I've lost my head, I've lost my way

Trying to find what I can't replace.

Three little words I heard you say...

~"New Love (Acoustic)", Ashleigh Ball-Hey Ocean!

A/N:

Hi everyone! Here it is, the sequel to "The Most Chaotic Night Ever!" Thank you all so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy ^_^

The Most Chaotic Date Ever!

Chapter 1:

New Love

---

In her bed on this moonlit night, Princess Celestia tossed and turned. Her sleep was uneasy, as it had been on and off for the last few months. And during the past week, her nocturnal restlessness had been especially troubled. She hadn't even been able to dream.

Suddenly, in a blue burst of magic, Princess Luna appeared in the room and approached her sister's bed. She frowned at the sight of the day princess's troubled rest but then smiled and closed her eyes. They opened to reveal a bright teal glow. Luna bent her head and lightly touched her horn to Celestia's.

The night princess pulled back after a couple of seconds; the glowing of her eyes ceased.

Still asleep, Celestia let out a sigh and finally became peaceful. She even gave a small smile.

Luna's smile grew. "Sleep well, sister…" she whispered softly, "…and listen to your dreams, whatever they bring. I've made it so you can speak to the wisest pony I know. Either way, I'm sure you'll feel better soon: Discord will return from his latest adventure soon. I know you've missed your dear friend these past three months while he's been away for the summer."

Luna stepped back and teleported herself away.

Celestia snuggled against her pillow. And then Celestia began to dream.

---

In the land of dreams, Celestia found herself resting in one of her favorite places—the small valley near the edge of the statue garden. She smiled as memories of all the picnics and talks and pranks she and Discord had shared here over the years went through her mind.

Then she heard a burst of magic and the sound of someone approaching from behind her.

The sun princess blushed lightly and smiled more. "Discord?" Celestia turned…but blinked.

There before her stood…herself?

Indeed, a second Celestia looked back at her with an all-knowing smile.

Celestia remained still for a moment then let out a breath. "I'm dreaming."

"Either that or I'm afraid Queen Chrysalis has gotten rather bold in terms of who she's willing to impersonate," Dream Celestia replied.

Celestia hesitated for a moment.

Dream Celestia sighed. "I was joking. But if it makes you feel any more certain that I'm not a changeling…sometimes you used to hide on the castle balcony that overlooks the unicorn school courtyard and secretly watch Twilight at recess; and one time you saw the kids all partner-up for a game but she ended up the only one alone. So you quickly sent a message asking her to meet you in your study, and the two of you spent the next hour playing hide and seek." Dream Celestia's smile warmed. "You've never told that to anyone, not even Luna. Chrysalis wouldn't know."

Celestia sighed and smiled warmly too. "So I am dreaming." She approached. "Funny, I've never dreamed of myself before."

"Yes, well, you can thank Luna for this," Dream Celestia explained. "She knows you haven't been sleeping well lately, so she thought some time for introspection might be helpful. Ponies often find it illuminating to confront themselves in dreams; you can't hide the truth from you, after all."

Celestia paused and swallowed. "I don't know what you mean."

Dream Celestia went on with ease. "You thought I was Discord. And you were hoping I had come to laugh and tease you…and then to pounce you to the ground in play…but then, as usual in this dream of yours, your eyes catch as he lingers over you, he playfully asks if you want him to stop, and you just blush and smile. Then he leans in for a kiss, but before your lips part, you wake up. Sound familiar?"

Celestia was blushing now, but she shrugged. "Discord and I have been friends for years. And I've been looking for a romantic companion on and off for years. And I've used Discord in my dreams to stand in for a special somepony for years. It's nothing special."

"He's been gone three months—the entire summer—on adventures, and you've missed him a little more each day." Dream Celestia's smile warmed.

Celestia tried to smile in return. "It's hard for anypony when a friend leaves. We've grown attached, and this is the longest he's been away since his reform. Missing him isn't anything special either."

"You look forward to writing him each week like a filly looking forward to Hearthswarming." Dream Celestia raised an eyebrow.

Celestia nodded. "Of course—who doesn't look forward to keeping in touch with a good friend?"

An all-knowing smile came to Dream Celestia's lips. "But you secretly avoid reading his letters for a little while each time one comes…because you're afraid he's not just going to teasingly mention a few names of cute girls he's made friends with—he's going to tell you he met someone very special. And you don't know what you'll do if he does."

Celestia just stood there, eyes wide, her blush bright.

Dream Celestia came closer. "Just admit it to yourself, Celestia. It's okay. Discord's friendship does mean something special to you." Her horn glowed; a shimmering cloud of magic appeared and began to play scenes from their friendship over the years—Discord and Celestia romping in the hedge maze, grabbing a milkshake at Sugar Cube corner, watching the Cake Twins together, Celestia helping Discord prepare for his first day of teaching at the School for Gifted Unicorns, the two of them visiting the Crystal Empire to see Flurry Heart, Discord teaching Celestia how to ice skate in the summer, the two of them having a cake eating contest for fun and countless picnics in this very spot… "You always help your little ponies confront the truth when they're having trouble. Why not help yourself?"

Celestia used her magic to dissipate the cloud and frowned. "If you're me, you know the answer to that. I still won't pursue Discord just because I like the fact that he fell in love with me."

"And that's what we're here to get past." Dream Celestia's voice softened as her gaze warmed. "Don't you see, Celestia, in each of those memories—Discord's having a wonderful time, but so are you. You always wondered how it would feel to care for someone so deeply…and that ache you feel now for him, you know it means something."

Celestia glanced away. "Part of me wishes you were Chrysalis—villains are easy to deal with compared to this."

Dream Celestia's smile picked up a little on one side. "If you need more proof I'm not her…would Chrysalis know that sometimes when you wake up from a bad dream, you put your foreleg over a pillow and imagine someone beside you…and eventually think about Discord until you fall asleep?"

Celestia's blushing burned.

"You're afraid to fall in love with him."

"Even if…" The sun princess took a breath, her voice quiet. "I told you, I can't just…and our friendship—if we tried and didn't end up… I love Discord so much as my friend. Losing him would hurt me. I can't handle going through that kind of loss again—not after what I went through with Luna." She hung her head.

Dream Celestia frowned and nodded. "I know. You fear being left alone and losing the ones you care for more than anything else. But you also trust that Discord would respect your feelings and your confusion and keep you safe. Don't you think your friendship is strong enough now that it could bear anything, even the weight of love?" Dream Celestia's smile was so tender.

Celestia blinked a few times, looking into her eyes, her own eyes shining. "But…"

"You can say it, it's okay. I know what it is anyway." Dream Celestia didn't stop smiling.

Celestia took a breath. "Even if I didn't feel so flattered by his feelings and even if I didn't worry so much about keeping our friendship safe…Discord hasn't said a word to me about loving me in years. And he dates a lot. And the ladies really do seem to love him. I don't know if he cares for me anymore."

Dream Celestia's eyes hazed in that wise way they could. "Well, if you're not sure about that, then how could you possibly only have feelings for him because he has feelings for you?"

Celestia's eyes widened completely.

"I think my work here is done." Dream Celestia stepped back. "You probably need some time alone. I'll just…entertain myself somehow."

"Well, well, well…two Celestia's," a familiar voice suddenly observed. "I'm not sure whether to be more confused or intrigued."

With light blushes (but with Celestia's eyes still wide while Dream Celestia grinned), both mares turned to see Discord standing before them wearing a smirk.

Dream Celestia approached. "Real Celestia was just leaving to think about real Discord, I'm afraid. But if you'd like some companionship, I'm very available." She passed by him, casting a half lidded gaze over her shoulder.

Discord glanced after her with a blush. "Well, if you ladies really have settled everything…" He glanced to Celestia and gave a nod. "Have a fun time with real Discord." He winked then followed after Dream Celestia. "Where shall we go, my lady?"

"How about the Everfree Forest…under your thinking tree?" she replied with a demure glance down.

Discord gave a low chuckle. "With pleasure." He snapped his tail, and they both disappeared in a shimmer of magic.

Celestia watched them go. And then she let out a breath and closed her eyes.

---

In reality, Celestia woke up in her bed. The position of the moon and the faint breath of light at the edge of the horizon told her that the time for sunrise would be soon. Her thoughts were instantly too full to consider falling back asleep in the meantime though. Instead, she took one of her pillows and laid her leg over it. She snuggled close to the soft object, sighed, and took some time to think.

By the time she finished raising the sun, she was smiling.

---

"Dear Discord,

I'm sorry for the delay in writing you back after your last letter. I've had a lot on my mind lately. A lot I'd like to talk to you about actually. I suppose that means I should have written sooner, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to say…and now I'm not quite sure how to say it. But I guess I'm starting to ramble, aren't I?"

Celestia sighed deeply as she sat alone in her throne room on the floor below a stained glass window depicting a certain draconequus. She used her magic to crumple up the scroll she'd been writing on and toss it onto a small pile of likewise crumpled scrolls on the floor.

"Stop avoiding the subject, Celestia," she whispered to herself. "Just write what you feel." She used her magic to make another scroll appear, magically raised her quill, and tried again, quietly saying aloud the words as she wrote.

"Dear Discord,

I hope you're well, and I'm glad you're coming home soon. When you get here, feel free to pick me up on two hooves, dip me back and kiss me. I think I might actually enjoy that experience outside of a dream for once."

Blushing, she sighed and crumpled up this scroll as well.

"Too direct. Okay…" She considered. Another scroll appeared.

"Dear Discord,

How have you been? I hope you haven't forgotten your old friend Celestia. From your letters over the summer, it sounds like you've been having a wonderful time travelling and like you've made many friends. Many nice, kind, young, pretty lady friends…not that I care…but I suppose I do…. Of course, I've dated too over the years, but I've never had as much fun with it as you seem to. Speaking of dating, I…I asked you once how you knew if you were in love. But I was wondering, how do you know when you're falling in love?"

She turned scarlet and instantly crumpled up this scroll too. "I can't talk to him about love yet. It's too much. And starting out admitting I'm jealous probably isn't the best thing either." She made another fresh scroll appear. "I just need to relax, to have fun, to say what's on my mind simply."

She considered, then smiled and wrote again.

"Dear Discord,

"I'm looking forward to your return and the start of another school year with you teaching at the unicorn school. You know, I've been meaning to admit something to myself and to you for a while now: when you teach class dressed in that tweed suit and those round glasses and smoking that bubble pipe while you twirl your beard and lecture passionately on chaos, I find myself attracted to you in a way I've never been attracted to another male creature in my entire life. How do you always manage to look so cute in clothes? And are you trying to make every mare blush or just me?"

She laughed softly and shook her head as she crumpled up the scroll and made yet another appear.

"Dear Discord,

I know I usually write to you about how my week went, but I have something far more important to discuss. And I'm not sure how you'll take it, but here it goes.

Do you remember our time under your thinking tree, just after our first Gala? The private moment we shared? I only wish I had taken more time with you back then to understand both of our feelings completely…because now all I want is one more chance with you under that tree. I never had a kiss that with special another suitor. But I think I'd like to have one again with you, Discord…"

She sighed, her gaze dreamy as she looked up at the stained glass window before her bearing Discord's figure. "I just hope you wouldn't mind another kiss with me too."

"Ah, you two did kiss once. I suspected as much, but it's nice to finally hear you admit the truth. So that's what was so different between you two a little after your first Gala…"

Celestia's eyes widened at the sound of her sister's voice suddenly behind her. "Luna!" She turned with a blush to see the night princess approach her with a warm gaze. The sun princess lowered her voice. "Luna, please don't ever tell anyone that, please—Discord and I promised to keep it to each other. It's been our secret for years."

"Of course, sister. Your secret is safe with me." Luna nodded. "…And so is the fact that you'd like it to happen again." Her smile grew. "Did you have some interesting dreams?"

Celestia blushed. "Yes." She smiled. "And thank you, Luna, for using them to guide me in the right direction about my feelings and Discord."

Luna nodded. "I've seen how you and Discord have grown together since his reform. And I've seen how you've missed him these last three months." The moon princess frowned. "Your sleep's been so troubled. Have you really finally made peace with the truth now?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes. I've been afraid of accepting what my heart wants…but I'm not anymore. Except for one small thing…" She blushed. "That after a trip this long, Discord really might come home with someone special on his arm…or that after all these years, he really might not be able to see me as more than a friend. I just hope I'm not too late, sister." Her eyes shined.

"I see." Luna observed the scroll still floating before her sister. "So you're planning to write him a letter?"

"I was trying, "Celestia explained, "but I can't find the right way to express how I feel. Even this one isn't quite right." She sighed and crumpled up the scroll, then tossed it on top of the others. "And even if I did find the right words to send him, there would be the whole ordeal of working myself up to read whatever response he would send back." She blushed and bit her lip in worry.

"You'll never know how he feels unless you tell him the truth and let him respond though." Luna's gaze warmed. "And I think you'll feel much better when you go through that process, no matter what happens. But if you're having trouble writing your feelings…you could always try saying them to him instead. You are a very eloquent speaker, sister."

"You mean talk to him in person…?" Celestia swallowed.

Luna nodded. "Yes. Just tell the truth right in front of him and let him respond right in front of you. At least then everything will be done quickly. And then you can go on from there."

Celestia's blushing glowed. She hesitated but then glanced around at the few dozen crumpled up scrolls on the floor around her all bearing failed attempts at letters to Discord. "Yes…" she finally replied, "maybe the best thing would be to tell him directly. There's just one problem with that plan."

"What?" Luna raised an eyebrow.

"I'm very nervous." A small sheepish smile came to Celestia's features.

Luna's smile warmed. "Beautiful ladies usually are before they propose feelings to handsome gentleponies."

Celestia smiled warmly now. "Luna, if I tell him but he doesn't feel the same…will you be here to spend a couple of days eating cake with me while I wallow in some self pity before getting back to my life?"

Luna nodded. "That's what sisters are for. But if things do work out, I'll be happy to take over some of your duties here if you and Discord would like to pursue some private time together." She chuckled.

Celestia looked down, her blush rosy. "Trying to date these last couple of years—it's been nice, but part of me always felt silly or like I was trying too hard. But when I think about being with Discord, I feel…like I do when the sun rises. Like I'm looking forward to everything and like I've found what's right for me. He's been such a good friend. He makes me happy." Her gaze wen to the stained glass window again and her brow furrowed. "Luna, how could it have taken me this long to realize? I—"

"Sister, don't worrying yourself about that," Luna interrupted in a gentle tone as she put a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "You came to your feelings in your own time and at your own pace. You're very sensitive, and your relationships matter to you very much. I'm not surprised you needed to feel close to Discord in every way as a friend before your heart finally opened up to the idea of having more together. The important thing now is you're willing to accept your new feelings and share them with the one you care for. Everything will turn out okay, Celestia. Believe in yourself."

Celestia smiled and turned her gaze back to Luna. She put a foreleg over her sister for a tender hug. Luna nuzzled against her mane to return the embrace.

They separated, smiling at each other.

Celestia sighed. "Well, at least now I know what I have to do. Discord said he wouldn't return until just before the new term started, and that isn't for another week. So I'll have a few days to gather my thoughts and think of what I want to say before he—"

Suddenly fanfare sounded from outside of the throne room.

A moment passed, and then a guard popped in his head. "Your highnesses, announcing the return of Discord. He's just arrived in the courtyard of the unicorn school." He smiled, gave the princesses a nod, then popped back out.

Luna smiled brightly and looked back to her sister.

Celestia just stood there with wide eyes. As soon as her gaze met Luna's she shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no…." She backed up a few steps. "I-I can't go to him right now! I was supposed to have another week! He should not be here yet!"

Luna grinned. "Yes, not keeping to a set schedule—who does he think he is, the lord of chaos or something?"

Celestia blinked then pouted. "Luna, I'm serious. I am not talking to him right now."

"Oh yes you are." Luna got right behind her sister and started nudging her forward. "And before you even think of it, don't attempt a teleportation spell on me. I've already got the counterspell in mind."

Celestia took several deep breaths in and out as she slowly found herself moving toward the looming throne room door. "But…But I haven't had any time to process how I feel!"

"You've had years subconsciously!" Luna smiled. "You'll do fine."

Celestia swallowed. "But I can't just spring this on him right when he's back from his summer vacation. What if he's tired?"

Luna shrugged. "Actually, now is the perfect time. He's not busy with unicorn school activities, he's probably dying to see you after so much time apart, and he's practically in our backyard." She grinned a little. "And if he is indeed tired, well, perhaps that's your opening line—you can suggest that the two of your find a nice place to lie down and rest together."

"Luna! That's not funny." Celestia turned scarlet and almost smiled but looked down as she continued to be pushed along. "But speaking of what we'd do after I tell him…well, what if we go on a date but have nothing to talk about?"

"Oh please, tis the weakest excuse of all." Luna rolled her eyes. "You two always have something to talk about. You gab each other's ears off till all hours of the night during some of the shorter school vacations. And even if you can't think of anything to say, Discord does love to make conversation."

Celestia had to look down in defeat at that point and couldn't help a small smile. "True…"

They were at the throne room door now. But Celestia put out a hoof at the door frame to pause Luna's nudging for a moment. "Luna…" her voice was very soft, her eyes down, "What if…what if I go out there and he really does have a girlfriend with him? Someone special he met in his travels, someone he wants to spend a lot of time with? What if I've been replaced forever and it's staring me right in the face when I go out there?"

Luna moved alongside her sister and spoke softly. "Then I meant what I said, sister—I'll be here for you to express your sorrows. And then you'll have a week to feel better before returning to your work with the unicorn school. And one day you'll find the special somepony you're looking for."

Celestia gave a single nod then raised her eyes up and glanced back at her sister. "Luna, I'll go to him. It might be a complete disaster, but…I'll try." She swallowed. "Wish me luck."

Luna's gaze warmed. "Good luck, Celestia. I'll keep order here while you're gone."

Celestia took a deep breath, her head held high, and stood tall. Then she passed out of the throne room to head to the courtyard and find Discord.

