the ever-proud Chef Tea and her sleek, black head-chef jacket, and the rest of the staff always kept themselves quite presentable. In more recent times, however, nopony would typically give much attention to their manes or tails in the morning, and it wasn’t often one would find all the staff in one place other than during meals or evenings post-dinner, as typically, they were out hiking as a group, swimming, or using the houseboat Discord had created for them. The H.M.S Rootbeer Float made a wonderful sister ship to the Boundless Chaos, Discord thought.

Finally opting to join his Alicorn downstairs rather than observe her from above, he gave a quick snap of the fingers to teleport him to the base floor of the entry hall, his spell drawing Celestia’s attention to him. For a split second, he found himself entirely enthralled with her. He wished he had her camera. Her smile gleamed nearly as bright as her pristine dress and mane, and the morning sun put a beautiful halo around her as if she were some sort of ethereal being.

“Well, don’t you look dashing.” Celestia praised with a grin, bobbing an eyebrow at him.

He returned that smile, holding his posture straight as he tugged at his red and black plaid tie, “Dashing, sure, but I couldn’t hold a candle to your beauty. Not even an entire sun, for that matter.”

She blushed, dipping her head and giggling, “such a big flatterer.”

“Aren’t I always?” he inquired as he walked to her side, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

“You always are.”

With that, they shared a quick kiss, gazing into each other’s eyes for a moment once their lips parted before looking out into the garden that lay before them. Then, a mechanical click cut the quiet air, drawing the couple’s attention back into the entry hall to find Raven looking at them through the viewfinder of Celestia’s camera.

“Wow, that was absolutely perfect. Kiss again, I wasn’t ready the first time.”

The couple looked to one another, giving the other a smirk before complying, engaging in a loving kiss long enough for Raven to snap a few pictures.

“Yep. Absolutely perfect. These’ll make wedding photographers blush.”

Celestia did a double-take between herself and Discord. “You know, we do look like a bride and groom…”

“By the stars, we do! Hey, maybe this is a glimpse of the future.”

“Well, if this is what the future holds, I can’t wait for time to fly.”

“Wow, that was sappy,” commented Raven, bringing their attention to her once more.

Celestia chuckled, “I thought you’d have gotten used to this by now.”

Teleporting the camera back into the study, Raven nodded, “oh, I have, but it never hurts to razzle you about it.”

The sound of several sets of hooves on the entry hall staircase brought Raven’s gaze upward to see the three Chefs making their way downstairs. Chef Tea led the pack, her black chef’s jacket blending nicely with her shiny clay-brown coat and her leafy green mane and tail. Flip’s curly blonde mane and her pale blue coat were in far better repair than usual, and the white chef’s jacket both she and Pan Sear wore were nicely ironed, not a crease or fold out of place. The purely, powder white mane, tail, and fur that Pan Sear sported gave her a very vibrant appearance, her deeply orange eyes almost seeming to glow in the sunlight.

“Alright, we’re here,” declared Tea as she made it to the second story landing, her two comrades close behind.

Celestia clapped her hooves. “Wonderful! Now we just need everypony else!”

As if on queue, Vesper poked her head over the third story railing. “Hey, Celestia, we’re ready!”

Discord chuckled. “Well, I suppose we’re good to go.”

The three Chefs and Raven joined up and stood in a row off to Celestia’s left, Raven being closest to Celestia, naturally, and after finally making it all the way down the stairs, the other four staff went to Discord’s right, putting the couple right in the center of the formation. Upon finally grouping together, a moment of silence passed before Discord did a take across the group.

“Alright, now what?”

“We wait,” returned Celestia, “it’s 9:29, and she said she’d be here at 9:30.”

He looked around again, “I suppose the sky turning black, clouds swirling overhead, and the crack of thunder will give us a good idea of when she’s about to show up?”

Celestia, as well as most everypony in the staff, gave a chuckle.

“No, Discord, there won’t be any grand display,” assured Celestia.

“Her chariot won’t pierce the dark clouds as it zooms toward the estate, circling down and landing right before us all as she dismounts, her black cloak turning into bats as she declares ‘the Princess of the Night graces thee with her presence!’?”

