Domestic Drabbles of Discord's Dimension

Chapters

The Mane Thing
Sick Day
In Trouble
Odd Jealousy
Foalsitting Folly
The Healer's Touch
Baking Bad
Buckball Craze
Heart-Shaped Sweets
Beach Day
Autumn Arguments
Winter Wonderland
Spring Blossoms
Catnip Craziness
Prank Day
Boopin' Good Time
Sugar High
Crazy Critters
I'm Not Fluffy!
I'm Not Fluffy Again!
A "Real" Date
Boredom and Distractions
A Most Chaotic Day
I'm Fluffy for You
Small Things
Grumpy Gus
Shot Through the Heart
Luggage and Trips
Spa Day
Need Your Wings
A New Dawn
Trials and Thorns
Restlessness and Relaxation
Trouble with Troublemakers
Amusement Park Attraction
Birthday Bash
EZ Baking
Stargazers
Pocky Game
Oodles of Noodles
Half-Baked Bake Sale
Nightmares and Comfort
Capes and Catches
Ice Dream
Five More Minutes?
Leftovers Longing
Creator's Block
Gone Batty
Snuggly Wuggly
Lucky Charm
Snuggly Pillow Forts
Knit the Way
Midnight Snacking
Glass Jubilee
Just Bounce
Spring Grooming
Heart Troubles
Frosted Fluttershy
Chocolate Soup
Fiery Cooking
Totally Metal
Hoofrest
Blackout Bronzer
Scratched Out
Restaurant Wars
Maternal Instincts
A Chaotic Scarf
Plastic Proposals
Tattoo Tango
Washed Out
Sleepy Bundle
Beat the Heat
T(ea)ranslator
Love Letters
Muggy Weather
Sparks and Wonder
Heavy Guilt
Fashionistas
Snazzleberry Sampling
Cocoa Cuddles
Hammock Hanging
Discord Detangler
Bulk vs. Fluff
Harvest Festival
Date Night
Company Stock
Nice to Meat You
Crystal Convention
Hearth's Warming Home
Bashful Birthday
Sweet Memories
Breakfast Blues
Sick Day 2: Draconequus Boogaloo
Catnip Craziness 2: Return of Catcord
Baby Bunnies
Delight in Debauchery
Something Sweet to Bite
Dancing in the Rain
Refreshing River
Organized Chaos

The Mane Thing

Fluttershy's eyes slowly cracked open as she softly yawned and stretched. As she sat up in bed, she felt a slight pressure—a tug—on her scalp. She carefully turned her head, trying to see what had happened.

A smirk appeared on her face when she saw a skinny, yellow arm reaching up to her head. Reaching up, she carefully untangled Discord's claw from her mane. Her husband twitched, letting out a small huff, but didn't wake up.

As she ran a hoof through her mane, smoothing it out, she watched Discord's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. For a second, she thought about trying to sneak off and surprise him, but dismissed the idea. He would wake up if she left, and he deserved some rest.

She curled up against his side, nuzzling into his chest. He murmured something unintelligible, and his claw twitched, moving slowly to curl around her, trying to dig into her mane again. She giggled softly.

Time passed by in a comfortable haze, and Discord twitched and began to wake up, yawning loudly and stretching. Fluttershy leaned up towards him, and the two of them shared a quick kiss. "Good morning," she said softly.

"To you as well," he murmured. Fluttershy began to crawl out of bed, but was surprised when Discord gently grabbed onto her hoof, stopping her. When she looked back, he was pouting, his pupils wide and shiny. "Stay just a few more minutes?," he whined.

She sighed and shook her head. "Discord...you know I'm seeing Rarity at the spa today. And before that, I have to eat breakfast and check on the animals." The draconequus huffed, but released her hoof.

The two of them emerged from the covers and headed for the kitchen. Discord began making pancakes, juggling them between pans like it was some kind of game. Fluttershy was busy chopping up fruits and choosing what ingredients to add to the batter.

In the end, they had stacks of pancakes filled with chocolate chips, apple slices, orange juice, and various types of berries. The two of them ate happily, chattering about what they hoped to do today.

"So, my dear, what are you and Rarity planning to do today, exactly?," he asked her, taking a large bite out of ten different pancakes.

She smiled, taking a small, dainty bite. "Oh, not much. Just the normal spa trips we used to take, before she became so busy. Small things, really. Face masks, the sauna, a hooficure..."

"A-a makeover?!," squeaked Fluttershy.

Rarity nodded and smiled, handing her a pamphlet. "It's nothing to worry about, darling," she said confidently. "Sometimes a bit of change is nice. All it is is a mane styling, makeup appliance, and hoof polish!"

Fluttershy gulped, looking at the pamphlet. "That...sounds like a lot."

Rarity sighed. "Sweetie, it's nothing to worry about. The makeup will wash off if you don't like it, and hoof polish is simple to take off if you have the right items for the job."

"...What about the manestyle?"

Rarity paused. "Well, you don't need to do anything too extreme if you don't feel like it." She smiled. "But trying a new style can be fun!"

Fluttershy bit her lip. She glanced back at the pamphlet, showing pictures of different manestyles. "Alright..."

Fluttershy slipped through the shimmering portal that appeared after she and Rarity had left the spa. She quickly spotted Discord outside their house, wrangling with some strange, large, moving flower. Some of the bunnies she recognized from the sanctuary were running away, quickly fleeing into another blue portal.

His head snapped up towards her as he managed to fling the monster flower off of the patch of earth. "Fluttershy! How was you day with—" He stared at her, his eyes widening.

She shuffled her hooves. Rarity had been so insistent that they went all out. Her hooves had been coated with a glossy, glittery pink polish. The same shade was used for her eyeshadow, and her lashes had been coated with black mascara. Her lips were painted lightly with a pink gloss.

But Discord's eyes were focused on her mane—her much shorter mane.

Rarity, Aloe and Lotus had all insisted that bob cuts were very fashionable right now. And that one would look very cute on her. Rarity had even added with a whisper and wink that it could catch Discord by surprise in a good way. Fluttershy had blushed and agreed to the new style.

But Discord's blank expression was making her self-conscious. "Discord? I-is something wrong?," she asked quietly.

Discord blinked and shook his head. "No! No no...you just surprised me, that's all. You look...cute." Fluttershy looked away with a blush, flying up to him and nuzzling him. He reached up with his claw, petting her mane. She leaned into his touch, enjoying the sensation of his fingers brushing against her scalp.

His fingers quickly slipped through her tresses, short as it was cut now. He blinked in surprise, letting out a small chuckle.

"So, did you enjoy your day with Rarity?," he asked, opening the door of their house for her. She nodded in response, smiling when she saw their tea set laid out for the two of them.

She sat down as Discord poured her a cup of tea, telling him about everything that had happened, while he talked about how he kept the garden away from the rabbits. That was how they passed the time until dinner, and before they turned in for an early night.

Fluttershy slowly blinked awake. She took in a deep breath, her chest feeling heavier than normal. She glanced down at her torso. Discord's lion paw was wrapped tightly around her, squeezing her tightly. She pushed at it lightly, moving it so she was able to breathe more easily.

As she rolled to face him and snuggle into his fur, she felt something slip from her mane. A glance back told her it was Discord's eagle talon. He grunted, his eyes twitching, and his claw began to fumble around on the pillows until it manged to bury itself back into her mane.

And as soon as he managed to get it, his fingers slipped right out.

With a groan, he tried again. And again. After the third time his grip slipped away, he finally started to blink awake. She smiled and leaned forward, giving him a soft kiss as he cleared the last bit of sleep from his eyes.

He sat up with a yawn, snapping his fingers. With a flash, they were in the kitchen, Fluttershy nestled into the crook of his arm. He opened the fridge with a flick of his head, fresh fruits suddenly sprouting wings and flying towards the counter. She tried to fly out of his grip, but he only held her closer, nuzzling into the top of her head.

Playfully rolling her eyes at him, she snuggled against his chest with a sigh. He approached the counter, handing her a bowl and placing in ingredients with his tail, while she began to mix. They made less pancakes than usual, though it was still a good amount, and Discord refused to let go of her the entire process.

He finally, reluctantly let her go when it was time for them to eat. "So, what are you doing today?," he asked as a bottle of coconut syrup floated in her direction.

"Oh, not much," she answered. "Just hoping to do some work in the sanctuary. I've been thinking of some new improvements I can make."

He sighed. "You know I can always snap up anything you need, right?"

She smiled. "Yes, I know. But I like doing things with my own hooves." He rolled his eyes with a grumble. She giggled.

For the seventh time that morning, she blew her mane out of her face.

It was so strange. She had thought that with less mane on her head, it would be in her face less often. But no. Instead, it was just harder for her to control it and keep it where she wanted.

She huffed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. When her mane was long, she could easily tuck it behind her ears, or shake her head to move it out of her face. The short mane would easily (and constantly) slide out from behind her ear, and shaking her head only caused more of it to fall in front of her face.

After the tenth time, she sighed and flew towards a shimmering blue portal. She headed into the house, flying towards the bathroom. Discord, relaxing in the living room, perked up as she entered, peering over the newspaper he was reading. He slowly followed Fluttershy, and saw her rummaging through some of the bathroom drawers.

"Fluttershy?," he asked, rapping on the frame of the door. Her ears flicked up, and she turned to him. "Is everything alright, dear?"

She nodded. "Oh, yes. I'm just looking for some mane pins." She turned back to the drawer, and her mane slid in front of her face again. She sighed and brushed it out of her face as she continued her search.

Discord approached her, clutching onto fistfuls of various pins. "May I?"

She paused, then nodded. He approached her, his fingers brushing all of her mane back behind her head. The pins floated in the air with his magic, slipping effortlessly against her scalp before clicking shut, clamping large amounts of hair within. He grumbled a few unkind words under his breath as her mane slipped out of his fingers and the pins, but eventually, everything was heavily pinned back.

She shook her head lightly as he let his fingers slip out, testing the pins. She smiled that none of her mane ended up in the face, though the sensation of her mane being pulled back so tightly wasn't pleasant. "Thank you, Discord."

She flew up to give him a peck on the cheek. He smiled, his face turning pink, gently cupping where her lips had brushed against him as she flew back through one of the portals to the sanctuary.

Fluttershy sighed as she struggled to shove more pins into her mane. How could having less mane make it more difficult to handle?

Discord floated by the bathroom and saw her, her mane sticking out in all directions, pins hanging limply from several strands. He bit his lip, trying not to laugh. She shot him a look between a pout, asking for help, and a glare, warning him against laughing.

He still let out a chuckle as he approached her. "Third day in a row," he commented as he slid the stuck pins out. With a few flicks of his wrists, her mane was smoothed out, the knots untangled. He pulled her mane back and began to insert the pins. "I think I'm improving, at least."

She scowled at him in the mirror, causing him to laugh. She sighed. "Honestly, I...I liked my old manestyle better. I didn't know short manes would be harder to manage."

"It's probably just because you're used to a long one," he replied. "Though...I...kind of liked your old mane better, too. I mean, you look very cute!," he exclaimed. "It's just that your old style was so soft and nice to...not that it isn't soft now! I just liked running my—" he clamped his mouth shut, his face turning bright red.

She smiled. "I...that's one of the reasons I miss my old mane. I...I like it when you—" she blushed and turned her head away. Discord groaned as all of her mane slid out of his grasp, some of the pins coming out and falling to the floor. Fluttershy sighed, "I'm sorry."

Discord grinned, his fingers ready to snap, a gleam shining in his eyes. "Well, we both miss your old mane. Why don't we skip dealing with all this until it grows out and just fix it with a little magic?"

She hesitated, biting her lip in thought. "Okay."

A loud snap echoed, and a bright flash filled the room, before a sound like rushing water filled their ears.

Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, her head feeling very heavy. She blinked at the sight she saw.

The entire bathroom was filled with her light pink mane. She lifted her head up with great effort, searching for Discord. She gasped when she spotted his legs on the other side of the bathroom, the rest of him buried under pink mane. She fluttered her wings, wading through the hair.

Discord managed to pull himself up, a shocked expression on his face. "Right. Manes have excess magic in them," he grumbled. "Fortunately, this is an easier fix."

He lifted up his lion paw, a large pair of scissors flashing into them. He dove into the mane, popping up beside Fluttershy. With a quick motion, he slashed at her mane and tail several feet behind her. She yelped in surprise, jumping slightly.

She turned, about to scold him for startling her, when she froze. Her head still felt weighed down, but it was easier to handle now. She tried to wade through the waves of mane on the ground, but still had trouble making progress. Discord floated over to her, scissors placed behind his ear, before scooping her up into his arms and flying out of the bathroom.

They both blinked in surprise when they entered the living room, which was equally full of her mane. Discord turned and headed towards the stairs, half-buried under hair. He brought her to their bedroom, set her gently down on the edge of the bed, and grabbed the scissors from behind his ear.

She turned around, showing him her back. He began to carefully snip away at her long mane and tail, carefully undoing any knots he came across. "Do you want it at about the same length as before?," he asked, brushing his claw through a thick tangle.

"Mmm...I think I'd like to try something new," she mused. Discord raised an eyebrow, stretching his neck out like rubber so she was able to see his expression. She giggled. "Nothing that different! I'd just like to leave it a longer than before, that's all."

He breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief, swiping at his forehead with the back of his paw. With a flick of his tail, a full-length mirror poofed in front of her. "What length would you like? Here? This? Or...this?" He slid his claw up and down her mane, indicating different lengths.

She gestured towards the near ends of the mane. He blinked. "Are you sure? That long, and you might trip over it!"

She smiled. "I can always pin it up and out of the way. Hopefully that'll be easier than dealing with the bob cut."

He nodded and cut her mane and tail to the lengths she had indicated. Before she could get up, he pulled a blue flower from behind his back, and with a little twisting of the stem, pinned up her mane in a loop.

"Thank you, Discord," she said, turning to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I suppose we should clean out the house before I go to the sanctuary..."

"Don't worry about it! You run along, and I'll get the house cleaned up before you know it!" With a flick of his claw, a blue portal appeared in front of her. "Off you go!"

Once she was through, he floated downstairs. A groan escaped him when he saw just how much mane there was in their house. "It'll take forever to clean all this out," he grumbled. His eyes gleamed, and he brought his claws together. "But with just a little magic..."

He snapped his fingers.

Fluttershy flew through one of Discord's portals, eager to have lunch. Working with the animals had gone extremely well, since her mane stayed out of her face now. She was looking forward to thanking him for—

He was fighting her mane.

She froze outside the portal, staring at what was happening. Somehow, the bundles of her mane that were in the bathroom and living room had come to life. It was lashing out at Discord with tentacle-like strands, hissing and roaring. He was backing away, just barely dodging each of its attacks.

He turned to look at her, freezing and giving her a sheepish grin as he fended off another attack. The look in his eyes told her he had tried something that landed him in this mess. She sighed and flew forward, calming down the living mane and ushering it away from the house.

At least now it would all finally stay out of her face.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this. Like I said, not much of plot exists here. Just some short, fluffy stories that I might update every once in a while.

Sick Day

Fluttershy eagerly waited as her breakfast floated towards her. A large plate of pancakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream landed gently in front of her. She jumped as a plate of pancakes covered in peppers and chocolate syrup crashed at the other end of the table.

Discord shrugged, unfazed by the mess his breakfast was now in, and flopped into his chair. The two of them dug into their meals. "So, my dear, have any big plans today?," he asked, shifting a pancake back onto his plate before swallowing it whole.

"Oh, not really," she said, swallowing a bite. "Just checking up on all the animals in the—the—achoo!"

She sniffed and wiped her nose with her hoof. Before she could continue, Discord's head snapped up, his eyes wide and his ears perked up in surprise. "What was that?"

She sneezed again, and he flinched. With a flash, he was right beside her, feeling at her forehead with his paw. "Are you feeling okay? How's your stomach? I'll get you some water." He snapped his fingers, and a glass of ice water appeared in her hooves. She took a sip, and he scooped her up into his arms.

"Discord, what are you doing?," she asked while he grabbed her plate with his tail.

He huffed. "Well, you're sick, so you need to get some rest! Off to bed with you!" He teleported to their room, and started to lay her on the bed.

"But...I'm not sick. It was just a sneeze."

He froze. "But...you're sure? Absolutely? You're certain that it's not going to get any worse?"

She sighed and kissed his cheek. "I'm sure. Winter's coming soon, and at most, I've just caught a small cold." He frowned and brought her closer to his chest. "I promise I'll be fine. And the furthest I'm going is to the sanctuary."

He stood back up, frowning in thought. He sighed, and the two of them were back in the kitchen. He placed her back down in her seat and her meal back in front of her. As she dug in, she noticed that his eyes stayed completely focused on her. He stared at her up until when she went through the portal, after he insisted she wear a hat, scarf, and boots.

The sun was still low in the sky when she was halfway through her feeding rounds. After that, she'd check up on the any of the animals who felt unwell, before breaking for lunch. After that, she hoped to check on all the structures, and plan for a new expansion, then wait to see if any creature needed to speak with her.

A soft sneeze escaped from her, jolting her out of her thoughts. She sniffed and wrapped the scarf more tightly around her neck. The air today was not unpleasant, but it was cold and dry, a sign of the approaching winter weather. She'd need to make sure all of her animals were prepared for the harsh months ahead.

She sneezed again as the air tickled her nose, causing the weasels she was feeding to leap and scurry off, only to scurry back and grab their food. A small brown-and-white bunny hopped up to her, tapping her foreleg and pointing behind her.

"Oh, Coco," she sighed, patting the bunny's head. "What is it with you today? I've already fed you and the bunnies—" She turned her head and froze. Discord was perched on a tree branch, watching her. He froze at the same time she did.

She sighed. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention," she said to the small bunny, before turning and marching towards Discord, who was still frozen in place. She stood at the base of the tree and gave him a stern look, waiting for him to come down.

With a loud, long sigh, he slithered backwards down the trunk. He lay on the ground, curled around the tree, giving her a sheepish grin. She raised an eyebrow. His grin faltered. He twisted his neck to hide his face from her, pressed against his side.

He turned again to face her, pouting, his pupils wide and shiny. He clasped his hands together in front of him in a pleading motion.

She sighed and rubbed at the top of his head. He leaned upwards into her touch, a low purring coming from his throat. "Discord, please, go home. I told you I'm fine."

He huffed. "And what's wrong with me wanting to check on my wife?" He nuzzled into her hoof.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with that. But checking up on me does not meaning spying on me." She leaned forward, kissing him on the forehead. "Sweetie, either go home and relax, or stay and help with the animals. I could find something for you to do..."

He grumbled and frowned, his left eye staring at her while his right drifted towards the closest portal. They stayed like that for a few seconds, Fluttershy cradling his head in her hooves. He closed his eyes and pulled away from her with a sigh.

Before he went through the portal, he said, "If you feel any worse, you'll come home straight away so I can take care of you, right?" She nodded, waving him along. "I'm holding you to that!," he said as he flew into their dimension.

She shook her head and continued feeding the animals.

Fluttershy wondered if she should have listened to Discord and stayed home.

Over the last hour, her sneezes had become more frequent, and her throat felt more sore. When she finished with the last of the animals, those sneezes turned into small coughs. Those small coughs turned into large, barking ones that came from deep in her chest.

She finished just such as coughing fit before turning back to her current patient, a snake with doubts about eating vegan. She was just assuring him that he would be given plenty of protein supplements and vitamins when she had broken out coughing. The snake slithered over to her, hissing in concern.

"Oh, I'm fine, really," she assured. "Just a small cold."

After witnessing the rare sight of a snake raising an eyebrow, she was lightly pushed by the snake's head. "Oh? Where do you want me to go?"

The snake slithered over to the area where a small family of bears lived. With a hiss, he pointed his tail to a jar of honey that had been placed out for them. "You...want some honey?"

The snake rolled his eyes, then pointed his tail at her. "Oh...you want me to eat some honey?" The snake nodded, and she put a hoof to her chin in thought. "That would help my throat...But I can't take that honey, Mr. Snake. It belongs to the bears."

Mr. Snake sighed, but accepted this and slithered away. "At least try the vegan treats!," she called after him, before being overtaken by another coughing fit. When she was done, she stared longingly at the jar of honey.

It would be nice...but it's not mine. Suddenly, she remembered there was some honey that belonged to her—back at home.

She paced back and forth. On the one hoof, she wasn't feeling well, and that honey would definitely help her. On the other hoof, if Discord saw her, he wouldn't let her go back to working in the sanctuary. Maybe she was sick, but surely it wasn't bad enough to keep her bedridden! She glanced over the different animals in the sanctuary, all looking happy, healthy, and fed.

A small white bunny hopped past her. "Vanilla?," she called. "I'm going to head home for a little bit. Can you and the other bunnies keep everything under control here?" The small bunny swiftly nodded, hopping towards a group of her siblings.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was go through the portal, sneak into the pantry, grab the honey, and sneak back out. With a deep breath, she fluttered over to the portal, poking her head in.

Discord wasn't anywhere in sight. Either he was inside, or he wasn't home. She flew through the portal, swooping towards the door. She opened it slowly, just enough to look through with one eye.

The living room was empty. Well, stuffed with furniture and other things Discord thought looked interesting, but empty of any draconequui. She slowly crept inside and across the carpet, letting the door slowly close behind her.

She was halfway to the door of the hallway when she heard a click. Her head quickly snapped in that direction, and she saw that the Discord-shaped lamp had just turned on. The floating armchair next to it slowly turned in her direction. Discord sat there, hands folded in his lap, a stern expression on his face.

"Mrs. Chaos, how good to see you again," he said. "Now, what can I do for you?" He started folding origami with the blanket in his lap, keeping his eyes focused on her.

Fluttershy gulped, hiding the wince at the soreness it produced in her throat. She cleared her throat and tried to say clearly, "I-I just came to get some honey. For the—" She broke out coughing again.

In an instant, Discord was by her side, throwing the blanket over her, her winter garb flung into a corner with his magic. In the next second, she was lying on her back, wrapped up like a burrito, and he was gently lifting her up. "Discord, put me down," she softly demanded.

"Oh, I fully intend to...on our bed," he responded, floating up through a door and down the hallway.

"Discord, the sanctuary...I—" another coughing fit interrupted her.

He snorted. "You need to rest. How would you feel if some animal caught that cold of yours?" He snapped his tail, and their bedroom door opened.

"Oh," was all she could say. He gently laid her on the bed, tucking her in under the covers and placing a kiss on her forehead. She shuffled, trying to lean forward and kiss him back, whining when she realized she couldn't reach. He gently shushed her.

"Just rest, my dear," he murmured. "If you need anything, I'm right here." He fluffed her pillow a positioned it directly under her head. She smiled at him, yawning softly, as her eyes drifted closed.

She opened her eyes, shifting uncomfortably. It was too hot. She turned to where Discord had been just a few seconds ago. He was gone. She twisted to look at the other side of the bed. He wasn't there, either.

She began frantically thrashing. Discord's missing, have to find him!, she thought. All her thrashing did was get her more tangled up in her blankets, causing her damp fur to stick up uncomfortably. She wriggled and thrashed, but only seemed to make everything worse.

The door opened. Her head swiveled in that direction, partially wrapped in blanket. Discord stepped through, carrying a tray in his paw. Her thrashing became more frantic, trying to get to him.

His eyes widened and her rushed to her side, leaving the tray floating in midair. "It's okay," he assured, "I'm here." He held the bundle she was in against his chest, stroking her back until she stopped moving.

He started to untangle her from the blankets. "You...you said you'd be right there," she croaked. "Why'd you leave?"

She sighed in relief when the blankets were pulled away from her sweat-covered fur. He answered, "I went to make you soup. You've been asleep for the whole morning, my dear." He nuzzled the top of her head, but quickly pulled away. "Sweet chaos, you're burning up!"

She moaned and tried to lean into his touch. She shuddered when her head came in contact with something cold. Looking up, she saw that Discord had placed a wet towel on top of her head. He placed his hands under her, adjusting her until she was reclining against the pillows.

The tray floated forward, settling on her lap. There was a bowl of tomato soup, a slice of buttered bread, and a cup of tea. It smelled heavenly. She reached forward, but Discord gently grabbed her hoof, setting it back down on the bed. He lifted the spoon towards her mouth.

She greedily ate the soup he fed her, scarfing down the bread and gulping down the honey-filled tea. When she was done, Discord wiped at her mouth with a napkin, and placed a new wet towel on her forehead, gently moving her back into a lying position.

"Promise you'll stay?," she whispered. Her throat was still sore. He smiled, stroking her mane.

"I promise." This brought a smile to her face, and she slowly closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers against her scalp.

She woke up as Discord gently shook her shoulder, telling her that she had slept through the afternoon. He summoned a tray with his magic, this time with potato soup, crackers, and milk. He fed her the soup and crackers, and helped her hold onto her glass of milk.

Once she was done, he surprised her by lifting her up and carrying her to their bathroom. "What...?"

"You have a high fever, and you're soaked with sweat," he explained. "Surely that can't be comfortable."

She shifted in his arms, realized how her fur seemed to stick to her uncomfortably. She slowly nodded, confirming his suspicions. With a nod of his head, the tub was full of water. He gently laid her into it, and she relaxed, finding the lukewarm temperature comforting.

He worked slowly and gently, taking his time as he slathered shampoo into her coat and mane. She cooed softly as his fingers scratched against her scalp, leaning into his touch. She squeaked as she was doused in water, and Discord became immediately apologetic for scaring her.

The water disappeared from the tub, and he gently picked her up with a large, fluffy green towel. His hands gently rubbed at her body as he carried her back to bed, and she sighed in contentment, leaning her head against his chest.

He placed her back in bed, after fluffing her pillow. Once she was tucked in, he grabbed the towel and pulled it out from underneath her effortlessly. As it floated towards the bathroom, he took a seat in a wooden chair by the bed. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep," he assured, patting her hoof.

"You're...not staying?"

"Well, surely you'd feel better if you didn't have a draconequus draped over you," he said with a chuckle. "I'll only be a room away if you need anything."

"But...I always sleep better when you're next to me," she said, blushing. A blush formed on Discord's face, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. Slowly, he went over to the other side of the bed, and crawled under the sheets. He carefully placed his arm over her, watching her face carefully.

She moved over to him and curled against his chest with a soft sigh. He froze for a minute, before gently wrapping his arms around her. She smiled and nuzzled against his chest with a yawn, her eyes sliding closed.

She woke up the next morning with a yawn, stretching her forelimbs. She breathed the morning air deeply, her throat feeling much less sore than it was yesterday, and her brain seemed less clouded. She felt at the forehead with a hoof, sighing in relief when it seemed to be a normal temperature.

Discord's arms were still wrapped around her, keeping her close to his chest. She turned and started to snuggle against him, vowing to thank him as soon as he woke up.

A few minutes later, he blinked awake groggily. He was quickly awoken as she started to pepper his face with kisses. He laughed, eventually pushing her away playfully. "Seems somepony's much more energetic today," he said with a chuckle before drawing her into a passionate kiss.

When they broke away, he got out of bed, summoned a doctor's lab coat for himself and started examining her, feeling her forehead and looking at her throat. He took a second to tickle her belly with his tail, prompting her to giggle, before pulling away and magicking up a clipboard.

"You seem to be recovered..." he hummed. "But we'd really prefer to keep you here an extra day. Just to be sure."

She sighed. "But Discord, there's so much I need to do at the sanctuary." His expression remained blank as he rose an eyebrow at her. "...Alright. If I stay for the morning, will you let me work in the afternoon? You can come with me if you want."

He smiled. "I'd say that is a most acceptable arrangement!" He dove back under the bed sheets, quickly wrapping himself around her. She smiled and nuzzled his cheek, wrapping her front hooves around his midsection.

The moment was interrupted as Discord let out a loud, "ACHOO!"

As he sniffed and shooed away the flying book he had accidentally created, he glanced at her, looking worried. Her own eyes widened in surprise. "I...don't suppose you'd go to the sanctuary right now, would you?," he asked. She shook her head and climbed out of bed, coming around to tuck him under the covers, gently pushing his head down towards the pillow.

"Just rest," she said. "I'll be right here if you need me." He huffed and sniffed, but made no effort to get up. And she could see a small smile on his face.

In Trouble

"Borrrred," Discord hissed under his breath. Fluttershy shushed him, placing her hoof on his lion arm.

Today was the meeting between the leaders of various kingdoms. Dragon Lord Ember, Changeling King Thorax, Yak Prince Rutherford, and Queen Novo of the seaponies and hippogrifs were all in attendance. The Griffons had sent multiple dignitaries, as no leader had been formally chosen yet. And of course, the Protectors of Equestria hosted the meeting, with their significant others joining.

Discord hated the meeting. He had a love-hate relationship with politics: they could cause such chaos, but most of the time, they were dull and boring. The Council of Friendship meetings were the rare, fun exception. Diplomatic meetings like this one were very much on the boring side of things.

He fidgeted, wondering if he could mess with the yak prince's fur without any creature noticing. Fluttershy, the one good thing at this meeting, gave his arm a gentle pat.

He tuned back into Princess Twilight's chattering. She was going on about trade agreements, and helping the Abyssinians recover from the Storm King' s attack a few years ago, and blah, blah, blah...a tapping at the nearby window interrupted her. The leaders all turned their heads.

One of the royal swans was flying there, looking annoyed. "Oh dear," said Fluttershy. "I'll see what's wrong. Continue without me." She gave Discord a kiss on the cheek before trotting down the hall, looking for a window that could open.

He inhaled when the door closed behind her. Okay, the only good thing about this meeting is gone, he thought. But she trusts me to be on my best behavior. Just daydream until she comes back...

Twilight had continued talking, and it seemed she was finally wrapping up. "...But before we can do any of that, there's some paperwork we need to fill out!" A large stack of papers appeared in a flash of magenta magic.

Rainbow, Pinkie, and Cheese groaned. Ember and several griffons were clearly biting back groans of their own. Discord bit down on his tongue, clamping his hands together. Just a few more minutes...

Twilight gave a large stack to each group of dignitaries, keeping one for herself. "After this, we'll need to work on the math of financially supporting their kingdom!," she chirped.

"AUUUGH!" Every creature's head turned towards him. He had swiftly stood up, knocking his chair. "I can't take it any more!"

The table was suddenly upside down, the papers hovering in the air like a cloud. He made finger guns and started firing at the papers, shouting, "Bang!" with each shot. The papers reacted differently, from catching on fire to turning into a multicolored liquid.

"My papers!," cried Twilight, reaching out with magic to save her work. She was ignored, and a pink cloud started to form at the ceiling of the room. The Protectors gasped, while the dignitaries simply rose their eyebrows. Rarity formed a magic shield above herself. Spike rushed over to Ember, quickly telling her to shield herself with a wing. Rainbow held a protective wing over Applejack, who held her hat above Rainbow. Pinkie and Cheese started bouncing around the room, urging the rain to come.

With a loud crack, chocolate rain poured down. Discord, Pinkie, and Cheese laughed, opening their arms invitingly and drinking in the sweet liquid. The rest of the members groaned and shrieked as the downpour soaked them. Those who had shielded themselves shuddered and tried to avoid the growing puddles.

Discord chuckled, closing his eyes. If only every meeting could be like this...

"DISCORD!"

His eyes snapped open, and his head snapped towards the door. The rain suddenly stopped, the cloud disappearing with a soft puff of air. He grinned sheepishly at his wife, who was glaring at him from the doorway.

"I...was bored?," he said with a shrug and chuckle.

Fluttershy stormed into their living room, pacing back and forth as Discord floated in behind her. "It...it wasn't that bad..." he muttered. Her head snapped towards him.

"Not that bad!? Discord, you ruined Twilight's paperwork, and you soaked the leaders of multiple kingdoms in chocolate milk! In what world is that not bad?"

He hung his head. She sighed. "I just...I only left for a minute, and you started causing trouble." She rubbed at her forehead, walking towards the kitchen. He followed a good distance behind her, head still hung low.

She quickly fixed her own dinner, which she ate in silence. He summoned up a large chocolate bar and ate it without even bothering to unwrap it. Once she was done, she stood up and glanced over at him.

Her eyes softened, and his ears lifted slightly, a small smile forming up his face. She narrowed her eyes, and his ears and smile fell.

"You know I love you, sweetie," she said softly, "But I'm also angry with you right now." He slowly reached out towards her mane, but she turned away. "I...need some time to cool down. I'm going to turn in early tonight."

She left the kitchen. He followed, thinking she was heading towards their bedroom. Instead, she stopped partway down the hall and opened the door that connected to her old cottage. She glanced back at him and sighed, but walked through the door.

He stood there quietly for a few seconds. The idea of following her crossed his mind, as did sneaking in later. He quickly discarded those ideas, knowing it would only make her angrier. He floated down towards their bedroom, figuring there was no reason for him to not turn in early, too.

Discord tossed and turned, flinging bedsheets every which way. He sat up and grabbed the squiggly-handed clock that laid on his nightstand. It was only 8 at night. He groaned and fell back onto his pillows, throwing the clock at the wall.

He usually wasn't this restless. Back before knowing Fluttershy, he didn't have any form of sleep schedule, choosing to nap or hibernate whenever he felt tired, and to play whenever he wasn't. But after a few times when he woke up his dear friend with his excited late-night visits, he adjusted into a sleep schedule that matched her own.

Some nights he was restless, but they were few and far between. And he hadn't experienced a completely sleepless night since he had married Fluttershy. Having her next to him calmed him in even his most wound-up states. Her soft breathing was like a lullaby to him, and feeling her soft fur and mane soothed him in a way he'd never known before.

He grunted and stood up, pacing on the bed. Before, he'd go cause some chaos until he'd used enough magic to tire himself out, but that was what got him in this situation in the first place. He considered the sleeping pills Fluttershy kept for her animals, but realized she wouldn't be happy if he used up her supplies. That, and last time he tried that, she had lectured him on proper use of medicine and made him promise to never take any medicine again before talking with her about it.

He laid down, trying to assure himself that it was just one night. A sudden thought make him sit back up. What if it wouldn't be one night? What if she was still angry at him tomorrow?

It was unlikely, but...she was so furious. And what if she didn't come back so they could make breakfast together? What if he didn't see her at lunch? The thoughts were making his head spin. He quickly slapped himself, then teleported to his thinking tree.

"Okay," he muttered. "If I want Fluttershy to stop being mad...well, I could wait, but I haven't seen her get this mad in years. If I fixed the problem that made her angry, maybe she'd forgive me?" With a snap of his fingers, a notepad appeared in his claw.

"I could time travel to before the meeting and warn my past self to not cause trouble," he wrote down. He bit the end of his pencil, then quickly scribbled that out. "Bad idea. I never listen to myself, and Fluttershy might be mad if I caused some kind of paradox."

"So I need to fix the problem I have right now," he mused.

He nibbled at the end of his pencil again, quickly jotting things down every minute or so. Finally, he stuck his pencil behind his ear and held the notepad a good distance away from him, squinting. "Hopefully this will work," he mused, snapping his claws and disappearing in a flash of light.

The sun was starting to rise. Discord got to his feet and checked his reflection in a hand mirror. His bags didn't look too obvious. He glanced towards the upper window of Fluttershy's cottage, where he knew her bedroom was. She almost always woke up around the crack of dawn, so all he needed to do was wait a few more minutes.

Shadows began to shift in the windowpane. A second later, a light flicked on, and he could just see a hint of a pegasus's shadow. With a smile, he snapped his fingers, summoning a boombox. He twisted the volume dial as far as it could go, holding the box above his head, then pressed the play button,.

Music blared, scaring the nearby birds out of their trees. He heard rapid movement from inside, and a second later, the window was thrown open. He grinned as Fluttershy poked her head out, and begin to sing , "And I~! Will always love you~!"

He winced and dropped his boombox when something struck him in the back of the head. His head turned around completely, and he saw a family of squirrels up in the branches of a nearby tree, chattering angrily and shaking their paws at him. One threw an acorn at him, which he flicked back. "No respect for the beauty of music," he scoffed, his head snapping back into its normal orientation.

Fluttershy opened the window further, flying out at landing next to him. "Discord, what are you doing?"

He grinned as he picked the boombox back up. "I came to serenade you sweetly before I apologized for my actions."

She blinked, looking away for a second. She turned back to him, narrowing her eyes, her lips pressed tightly into a stern expression. "Sweetie, you know I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

He laughed, resisting the urge to pat her head. If she was still mad, that wouldn't end well. "My dear, you think I haven't learned that lesson? Take a look." With a snap of his fingers, several nearby clouds zipped over to his side. They began to churn, then crystal-clear images appeared inside each of them.

In each cloud was a different scene. Thorax and Ember seemed to just be waking up in their respective rooms. Prince Rutherford was inside a hut of some sort, a frown on his face. A group of griffons were sitting around a table, loudly complaining about various things. Queen Novo was sitting on her throne in the underwater palace, looking unhappy. Each of their friends were also in a cloud, all of them asleep in bed. Each of them still had some stains of chocolate in their fur, feathers, or scales.

A knock came from outside each cloud frame. Each creature lifted their head, the sleeping ones blinking awake. All of them approached whatever door the knocking had come from and opened it. Outside each door was a small, hand-woven gift basket, with a card attached with a piece of rainbow-colored twine. The creatures all grabbed the basket and brought it inside, confused expressions on their faces.

They slowly began to unpack their baskets. Thorax received soap bars. Ember and Spike had deluxe scale polish. The griffons had received a feather-cleaning solution. Queen Novo's contained the polish and the feather solution. Each of their friends got shampoo, and Prince Rutherford got an extra-large bottle.

Ember was the first to rip the card off of the twine and read it. Others followed suit, one by one. Discord swirled his finger in the air, and the clouds' perspective shifted so Fluttershy was able to read over their shoulders.

Dear Dragon Lord Ember,

I'm sorry that you had to experience my outburst of boredom at the meeting of neighboring kingdoms. It was a grievous mistake on my part, and I do hope my actions had not sullied your opinions of Equestria. I hope that you find the contents of this basket useful.

Great Apologizes,

Discord, Spirit of Chaos, Prince of Kindness

The other letters to the leaders were similar. In the letters to their friends, he was much less formal, apologizing for "losing it", for ruining Rarity's mane, Applejack's hat, and setting Twilight's papers on fire.

They watched as one of the griffons scoffed. "His way of apologizing is a dinky gift basket? Why, that's almost more offensive than being doused in chocolate milk."

Another picked up the basket. "Eh. Maybe there's at least something good in here." He tipped over the basket, spilling the bottles of feather cleaner onto the table. He frowned at shook it...and gold coins began pouring out.

All of the griffon's eyes widened as bits kept pouring out. The flow only stopped when the top of the pile reached the opening of the basket. One of the older griffons lifted up a bit, holding it up to his eye, and then biting it with his beak. "It's real," he whispered.

The group was silent for a second. Then they began to cheer, all of them grabbing bits and throwing them into their pockets or bags. Their image slowly faded away, and the cloud drifted away in the wind. The others were already rifling through their own baskets.

Ember's was full of various gems. By the look on her face, they were of high quality. Spike also had gems, as well as various comic books and colorful dice. Thorax had crayons, paint, and papers, which he looked excited about. Rutherford pulled out a basket, which held another basket, which had another basket...and he was smashing them rapidly, which was probably a good sign. Queen Novo only pulled out two pieces of paper—a gift certificate to Ponyville spa, and a note that read "I.O.U one personalized gift, courtesy of Chaos, Inc."

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich poured out a pile of chocolates. Discord's ear twitched as he heard their cheers —not just from the cloud, but from town. Rarity pulled out several bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and several rolls of glittering silk. Applejack pulled out an animated memory book of all of Rainbow Dash's Wonderbolt shows, while Rainbow pulled out a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider he had been holding onto. Twilight used her magic to bring whatever was in her basket out.

It was piles of papers—copies of the ones he had destroyed. A lightbulb appeared over his head, and he quickly snapped his fingers. About a dozen books spilled out of the basket, though they somehow avoided the giant stack of papers.

The image in each cloud faded away, and they all drifted off in different directions. "I gave apologies to every creature I actually...affected!," he said smugly. He froze, then asked cautiously, "You're...not still mad, are you? Did I do good?"

She suddenly flew at him, wrapping her forehooves around his neck. "You did wonderfully," she whispered in his ear. She nuzzled his cheek, an action he quickly returned. "And of course I'm not angry. You fixed your mistake, and you already know..."

She pulled away and held his cheeks in between her hooves. "I just can't stay mad at that cute face of yours," she cooed.

He turned completely red and turned away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fluttershy turn a bright shade of pink and cover her mouth, also looking away. "Besides, I...missed you last night," she quietly admitted, her cheeks turning an even brighter pink.

He snaked his arms around her, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. "I missed you too," he whispered. "Why don't we just spend a quiet day at home?" She nodded, and with a snap of his fingers, they appeared in their bedroom in Chaosville. He gently laid her down on the bed before coiling his body around hers, closing his eyes and smiling peacefully.

Odd Jealousy

Discord yawned and sat up, popping the kinks out of his back. He and Fluttershy had hosted a party last night with their friends, which had gone on long through the night. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he curled closer to the snoozing Fluttershy next to him.

Though he tried to relax, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't cleaned the living room yet. He tried to pull away from Fluttershy, but couldn't muster up the energy to do so. With a sigh, he snapped his fingers, and three other Discords popped into existence beside the bed.

"Go clean up the living room, please," he told them, waving them away with a paw before turning away and curling closer to Fluttershy. He heard the door open and close as the three clones left. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and buried his muzzle into his wife's mane, letting sleep take over him again.

He woke up again as Fluttershy stirred awake. He slowly pulled away from her, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. She quickly leaned forward to kiss him on the lips, an action he happily returned.

He scooped her up into his arms and floated into the hallway, heading towards the kitchen.

Discord's first clone sighed as he lazily swept crumbs on the floor. The first moments of his individual sapience, and he was cleaning up popcorn. And as soon as he was done, he'd just go back to being one part of a whole Discord.

He glanced at the other two clones. One was throwing scattered objects that didn't belong into some swirling purple portal, while the other had summoned up a maid outfit and was dusting the furniture. Both looked a bit tired, as they had just been forced out of bed and into work.

His ears perked up when he heard the soft sound of wingbeats. He watched as the original Discord flew in, holding Fluttershy in his arms. She looked around the room, raising an eyebrow at the multiple Discords.

"I decided to get a head start on the cleaning," the original explained, seeing her confusion. "Nice work, guys!"

The three clones grumbled. The first one huffed and harshly swept at the floor. The sound of wingbeats, much softer this time, made him lift his head again. Fluttershy flew towards him, placing a hoof on his paw. "Thank you very much," she said sweetly, a small smile on her face.

He gulped and blushed. "You're...welcome," he stammered. She smiled and flew other to the others, who merely grunted at her thanks, before flying back over to the original, who offered her his arm as he led her to the kitchen. The first clone propped up his broomstick and leaned against it, watching Fluttershy until she was out of sight.

He sighed longingly and swept at the ceiling. The other clones gave him strange looks, but he ignored them, too busy with his own thoughts. Perhaps I could go mop in the kitchen, He mused, Or see if Fluttershy needs any chores done...maybe I could do the dishes...

His ears perked up when he heard the two coming back into the living room. He kept sweeping at the ceiling, though his eyes were now focused on Fluttershy. "Have a lovely day!" the original chirped, tearing a blue portal open with his hands. "I'll see you later, dearest," he cooed, nuzzling the top of her head.

The clone ground his teeth. Why can't I be that Discord?. Fluttershy giggled, and gently pushed his muzzle away. "Discord, aren't you supposed to be visiting Celestia? I know the two of you have fun on your visits." Discord mumbled something in her ear—probably something about how he'd rather be with her, or that he loved her—to which she blushed and pushed him away again. "I-I'll see you later! Have a nice day!"

She flew through the portal, which disappeared behind her. The original glanced at the three clones. "You guys won't burn down the house again if I leave you here, right?" They all mumbled half-heartedly, to which the original shrugged. "Eh, good enough. Merge into one entity with you later!" He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

The clone who was throwing stuff into the portal was now fighting the woven rug in a boxing ring, dust flying with every punch. "Show-off," he grumbled. "Teleporting and portaling everywhere, and all we can do is some gags."

The maid clone, vacuuming the wall, laughed in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, but who can blame him? So powerful, so stunning!" The other clone threw the abandoned feather duster at his head.

The first clone dropped his broom. "I'm...going to go mop up the kitchen. Who knows how much of a mess the original made in there," he said. The others waved, smiling, before turning back to each other and bickering. He quickly shot into the kitchen, throwing open cupboards.

He took a deep breath before going through the portal. He switched the picnic basket he held from arm to arm. Maybe it's too early, he thought as he strolled through the sanctuary. But if I wait too long, the original will come back.

"Discord?" He jumped, quickly turning around in midair. Fluttershy was holding a sloth in her hooves, a look of concern in her eyes. "Is everything alright? What happened to visiting Celestia?"

He smiled. "She and Lulu were busy today. Perhaps I can swing by tomorrow." He held out the picnic basket. "But it seemed a shame to stay inside on such a lovely day. So why shouldn't I spend some time with my lovely wife?"

She smiled sweetly, and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. "Thank you, Discord. But...I need to find this little lady a place to rest." She fluttered her wings, heading for a small grove of trees. "I'll be back in a second."

He watched her go, a sigh escaping his lips. He quickly closed his eyes and shook his head, placing the basket on the ground and bringing out the pink and blue blanket he had stored inside.

"Weren't there three of us?," the second clone asked.

The two of them had finished cleaning, and so discarded whatever crazy outfits or tools they had conjured. They had taken a seat on the ceiling table and started playing a card game. They hadn't figured out which one yet, but that didn't stop them from tossing cards at each other and slapping them down on the table.

The other clone jabbed a thumb towards the door. "Yeah, he's cleaning the kitchen."

"Let's go get him. I wanna play Hucklebuck. Can't do that with two players," the second said, throwing his cards down on the table and floating off. The other groaned and followed him.

They opened the kitchen doors and peered inside. Nopony was inside. They floated about, checking the ceiling, walls, and under the floor tiles, but there was no sign of the first clone anywhere.

"Is that normally open?," the third clone asked, pointing at the ajar window. The second clone shook his head, and they peered closer to inspect it. There was a scattering of crumbs on the windowsill and the ground below it, leading to the edge of the floating island...where a shimmering blue portal was.

"You don't think he went to Equestria Prime, do you?," the second asked. The third shrugged.

"Who knows? But it's the only lead we have." He floated out of the window, zipping towards the portal. The other followed him, grumbling about just wanting a simple card game.

As soon as they entered the sanctuary, the sound of soft laughter caught their attention. Close by, Fluttershy and the first Discord clone were laying on a blanket, a basket placed off to the side. The two were holding sandwiches, and he seemed to be telling her a story that made her burst into a fit of giggles.

The clone shifted closer to her, the tip of his wing brushing against her own. While he smiled softly at her, his eyes flicked up for just a second...and he froze, seeing the other clones watching the two of them intently.

Fluttershy looked at him, concerned, then followed his gaze to the two of them. "Discord...is something wrong? Why are there three of you?," she asked softly.

The second clone cleared his throat. "Nothing's wrong. We're just...looking for a third player for our card game." The third clone nodded.

The first clone draped his arm over Fluttershy. "Sorry...I'm busy." He leaned over and nuzzled the top of her head. The other two glared at him while she giggled.

"Oh, you can play cards if you want. I don't mind," she assured him, nuzzling his cheek.

"But I want to stay with you!" he whined, leaning against her. The other two watched as she sighed with a small smile, snuggling against him as he came closer. The second clone grabbed onto his chest, feeling his heart race as her teal eyes gazed into the first clone's.

The third clone suddenly shot past him, shoving himself between Fluttershy and the first clone. The pair blinked in shock as the newcomer wrapped his arms around her, burying his muzzle into her mane.

The first clone grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, I was here first! Back off!"

The third simply shrugged him off. "You've had her for long enough. I want to cuddle her, too!" He started to coil himself around Fluttershy, who looked confused.

The first growled and snapped his fingers, summoning a lasso around the third clone. With a swift yank, he was pulled away from Fluttershy and off of the picnic blanket. He sighed and approached her, but a giant red spring appeared underneath him, sending him flying away.

The third clone laughed and flew back towards the picnic blanket. The first leapt up and grabbed him around the torso, dragging him back towards the ground. The two wrestled about, creating a large dust cloud, magic sent flying in all directions as they cast and dodged spells.

"Discord? What's going on? I don't understand!" said Fluttershy, hovering near the fight.

One clone poked his head out, grinning. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll take care of this fellow, and we can just relax together..." The other clone cried angrily, and his head was pulled back in.

She hovered around the fight, watching the scene with clear worry. The second clone, who had been watching from a theater chair, stood up and calmly approached her from behind. She was so busy fretting over the other two that she didn't notice until he was right behind her.

He glanced between her and the two fighting clones. They were so busy that they hadn't noticed his approach...which was exactly what he was hoping for.

He grabbed Fluttershy, threw her over his shoulder, and took off running towards a thick grove of trees in a corner of the sanctuary. As soon as he was deep in its shade, he pulled a very confused Fluttershy back down into his arms, sat down, and held her against his chest.

"I...don't understand what's going on..." She said quietly. He smiled sweetly and nuzzled the top of her head.

Discord whistled a jumbled tune as he strolled in through the door. "I'm home, sweetheart!" He flung a suddenly-appearing coat onto the rack on the ceiling. "You wouldn't believe the day I've just had. Celestia saying she's retired...hah!"

Only silence greeted him. "Odd," he mumbled. "It's fairly late in the afternoon. She's usually done in the sanctuary by now."

With a snap of his fingers, he teleported into a battlefield. He blinked and snapped again, picturing the sanctuary. He teleported a few feet away. "What in the world?"

The sanctuary was indistinguishable from a battlefield. The ground was torn to shreds all around him. The air was heavily tinged with magic, and signs of chaos were scattered about. He noticed all of the untouched plant life nearby was being used as a hiding place by Fluttershy's animals.

"Fluttershy!" he cried, immediately shooting into the air, his head turning at impossible angles to peer at every part of the area.

He spotted her several feet away, over a hill. She was in the arms of one of his clones, who was dressed up in a black cape, complete with villainous moustache. He was currently swordfighting with another clone, Fluttershy tucked carefully under his arm.

Suddenly, another clone flew from behind him, snatching Fluttershy right out of his grasp. The others turned and hissed as he flew off, heading towards another hill. The others gave chase.

"ENOUGH!" Discord shouted. His three clones looked up at him with worried expressions, while Fluttershy looked up with a slightly more confused one. "I don't know what's happened here. But it's time for whatever this is to end!"

He snapped his fingers, and his three clones disappeared in flashes of light. He closed his eyes as a wave of memories hit him, barely remembering to summon a pillow beneath Fluttershy.

After a few seconds of quiet floating, and a few snaps to restore everything to normal, he flew down to Fluttershy. "Are you alright, my dear?" He didn't remember being rough, but all of him had definitely gotten carried away.

She slowly nodded. "Discord...what was that about? Is something wrong?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well...this was probably my fault. Not just that several versions of myself caused you trouble, but...I left the three of them alone, at home. I should have learned last time that was a bad idea."

"But why were they—you—fighting?" she asked, her face slowly turning pink. "I know they wanted to, um, cuddle with me. B-But why did they start fighting about it?"

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well...we both already know I can be a little...protective." Her face turned a brighter shade of pink, and he sighed, "I guess that...protective jealousy can be directed towards other versions of myself."

She nuzzled his cheek, her face still warm. "Well...I thought it was sweet when you came with a picnic lunch. And I wouldn't have minded cuddling. It was just...all the fighting that made me so confused."

He smirked. "So if I could share, you'd be willing to...?" Her blush went from pink to red, and she nodded.

With a snap of his fingers, he and Fluttershy were back home, in their living room. Three other Discords appeared as Fluttershy lay down on the couch. The original lay beside her and wrapped his arms around her. A clone laid on her side and did the same thing, while one draped himself on top of her, careful of her wings. The last clone fluttered about, looking at every angle, before finally slithering under her until she was laying on his belly.

"I hope this can make up for the trouble I caused you," the original murmured in her ear.

"Yes," she sighed. "This is nice..." She yawned, the heat from four warm, furry bodies causing her eyelids to slowly droop closed.

Author's Note

Inspired by a conversation on the Fluttercord Discord server.

Hucklebuck is a real, and quite fun, card game for three or more players.

Foalsitting Folly

"Discord?" Fluttershy called, flying through the halls of their house. "Dinner's ready!" After a few seconds of silence, she called, "I made a bowl of leftovers soup!"

No response. That was worrying. Leftovers soup was one of his favorite dishes, as it was made by throwing random leftover food into a pot and boiling it. She kept flying forward, this time opening doors as she went.

Finally, she found him in his memory museum. He was standing in front of one of his glass-covered items, staring straight forward. "There you are!" she softly exclaimed. "I was starting to get worried!" He made a noncommittal noise in response, not moving an inch. She followed his gaze.

It was his Cutie Mark Crusader uniform. Across the glass flashed images of his adventures with the trio, some of which she recognized from their time travel trip. She slowly, quietly approached him. When she was close enough, she nudged her head under his paw.

He blinked out of the stupor he was in, scratching at her head with a sigh. "Thank you, Flutters," he sighed, running his fingers through her mane. "I don't know what came over me there."

She nuzzled against his hand. "Do you miss the crusaders?" she asked, "Because I could invite the three over to dinner sometime, if you'd like..."

"That might be nice. But that's...not quite what I was thinking about..." he mumbled. She lifted her head away to look up at him. He sighed. "I guess I miss our adventures. Back when they were young, fearless, and determined, ready to go on any chaotic adventure if it sounded fun enough."

"But they're all grown up now. They've got responsibilities, and they don't have that same chaotic spark in them." He sighed. "I think I just miss having young ponies run around with me and get into trouble."

He shook his head and turned to her with a smile. "But dinner with them sometime does sound lovely! I'd enjoy catching up with my fellow crusaders. But for now, I believe I heard you say something about leftovers soup?"

She nodded, and he floated out the door. She followed, deep in thought as she mulled over Discord's words.

The doorbell to Sugarcube Corner rang. "Hi Fluttershy!" Pinkie cried from behind the counter, waving. "What can I get you?"

"Pinkie, I was just wondering...do you need a foalsitter for Lil Cheese?" she asked.

Pinkie smiled. "At the moment, yes! For some reason, we can almost never get the same sitter twice! Are you and Discord offering?"

Fluttershy scuffed at the ground. "Well...I'm offering. I thought that if you said yes, I'd talk to Discord about it afterwards."

Pinkie grinned. "Do you know what the best way to convince him is?" Before Fluttershy could respond, she reached underneath the counter and held up a small yellow-coated, pink-maned colt. "This utterly cute face!"

The young foal gazed up at her, his bright green eyes widening. "Auntie Shy!" he cheered, reaching out to her with his hooves. Fluttershy could feel her heart melting inside her chest. Pinkie gently placed the colt in her front hooves.

"He likes you already!" she squeed. Lil Cheese giggled and babbled up at her. Pinkie smiled at Fluttershy. "Now that I think about it, Cheese Sandwich and I have some things we want to catch up on. Why don't I fetch you a list for him, and today can be a trial run? I mean, if you're not busy."

Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm not busy today...although this might give Discord a shock..."

"He'll be fine," Pinkie said. "One second! I'll get that list and tell Cheese!" She ran into the kitchen, then back out in the next second. "Okay! He said a trial run sounds like a good idea. Here's Lil Cheese's list." She handed Fluttershy a small scroll.

She leaned down and kissed Lil Cheese's forehead. The foal giggled and squirmed. "Be good for Auntie Shy!" Pinkie said, nuzzling the top of his head. He smiled and nodded, a wide grin on his face.

Fluttershy smiled as Pinkie placed an "On Break" sign on the counter and ran back into the kitchen. She adjusted her grip on the foal and flew out of the door.

She flew through the shimmering portal and to the front door. With her hooves full, she used her mouth to pull on a small rope off to the side. A large quantity of bells started ringing inside.

Just a second after, the door opened. "Welcome home, Fluttershy!" Discord cheered. "How was your trip...into..." He was staring at Lil Cheese, who was gawking right back at him.

After a few seconds of silence, Discord jumped into the air. "Sweet Celestia, we made a kid!" He began floating back and forth in the air shakily, babbling to himself about fatherhood and pregnancy. Fluttershy sighed and tapped his shoulder with her wing.

"Discord," she said quietly, "This is Lil Cheese. He's Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich's son, and he's a few years old." She gently set him down on the ground, and he began to run around and explore the odd room. "I asked Pinkie if she needed a foalsitter, and she thouggt we could use today as a trial run."

He blinked, then breathed a large sigh of relief, wiping drops of sweat off of his brow. "I...I honestly thought we'd made a kid, somehow."

She sat down on the couch and began to unscroll the list. "Discord, you've seen him before."

"Only a few times! And besides, that kid has an uncanny resemblance to you." He pointed to different parts of the colt. "Yellow coat, pink mane, greenish eyes...need I continue?"

She blinked. "...Huh." Shaking her head, she unrolled the scroll and began to read. "Okay. We have a list of his favorite foods, what times he normally eats, and when bedtime is. Oh, and a note from Pinkie: 'Please bring him back around 8:30'. That's half an hour after his bedtime."

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost noon. Cheese, what would you like for lunch?"

The colt pursed his lips, his brow furrowing. "Grill cheese!" he declared. She giggled and smiled.

"Alright. Discord, can you keep him out of trouble while I make lunch?" He nodded, and she headed into the kitchen.

After a few minutes of preparation of sizzling bread, she had made six grilled cheese sandwiches. She placed three on one plate, two on another, and one on the smaller plate. She glanced at the list, then added a hoofful of grapes on the plate with one sandwich. She placed them on the table and flew back into the living room.

Discord had created soft, colorful blocks which were now floating around the room. Cheese was currently busy stacking them into a tall tower, and Discord lay on the ground next to him, giving the tower magic nudges here and there to make sure it remained stable.

"Lunch is ready!" she announced. Cheese cheered and rushed towards the door, knocking over his block tower. Discord chuckled and got onto his feet.

As soon as he was in the kitchen, he snapped his fingers. The table shrank to a smaller size and became oval-shaped, and a third chair appeared. Cheese gasped and clapped his front hooves together. Fluttershy grabbed him under his forelegs and lifted him up into the chair. With another snap of Discord's fingers, the seat rose so that he could easily see and reach above the table.

Discord and Fluttershy sat down. Cheese rolled his grapes around on his plate. "Can I get ketchsup, please?" he asked Fluttershy, his green eyes widening. Discord snapped his fingers, and a bottle of ketchup appeared in the colt's hooves. "Thank you!"

He poured the ketchup on his grapes, and began to messily eat them one-by-one. Fluttershy and Discord just ate their sandwiches, unfazed. Discord even snapped up his own grapes with ketchup and began eating them. Fluttershy just sighed and rolled her eyes playfully at him.

In the end, she honestly wasn't sure if more food made it in Cheese's stomach or in his coat. His hooves and mouth were coated in ketchup and battered with bread crumbs. "Did you get enough to eat?" she asked. He nodded cheerfully in response.

She flew over to the sink and grabbed a washcloth, soaking it in warm water. Lil Cheese looked apprehensive as she came back over. She carefully wiped at his hooves, but he began to fuss when she wiped his mouth. "Almost done," she told him. She withdrew, though he gave her a betrayed look, crossing his forelegs with a huff.

"Lil Cheese, would you like to play a game?" Discord asked. "If you act upset like this, you won't be able to have any fun..."

Lil Cheese's pout shrank, and he grinned. "Can we play Hide 'n Seek?"

Discord grinned. "Of course! Oh, but first..." He snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy felt the air shift in the way it did when he rearranged the house. He wrapped an arm around Fluttershy and whispered in her ear, "The house is foal-proofed now. Any dangerous rooms are on the opposite side of the dimension."

"Thank you," she whispered back. Out loud she said, "Okay, Cheese! Do you want to hide or seek?"

"Hide!" he chirped happily. Discord snapped his fingers and made a gong appear.

"How's this? I'll count to one hundred, and hit this when I'm done. Then I'll try to find you without magic. Let's say there's a time limit of...ten minutes for this round?" Lil Cheese nodded enthusiastically. "Alright then..."

He closed his eyes and began to count out loud. Lil Cheese scampered out of the room, while Fluttershy followed close behind. She watched as he ran down a hall and darted into the fruits room before diving into a barrel of apples. She opened the door across from his hiding place, making sure to close it behind her.

The statue collection. The carpet was real green grass, and statues of all kinds—marble, onyx even glass—were scattered through the room. She gulped and looked for one large enough to hide behind. The gong echoed through the house. Quickly, she jumped behind a random stone statue, crouching low to the ground.

He heard Discord's wing beats. "Hmm. Now if I were a young kid or a lovely pegasus, where would I hide?" Fluttershy blushed, crouching even lower. She held her breath as the door opened.

She started to curl in on herself as his footsteps came closer and closer. All of a sudden, there was silence. With a silent sigh, she planted her hooves on the ground and flipped herself onto her back.

Discord had been right behind her. Her sudden movement made him yelp in surprise, jumping into the air. With a pout, he asked, "How did you know I was there?"

She shook her head. "After how many times you've surprised me like that, you think I wouldn't see it coming?"

"Hmm. I guess this means I'll have to find new ways to surprise you," he purred, kissing her neck. In her ear, he whispered, "I know Lil Cheese is in the other room. He left the door open."

"So you're...stalling?" she asked.

He nodded. "I mean, he's a kid! If hiding makes him feel good, I can give him a bit of leeway...for a few rounds, at least. Until he knows the house better." He tapped his fingers together. "I mean...if you think that's a good idea. I haven't foalsat before."

She kissed his cheek. "No...that's a good idea. We can stall for a little bit."

He raised his voice. "Well, I've found you! Let's go search down the hall!" They left the room and flew down the hall, ignoring the fruits room.

After about three more minutes, consumed by going down the hall, exchanging kisses, and coming back, they entered the fruits room. "I wonder if he's in here?" Discord said. She smiled, and began to fish around in a barrel of durians, while he fished in a tub of dragonfruits.

The next barrel he dived into was the apple barrel. He came back out holding a squirming, laughing Cheese. "Again!" he shouted. Discord and Fluttershy chuckled.

"Do you want to hide again?" Discord asked, receiving a nod in response. "Alright. Fluttershy, why don't you seek this time?" In a flash, the three of them were by the gong in the kitchen. She smiled, closed her eyes, and began to count.

The afternoon flew by in a series of games. After several more games of Hide and Seek, including one where Cheese was the seeker and Discord had decided curling around Fluttershy was the best way to hide, the colt had grown tired of the game.

Then he had asked to play tag. Discord had agreed, after widening the hallways and turning all the furniture into plush versions of itself. This was fortunate, as Cheese bumped into quite a lot of furniture as he ran. After several games of that, during which Cheese and Discord never seemed to run out of energy, Cheese became bored with that game, too.

Discord had then pulled out a game of Twister, which Cheese eagerly agreed to. During their second game, Fluttershy finally noticed the time on the wall. It was six o' clock. "Oh my," she said. "Cheese, what would you like for dinner?"

"Noodles!" he said a second before falling on his stomach.

"Alright..." She flew into the kitchen and grabbed Pinkie's list, scanning over his favorite foods. "Macaroni and cheese...he calls them 'noodles'," she read aloud. Setting the list down, she began to search the cupboards.

After some searching, and happy shrieks from the other room, she found some macaroni noodles. She started boiling them in a pot, and searched the fridge for cheese, milk, and butter.

As the noodles were boiling, she sliced up some apples, making sure the quarter for Lil Cheese was as thinly sliced as possible. She finished making the mac and cheese, and distributed it and the apples on three plates. She set them on the table and flew back into the living room.

Cheese was struggling to stand, with his back hooves crossed against each other, and one of his forehooves stretched out to the far corner. Discord, on the other hand, was balancing with ease, not even needing to use his magic. "Dinner's ready!" she told them.

Lil Cheese huffed in response. "Not leaving 'til I beat him!"

Discord sighed. "Kiddo, I am the champion at this game. Are you sure you don't want to break for a nice meal?"

"No!" Cheese shouted.

Fluttershy sighed. "Lil Cheese, if you want to beat him, I can help you." The colt looked up at her, eyes squinting as he thought over the idea. After wobbling on his hooves again, he nodded.

She approached Discord's head. He looked at her nervously. "Um, sweetheart? What exactly are you going to do?"

"Discord..." she said quietly. With a quick motion, she kissed his cheek and wrapped her hooves around his neck. "I love you," she cooed.

"Buh..." His face flushed bright red, and his limbs shuddered...before he slumped to the ground with a contented sigh. Lil Cheese cheered and leapt to his hooves.

"Alright, Cheese," she said, ruffling his poofy mane. "Why don't you go into the kitchen and wash up?" He nodded and bounced away, a wide smile on his face. She aporoached her husband.

He glared up at her. "You play dirty," he growled as he stumbled back onto his feet.

She smirked and brushed his back with her wing. "Thanks to your influence, sweetie," she cooed. She pulled away her wing and headed towards the kitchen.

Before she could get very far, though, Discord grabbed her shoulders, picked her up, and pressed his lips against hers. She sighed, eyes slowly starting to drift shut, before she quickly blinked awake and pulled away. "Discord, Lil Cheese is waiting," she told him. He pouted, so she quickly kissed his snout and said, "So we'll have to pick this up later."

And with that, he let her go, and they both entered the kitchen.

After several minutes of messy eating, followed by several more minutes Fluttershy trying to catch Lil Cheese and clean him off, dinner had finshed. Discord tossed the dishes into the sink, where they began to scrub themselves clean, splashing soapy water onto the floor.

"Can we play Hide n' Seek again?" Cheese asked, bouncing on his hooves. Fluttershy glanced at the clock of the living room wall.

Seven o' clock. His bedtime is in an hour, she thought. We shouldn't do anything to rile him up too much... "How about a board game?" she said aloud.

Cheese huffed. "I don't wanna play a bored game. 'S boring."

"Au contraire, my little pony!" chimed Discord. "You just haven't found the right board game to play! Now, let's see..." He snapped his fingers, and a blue treasure chest appeared in front of him. He plunged in and began digging through.

He held up a green and black box. "Hmm...fun, but a little too spooky for you." He tossed it over his shoulder and pulled out a simple chess box. "Might be too complicated or boring for you." He dropped it and pulled out a stack of thick books, sheets of paper, and dice that was taller than the chest itself. He grinned, but then frowned and said, "No, O&O is definitely too complicated for you."

He dropped the stack, which fell into the chest with a loud thud. Fluttershy came to his side and peered into the jumbled mess. A light blue box with gold lettering on it caught her eye. "What about this?" she asked, pulling it out of the chest.

"Lost Cities..." he read. "That's a good one! A little too much math and number stuff for my taste, but still fun! And easy enough to learn. Plus, a full game lasts about an hour." He carefully took the box from her and showed it to Lil Cheese. "What do you think of this?"

Cheese scrutinized the box. "What's it about?"

Discord let go of the box, which floated over to a table, opened itself up, and let all the game pieces fly out and set themselves into place. He grabbed the instructions and began explaining to the other two while they took their seats.

As Discord talked, Lil Cheese looked more and more interested, until finally declaring he wanted to play. After a minute or so of explaining rules, dealing cards, and deciding who got what color of pieces, the three began the game.

Lil Cheese turned out to be quite a good strategist, and won the game. Fluttershy was in second place, five points behind him, while Discord was ten points behind her. She looked at him, and he quickly winked as the games started to put itself away, floating back over to the box.

After checking the wall clock, Fluttershy said softly, "Alright, Lil Cheese. It's time for bed."

He crossed his hooves. "I'm not tired, Auntie Shy," he huffed.

"Okay," she said. "Why don't you just lie down quietly for a bit, and I'll sing you a lullaby?"

Lil Cheese hesitated for a second, but then laid down on the couch. Discord snapped his fingers, and a pillow and blanket appeared, which he snuggled into. Fluttershy took a deep breath and began to sing some of her favorite lullabies.

After finishing the second one, she paused and saw that Cheese was breathing soundly, sleeping peacefully. She smiled and pulled the blanket up to his chin before backing away.

She glanced over and saw that Discord was leaning against the wall and smiling at her. "Have I ever mentioned how lovely your voice is?" he sighed. She blushed, glancing away. "How much longer until we drop him off?"

She glanced at the clock. "A little less than half an hour," she whispered. "Hopefully we can take him to Pinkie without waking him up."

He nodded, then nuzzled her cheek. "Thanks for this," he whispered. "I really did miss...having a young kid around." He sighed, plopping his head on her shoulder. "But I forget it could be...tiring. And a bit repetitive."

She smiled at rubbed at the back of his neck. "Do I need to put you to bed, too?" She said teasingly. He hummed. "...Are you actually thinking about it?"

"...Maybe."

Less than half an hour of quiet cuddling later, Fluttershy carefully scooped Lil Cheese into her hooves. Discord snapped his fingers, and the two of them appeared outside of Sugar Cube Corner. He knocked on the door.

It was slowly opened by Pinkie Pie, who peered carefully at the sleeping colt. "Oh, good! You got him to sleep," she whispered, carefully taking him into her own hooves and placing him on her back before heading into the back.

They carefully stepped in. Cheese Sandwich stepped forward and shook hooves with them. "I can't thank you enough," he said. "He was just a bundle of energy today. I don't know how you convinced him to go to bed!"

Pinkie came back out. "So, how did it go?"

Fluttershy smiled. "It went very well! He was a little fussy, but also polite. Though it was very...tiring." Discord nodded.

Pinkie pulled them both into a hug. "Well, I'm so glad you did this! Cheese and I finally got some inventory done, and had some alone time!" She let go and trotted over to the counter. "I know you don't really need money because magic, so...cupcake?"

She held out a platter with two cupcakes. One appeared to be vanilla, covered with yellow frosting, while the other looked like chocolate, and had rainbow frosting and sprinkles on it. Discord snagged the chocolate one and bit into it, while Fluttershy grabbed the other and carefully unwrapped it.

She took a bite. "Pinkie, this is delicious!"

"I agree," Discord said. "Is that...chili powder?"

"We had extra in the pantry," Cheese Sandwich said. "Pinkie figured you'd like it."

Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Pinkie. We'd love to do this again," she said, glancing at Discord. He smiled, and lopped an arm over her shoulders.

"I think it's about time we be off," he said. "Ready, dear?" Nodding to him, and waving goodbye to Pinkie and Cheese, they disappeared in a flash of light.

As soon as they were back home, Discord slumped to the floor with a moan. Fluttershy sighed. "Sweetie, I don't think I can carry you to bed. Can you get to the bedroom while I put these cupcakes away?"

He groaned and began to slither away. She flew into the kitchen and quickly found a bag and cupboard to put their cupcakes in, before flying to their bedroom.

Discord was just finishing crawling onto the bed. Sighing, she pulled the sheets out from under him and lifted them up to his chin. She slid under the covers and kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, Discord." With a sigh, she snuggled into her pillow, already feeling Discord's arms drape over her.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she could feel the world around her become fuzzier, more distant. Just before she drifted completely off into sleep, she heard him sleepily mumble something.

"Should we have one?"

Author's Note

Idea provided by misskoifishpony! I hope this contained all the cuteness you hoped for. :twilightsmile:

Is the last line going to be brought up again? Probably not in this story. I might start another story about this idea that may reference to this one, but that's probably not going to happen. But if proper inspiration strikes...!

The Healer's Touch

"Flutershyyyyy!" Discord cried from somewhere inside the house. Her ears flicked up, and she put her book to the side, jumping out of bed.

"Discord? Where are you?" she shouted back in response, her voice echoing down the halls.

"I'm in—ow—the art room! Hurry, please!" he called back.

She quickly galloped down the hall, searching for the door to the art room. The layout of the house was shuffled every so often, though she had becoming skilled in figuring out the new locations of rooms. Now, though, when she worried for her husband's safety, it was difficult to think of how the house was laid out this week.

Finally, she found a wooden door splattered with paint, the handle crudely carved out of wood. "Discord!" she cried, throwing the door open.

Discord was standing in front of the woodworking bench, cradling his claw in front of him. She quickly rushed to his side. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He turned to her, his eyes wide and shiny, a large pout on his face. He slowly held his claw out towards her, and said in a plantative whine,

"Splinter!"

Indeed, imbedded in his middle claw was a fairly large sliver of wood. Defintely not pleasant, but definetly not life-threatening, either. She sighed, dropping back to the ground. "Discord...you have magic and fingers. You're more than capable of pulling it out yourself."

"I can't!" he cried. He raised in claw delicately into a snapping position, showing it was impossible with the splinter in the way. He grabbed at it with his fingers, but winced and flinched away when he barely touched it.

"Why can't you snap it away with your other hand, or with your tail?" she asked.

He whined, "I don't know how much it's going to hurt when it disappears. That awful future pain is preventing me on focusing on getting rid of it!" He held his claw out again. "Please, Fluttershy! I know you know some way of getting this out without any pain!"

She sighed. "Alright. Come with me." She flew back down the hall towards the living room, and he floated slowly behind her. "Lay down on the couch, please. And make yourself comfortable."

He laid down on his back, using his paw to fluff a pillow while he kept his claw against his chest. She flew out and into the bathroom, grabbing their small first-aid kit. She came back into the living room and saw Discord pouting on the couch.

She set the kit beside him, then walked to their record player. She slid in his favorite record and adjusted the volume. Soft, screeching static filled the room. Next, she opened the curtains wide, showing the ever-shifting, multicolored sky outside. A living book flew past, waving a spindly appendage at her.

After waving back, she came back to Discord's side and opened the kit. "Okay, Discord. If I'm going to get out that splinter, I need you to do two things for me: give me your claw, and focus on that window and the...music."

He pried his claw away from his chest and handed it to Fluttershy. He kept it as stiff as a board, and had his eyes trained on her. "Sweetie, I just need you to relax and look out the window."

He snorted and turned his head, shifting so that he was lying on his side. She gently rubbed at his still-stiff arm. With a sigh, he pressed his paw against his shoulder, and his arm became as limp as a noodle. "Better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you." She took the tweezers from the kit, but realized he was still watching her out of the corner of his eye. "Why don't you tell me what you were doing in the art room?"

His gaze shifted towards the window. "Well...I had just read about something interesting. Some unicorns at Twilight's school figured out how to used their magic to engrave wood!"

Fluttershy grabbed the tweezers in her mouth, pinched down on the splinter, and quickly pulled it out in one swift motion.

"Really impressive designs, too. They need to use their magic at just the right amount of power to etch and cut through the wood, instead of just, say, burning it. I figured I might try my hand at it with my own magic."

She noticed a tiny drop of blood appear as she dropped the splinter onto a paper towel. She grabbed a cotton ball and a small bottle of disinfectant, softly dabbing at his injury. His claw twitched lightly.

"And things weren't going perfectly for me. I may have burned some wood, set a few pieces on fire...but finally, finally I figured it out! I was going to etch a picture of us, then cut out the shape of a heart, but then, a small part of the wood got burnt."

She dropped the cotton ball onto the same paper towel as the splinter. Fishing through the kit, she pulled put a band-aid with a cartoonish version of Discord's smiling face printed on it. She carefully wrapped it around his finger, making sure to not press down harshly where he had bled.

"So I figured I'd just brush away that burn mark with a little magic. But when I was doing that with my claw...something poked me. And once I pulled away, I felt an immense pain travel up my arm, coursing through me! Once I figured out what had happened, I called for you, and you know the rest."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Thank you. I feel more relaxed now that I've gotten that off of my chest." He squeezed the pillow in his paw. "I...I think I'm ready now. P-pull it out, Fluttershy."

"I'm already done," she said, closing the kit.

He opened his eyes and sat up. "Wait...what? But—"

"You didn't feel it?" He nodded, and she continued, "I pulled it out when you first started talking. See? It didn't hurt that much, did it?"

He raised his arm, looking at his hand from every angle. Slowly, he brought his fingers into a snapping position, but winced. "It's still kind of sore," he said, giving his claw a disdainful shake.

"It just needs some time to heal," she told him. "You'll be better before you know it!" She gently took his claw in her hooves and gave his injured finger a light kiss.

A shiver traveled up his arm, his ears shooting up when it reached his shoulder. A wide grin spread on his face, and he clasped his hands to his chest as she pulled away and lifted up the kit, hovering into the air. "Thank you, dear Fluttershy," he said softly.

She smiled. "You're welcome, Discord. Would you like to come read a book with me? It'll take your mind off of your finger."

"I would like that," he said, following her out of the living room. He summoned a book and made himself comfortable in bed while Fluttershy put away the kit. A minute later, she climbed into bed and leaned against his side, opening her own book.

Leaning against each other, tails curled together, and with his hand on top of her head...Discord slowly forgot about the soreness of his finger.

Baking Bad

Fluttershy and Discord jumped when a small, pink portal opened up above their table, a small scroll falling out. Fortunately, Discord was able to stretch his arm out and grab it before it landed in the orange juice pitcher. Fluttershy flew over to his side, curious.

"Mail? We haven't gotten mail for quite a while. Who's it from?" she asked. He rolled the scroll over so they could see the wax seal. "From Twilight? Oh, I hope nothing has gone wrong..."

"Well, let's open it and see, shall we?" Discord said, using his claw to break the seal and unroll the scroll. Clearing his throat, he began to read it aloud in an imitation of Twilight's voice.

"Dear Fluttershy and Discord,

It is my pleasure to invite you both to participate in the first Equestrian Friendship Baking Tournament! This event is open for all to participate, and I would love for all of the Council of Friendship to join! Each contestant or team of contestants will make some sort of baked good (i.e. pie, cake, cookies) and be judged by the Royal Chefs themselves!

The purpose of this contest is to support local businesses, and the winners of each category can pick one organization of their choice to have a donation sent to!" Discord snorted and said in his own voice, "You don't even get to keep the money?"

"Discord...you don't even need money," Fluttershy sighed. "You can make everything you need with magic. And we already have a stockpile of bits in the bank that we never use."

He grumbled, "Well...it's the principle of the thing..." He grunted and quickly read through the rest of the letter.

"List of categories: cakes, pies, cookies, bread and bread-based foods, and other pastries. Looks like that's about it...wait, there's a post-script." He switched back into Twilight's voice. "P.S.: Discord, I know you can make anything with a snap, but you have to actually bake whatever you decide to make, with ingredients that you buy from real businesses. You can use magic when you're baking or decorating, just...try to stay with the spirit of this contest, please?"

He groaned and handed the scroll to Fluttershy. "No magic? What next, I can't invite the Snooze to the Gala?"

She laid her hoof on his shoulder. "Discord, you can still use your magic. You just have to follow the spirit of the competition." She smiled. "Besides, supporting businesses is a good thing to do! We can get everything we need from Ponyville market, and spend the day baking together! Doesn't that sound fun?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Well...maybe. When is this tournament, anyway?"

She glanced through the scroll. "Next month. If we baked something early, could you preserve it with your magic?"

He smirked. "I could...But are you sure that's in the spirit of the contest?," he said teasingly. She elbowed him in the ribs, biting her lips to keep from smiling. Discord was now clutching his side and bemoaning his cruel lot in life, biting his tongue to keep from laughing.

"How about a chocolate cake?," Fluttershy asked a few weeks later. The two of them were lying on the couch, reading their own books.

"Hmm?," Discord said, glancing over at her.

"A chocolate cake. For that contest," she said, shifting closer to his side. "It wouldn't be too hard to make...and you like chocolate, right?" She nuzzled her head against his chest.

He lifted his arm and stroked her mane, giving her a small scratch behind her ears. "Yeah...but it seems a shame to make a cake and not be able to eat it ourselves."

She cooed and leaned into his touch. "We could take what's left home after the contest, or we could make a second one for ourselves. Unless you don't want to participate?"

He sighed. "I've...never baked anything myself before. Not without using magic." He tapped his fingers together. "So, the end result might not be...all that good."

She sat up and placed a hoof on his back. "Don't worry. We'll do this together." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Besides, we can still have fun, even if it's not good."

With a chuckle, he sat up, holding her against his chest. "Alright, you've convinced me. A chocolate cake it is!" He released her and stood up, while she hovered in the air. "I'll let Twilight know we're in. Can you find a recipe?"

She nodded and flew into the hall, heading for the closet door to her cottage. She saw Discord pull a piece of paper and a peacock quill out of his ears and start to scribble quickly.

After a few minutes of searching in her files, she finally found an old recipe for a chocolate cake. She grabbed it and went back home, just in time to see a Discord breathe a small plume of green flame onto his scroll, which disappeared in a trail of smoke.

"There. Twilight should know we're making a cake," he said. "Now, I'm guessing that that's the recipe?"

She nodded and read the paper. "It seems simple enough. Just a few ingredients, and easy directions."

Discord summoned a glittery notepad and pink glitter pen. "Shall we make a shopping list, then?"

"Alright. We just need butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking cocoa, baking soda, salt, milk, and frosting." Discord quickly scribbled everything down and tore the small piece of paper out of the notepad.

"I'll stick it on the fridge," he said. She grabbed his arm before he could fly off.

"Or we could go get everything now. The market should be open today. Just let me grab my bits, and—" Discord snapped his fingers, and two coin purses appeared in his hands. "Oh, thank you. Shall we be off?"

He smiled and bent at the waist, offering her his arm. She took it, smiling, and with a snap of his fingers, they appeared in the middle of the marketplace. She gazed around, marveling at how much had changed. Where there were once stands only run and visited by ponies, now there were all kinds of creatures crowding in the square: griffons, kirin, and changelings were some of the first she spotted.

A few creatures jumped at their sudden appearance, but quickly went back to their business. Residents had adjusted somewhat to the fact that Discord would appear suddenly at times. "First is...butter!" Discord read, his head snapping up and twisting in all directions. "Now, where would we find that..."

"From someone who sells dairy. We can get the milk there, too," she told him. He pointed in the direction of a stand and took off, dragging Fluttershy along with him. She laughed.

Fluttershy sighed and took a seat in Sugar Cube Corner. Visiting the market with Discord was...different. From convincing him that yes, he had to wait in line, no, he could not take "free samples" from the cocoa stand, and NO, that was not what she meant by flour, stay out of ponies' gardens!—the shopping had taken quite a while.

But he had meant well, even if he didn't quite understand how shopping worked. They had gotten almost everything without too much trouble, and even when he had made trouble, none of the shoppers, vendors, or garden owners seemed mad.

Discord had teleported home with their supplies, while she decided to rest and wait for him in Sugar Cube Corner. Pumpkin Cake came by and asked if she needed anything, which she politely declined. As the teen unicorn walked away, she felt the air shift behind her and a strong arm wrap around her shoulders.

She leaned against Discord's chest, tilting her head up to look at him. "Everything's put away?" she asked. He smiled and nodded, stroking her mane with his claw. "...And the eggs, butter, and milk are in the fridge?"

He grinned. "Why, of course! I remembered that eggs are definitely supposed to be in the fridge, and certainly not in warm places..." She saw him snap his tail feathers. She sighed, but smiled up at him, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

A cough from the counter made them look over. Pumpkin Cake was standing there, a blush on her face, trying to avoid eye contact with them. Both of them blushed bright red, and Fluttershy's wings beat quickly as she pulled away from Discord.

The two approached the counter. "Pumpkin Cake, what kinds of frosting do you have left? We're baking something for the tournament," Fluttershy said.

Discord pulled off his antler and pulled out a flyer inside. "Apparently, cakes can get bonus points for how they're decorated, as well as how they taste," he read. "Let's see...for colors, I'll need pink, definitely. Blue, green, red...maybe some yellow? Oh, we'll need edible glitter and sprinkles, too."

Pumpkin frowned. "Um...we don't have any of those colors left. Or sprinkles."

Discord deflated. "Oh...well, what colors do you have? C'mon, give me something to work with, here."

"We have...white." Silence. "Oh, and edible glitter! We still have that in all colors."

Discord sighed, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "One color. One. Plain. Color. That's all you have left?"

Pumpkin nodded, frowning. "Yeah. Pinkie and Cheese have been 'experimenting' with their cake." A crash came from the kitchen, and a large glob of something covered in a rainbow of frosting flew out, splattering against the wall. She sighed. "I'll be back in one second, okay?"

As she went to grab cleaning supplies, Discord turned to Fluttershy. "I can't design a masterpiece with one color!" he whispered. "We bought everything else. Can I please just snap up all the decorating goods we need?"

She stroked his cheek. "If anyone can be creative with just one color, it's you."

He huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm sensing that's a polite way of telling me 'no'."

"Maybe a little. But I truly believe you can do something great with anything you're given." He grumbled something under his breath, to which she sighed and shook her head. "And we'll get all the edible glitter they have, and some food dye." He relaxed, his posture loosening the tiniest bit.

Pumpkin Cake was already at the counter. "Shall I ring all that up for you?" Fluttershy nodded. Pumpkin took a look at the supplies and winced. "We, um...only have blue dye left. Do you still want some bottles of that?"

Discord twitched behind her, biting his lip. "Yes, please!" Fluttershy said quickly. She was already counting out the bits as Pumpkin rang her up. As soon as everything was placed on the counter, she thrust her bits at Pumpkin, scooped everything into a bag, and flew up to wrap her forehoof around Discord's arm.

As soon as she was against him, they were teleported into their living room. Discord was twitching, his face red as he bit his lip. She placed her bag carefully on the floor, quickly flying to their couch and grabbing a pillow, bringing it to him.

He grabbed it and planted his face in it. "AAAAUUUUGH!"

She stroked at his back. "I know, I know. I know it's frustrating." Another muffled yell was the only response she got. "Let it all out."

Several minutes later, Discord finally stopped screaming and lifted his head from the pillow. "Feel better?" she asked, still stroking his back.

"A little, I guess," he muttered.

"Why don't you lie on the couch for a bit?" she suggested. He floated over and flopped onto the sofa, pressing his face into the pillow again—this time, without any screaming. She grabbed the bag of decorating items and flew into the kitchen, finding a spot in the cupboards for all of it.

She flew back into the living room, where Discord was still laying down. She landed at his side and began to stroke his back. "I know you can think of something fun and chaotic," she said quietly. "You always do. I believe in you." She pressed her cheek against his own. After a few seconds, his head lifted and he returned the gesture.

"Let's wait on baking that cake until you have an idea," she said, stroking his mane. "I know you were looking forward to decorating it. And we still have a few weeks before the tournament, anyway."

He made a muffled noise. "I'm going to start making dinner. Any requests?" she asked.

"Not cake," he grumbled. She stifled a giggle, ran her hoof through his mane one last time, and headed towards the kitchen.

The next day, Discord seemed to have woken up in a chipper mood. "I have an idea!" he happily informed her as they were eating breakfast. She smiled at him.

"I knew you would. Do you want to bake it today? You can use your magic to preserve it until the tournament, right?"

He nodded. "With ease. But are you free today, my dear?"

She raised a hoof to her chin in thought. "Well...Dr. Fauna is running the sanctuary today. The school doesn't need me for anything..." She looked up and nodded. "If you're ready, we can bake it today."

He practically wolfed down the rest of his breakfast. Seeing his tail and fingers twitching with energy, she encouraged him to wash up and retrieve everything they needed, directing him to the recipe.

She finished up just as he was getting out a circular pan. She washed her hooves, checking to see what Discord had retrieved. He had grabbed two bowls, plus the sugar, salt, flour, baking soda, and cocoa.

"Can you get started?" she asked. "I'll grab the ingredients from the fridge." He squinted at the paper in front of him, grabbing a measuring cup while she turned to the fridge.

She carefully carried the butter, eggs, and milk to the counter. Reading over the recipe, she turned the oven to the correct temperature. Discord had already filled the larger bowl with sugar. She measured out the butter and added it, picking up the wooden spoon. "Can you measure out the dry ingredients in that bowl?" she asked. He tilted his head. "That's everything except for what goes in this bowl, plus the milk," she explained. He nodded and grabbed more measuring spoons, while she carefully mixed the butter and sugar.

Eventually, she had a creamy mixture, and began to carefully crack open her eggs. Discord squinted at the recipe and measuring spoons, carefully adding measurements. She saw him grin and dig a normal plastic spoon into the baking cocoa. "Don't," she warned him.

"Why not? I already added it. And I love chocolate!" he said, shoving the heap of powder into his mouth. His eyes widened, his whole face wrinkling impossibly in disgust.

"...Cocoa is bitter," she said too late. "Ponies add sugar to it. That's the reason chocolate is sweet."

He pulled the spoon out of his mouth, grimacing. "I'm gonna wash my tongue," he said, floating over to the sink and running the muscle under a stream of water. She sighed and carefully mixed in the eggs.

When the mixture reached a smooth, creamy texture, she leaned the spoon against the side of the bowl and turned to the milk. Discord, water dripping from his muzzle, approached and began to quickly mix his own bowl.

"Not too fast!" she said, turning around. "You might spill—" She froze, placing her hoof over her mouth. He was covered in a white powder, a small cloud puffing up from the bowl. He froze, stunned. She tried to stop a laugh, but a small giggle still escaped her.

He narrowed his eyes at her, then slowly grinned. His paw had already drifted towards the bag of flour. "Don't you dare!" she warned.

He grinned wider and threw a ball of flour at her. She sneezed, trying to wave away the cloud of dust.

"Discord! The batter!" she warned. He smirked and tapped at the air in front of the counter. Curious, she reached out, and felt her hoof stopped by an invisible force. The flour in the air was settling against the floor and barrier, leaving their batter untouched.

She sighed in relief, then turned to him with a grin. "That's it." She flew forward, using her tail to strike the bottom of the flour bag he held. A large cloud of it flew up into his face. He responded by blindly throwing more handfuls in her direction.

With a laugh, she easily dodged, and flew across the room. He followed, also laughing.

Several minutes later, the two of them were a giggling mess on the floor, covered head to hoof in flour. "I think we got a little off-track," she said with a giggle.

He smiled and stroked her mane, smearing more flour on her forehead with his thumb. She scowled and lightly pushed his hand away. "That was fun, though," he said, flopping back onto the floor, causing a white cloud to form around them.

She nodded. "We should probably get back to baking, though." He snapped his fingers, and all of the flour on them and the room flew out of the window in a great, floating stream. "Thank you."

She got back onto her hooves, Discord following closely behind her. She leaned forward slightly, squinting at the recipe. "Okay...if you're happy with how the dry ingredients are mixed, we need to add that and the milk to this bowl," she read, tapping at the rim of said bowl.

Just as Discord picked up his bowl, she quickly added, "Not all at once! We'll do it in small amounts, switching behind the milk and the dry things."

He paused, then set the bowl down. "Maybe you should pour it in. Like I said, I haven't done this, so I'm not sure what you mean by 'small amounts'."

"Alright. Why don't you mix? Just don't do it too fast, or it'll splatter up on us." He nodded and moved behind her, grabbing the spoon. She shifted to the side, grabbed the smaller bowl, and tilted it over the larger one, spooning in some of the ingredients.

He started mixing them in right away. "Is this right?"

She nodded. "Be sure to get it off the sides. And it's best if you do it in a 'folding' motion." She set down the bowl and took his paw, guiding it to fold a portion of the batter on top of another. "Like that."

"Thanks." He copied her motion. She smiled and flew around him, grabbing the milk and pouring some in. The room was quiet aside from the scraping of the wooden spoon against the plastic bowl, as Discord was totally absorbed in mixing.

Soon, everything was a uniform, creamy brown mixture. Fluttershy flew over and grabbed the pan. "All we have to do is pour it into this pan and bake it."

Discord spoke up. "Would levitating the batter right into the pan be against the 'spirit' of this?"

She tapped her chin in thought. "Well...I suppose not. And pouring can take some time, so it probably would be best..." The batter was already being lifted in a golden aura and gently placed down, perfectly smooth, into the waiting pan. "Thank you. Can you get started on the dishes while I put this in?"

"Already on it," he replied, throwing the bowls and spoons out the window, using a baseball glove to catch them as they flew back inside, clean. She smiled and set the batter in, setting a timer shaped like a large chicken egg.

The timer cracked open, releasing a small yellow chick. It began chirping loudly, demanding attention. The couple looked up from their jigsaw puzzle and flew over to the oven.

Fluttershy gently stroked the chick's head. "Hello, there," she cooed. Discord summoned up a pair of neon orange oven mitts, opened the oven, and pulled out the cake.

He set it down on top of the oven, using his tail to turn said oven off. His mitts disappearing, popping like soap bubbles, and he rubbed his hands together. "Time to see what I can do with this," he said gleefully.

"Discord, you need to wait for the cake to cool," she said, scooping the chick into her hooves.

He grunted and pointed a finger at the cake. Lowering his thumb, a soft hiss of air came from his hand, and the cake appeared to steam noticeably less. With his claw, he laid some parchment paper on the counter, while he used his paw to levitate the cake out of the pan over to the counter.

As the baking ingredients floated out of cupboards and in front of him, she smiled. "I'm going to introduce this little one to the rest of the chickens," she said. "Could you make a new timer, please?"

He reached into his ear and pulled out a music box with a clock on top, plopping it down next to the oven. "Thank you." She flew forward and kissed his cheek. "Good luck. I know you'll make something amazing." He smiled softly as she flew out of the room.

Discord and Fluttershy appeared in the Canterlot Gardens in a flash of bright light. Discord held a shimmering blue bubble in his hands.

Twilight spotted them immediately and hurried through the forming crowd towards them. "Discord, Fluttershy!" she exclaimed, wrapping a wing around each of them. "I'm so glad that you could participate. Your spot is right over here!"

She guided them to a row of tables that was filled with cakes of all kinds. One cake was triple-tier, each level frosted with a different pattern of different colors. The name plate in front read "Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich".

"I guess their experimenting paid off," Discord said, prompting a smile from Fluttershy.

Twilight smiled at the two of them. "I can't wait to see what you've made. Rainbow Dash and Applejack made a pie," she pointed to a sad-looking pastry on the opposite table, "Spike made gem muffins, and Rarity tried her hoof at cupcakes." She pointed out the table across the cake table, where there sat a plate of sparkling muffins and elegantly frosted cupcakes. "I'm a bit disappointed I couldn't participate, but I am looking forward to being a judge!"

The three of them came to an empty spot where Fluttershy and Discord's names were written down. Discord gently set down the bubble, which silently popped when it came in contact with the table. Twilight gasped softly.

The cake looked like a miniature winter wonderland. White frosting mixed with glitter made up the snow, which peaked and dipped to form snowdrifts. Slightly off-center was a smooth, crystal-clear frozen lake of light blue frosting.

But the most unique thing was the tiny, moving figures of Fluttershy and Discord, bundled up in hats and scarves as they tromped through the faux snow.

"Discord," Twilight said, "It's beautiful, but I don't know how I feel about cutting this cake with..." She gestured to the tiny Discord, who was helping the tiny Fluttershy put on ice skates.

Discord grinned. "Don't worry, Twilight. They're just a small illusion, and they'll disappear as soon as someone gets close enough." He waved his paw just above the cake, causing the skating figures to flicker in and out of existence. "I mean, they might alter the frosting a little, but that's just chaos magic for you."