Luna watched her go. Then she teleported to her tower, went to her telescope, and looked secretly down into the school courtyard where her sister and the chaos lord would meet.

---

"I don't think I've been this nervous since my Coronation day. Well, maybe I was this nervous during Luna's return or Twilight's coronation. But 'nervous' might not even be the right word." Celestia released a shallow breath as she strolled along the garden path leading to the unicorn school courtyard. Every step she took felt like there was a spring in her hoof she was trying to keep down to prevent herself from bouncing across the green, the feathers of her wings seemed extra fluffed and pointed, and her hair even felt like it was waving at a faster rate. "Giddy," she suddenly said. "That's the right word. I haven't felt this giddy since my coronation day." She smiled. And though her mind tried to prepare for the worst…her heart longed to imagine the best and what it would bring.

She finally came to the edge of the unicorn school courtyard, full of young students playing in the open fields and enjoying the last week of their summer break together. Her gaze darted around in search of—

There he was, reclining in a colorful levitating hammock (clearly of his own making) and wearing sunglasses while a whole flock of little pony (and some non-pony) students crowded around him, laughing and talking.

"Professor Discord, did you fight any bad guys while you were gone?"

"Professor Discord, did you make any new friends?"

"Professor Discord, did you bring us back anything?"

Discord chuckled. "Now, now, one at a time. I didn't fight any villains, though I did help adjust the attitudes of a few creatures who were acting a little selfish. I made lots of new friends who just might come visit and be guest speakers in our classes. And as for bringing back anything for all of you…Ah, yes, I remember now!" He grinned and snapped: several big piñatas appeared in the air, shaped like a cupcakes and hayburgers and other fun goodies. "Some candy from every new land I visited!" He snapped again—large candy canes appeared before each young student. "Now bust them open and enjoy!"

"HOORAY!" the students cried as they instantly started hitting the piñatas to rain down delicious treats for all of them to share.

"And I'll give extra credit to anyone who manages to make this situation even more chaotic than it already is!" Discord added with a chuckle as he reclined back in his hammock.

So there he was, basking in Celestia's warm sunlight as he made her little students happy: he was home and safe and without another girl at his side. He was a dear friend, he was back home again, and suddenly the sun princess was enjoying the summer more than she had over the entire last three months.

Celestia lost her composure for a moment.

"Discord!" She called out as she bounded forward across the courtyard with a big grin.

The chaos master's eyes went wide to extend over his sunglasses, and just as the sun princess reached him, he snapped to shift his hammock to the side and snap her up one floating right next to him. Celestia collapsed into it, then raised her head and laughed.

Discord beamed at her and snapped away his sunglasses. "Celestia!"

Before he could get in another word, all the little ponies looked up from their candy-eating fun to wave and grin and give various hellos to the princess.

She smiled and waved back. "Hello, everyone! Enjoy your candy. And when you're done, you can head to the castle for some ice cold cider."

More cheers followed.

As the ponies went back to having fun, Celestia looked to Discord. "You came back early."

He nodded. "I decided I wanted to spend at least a little bit of this summer with my dearest friends. Besides, summer's the best time for ice skating in my opinion." He snapped, and suddenly he and Celestia were in skates and colorful outfits standing upon on a frozen area of ice in the middle of the warm courtyard. "I just know you haven't been practicing since I've been away."

Celestia laughed. "Shouldn't you go see Fluttershy first?"

Discord shrugged. "Already taken care of. She was my first stop actually. I got back in the middle of the night, and as usual she was up to feed the owls. We had a fun sleepover, I told her about my vacation minus any scary parts, and I left her tucked into bed with a plate of fresh cotton candy muffins and some chocolate milk for breakfast and a note saying I'd be by for our regular Tuesday tea this week. And then of course I had to come see my charming little students of chaos. I really don't know how they've survived without me for so long. Thankfully I've taught them well." He gestured out to the students. "Look, Sugar Beam is using her magic to make the candy giant-sized so that one gumdrop could last a week, and Feather Swirl is using his griffon beak to fly right into the piñatas and make them explode in one shot, and Curly Cue is using his earth pony strength to dive on three piñatas at a time and explode them all at once. Isn't it delightful!" He clapped his hands together with a big grin.

Celestia smiled more. "It's lovely—Oh!"

The day really was warm, and already Discord's ice had started to melt: Celestia slipped forward.

"Whoa there!" Discord snapped the ice, skates, and outfits away with his tail and caught her in his arms. "Tia, I know you want to entertain the students too, but prate falls are not to be tried by the inexperienced."

Celestia knew that normally she would have nodded, straightened herself up, and maybe said something teasing back to him. Instead she found herself not moving, her wide eyes looking up into his and her face warm as his hands kept holding her just beneath her wings.

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Celestia? Are you okay?" He furrowed his brow and touched the tuft of his tail to her forehead. "You feel warm."

That comment finally snapped the sun princess out of her daze. She let out a deep breath and got herself standing again and out of his grasp. "I'm fine, Discord. Really. It's just been a long morning…and night."

He still eyed at her. "Wait a minute…I know what's going on here."

Celestia's racing heart dropped into her stomach.

Discord snapped: a mug of hot, steaming liquid appeared in the air. "You overworked yourself while I was gone. And now you think you're going to pretend you're all right and just dive into the hard work of the school year next week." He floated the mug closer to her. "This is Green Tea—I made a side trip to Japone. Drink all of it, and then I want you to go straight to bed. I'll take care your duties for the rest of the week. Or I'll make Twilight do it and bug her the whole time. Whichever has the most potential for hilarious results."

Celestia smiled softly. "Discord, I appreciate your concern, but I promise I'm not sick. And either way, I couldn't ask you to do so much for me."

His look remained firm. "It's no trouble, and stop trying to sugar coat how you're feeling for me. If anything you'd think you'd be proud of something as chaotic as having a cold in the summer."

Celestia smiled more as she sipped some of the tea. "I'm really okay, Discord. But I'd like to talk to you about something if you have some time."

His eyes widened, and his voice lowered. "A new villain?"

She shook her head. "Nothing like that, I promise." She glanced at the playing children then back to Discord, her eyes down. "But I'd still like us to have some privacy. Would you come with me?"

He nodded. Then he turned to the children, put on his usual carefree smile, and called out, "All right, kids, I'm afraid I have to leave you for now. But you enjoy your candy and use that sugar rush to get excited for class next week!"

"Aw, do you really have to go, Professor Discord?" a pink pegasus with brown hair (and a face covered in colorful sugar and chocolate) asked. Her friends beside her nodded.

Discord nodded. "Yes, Paisley Skies. But don't worry, you'll all get your fill of me once class starts up again. For now, though, I have to go discuss boring grown-up stuff with our esteemed princess Celestia. You know how lost she would be without me." He winked.

All the little students chuckled and giggled.

"Very funny as usual, Discord." Celestia let out a sigh and did her best to keep her blushing under control. She powered up her horn and spoke to the students once more. "Remember, all of you, just head to the castle when you're done with your candy and tell the guards I said you could all have cider in the dining room."

All the little ponies nodded and thanked them both as Celestia teleported herself and Discord away.

---

The two friends appeared in the little valley of the statue garden of the castle.

Celestia shook her head, still smiling. "Discord, why do you encourage the students so much when it comes to teasing us about our friendship? There must be rumors all over the school about us…."

Discord shrugged. "Because one of the best things about school, I think, must be gossiping about the teachers. And because those kids get such a kick out of thinking that you and I sneak off for secret rendezvouses like the rest of their teenage friends. If they want to read too much into our friendship, I say let them have their adolescent fun."

Celestia laughed softly as her face warmed slightly again. "I suppose we do spend a lot of time together in front of them and a lot of time together away from them that they hear about."

Discord's smile fell again. "Celestia, you look flushed again. I'm serious, are you okay?" He snapped; the tea reappeared. "And drink your tea."

"I promise you, I'm fine." Celestia rolled her eyes to the side but did sip the tea.

"Sure." He raised an eyebrow skeptically, then snapped them sitting down on it in the grass (and created a blanket to put around Celestia's shoulders). "Whatever you say." He gave her a small smile.

Celestia set down the mug and let the blanket drop down her back, smiling as well. "Anyway, Discord…" she took a deep breath, "h-how was your trip?"

"How was my trip?" He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to one side. "Good. Very entertaining. Made lots of great memories."

Celestia nodded. "And did you make any special new friends?"

His eyes narrowed. "Just the ones I told you about in my letters. Some might visit sometime like I was telling the students."

"I see." She took another deep breath. "And now you're back to stay around for a while?"

"Yes." He leaned closer to her, twirling his beard. "Especially since I'm curious how long you'll keep up asking me questions that have nothing to do with whatever it is you really want to ask me about?"

Between the sudden accusation and always-enticing twirling of his beard (and the fact that he was close enough now for her to notice that three month of traveling and raucous adventures had left his unique fur rather ruffled and rugged-looking), Celestia's heart pounded. "I…sorry." She tried to put on her normal composed smile again. "Discord, you know how sometimes two friends can have a difference of opinion, but maybe later their opinions change or they even agree on the original subject…"

"Is this about my assignment last term for my students to shove pies in the face of any math or science teacher who mentioned pi?" he asked dryly. "I already promised you I'd only assign that one as extra credit in the future and give the other teachers plenty of warning." He grinned a little.

"No, no." Celestia cleared her throat and tried again. "Discord, you know how feelings can grow and change overtime? And how even a wise pony can overlook certain things? Well…"

"Oh, now, really, Celestia, are you that concerned that the friendships I made around the world over the summer won't last just because I'll be absent from my new buddies for a while? I assure you, I keep pretty regular correspondence with most people I know. And besides, if there's one thing you and the girls have taught me over all these years it's that feelings of friendship never fade." He winked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes, that's true, but it's not quite what I'm trying to say." She considered. "Discord, suppose you and I…"

"Ah, you want to run off on one of our little friendship adventures together before the school year starts. That's it, isn't it! I should have known." He held up his fingers to snap, grinning. "Why didn't you say so? I'm up for doing anything anytime anywhere! But no cold climates—I still don't entirely trust that you're not feeling under the weather." His eyes brightened. "Ooo, why don't we pop over to Japony? We can get you plenty of green tea there, the weather's warm this time of year, and I can show you this great tea house I discovered with these cute geisha hostesses." He chuckled. "There was a very nice one in particular named Lotus Blossom…"

"No!" Celestia blushed and pouted but regained herself in time to touch her hoof to his paw in the air, preventing his snap. "Discord…I'm not saying this right. I…" she sighed, looking down a little, but then she smiled softly and looked up at him again. "Discord…remember what you said before about the students liking to gossip about you and I?"

He lowered his paw and raised an eyebrow again but smiled once more. "Yes, of course. It was said only minutes ago after all."

She nodded, settling her hoof back on the ground. "Well, it reminds me of something that might help me say what I have to say. One of our favorite traditions as friends: the Annual Unicorn School Prom."

The chaos master grinned. "You mean the best social function of the school year now that chaos is involved and now that you attend as a dancing, laughing, punch-and-cake-consuming guest instead of as a stuffy chaperone ever since I convinced you to try it out with me?" He chuckled.

The sun princess laughed softly. "Yes, that School Prom. And as for me attending as a guest now, having you as my escort each year certainly does help me have fun going."

"I wouldn't have things any other way," he assured. "Plus, going together to that prom makes up for the occasional Gala where you and I don't go together because we have real dates line up for that night."

"Yes." Celestia swallowed. "The School Prom is a nice, steady tradition you and I share. And it's probably why all of the students like to giggle and gossip about us being a little more than friends. After all, that night must look like a date for us even if it's not one."

"Just like our first Gala, remember?" His gaze softened as he smiled more. "Only the Prom is a lot less pressure and has hipper music and better junk food. And you're much more prone to cutting a rug at that shindig. All of which makes it that much more hilarious to the students that you and I start and end the night so formally each year."

Celestia moved a little closer to him. "Yes. You come pick me up from the castle, we take my chariot to the school, we enter the dance floor arm in arm with a royal announcement and everything. Then we cut loose and have our fun with the kids. But then you escort me back to my chariot and take me home to the castle, and I kiss you on the cheek goodnight."

Discord shrugged and snapped up a glass of chocolate milk for himself that he held in his tail. "It's not the worst way to spend a Saturday night." He sipped then held up his fingers again. "Want one?"

"Maybe after I'm done with my tea." Celestia took a deep sip followed by another deep breath. "Anyway, about our annual night at the School Prom…while you were away, I've been thinking…and I think there's an improvement that we could make on the tradition.

Discord raised an eyebrow and smiled more. "You mean like maybe this year I let the kids do the palace pokey like usual but don't give them fair warning that it's coming?" He chuckled. "I love how they chant my name each year when that ballroom starts to spin."

"I know you do. And that's I thought." Celestia laughed softly too and blushed. "But I was talking about a change to our personal tradition of attending."

Discord sighed, still grinning at her. "All right, clearly whatever it is you're trying to get at, I'll have to let you get there in your own sweet time. But you still look a little warm, so as long as you're drinking your tea, I'm happy."

Celestia's eyes were down, but her smile and blushing only grew. She shifted a little closer, made her voice a little lighter. "Discord…what I mean is, instead of a kiss on the cheek, the end of our night together could go something like this…" She leaned her head up slightly, saw him still looking both amused and a little puzzled, decided it was probably the most adorable look he could pull off…and then she closed her eyes and lightly pressed her lips to his.

The moment both did and didn't feel like the last time they had kissed so long ago. Celestia couldn't describe the difference to herself exactly. But she also wasn't in much of a state to try since she was trembling inside from nerves. She would pull back now and open her eyes and finally know where the two of them could go from here: if his eyes held that look of adoration from so long ago, then a new chapter in their relationship could begin, but if his eyes held the hesitation and regret hers must have during their first gala when he had confessed, then it would be time for her to move on. But at least she would have some kind of answer one way or another.

Celestia pulled back and opened her eyes.

Discord just sat there frozen, his eyes wide, his mouth a little agape. He didn't make a sound.

Celestia paled slightly and tilted her head. "Discord, are you all right?"

He blinked once or twice but still didn't speak.

She bit her lip. "I…" She stood, her voice strong. "Discord, you and I have become wonderful friends and I've grown very fond of you. I, um…I can't say I ever grew so fond of a male friend actually. And you really did go away for quite a while this trip, and the way I missed you was something I didn't expect." She looked up at him, her head held high, her features absolutely red. "Discord, you've been on my mind very much lately. And now that you're home…yes, I would like to spend some time together, but not just on a friendly adventure. I like you and I think I'd like to go out on a date with you, Discord." She frowned a little. "But if you're not interested in something like that with me anymore, just say the word, and please know I'll always be happy to be your friend."

There was a dead silence. Discord still wasn't doing or saying anything.

Celestia blinked a few times, then frowned more and lowered her head, her eyes closed.

"Okay."

Celestia's eyes opened. Her head slowly rose at the sound of that one word from Discord. "Discord?" She swallowed. "You mean you'll…you'll go out with me?"

He remained absolutely motionless, still with that shocked look on his face. Then… "Yes!" he squawked in a panicked tone. And suddenly he disappeared in a puff of pink magical smoke.

Celestia coughed as she cleared the smoke away with her wing. For a moment she just watched the place where Discord had been, her own shocked and confused look on her face.

Suddenly in another puff of smoke, Discord reappeared exactly where he had been, the shocked look still on his features. "When, um…when should we go out? And where?"

"Oh." Celestia blinked and blushed more. "H-How about tonight? We could have dinner here at the castle, around 7 maybe—"

"Great! Bye!" he quickly squawked again in that panicked tone, then snapped himself away once more.

Celestia watched the spot with wide eyes for a moment. Finally she flushed with an uneasy swallow and teleported away.

---

The chaos master appeared in the first place that came to his mind—the living room of his chaos cottage. His eyes were still wide, red pupils dilated. Hesitantly his paw rose up and touched his lips.

Instantly he blushed, dropped his paw, then took the glass of chocolate milk still held in the tuft of his tail and splashed it on his face. He glanced around, touched his lips again, then paced around the room—though, for him, 'around the room' meant he started walking forward on the living room floor, then walked up one wall, walked upside down across the ceiling, walked down the opposite wall, and then walked across the floor again.

Suddenly he stopped and snapped his fingers.

"Huh?!"

"Ah!"

Luna and Fluttershy now stood in his living room, eyes darting around in surprise. They quickly saw each other then recognized their surroundings and looked to Discord.

The chaos master stood before them, tapping his fingers together. "This is an emergency. I need to run something by you two." The urgent tension in his tone was clear.

Fluttershy recognized his flustered state and nodded. "Of course, Discord. Is something wrong?"

Luna eyed him then smiled a little. "Indeed, is something on your mind, Discord?" She raised an eyebrow. "And…why are you covered in chocolate milk?"

"There's no time to explain!" he squawked. Then he cleared his throat and snapped himself clean. "I mean, it's not important. I just…" He took a deep breath. "Fluttershy, Luna…am I a reasonably sane person?"

Luna gave him a dry look.

Fluttershy glanced to the side. "Well, um…"

He shook his head. "Okay, okay, bad question. Um…" he tapped his fingers together, "do I have delusions of grandeur?"

Luna snorted.

Fluttershy at least tried to smile supportively. "Oh, well…you…um…."

Discord shook his head again. "Okay, okay, even worse question. Um…" he took a deep breath and lowered his hands, "have I at least made a general peace with the reality around me?"

Luna smiled. "That I'll grant you, Discord."

Fluttershy nodded, smiling too. "Oh yes, Discord, I think you've done a great job finding your place in the world and accepting reality instead of trying to change it."

"Okay, okay…" He swallowed. "Then, um…then there's a chance it wasn't just my imagination thatCelestia …Celestia she, um…"

"That she what?" Fluttershy tilted her head.

Discord blushed then snapped—a soundproof magic bubble appeared around Luna. The moon princess blinked then pouted and tapped her hoof against the surface.

Discord quickly glanced around then leaned in and whispered something to Fluttershy.