A blue strobe of light and the pop of a teleportation spell split the calm air, Discord turning his gaze forward to find Luna standing at the base of the estate’s gently sloped staircase, her figure only adorned with her typical Royal regalia and her single, brown and black luggage bag sitting off to her side.

“Greetings!” she chimed.

Discord crossed his arms. “That was anti-climactic.”

The bright smile on the Princess’s face faded to a look of great confusion, not because of Discord’s words, but because of just what she saw before her. Slowly, with her bag floating at her side, she began going up the stairs.

“What… what is this?”

Celestia chuckled in confusion. “What do you mean, sister?”

Luna scanned an outstretched hoof over the group. "This! Is this... all for me?”

Laughing, Celestia stepped forward to meet her sister as she scaled the final step and came onto the landing, “it isn’t for anypony else, Luna.”

The two sisters laughed jovially as they locked their hooves around one another, Celestia’s larger figure and big white wings nearly totally consuming the younger Alicorn, as she had unfurled her wings to hold her as closely as possible.

“Oh, goodness, Celestia, you didn’t need to bother having your family dress themselves up for me!” Luna laughed, her speech a bit muffled, as her cheek was pressed into Celestia’s chest.

“Oh, nonsense!” returned Celestia as she patted Luna on the back, her wings unfurling to allow her to back out of their hug a bit, “If my sister is coming, then she’s only getting the best welcome party!”

Looking away from her sister, Luna browsed over the crowd before her, everypony returning her gaze with a genial smile, “and the best welcome party, I did get!” with that, she and Celestia broke their embrace, Luna now trotting over towards the estate's staff, “so, so good to see you all again! Chefs, your presence is dearly missed in the kitchen.”

Chef Tea chuckled, “glad we did such a good job, your Highness.”

Luna waved a hoof, “please, forget formalities. No ‘highness' will be needed for while I'm here.”

Raven gave a little laugh, “Sol Point, where none is royalty.”

“Exactly right, dear friend. For these next couple days, I am nothing more than a sister to Celestia.”

“So, no saluting when you walk by, and we don't have to do formations in the morning?” asked Discord.

She looked at him a moment before glancing to Celestia, “I assume the jokes won't stop even while I'm here, will they?”

Celestia shook her head, laughing. “Nope. You doomed yourself when you sent that portrait.”

Luna turned back to the grinning Draconequus, looking him over a moment before laughing and coming forward, rearing up on her hind legs and pulling him into an unexpected hug.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way! So good to finally see you after having heard so much from Celestia!”

A bit stunned, he slowly returned her embrace, his eyes locked with Celestia's, as she stood a little ways away. “Well, good to hear I’m, uh, held in such high regard.”

Celestia blushed, gazing at him through the corner of her eye, “you of all should know I hold you so close.”

Grunting as Luna's hug tightened for a moment before she released him, Discord smiled nervously, “I suppose I should, and its very good to see you once again, Luna.”

She chuckled. “Luna. I think that's the first time you've ever said my name as opposed to calling me LuLu.”

“Well, I'll make sure it's the last time, LuLu.”

“Touche, Dissy.”

He went pale as she darted a look to Celestia, who shrugged.

Luna laughed, patting him on the side before turning to address the rest of the family. “Well, let us drop the formalities and go inside! I'd love to catch up with you all.”

Celestia came to a halt at the top of the stairs ascending into the study and stood off to the side to grant her sister entrance.

“Goodness, I forgot how wonderful this place is.”

Celestia chuckled proudly, “yeah… this place is, well, wonderful.”

It was a bit past noon, and lunch had just concluded. After spending a few hours with the whole family, talking, laughing, and reminiscing, Luna had declared that she and Celestia should spend some time alone, much to Discord’s dismay, as he was now left alone in the living room while the staff went on about their business. Luna stopped right in the middle of the room, taking a long glance around before meeting Celestia’s gaze.

“You never cease to amaze me, sister.”

Celestia raised a brow as she began walking towards her desk. “What do you mean?”

“Everything. Out of all eventualities I’ve thought of, all the ideas I’ve held about the future, not a single one of them was this.”

Dropping into her chair, Celestia chuckled, “I told you about the estate long ago, and even gave you a tour. You didn’t think I’d retire?”