Twilight sighed in relief. "The judging will start in a few minutes. Take a look around! You won't be able to hang around the tables the judges are at." The two of them nodded, and began to move through the crowd, looking at several submissions.

After several minutes of waiting, the judges started going along the pies table, taking notes as they went. The cast of judges included Twilight, a unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus they didn't recognize, a dragon, and a changeling.

Discord had watched for the first few minutes, interested, before losing interest and wandering around the gardens. Fluttershy watched the judging and talked with her friends, keeping one eye on Discord at all times.

More time passed, and the judges announced they would start on the cakes. Discord appeared by her side in a flash, startling a few creatures. He placed a paw on her shoulder, and she felt it shake as the judges came closer to their cake.

The unicorn was the first to reach it. Raising an eyebrow at the figures building a snowpony, he raised a knife with his magic and took a small sliver of cake. The illusions vanished, and he took a small bit of the cake.

He immediately spat it back out, face wrinkled in disgust.

Fluttershy and Discord looked at each other while the judge scribbled furiously on his clipboard. "...Maybe he just has bad taste?" he said to her hopefully.

The rest of the judges went by. The pegasus spat her bite out, too. The earth pony looked displeased, but still swallowed her bite. Twilight forced a grin, but casually spat the cake put into a trash can when less eyes were on her. The changeling ran to the same trash can, gagging.

It was while the dragon judge took a bite when Discord froze, his eyes widening. "Discord?" she said quietly.

He laughed breathily . "You know how I measured the first ingredient, and you mixed it with the butter?" She nodded. "Was that, by any chance, supposed to be the sugar?"

Her own eyes widened, while the dragon jotted down her thoughts. "Discord...what did you do?"

He tapped his fingers together. "That...was actually the salt. A lot of salt," he admitted, "And I mixed the sugar in with the dry ingredients...as the amount of salt that was supposed to go in. So...the cake has more salt than sugar."

She sighed, placing a hoof against her forehead. He added, "In my defense, they're both white, sparkly powders."

She snorted, then started giggling. He joined in her laughter, and the two of them leaned against each other, chortling. After a minute or so, they sat down to catch their breath, still leaning against each other.

He pointed his thumb towards several colorful patches of flowers. "Since we know I've ruined our chances of winning...we don't we take a look at the gardens?" She nodded, and he helped her back onto her hooves. The two snuck off to wander around the gardens together.

"It was nice of them to let us keep the cake," Fluttershy said as they entered their house.

"I'm pretty sure they just didn't want to be the ones to deal with it," Discord said, setting the cake on the counter. He snapped his fingers and created a knife. "I'm actually curious how bad it is."

"Cut me a slice, too, please," she said. "I'm curious too."

He cut two small slices and placed them on neon green plates. A fork materialized by her hoof as she sat down, and he placed the plate in front of her. She waited for him to take his seat before digging her fork in, and the two took the first bite together.

She spat it out, her gag reflex kicking in at the sheer saltiness.

Discord, on the other hand, smiled and took another bite. "I think it's good," he said, taking yet another bite. She smiled and slid her plate over to him.

He glanced between his two plates, and the empty space in front of her. He snapped his fingers, and a slice of chocolate cake covered in white frosting appeared in front of her. She cautiously took a bite.

Her lips curved into a smile, as this cake was perfectly moist and sweet.

"If I could have done that," he said, "We could have won that contest. Or at least tied with Pinkie and Cheese."

She shook her head, chuckling. "But we had fun, didn't we?" He crossed his arms, but still nodded, taking another bite of salty cake. She smiled and continued eating her own cake.

Buckball Craze

"Fluttershy!" Discord called. "Mail for you!" He bowed at the waist, offering her the small envelope. She took it gently.

"For me?" she asked. "Where did you find this? Don't most letters come through the mail portal from the post office?"

He nodded. "I just felt like checking your old mailbox, just because. I guess whoever sent this didn't get the memo that you don't live there anymore."

She carefully opened the letter and pulled out two pieces of paper: a bright, colorful pamphlet, and a letter. "The Buckball League of Champions," she read before passing the pamphlet to Discord and reading the letter.

"Dear Miss Fluttershy, we at the Buckball League of Champions would like to invite you and the rest of the Ponyville team to participate in our tournament. As the first team in the Buckball Hall of Fame, we would be honored for you to take part." She sighed and set the letter down.

"Miss Fluttershy? What, have they been living under a rock?" Discord snorted.

She sighed. "Discord...it's fine. Besides, it looks like the rest of their information is out of date anyway."

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

She tapped her hooves together. "For one thing, I'm not on the Ponyville team anymore. The rules say that anyone on a team needs to either live or work in or adjacent to the town they play for. Sweet Feathers Sanctuary is just far enough away that it doesn't qualify as being adjacent to town."

He tilted his head. "But...I thought you and Pinkie would leave to go on Buckball trips."

"We do!" she said. "But we're just there to help Rainbow and Applejack practice. They took our spots on the team after Pinkie and I decided to withdraw. Snails still plays with them."

She looked down at the pamphlet for a few seconds, a gleam in her eyes. "I'd better make sure Rainbow and Applejack actually know about this," she sighed, shaking her head.

As she started to get up, Discord grabbed hold of her hoof. "Fluttershy, do you...want to participate in this?" he asked, tapping at the paper.

She glanced away. "Well...it would be nice to compete again...but I couldn't. I can't join Team Ponyville. And even if Pinkie wanted to play again, we need a unicorn to complete the team."

He let go off her hoof, and she flew off through one of the portals outside. He leaned back, stroking his beard, snapping up a book of Buckball rules and leafing through it.

By the time Fluttershy got back, he had drawn up a detailed plan in crayon. "Fluttershy!" He rushed up to her. "I have a plan that might work to let you participate!"

She blinked. "What, really?" He nodded eagerly, and began flipping through his drawings while she sat on the couch.

"First: like you said, you need a town." He flipped from a picture of house to a picture of just ponies. "The Buckball rules define a town as any location that has a certain population number. And while two isn't enough to make a town..."

He flipped to a drawing of Fluttershy surrounded by multiple versions of himself. "...I can create several copies of myself, meaning Chaosville can reach the population required to qualify as a town!"

She stared. "So...I could play for the Chaosville team?" He nodded, grinning. A wide grin spread on her face...but that quickly turned into a frown. "But it takes more than me to make a team. Who else...?"

"Pinkie Pie will be the earth pony, of course," he said. "It should be simple to claim her acts of randomness are outside work for Chaosville. And as for the unicorn..."

He grinned. "The rulebook said any creature with the ability to levitate objects...from Kirin to changelings...could act as a unicorn player. And while it didn't mention draconequui..." He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke.

He dispelled the smoke with his magic, stepping forward. He had changed into a unicorn with a grey coat, black mane, and bright blue horn. "I think I can act as a unicorn for at least a few games."

He paused, watching her face closely. She looked stunned, though she was slowly overcoming the shock. "You're...going to turn into a pony?" she finally said.

He nodded, grinning. "Yes! The league should hopefully allow for this...and for the rest of the team, actually..."

She looked down, then back up at him, pouting slightly. "...Do you have to turn into a pony?" she asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Well, probably," he said. "I don't think they'd like me being tall enough to just...hold the bucket with my hands. And be able to swat at pegasus players. Shapeshifting isn't my favorite thing to do, but it's no trouble. Why?" He glanced at her, and saw she was still pouting. A lightbulb appeared above his head.

"Wait a minute...you miss my usual handsome face, don't you?" he said with a grin, appearing next to her on the couch, his red eyes gleaming.

She looked down. "...Yes," she whispered, leaning into him and trying to hide her face in his fur. He could see her ears turning pink.

He chuckled. "Worry not, dearest Fluttershy." He wrapped his hooves around her. "This is only temporary, and during the games. Before you know it..." His horn glowed, and he shifted back into his normal form, lifting her off the couch as he grew. "...I'll be my usual unusual self again."

She sighed and nestled into his fur as he tightened his grip on her. "So what do you say?" he asked. "Want to assemble this team and play Buckball again?"

He felt her nod, her head still pressed against his chest as her hooves wrapped around him. "Alright. Aside from all of the paperwork to take care of that, there's just one more thing we need to do."

She lifted her head enough to look at him. He bit his lip and rubbed at the back of his head. "I...actually need to learn how to play Buckball." She sighed, and lightly smacked her forehead against his chest.

After discussing the matter with Pinkie, who immediately agreed, Discord had teleported the three of them to the ponies running the Buckball League. After getting over their initial shock, and several assurances that Discord had been reformed (and married) for several years now, they listened to Discord's proposal.

A unicorn narrowed his eyes at Discord. "...You're no unicorn." Discord rolled his eyes and changed into his unicorn form. "Oh. Well, that works."

After several more minutes of discussion, there came Discord's least favorite part of this plan—paperwork. They had to fill out several forms to declare Chaosville was a town, he had to fill out a form declaring that he was a non-unicorn playing as a unicorn, then they each needed to fill out a form to register as a team.

After a grueling thirty minutes of this, Team Chaosville was registered to take part in the Buckball League of Champions. Discord couldn't snap them back home quickly enough.

"I'm glad that's over," he said, wiping sweat off of his forehead. "Fluttershy, how does a walk through the forests of Chaosville sound?"

She smiled and patted his paw. "That sounds nice, but there's something else we knew to do first." He tilted his head. "We have to actually practice playing. Can you take us to the practice field at Sweet Apple Acres?"

He sighed and nodded, snapping his fingers. The three of them appeared in a flash of light at the flat, grassy clearing. Pinkie immediately bounced over to a crate of balls and began to juggle them. Fluttershy turned to him.

"I guess you should...shapeshift..." she said, looking a bit downcast. He snapped his fingers, and changed form, slinging a foreleg over her shoulders.

"Who knows?" he said. "Maybe I'll be good enough we won't need practice, and I can just shift right back!" She sighed, shaking her head, before smiling at him and nuzzling his cheek.

Pinkies bounced one of the balls over to them. "You guys ready? I can pitch the balls your way. Fluttershy, you try to block, Discord, you try to catch!"

Fluttershy nodded and fluttered into the air. Discord grabbed a nearby basket in a light blue aura. Pinkie lobbed balls in their direction, which Fluttershy used her tail to whip back at her. He levitated the basket behind her, trying to catch any stray balls—but there weren't any. After the tenth throw, Pinkie stopped lobbing the balls, gesturing for the two of them to come over.

"Alright," Pinkie said. "Fluttershy, you're as good as ever. Discord, you're trying to play like a standard unicorn player, just following the pegasus and hoping they miss."

Discord tilted his head. "What else should I do?"

Pinkie shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I know you'll think of something!" She bounced the ball on the ground. They all took up their former position.

After five more balls were deflected by Fluttershy, he came up with a new idea. He nodded his head slightly to the right, looking Pinkie in the eyes. She sent him a small nod, and bounced the ball off of the ground and sent it their way. Fluttershy stayed where she was, whipping her tail out towards the ball.

Then, the ball's direction curved to the right. Discord darted the bucket quickly in that direction—and caught it, just before Fluttershy could snag it with her tail. Pinkie cheered, leaping into the air, while Fluttershy flew down and hugged him around the neck.

He chuckled, patting her on the back as he nuzzled her cheek. "Let's save the celebration for when I can actually pull that off in a game, okay?" he said. She pulled away and nodded, blushing a little. They continued to practice.

After about an hour, Discord was panting. After he managed to pull off the same trick a few more times, Fluttershy had caught on, and had started catching the balls before he could. Eventually, he came up with some more new tricks, and each of them got the ball about half of the time.

After a half hour of that, and a five-minute break, Discord had snapped his tail and created small practice areas for each of them. Pinkie's contained targets that would pop up randomly for a few seconds, which she would strike with the balls. Fluttershy's had a pitching machine that sent the balls in her direction, which she caught before they ended up in the net behind her. Finally, Discord's had the same type of pitching machine, along with a net that hovered in front of his basket.

He managed to catch most of the balls, the machine and net speeding up as he improved. But now, his muscles were screaming at him for rest as sweat poured down his muzzle. With a great sigh, he collapsed to the ground, letting the basket fall beside him with a thud.

Fluttershy gasped and flew to his side. "Discord, are you okay? Do you need some water?" she asked, brushing some loose strands of mane off of his forehead.

He sighed. "I'm fine. Just...really tired." She stroked at his mane.

"I think we've had enough practice today anyway," she said. To Pinkie, she said, "Do you want to do this tomorrow at our place?" Pinkie nodded before bouncing away.

He sighed and stamped his hoof on the ground. The equipment he had made for them disappeared, teleporting to Chaosville. His horn glowed lightly, and he slowly shifted back to his true form.

Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around her neck and pecked him on the lips. "Do you need to rest before we go home?"

He shook his head. "I'm tired, but I think I can manage that much magic." He snapped his fingers, and they appeared in their living room. With a sigh, he slithered over and onto the couch, flopping his head down on the pillow. He saw Fluttershy leave out of the corner of his eye, before approaching him with a tall glass of water and a damp cloth.

He snatched the glass and greedily drank from it while she gently dabbed at his forehead with the cloth. "Tomorrow, we'll take more breaks," she said. She placed her hooves on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Discord, promise me that when you feel tired, you'll stop and take a break."

"You and Pinkie weren't taking breaks," he remarked as he continued drinking.

"Yes, but Pinkie and I have played competitively, and we've built up plenty of stamina." She dabbed at his forehead with one hoof and stroked his mane with the other. "You don't have that kind of stamina yet. And wearing yourself down isn't going to make you a better player or improve your stamina. It'll just exhaust you."

He sighed, leaning into her touch. "Alright. If I'm tired, I'll take a break." He grinned. "Maybe I'll just sit and watch you practice the whole time."

She blushed, turning away. "N-no! You know what I mean! Practice is important, but I just don't want you to take it too far!" He chuckled and ruffled her mane.

"I know. I just think you're adorable when you're flustered." She squeaked and shoved him away playfully. He laughed nuzzling the top of her head.

Finally, after weeks of practice, the day had come. The Buckball League of Champions was about to begin.

Discord was in his true form, wearing a plaid jacket that only covered a small part of his torso. Fluttershy was leaning against him, wearing the same jacket, while Pinkie bounced around the locker room, glancing at the large poster of brackets on the wall.

"I'm surprised there's not more teams," she said. "I mean, this isn't as big of a tournament as I has thought! With only eight teams, we can win in three games!"

Discord grunted, "Honestly, I'm surprised they got this many teams...or that there's actually a crowd here to watch this. Their contact information for Team Ponyville was horrendously out of date." He glanced at the board. "I mean, if they invited ponies from Las Pegasus, they must have be scrounging to get an even number of teams. I'm pretty sure that city is more about flashy attractions than sports."

Pinkie shrugged. "I'm just wondering how Cloudsdale can form a team. Aren't they all pegasi?"

A whistle sounded from outside. "I guess we'll find out," Discord said, stretching his limbs and shifting to his unicorn form. "You ready?"

The three of them headed out, side by side. On the other side of the arena, three pegasi stepped out. One of them had his wings tied to his sides, and headed to the center of the field. One passed Discord as he headed to the other side of the field, grabbing the bucket with his hooves and lifting it into the air. The third stayed on his side of the field, hovering up as Discord lifted up his basket.

The announcer stepped out to the middle of the field, and began talking about how each match would be won with six points, and explaining some of the rules. Eventually, he stepped back, holding out the ball. The crowd went silent.

He dropped the ball, and the field was suddenly filled with utter chaos.

The beautiful chaos lasted only a minute or so. Pinkie's unique play style caught both the "earth pony" and pegasus off guard, making it easy for him to catch the balls. Fluttershy never even had to intercept a single shot.

They had watched the next three games from the stands, Discord summoning buckets of popcorn for all of them. As he thought, the Las Pegasus team, while having glittery, showy outfits, fell easily to the Fillydelphia team. Appleloosa had a long match with Manehatten, but was victorious in the end. Team Canterlot was very skilled, but were ultimately unmatched by Ponyville.

Pinkie took a long sip of her soda. "Looks like it's us again," she said. "We'd better head down and get ready." Discord sighed and shifted back into a unicorn, making Fluttershy, who was pressed snugly against him, sigh in disappointment.

Fillydelphia had a standard, but skilled team. They were definitely good, even managing to score two points, but weren't ready for their nonstandard way of playing. Fluttershy intercepted many shots they were certain were out of her reach, and Pinkie's antics caught them by surprise, especially when she and Discord used their practiced "curve ball" technique.

The game was almost set, five points to two. Discord smiled and blew a kiss at Fluttershy, who blushed and looked away. The earth pony saw this as an opportunity and kicked the ball towards the goal. Even with a bright pink blush on her face, she easily caught it with her tail and sent it Pinkie's way.

The pegasus took his time reaching for the ball, obviously thinking that Discord was too distracted staring at his wife to beat him to the ball. Too bad, Discord thought with a grin. If there's one thing I can always keep track off, it's chaos. He swooped the basket over just in time to catch the ball.

The referee blew his whistle. The two teams shook hooves and slowly left the field, Discord shifting back into his form as soon as they were off. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around his torso. "Don't distract me like that!" she said, nuzzling into his chest.

"Are you trying to scold me?" he asked. "I'm honestly confused if you're trying to scold me or not." She just kept nuzzling into his fur, so he sighed and scooped her into his arms, carrying her into the bleachers.

They watched Team Ponyville play again Team Appleloosa. The two teams were both incredibly skilled, and after an intense half hour of the ball flying back and forth, the game was five points to five.

Applejack managed to buck the ball before Braeburn, though the pegasus intercepted it. Braeburn managed to reach it first, but Rainbow caught it, bouncing it with her wing. "Coming your way, AJ!" she shouted before throwing it back.

Braeburn rushed to where Applejack was standing, but to his shock, she ran far to the left, where she kicked the ball. The pegasus was unable to fly over in time, and Snails caught the ball with ease. The crowd exploded with applause.

They quieted down as a unicorn stood up, magically enhancing his voice. "We'll now take a fifteen-minute break while the last two teams—" he glanced down at a paper he was holding. "Team Chaosville and Team Ponyville head to the locker rooms to prepare for the final match."

Discord snapped his fingers, and the three of them teleported to the locker room.

The three of them marched onto the field. The unicorn announcer began chattering about the members and history of both teams (Discord noticed that he named Pinkie and Fluttershy as being with Ponyville before correcting himself), while the two teams approached each other in the middle of the field.

"I'm glad to see you playing again, Pinkie, Fluttershy," Applejack said.

"Totally!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Even if it is during a terribly-planned event."

Discord laughed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that."

The referee blew at his whistle, tapping at the ball he was holding. The six of them sighed and trotted over to their positions. Discord waved at Fluttershy as he lifted the bucket. She waved back.

Rainbow sighed as she hovered in front of him. "Are you going to make googly eyes at each other the whole game?" She shook her head. "Are you trying to make this too easy for us?"

Discord smiled. "We've won every other game so far. Don't count us out just yet, Dashie."

The referee blew at his whistle again, and their heads snapped back to the middle of the field. Applejack was preparing to buck as the ball was dropped—but Pinkie beat her to it with a somersault kick. Discord was prepared to catch it, but Rainbow was already in front of the bucket, smacking it back to Applejack.

She bucked it right towards Snail's bucket, but Fluttershy caught it with her tail and whipped it over the field. Pinkie hit it with the top of her head, sending to Discord's bucket. He managed to catch it just before Rainbow darted in front.

He tossed the ball back over to the referee, who threw it up into the air once Pinkie and Applejack were in position. Applejack managed to leap into the air and buck the ball before Pinkie could try her somersault kick again. Fluttershy wasn't able to stop it from going into Snail's basket.

She looked worried as the referee took the ball back. Discord waved his hoof, catching her attention. Once she made eye contact with him, he gave her a reassuring smile. She softly smiled back, before they both snapped back to attention.

Each of them had earned five points. The announcer was shouting with excitement, and the crowd became quiet, leaning forward in their seats as the referee tossed the ball into the air.

Pinkie managed to leap into the air, hitting the ball with her head. Rainbow slapped it with her wing, and Applejack bucked it over to Snails. Fluttershy managed to catch it in a spinning tail catch, sending it soaring back across the field.

Applejack intercepted it, sending it back to her. She caught it in another tail spin, and sent it flying to Pinkie. Just before kicking it, Pinkie looked Discord in the eyes and jerked her head to the right. He nodded.

Rainbow smirked, hovering in place and tensing, preparing to hit the ball. Just before she could, though, it curved to the right—and landed right in the basket he was levitating. The crowd exploded in cheers. Fluttershy darted across the field and hugged him around the neck.

"You did it!" she cheered.

He chuckled, returning to his true form and wrapping an arm around her. "We did it," he said, reaching out with his other arm and pulling Pinkie into the hug.

The others trotted over to them, smiling. "You all did great!" Rainbow said, smiling. Applejack and Snails nodded.

Somepony from the stands cheered, and they turned their heads to see Cheese Sandwich and Lil Cheese rushing at them. Discord set down Pinkie, just in time for her to be glomped by her husband and son.

Discord smiled as ponies quickly rushed out, fumbling to quickly set up cameras and take pictures of them. "Hey, how does ice cream sound?" he said. "For all of us. Team Chaosville and Team Ponyville."

Fluttershy leaned her head up until it was touching his chin. "I think I saw a nice park on the way here. Can we eat there?"

"If everyone else wants to," he said, glancing up at them. Everypony nodded, making sounds of agreement. With a grin, he snapped his fingers, and they teleported away, just as the harried photographers were finished snapping rushed photos.

Heart-Shaped Sweets

Fluttershy entered their house carefully, glancing around to see if Discord was in the living room. She saw it was empty, and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Carefully tucking a certain object deeper into her saddlebag, she flew though the kitchen, heading for the pantry.

The kitchen was equally empty, to her relief. She flew past the door that led to their personal pantry, and instead opened the one where she kept extra food and medical supplies for her animals. Unlike the pantry they used, where Discord shoved in random foods he found or created until there was a large, unorganized mess—"It doesn't have to be organized. I use it for browsing," he had said. "For when I'm not sure what I want. If you or I want a certain food so badly, I'll make it myself!"—the animal pantry was carefully stocked and organized.

Discord expressed some distaste over having such an organized room in the house, but she had assured him that she would take care of everything to do with the room, and wasn't an infinite space for finite supplies, unchanged by time, unusual enough? He had sighed and nodded, and would oftentimes help her stock the shelves, though he usually avoided the room like the plague otherwise.

Which was why it was the perfect place to leave her certain item.

She carefully unpacked her saddlebags, placing each item in its proper place. Her saddlebags contained more items then they should have be able to logically hold, but she soon reached the bottom. With yet another careful glance around, she assured herself that Discord wasn't near.

She pulled out a large, heart-shaped box, tied shut with a golden ribbon. Quickly, she placed it behind a large bag of carrots until she was sure that it couldn't be easily spotted from any angle. With a smile, she closed her saddlebags and left the pantry.

She spotted the calendar floating around like a jellyfish in the hallway. Hearts and Hooves Day was less than a week away, marked with a pink, glittery heart.

A grin spread on her face. Discord was never a big fan of the holiday, but he would use any excuse to give her a gift. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she surprised him his present. It had taken some collaboration with Pinkie Pie during trips into town or the sanctuary, and plenty of thinking about where to hide it, but she believed she had gotten him a perfect gift.

White, dark, and milk chocolate, each poured into a mold of a segment of a heart. The white segment contained mint, the milk segment had peanut butter, and the dark chocolate segment was left alone—just pure chocolate. Tucked into the box was a simple card she had made herself while the chocolate was settling in the mold—a simple, but heartfelt declaration of love.

She shook the thoughts away as she placed her saddlebags into a drawer in their bedroom. If he sees me smiling, he'll think something's going on, she thought, and he might start searching around for the gift. She recalled their first Hearth's Warming together, where she had simply hidden his presents in a closet...and woke up the a week before the holiday to find opened presents and a guilty husband.

"I couldn't help myself," he had admitted with a hung head. "...Can I give you your presents, since I've gotten mine?"

She hadn't been angry, so much as disappointed (mostly in herself). After declining the early presents—Discord had been on the edge of his seat the whole week, a wide grin on his face and bounce in his step when he was near her—she had thought carefully about how to hide presents in the future. She always hid them in a different place each time, only repeating locations if they proved very effective. Sometimes, she had her friends hold onto gifts until whatever celebration was coming up.

As she closed the drawer, she felt the air shift as she heard Discord teleport behind her. "Fluttershy!" he said. "I didn't hear you come in!"

He grabbed her and crushed her against his chest. His fur was soaking wet, water pooling on the floor under him, and she laughed and recoiled slightly. "Discord!" she said, squirming. "You're getting me wet!"

He chuckled, nuzzling the top of her head and letting water drip from his mane onto hers. "Well, I was at the bottom of the swimming lake," he said. "Why do you think I didn't hear you?"

She laughed, playfully pushing his muzzle away. With a little more squirming, she slipped out of his damp hold and flew into the bathroom. He floated behind her, only to have a towel thrown over him. He squawked in surprise, and she flew up and began to furiously rub him dry, making sure to "accidentally" tickle him with her feathers as she did so.

He laughed and struggled, his head popping out of the towel to shook her hurt look. It lost its effectiveness, coupled with the toothy grin on his face. She giggled and nuzzled his cheek, planting a kiss there before she finally pulled away.

After a few more minutes of messing around, they finally pulled away from each other, laughing. Fluttershy tossed the towel back onto its rack, and Discord snapped his fingers to create several sponges that mopped up the puddles he had left in his wake.

While Fluttershy did her best to causally select a book from her bookshelf, and to not look at Discord without appearing to be actively avoiding his gaze, eventually she gave in and looked over. He was rooting through his games chest, but his attention was solely on her. He was grinning widely, a spark in his eyes.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Oh...nothing," he said quickly, his grin still not fading. He quickly grabbed a deck of cards and settled himself on the bed, playing Solitaire on the air in front of him, glancing at her every few seconds.

He must have gotten me a present, she thought as she finally grabbed a journal of somepony who had created a device to breathe underwater, sliding onto the bed and leaning against his side as she began to read.

She curled closer to his side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, burying his fingers into her mane. Every so often, he would glance at her with a grin, before turning back to his game. She nestled into his fur and continued to read her book.

Days passed by, Discord growing more and more excited with each passing day. But now, it was Hearts and Hooves Day. When Fluttershy woke up, the calendar was floating right in front of her. The glittery heart sprang out at her, a small, happy tune playing just to make sure she knew what day it was.

She yelped and jumped into a sitting position. The calendar floated away and out of the room, its job done. Discord grunted from beside her, his brow furrowing as he shifted closer to her side.

She smiled and snuggled into his chest. He sighed and flopped his arms around her. She kissed his forehead. "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Discord," she whispered. "I love you."

"Mmm...love you..." he mumbled. "Happy...Hooves..." He grumbled the rest, burying his muzzle into her mane.

Just a minute later, he shifted, blinking awake. "Wait...Heart and Hooves Day?" he said under his breath. She sighed, closed her eyes and wrapping her forehooves around his torso, cuddling against his chest.

He shot up into a sitting position, and she let him slide out of her grip. With a plastic fishing rod, he snagged the calendar from the other room, whipping it in front of him. The glittery heart popped out at him, and he released the calendar, which quickly floated away.

He quickly wrapped an arm behind her shoulders, lifting her up into a passionate kiss. She moaned, closing her eyes in bliss as he pressed her against his chest, deepening the kiss as much as he could.

Their lips pulled apart with a soft click as they gasped for breath. "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day," he said, kissing her cheek. "I love you." He kissed her forehead.

She giggled and pecked him on the lips. "I love you, too." He grinned, pulling her even closer against his chest.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Now, I know we normally make breakfast together, but since today is a holiday about romance and loving each other, I'd like to spoil you." He snapped his fingers, and a golden platter appeared, floating in the air. It held a plate of heart-shaped pancakes, filled with chocolate chips, a glass of chocolate milk, and a thin glass vase with a single pink tulip.

He slowly, reluctantly detached himself from Fluttershy. The platter slowly lowered itself onto her lap.

"Oh, Discord," she said. "You didn't have to..."

He waved it off. "As always, my dear, I wanted to! Go on, dig in, dig in!"

She smiled and began taking large bites out of the pancakes. Discord summoned an orange and began fiddling around with it, turning it over and over it his hands, occasionally poking at it. Finally, he lightly pulled it into two halves—each of them falling into a careful, beautiful sculpture of a blooming flower, the peel folding itself into leaves.

He placed one half next to her pancakes, and summoned up his own silver platter with the same contents as hers (minus the flower, and with square pancakes). They ate in silence for the next few minutes, Fluttershy leaning against Discord's side as he let one of his arms drape over her shoulders.

When they were finished, the platters inflated into heart-shaped balloons, which floated up to the ceiling, their strings tangling together. Fluttershy quickly grabbed the vase and set it carefully on her nightstand.

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Discord." He blushed, rubbing at the back of his neck, before grinning toothily at her.

"I assure you, I have more prepared than that!" he said. From behind his back, he pulled out a large, rectangular box, covered in red, pink, and silver glitter.

He beamed and shoved it into her hooves. "Open it, open it!" he said, his tail wagging as his hands clasped together. She giggled and shook her head at his antics, carefully lifting the lid off.

The box was filled to the brim with bite-sized, heart-shaped chocolates, threatening to spill over the side as she lifted off the top. Some of the chocolates were perfectly shaped, while others were misshaped lumps. Most were coated with milk chocolate, some with dark chocolate, and even a few white chocolate.

"I promise you, they are all edible this year!" he said. "No habanero filling. No paper clips or toothpaste."

She giggled, popping one of the candies into her mouth. Peppermint and vanilla. "It's good," she told him, causing him to beam widely, a tiny 'squee' escaping his throat.

He tapped at the lid she had placed to the side. There was elegant, cursive writing on the inside. She picked it up and began to read.

My dear, sweet, amazing Fluttershy,

You know I dislike this holiday at times, what with it being thrust on us by the greeting cards and chocolates industry. But I have to say that you, Spike, and Big Mac have made me come around to what this day is supposed to be about.

It's about telling the creatures you love how much you love them.

And I know I say this every day, and will continue to do so—and it's never going to be enough times—I love you. I love you more than chaos. I will love you for the rest of my life, even if every star in the sky fades away, even if the ground crumbles beneath my feet

Oh, sweet chaos, I've made this terribly cheesy. Good thing this is a rough draft, and you won't see this version!

Still, huggies and kisses,

Your hubby Discord

She glanced over at him. He had buried his face into his hands, though he was looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. "...I forgot to rewrite that," he moaned, his entire body turning a lovely shade of light pink.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I think it's sweet," she cooed.

He pouted. "It's cheesy and sappy." She smiled and nuzzled his cheek.

"Oh!" she said. "I actually need to get something. Can you wait here just a minute for me?" He nodded, holding the chocolates box as she flew off of the bed and out of the room.

With just a few minutes of searching behind the bags of carrots, she had the present in her grasp. She flew back to the bedroom, hiding it behind her back as she entered. Discord was tying the strings of the balloons to the bedpost, but turned his attention to her, a confused expression on his face.

She smiled and placed the box in his hands, curling next to his side. He carefully removed the ribbon and let the top of the box hover up, smirking when he saw the uneven mixture of chocolate types. He gingerly grabbed the paper card inside and opened it.

The cover was simply a heart, messily drawn in crayon. Inside was just the simple message, Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Discord. I know you're not a fan of the holiday, but I just wanted to show how much I love you, written in ink.

A smile spread on his face as he read the message, and he set the chocolate and card aside to draw her into a tight hug, burying his muzzle into her mane.

"You're too sweet," he mumbled into her mane. She smiled and shifted so that she could snuggle closer to his chest. His arms tightened around her as he did this.

"I love you," she murmured back, rubbing at the back of his neck. He purred softly, nuzzling his cheek against the top of her head. She smiled, letting him pull her even closer to his chest.

After a long cuddling session, Discord had pulled out a set of blueprints, and was scribbling on them with a white pen, mumbling to himself about optimal temperatures and perfect drinks.

She sighed, eating another one of the chocolates he'd given her. Orange and strawberry. "Discord...you'd better not be making a separate room just to eat that chocolate."

He froze, his eyes glazing over as he glanced over at her. "...I might not be?" he said with a sheepish grin.

She shook her head. "Really, Discord. Please, you don't have to do it right away, but...don't make such a huge production of eating it."

"But it's a gift from you! How can I eat it without giving it the proper respect it deserves, without—"

She grabbed the chocolate and shoved it into his open mouth. His eyes widened, but he took a large bite out of the chocolate, pouting.

"That's cheating," he grumbled with his mouth full. She simply smirked at him. He smirked back. "I guess I am a bad influence on you," he said, ruffling her mane. She whined in protest, playfully pushing him away.

He took another bite out of the chocolate. "This is really good," he said, again with his mouth full. She beamed and kissed his cheek.

He grinned, tossing his chocolate onto the nightstand. He snapped his fingers, and the curtains suddenly drew closed, candles appeared in midair and lighting the room with their soft glow. He placed a hand at the back of her neck and drew her into a deep kiss, tossing the bedsheets aside as he curled closer to her.

She placed her box of chocolates on the nightstand, then wrapped both of her forelegs around his torso and began to trail kisses down his cheek, until she reached his lips. He groaned as she kissed him passionately, curling his tail around her waist and kissing the nape of her neck lightly.

She sighed, pressing closer against him. They were soon deep in the throws of passion, where they remained for the rest of the morning.

Beach Day

The sun was beating down on Discord's back. He wiped the sweat off of his brow, his tongue rolling out as he panted heavily. Hot, white sand burned at his hoof and toes. With herculean strength, he brought his fingers together to snap.

With a flash of light, he created two towels (one pony-sized, yellow, and covered in butterflies, and a longer one with a neon and pastel quilted pattern) a large purple-and-pink parasol, and a sky-blue cooler. He sighed and laid down on the patchwork towel, adjusting the parasol so both towels had an equal amount of shade.

As he started to rummage in the cooler, he heard hoofsteps approach and lifted his head. Fluttershy sat down on her towel, a sweet smile on her face, even as she carried a small cloth bag in her mouth. She was wearing a teal tankini, a two-piece swimsuit that covered more of her fur than a bikini.

A pink blush formed on his cheeks, and his claw reached up to grab at his beating heart. She was adorable. He hid his head in the fridge, rummaging around before pulling out two bottled ice teas, his heated face cooled off. "Care for a cool drink, my dear?"

She smiled, setting down her bag. "Not right now, thank you. And thank you for setting everything up!" She looked around the beach. "This is a great spot!"

He opened up a bottle of tea and took a long drink. "I still think it's a little hot for a beach day," he said. "And that's probably why it's so empty here."

She smiled. "Hot days like this are the best time to go swimming! The water is cool and fresh, and them you can dry off in the sun..." She smiled, her eyes glittering as her mind drifted away on the waves in her thoughts.

He chuckled. "I guess you're going to go swimming now, then?"

"Yes, but first..." She reached into her cloth bag and pulled out a bright yellow tube with a pink cap. "Sunscreen!" She squeezed a little on her hoof, and began rubbing the white goo into her coat.

She handed the bottle to Discord, working her way up her torso. He squeezed a heap of the goop into his paw, globbing into onto her back. A shudder traveled down her spine. He began to gently rub the sunscreen around on her back and shoulders, being especially careful as he rubbed it onto her wings.

"Thank you, Discord," she said as she dabbed some trace amounts onto her face. "Do you need any help putting it on?"

He waved her off. "Oh, no need for that. I can do anything, remember? Even reach all parts of my body. You just run along and have a nice swim." A pair on sunglasses appeared on his face. "I'll join you in a little. I just have to chill here first."

She giggled, and raced towards the deep blue ocean waters. He watched as she dove in, happily paddling around. With a smile, he took off his sunglasses and turned away, focusing his magic on the tube of sunscreen.

He pointing it straight up and squeezed. A fountain of sunscreen shot straight up, before slowly wrapping around him, tightening and spreading evenly across his skin. He capped the tube and tossed it back in her bag, leaning back as his sunglasses floated back over his eyes.

The sand underneath his towel piled up underneath his head so that he could relax and watch the beach at the same time. He spied Fluttershy's bright yellow coat in the water as she rapidly swam through the waves, chasing a school of silver fish. Every so often, she lifted her head above the water, a wide smile on her face.

His gaze drifted towards other parts of the beach. He hadn't been kidding when he said the beach wasn't busy. There were only a few families around, plus a small group of teenage ponies goofing off in the waves. Most families were at nearby picnic tables, setting out food.

He noticed that one kid, a unicorn, was making a large and elaborate sand castle. He also noticed that it was fairly close to the water, as the kid grabbed more wet sand in his magic to build with. The waves were creeping ever closer to his creation.

With a sigh, he snapped his fingers. He got onto his feet and stretched, feeling much cooler than a few minutes ago.

He rushed for the water, diving in with a splash next to Fluttershy. She shielded herself with her hooves, laughing. "Discord! There's a coral reef here!" she happily told him.

He stuck his head under the water, keeping his eyes open. Sure enough, there was a coral reef, filled with vibrant colors and teeming with life. He pulled his head back out. "Shall we get a closer look?" he asked, pulling a packet of mints out of a pocket in his fur.

He popped one mint into his mouth and offered the container to Fluttershy. "Breath mints," he explained, giving the box a rattle. "C'mon, let's go exploring!" She held out her hooves, and he shook a mint into them. Dropping the box back into the pocket, he dove beneath the water.

The mint in his mouth was fizzy and tingly. He took a deep breath, and instead of water, minty air poured into his lungs. Fluttershy's head slowly sank beneath the surface, looking at him. He took an exaggerated breath, gesturing towards her. Her nose twitched as she took a tiny breath, and her eyes widened. A large grin spread on his face, and he dove deeper, closer to the coral.

With a beat of her wings, she was at his side, right above the coral. The two swam slowly over, spooking some schools of fish, watching crabs scurry about, and seeing how turtles drifted by lazily. Discord noticed a coral with a hole under it and poked his head near it. The two moray eels inside glared at him. He pulled away and caught up with Fluttershy.

She appeared to be making friends with a large stringray. She carefully stroked its back as it swam away, searching the sands for food. She watched it go, but her smile fell when her eyes focused on something else. He followed her gaze.

Stuck between two branches of coral was some kind of bottle. She swam towards it, a sad look on her face. She tried to wriggle it out, but had no luck. He snapped his fingers, and the bottle was teleported into her hooves.

She pointed to the surface, then swam up. He followed. Once they were in the open air, she held the bottle out. The label had worn off. "Coral's really delicate," she told him. "And this sort of thing never goes away. It only breaks into smaller pieces." She frowned. "Who knows how much damage this trash could do to this reef, or those sweet creatures..."

He frowned, eyes narrowing at the bottle. He snapped his fingers. The bottle shivered, hovering in the air in a purple aura. A few seconds later, splashes came from all around them, other bottles and wrappers lifted up in the same purple aura. One by one, they all disappeared with a soft popping sound.

"I sent them to our dimension. One of the junk rooms," he said when she gave him a questioning look. "That should take care of all the trash here. Oh, and for good measure..." He snapped again, and the water all around them rippled.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Oh, just an enchantment to make sure the reef stays trash-free." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the teenage ponies heading away from the water and to their towels. One tossed an empty bottle over his shoulder, talking with his friends. The bottle hit the surface of the water.

Instead of splashing in and sinking, like it would have done, it instead bounced. It flew away from the water, cuffing the litterbug on the back of his head. While he whipped around, looking for the offender, the bottle traveled forward, neatly landing in a recycling bin.

Discord snickered, then dove beneath the surface again. He and Fluttershy explored the reef, meeting more eels, a few octopi, and even a small shark! They waved the shark goodbye as it peacefully swam away, and he brushed his tongue against his mint. Realizing how thin it was, he pointed upwards, and they paddled up to the surface.

Fluttershy crawled onto the beach, flopping down on the hot sand. Discord fell beside her, his limbs turning into bundles of noodles as they spread out.

"Discord?" she said quietly. "Do you want to build a sand castle? I'm not hungry enough for lunch yet."

He nodded, the noodles condensing and returning to his normal limbs. His tail feathers snapped, and a bucket and shovel appeared in front of each of them. She managed to lift herself into a sitting position, and began shoveling damp sand into her bucket.

"We'll carry these further up the beach, so the waves can't get our castle," she said. He glanced over at the unicorn colt, who pranced excitedly around his detailed sand castle, which the water was parting to avoid. A smile flickered over his face, and he began to fill his own bucket with sand.

They worked together to build a towering castle, three buckets tall and two buckets wide. They filled in the empty spaces, and Discord used his claws to carve a brick pattern along the sides, adding a set of doors and several windows. Fluttershy dug out a moat (complete with a sand bridge) and filled it with some sea water.

As a finishing touch, Discord pulled a small flag out of thin air. It was red, and had a picture of him with one arm wrapped around Fluttershy, the other throwing up a peace sign. He held it out to Fluttershy, and both of them stuck it in the top together—slightly off-center, and slightly crooked. He turned to her and beamed.

She beamed back, but blushed slightly as her stomach gurgled. He chuckled. "I suppose that means it's time for lunch?" he teased. She nudged his shoulder, grinning, and trotted towards their towels.

She lay down, sighing as she curled her back legs into the shade. He snapped his fingers, summoning a fan next to her, and she sighed in bliss.

He smiled, then stuck his head in the cooler, fishing around in the heaps of ice. Several ice cubes were tossed over his shoulder as he searched. Finally, he found a smallish pink bundle. He grabbed it and emerged from the ice area, showing his prize off to Fluttershy.

She sat up, and he placed the bundle on top of the cooler. With a flourish, he undid the bundle's knot, and it flew off somewhere behind him before disappearing in a flash of light. On top of the cooler were two large watermelon slices (one seed-free, another heavily seeded), two bottles of ice tea, and two orange popsicles (still in their wrappers).

She grinned and grabbed the seed-free watermelon, taking a large bite. Discord took the other and began working his way evenly down the length, back and forth.

After a few minutes of quiet munching, she spoke up. "Do you like watermelon seeds, Discord?"

He chuckled (mostly because of the red liquid on her chin she hadn't noticed yet). "Oh, they're alright. There are better seeds to snack on, in my opinion." He took another bite. "But I'm not eating these, actually. I'm...saving them."

She gave him a puzzled look, her head tilting slightly in that adorable manner. He pursued his lips and looked around the beach, searching for a demonstration. His eyes landed on the teenage ponies. One, the same pony who tossed the bottle, was about to step on a tiny sand castle, carefully but crudely crafted by tiny hooves.

Rolling his tongue, he spat out a seed. It smacked the teen's hoof, making him jump up and away from the castle. One of his friends laughed at him. Another seed was spat, striking him on the forehead and making him stumble backwards.

He snickered as the group looked around, trying to find the source. "Discord, that's not very nice," she said, her tone holding a hint of harshness.

He turned to face her. "Hey, I saved some foal's creation! Besides, the seeds don't actually hurt. It's just like using a rubber band." He spat a seed at his own arm, remaining unmoving as it bounced off of him. "See?" She seemed unconvinced. He sighed. "May I show you...well, how it feels to be on the receiving end?"

She hesitated, but nodded and held out a front hoof. Rolling his tongue, he spat a seed. She jumped slightly as it bounced off of her, but by the look on her face, it was more out of surprise then anything. She looked at her front hoof, then back at him.

She sighed. "It seems kind of mean...but if it doesn't hurt anypony, I suppose..." She narrowed her eyes at him. "But no hitting foals! Or anypony's eye!" He nodded, making a swift crossing motion over his heart.

They continued eating their watermelons, though Discord spat seeds at a few litterbugs or ponies who didn't look out for sand castles. Minutes passed by, and Fluttershy set down her rind, a hoof placed over her stomach. He summoned a small napkin and handed it to her, which she quietly thanked him for before cleaning her mouth and hooves.

He polished off his melon and rind, then reached for a popsicle. Her hoof stopped his hand, and he lifted his head up to look at her. Before he knew it, she had placed the napkin on his mouth and was wiping at his muzzle. He pulled away, grinning, and she followed, also grinning.

They tumbled in the sand as she tried to pin him down, dropping the napkin in the process. He spat a few seeds at her, several of them missing her, and she laughed. After a few seconds of struggle, they may beside each other in the sand, laughing. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. She pouted and tried to wipe the sticky red liquid off of her head, but only succeeded in smearing sand into it.

He chuckled and waved his paw. The sand and juice on both of their coats trickled down and off. He offered her his hand as he got back onto his feet, and the two went back to their towels and nibbled on their popsicles.

The sun was now much lower in the sky. After lunch, they'd added a tiny garden to their sand castle, before diving in the water and exploring the reef and nearby caves. Fluttershy taught him a few games ponies played at beaches, while he used his magic to create interesting new toys for the water.

From a cannon that shot a ball of water (which she actually managed to catch him off-guard with in a sneak attack) to a surfboard that sped through water by itself (and made her cling to him the whole time they were on it), he had come up with some interesting ideas, which he filed away for another beach trip.

As they swam, time quickly sped by. Ponies slowly filtered out of the beach, until they were the only two left. They had crawled back to their towels and were leaning against each other, watching the orange sun slowly sink below the horizon.

"Discord?," he heard her say quietly. His head tilted down to look at her. "Thank you for today. I know you weren't sure about coming to the beach, but I had a lot of fun." She softly pecked his lips. "Thank you for indulging me."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I had fun today, too. Thank you for convincing me to do this." He whispered in her ear, "Besides, I'm your husband. Indulging you is my job."

She giggled and kissed him on the cheek before snuggling into his side, leaning even closer against him to watch the sunset. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her, looking around for the first stars to appear.

Autumn Arguments

"It really was nice of you to arrange this," Fluttershy said, taking a drink of her apple cider. She smiled and looked around the orchard, relaxing in the shade of a gazebo.

Discord leaned back in his chair an took a large bite of his apple. "Well, it's pretty hot for an autumn day. I had to think of some way to convince you to take a break and cool off." He pulled a jug of cider out of the picnic basket between them and topped off Fluttershy's glass.

"Thank you," she said, looking around the orchard and taking another sip. "There are still a lot of apples around this area. I hope Applejack and Big Mac aren't having any trouble with the harvest."

Discord shrugged. "Well, it is just the beginning of Applebuck Season. They probably just haven't gotten this far back yet."

"Hmm. That's true." As she took another sip of cider, a rainbow streak flew overhead. A sudden gust of wind followed, knocking her drink and his snack out of their grips. Both of their heads whipped in the direction of the rainbow streak, seeing that it was still headed straight forward, and going even faster.

"Was that Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, getting to her hooves. "She was going awfully fast. Do you think something's wrong?"

"No doubt," he said. "We should check on her." He raised his fingers into a snapping position, but before he could snap, a sound in the distance made him pause, his ears perked up. A sound of somepony quickly galloping, followed by said somepony bucking something with great force.

"That must be Applejack," he said. A detective's hat appeared on his head, a bubble pipe popping into his mouth. He closed his eyes and blew a large bubble before saying, "From the fact that Rainbow left here in a hurry, and AJ is working at a greater pace then normal, as though she is angry...I deduce that the two of them have gotten into some kind of fight. Again."

A hoof flew to Fluttershy's mouth. "Oh dear...should we talk to them?"

He shrugged, sitting back down in his chair. "We could. Or we could just let them deal with it, and they'll stop fighting in a few weeks." He blew a stream of heart-shaped bubbles. "Honestly, if I wasn't there for their wedding, I'd find it hard to believe they're married."

"They've always been very independent ponies," she said, "And I sometimes think that competing and bickering is their way of...showing affection for each other. But sometimes, their arguments can go too far." She sighed. "I really think we should check on them, to make sure they're okay."

He nibbled at the end of his pipe. "You're right. We can at least ask if they need help." He tapped at his chin. "We should probably split up. That way, we can get both sides of the story and help both of them at once."

She nodded in agreement. "But who should talk to who?"

He pulled a coin out of his ear. One one side was an apple, or the other was a cloud. "I'll flip this, and whichever side it lands on is the pony I'll talk to. You can take the other." He flicked it into the air, and their eyes followed as it spun and spun, higher and higher into the air.

Rainbow flew through several clouds, bursting all of them into tiny white fluff. Realizing she had cleared the sky, she turned at a ninety-degree angle with an angry snort, flying for more clouds to destroy.

A sudden flash of light several feet in front of her made her brake in midair. She blinked the spots out of her eyes, squinting at the wiseguy who thought it was a good idea to teleport in front of her. She blinked.

"...Fluttershy?" she said questioningly with a small tilt of her head. "What are you doing here?"

Fluttershy smiled and flew closer to her. "Discord and I were at Sweet Apple Acres. You flew off in a hurry, so I was worried...are you upset about something, Rainbow?"

Rainbow snorted. "Upset? Of course not! What reason would I have to be upset? Everything's going just fine in my dream career with the Wonderbolts!" she snapped. "So why don't you fly back and act all sickeningly sweet with your husband on whatever date you were on?"

Fluttershy's eyes didn't narrow, but they did gain a hardness to them, a kind of inner fire. "Rainbow Dash," she said calmly. "All I want is to help you. If you don't want to talk, that's fine. But there's no need to take your anger out on me."

"Anger? Who's angry? I'm not angry! I'm...I'm..." Rainbow sighed, her shoulders drooping. "Okay, fine. I can tell you what's up." She flew over to a nearby cloud and plopped down. Fluttershy sat by her side.

Rainbow sighed. "See, I've been offered a chance to go on an extended trip with the Wonderbolts. Only the best flyers we have were chosen to go, and we're going to be visiting places outside of Equestria! Yakyakistan, the Dragon Lands, Griffonstone..." She shook her head, blinking the stars out of her eyes.

"But it's a long trip. Several months, in fact," she said, "But what does that matter when it's one of the greatest performing opportunities of my life? Of course I took the offer! Why wouldn't I?"

She crossed her forehooves. "So I went to tell AJ about the big news. I thought she'd be happy for me, but no! She got mad! She kept going on about the farm and the harvest, and how could I leave at a time like this!" She huffed. "So right now, I refuse to see her! I'll leave on my trip and not even set a hoof on that farm, I can promise you that!"

She opened her eyes as Fluttershy gently touched her shoulder. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said. "Are you sure you don't want to talk with Applejack again? This time, more calmly?"

Applejack grunted, striking another tree with her legs. She'd lost count on which one this was. Fortunately, buckets had been set under most of the trees already, since the next rain wasn't scheduled anytime soon. Without worrying about grabbing more buckets, she could put all of her energy into bucking as many trees as she could.

"Going for a record, AJ? You seem to be really pushing yourself today!" a voice to her left chimed. She turned and glared at the voice's owner: Discord. He was casually picking apples off of their branches and lobbing them into buckets.

"What do you want, Discord?" she sighed. "Ah'm not going to be working near the gazebo, if that's what you've come to ask."

He sighed, dropping the apple he was holding. "No, actually. Fluttershy and I thought...well, that you seemed upset. Something the matter? Problems on your mind?" A small, rumbling black cloud appeared above her head. "Having a bad day?"

She grunted and waved away the cloud. "Look, Discord, Ah'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." She bucked another tree. "Ah've just...got to buck as many of these apples as Ah can. No time to talk."

"Ah, but you're talking right now," he said, picking another apple and admiring his reflection in his skin. "You can work and talk at the same time. Besides, while I'm here, I'll even give you a hand!" Disembodied paws and claws popped into existence and began floating around, plucking off apples and dropping them into baskets. "So c'mon. What's on your mind? You're worrying...Fluttershy." He glanced away and said quietly, "And me."

She stared at him. "Alright. Ah can tell you what happened." She bucked another tree. "Rainbow and Ah had a little bit of a row just now. She accepted an offer to go off traveling with the Wonderbolts. Well, good for her!"

She bucked the next tree a little harder. "Except she'll be leaving for six months! Six! And she acts like that...that doesn't matter, compared to the opportunity!"

The next tree's trunk shook from the force of her blow. "Leaving for six months, when we need her here! There's harvest, and cider-making, and planting in the spring...and she's just leaving us in the lurch!"

She sighed and slumped down, dropping her hat over her face. Discord stepped a little closer. "...Is that the real reason you're upset?"

Rainbow glared. "What do you mean, 'more calmly'? I wasn't mad until AJ started spouting crazy stuff about me leaving the farm too long! Winter isn't even that busy a time!"

Fluttershy sighed. "What I mean is that instead of getting angry, you should stay calm and listen to Applejack. I don't mean just listening to what she's saying, but...understanding what she's trying to say."

Rainbow rose an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed. Fluttershy continued, "It's hard to explain, but it's something I learned when I first befriended Discord. Sometimes, creatures don't want to open up with you. They'll tell you half-truths, or direct the conversation to something else..."

"They don't want to show how much you mean to them," she whispered, her gaze becoming unfocused. "Because they're worried, or scared."

She shook her head. "But if you listen closely, you can figure put what they're trying to say—what they really want to say. Think about it: if the farm doesn't need you during the winter, why is she upset you'll be gone?"

Rainbow's eyes slowly widened. "I...I have to talk to AJ!" she exclaimed before taking off, leaving a rainbow streak behind her. Fluttershy sighed and slowly followed behind her.

Applejack glared at Discord. "What other reason would Ah have for being upset that my wife is leaving for six months?"

He leaned down, bearing his teeth and jabbing her muzzle with a finger. "You said it yourself," he growled. "Your wife is leaving for six months, and you're upset that she'll be away. Why can't you just mare up and admit that to her?"

She snorted and pulled away. "In case you haven't noticed, we're not sappy-sweet like you and Fluttershy. And we certainly don't keep acting like newlyweds after several years of marriage."

He sighed. "I'm not saying you have to be sappy about it. I'm just saying it wouldn't kill you two to act like you're married and you love each other." He crossed his arms and turned away, but glanced back a second later. "Are Fluttershy and I really that...'sappy'?"

"Sometimes. Not that often," she said with a sigh. "Ah'm sorry, Discord. Ah'm just frustrated is all. Ah didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Oh, I've faced worse," he said, waving her off. He leaned against the tree, looking her in the eyes. "But you should probably talk to Rainbow Dash. Tell her why you're really upset."

Seeing her doubting expression, he continued, "Look. As a draconequus who has both faced troubles with admitting my true feelings, and doubts about whether a pony you care about really, truly cares about you...saying that you care means the world."

"It doesn't banish doubts right away. It won't fix your problems. But if you tell them often enough, with enough conviction...they might just start to believe you." His eyes became glazed with a thin, milky film. Her could see images dancing in his pupils—most of them involving Fluttershy.

He blinked, and the film and images vanished. "Anyway. You don't have to be 'sappy-syrup-sweet' about it." A bottle of syrup appeared in his paw, which he took a sip out of before continuing. "Just tell her the real problem, and you can at least start working on a real solution."

A thud from nearby caught their attention. Rainbow Dash had landed a few feet away, an anxious look on her face. "AJ!" she exclaimed. "I...can we talk about my trip, again? I can help you with the harvest while we talk."

Applejack was quiet for a moment, but then shook her head. "Forget the harvest for one second. Let's talk in the barn. I...I have some things to say." She trotted towards the old wooden building. Rainbow quickly followed her.

Discord dropped the syrup bottle and snapped up a pair of binoculars, scanning the sky. He quickly spotted Fluttershy, slowly flying closer. With a snap of his fingers, she appeared at his side.

"Thank you," she said, looking around. She saw the couple headed towards the barn. "Are they..."

"Making up now, I'd say," he said. Applejack laid her head on Rainbow's shoulder for a second. Rainbow laid her muzzle on top of her head, spreading a wing over her back. The gesture lasted just a second before they pulled away, continuing on their path.

"Probably the fastest they've ever made up," he said. With a wave of his paw, the disembodied hands around them vanished in puffs of yellow smoke, and every apple in the row they stood in fell into the buckets below.

She grabbed his paw. "Well, they do still need to talk about Rainbow's trip, but I think this conservation will go much more smoothly."

His grip tightened around her hoof. "How long do you think it'll take for them to remember they have a friend that can either teleport them back and forth or set up instantaneous communications?" he mused.

"You can bring it up yourself later," she said, "But we should probably let them figure this situation out on their own first." She nuzzled his arm, lightly tugging him back towards the gazebo. He kicked off the ground and followed her back into the shade.

Winter Wonderland

Winter in Ponyville. A time when the air grew cold and snow lined the ground. Animals migrated away or hibernated, while ponies chose to stay inside their warm, cozy houses.

Discord glanced at the frosted window as he tied a third scarf around his beloved Fluttershy. Chaosville knew no seasons, or any weather aside from which he decided should exist. He tried to convince his lovely pegasus that he could create any snow she wanted, even warm snow, but she declined. She insisted that they go to her old cottage to play in the cold, wet, normal Equestrian snow.

Well, he thought as he slid a thick hat on top of her head. I refuse to allow my sweetheart to feel too cold!

He stepped back for a second to admire his handiwork. Fluttershy was bundled in a sky-blue coat and bright pink snowpants. She had large, fuzzy green boots on her hooves, and thick, white knitted wing bling on her wings. He had given her three scarves, two hats, and a set of earmuffs. He smiled and clasped his hands together. "Ready to go, my dear?"

She narrowed her eyes at him—the only visible part of her—and shook off the scarves and hats. "What are you doing?" he asked. "You need those to stay warm!" He picked them up and approached her, but she held up a hoof to stop him.

"It's not that cold, Discord. You don't need to coddle me," she told him. "Look. I'll wear one scarf and the earmuffs." She wrapped one of said scarves back around her neck. "But I don't need three scarves or the hats. I actually don't need the wing bling or pants, either..." With a bit of wriggling, she removed said articles of clothing.

He pouted a little. "But you could catch a cold!" She sighed and gave him a stern look.

"Discord, I've spent plenty of time outside in winter before I even met you. I am fully capable of handling myself. You know that."

He frowned and scuffed at the carpet with his goat hoof. "...I know. I'm sorry. I just...want to keep you safe."

She flew up and hugged him, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I know you do. And it's very sweet of you. But you have to understand that I know what I can and can't handle." She nuzzled him, and began to point to the discarded clothing articles.

"I've never flown well in wing bling, especially heavy, thick material. I don't know where you got the idea of those pants from, but I'm not sure I could move well in them. And you'd put so many scarves on me, I'm not sure I'd have been able to talk with you."

He blinked. "Oh. I see. May I...at least enchant your coat? Make it a little warmer, without altering the material?" She paused, but then nodded. He snapped his fingers, and the coat started to generate a small heat field.

She smiled. "Thank you. Are you ready to go?" He snapped his fingers, and a multicolored scarf wrapped around his neck. She looked at the single article and rose an eyebrow, but trotted over to the door. "Okay. It's time to have some winter fun!"

She flung open her door and plunged into the snow. With a laugh, she began tromping around in her backyard, creating hoofprints in the snow. He chuckled and jogged to catch up with her as she tried to catch a snowflake on her tongue.

His own tongue snapped out, stretching out with his magic and grabbing one just before it landed on her tongue. She pulled her tongue back in her mouth and glared at him. He could see her fighting to stop herself from smiling.

He smirked. "What? I had to do a taste test to make sure these snowflakes are good enough for you!" He smacked his lips. "Mmm. Could use more sugar."

He jumped when something cold and wet hit him in the side of his head. He whipped around he saw that Fluttershy had packed together some snowballs and was tucking them into her tail. A gleam was visible in her eyes.

He grinned. "Oh? Is this a challenge, Mrs. Chaos?" She smirked and whipped her tail, sending the snowball flying at his face. He bent over backwards, his spine turning into rubber, and he watched the snowball sail over him.

He snapped back into place. "Ah, I see how it is." With that, he dove into the snowdrift and began tunneling underneath her.

When he found where she approximately was, he stopped and grinned. He dug at the snow underneath her, turning it into a soft pile of powder, and only leaving a thin layer on top. He backed away from his pitfall trap, and then struck the thin layer with his tail.

The snow quickly crumbled away, and Fluttershy fell into the hole with a shriek, some snowballs falling out of her tail. She lifted herself from the soft snow pile, some white powder still on her nose.

"Hi, sweetheart," he cooed, dusting snow off of her. "I know I'm good, but I didn't think you'd fall for me again." He pecked her lightly on the lips.

She snorted, trying to stop her laughter, and threw one of her dropped snowballs at his face. It landed on his cheek, but he only laughed and burst out of the snow, flying towards a snowdrift in the distance. She flung a barrage of snowballs at his retreating backside, many of which managed to hit him.

He ducked behind his snowdrift and packed snowballs as fast as he could. With an armful, he whipped around and began flinging them haphazardly in her direction. Most of them missed, but he was throwing so many of them (and making more with his tail) that he was still hitting her with quite a few.

The attack forced her to duck low to the ground and dig a small hole for herself, pushing snow forward to make a small wall. He leapt over the snowdrift, holding a large boulder of a snowball to attack with, but three snowballs to the face made him drop it and retreat to his drift.

For the next minutes, their interactions consisted of thrown snowballs, teasing taunts, and the kisses he would cheerfully blow at her to make her giggle and lose concentration. Neither of them was able to get close to the others' defensive spot without getting hit with a barrage of snowballs.

Discord lay with his back against the drift, forming a mountain of snowballs while checking over his shoulder every so often. Distracting her is fun, but it's not enough, he mused. Teleportation would make this an easy win, but that'd just take the fun out of this.

He lifted the pile of snowballs with his magic. "An all-out attack, though...effective and fun," he said aloud. Carefully, he peered over the top of his drift, searching for the sign of a blue jacket in her little hidey-hole. He couldn't see anything besides the white snow. He stood up a little taller, leaning a little closer. Still no sign of her. "Where..."

"Yaaah!" He whipped around, just in time to be hit by snowballs from head to toe. Fluttershy had burst from the snow behind him, and was flinging as many snowballs as her tail and hooves could hold. He slumped to the ground, half-covered in snow.

She approached him, snagging some ammunition from his pile. "Do you surrender?" she asked. He swiftly nodded, waving a small white flag. "Alright. There's just one thing I ask for in your surrender..." He gulped.

She leaned forward. "A-A k-kiss," she stammered, her face turning pink. He resisted the urge to grab her cheeks and gush about how adorable she was, and sat up to lightly kiss her on the lips.

That wasn't enough, apparently, as she grabbed his cheeks and pressed their lips closer together. He smiled and obliged, gently moving his mouth and increasing the pressure of the kiss. By the time they pulled away, panting, he was cupping her chin, and she was practically laying on his chest.

She smiled. "Thank you, Discord. I don't think I've ever had a snowball fight that fun!"

He brushed some snow out of her mane. "Well, you certainly looked like you were having fun. Clever girl, using my own trick against me." She blushed.

She crawled off of him, shaking the snow off of her coat. "Do you want to build a snowpony?" she asked. "If the snow's good for snowballs, it should be good for building other things."

He smiled. "That sounds delightful. But if this is one of those pony childhood things, you might have to help me out. I'm...not exactly an expert in that sort of stuff."

She smiled. "Well, the way we need to start is to first make a snowball. Now, here's the hard part: don't throw it at me."

"Oops," he said with a smirk, lightly tossing the snowball he'd made at her. She giggled.

"Well, once you make the snowball, you have to roll it around to make it really big. As big as you can!" He obliged, pushing the second small snowball he had made along the ground. Eventually, it reached the point where it was difficult for him to move without magic. He lifted his hand, prepared to give it a little magic shove, but Fluttershy came up beside him and began pushing the ball with him.

After a few more minutes of that, they made a ball a little shorter than Fluttershy, and were unable to push it any further. "That should be good enough," she told him. "Now, some ponies like to actually carve out legs, but I normally do a simpler style of packing snow around the bottom until it's less round and more...like a hill, I guess. Can you do that while I work on the head?"

He nodded, and started shoving snow up against the lump. Every so often, he glanced over at Fluttershy, who was rolling another ball of snow of the ground not too far off, this time rolling it into a more oval shape. Just as he was finishing, she rolled it back over to him.

"Can you help me lift this?" He nodded, scooped up the head, and plopped it on top of the pile. She flew up and adjusted it so that it was on straight, patting some more snow on top of it. She began using her hooves to mold it, making the snout narrower and the rest of the head rounder. Discord helped by sculpting small, triangular ears on top.

"And now, all we need to do is add the eyes!" she cheerfully told him. "Most ponies use coal, or buttons...what should we do?" He stroked his beard, deep in thought.

His head transformed into a light bulb, and he snapped his fingers. Two large peppermints appeared in his hands. "Would these work?"

She nodded. "Let's finish them together." He handed her one of the peppermints, and they both placed them on at the same time. They took a step back to admire their handiwork.

Discord frowned. "I don't know...it looks nice, but something's missing."

"Hmm." Fluttershy's face lit up. "Oh! Of course! They need a friend!" She began to roll up another ball of snow. He smiled and joined her, taking an opportunity or three to lean against her shoulder.

After a few more minutes of working, the snowpony had a new friend with chocolate chip cookies for eyes. "There. It's perfect," she said as they looked at their work.

He tilted his head. The ears he made were mismatched in size, the bodies were strange lumps with clearly visible handprints, and the eyes were probably going to be stolen by some passing foals sooner or later. He glanced over at Fluttershy's smiling face. "Yeah...it is," he said, slowly draping his arm over her shoulder.

As he nuzzled the top of her head, he noticed something. "You're mane's cold," he murmured after pulling away.

She reached up and brushed a hoof through it. "Huh. It is."

"You're not too cold, are you?" he asked, rubbing at her shoulders. She shook her head.

"No. That enchantment is working wonderfully." She smiled. "I think we can fit in a sled ride before I get too cold. That is, if you're up for—" He had already summoned a large wooden sled and was bouncing up and down on his feet. She stifled a laugh. "Alright. Let's go find a nice hill."

It only took about a minute of searching to spot a tall hill with next to no trees on its slope, completely covered with thick, fluffy snow. As soon as it was in Discord's line of sight, he teleported the two of them up to the top.

He dropped the sled down on the ground and took a seat, grabbing onto the thin twine that acted as reins. Fluttershy carefully crawled onto the contraption, settling herself in between his arms and leaning back against his chest. She smiled up at him, and he used his tail to push them over the edge.

It was a thrilling ride down to the bottom. The wind rushed through their manes, making Discord tear up a bit from its sting. Fluttershy shrieked when the wind first hit them, but was soon laughing and letting it push her against his torso. All too soon, they began to slow down as they reached the bottom.

He smiled and ruffled her mussed mane. "That was fairly short," he remarked. "Do you think we can squeeze in one or two more?"

She paused, thinking about it. "Oh, a few more wouldn't hurt," she decided. He grinned and snapped his fingers, teleporting them back to the top.

After three more rides down, she tapped lightly at his chest. "My wings feel kind of numb," she said. "We should probably go inside."

In a flash, they appeared in her old cottage. A roaring fire sprung up in the fireplace, a comfy couch pulling itself up next to it. All of her winter garb carefully peeled itself away from her body and hung itself above some kind of rug/sponge hybrid. Discord floated over to the couch and flopped down, sprawling out with a sigh.

Fluttershy laid down and snuggled up next to him. "I think there's just one more thing we need to complete this winter fun trip," she murmured.

He looked down at her. "My dear Fluttershy, you must warm up before you even think of going back out!"

She shook her head and nestled into his fur. "No, no. We don't need to go back out. All we need is some hot chocolate and peanut butter crackers. And maybe a nice blanket."

He snapped his fingers. In a flash of light, mugs full of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows appeared in their hooves and hands, a large plate of peanut butter crackers floated beside them, and a thick red blanket fell on top of them.

"Thank you, Discord," she said, taking a sip of her cocoa. "This is nice." She shifted slightly, curling closer to him.

He chuckled. "When we're warmed up, we can do this again. We could make an army of snowponies to fight for us in our snowball fight! We could go ice skating! We could go sledding down an even higher hill! We—" Fluttershy yawned softly, snuggling into his fur.

"...We could rest and wait until tomorrow," he said, pulling the blanket further up over her. She smiled sleepily, and took another sip of her cocoa.

Spring Blossoms

"Fluttershy, are you free today?" Discord suddenly asked after they had finished breakfast.

She blinked. "Yes, why?"

He grinned. "There's something I'd like to show you. How does a trip to the nation of Eastern unicorns sound?"

She tilted her head. "Is that where Mistmane is from?" He nodded. "I'm not sure, Discord...I've never been there, and they're far enough away that they might not know about you. Remember that vacation to Seaquestria?"

He flinched and bit his lip. "Yeah, that...that was not one of my top trips." He shook his head. "But their 'nation' is connected to Equestria, and they weren't isolating themselves when I was reformed. They should have heard about me by now."

She frowned, her brow furrowing. He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Fluttershy, there's something happening there I really want to show you. I know you'll love it. I promise there will be no complications on this trip of ours, and that you will enjoy every second of it."

He held his paw out to her. "So...?"

"...Alright," she said, placing her hoof into his paw. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly something was obscuring her vision. "Discord!?"

"Just a blindfold!" he assured her. "Don't want to ruin the surprise!"

She sighed. "Just...tell me the next time you do that, please."

He slowly scooped her into his arms, holding her under her forelegs. "Sorry," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Do you still want to go? Please tell me you still want to go."

She sighed, reaching up with her hooves to lightly squeeze his arms. "Yes. Let's go." She heard him snap his fingers, and felt the air shift around her.

She took a deep breath. The air was humid, and filled with the perfume of flowers. Discord set her gently down on the ground, or rather, on a soft blanket. "Ready?" he whispered. She nodded.

He snapped his fingers, and the blindfold disappeared. She gasped.

In front of her was a large group of thin trees, each of them covered with soft pink flowers. As she watched, a soft gust of wind blew passed, causing several pink petals to drift down from the branches. "It's beautiful," she whispered. A petal landed on top of her nose, and her eyes crossed to stare at it.

Discord smiled, taking a seat next to her on the blanket. "I knew you'd like this," he said. "I found out about this during some light reading. The Eastern unicorns actually have a tradition of watching these cherry blossoms bloom each spring."

He leaned back on his hands. "It's not something I'd normally do, but it seemed right up your alley."

She leaned against his shoulder. "It's perfect. I love it. I love you." He smiled and scratched behind her ears.

She couldn't explain it, but she was entranced by the blooming flowers, watching them on the blanket, leaning against Discord's shoulder. After some time passed, she stood up and walked around the clearing, looking closer at the trees and the flowers, marveling at the small blossoms.

Every so often, groups of unicorns with curved horns would come near, glance around, then leave. Discord was quick to assure her that they were probably just looking for their own space to watch the blossoms, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was, well him. "They'd be running, not walking, if that was the case," he said with a chuckle. "This spot is pretty out of the way. Nopony's going to bother us."

He then took the opportunity to pin her against the trunk of one of the trees and press his mouth against hers. She sighed and let her eyes drift closed, returning the pressure of the kiss. His hands stroked against her cheeks, before drifting upwards and tangling her in mane.

They slowly pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. She smiled when she saw a number of petals had landed in his mane, and reached up with a hoof to brush them away.

Her stomach suddenly growled, causing her to blush. He chuckled and said, "I think we've let the time get away from us. Shall we try some Eastern cuisine?"

She smiled. "Alright. Have you ever had food from here?" She followed him as he started walking through the trees, glancing at a paper map every so often.

He shrugged. "I've seen some restaurants try to imitate the food from here. I know they sell boxes that are like packed lunches, and that they have sushi."

"I've never heard of that. What is it?"

"It's—" He froze, smile falling as he gulped. "Well, it's—most of it, anyway, is—raw fish. Usually served on rice."

She turned pale, and then a slight shade of green. "We don't have to get that!" he quickly said, holding his arms in front of him. "And if that's all there is, we can find a vegetarian version, or I could just make some food myself!" He gently rubbed at her back. "You don't have to eat anything you feel uncomfortable about," he whispered, stroking her mane.

She swallowed, shaking her head. "I...I know. I'm fine. That just...caught me by surprise, that's all." After a few more seconds of him stroking her mane, watching her expression, he pulled away and looked at the map again.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the edge of a town. It was mostly empty, and the few unicorns around stared at Discord, but didn't react otherwise. He spotted a stand with wrapped boxes almost as soon as they had arrived and rushed towards it, Fluttershy quickly following him.

"Are you wanting to buy a bento?" the unicorn said after he was done staring at Discord. "We're having a sale today on wares!"

"What's in them?" Fluttershy quickly asked.

"Well, they're all a bit different. The Vegan Lover has a carrot and cucumber sushi, and asparagus soba. The Sakura Special has cherries, rice and little cookies shaped like flowers. The Sweethearts Box has heart-shaped noodles and sushi—"

"Can we get a Sakura Special and Sweethearts Box, but with vegan sushi instead of regular?" Discord asked.

The vendor tapped at their chin. "Well...I can't really exchange anything between the boxes...I'd have stock for one, but not for the other..."

Discord sighed. "I'll buy the three you mentioned, then." Fluttershy glanced up at him as the vendor grabbed the boxes.

"Discord, we can't eat three of these. Especially not when one has..." She gulped.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I have a plan." He handed a small pile of bits to the vendor, grabbed the boxes, and teleported the two of them back to their blanket. He unstacked the boxes, placing the Sweethearts Box and the Vegan Lover beside each other before snapping his fingers.

"Now we have one all-vegetarian Sweethearts Box," he said, opening it. Heart-shaped noodles in a red sauce sat next to heart-shaped rolls of rice, seaweed, carrot, and cucumber. "And one box with sushi, which you dislike, and asparagus, which I dislike," he said, sticking his tongue out. "It gets stuck on my fang."

"So, if we're not going to eat it...what do we do with it?" she asked.

"Do any of your little critters like fish or asparagus?" he asked, to which she nodded. "Well, there you go. I'll send this home and put it in the critter pantry. Maybe they can be little treats or something." He snapped his fingers, and the box disappeared in a flash of light.

He pushed the Sakura Special next to the other bento box and opened it. A pile of plump cherries was in one half, while the other contained tiny, flower-shaped cookies. He licked his lips and grabbed one of the cherries, popping it into his mouth, while she picked up the small wooden sticks in the other box and tried to grab a noodle. It slipped away from her every time she grabbed it.

"Those really aren't designed for hooves," he commented. "I guess that happens when everyone has magic. Need a hand?" She nodded and handed him the sticks. He twirled them around in his fingers for a bit until he was satisfied with his grip on them, and then grabbed a noodle.

"Open wide," he cooed. She giggled and opened her mouth, and he fed her the noodle.

"It's good!" she said. He smiled and fed her another noodle. She grabbed one of the cherries and held it out to him. Grinning, he opened his mouth, letting his tongue stretch out. She dropped the cherry onto his tongue, and he snapped it back into his mouth.

He grabbed a sushi and fed it to her. "This is delicious!" she said. He glanced at the next one he was about to feed her, and flicked it into his mouth instead.

"How else will I know how to make one?" he said with his mouth full, while she sent him a fake glare. She sighed and shook her head, popping one of the cherries in her mouth.

This continued for some time. Fluttershy managed to grab some noodles by using the sticks with both hooves, and the pasta was shoved messily into his mouth. He chuckled and licked the tomato sauce of the side of his mouth. She decided to just grab the sushi with her hoof to feed to him.

Before they knew it, they had fed each other everything but the cookies. Discord popped one in her mouth before biting into one himself. The cookies were crunchy, and very sweet. They kept grabbing and munching on the cookies as they watched the blossoms.

She reached into the box, only to find it empty. She glanced over at Discord, who was nibbling on the last cookie, half of it sticking out of his mouth. He looked over at her, then at the empty box, before smirking at her, raising an eyebrow cockily.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. He flinched in surprise, but his eyes slowly drifted closed with a sigh. But before he could return the pressure of the kiss, she quickly bit off the piece of cookie hanging out of his mouth and pulled back, happily munching on the treat.

Discord stared at her, then down at the half a cookie he had left. He sucked it into his mouth and munched on it, pouting. She pushed the boxes aside and shifted closer to him, draping a wing over his back as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He smiled and stroked her mane.

After a few more minutes of watching the blossoms, he sighed. "I could eat another one of those cookies."

She shifted closer to him, nuzzling into his fur. "They were pretty good. Are you going to pop us in some more?"

"Oh, maybe later," he said. "But right now, I think I know exactly where to find that sweet taste." She blinked and lifted her head to gaze at him. He quickly turned his head and pressed his lips against hers.

She sighed, letting her eyes drift closed. She reached up with a hoof to stroke his mane and hold him closer. His hand drifted from her mane to her chin, tilting her head upwards so he could deepen the kiss.

Slowly, his tongue slithered out of his mouth and ran against her lips. She shivered slightly as it went back and forth, slowly caressing each part of her lips. He slowly pulled his lips away from hers with a soft click, gently caressing her cheek. She smiled and nuzzled into his hand.

They turned back to the blossoms, still leaning against each other. "This really is lovely," she said after awhile. "Thank you for bringing me here."

He scratched behind her ear, making her coo lightly. "Well, of course," he murmured. "Seeing your face light up when seeing something like this is what I live for." Her face flushed a bright pink, and she flicked her ear to let some of her mane drape over her face.

"And seeing you flustered like this is the other thing I live for," he said with a chuckle. Her blush grew brighter, and she pushed his ribs playfully, prompting him to laugh and start poking her belly.

She giggled, trying to ward off the attack by tickling him with her feathers. He laughed, but kept up the assault on her sensitive stomach. They started rolling over each over on the blanket, trying to tickle the other more than they were being tickled.

Eventually, they fell on their backs, away from the other, gasping and giggling. They slowly calmed down, watching the petals on the branches above them drift away in the wind.

She must have nodded off at some point, because the next thing she knew, Discord had scooped her up in his arms, and the sun was much lower in the sky. "Maybe we can come back tomorrow," he said before teleporting back home.

Catnip Craziness

Fluttershy hummed a merry tune as she unpacked her saddlebags. The sanctuary's pantry had been running low on carrots, so she had decided to restock on a little bit of everything. Discord was kind enough to make some foodstuffs for her, but she knew that some animals could be very picky—most of Angel's kids and grandkids had inherited his fussy appetite, though thankfully not his temper.

Yes, they could be picky about exactly where their carrots and salad ingredients were bought, and other animals needed very specific foods, to ensure they were getting all the vitamins and nutrients they needed. And sometimes, Discord just didn't understand what exactly each animal needed. He fully admitted this, and though he was willing to help with what he understood, as he once said,

"Since you're the expert, I think you know what's best for your little critters." He helped with with her saddlebags and handed her a bulging coin purse. "Just don't let them overcharge you." He kissed her on the forehead and bid her goodbye as she flew through one of the portals.

She smiled at the memory, placing one of the last items on its shelf. The last thing left was a small, white cloth bag. She was about to put it away, but paused, and instead flew out the door with it.

She navigated the maze of hallways, before finally stopping and opening a frosted glass door with a golden cat painted on it. She opened the door and entered, a tiny bell ringing as the door swung shut behind her.

The room was full of kittens. Tiny kittens sleeping in soft cat beds, fluffy kittens eating out of metal bowls (the food slowly regenerating in front of hungry, waiting kittens), striped kittens scratching at wooden posts and patting at hovering toys, and some kittens chasing each other and wrestling on the carpeted floor.

All of their ears perked up as they heard the bell, and they turned to her. They immediately rushed towards her, mewling as they surrounded her hooves. As they cried for her attention, the cat flap in the wooden door on the other wall of the room opened, more kittens, and even some adult cats, pouring in the joining in the meowing chorus.

She smiled and opened the cloth bag. Several of the cats stood on their hind legs, stretching up to sniff at the package. She shook some of the greenish powder inside into her hoof, then scattered it onto the carpet.

The adults cats sniffed at the powder, and quickly began to roll around in the piles. Some of them seemed to become more energized, and chased some of the kittens around before rushing back through the cat flap.

Some of the kittens approached and sniffed at the powder. They wandered away, disinterested, some of them shooting Fluttershy a betrayed look before curling back up in their beds.

With a smile, she scratched a few of the relaxed cats behind their ears, stepping around them and walking through the wooden door with the cat flap. She felt the usual tingle against her skin that came when going through one of Discord's portals, and stepped into a porch-like area at the edge of the sanctuary.

The space was a relatively new addition, designed to be as open as possible, so that any stray cats were free to come and go as they pleased. The space consisted of a simple slanted roof, a simple wood wall with the door to the cat room, and a collection of cat beds, food bowls, and scratching posts. Sometimes, ponies would wander by, looking to adopt a pet.

But all the only creatures here now were a group of adult cats. She repeated what she had done in the cat room, sprinkling the powder onto the grass. The cats sniffed it and began to roll around, though some of the older ones looked disinterested. Still, she smiled, closed the bag, and turned back to the door.

She reached for the handle...except it wasn't there. Where there had been a simple door just a second ago, there was just a smooth wooden wall. The cat flap was still there, though.

"Discord?" she said. With a flash of light, her husband appeared in front of her, tossing aside a multicolored cube.

"Yes, my dear?" He glanced around. "Is something wrong with the sanctuary?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so...but Discord, why is the door to the cat room missing on this side?"

He pointed to the cat flap. She sighed and shook her head. "Discord...not the cat flap, the actual door. The one I can use to get back home."

He crossed his arms. "I don't like the idea of leaving a door around that anypony can use to enter our home."

She sighed, and pointed to all of the portals that hovered around the sanctuary. He scoffed, "Oh please. You know that everypony except you and Pinkie avoids those things as much as they can. Besides, none of those actually lead inside of the house. A door seems much too tempting for a curious pony."

She sighed again. "You're right," she said. "And I suppose I can use the portals to get back...I just don't like having to go in circles just to get back to where I was. What if I forget something in the cat room back home? I'd have to go through the whole house just to get it and come back here, if you're busy with something."

"I'm never too busy to help you!" he insisted. She blushed.

"U-um, couldn't you at least set something up that just the two of us can use?" she said. "That way, it'll be easy for me to get back, and nopony else can come in." He hummed and stroked his beard, then snapped his fingers. With a flash, a tiny doorbell, surrounded by a golden butterfly, appeared in front of her, right where the handle had originally been.

"Press that, and you'll have your door," he said. "But if anypony else tries it..." He leaned past her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

He darted forward to press the button, but it dodged to the right. He tried again, and it dodged upwards. He kept going, faster and faster, the doorbell always just a second ahead of him. Eventually, he sighed and gave up, letting his arm drop to his side. The doorbell slowly slid back to its original position.

Carefully, she reached out and pressed it. It didn't move away. No sound was made as she pressed it, but it morphed into a golden handle, a simple wooden door fading into existence.

She sighed and opened the door, stepping back into the cat room. The adult cats were still relaxing and rolling around on the floor. "Thank you, Discord," she said as he floated in behind her. "I really appreciate it." She flew up to kiss his cheek.

He smiled, pecking her forehead. "No trouble at all," he said. "Now, what made you come into the cat room? I thought I had given them everything that they needed..."

"Yes, of course!" she assured him, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I had just picked something up at the market today, and it seemed a shame not to use it." She opened the bag and held it out to him. He peered at the greenish contents before looking back up at her and raising an eyebrow.

"It's catnip," she explained, closing the bag again. "It a type of plant that has positive effects on cats." She reached down to one of the cats on the floor, which purred and rubbed its head against her hoof.

"It helps them feel more comfortable and relaxed," she said. "I figured it'd be the perfect way to help some of the strays feel safe here, and in the sanctuary."

Discord pointed at a pair of calico kittens who were wrestling a good distance away from the catnip. "Are you sure you didn't get ripped off?" he asked. "Because if some vendor thinks they can scam you out of your hard-earned bits..."

She shook her head. "Oh, no. Catnip doesn't work well with kittens, or elderly cats. Their sense of smell isn't as great, so they're not affected. In fact, even some adult cats aren't interested in catnip."

She glanced down as a tabby cat rubbed against her back leg. "Discord, do you want to help me—" he was already nodding vigorously. "—make these cats feel more at home?" He paused, but continued nodding.

She placed a simple toy in his hand—a rod and string, with a collection of bright feathers at the end. "Can you play with them for a bit? I'll be right back, as soon as I put this catnip in storage."

He nodded and sat on the ground, dangling the feathers just out of the cats' reach. She left the room, watching for just a second as he used his magic to tickle a cat behind the ear with the feathers, pulling them away from her just as she whipped around. She giggled and let the door close behind her.

A few minutes later, she opened the frosted glass door. "I'm back!" she said. "How are the—"

She froze in the doorway. Discord was lying on top of the catnip, his back to her. He wasn't moving. Immediately, she rushed to his side, placing her hooves on his shoulder. "Discord, what happened!?"

With a moan, he twisted his body, turning to face her. His pupils were both wide and shiny. She quickly placed her forehead against his.

He doesn't have a fever, she thought. And he isn't injured... "Discord, why are you on the floor?" she asked.

He giggled, then leaned back and tapped his forehead against hers again. "Bop!" he said cheerfully, starting another giggling fit. He twisted around on the carpet, several cats having to dodge his thrashing tail. Several of them swatted at his feathers. Others tried to sneak closer to the catnip, but his thrashing limbs convinced them to retreat.

He purred, arching his chest into the air as he rubbed his upper back against the carpet. He's acting just like a cat with— she froze, the idea clicking into place.

"Discord...is it the catnip?" she said, hiding a giggle behind her hoof. His head flopped in her direction, eyes unfocused and tongue lolling out. She couldn't hold it back anymore—she burst into a fit of giggles.

When she was done, Discord was lying on his back, body curved into a "u" shape, staring blankly up at the ceiling. She bit back another giggling fit and slowly approached him.

If he's acting like a big cat... She placed her hooves gently against his stomach, and began to rub them through his fur.

He purred loudly, and she glanced over to see his tongue sticking out, his eyes closed as a blissful smile spread across his face. She smiled, and continued to rub his belly.

After a few minutes, he thrashed away, rolling around in the catnip again. Once he had stopped moving, this time with his muzzle buried into the rug, she approached again and began to rub the top of his head, just behind his ears.

With a sigh, he slowly shifted his head onto her lap. Smiling, she cupped her front hooves under his chin, kissed his forehead, and continued to stroke behind his ears. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed, and he began to snore softly.

Minutes later, he jolted awake with a snort. He blinked and glanced around, slowly lifting his eyes until they met hers. "...That wasn't a dream, was it?" he said slowly. She shook her head.

His entire body flushed a deep red, steam pouring from his skin. In a flash, he teleported away. The cats jumped back on top of the catnip, rolling around with content smiles again.

Fluttershy quickly got onto her hooves and rushed out of the door. Going on her gut instinct, she headed towards their bedroom. Sure enough, when she entered, there was a draconequus-shaped lump huddled under the blankets.

The blankets curled into a tighter cocoon around the lump. "Leave me aloooone," he moaned.

She flew over and laid on the bed next to him, tucking her legs under her chest. "Discord, it's okay," she assured him. "I wasn't expecting you to act like that around catnip, but..."

"It was embarrassing," he groaned. "I just...can't Look you in the eyes right now." His cocoon became tighter, as the blanket was pulled from under her. "I'm just going to hide from the world for a few hours."

She laid a wing over him, feeling him stiffen inside his bundle. "Alright," she said. "I'll leave you alone for a bit. I just want you to know that you were...very cute," she giggled. "And that even if you're very embarrassed, I love you very much."

She hugged him as best as she could, wrapping her forehooves around a portion of his cocoon. He whispered, "Thank you," before shifting again and growing quiet. She pulled away and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Prank Day

Fluttershy blinked her eyes open, yawning quietly. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed that the calendar was flapping around her head in a frenzy.

She held a hoof out towards it, and it flew down to perch. As it did, a spray of confetti and sparkles came from the square that marked what day it was. She coughed and waved away the glittery cloud, narrowing her eyes to read the date.

Prank Day!!! was written over it in shaky rainbow ink. She smiled, recalling how excited Discord, Pinkie, and Rainbow were when they finally managed to convince Twilight to make it an official holiday.

The last part of her brain woke up, and she glanced over at Discord's side of the bed. It was empty. Hopefully he hasn't left home already, she thought, flying over to her nightstand.

She opened the bottom drawer, where there were a few items Rainbow Dash had given her weeks in advance. She grabbed one of the items and tucked it under her wing before walking out and heading towards the kitchen.

Thankfully, Discord was still in the kitchen. But she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when she saw he had already made breakfast for both of them. "I thought we'd make something together," she said, making his ears perk up and his head swivel towards her.

He tossed the pan he was holding onto the counter with a loud clang, the eggs inside jumping perfectly onto a nearby plate. He floated over to her, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Sorry, Fluttershy," she said. "I woke up early because I was just so excited for today, and I needed to do something to get my energy out. Can you forgive me?"

She smiled, returning the light kiss. "Of course. I guess I'm just used to us doing this together," she said, rubbing her forehooves together. "Can I at least pour us some drinks?"

"Knock yourself out," he said, levitating the plate of eggs onto the table. "Not literally though, please. I'm in too good a mood to have a heart attack right now."

She giggled and shook her head, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a pitcher of orange juice. She reached into the cabinets above and pulled out a normal glass...then glanced back over her shoulder. Discord was busy dividing the eggs between them.

Quickly, she pulled the item out from under her wing and set it on the counter. "A dribble glass. Classic prank," Rainbow had said. "When he tries to drink out of it, the drink will actually spill on him!"

Fluttershy smiled to herself, pouring orange juice into both glasses. She put away the orange juice and carried both glasses to the table, careful to set the dribble glass in front of Discord.

"Thank you, my dear," he said as she took a seat. "Now, why don't we dig in?" She nodded and took a forkful of the stack of pancakes in front of her, biting into it—and spitting it out in surprise. It was sweet, too sweet, almost like..."A real cake," she said aloud.

She noticed that Discord was watching her, biting his lip as a smile curled onto his face. She looked at the other food items, the fried eggs and slice of toast, and took a small nibble out of each. The eggs tasted like coconut, while the yolk was lemony, and the toast tasted like haybacon.

Discord finally burst out laughing. "Oh, the look on your face!" He kept laughing, and even she couldn't help but laugh along. After a few seconds, they both calmed down, Discord wiping tears from his eyes.

"Heh...sorry about that. Do you want an actual breakfast now?" She nodded, and he snapped his fingers. "There. It's all what it looks like now." He started to dig into his pancakes.

She took another bit of pancakes, which actually tasted like pancakes now. "So, I'm guessing you have big plans for today?" she asked, trying not to stare at his untouched glass.

"Oh, yes," he said. "Forgive me for pranking you, my sweet. Just a small warm-up before I move on to the rest of our friends." He reached for his glass. "And then, I'll probably visit Canterlot to prank Twilight, and Silver Shoals to get Celestia and Luna."

She took a sip of her orange juice, trying to hide that she was shaking with anticipation. "Well, I thought your prank was funny. But don't go too far with anyone."

"I know, I know," he said, taking a crunchy bite out of his glass. She grunted, her ears flattening against her head. He glanced up at her, then down at the glass. "I'll replace it," he said, tossing the rest of it into his mouth with a loud crunch.

"Oh, o-okay," she said. They ate the rest of their breakfast, Discord telling her about some of the plans he had for their friends and other hapless victims. After they had finished, and the wet dishes were hanging on a clothesline to dry, he snapped up a jacket and began to pull it on.

"Well, my dear, I think that it's time I head out." A bike appeared in front of him, and he climbed on.

"Wait!" she said, making him freeze with a screeching noise. "I packed you a picnic basket for today, since you'll be so busy." She rushed out of the room and to their bedroom, quickly throwing open the same drawer and grabbing a picnic basket inside before running back.

"Pie on a spring," Rainbow had said. "Never a bad choice. He opens up the basket, and BAM! Pie in the face!"

She rushed into the kitchen, where Discord was still waiting. "Here you go," she said, handing it over to him. He smiled and put it in his bike's basket.

"Thank you, my dear," he said, kissing her cheek. "Now, I shall be off!" He pedaled forward, a portal to Equestria opening up in front of him. As soon as he was through, the portal vanished.

She began to pace back and forth. "Oh, what should I do? If the pie doesn't work, I'll have missed any chance to prank him until he gets home. And he's been so excited for today, I want to do something to celebrate with him..."

Her ears perked up, and she rushed from the kitchen to their bedroom, and began to stuff her saddlebags with all of the prank items Rainbow had given her. "I can prank him before he leaves Ponyville with the help of my friends!" she said aloud. "Now, who did he say he was going to first..."

She flew through the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, panting. As soon as she made it to the barn door, she knocked on the wood until it was finally opened...and she was sprayed by a stream of water.

She backed away, sputtering and shaking her head. "Oh my Celestia! Sorry, Fluttershy! I thought you were Pinkie, trying to get the jump on me," Rainbow said as she dropped her water gun.

Fluttershy shook the last bits of water out of her ear. "It's fine, Rainbow. I just came to warn you that Discord is on his way! He's going to prank you and AJ!"

Rainbow groaned. "Aw, why'd you tell me? Knowing what's coming just takes the fun out of it."

Fluttershy bowed her head. "S-sorry. I just wanted to ask for your help to play a prank on Discord. I tried the dribble glass, but he...kind of ate it."

Rainbow groaned, smacking a hoof against her forehead. "Ugh. Tell him he owes me a new one." She opened the barn door wider, stepping to the side. "But pranking him? I can help you with that."

Fluttershy stepped inside. The first thing she saw was a cloud in the center of the room, which she could see from a hole in its side was filled with applesauce. She approached it, tilting her head as she tried to figure it out.

"This is some payback for what he did to AJ last Nightmare Night," she said. "If we can make this applesauce rain on him, it'll be a taste of his own medicine!"

"The problem is that it's a little too heavy for just me. If you can help me carry this into the air and out into the orchard, we can get him just as he targets AJ!" Rainbow said, patting tuffs of cloud over the open hole.

Fluttershy nodded. "Okay! Let's hurry!" She grabbed at the edge of the cloud and beat her wings, grunting. Rainbow grabbed the other end, and between the two of them, they managed to lift the heavy cloud off of the ground and out of the barn.

"I see AJ over there, and Discord hiding behind that tree! C'mon!" Rainbow shouted, dragging the cloud and Fluttershy forward. Fluttershy panted and lifted her head, trying to see around the edge of the cloud.

Discord was hiding behind a tree, snickering. Applejack was looking at two of the trees, confused. She bucked one, and the apples fell into the buckets...but before she could turn around and look, the apples reattached to the tree, and the apples in the next tree over fell off, the buckets scooting over to catch them.

Applejack scratched her head in confusion. Discord's shoulders were shaking, his hands clasped over his mouth. They were close enough that she could see tears of mirth forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Almost there," hissed Rainbow. They moved forward, but then the cloud began to wobble in their hooves.

"Um, Rainbow? Is it supposed to do that?" Fluttershy asked quietly. Rainbow didn't hear her, too focused on bringing the cloud right above Discord's head.

When they were just a foot away, the cloud trembled...and then deflated as the bottom fell out, all of the applesauce inside falling to the ground with a splat. Both Discord and Applejack jumped and turned towards the sound. Fluttershy hid herself behind the cloud.

Discord looked down at the applesauce on the ground, then up at the cloud, with Rainbow Dash in front of it. "Dashie," he said. "Were you trying to rain applesauce on my head, like I did to your wife?"