When he pulled back, she was beaming. "Discord, really?"

"Unless I've completely disconnected from reality, then…yes." He managed a sheepish smile, looking down.

"And what did you say to her?" Fluttershy smiled more, her eyes hazed all-knowingly.

Discord gulped. "I…I think I set up a dinner date for us tonight. It was all a little sudden. Anything else I might need to say I thought would be better saved until then." He wrung his paw and claw together. "When I let Luna out, please don't tell her how I'm sure you must know I feel about all of this: after all, you're the only one I've ever talked to completely about Celestia ever since that first gala. I don't want to risk Luna accidentally saying anything to Tia before I can do it myself."

Fluttershy nodded.

Suddenly, the magical bubble rolled between Fluttershy and Discord. Luna glared up at the chaos master from within.

Discord snapped her free. "Sorry, Luna. I needed a brief top secret best friends moment."

Luna sighed but nodded. "I understand. And just to reassure you, no, you are not imagining things. Celestia and you really did sneak off for a conversation just now: I saw you both from my tower. What exactly you two said to one another, though, I'm not sure. But I have my suspicions at this point." She started to smile again.

Discord swallowed but got his blushing under control and made his tone and gaze neutral. "Celestia strongly expressed a desire to progress our friendship."

Luna beamed. "So she really told you of her new feelings? Huzzah!"

"Yes, she—" Discord blinked. "Wait, you knew?! How long has this been going on? And who else knows?" He blushed more.

Luna chuckled. "Yes, I knew, Discord. Sisters talk. And as for how long it's been going on, you'll have to ask Celestia that. But don't worry, no one else knows at the moment—except probably Cadance for obvious reasons."

Discord sighed and face palmed.

Luna's eyes brightened even more. "Anyway, cease trying to change the subject. She expressed her feelings to you. So what exactly did you express back to her?"

Discord straightened up and crossed his arms, his tone neutral again. "A willingness to have dinner alone with her tonight in your castle."

"…And what exactly are you planning to say to her at this dinner?" Luna's gaze warmed.

Discord glanced away with a pout. "I'd rather not discuss it at the moment. Besides, I'm not the only one who should have a lot to say at this dinner." He eyed Luna. "Luna, how exactly does she feel for me? Is this just a sudden romantic curiosity or…" He blushed more and cleared his throat as he finished, "I want to know the extent of what I'm dealing with here."

"I'm afraid I can't discuss it further at the moment," Luna simply replied. "Just as you wish to express the details of your feelings on this matter to my sister in private, I'm sure she wants to do the same about her feelings to you."

Discord pouted a little but then nodded. "Fine." He took a deep breath and gave Luna a slight bow of his head. "Luna, thank you for letting me drag you here against your will and for what you've told me. But now I need some time alone with Fluttershy. I'll be by for dinner with Celestia in the dining room at seven. Please make sure the staff gives us privacy. Okay?"

Luna gave a slight bow of her head in return. "Absolutely, Discord. And in the meantime, I'll tend to Celestia…as soon as I manage to find her." She brought a hoof to her chin. "Since your talk ended, I haven't seen her around the castle." She shrugged. "I'm sure she just needed a moment to herself. Perhaps I'll try to catch up on my sleep so that I can be prepared for the big talk I'm sure we'll need to have after tonight. Farwell for now, Discord and Fluttershy." She gave them both a wave and powered up her horn, but then paused to give Discord a warm gaze. "And Discord…I can tell you're very tense. But try to enjoy yourself with Celestia tonight."

"Sure, sure." He did his best to put on a smile and gave her a little wave. "Bye, Luna."

"Bye, Princess Luna." Fluttershy waved. "Say hi to Princess Celestia for me."

Luna nodded then teleported away.

Just as Fluttershy went to turn back to Discord, there was a burst of magic and she blinked. "Oh!" Suddenly she and Discord were sitting on either end of his sofa, colorful blankets around each of their shoulders, and pints of ice cream with spoons in their hooves and hands respectively.

"I thought this would be more appropriate for a long talk than our usual hot chocolate considering the warm weather," Discord explained with a sheepish shrug.

She looked up and smiled, then raised up a spoon of the ice cream. "Start from the beginning, Discord."

He nodded then raised his spoon for a bite too. "Okay. But this could take a while." He smiled a little. "Thanks, Fluttershy. I'm sorry to spring something I need help with this big on you so suddenly."

Her gaze warmed. "That's what best friends are for, Discord."

His gaze warmed a little too. Then he took a deep breath and glanced to the side with a slight pout as he started in on his ice cream. "I should have known something was up when we first saw each other and Tia kept turning red around me. I just thought she had a cold from overworking herself while I was gone. How was I supposed to know she was actually…blushing?" He blushed thoroughly but shook his head. "But let me begin from the beginning, like you said. So first I got to the castle…" Discord snapped up toppings for them and took another large bite of his ice cream then went on.

Fluttershy nodded in understanding and continued to listen attentively to the chaos master.

---

Celestia's first instinct after her confession was similar to Discord's. Just as the chaos master had sought out a familiar place and the advice of a friend, the sun princess sought out the same.

In a burst of magic, Celestia found herself teleported to the court of the Crystal Empire's palace. Usually such a long teleportation was a stretch even for her magic, but her heart was still pounding from her encounter with Discord and the adrenaline gave her all the extra power she needed.

"Celestia!" Cadance, Flurry Heart in hoof, was talking to some guards but smiled brightly and turned to her aunt at Celestia's appearance. "It's so nice to see you!"

The sun princess managed one of her usual composed smiles. "It's nice to see you too, Cadance."

Celestia came over and the two mares shared a quick hug.

Flurry Heart gurgled and smiled as she reached toward Celestia.

Celestia laughed softly. "And it's nice to see you too, Flurry Heart."

"Is everything all right?" Cadance raised an eyebrow. "Do you need my help with something?"

Celestia cleared her throat, glancing down. "Well, um…yes. And I'm afraid it's a matter of some delicacy."

Cadance frowned then used her magic to cover Flurry's ears as she whispered, "A new villain?"

Celestia actually smiled a little and shook her head. "No. Um…it's…" She moved close and whispered into Cadance's ear.

When she pulled back, Cadance's eyes went wide. Then the love princess smiled brightly and gasped. Instantly she turned around. "Guards, you're dismissed for the moment." As they bowed, Cadance teleported herself, Celestia, and Flurry Heart away.

Celestia blinked then realized they were now in another wing of the castle and in front of the young wizard Sunburst.

"Princesses!" He smiled then bowed and rose up. "How are you today? Wow, I didn't know you were due for a visit, Princess Celestia."

Cadance stepped forward. "We have a small situation to attend to. Would you mind watching Flurry Heart for a little while?"

"Of course!" Sunburst grinned as he used his magic to bring the giggling baby onto his back.

Celestia smiled. "Thank you, Sunburst. It was nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you as well, Princess Celestia." He bowed his head as Flurry blew her aunt a raspberry goodbye.

Celestia waved then blinked as Cadance suddenly teleported them away again without warning.

Now they were in the castle courtyard and standing before Shining Armor as he observed the exercises of some troops.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled at the sight of them. "Celestia? Cadance? Is everything okay?"

Cadance nodded. "Very okay, Shining. But Celestia and I need to talk for a little while. Would you mind taking over things inside the castle until we're done? Sunburst is already watching Flurry Heart."

Shining Armor nodded. "Of course. Take all the time you need. And it's nice to see you, Celestia. I hope you can stay for a bit."

Celestia smiled. "Thank you, and I wish I could, but I have dinner plans tonight." She blushed as Cadance looked at her with an all-knowing grin. Then Cadance turned back to her husband. "We'll see you later, Shining Armor."

He nodded and waved. "Have fun, you two!"

Again, just as Celestia was waving goodbye, Cadance suddenly teleported them away.

Now she found herself and Cadance in the love princess's bedroom.

Cadance used her magic to lock the door and turned around with a big grin. "Tell. Me. Everything."

Celestia blushed and glanced to the side. "There really isn't much to tell…"

"Except for the fact that you've finally fallen in love with Discord and waited until you told him before you told me!" The love princess beamed and giggled.

Celestia smiled and rolled her eyes. "I didn't fall in love with him. I just…had some time away from him and finally took a long hard look at our friendship and my feelings, and I realized…I might like to have more with him. And maybe he still feels the same way about me." She took a deep breath. "So I told him and kissed him and now we'll have dinner alone together tonight and…talk more about what's next, I guess."

"You kissed him? Auntie Celestia!" Cadance came closer. "Was it different now than in the past now that you know you have feelings for him?"

Celestia blinked and blushed more, an eyebrow raised.

"I always knew you two must have kissed once," Cadance replied. "I could never be sure of when it happened, but eventually I could feel the change in your relationship." Her gaze warmed. "I'm glad you took that piece of my advice to you, by the way. It was the most important one."

"Yes, well, um…" Celestia cleared her throat, her features warm, "it was good advice, and we took it cautiously, and it did help us. But what's going on now has been a little sudden." She shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't realize he'd be back today, and I just wanted him to know, and I couldn't think of another way to do it. Kissing him left no room for misunderstanding. Kissing him…" She closed her eyes, and brought a hoof to her temple. "I kissed him…I actually…I can't believe I did something so impulsive." She smiled a little and shook her head to herself.

"What did he do after you kissed him?"

Celestia opened her eyes but swallowed. Her smile faded a little. "Well, that's the thing…. I thought he would either be very happy because he felt the same way or very sad because he didn't. But he just kind of sat there in shock." She looked down. "I'm actually not sure if this dinner is about starting a relationship or letting me down gently about ever having one."

"I see." Cadance approached her aunt, her voice tender. "Well, Celestia, on the slim chance he doesn't want to try a relationship, I think you'll know what to do. After all, you handled turning down his confession very delicately in the past. And you've handled turning down other suitors too since then and having some of them turn you down. And I'm here if you need any advice or to talk afterwards. I always am."

Celestia nodded. "Yes. I don't think I would have gotten through the last few years of trying to date so unscathed without you."

Cadance smiled more. "But…on the very good chance Discord does want to pursue a relationship but just feels as nervous and unsure as you do…I say we discuss where you want to go with it." She giggled. "After all, I've never seen you so worked up about a guy before. And I know you don't give kisses lightly. And I know you wouldn't be so bold unless your feelings were very, very strong."

Celestia nodded, her features flushing more. "I think things with Discord could progress very quickly since he and I already have such a strong friendship…and especially if his feelings are still strong and if mine grow as quickly as I think they will."

"Hmm…" Cadance brought a hoof to her chin in thought, "well, as long as you still have that letter after Discord's confession with the basics of my advice about the two of you, that's a good starting place for any questions you have. But if you want some more advanced romantic advice, I'm your mare. We can start with alluring fragrances," she lowered her hoof and used her horn to make a crystal bottle of red perfume appear, "romantic fantasies," she made romantic novel appear with two ponies passionately embracing on the cover, "…fashion advice to attract that special someone…" she used her magic to make a few white and pink sheer lace outfits appear on the bed and winked.

Blushing thoroughly, Celestia gave her a dry look. "Why don't we start with something much more realistic—like helping me process the fact that I confessed a romantic attraction to someone who's practically my best friend." She let out a breath and collapsed on Cadance's bed with a smile. Her eyes fell to the lace outfits and she glanced away and added in a mumble, "And really, Mi Amore Cadenza, one step at a time. I'm not quite as young as I used to be."

"It doesn't matter her age, any mare can have passionate romantic interests." Cadance smiled too and collapsed on the bed alongside her. "But we can start with your confession." She used her horn to make the other things disappear and to create a platter cupcakes set between them. "Cupcake?"

Celestia nodded and took one. "You really are a mare wise beyond your years."

Cadance giggled softly and took one as well. "So, you haven't answered my question yet…how did kissing him feel?"

Celestia was quiet for a moment, her gaze warm. "It…felt special. Like going home." She let out a deep sigh. "Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?"

"It sounds beautiful, Auntie Celestia." Cadance wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Tell me everything."

Celestia nodded and began, Cadance listening intently.

---

That evening, seven o'clock chimed at the Canterlot castle.

The dining room was empty. The long table at its center held only two place settings—aligned directly across from each other—which were complete with covered silver trays of food, full cider glasses, and a set of flickering candles.

In a puff of smoke, Discord suddenly appeared, Fluttershy at his side.

The chaos master wore a polka dot bowtie, his mane was brushed back, and in his hand he held a white rose on a long stem. He let out a deep breath. "I think I'm much better now after our little talk. Thank you, Fluttershy. And thank you for traveling here with me."

Fluttershy smiled. "You're very welcome, Discord. But please promise me you'll keep trying to relax. You know things always work out better when you do. And I still think the bowtie's too formal considering how well you and Princess Celestia know each other."

"I-I know. But it's helping me keep myself together a little." Discord tugged at the bowtie, causing his body to nearly collapse into pieces on the floor. But then he came right together again when he let the bowtie snap back into place. "Tonight's going to involve a lot of talking and emotions, and you know how I shy away from all of that complicated mush."

"I know." Fluttershy nodded. "But I also know you'll do whatever you can to help Princess Celestia and yourself feel more comfortable even if things are a little difficult at first. You're a good friend like that, Discord." She touched her hoof to his arm.

Discord finally smiled a little as he looked down at her. "Never as good a friend as you though, my dear Fluttershy."

"Oh Discord." Fluttershy lowered her hoof and blushed with a big smile.

There were hoof steps now outside of the main dining room door on the other side of the room.

Fluttershy took a step back. "I'd better go," she whispered. "Good luck, Discord!" With a wave, she turned and trotted back to the door behind them.

Discord nodded and waved. "Bye…" he whispered back. Just as she left, the main door opened. He turned around.

There stood Celestia, a small smile on her lips; the piece of hair over her eye was set in a braid woven with crystals. She blinked at the sudden sight of him, and her face went blank for a moment. "Oh…hello, Discord. How are you?"

Discord swallowed. "Hello, Celestia. I'm fine. How're you?" He approached the table from his side.

She approached it from her side. "I'm fine too, thank you. But a little hungry. Shall we start dinner?"

Discord snapped—her chair pulled itself out. He gestured for her to sit. "Ladies first." A faint blush entered his cheeks.

Celestia noticed but quickly lowered her eyes and blushed faintly too. "And gentleponies second." She used her magic to pull out his chair now as she took her seat.

For just a moment the familiar amused smile he always shared with her flickered on his features. But then he blinked a few times and sat down stiffly, his eyes wide. "Um, I made this for you." He snapped to make a vase appear around the white rose, then set it on the table between the candles.

"I see." Celestia couldn't help closely examining the flower to try and read his emotions. She sighed, unable to see much in a plain white flower. "Thank you."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

They both used their magic to lift the covers off the trays. There was a small spread of delicacies for both dinner and dessert.

The sun princess and chaos master briefly made eye contact and shared an unsure smile before serving themselves. Each of them absentmindedly built a moderate plate made of a little bit of everything.

But when it came to eating, they just kept magically playing with their food, eyes down. And a dining room could be staggeringly silent when it only held two people and those two people weren't saying a word to each other…the awkwardness of which was not lost on either of the two slightly cringing friends.

---

Through the crack in the door, Fluttershy had watched Discord make his way to the table and greet Celestia. She knew it wasn't polite to spy on others, but she hadn't been able to help lingering a few extra moments just to make sure her friend really was okay.

"Fluttershy…"

"Hm!" A faint squeak escaped Fluttershy before a large blue hoof come over her mouth to silence her. She looked up with wide eyes to see Princess Luna smiling down at her.

"Shh…" Luna said softly as she emerged from the shadows of the vestibule, "we do not want to disturb them." When Fluttershy nodded, Luna released her hold and glanced through the crack in the door as well. "They've both actually showed up. That's a good start. You have my appreciation for taking care of preparing Discord. It took me quite an effort to prepare Celestia this evening—and that was after Cadance had already taken care of most of the work."

"Of course, I'm glad I could help them," Fluttershy whispered in return. "They're our friends. I just want them to be happy and to have whatever they want together." She swallowed and took a step back. "But I think we should give them privacy now."

Luna frowned slightly, still looking through the crack. "I understand, Fluttershy, and you may go. But I wish to linger just a little longer. Celestia has been…unusually stressed the last few weeks. I want to make sure she is truly okay."

"The last few weeks?" Fluttershy stepped forward again, her head tilted. "Wow. Tonight really must mean a lot to her too then."

Luna's smile picked up on one side. "Does that mean this dinner definitely means a lot to Discord as well? I was wondering… After all he wasn't exactly clear with my sister or me about just what is feelings are to her now regarding romance."

Fluttershy blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, Princess Luna. I can't tell you; you and Princess Celestia will just have to hear it from him." Her gaze took on more tenderness. "But maybe you're right and we should both stay for a few minutes, just to really, really make sure they're okay…" She approached and looked through the crack in the door again.

Luna nodded. "Fair enough… And yes, just for now let us watch over our friends who have always so faithfully watched over us."

The two gazed at the still-silent couple for a moment. Then there was a small sound behind them.

The two mares looked at each other.

"Did you hear something?" whispered Fluttershy.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I believe so."

They glanced behind them.

Then both mares' eyes went wide.

---

Meanwhile, back in the dining room, silence continued to reign as the hesitant couple shifted food back and forth over their plates and took light breaths without words forming. Discord cleared his throat, Celestia let out a light sigh.

Then they both took deep breaths and suddenly spoke.

"Celestia…" "Discord!"

They froze, blushed, and looked down at their plates again. Another moment of silence passed, then they looked up at the same time once more.

"I just wanted to say…" "I thought we should talk about…"

Instantly more blushing and more silence followed.

Just as they both looked up and went to speak again, Discord reached across the table with his paw and placed it over Celestia's mouth. "Ladies first." He cleared his throat and tried to smile. "I insist." He took his hand away.

Celestia blinked then nodded and cleared her own throat. "Thank you. So, um…Discord…you had a nice journey home? I don't think I asked you this afternoon." She blushed slightly.

