Flutterientation

by TheTalentlessPony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Discord, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Fluttershy
Length: 5736

Discord and Fluttershy talk about the events of the Grand Galloping Gala. Discord also asks a weird question.

(takes place immediately after Make New Friends, But Keep Discord)

Fluttershy returns from the Grand Galloping Gala with Discord at her side. Emotions peaked, she starts reflecting on the events, realizing that maybe she did things too. Was Discord really the only one who did something wrong?

They start to talk, and Discord eventually proceeds to ask an extraordinarily odd question that Fluttershy didn't expect to hear.

Published 2017-01-24 01:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-01-29 16:34:57 UTC

The not-so-Grand Galloping Gala

Fluttershy yawned as she entered her home, Discord following behind her in a flash of magic. The air was unusually still, though was filled in by the sound of animals running around outside.

"What a night..." Fluttershy said with a sigh, moving to her chair and placing her mane accessory on it. "I'm exhausted."

Discord would typically make a snarky quip about it, but he wasn't feeling particularly cheerful. He'd gotten yelled at by Fluttershy once before, but it didn't feel like that. He never thought it'd feel like that. Maybe it was just his chaos magic stirring up his emotions as they tended to do, but he felt particularly vulnerable. Making so many apologies in one night wasn't something he took easily, and the fact that he'd ruined Fluttershy's night didn't help.

"Discord?"

He glanced up, noticing Fluttershy staring at him. Immediately, he tilted his head up, swelling with false pride. "Oh, I was just thinking about our next get-together; perhaps I'll tamper with our little cucumber sandwich recipe this time!"

Her snout scrunched up. "I-I see."

"Why do you ask?" he questioned, trying to play it a bit more cool than usual.

"O-oh, just... I thought you were upset," she replied. "You're making that face you make when you're thinking about something, and usually you only get lost in thought when you're upset."

He chuckled. "Do you even know who I am, Fluttershy? I don't get upset!"

He frowned as she made a face at him. "...Okay, I admit, that doesn't sound nearly as convincing after what just happened."

She exhaled, but a weak smile followed. "It really doesn't."

He squinted, disappearing in a flash of light and reappearing behind her. "Now who's making a face?"

She was startled, jumping a bit before turning to him. "W-well, I..."

"Don't tell me you're still upset?"

His delivery hadn't come out like she'd expected; she imagined him sounding annoyed, but instead, she only heard concern and... fear?

"It's... not like that. I'm not upset with you, Discord," she assured, moving past him to climb up onto her chair while pushing her accessory aside. "This..." she pursed her lips, trying to find the right word, "...experience, has just given me some things to think about, b-but it doesn't involve you like that, I promise!"

Discord's face came down to meet hers, and she recoiled as if he was looking into her soul.

He wasn't entirely sure if he believed her, but he also felt as if he'd lost his privileges to pry for the day. He stood up, straightening his bowtie before his outfit vanished completely. He waited to see if she'd say anything else, then floated upwards and went for the door.

"O-oh, please wait!"

The sound of a carriage screeching to a halt played as Discord stopped, landing on the floor and turning towards her. Her forelegs were crossed, and she seemed nervous.

"Um... do you still have our Tuesday teacakes?"

His perked up at that, a snap of his fingers summoning the tray of them. "Of course I do!"

He was at the couch in an instant, placing them on the table and staring at Fluttershy with a toothy grin. "Want to finish where we left off?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, so she opted to nod instead.

The sat in silence for a while, eating the teacakes one by one. Discord enjoyed the time despite typically hating dull silence, because it meant that she probably wasn't still mad at him if she bothered to call him back inside. He knew that there really was something on her mind though, but he just couldn't figure out what. He wondered if maybe that was what made Fluttershy such a delight for him; she was unpredictable at times. She had other quirks that he loved too obviously, but he could never fully predict what was on her mind.

"...I'm sorry," she said suddenly.

He blinked, ears turning to face her. "Hm?"

"T-the party. I was thinking about it on the way back here. It's all on me, isn't it?"