"A piece of advice—next time you try to rain something odd on somepony's head, stick to liquids. I only managed to make an applesauce cloud because of my magic. I'm actually surprised you made it all the way over here with that!"

He coiled around a tree trunk, slithering up until he was standing on the topmost branch, looking her in the eyes. Fluttershy crouched down a little lower. "Second of all, pranking me will never work!" He snapped his fingers, and a cotton candy cloud appeared above Rainbow's head, drenching her with chocolate milk. "I'm the Lord of Chaos, the Duke of Disharmony, the Baron of Pranking! I'm untouchable!"

He flew out of the orchard, laughing, while Rainbow tried to escape the tiny cloud that was following her. She landed next to Applejack, who was chuckling and shaking her head.

"I should have known it was him when the apples started being weird," she said with a laugh. "Looks like he got us both good. Sorry your applesauce cloud didn't work out, Dash."

Rainbow shrugged. "I'll come up with something better next time." She grabbed a hoofful of cotton candy and began to munch on it. "At least I got a free snack out of him." Her eyes narrowed. "He still better replace my dribble glass, though."

Fluttershy fluttered down to the ground next to them. "Sorry the prank didn't work out..."

Rainbow shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it. But if you still want to prank him, you should probably get going. He's already got a good headstart on you."

Fluttershy gasped and flew up into the air, flying in the direction of Ponyville, and Discord's next destination.

Fluttershy flew into the door of Carousel Boutique, panting as the door closed behind her. Fortunately for her, Discord had been distracted by the flower stand, where she had heard him arguing about how many bouquets he was allowed to buy per day as she snuck past him.

Rarity turned for her sewing machine, hurried to Fluttershy's side. "Goodness, darling, are you alright?" she asked.

Fluttershy took a deep breath an nodded. "Yes, I'm...I'm okay. I just had to hurry so I got here before Discord."

Rarity blinked. "Discord's coming here?" She narrowed her eyes. "He's going to play a prank on me, isn't he?"

Fluttershy nodded. "But I was hoping that we could prank him first. Even if it's something small."

Rarity sighed. "Darling, I'd love to help you, I really would. But I haven't the faintest idea of how to prank someone! On days like these, I've always just tried to avoid being a victim."

Fluttershy dug into her saddlebags and pulled out a jar that read "Peanut Brittle". "I borrowed this from Rainbow. I'll hide, and you can give this to him before he pranks you!"

Rarity nodded, lifting the jar with her magic. Just as she did so, the bell on the door rang. Fluttershy gasped softly and dived under a nearby table, lowering her head to peek out from under the tablecloth.

"Why, if it isn't the fair Rarity!" Discord said. From her vantage point, she could see he was wearing shiny black shoes and holding a cane. "How is today treating you, m'lady?"

"Fair enough," Rarity responded. "By the way, Discord, I have something for you."

Discord hummed, and she could hear him tossing something between his hands. "A pony who doesn't bake gives me a treat...a classic pranking treat...on Prank Day, of all days."

She heard the lid pop open, and Rarity yelped and scrambled back, bumping into the table. "Ah, fake snakes in a can. Classic," he said. "But you'll need to do better than that to pull one on me, m'lady."

He clicked his heels and hovered out of her field of view. "Happy Prank Day, Rarity! Have fun!" She heard him cackling as the door opened and closed.

She crawled out from under the table. She gasped, looking around the room. All of the cloth in the room was floating and bobbing gently through the air, although she, Rarity, and all of the furniture remained on the ground.

Rarity sighed and grabbed a sheath of red fabric with her magic, pulling it towards her easily. "Well, this will make working today interesting, but at least he didn't get rid of my sewing machine," she said with a smirk. She lifted the empty plastic jar and fake snake, handing them back to Fluttershy.

"Here you are, darling. I'm sorry I couldn't help more. He caught me by surprise when that snake leapt out at me. I hope the rest of your day goes better."

Fluttershy hugged her. "It's fine, Rarity. I appreciate that you helped me, even though you don't really like pranking." She trotted towards the door, waving. "Have a nice day!"

Rarity waved back. Fluttershy waited for the door to close behind her, and then took off running towards Sugarcube Corner.

She opened the door to Sugar Cube Corner, hiding behind her mane and sneaking into a booth once she realized Discord was standing at the front counter, pointing at his paw as he spoke with Pinkie.

"...and that's why your joy buzzer didn't work on me," he said. "Honestly, you'd think more creatures would wear rubber gloves that looked exactly their forelimbs on a day like Prank Day."

Pinkie smiled. "I've never thought about that. I'm really glad you're getting into the spirit of the holiday, Discord!"

"I am the spirit of this holiday. It was practically tailor-made for me." A patchwork cloak appeared on his body, and he leaned on the counter, propping his chin in his hands. "Now, Pinkie, for my order, I'd like all of the cakes."

Pinkie froze behind the counter, her eyelid twitching slightly. Discord chuckled. "Okay, maybe that's too far. I only want about five."

Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Which cakes do you want?"

"Oh, it's not anything on your menu, but I have full confidence you can make all of them." He opened his patchwork coat and pulled out five sheets of paper, a covered basket, and five photos. "Here's the recipes, what the cakes should look like, and the ingredients to make them. I'd do it myself, but you're a much better baker."

Pinkie leafed through the papers. "Discord, these cakes could take us all day to make!"

"I don't need them now," he said. "I'll swing by to pick them up around 5:30. And you can get them all finished. Break the laws of physics if you have to."

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth and whistled, and Cheese rushed out from the back. She handed him the items, and he hurried back into the kitchen. "If this is your prank, it's a little too complex too be very funny," she said. "Sometimes a simple scare or joke pays off more."

He shrugged. "Oh, that's not my prank." He hissed and lunged forward, and Fluttershy could tell he was distorting his face in some way. Pinkie jumped, but then laughed, as did Discord. "Glad to know you approve. But if someone ever wanted to prank me, they'd need to concoct something big."

He and Pinkie chatted about pranking for a few more minutes, before he waved goodbye and strolled out the door. The whole time, Fluttershy was keeping one eye on them, while rifling through her saddlebags with one hoof. Didn't Rainbow say all of these were simple classics? How can any of these work on him?

As soon as Discord was gone, Pinkie waved at her. "Hi Fluttershy! Did you need something?"

Fluttershy slunk out of the booth and approached the counter. "Well, I was hoping to get some help pranking Discord, but...he's already gone."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean to can't still prank him!" Pinkie said. She lifted an inflated balloon from behind the counter. "For just a few extra bits, we're baking these into cakes. Whenever someone tries to cut it...POP!"

Fluttershy jumped a little, then asked, "Can...can you do that with one of his cakes?" Pinkie nodded.

"Absotivly! I'll just put it in the...lemon zest raspberry frosted one, okay?" Fluttershy nodded and handed her the bits. "Thank you very much! Have a happy and safe Prank Day!"

Fluttershy said goodbye and walked out the door, planning on enjoying a nice stroll to the sanctuary. As she walked away, though, she saw Discord spreading a picnic blanket on a nearby hill, before pulling a picnic basket—the one she'd given him—out of thin air.

She crept a little closer, ducking behind a bush as she watched in anticipation. He just has to open it. He just has to open it, she thought. How can it fail?

Discord picked up the basket, unlatched the lid...then turned it upside down, shaking the pie onto the blanket. It flipped itself upright just before hitting the ground, and he tossed the basket over his shoulder before he could even see the spring.

He summoned up a spoon and began to dig into the pie. Fluttershy just sighed, her ears drooping, and continued slowly walking to the sanctuary.

After eating a lunch packed by Discord she found waiting for her, she got to working in the sanctuary. She spent the rest of the afternoon there, speaking with the animals, cleaning up some of their 'pranks' on each other, and mending some hurt feelings behind them.

Every so often, she would take a break and look through her saddlebags. Each item she saw, she put away, figuring each was too simple to use against Discord. After thinking, though, she placed a small squirt flower on the outside of her saddlebags. I doubt he'll try to sniff it, or even get close enough, but it's worth a shot, she thought. Besides, it's kind of pretty.

As the sun began to set, she sighed and walked towards a nearby portal. Hopefully Pinkie's balloon-in-cake trick works.

The portal took her right to the front door, which opened itself for her. A stream of confetti rained from above as she stepped inside, walls of flowers surrounding her. She couldn't help but smile, walking in and looking around for Discord.

He was standing at a nearby table, arranging five delicious-looking cakes. He turned to face her, throwing the pink apron he had been wearing off to the side. "Fluttershy, darling!" he said, flying over to her and kissing her hoof. "Is it sunset already? I wasn't quite ready for you yet."

She giggled. "The confetti, flowers, and cakes weren't enough?"

"I didn't even have time to train some butterflies to write your name in cursive," he said. "And can you believe that most of the flower stands I went wouldn't let me get more than ten bouquets? One wouldn't even let me get five." He crossed his arms and snorted. "Honestly, it's like they don't want to contribute to me greeting the best pony ever."

She giggled. "Well, I think everything looks lovely. Is this because of Prank Day?"

"Sort of. I'm just very happy with how today went, and I want to share some of that with my sweet wife." He kissed her cheek. "Can't have you feeling left out!"

He draped an arm over her shoulder and guided her to the table. "Now, I know we almost had cake for breakfast, but how does cake for dinner sound? At the very least, we can eat dessert first." He winked and flashed to the other side of the table, spreading his arms as he presented the selection.

"Where to start? We have red velvet cake with Fillydelphia cream cheese frosting, orange sherbet ice cream cake, lemon zest cake with raspberry frosting, chocolate-covered mint cake, and vanilla cake with blue frosting and blueberries in the shape of my dazzling smile." He licked his lips, then shook his head. "Don't worry, Pinkie was the one to bake these, not me. Take your pick!"

She licked her lips, looking at the selection. They all looked so good, she was having a hard time choosing. She then remembered that one of the cakes had a balloon inside. "I'd like some of the lemon cake, please," she said.

He nodded, a knife and plate appearing in his hands. "Starting from the middle? I approve." She bit her lip, shaking a little in anticipation as he cut a slice out of the cake...and nothing happened.

Her ears flattened as he placed the slice of cake on her plate. "But...that was..." she said quietly.

"Oh yeah, Pinkie was acting suspicious when I picked up the cakes. So I used a little x-ray vision, and what do you know? Balloon inside a cake!" He pulled said balloon out from behind his back, and her ears flattened even more. His eyes widened. "Wait...were you in on this, too?"

She nodded. "And Rainbow's applesauce cloud...and Rarity's snake in a jar," she said. "I just wanted to join in with you today by pranking you...I even used a dribble glass and pie on a spring I borrowed from Rainbow."

Discord's eyes widened, and she could see the memories of her failed pranks flashing in his pupils. "You were trying to prank me all morning...so we could share the holiday together?"

She nodded, hiding behind her mane. "Yes...but I couldn't do any of it right."

He shook his head. "Oh, no no no, Fluttershy! Your pranks definitely would have worked on someone who wasn't me!" He groaned and smacked his paw against his face. "Saying that didn't help, did it?"

She shook her head. "I guess...pranks aren't a way we can be together," she said quietly.

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Fluttershy, it doesn't matter whether you're amazing or terrible at pranking creatures! Because no matter what, you are Fluttershy, and I love you for th—" He was cut off by a quick spray of water. He looked down to see she had stuck a hoof into her saddlebag...just behind a dripping fake flower.

"G-gotcha," she said, blushing as a bit of water dripped down his nose.

Everything was quiet for a few seconds. Then, Discord began to laugh, his shoulders shaking. He placed his forehead on her shoulder, and said, "You...you're the only creature who managed to get me today! By catching me off guard with one of the simplest tricks in the book!" He laughed. "I haven't been tricked like that in eons!"

She smiled, then started to laugh too. She wrapped a foreleg around his upper back, holding him close as she laid her chin on his shoulder and laughed. They laughed for awhile, leaning against each other, until they both pulled away, panting.

"Looks like I can't called myself an undefeated prankster anymore," he said with a snicker. "And my wife of all ponies is the one to remove that title from me!"

She giggled. "I've never pulled a prank before. It's actually...kind of fun."

He smiled. "Well, that's your first baby step. Maybe next year, I'll let you tag along with me and I can show you some really great pranks."

She smiled. "I'd like that." She kissed his cheek, making him sigh softly, leaning a little closer to her.

He draped an arm over her shoulders. "Now, why don't we dig in? These delicious confections aren't going to eat themselves!" He placed the slice of cake he had already cut into the hooves, a spork appearing embedded in it.

He cut himself a slice of the same cake and plopped down on the couch. Fluttershy sat next to him and curled close, leaning against his side. As she took a bite of cake, she glanced out the window and saw there were fireworks going off just outside their house.

"Happy Prank Day," Discord said, holding a glass of fizzing chocolate milk to her in a toast.

She tapped the glass that was suddenly in her hoof against his. "Happy Prank Day, Discord. May next year be even better."

"Oh yeah. Because next year, I can just pin everything on you," he said with a smirk. She snorted with laughter, poking him in the ribs. He cackled, and they leaned against each other, laughing and watching the fireworks.

Boopin' Good Time

Fluttershy booped Discord's nose. His nose twitched. He crossed his eyes, looking at the tip of her hoof, before looking back up at her and tilting his head in confusion.

She blushed, pulling her hoof away. "S-sorry," she said. "I just thought...sometimes, the cats in the sanctuary like it when I do that."

He blinked, frowning slightly. "I'm not a cat," he huffed, turning back to the hedge he was sculpting with a pout.

She smiled. "What about your lion arm?" He scoffed and waved her off. "What about the way you purr?" she continued, rubbing a hoof under his chin.

He let out a tiny purr at the contact, but pulled away, frowning and crossing his arms. "It's friendly growling," he grumbled. "And I bet a lot of other animals do it, not just cats."

"Or that time I brought catnip home, just to have some extra in stock, and you—"

He placed a finger to her lips, his ears turning a bright red. "Okay, okay! I might be...somewhat like a cat," he grumbled. He pulled away, crossing his arms as his neck turned a slight shade of pink. "Why'd you even bring this up, anyway?"

She blushed, scuffing at the ground with a hoof. "Well...I just saw you working, and thought about how you like to cuddle sometimes...most times," she corrected as he raised an eyebrow. "And then I thought about some of the stray cats who've been coming near the sanctuary lately, and how they sometimes like cuddles...and then I thought about booping them, and, well..."

"You flew up and tapped me on the nose," he finished, booping her nose lightly for emphasis. She giggled, sticking her tongue out at him. She booped him on the nose again.

His nose twitched, and she could see a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. "You do like this, don't you!" she said, booping his nose again.

He pulled away, covering his nose with a hand, laughing. "O-of course not!" he said. "I think you were more affected than I!" He booped her nose again.

She giggled, sticking out her tongue. "That tickles!" she protested. He just smirked and booped her again. She giggled, pulling away slightly.

He smiled, coiling his body around her, index fingers aimed at her muzzle. "D-Discord," she whispered, shivering as she saw the gleam in his eyes. "Weren't you making hedge sculptures?"

He grabbed the hedge trimmers with his tail and glanced between them and her, a smirk on his face. "Oh, it can wait," he said, tossing them off and into the thick foliage.

He booped her nose. She giggled.

Again. She stuck her tongue out.

After the fifth boop, she began to wriggle in his grasp. His coils slowly loosened around her, until he was lightly draped over her shoulders, and she had freed her front hooves.

With narrowed eyes, she quickly booped his nose just as he was moving in for boop number six. He froze as she made contact, eyes widening and nose twitching.

She pulled away, only to immediately boop him with her other hoof. This time, he chuckled a little. She continued booping him, his smile growing wider as his chuckles grew louder.

Sometime after she lost count, he quickly pulled away and shook his head. "Why must you use my weakness against me?" he growled, covering his nose with his claw.

She tilted her head. "I'm sorry...is your nose sensitive? I didn't know..."

"Oh, no, that's not my weakness," he said simply. She blinked in confusion. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, he planted a tiny kiss on her nose. "It's you," he muttered, the red tint appeared on his ears and cheeks again.

She flushed a bright pink, then hid her face in his fur with a squeak. She wrapped her front hooves around his neck, so she could more easily bury her face into his chest.

"Aw, don't be like that," he whispered in her ear, patting her head. "I thought you already knew that, my dear. My love for you has made me terribly soft and mushy."

She mumbled, "It's still...embarrassing."

"You're not the one who said it, are you?" A pause, as he gently ran his fingers through her mane. "Sweetheart...will you please stop hiding?" Another pause. "I can still feel how warm your face is, you know. You're not fooling anypony."

Her blush grew brighter, finally crawling up to her ears. She lifted her head slightly, just to peer up at him. He gave her a toothy grin, lightly kissing her forehead, which was just barely peeled away from his fur.

With a sigh and soft smile, she pulled her face away from his chest, and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek—

Only for her nose to run right into Discord's finger, his lion arm floating in the air, detached from his arm.

She giggled and stuck out her tongue. He chuckled.

She pulled away, covering her nose with a hoof. "You tricked me!" she said, a hint of a laugh in her voice. He smirked, and his tail twisted around her body and under her hoof, booping her again.

With a huff, she reached out to boop him. He yelped and bent over backward, just barely dodging her hoof as it soared above his head.

Unfortunately, she lost her balance, and with a yelp, she fell forward, on top of Discord.

They both landed in a heap on the teal grass. The air rushed out of Discord's lungs, and he groaned as he let his head fall back against the ground. Fluttershy was blushing, lying on his torso. "I'm so sorry, Discord! I didn't mean to knock you over..."

He sighed and patted her head. "It's fine, my dear Fluttershy," he said. "You're not hurt, are you?" She shook her head, and he smiled softly. "That's good."

He stroked at her mane, and she slowly relaxed, letting her head rest comfortably underneath his chin. "Discord?" she said quietly. He grunted, twisting her mane around his fingers. "Did you like the...the boop?" She could feel her cheeks grow warm.

He paused, fingers freezing in place on her scalp. She could hear him muttering to himself, though it wasn't loud enough for her to make out what he was muttering.

With a soft sigh, he finally said, "I enjoyed it. Even the first one. I just...wasn't sure if it would be weird to like it."

She smiled. "Discord, don't you know that I love that sort of thing about you?" He grunted, and she could see his ears turning a light pink.

"Besides, I liked it, too," she said. Planting her hooves, she sat up slightly. She reached forward and booped his nose.

He stuck his tongue out at her and giggled.

Sugar High

Fluttershy took a sip of tea, turning another page of her book. Discord had been invited to the treat-tasting party by Pinkie and Cheese and had eagerly left after lunch. While Chaosville was very rarely ever completely silent or still, it tended to calm down whenever Discord wasn't around.

She took another sip of her tea. While she preferred reading while cuddled next to her husband, she had learned to not read any romance novels next to him. Inevitably, he would read over her shoulder and start snickering at something, which inevitably led to her bopping him on the nose with the book's spine and having to switch to another book.

With him gone, she could finally read the romance novel she had been meaning to finish months ago. The story of a pirate captain and his noble damsel...and she could still hear Discord snickering at the back of her kind, pointing out how cheesy the dialogue was. She giggled a little, then groaned and placed a hoof against her face.

Why does his stupid cute laugh haunt me when I'm trying to enjoy myself? she thought with a sigh, slowly closing the book. Next time I read it, I'm not going to think about Discord.

She glanced at the clock. Discord was a few minutes late, but she told herself that didn't mean anything, except that he was enjoying the party. He regularly fell behind schedules, at least whenever they had any sort of schedule.

As she was thinking this, the front door was flung open with great force, slamming against the wall. "I'm home!" Discord shouted. "Where's my sweet darling wifey?"

She waved a hoof from her seat. "I'm right here, Discord." His head snapped towards her, his eyes slowly focusing in on her, his face lighting up as a wide grin spread on his face.

"Fluttershy!" he squealed, rushing towards her. Before she could blink, he had wrapped his arms around her and was crushing her against his chest, burying his muzzle in her mane. "I missed yoooouuuu," he moaned, nuzzling the top of her head.

"It's only been a few hours," she said, stroking his mane. "Did something happen at the party?"

"Yes. Everything was delicious," he said, "That's what happened. They had cakes and cupcakes and truffles and cookies..." She heard him lick his lips. She adjusted her head to press her ear against his chest. It was beating rapidly, like it was the drummer of a rock show and his ribs were its drum set.

She pulled away and lifted her head, looking him in the eyes. He was visibly shaking. "Discord, are you okay?" she asked, lifting a hoof to the side of his face.

"Okay? I'm more than okay!" he chirped. "I feel great!" He cupped her cheeks with his hands and began to pepper her face with kisses.

She whined and recoiled a little. His mouth—his whole muzzle, really—was covered in something sticky, along with a multitude of crumbs. And each kiss left unpleasant sticky residue in her coat.

After a few seconds of bathing her in a shower of kisses, his lips finally pressed against hers. For the few seconds he remained there, moving his mouth against hers, she tasted a number of candies. Marshmallow, caramel, and chocolate were all she could identify before he pulled away and pressed her close to his chest again.

She sighed. "You're in the middle of a sugar high, aren't you?"

"Maaaaybe," he said, nuzzling against her cheek. "I love you."

She patted the top of his head. "I love you, too. Now, how about we go to our bedroom and lie down quietly so you can sleep this off?" She took his paw and was about to lead him away, but he squirmed out of her hold.

"Nooo!" he moaned. "I want to go explore! I'm going to go find the best flowers in Chaosville and bring them here!" He dropped her and jumped onto his feet. "I must make the best declaration of love for the best pony!"

She bit her lip as he started striding towards the door. If he keeps flipping back and forth between ideas like this, what if he wanders off and gets lost? What if something hurts him while he's distracted? What if he tries to pick the carnivorous flowers? She rushed forward and grabbed onto his paw.

"Actually, I just remembered I need help with something. Something only my brave, handsome, and sometimes-reasonable husband can take care of," she said.

He dropped to his knees, lopping one of his arms over her shoulder. "Oh? What is it?"

She gulped. "Well...in the sanctuary, there's a...creature! Yes, a strange creature that isn't one of the ones I care for. And it's been...stealing food! So I need you to search the sanctuary and catch it."

He nodded and stood up, quickly saluting her before turning on his heel. "Oh, and you can't use any magic near it!" she shouted after him. "It can sense it, and that will only scare it into hiding. And you don't need to search anywhere else for it if you don't see it. Don't leave the sanctuary."

He nodded and ran to the edge of the island, swan-diving into a portal. Fluttershy rushed down the hallway, searching for a mirror. When she found one, she asked it, "Can you show me Discord, please?"

Her reflection glanced away. "I'm sorry, I'm not that kind of mirror. I think there's one in the Cloud Lounge that can help you." Fluttershy nodded, thanked it, and began looking for the Cloud Lounge. The room wasn't difficult to find, as the door was made out of cloud.

She hurried into the room, which was entirely made of cloud, including the furniture. The only parts not made from clouds were the window (which showed a sunny blue sky with puffy clouds) and a large mirror on the wall.

"Can you show me Discord, please?" she asked her reflection. It nodded at her, and the inside of the mirror seemed to be covered in steam, before clearing and showing a blurry image of the sanctuary, where Discord was rushing back and forth.

She sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "Hopefully he doesn't do anything foolish," she said to herself. She watched as he dove into a small lake, looking underwater. She sighed. "Anything too foolish, at least."

For the next hour or so, she watched him dash back and forth through the sanctuary. At first, he moved in a blur, only slowing down to investigate nooks and crannies. As time went by, though, he started moving at a slower pace, and his searching became more methodical and careful, as opposed to sticking his head into random areas to look around.

Since he was acting less recklessly now, she supposed the sugar high was starting to wear off. She left the lounge and went into the kitchen, where she pulled out a blender-like device with "JUICER" written on the neon green base in dark blue letters.

She found a cupboard full of small portals, each with different shimmering pictures of fruits. She started reaching into the portals, grabbing apples, blueberries, and strawberries. She threw them into the device and pressed the large red button.

The inside started to glow brightly. She ducked just as things started flying out the top: apple cores, tiny seeds, and strawberry leaves. The glowing slowly died down after the throwing finished, and a purplish liquid was inside. She grabbed a glass, filled it with the liquid, and flew out of the house and through one of the sanctuary portals.

She spotted Discord wandering around the perimeter of the fish pond and flew over to his side. "Have you calmed down?" she asked, hovering just out of his arm's reach. He glanced at her before staring down at his feet and sheepishly nodding.

"The hunt was fake, wasn't it? And you sent me on it because I was acting...like I was, right?" he said.

She nodded. "Only because I was worried you'd get in trouble trying to do something reckless, bouncing off of ideas like that." She glanced around. "All of the animals here have learned not to bother you if you act strange or aloof. And you were acting...fairly strange."

She handed him the glass of juice. "I kept an eye on you in one of the mirrors. Just in case," she said, rubbing her front hooves together. "I'm sorry I tricked you like this."

He waved it off. "Oh, you did it for my own good. Besides, until I realized it was probably fake, I was happy to be doing something for you." He raised the glass to his lips, then stopped and eyed it warily.

"It's sugar-free," she told him. "I made it with the juicer." He looked relieved and took a small sip. Then a large gulp. Then he began to chug down the rest of the glass.

"There's more at home," she told him. "And I think you should drink some water with it, then rest for a little bit." She flew under his lion arm, wrapping a foreleg behind his back.

He finished his drink and nodded. "You're right. It seems after every large sugar high, there's a large crash!" He chuckled a little, and she smiled up at him.

His legs suddenly slumped under him, and she had to quickly beat her wings in order to hold him up. "Aaaand there it is," he moaned. The glass slipped out of his talons and fell to the ground.

She grunted. "Discord, can you please snap us back home? Into the bedroom?" He sluggishly nodded and raised his eagle claw, managing to snap them once before his arm slumped back down his side.

They appeared in their bedroom, actually standing on the bed. Carefully, she slowly lowered the upper half of his body until he was flat on the bed. She adjusted his head and neck so they were actually on a pillow, and pulled the covers up to his chin.

"I'll go get you some more juice and water, okay?" she told him, stroking his mane. "I'll be back in a minute." She kissed his forehead, which caused a smile to stretch on his face. She pulled away and flew out the door.

Just a few minutes later, she flew back in, holding a glass of juice in one hoof and a cup of ice water in the other. Discord's eyes were closed, and his breathing was deep. She silently placed the cups on the nightstand, and one of his eyes slowly peered open. "Flutters?" he groaned.

She shushed him, stroking his mane. "Did I wake you?"

"Noooo," he groaned. "Wasn't sleep." His paw wriggled out from under the covers, flopping onto the pillow to point at the glasses. "Juice?"

She grabbed the juice glass, using her other hoof to help him sit up. He slowly grasped it in both hands, and she helped him lift it to his mouth a slowly drink it. Once he had emptied it, she set the glass to the side and grabbed the water. "Drink this too, please," she said, placing it in his hands.

He drank it just as greedily, with a little help from her. Once he was done, she stroked his cheek gently before pushing down on his shoulders, encouraging him to slide back into a lying position. She pulled the covers back up to his chin and stroked his mane, kissing him on the forehead.

"I'll be back in just a minute," she told him. He whined, and she kissed his forehead again. "One minute." She went into their bathroom and turned on the sink faucet, scrubbing at her face with warm water. After patting herself dry with a towel, she grabbed a washcloth, soaked it in water, and went back to Discord.

She carefully rubbed at his muzzle, trying to remove all of the sticky residues. He whined and shifted, but didn't push her away. After a few seconds, he was clean, and she gave him a small kiss on the lips. She tossed the washcloth back into the bathroom and stroked his mane. He sighed and rolled over, leaning into her touch.

"Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?" she whispered. He eagerly nodded, and she giggled. "Alright." She moved to her side of the bed and lay down next to him, letting her head rest on top of his shoulder.

"Sleep well, Discord," she said, still stroking his mane. She watched as his eyes slowly fluttered closed, his breathing becoming heavier. She didn't pull away from him until she was certain he was fast asleep.

Crazy Critters

Fluttershy was writing on a piece of cardboard with a black marker. She held the cardboard away from her, judging her writing. With a nod, she capped her marker and carried her sign outside, flying to one of the smaller floating islands surrounding their house.

She set the sign in front of her, taking a seat on the grass while she tried to find a way to prop up the cardboard. A bright light flashed in front of her, and Discord appeared. "Free Hugs and Talking About How You Feel," he read. Glancing up at her, he said dryly, "I don't think you'll get very many ponies to come by here."

"I know," she said. "I thought I'd see if any of the creatures wanted some attention. I want to make sure they're getting everything they need."

He hummed. "Well, the sign would be a good idea...except most of them don't read Ponish." He put a hand to his chin and muttered, "Actually, I think there's a lot who don't even have eyes..."

"Oh," she said quietly, looking down at the sign she hadn't even figured out how to prop up.

"Which is why you need a new approach!" he declared. He snapped his fingers, creating a cardboard fold on the back of the sign, as well as a large light switch that was in the "off" position. "Just flip that switch, and it'll send a mild telepathic signal telling creatures there's somepony here that'd like to know how they're feeling."

She smiled, flicking the switch. "Thank you, Discord." He smiled and leaned in, his eyes gleaming. "...You want a hug, don't you?" she said with a playful shake of her head. His grin widened as he nodded.

She smiled and wrapped her hooves around his neck, squeezing tightly. "Is this good?" she murmured in his ear. He sighed and leaned his head on top of hers, burying his muzzle into her mane. She giggled, nuzzling against his neck.

Suddenly, Discord fell away from her with a yelp. She gasped, hooves flying to her mouth and about to follow him, but a book flew in front of her with paper wings, silently bearing its fangs at the fallen draconequus.

"Discord? Are you okay?" she cried. He swiftly got back onto his feet and dusted himself off. The book continued bearing its fangs and waved some of its spindly legs at him.

"I'm fine, dear. Just caught me by surprise is all," he assured her. "It looks like you've received your second customer of the day."

She nodded and slowly reached out towards the book. "It's alright," she whispered. "Discord's not going to hurt you." The book glared at the draconequus, ruffling its pages, before flying into her hooves and folding up its wings.

"Oh, so it's affectionate with you, and not the person who made it?" Discord snorted, draping a hand onto her shoulder. The book glared at him and lunged towards his hand with its sharp fangs. He managed to pull away in time, holding his hand to his chest.

"No!" Fluttershy admonished the book. "We do not bite creatures, understand?" The book ruffled its page, cuddling into her chest. "You need to apologize to Discord."

For a second, the book did nothing. She sighed and let go of it, giving it a small nudge in Discord's direction as it hovered in the air. Slowly it fluttered over to him, then extended its spindly arms downward, it's whole body drooping.

"Apology accepted," he said, reaching towards it. She quickly waved her hooves at him, shaking her head and mouthing, Ask first! "May I touch you?" he asked, paw frozen in the air.

The book hesitated, but slowly nodded. Discord stroked its spine gently, and the book's eyes drifted closed. Slowly, and with some silent encouragement from Fluttershy, he stepped closer, until he could cradle the book in his arms. He did so carefully, watching the book warily, but it didn't react, aside from a few tiny flinches.

"There," she said, fluttering over to stroke the book's spine. "See? Discord is a friend." The book ruffled its pages, its mouth-like slit curling into a smile as it snuggled into Discord's fur, draping a few spindly legs over his arms.

Discord scratched at its spine. "Consider yourself lucky. That spot is reserved for only my favorite pony." Fluttershy blushed, though she tried to shake it off. The book's mouth opened in a silent laugh.

"Are you fairly happy with your life, Mr. Book, or it there something you think would make you happier?" she asked. The book tapped below its mouth with a leg, eyes narrowing. It spread its wings out, giving them a soft flap.

"You like to fly?" she translated. It gave her a gesture similar to a nod, bobbing its spine up and down. It used its legs to crawl out of Discord's hold and hang upside-down from his forearm. "And you like to hang from perches." The book nodded again.

It flew up, hovering between the two of them. It gestured to all the empty space around it, then pointed at itself with a leg, holding another straight into the air while the rest of it drooped limply. "...But you're the only one here who likes those things," she said quietly. It slowly nodded.

Discord sighed. "I could make more living books, but...chaos doesn't like repeating itself. Most other flying books I've made don't have legs or fangs, for example." The book's altitude lowered, its wingbeats slowing.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But I'm sure you have a plan already," he said to her. "You've got so many critters here. Say the word, and I'll take us right to wherever you think is best."

"Let's try the bat sanctuary," she said, offering a foreleg to the book. As it hung from her arm, the three of them were teleported to another floating island with two shimmering blue portals right next to it, and where the sky was much darker.

The island held the opening to a dark cave, with a grove of various fruit trees in the area where they were standing. Said fruit trees had immature fruits slowly growing in places, with multiple types on each tree. One portal opened to a section of the animal sanctuary with similar trees, complete with some bowls filled with fruit, while the other opened to a section of an apple orchard.

The air was heavy with many species of bats, all flying about and either grabbing fruits to suck dry, or snatching tiny, flying specks out of the air. Others were perched in the cave or tree branches, keeping their wings wrapped around their bodies. The book slowly let go of Fluttershy's hoof, flying up to a swarm of the bats. The animals didn't seem to mind as it joined in with their swooping and gliding. It flew back over to Fluttershy and Discord, giving them quick hugs around the neck before flying back up to its new friends.

They waved goodbye as Discord snapped his fingers, teleporting them back to her sign. "I'd say that was a satisfied customer," he declared. "Do you need me for anything else? Some creatures might not want to come near if I'm around."

She smiled. "I might need your help with some things. But if you don't feel comfortable staying..."

He stroked at his beard before his eyes suddenly lit up. He snapped his fingers, and two bags and a silver bell appeared behind her sign. "There's a bag with infinite food, a bag with grooming materials, and a bell to call me if you need me." A withered top hat appeared on his head, which he tipped at her. "I'll see you later, my dear! Good luck!"

And with that, he disappeared with a puff of blue smoke. She smiled and set down, waiting for the next creature to arrive.

The morning seemed to past by quickly, as a steady stream of strange creatures arrived to be hugged and explain their problems. She met one of the carnivorous flowers from Discord's garden, whose only desire was to receive a hug and try something it'd heard about called "photosynthesis". She'd pointed him in the direction of a nearby blue portal streaming sunlight down on a floating patch of soil.

Her next visitor was a flying shark, who was happy to have his wings preened and to get directions to the closest body of saltwater. She had pointed upwards, where a shimmering blue ball was in the distance, and waved as it flew away.

Many other creatures came by, just looking for a little affection. A swarm of eyeballs with wings, a tamed yeti, a large cat-like creature with bright yellow eyes and too many legs...so many colorful, crazy creatures passed by.

Discord appeared behind her as she was waving goodbye to a large fruitbat with pegasus wings. "I figured you could use some refreshment," he said, holding out a tray with a tall glass of lemonade. She smiled as he handed it to her, taking a large swig.

"How's business?" he asked, creating two lawn chairs side by side. She took a seat, sipping at her drink.

"Everything's been going well," she said. "Most creatures are pretty content, and just want a little affection, or a chance to talk with someone. And the ones who need more than a hug are easy enough to direct." She told him about the shark and the flower.

He sighed, stroking at his beard. "I should try and introduce photosynthesis to the others in the garden. It might help them—what's the term—'mellow out'." She nodded.

Suddenly, a pink tendril wrapped itself around Discord's torso, pulling him out of his chair and towards the edge of the island!

He yelped, digging his fingers into the ground before he could be pulled off of the edge. She gasped and flew over, trying to pull the tendril off of him. As she pulled at it, she realized whatever it was made of snapped away easily, before flying back into place. It felt similar to...hair?

More tendrils slammed down near her. Slowly, they pulled themselves upward, and a large figure looked over the edge of the island. With a soft thud, the monster from her own mane landed, glaring at her and Discord, a deep rumbling sound coming from it.

"Excuse me," she said quietly. "Could you please let my husband go?" The mane monster lifted Discord up and glanced between the two of them. It tossed him to the ground with a grunt.

He was immediately on his feet in front of her, using his tail to keep her behind him. His claws were unsheathed, his fangs bared. "What are you here for?" he growled.

It grunted, and jabbed at the sign with a tendril. She lightly pushed his tail aside. "...You want a hug?" The mane monster nodded quickly. "Alright."

She took a few steps towards it, but stopped when Discord grabbed her shoulders. "Fluttershy, what if—" She patted his paw reassuringly.

"Discord, I've hugged a flying shark, a yeti, and a carnivorous plant today. It'll be fine." He frowned, his hold only loosening slightly. "Besides, you're here to help if something does go wrong."

He sighed and let his hands drop limply from her shoulders, stepping out of her way. She approached the mane monster, stretching her hooves towards it when she was close enough. It grabbed her with several tendrils, pressing her to its large central mass. She pressed her hooves against it as it wrapped more tendrils around her, nuzzling against her face and clinging to the ends of her mane.

The sensation was somewhat enjoyable. The mane was mostly soft, and the only thing she could compare to the experience would be lying on a vertical bed. The only unpleasant part was that twigs or rocks, stuck in the twisting mane, would poke her in the side. After a minute or so, the mane monster seemed to have had enough, and slowly detached itself from her.

It gave her a quick nuzzle, making a rumbling, purring sound. It shifted around, turning to leave. "Wait!" she called, making it and Discord not at her in surprise. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

The mane monster paused, then extended a larger tendril to her. It was filled with twigs and rocks, and stained with mud. "I'm very sorry about that," she said. "Would you like me to clean it for you?"

It shook its head quickly, pointing a tendril at itself. "You want to clean it yourself?" It nodded.

She glanced over at Discord. "Sweetie, could you make something for me?" She flew over and whispered in his ear, describing her plan. He slowly nodded, grinning, and snapped his fingers.

The space in front of them shifted aside like a shower curtain. On the other side was a large tiled bathroom, with a pool-sized bathtub, surrounded by large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and mane gel. Hanging on the wall were various brushes, combs, curlers, and straighteners, and off to the side was a pile of fluffy patterned towels.

"Behold! Your own, personal spa!" he declared. "Separated from other parts of the dimension, so no creature will probably bother you!"

He held out a plastic shower ring. "Oh, you'll need this. You can open this space up wherever you want, and when you exit, you'll end up right where you left!" The monster slowly placed the ring on one of its tendrils, entered the bathroom, and closed the fabric of reality behind it.

Fluttershy smiled and wrapped her forehooves around his neck. "Thank you, Discord. That was sweet of you."

He ruffled her mane. "You're the sweet one. It was your idea, after all. Why didn't you tell it that?"

She nuzzled his neck. "Well, I know you haven't had many good interactions in the past. I thought it'd be good for you to start again on the right hoof."

He nuzzled her back. "I hate to say this, but...I think the sign needs to come down for a bit." He grabbed her under her forehooves and held her up, looking at her stomach. She glanced down, and blushed when she realized she was covered in mud and hair...and she had gotten some on Discord.

He reached over and flicked the switch on the sign into the off position, wrapping his tail around it. "Let's get you cleaned up," he cooed, holding her bridal style in his arms as he kicked off of the ground.

"You're covered in mud, too," she whispered, a blush still on her cheeks.

"Well then, if you want to get back to helping creatures, we'll just have to save time and bathe together!" She squeaked and covered her red face with her front hooves, while he laughed and nuzzled behind her ear.

I'm Not Fluffy!

"Oh, I can't wait to see the butterfly exhibition!" Fluttershy said, practically prancing down Ponyville's street. "What do you think they'll have? Monarchs? Painted Ladies?"

Discord, floating along behind her, snapped his fingers. In a flash of light, his mane had lengthened to his shoulders, he was wearing a white dress with random splashes of color, and his face and arms were colored with paint. "Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" he said, flashing out of his ensemble.

She giggled and nuzzled his cheek, before prancing ahead. "Oh, this is so exciting! I still can't believe that the Equestrian Society for Insect Preservation is bringing their traveling butterfly exhibit to Ponyville for the day!"

He chuckled. "Oh, yes. Quite a shock that they decided to visit the place High Princess Twilight and Princess Fluttershy, lover of all animals, used to live and where the other Princesses live. I can't imagine what made them choose this town to stop in."

Fluttershy blushed. "Y-you know what I mean. I'm just so excited that they're here!"

"Yes, I know. I just love teasing you," he said, poking her cheek. She giggled. Discord's ears perked up at the sound...and picked up something else—the soft but fast wingbeats of a pegasus.

One of his eyes rolled back into his skull, the pupil glowing a bright red. Through his skull and a tint of green, he saw a familiar pegasus with a short mane flying just behind them, pushing a cloud in front of her. It stood out quite a bit on a clear, sunny day, the wonderful weather the reason why they had decided to walk through town. She was biting her lip, probably concentrating on being stealthy while keeping up with them.

He plugged his nose and exhaled, and his eyeball slid back into a normal position with a pop. "Rainbow Dash is following us," he whispered to Fluttershy. Her eyes widened, and she almost turned around. "No, don't look. She shouldn't know that I've spotted her yet."

"Why can't we say hello?" Fluttershy said quietly, moving forwards as Discord kept floating along.

"Because she's trying to be sneaky, and bringing a cloud with her," Discord whispered. "She's probably trying to get revenge on me for what happened last week."

"Prank Day? But she didn't seem mad at you..."

"No, but that doesn't change that I pranked her, and pranksters will pull pranks for revenge, even after the funniest of pranks," he said. "Just act normal, keep walking to the exhibit. But when I give the signal, dodge to the right. I'll go left."

"O-okay," Fluttershy said, continuing to walk along. She and Discord continued down the road, while Discord rolled his eye back into his skull again, watching Rainbow closely.

Rainbow approached them, pushing the cloud until it was practically above him. Just a few feet away, she shoved it forward with her hooves so that it was right above them, then wheeled around and bucked it with her back hooves.

"Now!" Discord said, springing away from where he was standing. Fluttershy quickly did the same, almost tripping over her hooves. A second later, a purple liquid began to rain from Rainbow's cloud where he had just been standing.

"Hah!" he yelled, pointing up at Rainbow. "You're going to have to be sneakier than that to—"

"SUPRISE ATTACK!"

Pinkie leapt from the bushes right behind him, splashing some kind of liquid onto his back. "Ugh!" he shouted, shivering and shaking his fur. Pinkie leapt backward, but all of the liquid seemed to seep into his fur instead of flying off.

Fluttershy quickly approached him, looking a little worried, while Rainbow and Pinkie were biting their lips and staring at him with wide eyes. He sighed. "Okay, what did you two just—"

Poof!

The fur on his torso, neck, and left arm suddenly puffed up to several times its normal size. "Gotcha!" Rainbow and Pinkie shouted together before they snorted, then started to laugh, collapsing against each other.

"D-discord," Fluttershy said, placing a hoof into his chest fur. "T-this is a new look for you." A hoof was against her mouth, and she was biting the corners of her mouth. "You're so...fluffy."

A bright red blush covered his cheeks. "I'm not fluffy," he whined, his lips forming into a pout. Rainbow and Pinkie laughed harder, tears starting to pour out of their eyes. Even Fluttershy seemed to be struggling to keep from laughing, tears pouring from her eyes as she made a 'pfft' sound.

Discord huffed and crossed his arms, pouting. "Oh, sure, laugh it up. Take a picture! Enjoy my utter humiliation!" He saw a pony and changeling duo staring at him, smirking. "What are you staring at!?"

They fled, snickering. Rainbow and Pinkie had collapsed into a heap on the ground, Rainbow pounding at the ground with her hoof. Fluttershy placed a hoof on his shoulder, making him turn to look at her. She was grinning widely. "I think it makes you look...cute," she said with a small giggle.

His blush grew brighter. Rainbow and Pinkie seemed to be finally calming down from their chuckling fit. "Ha ha ha," he said in a deadpan voice. He snapped his fingers, intending to smooth his fur back down. It did so—for about a second and a half before puffing back up again. He groaned and ran a talon through it, before lifting a finger up to sniff it. There was an unmistakable taint of magic, enough that his magic wouldn't be enough to fix his fur with brute force.

He thought about it for a bit, snapping his fingers a few times, to no effect. Ugh, potions, he thought, remembering that Pinkie had thrown some liquid on him. I barely know anything about potions... With a sigh, he turned to his attackers and said, "Now, do either of you ladies know when this," he gestured to his torso. "Is supposed to wear off?"

Pinkie shrugged. "I don't remember if there was a time limit on it..." Rainbow shrugged and shook her head, chuckling.

Discord glared at them, then grinned. "Well, then...!" he snapped his fingers, and Rainbow and Pinkie disappeared, replaced by large balls on fur, one cyan, one pink. "We'll all have to suffer through this together until one of us remembers a way to get rid of this effect," he said, slinging an arm around each of them.

Rainbow lifted her fuzzy hooves and looked down and them. "Gah!" she said. "What did you do!?" She frantically tried to smooth down her fur, but it refused.

"A mere fate tangling spell...in our fur," Discord explained. "As long as I remain like this, so will you."

"Agh!" Rainbow shouted. "How could you do this!? I can't let AJ see me like this!"

Pinkie was examining her reflection in a nearby shop window, making faces at herself. "Ah, c'mon Dashie!" she said. "I think we all look cute like this!" She stuck out her tongue and bounced up and down, shaking her fur back and forth.

Rainbow groaned, dragging her hooves down her face. "Okay. Okay." She took a deep breath and flew up to Discord, poking him in the nose. "Look, this was supposed to be just a simple revenge prank for what you did to us on Prank Day."

"The potion for this was something we picked up from Zecora," she said. "Go talk to her if you want to reverse the effect."

"Thank you," Discord said. "C'mon, Flutternutter. We can swing by Zecora's and fix this before the butterfly exhibition!"

Fluttershy giggled and wrapped a forehoof around his now-fluffy left arm, pressing herself against his side, her check into his fur. He waved to Rainbow and Pinkie, then snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Zecora!" Discord said as they appeared in her hut. "Rainbow and Pinkie used one of your potions on me!"

Zecora looked up from her cauldron at him. A hoof flew to her mouth, and she chuckled, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Ah, yes, the potion that increases the volume of creature’s fur. Those two bought it and ran away in a blur."

"Yeah, and they used it on me as a prank," Discord said, his cheeks turning red. "Can I just wait until this wears off? I don't understand potion magic enough to counteract it."

Zecora shook her head. "This potion does not wear off with time, I’m afraid. It is only something to be removed with aid."

"Aid, huh?" Discord said, looking down at himself. He snapped his fingers, and a buzzing electric razor appeared in his paw. "Which is worse...too much fur, or none at all?"

Fluttershy put a hoof over his paw. "Let's...not do anything drastic," she said. "There's another way, right?" she asked, looking back at Zecora.

Zecora nodded. "I know of a way to rid you of this, to right your fur that is now amiss. Only another potion, a cure, will do it, but I will need some time to brew it."

"What? I have to wait to fix this!?" Discord said, gesturing to his torso. He narrowed his eyes. "And did you just rhyme the same word?"

Fluttershy placed a hoof on his shoulder. "How soon can it be ready?" she asked.

"Return once the moon is out, and I will be done by then without a doubt," Zecora said, already browsing her shelves of herbs. "I’m sorry for not already having this boon. I did not think those two would use it so soon."

"I have to wait that long!?" he groaned. Zecora nodded solemnly. He growled and grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. I guess I can just hide away in Chaosville until then," he said, raising his fingers into a snapping position.

Fluttershy grabbed his hand. "But what about the exhibition?" she said. "I really wanted to spend time with you today...I don't want to go without you."

He sighed, letting his hand fall to his side. "Do I have to go in person?" he said. "I could just use a spell so we can talk with each other while you go to the exhibition, while I hide at home."

She shook her head, narrowing her eyes. "You know I prefer being with you in person," she said. He glared at one of the masks on Zecora's wall, and she lightly reached up to caress his cheek. "Please, Cordy?" she said. "It won't be that bad..."

He bit his tongue before he started to argue. "...Alright, fine. I'll go out like this...in public," he said, placing a hand to his forehead and leaning against the wall dramatically. He heard a snicker from Zecora, who he shot a quick glare at. "Can you just give me, say...five minutes, before we head out?"

Fluttershy nodded, and he snapped his fingers, creating a small shower with opaque walls where he was standing. The wall in front of him was a mirror, which let him see how bad his fur was. He grimaced at the site and snapped his fingers again, creating a small hourglass that hovered in front of him, a bottle of mane gel, and a comb.

As the sand poured from the top to the bottom of the glass, he poured hair gel onto his fur and brushed it in with the comb. He did this until all of his fur was slick, slimy, and smoothed down. The hourglass rattled and chimed, indicating that his time was up.

"Okay, I'm ready!" he declared, waving away the shower stall and stepping out to Fluttershy. "How is it now?"

She bit the corners of her lips. "You look very, um...shiny," she said, a small giggled coming out of her mouth.

He huffed. "Well, I think I'll get fewer strange looks like this."

Zecora looked up from her cauldron and shook her head with a chuckle. "I’m afraid that all of that gel is quite a waste. Nothing can stop the potion when with your fur it is interlaced."

"Say what now?" he said. Just as he spoke, his fur quivered...and poofed up again, flinging the gel that was in it in all directions, coating both Fluttershy and Zecora.

Zecora wiped the gel off of her face. "Have a little patience, friend. Once this cure is done, your woes will end."

"Ugh, patience," Discord said with a gag, snapping his fingers and getting rid of the hair gel. "Isn't there anything I can do to help speed things along?"

"I already have all the herbs I need," she said, lighting a fire under the cauldron. "And I fear your lack of knowledge would only impede."

He sputtered. Fluttershy wrapped a forehoof across his back, and he turned to her, pouting. She bit her lips, clearly trying not to giggle. "Discord...let's just go to the exhibition," she said. "After that, we can go to Chaosville until the cure is ready."

"Fine," he said. "But I'm taking us right there! The less creatures that see me like this, the better!" He turned to Zecora, tipping a black bowler hat to her. "See you later, wannabe poet."

With that, he slung an arm around Fluttershy and snapped his fingers. They both disappeared in a flash of light.

With a flash of light, they appeared in the clearing of the exhibition, where several creatures were milling around to look at the butterflies in nearly-transparent netted cages, talking with some of the ponies in green uniforms who were standing next to each butterfly cage.

Fluttershy gasped and began flitting around, twisting in place as she tried to take in everything at once. "Oh my goodness! Look at the monarchs! And blue morphos! And peacock butterflies!"

As she babbled on and on about how many wonderful butterfly species they had, Discord rubbed at his arm and glanced over his shoulder at a nearby group of ponies. They were staring at him, and a few of them were giggling, hooves covering their mouths. He growled, his tail shaking and making a rattling sound. His hackles stood up, and he immediately cursed them internally for making him fluffier.

"Discord?" he heard Fluttershy ask. She had stopped her flitting about and was hovering in front of him, clasping her forehooves together. "Are you okay?"

"Never better," he said, not quite finding the energy to sound cheerful. "Why?"

"You're grinding your teeth and scowling," she said. "Are you mad about your fur?" He grunted and crossed his arms. "Oh." She looked down at the ground. "We can go home, if you want. We could try to see the exhibition when it visits some other town..."

"It's fine. We're already here," he said. "I just...don't like that creatures are laughing at me. I know I'm normally a jokester, but I hate it when I'm the punchline against my will."

Fluttershy looked over at the group he had been glaring at. He glanced back and saw that they had turned away to watch the butterflies. There were still a few people here and there that he saw chuckling, though. Fluttershy giggled, and he snapped his head back in her direction, wearing a hurt expression.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But...you do look very silly." He pouted and lowered his head, his face turning bright red. She placed a hoof under his chin and lifted his head back up to look him in the eyes.

"But Discord, I don't mean to be cruel. Neither did Rainbow or Pinkie. And I'm sure no one else who's laughing is trying to be mean," she said. "But be honest...if you saw me poofed up the way you are, would you laugh?"

He closed his eyes and envisioned it—Fluttershy, her fur fluffed up the way Rainbow and Pinkie's had been. Despite himself, he let out a small chuckle.

"See?" she said. "It's funny." He opened his eyes, forcing a small grin on his face.

"I guess I do look...ridiculous," he said with a chuckle. "It's just different, not being able to...stop looking ridiculous."

She smiled, a pink blush forming on her cheeks. "I-If it helps, I think it makes you look...cute. Very c-cuddly."

A deep red blush formed on his face. He turned his head to look in another direction, but glanced back and opened his arms to her. With a grin, she flew into his chest, nestling herself into his fur. "So soft," she said with a small giggle. "Thank you."

He patted the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his snout into her mane. His ears flicked around, a part of him still worried and dreading giggles and laughter. Instead, he heard...cooing. Ponies saying how cute he and Fluttershy were, or simply making a sound of happiness. He didn't hear a single hint of mockery.

His blush grew brighter, and he swiveled his ears away. "You're right," he whispered to her. "Everycreature seems to mean well." He chuckled. "Though I know I shouldn't let strangers' opinions bother me..."

She nuzzled his chest before pulling away and looking up at him. "Of course," she said. "Now, do you want to look at all of these exhibits with me? And maybe go out for lunch afterward?"

"Of course, dearest," he said, placing an arm under her to comfortably support her against his chest. "I think I've held us up long enough. Where to first?"

She pointed out one of the exhibits, and he carried her over. She leaned back into his fur as they talked with the worker nearby, who was struggling to keep a straight face.

Through their time at the exhibit, and in the park they ate their picnic lunch, chuckles and giggles followed. But Discord ignored them, thinking and laughing to himself that he did look funny...and that was the point of Rainbow and Pinkie's prank.

"Sorry for being such a poor sport," Discord said to Rainbow and Pinkie as he slathered the cream Zecora had given him onto his fur. "As I already said to my sweet Fluttershy, I don't like being the punchline of a joke...and least without it being my choice."

The cream absorbed itself into his fur. A few seconds later, with a phoomp, it flattened into its normal look. As it did so, Rainbow and Pinkie went from being balls of fur to normal-looking ponies again.

Rainbow scoffed. "Yeah, seriously. You pranked us first, we were just getting you back! Dragging us into it was uncalled for." She rubbed at the back of her head. "Though I guess dealing with it all day may have been going too far...I only dealt with your cloud for an hour or so."

Pinkie beamed. "Well, I thought it was fun! We all looked so silly." She giggled. "It was fun, seeing how everyone reacted to me!"

"Glad you enjoyed yourself, Pinkie," Rainbow said. "AJ wouldn't stop laughing at me! It was humiliating!" She buried her red face in her hooves.

"Sorry, Rainbow," Discord said. "If it makes you feel any better, Fluttershy thought I looked ridiculous, too."

"It does, a little bit," Rainbow said. She yawned. "Now, if you don't mind, I've gotta turn in early tonight. There's a whole bunch of new recruits coming in tomorrow, and I need to be up as early as possible!"

"Of course," Discord said. "Sorry for keeping you up." He snapped his fingers, and a shimmering portal appeared in front of her, showing Sweet Apple Acres just after sunset. Rainbow waved goodbye and flew through, the portal zipping closed behind her.

"Thanks for giving us dinner, Discord," Pinkie said, bouncing to her hooves. "But I also have to go. Cheese is probably waiting for me." She started heading towards the door. "Don't worry, I can find my way back home from here."

Discord's face paled, and he quickly rushed in front of the door, spreading his arms to block her path. "Oooh no you don't," he said. "You think I'm going to let you wander unchecked through my dimension again? No can do, Mrs. Sandwich Pie." He snapped his fingers, and she disappeared in a flash of light.

With a sigh of relief, he wiped his brow. "Discord?" Fluttershy said, stepping from the hallway. "Did Zecora's cure work?"

"Like a charm," he said, twirling in place to show off his not-fluffy fur. "Thank you for the idea of inviting them to dinner. I wasn't sure what the best way to apologize would be."

"Did that go well, too?" she asked, flying over to him and placing a hoof on his paw.

"Oh, yes," he said. "Pinkie wasn't mad in the first place, and Rainbow...well, I think she might still be mad, but she's less mad now." He sighed. "I'll just have to remember to just accept her next prank with poise and dignity...as is in my nature," he said, putting a bright pink sticky note with writing in glitter pen onto his antler.

Fluttershy giggled and kissed his cheek. She yawned and glanced over at the clock. "Goodness, it's later than I thought," she said. "I think it's time to head to bed."

He scooped her into his arms bridal style. "Of course, my dear," he said, snapping his tail feathers and teleporting them both to their bedroom.

Author's Note

Thank you to Eveeka for the idea for this chapter, and for this piece of art:

https://www.deviantart.com/eveeka/art/MLP-FIM-Fluffy-boi-839360215

I'm Not Fluffy Again!

Discord sighed, leaning back against the edge of the tub and breathing the steam in deeply. He poured some more shampoo into his paw, lathering it into his mane and fur.

"Discord?" His ears perked up at the sound of Fluttershy's voice. "Are you still in the bath?"

"Yes," he said. "Can you blame me, though? This shampoo Rarity gave us is so nice!" He raised his paw to his nose and breathed deeply, taking in the scent of rose petals and lilac. It invoked memories of him burying his muzzle into Fluttershy's mane, inhaling the smell of spring she always seemed to carry naturally on her.

"It was a rather nice gift," Fluttershy said. "But please don't use it all up. I'd like to try some of it, too."

"Of course, of course," he answered, swirling the bottle in his paw and gauging how much he had used. Enough that I should probably stop, he thought. "I'll be out in a second!" He lathered the rest of the shampoo in his paw across his body, took in the scent a few more times, before letting a wave of bathwater rush over him and onto the floor, spilling suds everywhere.

After another minute of enjoying the heat of the bath and the lingering smell of shampoo, he groaned and rolled over the side of the tub, falling onto the rug underneath with a wet splat. He crawled onto his legs and arms and shook himself like a dog, drenching what wasn't already wet in the room.

Cracking his neck with the sound of a breaking window, he pulled the plug out of the bathtub. The water began to drain with a gurgling sound, a small vortex pulling in the water on the floor, walls, and ceiling. He snapped his fingers, and a fluffy neon yellow towel appeared, draped over his arm.

He began to rub himself dry, leaning over towards the sink and opening his mouth. A toothbrush, toothpaste, and brush appeared with a flash of light and began to clean his mouth, toothpaste dribbling from his jaw into the sink. After a minute of this, he spat it all out and pulled away, drying off his legs.

"I'm almost done!" he called to Fluttershy, drying off his wings with the towel. He shook himself one last time, tossing the towel to the side. He smiled and took a step towards the bathroom door.

Poof!

He froze in place at the sound, then slowly tilted his head downwards to look at himself. His entire coat, even the fur on his lion arm, had suddenly poofed up to several times its normal size. "Augh!" He whipped towards the mirror on the wall. Even the grey fur of his head had poofed up! "AUGH!"

From the bedroom, he heard the sound of a book being tossed aside. "Discord, what's wrong!?" Fluttershy shouted. He heard her hoofsteps quickly approaching.

Discord gasped and rushed over to the bathroom door, pressing himself against it and grabbing onto the doorknob to hold it shut. “Nothing’s wrong!” he said. “Just...give me a minute!”

“What happened?” she asked again. She pushed on the door, but he pushed back. “Discord...I know that something’s wrong if you won’t let me in.”

He flinched. “Gah…” He bit his lip, glancing around the room for anything that could help him. The comb, the hair gel, a razor...none of it would be enough to fix this in the next few seconds.

“Discord...you know you can tell me anything, right?”

His ears perked up, and his eyes widened at that statement. He lowered his head and let his hand slip off of the doorknob. He sighed. “I know,” he said. “It’s just...sometimes, I don’t want you to see something about me. Remember when Rainbow and Pinkie used one of Zecora’s potions on me?”

“The one that puffed up your fur?” she said. “Of course I remember. You were so fluffy…” She giggled.

A light blush appeared on his face, and he coughed. “Yeah, well…about that...” He carefully nudged the door open, stepping onto the threshold between bathroom and bedroom.

There were a few moments of silence, where Discord was twiddling his thumbs behind his back, watching her expression carefully. Slowly, a grin spread on her face, her eyes lighting up. As her grin widened, his blush deepened.

“Oh my Celestia,” she said. “You’re fluffy again! How did this happen?” She flew up, glancing up at him questioning, hooves reached towards him. He rolled his eyes, face still red, and opened his arms. She flew forward and buried herself in his chest fluff, wrapping her forehooves around him.

“I have no idea how this happened,” he grunted, wrapping his arms around her. “Maybe Rarity played a trick on me. Put something in that shampoo.”

“No, Rarity’s not a prankster,” Fluttershy mumbled, lifting her head out of his fluff. “And besides, she gifted the shampoo to both of us, not just to you.”

“Hmm, true,” he said, pulling at his beard. “It’s not like her, and while I could understand her wanting some sort of revenge on me, I imagine she would do her best to make sure you were not caught in any sort of crossfire.”

A lightbulb appeared above his head. He slid backwards into the bathroom with a screeching sound, stopping right next to the bathtub and wrapping his tail around the shampoo bottle. He brought it up to his chest, twisting it so he and Fluttershy could read it. “Perhaps there’s some warning label: ‘Do not use if you are a draconequus’,” he said. “Or maybe Rarity just got it mixed up with some weird potion. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

She giggled, shifting in his grip so that she had one forehoof wrapped around him, the other free to grasp and point at the bottle. He adjusted his hold so that his lion paw was underneath her, his eagle talon cradling her against him. He held the bottle a little closer to her.

She placed a hoof on the bottle as she read the printed words. “Nom de Fantaisie Shampoo: Rose and Lilac Bliss,” she said. “Extra—” She paused, then turned to hide her face in his chest, shaking.

“Fluttershy? What’s—” he narrowed his eyes, squinting at where her hoof was pointing. “Extra volume.” He looked down at her. “What’s so funny about that?”

She chuckled, then looked up at him. “I’m not so sure it refers to how much is in the bottle…” she said with a giggle.

“...but to how it affects your mane,” he said. He groaned, smacking himself in the face with a talon that sprouted out of his shoulder. “Rarity even said this brand is good for ‘extra lift’! She was trying to pull a trick on me!” He snapped his fingers, cameras appearing in the air and flashing pictures of them. "Oh, I'm sure she'll get a laugh out of this!"

“Discord, I’m sure Rarity didn’t know this would happen,” she said. “How much of this shampoo did you use?”

“Well…” he said, sloshing the liquid that was left in the bottle. It had been full before his bath, and now about a quarter of it was gone. “Quite a bit, I’d say.”

“Hmm,” she said, grabbing the bottle and twisting it so that they could both see the back. “Nom de Fantaisie Shampoo works with potion makers to make your mane magically fabulous,” she read.

“Wait, what?” He placed a pair of reading glasses on his muzzle, leaning down to see where she was looking. Bold words on the back, in a bold box, caught his eye. He mumbled under his breath as he read the same thing she did, until he caught up.

“Due to this, be advised that using more than two teaspoons of Nom de Fantaisie Shampoo can lead to extreme effects. Please be advised and wash responsibly.” He groaned, then tossed his reading glasses to the side. “So it’s a potion again,” he grumbled, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

“Is it, though?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, Zecora’s potion worked on you right away, but this shampoo didn’t affect you until you got out of the bath. And only a little of Zecora’s potion made your fur like this.” She snuggled further into his chest.

“Hmm. That’s a good point,” he said. He ran a talon through his fur, then brought it up to his muzzle, his tongue quickly shooting out and licking it. “Mmm. Mmm?” he mumbled, swishing the taste around in his mouth.

“There’s a little magic...definitly potion-based magic,” he said. “But it’s very, very faint. Probably weak enough that my magic could get rid of it through brute force.” He smiled. “I don’t have to look ridiculously fluffy!”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said. “That’s good. Can you just...wait a few more seconds?” She snuggled even closer to his chest, burying her face and hooves in his fur.

He dropped the bottle of shampoo next to the bathtub and looked down at her. Even through his thick fluff, he could see that she was smiling. He gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him.

“Well, I suppose a night like this wouldn’t hurt anything,” he said. “There’s no one else here, after all, and since you’re enjoying this so much…”

She giggled, and he could see a light blush on her face. “J-just a little bit,” she said. “Sorry, you’re just so...cozy and cute.” He chuckled and kicked off of the ground, floating back into the bedroom.

“N-not that you aren’t cozy and cute normally!” she quickly said, pulling away to look up at him. “I just meant...even more than usual.”

He chuckled again as he pulled back the sheets and laid down. “I know, sweet Fluttershy.” He kissed her forehead. “I think you’re cozy and cute, too.”

She buried her face back into his fur, this time to hide the bright red blush on her face. “Goodnight, my dear. I love you,” he said, pulled the blankets back over them and fluffing her pillow with his magic.

“I love you too,” she said with a yawn, ignoring her fluffed pillow and using him instead. He chuckled lightly, adjusting his grip on her. He closed his eyes and relaxed, focusing on Fluttershy’s warm breath caressing his chest and flowing through his fur.

By the time they woke up in the morning, Discord's fur had flattened. It was still frizzier than normal, but it wasn't as fluffy as it had been initially. After a long time brushing it down after breakfast, his fur had flattened down to its normal state. And a little bit of magic was enough to make sure it would stay that way.

The morning passed uneventfully for the most part. Fluttershy was kept busy at the sanctuary all day with major, though not urgent, projects and tasks, while Discord roamed around Equestria, herding small rogue storms away from cities, and popping in to make sure Fluttershy wasn't overworking herself.

But while he presented her with a picnic lunch that he had made for them, Rarity entered the sanctuary, holding a white envelope in her magic. "D-Discord?" she said. "You sent me this late last night, and..." She placed a hoof to her mouth, shaking as she placed the envelope in his paw.

"I don't remember mailing something," he said as he opened it and grabbed the contents. He pulled out several photographs and fanned them out—and saw that they were different angles of him, Fluttershy, and his ridiculously fluffy fur. "Oh..." He blushed and looked at Rarity over the photos.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face. "W-why in the world were you so fluffy?" she asked between gasps for breath, slowly bending over as she continued to laugh.

Discord blushed. "I...that shampoo did this," he mumbled. "And I thought you were playing a trick on me to laugh at me, so I..." His blush turned a deeper red, and he fluffed up his chest and scrunched his neck to hide in his fur. "I sent you photos so you could laugh at my expense," he grumbled.

Rarity continued to laugh, Fluttershy giggling a little before flying over and hugging him. "You didn't think it through much, did you?" she said teasingly.

"No..." he mumbled, sinking further into his fur. She giggled again, rubbing a hoof through his mane.

Rarity laughed for the next few minutes, kneeling on the ground and gasping for breath in between laughs. Eventually, her laughter died down, and she wiped tears out of her eyes. "Ah ha ha," she gasped. "Thank you for that, Discord. I really needed a laugh."

"And that was thanks to that shampoo, you say?" she asked. Fluttershy nodded since Discord was still busy hiding his face in his fur. "Hmmm. Fluffy coats might be an interesting new style for the season...I suppose I also have to thank you for the inspiration."

"Well, I won't keep you any longer, darling," she said. "I must get back to work. I truly do appreciate the joy you've given me in this busy time. I just wanted to return those photographs to you. Have a lovely day!" She walked back towards Ponyville, still giggling to herself a little.

"Oh, I know what to do with these," Discord said, snapping a lighter into his paw and flicking it on. But before he could bring the flame to the photographs, Fluttershy snatched them out of his hands.

"For me?" she said. "For the memory museum?"

He frowned, mouth curving into twisting lines. "Alright, fine," he said, snapping his fingers. A portal opened up in front of them, showing glass cases that displayed items, images playing on the panes. He stretched his arm like rubber to grab a scrapbook, reeling it back over to them and flinging it open to an empty page. "Plop 'em in."

She smiled and put them in, and he carefully floated the book back through the portal to its original spot. He zipped the portal closed and turned to Fluttershy. "Now, I think we've put lunch off long enough!"

At the end of the day, they were both quite tired, so they decided to go to bed right after dinner. Discord was currently curled under the sheets, holding a book upside down, and glancing every so often and the closed bathroom door. "You haven't fallen asleep in the tub, have you?" he called.

"No, Discord," Fluttershy said. "I'll be out in...just a minute." She yawned. "I just need to get this mud out..."

He grunted and turned his attention back to his book. He still kept one ear up, listening as she splashed around in the tub. If it goes quiet in there, I'm barging in, he thought. She seemed exhausted...

The bathroom did not go silent. There were a few more small splashes, then one large one, then the sound of wet hooves padding on the tile floor. He snapped his fingers, creating a fluffy towel in front of where he guessed she was.

"Eep!" she cried. "O-oh, thank you, Discord." Some shuffling, probably as she dried herself off. Discord lowered his ear and set his book on the nightstand and laid his head on the pillow, tail wagging as he waited for her to emerge.

After about three more minutes, the door finally opened, releasing a puff of steam and a lovely pegasus. She smiled and him and approached, climbing onto the bed. She leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. "You didn't have to wait," she said. "I know you're tired, too."

"And let you fall asleep in the tub again?" he huffed, kissing the top of her head and laying his chin there. "No, I'd rather stay up an extra minute or so to make sure you're safe."

"That only happened once," she said. "And I'm not nearly as tired today as I was then. Besides, how many times have you slept in the tub?"

"Oh please, that's different. I have my magic to keep me safe!" He said, pulling his muzzle reluctantly away. His nose twitched as a caught a waft of rose petals and lilac. "I see you used that shampoo," he said. "Even after everything that I went through because of it."

She smiled, looking down as she started to crawl under the blankets. "Well, you did say it was nice...aside from your side effect. And I didn't use as much as you did, so I don't think my coat will puff up like that."

"A bold statement," he said, rubbing his hands together quickly, static snapping between them. He quickly reached out with his claw, buzzing with static, and lightly tapped the top of Fluttershy's head.

Poof!

Fluttershy suddenly disappeared under a ball of yellow fur, its top and back accented with stripes of pink. The ball shifted, and two wide, teal eyes stared at him. He grinned, and the eyes narrowed.

"Very funny, Discord," she said dryly.

"Yes, it is," he said, snickering. "C'mon, dear. I've gone through this twice, and you've enjoyed it both times. Let me have a little fun." He made a camera in his paws and snapped a photo of her, sending it to the memory museum with a flick of his wrist.

She sighed, but smiled softly. "I guess you're right," she said, shifting a little closer to him.

He scooped her up into his arms, pressing her against his chest and nuzzling his cheek against the top of her head. "So soft..." he sighed, chuckling a little under his breath. He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes, clasping his hands over her cheeks. "And so cute!"

He could faintly see a tiny blush on her cheeks, and she giggled a little. The giggles soon gave way to a yawn, and her eyelids began to droop.

"Ah...you're exhausted!" he said. "Forgive me for keeping you up, dearest. I should let you sleep." He pulled back her blankets and tucked her in, laying her head gently down on a pillow.

"No...it's fine," she said quietly. "And it was kind of funny..." Another yawn. "We can cuddle, if you want..."

"I'd love that," he said, wrapping his arms around her and burying himself in her fur. It almost completely enveloped him, since he had puffed it up to such a ridiculous volume. He took a deep breath, smelling the shampoo, as well as a hint of other spring scents that his Fluttershy carried naturally. "Good night, Flutters. I love you."

"Night. Love you too," she mumbled. She quickly fell asleep, which he could hear in her breathing and heartbeat. He snuggled closer to her, allowing his eyes to drift closed as he felt her soft fur brushing against his face, arms, and chest. With a large yawn, he soon followed her in unconsciousness.

A "Real" Date

Fluttershy and Discord were sitting on a bench in the middle of Ponyville, watching creatures go by and enjoying the feeling of warm sun on their fur. Fluttershy smiled and shifted closer to Discord, wrapping a forehoof around him. He draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer.

He snapped his fingers, and they were both holding ice cream cones. She licked at her mint chip one, while he nibbled at his orange peel-caramel swirl scoop. "Thank you, Discord," she said. "It was nice to have lunch in town."

He shrugged. "Well, you mentioned liking that place the other day. I figured I should treat you."

She giggled. "You're always treating me to something! Is that what you have to say about us visiting the New Golden Oaks Library?"

"Nah," he said. "I just wanted to check it out, and having you with me was a good excuse." She laughed and poked him in the side, and he ruffled her mane playfully.

The sound of hoofsteps approaching made them stop playing and glance up. Rainbow Dash was approaching them, a wide grin on her face. "Wow," she said, "I mean, you guys act cutesy all the time, but I think this is the first time in a while I've seen you on a real date."

Fluttershy and Discord both tilted their heads. "What do you mean, a real date?" Discord asked, licking at his ice cream.

"You know! Just going out, doing stuff together," Rainbow said. "Dedicating a block of time to each other, and not just happening to be together when you're doing something else."

Fluttershy licked at her ice cream, glancing up at Discord, who she could feel shaking next to her. "And how else would you define a...real date?" he asked, his smile a hair too wide.

Rainbow didn't notice, as she put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Um...well, AJ and I aren't big on mushy stuff. But I think most couples have dinner a lot?" She nodded to herself. "Yeah. Fancy dinners with candles, getting all dressed up, sharing a dance...all that romance jazz."

Discord froze up, then quickly stood up straight. "Fluttershy, when was the last time we had a date night like that?" he said in a thin, hushed voice.

She gulped, carefully reaching out to him. "Discord..."

"It's been...a few moons, at least," he muttered. "I'm so sorry, my dear! I promised you I'd cherish you, give you everything, but I can't even remember to arrange romantic evenings for us!"

"Discord, please, calm down," she said, gently touching his paw.

His eyes gleamed. "Well, no longer!" he declared. "I shall give my darling wife the best, most romantic date of her life!" With that, he disappeared in a flash of light, his ice cream cone falling to the ground.

She glared at Rainbow. "Now look what you've done!" she scolded. "You've convinced him he's done something wrong, and now he's going to beat himself up over it!"

Rainbow's head drooped. "Sorry, Fluttershy," she sighed. "I just wanted to say how good you two look together. I guess my mouth got away from my brain again." Her ears drooped. "Heh. I was just telling AJ I was getting better at not doing that. Is there...any way I can make it up to you two?"

Fluttershy sighed, her ears drooping. "No, I...I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just hate seeing Discord act like this, worrying and working himself to the bone." She rubbed at her temples. "I'll talk to him soon, after he has some time to calm down." She shifted over, patting the space on the bench beside her. "How are you and Applejack doing?"

Rainbow's head lifted, her eyes lighting up as she took a seat and began to chatter about her wife. Fluttershy smiled.

After a nice chat with Rainbow, she had gone to the animal sanctuary. Each of the portals was open, but covered by a large "Do Not Disturb" sign, each of which showed a different picture of Discord: him cooking something, sleeping in bed, or holding out a bouquet of roses, to name a few.

She sighed and turned away from the portals, spending the afternoon checking up on all of her animals. As the sun started to set, all of the signs disappeared in a flash, and a golden envelope appeared in front of her. She plucked it out of the air and opened it, pulling out a golden card with silver, cursive writing.

Dear, Sweet Fluttershy,

Please come home as soon as possible. I promise you that there, you shall have the time of your life. Prepare yourself, my dear, for a most romantic evening, carefully prepared by your charming husband.

I'll see you soon, my love.

Hugs and Kisses,

Discord.

She smiled, tucking the card back into its envelope and flying through the portal. She opened the front door, only to find the inside very dimly lit, and a trail of glowing rose petals leading to the kitchen.

"Discord?" she called, setting the card on a side table. He didn't respond, but the light of the petals flashed. With a soft sigh, she followed the path into the kitchen.

The room was completely unrecognizable. Counters and cabinets had disappeared in favor of framed photographs of their wedding and previous dates. The walls were now a light, uniform shade of pink, with red hearts scattered about randomly. A crystal chandelier hung above a round wooden table with mismatched legs. Two tall candles were lit in the center of the table, and off to the side was a floating violin playing soft music.

Discord stood at the end of the petal trail, wringing his hands together with a wide grin on his face. He was wearing a sky blue tuxedo with an electric green tie. She saw him snap his tail feathers, and felt something drape over her. She glanced down at herself and saw a shimmering, forest green dress.

She slowly approached Discord, who bowed at the waist. "My lady," he purred, kissing her hoof. "Allow me to welcome you to La Maison du Chaos."

She blushed, glancing away. "Discord, you..."

"I know, I've outdone myself!" he said with a beam, offering her his arm. She looped her foreleg through it, and fluttered her wings as he escorted her to the table. He let go of her to pull her chair out from her, gently pushing her back in before taking his own seat opposite her.

"You look lovely tonight, my dear," he said as the wine glasses in front of them began to fill with ice water. He snapped his fingers, and covered dishes appeared in front of them. Another snap, and the covers lifted before disappearing.

Both of them had a large, steaming haysteak, with a size of glazed carrots and romaine lettuce with radish slices. "I hope you enjoy the selection tonight," he said. "If not, I can always change it."

"No, it looks delicious," she said, taking a bite of carrot. He smiled and began to saw at his haysteak. For the next few moments, the only sounds were their utensils scraping against their plates and the violin playing some romantic piece. She glanced up at him, only to see he was blatantly staring at her. She blushed and looked back down at her plate.

He gulped, sighed, and set down his silverware. "Fluttershy, is...is everything alright? You look unhappy." He glanced around the room. "Is the decor too much? I can change it to something a little more subtle..."

She sighed. "It's not that. Everything looks lovely, and this was very kind of you to do, but...Discord, you really didn't have to do all of this."

"Oh, but I wanted to!" he said, gently cupping her hoof in his hands.

She gave him a stern look. "Did you want to do it because you want us to both be happy, or did you want to do it to prove to yourself that you're a good husband? Or to Rainbow Dash that you can act romantically?"

He grunted, letting go of her hoof to twiddle his fingers. "...A little from column A, a little by column B," he muttered.

She sighed and reached across the table, placing her hoof on his shoulder. "Discord, you are a great husband. Every day, you make me happy. Do I need to remind you of everything you've done for me? Making me breakfast in bed, showing me so many wonderful things, caring for me when I'm sick?"

"Discord, you make me feel loved. You don't need to act by any creature's opinion on what romance should be." She let her hoof slide down onto the top of his paw. "And you don't need to do anything to try to impress me. You know I love you."

He was quiet for a moment, silently setting his claw on top of her hoof. "...I've messed up, haven't I?" he sighed. "I was so worried that I was somehow failing you as a husband that I immediately left you alone and didn't say anything to you until now." He pressed his face into his hands. "Sweet chaos, I was so concerned with making things perfect for you I ended up abandoning you."

She quickly flew around the table and hugged him around the neck. "Sweetie, it's okay," she said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I understood why you did it. You had the best intentions, and you did plan a lovely evening for us." She kissed his cheek. "I just don't want you to feel pressured to do anything for me."

He sighed and leaned into her chest. "I'm sorry. We were having such a lovely morning, but what Rainbow said just got to me, and..."

"She says she's sorry, by the way," she murmured. "She was just trying to say we looked good together, and didn't word it well."

He smiled. "As always, you have calmed my worries." He kissed her neck. "I don't suppose I could turn this fancy dinner into a thank-you celebration? Or would you prefer something else?"

She nuzzled his cheek. "No, the dinner is nice. Could I have some chocolate milk instead of water, though?" He snapped his fingers, and both of their glasses were full of chocolate milk. She sat back in her seat and began to eat again.

"So how did you come up with these ideas?" she asked, taking a sip of milk. "The decorations, the music...this food?"

"Oh, I based it on some of our past dates, and just cranked it up to eleven," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "This dish, though? Straight from a popular romantic restaurant in Canterlot. This dish and these sides are some of their most popular choices."

He sipped at his drink. "...Incidentally, I may or may not have been banned from a restaurant for sneaking into the back and looking at their recipes." She snorted, spitting out the lettuce she was eating. She covered her mouth with a blush, still laughing.

He joined in her laughter, and they kept laughing until they were leaning on the table, tears streaming down their faces. They finally managed to catch their breath, looking at the other with red faces. Discord giggled. "I love you." She smiled brightly.

He appeared next to her, holding out his paw. "Dinner can wait for a moment. Take my paw, my darling, and we shall dance through the stars!"

She giggled as she took his paw. "There are no stars here! The sun hasn't even set in Equestria!" He smirked and snapped his fingers, and green, glowing, plastic stars floated around them as the room itself dimmed. She smiled and shook her head, fluttering her wings as he floated upwards.

They twirled in the air, the violin music becoming louder as the rest of the world seemed to melt away. She wrapped one hoof around his neck, the other held in his paw, while his claw lay at her waist. He led her in a few spins and dips, even tossing her into the air before catching her one time, but seemed content to simply glide about the room with her for the most part.

Discord's stomach suddenly gurgled. He grimaced, and she giggled. "Maybe we should continue dinner," she suggested, touching her nose against his for a brief second. He sighed and let go of her, slowly drifting back down into his chair.

They continued eating, chattering about how their afternoons went. After a conversation about how Angel's children were doing and how he had snuck into Canterlot castle to find a good chandelier design, their plates were polished clean.

Discord snapped his fingers, and the table was bare, aside from the candles. "I'll take care of them once I bring the sink back," he told her. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "After this, I had kind of planned to serve a really rich chocolate cake. Complete the whole 'fancy dinner' shtick."

"But I just remembered...we never finished our ice cream earlier, did we? After I left you so rudely." He held his hands out, weighing the options. "Which would you prefer?"

She smiled. "Ice cream sounds nice." He snapped his fingers, and they were both holding ice cream cones. She licked her scoop, flavored chocolate with a caramel swirl, while his was a uniform pink color. He licked it, glancing around the room in thought.

He snapped his fingers again, and the two of them appeared outside of their house, on a wooden bench. A school of flying sharks passed them as they continued eating their ice cream. "This is much better," he said, lopping an arm over her shoulders.

"Yes," she sighed, leaning into his shoulder as fireworks began exploding in the sky above them. They watched the show for a while, before he moved onto creating and sculpting clouds for her entertainment. He snuck a bite out of her cone, and she immediately responded by licking his.

"Is that...strawberries and cotton candy?" she asked. When he nodded, she continued, "It's not bad. You'll have to make it for me sometime."

She snuggled closer to him, continuing to eat her cone. They stayed pressed against each other long after they had finished their desserts, watching the skies of Chaosville twist around, changing slowly into a darker shade of purple.

Boredom and Distractions

The study in Fluttershy and Discord's home was rarely used. It had taken her some time to convince him of the importance of holding onto "boring" files in case they were needed in the future, and to have a space to fill them all out. He had relented, but only if he could add his own flair to the room.

Which was why each wall was a different color, each of them pastel and easy on the eyes, why the chair could transform into any type of chair you wanted with the press of a button, why the desk was ornately carved and almost as big as a table, and why there was a vending machine pressed flush against the filing cabinets.

But even if it wasn't used often, there were times that called for its use.

Fluttershy sighed, pulling another sheet of paper off of a very large stack next to her. She glanced at all the numbers on it, then at the tall stack of blank forms, and finally at the very, very small pile of papers she had filled out. Biting back a groan, she took her quill in her mouth and began to fill in all the blank spots on the paper.

When she was halfway done, she heard Discord teleport behind her. She carefully tossed the quill aside and away from the papers, just as he planted his hands on her shoulders.

"Fluttershy!" he exclaimed. "I just found a new cave in of Chaosville, a bit north-south of here. Let's go spelunking! The day is young!"

She sighed, leaning her head back against his chest. "Discord...I'd love to, but I can't. You know how I'm going to a convention for sanctuary owners soon?" He nodded. "Well, the last time I went, I was completely shocked by everything I needed to go to make my sanctuary...well, official."

She gestured to the paperwork. "Besides the expenses I need to list, along with earned donations, I have to fill out insurance forms for multiple types of weather, state which animals have been taken in and released, what new projects have been build since last time, signed forms from anyone who's helped at the sanctuary...and so on."

He gawked at the pile. "That looks...incredibly boring. And somewhat pointless, considering that I can magically enchant any protection and undo any damage, plus create any supplies and structures you need."

She sighed. "I know. But they don't list 'Lord of Chaos' as an insurance provider, unfortunately." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I have to fill out a few extra forms to explain what I mean by 'other' as my insurance. I actually need you to sign a few forms for that...and ones for when you helped at the sanctuary." She reached into one of the drawers of the desk and handed him several pieces of paper and turned back to her work.

He whined. "But...don't you want to go have some fun, instead?"

"I don't like it any more than you do, Discord," she said, continuing to fill out a form. "But it's something that needs to be done. Honestly, I shouldn't have waited this late to do it all." She finished the form, and grabbed the next one. "You can go spelunking without me. This is going to take a while."

He stepped back a bit as she started filling out the next form. He watched her for a few moments, going through such a dull routine, before he couldn't stand the sight and averted his eyes, snapping his fingers to teleport away.

It was close to noon. Discord was pacing back at forth along the trunk of his thinking tree. After scrawling his signature on the forms she had given him and teleporting them back to her, he was at a loss as to what he should do. He had considered exploring the cave by himself, as Fluttershy suggested, but then he wouldn't get to see her face when she saw the declaration of love he had carved just inside the entrance.

He had found other ways to pass the time, from checking on Fluttershy's animals to reading a few books, but his mind just kept drifting to his poor wife, doing such dull work. He groaned and draped himself over one of the tree branches.

"What could I do to help her?" he mused. "I'm terrible with paperwork. Just the thought of it..." He shuddered, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. "Ugh, no. There must be some other way I can be helpful." He tapped his chin, and after a few moments, a lit oil lamp appeared above his head.

He snapped his fingers, and a platter of cucumber sandwiches and a glass of lemonade appeared in his paw. With another snap, he was back in the study, where Fluttershy was still hard at work. The pile of blank papers seemed to be getting smaller, but was still quite large.

"Fluttershy," he said quietly. "I brought you lunch."

She jolted a little, like she hadn't realized he was there. She glanced back at him, and the smile he wore drooped when he saw how tired her eyes seemed. "Hmm?" she said, gazing in his direction lazily. He held the platter out to her, before carefully floating it onto the desk.

"Oh, lunch!" she said, the light coming back into her eyes, her stomach growling. "Thank you, Discord. I didn't realize how hungry I was getting." She bit into a sandwich, smiling at him with her cheeks bulged out, before turning back and writing on her papers again.

He groaned. "Sweetheart, shouldn't you take a break? Even just to eat lunch?"

She shook her head and swallowed her sandwich. "I don't have time for a break. A form can take one to ten minutes to fill out, depending on what I have to reference. If they all take ten minutes, or more," she glanced warily at the pile. "I won't be able to finish this today."

He sighed, ears and limbs dropping limply. "I understand," he muttered. Then, his face lit up, a candle appearing on his head. "Actually, what if I did something to help you to relax while you're working?"

She paused in her writing. "...Okay," she said. "You can try. But you have to promise to stop if I say it's too distracting."

He smiled, placing a paw to his chest. "I promise." With that said, he placed his hands on her shoulders as she bent down to write, gently kneading at her skin. She shivered with a soft sigh, almost dropping her quill, but managed to hold on and continue writing.

This continued for a few more minutes. Fluttershy nibbled at her sandwiches and sipped her lemonade, slowly working her way through each sheet of paper, while Discord continued his massage. After some time kneading her shoulders, he started to move down her back, rubbing her muscles in a circular motion.

It was when he had just gotten to her wings, and had spread one out to pinch and rub at the joint, when she quietly said, "Stop, please." He froze and slowly pulled away, and she tucked her wing back against her body.

She lowered her head, ears flattening against her head. "It feels nice, but it's too distracting," she said around the quill. "Could you please leave? We can have dinner together later."

He tilted his head, frowning. "My dear, I understand the massage being distracting, but I can think of something else that's less—"

Suddenly, she dropped the quill and whipped around, pressing her lips against his. "—Mmf," he finished. With a groan from the back of her throat, she wrapped her hooves around his neck, pressing her closer to him. With a sigh, he allowed himself to be pulled closer, his eyes drifting shut as she moved her smooth lips against his own.

After several long, amazing seconds, she pulled away from him, gasping for breath, her eyes wide and shining. He opened his eyes, not gasping, but still taking deep breaths. With a breathless voice, she whispered, "You're the distraction." She nuzzled the side of his face. "The best distraction. I could spend all day like this..."

He moved to nuzzle her in turn, but she pulled away and gave him a look. He paused for a second, before his eyes caught on the stack of papers and widened. "Oh!" he said. "Oh, oh, oh...I'm sorry." He set her back in her chair and took a few steps back. "Enjoy your lunch. I'll see you at dinner."

He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

He managed to stay out of the study for the whole afternoon. Once six o'clock came around, he flashed over to the kitchen. Fluttershy wasn't there. With a sigh, he snapped his fingers, creating a cauldron of hot soup, sitting on a small flame on the stove, and two large plates appeared on the table—one with a normal salad, the other with receipts and paper clips. Narrowing his eyes, he added chocolate shakes to both places at the table.

Nodding to himself, he snapped his fingers again, teleporting in front of the mahogany door to the study. He lightly knocked at it, and after a few seconds, he heard a shuffling sound, followed by soft hoofsteps. She opened the door and looked up at him with tired eyes.

"It's past six," he said. "I know the paperwork is important, but you've been in here all day. You should set work aside for now and take a break."

She blinked for a few seconds, then smiled tiredly. "I'm almost done, anyway," she said, opening the door a little further. It was true, as only a few more forms were sitting in the blank pile. "I can finish them up after supper."

He smiled and offered her his arm, escorting her as he snapped them to the kitchen. She smiled when she saw her salad and shake, and eagerly dug into her meal. "And there's soup when you're done with that," he said between a mouthful of paper and metal.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as she was tired and seemed uninterested in talking. He was more than happy to oblige, simply enjoying his meal and making sure she didn't start using her salad or soup as a pillow. After the meal, complete with a bowl of ice cream for each of them, she slowly got out of her chair. He quickly got up and rushed to her side, but she just smiled and brushed at his mane.

"I'm fine," she said. "I just have a few more forms to fill out, and then I'll lie down." He sighed and snapped his fingers, teleporting them to the study. She settled herself on the chair, adjusting a lever to make herself more comfortable. He went over to the vending machine and dispensed a can of strawberry milk, watching as she wrote on the last few pieces of paper.

With a sigh, she set the last one aside. "Done," she said quietly. She turned to Discord, a soft smile on her face. "I'll lie down for a bit, right after I put this stack away." She opened a drawer on the filing cabinet next to him...and her face fell, her eyes widening.

"What's wrong?" he asked as the pile floated itself into the drawer.

Carefully, she pulled something out of the drawer: another large stack of papers. "This is for the sanctuary, too..." she said with a whimper. The new pile floated over onto the desk.

She whimpered again, her ears pressing flat against her head. With a moan, she pressed a hoof to her forehead. "That first stack took me all day to finish! If I don't start this one now—!" She rushed towards the chair, but Discord slid in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"No," he said sternly. "You have worked on this all day. I'm not going to let you work on it all night, too."

"But—"

"It will still be there in the morning," he said, still in a stern voice. The worry in her eyes made him soften his voice and continue, "And if you stop right now and go to bed, eat a decent breakfast in the morning, and let me pack you a lunch...I'll leave you alone with your paperwork all day."

She pursed her lips together into a frown. With a whimper, she nodded, letting herself fall limply into his arms. He cradled her gently against his chest, flying to their bedroom. Her head lay weakly against him, her eyes already fluttering closed as she let out a tiny yawn.

She only stirred briefly when he tucked her under the covers, moaning softly and reaching towards him. He kissed her cheek, and she sighed and snuggled into her pillow with a smile. He smiled, pulling the covers up to her chin and stroking her mane gently.

With a sigh, he glanced at his side of the bed. He shook his head and turned away, tiptoeing out of the room before snapping his fingers and teleporting back to the study.

He flipped through the first few papers that were on the top of the pile, biting back a groan. He stretched his arm towards the vending machine and pulled out a steaming mug of coffee, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle of cinnamon.

He took a sip of the bitter drink, poured in a bottle of chocolate syrup, and set it aside before turning back to the papers, cracking his knuckles.

Fluttershy slowly blinked awake, stretching out with a yawn. She smiled sleepily as she blinked awake, but frowned with a soft groan when she remembered the mound of papers she had to do today.

She glanced over at Discord's side of the bed. To her surprise, he was missing. He must be in the kitchen, she thought. She crawled out of bed and headed to her kitchen. That room was almost empty.

That's odd, she thought with a frown. I wanted to at least say 'Good morning' before I had to start working. With a sigh and shake of her head, she grabbed an apple from the fridge and ate it. After that, and waiting a few more minutes to see if Discord would show up, she sighed and walked towards the study.

She opened the door, but froze in the doorway. Discord was fast asleep, his cheek pressed against the desk as he snored away. She carefully approached him, avoiding the numerous empty mugs that were scattered across the floor. Once she was close enough, she saw that there was a quill tightly gripped in his claw, and both of his palms were stained with ink.

Realization hit her, and she looked at the stack of papers next to him. The first was completed—with correct information, she noted. She flipped through a few of the others and saw they were all filled out with correct information.

With a gasp and smile, she wrapped her hooves around his neck and nuzzled the side of his face. "Oh, you," she said into his ear. "You wonderful, wonderful..." She kissed his cheek.

He shifted in her hooves, slowly blinking awake. She continued nuzzling him and kissing his cheek until he was awake enough to respond with his own kiss on her cheek.

"I take it you already figured out I..." he muttered. She nodded eagerly.

"Sweetie, were you up all night? You didn't have to...!"

He held a claw up. "Please. Like I was going to let you shut yourself up in one room for another day."

She nuzzled his cheek again, before pulling away and placing her hooves on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. "Are you feeling alright? Doing something orderly like that..."

He waved it off. "Eh, the room's chaotic enough, especially with all the coffee cups scattered around." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Also, a lot of the papers might be out of order..."

She shook her head, but smiled. "Oh, Discord." She wrapped her hooves around him, leaning against his torso. "Well, even if you feel fine...we should have a chaotic day together, just to be safe." She looked up and winked at him. "I think you mentioned a new cave?"

He smiled. "Yes...but you can't start a chaotic day without a full stomach of chaotic breakfast!" He snapped his fingers and teleported the two of them to the kitchen, leaving the tall stack of papers behind on the desk.

A Most Chaotic Day

As soon as they appeared in the kitchen, Discord snapped his fingers. Tall stacks of pancakes appeared at both of their places at the table. He pulled her chair out for her, nuzzling her cheek before teleporting into his chair. He quickly began snarfing down his pancakes.

She followed his example and began to dig in. Her nose scrunched up for a second as she took a bite of two different pancakes. One tasted like oranges, and the other like green tea. She carefully took another bite, and now that she was expecting the odd flavor combination...it wasn't that bad.

Discord shoveled three pancakes down his throat, then asked, "Is it good?" She nodded, taking a bite from lower down in the stack. Strawberries and chocolate chips.

He hummed in thought for a second before snapping his fingers again. With a flash of light, tall, oddly-shaped glasses of chocolate milk appeared in front of them, complete with bendy straws. As she sipped at the sugary drink, he snapped his fingers again, and an apple appeared in front of her—shaped like a cartoonish heart.

She giggled and took a bite out of the fruit, while he summoned himself a square-shaped orange. They ate for a while, more pancakes appearing from nowhere as he summoned even more unusual fruits, until they leaned back in their chairs, their plates and glasses emptied.