The chaos master tilted his head then frowned a little. "Oh, um…yes. I, uh…took the scenic route. You know, usual shenanigans. Made pink clouds and chocolate rain…" He shifted in his seat. "You, uh…have a nice summer? Good sunrises and sunsets?" He blushed. "I mean, of course they were good—I saw them all when I was away. Can't really escape the sun. Not that I was staring at them or anything, it's just…you know…the sun…" He gripped the table a little with his claw.

"I-I understand." The sun princess tried to smile as she shrugged. "My summer was nice. Usual activities. I missed you at the Sunset Festival this year." She blushed more. "I mean, we missed you! I mean…you were missed. No one sets off fireworks in the middle of the ceremony quite like you do…" She looked directly down into her plate. "You know, chaotically…but good chaos…but your own."

"Uh, thanks." Discord swallowed. "So…the meal's lovely."

Celestia nodded. "Yes, the cooks prepared some of their best dishes."

Rambling. There was safety in rambling.

"Luna looks well."

"All the children look happy to see you."

"Canterlot's nice this time of year."

"The rest of the world must be nice too."

"Your niece sent me pictures of Flurry Heart—she's so big."

"Yes, she's quite the young princess. I just saw her this afternoon when I went to visit Cadance."

…Except rambling could lead to accidental slip-ups: like admitting to the object of your affections that you'd gone to see the pony high-priestess of love to psych yourself up for your date.

They froze up again, blushing entirely.

Then Discord dropped his elbows to the table and sighed deeply. "Tia, what are we doing?"

Celestia finally sighed deeply too and brought a hoof to her forehead. "I have no idea."

"Hmm, I'll tell you what we're doing. We're acting like silly children—and not in the normal fun way we have." He smiled faintly.

"Yes, that sounds about right." She lowered her hoof, and though she didn't smile yet the tension left her tone. "I'm sorry, Discord. I think I may have done a pretty poor job of accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish today with you."

"I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is that you want to accomplish with me." Eyes down, he casually played with some food on his plate.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, glancing up again with a dull look. "I mean where exactly did you want this 'date' to go, Celestia?"

She frowned a little, still blushing. "I think I was pretty clear, Discord."

"Clearly not, or we wouldn't be having as many communication problems as we are at the moment." He smirked a little.

She pouted. "You're the one who said yes to a dinner date tonight."

"Well excuse me for agreeing with you that we needed to continue our epic emotional discussion in private and after one of us had more than two minutes to process it." He rolled his eyes. "I was expecting a welcome home cake today when I came back today, not an alteration of our entire relationship on a whim!"

"A whim!" Celestia scowled, her feathers puffing up a little. "A whim? Do you have any idea how long I've…and the advice I've…and the nights I've…" She scoffed, actually smirking a little. "Discord, Master of Chaos, sometimes you are the most…infuriating creature since parasprites!"

"And you, Celestia, Princess of the Sun," he started, leaning close, scowling, "are the most demanding diva ever to grace a royal hall since Princess Platinum! And that includes Prince Blueblood! You beat out PRINCE BLUEBLOOD for demandingness!"

She leaned close too. "Why do you always have to make serious things difficult?"

"I don't make serious things difficult, I just make you have to confront the difficult parts of what's serious!" He leaned forward even more on his paw and claw. "That's what friends do! They make each other get through the hard stuff!"

She leaned forward more as well on her hooves. "And what would you know about the hard stuff?! Off playing all summer, mentioning the name of every girl you so much as glanced at, leaving me here lonely and bored and without anypony special and convinced you were going to show up here again married or something!"

He blinked. Then his eyes narrowed and his voice lowered. "What would I know about the hard stuff when it comes to all of this? Think about that question very carefully, Princess Celestia."

She blinked then her eyes widened and she frowned. "Discord, I'm sorry, of course I know that you…but I…" She blushed again, her eyes going down. "This is very difficult for me…"

"Yes, if only you had a friend who knew you well enough to know that sometimes you need to be egged on a bit before you'll admit the truth to yourself about things that bother you. Otherwise you'll fill every moment with stuffy silence or polite phrases or fretting over other people's problems instead of your own." Discord's look went dry.

"Oh… I… " Celestia looked up again, frowning more. "But…I already told you that my feelings for you are different now…and that I want something different between us—something more than friendship. So why push so hard, Discord? What else do you want me to say?"

His tone became firm again. "I'm pushing so hard because all you did was admit that you finally can't pretend that how good we are as friends doesn't make you think we'd be good as something more. You're barely half way there with what you're 'trying to accomplish'! And all I want you to say is the clear, simple, truth! Be bold, Tia! Show me what you've got! Tell me just how deep this goes for you and then demand to know how deep this goes for me! Get to it already! Say it, Celestia! Don't just ask me on a date—tell me exactly how you feel! Confess!" His eyes glowed with passion.

She took a breath, looking right into those eyes with her own eyes full of passion as well. "I like you, Discord! I care for you! Crazy, confusing, chaotic you! I kept looking for something, but it's you! I kept feeling things I couldn't understand until I realized they were all about you! You mean so much to me. I've never cared about anyone the way I care about you! I missed you. And I need to know, did you miss me too?" His words from his return; she said them without even thinking. And then, her eyes shining now, she finished, "Do you still love me, Discord? Because I think my heart's broken without yours."

They were so close. He looked at her with wide eyes. "Tia…"

She waited…

Then…

SPLAT!

Discord's tail snuck up from behind him, grabbed a piece of cake from the table, and smooshed it right into her face.

Celestia blinked in confusion, face covered in vanilla frosting and bits of chocolate crumb.

The chaos master smiled. "I thought you could use some cake. Oh and also this…"

Then Discord closed his eyes and kissed her on her cake-covered mouth.

Celestia felt him about to pull back; she quickly closed her eyes, reached up a hoof and kept him pulled in. He stayed and soon put his paw in her mane to do the same for her.

They separated after a lengthy embrace to catch their breaths. Suddenly Celestia giggled and Discord chuckled and soon they were laughing together. Then Celestia magically threw the second strike: a dish of steamed carrots right onto Discord's head! Discord threw a tray of daisy finger sandwiches at her. Instantly, the two of them began a glorious food fight together, flinging every dish on the table at one another, magically creating extra food to toss around from the ground as well as the air, and even chasing each other around the table a few times, laughing until they could barely breathe.

It took them quite a while to settle down. By then, of course, the dining room was covered in a glorious tapestry of stains. But the pair managed to find a clean area against the wall beneath a window to sit side-by-side and rest for a moment (and to wipe most of the food off of their coats).

With a final breath out, still smiling, Celestia glanced at Discord. "Discord…I take it all this means that you still feel…about me…" She blushed a little.

"Tia…" Discord smiled and blushed a little too; "first of all, if you haven't figured out the answer to that by now, I'm afraid there's no help for you at all romantically." They shared a small laugh. Discord went on. "And second of all…I'm sorry I pushed you so much." He swallowed. "I put my feelings for you behind me a while ago, but it was hard. I did it though because I care about our friendship, and for all I knew maybe I would meet someone else special to me one day. No one never felt right though…not the way you've always felt right to me." He sighed. "So I started a fight because I wanted to be sure the way you say you feel about me now is…very deep. And that the response you wanted from me was that I felt very deeply too." He blushed. "I know there are no guarantees about us working out. But I needed to know we're both trying from the same place."

"Don't apologize." Celestia's smile warmed. "Discord, that's exactly what I want—to be sure we're both looking for the same thing together. I understand why you'd be worried about our feelings for each other being out of balance. She considered then smiled more. "Discord, let me show you something."

He nodded, an eyebrow raised.

Her horn glowed; suddenly a small wooden chest appeared floating in the air. "Every flower you've ever given me, I've kept them." She opened the chest: inside were dozens of blossoms. "They're special memories to me. Each gala, each School Prom, birthday, or sad moment when you gave me one to make me happy: I cherish them all." She sighed and looked to him. "I've known since the start of our friendship that you were very special to me, Discord. It just took all the experiences we've had since then to make me realize what our relationship means to me." She blushed more. "And I've spent quite a few evenings gazing at them, trying to figure our what our experiences have meant to you."

"I see." Discord blushed now too…and smiled a little. "Then in that case, would you like to add your new flower to the chest, Darling Celestia?"

A warm pulse went through Celestia's heart at the gentle question, and especially at that phrase…Darling Celestia. She hadn't thought she'd ever hear it from him again. The sun princess nodded. "Yes, I'd like that very much." She gazed at the white rose as, with a snap of his fingers, Discord made it float over to them. "Discord, it's very beautiful but…why white?" She raised an eyebrow. "Everything you make is usually so colorful."

"Everything I make usually comes with a clear sense of what its purpose will be," he explained, making the flower pause between them. "But I didn't know what was going to happen between us today, so I went with white: a clean slate. Though I had to add at least some flair to it—it glows in the dark." He snapped, the lights went out, and the flower glowed with flashing white lights. As Celestia giggled, he snapped again to bring the lights back. His eyes hazed and his grin picked up on one side as he went on. "And besides, the flower does suit you—your coat's white, after all. You glow with freshness and light and potential, like a prism capable of reflecting all the colors of chaos." He snapped to float the flower into the chest and chuckled. "By the way, if you hording my flowers and me gushing mushy observations like that about you isn't proof that romance has been on both of our minds for a while, then I don't know what is. I just wish you had told me sooner, Tia…" his voice softened as he tilted his head slightly, "All you would have had to do is send me one note, and I would have come back from my vacation early in a literal flash to talk. You're my dear friend after all."

She nodded. "I know, Discord. I just…wasn't ready to say the words until today, to myself or to you. But I'm so happy I got to say them to you in person instead. Sending a letter today and waiting for a reply would have been torture. And besides…I spent the better part of this morning trying to write you letters, but they came out pretty terribly." Her horn glowed and suddenly dozens and dozens of crumpled up scrolls appeared on the floor around them. "Before I knew you were coming back early, I tried for hours this morning to find the right words to tell you the truth." She shrugged sheepishly.

The chaos master looked with wide eyes at the letters. "Can I read one?" he suddenly asked.

Celestia turned scarlet in surprise.

"Please?" He noticed and gave her a little humble shrug and a sheepish smile.

The sun princess sighed. "One." She swallowed. "But please don't ever share it with anyone."

"You have my word, dear lady," the chaos master replied as he snapped up a pair of reading glasses, selected a scroll, uncrumpled it, and read. A few moments later, he glanced up with a grin and a blush. "You really think my teaching outfit is that cute?"

Celestia let out a small giggle as she brought a hoof to her forehead. "Yes. Actually I do." She gazed up into his eyes and shifted closer. "And I'm happy to let you know it, Discord." She made the letters disappear. "And I'm happy you're back, Discord. I feel better now."

"I feel pretty good too, Tia." He smiled softly and touched his paw to her hoof on the floor.

When she responded by gently resting her head against his shoulder, the chaos master felt an explosion of emotion go off inside of him the likes of which he hadn't indulged in for a very long time.

Celestia let out a sigh and laughed softly. "Do you remember the time I got worked up about meeting that charming new Mexicolt ambassador? I spent all day showing him around Canterlot, trying to flirt, preparing to ask him if I could visit him soon…and then he said yes, his wife and children would love to meet me. I felt so stupid. Luckily I don't think he noticed how attracted I was to him, but still it was embarrassing. Then I told Luna and she told you, so you came over to cheer me up."

Discord nodded. "Yes. I made us churros and tried to teach you to ride a unicycle." They laughed; his fingers grazed her hoof gently. "Do you remember when Fluttershy went out on that Hearts and Hooves Day date with Bulk Biceps, and I was a nervous wreck thinking about her being a nervous wreck? So I went to the restaurant to keep an eye on them, and you joined me to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't do anything ridiculous."

"Oh yes." Celestia nodded. "We were both disguised as other ponies, and after forty-five minutes of amusing panic and feverish despair about her suddenly being all grown up and getting married and having foals and not needing you anymore, you finally calmed down and agreed with me that there was nothing to worry about, for the date or the future or for Fluttershy in general. Then Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps left to walk home, and we stayed behind and had sparkling cider with cake and danced."

Discord laughed. "Then there was the time before I started teaching when you asked me to help you give a lecture at the Unicorn School because you were so nervous about the other teachers and the students and I all getting used to each other. The topic was early Equestrian history: you and I lasted about five minutes with the boring historical rundown, and then we ended up putting on a hilarious full-chaos reenactment of our first battle as a demonstration. As soon as I heard those kids laughing and the other teachers too, I knew I belonged there. "

She laughed too. "And let's not forget the time just last year when you wrote me to come bail you and Spike out of a misunderstanding in the dragon lands and begged me never to tell Twilight."

He snorted. "In our defense, Spike and I had a lot of fun on that trip—it wasn't entirely our fault that we got into a misunderstanding that even Lord Ember couldn't sort out for us without some extra diplomatic help." He grinned as he went on. "And once Spike and I were okay, you stuck around there with us to have some fun yourself and made quite the impression. If you were a few hundred feet taller I think the former dragon lord might actually have been interested in courting you."

"I think you're all the dragon I can handle…" She moved a little closer so that her hip brushed his dragon leg on the floor.

Discord blushed thoroughly, his eyes wide.

"…And I'd like to see more of you," Celestia added, smiling a little sheepishly, her head still nuzzled against his shoulder.

Discord blinked, opened his mouth, then tilted his head and finally found words. "Did you just…ask me out AND make a pass at me at the same time?"

The sun princess blushed but only smiled more. "I've gotten a little bolder over time with how I make advances. And talking to Cadance today only encouraged me more."

The chaos master grinned. "I think I could get used to this. And since you're the one doing the asking out again, where shall we go and when?"

Celestia considered. "Discord, I think you and I need more than just an evening's date to work out our new situation. We've been apart a few months, and this is a big change for both of us…" She shrugged. "Earlier, you suggested we take one of our friendly trips together for fun. Why don't we take one of those but have it be a romantic trip? Sort of an extended date? We do still have a few days before school opens."

"You want to run off with me for days on a date?" He tilted his head.

"I want to give us both enough time to get used to being together in a different way," she replied softly, then swallowed and added, "And I want to…better understand your feelings for me and how they didn't change."

Discord nodded. "Yes, well…now that you mention it, I might like some time to get a better idea of how exactly your feelings have been progressing and what you see for both of us in the future. And to see how this works out—us, actually dating." He swallowed

"To see how we work…" The sun princess nodded. "I understand."

The chaos master nodded too. Then he chuckled low. "And perhaps the kingdom is due for a good romantic scandal."

She rolled her eyes and laughed too.

Discord held up his fingers to snap. "So, an extended date it is then. Where would you like to go? The coast? San Franciscolt is lovely this time of year. Some place exotic? The sandstorm season isn't due in Saddle Arabia for at least another month, and they have the best falafel. Paris Prance? We could look up Cher Rouge. Horseshoe Bay? I could teach you wind surfing…." He was grinning more and more.

There was a little sparkle in Celestia's eye. "Actually I have a different idea. But I want it to be a surprise. Why don't you meet me here tomorrow night after sunset, and I'll take us both there."

"Ooo, a surprise date!" Discord clapped his paw and claw together. "It's a deal, Tia. I'm very intrigued."

She smiled more. "I really think you'll enjoy it, Discord."

He nodded…and then his smile grew. "Well, now that we've settled plans for our next date, how shall we finish this one?" He glanced out at the food-covered dining room. "This has been one of the best dates I've ever had by the way, truly and utterly and spontaneously chaotic."

Celestia laughed softly, looking to the food and then back to him. "It's been the most fun date I can recall." She sighed and shrugged as he glanced back at him. "Well, I suppose finishing dinner's out, all things considered."

"Oh, we were past attempting dinner before this date officially went off the rails." He chuckled, his voice lower as he turned a little more toward her. "Now then, help me remember. What were we doing just before the food fight started?"

She considered. "We…" his tail tuft came up to brush back her crystal braid and let both of her eyes show. "We…" She looked up into his eyes. "Oh." Her blush deepened. "We were…" The two of them shouting until they had half crawled across the table to hold each other and… "Discord…" she whispered, blushing shyly, her purple eyes wide.

"If you're up for it, we could pick up where we left off," he offered with a special grin. "Besides, every date should end with a goodnight kiss in my opinion." Before she could say more, he reached up with his paw to lightly cup her chin. His thumb grazed her lip to move away some icing. "And it might be nice to try it without the cake this time." His eyes narrowed.

"A-And without the table between us..." Celestia felt warm enough to burst. Her chest was just brushing his, and she wondered if he could feel her heart hammering…

He turned rosy, his smile and gaze warming even more. "Nothing should ever be between us, my princess…" left him in a whisper as he leaned in.

With a shallow breath, Celestia closed her eyes and tilted her head as their lips nearly met…

…When suddenly a very distinct bang, squeal, and sounds of hushing met their ears.

Celestia and Discord paused; their eyes opened again.

Discord glanced at the door with an eyebrow raised, then smiled and turned to Celestia again, whispering. "It seems we have company."

She nodded, smiling a little too despite her ruby blushing. "We should have guessed."

"Probably 'the children' checking up on us. Never a dull moment." He chuckled.

A sudden giggle escaped Celestia. "I wouldn't be surprised."

He raised her hoof. "Shall we save this moment for the next time we're alone, Darling Celestia?"

She nodded. "Yes. That would be lovely. But you still deserve a kiss goodnight, Discord." Blushing, she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

He grinned and chuckled. "As do you, my lady." Blushing, he leaned down and kissed her hoof.

They shared a smile.

And then at the sound of more stifled whispering and giggling Discord sighed. "What do you say you and I reset the table and invite them in to dinner with us, hmm?"

"Wonderful idea, Discord. " Celestia nodded as she stood up.

Discord held up his paw and raised his voice in the direction of the door. "Okay, okay—everyone who's spying, get on in here." He snapped; the dining room door disappeared, and instantly over half a dozen ponies and a baby dragon to come tumbling into the room on top of each other.