“No-no-no, not at all what I mean. I knew you’d retire, what I didn’t foresee is Discord. Or how he’s changed you, or rather, how you’ve let him change you. Wearing your scars, not fearing them or the memories tied to them. Living in true freedom; freedom from the ultimate oppressor; one's self. In a month, you accomplished the goal every living creature has strived to reach; live free of care.”

Not at all knowing how to craft a reply to a statement like that, Celestia opted to let out a little nervous chuckle.

“T-To be fair, I still do worry about things. I worry if I’m loving enough, I worry if I’m spending enough time with my friends, and I worry about you.”

Humming, Luna looked away, pacing over to the bookcase at the other end of the room.

“Maybe so, but I see your feelings differently. What worries you does not hold true leverage over you. You do not worry. Worrying is to give way to apprehension, to drown in anxiety. You do not worry. You simply observe, check, and question. You observe yourself to ensure you love enough, you check on the time you spend with your family and your lover, and you question me. You ask how my days play out, and you ask if I am still in good health, but you do not worry. Months ago, you worried. Your mind was plagued with anxieties, so much so that they held you back from living the life you yourself created, and followed you through the waking world into sleep. Noticed, have you not, your lack of nightmares? Not my doing, sister, that is your doing. You do not worry. How you do not, I still fail to fully grasp. In fact, I spend far more time studying your dreams than I otherwise did, for I too wish to find the key which unlocks this freedom of mind. I suppose it is foolish of me; I must worry. I have a nation to look over.”

Celestia still remained speechless, only able to look on as Luna levitated an all-too-familiar photo album from the shelf, its binding reading ‘Life Since the Advent of Discord’. Opening to the first photos; despite being the one to have them developed and returned, she still smiled upon seeing them once more.

“I may give you too much credit. This Draconequus of yours has been more than just a catalyst in getting you to open your heart and mind. Without Discord, in fact, I feel we would be in square one. You let your rivers of anxieties flow before him, and he took the fabric of your words and tied them into bows. I see, truly, why you hold him so close. He is your freedom.”

“He’s my everything.”

Luna looked over her shoulder to her sister, “he is, indeed. I truly hope the love you share with him shall last until the universe’s end. I hope my own life cuts short before your bond with him is tarnished.”

Celestia frowned deeply, “come on, don’t say that.”

“It is the truth, no jest, for if I must witness your splitting, then I shall have to rip his heart out.”

“What if it’s my fault?”

“Then I shall rip his heart out and beat you with it.”

The sisters shared a little laugh, Celestia looking off to the side while Luna continued flipping through the album she held. So many photos of the two happily being in one another’s company. The photos too reflected the adventurous and carefree nature her sister had adopted. In every picture, they seemed to do something different. Be it sailing, sitting high up on a cloud, camping, exploring the surrounding landscape, or having a meal with the staff, they always looked happier than ever.

After a few more page turns, however, Luna found herself witness to photos she had not been privy to, and at that end, photos she never fathomed seeing. A proper photographer would certainly call these new pictures ‘tasteful'; despite their pornographic nature, they were wonderfully produced as if taken in a studio. The lighting was superb, showing off the highlights and lowlights of each of their figures, both Celestia's and Discord's curves being quite pronounced and beautiful. Their backdrop was a bed with dark red sheets she had never seen before, and further in the background was a room she didn’t recognize from any previous pictures. It all worked to extenuate the acts they participated in, be it solo or together, their poses just as compromising and revealing as the next.

Suddenly, a yellow aurora ripped the album out of her magic, causing her to jump and dart her gaze to Celestia, who drew the album close and hid it behind her desk.

“I-I forgot those were in there!” she blurted, her cheeks bright red.

Luna smirked. “What use could you possibly have for taking such pictures? And… where did you get them produced?”

Celestia hid behind her mane. “I… wanted to make memories. It was Discord’s idea to begin with! He put the studio and dark room in our ship.”

Luna peered out the study window to the aforementioned Boundless Chaos and her smaller comrade the Root Beer Float, which sat anchored a little ways downstream.

“Your ship has a photography studio?”

Celestia nodded. “Yeah, she does. We got rid of the hull kitchen and living room, since if we weren’t in bed together, we were upstairs, and if we weren’t camping and cooking by fire, we were getting dinner here in the estate.”