Now he was thoroughly confused; usually he'd welcome the feeling because it led to intrigue, but not this time. Hadn't she been yelling at him previously? Why the change? "Whatever are you talking about? You literally did nothing but..." His voice trailed off as flashbacks of the day returned to his mind.

Fluttershy not hearing him until his throat clearing was absurdly loud.

Fluttershy never catching onto him.

Fluttershy talking to Tree Hugger and placing her hoof on the earth pony's shoulder.

His jealousy.

His sadness.

His rage.

"D-Discord, you're crushing the teacake..."

He looked down at his fist, which had been shaking and was now covered in pieces of a squished teacake. He clenched his teeth, knowing he'd been caught. "I...I'll have you know that I like my teacakes this way!"

He snapped up a tombstone for the teacake's remains, then slurped up the remains with his tongue, grabbing the tombstone afterwards and eating it like a chip.

She wasn't buying it, her eyes directed at the floor.

"I... shouldn't have assumed that you had a ticket. I-I know you ended up having one later, but I really should've asked first. I just remembered hearing about you giving those flowers to Celestia and thought that you two had made up." She was shaking a bit at that; Discord didn't understand why.

"And you were right. You are new at friendship. You did a lot of bad things, but it's not all your fault. I-it's mine too."

A small sniffle came from her, her foreleg moving up to her face to wipe away an unshed tear. "I...I ignored you. I really did. I saw that you were upset and didn't say anything."

"You noticed...?" Discord asked; in retrospect, he figured that he may have been a little obvious.

Fluttershy nodded, the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I-I'm supposed to be the sensitive one, but I never t-thought that you might've been jealous." Her hooves came up to her heart as she looked at him. "I couldn't believe that you c-cared so much that you'd be upset."

He blushed at his feelings being called out, but tried to put his focus on making Fluttershy feel better. He reached out to touch her, but she pushed him away.

"I..." He cleared his throat, looking away. "I didn't think that'd matter to you." He tried his best to suppress his remaining rage over the event, but it was difficult. "After all, you'd never know anyone funnier than your dear friend Tree Hugger, right...?"

Fluttershy brought her hooves to her mouth, eyes shimmering with realization and sadness. "O-oh..."

"I heard you." It was hard to admit when he knew she was in tears. In fact, he hated himself for talking, but it was killing him inside. He had to know.

"No... n-no, oh, Discord." She shook her head, covering her face. "Tree Hugger just loves compliments. I-I didn't mean it, really..." Her sniffling got louder. "T-that...that makes me sound terrible, doesn't it?"

"I love compliments too," Discord stated bluntly, though his tone saddened from looking at her tears.

"I know. I-I know..." She looked up at him. "You r-really are... you really are the funniest I've ever met. I-I mean it..."

Great, now his blush was back. Her voice was laced with sincerity.

"I-I snap easily. I couldn't f-figure you out. I didn't know what w-was wrong, a-and it j-just came out w-when—"

He raised a hand, letting her know she could stop. She covered her mouth, but still seemed apologetic.

He was touched; he really didn't know she felt that way, especially after what'd happened. Her tears, her tone... she still cared about him and wasn't even mad anymore. He'd never been so happy to be wrong.

"...Fluttershy."

She seemed about to say something, but turned her head away at the last second, trying to calm herself down.

Discord wasn't sure what to do, and guilt was grinding at his heart. She felt so bad; he never would've guessed she did, but maybe all that rage she let out really was just pent-up sadness. He certainly knew the feeling.

He paused, then took a breath, groaning mentally as he reached over, placing his lion hand on Fluttershy's head.

She stiffened, eyes meeting with his.

He breathed up. "You're my oldest, bestest friend," he said softly, in a tone he didn't often use.

Her eyes widened. "W-what?"

His blush reddened with embarrassment. "I know you heard me!" He crossed his arms and huffed. "You're not going to make me break into a song over it, are you? Because I won't do it!"

She was quiet at first, re-absorbing what he'd said. Then, little giggles started leaving her mouth. She smiled, her tears flowing faster as a blush came to her face, as pink as her mane.