Discord sat up and teleported next to her. "Would you like to go spelunking, finally?" he said, offering her his arm. She smiled and nodded, looping her foreleg around his elbow. He snapped his fingers, and the plates and glasses flew off of the table and smashed to the floor, while brooms and dustpans appeared and started sweeping up the mess.

With another snap of his fingers, they appeared at the mouth of a dark cave, just off-center on a small, floating patch of earth. He released his hold on her and began snapping his fingers in a steady rhythm, new things appearing on her body with each flash.

First, a teal helmet appeared on her head, situating itself snugly against her skull. A light on top flickered on, casting a pale pink light. Next, pads strapped themselves onto her knees, then pillows onto her wings. A harness and rope appeared around her waist, and it cinched itself snugly into her coat.

She glanced up and saw Discord wearing a similar harness, which the other end of the rope was attached to. He tightened the strap of a neon-rainbow helmet on his head, before bending down and checking the straps under her chin.

"Discord," she said quietly, "Aren't the pillows a bit much?"

He scoffed. "Keeping you safe from any scrapes is never too much!" He cupped his hand under her chin a second longer before pulling away and checking her harness.

"But Discord, I can't use my wings like this."

"I'll be your wings."

She shook her head. "But...isn't all this going against a most chaotic day?" She felt his hands freeze. "If you're just looking out for me, and we're not adventuring together...how can we be chaotic together?"

He paused. The pillows deflated like balloons, falling limply to the ground. "I suppose you're right," he said, floating in front of her, kissing her cheek as he passed.

"Are you ready to go exploring, my lady?" he said, tightening the harness around his torso. She smiled and nodded, and the two of them stepped towards the mouth of the cave.

The floor was smooth, though it sloped gently downwards. They walked further in, Discord opening his palm to release tiny globes of golden light that lit their path.

It wasn't long before they reached a great chasm, deep and dark. He flicked his paw, and the globes of light floated across, lighting up the flat stone wall on the other side. Words were deeply etched into it, embedded with glittering gems.

My dear Fluttershy, I'm glad you agreed to this trip. I love you more than anything in the universe, which is why I hope you enjoy our little trip to the deepest parts of this cavern. I wish for nothing more than for you to be happy. There was a heart at the end, filled with rubies.

She lifted a hoof to her heart. "Oh...is this why you wanted me to come with you?" He nodded, blushing. She smiled and flew up to lightly peck his cheek. "You're too sweet."

His blush started to actually glow, casting a dim light on the stone walls. The golden globes turned a slight shade of pink. With a cough, he lightly tugged on the rope that was connecting them. It held taut, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, peering warily down the dark chasm. The light globes hovered downwards and spread apart, lighting a large portion of the gap.

"Together?" he said. She nodded again, approaching the cliff carefully. He snapped his tail feathers, and suction cups appeared on his hands and her front hooves.

With a deep breath, she slowly walked backward, using her wings to hover in the air over the edge.

Discord, also hovering, quickly dropped down and attached himself to the wall. She followed at a slower pace, carefully placing her suction cups on the stone. She glanced over at him, placing her back hooves into convenient cracks in the wall and nodding.

With a smile, he carefully moved down—one hand at a time, his legs moving with each hand. She followed his motion two hooves at a time.

They quietly continued straight down the wall, slowly and steadily.

They reached the bottom of the flat wall and found a winding tunnel filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and elegantly carved pillars. Large gems stuck out of the walls, glittering under the light of the globes.

Discord snapped away the suction cups, and they walked down the tunnel, chatting about various topics, from the books they were reading, to how the sanctuary and Celestia were doing.

After some minutes of walking, turning left and right, up and down, they came to a perfectly square room made out of a shiny black stone.

"Odd," Discord said. "This is unnatural...almost orderly." He carefully stuck out his dragon toe, lightly tapping the stone floor before yanking it away.

"Is it...too orderly?" she asked, a little worried. "After all the order you dealt with last night..."

He stroked his beard. "It's out of place enough that I should be fine. Besides, we just need to get to the other side."

With a deep breath, he stepped into the room...and froze. Quickly, she rushed forward, looking up at him...and also stopped.

The room, even though it looked perfectly still, was vibrating. As soon as her hooves touched the floor, the vibration traveled up her body. It was...strange, to say the least. It felt like her skeleton was shaking right under her skin.

"L-l-let's get out of here," she said, teeth shivering in her mouth. He swiftly nodded, and they rushed to the other side of the room, their hoofsteps echoing loudly against the black walls.

As soon as they were in the tunnel again, they breathed a sigh of relief. "That was...odd," she said, shivering.

He nodded. "I wasn't expecting that. I hope that there aren't any dangerous random rooms." Under his breath, he muttered, "I should have checked this place before I brought you down here."

She took hold of his paw, smiling up at him. "I know you'll keep me safe," she said. "Besides, isn't it more fun to experience this together?"

He paused for a second, then smiled and nodded. They continued down the tunnel, still chatting happily as they continued.

Hours passed by, the tunnel turning in impossible directions. There were parts with sheer flat walls that went up or down, which they scaled as easily as the first one, and several other random rooms that appeared along their path.

There was a room where gravity suddenly inverted, and they had to walk across the ceiling. Discord had to catch her in his arms, as she was so surprised by the sudden flip. There was another room that looked just like a forest clearing, complete with thick foliage, birdsong, and a bright blue sky. Some investigation revealed the sky was painted and the birdsong was from speakers, but the plants were all real. A room that was a maze of mirrors, another filled with gold (which Discord had shoved them through without stopping), one where a strong wind blew through, even though there weren't any openings besides the tunnel...there were so many oddities down here.

But as she assured Discord after he caught her in the inverted gravity room, exploring a place like this was fun and exciting, especially with him by her side.

Discord pulled a pocket watch out of thin air, opening it up to reveal a wildly spinning compass needle. "Looks like we're almost to the end," he said, tossing the compass/watch over his shoulder. "I'd guess there's just one more room before we reach the end of the cave."

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"Magic," he said, waving his hands and creating a sparkling rainbow between them.

She giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. The tunnel curved upwards and to the right, the gems changing color from yellow to blue crystals as they followed the path.

In just minutes, they entered a large domed cavern. On the other side was the exit, with jugged stone outcroppings that looked like fangs, and a clear view of Chaosville's purple sky.

The floor of the cavern was a crystal-clear lake, with a glowing moss growing deep on the bottom. The ceiling was covered with star-shaped diamonds, which shimmered as the sky outside shifted.

Discord wriggled and shrugged off his harness, tossing his helmet off to the side. "Guess we'll have to swim across," he said, snapping his fingers. Her harness and shoulder pads loosened and fell to the ground as she undid the strap of her helmet.

Just as he was about to dive in, her stomach suddenly growled. She placed a hoof on her belly, a light blush on her cheeks. "I guess we've been down here for a while," he said. "Well, I suppose we could have a picnic lunch outside. Ooooor..."

He snapped up a picnic basket, then stepped closer to the lake. He whipped out a neon yellow blanket, and threw it over the surface of the lake. The water rippled, but the blanket refused to sink and remained completely dry.

He stepped onto the blanket, dropping the basket in the center. The blanket rippled and sank under his feet, but still remained dry. He knelt next to the edge and held a paw out to her, grinning.

She smiled and took his paw, stepping carefully on the blanket. It reminded her of a waterbed—a solid, dry surface that sank easily under her weight, wobbling underneath her. She took a seat next to Discord.

He held his fingers in the snapping position, then paused and glanced at her. "Do you trust me, even if this is a crazy idea?" he asked.

She smiled and leaned against his side. "Always."

He smiled and snapped. The blanket began slowly sinking into the water.

She tensed a little, grabbing onto his arm. "It's okay," he assured her. "Look." He pointed at the edge of the blanket.

Looking closer, she saw that even though it was sinking, no water was flowing onto the blanket. In fact, as it sank totally beneath the surface, a film of water pressed closer, but appeared to be pushed back.

Seconds later, they were completely underwater. With a thwip, the water flowed above their heads, enclosing them in a bubble of air.

Discord flicked his finger, and they began to drift around the lake. "Is this alright?" he asked. "I can take us somewhere else if you want."

She shook her head, reaching towards the basket. "No, this is...interesting." She glanced up at the shimmering diamonds through the filter of the water's surface. "It's beautiful down here."

She opened the lid, and the basket unfolded itself into a smaller woven blanket, covered in heaps of sandwiches, smoothies, and kale chips.

She started nibbling on a triangle cucumber sandwich, while he munched on a foot-long stuffed with lettuce, ketchup, and mayo, opening it up and tossing a handful of kale chips on before continuing to eat.

Their bubble drifted through the water, bouncing off of the walls, as they made their way through the pile of food. Just as they finished off the last foot-long sandwich together, a flower grew in the center of the blanket, blooming open to reveal scoops of pink ice cream, the leaves twisting into spoons.

She carefully plucked a spoon and took a small bite. "Strawberry," she said, taking another bite from the same scoop. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "It's bubblegum now."

Discord snatched the other spoon and took a large bite. "Pink lotus. I think it changes with every bite." He took another bite. "Yep. It just became raspberry."

They kept eating, each bite a different flavor. Once they finished, she set down her spoon and set a hoof on her stomach. "That was really good," she said. "But I'm not sure I want to move much right now. What can we do that's chaotic without moving?"

He snapped his fingers, and the blanket floated upwards, their bubble popping as they broke the surface. The blanket hovered up a few more inches into the air, fluttering underneath them.

Discord spread out, laying on his stomach next to her. "We can go exploring and relax at the same time if you'd like," he said.

She smiled and laid on her stomach, shifting forward so she was laying under his arm. "That sounds lovely," she said.

With a smile, he flicked his hands as though he were holding invisible reins. The blanket hovered forward and out the tunnel exit, fluttering forward into the shifting sky of Chaosville.

They had soared over Chaosville's unusual features for an hour or so, even joining a group of flying sharks as they migrated from an ocean sphere to a towering spire of saltwater before continuing their adventure.

After a while, they flew back to their house, folding the blanket and putting it in the clothes and carpets closet. They went into the crafts room and started painting together, splattering colors of paint onto a blank canvas without any sort of pattern, occasionally flicking bits of paint onto each other.

Once every white spot was covered, Discord blew a yellow flame onto the canvas. The paint immediately dried, and he wiped a smudge of green paint off of his forehead (leaving an even larger smear of pink paint).

"I think this is our most chaotic work yet," he said. "Where should we hang this one?"

She narrowed her eyes, looking at the colorful splotches. "This part here almost looks like a fruit bowl," she said, pointing at some roundish red and green spots, and some linear yellow ones. "Why don't we put it in the kitchen?"

He nodded and wiped his hands on her coat, to which she playfully tried to squirm away. He carefully picked up the canvas and disappeared in a flash of light for a few seconds, before reappearing by her side.

He coughed up a pocket watch, opening it up and looking at the time. "It's almost six," he said. "I guess we were exploring for longer than I thought." He tossed the watch onto a nearby table, where brushes began to paint it gold and silver.

She glanced at her mane, or more specifically, the blue paint that had gotten stuck in it. "We should wash up first. We had a pretty big lunch, so we could probably wait a little longer for dinner." He nodded. "Do you want to use the bath first? You have a lot more paint on you."

He smirked. "I have a better idea." He brushed his fingers through her mane, leaning down to kiss her.

"Oh," she said, blushing. "O-okay. I-it's been a while since we've bathed together."

He smiled and scooped her into his arms before teleporting the two of them away.

Forty-five minutes later, they appeared in the kitchen, their coats clean and glossy and their faces flushed.

Discord began rooting through the cupboards, tossing foodstuffs over his shoulder and muttering to himself. After a few moments, he groaned and slumped to the ground.

"What's wrong?" she asked, rubbing the top of his head with the tip of her wing.

He looked up, pouting, and said, "I want to make us a wonderfully chaotic dinner...but none of the ideas I can think of are good enough to finish a day like today!" He flopped back against the ground, placing his hands over his head. "What sort of chaos spirit am I!?"

She sighed and kissed his cheek. "You always have good ideas. You just need to think a little more." She walked over to the stove. "I'll make us a kettle of tea, and you can just relax, alright? Think your ideas through."

As the tea boiled, he rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. She watched as he drew invisible plans in the air with his finger, before frowning in disgust and crumbling up the plan. "It's alright," she said. "Just calm down, and try to let the ideas come naturally."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Slowly, he lifted his hands again and began to mold at the air—this time, much more gently and carefully, his eyes and mouth twitching slightly as he focused in on whatever idea he was having.

She carefully set the teacup and saucer down on the floor next to him. His nose twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes and sat up, letting the cup float into his paw. He took a dainty sip as she sat next to him, still molding an invisible idea with his free claw.

"I think I have something," he said after his fifth sip of tea. "Nothing too crazy, but something I think you'll like."

She set her teacup down. "Oh? What is it?" She scooted forward a little, her front hooves tapping eagerly on the ground.

He smirked and snapped his fingers. They were teleported to the couch, the tea kettle and teacups floating in after them from the kitchen. He pulled large silver trays of sandwiches and cookies from thin air, piling them onto the table.

Off to the side, he lit a blue flame under a floating teapot, his teacup settling into his paw. "As I said, nothing too crazy...but I wouldn't say this is a normal dinner, either," he said, gesturing to more teapots and plates of snacks that had suddenly arrived.

She smiled and plucked her teacup out of the air. "Just like old times," she said with a smile. "Did you make cucumber sandwiches?"

He nodded, and a plate full of them floated over to her. "And even some carrot-ginger ones," he said as he took a large bite out of one of said sandwiches. "Though I still don't think I'll ever make them as well as you did."

She took a small bite out of a cucumber sandwich. "Well, you still make these as well as ever," she said. He smiled, his pupils becoming wide and shiny.

As they talked and ate, he shifted closer to her, and she to him, until they were leaning against each other. They continued sipping their tea and nibbling on snacks, though the talking was mostly replaced with soft cuddling and gentle petting. The cuckoo clock chirped several times, and the plates and teapots slowly emptied.

She yawned, snuggling into his chest fur as she let her teacup slip out of her grip. Discord caught it with his tail, chuckling. "Sleepy now, are we? After all that tea?"

She whined and poked his chest, adjusting herself against him. He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Well, you may be fine sleeping on top of me, but I'd like to spend tonight in a bed." His arms wrapped around her. "I'm going to move you, okay?"

She tried to say 'yes', but all she could manage was a soft mumble. It must have been enough, because she heard him snap his fingers, and felt the air shift around her in the way it did whenever they teleported. She was lifted off of his chest and placed on top of a bed.

She groaned and reached out towards him. He kissed her forehead and pulled the bedsheets up to her chest. "I'm here," he said, slithering under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead again. "I'll always be here."

She smiled and snuggled into him, letting her body relax in his hold. "Love you," she murmured.

"Love you too," he said, just before she drifted off to sleep.

I'm Fluffy for You

The train whistled as it pulled into the station. Fluttershy was pressed up against the window, and as soon as the train stopped, she pulled away with a wide grin on her face.

"We're here!" she said happily. Discord chuckled at the sheer enthusiasm on her face.

"And I'm guessing you're just dying to start searching, aren't you?" he said, floating their suitcases above his head and reaching down to wrap a baby blue scarf around her neck.

She giggled, practically skipping past him down the train car. "Well, yes," she said. "I just can't believe there's a subspecies of winterchilla in Yakyakistan!"

Discord wrapped a scarf around his neck, snapping his fingers and creating fluffy white boots on Fluttershy's hooves. "Well, no point in wasting time. We'll drop these off at the inn and start hitting the pavement." He jumped off of the train behind Fluttershy.

She paused, looking up at the sky. "Oh...the sun is setting, though," she said, pointing at the horizon. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to look for the winterchilla when they're in their larger form...they tend to be more aggressive then."

He grumbled, juggling the suitcases in his magic. "I knew I should have teleported us here," he said. "Why did we have to take the train again?"

"Didn't you want to try the new cafe they installed on the train?" she said, glancing at him. Her voice took on a teasing tone as she continued, "I remember you spent a lot of time in that car...they had first-rate hot chocolate, you said?"

"And cinnamon rolls," he said. "Five stars for everything they served there." He licked his lips. "If only I didn't have to ride a boring train to figure out what it tasted like."

She giggled. "Well, it's not much trouble. We can start our search in the morning, after a good night's sleep." She started walking through the snow, Discord following close behind her.

They trudged into the simple inn. "Excuse me," Fluttershy said to the yak inside. "We sent a letter to make a reservation? Mr. and Mrs. Chaos." She pulled out the letter she had gotten back from them.

The yak blinked. "Oh, yes," she said. "Your room is down there, the first one on the right." Fluttershy nodded and walked in that direction. "Bundle up! It's supposed to be chilly tonight," she said as they walked past.

Fluttershy pushed past the curtain and entered the room. It was small and quite simple, with only a thick carpet on the floor, a bed just big enough for the both of them, and a window on the far wall.

Discord dropped the suitcases in a pile by the doorway, looking around the room and clicking his tongue. He snapped his fingers and replaced the curtain with a soundproof door, then snapped again to replace the thin green curtains on the window with thick plaid ones.

He yawned and stretched. "Well, I think that train ride was boring enough to almost put me to sleep," he said. "I'm going to take a bath. What would you like for dinner?"

"A salad sounds nice," Fluttershy said. "Oh, and could I have the cinnamon roll and hot chocolate you tried on the train?"

He nodded and snapped his fingers, and a small table appeared with the meal she wanted on top of it. Another snap, and a comfortable chair appeared next to it.

"What about your dinner?" she said, taking a seat in the chair.

He shrugged. "Oh, I ate plenty on the train. Plus, there's nothing stopping me from eating in the tub, is there?" he said. She giggled.

He strode into the bathroom, twisting his head to look around. Small shower, small toilet, curtain for a door. With a roll of his eyes, he snapped his fingers, creating a golden bathtub filled with boiling water and bubbles.

He sighed, sinking into the boiling water and snapping up a lavender soap bar and cinnamon roll. He took a large bite out of the cinnamon roll and breathed in the scent of the bubblegum bubble bath, closing his eyes.

By the time Discord got out of his hot bath, the wind outside was howling loudly, and the room was freezing. Fluttershy was trying her best to keep the curtains closed, but wind crept through some invisible cracks in the windows and pushed them away.

Discord snapped his fingers, and a pair of red shutters appeared between the window and curtains, slamming shut. Fluttershy jumped and turned around. "Discord!" she said.

"Sorry for startling you," he said, patting her on the head. "Fighting the wind, are we?" The wind howled again, and the room seemed to grow colder. He and Fluttershy both shivered.

"How are we expected to sleep when the room is so cold?" Discord huffed, snapping his fingers and making a brick fireplace on the wall opposite their bed. With another snap, a roaring fire flared up inside, warming the room up just the tiniest bit.

"Well...yaks have thick fur," Fluttershy said. "They can probably handle cold like this a bit better than we can. That might be why they didn't think tonight would be so bad."

"I guess," Discord mumbled, holding a digital thermometer into the air. It beeped, and the small screen flashed blue before lighting up with text: 'Too Cold to Sleep'.

He grunted and crunched angrily down on the thermometer, devouring it in three bites. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to get some comfortable sleep tonight," he said. "So how can we deal with this cold?"

"M-m-maybe more blankets?" Fluttershy said, her teeth chattering as another gust of wind blew.

Discord snapped, and several layers of thick quilts appeared on the bed. A lightbulb appeared above his head, and he twisted his paw in the air, the room heating up as he did so.

He stopped and let his paw drop to his side once he had brought the room to a comfortable temperature. Fluttershy sighed in relief, laying down on the bed and crawling under the covers. "Thank you, Discord," she said.

He smiled and slithered under the covers, cuddling close to her. "With that taken care of, we can get a good night's sleep," he said. She nodded and kissed him on the lips before laying her head down on the pillow and closing her eyes.

The wind howled, and Discord's eyes snapped open as a wave of cold passed over him.

He lifted his head, peering around the room. He shivered, as the room was maybe even colder now. The fire in the fireplace had died down a little, so he snapped his fingers and created another log in the middle of it.

"D-Discord?" Fluttershy said. "I t-thought you heated up the room..."

"It got cold again," he said, twisting his paw and adjusting the temperature back. "The heat must have...seeped out, I guess." He yawned. "I'm too tired to try and break the laws of physics so that doesn't happen."

"So it's just going to keep getting colder?" Fluttershy said.

He bit his lip. "...I'll try to keep that from happening," he said, snapping his fingers. Another quilt tucked itself over them, and hot water bottles were stuffed under the bedsheets.

"You need rest too, Discord," she said, shifting closer to him. "You're not going to stay up tonight just to keep the room warm, are you?"

He pursed his lips. "Weeeell..." She looked at him with pleading eyes. He sighed, kissing her forehead. "Oh, I can't win when you look at me like that. I'm going to do my best to keep you warm, but I promise that I'll try to get some sleep myself."

He made a crossing motion over his heart, marking a golden 'X' there. She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Cordy."

"You're welcome," he said, tracing his lips along the edge of her ear. "Now, try to go back to sleep. I'll spend a little more time trying to figure this out." She closed her eyes and buried herself into his fur as much as she could. He could feel her small shivers as the cold seeped in more and more.

He stroked his fingers through her mane—which felt much colder than it should have—and hummed a song, one of the lullabies she sang to foals and her animals. He felt her smile against his chest, and soon, she had drifted off to sleep.

He laid his head down on his pillow, snapping a hot water bottle inside of it, and pulled the quilts over her head. With a sigh, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to think of a way to keep both of them warm.

Time passed, and he almost drifted to sleep himself a few times. But the cold snapped him awake each time, and he quickly brought the temperature up before Fluttershy's sleep was disturbed.

He adjusted the quilts over her and felt that she was still shivering slightly. Discord lifted a hand and snapped his fingers, adding another log to the fireplace and making the blaze grow. A wave of heat passed over them, but it was still nothing compared to the cold air in the room, invisibly seeping in.

He pressed Fluttershy against his chest, racking his brain to see if he could think of something else. A large fire, blankets, and hot water bottles aren't enough, he thought. And directly affecting the temperature will only work for a little while before the cold air comes back in. The wind howled outside, banging on the shutters he had placed over the windows.

Both he and Fluttershy shivered, their fur sticking up as the cold hit them again. Fluttershy shifted closer, burying herself into his fur.

A lightbulb appeared above his head. I hope this works, he thought, rubbing his hands together and making sparks of magic between them. After a few seconds of charging, he tapped himself on the forehead with his talon.

Poof!

His fur expanded to several times its volume, burying Fluttershy inside of it. He then reached through his fur and into his chest, turning a white dial inside of himself that read 'Temperature'. He felt his body heat up, and he stopped moving the dial once he felt comfortably warm.

Fluttershy sighed contentedly, relaxing in his arms and resting her head against his warm chest. He smiled and stroked her mane, kissing her forehead. "Sweet dreams, my love," he whispered before laying his head on his pillow. He soon drifted off, joining his wife in sleep.

When he woke up, he still felt sleepy. But it was the good kind of sleepy, halfway between being awake and sleeping. He was tired enough that he felt light, with the quilts comfortable weighing him down and relaxing him, but awake enough to recognize how good everything was—the tantalizing feeling of cool air against his warm skin, and of his lovely wife snuggling into his chest fur.

She shifted closer to him, snuggling even deeper into his fur and running her hooves through the fur on his back. Eventually, her gentle gestures fully awakened him, and he yawned loudly, stretching his arms up before wrapping them back around her.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was staring at him with wide, shining eyes, peeking through his thick fur. "Good morning," he said, kissing her forehead lightly.

"Good morning," she whispered. "Is there...a reason your fur is puffed up again?" She snuggled deeper into his fur.

He chuckled. "This time, it was intentional." His fur flattened down with the sound of a deflating balloon. "I made it fluffier and increased my own body temperature to keep you warm through the night." He nuzzled the top of her head.

She smiled, leaning into his touch. "Thank you, Discord. That was very kind of you." When he pulled away, she beamed at him, eyes sparkling, and with a light blush on her face. A second later, though, her expression changed.

She pointed to his head, a worried expression on her face. He snapped up a hand mirror and looked at his reflection. Steam was pouring out of his eyes and ears, and small wisps were even pouring from parts of his skin.

"Oh!" he said with a laugh. "Don't worry, sweet Fluttershy. That's just a small side effect of leaving my body temperature higher than normal." He reached into his chest and twisted the dial back to its normal position.

She sighed in relief, placing a hoof against her chest. "O-okay. It's not something I normally see, even with you."

"Well, I don't change my body temperature that often," he said. "It's rarely useful, and it has side effects. Turn it up too long, I start steaming and smoking, down too long, and icicles start forming in my joints." He stretched again, his joints making exaggerated popping and shattering sounds as he did so.

She giggled and shifted off of him. "Well, I'll go see if the inn serves any breakfast." She moved towards the edge of the bed.

He wrapped an arm around her, bringing her back to his side. "Oh no you don't," he said. "It might not feel cold in here, but I think it will be much colder in that hallway." He wrapped his other arm around her, placing his chin on top of her head. "Besides, I know something better than some plain old inn breakfast."

"Breakfast in bed!" he said cheerfully, snapping his fingers and making trays of food appear on both their laps. A bowl of oatmeal, steaming hot, was centered on both their trays, with mugs of hot tea and warm, fresh donuts on the side. He snapped his fingers again, and another tray appeared on Fluttershy's other side, with jars of sugar, milk, honey, and other toppings for their oatmeal.

Discord lifted his head off of her, though he still kept one arm around her, and poured chocolate and caramel syrup into his oatmeal, mixing them in before shoving a large spoonful into his mouth. Fluttershy added just a little honey and cinnamon to hers before topping it with blueberries and strawberries. "Did you get enough sleep last night?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I figured out how to keep us warm soon enough...even if I almost drifted off a few times before that."

"That's good," she said. "And everything you did worked, for me at least. I feel very well rested."

"That's wonderful to hear," he said, drinking his oatmeal out of the bowl. "So, where do you want to start searching for the winterchilla?" A map of Yakyakistan appeared at the foot of their bed.

As they ate, she pointed out places the winterchilla was likely or unlikely to be in, which he marked with different colors of stickers. Soon, though, they had finished their meals, and Fluttershy began to crawl out of bed.

Discord rolled out of bed onto the floor, slithering over to the window and throwing the shutters open. The air was calm, though the ground was covered with several feet of new, fluffy white snow.

"That snow looks deep," he said as he quickly slammed the shutters. "You should wear your thickest boots, dear."

"We should wear our thickest boots," she said as she poured a glass of water on the smoldering embers in the fireplace. "And I'll get dressed in a second. I want to freshen up first."

He nodded and started digging through the suitcases while she went into the bathroom. He tossed things from the suitcases all about the room, until he finally found garments he was satisfied with.

A few minutes later, Fluttershy walked out of the bathroom. He floated over to her, holding out the garments he had chosen. "My lady," he said with a bow, suddenly wearing a crisp butler's uniform. "If I may have the honor of preparing you for the harsh winter elements?"

She giggled. "You may," she said with a tiny bow of her own.

First, he snapped his fingers and enchanted her baby blue coat while she was putting it on so that it would always keep her warm. He carefully wriggled long, thick cotton socks onto her hooves, which reached almost up to her body. Then, he helped her put on the thickest boots he could find—mint green ones, with blue fake fur on the inside. Finally, while she was adjusting her white earmuffs, he tied a scarf around her neck, striped navy blue and forest green.

"Alright then!" he said, snapping his fingers and transforming the large Yakyakistan map into a small paper one. "It looks like we're ready to go!"

"Oh, just one second!" Fluttershy said. She became to rummage through the suitcases and pulled out a few items, then carried them over to Discord. "I want to make sure you're bundled up, too."

He looked down at what she was carrying in her front hooves. A long rainbow scarf, hoof-knitted, two mismatched boots, and a patchwork coat. He looked back up at her face, and she gave him a pleading look, holding the items closer to him.

"Hmm," he said, frowning deeply as he stroked at his beard, narrowing his eyes at the garments and glancing over at the window. She frowned slightly, glancing down at the items sadly.

"Oh, I'm just teasing," he said, slinging an arm around her. With a snap of his fingers, everything she had grabbed was teleported onto his body, joined by a pair of gloves on his hands and rainbow legwarmers on his feet. "I may be crazy, but not crazy enough to spend all day outside in the snow without at least a little covering."

She frowned, crossing her forelegs. "W-well, don't tease me like that," she said. "I just want you to be safe, okay?"

"I know," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I just love seeing how much you care about me. It's...touching."

She blushed, glancing up at him. He looked away for a second, lowering his head to try and hide some of his blush behind his scarf. "But I suppose I should make it up to you for worrying you like that..." he said. His head turned into a lightbulb. "And I know how to do that and keep warm at the same time!" He snapped his fingers.

Poof!

His fur fluffed up, bulging against the confines of his coat. She made a happy sound and leaned against him, rubbing her cheek against the fluffy fur on his neck. He smiled and nuzzled her behind her ear.

"Well, if we're all set for an adventure, why don't we set out?" he said. "There's only so much daylight up here, and as you said—'it's not a good idea to look for the winterchilla in their larger form'." For the last part, his mane and voice were perfect imitations of Fluttershy's.

She laughed, leaning against him. "You're right," she said. "Let's go!" He snapped his fingers, and they teleported away, outside of the town.

Small Things

Fluttershy opened the front door and stepped inside. She left a trail of muddy hoofprints on the carpet as she dropped her saddlebags on the ground. With a great sigh, she flopped down onto the couch, too tired to care about the water and mud that she was getting on the cushions.

After a few minutes of laying there, pressing her face into the pillows, the front door was slammed open with great force. "I'm home!" Discord announced cheerfully. "How was your—" he froze as he spotted her. "What in the name of sweet chaos happened to you!?"

She sighed and sat up, pushing some of her mane out of her face. "Hi, Discord," she said quietly. "It's just been...a very long day for me."

He conjured up a wooden chair and sat in front of her, leaning forward with wide, worried eyes. With another sigh, she started.

"Before I started checking on the animals in the sanctuary, Starlight suddenly ran up and asked me to be a last-minute substitute for a friendship class—Scootaloo caught the feather flu, and no one else could take over. I agreed, and left some instructions for Dr. Fauna before leaving with Starlight."

"Well, I had only half an hour to learn and memorize what I was supposed to be teaching the class. It wasn't that hard, but...I was just so worried that I wouldn't learn everything in time. Oh, but the classes went just fine, and Starlight said she could take over the afternoon classes."

"I figured I'd eat lunch at the sanctuary...but when I got there, Dr. Fauna said that she didn't see the list I left. It must have blown away. So we had to figure out everything she hadn't done, and then I had to do it before we could do the afternoon things. But she was called away for an emergency, and I didn't have volunteers today, so I had to do everything myself."

"But I had forgotten that there was a heavy rainstorm scheduled for this afternoon...I must have slipped and fallen into ten mud puddles after it started...but I had to finish taking care of my animals. It took me all afternoon, but once that was done, I came right back home."

She flopped back down onto the couch, sighing when it let out a nasty squelching sound. Discord quickly snapped his fingers, and the mud and water evaporated off of the couch and her body, the vapor hovering out the window.

"Thank you," she mumbled. Her coat still felt itchy and unclean, even if the grime was gone.

"Fluttershy...why didn't you call me?" he asked. "I could have helped you! I could have taken care of your morning chores, or substituted for the class. I could have gotten rid of those rain clouds, or even just made you an umbrella!"

She sighed, shaking her head. "No...you were visiting Celestia. I didn't want to disturb you. I know how much you both enjoy your semi-monthly visits."

He frowned. "We could have easily rescheduled! There's no reason you shouldn't have—" She whimpered, lowering her head, and he froze.

With a sigh, he gently placed his paw on top of her head. "I'm sorry," he murmured. After a pause, he said, "Did you even get a chance to eat lunch?"

She shook her head, and he sighed heavily. "Alright. I'll make you some nice, hot stew. Do you want to go to bed?" She nodded, and he snapped his fingers, teleporting both of them onto their bed. He gently propped her against the pillows, tucking the sheets up to her chest.

"I'll be back in just a few minutes, okay? I'm going to make the stew by hand, with a little magic to speed it up." Before he snapped his fingers, he grabbed a book from her small shelf with his tail and placed it into her hooves. He disappeared in a flash of light.

She glanced down at the book she was holding—a field guide on the birds found in the tropics. She flipped through the pages slowly, looking at the creatures' colorful plumage without really reading any of the words.

Just a few minutes later, Discord floated back into the room with a silver tray in his claw. He carefully placed it on her lap, and she set the book aside to see what he'd brought.

A large bowl of vegetable stew, with some noodles floating around in it, still steaming hot. A steaming mug of hot chocolate, with a dollop of marshmallow whip. And a pink cream cheese mint, exactly the shape and size of a blooming rose.

Slowly, she dipped her spoon into the stew and brought it up to her lips, taking a small sip. "I-it's delicious," she whispered. She took another small bite, then a sip of the hot chocolate. A warmth spread from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her hooves.

Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes and started pouring down her face.

"Fluttershy!?" Discord said. "Are-are you okay!? Is the cocoa too hot? Is the stew too salty? Did my cooking poison you!?"

She let out a choked laugh, wiping her eyes. "N-no," she said, sniffling. "I'm-I'm sorry. It's just been...such a long day, and I'm so tired, and-and you're just being so nice when all I've done is rant at you..." She sniffed again, wiping both of her eyes.

She squeaked as Discord wrapped his arms around her, the tray floating off to the side as she was pulled against his chest. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he said. "You have just been through a very long and stressful day, and are only just now getting a chance to relax. Of course you feel a little overwhelmed."

She whimpered. "But...what you said earlier, about calling you...you're not mad at me?"

He sighed, burying his muzzle into her mane. "No, I am not mad. I may be a little annoyed that you put my visit with Celestia over your own health and struggles...but no, I understand why you decided not to."

He kissed her forehead. "Just, in the future...call me, okay? I'll drop everything if it means I can help you."

She whined and buried her face deeper in his fur. Tiny whimpers came from her throat, as tears poured from her eyes.

"Just let it all out," he said, stroking her mane and back. "Everything's going to be fine. I'm here for you."

For the next few minutes, she continued to sob in his fur. Eventually, she pulled away with a running nose and red, puffy eyes. She apologized for getting his fur wet. He just shrugged and gently rubbed a silk handkerchief over her eyes and nose. When he pulled away, her nose was clear, and a sideways glance towards the nearby mirror showed that her eyes were normal again.

"Feel any better?" he asked, cleaning the mess she had made in his fur with the handkerchief.

With a sniff, she slowly nodded. "Thank you," she said, wrapping her forehooves around his torso. He smiled down at her, brushing a stray strand of mane out of her face.

She pulled away and leaned back against the pillows. "I'd like to finish that stew now. It really is delicious," she said. He smiled and reeled the tray back in front of her.

She continued eating and sipping at her cocoa, while Discord laid down on his side of the bed and summoned one of his favorite salads to eat: a single leaf of lettuce, drenched in ranch, and topped with croutons, crackers shaped like fish, and a handful of paperclips. She leaned against his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her withers.

She finished off her stew and rose mint, Discord polishing off his salad and purple corpse lily-shaped mint. A bonfire suddenly sprang up at the foot of the bed, and they were holding sticks with marshmallows on them. "I think today should be a two-dessert day, after what you've been through," he said, lighting his marshmallow on fire and sticking it into a s'more as it was still burning.

She smiled and began to cook her own marshmallow a little more carefully, taking sips of her cocoa as it turned a lovely shade of golden brown. When it was ready, she pulled it back, and chocolate and graham crackers appearing around it as she pulled it off of the stick.

After devouring two s'mores, she decided she had had enough. Discord tossed the remainder of his tenth s'more down his esophagus and snapped his fingers. She felt warm, white steam that smelled like soap blow against her fur, melting away the sticky residue and finally getting rid of that grimy feeling in her fur.

A gust of hot wind blew through the room, dispersing the steam and drying her fur. She yawned and slid under the sheets. Discord curled around her like a snake, resting his head just above hers.

"Thank you," she murmured, wrapping her forehooves around the part of him she could most easily reach, pressing her face into his fur. "This feels so nice..."

With another yawn, she snuggled closer against him, feeling the troubles of her day melt away as she drifted into unconsciousness.

Grumpy Gus

Fluttershy hummed a simple tune, herding a couple of dust bunnies back under the couch. Discord had left hours ago for a small convention, where he would be showing off a new expansion of O&O to any interested players.

She glanced up at the clock. He'd be back home any minute now, and she wanted everything to be nice and chaotic when he arrived. Still humming her little song, she tossed some flour on top of the table, spreading it out with her hoof until it was a thin dust.

Just as she had put away the flour and was turning a painting in the kitchen upside down, she heard the door slam open. She quickly flew into the living room. "Welcome back!" she said cheerfully. "How was—"

She froze in place, a tiny squeak coming from her throat. Discord was scowling and glaring—not at her, it seemed, but just everything in general. "It," he hissed between grit teeth, "did not go as well as I had hoped."

With a snort, he hovered over and flopped down on the couch, crossing his arms and glaring up at the ceiling. A tiny volcano appeared where he was glaring, spewing lava over the surface. He huffed, tiny clouds of smoke pouring out of his nostrils.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she said.

He growled. "No! I'd rather not have to relive the last few hours, thank you!" he snapped. An armchair skidded across the floor, crashing down the hallway. With another snort, this time with a spurt of flame, he flopped his head down on the closest pillow.

She backed away slowly. "Oh...I'm sorry." She went back into the kitchen, quickly pulling out slices of bread, carrot extract, and ginger. In just a few minutes, she had whipped together the carrot ginger sandwiches he liked so much (with an extra sprinkle of ginger), making sure to cut off the crusts and separate them from the sandwiches.

After arranging them on a large plate, she opened the fridge and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade, pouring it into a tall glass and adding a hoofful of star-shaped ice cubes. She set the plate on her back, and grabbed the glass with her wing, then walked to the living room.

"Here you go," she said, sliding them onto the small table beside him. "I thought you might like something to eat."

"M'not hungry," he muttered.

She frowned. "Is there anything you need? A book, a puzzle..."

He shifted his head and glared at her. "I'd like to be left alone to wallow in my misery!" he howled, before turning so that his back was facing her. He crossed his arms with a snort, and a small, rumbling black thundercloud appeared above his head.

She took a few steps back, her ears pressed flat against her skull. "...Alright," she said, turning and starting to fly out of the room.

Just before she went into the hallway, she heard Discord call, "W-wait!" She turned and saw that even though the black cloud was still hovering near him, he had sat up, and was reaching an arm out towards her.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," he quickly said. "I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help me, and I-I love you for that." He clasped his hands together, twiddling his thumbs.

"I don't want to talk...but having you closer makes me feel...better," he said. "Could you...?"

She nodded and flew back over to him, taking a seat on the other end of the couch. "Do you want a hug?" she asked, stretching her hooves out to him.

He shook his head, curling his tail away. "I'd rather not be touched right now, thanks. Just being close is good."

She smiled and nodded, putting a few inches between herself and his tail. She waited and watched as Discord muttered to himself under his breath, clenching and unclenching his fists, and bit at the corner of his pillow.

At some point, he starting shoving carrot ginger sandwiches into his mouth angrily, nearly swallowing them whole. As he made his way through the sandwiches, though, he began to slow down and actually chew his food, washing it down with gulps of lemonade.

As he nibbled at one of the sandwich crusts, his tail shifted closer to her lap. "Discord?" she said quietly, pointing his tail out when he glanced up at her. "I wasn't sure if you still didn't want to be touched..." She shifted a little bit away, but bumped into the arm of the couch before she could get far.

He rolled the crust in his mouth, then said, "I think I'd like to take you up on that hug." He bit his lip. "That is...if you're still offering."

She opened her forelegs, smiling softly. He swallowed his crust and flipped backwards in the air, so that now he was looking up at her, upside-down. He slithered over to her, hesitating for a second before gently pressing himself against her chest.

She slowly wrapped her hooves around his neck, keeping her touch as light as possible, so that he could pull away if he had to. He whined, pressing his cheek against her chest.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You're so wonderful. I love you. I'm sorry."

She shushed him, brushing at his mane with a hoof. "It's okay. You were in a bad mood. You just needed some way to vent your frustrations."

"That doesn't excuse it," he growled. The black cloud orbited around the two of them, rumbling. "Especially when the reason for my bad mood is a stupid, idiotic one."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, brushing behind his ear with the tip of her wing.

He scowled. "It's stupid," he grumbled.

"Talking about it might make you feel better," she said. "And you can stop at any time you want. I won't pry."

He shifted, letting his arms fall to his sides on the couch, and his head relax against her chest. "Well, the convention...didn't go as well as I had hoped for," he said. "Oh, it was fine at first. Small groups of creatures, all interested in the game, very polite and friendly about it."

He clenched his fists, and growled, "Then he came."

"He was some stallion, being dragged along by a younger mare—his daughter or niece, some kind of relative. Anyway, she was very interested in the game, and was eager to sit down and play. The stallion just sort of...hung back, scowling." Discord scowled himself, "But we needed one more player for an ideal party, so she invited him to take a pre-rendered character and join in. That's when things started to get dicey, and not the fun kind."

"First of all, he was pretty grumpy about having to join in. Then, he took one look at his character sheet and said he wasn't going to play as a dragon of all things. That upset the dragon player who was at the table. I managed to find a character sheet for a pony, but then he got upset with me because I grabbed one for a barbarian, and he thought I was insulting his intelligence."

"So his younger relative rolled him up a unicorn wizard, just to keep him quiet. So finally, with six players, we could start the game. I figured that even if he didn't want to join in, he would hang back and let his daughter-niece-whatever have fun." The black cloud rumbled. "My mistake."

He flopped his head against her chest roughly. She winced. "Sorry! So sorry! I forgot you weren't my pillow," he said quickly. She pat his head, quietly assuring him she was okay.

"But anyway, I made a mistake thinking he would either join in or keep quiet. As we started the game, he made fun of the voices every creature was using for their characters, and mocked the player who was roleplaying as a barbarian."

"Then as we continued, he called the rouge 'morally depraved', the changeling bard a 'lovesucking trickster', and the druid a 'treehugging hippie'. Everyone was upset, but they thought he was just trying to get into the whole roleplaying thing, so tried to go along with it."

"But as we kept going, his comments just got worse and worse...and then he started making comments about the mare he came with." Steam started pouring out of his ears. "He criticized her decisions in the game, especially in combat. He snapped at her when she tried roleplaying her cleric. And then he started asking why she even bothered spending bits on something she doesn't even get something out of."

"That was when I stepped in. I called for a break, and pulled him to the side." A projector suddenly appeared, showing Discord and a middle-aged pegasus, talking separately from a group of younger creatures, who were eyeing the two nervously.

On the image, Discord hissed, "Look, you're ruining the game for everyone else, including the mare you came with. Knock it off with the comments."

The stallion scoffed. "Oh, please. It's just a game. Besides, it's time she grew up and gave up these childish hobbies anyway."

Discord growled, clenching his fist and jabbing a finger at his muzzle. "You are walking on very thin ice right now, good sir," he said, pupils glowing red. "You realize you are talking to someone who also plays this game, and has seen hundreds more lifetimes than your feeble mind could even start to comprehend."

The stallion shoved his finger away and scoffed, "And have you accomplished anything of worth? Done anything for the good of the world? Or have you just wasted hours on useless distractions, ignoring everypony around you?"

Discord snorted, smoke pouring out of his nostrils. "Shut up."

"Have I struck a nerve? Made you see that by wasting your time on foolish things like this, you've ignored the more important things like—"

Whatever he was going to say next would be unknown. Discord snapped his fingers, and the stallion disappeared in a flash of light. "Who's up for LARPing?" he yelled back at the group, who were watching with stunned expressions.

He snapped his fingers, and he and the group appeared in a fantastical world—the world of Ogres and Obulettes. The rude stallion was standing there in wizard robes, looking shell-shocked.

Discord hovered overhead, shaking a handful of colorful dice, cackling. The image faded to black, and the projector hummed and shut down.

"I got in trouble for that," he said. "The convention wasn't happy that I dragged creatures into another dimension. That stallion wanted me to be kicked out, but the others stood up for me—even the mare. They said they had fun, and he was a jerk, anyway."

He sighed. "But because of his complaints, they...they might not invite me back for the next convention." He held up a hand puppet of a pony. "We'll need to consider all statements about today's incident before you can work for us again."

He sighed again, the black cloud deflating like a balloon and flopping to the ground. "Yeah. Like I said. A stupid reason to be angry," he muttered.

"Don't say that," she said, gently running a hoof down his cheek. "That stallion was rude to you and everyone else. And he only got ruder when you tried to politely confront him." She tightened her hug. "Anyone would be mad because of that."

"That annoyed me, yeah, but...the main reason I'm angry at him is the really idiotic thing," he grumbled.

She tilted her head. "Was it because he might get you barred from future conventions? Because—"

He shook his head. "I'm annoyed about that, too, but...what really made me mad was that he tried claiming that I've 'ignored important things'."

"I don't know what he thought was important—maybe it was holding a job, getting rich, helping one's fellow creature—and I don't care, either. But I'll be barbequed before someone tries to imply that my Fluttershy is somehow less important than anything else in my life, or that I've neglected my role as a husband!"

She placed a hoof to her mouth, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. He was quiet for a second before stammering out, "O-of course, implying the Council of Friendship isn't important was also pretty—"

He froze as she tightened her hold on his neck, burying her face in his fur. "Discord," she choked, "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard you say." She kept nuzzling into him.

He flushed a bright red, stammering out a few syllables. "W-well, I still don't think that excuses how I treated you earlier," he finally said. He snapped his tail feathers, and the volcano sank into the ceiling, taking the lava with it, and the armchair flew back into the room with butterfly wings.

He snapped his fingers, and a complete teaset appeared on the table. "Would something like this perhaps begin to make it up to you?" he said, pouring a cup of tea with one hand, the other wrapped around her back.

She smiled, slowly letting go of his neck. "Discord, I already forgive you," she said. "But what about you? Are you feeling any better?"

He handed her the full cup, nodding. "Oh, yes. Well, I can't say I've forgiven the rude git, but I don't feel like sending a swarm of parasprites to eat his coat off anymore," he said, taking a sip of tea. "I guess I just needed to get it off my chest." He opened a panel above his heart, pulling out a large black dumbbell and tossing it to the side.

She giggled, taking a sip of tea. "You know I'll always be here whenever you're upset, right?"

He nodded, placing his hand on her head. "And I for you, my dear sweet Fluttershy."

He pulled away, tossing another sandwich crust in his mouth and glancing about the room. "I have to say, my dear, I love what you've done with the place! Is this chaos all just for me?"

She nodded. "It's just a few small things, but I wanted to surprise you."

He smiled softly at her, pupils forming into the shape of hearts. "It's wonderful," he said, not taking his eyes off of her. She smiled back, a blush forming on her face.

Shot Through the Heart

"Thanks, Dr. Fauna," Fluttershy said. "I really can't thank you enough for giving all the sanctuary animals their shots."

The earth pony smiled. "Oh, it's really no trouble at all, Fluttershy," she said. "I'd hate for any of the creatures here to get sick."

"Still, I appreciate all you've done," Fluttershy said, rubbing one of Angel's children between her ears. Cherub squeaked and nuzzled into her hoof before hopping away to join her siblings.

"Speaking of shots, Fluttershy...have you gotten your flu shot yet this year?"

Fluttershy bit her lip. "I...don't think I've gotten any shots since I moved in with Discord. I've just been so busy, and I always forget about it."

Dr. Fauna nodded. "Well, if there's ever a year to get it, it's this year. The flu strain this year is just awful...a few ponies have even..." She paused and gulped. "But that's only a few cases. The symptoms are still very nasty, though."

Fluttershy nodded. "I'll think about it. Discord should probably get his shots, too."

They chatted for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes and going their separate ways. Before going through one of the nearby portals, Fluttershy paused and flew towards town instead, in the direction of the Ponyville Hospital.

Everything had gone smoothly. An appointment was set for both of them, tomorrow in the middle of the morning. They would both get the flu shot and then go out for lunch and ice cream afterward.

Discord decided that things going smoothly was not a good thing.

"No!" he said for the tenth time that morning, and the fifteenth since she had told him last evening. "I am not going to let somepony stick a needle in me!"

She sighed and began to fly towards one of the nearby portals. "Discord...it's to make sure you don't get sick. You don't want to get sick, do you?"

He growled. "I think I'll take my chances. I don't get sick that often."

She sighed. "Fine. If you want to stay here, I'll just get my shot, and go eat lunch in town by myself." She saw his ears perk up a little, a frown growing on his face.

She turned away to hide a smirk. "And I hoped we could go to Sugar Cube Corner for dessert...I guess I'll just have to go by myself."

"Ugh!" Discord floated to her side. "Fine, I'll do it. You're not nearly as subtle as you think you are, my dear."

She held his paw, and they flew towards the portal. "Thank you, sweetie," she said. "You know I'm doing this because I love you and want you to be healthy, right?"

He muttered and grumbled to himself, before finally saying aloud, "Yeah...I know. I just don't like it."

Discord tapped his foot on the ground. She reached over and patted his upper arm.

They had signed in early and were waiting to be called back. Discord had started fidgeting impatiently after the first minute.

She leaned against his shoulder. "It shouldn't be too much longer," she said quietly.

He grumbled, "If they're going to do awful things to me, do they need to bore me to death, too?"

She pointed to a stack of magazines on the table next to him. He sighed and shook his head. "No, I sampled some of them when you were signing us in. Too glossy and vapid for my taste."

She narrowed her eyes. There was a small piece of colored paper on his snaggletooth. "Discord...what have we discussed about eating things that don't belong to you?"

He grinned and reached up, pulling out his snaggletooth. Inside was a tightly rolled up magazine, a tiny corner poked up and over the edge of his tooth. "I was wondering how long it'd take for you to realize something was off." He pulled the magazine out of his tooth, which unfolded itself without any creases, and tossed it back onto the stack.

"I'd never eat these, anyway. I've tried it before, they're disgusting," he said. With a sigh, he slumped in his chair. "But there goes my source of entertainment. None of these," he flipped through the magazine pages, "appeal to me."

His leg bounced up and down. She leaned against his side, wrapping a foreleg around his arm. "It won't be too long," she said, nuzzling against him. Slowly, his leg stopped bouncing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Chaos?" a young nurse said. She felt Discord tense up, and gave his paw a reassuring squeeze before standing up and walking to the nurse. With a great sigh, he lifted himself from the chair and followed, dragging his feet on the ground.

The nurse guided them through the maze of hallways inside, before finally stopping and opening a small wooden door, gesturing for them to enter. It was a small room, with sterile white walls and a plain blue carpet, with a long, uncomfortable-looking medical bed.

She fluttered into the air and sat down on the bed. Discord followed suit, laying on his stomach and curling next to her. The bed expanded to comfortably hold both of them. The nurse blinked in surprise, but quickly shook it off and approached the counter and cabinets.

"I see the both of you are here for the flu shot," she said as she grabbed items with her magic. "That's good. The influenza strain this year seems particularly nasty." There was a clinking of glass as she did something on the counter, outside their view. "Well, this won't take long at all, don't worry."

She smiled and turned to face them, a syringe filled with clear liquid held in her magic.

Discord yelped and pressed himself against Fluttershy's side. "T-that thing's huge!" he said. "Y-you're not going to stick that in me!"

He buried his face into her shoulder, tucking his limbs behind her. Googly eyes sprouted on his horn and antler, focused on and glaring at the needle. He was trembling violently, shaking his head.

"Discord," she said, brushing the tip of her wing against his back. "It's okay. It's okay. It's not that big."

The eyes on his horns gazed at her skeptically, and he lifted his head, showing an identical expression. The nurse stepped a little closer, holding the needle casually for him to examine.

He flinched, ducking back behind her shoulder. "Looks pretty big to me! And sharp! And definitely painful!" Trembling, he slowly shrank down in size, until he was completely hidden under her wing.

"Oh, Discord..." She lifted up her wing, brushing him with her feathers before folding it back against her side. He crawled closer to her side and pressed against her, still trembling. She sighed and began to stroke his back softly.

After some petting, soft kisses, and whispered assurances, he grew back to his normal size. He still had his arms wrapped around her, though, and was eyeing the needle warily.

"Sir, if you just close your eyes and relax, it'll be fine," the nurse said with a smile. He sighed heavily, but complied as Fluttershy stroked his cheek.

"Alright. I'm going to do this on the count of three. One..." She came closer. His fingers curled into fists.

"Two..." She poised the needle just above his skin. Before she could do anything else, though, Discord's eyes suddenly snapped open. He reeled backward, trying to bat at the needle without coming close to it.

"I know that trick!" he said. "You're going to stick me with that right before you say three, aren't you!" He jumped off of the bed and huddled behind it, glaring at her. "You can't trick me like that! What do you take me for, a fool?!" With a growl, he slinked off into the corner, hackles raised. He huddled in the corner, glaring at the nurse.

Fluttershy sighed, placing a hoof against her forehead. "Oh, Discord..." She turned to the nurse. "We should give him some time to calm down. Can you give me my shot?"

The nurse nodded, swabbing the syringe with a sterilized cotton ball. Fluttershy took in a deep breath and closed her eyes as she approached, letting her muscles relax.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. "Um, Mrs. Fluttershy?" the nurse said. "I'm having a slight problem."

She opened her eyes. The nurse was trying to give her the shot, but a shimmering blue aura had appeared a few inches above her skin and was repelling the syringe. The nurse tried to push the syringe closer, but the aura pushed back harder, even creating a tiny blue hoof to slap the needle away.

Fluttershy turned and glared at Discord. His ears lowered and his shoulders drooped. "Discord," she said. "I know you don't want to get your shot. But I do! Just let her give me the shot!"

He whined, "But...but I don't want to see you get hurt." The nurse tried to push through the aura, failing again.

She sighed and shook her head. "Then just...don't watch. Cover your eyes, and take down the shield." He frowned, biting his lip. "I promise I'll be fine. Please?"

He let out a whine, but slowly turned around to face the corner, shutting his eyes and covering his ears with his hands. He snapped his tail feathers, and the aura slowly faded away.

Both she and the nurse let out a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and relaxed, flinching as the nurse stuck the needle in her arm. A few seconds later, she pulled out the syringe, and Fluttershy opened her eyes.

"That wasn't so bad," she said as the nurse swabbed her foreleg with a wet cloth that smelled strongly of alcohol. She glanced over at Discord, and saw that he hadn't reacted in the slightest—he was as still as a statue, pressing his ears to his head.

She sighed and shook her head as the nurse placed a yellow band-aid on her foreleg. "He's being very stubborn about this," she said quietly. "I'm not sure how long it will take me to convince him..."

Suddenly, her ears perked up, her eyes lighting up with an idea. She glanced over at Discord, biting her lip, her eyes filling with guilt. "I'm sorry," she said under her breath. To the nurse, she said, "If I talk to him, and reassure him, can you...give him the shot while he's distracted?"

Her gaze whipped back to him. He hadn't reacted. The nurse bit her lip. "I'm not sure, ma'am. I don't feel comfortable tricking patients."

Fluttershy sighed. "If we don't do this, I'm not sure how long it'll take to talk him into accepting it." She shivered. "I once spent a whole day just trying to get him to go to a dentist appointment. At least then I could tell him it wouldn't be painful."

The nurse frowned, but still grabbed another syringe with her magic and nodded. Fluttershy took a deep breath and flew over to Discord, tapping him on the shoulder.

He flinched, head swiveling to face her. She smiled reassuringly, turning to show the band-aid on her foreleg. "See?" she said. "It wasn't that bad."

The rest of his body rotated with a clicking sound until it and his head were properly aligned. He lowered his head until his muzzle was just inches from the band-aid, his eyes narrowed. "I still think it was a rather large needle," he said, hands hovering over her foreleg. "I'm glad I didn't see it..." He shivered.

She clasped his hands between her hooves. "It really wasn't that bad, Discord. Do you think you'd be willing to..."

He shook his head quickly. "Nope. No way. Not happening. Get a refund for whatever you paid, and—" He yelped, his fur standing on edge.

Both he and Fluttershy glanced down at his upper arm. A syringe was injected there, and just now being pulled out by the nurse's magic. Discord shivered as she swabbed his skin, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. A tiny whimper came from his throat.

Fluttershy pressed her face into his hands, kissing his knuckles. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she muttered in between kisses. "I'm sorry. I just want you to be healthy." She kissed his knuckles a few more times as the nurse placed a band-aid on his arm. As soon as she was done, Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around his torso, leaning down to kiss him where he had gotten his shot.

He wrapped his arms around her as she nuzzled against his arm, planting kisses on his skin. The nurse coughed, making the two of them glance up. "You're, um, free to leave whenever you want," she said. "And since you've already paid, you can just...go out the door."

She backed away towards the door. "I'll just...leave you two alone." She backed out and quickly closed the door behind her.

Fluttershy turned her attention back to Discord, trailing kisses down his arm. "Flutters..." he sighed. "It's not that bad. Come on. Just look up, would you?"

She did so. Tiny tears were still in the corners of his eyes, but he was smiling. With a swipe of his claw, his eyes were dry. "I'm fine, see? I was just surprised." He kissed her forehead. "You don't need to fuss over me."

She whimpered, pressing closer against his chest. "But...I tricked you."

He patted her on the head. "Yes, but only because I was being my stubborn old self. The shot wasn't fun, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected." He nuzzled her behind her ear. "Thank you for looking out for me. I don't know what I'd do without you." His grip around her tightened.

She shifted in his hold until she could comfortably lean against his chest. "So...you're not mad?" she said quietly.

He scratched her behind the ear, making her coo softly. "No, of course not," he said. "How can I be? If anything, you should be mad at me for being such a stubborn old spirit."

She brushed a hoof against his upper arm, where the band-aid was. "Well...no one likes pain," she said. "I can understand why you didn't want the shot..."

He shuddered as her hoof crossed his wound. "Well, at least I know it's not as bad as I feared. I suppose if I have to get more in the future, I'd do it..."

She shook her head. "That's probably not going to happen. I only got mine this year because of how bad this year's flu is. And I wanted to make sure you got one, too, because I want you to be safe." She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

He suddenly stood up, still holding her in his arms. "Well, I'm hungry!" he declared. "If our 'I-understand-you-and-love-you' moment is out of the way, why don't we grab lunch?"

She giggled and nodded. "Alright. Sugar Cube Corner? Oh, and we should let them know we've left." He nodded and snapped his fingers, and they disappeared in a flash of white light. A paper airplane with the message 'hey we left --Discord and Flutters' written in pink crayon appeared and sailed through the door and down the hallway, towards the desk.

Luggage and Trips

Fluttershy glanced around the bedroom, reaching out and grabbing a teal shawl, tucking it into her saddlebags.

She heard the door open and glanced up to see Discord walking in. He paused in the doorway, looking at the half-full saddlebags and scattered items on the bed in front of her.

"Oh...your trip with the Equestrian Rare Animals Group is soon, isn't it?" he said.

She nodded, glancing between two different scarves before deciding on the purple and lime green scarf, hand-knit by Discord. "The Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures, sweetheart. And yes, we're leaving for the Crystal Empire in two days."

Her eyes lit up, and she clasped her hooves in front of her. "We're going to help shear the crystal ewes, and care for them in between shears...it's going to be amazing!"

He frowned. "How long are you going to be gone, again?"

"Just three days," she said, carefully adding a journal, quill, and sealed ink pot to her bags. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Can't I come with you?" he whined, pouting slightly.

She sighed, putting down the objects she was holding and focusing all of her attention on him. "Discord, we talked about this when I received the invitation, remember?"

He sighed, crossing his arms. "I can't go because only you were invited and they can't accommodate me, and because someone needs to watch over the sanctuary and the new volunteers from the School of Friendship."

His frown deepened, lips drooping past his jaw impossibly. "And I'm also not allowed to just teleport you straight there and back when you're done, because the Society wants its members to stick together, and I'm not allowed to transport everyone because of bureaucracy."

She flew over, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you can't teleport there yourself in the evenings...or that you can't stay the night."

His frown slowly lifted, and he uncrossed his arms. "That's true, at least. Can I also check up on you during the day?"

She frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Discord, the last time I agreed to that on a trip, you were checking on me every ten minutes."

He protested, "You were in the Dragonlands! I was very worried about your safety, surrounded by all those rocks, lava, and dragons. The Crystal Empire is much safer, so I won't pop in as often." He paused. "Probably."

She sighed, shaking her head lightly. "How about you make something I can use to contact you?" she said. "That way, if I need you, I can call you, and you don't have to worry about me."

"Well, you don't need anything to do that. I'll always come when you call. But..." He snapped his fingers, though nothing visible happened. "There. Now, if you're ever actually in danger, I'll receive an alert."

She smiled. "There. Now you won't need to worry about me, right?" He slowly nodded. "Alright. I'm just going to finish packing." She glanced back at the items she had laid out. "Now, which grooming kit should I take?"

"Why not just take everything?" Discord said. "Space is no problem. I can always add more space."

She shook her head, browsing the contents of her grooming kits. "No, it's better that I just take a few things now. If I take too many things, I'll just have a lot of clutter, and it'll make it harder to find what I need." She decided on the kit that had more combs and brushes, packing it into her bag.

"But what if you really need something, and you don't have it?" he asked. "What if a freak magic surge means I can't hear you calling for me? What if I can't come in time?"

She sighed. "Discord, the last time your magic failed was when you were sick, and you're perfectly healthy right now. I don't think your spells are going to fail."

He wrung his tail, muttering about things that could happen. She turned to the dresser and pulled out a small suitcase, flying over and holding it out to him.

"I know you're worried. If it makes you feel better, you can help me pack. Fill up this suitcase with anything you think I might need."

He took the suitcase, opening it up and sticking his head in to look at it. "I can put anything in here?" he asked.

She nodded. "Will that make you feel better? Knowing that I should have everything I need?"

He paused, then nodded eagerly. "I know just where to start!" He rushed out of the room, creating random objects and tossing them into the open suitcase as he went.

She smiled and shook her head, turning back to her saddlebags.

"Discord, if I don't leave soon, I'll miss the train," she said. He just whined, pulling her closer to his chest.

"One more minuuuute," he said, placing a small kiss on her forehead. She sighed, nuzzling his cheek.

After another minute of cuddling, she tapped her hoof against his chest. "I really do have to leave now," she said. He let out a great sigh, but released her from his grip.

She fluttered over to the doorway, placing her saddlebags on her back. Discord floated over to her, holding out the suitcase.

"I put in everything I could think of that you might need," he said. "And I also threw in plenty of snacks."

He opened it up. Stuffed in one half were a large amount of plastic bags filled to the brim with various snacks. The other half was filled with a large pile of...keychains.

She held up one keychain—one of a sparkly snowflake. She rose an eyebrow, glancing up at him.

He tapped on some diagrams drawn in crayon taped to the inside of the lid. "I made a list on when you want to use each one, and how to use them."

"Now, I believe you have a train to catch." She dropped the keychain back in and snapped the suitcase shut, while he tore a portal in the space in front of him.

She picked the suitcase up in her mouth, flying through the portal into the Ponyville train station. Discord flew after her, letting the portal close behind him as she handed her ticket to the conductor.

Just before she got on the train, he coughed into his paw. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked, leaning out to her, hands clasped behind his back.

She smiled and dropped the suitcase, flying up to peck him on the lips. His cheeks turned pink, and he slowly lifted a brown paper lunch sack with a drawing of a heart on it. "I meant your lunch, but I'm not complaining," he said, returning the light kiss.

She blushed and grabbed the sack with her wing, turning back around and grabbing the suitcase before finally taking her place on the train. Once she found her seat with other Society members, she peered out the window and waved at Discord. He waved back.

She kept her eyes on him as the train pulled out of the station. She just barely saw the flash of him teleporting away once he was almost completely out of her sight.

After taking some time to catch up with Tree Hugger and other Society members, Fluttershy found an unclaimed seat and let her saddlebags slide off her back with a sigh.

Her stomach growled, and she dug through the paper sack Discord had handed her. She pulled out two cucumber sandwiches, a banana, and a tiny, whistling teapot, which transformed into a teacup as she held it in her hoof.

She giggled, taking a sip of the tea, and nibbling at her cucumber sandwiches. She watched the landscape roll by as she ate her lunch, but her eyes soon fell to the suitcase Discord had packed for her.

As she peeled her banana, she lifted the surprisingly light suitcase off of the floor and onto her lap, popping the lid open. She leaned forward, trying to decipher Discord's scrawled, messy handwriting on his diagrams.

Fluttershy, I'm sure when you saw all of these keychains, you thought I had finally lost it! Well, rest assured, that is not the case. Your hubby is still mostly sane. She giggled and shook her head, continuing to read. But, my dear, these are not just keychains. They are actually more tiny suitcases.

To the right, you'll see a picture of each of the keychain/suitcases, explaining what each one is for. If you ever need the contents of one, just pull it out and give the chain a firm tug—that'll make it grow to its normal size. Repeat the action to shrink it back down into a keychain.

I wish you safe travels on your trip, my love! Underneath that, he had drawn a picture of himself, blowing her a kiss, surrounded by hearts in all colors of the rainbow.

She smiled, then turned her attention to the papers taped to the right. It was filled with accurate crayon drawings of the keychains, with short descriptions of what each one was meant to be used for.

Remembering earlier, she searched for the drawing of the sparkly snowflake keychain. Next to it, he had written, For when it gets very cold, or there's a lot of snow. Includes a scarf, coat, snow boots, and mug of hot cocoa, among other things.

She smiled and scanned through the rest of the drawings. There was a tent keychain, for if she couldn't find a place to sleep, a picnic basket if she couldn't find anywhere to eat, a sun for if things suddenly got hot...the list went on. Most of the keychains were reasonable in her opinion, but others...just made her shake her head, smiling.

A round keychain with a purple swirl, to find her way home if she was sucked into another dimension? A tea kettle, for when she really, really wanted some tea? A clock shaped one, said to be stuffed with watches and sundials, in case she couldn't figure out the time? She shook her head, chuckling. "Oh, Discord."

She took a small hoofful of star-shaped gummy candies before closing the suitcase and looking back out the window.

The train arrived at the Crystal Empire, and everyone slowly filed off. A crystal unicorn waved at them, and they approached her, gathering in a semicircle.

"Hello! Is everypony here part of the..." She checked a sheet of paper in her hoof. "Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures?" Everyone in the group nodded. "Well, it's lovely to meet all of you! I'll be taking you to your hotel so that you can get settled in."

She guided them down the streets until they finally came across a small crystal building. "Here we are!" their guide said. "Now, somepony will be coming by in about half an hour to show you where the crystal ewes are being kept before their shearing."

The members slowly filed in as a group, each going up to the desk in pairs to get their reserved room keys. Fluttershy got at the end of the line with Tree Hugger, admiring the shining crystal walls as the line slowly crept forward.

When they were at the front of the line, the clerk's eyes widened, his ears flattening against his head. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am," he stammered. "You two were going to room together, yes?" They nodded, and he gulped. "Well, the last guests in your reserved room, a bunch of teenagers, somehow...stole one of the beds. We still don't know how. Perhaps we can get you a small cot..."

Tree Hugger frowned, then smiled and slung a hoof over Fluttershy's shoulders. "We'll figure it out," she said. "The vibes here are so good, I'm sure things will work out just fine." Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

The clerk nodded and handed the keys to them, apologizing again, ears flattening against his head as they stepped aside and walked away.

Fluttershy and Tree Hugger walked up the stairs. "Hotel cots are so bogus, though," Tree Hugger sighed. "Those things are so stiff, and there's never enough space. They always throw off my aura." She smiled. "Maybe we could share the bed."

Fluttershy thought about it...then remembered the last trip she went on, where she learned that Treezie was a cuddler when she was asleep, and Discord did not react well when he saw another pony cuddling with his wife. "Maybe not," she said. "Discord is going to be visiting this evening, and...you remember last time."

Tree Hugger flinched and shuddered. "I've never seen such a bright red aura," she said. "I swear he was about to throw me out the window." She pulled out her key and opened the door, stepping aside to let Fluttershy in first.

The room was small but cozy, with one small bed, a large window, and a small bathroom. There were deep scratches on the doorframe, and scuff marks on the carpet...all leading to the space where a bed had likely once been.

Tree Hugger and Fluttershy quietly set down their luggage. Tree Hugger gestured to the empty bed and said, "I'd hate for you and Discord to need to share one of those cots. You should take the bed."

Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh, no. Discord will think of something, I just know it. You should take the bed." Tree Hugger sighed, but sat on the bed, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, letting out the soft sighs she always did when she was meditating.

Fluttershy sat in an armchair in the corner of the room. Hotel cots sound so uncomfortable...but I'm sure Discord will think of some way to get a bed in here. she thought. If only Discord had packed a bed. She chuckled to herself.

Her head and ears suddenly perked up, and she opened up the suitcase. After a bit of digging, she pulled out the keychain shaped like a tent. She gave the thin metal a light tug and stumbled as it expanded in her front hooves.

A sheet of paper was taped on top. Set on the ground, and press this button. She carefully set the oddly-shaped suitcase on the ground beside the bed, making sure there was plenty of space, and pressed the bright red button on its surface.

The suitcase popped up, expanding into a small yellow tent with butterflies on it. She bit her lip, crossing her hooves as she pulled back the entrance flap.

The inside of the tent was much bigger—bigger than the hotel room they were in. A soft green carpet covered the plastic floor, and a disco light hung from the ceiling, giving off a soft light. Printed photos of her and Discord covered the walls, crudely taped into place. Right in the center was a canopy bed with red and pink sheets and pillows.

She stepped in, jumping onto the bed and staring up at the canopy. The mattress was soft, sinking under her but still supporting her weight. She let her head flop over to the side, and saw another flap in the wall, with the word Bathroom stitched onto it. She knew there wasn't a flap there on the outside of the tent.

She glanced over at the other side and saw a fridge with a clear door. Inside, she saw small tubs of ice cream, fresh apples, and bottles of iced tea. She yawned, snuggling into the soft pillows under her head. The train ride had been so long, and the bed was so soft and comfortable...

Her eyes slowly slid shut as she drifted to sleep.

She and Tree Hugger both yawned as they opened their hotel door and stepped inside. After they had been stirred from their nap and meditation, respectively, their tour guide had shown them the crystal ewes, before proceeding to give them a quick tour of some tourist highlights of the Crystal Empire, and then taking them to a popular restaurant for dinner.

The afternoon had passed quickly, leaving them with sore hooves, full bellies, and a general sense of exhaustion. Tree Hugger yawned again and climbed onto the bed, still not batting an eye at the tent that had suddenly appeared.

"What a day," she said. "I got good vibes from everyone, though. So radical to see so many ponies with such sparkling auras!" She yawned again, resting her head on the pillows.

Fluttershy yawned. "Good night, Tree Hugger. See you in the morning." Tree Hugger returned the sentiment, and Fluttershy entered the small tent.

She flung herself onto the bed, resisting the urge to wrap herself in the blankets and fall asleep right away. "Discord, I'm done for the day," she said aloud.

There was a flash of light to her left, and Discord lunged towards her, wrapping his body around her and peppering her face with kisses. "I missed you," he said. "Everything at the sanctuary went fine today, the new volunteers did their work...how was your day?"

She nuzzled into his chest, lightly kissing the nape of his neck. "Today was good," she said. "I got to see the crystal ewes, and they're just adorable. We got to see a lot of other things in the Empire, too. There was a lot of walking." She pulled her back hooves closer towards her.

Discord slowly unwrapped himself, after planting a last kiss on her cheek, and slid off the bed onto the ground. Kneeling on the floor, he began to massage her back hooves, causing her to sigh, her eyes drifting shut.

"Why are you in the tent? I thought you were going to share a room with Tree Embrace. Did something happen to the hotel?" he asked, just now taking the time to look around.

"Sort of," she said, rolling over to face him. He kept massaging her hooves. "In our reserved room, the last group somehow...stole one of the beds."

He paused in his massaging for one second. The next, he burst into loud laughter, slumping onto the floor as tears rolled down his face. "Th-they stole a bed!?" he wheezed. "How did they even...why would they..." He continued laughing, pounding at the ground with a fist.

She giggled, placing a hoof against her lips. "Discord, please! We're in a hotel, people could be sleeping!" she said over his howling. She still couldn't stop another giggle from escaping her.

He let out a few more laughs, sitting up and wiping a tear from his eye. "Heh, don't worry about it. I made this tent soundproof, too. Unless someone deliberately wants for us to hear them, or if we want for them to hear us, nothing can get through."

He tilted his head. "Why put up the tent, though? You know I could have made a bed for you, probably much more comfortable than whatever Tree Hugger is sleeping on right now..." He hummed and floated over to the tent flap, peering out and snapping his fingers. "There. A softer mattress for her...that will return to normal when you two turn in your keys."

He flashed back over to her and began to rub at her front hooves. "But why put up the tent?"

She smiled. "I remembered our first camping trip, and how you insisted on the inside of the tent being like a large suite." He chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck. "And I figured, even though I'd convinced you that a mostly normal tent was perfectly fine for camping...I'm not technically camping. I thought I'd at least see if you included a bed with this tent."

She blushed. "And I just thought...if the volunteers or the sanctuary tired you out, I'd hate to ask you to do more things for me."

He smiled. "You're too sweet." He placed a kiss on her hoof, then snapped his fingers. "If someone, anyone, knocks on the hotel door, we'll hear it in here." He pulled a 'Do Not Disturb' sign with a drawing of him wearing a face mask on it out of thin air, then tossed it over his shoulder. It disappeared in a flash of light. "And that will keep anyone from disturbing us tonight unless there's some emergency."

She smiled and let up a loud yawn. "Goodness, look at me, keeping you up after the long day you've had!" he said. He clapped his hands, and the disco light slowly dimmed until it only gave off a soft blue light. He lifted her up in the crook of his arm and tucked her underneath the covers, fluffing her pillow with his tail.

She yawned again as he slithered under the covers, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you," she murmured, her eyelids slowly drooping.

Just before she fell asleep, she felt him kiss her forehead and mumble, "Love you too."

The rest of the trip went perfectly well. Her days were busy, either helping groom or shear the crystal ewes, or exploring the Empire with Tree Hugger and her other friends. Discord came every evening, massaging her hooves and listening as she gushed about how amazing the ewes were, and telling her about the trouble Angel's children were giving the volunteers. And in the morning, he would make a large breakfast for himself, her, and Tree Hugger, before they all went their separate ways.

But now, it was over. Every ewe was sheered, and they had all packed up, handed in their keys, and got onto the train. Fluttershy gazed out the window and the rolling crystal fields that passed by. She hoisted the suitcase onto her lap, opening it up and grabbing a hoofful of apple slices.

Some of the keychain-suitcases Discord had packed actually came in handy. Nothing quite as crazy as his 'if thrown into another dimension' one, but others had gotten some use. It had rained suddenly one day, which made the rainy day keychain (with a raincoat and umbrella hat) useful. She had also offered miscellaneous items from various keychains to other members who needed them. And she had helped herself to plenty of the snacks he had packed for her.

I'll thank him for everything once I get back home.

The train ride was uneventful and passed by quickly once she started a conversation with Tree Hugger. Before she knew it, they were pulling into the Ponyville Station. Almost everypony, including her, gathered up their luggage and filed off the train.

She waved goodbye to Tree Hugger, who was staying on the train for a few more stops, before stepping off onto the platform and glancing around. Off to the side was Discord, holding a whiteboard in his hands with Fluttershy written on it in cursive.

As soon as their eyes met, he squealed and dropped the whiteboard, zipping towards her through the crowd. He tackled her and lifted her into a big hug, rubbing his cheek against hers. The suitcase fell from her grip onto the ground.

"I missed you so much," he said, still nuzzling her cheek.

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "You saw me this morning, and last night," she said.

"I know that! But it's just not the same when you're away from home, and I can't just pop in to check on you," he said, switching from nuzzling her to showering her with light kisses.

She giggled. "I think you were able to see me plenty." Her face became serious, and she asked quietly, "You weren't too worried about me, were you?"

He paused in his affections, then quietly answered, "I was...a little worried, yes. Something always seems to go wrong when you or your friends visit the Crystal Empire, be it a life-threatening crisis or a mistaken identity. But I told myself I gave you everything you could possibly need, and...that made me feel less worried. That, and knowing you could handle whatever came your way." He caressed her cheek.

She smiled up at him. "Well, no crisis happened this time...though I did use some of the things you'd packed." She kissed his cheek. "Maybe we should do that again for any of my future trips."

He smiled. "I'd be more than happy to. Now, how about we head home? I'm sure you're tired from your train ride." She smiled and nodded, and he shifted his hold on her so that she was in the crook of his lion arm, then used his claw to pull back the air in front of him like a curtain. Behind it was the front door of their home, which he opened, carrying her inside as he scooped the suitcase up with his tail.

Spa Day

Fluttershy sighed, curling closer to Discord. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her closer, pulling the bedsheets up to her chin. "Long day?" he murmured into her mane.

"Mhm," she said. "Seraphim was causing some trouble today, and he convinced some of his siblings to join in." She nestled into his neck. "He doesn't look like Angel, but he certainly takes after him in his younger days."

He ran his fingers through her mane. "You've been working hard at the sanctuary all week. At least tomorrow's the weekend, and you can relax."

"Relaxing does sound nice...after I finish the morning checkups and feeding."

Discord sighed. "Can't you just...not do those? Let Dr. Fauna and the volunteers take care of everything and spend the whole day just relaxing?"

She shook her head. "No, I have to do the morning checkups so that I can delegate tasks for the day...and I can't imagine not helping with feeding the animals at least once during the day..."

He sighed again, placing his chin on top of her head. "Alright. I'll just have to make sure you relax as much as possible for the rest of the day." She made a soft noise in response, but nothing else. "Sweetie?"

She was fast asleep, her breathing soft and steady. He shifted his grip on her, making sure she had plenty of space to turn in her sleep, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep himself.

Discord glanced around the room one last time, checking and making sure everything was perfect. Once he was sure, he nodded to himself and teleported to the living room, laying down on the couch and keeping his gaze focused on the front door.

He pulled a glittery pink pocketwatch out of his mouth, his tongue acting as the chain. He flicked it open, nodding to himself when he saw that only fifteen minutes had passed since Fluttershy had left. If she's not back in the next fifteen, he thought, I'm going over there to steal her away. Weekends are supposed to be her days off, she shouldn't be pressed into working.

He snapped his tongue back into his mouth, swallowing the watch. He kept one eye trained on the door but swiveled the other so that it was facing the ornate grandfather clock pressed against the wall.

Just five minutes later, the front door opened, and Fluttershy stepped inside. "Sorry I'm so late. Some of the volunteers were completely new, and I had to figure out what areas they should go to so they could watch and learn."

He gave his head a quick shake, rolling his eyeballs back to their normal positions, before swimming through the air towards her. "There's nothing to be sorry for," he said as he circled her. "If it was a problem, I'd have gone over and picked you up."

She smiled, kissing his cheek. "Well, I have the rest of the day free." She brushed a wing against his back. "Do you have anything in mind?"

He shivered at her touch, floating lower to the ground as his muscles went limp. She brushed a hoof under his chin, and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from blabbing something sappy. He closed his eyes and shook his head with the sound of a tolling bell, quickly straightening his posture.

"You may not remember—because you passed out afterward—but last night, I promised I would make sure you relax as much as possible." He bent at the waist, offering her his arm. "If the fair lady will allow me to be her escort..."

She giggled, sliding her hoof into the crook of his arm. He straightened up, and she bobbed up into the air next to him, floating without even needing to use her wings. He spun in place, the room's colors blurring around them, starting to shift into more subdued shades—baby blue, pastel pink, and white.

With a click of his heels, Discord's spinning suddenly stopped, jerking her to a halt. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder, waiting for the dizziness to go away. He patted the top of her head gently, mumbling a soft apology.

Soon, her head felt clear, and she opened her eyes. She found herself staring at a plain wall with pink, blue, and white stripes. She looked up at Discord and rose an eyebrow.

"Uh, whoops!" he said. "Looks like I made us face the wrong direction." He turned around, pulling her alongside him.

She gasped softly. The rest of the room looked like a strange version of the Ponyville Day Spa. There was a large hot tub (decorated to look like a volcano), which was filling the whole room with steam. There were two soft massage chairs nearby, with white gloves that matched the shape of Discord's hands draped on the back of each. Piled in the corner were buckets of materials—she could see green mud masks and cucumber slices from where she was floating.

"Like it?" Discord said, pulling his arm away from hers and letting her drift slowly to the ground. "I was thinking of getting us into Ponyville Day Spa, but it is just so busy on weekends! Most of the masseuses were booked." He floated up and begin to pace in midair.

"And I thought, well, if there are that many creatures around, the crowd would make it impossible for you to relax." He spread his arms out, gesturing around him. "So I thought I'd take what I know from our trips there and make us our very own at-home spa!"

He clasped his hands together, grinning. "Discord, this...this is amazing!" she said. "You made all of this in the twenty minutes I was gone?"

He waved it off. "Oh, I may have created a few things to throw in here during breakfast. It wasn't all in just twenty minutes." He smirked. "Though most of it was."

She giggled, walking over to the hot tub. With a flap of her wings, she could peer over the edge. The rim was covered in glowing lava, and she bit her lip, glancing over at Discord. He floated up beside her and pressed down on the lava, showing that it was just a foamy substance, which gave easily under the pressure he put on it. She relaxed after seeing this.

She turned her attention to the water in the tub. It was bubbling gently and giving off steam that smelled faintly of lavender. She carefully floated down, dipping her back hooves into it before letting the rest of her body sink in slowly.

She leaned her head back with a sigh, spreading her forehooves on the lava cushion. The water was wonderfully warm, and the seat was in the perfect position for her to comfortably sit and lean on the comfortably warm cushion on the rim.

With a loud whoop, Discord dropped from the air above like a rock. He splashed down into the middle of the hot tub, making her shield her face from the water he splashed onto her.

He paddled a few laps around the tub, then swam over to her and leaned against the edge. "Feels good, right?" She nodded. "Good. I wasn't sure if it wasn't hot enough, or too hot..."

She nuzzled against his shoulder. "It's great."

He gestured behind him, and a large can of green mud with a paintbrush inside floated over to them. He grabbed the handle. "Care for a mud mask? I made it just like Aloe and Lotus do."

She smiled. "Alright." He smiled and began to paint the mud onto her face. She giggled as the bristles tickled her face. After a few minutes of making sure there was a good layer of mud on her face, he pulled away and became quiet. She heard the signs of a struggle and opened her eyes.

He had stuck his head inside the can of mud and seemed to be struggling to pull himself out. "Ah cah't ge it!" he shouted.

She sighed, grabbed the can, and pulled as hard as she could. It slipped off of his head and went sailing over the edge of the hot tub, landing to the floor with a clang. Discord, his face completely covered in green mud, winced. "I'll clean that up later."

He smeared the mud around on his face, smoothing it out a bit (and leaving fingerprints behind), then clapped his hands together. A covered silver tray floated over to them, and he whipped the cover off with a flourish to reveal four circular cucumber slices.

Fluttershy smiled and grabbed two of them, leaning back and getting ready to place them on her eyes. Discord just snatched the other two and slapped them onto his face, but frowned in confusion. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her hooves just before she could put on her cucumber slices.

"Wait!" he said. "Those are mine, and they're not cucumbers!" He pulled the slices off his eyes, grabbed the ones she was holding out of her hooves, and let the others float gently over her eyes.

"Discord, if those weren't cucumbers, what were they?" she asked, hearing him flop back onto the edge next to her.

"Green peppers," he said. "The capsaicin helps make my eyes more vibrant, and cucumbers don't really help with my eye bags anyway." She heard him chewing. "Plus, they're much tastier. I'm sorry. I should have labeled everything more clearly—you almost had burning eyes!"

She shifted closer to him. "It's alright. You stopped me in time. My hero," she said with a giggle. After a bit of splashing, he managed to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to him.

After what seemed like a few more minutes in the tub, during which she almost found herself nodding off, an alarm clock began to beep annoyingly. "Ugh," Discord said. "It's been twenty minutes already?"

Fluttershy pulled the cucumber slices off of her eyes. Discord, nibbling on one of his pepper slices, was flinging an alarm clock across the room. "And why did I make that thing so annoying?" he said, swallowing his slice.

She sighed and began to crawl out of the tub, shivering as the cool air touched her skin. Discord crawled out after her, falling to the ground in a wet, sopping heap. He raised one claw and snapped, and the hot tub began to boil, releasing more steam into the air.

She flew down next to him, offering him a hoof. He accepted it, pulling himself back into a standing position. "Thanks," he said. "I guess more hot tube time will have to wait. Wouldn't want your precious smooth hooves to get all pruney."

"Or you to fall asleep in the tub again," she said, setting her cucumber slices down. "Are those massage chairs?"

He nodded, laying on his stomach on one of them. "Do you want another set of cucumber slices?"

She shook her head, laying down on the other table. "Maybe later, when we're in the hot tub again."

As soon as she had laid down, the gloves lifted into the air, moving as though an invisible Discord was putting them on. They moved behind her, out of her sight, and began to gently rub at her shoulders. She sighed and sank into the soft chair, while a glance to her right told her Discord was receiving the same treatment.

He twirled his finger in the air, turning their chairs so that they were facing each other. Discord reached down, his hands clipping through the ground, and pulled up fistfuls of hoof polish.

"Remember when we used to have sleepovers and do makeovers?" he said, letting the bottles hover between them. "I thought it'd be nice to do something like that again."

She shivered as the gloves stroked the margins of her wings. "T-that sounds nice," she said. She looked over the selection and pointed out a glossy pink polish. "I'd like that one, please."

He nodded, grabbing it out of the air. "I'd like these, in whatever pattern you choose, please," he said, pushing bottles of glossy lime green and sky blue, and glittery neon yellow and bright orange in her direction. The other colors landed on the ground, while their choices remained floating in front of them.

She pulled the brush out of the blue polish, while he unsheathed the claws on his lion paw. She became to paint them, while he stared to paint her right hoof. The gloves were still massaging their backs.

They finished painting each others' hooves and claws around the same time the gloves lifted away from them, dusting themselves off and hanging back on the chairs. Discord began blowing on his fingers, glaring at his wet claws. He took it a deep breath, then blew a cloud of red smoke over his hands. The polish dried immediately.

She held her front hooves out to him, and he blew the same cloud of red smoke over them. His breath was hot, almost painfully so, but her polish dried, and the cloud dissipated immediately after. "Thank you," she said, hopping off of the bed.

He shook his head, making a clicking sound with his mouth. "My dear Fluttershy, I haven't touched your back hooves yet! If you lay back down, I'll get them done in no time."

She sat down, and he approached, pouring the hoof polish she had chosen onto a paintbrush. With just a few quick swipes, her back hooves were polished, and another cloud of red smoke dried them.

"Thank you, Discord." She got off the bed, grabbing the colors he had chosen. "Now, what about polishing your back hooves?"

He sat up on his chair, placing his feet on a footstool as three small paintbrushes and one large one appeared in front of her. She smiled and used them to polish his hoof and claws—each dragon claw a different color, of course—before Discord finished them off by blowing the same cloud of red smoke.

"Now, what say we try the hot tub again?" he said, snapping his fingers. "Our polish won't wear off until we want it to."

She nodded, and they both flew back over to the tub.

When the grandfather clock in the living room tolled noon, Fluttershy and Discord appeared inside the kitchen in a flash of light. Fluttershy was in Discord's arms, nuzzling against his chest, while he bent down and nuzzled her cheek.

Their faces were flushed slightly from the hot tub and steam, and there were some traces of mud masks still on their chins and foreheads. Fluttershy shivered as they entered the room, prompting Discord to snap his fingers and summon fluffy bathrobes for the both of them before setting her down in her chair.

As he took his seat, bowls of soup appeared in front of both of them. They both began eating, though they would keep glancing up at the other and chuckling to themselves.

After another few soaks in the hot tub, they had decided to do their hair and makeup. But Discord was never to type to have a "small" makeover—he insisted on going all the way, as they did during their sleepovers in the past.

His mane had several tiny braids sticking out of it, as many as she could fit in, and between those braids, he had put his mane into curlers. His goatee and tail feathers were also tied into braids, tied off with small yellow ribbons. He was wearing bright orange eye shadow and black mascara, glossy pink lipstick, and had a large amount of blue blush on his cheeks. Fluttershy looked up at him and giggled.

He glanced up at her and grinned. He had managed to fill her mane and tail with messy braids, and add some mane glitter to them. He had added what were supposed to be designs of golden vines on her front hooves, but just ended up turning them into a pink-and-gold mess. Her makeup looked nice, with pink eye shadow, lip gloss, and blush, but he had ended up putting on too much blush and eye shadow, meaning most of her face was covered in glittery pink powder.

They both looked at each other for a few more seconds, biting their lips, before they burst out laughing.

After a few seconds of chuckling, they managed to calm down, Discord swiping a tear out of the corner of his eye. "Heh, I don't think any creature is going to hire me as a makeup artist anytime soon." This got another chuckle out of Fluttershy.

"Do you want to hit the spa again after this? Or maybe just spend the rest of the day doing nothing?" he asked, pouring some maple syrup into his soup before taking a spoonful and nodding in satisfaction.

"Maybe we can use the spa again another day," she said. "Right now, I'd just like to—" she yawned. "Curl up and take a little nap. Spa trips always seem to make me sleepy, especially when there's a hot tub involved."

"Your wish is my command," he said, lifting his bowl and drinking the rest of his soup. He took bites out of the bowl until she finished her soup, at which point he snapped his fingers and teleported them both into their bed.

She yawned, closing her eyes and snuggling against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and she smiled when she felt him playing with the braids in her mane. As he pulled the covers up to her chin, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Need Your Wings

Discord and Fluttershy appeared next to a lake, where a large group of pegasi was waiting. Rainbow Dash was pacing in front of them, wearing her Wonderbolts uniform and a whistle. She jumped a little and flew over to them, giving Fluttershy a quick hug.

"I really appreciate you coming," she said, handing her a pair of goggles. "I know you're not a Ponyville pegasus anymore, but it doesn't hurt to get all the wings we can." She frowned and scraped her hoof on the ground. "Especially since I'm only allowed to observe, not participate."

Fluttershy put on the goggles. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. I just hope I can be helpful."

Discord waved his paw in the air. "Yes, excuse me, Captain Rainbow?" Rainbow rolled her eyes and gestured for him to continue. "Why can't I just lift up this water," he pulled a small orb of it up with his magic, "and carry it to Cloudsdale? I'm sure there's a lot of good unicorn mages in town who could also do the same thing."

Rainbow hovered in the air, smirking. "Because creating the tornado is something pegasi in each town and city are proud of! It's a part of our civic duty, a way to show who's best at flying!" She landed on the ground and mumbled, "Plus I've learned there's some bureaucracy that makes it hard to legally get non-pegasi to volunteer for Cloudsdale. I heard Twilight is looking through some of those laws and seeing what makes sense and what doesn't."

Discord nodded. "Ah, bureaucracy. The bane of all things." He flung the orb of water away, where it splashed onto a pegasus who was dozing off, causing her to jolt awake. "Well, I'll still be here...as Fluttershy's moral support." He scratched her behind the ear, making her coo in appreciation.

"Whatever you want, Discord. Just don't get sucked in." Rainbow turned away and blew into her whistle. Each pegasus jolted to attention. "Alright, ponies! Get lined up, just like we practiced, and wait for my signal!"

The pegasi rushed to form lines. Fluttershy flew up to give Discord a quick kiss on the cheek before flying into her own place in line. Rainbow stood between the group and the lake, though not in anypony's way. Discord snapped his fingers and created himself a cheerleader's uniform with a pink skirt, yellow shirt with a glittery pink "F" on the chest, and two pink pom-poms.

He waved the pom-poms in the air, cheering Fluttershy's name, causing her to blush and giggle. Rainbow raised a hoof in the air, and his cheering quieted down, though he kept his pom-poms trembling in front of him.

"Ready...Go!" shouted Rainbow, bringing her hoof down. The pegasi rushed past her and began to fly in a practiced formation as fast as they could. Discord resumed his cheering as Fluttershy entered the forming vortex.

"Shy! Shy! She's our mare! If she can't do it, I don't care!" He blinked, freezing halfway through a cartwheel. "Wait, that doesn't sound quite right..."

"Discord!" Rainbow shouted from behind him. "Get away from there! You're right in prime vortex wind zone!"

"What's that? Speak Ponish, for goodness sake!" he shouted back after finishing his cartwheel. Before he could begin his next cheer, the wind grabbed the pom-poms out of his hands and lifted up his skirt.

"EEK!" he cried, desperately trying to hold his skirt down with his hands. While he did this, his pom-poms faded into a pink mist that smelled faintly of strawberries, and his feet adhered to the ground with magic.

Rainbow rolled her eyes at him, then turned her attention back to the tornado. Discord wailed about his skirt and dignity for a few more seconds, but once he realized no one was listening, he stopped and turned his attention to Fluttershy, eyes glowing as he looked at her through the strong winds.

She was panting heavily, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as her wings pumped up and down. His eyes widened with worry when he saw her wingbeats slow, and she needed to strain harder to push her wings. He fought the urge to fly in by her side and help her...and sighed in relief when he saw the water begin to rise from the lake.

In a matter of minutes, the water in the lake was funneled up through the tornado to Cloudsdale. Rainbow blew her whistle, and the pegasi inside began to slow to a halt and land on the shore...except for Fluttershy, who was still flying circles overhead, eyes closed and teeth grit.

Discord teleported in front of her. She collided with his chest, the air knocked out of her, and he wrapped his arms around her. She opened her eyes and looked around, a small blush forming on her face. "It's over already, isn't it?" He nodded, and she huddled in his arms, burying her face into his chest.

He chuckled and stroked her mane, floating down gently to the group. "You were wonderful, my dear," he said, kissing the top of her forehead. "Goodness, seeing your determination..." A paper fan appeared next to them, blowing a gentle breeze over both of them, and he offered her a bottle of water.

As he landed towards the back of the crowd, Rainbow was clapping her hooves. "Excellent work, everypony! No records set this year for speed, but we got the job done, and done well!" The pegasi cheered.

"Now, the Ponyville Day Spa is offering free wing massages today for everypony who volunteered, and Sugarcube Corner is giving a discount on desserts!" The crowd oohed and ahhed. "Yeah, it's pretty sweet. You just have to see me and get a hoofband as proof you were here."

The crowd rushed towards her, all clamoring for hoofbands. Fluttershy shifted in his hold, biting her lip. "Penny for your thoughts?" Discord said, flipping a copper coin in front of her muzzle.

She sighed. "Well, it's just...a massage does sound nice, but I don't need it. And if there's going to be so many ponies there..."

"You'd rather not go," he finished. She nodded, taking a drink of water. "Well, what if we got you your hoofband, went home to relax, and popped by Sugarcube Corner later once you're rested up?"

"That sounds nice," she said. He grinned and used his tail as a spring to bounce over to Rainbow Dash. His antics made the few pegasi left back up a bit—Oh goody, no lines! he thought to himself—but Rainbow didn't react at all, aside from a chuckle and an eye roll.