"Discord!" Luna pouted, trying to stand. "Honestly!"

"Discord, I'm really sorry!" Fluttershy gasped as she stood up. "We didn't mean to spy. Luna and I were just worried about you and Celestia, and then suddenly we turned around, well…" She glanced back at the rest of their friends.

Pinkie Pie bounced up with a grin. "I came here because my Pinkie Sense was going off like crazy—practically a doozy! And my doozies usually mean Princess Celestia, so I decided I needed to check it out a.s.a.p.!"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash shook out her wings and flew up, "and I saw her bouncing along and asked if she wanted to go pranking, and she said no and told me about the doozy. So I decided to come along."

"Yup." Applejack stood up and put her hat back on her head. "And then I saw them heading past my house toward the train station, And when they told me about Canterlot and the princess, I told them Fluttershy was already there so maybe the doozy had something to do with her too—she asked me this morning to tend to giving her critters lunch while she was gone. So we all got on the train to Canterlot."

Rarity cleared her throat as she straightened her mane. "And then I saw them walking through the streets here—I was visiting the Canterlot Branch of the boutique, you know. And when they said they were going to the castle, of course I followed along."

Twilight stood with an awkward smile. "And then they all ran into me at the castle gate with Spike. I wanted to stop by today to go over my first guest lecture of the year for the School for Gifted Unicorns, Celestia."

Spike cleared his throat. "And I came along because I wanted to say hi to you, Discord, now that you're back." He shrugged, blushing. "Sorry about all of this."

"Yes," Luna smiled cheekily, "our apologies, and we'll all just head out now if you'd like to return to your fraternizing. Of course I don't mind adding a few nightly touches first." Her horn glowed, and suddenly the dining room lights dimmed, the curtains parted to reveal the light of sunset and the silvery moon rising high, and candles lit along the walls of the room. "I'd clean up the food as well, but somehow I think you two actually find the chaos of it a little enticing." She giggled as the girls blushed and looked on with small smiles, and Spike rolled his eyes and smacked his claw to his forehead.

Discord and Celestia blushed and shifted a little apart but smiled too.

"Very funny," the chaos master replied as he snapped the room back to its normal lighting and ambiance. "So yes, as confirmation, Celestia and I finally seem to be over the moon for each other. Tia and I have decided to count this date as sort of a practice one though. We'll be taking the full plunge into exploring a wacky relationship starting tomorrow night with a little vacation together. Don't wait up." He chuckled.

Celestia smiled more and gave him a nudge as she used her magic to clean up the two of them. "Yes, we're going to take a few days off together to discuss some long overdue personal subjects. But for now as long as you're all hear and as long as Discord and I did more fighting with our food than eating it, we thought we all might have dinner together. It would be a very nice way to welcome Discord home properly, don't you think?"

"Thanks, Celestia!" Twilight shrugged sheepishly. "And sorry again about interrupting you two."

"It'd be great to hear about your summer trip, Discord!" Spike smiled. "I want to know everything. And sorry again for letting the girls cramp your style."

"Awesome, I could totally go for some adventure stories!" Rainbow Dash nodded. "And it's about time you two got together," she added with a smirk.

"And I reckon I could go for some dinner. Thank you kindly." Applejack tipped her hat. "And congratulations on your new courtship."

"Who could turn down a formal invitation to dine with friends?" Rarity beamed. "And also, well…" her eyes brightened and she clapped her hooves together, "I'm ecstatic to be here for the blossoming of a new royal romance!"

"I'm just sorry we didn't get to be part of the food fight though, it looked super exciting!" Pinkie Pie bounced again. "And congratulations on dating, I think you two will be a super fun couple!"

As the girls and Spike all took their seats, Luna and Fluttershy approached Discord and Celestia.

Luna smiled. "A little trip together? I'm glad, I think it will do you both well. I shall be happy to attend to your duties around the castle in your absence, sister."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you, Luna." She came forward and laid a leg over her sister for a hug.

Fluttershy approached Discord, looking up at him. "And I can take care of your dust bunnies at your cottage for a few more days just like I did while you were away, Discord."

He smiled down at her. "Thank you, dear Fluttershy."

She nodded then put a foreleg around him in a hug. "Have a wonderful time on your trip, Discord."

Luna smiled as she came forward and put a foreleg over her sister in a hug as well. "And you have a wonderful time too, sister."

The four of them separated, sharing smiles.

Then Discord cleared his throat and turned to Celestia, blushing slightly. "Well, then, Tia, shall I take care of whipping up the dessert and you take care of the main course?" He held up his fingers to snap.

Celestia nodded as her horn started to glow. "I think that'll be perfect, Discord." A burst of magic left her, and suddenly the table was set with ten place settings and trays of daisy pizza with bowls of fresh apples. "I'm afraid I'm not too good at gourmet spells." She shrugged sheepishly.

"And I'm afraid I won't be much better—chaos and all," Discord added. "For dessert we'll be having my Celestia Specialty." He snapped to make a few silver trays appear with some very unusual looking cakes on them. "They're cakes but with the cake on the outside and the frosting on the inside." He leaned down close to Pinkie Pie. "The green and yellow one has jalapeno frosting. That's my Celestia Pinkie Pie Speciality." He pulled back with a chuckle.

The girls and Spike instantly squealed with excitement and gratitude (Pinkie Pie in particular) at the sight of the delicious spread. They quickly took their seats and started serving themselves.

Luna gave another warm smile to her sister and Discord then nodded and took her place at the far head of the table.

Celestia sat at the near head with Discord at the first seat to her right.

"All right then, everypony!" Discord began, snapping up some glasses of chocolate milk for everyone (as Celestia made them all glasses of cider as well). "Not only do I want to share my adventures from my summer abroad but I want to hear all of yours from you're summer around here! Let's get reacquainted ladies, because I think I've actually missed your shenanigans these last three months almost as much as I'm sure you've missed mine."

Talking and laughter filled the room as the girls started to eat and prepared to share stories.

Meanwhile, sitting beside each other, Celestia and Discord watched their friends in amusement and joined in the conversation quickly too, acting just as friendly and casual together as ever.

But, as Luna noticed when she dropped her napkin and ducked down to pick it up, beneath the table their tails were curled together rather intimately. What their extended date would bring them to beyond such actions, she could only imagine.

---

I've searched all night and all the day

To see if I can recreate

The love we had—

Oh what a waste.

I'm not looking for new love

You were all I needed…

I'm never going back again,

Never going back again.

~"New Love (Acoustic)" by Ashleigh Ball—Hey Ocean!

---

A/N:

Thank you all again for reading! This story will be much shorter than MCNE (maybe 6-8 chapters) and most of the chapters will be like half this size-this one just ended up so long because there was so much ground to cover :twilightblush: The pace will be very quick though and it'll almost entirely focus on the few days Celestia and Discord will spend together on their extended date (followed by a glimpse into their future). Rated Teen for excessive kisses, snuggling, flirting, and semi-risque jokes by Cadance, Discord, Celestia, and whoever else feels like getting in a few cheeky comments lol.

I can't say when the next chapter will be up (I'm in the middle of a big project) but I'll do my best :)

~Azure129

A/N:

Hi everyone! Here you go, the next chapter of the sequel ^_^ I hope you all enjoy it, and sorry for the delay!

The Most Chaotic Date Ever!

Chapter 2:

If You Can't Stand the Heat…

---

Celestia gazed at the clouds above her. The pegasi didn't control the weather out here over the Everfree Forest, so the white billowy masses were free to take whatever shapes they could manage. Naturally, they were the most excellent clouds for cloud gazing. Of course, the only way to see these free-spirited clouds was to be above the forest canopy…which was where Celestia and Discord resided now. The two friends were lying on their backs with their heads together atop a large pink cotton candy cloud (and with a lot of extra pink cloud around Celestia to help keep her steady in her reclined position).

Spending time together in this place had become a favorite private pastime of the sun princess and the chaos master, though a rare one. It was a tradition only used for when they needed to talk about very important, very private things—things that might be easier to share with a friend while gazing up at the sky instead of having to make direct eye contact.

So, to begin their date, the sun princess had taken the chaos master here. And then Celestia had calmly and directly explained to Discord everything about the recent strength of her feelings and her sleepless nights and how she had come to realize there was no other explanation than the fact that she wanted to be more than his friend. And after a moment of silence and a swallow he had quietly replied, "Oh, I see…"

Ever since then, there had just been quiet lingering between the pair. By now, Celestia was fighting the compulsion to voice even more of the growing thoughts tumbling around in her mind. But her nerves got the better of her, and so instead she just continued to bite her lip as she patiently let Discord take his time to respond further…and as she tried to ignore how all of the clouds above her looked almost like draconequus different pieces to her today. She could even swear there was a beard-shaped cloud moving into view now. The sun princess let out a small sigh, her look growing dry.

Luckily, with a sudden breath, Discord finally broke the silence for her (and brought her attention away from the teasing, wild clouds). "I think about you a lot too, Tia. Actually…I'm really glad you suggested coming out here for one of our cloud talks to start our date. These times, when it's just you and I together…I feel like…"

He stopped, and there was a shy tone in his voice—a tone he only got when admitting something personal and embarrassing and 'mushy' as he liked to call it.

"Remember," Celestia urged softly, "you can say anything during cloud talks. And no one ever has to know."

He took another deep breath. "When it's just you and I together, part of me feels like…I'm home. You know, the part of me that's my heart," he finally finished in a voice that sounded like a stubborn colt admitting a crush on a little filly.

Celestia had to laugh softly. "Oh, Discord…"

"I thought the ground rules made teasing explicitly forbidden during cloud talks," the chaos master mumbled dryly. "And that 'Oh Discord' sounded dangerously close to breaking that rule."

The sun princess's smile only grew. "Discord, can I tell you something?"

"Another ground rule about cloud talks—we can both freely pick the topics…except, of course, for our traditional understood avoidance of romantic ones. But I suppose that restriction is almost ready to be overturned, in which case fire away about whatever's on your mind, Tia." Despite the stubbornness of his words, she could hear some of the smile returning to Discord's voice.

Celestia's eyes hazed. "When I saw Cadance yesterday, she asked me what it felt like to kiss you, and I told her it felt like coming home."

"Seriously?" left Discord with a light crack to his voice.

Celestia laughed softly. "Yes, very seriously." Then she let out a deep breath. "And you're right; talks like these feel like coming home too."

"Hmm…then we should do them more often. Especially if now we're going to be, well…you know, whatever we'll be at the end of this date." He swallowed. "Whether that's friends or…definitely more than friends."

Celestia swallowed too as she recalled their conversation from the other day in the castle when they had been planning this date. They were going to go off together 'just to see' how they worked. No guarantees. But she knew now they were both hoping for more than friendship, and the notion brightened her spirits again. "No matter what though, we'll always have cloud talks," she whispered back to him.

"Yes, and we'll always have each other…or something mushy like that," Discord whispered as well.

Celestia smiled and knew he must be smiling too.

"So," Discord went on, his tone resuming some of its usual sarcasm and wit, "is the surprise about where we're going on our date that you're going to keep us up here bonding over the Everfree Forest for three days? Personally, I'm okay with that if you are—plenty of fresh air, loads of cotton candy to live off of, charming company…but I have a feeling you intended something a little more interactive for our time together. Though I completely agree a cloud talk was a necessary starting point: subjects that are serious enough for them don't pop up often. "

Celestia nodded. "You're right, it has been a while since we've had one. The last time I suggested a get-together like this was—"

"…Was when you had that Daybreaker experience in Starlight's dream…" Discord finished for her. "And you wanted to talk to someone you trusted—and someone who would never be afraid of you—about your fear of ever losing your way." He sighed with a light chuckle. "Personally, I still stand by my final opinion on the matter: evil you is kind of cute, but either way I'd never let you fall apart like that. I know what it's like, I know the signs, and I'd let you know if I ever sensed anything bad about your magic. And I'd do anything to help you, no matter what. But just the idea that our friendship is so strong is probably enough of a sugar-coated thought to keep you out of any danger in the first place."

Celestia's smile was full now as she continued looking at the clouds, finally not trying to ignore how much draconequus her enamored imagination could see in their shapes. "I still can't believe you convinced me to dress up as Daybreaker for Nightmare Night that year."

"And I can't believe you got me to cover myself in powdered sugar and go as 'Statue Me', but, well, we do bring out odd sides to each other," Discord replied, a grin in his voice.

Celestia chuckled softly, then took another deep breath as she settled more against their cloud. "And the last time you called one of these cloud meetings together was when you were offered that job teaching for a year in Saddle Arabia at the National University by Jasmine Flower. And you thought you should let me know even though you said you'd never take the job." She swallowed.

"Yeah." He sighed. "And I, um…I know we never talked about it explicitly of course since it would have counted as sharing about our romantic lives, but Jasmine extending that offer to me wasn't just about letting me have a chance at a new job. We only saw each other whenever she visited Equestria, so we never got the chance to try a relationship, but she wanted to progress things by having me come to Saddle Arabia for a bit."

"Yes, I thought so." Celestia only managed to maintain a small smile. "I really couldn't have blamed you if you went, Discord. Not only was it a great teaching opportunity, but Jasmine Flower was the first mare you ever went out with after you and I decided to just be friends: she's probably very special to you. And I'm sure there have been quite a few other mares who were special to you."

"You're most special of all though…"

The words sent a warm pulse through Celestia's heart and made her smile complete again.

Discord went on, his voice deep and serious. "How could my feelings for you ever fade, Tia? Every time I look at you or talk to you or think about you, all of me knows the truth—you're more to me than a friend." He cleared his throat. "If I ever did make you jealous by always saying how much I was dating, I never meant to. But if it helps to know, I could never feel a romantic future with anyone else as much as you. You're the lady who makes me happiest: dating so much only showed me more and more how true that fact was." He sighed, his tone going dry. "Yikes, it really is a good thing cloud talks don't involve eye contact: I'd never get all those sappy, considerate words out otherwise."

A giggle left Celestia, her eyes still gazing at the draconequus-like clouds. "Well, I'm glad you were able to say all those words to me. And yes, I've been jealous, Discord. But as long as you were happy, I could be happy. Though I'll admit it's nice to know that I'm the one who makes you happiest."

"Yeah, I figured you'd like that." A small laugh left him too. "So…now we come to the fun part of cloud talk…" Celestia raised an eyebrow as he continued with, "We talk about the fact that you admitted I've been in your dreams."

Celestia blushed and cleared her throat. "I-I just said you were in the one dream."

"Yes," he went on, his tone dripping with pride, "but you didn't sound surprised about my presence. And you did mention having some trouble sleeping for a while lately. And now I know I'm on your mind enough that you like to ogle me in my teacher outfit during school hours. So you must have dreamed of me before." He chuckled. "All of which leads us the big question: does Luna ever bug you about those dreams since you're sisters or does she totally leave them to you like she does with mine? Just curious."

Celestia let out a deep breath but couldn't help still smiling a little. "She only 'bugged' me about the first one I ever had—after she admitted to spying on that one, I asked her not to go near any others, and she hasn't ever since."

"Hmm," he yawned, "so when was that first dream? It doesn't sound like you really admitted your feelings to yourself til recently, so I'm guessing…maybe three months ago, around when I left?"

"The first one was during the night after our first gala actually." Celestia grinned at the stunned silence that met her ears at this admission. "I told you, Discord," she went on softly, "there's always been a special feeling inside of me for you. It was just complicated for me to accept it. I was scared and worried about liking you just because of how special your feelings for me made me feel. So I gave myself a chance to experience the romantic part of my life again as fully as possible for your sake and for mine; to see if my feelings for you changed and what they truly meant to me. I've never had a special friend like you before…and now I realize it's because you're more than a friend to me too." She closed her eyes. "I feel like there's something new and wonderful to discover in life when we're together." When her eyes opened she was blushing. "Do I sound as smitten as I think I do? Cadance says I tend to ramble about you… Luna agrees with her."

Discord coughed a few times. "Sorry, I'm just…I'm still processing the 'dreamed about you on Gala night' thing. I…wow…. And you've been falling for me all this time." His tone took on a warm, dreamy quality that Celestia still remembered vividly from their gala night when he had confessed to her during their final dance. She really hadn't heard him get that tone since, but it was too special ever to forget. "You definitely sound smitten by the way," he went on with a happy sigh. "And just to be clear before I let all of this go to my head, Cadance didn't zap you with a love spell or something just for fun, did she?"

"I can assure you she didn't," Celestia replied, trying not to laugh. "In fact, after our first gala and our princess sleepover, she informed me that her diabolical plan for you and I was that she wasn't going to lift a hoof to get us together. She wanted to make sure I knew that when I fell for you, it would be entirely my own doing. I'm afraid my heart's all yours for real, Discord."

The chaos master chuckled almost giddily. "In that case, want to bring this cloud talk to a close and resume eye contact? I already spent three months not gazing at your loveliness, and frankly it was far too long."

Her eyes hazed at the idea of getting to see her actual dear draconequus instead of just some clouds that looked vaguely like his many interesting (rather well-toned, rather ruggedly-fur-covered, rather cute) parts. 'Oh dear, I really have fallen hard, haven't I? Somewhere I just know Cadance is sensing this and grinning away. I can only imagine the questions she'll have for me when I get home.' She nodded. "I'd like that very much, Discord. We have a lot to get to on our date anyway."

"I'm sure we do, Tia." He chuckled. "And in that case, hold on." He snapped.

Celestia anticipated disappearing in a quick burst of magic and reappearing sitting up the cloud or the forest floor with Discord. But she did not anticipate slowly dropping on her back through the pink surface of the cloud that held them. However, before she could call out or try to fly up, she found air and light again as her head and the rest of her came up on the other side of the cloud on her stomach. And there was Discord, likewise on his stomach and facing her. Meanwhile, the ground was 'above' them which meant they were now both lying on the underside of the cloud.

Her eyes met his, and her smile returned at the sight of Discord's own bright grin as he cooed to her with a chuckle, "We should meet like this more often—I love the way your mane looks sans gravity."