Suddenly, he felt as if his embarrassment was worth it. He recognized those happy giggles. His amusement that had seemed to be lost all day long returned. "Oh, Fluttershy, you really are too easy to please! If I knew this whole time that all I had to say was that, I would've done it when we first entered your cottage!"

Her giggles turned into laughs, her tears finally slowing down. Discord smiled and used his magic to give her a box of tissues, which she was thankful for. They didn't say it, but they knew that they were in mutual agreement that both of them had made some mistakes that night.

The tense atmosphere in the room vanished almost instantly, completely drowned out by Fluttershy's laughter. Discord remembered exactly why he liked her so much.

Soon enough, they were relaxed, occasionally moving back to the tray of teacakes to have another. Fluttershy was resting against the arm of the chair, eyes a bit puffy and half-lidded. Discord was laid out across the couch, just pleased that his guilt and fears had been eased. He was watching her quietly, her dress having been removed due to it now a bit wet with her tears and just general discomfort. Honestly, he didn't think she needed it anyway.

Though, despite his previous silence, one question still lingered in his mind...

"Discord?" Fluttershy called out suddenly, though a bit tiredly.

He gave her his attention.

She pouted. "You're making that face again..."

He snickered, slipping another teacake off the tray with his tongue. "Haven't you had enough for today?"

"No! ...I-I mean..." Fluttershy blushed as Discord let out a laugh. "Y-you can tell me! Is it something that's still bothering you?"

She was curious, though unsure of if whatever it was truly troubled him or not. She debated on whether or not to take her offer back, but decided against it; she was going to give him the attention he deserved.

Discord leaned up, stroking his beard and trying to find a way to bring up the subject. Having been away for a thousand years, he didn't know the exact terms.

"Well, you two seemed so close when you were walking together, and at the gala too."

"Yes? What about it?"

His eyes became a bit distant. "I was merely going to ask if you...you know."

Fluttershy furrowed her brows, trying to gauge what he meant. After a long moment, only proving her innocent nature, recognition clicked as her face turned red. "A-are you asking f-for my orientation?!"

He found her reaction amusing, but tried to keep a straight face. "You never told me."

"I-it's not something I ever talk about!" She gasped and directed a hoof at him. "A-and don't laugh!"

He had tried to hold it back; he really had. "I'm sorry. It's just too priceless!"

She pouted, as he didn't sound very sorry. Still, he always had a way of lightening her mood, so she couldn't stay mad.

She lowered her gaze to her hooves, shifting one over the others. "...B-besides, I don't know."

He raised a brow. "You... don't know?" he asked, a bit disbelievingly.

"I-I mean, I've found both stallions and mares a-attractive before, but," she covered her face, not able to fully believe she was actually having this conversation just yet, "I've never been actually in love before, so it's too hard to say, b-but I'm certainly not in love with Tree Hugger! She's just a good friend."

She watched his face to see what kind of reaction he'd give. His eyes had noticeably softened... relief maybe, but why? Why would he ask such a thing?

Regardless, it was obvious to her that he was still amused. Her wings flared out at her embarrassed state. "A-and what about you?"

"What about me?" Discord inquired, not understanding.

"Y-you seemed so surprised that I didn't know what my orientation was, s-so let's hear yours!" Her defiance was adorable. She wasn't sure why, but she felt curious now that she'd demanded him to tell her.

"Hmmm~" he teased, pretending to think about it.

"D-Discord!"

"All right, all right!"

He legitimately had needed to think about it though. Not that he didn't know, because he did, but he didn't think he had a way to describe it. Words found in dictionaries were too plain, and couldn't accurately portray him.

He was hesitant to say anything at all for a moment, but realized that, knowing her, it'd probably go right over her head, wouldn't it? He smirked at the mere thought; she was so naive.

"You could say I'm... Flutteromantic," he told her casually, watching her response just as she had watched him.

He stiffened at first as she stared blankly, fearing that she'd caught on, but felt relief once she tilted her head. "I've... never heard of that. Is that a term from a long time ago?"

Yup; right over her head, onto the floor, and rolling out the door.

He grinned. "I made it up."

"That's cheating!" she huffed.

"Too bad! That's my answer!"