Fluttershy handed her goggles back to Rainbow, who tied a blue paper wristband that read "Proud Weather Volunteer" on Fluttershy's hoof. "You take it easy, okay?" she said, placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Don't let Discord drag you off on some crazy adventure. Your wings need a break."

Discord huffed and placed a hand to his chest, a halo appearing above his head. "Why, Rainbow Dash, you wound me. I am nothing but the picture of a doting, loving husband, and I would never fling us willy-nilly into chaos."

Rainbow laughed, while Fluttershy giggled and said, "Dear, just living with you ends up flinging our lives into chaos." He pouted, his halo shattering above his head. She leaned up, trailing her lips against his cheek, and whispered in his ear, "You aren't wrong about being a loving and doting husband, though..."

His face turned red, the tips of his horns opening to release steam with the shriek of a tea kettle. Rainbow laughed even harder, clutching her stomach with a hoof. Fluttershy giggled, a pink blush forming on her own face as she relaxed into Discord's arms.

He huffed. "Well, if you two are going to besmirch my good name, I shall just make my exit." He reached to the side and threw the air aside like a curtain, opening a portal to their living room with a neon exit sign hovering above it.

He glanced down at Fluttershy, who nodded and waved to Rainbow. "Goodbye! Thank you for the wristband!"

"No trouble, Flutters," Rainbow said. "Discord, are we still good for O&O with Spike this Wednesday?"

"Of course, Miss Shadow Streak," he said. "See you then!" With that, he stepped through the portal, letting the air shift back into place behind him.

As soon as he was inside and had placed Fluttershy in a nearby chair, he began ripping off parts of his costume and flinging them onto nearby coat hangers. He sighed and fell onto the couch, fanning himself. "I think I made that shirt too tight and thick," he panted. "Oh, how wonderful it feels for my fur to breathe again!"

She giggled. "Thank you for being my moral support. I saw some of your cheering before flying became difficult," she said. "I know it's fairly early in the morning, but would you like some tea?"

Discord nodded eagerly, already setting some plates of pastries on the table between them. Fluttershy smiled and got out of her chair, opening her wings...and then flinching, closing them, and walking into the kitchen.

It was only a small action, but it made Discord freeze and drop the plate of bagels he had made. After a few seconds of mulling over what he'd seen, he floated after her into the kitchen. There, she was just finishing setting the kettle on the stove and glancing up at the tea cabinet—which was high enough that she would need to fly up to reach it.

As he approached, her wings twitched against her back. Just as she was about to open them, he placed a paw gently on her back and opened the cabinet with his claw. "What tea would you like today, dearest?"

She jumped slightly, feathers ruffling. "Discord, don't scare me like that!"

"Oooh, we're out of that kind. Would mint be good?" he said, pulling out the small green box. She pouted at him, but nodded. He handed her one of the teabags, and she placed it in the kettle.

"Sorry for startling you like that, Fluttershy. But I couldn't help but notice something." She tilted her head. "You seem wary to use your wings. Do they feel sore?"

After a moment of pause, she nodded. "A little. I still don't want to go to the spa, with all the others, but...maybe a cup of tea will help." She smiled reassuringly, but that smiled wavered as his expression remained neutral, aside from him raising an eyebrow.

She sighed, shifting her wings. "Really, though, a few days of relaxing and some good nights of sleep is all I need to feel better."

"A few days!?" he squawked. "No. No. Unacceptable. I will not let you feel sore for days and not do anything about it."

He snapped his fingers, and a white bottle with blue-and-orange labeling appeared in his hand. "This is a sort of medicine, but it's...Oh, what's the word? Tropical? No, topical! It's supposed to numb muscle pain." He looked at her, eyes wide and pleading. "Can...can you use it, please?"

The tea kettle whistled, making her ears perk up. "Well...if you can put it on my wings while I get the tea..." He whooped and teleported above her, already squirting copious amounts of the white goo into his paw. He noted to himself that it was first cold, then hot, but not too much of either. His skin felt numbed underneath it.

As she lifted the kettle off of the stove, he started to rub the goo onto her wings. She shivered a bit from the cold, but held onto the kettle and turned around, walking back towards the living room. Discord twisted in the air and followed her, still adding the stuff to her wings.

She froze for a second and hissed. The cold feeling must have given way to the hot one. Discord also froze. She paused for a few seconds, her wings shifting, as though wondering what to make of this new sensation. She continued walking, and Discord let out a loud sigh of relief and followed.

She set the kettle on the table as Discord slipped some of the goo under her wings. She sat down, letting her wings fold comfortably against her back, and poured two cups of tea for them. Discord pulled away, shaking the medicine off of his hands and picking up his cup, taking a dainty sip with his pinky out. She smiled and took a sip of her own tea, relaxing in the armchair, though not leaning back.

As they sipped at their tea, Fluttershy seemed to relax more, even stretching her wings without flinching a few times. Upon him asking, she admitted that yes, the medicine had worked wonderfully in numbing her soreness.

"Although I'm sure my wings will still feel sore the next few days," she said, nibbling at the corner of some buttered toast. "They just need some time to heal."

He grunted, dipping a small plate into his tea before taking a bite out of it. "Why can't I just snap my fingers to heal you?" he grumbled, already holding his fingers in a snapping position.

"Discord, it's not that bad," she said. "All pegasi have to deal with sore wings every once in a while. There's no cure for it, except for time and massages...and this medicine, I suppose."

"Chaos magic could cure you," he mumbled into his cup. "Chaos magic could fix a lot of things."

Fluttershy sighed. "Discord, do you know a lot about pegasus wings?"

He nodded and began to eagerly list things off. "Of course I do! I know that you have to preen your feathers on occasion, just like you'd get a mane cut. I know that they can conduct magic for flight. I know that some parts of them are more sensitive than others, like the very edges..."

She held up a hoof to stop him, her face bright red. "I-I meant, do you know a lot about the anatomy of pegasus wings?"

He hemmed and hahhed, gesturing in the air and miming the shape of her wings before he deflated like a balloon. "No," he mumbled. "And let me guess: I'm not supposed to just throw magic at what I don't understand?"

She nodded. "I know you don't like that I'm sore. But it's only going to be for a few days." She reached up and rubbed behind his ear. "I wish you wouldn't worry so much."

He leaned closer to her touch, sighing as his eyes slid closed and he reinflated. Though he felt a bit more relaxed, part of his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to help Fluttershy. The tiny Discord in his head ran on a hamster wheel, panting and reading papers that flew by.

He snagged one, then jumped off of the wheel, tumbling to the ground. "That's it!" he cried, waving his captured paper in the air.

Discord's eyes popped open as he reinflated himself. "You said massages are another cure for sore wings, correct?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Well, 'cure' might not be the right word, but it helps pegasi feel better faster. That's why the spa was offering free massages."

He tapped his fingers together. "And what if I suggested that you receive one of said massages from the creature who knows your wings best?" He beamed, batting long eyelashes at her as neon arrows pointed at his face.

She hummed, staring down at the table as she sipped her tea. She shifted her wings a little, ruffling her feathers and stretching them experimentally. Finally, she said, "That...that sounds nice. Can we finish our tea first?"

He nodded, resisting the urge to drink the entire kettle in one gulp. They continued to sip at their tea and eat snacks for the next half hour. Before Fluttershy could grab the empty kettle and plates, Discord had already thrown them and the table through the window with a great crash. He snapped his fingers and made new kettles and plates in the kitchen, and another table right in front of them.

Discord walked over to the broken window he had thrown the items out of, closed the curtains, and reopened them. The broken window was now replaced by an unbroken, sealed porthole. While Fluttershy marveled at his magic, he had gone back to her and began working his magic on a small couch nearby.

He grabbed the sofa and began to mold it like clay, squeezing and pulling it into odd proportions. He only stopped when he created a sunken, cushioned seat, with two cushioned platforms raised slightly above it. A quick tug flattened the back, and after circling the seat once, he deemed it satisfactory.

Fluttershy walked back over to him, and he patted the lower platform with his paw. She crawled onto it and laid down, tucking her legs underneath her. He set a pillow under her chin, while she fully spread her wings over the upper platforms.

"Comfortable?" he asked. She nodded, letting her head fall into the pillow. He floated over her and stood behind her, cracking his knuckles, colored sparks firing behind him with each crack.

He started by gently caressing the edges of her wings, making her shiver. She glared at him over her shoulder. "Discord..."

He grinned, chuckling. "What, not helping?" She kept glaring, and his grin fell. "Sorry. For real, this time."

This time, he started right in the center of her wings, digging into her muscles and kneading. "Tell me if I'm too rough," he said.

"You're good," she murmured, snuggling into her pillow.

He continued to knead her wings, ignoring the slightly-dried white goo that was getting on his fingers. The action and the white stuff reminded him of something...he chuckled as he remembered what.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked, lifting her head up to look back at him.

"Oh," he said. "It's just that the color and texture of the medicine made me think of that time I tried making bread dough."

She froze, her wings stiffening. "I...don't want to think about that while you're massaging my wings," she said.

"What? Why not?" He froze, trying to remember what was so bad about kneading bread—oh. "Oh. Right. It exploded when I was kneading it," he said. She flinched and buried her face in the pillow, mumbling to herself to not think about it.

He continued the kneading motion, stroking the edges of her wings every so often before returning to his task. More and more of the medicine ended up flaking off as he continued, which made for a good indicator of where her wings still needed attention.

He lost track of time as he massaged her wings, even making sure to rub at their undersides. He looked over her wings, massaging at a few spots covered in medicine that he wasn't sure he had gotten or not.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, running a wet, warm cloth along her wings to wipe up the dried medicine.

"Hmm?" she said, lifting her head off of the pillow. "Oh! That was...really nice. Thank you, Discord."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," he said, using a comb to brush her feathers back into place. "More importantly, are your wings feeling any better?"

She nodded, sitting up and stretching her wings out, flapping them experimentally. "They feel great," she said, hopping off of the sofa. It shuddered and reverted back to its original form with a loud fwomp.

She flew up and wrapped her forehooves around his neck, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "You're so sweet for thinking of me." She nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

He wrapped an arm around her, holding her up, and kissed her on the forehead. "All that matters is that you're feeling better," he whispered in her ear. "Now, why don't we pick something up from Sugarcube Corner? I hear they have some kind of new lemon dessert I've been dying to try!"

She nodded, leaning against his chest and looking up at him. He smiled down at her and snapped his fingers, and they both vanished in a flash of light.

A New Dawn

Author's Note

This takes place after "The Last Problem", while most of the other drabbles take place between the timeskip.

A New Dawn

Luster Dawn, the prodigy of High Princess Twilight Sparkle, was at the library. She was working alone at a desk in a corner of the building, the early afternoon sun pouring in through a nearby window and illuminating the notes she had in front of her. No other creatures were in the library, for most decided to spent time outside and enjoy the warm, cloudless weather.

Not Luster Dawn, though. For she was in Ponyville to learn about friendship, and she never started a project such as this without the proper research! Which was why she had surrounded herself with books such as the Journal of Friendship, and old newspapers describing the adventures of the current Council of Friendship.

None of that was helping her figure out the question she had, though. With a sigh, she grabbed the glass of water beside her with her magic and took a sip from it.

"Buy me dinner first," the cup said with a huff. Luster Dawn's eyes widened.

The cup was furry and brown, with a grey rim. Two yellow-and-red eyes were glaring at her. With a scream, she threw it across the room, grabbing a heavy textbook from beside her and holding it up to shield herself.

The cup grunted as it hit the wall, rolling back into a standing position and shaking itself. "Goodness, what a throw," he said. "That almost hurt as much as the time Rainbow threw me."

"What are you!?" she yelled. And how do you know one of the princesses?

A flash of light covered the cup, and in its place stood a tall, mismatched being. He grinned. "'Who' would be a much better word, but I'll take any chance to introduce myself!" He bent low at the waist. "I am Discord, Lord of Chaos, Spirit of Disharmony, and Prince of Kindness. A pleasure to meet you, Luster Dawn."

She shifted further back in her seat. "H-how do you know my name?"

"Oh, don't you remember? I'm on the Council of Friendship! Twilight's told us all about you!" He flipped through one of the yearbooks of the School for Gifted Unicorns, showing her the pages she was on. "You do remember me, right?"

Now that she had a chance to think clearly, she did. Discord was listed as a member of the Council of Friendship in all the reports she read, and she remembered seeing him a few times before High Princess Twilight sent her to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship. "Yes, I...I remember you." He beamed at this. "But why are you here? Don't you have more important things to do than talk with me?"

He floated closer to her, and she slowly put her book down. "Oh, I'm not doing anything at the moment. See, the thing is...I need help with something," he said, popping his back, making a sound like a squeaky dog toy. "And since you're Twilight Version 5.5, I figured you'd be all about helping a friend in need."

She sighed, glancing down at her papers. "First of all, I'm too busy to help anyone right now. And the expression is 'Version 2.0'."

"No, there's been a Twilight 2.0," he said, flipping through a small pink book. "And a 3.0. And a 4.0. And then there was another Twilight, but it was literally just another version of her, so I guess that's a 4.5. Then you came along!" Cheers from an invisible crowd erupted around them, confetti showering down on Luster Dawn.

With a quick burst of magic, she covered her work with a dome so that the confetti wouldn't get on it. "That's nice," she said. "But I'm still too busy. Researching friendship has been taking up all of my time."

He floated into her line of vision, holding the book a little closer to her. "Even Sparklepants takes breaks from her research, 4.5. C'mon, live a little and have an adventure with me!"

She shook her head, jotting a fact down in her notes. "I do take breaks," she said, pointing to a pile of fictional books at a different table, with a glass of water and a single cupcake beside it. "But I'm not going to take one until I figure out what made friendship so appealing to all of High Princess Twilight's adversaries."

Discord stared at her break corner. "...That is a sad, sad type of break," he sighed, shaking his head and lowering the book he was holding over her notes. "And if only there was something that could explain one villain's thoughts as they experienced friendship!"

Luster Dawn glared up at him. "Look, insulting my habits won't make me want to help you! And it'd be nice if something like that existed, but I haven't found it yet in this library! So why don't you just—!"

He smacked her in the head with the spine of his book. "What was that—!" He smacked her again, tapping at the cover of the book. She used her magic to wrench it out of his grip, glaring down at the cover. "Letters Between Fluttershy and Discord?" she read. After a few seconds, her eyes widened. "Wait...!"

She turned to face him. "You're a reformed villain!" She began pulling out new quills and notepads, smiling brightly. "You can tell me everything! How did you react when you were offered friendship? How do you think your experience was different from others'? On a scale of Trixie to Grogar, how evil of a villain were you?"

He pulled the small book out of her grip and waved it at her. "Most of your questions will be answered by this little book," he said, a smug grin on his face. She reached forward to grab it, but he held it up above his head, wagging a finger at her. "But! I'm not the type to just give things away for free. Quid pro quo."

She sighed, looking down at her stacks of textbooks and notes. None of it had been able to solve her problem, and now there was a chance to get what could be the final puzzle piece. "What do you need help with?" she said with a heavy sigh.

His eyes glinted. "I thought you'd never ask." He snapped his fingers, and a puppet stage appeared in front of them. The curtains opened to reveal a backdrop that resembled Sweet Feathers Animal Sanctuary, with a wooden puppet of Princess Fluttershy dancing with small cardboard cutouts of animals.

"You see," Discord narrated. "I want to visit my sweet Fluttershy, to lighten up her day while she's at work." A sock puppet of Discord walked on stage. "And I want to give her a gift, but...!" The sock puppet dug through its pockets but came back empty-handed. It shrugged hopelessly at the Fluttershy puppet, who shook her head, but still walked forward to lean against him.

"I do have an idea of what to get her," Discord continued. A cardboard thought bubble dropped from above, covered with drawings of...bugs. Luster Dawn shuddered. "She likes all creatures, especially tiny ones. But whenever I try to make one, something goes wrong." A giant tarantula plush dropped from above, causing the Fluttershy puppet to 'faint'.

"So," said Luster Dawn. "You want me to get you a...bug."

"Not just a bug!" Discord said. "An amazing bug, worthy of Fluttershy. And you don't have to do it alone...I just need another pair of hooves to help out so I can find something faster."

"Does it have to be a bug, though?" she asked.

"Well, do I give you the full book, or just a few pages?" he said in response, waving the letters collection at her.

She groaned quietly. "...Fine, I'll help you catch a bug."

Discord smiled widely and snapped his fingers.

The two of them appeared in a field of tall grass, each carrying a net over their shoulder and wearing a large, floppy hat on their head. "Let's find some bugs!" Discord cheered, swishing his net through the grass in front of him.

Luster Dawn lifted the net with her magic and began to walk through the grass, looking around for any sort of insect. The sun felt hot after a day spent studying, and she was very glad for the hat that shielded her eyes. Already, she wished was back at the cool library, with a book and glass of water always on hoof.

Thinking of the library made her think of all the reading she could be doing, or the interviews she could be conducting. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she yelped and reared back when a grasshopper landed on her muzzle.

At her swift movement, it immediately hopped away into the tall grass. She watched it go, panting, and wiping quickly at her muzzle. "You need to be faster than the bugs, partner!" Discord said, offering her a hand to help her off of the ground. "It's fine, though. That was only a common grasshopper, and certainly not worthy of Fluttershy."

She accepted his help and dusted herself off once she was back on her hooves. "Thank you," she said. He nodded, and after a few more seconds of pushing through the grasses, she spoke up again. "Sir? Can I ask you a few questions about friendship?"

He chuckled. "No need to call me 'sir'. And if you can search and talk at the same time, fire away. But if I see you note-taking instead of bug-hunting, I'll eat your quill."

She gulped, canceling the spell she had been preparing to summon a notepad. "Okay. First of all, are bugs a normal gift to give to friends?"

He shrugged. "I don't know much about normal...but I don't think so. Most ponies aren't big fans of bugs. But as I said before, my Fluttershy loves all creatures, and I like to spice things up by giving her something that isn't another little furball."

Luster Dawn nodded. Don't consider bugs normal. Got it. "Do friends use terms of endearment like you do?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at some ants with a magnifying glass.

"Well, you keep calling her 'your' Fluttershy. Is that something that friends do?"

"Uuuuuuh," he said, looking up at her and dropping the magnifying glass away from the ants. "That's more of a romance thing. You do know I'm actually married to her, right?"

Her eyes widened, and she spluttered. "M-married? None of the reports I read mentioned you two were married!"

"Oh, if you were just looking into the Council of Friendship reports, it wouldn't have been there. You would have had to look at newspapers from this date." He wrote on a Post-it note, showed it to her for a second, and dropped it into a small portal that showed her research desk on the other side. "Seriously, though, why did you think I had the title 'Prince of Kindness'? I didn't exactly earn it alone."

She swallowed. "So...why would your book help me? I'm trying to learn about friendship, not romance!" She dropped her net and started to walk to the edge of the field.

Discord appeared in front of her, holding up a stop sign and blowing a whistle. "Time out!" he yelled. "What made you think the book of letters won't help you learn about friendship?"

She tilted her head. "Well...you're married to each other." Discord tilted his head. "Doesn't that mean those letters are going to be about romantic feelings, instead of platonic?"

His mouth twisted into a curvy line, his eyes scrunching up. She was worried she had upset him for a second...and then he burst out laughing, sinking down to the ground as he howled with laughter.

"Ahahahaha! You think that I...you think we...hahaha!" he laughed. After a few minutes of this, he finally stopped and got back onto his feet, swiping a tear out of the corner of his eye.

"Heh. You know that we didn't have romantic feelings when we first started writing these letters, right?" he said, holding up the book. "We started officially dating loooong after Twilight first became a princess...just before her coronation as High Princess, actually. We were writing letters to each other before she even got her wings, and stopped a little while after we started dating."

"Oh," she said, rubbing at the back of her head. "So...it's all platonic?"

"Well, sort of," he said. "Even if we weren't dating, there was a point where we started to have romantic feelings for each other, and that might have seeped through."

She groaned, rubbing a hoof against her forehead. "So you were friends the whole time you wrote those, but there's still romance? That doesn't make sense!"

He smiled. "Want some extra confusion?" She shook her head, but he continued anyway. "I still consider her my best friend, even though we're married."

Luster Dawn sat down, holding her hooves in front of her as though she could put the pieces of this puzzle together. Discord ran around her, yelling at the dragonfly he was trying to catch. "It doesn't make any sense," she said. "You started as friends, then got married...but you're still friends? How does that work?"

He huffed as the dragonfly escaped him, and began digging in the ground, revealing beetles and worms. "Well, I'm not much of an expert...but the way I see it, once you're friends, you're friends forever." A butterfly landed on his muzzle, which he paused to stare at before continuing, "Unless one hurts the other, or changes too much of themselves...there'll always be something to keep you together."

Luster swung her net at the butterfly as it flew off, but just barely missed it. "But wouldn't your relationship becoming romantic replace your friendship?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not. My relationship with dear Fluttershy is irreplaceable, both as my wife and my friend. I'd do anything for her: that's as a friend and as a husband."

Luster sighed. He leaned over and patted her head, smearing mud into her mane. "It's not something you need to understand. The connection between Fluttershy and I has always been very...unique." He grabbed his net and resumed his search, while she used her magic to expel the grime off of her.

Luster followed him, carrying the net over her shoulder. After a few minutes of walking and searching the grass, during which he made a few jokes to make her laugh, Luster saw a beetle with a sparkling green chassis. "Would this work?" she asked.

He gasped. "An iridescent emerald beetle! Yes, that is a bug worthy of my dear Fluttershy!" He held up his net...and saw there was a large tear in it. The beetle opened its wings and flew away with a loud buzz.

"Quick! Catch it, before it gets away!" Discord shouted. Luster nodded and ran after it, swinging her net blindly back and forth. After a long chase, she finally managed to catch the beetle inside the net, smacking it to the ground. The beetle buzzed angrily at her, struggling in the net.

Discord teleported next to her, holding a rectangular plastic container. "Here, put it in this!" After a few seconds of shuffling, they managed to get it inside the container and seal it shut. The beetle tapped at the side of the glass, and Luster could swear it was glaring at both of them.

"It's perfect," Discord said. "Now, off to see Fluttershy!"

"Wait, what about my—" he snapped his fingers before she could finish.

"—book?" she finished as they appeared in Sweet Feathers Animal Sanctuary in a flash of bright light. Just a few feet ahead was Fluttershy, who was watering a patch of flowers, humming a soft song. Discord grinned and silently floated up to her.

He suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Miss me?" he asked, a wide grin on his face. Fluttershy yelped and dropped her watering can.

"Discord!" she cried. "Don't startle me like that!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, my dear. I'm just so happy to see you, I can't contain it!" He kissed her cheek, and her expression softened into a smile. She laid her head into the crook of his neck, nuzzling him. He blushed, and with a cough, said, "I brought you something."

He pulled the container with the beetle out from behind his back. Fluttershy gasped and gently took it in her hooves. "An iridescent emerald beetle!" She nuzzled his neck again. "Thank you so much, sweetie."

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, I didn't catch it alone." He pointed to Luster Dawn, who waved nervously at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Luster Dawn." She looked up at Discord. "I hate to be a bother, but...one of the volunteers dropped a textbook in the pond again. Could you go fish it out, please?"

He saluted, suddenly wearing a snorkel, goggles, and a pair of swimming fins. "No problem, captain," he said. He glanced at Luster Dawn and tossed something in her direction, which she quickly caught with her magic. It was the book of letters. "The book, as promised. Thanks again for your help!" With that, he ran over to the pond and dived in with a large splash.

Fluttershy giggled and approached Luster Dawn. "Do you want to help me find a home for this little one?"

Luster Dawn looked up from her book. "What? Oh! Yeah, alright. If it doesn't take too long."

Fluttershy began to guide her through the sanctuary. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since Twilight sent you here."

"Oh, I've been fine. My research into friendship has hit a few snags, but the library here is very extensive." She held up the small book. "And now, I have a new primary source to work with!"

Fluttershy's smiled faltered. "Have you only been using books to learn about friendship?"

"Well, no," Luster said. "I've also used some newspapers and Council of Friendship reports, not to mention observing friendship in action in Ponyville."

Fluttershy sighed. "That's not..." After a few seconds of silence, she asked, "How many friends have you made here, Luster?"

Luster thought. "Um...a few? On my first day here. But then when I thought about it, I realized that I didn't have enough information about friendship, and I know from experience that the best way to start a project is with thorough research into the subject matter!"

Fluttershy sighed. "Luster, I'm sure Twilight didn't want you to think of this as a project. She wants you to relax and make friends. There's so much to learn about friendship, and the only way to learn all of it is to spend time with your friends. Not through books and research."

Luster tilted her head. "But without research, how am I supposed to know where to start?"

"A conversation is a good way. Find out what you have in common," Fluttershy said. "And I know from experience that knowledge isn't going to improve your confidence in anything as much actually doing something will."

"The best way to make friends is to go out and talk with creatures. Spend time with them." She smiled, shaking her head. "I'm sure that's the real reason Discord decided to drag you any from your research."

"What makes you say that?" Luster asked.

Fluttershy rounded the corner, showing her a tree covered in soft, spongy moss. It was covered in beetles...including several more iridescent emerald beetles.

Fluttershy carefully guided the beetle out of the container onto the tree. Luster stared silently, her eyes slowly narrowing into a glare. "So Discord dragged me away from my work to catch a bug...for no good reason!?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "He had his reasons. I'm sure he just wanted you to realize that that friendship isn't just about research. Besides, he did give you a book to help you."

Luster scowled, glaring at the book. "It would have just been easier for him to tell me all of this!"

"Discord has always had a...unique way of helping creatures," Fluttershy said, smiling. "But I'm sure he meant well."

Luster sighed. "Thank you for telling me this. I think I'll go back to the library now."

Fluttershy nodded and led her to the edge of the sanctuary. "Sometimes, students from the School of Friendship volunteer here," she said. "It's a great way to meet new creatures if you give it a chance."

Luster looked around. The sanctuary was just as peaceful as it had been one the day she'd first come to Ponyville, with all sorts of animals scurrying around, jumping through the portals that would pop into existence. But looking closer, there were signs that groups of ponies and other creatures had been there—a trail of hoofprints and clawprints here, a forgotten notebook there. "I'll...I'll think about it," she said, making Fluttershy smile.

She turned to leave as Discord crawled out of the pond with a book in his mouth, shaking himself off like a dog. As she continued towards Ponyville, she skimmed through the first few letters, mentally noting important parts for when she got back to the library.

"Luster! Luster Dawn!" someone called. She lifted her nose out of the book, looking around. At a nearby cafe, a tan-coated Kirin with a bluish mane and red horn was waving at her. Next to her were a dark-feather griffon wearing a red scarf, a yak with a strawberry blonde mane tied in braids, and a pale yellow earth pony stallion—the creatures she had met when she first came to Ponyville.

She slowly approached them, noticing they all had large shakes in front of them. "H-hi, everycreature," she said. "W-what's up?"

The Kirin—Summer Wood, Luster remembered—smiled. "Oh, just a quick snack break, before we get back to doing some homework together," she said. "What about you? Homework must have been keeping you pretty busy—I haven't seen you since your first day!"

Luster flinched, scuffing at the ground with a hoof. "Well...sort of. I've also been doing some research on the side," she said, not quite looking any of them in the eye.

The stallion patted the empty seat next to him. "Well...do you want to join us? The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and these shakes are delicious!"

Luster glanced in the direction of the library, then at the table of smiling friends. With a quiet sigh, she slowly approached and sat down, setting her new book down at her side. As she was dragged into a conversation the others had been having about homework and study groups, she felt her smile becoming more relaxed and genuine and found herself conversing without evening thinking about the research into conversation topics she had conducted. She started laughing and speaking more and more easily.

None of the group noticed the dranconequus watching them, perched in a nearby tree branch.

Discord lifted up his sunglasses, leaning forward to get a closer look at what was going on. Luster Dawn was spending time outdoors, on her own...without using her research as a crutch. He nodded to himself and pulled a handheld mirror out of thin air.

"Mission accomplished, Your Majesty," he said with a salute. "Luster Dawn is socializing with friends." He turned the mirror towards the small group.

The image of Twilight that the mirror showed sighed, and her shoulders and wings relaxed. "Thank you, Discord," she said. "I didn't want to step in and make her feel forced to do anything, but I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. And you're the perfect creature to annoy others enough into doing things on their own."

Discord chuckled. "Careful, princess. That was almost a compliment." He glanced back at the laughing group of friends. "Hopefully they can take it from here. I doubt Luster will go along with another one of my impromptu lessons."

Twilight chuckled. "Probably not. Thank you again for your help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare some paperwork for the next Council meeting."

Discord gagged. "Ugh, work. Well, I'm going to go do something fun. Later, book princess." He snapped his fingers, transforming the mirror into a large purple-and-pink lollipop. He tossed it into his mouth and teleported to the sanctuary with a flash of light.

Fluttershy stood up as soon as she saw him. "Did it work?" she asked.

He nodded, chomping at his lollipop. "Like a charm," he said. "Though it was probably thanks to you telling her she needed to get her head out of the books and get a life."

"Well, I didn't say it quite like that," she said.

"Which is exactly why you were the pony to say it!" he said, clapping his hands. "I would have mucked it up. I did not, however, mess up the timing of her running into that study group's shake break!" He frowned. "I hated having to learn their—ugh—schedule." His entire body shivered.

Fluttershy smiled and flew up to him. "Well, it's done now. Do you want to have some shakes of our own to celebrate?"

He snapped his fingers, creating a giant chocolate shake with two curly straws. "I would love nothing more," he said, placing the shake on a large toadstool between them.

As they started on their shake, Discord's left eye became foggy as he cast one last glance at Luster Dawn. She was walking to the library...with the rest of her friends, who she was still happily chatting with.

He smiled and blinked the image away, turning his attention back to Fluttershy and their milkshake.

Trials and Thorns

Discord appeared in his living room in a flash of light. "I'm home!" he called, tossing a soaking wet poncho onto a nearby coat rack.

Fluttershy, who was sitting on the couch, lifted her head up from the book in her hooves. "Welcome home!" she said. "What were the monsoons of Kludgetown like?"

"Oh, I've seen worse," he said. "But they were still rather dangerous for the inhabitants. I wrangled that rouge storm and corralled it off into the desert without too much trouble." He flew over and sat down on the couch next to her.

She leaned against his side. "That's good to hear," she said. "And I'm sure Twilight will be happy, too." She smiled. "My day wasn't as exciting as yours. Nothing much happened at the sanctuary, so I've spent most of my day reading."

"Oooh, whatcha reading?" he asked, stretching his neck and twisting it around to look over her shoulder. She nuzzled his cheek, then held the book up so he could see the page she was on.

"It's a book about one of the rarest flowers in Equestria," she explained. "It's called the Fairy Rose." she pointed at a pencil sketch, heavily smudged. It looked like a normal rose to him, unless some of the smudges meant there was a pattern on the petals.

"That's the only known picture of it. Everything else known about the flower comes from what creatures wrote down after they saw it." Her eyes gleamed. "It's said to be a deep, pure black color, with green and blue spots on its petals. And the spots glowed when something magical was nearby!" She sighed, looking at the page. "It sounds beautiful."

"Why's there just one picture of it?" he asked. "If this flower is so great and rare, why hasn't anyone gotten one, or tried growing it themselves?"

"Because there's only one place it's reported to grow," she said, flipping to the cover of the book. On the inside was an old map drawn with jagged ink, a section marked Danger! and Only Enter if No Other Option!, where Fluttershy placed her hoof. "The Changeling Swamp," she said with a shiver. "Thorax says that's where the changelings came from, and where they got the stone for Chrysalis's throne."

"It's a dangerous place, so no one goes there," she continued. "It seems to repel all magic but changeling magic, and it's filled with other swamp dangers...quicksand, predators..." She shivered again. "No one wants to go in there just for a flower."

"But it's supposed to be a beautiful flower, huh?" he said.

"Oh, yes," she said. "Travelers who went into the swamp when there were no other options said that it was the only good thing in that place."

He grinned as an idea popped into his brain. Fluttershy marked her place in the book and set it aside. "But I'm sure that you're hungry, after all the work you've done," she said. "So I made you some peanut butter and pickle sandwiches!" She hopped off the couch and headed into the kitchen.

"Mmm, sounds delicious! You spoil me, dear Fluttershy," he said, floating along behind her. They dug into the sandwiches, while Discord thought about his idea, puzzling it out as he ate.

The next morning started well. He and Fluttershy spent a few minutes cuddling in bed before their stomachs convinced them to get up and make breakfast. After a few bowls of yogurt, topped with fruit in Fluttershy's case and candy in Discord's, Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek and wished him a good day before flying through one of the sanctuary portals.

As soon as she was gone, Discord flew around the house, grabbing supplies and throwing them haphazardly into a large backpack. Once it was full, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

He reappeared at the border between a wasteland and swamp. His feet landed in some mud, and he stuck his tongue out, snapping up a pair of snowshoes and stepping up onto the mud's surface, shaking the muck off of him. He reached over his shoulder, rustling around in the backpack. He brought out a paper with a rough drawing of the Fairy Rose, looking over it and nodding before stuffing it back into the pack and walking into the darkness of the swamp.

"Okay," he said aloud. "This should be simple enough. I just need to find the flower, grab it, and teleport back out. Easy as pie!" He snapped his fingers, waiting for a fresh apple pie to appear in his paw. But instead, his magic seemed to flicker in the air before petering out.

He sighed. "Guess that book wasn't exaggerating about the anti-magic properties," he said. "Oh well. I packed a lunch, and that's just one extra step: leave the swamp, then teleport back home." He smiled and continued forward with a spring in his step.

"I'll be back before supper. Maybe even before lunch! And oh, I can't wait to see the look on my darling Fluttershy's face when I show her the rose!" He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift away to blissful thoughts of her smiling, eyes lighting up, her wrapping her hooves around her neck to kiss him and nuzzle him...

He shook his head, slapping himself. "Save it for later," he told himself. "Right now, I've got a flower to find."

He groaned, leaning against a tree and wiping sweat off of his brow, panting. The swamp was terribly humid, and he had been walking for what felt like miles. He had fallen into several puddles that had appeared out of nowhere, so his entire lower body was soaked with muddy water. His snowshoes had slipped off, meaning he had to actually wade through the icky mud, and he had gotten spiderwebs and thin vines caught in his horns.

He brushed the things off of his head and tossed the bundle lightly onto a nearby branch before he lifted up his dragon foot and began pulling rocks and twigs out from between his scales.

As soon as that was done, and he had rubbed a little of the soreness out of his muscles, his stomach gurgled. He sighed. "Might as well break for lunch," he said. "Can't search for anything on an empty stomach."

He unsheathed his lion claws and dug them into the bark of the tree. Using his claws and feet, and pumping his wings for an extra boost, he clambered up to one of the top branches. He took the backpack off and hung it on a thick branch, rubbing at his shoulders. He draped himself across several branches, wrapping his tail around one, and dug around in his backpack, pulling out a brown paper bag.

He opened it up and pulled out an apple and two peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. He licked his lips and took a large bite out of a sandwich, moaning and closing his eyes.

A suddenly cracking sound made his eyes shoot open, his head whipping in the direction of the sound. The branch he had put his backpack on was bending under the weight, coming dangerously close to cracking.

He shouted a few foul words, quickly leaning over and reaching out to grab it. He snagged the sides just in time, as the branch broke and fell down through the other branches, splashing into the mud below.

He sighed in relief and leaned back, holding the backpack against his chest...and noticing that his lunch was no longer there.

He glanced down. Below him, a brown paper sack held futilely onto a branch, but was blown away in the wind. At the very base of the tree, two sandwiches and an apple were slowly sinking into the mud.

Grumbling more curses, he quickly slung his backpack over one shoulder and slid down the tree trunk, wincing as the rough bark scratched his palms and feet. As soon as his feet splashed into the mud, he quickly reached down and scooped up his lunch.

The apple was half-covered in mud, the sandwich he had bitten into only had a corner soaked, and the other sandwich had been completely soaked. A bit more digging, and he managed to unearth the large slice of cheesecake that was going to be his dessert and the chips he was going to snack on, almost unrecognizable underneath the mud.

As he held all of them in his hands, part of the cheesecake fell back into the mud, the remainder of it drooping into a soggy mess. He narrowed his eyes at it before sighing and tossing it over his shoulder, back into the muck. Carefully, juggling everything between his hands and tail, he used his fur to wipe off most of the mud on the apple and chip bag. He regarded his sandwiches, nibbling at the corner of the completely soaked one.

He stuck his tongue out and spat it out, throwing the sandwich as far away from him as he could. He tore the soaked corner off of the other sandwich and dropped it, then leaned back against the tree and ate what was left of his lunch.

He tromped through the mud, munching on his chips as he went. They were, by far, the best part of his lunch. The sandwich had tasted alright, but the pickles had soaked up just enough water to become soggy, ruining the crisp texture he enjoyed, and the apple had still tasted faintly of muck, no matter how many times he polished it.

But none of the muddy water had managed to get through the bag, which left his chips perfectly untouched. He grabbed another handful of the salty snacks and shoved them into his mouth. He chewed on them until they were flavorless mush before finally swallowing, taking a peek into his chips bag. There wasn't much left, maybe a quarter or so, and his stomach was still gurgling.

"I can have a feast when I get home," he said to himself. "Sandwiches, soups, gigantic cakes..." His stomach growled, and he grimaced. "When I get home," he said. "For now, I have to focus on finding the rose."

He continued on his path, wincing as hidden stones and twigs buried themselves in his scales and fur, licking salt and crumbs off of his fingers before taking another bunch of chips.

He had discarded the empty bag of chips a long time ago, after licking out every crumb and speck of salt. Since then, he had acquired a collection of rocks in between his scales and hoof, an array of sore muscles in his legs, a few scratches on his knees and hands from low branches, and a lovely coat of mud.

Thankfully, he had just found a dry rock path. It was hard and rough, hurting the soles of his feet, but at least it was dry, faster to walk on, and didn't hide any rocks and twigs from him.

He glanced up at the branches above, which blocked out most of the light. "I wonder how long it's been," he said aloud. "Surely not that long. My lunch 'break' was pretty short, and I haven't taken that many breaks aside from that..." He sighed. "How hard is it supposed to be to find one flower!?"

A glint of green off to the side caught his eye. "Hmm?" He turned his head. There were glimmers of green and blue standing out in the gloom, past tree branches and vines.

He gasped and rushed in that direction on all fours, uncaring as he plunged back into the cold muck. He crashed through the tree branches, wincing as splinters scratched and dug into his skin.

He stopped just in front of a hill of damp earth. Surrounded by trees and mud, it was covered with winding, thorny vines, and dotted with large black roses, speckled with dots of blue and green light.

"Oh, thank chaos and disarray," he said, slumping down into the mud. He carefully reached into his backpack and pulled out the paper with a drawing of the flower, holding it up to one of the closest blooms and comparing them. "Thank entropy and disorder," he groaned, shoving it back into his backpack.

With some more rummaging, he pulled out a pair of scissors. He stood up and carefully stepped onto the hill, doing his best to avoid the thorns.

Bending down, he opened the scissors and began to cut the roses off of the thorny vines. He pricked himself a few times, but still continued until he was holding ten of the roses.

He held them in his claw, glaring at the few tiny thorns that were still on the stems. "I guess I'll need to pull those off," he said. "I don't see what was so hard about that. I mean, the walk wasn't pleasant at all, but wouldn't some pony go for it anyway at some point to get a beautiful flower like this?"

A low growl came from the top of the hill. Discord turned and lifted his head, his heart pounding and sinking into his stomach.

A chimera stood at the hill's peak. Its tiger head and snake head were baring their fangs at him, while the goat head was glaring at him, snorting. Its legs were covered in mud. "Intruder!" the tiger head growled.

"Those are our flowers!" the goat head shouted. The snake head hissed. The chimera pawed at the ground, the goat head lowering and pointing its horns at him. With another snort, it charged at him.

With a yelp, Discord turned on his heel and ran. He registered that there were thorns digging into his feet, but the fear he was feeling overrode any feelings of pain he might have felt.

He splashed into the muddy water, panicking as it slowed down his footsteps. Quickly, he shoved the bouquet of roses into his mouth and started to run on all fours.

He plowed straight through everything in his path, still hearing the grunting and growling of the chimera behind him. He tore through branches and vines, and clamored over boulders and logs in his path. Every few seconds he snapped his tail feathers, desperately trying to teleport. Each time, he felt his magic slip away before it could form into a spell.

He glanced over his shoulder. He was still ahead of the chimera, but it was keeping up with him, and didn't seem to be getting tired. With a quick shrug, he loosened the shoulder straps on his backpack, and with a few quick tugs, he pulled it off, throwing it blindly behind him.

An angry roar told him he had succeeded in hitting the chimera. He put all of his energy into running a little faster, glancing behind him again. The chimera's eyes were closed, and it was shaking its goat head, trying to dislodge the backpack from its horns.

He took a sharp right turn and pressed himself against the trunk of a tree, holding his breath as he heard the ripping of cloth and the splashes of the chimera's feet. They passed right by his hiding place with a growl. He shifted just the smallest bit, to watch them out of the corner of his eye, and saw the tiger head sniff at the ground.

"We've lost the trail," she growled. "I can't smell anything in this cursed swamp."

"Why can't we just move?" the snake head hissed as the chimera turned around and headed back towards the flower hill.

"This place is okay enough. We have enough to eat with all those flowers," the goat head said. "Besides, at least we don't have that many intruders disturbing us. Remember what our cousin said about the Fire Swamp?"

"At least if there were intruders we could have something decent to eat," growled the tiger head. "I'm sick of..." Their bickering faded into silence. Discord slowly poked his head out from behind the tree and saw that they had disappeared. He sighed in relief and snuck back to where he had thrown his backpack.

It was shredded into ribbons, its contents scattered through the mud. With a groan of irritation, he bent down and began to sift through the mud, glancing up every few seconds to make sure he was still safe.

After a few seconds of searching, he pulled out a compass covered in mud. He clicked it open and looked at the needle, turning in place until he was facing the direction the needle pointed. It was only a few degrees angled away from the direction he had already been running in.

With a glance over his shoulder, he started walking forward at a brisk pace. Now that his heartbeat was slowing and fear wasn't filling his mind, sensations of pain were finally starting to sink in...including in his mouth.

He glanced down, and remembered he had shoved the bouquet into his mouth in his fright...and the small thorns were poking his lips, tongue, and gums.

"Oooow," he moaned, opening his mouth and letting the bouquet fall into his open paw, spitting out a few of the thorns. "Hopefully the exit isn't too far away...I can heal myself once I'm out of here."

He winced as the next few steps sent more pain into his feet. "Maybe I can hide for a second and pull those thorns out..." he murmured to himself.

His ears stood up as a howl rang through the trees, sounding far off. Another howl answered, sounding a bit closer. He started to sweat, his heart pounding in his chest, as the howls—timberwolf howls, he realized—continued, some of them sounding too close for his liking.

"Running. Running sounds good," he said, shoving the bouquet back into his mouth and dropping onto all fours again, tucking the compass under a wing as he ran straight in the direction it had pointed out to him.

Discord appeared in front of his front door with a flash of light. His feet gave out from under him, and he collapsed on his stomach. His mouth dropped open, tongue rolling out, the bouquet falling onto the ground.

He laid there for a few more seconds, breathing deeply. His panic slowly died down, and his aches and pains returned worse than ever. He wanted to snap everything away, but he was too tired to lift a hand.

A minute or so later, he sighed and pulled himself back onto his feet, scooping up the bouquet. "Fluttershy should be at the sanctuary, so I should have the house to myself," he said aloud. "I'll just lie on the couch for a bit, grab some snacks, then I'll heal myself."

He opened the door, leaning forward and falling through the door more than walking through it. His eyes landed on his goal, the couch—and widened when he saw Fluttershy sitting there, frantically writing something on a scroll. He could feel the blood rush from his face, and he quickly hid the roses behind his back.

He stumbled onto the carpet, the door clicking closed behind him. Fluttershy flinched, her head snapping up to look at him. Immediately, she dropped the scroll and quill and rushed over to him, throwing her hooves around his neck and almost knocking him over.

"Discord!" she cried, peppering his face with kisses. She pulled away, holding his cheeks between her hooves and looking him in the eyes. "Where have you been!? Do you know how worried I've been!? I was about to write to Twilight to find you!" She noticed he was covered in mud and scrapes. "What in Equestria happened to you!?"

She looked ready to panic, so he quickly said, "Fluttershy, it's okay. I'm fine. It's nothing a bit of magic won't fix." He kissed her forehead lightly. "I didn't mean to worry you, sweetness. I didn't think I would be gone for a long time."

"It's nine pm!" Fluttershy said. "You missed lunch and dinner...how did you not notice that?" His stomach growled loudly, and her frown deepened. "Did you even get anything to eat today!?"

"Well...sort of?" he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I packed a lunch, but I lost most of it..."

Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly were you doing, where you couldn't make your own food or check the time, and ended up like...this!" she said, gesturing to his mud-covered front.

He grinned sheepishly and brought out the roses. A little bit of mud had splashed onto them, and they had become limp at some point in his running. With a snap of his tail feathers, they straightened up and became clean, and their thorns disappeared. "I wanted to give you these," he said, placing them gently in her hooves. "The most beautiful flowers for the most beautiful pony."

She quietly accepted the roses, looking down at the dark petals with their glowing spots. Carefully, she flew over to the couch and set them down on the dresser next to it. She leaned down and took a deep breath, smelling the roses, her eyes closing for just a second.

Then she flew back over to him and dug her hooves into his shoulders.

"Discord, did you go into the Changeling Swamp!?" she yelled. He nodded. "Meaning you didn't have any of your magic?" He nodded, a bit more slowly. "A place filled with mud, predators, and—" she glanced at his paw "—large thorns?" He bit his lip and lowered his ears, giving a tiny nod.

"You went into a dangerous place, where you couldn't use your magic...where you could have died or seriously injured yourself—to get me some flowers."

"The rarest flowers in the world," he mumbled, fiddling with his thumbs.

She sighed, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. She stayed there for a few seconds, slowly draping her hooves over his back. "I was so scared," she whispered. "You weren't here, and you weren't coming when I called for you...I was so scared."

She began to shake, and he slowly wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry," he said. "I just wanted to do something nice and amazing for you."

She clung to him tighter, and her shaking slowly died down. She looked up at him, her eyes stern, but still a bit damp. "Never do something like that again," she said. "I know you do dangerous things all the time, but...all those times, you have your magic, and I know where you are. Today, you..."

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't do that again. I'll just stick to making my own flowers for you," he said. He kissed her forehead again. She flinched, and he quickly pulled away, running his tongue against his lip. There was a thorn stuck there.

Her eyes lost their sternness and filled with worry. She stretched her neck out and grabbed the thorn between her teeth, quickly pulling it out and dropping it into her hoof. "Your magic is back by now, right?" she said. "You couldn't have come home so quickly if you didn't..."

"It's back," he said. He used his magic to pull and spit out all the thorns in his mouth. But he still felt sore there, and stumbled on his feet as soon as the magic left him. "I just...wanted to rest and get something to eat before I used it to fix myself up." His stomach growled loudly, annoyed at being forgotten.

"Of course!" she said. "You lay down on the couch, and I'll make you something to eat." She flew behind him and pushed him towards the couch, before flying quickly into the kitchen.

He collapsed on the couch, watching the ceiling spin above him, his mind turning into cotton as he sank into the soft couch. The only thing that kept him from completely sinking into unconsciousness was the aching in his stomach, mouth, hands, and feet.

A yellow blur appeared next to him. "I made applesauce with banana and cinnamon," it said it an angelic voice. "And there's soup heating up on the stove." A bowl was placed carefully onto his chest, and a pillow was shoved under his head. A gentle hoof took his claw and manipulated the fingers into curling around a spoon, and helped him guide the spoon from the bowl to his mouth.

He slowly swallowed, pushing the delicious mixture down his dry throat. He coughed. "Oh, sorry. I'll get you some water," Fluttershy said, flying back into the kitchen. Slowly, he let his mind become fuzzy again, his hand moving robotically to bring spoonfuls of applesauce into his mouth.

She flew back next to him, gently pressing a glass against his lips. He carefully sipped the water she poured into his mouth, letting it soothe his dry throat. She set the glass aside once he had finished it off, and he continued to spoon applesauce into his mouth.

She pulled out the few thorns stuck in his lion paw, then flew to his feet, carefully rubbing them with her hooves. "Oh, your poor feet," she said. "What in the world happened in there?" Still rubbing at the soles of his feet, she began to pull out some of the thorns and rocks.

"There was a tree...'n a chim'ra," he mumbled before eating his next spoonful. "And runnin'..."

"Shhh," she said, patting his knee. "Don't say anything now. Just eat and rest, and you can tell me later."

He obliged, continuing to eat his applesauce and sinking his head into the pillow, closing his eyes and letting the fuzzy feeling fill his head, his eyelids drooping shut.

He heard her sigh. "They really are beautiful flowers," he heard her say. "But did you honestly think they'd mean as much to me as...as you do?"

With great effort, he lifted his tail and brushed his feathers against where he thought her cheek was. She sighed and placed a hoof on his tail, holding it close to her for a few more seconds, before she let go and moved closer to his head, carefully holding onto his claw. "Here, let me help you," she said. "Just relax." She guided the spoon into his mouth, and he let himself sink closer to sleep.

Restlessness and Relaxation

"Tea?" Discord said, holding a steaming kettle on a tray out to Fluttershy.

She had just polished off the molten chocolate cake that had been the final course of their dinner. "No thank you," she said. "I might go to bed soon, and if I have tea, I might not be able to sleep."

He poured himself a cup of tea, adding in a dollop of honey. "You say that...but I can remember a time or two when you've fallen asleep right after drinking a kettle of tea," he said, taking a sip. He frowned and dropped five sugar cubes in.

She smiled. "Well, most of those times were after some very long and exciting days. Like that chaotic day after you filed all that paperwork for me. And I prefer low caffeine or herbal tea even then." She watched as he took another sip. "But today has been slow, and I'm...a little tired, but not exhausted. That tea will wake me right up." She grinned. "I wouldn't mind one of your cucumber sandwiches, though."

He smiled and snapped his fingers, creating a whole platter of cucumber sandwiches. She began to nibble on them, while he took another long sip of his tea. "Discord, I wouldn't drink too much tea if I were you," she cautioned. "I'd hate for you to be up all night, not able to sleep."

He scoffed. "Dearest Fluttershy, a little bit of tea and sugar will not be enough to keep me from having a good night's rest." He topped off his cup, then swallowed the whole thing, tilting his head back and gulping loudly.

"If you're sure," she said, taking another sandwich from the platter.

"Sure as sure can be," he said, dipping a sandwich in tea before tossing it down his gullet.

Discord found himself staring up at the ceiling, wide-eyed.

Curse your foresight, Fluttershy, he thought, glaring at the pegasus who was sleeping peacefully beside him. He glanced over at the clock. It was just a few minutes past ten. He groaned, and rolled onto his other side, turning away from Fluttershy.

After a few moments in that position, he fidgeted and turned back towards his wife. Something inside him—probably the tea—was making his skin crawl whenever he tried to get comfortable and stay still, making his heart and mind beat furiously, making his muscles twitch with the desire to do something, anything other than lay down and sleep!

He curled a little closer to his sleeping wife. Normally listening to her breathing, or even placing his ear to her chest to hear her heart beating, was the best way to calm him down, like a soothing lullaby. He glanced down at his hands. They were twitching slightly, glitchy wind-up toys powered by tea and chaos. He only ever dared to lay close to Fluttershy if he could remain perfectly, totally still—he didn't want his random twitching to wake her up.

He tapped his fingers together. If he didn't sleep now, he'd be tired the next day. And if he was tired the next day, he would be miserable, and unable to fully enjoy any time spend with Fluttershy.

He rolled onto his back to face the ceiling, dragging his fingers along his muzzle. What to do? What to do? he thought. He summoned a piece of yarn and began making a cat's cradle between his fingers.

Suddenly, a lava lamp appeared above his head. "I can do stuff to tire myself out!" he declared in a hushed whisper. Fluttershy mumbled sleepily, making him flinch and freeze up, eyes wide and trained on her.

She shifted a little closer to his side of the bed, mumbling, "Cordy..." He grabbed his chest with his paw, willing his heart not to give out from the sweet act. She eventually stopped her shifting, but a slight frown was on her face.

Sighing, he snapped his fingers and created a body-length pillow, with a picture of him sleeping soundly on it. He grabbed it and plopped it in front of her so that it was lightly brushing against her front hooves. She shifted again, snuggling into the pillow with a soft smile on her face. He leaned down and brushed his lips ever so lightly against her forehead—a ghost of a kiss. Her smile widened, and she snuggled deeper into the pillow.

He sighed and threw off his blankets, floating quickly out of bed and making himself insubstantial to float through the door. Once in the hall, he floated past all the doors, opening each one and closing them as he decided it wouldn't do.

Soon, he came to a wooden door splattered with paint. He opened it and scanned the craft room, wondering if anything would satisfy him. The kiln, surrounded by large lumps of clay, caught his eye.

He teleported over and grabbed one of the lumps, stretching it between his hands. "Maybe I can make a nice sculpture," he said, "And that could tire me out enough to fall asleep." The thought of that was enough to make him throw the clay onto the nearest table and start molding it with his bare hands.

Half an hour later, the glazed sculpture of himself holding out a realistic heart was in the kiln. He sat in front of it, letting the heat waft over his coat, wondering if it was worth the effort to make another sculpture. Making the first one didn't seem to tire him out at all.

He tossed the ball of clay he had been playing with back on top of its original lump, and considered speeding up the kiln to finish his sculpture and paint it. The idea didn't appeal much, though, so with a sigh, he conjured up a few fire extinguishers, ordering them very clearly when a fire counted as dangerous (outside the kiln) and how they were to react (spray it immediately, not find him and ask him what to do).

With that, he left the room, remembering to shut the door and fireproof it and the walls with a snap of his fingers, just to be safe. And once again, he began to wander down the hall.

He tried his hand at a few more activities. One-player ping pong, where he raced from one side of the table to the other, swimming laps in the pool, frosting and decorating a giant six-tier cake...eventually, he grew bored of all of these and left to search for something else to do.

He rubbed his eyes and checked the closest clock. After staring at it for a few seconds, trying to read its melting face, he realized it was an hour past midnight. "Sweet chaos, I've been up that long?" He bounced on his heels. He still didn't feel tired or sluggish. "Ugh, what will it take!?"

He pressed his hands against his eyes in frustration, grumbling curses towards caffeine under his breath. But something about his hands made him pause. He held them away from his face, doing his best to hold them perfectly still. They didn't twitch, not even an inch.

"Ah-ha!" he said. "If I'm not twitching, I won't wake up Fluttershy! And that means...!" He snapped his fingers and appeared in the bedroom, floating above the bed. Fluttershy was fast asleep, her hooves loosely wrapped around the body pillow he had made.

He carefully pulled it out of her hooves and slithered in to replace it. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his head against her chest, shifting until his ear was right above her heart.

Its beating was soft and sluggish, her breathing slow and even. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of everything but the sound of her heartbeat and breathing. He reached up with his claw and began to slowly stroke her mane as gently as possible, letting her silk tresses slide between his fingers.

The urge to move, to do anything but relax slowly died down, washed away by her presence. The energy buzzing through him still remained, but there wasn't as much left as at the beginning of the night. And slowly, so slowly, it faded away too.

His mind felt fuzzy, his head heavy. After a time he struggled not to count, he drifted into the deep darkness of sleep.

Discord woke up mid-snore, jolting awake with a loud snort. His first reaction was to recoil from the wet spot of drool on his pillow. The next was to check and make sure he hadn't accidentally woken up Fluttershy.

She wasn't there. His initial reaction was to panic, but a glance at the clock on the wall told him that it was nine in the morning: hours later than when he and Fluttershy would normally wake up. With a groan and flap of his wings, he got out of bed, planning to go to the kitchen and grab something to eat.

Before he could make it to the door, though, it creaked open. Fluttershy walked in, carrying a tray on her back. "Oh good, you're awake!" she said. "I was worried you might sleep in until noon." She grabbed the tray and held it out to him. "I thought I'd make you breakfast."

A loud growl from his stomach prompted him to sit back down on the bed and grab the tray from her hooves. It was a simple breakfast: pancakes, a bowl of strawberries, and two hardboiled eggs, with a glass of milk to wash it down. He immediately began digging into the pancakes, summoning a jar of peanut butter and slathering it onto the pile as he went.

As he switched from devouring pancakes to polishing off the eggs in two bites each, Fluttershy sat down next to him. "So...you didn't sleep well last night, did you?" she asked.

He glanced down at her as strawberry juice ran into his beard. Any other pony might have a smug look, one they wore right before they said 'I told you so.' But not his Fluttershy. Her expression was worried, concerned, just a breath away from laying a gentle hoof on his arm.

He took another bite out of the pancakes, chewing them slowly as he thought about how to respond. Finally, he swallowed and said, "No...I didn't. That tea really did keep me up most of the night. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

"Discord, you don't have to apologize to me," she said. "I just want you to remember this in the future. I don't like the thought of you being up all night, unable to sleep."

"I wasn't up all night," he said, pouring some chocolate syrup on what was left of the pancakes. "Just most of it. And I even did a few productive things last night, like make a clay sculpture and frost a cake."

"How late were you up?" she asked.

"...about one in the morning," he said. She gasped, a hoof flying to her mouth. Her eyes were big and sorrowful. "Oh, don't look at me like that," he said. "I still got some sleep, didn't I? And it was all thanks to you, anyway."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything..."

"Au contraie," he said. "Your presence alone helped me. After I worked off some energy and twitchiness, your heartbeat was what eventually helped me to sleep. Being next to you as you slept was like hearing a soothing lullaby while wrapped up in a thick blanket, laying in a warm sunbeam."

She blushed, brushing a strand of her mane in front of her face. "Well, I'm...glad I could help you," she said quietly. "I'm just sorry that you've gotten so little sleep."

He yawned. "I just don't understand why I'm so tired. I've gone whole nights without sleeping before and been mostly fine. Like that time I took care of all that horrid paperwork for you."

"Well, you were up late the night before with Spike and Big Mac, too," she said. "And the night before that, you stayed up late to finish the novel you were reading—though I don't know why you used a flashlight under the covers."

She shook her head. "Anyway, all of that adds up. Plus, it sounds like you did a lot of different things that consumed your energy last night. Even if you did sleep in, I'm not surprised you're so tired."

He dumped the bowl of strawberries down his throat, then stretched with a loud yawn. "Well, it'll all work out," he said. "I just need to spend a lazy day using little energy, maybe get in a few naps." He stretched again and laid his head down on his pillow, using a straw to drink up the rest of his pancakes and milk.

Before he could roll onto his side, snuggle into the pillow, or even close his eyes, Fluttershy laid a hoof on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Discord, but napping now is a bad idea," she said. "If you get some sleep now, you'll be rested and awake this evening. Then you'll spend another night not able to sleep, and—!" She frowned, her eyes wide and shiny. "I don't want to be in a cycle where we're sleeping at different times!"

He groaned. Can't argue when she looks like that...and when she makes a good point. "I can try," he said, sitting up and snapping his fingers. A steaming teacup appeared in his paw. "I just need a little boost..."

She placed a hoof on his wrist, shaking her head. "I don't think that's a good idea, either," she said. "It might help for a little, but what about once it wears off?"

Discord stroked his beard, a thought bubble forming about his head. An image of himself appeared, happily going about his day, with a meter that read 'Caffeine' right next to him. The meter slowly began to disappear inch by inch...and when it did, the image of himself suddenly froze, then crashed dramatically to the ground, half-asleep.

He cringed and waved the bubble away. "Well, what if I keep using tea to boost my energy?" he said. The thought bubble returned, showing himself lying in bed, eyes wide with dark circles under them, as he shivered from the caffeine running through him. "Ugh, isn't there something between crashing and being too awake?"

"...I think the only way to have that in-between is to not drink anything with caffeine," she said. Another thought bubble appeared, showing him as he was right now—a tired, yawning draconequus with dark shadows under his eyes, going about his day at a slow rate. But he kept moving forward and didn't crash through the day.

"Hmm," Discord said, holding up a remote and pressing the fast forward button. The image in the thought bubble zoomed by, and he hit play once the scene became dark. It showed him in bed, sleeping soundly and curled around Fluttershy.

"But today's going to be rough, isn't it?" he said. Fluttershy nodded. With a sigh, he set down his teacup and rolled out of bed. "Well...do you need any help with your animals? I think I need something to keep me busy so I don't accidentally doze off."

"Yes, of course," she said as he brushed his mane and teeth. "I can think of a few things you can do." He hummed, eyes blinking slowly closed. He managed to catch himself and snap awake just in time.

Fluttershy shook Discord's shoulder, and he jolted awake with a snort. "You're so close," she said. "Just finish your supper, please. Or at least eat most of it."

He lifted his head out of the bowl of shredded paper and paper clips and began to tiredly spoon the concoction into his mouth. He yawned, leaning his cheek against his fist.

The day had just dragged on for him. Thankfully Fluttershy was there to shake him awake, and to assign him to tasks he could put his energy into, like searching the lakes and ponds for anything that didn't belong or herding the rabbits around to ensure they didn't overgraze their favorite meadow.

He felt his eyelids drooping and quickly jolted awake before he fell asleep in his dinner again. He looked over the table at Fluttershy, who had prepared herself a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich for supper.

"I can make you something better," he said. "If you want..." He lifted his fingers into a snapping position.

She shook her head. "No, this is fine. Please don't strain yourself for me." He let his hand drop back down, and he leaned against it again as he kept eating.

He managed to polish off his bowl. As soon as he was done, Fluttershy placed their dishes next to the sink and wrapped her forehooves around him as he stood up. He leaned against her as they went to their bedroom, his mind already growing fuzzy.

He must have nodded off, because the next thing he knew, he was tucked under the covers and Fluttershy was snuggling into his chest. "I love you, Discord. Sleep well."

"Love you..." he murmured, wrapping an arm around her just before he drifted back to sleep.

Trouble with Troublemakers

"Anything exciting happen today?" Discord asked as he took a bite out of the pizza he and Fluttershy were sharing.

She sighed. "Well...do you remember how a new group of students signed up to volunteer last week?" Discord nodded. "Well, most of them are good workers...except for one."

Discord dropped his pizza, slamming his hands onto the table. "Who is it, how bad are they, and how can I deal with them?" he said.

"It's not that bad!" Fluttershy quickly said. "His name's Lucky Clover, and he's a second-year student. He signed up to work at the sanctuary almost every day of the week!"

She glanced down. "But...he hasn't really done a lot of work yet. I've had to show him how to do tasks several times...and sometimes, he does the tasks so poorly I have to redo them." She sighed again. "Like how he checked all the water filters but didn't write anything down, so I had to check them again to see how the water was..."

Discord grunted, digging his claws into the table. "I can take care of that little slacker," he growled.

She quickly shook her head. "Oh, no! It's fine, really! I'm sure that he just needs to learn how to do everything, and things will be okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

He withdrew his claws and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way." He reached out to her. "You can tell me anything, my love. I'll try not to lose my head like that again."

She carefully grabbed his paw and pressed it against her cheek, closing her eyes. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry for venting. It's just been...a little stressful." She opened her eyes and smiled. "But...you really don't have to do anything. Just telling you makes me feel better already."

He smiled, trailing his hand up her cheek to scratch behind her ear. "You can vent to me anytime," he said. "And if he really becomes a problem, say the word and I'll fix everything." He slowly retracted his hand and continued to eat his pizza. "But are there any other problem volunteers I should worry about?"

"Oh, no," she said, continuing to eat her own pizza. "They're all good volunteers. Most of them are hard workers, and everyone is doing their best!"

Discord smiled, snapping his fingers to fill her glass of orange soda as she talked about the wonderful volunteers she had. Maybe she's right, he thought. This stallion might just be learning how to do things. He'll figure things out in a few days, and he won't be another source of stress for Fluttershy.

He offered her another pizza, which she politely declined, so he brought out a pizza-sized cookie. I hope to chaos that she's right.

It became increasingly clear throughout the week that Fluttershy was unfortunately not right.

Every evening, and even during times when he visited the sanctuary, she looked frustrated about something, and sometimes even a little tired. When they were home, she would rant about whatever Lucky Clover had done (or more often, not done) that day.

"He didn't get rid of any of the dust and leaves he swept on the cat patio," she finished with a sigh, leaning against his side. "So I had to ask another volunteer to help me redo it, because the cats scattered it all again."

He scratched her behind her ear. She looked up at him and tried to smile. "But...I'm sure I just need to find something else he can do! Something that's easy to learn..."

Discord sighed. "Fluttershy, sweeping seems like one of the easiest possible tasks you could have given him," he said. "Honestly, if he can't grasp that...he probably shouldn't be volunteering at the sanctuary."

She rubbed her hooves together. "But I've never...fired a volunteer before," she said quietly. "It just doesn't feel right to send someone away who asked to work there, and without pay..."

"Fluttershy, I'm going to be blunt," Discord said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "From what you told me, he is a terrible volunteer. Having him at the sanctuary is leaving you tired and frustrated. He's clearly doing more harm than good."

"And think about it: if he was an employee acting like this in any other job, what would the employer do?"

Fluttershy glanced down. "...Fire him. Or send him to be retrained."

"Exactly! So why should he get away with this behavior?" he said. Fluttershy frowned, still looking down at the floor.

Discord sighed. "Look. He's not working this weekend, is he?" She shook her head. "Okay. Just take the weekend to think about it." He kissed the top of her forehead. "I don't want to pressure you, but it just kills me seeing you so frustrated and tired every day."

Slowly, she smiled and nestled into his side. "I will think about it," she said. "But...if I do end up choosing to do it...do you remember everything I said he did? So that there's a clear reason why I did it?"

"I've got you covered," he said, snapping his fingers and creating accounts of what she told him in the form of a newspaper, complete with a picture of her on the cover, looking frustrated with shadows under her eyes.

"Thank you," she said. "But for now, could we eat dinner and talk about something else?"

"Certainly!" Discord said, snapping them into the kitchen and creating plates of spaghetti in front of them. "You know, I was exploring Manehatten today, and I found a quaint little cafe!"

He rambled about the cafe he found where customers could interact with cats, Fluttershy hanging on his every word as she tried to eat her spaghetti without making too much of a mess. Discord was less careful, actually preferring to fling sauce over the table and himself.

After dinner, he brought out desert (bowls of ice cream), then suggested they go for a stroll through Chaosville's forest of cotton candy trees. She agreed, and they set out.

They paused at one point, while Discord looked up to watch a very distant supernova, quickly slapping sunglasses onto his and Fluttershy's faces. As he did so, she pressed her cheek against his hand, planting a soft kiss on his knuckles.

"Thank you, Discord," she said quietly. "I still need time to think about what you said, but...thank you for trying to make me happy."

He caressed her cheek, reaching up to run his fingers through her mane. "Anything for you, my dear sweet Fluttershy," he said.

She smiled up at him, then yawned cutely. "Ah, you must be tired," he said, scooping her into his arms. "Let's get you off to bed, shall we?"

She made an agreeing noise, curling close and snuggling into his chest. He smiled softly down at her before teleporting to their bedroom and tucking her in.

"Discord," Fluttershy said on Monday morning. "I think that you were right."

"Hmm?" he said, shoving another pancake down his gullet. His eyes widened. "Wait...right about Unlucky Clover?"

"Lucky Clover," she said. "And...you were right. He can't just keep getting away with this. He'll just need to find somewhere else to volunteer."

Discord clapped. "Bravo! Bravo!" He snapped up two party poppers and pulled on the strings, confetti flying everywhere. He whistled and cheered, still clapping.

Fluttershy turned away. "I...don't know if it's a good thing to cheer on me firing someone," she said quietly.

"It is when the stallion you're firing is a waste of space who's only volunteering success is stressing you out," Discord said. "Do you need any backup for when you send him away?" He snapped his fingers, and a police officer's uniform appeared on him.

She shook her head. "No, thank you. Although I wouldn't mind that paper of my statements..." He handed her the newspaper, carefully rolled up and tied together with red string.

"Thank you," she said, finishing the last bites of her pancakes. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to head to the sanctuary early today. I need to figure out how to redistribute work."

"Of course, my dear," he said, teleporting over to her and kissing her lightly on the lips and pressing a sack lunch into her hooves. He offered her his arm and escorted her to the front door, which made her giggle.

"Farewell!" he said, waving a white handkerchief as she flew into a nearby portal. "And good luck, my brave and wonderful Fluttershy!"

She smiled and waved back, before turning and flying deeper into the sanctuary. He sighed and tucked his handkerchief away, turning around and humming a merry tune as he skipped down the hallway.

"Goodbye, Unlucky Clover," he said, plucking petals off of a white clover flower. "Your days of stressing my sweet pegasus are over!"

Discord's ears perked up as soon as he heard the door open. He teleported to Fluttershy's side in a flash of light. "Welcome home!" he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "I made a vegetable stew for supper tonight, nice and hot!"

"Oh...that sounds nice," Fluttershy said softly.

He pulled away and tilted his head. Fluttershy seemed sad about something, and once again looked tired. "Fluttershy...did something happen today?" he asked, placing his paw on her shoulder.

She bit her lip and stared at the ground. "I couldn't do it, Discord," she said quietly. "I couldn't fire Lucky Clover."

He took her hooves gently in his hands, guiding her over to lay on the couch. He pulled up a nearby chair, and snapped a tweed jacket and grey beard on himself, with a notepad and pen in his hands. "What happened, exactly?" he said. "I'm guessing he didn't suddenly become a good worker."

She smiled a little at his getup, but turned away and looked at the ceiling with a sigh. "No, I...I overheard him talking with another volunteer before I got the chance to talk to him alone."

"He was talking about how...he needed to volunteer locally as a pretty big assignment for one of the classes. And then he said that there wasn't anywhere else that was open for more volunteers...he said that if he hadn't found the sanctuary job, he would have...been very close to failing the class."

She pressed a hoof against her forehead. "How am I supposed to fire someone who needs to work there? Even if he's not great, he hasn't hurt any creature. I felt like it would be petty to fire him, and the thought alone made me feel guilty." She wrapped her forelegs around herself and sighed. "So I just assigned him to the cat patio again, and reminded him to gather the dust he swept up and throw it away before he left."

"And how did that go?" Discord asked, making crude doodles of an evil stallion on his notepad.

"...He did clean up the piles," she said. "But he left some streaks of dust behind...and he forgot a few piles." She sighed. "And I hadn't noticed the first time that he missed sweeping a lot of corners..."

Discord chewed on the end of his pen. "I still don't think he should be working for you," he said. "But I can understand why you're having trouble. You're too pure-hearted for your own good, my love." He gently caressed her cheek.

Fluttershy leaned into his touch. "Well, as I said...he's not hurting any creature. Maybe I just need to pair him up with someone else to make sure he's doing his work properly..."

"I think he's hurting you," he said as he scratched behind her ear. "He's leaving you tired and stressed...and do you have enough volunteers to pair them up on what should be simple tasks?"

She sighed. "No...I don't," she said. "Can we please eat dinner now? I just...don't want to think about this right now."

"Right, of course," he said, snapping his fingers and teleporting them to the dinner table. He placed a bowl of hot vegetable soup in front of her, then after a moment's thought, he snapped his fingers and gave her a cinnamon roll, too. She quietly thanked him and slowly ate her soup.

He kept his eyes on her the entire time through the meal, even as he rambled about exploring undersea caves, up until she was finished and declined dessert, instead wanting to go to bed.

He tucked her in and massaged her shoulders gently until she drifted off to sleep. Once she was unconscious, he sighed and looked out the window. His attempts to distract her this time barely got a smile out of her, and she was so tired she had almost instantly passed out.

"This can't keep happening," he quietly. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "I hope you'll forgive me for getting involved in this situation."

He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

He crawled through the student's dorms in the form of a shadow, peeking into any and every room that housed stallions. Once he was sure none contained his prey, he left and went on to the next room.

He watched one potential candidate from the ceiling of his room—a light green unicorn stallion with dark green hair, with stripes of white in it. His eyes were baby blue, and his cutie mark was of a four-leaf clover. Currently, he was sitting on the edge of his bed, chatting with his changeling roommate.

"Today was great, Mandible!" he said. "I got another easy job at the sanctuary. I got done with it early, so I chilled around for a few minutes before I clocked out."

"Uh-huh," the purple changeling said. "Look, Clover—"

Discord's eyes gleamed, but Clover continued, "I'm so glad I found that position! I mean, I know I should have tried to get a volunteer position sooner, but I knew waiting wouldn't hurt." He leaned back against his forehooves, closing his eyes with a smirk. "Lucky isn't just my name, you know."

"Yeah, sure," Mandible said, pulling back the covers on his bed. "But Clover—"

"And I was talking to Raindrop about how it was lucky I got the job, and I think Miss Fluttershy overheard me! So that should be an extra layer of job security on an already-easy job!" Clover sighed. "Yep. Everything's coming up Clo—"

"Clover!" Mandile snapped. "Maybe you've had a good day, but I just worked a long shift at a cafe, gave a group presentation, and spent two hours in a group study session." He jumped into his bed. "A study for the exam tomorrow that I'd like to be well-rested for, and not just rely on dumb luck!"

"Oh, okay," Clover said. "I can just tell you the rest of my story at breakfast, then!"

"Sure," Mandible mumbled, wrapping himself in a cocoon. "I'm all ears to hear yet another story that involved you not taking much, if any, sort of action."

Clover laughed. "Oh, Mandible. I know it's just the long day that's made you a sourpuss." The changeling growled. "Good night, then!"

He used his magic to turn off the light, then used his magic to grab a nearby comic book on his desk and turn on a nearby lamp. Discord's eyes gleamed, and he shifted closer to his found prey.

When he was close enough, he snapped his fingers and teleported himself and Clover to an exact replica of the dorm room that he had made in his dimension. Well...almost exact, Discord thought, resisting the urge to chuckle darkly. Clover's ears flicked, and he looked around for a second, confused, before shrugging and turning back to his book.

Discord moved to the center of the floor and flicked his tail. With a cold gust of wind, the lamp suddenly went dark. Clover looked up. "That's weird," he said. "I replaced its batteries last week." He attempted to turn it on again with his magic, but it only clicked uselessly.

"Huh," he said, jumping out of bed and walking towards his desk. Discord took that as his cue and growled softly, rising from the floor and letting a dark pool of shadow drip off of him onto the floor. Just in time, he remembered to make his eyes glow.

Clover whipped around, yelping as he looked up at the strange being towering over him. "W-w-who are you?" he said, his back legs shaking.

"I am the Spirit of Disharmony, the Chaotic Tyrant, the End of Peaceful Times," Discord growled, making sure to show off his fangs. "I am Discord...and you have earned my wrath, Unlucky Clover."

"A-actually, I'm Lucky Clover," he stuttered. "Because I'm a very lucky pony, understand?"

Discord rolled his eyes and snorted a burst of fire from his nose. "Well, consider your luck used up," he said, lowering his head and glaring the stallion in the eyes. "I've heard that you've been working at Sweet Feathers Animal Sanctuary...and treating it as an easy job."

"Well, yeah," Clover said. "All the tasks I get are easy. I finish them in no time at all! I don't know why they asked for so many volunteers, but it's a lucky break for me."

"They're easy because you don't do them properly!" Discord roared, green fire bursting up behind him. "Let's review your work, shall we?" He reached forward with his eagle talon. Clover yelped and jumped away, running over to his roommate's bed.

"Mandible, wake up!" he cried, shaking his 'roommate'. "Discord's in here, and he's freaking me out! You have to help me!" He wrenched the blankets off of him—only to find a pile of fruit underneath, which all tumbled to the floor.

Discord grinned as Clover looked at him, panicked, then bolted towards the door. He threw it open, only to find a brick wall behind it. He whirled around, looking back at Discord with wide eyes. Discord helpfully pulled back the curtains on his window, showing that there was only a brick wall behind that, too.

"Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" Discord said. Lucky Clover pressed himself against the brick wall, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"A-aren't you supposed to be good now?" he said, his legs trembling. "Y-you don't do stuff like this..."

Discord shrugged. "You've already gotten kindness," he said. "And that hasn't led anywhere. So now it's time for chaos to step in." He dove into his own shadow, then lunged back up at Clover's side, pressing his claw against the top of his head.

With a bit of magic, they were looking back on Clover's memories. "Ah, I know this one," Discord said as Fluttershy pointed to the filters around the lakes, handing a clipboard and pen to Clover. "You were supposed to check the water filters."

"And I did!" Clover said. Discord tutted and fast-forwarded through the memory, until he was done and handed the clipboard back to Fluttershy. She thanked him sweetly and set the clipboard aside, while Clover went to clock out.

"Let's get a new perspective, shall we?" Discord said. With a twirl of his finger, they started watching the day from Fluttershy's view instead. He fast-forwarded through it, until Fauna walked up with a clipboard, looking worried.

"Fluttershy, I thought you had someone check the water filters today," she said.

"I did," Fluttershy responded, guiding a sloth to a comfortable resting spot. "I thought it would be an easy task for a new volunteer."

Dr. Fauna sighed. "Well, they forgot to actually fill out the clipboard with the readings." She showed the blank form.

Fluttershy gasped, hooves flying to her mouth. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry, I should have checked it after he gave it to me!"

"It's not your fault," Dr. Fauna said. "If you want, I can check the filters again for you."

"Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to do that," Fluttershy said, taking the clipboard. "You've already done so much today. I should be the one to check the filters."

"Well...alright," Dr. Fauna said. "I'll see you on Wednesday, Fluttershy." She waved goodbye and walked back towards town, while Fluttershy sighed and started checking the filters, filling out the form.

"Let's move on and see what else has happened, shall we?" Discord said, holding up the newspaper of Fluttershy's venting. He went through the list one by one, first showing Clover's assigned task, then how Fluttershy or some other volunteer had to redo it for him after he had left. From failing to completely fill out forms on things he was meant to check, to not cleaning any area properly, he seemed to do each task as lazily as possible.

After watching the second cat patio incident, Discord snapped his fingers and pulled them out of the stream of memories. "Has it become clear yet?" he said, bending down to stare unblinkingly into Clover's eyes. "How you've caused so much stress and extra work for my—for Fluttershy?"

"I-I didn't know!" Clover said in a panic. "How was I supposed to know?"

"I imagine she said some sugar-coated words about how 'that position wasn't right for you'," Discord said. "Maybe she even explained why, but it went in one ear and out the other!" He growled and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "And how in the name of chaos do you not realize you have to fill out a form she hands you, or not know how to sweep!?"

Clover was shaking in his shoes. "I-it's not like there's anywhere else I can volunteer," he said. "The other positions all filled up—"

"Because you waited too long," Discord finished with a growl. "Oh, I've heard. That's why I've thought of three solutions, Unlucky Clover."

He held a finger up in the air. "One! You actually start doing some work around the sanctuary. You ask if work is done right before you clock out. You ask for clarification on tasks. You don't spend a single minute lazing around—if your work is 'done', talk to Fluttershy."

"Two! You quit working at the sanctuary. You accept that there are no other positions, and you fail the class with dignity, or find some other way to make up for the points you lost."

Discord grinned widely, showing off a wide array of fangs. "Or if you don't pick either of those, we default to option three: I find you a different volunteer position for your class—working for me." He widened his pupils, showing an image of Clover running after an impossible beast, trying to catch it, while Discord floated overhead, swirling a glass of chocolate milk in his paw.

"So, what's it going to be?" Discord said, blinking and turning his eyes back to normal.

"The first one, please," Clover squeaked.

"Good choice," Discord said. "But remember—if you don't follow through with that, option three is always open." He used his magic to make the shadows in the room pool towards him, even Clover being pulled into their darkness.

The stallion panicked, trying to light his horn and keep the shadows and bay as they splashed onto his sides, crawling up to his face. "I'll be watching, Unlucky Clover," Discord hissed, fading into the shadow, leaving behind only his glowing eyes and wide, fang-filled smile.

He snapped his tail feathers and teleported them both back to the real dorm room, putting Lucky Clover back in his bed, while he was once again just a shadow on the ceiling. Clover screamed and flared his horn, still fighting off shadows that had been left behind.

Mandible grunted and sat up in bed. "What is it? What?" he growled, head whipping around the room.

Clover opened his eyes. "D-discord!" he cried, head whipping around the room. "H-he was here...he said I had to do better at the sanctuary..." he shivered. "H-he was terrifying."

"Discord?" Mandible said. "The Prince of Kindness? The one who dropped in when his wife was substituting to give all of the students huge buckets of candy?"

Clover took a few deep breaths. "That's right...he's married to Fluttershy," he said, almost to himself. "Who runs the sanctuary..."

"I didn't hear anything. You must have had a nightmare," Mandible said. "A nightmare that might have some insight about doing better work, but still just a nightmare." He yawned. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to sleep."

"Yeah...just a nightmare," Clover said, expression softening into relief. "Good night, Mandible." The changeling grunted and rolled back up into his cocoon.

Clover sighed, opening his comic book back up. Discord snapped his fingers and appeared on the page he flipped to. "Get some rest," he said in a word bubble. "You're working at the sanctuary tomorrow, aren't you?"

Clover squeaked and tossed the comic away. Discord teleported back into the shadows of the ceiling as Clover carefully picked up the comic and looked at it. He gingerly set it on his desk, turning off his lamp and shifting under his covers.

Discord teleported back to his dimension, demolishing the dorm room replica before teleporting back into his own bedroom. "That should have set him straight," he said as he curled up against Fluttershy's sleeping form. "He shouldn't cause any more problems for you, dearest."

Discord glanced up at the clock hanging down from the ceiling. Almost noon, he thought. He snapped up a picnic basket and started filling it with cucumber sandwiches, tucking in a steaming tea kettle at the last second.

Slinging the picnic basket into the crook of his arm, he snapped his fingers and teleported to the sanctuary, right next to Fluttershy. She jumped and looked up at him, smiling.

"Discord!" she said cheerfully. "What a surprise!" She flew up and threw her hooves around his neck, nuzzling his cheek.

"Hello, my sweet," he said, returning the nuzzle. "Do you have enough time to accompany your dearest darling husband on a lovely picnic?" He held the basket out to her.

She giggled and nodded. "Alright. Give me just one second. I want to make sure that Lucky Clover is doing okay."

Discord's eyes gleamed. "I think I'll accompany you. I'd like to know how he's doing myself." She tilted her head, but nodded and walked towards the food storage. Discord floated behind her.

In less than a minute, they reached the food storage near the lakes. Clover was inside, a clipboard held in his magic, and was staring at the shelves of food. "Hello, Lucky Clover," Fluttershy said. "How is everything going?"

"Pretty good," he said, glancing up. His face went blank when he saw Discord floating behind her. "D-d-d-d..."

"Is something the matter?" Fluttershy said.

"Perhaps he's trying to ask you how good you think his job is," Discord said. "Am I right, Clover?"

Clover quickly nodded. "Oh, yes! Yes, that's—I just want to know if I'm actually doing this job well!"

She hummed and took the clipboard away from him. "Well...you're filling out the form, so you're good!" she said cheerfully. "Just remember to get as accurate of a count as possible. I don't want to have too much or too little of something."

"That's right," Discord said. "This might seem like a simple job, but not doing it properly could lead to some complications for everyone else. Capisce?"

Clover quickly nodded, taking the clipboard back. Fluttershy tilted her head and looked up at Discord. "But Discord, we have—"

He slung an arm over her shoulder. "Anyway, with that done, would you like to go on the picnic now?" he said. She nodded slowly, and he snapped his fingers, teleporting them into a field of flowers.

As he whipped out the yellow and green picnic blanket, Fluttershy said, "Why didn't you let me tell him about the food storage at home? It might have made him less nervous about doing inventory."

"Dearest Fluttershy, do you really want to give him an excuse he could use to slack off on his job?" he said as he set everything up, patting the spot next to him. "Honestly, from what you told me, he seemed quite lazy."

She laid next to him, thanking him as he placed a teacup shaped like a flower into her hooves and filled it with tea. "It was strange, though," she said. "Normally, Lucky Clover would just take the job and get right to it, but today he asked me about what parts of the form he needed to fill out. And it looks like he's been doing his job properly today, even asking me how he's doing." She sipped her tea.

Discord slurped at his tea. "Well, I'm very glad that he's changed his ways," he said. "Hopefully he won't cause you any more stress."

She paused, then set down her teacup. "Discord, did you do something?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

He whistled and looked at the sky, twirling a puffy cloud in his magic. "I might have...visited him...to have a little chat," he said.

"And what was this chat about?" Fluttershy said, crossing her hooves.

He pursed his lips and mumbled, "About how he wasn't doing his job properly and how he needed to stop being such a hindrance to you."

"And what exactly happened during the chat?" Fluttershy asked. He laughed nervously, twiddling his fingers. She kept staring at him, so with a sigh, he snapped his fingers and cast an illusion over the two of them that let them see his memories from last night.

They watched the scene unfold, Discord quietly explaining parts of his magic to her, like how he transported Clover into a different dimension that just looked like his room, or how the shadows on him were just that—shadows, that wouldn't hurt him.

The scene paused with a click once Discord teleported back home, and he dismissed it, lowering his head. "I wasn't going to step in," he said. "But...you were so tired. I had to do something."

He jolted when he felt something soft on his cheek, and a weight pressed against his side. "I don't entirely approve of your methods," she said. "But...nothing you did was meant to, or even able to, harm him in any way. You just scared him."

"I considered just having a civil chat about what he was doing wrong," he said. Fluttershy lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. "For about half a second, anyway. I realized that the best way to get through to him was to make the lesson...memorable."

She smiled. "Well...he is working hard. So your method did work...even if he's frightened of you now."

He smiled. "So...I'm not in trouble?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Just...don't do it again, please? Or at least, tell me before you scare my volunteers."

He gave her a thumbs up and a grin, passing her a cucumber sandwich. "By the way," she asked as she took a bite, "Were you really going to make him volunteer for you if he didn't quit or actually work?"

"Eh, I would have found some nature clean-up group to foist him off on," Discord said, taking a large bite of his sandwich. "Some group with a lot of work to do, and no patience with slackers. The image I showed him was just a little something to spook him."

She smiled. "I'll try to be less lenient with my volunteers, so you don't have to do something like this again," she said, leaning against his side.

He brushed his fingers through her mane. "You do whatever's right, Flutter-nutters. It's your sanctuary." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm just here to support you every step of the way."

She smiled and closed her eyes. He laid his chin on top of her head, and they both ate their lunch, murmuring sweet things to each other until the picnic was done. He teleported them back to the sanctuary and kissed her on the cheek, bidding her goodbye as she went back to work.

He felt as though there was a gaze on his back, and turned around to see Lucky Clover, watching him from the trees. "Are you done with inventory?" he asked, making the unicorn jump. "If you are, Fluttershy's the one you wanna talk to. She went thataway." He pointed to where his wife had just run off.

Clover nodded. "T-thank you," he said, walking past him. He paused for a second, glancing over his shoulder. "You...really care about your wife, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Discord said immediately. "She means everything to me." He clamped his mouth shut, a pink blush on his face.

"So that's why..." Clover said, eyes becoming unfocused again. He blinked and snapped out of it. "Thank you. I really do like being here at the sanctuary. It's where a lot of my friends are."

"And you're going to work hard here, aren't you?" Discord said.

Clover grinned sheepishly, sweat forming on his forehead. "I'm going to try my best. I know I wasn't great before, but...I'm going to do better." Discord nodded in approval, and Clover ran off after Fluttershy.

Discord watched from afar for a few moments as Clover and Fluttershy discussed the form he had filled out. Seeing that Clover wasn't just running off, Discord nodded in approval again, snapping his fingers and teleporting away.

Amusement Park Attraction

When Fluttershy woke up, Discord was already out of bed, bouncing on his heels and glancing over at her. As soon as she yawned and sat up, he lunged forward, tackling her back onto the bed. "Today's the day!" he said cheerfully, nuzzling his cheek against hers.

She giggled, returning the nuzzle. "You're excited, aren't you?" He nodded eagerly, snapping his fingers and creating a giant plate of chocolate chip waffles. He began to gobble them down rapidly, while Fluttershy ate hers at a calmer pace, glancing over at the clock. "You know, they probably aren't open yet," she said. "So you can slow down a bit."

He chugged a glass of chocolate milk and grabbed two more waffles. "Well, I still want to get ahead of the lines and crowds," he said. "Besides, I've been waiting all week for this! I can't just 'calm down'!"

She giggled, leaning against his side. "I'm glad you're happy," she said. "We should write Twilight a thank you letter for getting us the tickets."

"Mmmm, I suppose," he said with a shrug.

They made their way through the pile of waffles, Discord throwing the plate out of the room like a Frisbee once it was licked clean. Fluttershy hurried into the bathroom, brushing her mane and teeth, while Discord laid on the bed and flossed his teeth.

Once she was out, he teleported to her side, flinging a whole waffle out of his teeth and looping his claw around her foreleg. "Ready to go?" he asked. She nodded, and he snapped his fingers, teleporting them both away.

They reappeared in front of a large sign reading Four Flags. Underneath was a banner that read, Equestria's newest and biggest amusement park—Opening Day Today! On each side of the sign were two flags each—one of a white and blue alicorn circling each other, one of a lone sun, one with half of a sun and a moon on a pinkish-purple fabric, and finally, a purple one with Twilight's cutie mark on it.

"Hmph," Discord said, crossing his arms. "No flag of my time ruling Equestria, I see."

Fluttershy frowned. "I didn't know you had a flag..."

"Oh, no," he said. "That would have implied some sort of order." He sighed. "Though I might have still made one out of boredom if my reign hadn't been cut short both times." He looked forward, then groaned, flinging his head back to glare at the sky.

She followed where his gaze had been, and saw a long line of creatures crowding before the closed gates...and still more were joining as they stood by. "Oh my...we should probably join that line, quick!" she said, grabbing Discord's paw and flying forward.

He grumbled and crossed his arms, mumbling about not wanting to wait in line. "I know," she said, nuzzling his neck. "But we have to. Just think of how much fun we'll have today once we get inside."

He grumbled again, glaring at the closed gates. She sighed and shook her head.

Just a few minutes later, the gates opened, and the line began to move. Discord's mood vastly improved the closer they got to the front, until he was chatting excitedly with Fluttershy about all the rides he had heard rumors about. Their talking passed the time, and once they were at the front, their tickets were taken, and they were given maps and paper wristbands in return.

"Well, where to first?" Fluttershy asked as Discord opened up his map, while she scanned the front plaza they were in, with a beautiful fountain and carousel.

"I know exactly where I want to start!" Discord said, snapping his fingers and teleporting them. They reappeared in front of a tall metal roller coaster with a long line in front of it. The track was painted red and black, and the fast-moving carts were painted white and black. When they came to a stop, releasing their disoriented passengers, she realized they were designed to look like cartoonish pony skulls.

"The Shrieking Skullcoaster!" he said cheerfully, holding his arms as he presented it to Fluttershy. "Currently built to be the fastest coaster of Equestria!" He leaned forward to whisper to her, "Though I've made some faster ones before."

Fluttershy looked up at the tall, twisting metal track and gulped. "Y-you want to ride that?" she said weakly.

"Yeah!" Discord said, bouncing on his heels. "Look at it! Twists and turns and high, terrifying speeds, loops until you lose all sense of gravity, screams of terror filling the air!" The coaster rattled by, its occupants shrieking. A wide grin spread on Discord's face. "It's perfect!"

Fluttershy rubbed at her foreleg. "I don't know, Discord...it looks really scary."

He tore his eyes away from the coaster to look at her. "Would you rather start with a slower coaster?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if I want to go on any roller coasters," she said. "I've never been on one. They've always looked...too scary for me."

He gasped, then threw an arm around her shoulder. "Well, today's the day to try it out!" he said cheerfully. "I'll make you a deal, dearest Fluttershy. I will pick from the map a good roller coaster for beginners. I'll ride it with you, right by your side. If you like it, we'll carefully work our way through the coasters until we can ride the most exciting ones together."

"But what if I don't like it?" she said.

"Then I'll treat you to a giant chocolate milkshake, and we'll go on all the rides that aren't roller coasters." He began counting things off on his fingers. "There's the teacups, the Ferris wheel, all of the river rides..."

"But what about you? I know you're really excited about going on all of the rides," she said, looking up at the screaming coaster of ponies. "I'd hate to keep you from enjoying the day."

He shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure I can squeeze in a few coaster rides in between the things we do together. Besides, I can make copies of these coasters at home whenever I like!" He snapped his fingers, and a miniature version of the Shrieking Skullcoaster appeared around his feet, complete with tiny pony dolls that squeaked like chew toys as the coaster went around the track.

He snapped his fingers and the replica disappeared. "But whatever happens, I will make sure we both have a fun day. I just want you to try something I like, to see if you'll like it to." He held his paw out to her. "Deal?"

She thought about it, then reached out and shook his paw. "Deal. What coaster do you want me to try?"

He hummed and pulled a folded park map from his ear. He unfurled it and snapped his fingers, making images of the rides rise from the paper. He narrowed his eyes at them, waving them all away one by one, until only one was left. "This one!" he declared, snapping his fingers.

They teleported in a flash of light, reappearing in front of a different roller coaster. This one had a blue metal track, with the carts painted a cheery yellow. This coast was closer to the ground, and though it had a few twists and turns, there were no loops.

"This seems like the perfect place to begin," Discord said, floating over to the line. "All we have to do is—ugh—wait." He landed at the end of the line and began tapping his foot impatiently.

Fluttershy came up to his side. "This line doesn't seem so bad," she said. "And while we're waiting, maybe we could figure out what we should do after this."

His face brightened at that, and he pulled the map back out, along with a handful of colorful markers. He flattened the map out on top of the air between them, pointing out attractions he thought were interesting, or that she might like. She pointed out a few places like the games boardwalk and the teacups ride, which he dutifully circled in marker, along with the things he had pointed out.

In just a few minutes, they were close to the front of the line. Fluttershy looked up at the coaster—especially the first tall climb. She gulped and shivered, shifting a little closer to Discord's side.

Discord had just crumpled up the map and tossed it down his gullet as she shifted towards him. He glanced down, looking down at her with a worried expression. "Are you okay?" he asked. "We could go on another ride first, or just not try a coaster today..."

She shook her head. "No...I said I would try this." She forced a smile on her face. "Who knows? Maybe it'll be fun!"

He looked doubtful, but all he did was sigh and place his paw on her head. "I'll be right next to you the whole time," he said, as they took a step forward, next to the measuring stick.

The unicorn attendant looked at their heights, nodded, and waved them on. Fluttershy's hooves shook a little as they climbed up the steps towards the coaster, but she made it. Discord placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her over to two empty adjacent seats. He took his seat, showing her how to pull the safety bar down in front of her.

She shivered as the seats continued to fill up under the watchful eyes of the attendants. "It'll be fine," Discord said. "Don't be afraid to hold onto me if you need to."

She smiled gratefully at him. Suddenly, the car jolted, and they began to move forward and up the first slope. She flinched and grabbed his paw. He held her hoof gently, giving her a reassuring squeeze just as they reached the very top of the slope.