Celestia blinked then glanced up—her hair was flowing in a mountainous stack 'upward'. Her eyes came back to him and she chuckled too. "I could say the same thing about your beard."

Discord blinked and looked down—sure enough, his beard was flowing 'upward' along the side of his mouth. His eyes met hers again. "Well, enjoy it while it lasts, because we have a date to get to. Where to first, darling Celestia?"

"Oh, any number of places." She brought a hoof to her chin. "I thought we could have a lot of little adventures based on whatever we wanted to do together…"

"A chaotic game plan—I'm listening." He leaned closer, head resting on his paw.

"But I did have a base of operations in mind," the sun princess went on. "Somewhere nice and private we could go back to each day. Somewhere special to me. But it might be a little treacherous getting there. What do you say?"

The chaos master's eyes brightened with a determined smirk. "I say bring it on, Princess. I'll meet any challenge you can bring, not only because I'm the indomitable spirit of chaos but because I'm utterly determined as your date to show off all my natural prowess and skills to you." He shrugged with a proud smirk. "This is what you're going to be dealing with now, Tia. I hope you enjoy the fun."

"I'm looking forward to it very much, actually." Her eyes hazed a little. "And as your friend I'm determined as usual to make sure we have fun together and make good memories. And as your date, I'm determined to make sure that all of that fun also has a chance to become something romantic." With a swallow, she reached out and touched his paw. "This is what you're going to be dealing with now, Discord. I hope you enjoy the fun."

He blushed pink like a little colt for a moment, and Celestia held back the urge to giggle. Then when he started lightly stroking her hoof with his fingers, she held back the urge to sigh deeply and cuddle against him on their cloud.

"I could get used to this," he cooed in a low voice, his eyes hazed.

She swallowed, her voice light. "Me too…"

Discord took a deep breath. "Tia…remember yesterday in your dining room…you and I were interrupted right in the middle of something, so we decided to put it off until later?" His gaze shyly went down. "Well…now's later you know…"

Celestia felt her heart beating in strange bursts of warmth as yesterday's feelings of curiosity and excitement and romance came over her again. She remembered him cupping her cheek in his paw, brushing cake crumbs from her lip with his finger, saying nothing should ever come between them. "Yes," she finally nodded, "now is later, Discord."

The chaos master swallowed, and his eyes barely came up to hers. He looked so unsure yet so hopeful that it made all of the romantic giddiness possible bubble up inside of Celestia. She moved her head closer first, and then he seemed confident enough to do the same. Their eyes drifted shut as their mouths met.

For Celestia, sharing a kiss with someone tended to be a slightly awkward experience. There was always at least one little thing she wasn't sure about like when to start or how long to linger or if she was doing things correctly or what the other person would think afterward. But with Discord, now, here, upside down in their own world, none of those little doubts came up: the lips of the two friends simply melted together. Even as Discord's paw moved farther up her foreleg and Celestia's other foreleg shifted to touch his claw arm, everything felt right. And his fang angled so gently against her lip, fierce but never hurting her, as her wings rose slightly and her mane shifted to give them privacy. The sun princess realized she could have gotten lost with him and spent the next three days up here embracing together.

Suddenly, the tickle of Discord's floating beard against her nose snapped her out of the intoxicating daze of his kiss and made her giggle, effectively separating their lips. Celestia's eyes finally blinked open slightly as did Discord's, his breaths shallow. "Sorry," she whispered, blushing, "your beard tickled."

With a dazed grin, Discord chuckled softly. "If it's a bother, I'll consider trimming it, but only for you."

"No!" Celestia all but squeaked, then, realizing her tone, she cleared her throat and went on with a blush, "I mean, never change for me Discord, ever—I like you just the way you are. And I like your beard very…very much."'

Discord blinked, and the ends of his smile practically curled up to his ears. "Oh Tia…" left him in a low grumble as he suddenly moved closer, mouth approaching hers again…ready to bring her back to that euphoric state of their intimacy. Ready to make her lose all sense of time and reason and hesitation. Ready to lead her into a beautiful place of feelings her heart had never known so well.

Celestia's mouth was already approaching his again…but then she hesitated and quickly blinked and pulled back with a dark blush and a loud clearing of her throat. "Erm…Discord, it's getting late and we should really get going so we can set up where we'll be spending the next few days. And then we can plan our first outing. Come on." She gave his cheek a brief kiss and then flew off of the cloud.

Behind her Discord blinked a few times to snap himself out of his daze. He blushed distinctly but then smiled sheepishly as he touched his cheek then finally nodded and flew after her. "Excellent point, Tia. And I really am excited to see where we're going. Would it help for me to snap us anywhere?"

"Nope." Celestia glanced at him as he flew up alongside her. "Where we're going is just up ahead actually." She gestured forward.

Discord glanced out that way and blinked.

In the distance ahead of them at the far edge of the Everfree Forest was none other then the abandoned castle of the two pony sisters.

"But…then how is it treacherous getting there?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you'll see…"

---

"Okay, admit it—you and your sister were insane when you set up this place!"

"I liked to think of us as very young and free-spirited!"

"You made your home navigable via DEATH TRAPS!"

"We just added a little fun. Don't tell me the chaos master isn't up to it?"

Celestia glanced over her shoulder with a grin. Discord was currently sitting behind her on a rock slab while the two of them went rocketing down a stone luge waterslide through several shadowy levels of the interior walls of the old castle of the pony sisters.

Discord blinked and pouted. "Hey, I was fine with the trap doors and the paintings with secret holes for spying and even that hallway of fake severed pony heads—actually I was mildly impressed that you two got that creative and kooky with building this place." He shook his head. "But right now we're careening through dark catacombs with major drops on either side of us—and we're picking up speed! And even if I wanted to use magic to help us, I can barely see in here. I love mayhem more than anyone, Tia, I just don't want to spend the rest of our first date in intensive ca—ahh!" the chaos master yelled as the slab went off another jump, flew through the air, and landed on the next level of stone waterslide, now speeding along in another direction.

"Whoo hoo!" Celestia called out merrily, grinning as the slide accelerated even more. Her grin grew further as she felt Discord's hands suddenly gripping her shoulders snugly. She glanced over her shoulder to see his eyes wide. "Discord," she started softly as she reached up a hoof to put it on his hand, "it's safe—just trust me, all right?"

His eyes met hers, and then a small smile came back to his own features. "I do. Always."

She nodded. "Then hold on tight—we're almost there." She gestured forward to the end of the luge suddenly looming through the shadows…which would seemingly jettison them off into black nothingness.

Discord's eyes widened at the sight. "Fine, but I'm buckling you in!"

His tail suddenly encircled both of them, which gave Celestia a warm feeling inside, though her attention quickly focused on the final jump. "Ready…set…" Suddenly they flew off the edge and went airborne.

"Sweet chaos!" Discord yelled.

"Whoo!" Celestia cried out with delight.

They flew through the darkness…and directly into a stone wall! But as they hit, the seemingly solid barrier suddenly flipped them through to a cozy room on the other side then sealed up again behind them.

The two friends landed in a heap on the floor, tangled up together.

Celestia laughed as she raised her head. "Oh that was wonderful! I haven't done that in ages! You need a partner for it to really get the slide going fast enough for the jumps, but I usually just visit here alone. That was so much better than teleporting though!"

"Well, next time we're wearing helmets but otherwise…yeah, I guess that was sort of fun." Discord finally started chuckling as he raised his head too. "Oh you are a wild one, Tia. Absolutely." He gazed down at her.

She gazed back up at him. "Well, the luge through the castle walls was Luna's idea, but the jumps and secret wall at the end were mine."

"The most thrilling parts from the most thrilling woman. Of course." He winked.

She laughed softly, her eyes hazing a little. "Flirting already, Discord? You really are taking this date seriously."

"You have no idea." He let out a sigh, sitting up a little more as he leaned over her. "By the way, this date has just started and we've already managed to fall on top of each other. Really now, Tia, what cliché date thing is next? Shall we get locked in the same room for hours, accidentally get hoof-cuffed together, start to finish each other's…?" He held off on the obvious last word, clearly waiting for her to take over.

Celestia giggled. "Sentences…?" she replied.

"I was going to say 'songs' since I like your singing so much, and since you and I really do need to do a duet one of these days, but I'll accept 'sentences' for now." He chuckled. "And as for the other things…"

"And as for the other things," Celestia went on, "I'm not sure if a date between the two of us could stand being intense enough to include all of that." The sun princess rolled her eyes as she blushed.

"Either way, we're off to a good start here…" And though Discord's voice had a playful tone, she could see the blush and shy glance down he gave: they really were all tangled up together. For a moment, Celestia had a brief mental flash to Cadance's letter of advice for her and Discord from so long ago: specifically the pages with diagrams for the best way for a four-legged pony and a two legged draconequus to embrace.

The sun princess finally swallowed. "Well, um… 'here' this is just a pit stop, like I said. A place to come back to each night. I'll, um…I'll get up and give you the grand tour." She shifted away from him and got herself sitting.

Discord floated up with a nod as he cleared his throat. "Yes, I was wondering exactly what part of your old castle this…was…" He had finally looked around enough for his eyes to take in their location: a large room with windows overlooking a small balcony, a cozy armchair and rug by the fireplace, a few bookcases filled with old volumes, some shelves full of knick knacks and, on the walls were paintings of a very young Celestia and Luna set over a door in the corner…

"This is my old room—well, part of my old room. I used to call it my parlor," Celestia explained, glancing around. "My actual bedroom is through the door in the corner, but it's very big and formal and stuffy. Since this room is brighter and smaller, I cleaned it up on my own a while ago. I visit here sometimes to relax and reminisce, so I thought we could camp out here." She used her magic to create two 'beds' made of large stuffed cushions with colorful pillows, a pink blanket for her and a blue and pink checkerboard blanket for Discord. "We can sleep here, eat here…" She used her magic to turn an end table into a larger table with two chairs and candles, "and just come back here to relax and talk." She used her magic to take down a few board games from her shelf as well as a pack of cards. Then she turned to Discord with a smile. "What do you think? I figured this way we could still have privacy from everyone but we also wouldn't have to worry about anyone back home needing to get in contact with us in case of an emergency—we'll be right nearby after all."

He just floated there though, looking at her with wide yes and her head tilted. "So, we'll be sharing a room together for the three days?"

Celestia blinked and instantly felt her white features warm with red. "Oh, well, um…I thought it would be the best way to get to know each other and to catch up since we've been apart for so long." She quickly cleared her throat. "But if you'd be more comfortable with your own room, I could clear the dust out of my actual bedroom and one of us could go in there. It'll only take me a little while to get it done."

"No, no—this is fine, really," Discord quickly assured as he sat on the edge of his bed and shrugged 'casually'. "Kind of nice actually." He smiled a little, looking down. "I never, um…lived with a lady before, even if it's just for three days."

Celestia sat on the edge of her own bed, her head tilted. "But you lived with Twilight for a few months after our first gala, and sometimes you spend weekends at Fluttershy's—"

"I meant I never lived with a lady who was more than a friend—sharing a place and room and all that formal stuff," he clarified quickly, turning to her.

"Oh." She swallowed. "Really?"

Discord shrugged as he gave a single nod. "I was never much of the settling down type…" he blushed a little and added, "you know, in the past."

Celestia looked down, still blushing slightly, then smiled a little. "Come to think of it, I've never lived with a gentlepony before…one who was more than a friend, I mean, since the guards and stewards who live in the castle wouldn't really count."

Discord's usual warm grin returned. "Well, we'll certainly be getting a crash course in becoming close during this date, won't we?"

"Yes." She nodded, smiling warmly too. "I'm looking forward to it a lot." She laughed softly. "I'll try not to wake you up in the morning when I go to raise the sun."

"And I'll try not to keep you up all night with my witty conversation and hilarious antics so that you don't end up too groggy to bring the day to everyone," he replied.

Celestia's gaze warmed. "Well then, we better get to the first adventure of our date so we have plenty of time to come back here and talk before bed."

"Excellent plan." Discord nodded, his fingers clasped together with a grin. "So then, where do you want to go?"

"I…" Celestia blinked. "Oh, I…" she raised an eyebrow to herself, "I…I guess I thought you would pick." She shrugged sheepishly.

Discord, however, just shook his head and wagged a finger. "Uh-uh-uh, I've been off doing all the adventures I want all summer while you've been stuck in that big drafty castle looking over everypony. You pick our adventure: I insist."

She blushed a little and swallowed. "Discord, you're always better at coming up with adventures for us, you know that, and especially for something this big—"

"Tia," he interrupted gently, "my chaotic mind might dream up some of the most thrilling adventures, but you're the best of thinking of adventures you want to go on." He shrugged, grinning. "Come on: whatever you want to do, as long as we can do it together, I'm sure it'll be more than fit for a king of chaos and a princess of ponies."

"I…well…I appreciate the confidence, Discord." Celestia was blushing now and biting her lip. She took a deep breath and looked at him, making her smile bright. "Er…how about…lava surfing?"

"Lava surfing?" The chaos master raised an eyebrow so high it left his head.

"Yes, lava surfing: like the dragons do." Celestia nodded, glancing away. "I've always enjoyed lava—it's sort of like liquid sun. And it would be nice to travel out of Equestria. And it would be thrilling; definitely a challenge for a chaos king and a pony princess."

Discord's smile grew and he nodded. "Very well, lava surfing it is, Tia." He flexed his fingers and chuckled. "Lava—you never told me you liked lava or that you thought of it as liquid sun." He snapped up two stone 'surfboards' with a high wall in the front and low walls at the sides.

"Well, you have been away for three months, visiting new places, new friends…new mares." She smirked a little as she used her magic to create two stone helmets for them.

"Only because I didn't know you were secretly pining away for me here at home…" He smirked back as he climbed onto his board and gestured for her to do the same with a sweeping motion of his arm. "And you still could have mentioned it in all the years of our friendship before then."

Celestia smiled a little more to herself as she climbed aboard her board and used her magic to place both of their helmets on their heads. "Maybe I just enjoy being a mysterious mare, Discord." She winked at him.

Discord raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

Celestia cleared her throat and powered her horn. "Shall we get going?"

He blinked a few times then smiled and nodded. "Oh…yes, of course." He usual playful grin returned as he held up the end of his tail to snap. "Lava surfing. Talk about a first date that hits the ground running." He snapped his tail, his board grew stone feet, then ran forward into a portal through which he disappeared.

Celestia giggling as he left, then bit her lip, took a deep breath, tightened her helmet, and disappeared in a flash of magic.

---

The happy couple hadn't needed long to find a volcano on the verge of erupting in the dragon lands. And once the initial blast had taken place, they teleported on their boards to the volcano's peak and started riding the currents down to the red hot lava lake below. As they neared the volcano's base and jettisoned off crags into the awaiting magma of a lava lake, they picked up speed from the flow and were now riding the crests of lava waves over the lake at full throttle.

"Celestia, you're brilliant!" Discord called out, riding over a flat rock sticking up through the 'lake' to get some air for a jump.

Celestia laughed, hooves on the edge of her board's rock shield as she flew along with her rainbow hair streaming in the air behind her. "I never realized it would feel like this! You know, I've wanted to lava surf ever since I was a filly and got to know about dragons as part of my royal duties!"

"So why didn't you ever try it?"

"Because recklessly riding waves of bright, hot molten rock didn't seem like a very royal thing to do—whoo!" she called out with a smile as she caught a large swell.

"And is it royal now?" Discord called out with a smirk.

"Who cares? I'm not on duty now—I'm on a date!" Her board rode the end of the swell to sail her right past Discord.

"Hey!" the chaos master called out. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I think I'm going to reach the rock valley at the end of the lava lake before you do!" Celestia grinned at him over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah?" Discord angled his board, caught a couple small swells, got right near Celestia, then stuck his dragon leg in the lava and used it as a rudder to swerve around her.

"Hey!" she called out with a blink.

"What?" He glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "I thought you liked my dragon leg." He stuck out his tongue then careened forward.

Celestia rolled her eyes and smirked, then shifted the board onto a fresh swell and ducked her head low to make her board more aerodynamic. She got right alongside him instantly.

"Hey," Discord raised an eyebrow at the sight of her, "how did you get so close so quickly?"

"Another big swell." She shrugged with a smug grin.

"But…the swells should only be getting smaller now that we're getting near to the end of the…lake." He turned his head and stopped talking, his eyes wide.

"Discord, what—" Celestia hadn't felt the tremors at first but now she heard the great boom—a fresh eruption and a big one. She quickly turned to see a cascade of fiery red lava pouring over the volcano's side and building into a huge new wave that was starting to approach: fast.

Her mouth fell open a little. "Discord, we should…" Then there was another loud sound, and Celestia looked forward to see that a rockslide caused by the volcano's tremors had cut off the flat stone edge of the lava lake and was sending large swells right toward them, ready to push them far away from safety. She gasped when her board wobbled as the currents of the lava started shifting them toward a large cliff wall instead…where the swiftly approaching lava tidal wave behind them would inevitably crash into herself and Discord in a matter of moments. Celestia blinked and tried to concentrate enough for a teleportation spell, but almost fell off of her board. "Oh!" She was half hanging off for just a moment until suddenly a strong arm pulled her away and she opened her eyes to see that she was beside Discord on his board now…with the rock wall of the cliff right ahead of them, and the lava wave behind now looming right above.

"Tia, hold on!"

"Discord…?" She blinked, blushing a little as he pulled her closer.

"Trust me." He winked at her then looked forward with a determined scowl just as the shadow of the lava tidal wave behind them started to loom over their heads.

Discord kicked his leg into a shifting swell of lava, got them airborne for a moment, then wrapped himself around her, jumped up from his board, and snapped his fingers.

Celestia saw a flash then felt softness as darkness took over.

---

The scent of something sweet and delicious met Celestia's nose and woke her up. She blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted to the dimness of wherever she was. "Discord?" His was the first name that came to mind.

"Tia…" she heard a gasp, "you're awake!"