He wasn't technically lying. Just as he'd never had a friend before, he'd never crushed on anyone either. His love life was devoid of anyone for so long, unless he counted himself of course, which he surprisingly didn't. There wasn't a word for how he felt, so he made one up.

Because he only had eyes for her, and no one else. No one else was good enough for him.

The only one he'd ever loved was Fluttershy. As far as he was concerned, she was his orientation.

Author's Note

I kind of consider this the "Let's Talk" of my Fluttercord ideas; an addition to an episode that I felt was lacking something with hints of romance. Part of me is considering calling this the "Immediate" series or something.

I should say right away that I was a bit hesitant to post this (even now I'm shaking a bit at the idea), but those I sent it to seemed to enjoy it, so I decided to go for it. I don't hear a lot of negative things about this episode, and maybe that's in part due to Discord himself being such a delight, but regardless, that's what made me concerned to submit this. I don't want people to think that how they think is wrong or that I'm trying to fix something that "isn't broken".

I want to be clear and say that I don't think Discord is some sort of perfect angel who can do no wrong. He's a very flawed character and makes a lot of mistakes.

But, I feel very strongly in that, while Discord did play an active role in these wrongdoings, Fluttershy played a passive one.

She assumed that Discord had a ticket without asking first. She remained oblivious to his jealousy despite it being blatantly obvious (even season 1's Owl's Well That Ends Well had her catch onto Spike's jealousy fairly quickly). She thinks nothing of this Smooze friendship when Discord himself has said that he's "never really had a friend before." She makes no attempts to talk to or find Discord during the party despite saying that she'd love to talk to him again, forcing Discord to make all the moves; yes, Discord is hiding at times or walking off with the Smooze, but seeing Fluttershy make an actual attempt would've been nice because she was the one who mentioned them having fun together at the gala. Plus, I don't think I need to mention her "I've never known anypony as funny as you!" line, said to Discord in the beginning of the episode and then to Tree Hugger in the middle, making her compliments seem worthless and like she really was trying to replace him.

I'm not going to say that Fluttershy acts like the worst friend ever, mostly because I don't really think this is Fluttershy. She's calm, compassionate, motherly, and sensitive to the feelings of those around her. She's blunt at times and has a temper, but I always imagine that, once that temper has cooled, she breaks down and can't handle it. That's what I tried to convey here, by giving her actions in the episode reasons. I'm not going to theorize on who was worse based on their understanding of friendship versus the wrongdoings committed, but I do believe that they both screwed up. Discord had already been yelled at in the episode, so I tried not to focus overly much on him, and I hope this does a good job at acknowledging Fluttershy's faults without my emotions towards the actual episode seeping through and affecting my writing.

Bonus Chapter: Realization

Author's Note

It was too hard to refuse the request, especially after I'd come up with an idea myself.

This ship... it drives me to write!

Or... sails me to write, I suppose. :rainbowhuh:

(why does part of me feel like no one will enjoy this chapter :raritydespair:)
(Edit: I've never been happier to be wrong!)

Bonus Chapter: Realization

Fluttershy giggled as a swarm of squirrels leapt in and out of her hair, inadvertently tickling her to the point where she was fairly certain it was on purpose.

She tried to suppress her remaining giggles in order to speak. "Easy, please!"

It'd been about a week since the Grand Galloping Gala. It was long behind her now and she held no qualms about it; after all, she'd done things too.

Though, she couldn't fully understand why Discord was so forgiving; he'd just shrugged off everything like it wasn't even a problem. Mind you, she realized it was a bit mean to say that she didn't expect him to be forgiving, but after the whole jealousy thing with Tree Hugger, she'd figured that he was like that with at least a few things.

But that was just how Discord was, right? He was unpredictable, and she could never be sure what'd he do next. Maybe it was simply that he got jealous easily, yet forgave easily too.

Or... maybe it was her?

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, though she abandoned it just as quickly. No, that was ridiculous. He cared about her, she was certain, but to forgive so quickly without a thought was unthinkable for someone like him. It was something she did all the time, but Element of Kindness and all that.