Gravity took back control, and they plunged down. Fluttershy screamed.

On the table in front of one of the restaurants scattered through the park, Fluttershy slowly sipped on the large chocolate milkshake with whipped cream that was in front of her. She was still shaking, and Discord was running his fingers through her mane, staring down at a photo in his claw.

"I think we can safely say that roller coasters are not for you," he said, holding the photo a little closer to her. She glanced at it. It had been caught at a moment where she was clinging to Discord's torso, screaming, while Discord had an arm slung across her back, looking like he was trying to comfort her.

She hadn't seen when the camera had gone off, but she was pretty sure that moment summed up how that whole ride had felt for her.

"Sorry I ruined the ride for you," she said glumly, taking another sip of her shake and trying to stop her nerves from shaking.

He stared at her, wide-eyed. "Sweetheart...going on that ride was for you to see if you like roller coasters! It didn't matter whether I enjoyed it or not!" He patted the top of her head. "No more roller coasters for you today! Just take as long as you need to calm your nerves, and then we can go on a ride that isn't quite as..." He twirled his paw in the air, searching for the right word.

"Terrifying?" she suggested.

He paused, mouth turning into a squiggly line. "...Okay, that's accurate." He held up the photo. "I'm sending this home. I think this is scrapbook material!"

She groaned and buried her face in her hooves. "What?" he said, sending the photo through a portal. "There's plenty of embarrassing photos of me in there. Let's even the scales a little!"

She giggled. "I suppose you're right." She took another sip of her shake. "It might take a while for me to finish this. Maybe...you could go on a few coasters while I finish this?"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I'd hate to leave you bored...this trip is supposed to be fun for both of us."

She pulled the map on the table closer to her. "Look, here...there's a duck pond and petting zoo," she said, tapping at the place. "I can wait there while you go on the coasters. That way, we can both do something we enjoy, then meet up after and do more things together."

"That does sound like a good idea," he said. "And I can check on you in between rides...and send a clone to wait for me in line..." He nodded. "Alright. I'll teleport us over there!" He tapped twice on the petting zoo on the map, and with a loud clicking sound, they vanished in a flash of light.

They reappeared on a bench right at the edge of the duck pond. "Let's see..." Discord said, looking at the map. He snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy looked around to see what had happened. "I sent a clone to wait in line for me," he explained. "That way, I can spend the boring time I would be waiting in line with you, instead!" He booped her nose.

She giggled, pushing his claw away. "Aren't you worried that the...you in line will be bored?"

He shrugged. "Oh, I can always find some way to entertain myself." He snapped his fingers and created a handful of brown pellets in his paw. "Now, would you like to feed the ducks?"

She smiled widely, her eyes glittering, as she took a pinch of the food and tossed it out into the pond.

It took her about twenty minutes to finish her shake. To be fair, she hadn't been drinking it the whole time, distracted by the cute ducks and animals in the petting zoo, as well as Discord's antics, between him going on coaster rides. And she had felt calm just a minute after seeing the ducks...but Discord was having so much fun, she decided to wait until her shake was done.

As soon as her shake was finished, Discord got onto his feet and pulled the map back out. "Well, I've satisfied my coaster quota for the day," he said. "Thank you for that, my dear. Now, let's figure out a ride that you would enjoy."

They poured over the map together. All of the coasters were scratched out, which was most of the rides. Anything involving heights was scratched out, so that eliminated quite a few more. "So, that leaves the teacups, all of the river and log rides, and...how do you feel about the swing ride?"

He snapped his fingers and teleported them over to the ride in question. Ponies and other creatures sat in swings that were being swung rapidly through the air, high above the ground. "No, I...I don't think so," she said with a gulp. "Maybe if I could sit with you..."

He nodded, a light blush on his cheeks as he drew a big red X through the swing ride. "Haunted houses are out...are fun houses in?" he asked. "Most of them are just mazes with mirrors."

She nodded. "Those do sound pretty fun." She glanced over at the map, and saw how much red ink there was on it. "Oh, dear. I hope I'm not taking all the fun out of this for you..." she wrung her hooves together.

He scoffed. "Please. I can make much more exciting rides anytime I want to. Besides, I've already gone on plenty of coasters. And don't forget...this trip is supposed to be fun for you, too." He noticed that she was still looking worriedly at the map. "Don't worry too much about it. Amusement park rides aren't for everypony. Besides, look," he pointed to the pathways. "There are booths along the walkways with fun games, and restaurants! It's not all about the rides."

"I suppose you're right," she said.

"Of course I am," he said, placing his paw to his chest with a smug grin. "Now, enough talk. Let's go on the teacups!" She nodded, and he snapped his fingers, teleporting them away.

Time passed quickly, as she and Discord went on rides like the teacups and the log ride over and over, Discord making his clones wait in line with their own small games or books to pass the time so that he and Fluttershy could just focus on having fun.

And she really was having fun, smiling and laughing so much her cheeks and stomach were starting to hurt. And what made it even better was that Discord looked like he was having just as much fun as her, a wide grin on his face with each ride they went on.

Right now, they were sitting on a bench near the log ride's exit, toweling themselves off. "That just as fun the fifth time," Discord said. "Want to try it a sixth?"

Her stomach growled before she could answer, and she blushed. "Well...maybe we should get some food first," she said. "And after that...could we take a look at some of the booths?"

He clapped his hands and grinned. "Oh, I'd love to get food! Do you know what we're going to get?" She shook her head. "Greasy, unhealthy, overpriced food!" he said cheerfully, whipping out the map. "Now, what sort of grease would you like?" he said. "We could also go the other route and get something sweet, but also overpriced."

"Is there anything...healthy and reasonably priced?" she asked, peering over his shoulder. He grinned and shook his head.

"Don't sweat it too much, we can eat some veggies tomorrow," he said. "Now...how does a hayburger sound?"

"Well...it has been a while since we've had fast food," she said. "It might be nice." He snapped his fingers, and they were teleported to a small building with the sign above reading The Hearty Hayburger.

"I'll get the food," he said. "The 'Hearty' in the name is either referring to the heart attacks from the grease or the heart attacks from the prices." He pulled out a large coin purse and marched through the doors. Fluttershy looked around, then flew over and took a seat at one of the outside tables.

Discord came back a few minutes later with a tray in his hands—two hayburgers, two containers of fries, and two soda cups. "I present you with—lunch!" he said, holding the tray out to her. She took one of the burgers, which sagged limply and dripped grease onto the table. She winced, then took a bite out of it.

"It...almost tastes good," she said, swallowing. He held a soda cup out to her, which she took a sip of. It was a combination of orange soda, lemon-lime soda, and a hint of cherry. "This is pretty good," she said, taking another sip.

"I thought you'd like it," he said, taking a large bite out of his own burger. "Myself, I went for a little bit of everything—orange, grape, lemon-lime, cherry, vanilla, and chocolate." He swallowed and frowned down at the burger. "You're right about the burger, though. Maybe it just needs some condiments."

He snapped his fingers, and bottles of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise appeared in the center of the table. He grabbed the bottles and poured the contents onto the burger until it was a dripping mess, while Fluttershy just added a little bit of ketchup to hers before taking another bite.

"Better," she said. Discord took a large bite of his, grease and ketchup dripping down his chin. He nodded in agreement.

Lunch was a quiet, if messy, affair. Discord's mouth and hands were absolutely coated with grease and condiments by the time he finished his fries, and though Fluttershy had fewer condiments, she had just as much grease covering her.

Discord wiped at her lips with a silk handkerchief, placing another in her hooves as he tried to wring the grease out of his beard. "Well, as far as meals go, I've had better-tasting ones," he said. "But you know? There's just something enjoyable about fast food."

Fluttershy patted her stomach, slurping down the rest of her soda. "At least it was filling," she said, handing the soaked handkerchief back to Discord.

"Too full for dessert?" he asked, pointing behind her with a grin. She turned and saw a cotton candy stand on the other side of the walkway. She looked back and saw that he had a wide grin on his face.

"Well...that does sound nice," she said. He cheered and flew past her, skidding to a halt at the end of the line. She sighed and shook her head with a smile, stacking their trash on the tray and discarding it before trotting over and meeting up with Discord.

A few minutes of waiting in line, and then another few minutes of Discord wanting more and more spun sugar for his cotton candy, resulted in the two of them carrying large bulks of cotton candy on tiny paper sticks.

It was almost too bulky for her, but he used a little magic so that it was perfectly balanced in her hooves. He then offered to take some from her if it was too much, to which she giggled and shoved him playfully. They started walking down the path, glancing over at the colorful stalls, Discord guiding her through, since the cotton candy blocked most of her sight.

She made surprisingly quick work of her cotton candy (though she was sure Discord had been helping himself to bites of it). Occasionally, they stopped to watch a show or two that was being put on, before turning and continuing down the path.

Eventually, she was full, and handed the cotton candy to Discord. He smiled widely, molding it onto his own, and continued down the path. She smiled, trotting to keep up with him as he took large bites out of his dessert.

As they walked through the colorful stalls, something caught her eye. She turned to look closer. It was a simple game stand, where the challenge was to knock over bottles with a ball. But what caught her eye was the displayed prize—a jackalope plushie.

"What's wrong?" Discord said, walking backward back to her side. She jumped and looked up at him.

"Sorry, I just..." she looked back at the stand. "That's a really cute plushie."

He took another bite out of his cotton candy. "Well, if you like it so much, let's go get it!" he said, pulling out a coin purse and marching towards the stand, Fluttershy following close behind.

Two familiar yellow unicorn stallions grinned and greeted them. "Flim and Flam?" Fluttershy said, tilting her head. "Why are you here?"

Flim chuckled. "Why, we're here to promote our resort, of course!" He pointed to the title of the booth: Bottle Knockdown, Sponsered by Flim and Flam's Las Pegasus Resort.

"And promoting our new, upcoming product!" Flam added, holding out a jackalope plushie. "Knock down a tower of bottles and win the all-new 'Flim-Flam Fuzzy Plushie'!"

"One try is five bits," Flim said, holding out his hoof.

Discord poured five bits into his hands. "Wait," Fluttershy said. "Why don't we both give it a try? It does look fun."

"Sorry!" Flam said. "There's only one bottle tower, so we can only allow one thrower at a time."

"You go first, my dear," Discord said, handing the bits to her. She smiled and placed the bits into Flim and Flam's outstretched hooves, and they gave her a small ball in return.

She carefully placed the ball in her tail, tossing it up and down a few times to get a feel for its weight. Discord stepped aside and watched, Flim and Flam stepping to opposite sides of their booth and gesturing to the pyramid of glass bottles in the back.

With a deep breath, Fluttershy cracked her tail, sending the ball flying towards the bottle tower. It struck the bottle in the bottom center dead-on, and the tower wobbled, leaning back a bit...but stayed upright as the ball fell to the ground.

Flim wiped sweat off of his forehead. Flam said, "Sorry miss. Better luck next time."

"Hmmm," Discord said, whipping out a magnifying glass and peering at the bottles. The one Fluttershy had hit had a crack in it...and there was a clear, almost invisible substance between all of the bottles, and between the bottles and the table. "I'd like to give it a try!" Discord said, tossing his five bits at the two of them.

They handed him the ball, which he tossed back and forth between his hands, charging up his magic. He reared back exaggeratedly and flung the ball towards the tower with great force, a fireball forming around the ball as it surged forward, blowing back the manes of the Flim Flam brothers.

Unfortunately, the ball didn't come anywhere near the tower, tearing a hole in the booth about a foot away from it. Flam gasped and ran out the booth after it, as it still flew through the air as a fireball, while Flim stuttered, "G-g-good try! Better luck next time, sir!"

Discord growled and turned away. "It's okay," Fluttershy said, hugging his arm. "You can always make me one, or I can knit one for myself. We don't have to win."

"But...it's the principle of the thing," Discord said. In a hushed whisper, he added, "They're scamming us. They glued the bottles to the table so they can't be knocked over. I'll be barbequed if I'm going to be out-conned by these guys."

She gasped, glancing over as Flam came back with the ball in his magic grip, panting and covered with sweat. "Well...let's try it one last time, then. Together," she said.

He blinked. "That's right...if we combine my magic with your throwing accuracy, we should be able to knock it over!" He pulled out five more bits and tossed them at the stallions. "One more try, fellas!"

Their eyes glinted gold as they scooped up the bits, tossing the ball in their direction. Discord tossed it back and forth between his hands, snapping his tail feathers a few times to add a bit of magic. "Careful," he said as he handed it to Fluttershy. "It's going to rocket off as soon as you toss it."

She nodded and carefully tucked it into her tail, shifting a little (but not tossing it) as she prepared herself. She turned and whipped her tail towards the bottles...and it rocketed forward in a fireball, directly hitting the bottom center bottle.

The bottle shattered, leading to a chain effect where the bottles on top fell down, also shattering on impact. The heat from the fireball melted the glue, which poured down the sides of the bottles as they toppled over onto the ground. "Knocked over!" Discord cheered. "Prize, if you please."

Flim grabbed one of the plushies in his magic, quickly handing it to Fluttershy. The crowd murmured, their attention drawn to the booth. "Er, Flim," Flam stuttered. "I think we may have gotten a bit more attention than we wanted."

"Well, we have more bottles," Flim said, pulling some more out from underneath the booth. "And they just proved this is winnable, so how is some attention bad?"

Flam pointed to a mare in a blue uniform who was marching towards them, a glare on her face. "Hey!" she said. "I thought my supervisor told you two that you weren't allowed to set up a booth!"

Flim and Flam jumped to her hooves. "Well, that's our cue to go!" they said together, grabbing the plushies, bottles, and sign in their magic before dashing off, the uniformed mare dashing after them.

"Well," Discord said, slurping on a soda. "That was exciting. Are you happy with your prize, dear?"

"Oh, yes," she said, snuggling into it. "It's so cute and soft!" There was a tearing sound, and one of the antlers fell off of the jackalope and onto the ground.

Discord paused and picked it up, using a magnifying glass to peer at it and the base of the other antler. "Those cheapskates," he sighed. "The stitching on these is awful. In fact, I think they just glued it together in most places." He tossed away the magnifying glass and shook his head. "It's probably going to fall apart before we even leave the park."

"Oh..." she said quietly, looking sadly down at her prize. "And I thought it looked good, for one of their products..."

He patted her on the head. "Don't worry," he said. "With a little magic, fixing this fellow is a snap!" He snapped his fingers, and silver needles appeared in the air, diving in and out of the plushie with brown thread trailing behind them. The fallen antler levitated off of the ground, and another needle began sewing at its base.

Moments later, the threads tightened and knotted themselves, and the needles disappeared in a flash of magic. "There you go," Discord said. "One properly stitched jackalope plushie for my darling Fluttershy!"

She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Discord," she said, flying up to kiss him on the cheek. "Now, why don't we see if there are any other good prizes here?"

"A fantastic idea, my dear!" he said, floating down the row of stalls. She smiled and trotted forward, staying by his side.

After winning a few more plushes and toys from booths, though none were as rigged as the Flim-Flam brothers' booth, they explored a few of the fun houses, including the House of Mirrors. Discord seemed to already know how to get out of the mazes—there was just that look in his eye—but he let her take the lead in guiding them both to freedom.

After that, and a few times riding the carousel, Discord's stomach began growling and rudely demanding food. He snapped his fingers, and they teleported to an ice cream parlor. "I know it's not much better than grease," he said. "But doesn't ice cream for dinner sound nice?" When he saw her unsure expression, he added, "C'mon, we can eat healthy tomorrow."

She paused. "Oh, okay," she said finally. "It'll probably be less messy than those burgers, at least." He smiled and grinned, then slid forward and into the line.

"Wait there, sweetie!" he said. "I'll get you something good!" She smiled and found a bench to sit on. A few minutes later, he floated back, with a plastic tub with two scoops of ice cream and a banana in his paw, and a plastic cup with a brown and green mixture in his claw, each with a pink plastic spoon stuck in them.

"A banana split with vanilla and strawberry ice cream for you," he said, placing the plastic tub in her hooves. "And a mint ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup and brownie bites for me." He took his seat next to her, clasping onto the plastic cup.

"Thank you, Discord," she said, taking a bite of her ice cream. She smiled. "This is delicious." He smiled and took a large bite of his own.

They enjoyed their ice cream without much conversation, Fluttershy leaning against Discord and letting her eyes drift closed with a soft yawn. Soon, they had polished off their ice creams, and Discord crushed their containers into a round ball and lobbed them towards the nearest recycling bin, which was across the pathway. It rolled around the rim twice before finally falling down.

"Now, how about dessert?" he said with a grin.

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. "We just had ice cream!"

He smirked, holding his fingers up to snap. "Well, I think you'll like this flavor," he said, snapping his fingers. Single-scoop ice cream cones appeared in their grips, hers pink and his striped purple and orange. She took a small lick of hers and smiled.

"Strawberries and cream," she said. "I do like this flavor." He grinned, nibbling at his own ice cream.

"And I enjoy my orange and grape swirl," he said. "Why don't we take a walk while we enjoy these?" She nodded, and they both hopped off the bench and headed down the pathway.

They remarked on a few things as they passed by, Discord taking note of a few rides and games that looked interesting to him, while Fluttershy noticed prizes and crafts being sold. At one point, Discord stopped in place between two rides and pointed the horizon out to her.

The sun was setting, painting the edge of the horizon hues of red and orange. "It's beautiful," she said, stepping closer to him. He nodded, his tongue still stuck to his ice cream, and placed his paw on top of her head.

The loudspeaker near them crackled to life. "Attention, all guests. The park will be closing in half an hour. Please choose your final ride to go on, and prepare to leave the park." Discord flinched, almost dropping his ice cream cone.

"Shoot, I lost track of time!" he said, grabbing her hoof. "We have to hurry!" Before she could even ask him what he was talking about, he had snapped his tail feathers and teleported them.

She blinked spots out of her eyes as Discord rushed forward, carrying her under his arm. "Is it closed? Are we too late?" he asked the griffon attendant in front of them.

The young griffon blinked in shock, then shook her head. "Actually, you're just in time." She gestured past her. "Get on! The view from the top is beautiful at sunset."

Discord quickly thanked her and hurried forward, while Fluttershy took the opportunity to see where they were. Discord had brought them to the Ferris wheel, with white cars painted with rainbow stripes.

Discord entered the car in front of them, setting Fluttershy gently down on the seat next to him and handing back her ice cream cone. She flinched when the car creaked and began to move upwards, shifting closer to Discord.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I just...wanted to bring you with me on this Ferris wheel." He gestured outside the car, where the park and its glittering attractions were growing smaller and smaller. "It's a wonderful view, if a bit high up, and it's the perfect way to finish off a date."

She kept one forearm wrapped around his arm, but leaned over to peer out at the park. As they climbed higher and higher, she could see more and more of the park, which was being covered in an orange glow. "It's lovely," she said, leaning back against him and staring out at the view, nibbling on the last bits of her cone.

The rest of the ride passed in a blur, though she clearly remembered the ride coming to a stop, and Discord scooping her up in his arms and carrying her off. "Sorry...did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"You dozed off. We did do a lot today, didn't we?" he said. "I can't blame you for being tired."

She smiled up at him. "I had fun, though."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "So did I, Fluttershy. So did I." He adjusted his grip on her and snapped his tail feathers, teleporting them back home.

Birthday Bash

Fluttershy yawned, stretching out her forelegs. With a sleepy mumble, she shifted closer to her husband's side of the bed. All she found were cold sheets. She frowned, reaching forward with a hoof to search for Discord's warm fur. She found nothing.

With a sigh, she sat up and stretched, climbing out of bed and walking into the hallway. She went towards the "random" closet, where Discord shoved odds and ends that he didn't feel like putting anywhere else. She heard a rustling sound behind the door.

She opened it, and Discord froze, hands deep in a pile of scarves and paper, staring at her with wide eyes. "Are you still searching?" she said with a smile, leaning against the doorframe.

Discord stood up, shaking some clinging fabric off of his hand. "Of course not," he huffed. "I will have you know I am the pinnacle of patience. I can stand to wait a few more days before finding out what my birthday gifts are."

She rose an eyebrow, and he rubbed at the back of his head. "...was I close?" he said with a sheepish grin.

She giggled, bringing a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, Discord," she said. "I can't tell you. You're just going to have to wait a few more days."

He groaned, plopping his head on her shoulder. "Can't you give it to me early?" he said. "I mean, the others will give me gifts on my birthday, right? What's wrong with getting one little present early?"

She brushed her hoof through his mane. "Discord, you'll get it in three days, along with whatever the others get you."

He grunted, burying his muzzle into the crook of her neck. "It seems like a long time to wait...can't I just pick an earlier day to celebrate?"

She kissed his head. "You know you can't just pick and choose when your birthday is each year. And you seemed very adamant that the day you picked was your birthday."

"Of course!" he said, pulling away and standing up on his feet. "That was the day you befriended me and changed me for the better. If you think about it, it is my birthday." He shrugged. "I mean, I can't remember the actual date I was born, and I'm pretty sure no one else does, either."

She leaned against his side. "It's a bit sad you don't remember the real date...but I'm glad you still get to celebrate your birthday."

He scratched behind her ear. "And I'm sure you're planning something with the rest of our friends, aren't you?"

"Maybe," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"Don't worry," he said. "There's some sandstorms near Saddle Arabia that I'm going to check out." He snapped his fingers and made a surfboard under his arm. He winked. "So you can plan all you want—I won't snoop, crusader's honor!"

She smiled. "Alright. But before you head off, let's eat some breakfast." He nodded, tossing the surfboard aside and snapping his fingers, teleporting them both to the kitchen.

"You can still come, right?" Fluttershy asked Twilight anxiously through the mirror. It was a special mirror in a set of two designed by Discord. The one she was using, the one in their bedroom, had an amethyst sparkle at the top, matching Twilight's cutie mark. The other, which was in Twilight's room the last time she checked, had a butterfly inside of a spiral at the top.

Twilight smiled softly. "Of course. I wouldn't want to miss the birthday party of one of my best friends...even if he is the most frustrating being in the universe."

"That's good," Fluttershy said. "And you remember the plan, right? The time and place we're meeting?"

Twilight nodded. "I wouldn't forget a schedule."

"Oh, r-right," Fluttershy said, glancing away with a blush. "Sorry. I just...really want this to go well."

"It will," Twilight said. "Just like last year, and the year before that. Everything will be fine, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy took a deep breath, then looked up with a smile. "You're right!" she said. "I'd love to chat more, but I need to go talk to everyone else. I'll see you in a few days."

"I should get back to work, too," Twilight said. "I'll see you then. Goodbye, Fluttershy!" They both waved to each other, and the image of Twilight faded back into Fluttershy's reflection.

"Alright," Fluttershy said to herself. "Twilight's right. This is going to be fine." She headed out the door and flew out of the house, going through one of the sanctuary portals and flying towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Fluttershy entered the barn and found Applejack hard at work, rolling barrels of cider to a wagon. "Applejack?" she said. "Is this a bad time?"

Applejack looked up. "Nah. Just getting some cider ready to ship out. Anything I can help you with?"

"I was hoping to ask you for a little help setting up Discord's birthday party," Fluttershy said. "Can we use one of the cider barrels?"

"Sure thing, sugarcube," Applejack said. "I'll put it on your tab—with the friends and family discount, of course. Is there anything else I can help out with?"

Fluttershy rubbed her forehooves together. "Applejack, I know this is a weird question, but...do you have any bruised apples?" she asked.

Applejack looked up from the barrel of cider she was rolling. "Those are his favorite, aren't they?" she said. "I don't have any right now, but I'll try to remember to save some. Okay, sugarcube?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I'm sure he'd be very happy if they were one of the snacks at his party."

Applejack nodded. "You can count on me, Fluttershy. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to finish getting these barrels ready for moving. Don't worry. I'll save one for his party."

"Thank you, Applejack," Fluttershy said, turning and heading out of the barn.

At the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash landed in front of her, blocking her path. "Fluttershy!" she said. "I can't figure out what to get Discord!"

Fluttershy tilted her head. "I thought you said you had some ideas already."

"Yeah, but...they're not Discord-y enough," she groaned. "And I need to bring a really good gift! I can't do anything for the party preparations except help put everything up, so I need to make it up to Discord by bringing an awesome gift!"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll like whatever you get him," Fluttershy said. "I see him using those novelty mugs you give him a lot...and he stored your scented candles in the memory museum, so they must be important to him."

Rainbow groaned, dragging her hooves down her face. "I can't just keep giving him 'cool stuff'," she said. "I need to get something that's perfect for Discord. But how am I supposed to get something perfect for someone who can make anything they want?"

Fluttershy stepped forward, leaning in close. "Actually, he's very sentimental," she said quietly. "If you get something that connects the two of you, he'll adore it. So think—what do you both have in common?"

Rainbow tapped a hoof to her chin. "Well...I know I've made tornados before for him to wrangle when we hang out, and he's enjoyed that," she said. "But we'd have to be pretty distant from a lot of places for me to feel safe letting him play with a tornado. And it doesn't make the best surprise gift since it takes time to whip up. I know he hates waiting."

"What about Ogres and Obletties?" Fluttershy said.

Rainbow frowned. "It's a fun game, but he knows and plays more than me. Anything I get is probably something he already has." She scuffed her hoof on the ground. "And Spike's probably going to get him something for the game anyway. I don't want to step on his claws."

She frowned. "We've both played buckball...but he was clearly just doing it for you. I don't think he's that into the game."

Rainbow's brow was furrowed, and she seemed quite stumped. "You both like pranking, right?" Fluttershy said. "I'm not suggesting that you prank him on his birthday, but..."

Rainbow's eyes light up. "That's actually a good idea!" She hovered into the air. "I've gotta get some stuff together!" She turned, and was about to fly off, but glanced back over her shoulder at Fluttershy. "Do you really think he'll like whatever I get him?" she said.

Fluttershy nodded. "I'm sure of it." Rainbow grinned and took off. Fluttershy smiled and continued down the path into town.

Fluttershy stepped into Sugarcube Corner. Pound Cake called out from behind the counter, "Mrs. Fluttershy! Are you here to see Pinkie Pie? She's in the kitchen." He opened the side door beside the counter for her, and Fluttershy thanked him and walked inside, quickly ducking into the kitchen.

Pinkie Pie was busy mixing something in a bowl. "Hi Fluttershy!" she said, pouring the contents into a pan and shoving it into the oven with one quick motion. "Are you here to talk about the p-a-r-t-y?"

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Pinkie. He said he was busy today, so he's not going to be listening."

"Phew!" Pinkie said, leaning against the counter and wiping her forehead. "Good, because it's hard to get things ready while hiding what the things are getting ready for!" She pulled out a paper list from her mane. "Okay, so we've decided on the decorations, the party games, and the location. All that's left is the food!"

Fluttershy brought out a paper with a drawing on it. "I already put some thought into what kind of cake Discord would like," she said.

"I thought last year's worked fine," Pinkie said. "Mint ice cream cake with rainbow frosting and chocolate sprinkles!" She licked her lips.

"Well, I think it'll be better if we don't repeat it," Fluttershy said, flattening the paper out. "He's not a big fan of repetition."

The drawing was of a three-tier cake, each tier a different pattern. Arrows pointed from the writing in the margins to the drawing itself. "If it's not too much trouble, I thought three tiers with different flavors and patterns might be good."

She pointed to each tier, starting with the one on the bottom. "Chocolate, coconut, and cotton candy all sounded like nice flavors," she said. "The patterns were just a few of my ideas. You can go with something else if you want, but I still think they should all be different."

Pinkie grabbed the paper and held it close to her face, eyes darting across it. "Tie-dye, plaid, and polka dot frosting?" she said. "I can pull all those off, no sweat! And those flavors? A piece of cake!"

She held up a slice of chocolate cake and shoved it into her mouth, swallowing it in one gulp. Fluttershy giggled. "I'm glad it's not a problem. Applejack's already providing some cider to drink and bruised apples for snacks." She rubbed her forehooves together. "You wouldn't mind making some snacks for everyone else, would you?"

"Of course not!" Pinkie said. "I'll make sure that Discord will still like them, though."

"And...do you need any more help making the decorations? Or the party games?" Fluttershy said.

Pinkie shook her head. "They're all done! Cheese and I finished the banner last night. Thanks again for all of the ideas, and for lending a hoof when you could!"

Fluttershy smiled and blushed. "I really do appreciate all your help, Pinkie. And I'm sure Discord will love what you've made." She waved goodbye as Pinkie started grabbing bowls, and walked down the path to Carousel Boutique.

"Thank you again for helping me, Rarity," Fluttershy said as Rarity put a few more pins in the outfit she was wearing. "I think if I had done this at home, he would have found it already."

Rarity hummed, narrowing her eyes and inspecting the cloth. "Yes, well. I can't promise that he won't find it if he comes here, but I'm more than willing to hold onto it until you've finished." She set down her pincushion. "How is it going, by the way?"

"I'm almost done," Fluttershy said as Rarity helped her take off the outfit. "I just have to finish a few small things. What about you?"

Rarity carefully folded the outfit and set it in a box. "Oh, I just need to make some small adjustments before it's finished," she said. "I just hope it's okay that the gift isn't only for him."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Fluttershy said. "If you don't need me for anything else, I'll just go into the back room."

"Of course, darling," Rarity said. "Good luck!"

Fluttershy smiled and entered the room, turning on the light as she did so. In front of her was a canvas, with a nearly-finished painting. She picked up her brush and paint and began to add the finishing touches to the picture.

Fluttershy was nudged awake by something. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the fluttering calendar above her. It used one of its flaps to point at the current date, where a colorful cake had been drawn, with Discord's face beside it.

"Thank you," she whispered to it. It gave her a salute and flew away. She moved to crawl out of bed.

Before she could get far, a paw wrapped around her waist. "Fluttershy..." Discord mumbled.

She turned back and kissed him on the cheek, peeling his paw away from her. "I'll be back," she said. "Just rest." He grumbled sleepily.

She crawled out of bed, rushing to the door that led to her cottage. She opened it and stepped into her living room, which was quite dark, with only the barest amount of sunlight illuminating it. Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow, Starlight, and even Spike and Twilight were there. All but Applejack and Pinkie were yawning and looking at her with sleepy eyes.

"He's still asleep," she said. "Quickly!" She held the door open and let them through. She led them down the hallway to a room that was filled with sofas and small tables of different colors and styles.

"He's saved the furniture from our tea parties... or copies of them," Fluttershy told them. "I think it's a good place to set up."

Pinkie had already moved forward and plopped a large cake on one of the tables. "I think it's great!" she said, pulling a present out of her mane and tossing it onto another table. "It just needs a little more decoration!"

She rushed around the room in a pink blur, hanging up a banner and tying balloons on the sofas. "I'll bring Discord here as soon as I can," Fluttershy said. "I'm going to make him breakfast. Are you all good until then?"

They all nodded, and Applejack brought out apple strudels and handed them to everyone. Pinkie tossed breakfast bars in their direction. Fluttershy smiled and walked out the door, heading towards the kitchen.

Fluttershy carefully opened the bedroom door and peeked inside. Discord was lying on his side, holding one of her pillows against his chest. She smiled and stepped inside, sitting down on the bed next to him and stroking his cheek with a hoof.

His eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened. "Good morning," she said. "Happy birthday."

He smiled, then sat up and stretched with a yawn. "Good morning," he said. "I see you're carrying a tray. Is that for me, or are you just going to eat it all yourself?"

She giggled and set the tray on his lap. It had a pile of chocolate chip pancakes with a sparkler stuck on top and a tall glass of chocolate milk with a paper umbrella.

"I thought it would be nice to make you breakfast in bed," she said. "Sorry it's a little light. I thought it might be nice to have some tea together this morning."

"That sounds positively lovely," Discord said, tucking into his pancakes. He glanced over at her and snapped his fingers, creating a similar tray of food for her, minus the sparkler in the pancakes.

"Oh, thank you," she said, digging into her own pancakes. They soon finished both of their breakfasts, and Discord leaned back against the headboard, licking his lips.

"That was delightful, my dear," he said. "I'm not sure if I can think of a better way to start the day." He smirked, glancing at her. "Well...maybe there's one way."

He stroked his talons through her mane, using his lion arm to pull her closer to him. He pressed his lips against hers with a moan, wrapping his tail around her waist. She moaned and closed her eyes, wrapping her forehooves around his neck as he rolled over, pinning her to the bed.

Time blurred past as they shared the passionate kiss, which soon turned into smaller kisses trailing down each other's faces and necks, and then small nips that Discord gave her neck and ears, making her giggle and flush bright red.

He purred, planting a kiss on her neck. "I know it's early in the morning," he purred, "But when has that ever stopped us?" He lifted his eyes to peer up at her, a bright red blush on his face.

With a deep breath, she lifted his head with a hoof and pressed her lips against his, moaning against his mouth. He groaned and deepened the kiss, and she ran her hooves through his mane.

"Fluttershy..." he groaned, pulling away. She started trailing kisses across his face, as he gently caressed her wings, his hands shifting downwards.

Fluttershy sighed, nuzzling into Discord's chest fur, while he tangled his fingers in her mane, his warm breath caressing the top of her head.

Discord kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Fluttershy," he whispered into her ear.

"Of course," she said back quietly. "I-I-I enjoyed it too, you know." A bright red blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck.

He chuckled. "Well, I believe you mentioned having tea together, did you not?" She nodded. "Well, as much as I would like to have a full tea party in bed...staying in bed the whole day sounds rather dull, even if there's fun to be had." Her blush grew a little deeper, and she noticed a slight pink tinge at the tips of his ears.

"I thought it would be nice to have a tea party with the furniture from our first tea party," she said. "We could go to the furniture storage room."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose my birthday is a special occasion. I suppose I can remove the protective glass cover on that furniture for today," he said. "We should probably freshen up first, though."

He snapped his fingers, and a waterfall of warm water poured over them from the ceiling, smelling faintly of lemons. A few seconds later, he snapped again, and the waterfall was replaced by a gust of warm air from below. He snapped again, and the wind stopped, leaving both of them dry, though with mussed fur.

He shook himself, flattening his fur out, then carefully stroked her coat, flattening out any rogue spikes. "Thank you," she said, hopping out of bed. "Now, about that tea party..."

He nodded and snapped his fingers, teleporting the two of them to the furniture room. It was completely dark, and the only reason she could tell it was the furniture room was because of the dark lumps hidden in the shadows, shaped like couches. "Now, where's the light switch?" she heard him say, along with some fumbling sounds near the wall.

He flicked the lights on, showing a transformed room. Two tables were pressed together and stuffed with various snack items, including bruised apples. A barrel of cider was on one end, while the other held a three-tiered cake with crazy patterns and colors on it. Another table held a pile of gifts. Balloons of every color of the rainbow were tied to almost every surface, and a banner reading "Happy Birthday, Discord!" in rainbow letters was hanging on the far wall. Various games were set up around the room, and all of their friends were standing in the center of the room, grinning widely.

"SURPRISE!" they shouted, confetti spraying from nowhere.

Pinkie bounced forward. "Did we surprise you, Discord? Huh? Huh?"

He chuckled and pat the top of her head. "I'm not that bad at remembering dates," he said. "I knew you guys would be up to something, but..." he glanced around the room. "You certainly went all out for this. In my house, no less."

"It's all thanks to Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, jumping up and dropping party hats on top of his horns. "She designed and prepared the decorations with me! She knew what cake you would want! She helped us get here early enough to set everything up!"

Fluttershy blushed and rubbed at her foreleg. "Well...Pinkie's the one who actually made the cake. And she helped out with the decorations and everyone helped set them up..."

"Oh, don't be modest, dear Fluttershy!" Discord said, picking her up and putting her on his shoulders. "I know this party will be perfect for me because you know me better than anyone. Take a little credit for it!"

She blushed. "O-okay. I hope you enjoy it..."

"I'm sure I will," Discord said. "Now, do my eyes deceive, or it that bobbing for oranges over there?"

Time passed as they played games, including bobbing for oranges and Twister. Discord seemed to be having fun, and was helping himself every so often to one of the bruised apples on the table. The rest of their friends joined in on the fun, helping themselves to the chocolate cupcakes with rainbow frosting that Pinkie had made.

After thirty minutes or so, he floated over to her and leaned over to whisper into her ear. "Have I waited long enough, or would it be rude to start opening presents?" he asked.

She giggled and nuzzled his cheek. "I think you can open them now if you want," she said, kissing his cheek before pulling away.

Discord cheered and leapt into the pile of presents from a diving board, swimming about and holding one up after the other. "Which one is yours, Fluttershy? This one? Or maybe this one?"

Fluttershy giggled. "Mine isn't in there. I'll give it to you once you've opened everyone else's," she said.

"Boooo," Discord groaned. "Booo—oh, fine." He flopped out of the pile and grabbed a colorful bag, grabbing and flinging away the tissue paper inside.

He carefully pulled out a glass orb with swirling colors inside. "What's this?" he said, turning it over in his hands.

"It's a magic orb," Starlight said. "If you use your magic, you can arrange the colors inside into different shapes!" Discord narrowed his eyes and raised a hand, a yellow glow forming around it. He twisted his fingers around, and the colors inside spiraled into a tornado.

"And I'm guessing you're the one who made this?" Discord said, shaping the colors into Starlight's cutie mark. She nodded and pulled a piece of paper out of the bag.

"Here are some instructions on how to change colors, and how to solidify an image if you want." Discord eyes flicked over the paper, and he held the orb up to his eye. With a few seconds of swirling color, an image formed inside: the group of them, looking at him and smiling.

"Very interesting," he said, setting the orb carefully to the side. "I can see myself using this a lot."

He grabbed another present: a neatly-wrapped rectangle. He ripped the pink and purple wrapping paper to shreds, revealing a book underneath. "Oh, wow. I wonder who this is from," he said, glancing over at Twilight and rolling his eyes.

The others chuckled, and Twilight rolled her eyes. "At least see what it is, first," she said, using her magic to open the cover of the book.

Discord stared down at the first page for a long time. Fluttershy leaned over to peek over his shoulder. On the first page was an image of her reaching out to hold Discord's paw—on the day they had first become friends.

Discord flipped through the rest of the pages, each showing an image of him interacting with the group, and with clear writing detailing the date and the story behind each of the events.

He kept flipping until he reached a blank page. "I thought you'd like to add memories to come later," Twilight said.

"Thank you, Twilight," Discord said. "This was...very kind of you." He carefully closed the book, tracing a finger over the gold letters on the cover. "This is...thank you." After a few more seconds, he set the book to the side.

He snagged another gift bag with his tail. He stuck his muzzle into the tissue paper and rooted through it, unearthing several small cloth bags. With his tail, he shook the bags, spilling colorful, sparkling dice onto the floor.

A rainbow of dice, all different shapes, covered the floor. He scooped up a handful, holding them up to the light and showing how the dice sparkled under it. "Spike, I'm guessing that these are from you?"

The dragon nodded. "Yeah. I thought you'd appreciate a nice variety of dice. But that's not the only thing I got you."

"Oooh!" Discord said, dropping the dice and sticking his muzzle back into the bag. After more rifling, he pulled out a hardcover book with a picture of a dark, looming tower on the front, and large ogre at the top, taunting a group of ponies below him.

"Is this that newest expansion?" he said, opening it and flipping through the pages. "I wonder if they've added 'draconequus' as a race yet. They haven't replied to any of my letters."

Spike chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, Discord, if anyone can build that as a custom class, it'd be you."

"Hmmm. True," Discord said, placing bookmarks in the book. "Besides, I doubt they would be able to capture that true glory that is my species, anyway." He set the book down, snapping his fingers and making the dice jump on top of it in tall piles. He grabbed the next gift, carefully wrapped in rainbow paper and tied with a sparkly ribbon, and carefully peeled it open.

"Another book?" he said, holding up the thin book. "Twilight, did you get me another present? What a surprise." Twilight rolled her eyes with a scoff, though she was smiling.

"Oh, that's actually mine!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down. "I made it myself! Open it!"

Discord flipped the book open to the first page. Fluttershy peered over his shoulder again to look. The first page was filled with several pictures, each of them numbered. Most of them were of a mixing bowl and its contents, while the final one was of a finished chocolate cake. There was also a list of step-by-step instructions.

Discord flipped through the pages. Each one was a different dessert recipe, styled in the same way—a list of instructions, plus pictures of each step.

"I snuck a tiny bite out of that cake you made for the Friendship Baking Tournament!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "Actually, I snuck bites out of all of your desserts!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight said. "When did you—" She shook her head with a sigh.

"And I noticed that the cake was awfully salty," Pinkie continued. "And then I thought you didn't know how to make a cake without magic, and that made me sad because baking is one of the bestest funnest things in the world, and then I was sad even when I was making a cake for myself—"

Discord held up a hand. "Can I get the Cliffsnotes version, please?" he said.

"Oki doki loki!" Pinkie chirped. "I felt bad that you didn't know how to bake, so I put together a book that shows you how to bake!" She pointed at the cover. "I even named it 'EZ Baking'! Get it?"

Discord chuckled, closing the book. "I think you're the only group who'd try and teach me some new lesson or skill with my presents," he said. "I do appreciate this, though. If I can get better at baking, maybe I'll even rival your desserts, Pinkie."

"Heh. Don't count on it, buster," she said with a smirk.

He grinned, then reached out to grab the next present—and ended up overbalancing, pulling off the sheet with a ribbon taped onto it. Underneath was a beautiful, square wooden chest, with a carving of Discord and Fluttershy on its lid. "Made it myself," Applejack said. "Each one of the Apple family gets one of these at some point. They're great for storing things, and its made of genuine applewood."

Discord traced a claw over the design on top, then opened the chest to put his head inside. "Thank you, Applejack," he said, gathering the other opened presents in his tail and sliding them carefully into the chest. He carefully placed the chest to the side, the lid still open, as he snagged another gift bag with his tail.

He flung the tissue paper away with wild abandon, carefully lifting out the other items inside—a dribble glass, joy buzzer, and a jar that read 'peanut brittle'. "Let me guess, this is from Rainbow," he said, pulling out a fake flower.

Rainbow nodded and grinned. "That's some of my old pranking stuff! I figured that you'd find something to do with them." She narrowed her eyes. "But maybe at least use them for pranking once before eating them?"

He chuckled. "Sorry about that. No hard feelings, right?" He held out his paw. Rainbow glanced at him, then rolled her eyes and grabbed it.

A spray of water hit her from behind, making her jump and whirl around. The fake flower was there, floating in midair, before floating back into Discord's paw. "Gotcha," he said with a grin. He, Rainbow, and Pinkie started laughing, and the rest of them joined in.

The next gift was a white dress box with a sheer purple ribbon. "Let me guess...Rarity's gift," he said, flicking the knot of the ribbon, which untied itself and fell away, the top floating off. He rose an eyebrow and pulled out a white dress, with a hem decorated in glittering vines and roses. "Um, Rarity," he said. "Did you mix up my gift with someone's order?"

Fluttershy smiled and pulled out the rest of the dress. While it did have the vines and roses, which reminded her of her wedding dress, the sequins were a vast array of different colors, and the skirt was dyed a rainbow of colors. And on the chest, there was an eight-pointed arrow, surrounded by orange, frilled fabric. And the dress itself was long enough to fit him.

Fluttershy pulled out the second item in the box—a teal suit, with a rose emblazoned on the label, and a pink tie. "I shared the original designs you made for our wedding outfits with Rarity," she said. "I thought...they might be nice to have? You seemed to like these..."

He stared for a second at the dress in his hands, then snapped his tail feathers. In a flash of light, the dress and suit appeared on both of them, and he summoned a full-length mirror to look at the dress from all angles. "I do treasure the original suit you made, Rarity," he said. "But I think I will definitely treasure this, as well!" He twirled.

Rarity grinned, though Fluttershy remembered everything she had muttered about crimes against fashion while making the dress. While it was beautiful, it was very chaotic...which suited him well. Discord floated over, staring at her expectantly.

"That's all the gifts but yours, Flutters dear," he said. "Now, where did you hide that? I'm anxious to see what it is!"

She smiled. "I'll go fetch it." She flew out of the room and to the closet he had searched the other day. To her relief, her present was still there, untouched. She grabbed it and flew back, placing it carefully in Discord's hands.

He tore the wrapping paper to shreds in a frenzy, stopping short when the present was revealed. She bit her lip, watching and waiting for his reaction. She stole a glance at the painting.

She had used one of their wedding photos as a reference—the one where they had fed each other a bite of cake, and Discord had "accidentally" smeared frosting all over her cheek. The painting wasn't perfect, and some parts were too angular or too large, but she thought it was recognizable enough. But Discord hadn't said anything yet.

She was starting to grow worried that he didn't like it. All of a sudden, he placed it on the floor...then scooped her into his arms and began to pepper her face with kisses. "You wonderful, wonderful mare!" he said. "It's perfect! It's amazing! It's the best gift so far!" He kissed her on the lips.

"You...like it?" she said when he pulled away. A smile spread across her face.

"I love it!" he said. "Oh, that's going in our bedroom, right away!" He snapped his fingers, and it disappeared in a flash of light. He kissed her on the cheek again, then pressed her against his side. "Now, I have my eyes on a chaotically delicious cake!"

The day passed in a flurry of games, snacks, and Discord trying out his new presents. The crusaders, Big Mac, Celestia, and Luna all came by at different times, staying for a few minutes and giving their presents before leaving. One by one, all the guests had to leave and head back to their homes and jobs.

Fluttershy and Discord were left alone, laying on the couch, with her snuggling against his chest. They had taken off their dress and suit, hanging them up carefully next to the other presents he had gotten. He was running his fingers through her mane, while she lightly kissed the knuckles of his paw.

"That," he said, "was a perfect birthday. You did a wonderful job, my dear." He kissed the top of her head. "In fact, I can think of only one thing that would make this even better."

"What?" she asked, lifting her head. He grinned and snapped his fingers, and a whistling teapot appeared in his hand. She slowly smiled. "Oh...I suppose I did say we should do that." He nodded and slowly sat up, still keeping her pressed close to him and pouring them both cups of tea.

"Happy birthday, Discord," she said, holding her teacup to him.

"And I hope to have many more...with you," he said, clinking his cup to hers. They smiled and leaned against each other, slowly sipping their tea.

EZ Baking

Discord yawned loudly, rolling onto his stomach and stretching out like a cat. He smacked his lips and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, recalling the last bits of the dream he had. He wasn't able to remember much: just that he had been with Fluttershy, and the two of them were gloriously happy...

He rolled onto his side to look lovingly at his wife, still fast asleep. He gently ran a talon through her mane, and she mumbled sleepily, a soft smile forming on her face as she shifted closer to him. He gasped softly, his heart skipping a beat.

He shifted closer, draping his arm over her, simply lying still and watching her sleep. Her chest rose and fell slowly, her face perfectly framed by her pink mane. He sighed, wondering how in the world he ever managed to deserve this.

Soon, she began stirring awake. The second she started blinking her eyes open, he leaned forward and lightly kissed her nose. "Good morning," he whispered. "I love you."

She smiled, wrapping her hooves around him and kissing his nose. "I love you, too," she whispered back before nestling her cheek into his fur.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, laying his chin on top of her head. They stayed like that for a few moments, basking in each other's presence. Discord smiled, his whole body feeling light and warm.

Time passed by, until Fluttershy sighed. "I'd love to do this all day," she said. "But I have to go to the sanctuary today."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, alright," he said. "If you must be responsible, we can't have you doing that on an empty stomach." He kissed her neck as he snapped his fingers, teleporting them to the kitchen.

They made pancakes together, Discord keeping Fluttershy pressed against his stomach the whole time. Even when she sat down at the opposite end of the table as him, he reached out with his tail to wrap it around her back hooves, making her giggle a little.

"I'll see you for lunch?" she said after she had finished her pancakes (with extra chocolate chips). He nodded with a smile, and she flew over to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you! Have a nice day!" she said cheerfully as she flew out the front door.

He sighed and watched as she left, his pupils transforming into hearts. I love her, he thought blissfully. The bliss seemed to die down once she was out of his sight, and he sighed sadly. I should show her how much I love her.

The thought made his eyes widen, and he began to stroke his beard. The thought wasn't anything new—he regularly did things to spoil Fluttershy or show his sheer adoration. But this was the first time in a while that the thought came from out of nowhere.

He hummed and stroked his beard, floating out of the kitchen and wondering what he should do. A candle appeared above his head with a ding! and he teleported into the memory museum, right in front of an applewood chest with a carving of him and Fluttershy on it.

He quickly opened the chest and shifted through the materials, before finally pulling out a binder that read EZ Baking on the front. "A home-made, hand-cooked lunch sounds like a great way to show appreciation for my dear Fluttershy!" he said, hugging the book to his chest.

He opened it and flipped through the pages as he floated back to the kitchen. "Let's see...I'll want a dessert, of course. A fruit platter would be nice...and a main dish is a must," he said to himself, his tail scribbling on a notebook floating behind him. "Oh! And tea to drink."

He sat down at the table. "So...what dessert, and what main dish?" he mused. "For that matter...what should be on the fruit platter?"

He quickly wrote down a list of fruits and vegetables, then nodded to himself. "Alright. For the main dish...cucumber sandwiches and carrot-ginger sandwiches," he said, scribbling that on his palm. "Now...the dessert."

He flipped through the book a few times, growling a little to himself. "Nothing in here is especially important to me and Fluttershy!" he groaned. "No teacakes, no type of cookie she's made me..." He sighed, remembering the treats Fluttershy made for him in the past, raising his fingers to snap them into existence.

He quickly shook his head and slapped down his hand. "No. I want to make it without magic, to show her how much she truly means to me." He grimaced. "Even if me baking without magic hasn't ended well..."

Tiny lightbulbs appeared on top of his horns. "A chocolate cake!" he said to himself, flipping to the page with the recipe. "Or, no...chocolate cupcakes! The same thing, but different!" He flipped to the cupcakes recipe.

His eyes flicked over the page. "I should do these first, just to make sure they're done right," he mused. "I can make the sandwiches while they're in the oven." He snapped his fingers and make a pink chef's hat and apron appear on him. "Alright. Let's do this!"

He teleported over to the counter with the book. "Okay, first...'wash your hands and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit'," he read, cranking the oven dial to the correct temperature with his tail while spraying his hands with a jet of soapy water. "'Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners'." He flicked his hands dry, then snapped his fingers and made an iron muffin tray with five rows of three, then shuffled some paper liners before dealing them like cards into the tray.

"'Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt'," he read. He snapped his fingers, and the ingredients floated from the cupboards, settling themselves in front of him. "Might as well get the others, too," he said, snapping his fingers. The rest of the ingredients from his and Fluttershy's last baking attempt floated to him from the fridge and cupboard.

"Alright," he said, snapping his fingers and creating a lab coat and goggles on himself. "Baking needs precise measurements. I can't mess this part up." Carefully, slowly, he measured out each of the ingredients and placed them aside, writing the name of the ingredient on each measuring cup and spoon in black marker.

He created a large plastic bowl in front of him, tossing in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. He picked up the salt, then paused, using his claw to take a few small grains out before dropping them onto his tongue. "Yep, that's salt," he said, dropping it into the bowl. "Now...sifting."

He made a large spoon in his hand and began to stir the ingredients with great energy. A few small clouds of white powder puffed up, threatening to hit him in the face, which made him slow down slightly. In the end, though, he still ended up with some white powder in his beard. He paused when the powder was a light brown color, and glanced over at the book to compare it to Pinkie's photo. "That looks about right."

"'In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy'." He shoved the flour mixture to the side, making another large bowl in front of him. He tossed them in, summoning a whisk in his hand and stirring rapidly until the creamy mixture splashed against the sides of the bowl. "'Add eggs, beat well'."

He grabbed one egg in each hand and held them above the bowl. He adjusted his fingers, then pulled back both ends of the eggshells, causing them to crack open and making the yolk fall into the bowl. He glanced back at the book as he whisked them into the cream. "Whoopsie, that was supposed to be one at a time." He glanced down at his cream, turning a soft yellow.

"Ah, well," he said with a shrug, grabbing the vanilla with his tail and tossing it in, still whisking. He kept this up, glancing between his work and the photo in the book, slowing to a stop when they matched.

"Okay...'add the flour mixture alternately with milk, beat well'," he read. "What did Fluttershy say last time...? Do it in small amounts?"

He grabbed the dry ingredients bowl and tipped it, pouring only some of its contents into his bowl. He began to stir it again, this time a bit more slowly, remembering the 'folding' motion that Fluttershy had taught him to use.

He continued, adding the milk and then the dry mixture, stirring between each addition. Soon, the mixture became a smooth, chocolate brown mixture that matched Pinkie's picture. He stirred it a few more times, then stopped and glanced back at the instructions.

"Then...that's it," he said. "I just need to put it in the tray, then in the oven." He glanced between the photo and his batter again. "Looks about right...but maybe I should do a taste test!"

He summoned a silver spoon, scooping out a little of the batter and bringing it to his mouth. He paused and pulled the spoon away, pursing his lips in thought. "Wait...hasn't Fluttershy said that raw eggs can cause illnesses?"

He stroked his beard, then shrugged. "Eh, I'm the Spirit of Chaos. A little bit of egg isn't going to cause me any trouble." He shoved the spoon into his mouth, swishing the batter around with his tongue.

"Mmm. Tastes like sweet chocolate," he mumbled before swallowing. "Maybe I should do another test, to be safe." He was about to take another spoonful, but an image of Fluttershy flashed in his mind, of her enjoying a perfect cupcake during their picnic.

He shivered, then shook his head. "I mustn't be greedy," he said to himself. "These are meant for Fluttershy." He raised his claw, and the batter was lifted up in a golden aura. With a few twitches of his fingers, the batter was divided into fifteen equal-sized spheres, which he then carefully levitated into the papers.

He swiped some sweat off of his forehead, then grabbed the tray and stuck it into the oven. "How long does it need?" he said as he peered back at the book. "Let's see...fifteen minutes." He pulled a wooden timer out of thin air, twisting the dial and setting it next to the oven.

With that, he snapped his fingers and teleported a few feet down the counter, snapping his fingers again to make a bowl, large plate, and loaf of bread.

"Alright. Sandwich time," he said, reaching into the cupboards and grabbing a bundle of carrots and a container of ginger. He tossed the carrots into the bowl and began to wildly mash at them, pausing to calmly add a pinch of ginger every few seconds.

The front of the timer opened like two small doors, and a yellow cuckoo bird flew out, chirping and flying circles around Discord's head. "I get it, I get it," he said, shooing it away. "I'll get them out in a second." He finished spreading the carrot-ginger spread on the sandwich and set it on the plate.

He slid over to the oven, snapping bright yellow oven mitts onto his hands. He pulled open the door, grabbed the tray, and placed it on the cooling rack. He slammed the oven door closed, twisting the dial off with his tail.

The cuckoo bird flew away, perching itself on top of its timer. Discord leaned down to inspect the cupcakes, holding the book up just behind them and glancing between his creations and the finished picture.

"That's not right..." he said, glancing between them. His cupcakes were bigger than Pinkie's, and their tops completely poured over the edges of the paper.

"I followed all the instructions!" he complained, throttling the book. "I didn't mix up the salt and sugar! I measured things properly! I even tasted the batter to make sure it was okay!"

He groaned, flopping his head on the counter. "Where did I go wrong?" he moaned, his claw lazily tracing over Pinkie's hoofwriting. "Chocolate Cupcakes. Prep time fifteen minutes, cook time fifteen minutes, thirty minutes total. Makes sixteen servings..."

He froze. He slowly lifted his head and looked over at his cupcake tray, pointing at them and counting under his breath. "...Fifteen," he finished. He glanced between the book, then his cupcakes, before sighing and pressing his paw against his forehead.

"I put enough batter for sixteen cupcakes in fifteen papers," he groaned. "No wonder they grew monstrously huge."

He bit his lip, then glanced at the clock. There's still enough time to try again! he thought to himself. He then glanced over at the half-finished sandwich plates, looking lonesome without a fruit platter by its side. But I still have to finish those...

He shrugged, sliding back over to the sandwich tray and grabbing two more slices of bread. "I'll finish this and the fruit tray, then think about trying to remake the desserts," he said aloud, globbing carrot-ginger mixture onto one slice of bread and spreading it unevenly.

With that in mind, he began piling more sandwiches onto the plate.

Some time passed, and he now had a plate filled to the brim with sandwiches, another plate of chopped fruits and vegetables, and a steaming kettle of rosehip green tea. "And fifteen mutant cupcakes," he said to himself, staring at the oversized desserts.

He glanced at a nearby melting clock, then back at his desserts. "Well...they're edible, at least," he said to himself. "And they don't need to be perfect, really. If Fluttershy will enjoy them, that's good enough for me."

He snapped his fingers, and the paper liners peeled themselves away, struggling to pull out of the swollen tops. He ran a white scanner over the cupcakes, the reading coming back negative for any paper. "Now...for decoration," he said, snapping his fingers and making frosting and icing pipes to his right, and bowls of sprinkles, glitters, and candy toppings on his left.

He made blue plastic gloves on his hands, stretching and snapping them into place, grinning widely. He grabbed the first cupcake and the nearest frosting pipe and started working.

"Phew," he said, wiping sweat off of his forehead and setting the cupcake carefully on its plate with the others. He did a quick count, making sure he had gotten all of them, before carefully covering them with a plastic lid, enchanting it with a quick spell to make sure the only source of gravity was the plate—no way would he let them just tip over, after all his hard work!

He snapped his fingers and created a small wicker picnic basket. He carefully stacked everything inside, starting with the cupcakes and ending with the still-steaming tea kettle, without the basket bulging an inch. Just before closing it, he snapped his fingers and made a plaid blanket and a small, varied cheese tray, tucking them into the basket as well.

"Now everything is ready," he said to himself. "I just need to wait..." he glanced at the clock. "Another hour and a half before I can pick her up."

He snapped his fingers and teleported into their bedroom, flinging open the wardrobe and browsing the contents. "Now, should I dress for the occasion?" he said aloud, holding a black-and-white striped suit to himself. He shook his head, then held up a poofy orange dress.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his reflection. He turned to peer closer at the mirror set in the wardrobe door, wincing at the sight. His beard had white powder in it, and there were smears of frosting and icing over his face and in his hair, including one large, glittery smear on his forehead. He glanced down at his hands, noticing that they were covered in glitter and hints of icing. And now that he was appraising himself, he realized he was wearing a cologne of sweets and sweat.

"I should probably make myself presentable first," he said, snapping his fingers and getting rid of the frosting he had left on his clothing, then snapping his tail feathers and teleporting into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, and choosing his cologne and outfit, he teleported to the library. It was a library that could have put even Twilight's to shame—each of the four walls was a shelf of books, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, which was so high up you almost couldn't see the top. Staircases and ladders lined the shelves at various locations, and there were multiple doors and balconies spread along the walls, each forming its own comfortable reading space. Books flew around the area, performing tricks or sleeping on the shelves. The only thing Twilight would hate about it was that, for the most part, it was completely unorganized.

He began floating along the disorganized shelves and searching for a book. A book fluttered past him, catching his eye. A green, smiling orb with arms was waving at him from the cover, holding a suitcase in one hand. "Oh, I wouldn't mind revisiting that," Discord said, diving after the book.

After a short chase through the library, he managed to catch it in a net, flopping down on one of the soft couches on the ground, next to a tranquil pool of water, with a glass statue of a group of ponies with their muzzles buried in books as its centerpiece. One of them bore some resemblance to Twilight.

He stroked the book's spine, making it stop struggling and open up. He stretched out and lounged on the couch, allowing himself to be lost in the book's world.

A beeping sound pulled him out of an alien planet and made him glance down at his wrist, where a black watch was beeping and flashing with blue lights, the digital numbers telling him he had fifteen minutes to get ready for the picnic. He pressed a button on the side, making it go silent and turn into a cloud of mist that was blown away with a small gust of wind.

He pulled a sparkly bookmark out of his ear and placed it in the book, which snapped itself closed before flying back up to its fellow books. He snapped his fingers and teleported back to their bedroom. He splashed a few drops of the lemon-lime cologne on himself, then grabbed a simple, flowery sunhat off of the rack and put it on his head. He paused, then grabbed a white one with a pink ribbon wrapped above its brim, then teleported into the kitchen.

He slung the picnic basket onto his shoulder, tucking the white sunhat between the handles and lid, then began to pace back and forth, leaving a trail of navy blue footprints behind him, glancing at the clock every few seconds.

At the five minute mark, he groaned, throwing his hands up into the air. "Why am I even waiting!?" he said. He paused, then lowered his arms, placing a hand to his chin. "No, really, why am I waiting? She's probably finishing up her morning chores now, and it's close enough to noon that she's probably hungry for lunch."

He snapped his fingers, teleporting to the animal sanctuary and ducking behind a tree, peering out at Fluttershy. She was having a conversation with a group of doves and stroking their wings, smoothing some ruffled feathers. The birds listened carefully, then flew away to different nests.

Discord stepped from out behind the tree. "Good afternoon, my dear!" he said cheerfully. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Discord!" she said, flying forward and hugging him around the neck. "No, I just finished talking with the doves. They were having a problem with stealing sticks from each other's nests."

"What drama," he said. "Perhaps you'd like to take a break and enjoy a picnic lunch with me?" He held out the basket, and her eyes lit up with a smile.

"Oh, yes!" she said. "I'd love too! Do you have any place in mind for the picnic?"

"Of course," he said, gently grabbing her hoof and snapping his tail feathers. They teleported to a hillside, covered in beautiful white flowers, with a few small blue and pink blooms sprinkled throughout.

Fluttershy flew forward, glancing around the area. "This isn't that far away. I can see Ponyville that way, and my old cottage is over there," she said, realization slowly dawning. "This is...where we had our first picnic together."

"Indeed it is," he said, placing the white sunhat on top of her head. "You urged me not to crush any of the flowers, I recall."

"And you didn't," she said with a smile. "You moved a patch of flowers so that we could have our picnic without hurting them." She leaned against his side. "And that made me sure that your powers could be used to protect ponies, not hurt them."

He blushed, twirling a strand of her mane around his finger. "Well, if we're going to reminisce on the past, we might as well do it with full stomachs," he said. He snapped his fingers, and a large circle of flowers jumped out of the ground and began to run around the area, their roots acting like legs.

Fluttershy giggled as the flowers began dancing with each other, while Discord whipped out the blanket and spread it out on the empty space on the ground. He sat down on the blanket and dropped the basket, patting the space next to him. She smiled and laid on her stomach, still watching the flowers dance and play with each other.

Discord pulled everything out of the basket, except for the cupcakes. He laid out everything else and created teacups for Fluttershy and himself. She nibbled on a piece of radish while he poured tea into both of their cups.

"I made all of this myself," he boasted. "And not with magic! Well, most of the ingredients were made with magic...but I cut and prepared everything myself! Except for the cheese, that's just magic." He picked up an apple slice, which was thin on one end and thick on the other. "You can...kind of tell they're not magic."

"Well, I think everything looks good," Fluttershy said, taking a sip of tea and grabbing a cucumber sandwich, taking a large bite. She smiled widely, her eyes closed as her cheeks bulged. He grinned and chuckled, dipping a sliver of swiss cheese into his tea before eating it.

She chatted about the sanctuary as they ate, pausing to compliment his sandwiches every once in a while. Each kind word made his heart flutter and a wide grin spread on his face. He cracked a few jokes, using his magic to make them come to life, making her burst into fits of giggles.

Almost too soon for him, they had finished off all the sandwiches and cleared the cheese and "fruit" tray. Fluttershy sighed, leaning back and placing her hooves on her stomach.

"That was wonderful," she said, closing her eyes. "Why don't we lay here for a few minutes...before I have to go back to the sanctuary."

He chuckled, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back next to her. "That does sound nice..." He opened his eyes. "But the picnic's not done yet!"

He quickly sat up and began digging through the picnic basket, while Fluttershy sat up and watched him curiously. He got a grip on the cupcake platter, then paused and looked up at her.

"I present to you—dessert!" he said, pulling out the platter and whipping off the top.

She gasped, a hoof going to her mouth. He looked down, wondering if he had messed something up. Eight cupcakes, arranged in two lines, with one large, glittery letter iced on each, read I LOVE YOU. The other seven cupcakes, each with a different pattern and style, were arranged in a circle around them.

He glanced back up at Fluttershy, who was pulling both hooves away from her mouth. "Oh, Discord," she said. "It's..."

"Sloppy, I know," he said, looking away. "I mean, they should taste fine, but I still made them too big. I'm still not good at making these by hand, without magic."

"No..." she said. "It's beautiful...and very sweet." She leaned around the platter to kiss him on the cheek.

He could feel his face warming up. "Maybe save the compliments until you taste them," he said, handing her a cupcake with white, glittery frosting, with a blue sugar snowflake crookedly stuck on top. "I didn't mix up the salt and sugar this time, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss something else."

She took a large bite out of the cupcake, closing her eyes and smiling. "It's amazing!" she said after swallowing. She took another large bite, smearing a bit of the white frosting on the side of her mouth.

He smirked, watching as she finished her cupcake. He chuckled a little, seeing that she hadn't noticed the frosting yet. His chuckle grew a little louder when she tilted her head, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Oh, you have a little something right here," he said, pointing at the corner of his lips. She blinked, then tried to lick the frosting off where he had pointed, missing the largest glob of it.

"Did I get it?" she asked.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No. Here, let me help you." He tilted her chin up with his talon and pressed his lips against her lightly. He flicked his tongue in the spot where the frosting was, scooping it off of her lips and into his mouth. He ran his tongue across the rest of her lips. She cooed softly, and he could feel her smiling.

"Mmm," he said, pulling away. "That was quite...delicious." Fluttershy's face turned bright red, and he chuckled, holding the platter out to her again.

"A-aren't you going to have one?" she asked, shaking off her embarrassment and reaching out for a cupcake with black frosting and teal icing, arranged to look like rose petals.

He shook his head. "I made these all for you, my dear. Please, help yourself to however many you want."

She frowned, grabbing a different cupcake—one with a large pile of lime green frost, with a sheen of clear icing on top. There was a blue candy tophat and red candy bowtie, and a thin line of black icing formed a thin, squiggly mouth. "Have one!" she insisted, placing it into his paw.

"Oh, no," he said. "This one is loaded with frosting, you'll love it. I insist you have it." He placed it in her hoof, which made her frown.

She narrowed her eyes, then tried to hand it to him again...when suddenly, her path changed, and she tried to shove it into his mouth. Tried, because he had closed his mouth, meaning she only managed to smear the frosting all over his lips.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, pulling back with the mess of a cupcake. "I just...wanted you to have one, too," she said, looking down sadly at the cupcake. "And I ended up ruining all the work you put into it..."

Her sad expression was breaking him. "Okay, I'll eat some," he said, taking the cupcake gently out of her hooves. "And don't worry about the frosting," he said. "I mean, it was meant to be eaten and destroyed in the first place." He took a bite out of the cupcake, licking his lips and picking up some of the green frosting.

She smiled. "I know, but...it looked so good!" She looked back at the rest of the cupcakes—the letter ones, the black-and-teal rose, one whose sides were painted to look like a simple teacup, with the top unfrosted to look like dark tea, an upside-down one that looked like a simple version of her old cottage, one that had a grumpy-looking bunny face on top, and one that was frosted completely white, with a pink frosting rose on top.

"They all look amazing," she said. "I almost feel bad eating them..."

Discord pulled out a camera and snapped a few photos. "There. I saved the designs. And don't forget, I can always make them again with my magic!"

She picked up the black rose cupcake and took a bite out of it. "What about the cupcakes we've already eaten?"

He flung the camera over his shoulder, where it sprouted bat wings and disappeared into a blue portal with clocks inside of it. "About to be taken care of," he said. "Or rather, already taken care of."

She giggled as he finished off the Smooze cupcake, taking a few more bites of her own. "You've got a little something right here," she said, pointing at her muzzle.

"Oh?" he said, swiping his tongue in a few spots. "Care to help me get rid of it?" he purred, leaning forward.

She blushed red and nodded, leaning forward to meet his lips. Her tongue exited her mouth and began to gently and cautiously run along his muzzle, picking up globs of frosting as it went.

She slowly pulled away once his muzzle was clean, leaning up to lick a little bit off the top of his nose before turning back to her own cupcake. He smiled and grabbed one of the letter cupcakes, digging in.

They passed time like that, Discord doing his best to eat his cupcakes slowly, to make sure that Fluttershy could get plenty. After two more cupcakes, she stopped and placed a hoof to her stomach. "I don't think I can eat anymore," she said. "You can have the rest if you'd like."

He looked down and patted his own bulging stomach. "No, I think I should stop, too," he said, putting the lid back on the cupcakes left, sticking the platter into the basket and tossing it through a portal, where it landed on a hat rack. "We can eat the rest later, for supper," he said.

She nodded, rolling over to lean against his side. "I think I'll rest for a few minutes," she said. "Before I go back to the sanctuary."

"I'll go with you," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "I'd like to lend you a hand with work today."

"Thank you," she said. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and sat up. "By the way...what made you decide to make all this without magic?" she asked. Her eyes widened, and a hoof flew to her mouth. "Oh...and the cologne, the location...is today some important date? I'm sorry, Discord, I forgot!"

He quickly shook his head, patting the top of her head. "No, no, no, don't worry, Fluttershy," he said, rolling over to hug her. "There isn't anything particularly important about today. I just...wanted to do something special, to show how much I care about you."

"Oh..." she said. "That's...so sweet of you." She leaned her head against his neck and nuzzled him. "Thank you...this really was wonderful."

"I'm just glad you're happy," he said, twirling strands of her mane around his fingers.

"Very happy," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"...you might not be so happy when you see the state I left the kitchen in," he said. Fluttershy snorted, trying to stifle her laughter in his fur. He laughed, stroking his hand down her back. Once their laughter had calmed, she sighed and snuggled herself into his fur, closing her eyes.

He smiled down at her, tightening his grip around her and closing his eyes, content to hear her breathing and feel her heartbeat above his.

In just a few minutes, she would sit up and insist that she must go back to the sanctuary to care for the animals, and probably say that she should make dinner tonight since he was so kind as to make lunch. But for now...it was just the two of them, bellies full and a sweet taste on their lips, the sun shining down on them...and nothing else mattered.

Stargazers

Discord and Fluttershy appeared in a flash of light on a grassy hill, just a short distance away from Sweet Feathers Sanctuary. The sun was slowly sinking lower into the sky. "Is this good?" he asked her.

She nodded, slowly sitting down on the grass before lying onto her back. "Are you excited?" she asked.

He flopped onto the ground next to her. "I suppose so," he said, placing his hands under his head. "I mean, I don't particularly care that today's the anniversary of Luna's return. I'd say the only ones who do care are her, Celestia, and Twilight."

She nudged his shoulder, and he quickly added, "And you and our friends, of course!" He glanced back at the sky. "I just meant that I'm more excited about the meteor shower Twilight's made than whatever date it might be."

"You don't care that Luna returned?" she said.

He quickly shook his head. "Of course I care about that! I just don't particularly care about what day it happened." He waved his paw in the air. "I'm not a fan of schedules, and the only dates I really care about are holidays, birthdays, and our anniversary. You can't honestly expect me to care about anything else on the calendar. Besides, I don't see any national celebrations during my reformation day."

She giggled, shaking her head. "Of course. I should have known." She kissed his cheek. "But...I like the little celebration we have together for your reformation. And you do, too, right?"

He shrugged, hiding a small smile. "Well...I do admit that a small birthday party with friends is very nice." He kissed her forehead. "I truly do enjoy our little celebration, even if it isn't a national event."

She shifted closer to him. "I'm sorry for sounding so doubtful...like you didn't care."

"I understood what you meant," he said. "Are you excited?"

She nodded. "I've never seen a meteor shower before," she said. "What's it like?"

"Interesting," he said. "I've seen many of these before...even created a few of my own. But I don't think Twilight would have decided to take any tips from me in how to design this." He held up his paw and opened it, creating a few golden sparks that hovered in circles above his palm.

"I'm quite proud of some of the ones I created," he said, as the golden sparks changing into a rainbow of colors, etching patterns into the air behind them. "Not some of my more...dangerous ones, of course. But in the years before that, I could leave creatures in sheer awe." All of the sparks in his paw flew in front of her, all of them turning pink and moving to etch a heart in the air above her.

She blushed, covering her face with a strand of mane. "Maybe Twilight will let you do something with the night sky sometime...if you ask her nicely." He shrugged and closed his paw, the sparks dissipating into puffs of glittery smoke.

They glanced back at the sun, which was just starting to disappear below the horizon. If she looked off to the side, off in the distance near Ponyville, multicolored specks were starting to congregate on the hills and open areas, some of them spreading out blankets.

"Are you sure you don't want to go over there?" she asked him, pointing a hoof at the group. "I think they might even have their own parties to celebrate."

He followed to where her hoof was pointed. "Well...do you want to be a part of a large crowd, or have your own space?"

She glanced down. "I...I like having some space," she said. "But I wasn't sure if you'd rather be part of a large celebration..."

"Flutters," he said, placing his paw on her shoulder. "Whatever makes you happy makes me happy." He snapped his fingers, summoning chocolate shakes into her hoof and his claw.

"Besides, we can have our own celebration!" he said cheerfully, reaching over and clinking his glass against hers. "Cheers!"

She giggled. "Cheers!" she added, taking a sip of her cold beverage. She leaned back to look up at the sky, where the first few stars were starting to wink into view.

As the stars came into view, Discord would point out the constellations he saw, using his claw to draw golden patterns in the air a few feet above them. He pointed out ones that looked like her and her friends' cutie marks, the cutie marks of Celestia and Candance, and, most prominently tonight, Luna's cutie mark.

After that, he began "finding" his own patterns, from spirals and storm clouds, to a heart with her name written crudely in the middle. She giggled at each pattern he drew, poking him in the ribs when he showed her the heart. Soon, with the air filled with shimmering golden lines, she started pointing out patches of stars she could see figures in.

"I think I can see you there," she said, pointing to a messy cluster. He squinted his eyes at it. "It looks just like you when you're coiled around something, but you let your arms dangle limply."

He snapped his fingers, though no magic happened. "Ah, I see it!" He made a quick drawing motion at the area where she was pointing, making a pink-lined drawing of himself coiled around her, except his limbs were lying on the ground like limp noodles. He stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, and completed the picture by adding a derpy expression to his face.

This was enough to send her into a giggling fit, covering her mouth with her hooves. He laughed along with her, poking her in the belly with his paw, making her giggle even more and curl up into a ball away from him.

Suddenly, off to the side, she saw a shimmer of gold streak across the sky. "Look!" she gasped. "It's starting!"

He stopped his tickle attack, flopping onto his back and waving away his constellation drawings. Another gold streak flashed across the sky, followed by another, then another. Before she knew it, the sky was completely filled with the golden ribbons of light, the stars becoming just a dim backdrop against their brilliant light.

"It's beautiful," she said in a hushed voice, just as the shower was finishing its climax.

"Yes..." she heard him whisper beside her. She glanced over at him, and saw that while one of his eyes was focused on the sky, the other was clearly focused on her. She turned away with a blush, looking back up at the sky.

Time passed quickly, and the shower soon died down to a few meteors. Though a few of them lit the sky up every so often, the sky returned to its normal, quiet, peaceful state. Off in the distance, most creatures were getting up and walking away, leaving the dark hills bare.

She felt Discord lay a soft paw on her shoulder. "Do you want to go home?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "No thank you. It's a nice night tonight." She shifted closer to him, snuggling into his chest. "Let's stay here just a little longer."

He smiled, stroking her mane. "That does sound nice..." he murmured, wrapping his arm around her.

After some time spent snuggling, they rolled onto their sides and wrapped their forelimbs around each other, bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss. They pressed close against each other, Discord even wrapping his tail above her hips. The only way she could respond was by slinging her own tail over his lower torso. She could feel him smile against her muzzle.

Eventually, though, they pulled out of their kiss, but still clung tightly to each other, letting their tails dangle limply, but still in contact with the other's body. She sighed and tucked her head under his chin, snuggling further into his chest, turning her head just slightly to look up at the stars out of the corner of her eye.

She yawned softly, a sound muffled by her husband's fur. It's so nice out, she thought. I'll wait just a few more minutes before asking to go home... With that, she looked up at the stars with drooping eyes, leaning against Discord's chest.

A chill wind blew over Fluttershy. She shivered, and crawled in the direction she knew Discord was in, searching for his warm body. She felt herself push even closer against a cold, damp body. With a grimace, she opened her eyes and sat up.

The two of them were lying on the hillside. The sun was just peeking over the horizon behind them, lighting the land with a beautiful pink hue. Discord's arms and tail fell limply to the ground as she sat up, and he let out a tiny snore, rolling closer to her.

Another chilly breeze blew past, making her shiver and wrap her hooves around herself. She glanced down at herself, and saw that the dewdrops that covered the grass were also covering her coat. A glance at Discord showed that the same thing had happened to him.

She quickly reached over and shook his shoulder. He grumbled, but stirred awake, peering up at her. "Discord," she said quietly, "We fell asleep on the hill last night. Can you snap us home?" She shivered. "It's really cold out here."

He quickly snapped awake, snapping his fingers as soon as the word 'cold' left her mouth. They appeared in their living room, where a fireplace suddenly grew out of the wall, a blazing green fire inside of it. With another snap of his fingers, three fluffy towels descended on her, and he came behind her and began to quickly rub her dry.

She laughed and tried to push him awake. "Discord, you're just as damp as I am!" He smirked, and his fur suddenly ruffled as she felt heat coming from his body.

"Not anymore," he said smugly. "Now, as soon as you're dried off, I'll make you some nice hot chocolate." He began to gently rub her dry. "I can't believe I was so careless...should have carried you home," he muttered to himself.

She placed a hoof on top of his claw. "Discord," she said quietly, "I'm fine, really. Honestly, I should have told you I was starting to get tired. Don't go blaming yourself for this."

He sighed, kissing the top of her head. "I know. I just...I want to make absolutely sure that you're alright," he said. "I couldn't stand it if you caught a cold because of me."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "You're too sweet." She grabbed a blanket on the couch and brought it closer to her. "Now, did you say something about hot chocolate?"

He grinned and nodded, the towels flying away as he draped the blanket over her shoulders. He snapped his fingers and created two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, shifting right up against her as he handed her the drink. They leaned against each other, blanket wrapped around both of them, as they sipped on their hot drinks.

Pocky Game

Fluttershy was tending to the small, only slightly chaotic garden outside of their house when Discord appeared behind her in a flash of light. She turned and saw that he was wearing a robe with a flower pattern, and that some paper charms had been tied to his horns. His face was flushed, and he stumbled forward to wrap his arms around her.

She quickly flapped her wings to support his limp body. "Discord...are you okay?"

"Never better," he said. "Tons of sweets, and some spicy foods...Eastern unicorns have some great food, and some pretty cool decorations." He untied the robe, and piles of candy spilled out onto the floor. "I got you some stuff..."

"Thank you," she said, patting his head. "But you seem kind of tired." She felt his forehead with a hoof. "And overheated...that festival must have really taken it out of you. I'll get you a glass of water."

She flew inside, and when she came back with a glass of ice water, she found Discord, with the charms pulled off of his horns, searching through the pile of goodies while muttering to himself. His ears perked up and his head swiveled to face her. His eyes locked on the glass, which he quickly grabbed and drank with a gulp, letting out a steam-filled sigh. His face was already returning to its normal complexion.

"It looks like you had a lot of fun," she said, looking through the pile. Besides sweets, he had boxes of food, a few small toys, and a goldfish in a plastic bag, which she immediately cradled in her hooves. "Maybe I should have joined you..."

He tore open a portal in front of her, which opened into a clear pond filled with goldfish. She released the newest addition into it, and he tossed the portal into the air, catching it as it turned into a limp pizza. "Well, it was pretty crowded, and not exactly quiet. It wouldn't have been good for you," he said. "How are you feeling, by the way?" He carefully brushed a finger against her temples, sparks of magic sending tingling, numbing sensations through her head.

"Oh, my headache didn't last long at all!" she said cheerfully. "I took a short nap, and I felt fine when I woke up. I guess I was just a little tired."

"You were working late at the sanctuary and getting up early for three days," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "And with me taking up the rest of your time, I'd say you were more than a little tired." He kissed the nape of her neck, giving a small nip before pulling away.

Fluttershy felt her face flush and tilted her head to look up at him. "What about you?" she said. "You seem a bit tired yourself."

He huffed. "I am n-n-n—" He yawned loudly, showing off all his teeth. "—not tired," he said, sounding a bit pouty.

She reached up with a hoof to caress his cheek. "Well, I think laying down for a bit would be good for both of us," she said. "That way we can be well-rested and can go to the festival...tomorrow?"

He nodded. "An afternoon rest together, then a lazy but chaotic afternoon and a warm dinner?" he said, his tail giving a small wag. She smiled and nodded. "And then to spend the next morning having fun with you...I'm sold!"

He wrapped an arm around her, snapping his tail feathers and making the sweets he had collected float up in a large, shiny soap bubble. Just as he was about to take a step towards the house, he froze, his head turning back to the bubble.

"One second!" he declared, thrusting his head and hands inside the bubble and rooting around. He eventually emerged with a small, rectangular box. On the front, it showed a picture of thin sticks, half-covered in chocolate.

"I found out about this game during the festival," he said. "I want to play it at least once before we go to bed." He tore open the box and pulled out one of the sticks. "This is 'pocky'. It's some kind of cookie or biscuit."

"How long of a game is this?" she said. "Discord, if you're stalling...we don't have to take a nap if you don't want to."

He quickly shook his head, waving his paws in front of him. "Oh, no! The pocky game will only take a minute, two at most. Then we can go right to bed." He slammed his paw on his chest. "I promise."

"Well...okay," she said. "How do you play?"

He held the pocky between two fingers. "We each pick an end to start on. I count to three, and then we both start eating from our ends. Whoever pulls away or drops the pocky loses." He twirled it around. "Would you like the chocolate end or the plain end?"

"Plain, please," she said, and she saw his lips twitch into a smile. She couldn't help but smile herself, knowing how much he loved chocolate. He tossed the pocky into the air and caught it right in front of her, the plain end facing her. She carefully bit down on it, while he got onto all fours so that he was at her eye-level and wrapped his lips around the other end.

He held up the three fingers on his lion paw. He pulled them down one by one, and when the last finger was dropped, he began furiously munching on the pocky.

She tried to copy him, clumsily swirling the thin cookie in her mouth as she tried her best not to drop it. She was eating at a slower pace than him, but tried not to worry too much. She bit down hard whenever Discord pulled at the pocky, probably using his long serpentine tongue.

Eventually, Discord ate all of the chocolate half, when she was barely halfway through her end. She wondered if that meant he had won (eating the majority of the pocky), but he kept going.

He paused, with only an inch of pocky between them, staring into her eyes as a devilish smile spread on his face. She suddenly realized what he was doing.

The moment after her realization, he bit down on the rest of the pocky, just shy of her lips. Then, he carefully moved forward, pressing his lips against hers and closing his eyes, sighing softly. She sighed and returned the kiss, letting go of the pocky to trace her tongue across his lips.

He tasted sweet, the pocky being the strongest taste. But there was other, lingering sweetness there, and a hint of spiciness. It was intoxicating, and she wrapped her hooves around the back of his head, pulling him close. He tangled his fingers in her mane.

They groaned, pulling each other close, finally pulling away with a pop, gasping for breath. Discord's face was once again flushed, though with a cocky grin on his face. "Looks like we both won," he said. "And what a prize."

He pecked her lips lightly before standing up, his spine popping as he moved. "Raspberries for lunch?" he said, smacking his lips.

She blushed. "S-salad with raspberry dressing," she said.

He nodded. "Well, now that you've indulged me, I believe our bed is calling us." Their names echoed from down the hall in a whispered voice. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm.

She giggled, wrapping her forehoof through his arm. "Sure. But, you know...we don't have to sleep right away," she said. He tilted her head, so she pulled out another pocky from the box still held in his tail, pressing the chocolate side between his lips.

His eyes widened, and a grin spread on his face. "Well, I suppose I can't turn down an offer like that," he purred, pressing her close to his body. He snapped his fingers, and they teleported to their bedroom, the bubbled goodies slowly drifting inside to follow them to their destination.

Oodles of Noodles

Discord hummed a merry tune as he stirred two boiling pots of noodles. One was gold and marked with painted butterflies, while the other was silver, with an engraving of himself on it. He flicked one noodle from each pot onto the ceiling, and he nodded in satisfaction when they stuck. With a snap of his fingers, the water in each pot boiled away completely, leaving just the noodles.

He levitated the pots off of the stove and began chopping garlic with each hand. He chopped and mashed, scraping it into each pot and mixing it in thoroughly, along with a few handfuls of cheese. With that done, he began to chop different types of peppers—jalapeño, habanero, and ghost—but these he only added to the silver pot.

Once both pots were thoroughly stirred, he summoned a ladle in each hand and scooped an equal amount into two bowls, both porcelain white with blue flowers and flytraps painted on them. He covered the two pots and was about to float them into the fridge when something slammed into the side of the house, making everything shake and tilt sideways.

"Darnit," he said with a huff, barely saving the bowls and placing them into a bubble with his magic. With a bit of focus, he threw a protective bubble around Fluttershy, even though she was out of sight. He sighed and cracked his knuckles, teleporting outside of the house.

A giant white-furred monster was leaning against their house, meowing loudly. Its head and paws were like a cat's, but it was at least a thousand times the size of a cat, and it had far too many paws to count, stretching back along its long, furry, snake-like body. It turned its head to Discord, revealing a surprisingly normal face with two blue eyes...and one green one above and between them, that opened up to get a better look at him.

It meowed at him, nose twitching. "For the last time!" he yelled through a bullhorn. "Don't run into the house! You can play with anything else, but not that!" It just meowed and pawed at the walls, watching in fascination as the house tipped.

"That's it," Discord said with a grunt. "Fluttershy thinks you're cute, but I'm sick of being nice!" He reached up above his head...and pulled out a large, comically oversized spray bottle.

He aimed it at the monster and sprayed a spurt of water at it. It hissed, showing more sharp fangs than its mouth should reasonably contain, the fur on its neck raising. Another spray, and it backed away from the house. Finally, for the coup de grâce, as it growled and hissed, trying to decide between its fun toy and fleeing...he stretched his arm towards it and flicked it on the nose.

It howled and whimpered, grabbing its nose with two of its paws and flying away, its long body undulating and disappearing into the purple sky. "And there'll be more of that if you try pulling that stunt again!" Discord yelled after it. He vanished the large spray bottle, and with a snap of his fingers, teleported to the animal sanctuary pantry.

Practically everything had fallen off of the shelves and onto the floor. He snapped his fingers and restored everything to—ugh—order, scanning the floor for his sweet Fluttershy. He spotted her lying next to a shelf full of carrots, looking dazed and confused. He quickly rushed to her side, popped the bubble around her, and began checking her for injuries.

"Fluffulhu visited again," he said, sighing in relief when all he found was a few bruises. And those, he peeled off of her like stickers, balling them up and tossing them aside. "I convinced him to leave the house alone. I don't think he'll come back anytime soon."

She slowly sat up, narrowing her eyes at him. "Discord...he's only a kitten. He just wants to play with something fun. I hope you weren't too mean."

"Just a few sprays of water and a flick on the nose," he said, offering her a hand. "Like how you trained the kittens not to treat the whole cat room as their litterbox."

"The nose flick was extreme..." she said, taking his hand and standing up. "I think you should apologize to him."

"This was the third time this month he attacked our house!" he said. "I'm sorry, Flutters, but as much as I love chaos, what if he decides to 'play' when you're here and I'm not? If you get stuck in a room, or hurt?" He crossed his arms.

They stared at each for a few moments, and Fluttershy sighed. "I...you're right," she said. "I'll talk to him this weekend. Try to train him not to do that."

He sighed. "If you do that, I suppose I should go apologize to him. Perhaps I was a bit extreme. I just got annoyed at being interrupted." He tucked a strand of her mane behind her ear. "But...we can both do that this weekend. Alright?"

She nodded. "Have you finished fixing lunch yet?" she asked.

"Almost!" he said, teleporting them into the kitchen. With a wave of his hand, everything was back to how it was, and he guided the bubble of noodles onto the counter, where it popped. "A bowl for me, and a bowl for you," he said, laying bamboo chopsticks on each bowl, placing one in a paper sack with a heart drawn on it, and the other in a metal lunchbox with his face on it.

After adding a thermos of tea, some sliced apples, and a small bowl of ice cream to each as well, he handed the sack to her with a smile. "Here you are, my dear," he said. "A complete and healthy lunch."

She smiled and accepted the bag. "Thank you, Discord. I'll head off to work now."

"And I, to visit Celestia!" he proclaimed, twirling the lunchbox between his fingers. "Have a wonderful day, Fluttershy!" He bent down to kiss her on the cheek, and she giggled and returned the gesture. She waved goodbye and flew out the door to one of the portals, and he snapped his fingers and teleported to Silver Shoals.

Discord and Celestia were laughing over large slices of red velvet cake. They sat in a small but comfortable living room, with cheerful white walls and yellow furniture, and large windows that let in plenty of sunlight. The walls were completely covered in pictures of the many ponies Celestia had known throughout the years. "Oh, Lulu's face was priceless!" Discord cackled. "If I'd known that she was so attached to the postal system here, I would have messed with it a long time ago!"

Celestia giggled. "Yes, well...I think any mail I receive is going to be very late for the next few days," she said. "Although I'm sure a new stamp for her collection will smooth her ruffled feathers." She took a large bite of cake, surprisingly unladylike for a former princess.

Discord nodded, drizzling some chocolate onto his cake before taking another bite. "And I'm sure a magic stamp from me should make her forgive me, as well," he said. "Do you still think she's up for cards later tonight?"

"We can deliver the apology gifts after lunch," Celestia said. "And then she can decide whether she wants to join or not. Perhaps she'll even be willing to join the next pranking spree?"

"Oooh, that would be fun," Discord said, rubbing his hands together. "You're both fairly good at pranks, but she is significantly more devious when she comes up with ideas." He swallowed the rest of his cake. "Now, what should we go next? More pranks? Maybe go on the ziplines?"

"After lunch," Celestia said, pointing to the clock on her wall. "It's past noon. I know we just had cake, but..."

"When have I ever been against eating dessert first?" he said. From his pocket dimension, he pulled out his lunch box and placed it on the table, while Celestia used her magic to grab a box from inside her small kitchen—something from the pizza place in the retirement home.

He watched as her magic heated it up, the olives and jalapeños melting into the cheese. "A new combination," he remarked, opening his lunchbox and arranging his lunch. "I see you're taking a page out of my book. Care to try something else new?" He grinned, holding the noodles out to her.

"Never again," she said. "Not after that donut you gave me." She looked a little green just mentioning it. "Chocolate and tomato sauce are not things that should go together."

"So says you," he huffed. "Frankly, I found it delicious." He took a whiff of his noodles. "Probably wise you don't eat this, anyway. I put in enough spice to take the roof off of a pony's mouth!"

"Of course you did," she said, taking a bite out of her pizza.

He grabbed the noodles in a bunch with his chopsticks and slurped them all up loudly. He smacked his lips. "Mmm. Nothing like garlic and—" He froze, his eyes widening. "Garlic. Just garlic."

He grabbed a single small noodle and wrapped it around his tongue. "Not a hint of spiciness..." His eyes widened even more, practically bulging out of his skull. "Kay Kay, I have to go!"

Before Celestia could ask what was wrong, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.

He appeared just on the edge of the sanctuary. As soon as he was there, his skin became camouflage-colored, and he snuck through the trees, his head whipping every which way. There was no sight of his lovely Fluttershy, which made his heart race with worry. What if I'm too late?

But he saw a semi-familiar face, busy checking up on an elephant. He hung upside-down by his tail, his head returning to its normal color. "Hello, Dr. Fauna!" he said cheerfully.

The veterinarian shrieked, leaping about a foot into the air. She whipped her head around to stare at him, panting and clutching her chest. "D-discord," she said. "If you're looking for Fluttershy, she already left for lunch."

His face grew pale, the color literally dripping off of it like liquid. He grasped her shoulders. "Where did she go to eat it!?" he asked, shaking her.

"She said she was going to the bunny burrows!" Dr. Fauna said. Discord let go of her, swinging around the branch before flying off in the direction of the burrows.

His eyes were practically spinning in their sockets, trying to catch a glimpse of yellow and pink. Then, he saw her. Surrounded by lots of tiny furballs, with her lunch unpacked...and the bowl of noodles already in her lap.

"Fluttershy, no!" he yelled, snapping his fingers to teleport to her.

Just as he reappeared right in front of her, her eyes widened. She already had a large bunch of noodles in her mouth, and she slurped them down out of shock. She blinked, then gave him a bright smile and opened her mouth, probably to greet him.

That smile fell in less than a second as her hooves flew up to her mouth and her eyes began to water.

She whimpered, and he quickly tore the noodles out of her hooves and cradled her against his chest. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said, stroking her back. "I mixed up our noodles, I'm so sorry."

"It hurts," she whimpered, tears pouring down her face. "It really hurts."

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry," he said. He racked his brain, then snapped his fingers and made a large glass of milk. "Here, drink this. It should help—"

He didn't even finish before she snatched it out of his hands and began chugging it down. The glass was empty in seconds, and she let out a small sigh, the tears not pouring so quickly down her face. He held the glass as it refilled itself, using a silk handkerchief to clean her face as he whispered more apologies to her.

She downed two more tall glasses before she seemed to relax slightly, though he still rubbed at her back and whispered apologies. Slowly, she lifted a hoof to stroke his cheek, making him freeze mid-apology. "It's okay," she said. "You just made a mistake, and you fixed it. I'm fine now."

"But...I hurt you," he said, ears drooping. "It was more than just a small mix up. You took a bite of a dish that is too spicy for anypony to handle!"

She kissed his cheek, though the comfort he got from the gesture was lessened by the fact he could still smell the peppers on her breath. "It was just a mistake," she said. "And...did you come all the way here just to fix it?"

He nodded. "I thought of switching our noodles with magic...but if you had already taken a bite, that wouldn't have fixed anything. I needed to make sure you were okay." She nuzzled his neck, and he pressed the glass of milk into her hooves again.

"I'm fine now," she said. "I'm sure Celestia is waiting for you. You should go." He shook his head, pressing the glass against her lips. She sighed and drank, watching as it refilled itself.

After a few more sips, she said, "If you gave me some things to help with this...burning," she said, "In case it comes back...would you go back and have fun with Celestia?" He paused, tilting his head and stroking his beard. Finally, he sighed and nodded, and snapped up a small book, flipping through its pages.

"Okay...things that help..." he said aloud, snapping his fingers. He created a carton of milk, a container of yogurt, a small loaf of bread, a milk chocolate bar, and a pile of sugarcubes that were wrapped up in a handkerchief. "Okay," he said, holding his hands out to present them to her. "These are all things that can help remove the capsaicin—that's what's causing the burning."

He created a small saddlebag with a soft strap and wrapped it around her waist, stuffing all of the created items inside. "If the burning comes back, just eat any of those," he said. "Although at this point, I hope it won't come back..." He snapped his fingers, and with a flash, the noodles in their bowls were swapped.