And suddenly she was indeed wide-awake as a familiar set of strong arms wrapped her up in a tight hug. He pulled back, eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

She blinked a couple times then nodded. "Oh…yes, yes of course. I'm all right."

He let out a deep sigh and finally released her. "Wonderful." The chaos master cleared his throat and shrugged. "Sorry for the bumpy landing. I would have just snapped us back to the Everfree Forest, but there wasn't much time and I was afraid I might accidentally take some of the lava along with us. I hope you're okay with the alternative though." Discord gave a shrug, gesturing to what was around them.

Celestia eyed the location. It seemed like a cave but the walls were dark, and the floor looked white and felt so springy and…what smelled like cinnamon? She found the source to be at the mouth of the cave which was covered by a strange light brown door that looked like it had some…bites taken out of it?

Discord explained. "Smores cave: I snapped it up into the cliff and sealed us inside before the tidal wave hit. Marshmallow floor, chocolate walls, graham cracker door: you know, the basics. I figured it'd be appropriate considering all the heat we already have." He grabbed a large chunk of graham cracker beside him, scooped some (already toasted) marshmallow from the floor, and then let a blob of chocolate fall from the ceiling right on top. "Plus marshmallows always make a great landing pad," he added as he held out the smore to her.

Celestia took the snack from him, an eyebrow raised in wonder as she still looked around the cave. "You came up with all of this in the split second before the waves overtook us?"

"Hey, I don't call myself the chaos master for nothing." He smiled and scooped up some marshmallow on a graham cracker for himself and let a blob of chocolate fall on it as well. "Besides, I know we both like a snack after narrow misses with dangerous situations." He chuckled. "And, hey, we're still only on day one of our date, and now we've technically managed to get locked in the same room together. Next on the list of cliché shenanigans handcuffed—can't wait to see what wacky circumstances bring out that situation, huh?" He smirked playfully as he finished "But the most important thing for now as that we're all right."

Celestia tried to smile in return but her eyes fell a little instead. "Thank you for saving us, Discord. And for the snack."

"My pleasure, Tia." He finished a bite of his smore, still glancing at her as she continued to look down. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Celestia's brow furrowed. Then she frowned and she put down her smore for a moment. "I just…I didn't mean for us to end up in a dangerous situation. I wanted our date to be about doing something fun together and enjoying ourselves."

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Well, Tia, in lava surfing's defense, it is an inherently dangerous activity. I think we both did quite well for our first time though. So what if there was a little hiccup at the end?"

She sighed. "I know, but you and I have already done adventures together that involve saving the world or each other or getting into risky situations for fun. I wanted an adventure that would give us time to go beyond that: something that would let us get close for our first date, something that would romantic in a special way…something that would let us both feel…feel…." She took a small bite of smore and shook her head as she tried to smile again. "Never mind, Discord. I know I'm not making much sense."

"Fortunately you're talking to the king of not making sense." He moved closer to her, an eyebrow raised, his tone gentle. "Tia, if you wanted a sentimental adventure like that, then why did you pick something as extreme as lava surfing?"

She blushed slightly. "I…I think didn't want you to be bored."

"What?"

"I don't know." She sighed deeply and brought a hoof to her head. "You see, this was why I thought you should pick what we were going to do: you would have picked something chaotic, and it would have been exciting, and you'd think I was exciting…and chaotic…and you'd know that us being more than friends wouldn't have to change anything about our time together; that 'settling down' wouldn't mean settling down." She laid her head against the marshmallow floor. "Cadance says I have a bad habit of getting myself very worked up about dates, and I think she's right. But still…" her eyes hesitantly shifted to him, "I wanted us to have a date that was chaotic and romantic and unforgettable all at once—the kind of date that would mean a lot to you just like our first gala." She blushed a little. "That night really could have been perfect if it hadn't taken me so long to realize that you…and I…"

"Now wait a minute, Celestia…" Discord had just been staring back at her with wide eyes, but now he lay down on the marshmallow floor with her. "First of all, no matter what happened that night, it was one of the best of my life: you became one of my dearest friends on that night. And no one needs to try and relive it in any way other than it was." His brow furrowed slightly. "And second, you're wrong about something: us being more than friends changes everything about our time together. But not in big ways; in small ones. I already know there can still be excitement and fun and chaos even if it'll be a little different now. I already know you can be exciting and fun and chaotic. And I could never ever be bored with you." He smiled a little. "We just went lava surfing—that's not boring. And now we're having a nice talk in a cave, and that's not boring either. And all of it is romantic and chaotic and fun and memorable. And I have no intention of letting you suffer through so many doubts again if I can help it. Okay?"

Blushing lightly, she nodded. "I know… Somehow I knew all of that already." She sighed deeply. "Cadance also says that the more I like a suitor, the more flustered I get and the more I overthink things. I think it's embarrassing, but she thinks it's adorable." She cracked a small smile.

"It kind of is," he added with a chuckle, then moved closer. "You really should have said something about all of your cute dating quirks during cloud talk time."

She smiled a little and shrugged. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice?"

"I notice everything about you," he replied with an extra grin.

Her smile grew.

"So, did you actually want to do lava surfing, or…"

"Yes." She nodded. "I wanted to, but maybe not at first. One day though… It really is something I wanted to try ever since I was young and I first saw the dragon lands and all the lava. I think the way Luna likes thunder and lightning is the way I like lava." She rolled her eyes but then smiled warmly as she went on. "But for our first outing…I probably would have just chosen a quiet trip to Rainbow Falls or gazing at the canyons in the buffalo lands just outside Appleoosa or, I don't know…"

"…A secret stroll through the Canterlot castle gardens—like the one we took during our first gala?" Discord suggested with a gentle smile.

"Yes!" Celestia smiled then blinked. " I mean, yes…" her gaze softened, "not to 'relive the moment right' or something, but just to enjoy being together in some place special to us—making new memories."

Discord nodded then sat up and held out a paw to her. "If you wanted to start simply like that for our date, it's okay." He smirked smugly. "We can start right here in this cozy cave actually. Just try to overlook the fluster my masculine charms create in you."

She chuckled lightly. "It'll be hard. You fluster me more than any suitor ever has."

His eyes brightened and Discord's smile became bright like a happy colt.

Celestia giggled at the sight and put her hoof in his paw to let him help her sit up but then winced and pulled back. "Ow!"

"Tia?" He blinked.

She removed her gold horseshoe to reveal that her hoof was a little red. She frowned. "This shoe must have gotten to close to the lava and the gold must have heated up. I didn't even notice until now. It's just a small burn though." Her cheeks flushed as Discord suddenly took her hoof delicately in both hands.

"Still, a cold compress couldn't hurt." He snapped to make a compress appear around her hoof secured with a bandage. "It's filled with frozen lemonade—great for burns and to drink later once it melts." He smiled. "We can give it a few minutes to take effect and then we can head back to the forest castle."

"Thank you, Discord." Her eyes met his, and she suddenly became very aware of their closeness and the dimness of this place and the touch of his fingertips. "I won't be worked up anymore about our date. I think it's all out of my system."

"Good." He lightly brushed his fingertips over her hoof, back and forth. "Then…maybe I won't be so worked up soon too."

She raised an eyebrow. "You? But…you've seemed so calm this whole time…"

"I'm a master of trickery." He smirked then looked down shyly. "How I'm worked up is a little different from how you're worked up. But in the interest of letting us have as much time as possible to be close and open with each other, I'll just explain everything to you instead of waiting for some dramatic time to reveal it all. Maybe tonight once we head back to your old castle? Just you and me and a cozy fire?"

Celestia swallowed, blushing warmly and hiding in her hair a little. "I'd like that."

He claw gently played over her hoof…then his paw moved away. She watched as he raised it, heading toward her shoulder, but paused for a moment.

"Discord?" she whispered softly.

He replied softly in return. "Under my thinking tree all that time ago, you said I shouldn't hold you because it would complicate things. Thinking too much about moments like that is part of how I'm worked up."

The sun princess could have laughed. She shifted closer so that her shoulder came up under his paw and replied simply, "I want things to be complicated now." She heard him let out a deep sigh and saw him smile more in the dimness. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he leaned his head near her ear. Suddenly Celestia was very glad she had chosen lava surfing for their activity especially as she felt their hips touch and Discord's tail twist lightly through her own. Her ear shifted to his chest, and when she heard the funny fast rhythm of his heart, her own pulsed like mad. She had never simply touched someone so thoroughly—yet the closer they got, the more she wanted. And as she felt his paw start to shift across her back from one shoulder to the next beneath the cascade of her hair, she knew he wanted more too.

"Celestia, I…"

His voice was low and deep that it made her ears flick. "Yes, Discord?" left her almost breathlessly in a way she'd never spoken to anyone else before.

"I…"

There was no sense of time or day or night in this chaotic cave he had made for them. It was like sharing eternity together in a single moment.

"…I…"

She wondered if it would help him speak if she leaned up and kissed that silver-tongued mouth of his, but decided it might only make him more flustered. She would let him finish saying whatever was on his mind and then maybe in the heat of the moment she might give in and embrace his lips, probably still tasting of sweet marshmallow and chocolate and cinnamon. Silly chaos master…hiding from her heart in plain sight all this time… How had she resisted him for so many years?

She let her chest lightly brush his.

"I—" He held her more closely, and all of her feelings grew.

But suddenly there was a loud crash, and Discord's graham cracker cave door burst into crumbs and dust.

Celestia and Discord coughed and looked toward the entrance with wide eyes, where now in full of light and the sight of the sky stood the figure of Princess Ember.

"Attention, trespassers! I mean…" Ember swallowed, lowering her voice slightly. "Hello, potential new friends. My dragons and I heard your activities in this area when we were flying by to observe the eruption. We saw you overtaken by a lava tidal wave and saw the magic that created this cave. So we came to help you…or whatever!" She pouted a little.

Celestia blinked. "Princess Ember!"

Discord grinned. "Oh, Ember, thank chaos—I thought there'd been another eruption or something. Nice chaotic knockdown of that door, by the way."

Ember blinked and tilted her head. "Discord? Princess Celestia? What are you two doing here?"

Celestia swallowed. "Oh, well, we were lava surfing. Heh…"

"Lava surfing?" Ember raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Dragons usually use that as a competitive form of battle. Are you two having a fight?"

"Form of competition? Fight?" Celestia blinked. "I didn't know…"

"We're not having a fight," Discord rolled his eyes to the side. "Celestia and I were just doing it to have fun…together…on our, um…well…"

"On our date," Celestia finished sheepishly, pressing her hoof a little more against Discord's claw.

Discord smiled warmly at her for a moment.

Then the two of them realized they were still wrapped up together and quickly separated, blushing and clearing their throats.

Ember watched them with wide eyes for a moment. "Ohhh…" she finally said in realization, "So it's like part of a pony courtship ritual?"

"In a way…" Celestia managed a small shrug.

"Well, yes, I suppose…" Discord twiddled his thumbs.

Ember turned around and called out of the mouth of the cave. "Hey guys!"

"Yeah?" a lot of dragon voices boomed back at her.

"It's okay, it's just Princess Celestia and Discord, and they weren't fighting—they were doing a courtship ritual!"

"Oh…!" all the voices answered back.

Discord blushed and rubbed the back of his neck while Celestia just brought a hoof to her forehead and sighed.

Ember turned back to them. "Are you two still in the middle of the courtship ritual or are you done now?"

"Erm, Done, for now," Discord quickly answered as Celestia nodded.

"Great." Ember smiled. "Well, then, want to come with us and maybe have something to eat? Spike taught me that offering meals is something friends do. Besides," she grinned at Discord, "I told you you're welcome here any time—with a chaperone. And it seems like this time you actually listened to me."

Discord sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ember, Ember, Ember…still not over me turning the lava into melted nacho cheese last time I passed by here, are you?"

"And Discord, still not over me beating you out in a fire breathing contest, are you?" She smirked.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at him. "You can breathe fire?"

He held up a finger. "Only after I've had five alarm jalapeno salsa." He grinned at Celestia. "I guess you're not the only one who still has some mysterious secrets to share, lava lover."

The sun princess blushed and tried not to smile too much…especially as she remembered the Ember was still watching (and that it sounded like a few dozen dragons were waiting for them just outside of Discord's cave). She cleared her throat and looked to the dragon lord. "We'd love to have a bite to eat and get caught up, Ember. And I'll be happy to act as Discord's chaperone," she added with a little extra smile.

"Great." Ember smiled and flew up. "I hope you two don't mind a small feast. It's dragon tradition to entertain fellow royalty with everything we've got and to embrace new courtship's in the same way, and there's both to celebrate with you too."

"Okay, but I'm bringing smores!" Discord called out as he snapped; instantly the large patch of marshmallow dribbled with chocolate and graham cracker crumbs rose up in front of himself and Celestia.

Ember raised an eyebrow. "What are…smores?"

Celestia and Discord looked at each other, then Discord looked to Ember. "A treat that a land full of endless fire sources should never be without. I'll be happy to teach you all about them and to leave the cave here in case you dragons want to gather supplies in the future."

Celestia nodded. "It's the least we could do for all of your hospitality, Ember."

"I'm just glad you two are all right." Ember smiled at them, then she turned back to the outside of the cave with her usual scowl. "All right, guys, make way—princess and chaos master coming through with something called…smores."

Celestia and Discord shared another small laugh as they followed after the marshmallow bubble floated out of the cave to meet the other dragons.

---

"Tia, this carrot and cream soup you whipped up is simply delicious. Are you sure that sun cutie mark of yours isn't actually a vague hint that your special talent involves heating up savory dinners?" Discord grinned at Celestia as he snapped to lift the ladle from a cauldron before them near the lit fireplace in Celestia's old parlor and refill his bowl.

The sun princess smiled as she finished another spoonful of soup. "No, I'm pretty sure the cutie mark is just about raising the sun. But thank you for the encouragement: if I ever retire, maybe I'll consider opening a restaurant. And I'll have you prepare all the drinks." She sipped from a large glass of chocolate milk using a crazy straw. "Shaken not stirred with extra chocolate: I think it's time I admitted that part of me may actually like this better than cake."

Discord gave her a dry smirk. "Abandoning cake? Okay, what kind of rogue, still-evil changeling are you, and what have you done with the mare of my dreams?"

The two of them burst into warm laughter.

When they finally settled down, Celestia sighed and gazed at the balcony window. The moon shone high overhead, illuminating the room along with the flames of the fire before them (they had spent so long with the dragons that she'd only barely returned to the old castle in time to lower the sun). They were in such a peaceful moment. She sighed, considering something.

"Want any leftover smores to go with the chocolate milk?"

Celestia blinked, coming out of her thought for a moment, and turned to see Discord holding up his fingers to snap. She shook her head with a smile. "No, no, no…I think I had more than enough smores for quite a while with Ember and the other dragons."

Discord nodded as he lowered his fingers. "Yeah, ditto. Can you believe an entire race of creatures with their own perfect heat source had no clue about that dessert? We certainly righted a grave wrong today, didn't we, Tia?"

"Yes, I believe so. It was certainly an interesting date." She swallowed. "It's also very interesting that now the dragons believe we're involved in a formal courtship after they burst in on us in your smore cave." She took a deep sip of her chocolate milk.

"Are you uncomfortable about them knowing about our date?" Discord asked with a tone of understanding that made Celestia smile.

"No," she shook her head, "I was just sad our date got interrupted so suddenly. We barely had a chance to enjoy your cave." She blushed deeply; she could still feel the ghost of his paw drifting over her shoulders in the dimness, remember the funny rhythm of his heart, hear him trying to tell her something in that tone of his that had filled her with so much warmth and longing that she blushed to remember it now.

Discord's eyes widened a little and he blushed too. "Oh…yes, of course." He swallowed.

"It was nice," Celestia quickly added, feeling her face heat up more and her smile grow as she glanced away for a moment.

Discord took a deep breath. "Tia? Speaking of the cave… maybe I should tell you now what I meant back there about being worked up about our date too in my own way. That way there won't be any more misunderstandings, and we can just enjoy each other's company completely."

"I'd like that." She nodded, glancing back over at him. "I was waiting for you to say something."

He nodded too then looked to her and took a deep breath. "I'm not worried about boring you; I'm worried about overwhelming you." She raised an eyebrow as he went on. "I…I'm good at acting charming and calm and confident with ladies for fun, but…it's very hard for me to express my true, deep romantic feelings for them. This sort of wince goes through me—this worry about being rejected if I open up like that but it's too much for the person I care about to handle." He cringed a little but managed to finish, "I'm afraid of getting hurt."

Celestia frowned. "I'm so sorry, Discord. Did someone you liked a lot hurt you like that? Do you want to talk about it?" She blushed more and looked down, torn between wanting to give him a chance to share but not wanting to hear about another girl he could have cared for so deeply.

The chaos master sighed, almost smiling. "It was just a result of a misunderstanding…." He looked down a little and shifted closer to her. "You see, once upon a time I went to a dance with the first girl I ever fell for and spilled my guts to her in the middle of a full ballroom thinking she felt the same way. But when she didn't…" He stopped talking at the feeling of Celestia's hoof on his paw.

She just looked up at him with wide, shimmering eyes.

He only smiled. "Tia, remember what I said: no matter what happened that night at the gala, I wouldn't change a thing. That moment may have been difficult, but you were the best friend to go through it with me. You made me able to try at love again even if I was still scared." He swallowed. "But part of me is still worried that…if I let myself open up all the way and show you just how much you mean to me, you'll be overwhelmed again. But I also feel like I need to open up because this is my one shot—not just with you but to find someone to…to…" He bit his lip.

"Tell me." She moved closer. "You can tell me anything about how you feel, Discord. I want to know it all."

He looked into her eyes. "You're the only one for me. So this is my last chance to find someone to spend the rest of my life with." He blushed completely and looked down a little, shaking his head. "I know, I know, I know, that's way too much to be thinking about on just a first date, but I can't help it. I'm ready for everything with you, darling Celestia, even if all you're ready for right now is just to have a date with me."