That wasn't the biggest mystery though; no, that award went to his whole 'Flutteromantic' thing. What did that even mean? She racked her brain on it for a good long while, but still had no ideas.

She wasn't entirely sure why she was so hung up on it either. Her failures only made her feel like an idiot.

"Fluttershy."

She snapped out of her thoughts and jumped back as she realized that Discord had suddenly appeared, face inches away from her. Her muzzle changed to pink, as she found his eyes rather pretty up close.

He stood up to his full height, gesturing outwards. "If you're going to take your mind on a trip to another dimension, you could've at least invited your old pal Discord!"

The tenseness she didn't realize she had eased as she giggled. "I'm sorry, Discord. I was thinking."

"Aren't you always?" he teased, suddenly laying on his stomach in one of the trees. "I'd think you wouldn't still be alive if you didn't. No, that instead looks like the face you put on when you're deeply thinking about something, my dear!"

More memories of last week briefly flashed in her mind.

He teleported back in front of her, his eyes practically dripping with curiosity. "So~?"

She bit her bottom lip sheepishly. As cute as he'd surely react, it'd be far too embarrassing if she said she was thinking deeply about him.

"I-I was, um, thinking about something that happened last week?" It wasn't a complete lie.

He didn't respond, his eyebrows lowering slightly as he stared at her. Did he know...?

A squeak from one of her squirrels then got her attention. "O-oh! Um..."

She tried to look at them as they all scurried up to the top of her head. "Discord, these are my new squirrel friends. They moved in just the other day."

She gestured as she listed them off. "This is Maple, Aspen, Sequoia, and Pine."

The squirrels all waved to Discord, who looked sufficiently amused. "Do you think any of them would give me a starter?"

Fluttershy blinked a few times. "Hm?"

"Nevermind," he said with a deep chuckle. "But anyway, Fluttershy, you never told me you doubled as a condo!"

He vanished, Fluttershy looking around for a moment before she felt something squirming around in her mane.

Discord popped out, roughly around the squirrels' size, seeming to relax in her strands of pink hair. "All right, I'll admit it; this is spectacular." He glanced up at the squirrels, who now seemed jealous that someone else was taking up their space. "What's the rent like?"

Fluttershy giggled, trying to fix a few loose strands of her hair with her hoof. "I don't mean to let them do it; I'm not really a condo. B—" She paused before she could say anything else, blushing slightly. She mulled it over for a moment, then took a breath, turning her gaze away from him. "B-besides, you can be there anytime you want."

If Discord wasn't already grinning wide, he was now. She was too cute when she was flustered.

Fluttershy quickly diverted the conversation. "I've been trying to get them to stop, but I think they love the smell too much."

Discord sunk a bit lower in her hair, only to feel something underneath him. He looked down, then pulled out the acorn that had been planted in her mane. "And using you as their own personal storage, by the looks of it."

She pouted, blush deepening. "I've been trying to get them to stop that too."

"We'll have to get rid of them," he said, swimming through her hair as he began to shove all of the various acorns out. "I can't have your furry friends making renovations in my condo!"

He went to the top of her head, leaning over so she could see his small head staring at her. "Besides, 'Flutternutter' doesn't suit you in the slightest."

"Flutternutter?" she repeated with a questioning tone.

Discord opened his mouth to respond, only to get pelted by an acorn. He jerked his head back up, rubbing where he'd been hit, then noticed that Fluttershy's squirrels were now up in a tree, acorns filling their little arms.

"Oh, behave!" Fluttershy pleaded to her jealous squirrels.

"It's fine, my dear," Discord assured, patting her head. "I see now that I'll have to fight for my right!"

He levitated one of the acorns to himself, then tore off the top, using it as a shield while turning the rest into a sword that didn't look unlike a crazy straw.

"Have at you!"

Fluttershy observed from a distance as Discord flew up to fight the squirrels. She allowed herself a small giggle, then sat down and ran her forelegs through her mane to help straighten it out.

"I'm going back inside to make tea. Feel free to come in when you're ready!" she called.

He didn't respond, but she was sure he heard her.

She smiled fondly at him.