“I am sure the staff appreciate you two keeping…” she cleared her throat, looking to the album still floating in Celestia's magic, “that… to yourselves.”

Celestia chuckled. “Not entirely. My bedroom in the estate has seen its fair share of fun.”

“And I am sure this room too has been host to a fruitful night?”

Celestia paused for thought. “Actually, no, but thank you for the idea.”

Rolling her eyes, Luna began pacing her way towards Celestia’s desk, “quite welcome. I won’t have to worry myself with the idea of coming upon you two together during my stay, shall I?”

“No, you won’t. Discord and I’ll keep calm at night. Maybe I’ll sleep with you for a night, for old-time’s sake! Besides, being separated from him for a while would only make it all the better when we’re together once more.”

Stopping before the desk, Luna offered a little smile, “provided you don’t snore too loudly, I have no issue with that. Separation sometimes does the heart well. We are prime examples. In these three months of your absence, I have never felt closer to you.”

Celestia lit up. “I’m not the only one! We’ve been so far apart, but somehow, I feel so much closer to you! Maybe it’s the short communique through our letters, but for some reason, it just feels… better, you know?”

Luna nodded. “Somehow, it does. Has always been our case, however. Should we go for too long without separation, it always seemed we both became rather… irritable. I often ponder that occurrence. No two beings have been closer than we, and no two have stood by one another’s side for longer, yet we fail to manage a long-term comradery. Is the cause our deep, vast knowledge of one another? Often said that opposites attract, but are we too opposite?”

Celestia gave pause for thought. “Some ponies simply don't get along together. Some, on the other hoof, can’t stand to be away from one another. Discord and I have been like that. Even if just a few hours go by without him at my side, I start to miss him. The days he leaves for game night with his pals are always the worst, but when he comes home, it’s all the sweeter,” she paused once more, turning her gaze down to her desk as she let out a sigh, “I… often wonder why we can't be that way.”

Luna nodded. “In my times of meditation, that exact concept often enters my school of thought. We two share a bond deeper than any, and love each other to the world's end… yet we cannot get along.”

The air in the study went silent, both sisters sitting in their own little bubbles of thought.

“Despite all,” Luna began, “I find myself happier than ever. It calms me knowing we feel the same on this issue, and the fact we hold enough confidence with one another to… agree on our relationship, and not dance around the truth or lie on our feelings… that brings me great peace. Thank you, Celestia.”

Chuckling sweetly, Celestia stood from behind her desk, “of course, Luna!” trotting to her sister, she embraced her in a loving hug, “I… always try and do my best to be honest.”

Giving Celestia a pat on the back, Luna nodded. “I know you do, sister. Hard to be honest, most times.”

“It can… certainly be a challenge.”

Again, that moment of silence returned, hanging on the air for a fair while before Celestia backed out of their embrace a bit and smiling down to her little sister.

“Love you, Luna.”

Luna pulled her back in. “I love you, too, Celestia.”

“You know, I too have been happier than ever. Knowing you’re safe; knowing you’re enjoying yourself and having fun doing what you’ve always wanted to do… it calms a lot of the nerves that I had when I first retired. I’m happy for you, Luna, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about how our lives are going.”

A bright smiled pulled at the corners of Luna’s lips. “Neither would I.”

For a time, the two simply enjoyed their embrace, the seconds seeming to crawl by. After a little while longer, Luna pulled her head back to smile up at Celestia, who brightly returned her little sister's smile.

“So, sister, where is that Draconequus of yours? I'd like to have a word with him.”

Releasing her sister, Celestia looked around a bit, “I… haven’t a clue, actually,” she got to her hooves, Luna following as she walked to the study staircase, “last I saw him he was in the living room…” now at the first step of the stairs, Celestia craned her head down to better project her voice into the estate, “oh, Diiiscord~!”

The pop of magic brought her gaze around to find him standing right behind her.

“Yes, love?” he inquired with a smile.

“Oh! Well, Luna says she’d like to talk to you.”

He flipped around to meet Luna's gaze. “I'm not in trouble, am I?”

Shaking her head and laughing, Luna turned around as she made her way towards the reading bench near the study's fireplace. “Hardly. In fact, I wished to give you my utmost thanks.”

