Discord sat across from Fluttershy, both with teacups and faces of pure laughter. The moment seemed so perfect, yet anypony could sense something was off, Discord, seemed oblivious nonetheless. Fluttershy sat down her tea with a soft giggle.
"No matter how many times you tell that joke, it always makes me laugh," She says with a soft smile. Discord chuckles brightly.
"Why do you think I keep telling it deary?" He asks. "I just love that laugh of yours!" Fluttershy blushes lightly. Discord sips at his tea casually. "So, I never did get you're answer to my Gala invite," He says, acting as though it was no big deal. Fluttershy looks into her cup, letting her mane fall over her eyes.
"O-Oh," She bites her bottom lip softly. Discord looks to her, his eyebrow raised as he snapped his fingers, magically filling up his cup again.
"So?" He asks. "Yes or No my dear?" Fluttershy doesn't meet his gaze as she mumbles quietly.
"W-Well you see....," She begins. "I-m not even sure I'm going to the Gala this year Discord..." She finishes. Discord spits out the tea in his mouth.
"NOT GOING?" Discord exclaims. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT GOING?!" Fluttershy cowers softly.
"I-It's just...dances aren't really my thing," She replies quietly. "Y-You could always take somepony different, after all, you are the Lord of Chaos," She giggles with a smile. "Who wouldn't want to go with you?"
"Anypony!!" Discord spats. "I mean look at me Fluttershy!!" Fluttershy tilts her head, gazing over him.
"I don't see anything wrong with you," She says.
"Exactly!" Discord huffs. "Everypony else but you thinks i'm a monster!" Now it was Fluttershy's turn to spat out her tea.
"W-What?" She asks, blinking and looking to Discord. Discord rolls his eyes.
"Oh come now, you know everypony except you thinks i'm still evil!" He huffs.
"That's not true and you know it Discord!" Fluttershy argues. Discord huffs.
"Prove it then Fluttershy!" He snaps. "How many ponies, apart from you're friends that pretend to like me and Celestia, can look me in the eyes without shaking in fear!?" Fluttershy's hooves began to tremble under Discord's stern stare, his pupils flaring. He looks to the tea cup, which rattled lightly in the young mare's hooves. "See Fluttershy...even you think I'm a monster...," Discord says, sighing in defeat as he slumps back into his chair, his face in his claw. Fluttershy didn't dare break the silence that fell between them, for she feared it would upset him further. He lifts himself from the chair.
"I-I better be going, I'm wasting some perfectly good chaos time," He says, lifting his voice as though nothing ever happened. Fluttershy opens her mouth to speak, only to close it again and look away, she wasn't ready to tell him how she felt... Not yet... By the time she raised her head again, he was gone, and she sat in the room alone apart from her creature friends.
"He's no monster...," She mumbles softly, fiddling with the cup in her hooves. "Right?"
Discord walks along the edge of the Everfree Forest, his claw and paw crossed behind his back as he studied the ground in deep thought. Mumbling to himself about what had just happened.
"She thinks I'm a monster...," He grumbles. "Why would have any hope that she would be different?" His paw and claw tremble slightly, it wasn't only the ponies who feared him...he was starting to fear himself...
Tracking his way slowly back to Fluttershy's cottage, his ears perk as he hears the deep voice of a colt and the voice of Fluttershy.
"Alright, come back tomorrow, but after he leaves...," Fluttershy was saying. "I don't want him seeing you," She finishes. The colt lets out a chuckle.
"Of course," He says, kissing her hoof and shooting for the skies. Fluttershy smiles softly and nods.
"Don't tell who what?" Discord growls, making the shy mare jump in shock.
"D-Discord!" She squeaks. He huffs.
"Oh cut the act and tell me," Discord frowns. Fluttershy lowers her head.
"It's n-nothing," She whispers. He stomps his hoof impatiently.
"Lies!" He snorts. Fluttershy blinks.
"I would never lie to you DIscord," She replies.
"Then who is that colt!?" He asks. "You're lover?!" Fluttershy shakes her head.
"What?! N-No!" She says quickly. "Thunderlane is just a friend!" She argues.
"What was he doing here?!" Discord snorts, still unconvinced.
"I can have whatever pony I want visit my home Discord!!" Fluttershy says stubbornly.
"No you can't!" Discord growls. "You could get yourself hurt!"
"I can stand up for myself!!" Fluttershy says, stomping her hoof. "I-I'm not weak!!" She slams the door in his face, leaving him standing there with his mouth agape. Discord huffs then turns away.
"Fine... But if I can't get you to be my date to the Gala like this...I guess I'll just hit the nail at a different angle," He says, balling his paw into a fist and snapping his claw to teleport him away. Returning home, he begins to pace. "How to do it, how to do it...," He mumbles softly. "That Thunderlane guy is making me step up my game...How could such a boring...handsome....well made stallion catch her eye....?" Discord stops in place and snaps. "That's it!!" He exclaims. "A normal, handsome stallion, that's what my Fluttershy wants!" He concludes. "And that's what she's going to get!"
Fluttershy crawled into bed, wiping the past tears from her face. She pulled her blanket over her, listening to the soft ticking of the clock. The Great Galloping Gala was in less than a day, she had to give Discord an answer. She wanted to go, but she could tell he was upset over seeing her talking to Thunderlane... He took it the wrong way. Thunderlane had simply been talking about the weather for tomorrow. Yet, Discord took it as something completely different. Fluttershy sighs deeply, she wasn't interested in Thunderlane at all, yet, she couldn't come out and tell Discord that...She rolls over, she'd figure it out tomorrow...for now, she just needed to sleep..