Fluttershy tipped the teapot carefully as it emptied its contents into the cups on the table. After being Discord's friend for so long, she'd gotten used to his frequently random visits. They planned times together, certainly, as there were moments where Fluttershy was sure that she'd have nothing to do if he wasn't there, but most of the time, he just came over whenever he felt like.

She cherished it. The surprise visits were honestly the highlights of her week.

As she thought about it, almost out of nowhere - much like Discord's visits themselves - his voice echoed in her head. "Besides, 'Flutternutter' doesn't suit you in the slightest."

She mulled it over with herself. Thinking about it, why had that made her pause so suddenly? It was like something had clicked with her and she hadn't realized it.

She just barely got her attention back before she overflowed the last cup, hooves shaking with a bit of urgency as she put the lid back on the teapot. "O-oh goodness..."

"Ooo, are we doing nicknames now?"

She turned, seeing Discord standing next to her and overlooking the cups of tea with a playful smile on his face.

"I prefer 'great chaoticness' myself, but 'goodness' is acceptable too!" He stroked his beard in thought. "It just needs something else. 'Royal goodness', perhaps." His ears perked. "Maybe even 'supreme goodness'!" He hummed for a moment to think about it, only for his ears to fall back down. "No, that makes me sound like a pizza, and I'm much more delectable than that."

Fluttershy moved her mane out of her face, smiling. "D-did everyone go all right with the squirrels?"

He looked at her as if he'd forgotten. "...Oh! No, not exactly."

He flew over the table, grabbing one of the tea cups with his tail on the way, then sat down on the couch. "Apparently, you can't own somepony's mane when it's already attached to their little heads. Honestly, how do you ponies live in these conditions?" He brought the teacup to his mouth, taking a sip before letting it drop into his hands.

Fluttershy laughed airily. She had no idea how to continue such a conversation, but she tried. "We manage."

"Just barely, I imagine!"

He started rambling, but she didn't mind, sipping her tea slowly to savor the moment. He tended to talk on and on about quite a few things, but it was pleasant. She'd always been more of a listener than a talker, making Discord perfect to converse with, as he seemed delighted every time she nodded her head to show she'd been listening.

As she pulled her cup away from her mouth, she looked down, zoning out as she saw her reflection in her drink. Her mind moved itself back to the previous moment she'd shared with Discord once more. Something had already clicked, she was sure; she just needed herself to do the same.

Flutter...

Discord was still rambling at the time, unaware that Fluttershy had entirely checked out. "All I'm saying is, if I had it my way, you'd be able to—"

The sound of something shattering on the floor cut him off. He looked over, seeing that Fluttershy's cup had fallen out of her hooves and was in pieces, all over the floor in front of her, yet she wasn't even looking at it or freaking out.

He raised a brow. Her face was red - completely red - as if someone had splashed her with a bucket of paint.

He put his cup down on the couch, then flew over, hovering in front of her face. He waved, but received no response.

At the flick of his hand, the mess was clean. "Fluttershy?"

She remained still, hooves over her mouth. Her gaze was in his general direction, but not at him; it was more like she was looking right through him, as if he wasn't there.

Feeling concerned, he brought his hand to her face, snapping his fingers; not to summon magic, but just as an attempt to get her attention.

She jumped out of her trance, blinking a few times before recognizing that Discord was in front of her.

"There you went again!" he shouted, though there was a tinge of relief in his voice that Fluttershy just barely caught. "Off on vacations to distant dimensions!"

He flew off, standing a few feet away, back facing her as he crossed his arms. "If you're going to keep leaving me out like this, we're going to have to seriously reconsider our relationship!"

"O-our relationship?" she quietly asked, throat going dry. She swallowed shyly, the blush never leaving her face.

She'd figured it out.

Her eyes darted around the room for a second as she mindlessly tapped her hooves together. Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest at any moment, a resolve now built up inside her.

"...Discord!" she exclaimed anxiously, slamming her hooves down on the chair.

He peeked over at her, surprise across his features. He'd never heard her shout quite like that.

She took in a deep breath, then let it out, looking down to the floor. Her voice dropped back to being quiet. "...M-my orientation."