He raised a brow, turning back to look at Celestia, who smiled and shrugged as she walked for her desk.

“You would?” he inquired as he flipped back around.

Taking a seat, Luna nodded. "Indeed, I would. You’ve come to surprise me. Every day that passes I grow happier that you're here, as I'm sure my sister does, too.”

Celestia nodded in concurrence. “Couldn't be happier.”

Discord did a double-take between the two, his gaze finally landing with Luna. “You do?”

“You've made my sister into the happiest, freest, calmest mare she's ever been. You did something I thought impossible. For that, I thank you, and with open hooves, I welcome you into my heart and family, and hope that your love with Celestia shall outlast this world.”

Speechless, he let his gaze wander, his eyes meeting Celestia's smile after a moment.

She laughed heartily, shaking her head. “I know, she did that to me earlier,” she looked to Luna, “you have a talent for taking the words from a pony's throat.”

“I always have, sister.”

“Now, I thought I was going to get yelled at because she had found our photo album, or something.”

Luna chuckled, “I have been witness to your… lewd photos, but I was not upset about them. If anything, I found them rather enjoyable, at least, the ones which did not include my sister.”

His cheeks went red with blush. “Wait, what?”

“I left it on the shelf other there, and she ended up finding it.” Celestia explained, her words causing Discord to put his hands on his hips.

“Really? I’m surprised you didn’t leave the Saffafelen out, too.”

Celestia went pale, Luna's expression quickly turning into a surprised grin as she darted her gaze to her sister.

“Saffafelen, hm? Since when did you use such a plant?”

Celestia groaned as she put her head on her desk. “That was also his idea…”

“Blame everything on me, will you?!”

“But… this is your fault! She wouldn’t have found out if you had kept your big mouth closed!”

Luna chuckled. “Sister, I fail to understand why you thought it crucial to hide your use of Saffafelen from me. I have been using its medicinal and hallucinogenic properties since it was first discovered. Have you also forgotten that it was I who pushed for its deregulation 20 years back?”

Celestia nodded. “I… I know, but I was just embarrassed by it. I labeled it as contraband in the first place, yet here I am using it regularly.”

“Only shows me you aren’t stubbornly steadfast with antiquated, ignorant conceptions of a plant which has only helped our nation. The ponies get much better rest at night thanks to Saffafelen, and birth rates have gone up thanks to its role as an aphrodisiac.”

Discord snickered, “that’s one of the reasons Celly likes it so much.”

Luna nodded, “I figured as much,” she looked back to Celestia, “does you family here know of you and your lover's use of it?”

“Considering I give them some, I'd say yes,” explained Discord.

Celestia giggled. “Yeah, he has. It makes the evenings we all spend together in the living room far more fun, and its certainly made our nights on the Boundless Chaos even more fun,” again, she giggled as she reminisced, “since we started using it, the last while has blurred into this…” she leaned back in her chair, gazing up into the ceiling, “lustful, pleasure-filled, intoxicatingly wonderful blur.”

Knowingly, Luna hummed. “The reason behind taking those pictures, hm? Your own mind paints on a wet canvas, and you wished to have a crisp image to look back on.”

A bit surprised by Luna's perfect intuition, Celestia nodded. “Yeah… that's exactly why. Well, that, and I have something for when Discord is off spending time with his pals,” she turned her gaze to him, shooting him a loving, lustful grin, “just your picture is enough, most times.”

He returned that look, growling sensually and clawing his talons at her, “your picture's more than enough for me.”

The two shared a lusty little giggle, gazing into one another's eyes from across the room while Luna simply shook her head.

“No less than three months prior you stood atop the highest podium in our nation, a fair, cleanly kept mare who held herself in the utmost highest of regards, and who kept herself from worldly pleasures to maintain her government. Now, here you sit, care-free as a falcon in a thermal, paying no heed to the expectations once held of you as you go about having what I can infer to be copious amounts of sex with your lover and spending long periods of time under the influence of a hallucinogenic plant. While I couldn’t be prouder, honestly, I must ask… what happened?”

Celestia's smile faded a bit as she let her sight wander a moment, but eventually, her gaze met with Discord's, and she gave him a bright smile.

“I grew up.”