She leaned up and lightly kissed him on the cheek then pulled back with a small smile. "Thank you for telling me. And I'll make you a deal—I won't spend any more of our date worrying about living up to your expectations if you won't spend any more of it trying to suppress the depth of your feelings, okay?"

The chaos master nodded with a warm smile. "Deal." And then he gazed dreamily at her, his eyes hazed. "In that case, is it okay if I just gaze at you like this from time to time? Resisting the compulsion is very hard. And you are quite a lovely sight to behold, especially in firelight."

"Don't you mean 'in firelight, in moonlight, in sunlight—all the lights really'?" She smirked.

He chuckled. "Oh you're so cute when you tease me…and especially about that first quite cozy Hearthswarming together."

Celestia rolled her eyes, smiling and blushing more. Then she swallowed. "Discord? Back in the cave, before the dragons came…it sounded like you were going to tell me something. What was it?"

He blushed—the completely pink blush he only got in his most flustered moments. He opened his mouth, tried to speak, but then closed it and swallowed. "I don't think I'm ready right now, Tia. I'm sorry."

She ignored the small bit of curious disappointment in her heart and only nodded, her voice soft. "Don't be sorry. There's a lot to be said for waiting for the right time for something special." She looked into his eyes.

He looked back at her with a tender smile, tail lightly swishing behind him. "I couldn't agree more." He took her paw and raised it to his lips but then blinked. "Celestia, your hoof!" He quickly cupped the delicate appendage (now back in its shoe) in both hands. "I almost forgot. Is it okay? Is the burn better? I'm sorry, I didn't even think to ask you about it…"

Celestia's smile warmed. "It's okay, Discord. And yes, it feels a lot better."

"Are you sure?" He bit his lip, hesitating.

She nodded. "Your frozen lemonade compress helped a lot. Thank you." She blushed a little. "And thank you again for saving us from the lava wave—for saving me." She cleared her throat. "I…I honestly can't remember the last time someone saved me like that."

Discord tilted his head at first but then smiled slightly. "Ah, I see. I didn't bruise your royal ego at all, did I?" he asked with tender humor.

She blushed more and rolled her eyes. "No, of course not… Not much." The sun princess smiled sheepishly. "Actually, it was a nice change of pace having someone take care of me like that."

His eyes went down shyly, though his smile only grew. "I really couldn't help myself. I like to keep you safe. Consider me at your service, my princess." He raised up her hoof again and kissed the back of it.

"L-Likewise, mighty lord of chaos," Celestia managed before a long giggle escaped her at the tickle of his beard on her hoof.

When Discord pulled back from her hoof, he chuckled, which made her giggle more, and for a moment the two of them shared a warm laugh by the fire as the night darkened outside and the cares and joys of the day washed through their minds.

Celestia wished that single joyous moment could have lasted forever—but she knew it was doomed to end the second a yawn suddenly escaped her amid the laughter.

Discord picked up on the yawn as his laughter slowly subsided. He gave a stretch. "You're sleepy," he observed. "Come to think of it, I am too. It really has been a doozy of a day after all. Perhaps we should turn in." He stood up.

Celestia did her best to contain another yawn. "But it's barely after sunset, Discord. And we only have the next three days for this date. We could explore the castle some more or take flight over the forest by moonlight or play a game or sing a song or…or…" The cursed yawn escaped her unfortunately, and right when Discord was looking at her with a particularly all-knowing grin.

"Or…" he continued for her, "We could get plenty of rest, probably have some fantastic dreams about each other, and then wake up early all refreshed and ready to tackle a brand new full day together." He shrugged. "Or we could do your 'stay up all night' plan, I suppose, and end up cranky and sleepy all day tomorrow with no energy to go anywhere." She smiled a little and rolled her eyes. He went on. "Or, this being a date, there is a third option—we could always neck." He gave her a big grin and a wink.

Celestia blushed pink and gave him a dry look. "A flirt til the end, aren't you, Discord?"

"Would you have me any other way?" He held his head high with a proud smile

"Never." She didn't hesitate. Then she blushed slightly as she added, "But you're also a somewhat reasonable spirit of chaos from time to time. Would you settle for a goodnight kiss instead as the final part of our date today?"

He moved closer to her, features a little rosy. "A kiss with you is never settling, darling Celestia."

They both blushed and smiled sweetly and then came forward and shared a small peck that lingered…and lingered…and lingered. Celestia tilted her head and felt her heart flutter as Discord let out a deep, pleased sigh through his nose. But as his paw came up and shyly touched her hair, she pulled back with a deep breath and swallowed, managing to keep a calm smile. "We really should get to bed." She cleared her throat. "If you want to get cleaned up, the nearest bathroom is just two trap doors and a hall of mirrors away. I can show you how to get there."

Discord blinked a few times and finally came out of whatever fluster that kiss had left him in. "Oh, uh…" he cleared his throat and resumed his usual charming smile, "that's all right, Tia, you go on. I never leave home without my traveling washroom, you know." He snapped—instantly he was standing in a floating bathtub with a full curtain around him, a show cap on, a rubber ducky held in his tail and a bath brush held in his claw.

Celestia nodded and chuckled. "Of course—how could I forget? It certainly came in handy for you that time we tried to have a magic-free cake baking contest in the castle kitchen and your oven accidentally exploded open with batter."

Discord chuckled, leaning against the bar holding up the shower curtain. "And it came in handy that day you and I had the chocolate milk water balloon fight in the chaos dimension."

Celestia laughed more. "Oh, and let's not forget the time at the unicorn academy when we…"

They spoke in unison now, eyes brightening, "…led the students in an epic tug of war outside for their physical education final and ended up breaking the rope and falling in to the mud!"

They shared a hearty laugh.

When Celestia finally caught her breath, she used her magic to make a large white towel appear over her back and moved toward a wall with a candlestick holder attached to the brick. "All right, Discord, I'll leave you to your traveling wash room and head to the bathroom. And when I get back, a nice early night's rest it is."

"Glad to hear it." He yawned (a bit dramatically). "I'm even a little too tired for the necking option, come to think of it."

They shared another small laugh again. Then Celestia pulled the candlestick, causing large trap door with stairs to open in the floor by the wall. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes slightly hazed. "I'll see you soon, Discord."

He gave her a little wave with his fingers, his own eyes hazed. "just try not to get lost in this death trap labyrinth you used to call a home."

"I'll do my best," she replied with another chuckle then headed down the stairs and out of sight.

Alone now, Discord simply gazed for a moment at the last place she had been. Then he glanced around and suddenly ducked down into his bathtub, and finally (quietly) exclaimed to himself with a smile so bright that he felt he might sprain his face, "She likes me! We're really here, we're really doing this, and we…oh, she likes me! She's a bit shy and maybe a little nervous sometimes and…maybe she's a little hesitant about all of this in her own way…" he frowned slightly for just a moment but then his smile returned. "But the most important thing is that she likes me! I'm dating my darling Princess Celestia!"

The chaos masater snapped up a scroll and quill, quickly penned several lines, then snapped it away and finally let out a deep breath. "Okay, okay…now that I sent a quick, gushing note to Fluttershy, I think I'm all right again. Whoo…" He closed his eyes, still beaming. "I'm just so happy…and all thanks to you, sweet Tia." He swallowed, gaze tender as he twiddled his fingers shyly. "And maybe before our few days together are over, I'll even have enough courage to finally tell you…to tell you that I…" he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "I love you, Celestia. I know you kind of know already, but I've never actually said the words to you. But I'm going to do it sometime on this date: I can feel it." His features went a lovely rosy color. Then Discord nodded to himself in determination and finally turned on the water of his shower, steam starting to cloud things over in the room.

The chaos master proceeded to clean up quickly, then snapped away the washroom, got himself settled into bed, and snapped up some reading classes and some papers to distract himself until the return of his lovely companion to their room for the night.

---

Meanwhile, in Fluttershy's cottage in Ponyville…

Fluttershy and Luna were enjoying an early night tea party together. Well…the tea itself was enjoyable, but the two of them were clearly quite preoccupied as they chatted and nervously played with their hooves on the table.

"Thank you for keeping me company, dear Fluttershy." Luna drained yet another teacup. "But I know it's getting late, and I'm sure you must want to get to bed. Please, do not let me keep you up: you've already done so much to help calm my excitement and anticipation about the results and Celestia and Discord's date together."

Fluttershy smiled, refilling Luna's cup as she took a scone for herself. "You're very welcome, Princess Luna, but really I'm not sleepy at all. Thinking about Celestia and Discord has me a little nervous too. I just hope everything's going well for them." She sighed, looking down at her scone but then frowning and not picking it up. "I'm not sure how I'll sleep at all until they get back. I just wish I knew if things were starting out well."

"Indeed." Luna looked down a little. "I am sorely tempted to reach out to their dreams tonight, though I know they deserve privacy. But I too would at least like some sign that all was well."

Just then a scroll appeared in a burst of confetti and glitter (and with a fanfare sound effect) and quickly unfurled itself in front of Fluttershy.

"Oh my!" the yellow pegasus exclaimed but then she gasped with a bright smile. "It's from—"

"Discord!" Luna's eyes brightened. "Oh read it, Fluttershy, pray do!"

Fluttershy giggled. "Well, it's very short, but…" She cleared her throat and began.

Dear Fluttershy!

Dating is a fantastic invention, and whoever conceived of the idea of courtship should be worshipped as the most brilliant of all social innovators.

And just in case the implication I'm trying to make isn't coming through, I am on a date with the mare of my dreams, and I couldn't be more ecstatic!

I don't have time to write too much now—Tia will be back soon once she's done cleaning up. We had such an adventure today with everything from dragons to smores to secret water slides. I never want this date to end, but at the same time I can't wait to come home and tell you everything…including, hopefully, some excellent news about the future for Tia and I.

Take care, dear Fluttershy. And I know you're probably worrying yourself about me (and that Luna's probably in a tizzy about Tia, and that Cadance and Twilight are probably the same way about both of us), but please relax and be happy. No matter what the end of this date brings, I promise there's nothing to worry about: Celestia and I are friends forever no matter what the future holds.

Missing our tea parties already!

Love,

Discord, Chaos Master (and Dater) Extraordinaire!

Fluttershy looked up at the sound of Luna giggling. The moon princess beamed. "Huzzah! Discord is clearly enchanted, and he knows Celestia well enough to be able to tell if she wasn't having a good time, so she must be quite happy with this arrangement too. Oh Fluttershy, all of this is wonderful!" She suddenly reached across the table and hugged Fluttershy, lifting her right up out of her seat.

Fluttershy blinked but then smiled. "Yes, Princess Luna, I think it's wonderful too. And it makes me feel so much better to hear such good things from Discord. I'm calmer already." She swallowed as Luna's hold tightened. "Um…and I'm glad to see that you seem happier too, but…is there any way you could possibly put me down now?"

Luna laughed as she gave Fluttershy a final quick hug and then set her down and resumed her own seat. "Of course, of course, dear Fluttershy. I didn't mean to be so enthusiastic; it is just such a great relief to me that the date is starting out well. And now I won't feel such an awful temptation to peek at their dreams." She chuckled.

Fluttershy nodded then considered. "Do you think I should write Discord back?"

Luna shook her head. "Nay, it sounds like he had a spare moment and chose to write to you, but I don't think we should potentially interrupt anything between him and Celestia."

"I think you're right." Fluttershy nodded and tucked away the scroll under her wing. "Besides, they'll be back in just a couple more days and we can both talk to them then."

"Very true." Luna nodded, draining her teacup again.

Fluttershy took a bite of her scone then yawned.

Luna's gaze became warm. "A great relief before bedtime often quickly leads to a sound night's sleep. I think this is my cue to depart, Fluttershy." She rose up from the table.

"Oh…okay," Fluttershy replied, unable to protest as she yawned again. "But if you'd like some company for breakfast tomorrow since Celestia's away, you're more than welcome to stop here in the morning before you go to bed."

"Thank you, Fluttershy." Luna bowed her head graciously. "I shall see you in the morning then, and we can continue to keep each other company." Her horn glowed. "Farewell and sweet dreams."

"Bye Princess Luna." Fluttershy waved.

Luna teleported away in a flash of magic.

Fluttershy stretched a little then stood up from the table. "Come on, Angel, time for bed," she called out into the living room. "We can clean up the dishes in the morning before Princess Luna comes back."

Angel hopped off the living room couch and onto her back as she headed toward the stairs. He eyed the letter tucked behind her wing.

Fluttershy noticed and smiled. "It's from Discord. And don't worry, Angel, he'll be over here again soon to keep you company at night. I know you miss him a little."

Angel rolled his eyes and pouted with a scowl…but then shrugged.

Fluttershy held back a giggled as she ascended to the second floor. "Come on, let's get a good night's sleep and we'll see Discord in a few days."

Soon the lights went out and the cottage went quiet as sleep descended over its occupants (and Luna made sure that a certain yellow pegasus within would especially have good, worry-free dreams).

---

Back at the Everfree Forest castle, Celestia found herself ascending the trap door steps and finally reentering her old parlor, feeling refreshed and sleepy and happy to have someone to come back to for the night.

Her eyes focused on her bed first, so cozy and inviting, and then went to the bed beside it…which currently held a reclining draconequus wearing reading glasses, a purple and white striped nightcap, and writing something on one of several floating scrolls. She bit her lip and tried not to blush as she approached. 'Why is he so attractive to me in clothes? If he twirls his beard right now too…'

Just as the chaos master went to absentmindedly perform that action, his ears perked and his eyes went to her at the sound of her approach. He lowered his paw from his beard (which made Celestia release a small inward sigh of both relief and disappointment about the loss of witnessing the cute gesture) and smiled. "Welcome back, Tia." Then he blushed slightly, gazing dreamily at her. "It's nice to see you." He blinked. "Again! It's nice to see you again," he managed awkwardly.

The sun princess raised an eyebrow then glanced down at herself for a moment. 'Do I still have some chocolate on me from the smores? He's acting like there's something strange about how I look…' Suddenly her violet eyes widened as she recalled that she wasn't wearing her regalia anymore. She hadn't even thought about the fact that she would be walking back into this room without it. She smiled a little. 'I really must be perfectly comfortable with him now not to feel strange at all—the only one I usually ever let see me like this is Luna. Is Discord really that attracted to me that he would notice? That he would care so much?' She blushed hotly but then quickly snapped herself out of it and managed to look up at him and reply, "I was only gone for a little while, Discord. Did you really miss me so much?"

"Enough that I was quite tempted to start writing love letters to you just like you almost wrote to me, my princess." He managed with a little grin and actually winked at her.

She giggled and finally found the courage to move forward and climb into her bed. "What are you reading?" she asked as she settled under the covers.

Discord stretched. "Oh, I was just looking over some lesson plans for chaos class. Something about doing that always helps me relax whenever I'm nervous." He blinked twice and then quickly snapped away the scrolls with a slight clearing of his throat.

Celestia smiled a little. "Why are you nervous, Discord?"

"I-I'm not nervous now," he admitted with a blush. "But, waiting for you for the last few minutes, well…that made me nervous." He shifted onto his side to face her more. "This is the first night of our date, and I was starting to overthink things, and worry, and get a little too emotional…so before I could hit the point of not being able to sleep a wink all night, I pulled out the paperwork. But between that and you being back here, I feel a lot better now."

"I see. Well, I'm glad you feel better, Discord." The sun princess smiled a little more, nestling into her pillow. "And I'm glad you decided you were comfortable with both of us sharing a room. It's like a sleepover, and the other princesses and I don't get to have those nearly enough. It's nice to have someone to talk to at the end of the day though."

"I agree, definitely." The chaos master nodded, relaxing a little into his pillow too. "The guys and I don't get enough of a chance for sleepovers either. And you and I hang out at night sometimes, but this is the first time it ever wasn't just a midnight cake binge while telling jokes and reminiscing about fond friendly memories."

"Yes." She laughed at the memories. "Those times have always been nice. And this time we have together now is nice too." Another yawn of sleepiness escaped her though her smile remained. "Discord? We'll have a full day together tomorrow. How do you think we should spend it?"

He raised an eyebrow, yawning as well. "I thought you were going to pick our adventures since I already got to spend an entire summer gallivanting around."

"But what I want to do most tomorrow is to find out where you would take me on a date." She shrugged sheepishly. "I've always wondered secretly what you'd have us do in that situation…and now I get to find out." Her eyes hazed. "Whatever you decide we'll do, I'm sure it'll be wonderful. And no matter what it is, I'll feel special and safe as long as we're together, my good friend."

He was blushing with a big smile by now. "Well, when you put it that way…I did have some ideas in mind for what we could do together as long as we're out here braving the wilds of Equestria, just you and me."

Her eyes brightened. "Wonderful, Discord. Where do we start?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out." He stretched, snuggling completely into his bedding. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Very well." Celestia considered, then added, "In that case, to make sure we both have a something special to look forward to tomorrow, I think I'll prepare us a surprise breakfast."

"Sounds delicious. I can hardly wait." He chuckled.

She giggled. "I can't wait either, Discord."

They shared a tender gaze for a moment, their eyes growing heavy.

"I'll really try not to wake you up at dawn," Celestia whispered.

"Don't worry about it, Tia," he assured in a whisper as well. "The more time I get to spend awake with you on this date instead of just dreaming about you, the better." He winked.

She blushed and smiled more. "I feel the same way about you."

They laughed lightly then yawned at the same time.

"Goodnight, Discord."

"Goodnight, darling Celestia."

They shared a final, tender look in the dimness of the room before closing their eyes to drift off.

Soon, from Discord, came light snores and silence…and maybe a few mumbles as he dreamed and cuddled snugly against his pillow.

Meanwhile, the princess's mind drifted in and out of dreams set right in this location…except the draconequus a few feet away was right beside her—the two of them cuddled together in warmth and comfort.

Dawn approached far too quickly for her.

---

A/N:

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed the update! There should only be three more chapters in Discord and Celestia's date before the big finale ^_^ And the next chapter starts out really, really, really fun lol. My schedule is super crazy but I'll post when I can, and I appreciate your patience ^^

~Azure129