His ear flickered. "Your...?"

"My orientation!" she repeated loudly, as if her voice was going through mood swings. "Y-you asked about my orientation last week!"

This was officially the strangest conversation Discord ever had that he hadn't started himself. "Yes, I did?" He chuckled, confused. "I thought we both knew that already?"

"Y-yes! A-and," she took another breath, pupils shrunken in, "and I-I couldn't give you an answer then, b-but I can now!"

Her wings were flared out, her face turning to an even deeper shade of red if that was possible.

Discord wasn't sure how to take her suddenness, but he was certainly interested. Suddenness was fun. "Oh?"

"I..." She hesitated, but mentally scolded herself for it; she'd never get it out if she stuttered and paused. "I-I know I said that I found stallions and mares attractive b-before, a-and that's technically true, but, um," she was talking rapidly, trying to get everything out as quickly as possible, "I-I've found other creatures attractive before too, so it doesn't mean I'm limited to just ponies. I-it could be anyone, like you—I MEAN..."

She covered her face, realizing she was about as smooth as sandpaper.

Without thinking, she let it slip. "I-I'm Disromantic!"

A pause followed, after which she flailed her hooves about. "W-wait, no, that's not right! M-maybe Discoromantic? Discordromantic?!"

She wanted so badly to crawl into a hole and die. Discord had basically already confessed, so why was it so hard to return it? She figured she owed him that much after the realization that she made him wait a week for a response.

She flopped over, burying her face in her pillow to hide the burning hot blush on her face. Perhaps it'd been difficult for the sheer fact that she hadn't fully discovered her own feelings until she realized his?

Not that it mattered much; she flubbed up her confession regardless. Her embarrassment only deepened as she wondered if maybe some of her animals had been watching.

Discord meanwhile, had been standing there, taking her speedily blunt words with a bit of surprise, though it didn't take long for it to form into a smug smirk.

"You certainly took your sweet time, Fluttershy! I've been idling here waiting for you to figure me out! 'Flutteromantic', really, how hard was that?"

He flew over and bundled up his little pegasus ball in his arms. Fluttershy peeked up at him, staring with wide eyes.

"Y-you... meant for me to get it?"

"Yes!"

He faltered.

"...Well, no, not exactly, but since you're so into me, I can hardly mind." His grin was even wider now as he lightly tapped her nose. Her snout scrunched up as she gave him a flustered pout. He was so lovably insufferable sometimes.

"Besides, you gave me quite the show just now, hm?"

The amusement in his tone brought back Fluttershy's want to crawl into a hole.

"Don't be shy now, my dear! I'd be more than happy for you to bask in my presence!"

She hid her face anyway. This was a mistake; a terrible, wonderful mistake.

He leaned down, daring to touch his lips to her cheek, if only to see the reaction she'd have. She squeaked, heart soaring as she looked back up at him.

If she was honest, she'd never seen him happier. It was all too much.

"...D-Discord, I need to go back outside and check on the squirrels," she excused, needing a moment away from the obviously flirty draconequus.

"I didn't know you were so unprofessional! Leaving before we've even finished our tea..." He 'tsk'd' her. "The least you could do is give your ravishingly handsome guest a good-bye kiss!"

That was it. There was no more need for a hole to die in anymore; she was already dead and gone.

He gripped her a bit tighter, brow raised with a smug smile on his face; his cute, dumb, smug face, she noted. He wasn't going to let her go until she gave him what he'd suggested.

She let out a shy whine, shaky hooves reaching up to grab his face. His brow raised higher, as if confused, and she gently touched her muzzle to his, their lips making contact for only a moment.

His arm's grip loosened, and she wasted no time in squirming out and back onto the floor. She trotted as casually as she could to the door, giving him only a glance before running out.

Behind her mane, she smiled softly.

Discord, now alone in the room, actually had a light red blush along his face. His lips shifted for a moment before he brought his hand to them, a warm sensation lingering from Fluttershy's kiss. He blinked a few times, processing it, then chuckled to himself.

"I never said it had to be on the lips, now did I?"

He wasn't complaining.