"Can you try that for me, please? Just so I can be sure?" he asked, eyes wide and shiny. She tentatively gripped the noodles with her chopsticks and slurped up a small amount. She smacked her lips, and a small smile spread on her face.

"It's delicious!" she proclaimed. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek again. He let out a sigh of relief, sagging to the ground and laying his head on her chest. She took another bite of the noodles, humming in appreciation. He snuggled closer to her torso.

She lightly nudged his head. "Discord, you promised to go back to Celestia," she said.

"One more minute," he grumbled. "And another drink of milk. And a promise that you'll call me if things go bad." She rolled her eyes, but still took a large drink of the milk and promised to call if she needed him.

He snuggled into her for a little longer, until she nudged him again. With a groan, he pulled away and stood up. "Goodbye, my dear," he said, bending to kiss her on the cheek. "I hope your animals don't give you too much trouble."

"I hope you have fun with Celestia," she said, kissing and nuzzling his cheek. He held up his fingers, pausing for a second to take in the sight—her, with some garlic sauce smeared on her cheek, beaming at him with a loving look in her eyes. He smiled widely and teleported away.

"...and that's why I left so suddenly," Discord said to Celestia, who had insisted on hearing what the matter with him was as soon as he got back. He twirled his chopsticks in the air. "Fluttershy, the forgiving soul she is, didn't seem too bothered by the whole thing. If she hadn't been so adamant that she was fine, and hadn't given that promise that she would call if things went wrong...well, I probably would have stayed with her a lot longer."

Celestia smiled, taking a bite of her pizza. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out," she said. "You and Fluttershy...you sound so happy together."

"Yes, we are," he said. "I suppose I should thank you for pushing us together." He took a sip of the tea in his thermos, twirling a bunch of noodles around his chopsticks.

Celestia just waved off the notion. "I only gave her a little encouragement to show you some kindness. Everything else? The fruits of your own hard work, friendship, and love."

Discord paused. "Yes...I suppose you're right." He slurped his noodles, sighing out a tongue of flame as a chaotic burning sensation settled in his mouth and throat. A devious grin spread on his face. "So, what should we do after we give the apology gifts to Luna?"

Half-Baked Bake Sale

Discord was hanging upside-down from a tree branch it the indoor arboretum. He held a book in his hands, upside-down from his perspective, and was reading slowly. Is there any better way to spend a lazy Sunday? he thought to himself. He immediately chuckled and thought yes, there was—spending it with Fluttershy.

He tilted his head slightly, his ears twitching. On that note, where was she? She had been digging through the kitchen cupboards after lunch when he had told her off his current idea for the afternoon. She had just nodded and said she might join him later.

Well, now it was later, and there was still no sign of her. He swung himself around on the branch and released his grip, flying out of the room and shooing the book off in the direction of the library. He started heading towards the kitchen when something else caught his attention.

A wonderful scent was drifting down the hallway. He froze in his tracks, lifting and tilting his head to sniff at it, trying to pin down the familiar smell. Tea cakes, he realized. He licked his lips, rubbing his hands together. Fluttershy's wonderful, yummy tea cakes!

He shot down the hall like a rocket, skidding to a halt in the living room. He slowly peered around the corner to look into the kitchen. Fluttershy was in there, wearing a pink apron with butterflies on it, smiling as she flitted between a bowl of dough, the oven, and the tea cakes cooling on racks.

He licked his lips again, teleporting next to her in a flash. "Tea cakes!" he chirped happily as Fluttershy flinched. "There's no tea cakes better than yours, my dear." His eyes flicked over the selection, and with another lick of his lips, he reached for one that was slightly larger than the others.

But before he could grab it, Fluttershy reached forward and grabbed his wrist, shaking her head. "Sorry, sweetie," she said. "But these tea cakes aren't for you."

A shattering sound was heard, and Discord tightly gripped his chest, his head lolling back. After a few seconds to recover, his head snapped back up, complete with a large pout. "B-but why?" he whined, trying to make his eyes seem as large as possible. "Am I being punished for startling you? I'm sorry, please just let me have one of your tea caaakes..." He slumped to the ground, head hung low, gripping onto her front hooves.

She sighed and patted him on the head. "No, Discord. The reason I can't give you any cakes is because these are actually for the School of Friendship's Bake Sale."

He sniffed, lifting his head, his eyes still large and pitiful. "Bake Sale?" he said with a tilt of his head.

"Yes," she said. "I told Starlight I would make some tea cakes and take them to the school tomorrow morning. They'll have student volunteers set up tables on campus and around town to sell any donated goods, and all proceeds will be used by the School of Friendship...from maintenance to extracurricular activities."

Discord nodded in understanding. "Yes, that does sound important...but surely they wouldn't miss a tea cake or two?" His claw scurried up the counter, poised the snatch any of the treats.

She caught his hand again, giving him a stern look. "No, Discord." His pout deepened, and her expression softened. She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. "Look. I'll let you lick the bowls when I'm done, and I can make something else for you later."

The tip of his tail wagged slightly. "Well...okay," he said. "I suppose I'll leave you to it, and find some other cure for my peckishness...unless you'd like a helping hand?" He stood up in front of the mixing bowl, which still had a good amount of dough in it.

She shook her head, nudging him away. "Thank you, but I think I can take it from here," she said. "Why don't you go back to your book...unless you decided to do something else this afternoon?"

"I choose the book," he said. "And I suppose I could go back to it..." He took several steps backward, eyeing the tea cakes longingly. He managed to tear his eyes away and focus on Fluttershy. "Goodbye, my dear," he said. She smiled and waved goodbye, and he teleported away.

Trying to keep reading proved much more difficult than he had thought. He was sorely tempted to find some way of sneaking into the kitchen, then back out with a few tea cakes. He always loved Fluttershy's cooking, and being told he couldn't have them made them look all the sweeter.

He quickly shook his head. They're not for me, they're for the school, he told himself. I get to lick the bowls later, and she'll make something else for me.

His stomach gurgled at him, demanding tea cakes be given to it now, at this moment. With a sigh, Discord sat up in the hammock he had made, snapping his fingers. In one hand, he had a plate with two steaming tea cakes of his own creation, in the other he had a mixture of chocolate and strawberry milk.

He grinned smugly, mentally patting himself on the back. He pinched a tea cake between his thumb and finger, sticking out his pinkie and taking a delicate bite. He chewed thoughtfully and slowly, his smile slowly drooping. He took another bite, a bit larger, chewing even more slowly.

He sighed and set the tea cake down. It was fresh, warm, and quite delicious, but there was something missing from it, something that made it pale in comparison to Fluttershy's treats. He knew it wasn't a secret ingredient—he had watched her make the cakes dozens of times, even helping out sometimes. There was nothing secret or special she added that he didn't know about.

He rolled his eyes. As corny as it was, the thing that made her cakes so special was probably love. He took another bite out of a tea cake, sipping at his milk concoction. He smiled. Now that was something that had the flavor he had been hoping for.

He finished his unsatisfactory tea cakes and the much more satisfactory milk, then reclined in his hammock to continue the book. He managed to finish a couple of chapters before there was a knock on the door, and Fluttershy walked in.

"I finished making the tea cakes," she said. "I'm going to go wash up, but you can help yourself to the bowl while I'm out." He now noticed the flour and dough covering her hooves, with small flecks stuck to her chest fur and mane.

Discord jumped out of the hammock, licking his lips. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "I think I'll help myself to that right now!" He snapped his fingers and teleported to the kitchen in a flash of light, sending Fluttershy to the bathroom at the same time.

He paused for a second to inhale the sweet aroma that filled the room. Baked tea cakes mingled with the smell of tea. The tea cakes were all arranged on cooling racks on the table, looking quite delicious. But over on the counter was a bowl, one with dough smeared on its sides, one just for him. And then there was that clean bowl in the sink...wait, what?

He floated to the sink, holding up the wet and dripping bowl. It had been cleaned, and only very recently...and if the only thing she made was tea cakes, then...

His tail shook with a rattling sound, and he felt his blood heat up. Wasn't he supposed to get all the bowls to lick? But she washed one of them! He huffed and turned his attention to the one bowl left on the counter. He scooped out a large spoonful of dough and shoved it into his mouth, chewing angrily.

It was delicious, and his irritation slowly faded away. He ate a bit more slowly, chewing slowly and savoring the treat. His eyes flickered over to the racks of tea cakes, and the temptation to sample some rose in him again.

He shook his head, getting a larger scoop of dough. Not only did Fluttershy say he shouldn't, he still had a bowl of dough to enjoy! He stretched out his tongue and began licking the sides and spoon clean. Still, he couldn't quite tear his eyes away from the fresh teacakes.

He inched towards them, then shook his head and backed away, bumping into the counter. He scrunched his eyes closed, trying to just focus on the dough...focus on the taste and texture of it...focus on how empty the bowl seemed now...

His eyes popped back open. The bowl and spoon had been polished clean by his tongue. He groaned and slammed them into the sink, grabbing a soapy sponge and scrubbing them both, spilling suds everywhere. But even as much as he tried to focus on this new task, he still felt...so tempted!

He dropped the sponge and began to float towards the tea cakes. He fought with himself several times, trying to tug himself back to the counter, or better, to the living room and out of the kitchen, but his wings and magic carried him to the table no matter how much he tried to stall them.

He stopped and landed in front of the table. The golden-brown tea cakes were calling his name, begging to be put in his stomach. He shook his head. I shouldn't. I shouldn't! His eyes landed on the cleaned bowl. Then again...just one wouldn't hurt, surely? Just one to make up for the dough I couldn't have?

His claw slowly raised up, poised to take something. He hovered over one of the largest tea cakes, then shook his head and focused on one of the smallest. She won't notice it's gone... But still, he felt a little guilty. So he hesitated for another second before his claw slowly reached down, his fingers slowly and carefully gripping onto the treat.

Slowly, he lifted it up and tilted his head back. He opened his mouth wide, revealing his large collection of fangs, and began to slowly edge the tea cake between his jaws. He panted, already imagining how sweet it would taste...though there was that feeling of guilt in the back of his mind, its voice sounding an awful lot like Fluttershy...

"Discord!" he heard an angry voice say. He froze and slowly turned his head, seeing Fluttershy in the doorway, glaring at him. "I told you not to eat those!"

He frowned, his jaw clicking shut just a hair's breadth away from the treat. "Well, you also told me I could lick the bowl, and that you made something for me!" He pointed at the cleaned bowl in the sink.

"I left you a bowl!" she said. "And I did make you something, even better than those cakes!" The tea kettle whistled, making them both flinch. Fluttershy sighed and moved past him, grabbing the kettle and taking it with her into the living room.

Discord stared at the doorway, slowly setting the tea cake down. He heard a few sniffles, and felt his heart tie itself into knots. He sighed and wrung his tail between his hands, taking small steps towards the doorway.

He stopped in the living room, hanging his head low. Fluttershy glanced at him, looking upset, before looking away and continuing to nurse her tea. He hung his head a little lower, shuffling forward.

"Fluttershy," he said. "I'm sorry." He scuffed a foot on the ground. "I...didn't eat any of the tea cakes."

"You were going to, though," she said. "After I asked that you didn't."

He bowed his head. "I...maybe," he admitted. "Probably. But I stalled for awhile, because...I knew I shouldn't do it. I was hoping you would come back before it became too tempting for me."

She frowned. With a sigh, he continued, "I...I love your tea cakes, Fluttershy. I felt a little hurt that you made so many for other creatures, but I couldn't have even one. I tried making my own with magic, but they couldn't compare to yours." He made a cat's cradle between his fingers, arranging the strings to form a picture of a butterfly. "And I did feel a little upset that I didn't get all of the extra dough, like you had promised."

Her ears lowered. "Oh...I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Discord," she said. "But for that bowl I cleaned, I did have my reasons." She turned and grabbed something from behind the tea kettle. "Here," she said, sliding a plate over to him. "I wanted to make it a surprise for you..."

He looked down. The plate had six tea cakes on it—but these were no ordinary tea cakes. No, these were her amazing, wonderful, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cherry tea cakes. His jaw dropped, and he could already feel a bit of saliva dripping from his lips.

"For...for me?" he said. When he received a small nod, he immediately grabbed one and bit into it. He sighed, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. The sweetness of the chocolate intermingled perfectly with the slightly tang of cherries, and he was sure that he was holding a tiny slice of paradise in his hand. "So good..." he moaned.

"I really wanted for it to be a surprise," she said. "That's...that's why I cleaned the bowl I used to make it. I knew that you would be smart enough to figure out I made a different kind of tea cake if you saw it, since the dough would have the chocolate in it."

"Oh..." he said, ears drooping. "I guess I didn't think of that possibility...which I suppose was the whole point." She nodded, staring sadly down at the plate.

He held one of the tea cakes out to her. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions, got upset, and tried to take something I shouldn't have," he said.

She hesitated, but placed a hoof on the tea cake, brushing his knuckles as she did so and sending a shiver up his arm. "I'm sorry I didn't consider how my actions could hurt you," she said. "And I'm sorry that I made it look like I went back on my promise."

They pulled apart, tearing the tea cake into two equal pieces. Discord munched on his, doing his best to savor every bite, while Fluttershy nibbled on hers. He saw her inching closer to him, and copied her movements. They met in the middle of the couch, leaning against each other, Discord wrapping his tail around her waist.

"Am I forgiven?" he said quietly. She nodded, placing her hooves on his shoulder and leaning up to peck his lips.

"Yes, you are," she said. "If you had actually eaten any tea cakes, I might still be upset and have you help me make more...but you didn't. And you apologized." She looked down, brushing a hoof through his chest fur. "Am...I forgiven?"

"From the second you gave me my own tea cakes," he said, kissing the top of her head. "And...would it be presumptuous of me to assume that the tea is for us, too?"

"No," she said, grabbing the kettle and pouring another cup, sliding it in front of him. "And...thank you for coming to me to talk about this." She smiled at him, and he offered her a silk handkerchief. She dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose, then set it down and gave a genuine smile, sliding the plate of tea cakes a little closer to him.

He picked up his tea cup and broke another one of the cakes in half, offering part of it to Fluttershy. She accepted, and began to nibble on it, while he devoured his half in two bites and took a sip of tea. Blackberry, a surprisingly good compliment to the tea cakes.

They sat like that for a while, Discord telling her stories and jokes to make her smile, and complimenting the tea and tea cakes to make her blush. The time passed quickly, and before they knew it, they had finished the chocolate cherry tea cakes and blackberry tea.

Fluttershy sighed and got to her hooves. "I should go frost the tea cakes now," she said. "To make them look nice for the bake sale..."

Discord jumped to his feet, snapping his fingers and creating chef's hats and aprons on both of them. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he said. "They won't frost themselves...unless I make them, but where's the fun in that?"

She blinked and tilted her head at him. "'We'?"

"Of course!" he said, reaching down and ruffling her mane. "You know I love to decorate desserts. You can't keep all the fun away from me, darling." He frowned and wrung his tail. "Besides, I...I'd like to do something to make up for the fact that I almost ate them."

She blinked, then smiled up at him. "Well...I guess doing it together would be pretty fun." She headed into the kitchen. "Just remember, it's for the school, so they need to be appropriate."

Discord followed, a halo appearing above his head. "Why, dear Fluttershy! Would I ever do something like frost things not suited for young minds?" She giggled slightly, and he began to chuckle along with her. He snapped and turned the halo into a bouquet of icing pipes, and he bowed to offer them to Fluttershy.

She giggled again and selected one, choosing a tea cake that she began frosting. He chose another tea cake and began to frost as well, laying one of his hands on top of her head. She paused, but smiled and leaned into his touch as they continued to work.

Nightmares and Comfort

Fluttershy woke up with a gasp. She quickly sat up, kicking the covers off of her, and took deep, heaving breaths as her head whipped around the room. It was dark, and the shadows made her want to shrink back and hide, but she kept searching the room.

Finally, she saw him at her side. Discord, who was fast asleep, his ears twitching as he smacked his lips. His lion arm wormed under the pillow, and he turned in her direction, snuggling into it with a few soft mumbles.

As soon as she saw him, she let out a deep breath, tears flowing along with it. She lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around his neck, squeezing tightly as she buried her face in his fur. "Thank goodness..." she said in a whisper. "It was a dream. Just a dream..." Still, she clung tightly to him, tears pouring down her face and soaking into his fur.

She whimpered a little, nestling deeper into his fur. He shivered when more tears landed on him, and she froze, covering her mouth with her hooves to keep herself quiet. With a groan, Discord suddenly sat up, and she squeaked and held on to him tightly before she could be knocked off.

He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, tiny Z's flung from them and out the window, and stretched, wrapping his arms around her. He looked down at her and frowned, his grip becoming tighter. "Why are you crying in the middle of the night?" he asked. "Did something happen?"

She glanced away as he used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "I...just had a bad dream," she said. "I didn't mean to wake you up...you can go back to sleep."

"Oh no," he said. "I'm not just going to lie down and do nothing when you're so upset by whatever happened in your dream." He placed his hands on her shoulders, adjusting her so that she was sitting comfortably on his lap, leaning against his stomach. "Now. Tell me what upset you so much in your dream."

She frowned, looking down and playing with her mane. He placed a hand on top of her head, stroking his fingers slowly through her mane. She took a deep, shaky breath, and said, "I-It was about you." His stroking stopped for a second. "You...you were a statue again."

She sniffled and snuggled into his fur. "I...I don't know why you were a statue, but you were. And you were crying...I tried to convince everyone to help you, but no one would listen to me. They all just walked away."

She sobbed. "And...and then someone was taking you away, and I tried to follow, to beg them to let me help you, but they wouldn't listen, and you just got further and further away, and—!" She let out a choked sob. "I woke up, and I was scared I lost you!"

She wept into her hooves, still shaking from the memory of the dark dream. Slowly, Discord wrapped his arms around her and began to sway, rocking her. "Shhh," he said. "I'm here. I'm here. Don't be scared, I'm not going to leave you."

She sniffed, her tears stopping, but her shaking continuing. With a sigh, Discord wrapped his fingers around her right hoof. "I'm right here," he said. She nodded, but still kept her eyes down, not really wanting to look him in the eye. With another sigh, he placed his paw under her chin and gave it a tiny nudge up.

"Please look at me," he said. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his, and he brought her hoof up to his cheek. "Fluttershy, do you remember what you used to tell me when I was scared about being turned back to stone?" He blinked, and his pupils were wider, and instead of her in their reflection, it was a scene of the two of them, back in her old cottage—Discord's head drooping, as she tried to hold it up in her hooves.

"You're here, in the flesh," she said from memory. He nodded, and the Discord in his eyes perked his ears up. "This is real. You're not a statue."

"And?" he said. His reflection seemed just as interested in what her reflection was saying.

"And...I'm going to do my best to make sure that never happens to you again," she said. "As long as you're my friend, I'll do whatever it takes to protect you from that." He smiled and nuzzled her hoof, and his eyes showed how he clung desperately to her after that. He blinked, and the image vanished.

He wrapped his body around hers, placing his hands on her shoulders and nuzzling her cheek. "Dear sweet Fluttershy...the fate you dreamt about me is not going to happen. We're both going to make sure of that...and our friends wouldn't let that happen to me, either." He bent his neck and kissed the corners of her eyes, soaking up her tears and making her giggle. "And you know that I'm much too stubborn to ever willingly leave your side."

She sniffed, then gave a soft smile. "I...suppose you're right." She nuzzled his neck, and he kissed her cheek. "But I...that nightmare scared me. I don't know why I had it."

"Maybe it's because you've been sleeping less," he said, tangling his fingers in her mane, brushing his wingtip against her spine. "I mean, the last few days...you've been waking up early to take care of more tasks, and you've been going to bed late because of..." He looked guilty. "Me keeping you up, wanting you all to myself..."

"Or maybe...I missed being with you," she said. "Because I've been so busy, and only able to spend time with you in the evenings..." She nuzzled his cheek. "I'm always glad to spend time with you, even if it keeps me up late," she said. "But...maybe you're right. Tomorrow, I can figure out how to cut down on my tasks so I can sleep in a little more...and have more time in the day to be with you."

"Oooh, I'll help with that," he said with a grin. "Now...why don't we lie down and go to sleep together?"

She bit her lip and was about to say she didn't feel tired, but he tightened his arms around her and uncurled himself, laying back down. He wrapped his tail around her waist, pressing them close together, still keeping his arms wrapped around her.

She wrapped her forehooves around his neck and snuggled in, yawning slightly. "This is nice," she said. "But...I'm still a little too scared to go back to sleep."

"Do you want me to tell you a story?" he asked. She gave a small nod, and he grinned, snapping his fingers and making stars and constellations appear on their bedroom ceiling.

He launched into a tale of Old Equestria, before even Celestia and Luna were born, animating the stars as he did so. She watched in fascination as he described his travels, and how he caused minor and major chaos wherever he went. As he began talking about filling an ocean with giant goldfish and an island with strange birds, she felt her eyelids drooping, and found herself slowly nodding off, using his neck as a pillow.

Just as she was between being asleep and awake, she felt him kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, Flutters," he said. "I'll stay here, always. I hope this time you have pleasant dreams." She gave a soft smile and closed her eyes, snuggling into his fur and placing a light kiss there.

The stars faded away, and she heard Discord fluffing his pillow and laying down. He began stroking her mane slowly, still with his arms and tail wrapped around her, until she nodded off into peaceful dreams, filled with happy memories of her and Discord spending time together.

Capes and Catches

Fluttershy yawned and sat up, blinking and looking around the bedroom. To her disappointment, Discord was not there—though there was a paper butterfly resting on his pillow.

It flapped its wings and landed on her muzzle, and she heard Discord's voice in her head.

"I hate to kiss and run," he said. "But Nightmare Night still calls. I'll fix a nice breakfast to make up for leaving you cold in bed."

The butterfly flew up and landed on her forehead, and she felt the ghost of Discord's lips. She giggled, and the butterfly twirled off of her, landing and resting near the window.

With a yawn, she laid back against her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. She laid in a state of fuzzy half-sleep for awhile, before she started to wake up a little more, and rolled over onto her side.

As she moved, a flash of red and black caught her eye. She blinked, not remembering Discord adding anything to their room with those colors recently. She twisted her head to find the colors, focusing on the end of their bed.

Hanging off of the bedpost was his cape from his costume last night. Other pieces of it were scattered across the floor, at least from what she could see...and there was a splotch of dried red liquid on the curtains.

She couldn't help but shake her head a little. She rolled over, still trying to find a comfortable spot, but found herself shifting back to look at his cape again.

Seeing it made her remember the night before...especially of the moment where he pressed her so close against his own body, using that cape to keep her trapped in and shielded from prying eyes.

The memory made her blush...but it also excited her, much like Discord's actions tended to do. She found herself wanting that feeling back—of being wrapped close to Discord.

So she crawled under the blankets and twisted, wrapping herself in a blanket burrito. She sighed and laid her head on her pillow, already feeling more satisfied...to a degree. The longer she laid there, the more she was reminded of that memory, which made her squirm, wanting more of the feeling than the blankets could give her.

With a grumble, she finally sat up, moving to the bathroom to brush her mane and teeth and wash her face. When she was done, she came back into the bedroom, pausing in the doorway and staring a bit longer at his cape, along with the rest of the mess he had left.

She gathered up the scattered parts of his costume one by one, setting them on a pile on top of their dresser...and after a moment of thought, spreading them out a little bit, leaving them a little bit disorganized. The only part left was the cape.

She grabbed it, laying it out on the bed to fold it up...and paused. That memory, and the feeling it brought, was still bothering her. Seeing the cape looking so open and inviting like this...it made the feeling grow in intensity.

Slowly, she dragged the cape to her side of the bed. Then, she laid down on top of it, wrapping it around her in the same way that she had with the blankets earlier.

She inhaled, already feeling better as the soft cape trapped in her body heat, making her feel safe and cozy. The feeling was satisfying, and she found herself relaxing already...and there was something about the cape that, when she breathed in, it made her heart flutter.

She inhaled again, this time holding a corner of the cape close to her muzzle. There was a faint scent there—a familiar one that really did make her heart flutter. It was something sweet, but also like the air before a thunderstorm, and like magic.

It was Discord's scent, she thought with a soft smile.

She held the cape closer to her muzzle and inhaled a bit deeper. If she closed her eyes...with his smell, and the heat of the cape, she could imagine that he was there, holding her close to his body.

She shifted, trying to wrap herself more tightly while still being able to hold the cape close to her muzzle. It kept shifting in a way that made it hard to achieve both goals in a satisfactory way. She frowned...and then smiled a little, reaching up to clasp the cape around her neck.

It was quite loose around her neck, since hers was thinner than Discord's, but it anchored the cape enough that she could both wrap herself in it while pulling a bit of it up to her muzzle.

Laying like this allowed her to sink into a drowsy state again. She sighed, enjoying the warmth and scent, and curled up within the cape, eventually becoming sleepy enough that she began to nuzzle the corner of the cape nearest her muzzle.

"Enjoying yourself?" Discord's voice said from the doorway. She froze, and slowly lifted her head up and turned to him.

He was standing there with a miniature wood table laden with tiny foods in his hands, grinning widely. Her face grew warm, and she slowly reached up to unclip the cape from her neck.

"Too late!" Discord said. Before she knew it, he had pounced on top of her, pining the sides of the cape and trapping her inside of it. "You're caught, my snuggly pegasus."

She blushed, and still tried to unclip the cape. He caught her hoof with his tail before she could do so, grinned down at her. He slowly leaned down and pecked her lips lightly.

"So..." he purred. "You really liked this cape of mine, huh?"

She blushed. "I...it reminded me of last night," she said. "In the sanctuary..." His grin widened, and she felt her tail twitch against her hoof as it started to wag a little.

She glanced away to avoid his eyes, feeling her blush grow hotter. "And it still smelled like you..." she said quietly.

She felt him freeze above her, and glanced up out of the corner of her eye to see that there was a soft blush on his face, too. He sputtered a bit, then shook his head and grinned widely at her. "So that's why you like it so much?" he purred. "In that case...maybe you should keep it. It does make you look simply ravishing."

Her blush reached a fever pitch, and she tried to bury her face in the folds of the cape. He laughed again, though she still spied the hints of a blush on his neck and ears. "I'm teasing, Flutters...mostly. You can keep it if you really want to," he said.

She took a deep breath, feeling some of her blush go away, and pulled the cape away from her face. "Well...it is nice, but I like seeing you wear it. Maybe we could...keep it, and share it?"

He smiled softly. "Of course, my dear...but for now, I'm going to release you! Only so you can enjoy the breakfast I've prepared." He let go of the sides of the cape, and she sat up, propping herself against the pillows as he grabbed the miniature table.

He showed off how she could eat the tiny foods on it (mostly fruits that were barely larger than his fingers), and then placed the table so it was floating in the air between them, easier to grab and eat from. They munched on the meal, Discord taking dainty sips from a tiny teacup as she giggled, both of them relaxing.

But as the food dwindled, Fluttershy inched closer and closer to him. He didn't react to it or say anything, but she knew that didn't mean anything. He could just be baiting her into another trap...but she still had to go through with her plan.

As Discord was munching on a tiny banana, peel and all, she lunged towards him, throwing out the side of the cape and quickly wrapping it around his upper torso, hugging him close with one foreleg. He stared at her with wide eyes as she shifted her grip, holding his head close to her chest with both of her forelimbs and moving the cape so it would cover him.

It didn't work perfectly—he was able to peek through the folds and grin up at her, his surprised expression melting into a happy one, and his arms and lower body were sticking out of the cape. He tucked his arms to his chest, curling closer to her and pressing against her chest and lap to fit more of himself into the cape.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" he asked with a grin, as she tried to figure out how to stick her head in with him without uncovering him. He reached up and gently guided her head into the right position so that she could peer down at him, "trapped" between the cape and her body.

"Yes," she said, bending her neck down to nuzzle and kiss his forehead. His grin widened, and she trailed her hooves up and down his body, while he stroked her cheek gently with his fingers.

They spent the next few minutes gently touching and exploring each other's bodies, using their hooves and fingers respectively to stroke and caress, even using their muzzles and lips to be affectionate and get a better feel for each other. "...the meal's going to get cold," Discord said after a while, currently nuzzling into her chest and not sounding terribly sure.

"None of it was hot," she said, stroking along the bases of his horns. "Unless there's another course that's cooling now..."

"Maybe," he said. "Unless you don't want cinnamon-blueberry porridge..."

"That does sound pretty good..." she said. She placed a final kiss on the top of his head, and pushed back the cape to let him out, shivering as the slightly cooler air brushed against her skin. Discord rolled off of her, stretching and popping some of his joints.

She unclipped the cape from her neck and got out of bed. "You must have been out late last night," she said. "I'll go get the porridge so that you can rest a little. Is it in the kitchen?" He nodded, leaning back against his pillows, and she smiled and left the room.

In the kitchen was a steaming pot of delicious-smelling porridge, with blueberries floating in it and a group of tiny flames shaped like ponies dancing underneath it. She smiled and filled two bowls, remembering to grab honey for herself and hot sauce and caramel for Discord, placing it all on a tray and heading back to their bedroom.

She opened the door...and froze in the doorway. Discord stared back at her with wide eyes...with the cape held close to him, the neck held close to his muzzle. A pink blush started to creep up his neck, traveling all the way to the very tips of his horns.

"...it smelled a bit like you," he said, slowly putting it back down and avoiding her gaze. She paused for a second, then smiled brightly, approaching him and closing the door.

"So that's why you like it so much?" she said as she set the tray on the bed. "Well...maybe we should keep it. It does make you look ravishing." She smiled and winked at him as she sat on the bed, and his blush slowly turned from pink to red.

He picked up his bowl, adding hot sauce and caramel. "...as soon as this is finished," he said. "We're going to have some fun times with that cape. Maybe even two capes. Sound good?" She blushed a little, but grinned and nodded, picking up her own bowl and quickly eating a few big spoonfuls.

They smiled softly at each other as they ate, the traces of blushes still on their cheeks. Discord used his tail to put the cape on himself, winking and blowing her a kiss. She felt her blush come back, and playfully shoved his shoulder. "Wait until I'm finished," she said. "This is delicious, and I don't want to waste it."

"Of course," he said, winking again and continuing to eat. She ate a little bit faster, just slowly enough to enjoy her meal...though she still tried to finish it quickly, her heart racing as Discord shifted the cape around himself.

Ice Dream

Discord hummed in thought, stroking his beard as he stared at the selection in front of him. Cylindrical containers all called out to him with cheerful colors, begging to be the one he brought out from behind the icy glass.

"Discord?" Fluttershy's voice said to him from a far-off tunnel, jolting his attention away from the sugary spell. "Have you picked out a flavor yet?"

He blinked and shook his head. His wife was walking towards him down the aisle, pushing along a cart filled to the brim with animal supplies...along with a few tidbits for the two of them, such as books and stuffed animals.

He sighed and shook his head. "No," he admitted. "How am I to choose between all of these flavors?" He grabbed two and showed them off to her. "Orange-Lemon Swirl and Mint Chocolate Chip? Two flavors so unlike, yet each with their own unique positives to offer!"

He dropped them back in their places and sighed, stroking his beard as he began contemplating his choice again. "No other option," he said. "I'll just have to get one of every flavor."

"No," Fluttershy said instantly. "That was not the deal. The deal was—"

"If I help you on your shopping trip, you'll buy me one tub of ice cream," he said in a perfect imitation of her voice, a pink mane poofing onto his head. He sighed and it vanished, his voice turning back to normal. "I know. But...it's really hard to pick just one."

"I don't understand," she said. "You can make any ice cream you want at home. Why can't you just make all of the flavors here that you want with your magic?"

He stiffened up, a chalkboard appearing behind him that he used a pointer to indicate random spots on. "The point, my dear Fluttershy, is that a dessert that I don't have to make is so much sweeter," he explained. "And knowing that you bought it for me as a gift? Sweeter yet. That the ice cream comes from the delectable company Crystal Empire Cream?" He opened his mouth, a bit of drool spilling out. "Utter perfection in the form of a frozen dessert."

She just blinked. "Well...I guess that sounds reasonable," she said. "Still, you can only get one tub of ice cream. I double-checked the store, and I couldn't see anything else we need."

He sighed and turned back around, his eyes flickering over the containers. He was sweating a little, his brain working to figure out what he wanted. Fluttershy actually waiting on him made him anxious to pick, so as to not keep her waiting long. But the choice was still so difficult to make...

Then, he saw it. A combination of colors that simply sang out to him, tucked behind some purple grape-flavored ice cream that had piled up. He dug through the tubs, tossing them over his shoulder, until he unearthed the one he saw, flashing a pale yellow and pink color scheme at him.

"Banana Strawberry Bananza," he read aloud. He licked his lips. "This is the one. I'll take it!"

"That's nice, Discord," Fluttershy said, picking up some of the tubs he scattered. "Could you please clean up this mess first?"

With a snap of his tail feathers, the tubs he had tossed away flew back and settled into place. Finding the order boring, he sighed and snapped his feathers again, making the shopping cart grow metallic wings, as well as a seat big enough for the two of them.

"Come, my darling!" he said, extending his paw to her. "We shall ride away from this cursed land know as Re-Tail, where creatures become zombies if they stay too long!"

She giggled and took his hoof, and they flew towards the cash registers. "I don't understand what you mean sometimes," she said, shaking her head. "But I do know that you're a very silly draconequus." She leaned against him, nuzzling his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped one arm around her, using the other to direct their cart into landing at the end of a line.

He eventually coaxed it into doing so at the end of the shortest one. Its wings shivered and folded back against its body. "They'll fade away in a couple of hours," he said. "Moooostly. They might be brought back out if someone starts screaming near it..."

"Discord," Fluttershy said in a warning tone of voice.

"Only if they're being rude to a worker?" he asked. She frowned in thought. "And no one gets more than a scare?" She hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. He whooped and pumped his fist, snapping his fingers and altering the spell, adding a bit of neon color to the cart for fun. She just giggled and shook her head.

After a few minutes of waiting, passed by light cuddling, they reached the cash register. The unicorn working looked tired, and hardly batted an eye at the sight of their altered cart. Discord pouted a little as she robotically rang up their items and gave their total.

As Fluttershy was handing over the bits, and receiving her bagged purchases, Discord leaned forward to stare at the cashier. She barely reacted. "Do you like coffee?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up slightly. "I love coffee," she said. "It's what keeps me going...if my shift doesn't run into overtime, which it always seems to do..." She scowled.

"Are you staying here for a while longer?" he asked. She nodded, her eyelids drooping closed into a lifeless expression. "Well then...here's a tip for you."

He snapped his fingers and created a large mug of steaming black coffee, almost the size of a bowl. The cashier's eyes widened as the fumes hit her nose, and she instantly drank about half of the mug in a few gulps.

"Thankyou!" she said. "Hereisyourchange, andthankyouforthetip! Ilikeyourcartbytheway!" She greeted the next customer in line enthusiastically, and Discord smiled, urging the cart to roll forward and out of the way.

Fluttershy smiled at him as he hopped out. "That was very nice of you," she said, taking his paw and letting him help her down.

He shrugged. "Overly caffeinated ponies are more chaotic than tired and bored ones," he said. He gathered all of the bags in his arms, then gave the cart a swat with his tail. It whinnied and rolled over to the rows of other carts at the front of the store.

"Shall we go home?" he said. She nodded, and he snapped his fingers, making them vanish in a flash of light.

Discord lounged on the couch, drawing on the wall with a crayon. Fluttershy had started unpacking their bags as soon as they were home—first putting his ice cream in the freezer, then—ugh—organizing everything in the sanctuary pantry. Once she was done with that, she would sort out the things she had bought for the two of them.

Until then, he was busy recreating some of his favorite memories—with inverted colors, in crayon, on the wall of the living room. He stuck out his tongue as he tried to make his biceps a little larger in the current drawing—which was of him carrying Fluttershy in his arms, placing his forehead against hers. After a moment of thought, he added a few misshaped hearts around the two of them.

His ears perked up as he heard hoofsteps from the doorway. Fluttershy walked in, carrying a large bowl of ice cream in her hoof. "Sorry," she said. "I was so focused on unpacking...I forgot to give you your ice cream." She handed it to him—a bowl full of glorious yellow and pink frozen dessert. He could already feel himself drooling.

She glanced at his drawings. "Oh, those are...unusual," she said, tilting her head.

"Inverted colors," he said, holding up a color wheel for her. She glanced back and forth between it and the drawings, and he smiled as he watched realization dawn in her eyes.

"Oh!" she said, smiling. "It's the two of us...with you holding me!" He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," he said. "Would you like a prize?" He scooped out a bit of his ice cream and offered it to her.

She stared at it. "Oh...but Discord, I got that whole tub for you..." she said. He just shrugged and held it a little closer to her. "I don't know if..."

Before she could finish, he shoved the spoon into her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she slowly pulled away, leaving the spoon clean of ice cream. She chewed for a second, her mouth curling into a smile as her eyes drifted closed.

"Mmm," she said after swallowing. "You picked out a good flavor. You might have to eat it quickly before I help myself to more." He laughed, and she giggled, pecking his cheek and nuzzling him. "I'm going to keep unpacking," she said. "Then I'll come sit with you...maybe we can read a book together? Or make some more drawings?"

He nodded eagerly, and she smiled softly at him before walking back into the kitchen. He smiled and leaned back against the arm of the couch, taking a spoonful of ice cream.

He moaned as it filled his tastebuds with sweetness. Perfect. And somehow, knowing that his sweet pegasus could enjoy it with him, maybe even fairly soon...made it even better for him. He took another spoonful and devoured it.

Five More Minutes?

Discord was purring like a cat, snuggling into Fluttershy's chest fur. She smiled and stroked his mane, smiling softly at him and placing kisses on his ear. He smiled and snuggled further into her.

As wonderful as this felt...she tore herself away from him and glanced over at the clock. "Okay, Discord," she said. "I have to get up now...I have a meeting with Dr. Fauna and Zecora this morning, remember?"

He pouted and looked up at her with wide, shiny eyes. "Five more minutes?" he begged.

She frowned. "Well...I suppose five minutes wouldn't hurt, if I eat a quick breakfast..." That was all she could say before Discord coiled himself around her, nuzzling her cheek and purring. She sighed and leaned against his neck, nuzzling him and letting her eyes drift closed.

After dozing for a little while against his soft fur, she began to place soft kisses on his cheek and the side of his lips, each one making him sigh and shiver, which she could feel as it traveled from his head to his tail, his fur raising slightly as it went through him.

After one kiss on the lips, where he tilted his head enough to meet her for a few seconds, she spared a glance at the clock...and saw that seven minutes had passed since she last looked. "Discord, I really have to leave now," she said, moving to sit up.

He grabbed her shoulders and rolled so that he was on top of her, pinning her to the bed. "Five more minutes," he said. "I'll fix you a breakfast to eat on the way...just five more minutes of your time..."

She frowned and squirmed. His grip was strong, but not uncomfortable...and being in this position made her feel warm, and a little pleasant. If she wanted, she could easily surprise him and push him off...but she found she didn't want to. "I...don't think we can do all that in five minutes," she said, feeling a blush traveling down her neck.

He grinned, showing off his sharp snaggletooth. "Oh...maybe not everything you're thinking of," he said. "But I can do quite a lot..." He bent down and nibbled her neck, making her squeak, her wings flaring out.

His hands drifted from her shoulders to her wings, teasing their edges, as his fangs and lips teased her neck. She squeaked and whined, squirming as the teasing continued, digging her hooves into his back. The action made him groan, and he pulled himself away from her neck, meeting her lips in a passionate kiss.

She grabbed his horns and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He moaned, and she could feel his tail wagging, thumping up and down on one of her back hooves. After a minute or so, they separated, and Discord began to trail his hands lightly along her body, while she pet him wherever she could reach.

Time flowed by in a series of kisses, nibbles, and soft petting exchanged between both of them. It was only after a very passionate kiss that Fluttershy laid back on the pillow, panting for breath and letting her head fall to the side...that she caught a glimpse of the clock.

Her meeting was only five minutes away.

She yelped and jumped up, scrambling to untangle herself from the sheets and get out of bed. Discord yelped, startled, and jumped to the ceiling, where he remained stuck.

"Where's the fire?" he asked, watching as she tripped to the floor and rolled out of the sheets. A small blue flame appeared on his tail feathers, and he quickly beat it out, leaving behind a purple smoke that smelled like blueberries.

"My meeting!" she shouted, running into the bathroom. "Five minutes!" She quickly ran a brush through her frizzy mane, when she realized another problem—there were several pink bite marks all along her neck. She whined and dropped her brush, burying her face in her hooves.

"Oh..." Discord said, sounding a little guilty. He floated into the bathroom, his head and ears low. "Why so upset? I mean, you're pressed for time, but I can just teleport you right there..."

"This," she said, pointing to her neck, and the few bite marks on her chest. "I...I can't show up to a meeting looking like this!"

"I have a simple solution," he said, reaching into his ear. After a few seconds of tugging, he pulled out...a long red scarf. He bent down and wrapped his around her neck so it was tight enough to hide her neck, but loose enough to be comfortable (and drape over the bites on her chest). As he did this, two more arms sprouted out of his torso and began to brush her mane, adding in a little conditioner and hair glitter.

He pulled away from her, and she chanced a glance in the mirror. The soft scarf covered everything up, and her mane looked wonderfully styled in its usual way, with the addition of the glitter making it even more eye-catching. Though her face was still flushed, she could already feel the heat from it dying down.

"Thank you," she said. "Now, could you please send me to—" Before she could finish, her stomach growled, reminding her suddenly of how hungry she was.

"I can't let you go hungry," he said. "Especially since it would be my fault." He snapped his fingers and created a blueberry-blackberry jam sandwich and handed it to her.

She chowed down on it, and his extra arms wiped at her face and hooves with a warm, wet cloth as jam spilled on them. His original fingers snapped up a brown paper bag with a heart on it. "Here are some more sandwiches for you to snack on during the meeting," he said. "Plus some wet towelettes."

She finished her sandwich, and he handed her the bag. "Have a lovely and timely meeting! I love you!" he said, placing a kiss on her forehead before snapping his fingers and teleporting her away.

She appeared in front of Zecora's hut, and with a deep breath, knocked on the door, clutching the scarf a little for comfort.

"Discord, I'm home!" Fluttershy said as she came in through the front door. "Dr. Fauna treated us to lunch in town...but I still ate most of your sandwiches before that! They were delicious."

She paused in the living room. Discord wasn't there, and she hadn't heard a response. She looked around, and blinked when she saw a trail of neon pink petals on the floor, leading down the hallway. Curious, she began to follow it.

The trail led down the hallway, to a door she hadn't seen before. Wondering what this new room was, she slowly opened it.

Inside were pink and red painted walls, and a plush pink carpet. Off to the side was a babbling water feature with lavender petals floating inside...and in the center of the room was a large, round bed, where Discord was laying in a thin bathrobe, a purple rose in his mouth.

He said something, but couldn't articulate around the rose. Frowning, he spat it out and held it in his claw, smiling at her. "Hello, darling," he said. "How was the meeting?"

"G-good," she said. "Dr. Fauna...complimented me on the scarf...and they didn't seem suspicious of why I wore it..." She felt a familiar blush return to her cheeks. Discord grinned.

"Well...I thought since I almost made you late, I should make it up to you," he purred. "May I have...five more minutes of your time?"

She grinned, the blush spreading as she unwrapped the scarf from her neck. "Oh, you can have more than that," she said, tossing the scarf aside and leaping at him.

He caught her in his arms and brought her into a passionate kiss, rolling over and pinning her to the bed. She whined and squirmed as he began to kiss and nibble her neck once more...but leaned into all of his touches, and even left some bites of her own on his neck.

Her afternoon was free of obligations...so she allowed herself to give in to the throws of passion, and to drag Discord into them with her.

Leftovers Longing

Fluttershy opened the front door and stepped inside. "I'm home!" she called. There was no response. He must be busy, she thought, setting down her saddlebags and massaging her withers.

Her stomach growled, and she headed into the kitchen. I'll have a snack, rest on the couch for a bit, and then find Discord, she thought to herself. If I remember right, there should be some cheesecake left...

She opened the fridge door...and froze, staring into it. Nearly every shelf had been completely cleared, as well as the fruit compartments and the butter tray. Curiously, she picked up one of the drink cartons and found that it was very light, almost half-empty.

She blinked and glanced over at the counter, now noticing the slight mess that was there, and spilled on the stove. She searched the cupboards and found a lot of them picked over, too, though not in as bad of a state as the fridge.

She munched on an apple and fixed herself a piece of buttered toast, mulling over what to do. If he ate everything, she thought. He could be upset...or he might have just been really hungry or bored...but I should probably find where he is, to make sure he's okay.

With that in mind, she quickly finished her snack and washed it down with some ice water, then headed out of the kitchen and into the hallway. She opened every door and poked her head in, quietly calling his name.

She eventually found him in the statue room, sulking near a glass statue of him surfing on clouds, and drinking from a huge pot of stew. It bubbled and gave off an indescribable scent. She sighed and sat down next to him, though making sure to give him plenty of space.

"Discord?" she said. "You look troubled by something."

He grunted, scooping out some soup and drinking it. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing that matters, at least." He pushed the pot towards her. "Leftover stew?"

"No, thank you," she said. She placed her hoof near his hand. "But Discord...I don't think it's nothing. You look really upset."

He pouted, drinking two more spoonfuls of stew as he wrapped his paw around her hoof. "It's...this," he said finally, pulling a newspaper out of thin air with his tail and holding it out to her.

She carefully took it away from him, noting that parts of it had been cut into strings of snowflakes or drawn on in pen, with just the article in front left untouched.

"Cloudsdale Is Preparing For the First Annual Wind-Surfing Wonders Event," she read. Discord hissed and grumbled, and she closed her mouth, skimming the rest of the article in silence.

Once she was done, she carefully set it down. "So...it's hosted by the Wonderbolts, and only those who are known for their skills are invited to perform for the first year," she said. "Though anyone is welcome to come and watch..."

"Watch, eat little foods on platters, and make small talk, while only a group of chosen ponies gets to do the fun stuff?" he grunted. "Oh yes, that sounds just as exciting as surfing the high winds, doing battle with whatever puny thing those pegasi can cook up."

She frowned. "I know you're upset about this," she said. "But you don't have to be rude..."

"Upset!?" he squawked. "Upset!? Why would I be upset? I never got an invitation, but who cares? Not me!" He picked up the pot of stew and guzzled it, broth dripping down his chin.

She paused and waited as he continued ranting, wiping his muzzle with a handkerchief and sending the empty pot floating off somewhere (hopefully the kitchen). Once he had calmed down a bit, she shifted closer, catching his attention, and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"Discord," she said. "Remember what we talked about?"

"That pony events are stupid and not worth my time in the first place?" he grunted.

She shook her head, biting back a sigh. "Be honest," she said. "How do you feel?"

"That it's a stupid event!" he said. "A stupid event that I would have been really good at...and they didn't even bother sending me an invitation!" He stood up and began to pace. "I tackle their sandstorms and chase away tornadoes, but should I be given a chance to show off my skills? No! I use magic and not just my wings, so that automatically makes me bad, just like any other time I use my magic to do something!" He crossed his arms and fell to the ground, pouting.

She flew over and gently rubbed his back. "It's good that you're honest," she said. "And it's okay to be upset...though I'm sure they didn't snub you for any of those reasons." Discord snorted. "Really, I mean it. Remember how you told me your Gala ticket was late? It wasn't really anypony's fault you didn't get it right away...someone just made a mistake and got lost."

"Mistake or not," he grunted, "I'm not invited to compete, and I can't see the future and see if they'll keep not inviting me." He sat up, leaning close to her and nuzzling her shoulder. "I know it's a silly thing, but..."

"But you want to go and show off how good you are." She reached up to rub behind his ear, making him relax slightly, a quiet rumble coming from the back of his throat. "If you really want to go to this, you should talk to Rainbow," she said. "She's associated with the Wonderbolts, so maybe she can find you an invitation."

His head and ears both shot up, and a grin spread on his face, his eyes gleaming. "Yeeees," he said, his voice almost a hiss. "If I can get a invite from Rainbow, they'll regret that they never invited me in the first place!"

"Discord," she said sternly. "You'd better not be thinking about repeating what happened at the Gala...and the school."

He flinched, his plotting expression morphing into a guilty one. "...maybe just a little," he said. "Just small things like breaking their records for the next thousand years, maybe causing a bit of inclement weather, scaring a few of the rookies..."

She shook her head. "We've talked about that, too," she said. "Remember?"

He sighed and nodded, his ears drooping. "By doing things like that, to get back at them...it just makes them want to not invite me to any events in the future," he recited. "So if I want to go to events, and keep being included...I have to be on my best behavior."

She smiled and nodded. "That's right," she said. "And...even if we do talk to Rainbow, you might not be able to join. Everything could be set up already...but we can at least find out why you weren't invited. And we're not going to force her to put you on the roster. Understand?"

He sighed and nodded. "I understand. And...I guess I've never officially done wind-surfing competetively," he admitted. "That might be why I wasn't on whatever list they had..."

"Maybe," she said. She smiled and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "And, if it's worth anything...I've always thought you were the best at wind surfing. Even if watching you do it is a little scary..."

He looked at her, smiling softly. "...that's worth a lot," he said, placing his paw over her hoof. "And if it's worth anything to you...knowing you get worried about me when I do things like that feels...good, in a way." He blushed a little. "I-I mean, I hate to see you worry, but to know that you're worried about my safety feels...nice?"

She smiled and wrapped one wing around him. "Maybe you can show off you skills outside the event," she said. "I'm sure Rainbow would like to watch, too."

"Yeah...maybe I can even compete with her!" he said with a grin. "Oh, it'd be so fun...to clash against her, and see that smug look fall off of her face..."

She just chuckled and shook her head. "I'm glad you're feeling better about this," she says. "Maybe we can talk to Rainbow tomorrow, over lunch? About seeing why you weren't invited and asking her for a friendly contest."

"Sounds delightful," he said. "Though...I suppose if we're the ones hosting lunch, I should probably replenish what we had in the fridge."

"I can help with that," she said, standing up. Before she could get far, Discord grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling. "It's...hard to talk about...feelings," he said, his voice holding contempt for the word.

She just smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're welcome," she said. "And I really appreciate...how far you've come. In being able to admit that you feel hurt."

"Only because of you," he said, pulling away and booping her nose. She giggled and blushed. "Now, why don't we plan a four-and-a-half course meal that will stun Rainbow into inviting me?"

She laughed. "How do you make 'half' a course?" she asked, flying out of the room with him by her side.

"I have no idea!" he said cheerfully. "Let's try and figure it out!"

She laughed again. "Oh, Discord," she said. "You know that you're irreplaceable, right?"

"I know," he said with a hint of smugness...after hesitating and looking at her adoringly for a second. "And you're just as irreplaceable, Flutterbuddy." They flew in silence for a bit, both smiling at each other.

His eyes suddenly gleamed, and his grin spread. "Say...maybe you should try windsurfing with Rainbow and I!" he declared.

"W-what?" she said. "Don't be silly...I've never done it before. You two would easily win..."

"But it would be fun!" he declared. "And I could teach you some tricks...oooh, it would really sting Rainbow's pride if we both beat her!"

They continued this topic all the way to the kitchen, Fluttershy being unsure, while Discord repeated again how fun and chaotic it would be. She let out a sigh as he described in detail how windsurfing was so much better than plain flying...but still smiled at his enthusiasm. She interrupted his rant by leaning against him once they reached the kitchen, wrapping her forehooves around him.

"I'm...glad you're feeling better," was her explanation for the sudden gesture. Slowly, he wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her close. They eventually pulled apart, tapping their noses together before finally separating.

"Alright...so how do we make half a dish?" she said, walking over to the counter. "That seems like a good start for half of a course."

"I like the way you think," Discord said, stepping up next to her and summoning a cookbook. They poured over the pages together, leaning closer and closer to each other. The rest of the day passed by in a busy, fun-filled blur, mostly taken up by the two of them making crazy dishes together.

Creator's Block

All of the volunteers at the sanctuary had a handle on things, so Fluttershy decided to surprise Discord by going home for lunch. Everyone was such a hard worker—Lucky Clover had even learned how to feed all of the animals properly, and when assigned to work with friends, it was his favorite task.

She smiled at that thought as she flew through the portal and to the door. "I'm home!" she said as she stepped inside.

No response. He must be out, she thought with a sigh. But as she moved towards the kitchen, a subtle movement caught her eye.

She turned her head and saw that Discord was lying on the couch on the far wall, facing away from her. He had shifted on his side, his wings fluttering as he moved. "There you are," she said, flying over to him and placing her chin on his neck. "I thought it would be nice to have some lunch together."

"...'m not hungry," he mumbled.

She pulled away, tilting her head. "Discord...is something wrong? Are you sick?" She felt at his forehead, but his temperature wasn't any higher than usual.

"No..." he sighed, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling, his hands clasped over his stomach. "It's just..." he glanced at her. "It's nothing, really."

"Discord, you look and sound very upset about something," she said, sitting down on the floor. "Please tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can try to help."

He looked at her, his lip wavering. "Oh, Fluttershy!" he moaned, throwing his arms into the air. "I can't think of any new ideas for chaos!"

He flung his arms around her and buried his snout into her mane, making tiny whimpering sounds that broke her heart. "Discord," she said, patting his back. "You've been so chaotic the past few days! You fought off a sandstorm last week, and you told me you pranked some nobles last Sunday..."

"But it wasn't anything new," he bemoaned. "Fighting the sandstorm, it felt like fighting hundreds of other sandstorms, the same motions and quips. I used the same old pranks on the nobles as ever...even their reactions felt the same as ever!" He pulled away and gestured to the living room. "I mean, look at this room!"

Fluttershy did so. The purple walls with wavy stripes, the one wall that was blue with pink polka dots. The couch and grandfather clock on the ceiling, with a gem chandelier. The fuzzy neon green rug on the floor, covering the pink carpet. A blue couch and orange armchair, plus the couch Discord was spread on. A donut swing, a tree with melting clocks on its branches, and a mirror were shoved into the corners of the room. The windows were covered by knit pink curtains, and various paintings and framed photos were hanging on the walls.

"What do you mean?" she said. "This room looks very chaotic."

He groaned. "But I haven't changed anything about it for a month. A month! The only change is that we added that new painting." He pointed to a painting of the sanctuary, Fluttershy surrounded by all of her little forest critters as she sang a song to them.

"But you've made some changes to other parts of the house," she said, and started to count on her hooves. "You expanded the memory museum, added a new statue to your statue collection, put new furniture in the Cloud Lounge..."

He waved her off. "Not very big feats of chaos, those. The memory museum just got a little bigger so there was space between exhibits. That statue isn't really new, it's just something I liked in one of the noble's gardens, so I copied it with a few tweaks. And the new furniture was a cloud chaise and cabinet—not really anything exciting."

He sighed and laid back on the couch. "And besides...I haven't done anything to the house in a week." His fists squeezed shut. "Maybe...I've lost my creative spark."

Fluttershy pressed her muzzle into his neck. "That's not true!" she said. "You're the most chaotic, creative being I've ever known! I just know that you'll be coming up with new ideas again soon."

He sighed, staring up petulantly at the ceiling again. "I'm still not very hungry," he said. "But I can make lunch for you." He snapped his fingers, and a notepad and pen appeared in his hands. "But I'd appreciate some time alone...to brainstorm and mope."

"Oh...okay," she said. "Could I have a salad, then, please?" He snapped his fingers and pointed to the kitchen. She nodded and walked away, glancing over her shoulder to see him pressing the pen into the notepad, but not writing anything.

She sighed as she ate her salad, trying to think of a way to help him.

When she finished her salad, she came out to see that Discord was still moping, a few crumpled pieces of paper scattered around him on the floor. He glanced up at her, then looked back to his notepad. "Back to the sanctuary, I presume?" he said.

She shuffled her hooves. "Actually, I...I want to stay and help you." His ears pricked up, and he turned to look at her. "Sometimes...I run out of creativity, too. I'd like to help you get past it," she said.

Discord chewed on the end of his pen, mumbling under his breath as blue ink spilled onto his lips. He glanced between her and the notepad. "Can you give me, say...another half hour to figure this out?" he said. "You can use that time to prepare...whatever your plan is. And that might be enough time that I can figure something out myself."

I'm not sure you will, she thought. But she nodded and said aloud, "Alright. I'm going to head into town for a bit, then."

He grunted, already pressing his pen against the notepad and glaring down at it. She paused for a few seconds, watching him worriedly, before shaking her head and turning to fly through one of the portals outside, scooping up the saddlebags by the front door.

She came back about twenty minutes later, only to find Discord hanging upside-down from the ceiling, his scowl even deeper, with even more crumpled pieces of paper around him. She took a quick look, and noticed that most of the papers were either covered in scribbles, or just soaked in a puddle of blue ink.

She quickly left the room, Discord not even acknowledging that she had been there, and started boiling a pot of tea in the kitchen. She quickly threw together a few peanut butter and pickle sandwiches for them to snack on, then flew out of the room to gather some paper, crayons, and markers, stuffing them inside her saddlebag with the other items she had collected.

With that done, she quietly snuck between the kitchen and living room, setting up the tea kettle, teacups, and sugar bowl on the table, before finally placing the sandwiches down, with the crusts on a separate plate.

She glanced over at the grandfather clock. A half-hour had passed since she and Discord had last spoken. She carefully approached him, then coughed into her hoof. He jolted, dropping his notepad and pen.

"It's been half an hour," she said. "May I please start helping you?"

He pursed his lips, then groaned and drifted to the ground. "Yes, please," he said. "I haven't had a single good, chaotic idea this entire time." He pressed an ice pack against his head. "It's honestly quite aggravating."

She sat down and placed a hoof gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said, brushing her lips delicately against his temples. "Why don't we both sit down and have a nice tea party together?"

He stared at her blankly. "Um. How does that help with my problem?" He shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, it sounds lovely. But...I really want to fix the problem first."

She hugged his neck. "I know, sweetie. But trust me, taking a break, even a short one, will help you." His eyes were flicking between the tea party and his notepad. "Plus, I promise that after the tea party, I'll help you do something chaotic."

That was enough to convince him. With a groan, he was pulled onto his feet like a puppet on strings, and floated over to the table. He laid himself on the couch while Fluttershy poured him a cup of tea. He took a small sip, nibbling on one of the sandwich crusts.

"How long would you like for this tea party of ours to be?" he said, dipping his crust into his teacup.

She had just finished pouring her own cup and sat down. "Oh, well...I suppose as long as it needs to be," she said. "Maybe until we drink all of the tea?"

He nodded slowly, then picked up the tea kettle and opened his mouth, tilting it as though about to pour it in his mouth. "Don't do it," she said in a warning tone.

"'Y not?" he said, mouth still open.

"First, that tea is boiling hot—you'll burn your throat!" His eyes widened, and he slowly closed his mouth and began setting the pot down. "Second, I...want you to take a break, to not think about your troubles for a while."

He carefully set the kettle back down, and began crunching away at a sandwich. They sipped their tea and nibbled on the sandwiches, Fluttershy petting his neck and arm as he ate, nuzzling him when his expression became particularly troubled.

Time passed, and there were only crumbs of sandwiches and dregs of tea left. Discord still had frown lines around his eyes, but there was a soft smile on his face, and he looked much less tense.

She gathered up the dishes, kissing Discord on the cheek as she flew back into the kitchen and carefully dropping them into the sink. She paused in the doorway for a second, watching Discord as he lounged on the couch.

He was smiling with his eyes closed, but his tail was trashing, his hands curling and uncurling. It's still bothering him, she thought with a frown. He's not going to rest until we fix this.

She stepped into the room, getting his attention by kissing his forehead. "Now that we've taken a break," she said as he opened his eyes, "Why don't we redecorate the living room?"

He nodded and flicked his hand, shuffling the furniture in the room before laying back on the couch. She sighed and shook her head.

"A complete redecoration," she said. "You were upset that you haven't changed it in so long, right?" She pulled some blank papers out of her saddlebag. "Well, now sounds like a good time to fix that."

The table had been replaced with a loveseat, so she spread the papers on the floor, placing the markers and crayons next to them. "I'd like to help you figure out some new ideas for the room," she said, "If you'd like me to help, that is."

Discord humped, sliding off of the couch and rolling over next to her. "I suppose," he said. "Although you're probably going to have much more chaotic ideas than I am, at this rate."

She frowned, rubbing a hoof on top of his head. "Well, why don't we start with the walls?" she said. "They should all be different colors if we want them to be chaotic, right?"

"And different patterns," he added. "But I just don't know what colors to use... there are only so many colors before you start repeating yourself."

"That's why I made a stop in town!" Fluttershy said, grabbing her saddlebags and dumping the contents on the floor. Paper color samples fell to the ground and spread out. "I got these from a home improvement store. Oh, and..." she shook the bag, and some catalogs fell on top. "I grabbed some of their furniture catalogs, too. Maybe they'll give you some ideas."

He grunted, already shifting through the color samples. "Blissful Cherry Blossom? Burning Passion? Ocean's Love?" he read as he held up a pink, red, and blue sample. "Is there a pony out there whose job is to give colors fanciful names?"

She giggled. "Maybe. Are there any colors that stick out to you?"

He hummed, tossing each sample to one side or the other. "I suppose these ones are nice," he said, holding a handful of them out to her. "Bashful Blush, Custard Yellow, Prideful Purple, Seafoam Blue, and Mocha Brown," he said.

She nodded. "Those do look nice," she said. "Now we just need to figure out which ones go on which walls, and figure out the patterns."

He grunted and grabbed a paper, scribbling on it with a marker. "What about..." In one corner, he drew wavy stripes, in another polka dots, and in another, one giant circle. "And leave the last one just one solid color," he said, tossing away the marker.

"But that's..." she quickly counted in her head. "Seven colors. Do you want to repeat two of the ones you picked, then?"

"Ehh..." he said, leaning his cheek against his fist. "That's not very chaotic. Why don't you pick two colors, Flutters?"

She hummed, sifting through the pile. "These two," she said. "Ruby Red and Sunshine Gold."

He nodded and placed them with the colors he had chosen, taping them as a pile to the paper he had scribbled on. "So we have the walls now," he said, rolling onto his back. "What now?"

"Let's figure out furniture," she said, grabbing one of the catalogs and handing a marker to Discord. "Circle anything that you like. Oh, and after that, we can think about the carpet and drapes."

He nodded and shifted to lay behind her, looking over her shoulder at the catalog. She leaned back against him and flipped through the catalog, pausing every so often to point something out to Discord. He would usually shrug and scribble something on a nearby piece of paper, and would less often circle the item.

Time passed, with Fluttershy pointing things out, and Discord drawing things on the pieces of paper. Every so often, Fluttershy would circle something she liked. Eventually, Fluttershy reached over for another catalog, only to find empty carpet. "I guess that was the last one," she said. "Do you want to go through the furniture ideas we picked? To see what we want to put in the room?"

"Sure," he said, whipping out a pair of scissors and slicing through the catalogs, snatching only a few small, circled furniture pieces out of the air. "To be honest...not many things in here seemed that great."

"You drew a lot of furniture ideas, though," she said, pointing to the paper next to him.

"I suppose so," he said with a shrug. "But enough of that, let's figure out which ones to use."

They brought all of their ideas into one pile, pouring over them and discussing each one in turn. Discord rejected a few ideas, both his and hers, while she politely said that a few of his choices might not be a good idea to have in the living room...like the glass tree with needles sharpened to small spikes. "Maybe in a...different room, for Hearth's Warming," she said.

He had nodded and set it aside, bringing out his next furniture idea. As they worked, he folded several pieces of paper into the shape of a rectangular room, folding out the walls and the ceiling so they could peer inside. He colored the walls and floor with crayon, and added plastic replicas of the furniture they chose into the room, adjusting them until he was satisfied.

A few hours later, they had gone through all of their ideas, and filled the replica room with furniture. Discord looked at the design they had made. "Are you happy with this? Any more revisions you'd like to make?" he asked, raising his fingers into a snapping position.

She nodded. "Are you happy with it?"

"It's chaotic enough for me," he said. "Besides, I can always make changes if we choose." He snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy was blinded by a bright light.

Once she had blinked the spots out of her eyes, she turned and took in the new living room.

Each of the walls had a different color and pattern, the ones they had chosen. The carpet was now thicker, and a bright neon pink color. A 'welcome' mat (bright orange) was right by the door, and the drapes were all a different color and pattern, from plaid to tye-dye. But not even the curtains on the same window matched in color or pattern.

As for furniture...a pendulum clock swung from side to side on one wall of the room. There were two couches, one white and one black, alternating positions every few seconds from the floor to the ceiling. An ornate crystal table was on the floor, gleaming, with an image of a triumphant Discord carved into it. A few new paintings were on the walls (though the one of her in the sanctuary was still there), along with some photos of the two of them—some in ornate gold and silver frames, others in wooden, handpainted ones. A glass pillar in the corner glowed bright orange, pink blobs rising in it like a large lava lamp.

These were the things that first struck her, and the more she looked, the more chaos she saw. She smiled and reached over to gently brush Discord's shoulder. "It's...wonderfully chaotic," she said, staring at a tree in the corner whose leaves keep changing from cherry blossoms to wisps of cotton candy.

"I suppose..." he said with a sigh, getting up onto his feet. "Thank you for the tea and for helping me decorate, Flutterbuddy," he said. "But now, I should really focus on the problem at hand."

"You mean, your lack of ideas?" she said.

He grunted and crossed his arms. "You don't have to rub salted lemon juice into the wounds, my dear."

She shook her head. "Discord...look at this room. What did you spend the last few hours doing?"

He glanced around halfheartedly. "Yeah, sure, I redecorated," he said. "But you were helping me! Doesn't count."

"What about all of these?" she said, holding out the furniture ideas he decided not to use. "You were the one who came up with all of these. You can't say I helped you here."

He carefully took the papers, looking at each one in turn. "Yes, I...I came up with these," he said. "And...there's more ideas! I can expand on all of these, make great things!" He frantically scribbled on the papers in marker and crayon.

He froze and looked up at her. "How did—did you know this would work?"

She rubbed at her foreleg. "I hoped it would. I've always found that...it can be hard to think of new ideas. But I've learned that some of the best things to help your creativity are to start with small things, and to take breaks so that you aren't so worried about things."

"I just...tried my best to do both of those things. Take your mind off of things, and then help you start small," she said. "And...you said you have lots of ideas!"

"Oh, yes!" he said. "I was so focused on simply doing something, I didn't consider that taking a break would make things better!" He snapped his fingers and created a teapot with bat wings, which fluttered its way into the kitchen. "My dear, you were absolutely right!"

She smiled. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Much better!" he said, nuzzling the top of her head. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry I was such a grump to you. Allow me to make it up to you with dinner." He bowed low, a plaid waiter's suit flashing onto his body.

She glanced at the pendulum clock, taking a few seconds to read the time. "Not for another hour," she said. "You have a lot of ideas now, right? Why don't you cause a little chaos before dinner?"

"That sounds fantastic!" he said, scooping her up into his arms and giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in an hour, my love!" He placed her back on the ground with a bouquet of flowers in her hooves before doing a backward summersault out the door.

She stood by the front window and watched as he swam through the air, snapping his fingers and adding new things to the dimension, like a glass house on one of the nearby islands, an octopus that swam through the air next to him, changing colors as it went, and a rubber road to nowhere, before he dived downwards and out of her sight, leaving a trail of musical notes behind him.

She smiled softly and looked at the bouquet he had handed her, whose flowers were made of crystal. Curious, she lowered her muzzle and sniffed, realizing they still had the perfume of normal flowers. She could see her reflection in the petals, and saw that Discord had left a large lipstick mark where he had kissed her.

She chuckled, glancing back out the window. "You're never going to run out of ideas," she said. "I just know it." She sat down and watched as a series of fireworks lit up the sky, the largest one a heart with her and Discord's faces inside of it.

Gone Batty

Discord watched as Fluttershy munched on her third apple of the morning.

For the last few days, she had eaten...a great deal of apples. More than she normally would, even ignoring other fruits and vegetables in favor of them. It was odd, and the more he thought about it, the more it...bothered him.

"Flutters," he said, nibbling on a chocolate-covered pickle. "You've been eating...a lot of apples lately. Is something up?"

She paused as she was reaching for yet another apple. "I'm...not sure," she said, lowering her hoof. "I just...really want to eat apples." She eyed the fruit basket between them, her eyes gleaming. He swore that she was drooling just the slightest bit.

He teleported to her side of the table, making her jump a little in surprise. "Hmm," he said, lifting an apple and inspecting it. "Perhaps there's something up with the apple crop this year?" He sniffed it, and prepared to take a small bite.

"My apple!" Fluttershy suddenly hissed at him. For a split second, her eyes looked redder than normal, her teeth just a little sharper. She flew up and snatched the apple out of his hands, quickly taking a bite and making a slurping sound.

"...I don't think it's the apples that are the...oddity," he said slowly as she alternated between biting the apple and slurping at its juice.

Slowly, her eyes widened and her ears flattened, and she dropped the apple. "Oh my...Discord, I'm so sorry!" she said, looking and sounding close to tears. "I...I don't know what's happening to me. But I...I need apples!"

"It's okay, it's okay," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing circles on her back. "We can figure this out. This is an oddity, and I know oddities."

He pressed the palm of his paw against her chest and closed his eyes, letting his magic slowly flow through her body. She shivered a little, but didn't protest.

"Hmm," he said as he processed what his magic was telling him. "There's nothing physically happening to you...the cause might be magical in nature." He frowned. "Whatever it is, I think all those apples made it recede for now...I'll look a little later."

"Why would something magical be happening to me?" she asked, sounding worried.

"Oh, there's plenty of reasons!" Discord said. A blackboard appeared in front of them, covered in complex chalk drawings. "The time of the year, overflow from a careless caster, eating something odd...there's plenty of magical things that can happen to ponies by chance in Equestria."

Her eyes slowly widened as she tried to absorb what he was saying along with what was written on the board. "But!" he said. "We can narrow it down a lot. The only careless caster around here is me, and if you had chaos magic in you...well, we'd both know. It'd be much more...obvious." He paused, then shook it off. "And the only odd food is stuff I make, none of which is directly magical."

"Sooo..." he said, holding up a calendar. "The main culprit is probably the time of the year. I'll look for anything odd going on in the next few days." He opened the calendar. "The time you spend in Equestria would expose you to anything celestial, planetary, lunar..."

He showed the calendar to her, pointing at a square just a few days away. On it, there was a picture of the yellow full moon with an 'H' written in it, and it was decorated with red and orange leaves. "Hmm...the autumnal equinox coinciding with a harvest moon could be doing it," he said. "Though I don't know why that would affect you...that should only have effects on magic and spells. Not directly on ponies."

"...what kinds of magic?" she asked.

"Unicorn, kirin, changeling, yadda yadda," he said. "Magic of creatures who use horns to channel it. Most of them won't notice...but if anyone casts a big spell, they're going to find that it's much easier to do in a few days." He leaned in to whisper, "That's why so many rituals 'have' to be cast then...to get that extra boost in power."

He pulled back and huffed, stroking his beard. "But...it shouldn't affect pegasi at all. Even if it did, I don't see why your temper would be influenced, or why you would crave things."

She frowned. "If...someone had traces of an alicorn spell in them, even if they weren't a unicorn or alicorn...would the equinox affect them?"

"Possibly," he said, clicking his tongue. "Depends on what kind of spell it is..." His eyes widened, and his ears flicked up. "Do you...think it's related to the Apple Orchard Bat Incident?"

"It could be," she said. "But...I haven't become Flutterbat in years. Is it still possible for the magic to still...?"

"Be there? Absolutely," he said. "Whether it's affected by the equinox, though...that's a good question." He snapped his fingers, and several green lights scanned her body. She inhaled deeply and stood very still as they passed over her.

As the lights scanned, a rectangular machine covered in blinking lights appeared and began printing off a long roll of paper...marked with binary instead of with words. Discord grabbed it and began to read.

"Hmm," he said. "There's definitely some alicorn magic here...Twilight's. Transformation magic with a bit of desire magic thrown in for flavor."

"Flutterbat?" she asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Yep," he said. "And it's flaring up a bit...I'd say there's a good chance the equinox is affecting it." He frowned in thought. "It might actually come out completely once the day arrives..."

"...can we remove it?" she asked. "I know Twilight tried to, but..."

"She did a rush job," he said. "It was late, she was tired, it was a new spell to her. She removed most of the magic, and decreased the triggers...probably increased your lucidity if you ever relapsed."

"I...did manage to keep control once," she said. "During the night of living apples..." He stared at her blankly, and she glanced away. "It was...a strange adventure. Though not memorable."

"How many adventures have you been on at this point?" he asked. "And I can't believe you didn't tell me more about living apples! For shame."

He shook his head. "Anyway! At this point, removing the magic is probably a bad idea. Your body has acclimated to it, and I don't want to hurt you by pulling it out." He poked her chest. "It's probably safe in there...especially since it's taking a pretty big magical phenomenon to draw it out again."

"So...what should I do?" she asked. "If it's coming out..." He frowned in thought and stroked his beard.

"So...two options," he said a few moments later. "The first: I could alter the time and space of Chaosville to cancel out any effects the equinox is causing you. You might feel uncomfortable for the day, and you'll probably crave apples for the next few..." He messed with an abacus. "Months...but you'll be in total control of yourself for the day."

"And...the other option?" she asked.

"We do nothing, and let the equinox bring out the desire magic-fueled transformation," he said. "A warning, though: if it's been a while since you've last used it, it'll likely induce a full transformation. And it's...highly unlikely you'll be able to keep control of it."

"...I need to think about this," she said after a few seconds. "How many days do I have to decide?"

"The equinox isn't for three more days," he said. "But...the sooner we start option one, the less uncomfortable it will be for you."

She nodded in understanding. Her wings twitched a little. "...do we have any apple cider? Or juice?" she asks, licking her lips.

He snapped his fingers and created a large wooden mug, filled to the brim with cider. Before he could hand it to her, she snatched it away and chugged the entire contents.

"Whatever you choose, I'll give you plenty of apples and apple juice," he said, drawing a gold 'X' over his heart.

"Thank you..." she said, sounding a little embarrassed. "Could I...have some more?"

He smiled and snapped his fingers, refilling the mug and creating a plate of warm apple pie in front of her place at the table. She eagerly ate and drank the apple creations.

"Discord," she said the next day, nibbling on dried apple slices to fend off her cravings. Based on how many she was eating, it didn't seem to be working the greatest. "I think that...I want to go with the second option."

"Hmm?" he said, looking up from the durian he had been staring at. "You mean...letting yourself turn into a batpony for the day?"

She slowly nodded. "Will you...keep me from causing trouble as Flutterbat?" she asked. "If I transform and then stay in Chaosville, then...no creature will get hurt or scared by me."

"Of course," he said. "I'll let you take out an apple tree or two, then bring you back home!"

"No," she said sternly. "I don't want to take out any apple trees!" She shifted, licking her lips. "...okay, maybe I do. But I don't!"

He patted her head. "I understand," he said. "I was just teasing...mostly. I won't actually wait for you to take out anyone's crops. Staying in Chaosville through the whole transformation it is!"

She smiled, visibly relaxing. She reached for another dried apple slice, frowning as she nibbled on it. He snapped his fingers and made a real, juicy apple next to her, which she eagerly began devouring.

He smiled. Even without causing some damage for some farmers...this will still be fun and chaotic.

Discord and Fluttershy both woke up on the day of the equinox with trepidation.

During breakfast, she didn't even have to ask before he made several all-apple dishes, with a glass of apple cider on the side. She thanked him before quickly tucking in. She seemed hungry than usual, and her mane looked ruffled, like she hadn't slept well.

When breakfast was done, Discord stood up and tore a portal to Equestria in front of him. "The...transformation will happen faster if we go here," he said, gesturing forward. "The sooner we start this, the...more comfortable you'll be, I think."

She nodded, already stepping towards the portal as though drawn forward by something. "...we'll come right back?"

"I promise."

With that, she took a deep breath and stepped through the portal. He followed right behind her, glancing up at the sky. The only difference from a normal fall day was the faint outline of a yellow moon in the sky...though Fluttershy was quite fixated on it.

She sat down, still staring at the moon. He sat in a beanbag chair next to her, tangling his fingers in her mane. She sighed and leaned into his touch.

After a few minutes of waiting, during which Fluttershy kept shifting uncomfortably, she said, "I...I think it's starting..." As she said this, he noticed the gleam of her teeth, sharper and shinier than usual.

"Time to go," he said in a hushed yet calm voice. He scooped her into his arms, and with a swish of his tail, they teleported back into their living room.

"C-cordy," she said, her entire body shaking. Her eyes were closed tightly.

"It's okay," he said, stroking her mane. "I'm here. I'm here."

She pressed herself against him, and her shaking subsided a little...though the expression on her face said that this clearly wasn't pleasant.

He watched carefully as her body slowly began to change. Her feathers receded, leaving behind leathery wings. Her ears twitched rapidly, shifting until they were longer and furrier. Even her cutie mark changed into bats as white fangs poked out from behind her lips.

Finally, her eyes snapped open. She glared at him with bright red, animalistic eyes, and loudly hissed at him, showing off her impressive fangs.

"Oh, you are just wonderfully chaotic!" Discord said cheerfully, cradling the batpony close to him and stroking her cheek. She hissed and struggled, biting his paw.

He winced and laughed. "Ow...your teeth are certainly sharp now!" he said cheerfully as she tried sinking her teeth in a few more times. Each time, he winced, but kept up his grin and held her close to him.

Eventually, she gave up biting him, an expression of plain confusion on her face. "Aww, is somebat not used to creatures not being scared of her?" he cooed, lightly pinching her cheek. She hissed at him and tried to bite again. This time, he managed to pull away in time. "I love you, darling, but I'd rather not lose a finger. Ha ha!"

He teased her for a few more minutes, as she struggled and tried to bite him (succeeding quite a few times). He kept up his laughing and teasing, only stopping long enough to lean against a wall to catch his breath, still chuckling. He smiled and looked down at the batpony in his arms.

Her ears were drooping, and she was still squirming. His heart panged a bit. Even if she had changed, this was still his Fluttershy, and he was plainly making her uncomfortable. So with a sigh, he snapped his fingers to lock all of the doors and windows...and let go of his hold on her.

As soon as he had done so, she hissed and flew into a dark corner. She hung upside-down from a shelf and wrapped her wings around herself, glaring at him. "I know, I know," he said, wrapping a bit of gauze around his hand. "I should have respected that you were unhappy and let you go in the first place. But these bites," he waved his wrapped paw at her, "are a pretty good punishment for that, don't you think?"

She hissed, and he couldn't tell whether she was agreeing or disagreeing with him. He sighed and sat on the couch, far away from her. "So...you were made when Twilight accidentally allowed some magic to spill over," he said conversationally. "That Stare of yours is quite unique...enough that I suppose even the magicallest pretty pony princess forgets to account for it."

Flutterbat just kept glaring at him. He sighed and flopped back on the couch. "Ugh, I thought watching over your wild side would be interesting," he said. "But you're just going to glare at me the whole time?" She hissed lightly. "And hiss, how could I forget?"

She kept glaring at him. He stared back. After a few minutes of this staredown, he felt quite bored. He grinned a bit to himself, knowing exactly how to spice things up a little.

He snapped his fingers and created an apple in his hand.

Immediately, Flutterbat hissed and dropped from the shelf, darting towards him. He lobbed the fruit high into the air, and she flew up in an arc to catch it in her mouth. She quickly sucked it dry and spat the dried husk at him. It bounced off of his forehead, and he grinned.

"This should be fun," he said, making another apple, this time a pink one. She eyed it and him warily.

As soon as it was tossed into the air, she dove for it and drank it dry, as well. He grinned and continued lobbing apples of different types and colors into the air, along with a few other types of fruit.

A few times, she grabbed one of the oranges or grapefruits instead of an apple. Each time, she spat it out with disgust with a loud hiss, sometimes tossing them at his face. He didn't mind as he was pelted with fruits—it didn't bother him, and it seemed to satisfy her.

But the more apples he tossed up for her, the less she flung things at him (except for the non-apples he tossed up to mess with her). After a while, his arms were getting a bit tired from throwing and his fingers from snapping, so he stopped with a sigh and laid down on the couch, snuggling into a decorative pillow Fluttershy had made.

He heard her land on the ground. He didn't think much of it until he heard her hoofsteps approaching. He turned around, and she jumped back a foot or so, her wings flaring out.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Slowly, she lowered her wings and cautiously approaching, eyeing him curiously. She stopped in front of the couch, and he watched her with an eyebrow raised.

She leaned close, her nose twitching as she sniffed at him. "I don't have any more apples on me," he said, sitting up a little. As soon as he spoke up, she hissed at him again and flew away, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, laying back down on the couch. Hmm. How does she manage to bond with skittish critters? he thought. Give them space until they approach...I did that. Don't spook them off...I did do that on accident.

He stroked his beard for awhile. Then, his eyes lit up, and a lava lamp appeared above his head. "That's it!" he said. He snapped his fingers several times, creating multiple apples.

He rolled them down the hallways and into the dark corners of the house like bowling balls, placing one apple just a few feet away from the couch he was lying on. With that done, he leaned back, summoning a book from the library to keep himself entertained while he waited.

A few hours and two books later, his patience was rewarded. He heard the soft flapping of bat wings as Flutterbat entered the room, gliding over towards the apple he left out. Slowly, he closed his book and laid down, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

She sniffed the apple, and then her long tongue whipped out and snapped it up. Just a few seconds later, she spat out the dried husk of the apple...and her head turned to him.

He did his best to stay absolutely still. Slowly, she landed on the ground and approached him, her nose twitching. He stayed as still as a statue (as uncomfortable as the analogy made him), even as she stood just inches away, still sniffing at him.

"Rrr," she said as she sniffed his neck. "Rrr?"

"Rrr," he growled back. She flinched a little, her wings flaring up a bit. He clamped his mouth shut, but she hadn't run away yet.

After a few moments of hesitation, she continued her inspection of him, lightly growling all the while. She seemed satisfied with whatever she noticed, as she lightly pressed her nose against his cheek. "Mmm...my."

His ears twitched. "What?" he asked quietly.

"My...mine," she said in a growling voice. "Mine." She pressed her nose more firmly against his cheek.

His cheeks flushed, and he couldn't stop his ears from wriggling and his tail from wagging. Fluttershy calling him hers—her husband, her draconequus, her Discord—it was one of the things that still always got to him. With her thinking of him as hers, even in her animalistic state...

"Yours," he said, leaning slightly to press into her touch. He could feel the hint of a fanged smile on her muzzle.

With a light growl, she laid next to him, tucking her legs underneath her. She leaned against him, closing her eyes. "Aww, is somebat tired?" he cooed, brushing her mane. Even as messy as it looked, it was still just as soft.

"Sss," she hissed. She didn't even bother opening her eyes, and only showed a little of her fangs. She snuggled into his chest, her breathing slowly becoming even.

He smiled softly, rubbing the top of her head. She hissed slightly, giving the tiniest of snores. He chuckled a little bit. Even with desire magic filling her mind, she was still his precious Fluttershy.

He shifted so he was lying on his side, and draped an arm over her. She growled a little, but not in a warning manner. She even snuggled a little closer to him as he tucked his snout into her mane.

"Sweet dreams, my batty little pony," he murmured, lightly kissing her forehead. She mumbled sleepily, almost sounding like her usual self. He smiled and closed his eyes. Though things hadn't been as wild and chaotic as he had imagined, this was still a wonderful result in his eyes.

Snuggly Wuggly

Discord slammed open the door to Fluttershy's old cottage as the wind howled, threatening to rip the handle from his grip. He quickly ushered in Fluttershy, who was bundled up in a coat, scarf, boots, and hat, before rushing inside and slamming the door shut behind him, sliding a deadlock into place.

"Phew!" he said, wiping sweat off of his brow. "I guess Cloudsdale lost control of one of their winds...I hope our snowdraconequui army can stay standing through this."

"I'm sure they can," Fluttershy said, peeling the winter apparel off of her body and heading over to the fireplace. "We made them...and no draconequus would be knocked down by a just a gust of wind." She smiled at him and winked.

He laughed and floated over to join her as she began kindling a fire. "True that," he said, leaning against the wall and watching her work.

She seemed to be struggling a bit, as her hooves were shaking from the cold. "Want me to do it?" he asked, raising his fingers into a snapping position.

"N-no, you should relax," she said, her teeth chattering a little. "You...you did a lot outside. You must be tired."

He shrugged. "Well...alright. One thing first, though!" He reached out and grabbed her forehooves, rubbing at them with his hands and blowing on them a few times. He slowly felt them warm up a bit...though that could have just been her blush.

Once her hooves felt less cold and didn't seem to be shaking as much, he released them and bowed. "Proceed," he said, floating over to and flopping on the couch.

She continued kindling the small flame. With her hooves shaking less, she managed to turn the small ember into a moderate-sized fire, one that added a bit of heat to the room. Discord sighed as the heat hit him, using his magic to push the couch a bit closer to the fireplace.

He patted the space next to him, and Fluttershy eagerly sat next to him, leaning against his side. With a snap of his fingers, a large knitted blanket draped over the two of them...made of all sorts of clashing colors, and a few clumsy stitches at one end.

Fluttershy lifted the end that looked clumsy and smiled fondly at it. "I remember teaching you knitting..." she said. "That was fun."

"It was," he said with a smile. "And I vastly—and quickly—improved! Though that's probably because I had the best teacher ever." He ruffled her mane, making her blush and giggle.

He reached over and adjusted the blanket to be more tightly wrapped around Fluttershy. She shifted and leaned more of her weight against him, sighing as her eyes drifted closed.

"Cozy?" he asked with a grin.

"Very..." she murmured, snuggling into his thick fur. He smiled and ruffled her mane again, a bit more gently this time. She cooed and leaned a bit into his touch.

He smiled warmly, drinking in the sight of her. Her nose was a bit red, and her cheeks were flushed. Her mane was messy, and there were clumps of snow stuck in it (and her fur), though they were slowly melting away.

To him, she was the picture of beauty and perfection.

He leaned forward and pressed his nose against her forehead. She smiled, but playfully pushed him away. "Your nose is cold!" she protested, though there was a hint of mirth in her eyes.

"I could say the same about your head!" he countered, clutching his nose and glaring in mock offense. She giggled. "Us both being too cold to touch...this cannot stand!"

He snapped his fingers and created two mugs of cocoa—both topped with whipped marshmallow cream, but one with chili powder mixed in and the other with a hint of mint flavoring.

"Here," he said, placing the mint cocoa in her hooves. She accepted it and took a long, slow sip, smiling in appreciation. When she lowered her mug, there was a cream mustache on her upper lip.

He snickered and took a sip of his own cocoa, enjoying the kick the spice gave it. "You have a little something...right here," he said, pointing to his own lip.

She blinked, and then tried to look at where the cream was, becoming a bit cross-eyed in the process. His grin only widened. She stuck out her tongue and tried to lick away the offending cream, but her tongue wasn't nearly long enough to get the patches closest to her nose.

"Oh, I'll help you," he said, playfully rolling his eyes a bit. He leaned forward and licked the cream off of her nose. His long tongue caught it all by the second lick, but he did it two more times, just to be...sure.

And because she giggled each time, and he could feel her nose twitching at his touch...

He smiled and pulled away, licking his lips. "Mmm. Nothing like a Fluttershy to go with cocoa," he said with a wink. She blushed a bright red, and he saw her feathers puff up a bit. He grinned smugly in victory and took another sip of his cocoa.

Fluttershy took several more sips, keeping her eyes trained on him as her blush slowly died down. "...you have something here," she said quietly, pointing to her lip.

He blinked and looked down at his nose, frowning in confusion. "No, I don't..."

"Yes you do," she said, leaning a bit closer. "Let me...help you get it." Just as he realized her plan, she hoisted herself up and began softly licking his snout and cheek.

He froze—at first in shock, and then in a desire to not spook her away. This probably wasn't normal, but...it was Fluttershy, showing a strange form of affection to try and get a rise out of him! And it was working, oh how it was working...especially when her little licks slowly morphed into little soft kisses, making his heart tumble in his chest. He swallowed, making a mental note to recover it later from wherever it had ended up tumbling to.

After some time (but still too soon), she pulled away and again relaxed against his side. "I think I got it all," she said with a little bit of smugness. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit, using a handkerchief to wipe the hints of a blush off of his face.

"I'd say you did," he said. "Would the fair mare like a reward for doing so?"

Her ears twitched as she sipped her cocoa. "...what's the reward?"

"Standard hero's reward," he said. "I'll give you a little taste of it..." He bent his neck and pecked her on the lips, applying just the slightest hint of pressure before pulling away again.

"Accept in the next ten seconds and get a free platter of peanut butter crackers!" he said cheerfully. The platter appeared, hovering in the air next to them. "This offer lasts for a limited time, so—"

Before he could continue his spiel, she pressed her own lips against his, with just as light of a pressure as he had used. She slowly pulled away and smiled up at him...her eyes sparkling, her frost-coated lashes making them seem bigger and brighter than usual...

"You had me at the kiss," she said softly, tracing a hoof along his neck. His ears wriggled, and his tail gave a tiny wag. He sighed and leaned into her touch.

She continued her soft touches, slowly placing her half-drank cocoa on the coffee table. "...are you warm enough?" she asked quietly. "Or do you want to relax a little more first?"

He blinked, looking between her and his cocoa. With one swift motion, he lifted the mug to his lips and drank it all in one gulp, then sighed and tossed the empty mug aside.

"We can have more cocoa later," he said. "But for now...I have my eye on a tastier treat." Fluttershy blushed, and he grinned and began to pepper her face with soft kisses. In the back of his mind, he remembered to shift the blanket to cover the both of them and keep them both warm.

Somehow, they ended up in a position where she was lying on top of him, snuggling into his fur and occasionally placing soft kisses there, as he kissed her face and ears, the blanket still covering both of them.

He sighed and let himself relax against the couch for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of Fluttershy just...being there, pressed against him, sharing affection. He heard her sigh softly, and felt her curl up against his chest.

He glanced up and saw that she had her eyes closed, and looked very content to use him as a pillow. He smiled and rubbed behind her ear, which got a smile out of her. "I love you, my soft snuggly pegasus," he cooed.

"I love you too," she said, opening her eyes slightly to peer at and grin at him. "...my cuddly draconequus."

"Shh," he said, pressing a finger to her lips. "That's a secret to everyone but us." She giggled and nodded slightly, shifting until she was completely comfortable.

He adjusted the blanket so that it wouldn't fall off of them, and fully relaxed against the couch...keeping both of his arms wrapped around her frame.

Lucky Charm

"This is nice," Fluttershy said as she nibbled on her cucumber sandwich. "Spending the day in bed...maybe we should do this more often."

"Not too often," Discord said as he assembled a sandwich of peppers and chocolate sauce. "The first day is relaxing in a rebellious way. The days after that...it's kind of boring, frankly."

She smiled. "I don't think anything could get boring with you, Discord."

"You're completely right," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich and smearing chocolate all over his muzzle. "But riding our bed through the cosmos as a chaos-causing vehicle isn't quite the same as a lazy weekend day in bed, is it?"

She chuckled and shook her head, taking another bite of her sandwich. As she reached for her teacup, their calendar floated past. "Oh, excuse me," she said, reaching out and grabbing it. "I feel like there's something coming up this week..."

"I don't recall it," Discord said. "Then again, you've got a better mind for schedules and dates than I." He leaned over to read over her shoulder. "Anything written down?"

"Not for this week..." she said. She paused for a second, staring at the date of the coming Friday. "Oh, but Friday the thirteenth is coming up."

Discord frowned, chewing on a carrot pop. "Friday the thirteenth...is that some pony holiday?" He rubbed his temples. "Could you jog my memory?"

"Not a holiday...at least, I don't think it is," she said, releasing the calendar and letting it float away. "But Friday the thirteenth...it's supposed to be a day of bad luck. The unluckiest day of the year."

He stared at her blankly for a few moments. "...Shyfly, please tell me you don't actually believe that," he said slowly.

"Oh, no!" she said. "Not...not really. I mean, I think there is luck, but I don't think that...it being a certain date is just going to change that. Unless it happened to be some sort of...cosmic alignment, or magical element..."

He clapped his hands. "Correct! Gold star for you." He put a gold star sticker on her forehead. "Luck may or may not exist...I may or may not have caused bad luck for ponies in the past...but an arbitrary name and number assigned to a certain period of twenty-four hours won't do anything. Even if those things you mentioned did happen, those would be the causes—not some numbers."

"I thought so..." she murmured, leaning back against her pillows and taking another bite out of her sandwich. "I wonder why creatures think it's an unlucky day, anyway," she said. "I know that the number thirteen is supposed to be unlucky, but why Friday the thirteenth? Why not Thursday or Monday?"

Discord hummed in thought, reaching up and pulling a thick book out of thin air. A pair of gold spectacles appeared on him, and he began to thumb through the pages, still munching on his sandwich. Eventually, he stopped, tapping one of the paragraphs he had found.

"Well, according to the history books," he said, pushing the spectacles up his muzzle. "Something bad happened on a Friday once, to someone very important." He tossed the book aside. "Ponies connected the bad Friday with the number thirteen at some point, and suddenly, the date became unlucky."

He stroked his beard as he twirled the spectacles in his other hand. "Personally, I think they did it so that they didn't 'have to' consider every single Friday of their lives as bad luck."

"I guess that's one possible reason," she said. She kept munching on her sandwich, leaning against his side as she mulled over this information. "Why is thirteen an unlucky number, anyway?" she asked.

"Various coincidences," he said. "One of which...was probably—definitely my fault." He rubbed the back of his neck. "See, there was...a gathering of twelve creatures over something important, I forget what. Well, I was very offended that they didn't invite me! So I crashed their gathering, caused lots of chaos..."

"And you were the thirteenth creature there..." she said. "So thirteen was connected with chaos, which was connected to...bad luck?"

"Hey, I can't take all the credit for it," he said. "Just maybe...a good chunk of it. Ten percent? That's a pretty big pie slice, right?" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe even...thirteen percent."

She snorted and shoved his shoulder. "That's an awful joke," she said.

"But you're laughing!" he countered, poking her muzzle. She giggled. "See? You're proving me right!" She couldn't help but keep laughing, leaning against him to support herself.

After a few minutes, she was able to calm herself and resuming eating her sandwich. "So...on the subject," she said, still smiling. "Are any 'lucky items' actually lucky?"

"Hrrm," he said, scratching behind his ear. "...I don't know. Luck is hard to quantify, so it's difficult to say whether certain items will actually increase it." He garnished his sandwich with chives and took another bite. "Some of them are spell components, though. Like four-leaf clovers."

"Is that why ponies think they're lucky?" she asked as she polished off her sandwich. "Because they're important for magic?"

"That might be how it started," he said, passing her a carrot-ginger sandwich. "And generations later, after ponies grew up being told that things are lucky, they just know. Not to mention that with them being as rare as they are, it's a special occasion to find one."

He scowled and bit into his sandwich. "Frankly, it seems foolish," he grunted.

