Fluttershy found Discord sitting under a gnarly old tree in the forest. With its dramatic asymmetry the tree framed his haphazard form perfectly. A tiny thundercloud hovered just above his head, raindrops falling upward. He stopped his game as she approached, one eye meeting hers, the other still watching the grass dry.

"Hello old friend," she smiled, with none of the crippling awkwardness she had displayed with the newcomer earlier.

"Flutters! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He patted the ground, beckoning her to sit with him. She sat.

"Oh Discord, I have so much to tell you!"

"It's only been a couple of days since we saw each other last. you've been busy?"

"Well, sort of...," She began, "I met someone,"

There it was, now he knew she would tell him outright - because she had. The relief of knowing she was a good friend was short-lived, quickly followed by stomach-churning guilt at having doubted her and the bitter-tasting thought of her with him.

"That's... great - really... great."

"What's up?" Fluttershy knew him too well.

"It's just... Isn't it a little fast?"

"Oh sure, I only started wanting the company of a stallion yesterday and today," she snapped. Discord was unused to seeing her like this.

"My turn to ask you what's up," he said.

Fluttershy let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know! I'm nervous. It did all happen so fast and I didn't ask him to but I didn't turn him away and now he's coming with a picnic tomorrow and the animals all really seem to like him - even the crowd who seldom like anyone - and he smells like orchards and he's got the nicest eyes and I don't know!" She gasped for breath.

Discord opened his mouth to say something but Fluttershy beat him to it.

"It's not as if I get asked out every day," she said.

He couldn't talk her out of it, he refused to be that particular brand of jerk who doesn't want his friend to be happy. She had to do this.

"You should go. Enjoy yourself, it'll do you some good to get out for a while", he hugged her.

"Thank you Discord, you're such a good friend." The words were both comforting and painful but he didn't let either show. He would be a good friend, damn it and if that meant tailing them on their dates and making sure that she was ok and he wasn't, so be it! He was actually starting to look forward to what tomorrow brings.

Author's Note

That was harder to write than I thought it was going to be. The next one's already flowing much easier.