"How so?" she asked. He snapped up his sandwich and swallowed it in one gulp, then snapped his fingers. In one of his hands, a bright green four-leaf clover appeared, while in the other, he had a clover that almost seemed like a flower, with the sheer number of leaves it had.

"If I offered ponies either a four-leaf clover or a hundred-leaf one," he said, holding said clovers out to her. "They'd see one as 'lucky' and the other as a mutant freak." He tapped his temple. "It's not just about rarity, it's about what ponies think, what they 'know' from myths and legends. Four-leaf good, anything else...who cares?"

She nodded in understanding, then plucked the hundred-leaf clover from his hand and placed it in her mane. "I think this one is much more interesting," she said with a smile. "You can find four-leaf clovers...but this is one of a kind."

He smiled and adjusted the clover to fit more comfortably behind her ear. "You're a hundred-leaf clover out of ponies, Fluttershy," he murmured, stroking her cheek. She smiled and leaned into his touch.

"So, um...what sort of spells need four-leaf clovers?" she asked after he pulled away.

"Ooh, it's actually really interesting," he said, fixing himself a carrot dog with mustard. "They're a way to upgrade some types of spells, like potions. But, if you put in a three-leaf clover, it could blow up in your face--quite literally!"

He eagerly chattered about magic, and a few of the magical accidents he had seen in the past. She smiled and listened, enraptured as always by the stories he could spin.

The week passed without many incidences (aside from the maple syrup flood...the living room still smelled overly-sweet). Soon, it was Friday the thirteenth—something she noted when waking up, but didn't think much of. Her conversation with Discord banished any of the few fears she had of bad luck.

"Good morning," Discord said, already working at the kitchen counter as she entered, rubbing a bit of sleep out of her eyes. He floated over and kissed her forehead. "What would you like for breakfast? I already made some nice drinks."

"Mmm...how about crepes?" she said. "With bananas and blueberries..."

"And banana peppers!" Discord added, pouring some green liquid out of the blender and into a clear plastic cup. The drink vanished in a flash of light. "Crepes first, then special drinks?"

"Sounds good," she said, digging out some of the ingredients.

She and Discord worked together to make the crepes, and both of them ate their fill (though she declined any banana peppers). She sighed and patted her stomach, taking another sip of orange juice...which strangely had a four-leaf clover stuck on the rim of the glass. It made her smile a bit.

"Now, the drinks!" Discord said, snapping his fingers. "Are you more in the mood for a hot drink or a cold one?" he asked, holding up a tray in both hands, one with a steaming teacup, the other with a large green shake. "I have clover tea or mint shamrock shake."

She stared blankly at him. "...they both have four-leaf clovers in them, don't they?" she said.

He flinched. "Ack! You figured me out!" He frowned and looked away. "Well...they're still tasty. And there's no proof that the clovers won't give you good luck, so..."

She sighed. "I thought you didn't believe in the date leading to bad luck," she said.

He frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck, letting the trays float in the air. "Well...I just don't want to take any chances, y'know?" He shrugged. "If the date is unlucky, the clovers will give you back your luck. If there's nothing to it, then nothing happens!"

"I guess that's true..." she said. "...alright. May I try the clover tea?"

"Of course!" he said, bowing and holding the tray out to her. She smiled and took the teacup, while he grabbed the shake and began to loudly slurp on it.

She slowly sipped her tea. Her eyebrows rose in surprise a bit. The tea's flavor was different, but not totally unpleasant. There was also a hint of... "Is there mint in the tea, too?"

He pulled the straw out of his mouth and nodded. "Yeah...I wasn't sure if you would like the taste of clover, so I wanted to add something sweet. Just in case."

"Oh, thank you," she said, taking another sip. "The clover and mint...they actually go pretty well together."

"Oh, good!" he said. "They go together well in the shake, too." He held it out to her. "Wanna try?"

She nodded, trading her tea for his shake. She took a small sip, closing her eyes and humming in appreciation.

He smirked a bit, sniggering as she took another sip of the shake. "What is it?" she asked between sips.

"Indirect kiss," he said, his grin widening a bit. He pointed at the straw...the same straw he had used.

She stared blankly for a second...and then snorted. Giggles bubbled up from her throat as Discord continuing snickering. "Y-you're so silly sometimes!" she managed to say between giggles.

"I know," he said a little smugly. "But you love me anyway."

"Mhmm!" she said, leaning over to place a small kiss on his nose. His nose twitched, and she caught the tip of his tail wagging. She giggled again. He grinned and picked up her teacup, smirking and staring at her as he took a long, slow sip, not breaking eye contact.

This was enough to send her into a laughing fit.

After a few minutes to calm down, she recovered enough to take a few more sips of the shake (Discord still sniggered a few times). They each traded drinks a few times...as well as a couple of kisses.

But eventually, both cups were emptied. Fluttershy sighed and stretched her wings. "Those were both really nice," she said. "I'd love to stay a bit longer, but I think I should head to the sanctuary now."

She stood up, as did Discord. He pulled back the space in front of her like a curtain, revealing a portal to the sanctuary. He bowed and gestured for her to enter. "Thank you," she said, placing a small kiss on his nose and smiling as his ears wiggled happily.

She hopped through the portal, and Discord floated after her. "I feel like helping today," he said. "I mean...helping you makes me less likely to tip someone's luck closer to bad than good."

She smiled, shaking her head a little. "Of course you can help," she said. "Though...if you want to take a break to play harmless pranks, I won't mind."

His ears perked up, and he smiled. She started walking down the path, looking up at the trees. "Let's see... there are some animals I'd like to get more exotic food for," she said. "And it'd be great if you could comb the lakes for anything that doesn't belong..."

Suddenly, Discord grabbed her under her forelegs and hoisted her into the air. She squeaked. "Mud puddle," he said, nodding towards the ground. She glanced down at saw that there was indeed a mud puddle—a fairly large one. "Looks deep," he continued, floating over the puddle.

"Sorry about that," he said, cradling her close to his chest. "I'd just hate for you to get your coat all muddy before you even got a chance to start working."

She blinked, then grinned up at him. "You know, this might sound cheesy," she said. "But I think that you're my lucky charm."

He stared at her for a second, then set her gently back on her hooves. "That is cheesy," he said, looking away and covering his face with his paw. But she could still clearly see his blush, which made her grin widen a bit.

"C'mon," she said, trotting forward. "Maybe there's some task we can do together. I'll keep an eye out for mud puddles this time."

His lips twitched upwards in a smile. "Yeah..." he said. "We can be each other's lucky charms for today." He smiled and ruffled her mane, making her laugh as they continued through the sanctuary.

Snuggly Pillow Forts

Most of Discord's antics when she came home wouldn't make Fluttershy bat an eye. But today?

She had entered the living room to find an extremely large pillow fort where their couch used to be. It was massive, almost tent-like, and made up of blankets, pillows, and some other soft odds and ends. Once she had blinked a few times to take it in, she recognized some of the pillows and blankets as being from their bed.

She approached what she assumed was the entrance, leaning down to peek inside. "Discord?" she said. "Are you in there?"

A grey muzzle with a snaggletooth poked out from a blanket flap. "No entry," it said. "Not unless you give the password!"

She chuckled a bit, laying on the ground in front of him. "What made you decide to build a pillow fort today?" she asked.

"Wanted to," the muzzle said. "Now, what's the password?"

Humming in thought, she leaned a little closer. After a moment's consideration, she placed a soft kiss on his nose, making it twitch, a smile curling onto the muzzle's lips.

"...that is an acceptable password," it said. Discord grabbed the bottom of the flap and lifted it enough for her to enter, and with a grin, he beckoned her inside. With a grin, she crawled under the flap to join him.

The fort was fairly big on the inside, even without any obvious hints of Discord's magic expanding it. There was enough space for both her and Discord to fit comfortably (as long as he wasn't standing up). She recognized some of the pillows and blankets from places other than their bedroom, now that she could get a closer look at them.

Blankets completely surrounded them, a few even piled onto the floor as padded carpeting. Pillows pinned down the blankets, the tops of which were held up by the couch. Slightly off-center, and fairly close to the couch, there was a large pile of pillows.

Discord flopped onto the pile of pillows, leaning back against the couch. "Neat, right?" he said with a grin. "Ooh, check this part out!" He dug through the pillows and flipped a few switches. Strings of fairy lights turned on overhead, and a flashlight illuminated one of the walls of the fort.

"It's very cozy," she said with a smile, laying next to him on the pillow pile. He began making (very impressive) shadow puppets using the flashlight. "Did you spend all day on this?"

"Just the afternoon!" he said, a little smugly. His shadow puppetry began to illustrate the fort's construction. "I thought it would be nice to...spend a night spontaneously in a pillow fort. You know—stay up all night reading and gabbing, stuff ourselves silly with snacks, and have a pillow fight or three."

"That does sound fun," she said, leaning against his side. "I don't have anything to do tomorrow, so I'm all for it. Do you think...we could add some cuddling to our activities?"

He shivered a little, then grinned widely and stroked his claws through her mane. "I think," he purred, "that is a more than welcome addition."

He kissed her forehead, which made her smile. She shifted to be even closer, nuzzling into his neck. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, pressing her even closer against him.

She adjusted herself a bit to take her weight off of the couch, settling more of it against the pillow nest...and Discord's torso. She nuzzled his cheek, rubbing just behind his ear, causing him to purr. His tail slowly looped itself around her waist.

After some time spent cuddling and kissing (where Fluttershy almost nodded off a few times), Discord purred and stretched himself out. "As fun as this is," he said. "We should probably eat dinner...and get the rest of our supplies for our night of camping in the living room."

"Yeah," she said, slowly standing up and stretching out her wings, careful to not knock anything over. "...maybe we could eat dinner in the fort?"

He nodded, crawling his way towards the entrance. "I'm in a mood to make things without magic today, though," he mused. "I only used a little on the fort, and I want to keep it up!"

"I understand," she said. He pulled the flap aside and allowed her to emerge first. Once outside, she stretched her wings a bit more. "Maybe we can cook a pizza and have some apple slices to go with it?"

He nodded as he crawled after her. "And candy bars for a dessert slash snack," he said, standing to his full height and popping his back. "Plus, we can pop the popcorn at the same time!"

She nodded and headed towards the kitchen, Discord following close behind. "Alright," she says. "I'll start popping the popcorn and cutting the apples, if you want to make the pizza."

"Yes, ma'am!" Discord said, a uniform flashing onto him as he saluted her. "Will a cheese pizza be suitable, ma'am?"

"It will, thank you," she said. "Will plain popcorn with butter be suitable, sir?"

"Of course, ma'am!" He began rifling through the cupboards, throwing a bunch of dry ingredients (and some water) into a large bowl, quickly mixing it all together. She pulled out a few bags of popcorn kernels and poured them into a pan before setting them on the hot stove.

She and Discord worked around each other. She helped him roll out the dough at one point, then left him to add the tomato sauce and cheese while she sliced a few more apples.

In almost no time, several apples had been sliced, the pizza was in the oven, and the popcorn was fairly close to being done popping.

"Discord," Fluttershy said. "Could you melt some butter, please? The popcorn's almost ready."

"Of course, sweetie," he said. She smiled and began to search the cupboards for candy...but before she could get far, something made her freeze.

Discord kissed the nape of her neck. Her wings flared out in surprise, but drooped as he stroked a claw against her back. She sighed, her entire body relaxing as he kept placing kisses along her neck.

He was so good at this...she was enjoying this, even if it surprised her. In fact, she mused as he brushed his paw through her mane, if she had his magic, she would probably—

Her eyes snapped wide open, and she pushed his muzzle away. "Melt the butter, not me!" she said.

He snickered, a grin covering his face. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said in a tone that was anything but. "I just have so much trouble telling the difference, my little butterpat."

She snorted, though she tried to keep a straight (and stern) face. Discord just kept giggling to himself, but he did open the fridge and begin melting one of the sticks of butter with a small golden flame.

While he did that, and began using his magic to play with the blob of liquid butter, she dug several types of candy bars out of the cupboard. Many she recognized, though a few had some foreign language on their wrappers that was incomprehensible to her.

She tossed all of them into a large bowl, getting another bowl down for the popcorn. Once it was finally done popping, she poured in the popped kernels, then stepped aside. Discord tossed in the butter, which immediately seeped completely through the popcorn.

With another, smaller bowl for the apple slices, paper plates for the two of them, and glasses filled with chocolate milk, the only thing left was the pizza.

"Uggh," Discord groaned. "Bored. Don't like waiting. Don't wanna cheat," he said before Fluttershy could offer a suggestion.

She glanced at the timer. "Why don't you take everything to the fort?" she suggested. "And pick out some books from the library. I'll keep an eye on the pizza and pull it out once it's done."

He brightened up a bit at that. "Thank you!" he said, lifting everything with his magic. "I'll be back here to help in...ten minutes, then!" He floated away with the dinner they had made, while Fluttershy took a seat at the kitchen table. Humming to herself, she grabbed a nearby notebook and began to sketch a few things to pass the time.

True to his word, as soon as the timer started ringing, Discord appeared next to her with a flash. "I hope I didn't leave you too bored," he said, oven mitts with hearts appearing on his hands as he opened the oven door.

"No, no," she said, reaching over to turn off the timer. "I sketched out a few possible sanctuary renovations, so I managed to keep myself busy."

He nodded to himself. "You have a good work ethic," he said as he pulled out the fairly large pizza. "And you're good at keeping busy...though I do wish you would take more breaks."

"That's your job, isn't it?" she said, flying behind him and wrapping her hooves around his neck. "To keep me from overworking?"

"...that it is," he murmured, leaning back against her. They stayed in that position for a few seconds before Discord shook himself free. "Now, who's ready for a night of crazy yet lazy fun!?"

"We are," she said with a giggle, following him to the fort as he carried the steaming pizza.

They quickly made themselves comfortable in the pillow nest. Both of them held a plate with pizza and apples, their glasses of milk floating next to them. They leaned against each other, their backs against the couch.

"I was thinking," Discord said as he smacked on his pizza. "That one of us could read the books, while the other used shadow puppets to 'act' the scenes out." He held up a hand and created a shadow puppet of a unicorn reading a book.

"That does sound fun," she admits. "Though I'd not the greatest at shadow puppets..." She held up her hooves and made the simplest thing she could—a clam, snapping open and shut.

"That's fine," Discord said, patting her head. "Whatever shadow magic you ponies have to be able to hold things in your hooves freaks me out enough already. Just...have a little fun with me is all I ask."

She smiled and nodded. "Alright. I can start reading..." she glanced over at the small tower of books Discord had gathered. "After we finish eating supper."

He nodded in agreement and shoved another large bite of pizza into his mouth. "Why don't you tell me about your day?"

She smiled and began to talk about the sanctuary, while he listened intently, nodding along.

After the pizza was finished, Fluttershy cracked open one of the first books in the pile...and was surprised when a pillow sprang out of it, striking her in the face.

"Oops," Discord said a little too innocently. He smiled, batting his eyelashes at her as she stared at him, stunned.

She blinked a few times, his innocent expression slowly wavering. Just before it fell apart completely, she grabbed the pillow that had sprung on her and swung it into his shoulder.

He fell over, laughing, and waved another pillow in her direction. She smacked back with the pillow she was still holding...and thus began the slap fight of pillows, neither of them wanting to throw one and risk taking down the fort.

After a while, they both laid next to each other, panting. "Truce?" Discord said, holding out his paw.

"Truce," she said, grasping it and shaking it, pulling herself back up to a sitting position. She picked up the book again and opened it, while Discord curled himself against his side. She shifted so that he would be able to see the pages and their illustrations.

"Welcome! To the world of Saddlemon," she began to read. Discord lifted his hands and effortlessly made shadow puppets to go with her narration.

Fluttershy groaned, lifting her head and blinking blearily. Discord snorted beside her, twitching slightly. She mumbled and rubbed her head, looking around and trying to recall details from last night.

The fort, while still up, wasn't looking nearly as good—a few of the blankets had fallen, and the pillow nest was more scattered. The tower of books had fallen. All the bowls were overturned, and empty candy wrappers were scattered around them. Her mouth felt sticky and uncomfortable, and she smacked her lips a few times to get rid of it.

It wasn't hard to remember what had happened, even in her tired state. They had stayed up late into the night like they had planned, reading books and stuffing themselves with popcorn and candy. As an intermission between books, they had small pillow fights, and once acted out a Saddlemon battle of their own via shadow puppets.

It had ended...maybe after midnight. They were both so tired that they had simply fallen into the pillow nest, curled around each other, and fell into a deep sleep.

Fluttershy yawned, and Discord snored. He was half-curled around her, lying on his back with his limbs curled next to him, much like a cat. She smiled and laid back down, snuggling against his side...and after a few moments, allowed herself to drift off to sleep again.

Knit the Way

One of Fluttershy's favorite things to do on a cold winter day was knit.

Even after moving to Chaosville, where winter didn't have to be cold, and the seasons were barely defined anyway, she still enjoyed taking the time to relax with a hot drink and knit something. Having Discord by her side made things even more fun, even if their hobby became much more chaotic when he decided to join.

This hobby was the hobby of choice today, the two of them settling themselves in the knitting room with mugs of hot tea beside them. Fluttershy smiled and looked around. It wasn't a conventional 'knitting' room by any means, but the underground space behind a bookshelf felt familiar, almost right, to her...even if it was much more cavernous than her old Chamber of Extreme Knitting.

And the addition of furniture, wall hangings, and better lighting made it much homier. She suspected that Discord wouldn't have made this room into an underground chamber if he hadn't been so delighted and amused over the last secret knitting chamber she had made in her old cottage. She smiled a little and shook the suspicion away, selecting a few balls of yarn and a pair of bamboo needles from one of the many piles strewn throughout the room.

She settled herself in a comfortable plush chair—one that she and Discord had knitted together in this very room a few years ago. She made herself comfortable, making sure her tea wouldn't spill easily, and glanced up at her husband, who had arranged a nest in a pile of yarn balls, his hands already a blur as he worked on whatever project he had in mind this time.

"What are you making?" she asked as his needles wildly clacked together.

"A tapestry!" he responded cheerfully. "The best possible tapestry...and an oversized sweater!" He lifted up his tail and showed off the two needles held in his tail feathers, clicking together and creating the beginnings of a teal sweater.

She smiled and prepared her own needles. "Those both sound like good ideas," she said. "But don't try to do too much at once, okay?"

"Don't worry," he said with a smug grin. "I've got this." His needles clicked together even more quickly.

She smiled a bit at his optimism and glanced down at her needles. After a few seconds of thinking, planning out how to make what she wanted, she began to knit, slowly and carefully moving the loops of yarn from one needle to the other.

The clicking of her own needles (and Discord's faster clicking) eventually lulled her into a sense of calm. She sank into that feeling, focusing her attention on her yarn, her needles, and the creation she had in mind. She kept her ears pricked up in case Discord wanted to ramble to her about anything (which he sometimes did during their knitting sessions, and which she enjoyed listening to), but he seemed very focused on his own projects.

After some time, with her dragon plush about a quarter done, Discord spoke up. "Um...my dearest darling Fluttershy?" he said in a tone that was a little too light and forced. "I might not...have had the multitasking as much as I thought I did..."

She blinked and slowly looked up, trying to brace herself for whatever had happened. Discord grinned sheepishly at her and gave as small of a wave as he could—though he was very much restricted by the many strands of yarn that had somehow ended up tied around him. His limbs were entangled, and somehow, a few loops were wrapped around his head.

Though her lips twitched, she managed to keep a straight face and not burst into laughter. "That's, um...quite a predicament you're in," she somehow managed to say while forcing back giggles.

"I know!" he bemoaned, throwing out his hands the few inches they could move. "One second, I was knitting two things at once, and the next, my tail's gone and knotted itself up with my legs!" He pointed to his lower body, covered in a web of teal yarn, with a partially-finished sweater hanging off of it.

"And..." she scanned him. "...the rest of your body got tangled when you tried to undo it, right?"

He pouted and nodded, making a loop fall from his horn to his muzzle. "I'd appreciate an extra pair of hooves," he said. "At least to loosen this enough that I can comfortably snap myself out."

She snickered a little, but bit her lip, set her unfinished dragon aside, and stood up to help him. The first thing she did was pat him down, tugging a few of the loops experimentally as he squirmed. "Careful," she warned as a bit of yarn was pulled out of her hold. "You might tighten or tangle things more."

"But I want to be freeeeee!" he said, flopping about a bit. His half-finished tapestry waved like a flag, and she quickly grabbed it to hold it still before it could start to unravel.

"Just give me a second," she said, patting his head. He grunted, still shifting slightly, but not squirming as much (aside from his tail, which seemed to be trying to whip back and forth but was restrained from doing so).

After a few more seconds of testing, she found the strands she was looking for. "Here goes," she said, pulling on one of them. It was easily pulled back, and a few more loops became slack as she pulled. She switched to another and pulled, and the same thing happened, with more strands loosening drastically.

Once she had pulled the fourth such strand, Discord's whole body shivered, and the loose strands fell away from him. There were still a few wrapped around him, but he easily lifted his hand and snapped, teleporting himself a few inches away and completely out of his predicament.

"Phew!" he said, wiping sweat off of his brow. "Thank you for that, Fluttershy." He nuzzled her, and she leaned into his touch. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."

"I'm sure you would have thought of something," she said, carefully separating the once-net of yarn into one that was attached to the tapestry and one attached to the sweater. "You always seem to, anyway. Remember how you got your hand stuck in that jar of honey?"

He blushed. "Not my best moment..." he admitted. "Though a sandwich of cookies covered in honey still sounds yummy. And...smashing the jar wasn't a proud moment, but I was a little panicked when I couldn't get my hand back out..."

"I think anyone would panic in that situation," she said, patting his arm. "Though...I hope it doesn't happen again."

"It won't, it won't," he said, plopping back into his nest of yarn balls. "And I mean both the Honey Jar incident and today's Yarn Net incident." He set his sweater aside and picked up the tapestry, fixing his needles. "Those aren't going to happen again anytime soon, Flutterbutter."

She giggled and walked past him, rubbing herself against his side. "Well, if you need any help, let me know," she said, nuzzling his cheek before heading back to her couch.

Once she had sat down, she took a sip of tea (still hot but not burning) and watched Discord work for a few seconds. His needles were clicking together just as quickly as before...maybe even more so, since he was only focusing on one thing now.

With a smile, she picked up her dragon again and continued knitting. "So Fluttershy, have you heard about the latest craze among the noble ponies?" Discord asked. She shook her head, and he launched into a description of some new fad that he found hilarious. His tone and descriptions made her find it funny, as well, the two of them laughing a bit as they worked.

After several hours, about three mugs of tea, and a quick break to enjoy some warm buttered scones, the two of them had finished with their respective projects.

Fluttershy had not only made a small plush of Spike as a baby dragon, but a small, light pink blanket with a cupcake pattern in the middle, as a gift for Lil' Cheese. Discord complimented her craftsmanship, making her blush a little, and then showed her his own creations.

The first was his tapestry, which was rather impressive—though a bit simplified, it showed several scenes of when they had first become friends, arranged on a purple background—the freezing of Sweet Apple Acres, the keeping of her promise but the rejection to stay by his side, the unfreezing of Sweet Apple Acres, and the first time she had held his paw. The margin was filled with pink and gold butterflies.

"It's amazing," she said in earnest. Discord's chest puffed up, and he stood a little taller. "I just...it's so good! All of the stitches are a perfect size, the colors are great...I can't believe you made all of this from memory!"

His chest continued to puff up. "Well, I have to confess," he said, still with a wide grin. "I did use my magic to peak into the past a few times. But other than that, and a little magic to untangle the knots from my tangling, this is all handmade!"

She nodded in approval. Before she could say anything else, Discord whipped a finished sweater out from behind his back. "This turned out well, too!" he said. "Here, here, put it on!"

He shoved it towards her, and with a smile, she accepted it and slipped it over her head. It felt comfortable, even if it was a bit baggy in places. The sleeves were long enough to almost cover her hooves, but not long enough that she could accidentally walk on them and fray them. There were even slits in the back for her wings to comfortably fit through.

"It's nice," she said with a smile, hugging the fabric close to her. Discord smiled warmly and pointed to her chest. She blinked and looked down.

If Lost, Return to Discord, the sweater read in dark blue lettering. She glanced between him and the message, blinking a few times. "Um...is this sweater for you?" she asked slowly. It was a bit bigger than her, but in a way she found comfortable...and he had insisted she wear it...

He grinned and shook his head. "Nope. It's for you to wear. And the message isn't a mistake," he said, his grin widening even further as he wiggled his eyebrows.

It took a second for it to sink in. But once it did, she snorted, a hoof flying to her mouth. "That's..." She kept snickering, though she tried to stifle it.

"A brilliant idea!" he said, leaning close to her. "I just want to make sure you can be brought home if you're lost...aren't you always telling pet owners that they should make sure their pets carry around their information?"

She snorted in laughter again, pushing his muzzle away. He laughed and coiled himself around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Still giggling, she hugged him back, even though she could only reach a part of his torso, and leaned back to nuzzle into his neck.

After a few seconds, he released her and picked up his tapestry, as well as the plush Spike. "Would you be so kind as to help me find a place for this?" he asked, holding out the tapestry. "And, ah...may I keep this one?" he continued, giving the Spike plush a small shake.

"Yes to both," she said with a smile. "I think there's a spot in the hallway that tapestry would be nice in...maybe next to the pottery room." She headed towards the stairs, carrying both of their empty tea mugs.

"Mmm, but that's a little far into the house," he said as he floated beside her. With a snap, the mugs vanished from her grip. "I'd like to place it a bit closer to the entrance and living room, you know?"

"Hmm. Maybe just beside the living room?" she offered. He hummed in consideration, sending the plush Spike somewhere through some portal. The two of them discussed possible places to hang the tapestry, both feeling light, warm, and relaxed.

Midnight Snacking

Discord grunted quietly, rolling over and fluffing his pillows.

It had been hours since he and Fluttershy had laid down in bed, yet he didn't even feel close to falling asleep. I didn't even drink anything with caffeine! he thought, a bit irritated. In fact...he wasn't completely energized, either. He felt tired from the day he had had, but it wasn't enough to coax him into sleep, apparently.

He grunted again, rolling over in order to face Fluttershy. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even, and she was snuggled into her pillow. She shifted every few seconds, her wings giving small flutters. But still, she looked so...peaceful. He found himself a bit envious, and reached out to caress her cheek.

As soon as he touched her, she twitched, her eyes opening. She didn't look sleepy, but still peered at him curiously. He yanked his claw away, clutching it to his chest. "Sorry..." he said quietly. "Did I wake you?"

"No...not really," she said. "I just can't quite seem to fall asleep..."

He sighed heavily. "Me neither," he grunted, sitting up. "What do you normally do when you can't sleep?"

She stretched and sat up. "Well...usually, I like to either do a few small chores, or...curl close to you," she said with a small blush. "I feel so comfortable around you..."

"I feel the same way," he said, caressing her cheek. "But...I was hoping to get some sleep. Do you have any quick cures for insomnia, by chance?"

"Well...sometimes, a cup of warm milk with honey before bed helps me relax," she said. "But I've never had it in the middle of the night before..."

"Still, it's worth a try!" he said, hopping out of bed. He stretched and yawned, and his stomach gave a small grumble. "Ooh, while we're in the kitchen, maybe I can fix us some midnight snacks!"

She smiled and crawled out of bed. "That does sound nice..." She flew towards the door, but before she could get far, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported them both to the kitchen.

She blinked a few times in surprise, while he floated over to the fridge and threw it open. He had to stop and blink spots out of his eyes thanks to the sudden brightness, and felt Fluttershy stand closer to him as his vision quickly returned to normal.

"Hmm," he said, stroking his beard as he stared into the fridge. "What makes for a good midnight snack?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, reaching past him and grabbing a carton of milk. "But it should probably be something light...enough to satisfy us..."

"But not a full meal," he said. She nodded. "Okay...I think I can do that." He grabbed a few fruits and vegetables from the shelves, then closed the door behind him and headed to the counter. The only light came from the dim glow of the Chaosville sky, and the light of the microwave as Fluttershy opened it.

Still, it was better than the sudden, blinding light of the fridge, and he could see well enough in the dark. He spread his gathered goods on the counter, then tapped his fingers on it as Fluttershy poured two mugs of milk.

"Light meal, light meal," he muttered to himself. After a few moments of thought, his ears perked up, and he snapped his fingers to summon a loaf of bread. With a few flicks of his fingers, it had been split into several slices.

He began shuffling the slices like playing cards. "Alright," he said to himself. "Not too filling...So I'll just make one platter of sandwiches." With that settled, he flicked five slices of bread onto the counter, then dropped the loaf and reached for the ingredients.

He spread, dabbed, and tossed all manner of ingredients on the pieces of bread. Once he had finished, he flicked slices of bread on top of them, then tossed the sandwiches into the air. With a flick of his claw, they all split into triangular halves, landing neatly on the plate he had set out.

He heard clapping, and turned to see Fluttershy watching and smiling. "Thank you, thank you," he said with a bow. "I'll be here all night, try a sandwich!" He tossed one of the sandwich halves to her, already getting the next five slices of bread ready.

She smiled and accepted it, taking a bite and smiling. "Peanut butter and pickle?" she said.

"Added some extra pickles for you," he said cheerfully, slapping more ingredients onto the slices of bread. "Any requests from the lovely lady?"

"Cucumber sandwiches might be nice..." she said, smiling.

He grinned and prepared three sandwiches with cucumbers, making new concoctions for the other two. She smiled, then turned her attention back to the mugs she was preparing.

Discord began humming a joyful yet disjointed tune as he continued to throw together the chaotic sandwiches.

It wasn't long before he and Fluttershy had both finished with their tasks. She beamed, complimenting him at his flourish at making the sandwiches, and flew towards the living room with a mug in each hoof.

She took a seat on the couch, setting the two mugs on the table in front of her. He plopped down next to her, placing the large platter of sandwiches within grabbing distance.

"You're sure that's not too much?" she asked, leaning against his side.

"I don't think so," he said, wrapping an arm around her and grabbing his steaming mug of milk. "Besides, it's not like they'll go bad anytime soon. If we don't eat them now, we could have them as snacks tomorrow." He tossed a Swiss and cheddar cheese sandwich with butter into his open jaws, quickly decimating it.

She smiled and took the other half of said sandwich, nibbling on the corner of it. Her lips twitched up into a smile. He slurped at his milk loudly, humming in satisfaction as its heat flowed through him. "Not bad," he said. "Though...it could use a little more honey..."

"Feel free to add more," she said, passing him the honey jar. "It's been a while since I've made this...I've forgotten how much should be added."

"Well, it's probably a good amount for most," he said, pouring in more honey. "But you and I both know that my sweet tooth is unrivaled...except maybe by Pinkie." She giggled, and he grinned and took another drink, curling his tail around her waist.

They ate and drank quietly for a few minutes, Discord occasionally passing Fluttershy a sandwich he felt she would particularly like. She thanked him each time and eagerly bit into the sandwich.

After some time, he realized his mug was about half-full, and stalled himself to make the sweet treat Fluttershy made last a bit longer. While he slowly nibbled on a peanut butter and gooseberry jam sandwich, Fluttershy selected one of the sandwiches on top of the slowly-dwindling pile.

She took a bite...and her nose wrinkled. "This is...interesting..." she said. She peeled back the slices of bread, showing that between them was a smear of tomato sauce, covered in chocolate syrup and marshmallows. "Um..."

"Oh, that's one of the stranger ones," he said. "I'll finish it off if you don't like it. I won't be offended."

She breathed a sigh of relief and slid the sandwich over to him. He ate it in a few bites, licking his lips at the chaotic taste. He then selected another sandwich and passed it to her. "Here. This one is chaotic, but probably suits your tastes better."

She took a bite...and smiled, humming in appreciation. "Zap apple jam and...strawberry jam?" she said, taking another bite.

"With a few thin apple slices tossed in for texture," he said, snatching up another sandwich and taking a bite. Honey and marshmallow. "Mmm, this one is sweet." He held it out to her, and she sniffed at it curiously. His heart fluttered as her nose cutely twitched.

Carefully, and looking at him for permission, she took a small bite out of it. She chewed, her face contorting into a confused expression. "Honey and marshmallow?" she said after swallowing. "It's...not bad." She licked her lips. "But if I hadn't known that it was going to be sweet..."

"I know," he said. "You ponies don't like to be shocked when a food doesn't taste how it should." He paused, stroking his beard. "Maybe swapping real peppers for candy ones would be just as effective of a prank as putting peppers in sweet things..."

She snickered a bit, and he felt his heart flutter again. Sweet chaos, she was too precious for words. Slowly, he bent his neck down and nuzzled the top of her head, right behind her ear. She smiled and leaned up into the touch.

"Don't...don't actually do that," she managed to say. "It's not nice to mess with creatures' food."

He sighed overdramatically. "Not even if it's one of our friends, I know they can handle it, and I make their food normal after the first shocking bite?"

She hummed in thought, her brow furrowing as she took a long drink of her milk. "I suppose...it's better than doing it to a stranger," she said. "And as long as you apologize if they don't find it funny."

"Got it!" he said, giving her a thumbs-up and taking a large bite of the sandwich in his hand.

She smiled a bit, then nestled into his side and sipped her milk. He reached up and buried his claws into her mane.

They didn't say much else, aside from her complimenting his sandwiches, and him thanking her a few times for the milk. Eventually, the platter was full of nothing but crumbs, and their mugs were sadly empty.

Discord yawned loudly, stretching out his whole body as he teleported the dishes into the sink. "Let's...take care of those in the morning," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around Fluttershy and burying his snout in her soft tresses. "Sleep now."

"I guess that milk...worked, huh?" she said with a yawn of her own. He could feel her body drooping in his arms. "Mmm...could you take us to bed, please? Cordy?"

"Mhmm," he grunted, his eyes already closed. He raised his fingers and snapped, teleporting them right underneath their warm sheets. With a contented sigh, he tightened his grip around her and burrowed his snout even deeper into her mane.

He heard her give a contented sigh of her own, shifting around in his hold. He loosened his arms slightly, and she turned to face him, nestling into his chest fur.

With a smile, he held her closer to him, and was able to drift off to sleep.

Glass Jubilee

As a celebration of several years of creating art in the Dragon Lands, Dragon Lord Ember was hosting the Glass Jubilee, open to not only dragons, but all sorts of creatures.

Discord was absolutely ecstatic to be there.

"Oooh, look!" he said to Fluttershy, pointing at a booth. "Glass instruments! Ones that aren't windchimes!"

She smiled and looked to where he was pointing, humming and tilting her head. "They look interesting," she said. "Those glass flutes must sound very pretty."

"I'm sure they do," he said, purchasing one of the glass flutes and playing a few high, clear notes on it before sending it home. "Oooh, that statue! Someone tried to make a statue of Torch!" He laughed a bit at it, since the statue had...unusual proportions. That tended to happen when you tried to portray a skyscraper-sized dragon as a statue probably no bigger than yourself.

Fluttershy nudged him in the side to stop him, and eventually, he calmed down, panting a bit.

He had been thoroughly enjoying his time here. The main attractions were the many, many glass statues made by dragons. Some were amazing, others were hilariously bad (his favorites). There were lines of booths, most of them selling glass trinkets made by the vendor...or running some sort of small game, with the trinkets as prizes.

There were also wind chimes made of glass hanging everywhere, which caused a small, if pretty cacophony every time a gust of wind came through. He couldn't help but cause a few magic gusts of wind to cause it every so often, though he was pretty sure Fluttershy was onto him.

Still, he caused a small gust of wind to blow through the chimes and amuse himself. Fluttershy sighed and leaned against his side, and he paused in his mischief and looked down at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Should we stop and take a break?"

"That would be nice," she said with a sigh, nuzzling his side. "And..." His stomach growled loudly, causing him to blush and her to chuckle. "And it might be a good idea to get lunch."

"Right, right," he said, lifting his head. "I remember seeing a carrot dog and ice cream stand for pony visitors...I think it was back at the edge of the gathering." He frowned...it didn't seem fair to make Fluttershy walk all the way back there, but he didn't want to keep pushing her forward to possibly find something closer if she felt tired.

He scooped her into his arms, planning to carry her back. She squeaked, burying her face into his fur to avoid a few of the stares they were suddenly getting. "Um," she said. "You don't have to carry me back. I can wait for you...oh, maybe over there!"

She sounded very excited, so he followed her gaze to whatever she had found. It appeared to be a collection of glass animal statues. The corner of his mouth twitched up into a grin.

"Of course," he said. He weaved through the crowd until they were in the heart of the glass menagerie. He glanced around for a few moments, but after not seeing anything suitable, shrugged and snapped up a cloud armchair.

"You wait here, I'll go get us some carrot dogs and ice cream," he said as he set her gently into the chair. "Rest your hooves for a bit...but I have to warn you, as soon as you stand up, the chair will vanish. Poof!"

She giggled and leaned forward enough to peck his nose. "Thank you," she said with a smile. He returned the peck on the nose, stood up straight, and headed in the general direction of the food stand.

It had taken some searching, and a long bit of waiting in line, but he finally had his prize—two extra-large carrot dogs with ranch, and two ice cream bars—one strawberry, one chocolate.

He had placed everything in a glass box of his own creation, one that would magically keep everything at the perfect temperature, and not allow it to tip over and make a mess. With that done, he headed along a different route back to Fluttershy, to see if there was anything else new to spot.

There were a few interesting glass statues, a few fun events that he learned about...but nothing deterred him from his goal of getting back to his wife with their lunch as soon as possible. Until he found one particular booth.

It was a small one, run by a small, pink dragoness. She was currently turning something in her hands, breathing small puffs of fire at it. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was a bracelet...and that all the trinkets she had were jewelry. Very pretty, colorful jewelry.

Perhaps a gift for Fluttershy would make a nice memento, he thought. Though he didn't want to make her wait longer, the thought of seeing her expression of surprised delight...he veered off of his path and headed towards the dragon.

"Excuse me," he said, making her look up. "How much of this is for sale?" There wasn't a sign, and some trinkets at other stalls were for looking at, not touching or buying.

"I'm not really 'selling' any of it," she said, setting the bracelet aside. "But if you beat my shell game, you can win one as a prize."

"Alright. How much to play the shell game?" She told him the price (a bit steep, but not as bad as some rigged carnival game), and he handed over the bits.

She reached under her booth and pulled out a clear glass marble with a ribbon of blue inside, along with three opaque gold glass...clams. Glass clams with real hinges.

"Ooh, clams," he said. "That's very novel."

"You think so?" the dragon said, preening a bit. "They were tricky to make, but they seemed much more interesting than plain old cups." Discord nodded in approval.

The dragon placed the marble in the middle clam, then closed all three of the clams. With this done, she quickly shuffled them around.

It was easy for Discord to follow—he had seen and run so many of these games that he was practically an expert. She didn't even try to cheat by removing the marble.

So when she stopped, he knew that the marble was in the left one. Still, he hesitated for a few seconds, humming in thought. After stroking his beard, he pointed at the clam.

The dragon opened it. "Correct!" she said. "Now, please pick your prize." She held up a box filled with glass jewelry of all types.

It only took him a second to spot the perfect gift—something he was sure she would adore. "This one," he said, picking it up.

"Thank you!" the dragon said. "Please enjoy the rest of the jubilee."

Discord smiled and nodded, tucking his chosen piece into a velvet box. He put it away in a pocket of thin air and scooped up their lunch with his tail, heading back towards where Fluttershy was waiting with a skip in his step.

She wasn't there. He felt a bit panicked at that, but quickly calmed down by reminding himself that she could handle herself, and that anyone who tried to cause trouble was surrounded by fire-breathing dragons.

Still, he didn't want to wait for her to return. So he quickly purchased a cheap strand of glass beads from a nearby booth, and with a spark of magic, it floated in his grip and tugged him in the direction Fluttershy was in.

He followed it down the busy pathways, weaving and pushing his way through the crowd. After just a few turns, he spotted Fluttershy heading in his direction. He waved enthusiastically at her, and though she seemed surprised, she smiled and ran up to meet him.

"Sorry I left the area," she said. "But I heard about an odder stand nearby, and I had to see what it was about." She shifted, and he could now see that there was something tucked under her wing.

He bent down to peer at her and her wing, shaking the glass beads to turn off their enchantment. "Odder how?"

She smiled and opened her wing, grabbing something and holding it out to him. It was a small purple and green glass statue of...he wasn't sure, actually. It looked almost like a tree, but it twisted in impossible ways, and its 'leaves' were splayed like a crashing wave.

"Odd as in...small statues like this," she said. "I couldn't tell what any of them were, but...I thought you might like this one."

He gingerly took it from her hooves, turning it every which way as he inspected it. It was nonsensical, even to him...though it was pretty, and it almost glowed if the light hit it at just the right angle.

"I do like it," he said with a smile. "I think it will make a very nice decoration in our living room...or perhaps a centerpiece in the kitchen."

She smiled brightly. "I'm glad," she said. "And you can put it wherever you think is best."

He grinned, looking at her through the odd statue and chuckling at how her face changed color and warped in appearance through the glass. Suddenly, he remembered... "Oh!" he said, vanishing the statue away for now. "I actually got you something, too. At a shell game."

"Really?" she asked. Her ears perked up, and her eyes sparkled a bit. He smiled and opened his hand, summoning the earlier velvet box into his palm.

He bent down to meet her eye level a bit better, held out the box...and opened it. She gasped, a hoof flying to her mouth. Inside was a simple necklace—a pink glass butterfly on a string.

"It's beautiful," she said, smiling softly at it. "I love it."

He grinned, his wings fluttering. "I knew you would," he said. He slightly coiled his body around hers, removing the necklace from the box. He let the butterfly rest on her chest as he tied the strings behind her neck.

She lifted it up with a hoof, smiling and marveling at it. He grinned and tossed the box away, taking the chance to stroke his fingers through her mane, wrapping his arms loosely around her.

She nuzzled into his neck. "You're so sweet," she said. "Is there anywhere in particular you want to go to eat lunch?"

"Hmm," he said. "I heard that there's some sort of band playing glass instruments soon...why don't we eat and listen to them at the same time?"

"Sounds like fun," she said, looping her foreleg around his elbow. He smiled and stood up, guiding the two of them towards wherever this unusual band might be.

Just Bounce

"Oh, Fluttershy!" Discord said in a singsong voice. "If you're not busy...do you want to see the newest room I just made?"

Fluttershy glanced up from her birdwatching journal. "One second," she said. "I saw a pair of Mountain bluebirds in the sanctuary, and I want to write it down before I forget."

"Alright," he said, leaning against the wall. "What's special about these birds? I thought there were quite a few blue ones around here already."

"Yes, but Mountain bluebirds are unusual in this region," she said. "You usually find them further north, around the mountains." She jotted the birds she had seen, as well as the date and their names. "I want to make note of it, just in case."

"Fair enough," he said. "Now, if you're done, may I show you my thing now?"

"You may," she said, putting away her journal and quill and following him down the hallway. Discord creating a new room was always fun and exciting...he always had such creative ideas, and she loved seeing his enthusiasm whenever he showed off his latest creation.

They eventually came to a stop in front of a purple-and-pink door that had a few glowing dots on it. He grinned and opened it, while she leaned forward to peer inside.

The room was dark...although there was a faint purple glow throughout. That seemed to be coming from the walls and ceiling, which looked...almost transparent. She looked down and saw that the floor was far below the door, and glowed the same purple color. Each glowing surface appeared to be covered in faint lines and runes.

"Alright," she said. "I have to admit, I don't know what this is."

"Fair," he said. "It's not immediately obvious. A demonstration is clearly in order!" And with that, he took a dramatic step through the threshold...and fell.

She felt her heart jump—even as powerful as Discord was, she did fear for his safety if he was ever in trouble. She leaned further over the edge, watching him carefully, her wings tense as she prepared to fly down after him if she had to. But he simply stood still and let himself fall, a wide grin on his face.

Oddly enough...was he falling more slowly than he should have? Maybe it was his magic.

He was still speeding up, though, and getting closer to the floor. She flinched as he hit the ground...but then, before her eyes, the ground seemed to...give to his weight. A pink ripple spread across the floor, and he sprang back up into the air.

"It's a bouncy room!" he said with a laugh as he came back to the level of the door. As he traveled past, he shouted down, "And the gravity is only a quarter of Equestria's, so you can practically fly without even using your wings!"

"C'mon!" he shouted to her as he fell past the door again. This time, instead of just standing still, he seemed to be getting ready for impact.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment...but only a moment. She jumped through the doorway, traveling forward and letting gravity take hold.

Falling felt...weird, since it was taking longer than she knew it should have. But that just gave her plenty of time to brace for impact, the way Discord was doing.

He hit the floor before her, and bounced off at an angle, sailing high into the air. He laughed loudly the whole time.

She landed just a second later. The floor bent underneath her, acting like a strange, glowing trampoline. Just before she was bounced up, she jumped...and soared even higher into the air than Discord.

"Show-off!" he shouted from below her, making her laugh. She had to admit...this was fun. She watched as Discord leaned towards one of the walls, bouncing off of it to reach her height.

"This is fun!" she told him with a laugh as he passed by. His grin widened, and he twirled in the air.

"Let's see if you can catch me!" he challenged. He rolled into a ball and spun, dropping back towards the floor.

She pedaled in the air, trying to move in his direction. Gravity being as weak as it was made it impossible for her to fall after him yet. She watched and waited as he uncurled just before hitting the floor, springing to the other side of the room.

Finally, gravity took hold once again, and she slowly fell. She got ready to jump, keeping her eyes trained on Discord the whole time as he took large leaps into the air, performing twirls and tricks as he soared.

With her next jump, she sprang right towards him.

He managed to see her coming, and twisted out of the way just in time. They both ended up running into and bouncing off of a wall—but she took advantage of it and used it to jump back towards the floor.

And so the chase began.

Discord was tricky, and knew just the right ways to twist and turn to dodge her. But she quickly began learning how to bounce off the walls and floor at the perfect angles, and how to reach the floor quickly without using her wings—mostly by using the walls to reach it.

The chase lasted for quite some time, as Discord seemed to narrowly avoid capture during most of her attempts. But though she was starting to feel a little tired...she could tell that he was even more so, panting heavily and sweating even as he laughed and grinned.

So she prepared herself for her biggest, fastest jump yet. When she hit the floor, she jumped from it and rocketed forward, directly towards him.

This time, he wasn't able to twist away quickly enough. She barreled into him, quickly wrapping her forelegs around his torso. "Got...got you," she panted, relaxing and letting her body become limp as they slowly fell.

"Yes...yes you did," he said, sounding even more out of breath than she was. He wrapped his arms around her, while she reached up to wipe some of the sweat off of his brow. He smiled softly down at her.

They fell and hit the floor together. They slowly bounced up...and then stopped and floated down. Up then down, up then down...when she closed her eyes and pressed herself against Discord, it actually felt kind of relaxing.

"This is...a really nice room," she said during the third bounce. "I'm glad that you thought of it."

"So am I!" he said, stroking his claws through her mane. "So am I."

They kept bouncing a few more times before Discord spoke up again. "As relaxing as this is," he said. "That exciting chase wore me down a bit. Care to relax with a bit of ice cream?"

"I'd love to," she said. She glanced up at the door, which had gotten further away as their bounces became shorter and took less time. "Let me guess...we have to jump our way back up there?"

"You got it," he said with a nod, slowly letting go of her. He tensed, ready to jump, and she got ready beside him.

He hit the ground first and jumped high, high into the air...overshooting his goal a bit. She jumped after him, also overshooting the doorframe. They both chuckled about it, and he offered her his paw.

She took it, and as they fell past the doorway, he grabbed onto the frame and pulled both of them through. "First try!" he said, dropping to his feet. "Now, let's...woah."

"What is...woah." She landed on her hooves and realized why he had that reaction. All of her legs felt...wobbly. Like they were now made out of rubber. Discord must have felt the same, based on the way his legs were shaking under his weight.

"This is...this is fine," he said. He took a few steps forward, but his legs were shaking enough that his path was about as far away from a straight line as possible, and he bumped into the wall.

She walked towards him, but found that walking wasn't any easier for her. In fact, she nearly ended up tripping over her own hooves.

Discord chuckled. "Forget 'fine'...this is actually kind of fun!" He took several more steps forward, weaving around the hallway and barely avoiding the walls.

She smiled and followed him a bit more slowly, struggling just as much with walking. The two of them stumbled and giggled on their way to the kitchen, bumping into and almost stumbling over each other several times.

The whole way there, even as her legs very, very slowly adjusted enough for her to walk normally again...she had a huge grin on her face, nearly as big as Discord's.

Spring Grooming

Fluttershy yawned, stretching her wings as she woke up. She sat up and glanced around, searching for Discord.

He was lying next to her, still fast asleep. She smiled and leaned over to rub her nose against his, brushing a hoof against his neck. He murmured happily in his sleep, smacking his lips as his eyelids twitched.

While she giggled silently at his response, she withdrew her hoof...and saw that a clump of grey fur had stuck to it. She blinked and glanced at the bedsheet and blankets, seeing grey and brown furs scattered throughout it—not much, but enough to signal what was to come.

Discord yawned loudly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Hmmwha?" he muttered. "Zit morning already?"

"Yes, it is," she said with a chuckle. "Good morning, sleepyhead." She leaned forward to nuzzle his cheek.

"Humph," he said. "It's someone's fault I'm so tired this morning, you know. A certain yellow someone who kept me up late into the night..."

She blushed brightly and buried her face into his fur. "Not that I'm complaining," he said. "In fact, I won't mind if we continued where we left off."

Though her blush spread to her ears, she remembered something important. "Actually," she said. "There's something you should know." She pulled away from him and pulled back the covers, showing him the fur coating them.

He stared at them for a few seconds, then looked back up at her. He reached up and rubbed at her muzzle, pulling his hand back and showing that a few strands of brown fur had been stuck to her face.

He glanced between her, his hand, and the fur-coated covers, and then let out a heavy sigh. "That time of year again, eh..."

"Mhmm," she said with a nod. He sighed again, seeming to deflate like a balloon.

"Well, I'll...put these in the wash," he said. "Then we can eat breakfast and...take care of this." He gestured to his torso with an expression of disgust and annoyance.

She patted his shoulder (which caused a few more strands of fur to drift down onto the covers). "Hey...maybe we can have a 'continuation' after we take care of it," she said with a smile.

His own lips twitched into a smirk. "Well...that's something to look forward to, at least," he said with a purr. With a groan, he stretched out like a large cat, then rolled out of bed and onto the floor.

She hopped out of bed after him. With a swipe of his claws, all of the blankets, sheets, and even pillowcases had been stripped off of the bed. Discord carried them away in a large bundle, waddling in the direction of the kitchen.

Curious, she followed him...and watched him stop in the living room to dump all of the sheets into a wooden tub filled with soap and water. A washing board moved on its own and began to vigorously scrub the cloth, while he continued into the kitchen.

She paused for a second to admire his creativity and magic, then followed him and helping him make pancakes with orange juice in the batter.

Over the years, the two of them had discovered something interesting about Discord's fur—it grew thicker in the winter and began to shed in spring.

Neither of them was sure if it was a biological or magical reaction to winter. Discord himself wasn't aware of it until she pointed out that he left clumps of brown and grey fur in their bed in the morning.

It was a little embarrassing for him...enough that one spring, he nearly shaved all his fur off to prevent the shedding. She had eventually talked him down and assured him it was nothing to be embarrassed about...and after a while, they started a spring tradition.

When he began shedding, he would allow her to bring out the fur brushes and brush him until he stopped shedding fur.

It usually took a while, and though he enjoyed the attention, he would sometimes get bored. Some years they would do all of the 'spring grooming' at once, while other years they would take breaks, making the tradition last for days, sometimes up to a week.

Which was why Discord laid on his stomach on their couch after breakfast, while she placed all the brushes she could find in front of her, trying to decide which to use first.

He muttered and snapped up a neon green and purple vacuum with glowing pink lights on it...though after it hummed for a few seconds, it moved into a corner and became silent, the lights going out.

"Thank you," she said. One of the first years of this tradition, they had just been so done after the brushing that they had left the room without cleaning up first...and woke up the next morning to see all of the fur they had left in the living room, whole piles and drifts of it.

"Welcome," he grunted. "May I make a suggestion? Use the one with the green handle. It seems to pick up a lot more fur, and its bristles don't feel too rough."

"This one?" she said, grabbing the first green one she saw and holding it up.

"No, no, the lime green one, not emerald," he said. She switched brushes, and he nodded in confirmation.

With her brush selected, she sat in front of him and began. She started at the base of his neck and stroked all the way to his tail, shaking the brush after each stroke.

"Stupid fur..." he grumbled. "Why does it have to always embarrass me like this?"

"This happens to a lot of creatures," she answered as she ran the brush through his fur. Yeesh, she was already picking up huge clumps. "Their coats get thicker as it gets colder, so they can keep warm. Then, when it gets warmer, they shed the extra fur so that they don't overheat." She pulled the fur out of the brush and ran it through his fur again.

He muttered to himself about it, and she kept running the brush through his fur, often stopping to pull out large clumps. Even though he enjoyed her touch—she rubbed him behind his ears to make him feel better—he never liked feeling embarrassed.

He sighed and visibly relaxed at her touch, sinking further into the couch as his tail lazily looped around her waist. She smiled and kept brushing, pausing every few strokes to pull the hair out of the brush.

Everything was quiet, aside from the ruffling of his fur, the whir of the vacuum as it came to life whenever a fur touched the ground, and Discord's quiet, infrequent snorts and grumbles.

Every so often, she would pause and stroke him behind the ear, or simply run her hoof down his back. And even while brushing, she rested her other hoof on him. Eventually, his grumbling died down, and he relaxed against the couch.

She felt a bit sleepy...normally she would break the silence by talking to him, but she felt too tired to think of a conversation starter. And so she brushed and brushed and brushed, her eyes drooping closed as she fell into a rhythm.

She didn't completely fall asleep, even if her mind grew fuzzy from the monotony, time passing by as she continued her chore. But then, there was something that startled her and made her blink awake—a sound from Discord.

Blinking and shaking her head, she continued brushing, waiting to see if he would say anything. He didn't talk, but after a few moments, he made the noise again.

It was a snorting, snuffling sound. "Sweetie?" she said quietly. "Are you bored? Do you want to take care of the rest later?" No response.

Frowning, she set down her brush and moved towards his head. His eyes were closed, his expression was peaceful...and every so often, his lips parted enough to make that same snorting, snuffling sound.

He had fallen asleep!

She couldn't help but giggle a little at that. He really must have been worn out from last night...poor thing. She rubbed the top of his head, watching as a satisfied smile spread across his muzzle.

Well, as tempting as a nap next to him was, his fur needed to be attended to. So she picked up her brush once again and stroked it through his fur.

Eventually, she started picking up fewer clumps, and reached a point where only a fairly normal amount of fur stuck to the brush with each stroke. She took his shoulders and, being as gentle as possible, rolled him over so that he was lying on his back.

He snorted loudly and smacked his lips, scratching at his stomach...but he didn't wake up. She smiled and placed a small kiss on his nose before getting back to work...this time on his belly fur.

At some points, he would giggle in his sleep and stick out his tongue—probably thanks to her brushing his more sensitive spots. She chuckled to herself, but made sure to be especially careful around those areas, to avoid waking him.

It came closer to noon, and she was finally finishing with his belly fur...for the most part. It was hard to tell where his fur was thick and where it had been thinned out, so she was sure that she had missed a few spots...but what mattered was the spots she did thin out in advance.

She finished the brushing session by going to his head, scooping up a brush with soft bristles. She carefully ran it across his cheeks, muzzle, and ears, picking up and discarding a few clumps of grey fur.

As she did this, Discord finally started to blink awake. "Wh...is it over already?" he asked as she ran it along the bridge of his nose. "Or are we just skipping ahead, and...we somehow jumped several hours forward in time?"

She chuckled and stroked his cheek. "No...you fell asleep," she told him. "I think I got most of your winter fur...the rest should hopefully come off in the bath, or with some light morning brushing."

"Mmm, yes," he said, rolling over and stretching out, shaking himself to remove a few strands of fur. "Thank you for finishing it after I fell asleep. Actually..." He rubbed at his eyes. "That was pretty restful. Maybe we should keep doing this in the future."

"What, me brushing you while you nap?" He nodded, and she frowned in thought. "Well...I think I might have to tire you out first for you to fall asleep."

He grinned widely. "I would not mind that one bit," he purred, leaning forward to nuzzle her cheek. "But speaking of tiring...sit down and let me pamper you!" He grabbed her shoulders, and the next thing she knew, she was the one sitting on the couch, while he presented her with a large daisy sandwich.

"You've done something nice for me," he said, holding up a new brush. "Why don't I return the favor?" He ran the brush through her mane, and she sighed, relaxing and leaning forward to lie on her stomach.

She smiled and nibbled at her sandwich as Discord continued brushing her mane. That felt nice...even if the attention was a little bit flustering. "Thank you," she said.

"...anything for you," he answered, scratching behind her ear. "Anything for you."

Heart Troubles

Uh oh.

In retrospect, Discord knew it was terrible of him to try and find whatever gift Fluttershy might have gotten him for Hearts and Hooves Day. But like with every holiday, it always seemed like more of a game to him than anything, and he couldn't resist trying to figure out what hiding place she was using this time.

He had managed to keep himself distracted for a while—namely, by making the largest, shiniest heart-shaped card that he could, but just two days before the holiday of lurve, he was just itching to search, search, search!

And after poking around in closets and pantries—he had found it. Hidden inside of a drawer in the study's desk was a large heart-shaped box tied shut with a golden ribbon. He had untied it and opened it without a second thought, his eyes widening at the sight. So many tiny chocolates lying inside, each one promising a different flavor! A card on top, with a crayon drawing of the two of them holding hands on its front, accented with glitter.

Glitter...how he loved it! So shiny and chaotic, and it would get everywhere and annoy ponies...and she had used it on a card just for him. With a smile, he opened the card.

Discord, sorry I couldn't make the chocolate by hoof this year. But I still hope you like these chocolates and this card...especially since no flavor is supposed to be the same!

Lots of Love,

Fluttershy

There were hearts drawn in all of the corners. He felt touched, and a wide grin spread on his face as he munched on one of the chocolates...coconut and mango. She must have had trouble, finding chocolates with such a combination...

And that was the moment when he thought to himself, uh oh.

He gulped, swallowing the chocolate he had eaten. He began to sweat, glancing over his shoulder nervously. This was the first time in years he had successfully found his hidden presents...he had promised himself that he would be content with the victory of finding it, and still not touch it until Hearts and Hooves Day, but apparently, his hands and mouth decided to act on their own!

This is as bad as our first Hearth's Warming, he thought. Fluttershy hadn't be upset with him then, either...but still, he would hate to see any expression of disappointment on her sweet face.

"I can...fix this," he said to himself. With a snap of his fingers, the chocolate he had eaten was replaced. He closed the card and tucked it back in place, then closed the container and tied the ribbon around it again.

Once it looked completely untouched, he tucked it back into its hiding spot. He closed the drawer and backed away, whistling innocently as he strolled out of the room. "She won't notice a thing," he told himself. Fluttershy was working at the sanctuary, so it was...highly unlikely that he would be caught. "I just have to act happy and surprised when she gives it to me, and it'll be like I never stumbled upon it!"

He nodded to himself, satisfied with the plan. Still, though...he did feel a little guilty about opening his present before she gave it to him.

With a grumble, he shook his head. "I'll just make my gift to her even more amazing to make up for it," he told himself. "Flowers and chocolates...the best ones I can make!"

Mission in mind, he walked far, far away from the study.

He kept himself busy over the next two days—besides adding to the gifts he had for her, he caused chaos here and there, from harmlessly pranking boring nobleponies to dueling storms he whipped up himself.

Still, though...he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about opening her gift early. Even Fluttershy asked if something was wrong, to which he cheerfully replied, "Everything's as far from wrong as physically possible!" He even managed to keep his pupils from drifting in different directions and betraying his lie, but she still seemed a little suspicious. She didn't press him for answers, though, being the wonderous respectful pony she was...

In a way, it was almost a relief when he woke up on Hearts and Hooves Day. Fluttershy was still fast asleep beside him, and he took a moment to watch her side slowly rise and fall...it was calming. He felt like he could have laid on his side like that for hours, keeping his lion arm draped over her as her breath made a soothing lullaby.

Eventually, she began to stir. He beamed and leaned forward, kissing her nose just as her eyes were fluttering open. A smile spread on her muzzle as a giggle bubbled from her throat. "Good morning, my ray of sunshine," he purred, kissing the nape of her neck. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Mmm..." she thought for a second, still waking up. "...Hearts and Hooves Day?"

"Bingo!" he cheered. A burst of pink and silver confetti showered on them from above. "Guess what your prize is?"

"I don't know," she said. He backed off a bit to give her space to stretch her wings and forelegs. "What's the prize?"

"Breakfast in bed!" he said cheerfully. With a snap, two steaming bowls of porridge appeared in pink, heart-shaped bowls. Not only was it sweet, creamy porridge with plenty of milk and sugar added, but he had also included strawberries and blueberries...mutant ones that were shaped like hearts.

Fluttershy smiled as the bowl appeared in her lap, a silver spoon with a flower pattern appearing in her hoof. Another snap, and they each had a glass of cotton candy-flavored milk beside them. "Oh, thank you, Discord," she said, taking a bite. "You know you didn't have to..."

"But I wanted to," he said, scooching close and wrapping an arm around her withers. "Please, enjoy!"

The two of them leaned against each other, occasionally exchanging kisses as they slowly finished their breakfast. Once she was done, Fluttershy leaned up and pressed her lips against his. He smiled and returned the pressure.

"I have something for you," she said after pulling out of the kiss. "Just give me a second to get it, okay?" He slowly nodded, biting his tongue as he felt the cold tendril of guilt again. She flew out of the room, leaving him alone as he braided the blanket in his hands.

After a few seconds, he occupied himself by summoning all of the gifts he had prepared for her. He imagined her happy face when she saw them...it made him smile, and made it easier for him to ignore the guilt.

Fluttershy returned a minute later, and he quickly hid everything behind his back. She was also hiding something behind her back...though he knew exactly what it was. He forced the thought away and grinned widely at the sight of her.

"Do we want to exchange gifts at the same time?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. He nodded. "Alright. Three...two...one!"

She brought out the heart-shaped box tied with a gold ribbon. He whipped out the giant, glittery heart (bigger than their door), with I Love You written on it with pink glittery paint. He also gave her a chocolate statue of himself (not life-sized), and a bouquet of roses and tulips in all colors of the rainbow.

"Oh, my!" she said, taking the chocolate and bouquet into her hooves. "This is...it's amazing! Thank you so much, Discord! Though I might feel guilty eating this chocolate..." She giggled, and he beamed, his heart fluttering at the sheer joy written across her face.

"Don't feel too guilty," he said. "And hey...I can always change the form of it if you want."

"Hmm," she said, smiling. "No...this is too unique and novel to change, I think." His beam widened. How he was lucky enough to fall in love with a mare who seemed to appreciate uniqueness and chaos, he had no idea.

"Why don't you open yours?" she suggested, her eyes sparkling at the thought. The guilt returned, but he clamped it down.

With a smile, and a forced flutter of his wings, he undid the golden ribbon on the box. He opened the container, smiling as brightly as he could at the contents. He eagerly and genuinely thanked her for the glitter on his card, taking several minutes to read the message inside.

"It's perfectly fine you couldn't make them by hoof," he said earnestly. "I understand how busy you've been lately."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I did my best to find the most chaotic chocolates I could, though...I eventually found someone who made unique fillings. And each one is supposed to be different!"

"Ooh, I'll make sure to test that," he said. His claw hovered over the sweets inside, before he finally selected one. He bit into it, savoring the flavor. Coconut and mango...the wave of guilt crashed into him again, and his smile wavered.

Naturally, Fluttershy noticed. "Discord...is something wrong?" she asked. "I hope I got some good chocolate, but I can get something else later if it's not that good..."

"No, no!" he quickly said. "The chocolate is amazing! You must have...gone through a lot of trouble to get it with flavors like this." He frowned and looked down at the box. "But I...Fluttershy, I need to tell you something."

She frowned, leaning closer. He swallowed and closed his eyes, forging on. "I found this present two days ago, in the study. I read your card and ate some of the chocolate...I tried to cover it up, but I felt terrible that I took away your chance to surprise me with your gift."

He winced, bracing himself. She was sure to be disappointed...but at least he could get rid of this guilt. Maybe he could arrange something, a holiday or vacation for the two of them to make it up to her...

Something leaned against his side, nuzzling him. He flinched and opened his eyes, looking down to see that it was Fluttershy. She was nuzzling against his side, a very soft smile on her face.

"Thank you for...telling me the truth," she said. "I never would have figured out that you had found it. I...appreciate that you were honest. I can find a better hiding spot in the future..."

"Don't blame yourself," he said quickly, wrapping an arm around her. "I really should learn to not poke my muzzle where it shouldn't be, trying to figure out things I shouldn't know..."

She smiled. "...I guess you wouldn't be you if you didn't try to figure out secrets or find trouble," she said. He made a fake gasp in mock offense. "Though...I would appreciate it if you tried to tone down the 'searching for presents' thing."

"I'll do my best," he said. "...though it is a little tempting to search for searching's sake...you are so good at finding hiding spots! I don't even know where most of them are, I think!"

She giggled. "Well...even if you search and find them, maybe you could boast all about it to me right away instead of opening them?"

"...that would work," he said, his eyes widening. "And it's a much better plan than finding them and silently, smugly holding onto the fact that I 'won'. You'd really let me boast about finding hidden presents?"

"As long as you don't open them, and still let me surprise you with them," she said. He nodded eagerly. "...do you like your gift?"

"I love it," he said, grabbing another chocolate and biting into it. Chocolate and lemon filling... "You always give the best presents, my dear sweet Fluttershy. I'm sorry I ruined your chance to surprise me with it."

"That's okay," she said, wrapping her forelegs around his torso and nuzzling his side. "You gave me amazing gifts, and you're happy with the gift I gave you. This is a wonderful Hearts and Hooves Day."

"...since I took away your chance to surprise me, though," Discord said. "Perhaps there's...something I can do, to make it up for you..." He trailed his lips along her neck, lightly nipping the nape of it.

She shivered, her wings flaring out a bit and fluffing up. "...are you sure this isn't too predictable and orderly?" she said. "I recall last Hearts and Hooves Day being similar..."

He continued to trail kisses along her neck and chest. "Believe me," he purred. "I can switch things up and give my wonderful wife the love and attention she deserves..."

He used his tail to set his chocolates aside. Fluttershy moved her gifts to the nightstand, wrapping her wings around him as her hooves trailed up and down his neck. Their lips met in a kiss, and as their tongues tangled together, Discord snapped his tail feathers.

All of their curtains closed, the room now lit only by romantic candlelight. He pressed his body as close to hers as he could, and the two of them tangled into their bedsheets as they lost themselves in passion.

Frosted Fluttershy

Fluttershy shivered as she opened the front door and stepped inside, shaking a bit of snow off of her wings.

Even if lots of animals hibernated or migrated away in the winter, there was still work to be done in the sanctuary—making sure that all of the dens and habitats were holding up, checking up on any awake animals, and fixing any structures that needed improvements or repairs.

Thankfully, though today was cold, with some light snow, she had finished her tasks and came home by mid-morning. "Discord?" she said as she hung her scarf, coat, and hat on a coatrack that bowed to her. "I'm home!"

He appeared next to her in a flash of light, quickly throwing his arms around her. "Welcome home," he said, nuzzling her cheek...before flinching and pulling away. "Goodness, you're cold!"

"I know," she said, smiling a bit at his overreaction. "I think I'll fix myself a cup of cocoa..."

"Or you could let me show you what I've made for you!" he said. He grabbed her hooves and began to lightly tug her towards the kitchen. "It'll warm you up in no time, I promise!"

She smiled and allowed him to guide her. He led her into the kitchen, and she glanced around for whatever new addition he had made. It wasn't hard to spot—in the corner, there was a large, doorless oven, with a small couch and table set in front of it.

Discord guided her to that corner, presenting the oven to her dramatically. "This! Is like a fireplace or a furnace, but with the additional benefit of making tasty treats for us." He smiled and reached behind his back. "Tasty treats liiiike...this!"

With a flourish, he presented a tray of unbaked sugar cookies, each one cut into a different shape—there were many different animals, a few Hearth's Warming and Hearts and Hooves Day-themed ones, and other random shapes.

She gasped and smiled. "Oh, this is such a good idea!" she said. She quickly sat down on the couch, looking at him with a bright and expectant smile.

He chuckled and patted her head, sliding the tray into the large oven. With a snap of his fingers, flames sprang to life inside, starting the bake the cookies and making heat pour over her. She sighed, letting her eyes drift closed as she was hit with a wave of heat.

"Now, can I get you something to drink, sugar?" Discord said in a high-pitched voice. She opened her eyes and smiled—he was wearing a striped dress, apron, and blonde wig, holding a coffee pot in one hand.

"Just...some hot chocolate would be nice," she said with a giggle.

"Coming right up, hun!" Discord chirped, strolling about a foot away to fetch two mugs.

She chuckled and then sighed, relaxing in her seat. The oven radiated a lot of heat...it felt so nice, after spending such a long time in the cold.

"Comfortable, sugar-honey?" Discord asked, pouring her a mug of hot chocolate.

"Very," she said, sipping her hot drink. She turned her attention to the oven, where she could easily watch the cookies rising and hardening. "Not to be rude, but...I'm surprised you decided you bake these by hand."

He laughed and sat next to her, his outfit disappearing. "To be fair, I cheated a bit," he said. "I just made the dough with magic and cut it into the shapes I wanted before sticking them in there." He jabbed his thumb towards the oven.

"Ah," she said, nodding in understanding and clutching her mug, letting its heat flow through her hooves. "Well, I really appreciate having something hot to eat and drink. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said, sipping at his own mug of cocoa. "Plus...I kept some of the cookie dough. To snack on while we wait." With a snap of his fingers, a bowl of raw cookie dough appeared on the table in front of them.

"...does it have raw eggs in it?" she asked.

"Well...yes, I believe so," he said. "But c'mon, it's only a little bit of dough! With maybe one egg, or two. I know raw eggs can make you sick, but this is magic-made dough! It won't have...whatever causes the disease in it."

She hesitated, then reached forward to tear off a small piece. "I suppose a little bit doesn't hurt." She popped it into her mouth and chewed. The dough was soft and sweet...not a bad snack.

Discord grinned widely when he caught sight of her smile, and tore off a larger piece of dough to chomp on. She smiled at this, while he already began to take even more dough to snack on.

The two of them snacked on the cookie dough and sipped their hot chocolate until a timer shaped like an egg started ringing. "Oh, cookies are done," Discord said. Fluttershy glanced into the oven, confirming the cookies had been completely baked, as she pressed down on the egg timer to silence it.

Discord reached over her and into the oven, an oven mitt appearing on his hand. He grabbed the tray and pulled it out, showing off the steaming cookies to her.

"Mmm," she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Those smell very good."

"Don't they?" he said, snorting loudly as he inhaled, making her giggle. With a smile, he set the tray in front of them, his oven mitt vanishing.

"Ooh, which one to take..." he said, his fingers wriggling as they hovered over the hot cookies.

"I wouldn't do that," she warned just as he was about to grab a squirrel-shaped one. "They're too hot, you'll end up burning yourself!"

"Phoo," he said, pulling away. "How long until they'll be cool enough to eat?"

"Let's wait...at least two minutes," she said. "And we can bake even more cookies while we wait..."

"True," he said, nodding at this idea and snapping up another tray of unbaked cookies, shoving them into the flaming oven. "But...ugh, waiting." He placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward, glaring at the cookies and radiating his disappointment with them for obeying the laws of thermodynamics.

She giggled a little, then after a few seconds, leaned over and rubbed against his side. "Hey," she said. "After waiting those two minutes, even if they're still hot, you could...put some really cold frosting on them to counter it."

His ears perked up, and he turned to her with a smile. "That's my Fluttershy," he said, rubbing behind her ear. "Thinking of clever solutions."

She giggled and blushed, leaning up and into his touch. She was already comfortably warm thanks to the hot chocolate and the oven...and his own warm, furry body made her feel even more comfortable. She draped a wing over his back and continued to nuzzle into his side.

He continued stroking her mane and caressing her cheek, only pausing every so often to glance at the melted clock on the wall. "It's been two minutes," he said after one of his final glances. She looked up and confirmed this, and shifted so that she could lean against him and be able to eat comfortably at the same time.

Discord snatched the squirrel cookie from the tray. "Not too hot to touch," he said before she could begin to ask if he was okay. A large tub of buttercream frosting appeared, and he slathered his cookie with it. "And what will the lovely lady have?"

She paused to look over the cookies. Finally, she decided on one that may have been a tornado, or a strange, blobby arrow. It was very warm to the touch as she picked it up, but it didn't burn her hooves.

"May I?" Discord said, holding out the blunt knife that held a glob of frosting. She smiled and held the cookie a little closer to him, and he quickly and unevenly smeared the frosting on top.

"A toast! To us," he said, holding his cookie to her as the knife was dropped back into the frosting tub.

She smiled and tapped her cookie against his. "To us."

They both bit into their cookies. Fluttershy's eyes widened, while Discord moaned in delight and quickly ate the rest of his in just a few bites.

She chose to savor hers as he chose another cookie, this time a bird-shaped one. The cookie was delicious, and it helped her feel a little warmer.

After finishing her cookie, she enveloped Discord's torso in a hug. "Thank you," she said, nestling into his fur. "The cookies are sweet...and so are you."

He smiled, stroking his finger through her mane. "You're welcome," he murmured. "Oooh, for the next batch after this, why don't we go crazy and put this buttercream frosting on chocolate cookies!"

She giggled, pulling away to choose her next cookie. "You're silly," she said. "Though that does sound pretty good..."

"I know, right!?" he said, making her smile and giggle again.

The two of them lounged on that couch for a while, lingering and enjoying cookies and company, even long after they had gotten all the warmth they needed.

Chocolate Soup

Fluttershy smiled at Discord, who was sleeping soundly on the living room couch.

He rarely took naps—he always wanted to do something rather than rest—but when he was tired, had used a lot of his magic, or was simply very, very comfortable, he would fall asleep.

Which was exactly what had happened. He had been battling storms left, right, and center all week—first a sandstorm in Saddle Arabia, then a hurricane near the southern coast of Equestria. Finally, a lost tornado that needed to be chased away from Canterlot, and he stumbled home, feeling drained of magic.

Naturally, knowing the week he was having, she offered to give him a massage. He had eagerly agreed and practically fell forward onto the couch.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes before she realized he had fallen asleep in the middle of his massage. She smiled and stroked his neck, making him smile sleepily.

Her brave, wonderful husband...working so hard to help others with his magic. Just thinking about it made her smile and nuzzle his forehead. "Mmm...love you," he muttered in his sleep.

She grinned, placing a kiss on his forehead before backing away. Her stomach grumbled, and she glanced over at the swinging pendulum clock and saw that it was close to dinnertime.

I'll make dinner for both of us, she thought. Something that he really likes...maybe something to energize him a bit.

It only took her a minute to think of a great recipe that fit both things. With a grin, she flew into the kitchen and began grabbing ingredients and preparing the dish.

In just a few minutes, she had prepared a pot of hot soup. She wouldn't call it Discord's absolute favorite—his tastes seemed to change on a whim, and leftover soup was always much more chaotic-tasting—but she was sure that it was one he very much enjoyed.

There was a groan from the doorway, and she turned to see Discord stumbling into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes as his nostrils twitched.

"Did I fall asleep...?" he asked. He sniffed at the air. "And you made a dessert?"

She flew over to greet him, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and kissing him. "Good morning...I mean, um, good...seeing you up, sweetie," she said, stumbling over her words. He chuckled, smiling warmly down at her.

"Did I wake you? I wanted to give you a chance to rest, maybe even bring supper to you on the couch..."

"No, you didn't wake me," he said. "My magic is back up to one-thousand percent, so I was done with napping." He snapped his fingers and created a flock of paper cranes to demonstrate.

She giggled as they circled around her, tousling her mane before flying out the window and disappearing into the purple Chaosville sky. "And...you were going to bring me dinner?" he continued, a grin on his face. "Complete with that amazing dessert that I happen to be smelling?"

She couldn't help but let a smirk, a tiny one, spread on her face. "That dessert is the dinner," she said. She flew over to the cupboards and brought down two bowls, dishing a good amount of soup into each one.

Discord approached, his eyes widening. "Is that...?"

"Chocolate soup," she told him as she grabbed the toppings. Each bowl was filled with a steaming, chocolate brown, chocolate-smelling liquid, with marshmallows floating inside. She topped each with crushed graham crackers, cinnamon, and a dab of marshmallow cream.

She handed one bowl and spoon to Discord, who took it gingerly in his hands, a soft smile on his face. "Thank you," he said. "Shall we eat it on the couch, for old times' sake?"

"Sure," she said with a smile, grabbing her own bowl. They both headed into the living room and sat on the couch, leaning against each other.

Discord began eating his soup right away, while Fluttershy carefully blew on her first spoonful to cool it. "I remember the first time we had this," she said as she finally sipped at her soup. It was very sweet, and filled her with warmth.

"So do I," he said with a chuckle. "I still can't believe how much I underestimated the skill needed to make pudding without magic. When I showed it off to you, I was sure it was going to be delicious, and perfect, and...pudding-y."

"And then, I opened it with a flourish, getting ready to dish it out for a dessert to finish off our dinner date...and it was all liquid!" Even now, he shivered and looked away bashfully, though he didn't seem nearly as embarrassed about it now as he had been that night.

She smiled and leaned against him. "I remember it as you bringing something for us to enjoy after I made us dinner...and that even if it didn't work out the way you intended, it was very delicious."

He looked back at her and smiled, lifting his bowl to sip directly from it. "...I do still appreciate that you tried it," he said. "Instead of laughing too much."

"I'm sorry I started giggling," she said. "But, the shock on your face..." She had to bite her tongue before she started laughing at the memory. His eyes had widened, his jaw had dropped...he was completely blown away by how the pudding had actually turned out. A tiny wheeze escaped her lips.

"Oh, yes," he grunted. "Laugh at poor Cordy. Laugh at the draconequus who couldn't figure out that pudding needs to set after being whisked to have that nice texture and viscosity it's known for."

"S-sorry," she said, quickly stifling any other laughs that threatened to bubble from her throat. She took a quick sip of the sweet soup as Discord kept drinking his.

"And, I have to admit...I was impressed that you made a better, working recipe for chocolate soup," he said. "The marshmallows are a great touch." He slurped down three of them at once. "As are all the additions and tweaks."

"I thought you'd like it," she said. "But at first I was worried, because the evening I first showed it to you, you started laughing..."

"I did!" he said. "Because it was funny! And it was funny because I had finally figured out how to actually make chocolate pudding, and brought it for our dessert!" He laughed, throwing an arm over her shoulders.

She couldn't help but also laugh at the memory. It was a funny one, and a fond one. Eventually, the two of them stopped laughing, though a few chuckles escaped them.

They ate their soup in silence for a bit. "It's delicious, as always," Discord said, standing up. "In fact, I'm going to help myself to another bowl!"

"There's also some chocolate-covered banana slices in there," she said. "On the counter, on some wax paper. Just so that...we had something that's a little healthy."

"You little health nut," he cooed, ruffling her mane and making her giggle. "Fine. Just for you, I will ruin my streak of only eating sweets for the evening by nibbling on some banana slices."

He floated towards the kitchen, but paused in the doorway. "You want some?"

"Yes, please," she said. He smiled and nodded, leaving her with a half-full bowl of soup. She lifted the bowl and began to drink right out of it, as Discord had.

It was delicious, sweet...and it made her think back to those dinners they had shared together. She smiled fondly, savoring both the taste and the memories it brought.

Fiery Cooking

"Fluttershy, what are we having for dinner?" Discord asked.

Fluttershy looked up from the sanctuary pantry shelves. Discord was holding a clipboard, bending a pencil like rubber between his fingers as she counted supplies. "I'm not sure," she said. "I hadn't really thought about it... there are twenty bunches of carrots."

He nodded and wrote on the clipboard, then made a cat's cradle with the pencil. "Just wondering," he said. "Because if you weren't set on anything, there's something that I would like for dinner."

"Oh? What is it?" she asked, counting the next item on the shelf.

"Well," he said. "It doesn't really have a name...I wanted to try something new. And I would suggest we make it together, buuuuut..."

"But what?" she asked, tilting her head.

"...it involves a lot of fire," he said. "Fire and knives."

She froze, dropping the radish she had been inspecting as she imagined what 'a lot of fire' meant to Discord, who normally watched (and went into) natural disasters without batting an eye. "...what's your idea?"

"I wanted to try chopping up some vegetables, covering them in some kind of spices, and then seeing what would happen if I fried them in a pan," Discord said. "But with, like...a lot of fire and knives."

"That sounds interesting..." she says. "I'd like to give it a try. Thirty-two radishes."

He scribbled it down. "I can take care of it all, while you relax," he offered, balancing the pencil on his nose.

"Well, I...I wouldn't mind helping you chop up the vegetables," she admitted. "And watching you cook could be fun." Watching Discord do a lot of things tended to be fun...one time he had scolded a soup he was making until he had cowed it into changing every one of its ingredients. It was an amusing, if very odd, spectacle.

"Alright," he said. "But your safety comes first! Making a delicious meal that will make your mouth water is secondary." He tried to balance the clipboard on top of the pencil.

"Almost done," she told him, making his shoulders sag in relief. She counted a few more supplies, mostly vegetables she wasn't sure if they needed more of (they had been running low on tomatoes), and then declared the task done for the day. Discord cheered and enlarged the pencil, scooping her into his arms and riding out of the room on it. She saw the clipboard float to the office by itself.

He tickled her sides as he pulled her tighter to his chest, making her giggle and squirm. The pencil steed veered every which way as Discord laughed.

The afternoon flew by, as Discord showed off his jousting skills on his pencil steed, defeating several suits of armor on black pens to reclaim the hoof of the fair maiden Fluttershy.

She giggled and rewarded him with a kiss, nuzzling into his chest as he rode away with her. "...it's getting fairly late," she said. "If you want to make dinner by hand, it might be a good idea to start now."

He beamed down at her, stroking her mane. "You're as wise as you are sweet, my fair Fluttershy," he said, nuzzling behind her ear. "To the kitchen!"

They dismounted the pencil once they made it inside, and Discord patted its side, releasing it to freedom in the floating paper pastures of Chaosville. He smiled and turned to Fluttershy, cracking his knuckles and scrubbing them with suddenly-appearing soap and water.

"First things first—chopping up the vegetables," he said, snapping a chef's hat and apron onto himself. "I believe you mentioned that you want to help with that part?" She nodded as she washed her hooves, and with a snap of his fingers, she was also wearing a hat and apron.

They both took positions in front of neon cutting boards on the counter, Discord carefully placing knives next to both of them. He dug a large pile of various vegetables out from the cupboards, including asparagus, onions, and red bell peppers.

He took an onion and began to peel it, goggles appearing on his face as he worked. She smiled and grabbed some asparagus, chopping the stalks into smaller, more bite-sized pieces.

The two of them worked in sync, chopping vegetables and scraping the pieces into a bowl. Discord occasionally tossed pinches of salt or spices on top, while also adding a bit of oil to a large pan. Eventually, the bowl was filled with the various vegetables, and Discord poured them into the well-oiled pan.

"Ah...this is the part I'd like you to step back during," he said, turning the stovetop on with his tail. She nodded and stepped about a foot down the counter as he tossed more spices into the pan, mixing everything together until it was all coated in red powder.

"One last ingredient, for now," he said. He reached into the cabinet above, pulling out a rarely-touched bottle of alcohol. Neither of them drank often, so this bottle was only opened for the recipes that needed it.

She watched as he popped the bottle open, swirling the contents around and perhaps using his magic to freshen them. "A little of this..." he said, using his magic to levitate an orb of alcohol from the bottle. He dropped it into the pan, and flames lept out several feet into the air. Fluttershy jumped, but he laughed and tossed the flaming contents with his spoon.

"Are you...sure this is safe?" she asked, watching as the flames slowly died down.

"I know what I'm doing," he said. "But, ah...maybe you should still stay back. I don't want to get you caught in any friendly fire."

She squeaked and backed several more feet away. She noticed that he watched her out of the corner of his eye, nodding in satisfaction when she was far enough back and adding another splash of alcohol to his dish with magic. It flared up again, though not as badly as the first time, and he handled it calmly.

It was almost hypnotic, watching him. He had everything under control, occasionally adding an extra pinch of spices or another dollop of alcohol. But no matter how high the flames jumped, he handled it calmly...with a smile on his face, even!

She lost some track of time...but her stomach growled, reminding her that supper would be served soon. Discord's ear twitched upwards. "It's nearly done, Shyfly," he said, stirring it a bit. "Why don't you take a seat at the table, and I'll bring the plate to you?"

A bit reluctantly, she removed her apron and hat, pulled herself away from
the counter, and took her seat. She still watched as he slowly turned the stovetop off, then distributed the cooked vegetables onto two plates. Once done, he smiled and grabbed both of them, carrying them over to the table.

"Here it is!" he said cheerfully, setting the plate down in front of her. "I hope it's good...if not, I can fix something else."

She looked down at the meal in front of her. The bits of vegetables were all bite-sized and hard to tell apart, as they had all been coated in a layer of red spices and fried to a brownish crisp (some were even blackened). She could feel the heat coming from it already, and she could smell the alcohol and spices coming from it.

Discord sat at the other end of the table with his own dish. With a wave of his hand, a pitcher of lemonade floated over, filling both of their glasses. He rubbed his hands together, licking his lips.

"Let's see how it tastes!" he said. He grabbed a fork and stabbed several pieces of the meal eagerly. She grabbed her own fork and took one piece.

They both bit down on their food at the same time.

Her eyes widened, and she pulled her fork away and stared down at the dish in surprise. "This is..." She glanced up and saw Discord staring at her eagerly, leaning forward with wide eyes. "It's delicious, Discord!" she said, stabbing another piece and taking a bite. "How did you come up with this idea?"

He smiled broadly, his tail wagging as he ate a few more pieces. "Well," he said. "I saw some famous chefs cooking with alcohol and fire. Then I thought about spices, and considered what would give it a kick without making it too spicy for you. Then I saw you chopping vegetables for your furballs, and bam! The idea just hit me." He took a large bite, then drank his lemonade. "And...it's not too spicy for you?"

She shook her head, eagerly taking another bite. "No, it's perfect." She fanned her mouth. "It's a little hot, but not that bad."

He slid over a plate of bread slices covered in cream cheese that hadn't been there before and smiled. "That should help with any burning," he said. After taking another bite, he lifted his head and slowly blew out an orange smoke ring.

"Oh, thank you," she said, taking one of the slices. She nibbled on it whenever the burn grew too hot (which wasn't that often—the dish had a bit of a kick, but it wasn't that spicy).

The two of them both cleaned their plates. Discord sighed and patted his stomach, while Fluttershy sipped her lemonade. "That really was delicious," she said. "I wouldn't mind having it again sometime."

He smiled widely. "Ooh, I can try experimenting with it, too...I wonder how well mushrooms would go with it?" he wondered, stroking his beard.

"I guess we'll just have to see," she said, standing up and heading towards the cookie jar. "You're not too full for a few gingersnaps, are you?"

"Flutters, darling..." he said. "I have a second stomach just for your baking. I am never too full for a dessert made by you."

She smiled, deciding not to ask how literal he was being, and collected four gingersnap cookies, made only days before—two for each of them. The two of them nibbled on their cookies, feeling pleasantly full and tired. Once she was finished, she headed over to his side of the table and leaned against him.

"Oh, does my fair maiden desire rest?" he asked, stroking her mane. She chuckled and nodded, nestling into his fur. He smiled and scooped her into his arms, carrying him towards her room. "Well, what my lady wants, I cannot deny..." He kissed her gently, and she returned it with light pressure of her own.

She could still taste that dish on his lips. She smiled and leaned more of her weight against his chest, letting her eyes drift closed sleepily.

Totally Metal

Discord pursed his lips, rifling through the album collection in front of him. Most of the covers had some very...graphic art, but it was a bit hard to remember what he had seen before and what he hadn't. He bit his lip, pulling a notepad out from under his arm and consulting it.

"Hey Discord!" said a voice that made him flinch and drop the notepad. He looked up and saw Rainbow Dash standing at the end of the aisle, grinning at him. "I'm surprised to see you here. Can't you make your own records?"

He huffed. "It's kind of pointless to make one if I don't know what music to put on it." He sighed. "And Fluttershy says if I'm going to use the music on a store record to make my own, I should at least buy it to support the creators."

Rainbow grinned. "And, uh...how am I not surprised that you're in the heavy metal section?" She looked worried. "Is Fluttershy okay if you play that music?"

"What do you mean?" he asked with a tilt of his head. "She's the one who..." His eyes widened. "Oh! Um, she's fine. We both have our own tastes, and we each take turns playing our records."

"Ah, I get it," Rainbow said. "I guess that's a good system...probably better than arguing over whether to play country or rock for the evening." She sheepishly grinned, while Discord teasingly rolled his eyes at her, turning his attention back to the records.

Rainbow leaned forward and skimmed through the albums, eventually deciding that there was nothing in the section that she wanted. She headed towards the counter with the punk rock album she had, but paused and looked back at him.

"Oh hey, if you're looking for some good metal, I hear Skullcrushers just released a new album," she said. "Uh...I forgot the title, though." She shrugged and paid for her record before flying out the door.

Discord flew up to the cashier. "New Skullcrushers album?" he said, a wide grin forming on his face.

She blinked. "Uh...yeah. Should be back in the Heavy Metal section. 'Broken Bones Bleeding', I think it's called."

Discord had already darted back to the section, and tore through the shelves until he found the album. The title was made up of white letters with cracks spread through them, red color dripping off of them. On the front were two skeleton ponies, one smashing the other's skull into the ground.

He wrinkled his nose at the image and flipped it over to look at the songs. There were twelve on the record, and most sounded unfamiliar. "Perfect," he said to himself. He showed it to the cashier, snapping up a pile of bits in front of her as he walked out. After a moment's thought, he also snapped up a ruby with 'Tip' written on it in black marker.

He hummed a tune to himself—one he remembered from another Skullcrushers record—and covered the goriest parts of the cover art with stickers of himself. Once the worst of it was covered, he nodded in satisfaction and snapped his tail feathers, disappearing in a flash of light.

He reappeared at their front door, holding the record behind his back. He grabbed a rope next to the door and pulled down on it, causing at least ten bells inside to start ringing.

A second later, after a few more tugs, Fluttershy opened the door. "Discord!" she said cheerfully. "Great timing. I just finished setting up the table for tea." She opened the door a little wider and stepped aside. Indeed, the table held a teapot with a worn elephant tea cozy covering it, and two white cups next to it.

"I made something chaotic today," she said. "I tried mixing the ginseng and jasmine together...and I added a little cinnamon."

"It sounds lovely," he said, his grin stretching to his ears. "It's such a lovely thing you did for me." His tail wagged slightly behind him.

She blinked and stared at him. "Discord...is there something you want to say? And does it have anything to do with what's behind your back?" She stepped forward, and he pivoted on his feet to keep the record hidden.

He grinned and nodded. "Well...what is it, then?" she asked. Her smile and eyes were wide. She even did a small dance on her hooves, coming a little closer to him. Discord smiled softly and cleared his throat, then lifted his head and grinned widely.

"Oh Fluttershy~," Discord said in a singsong voice. "I got something for you~. Can you guess what it is?"

She frowned, furrowing her brow. "Is it...something chaotic?" He shrugged. "Something cute?" He paused, then quickly shook his head. "Is it alive?" He shook his head, and she sighed. "I'm afraid I'm stumped. What is it?"

He pulled the record out from behind his back with a flourish. Fluttershy gasped and flew up, snatching it away from him and stroking her hoof along the cover. "The Skullcrushers' newest album!" she said. "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She planted a big kiss on his cheek, then flew away and started to slide the record onto the player.

He flashed beside her and gently grabbed her hoof. "I don't think we should play that and drink tea at the same time," he said. "Remember last time? I had to make a new table and tea set. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She sighed and set the record down gently. "I suppose you're right," she said. "Let's have some tea, shall we?" He smiled and nodded, offering her his arm and escorting her to the table she had set up.

They chatted as they sipped their tea, though he noticed Fluttershy kept eyeing the new record longingly. He made sure to compliment her on the tea, and she thanked him for the record, and for covering the more gruesome parts of the cover.

"Rainbow was in the record store," he said casually, topping off his cup. Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she dropped her teacup, flying forward and placing her hooves on his shoulders.

"Did she see you?" she said. "What am I saying, of course she did. But...did you tell her about..."

He sighed and shook his head, stroking her mane. "Relax, Flutterbuddy. I let her think the record was for me." He kissed her forehead. "Although...I really think you should tell her. Wouldn't it make a great bonding experience for the two of you to share a love of music?"

"I...can't," she said. "What if she thinks it's weird? What if...what if she won't see me as the same pony?"

He gave her a deadpan look. "Fluttershy, you married me. If Rainbow Dash was going to think you're weird, it would be for that, not for liking a certain genre of music."

She fidgeted. "Oh...but I just don't have the confidence to tell her. I'm scared. Isn't it...easier to keep it a secret?"

He sighed. "Not for me. One of these days, I might slip up. Besides...don't you want to share this passion of yours with your friends?"

"...a little," she said. "If you can think of any ideas to help me say it...please tell me. Don't just do it by yourself."

"Alright," he said, snapping his fingers and floating the teacup back into her hooves, making a mental note to come up with a plan.

They continued to enjoy their tea, telling stories and laughing, as they typically did. Soon, the pot was finished, and it clumsily floated its way into the kitchen, where the sink waited, full of soapy water.

"Now," he said, standing up and stretching as the teacups bobbed after their larger cousin. "Without you or our furniture in immediate danger, I'd say we can 'rock out'."

Fluttershy smiled and slipped the record onto the player, setting the needle onto the vinyl. She jumped back as the needle tried to find purchase, and Discord snapped his fingers to teleport all other furniture in the living room away.

A blast of loud music came from the player—some sort of guitar, followed by drums. A pony began screaming as the guitar sound was distorted, a scream that Fluttershy mimicked surprisingly loudly. She began bobbing her head and jumping up and down as the music continued, screaming along with the singer and playing an air guitar.

Discord held back for a few seconds and watched. Seeing Fluttershy act like this was so unusual—she was loud, active, and destructive (what happened to their last table proved that). But at the same time...she was being so bold and confident, even if it was only in the privacy of their home. He loved seeing that confident nature of hers come out in the open...if heavy metal music was the way to bring it out, he would buy every record in the world for her.

After a few seconds of just watching her enjoy herself, he jumped next to her and joined in with her shouting and dancing. He was tone-deaf and could barely hold a tune to save his life, but Fluttershy didn't seem to mind. He even snapped his tail feathers to summon guitars for both of them, and they jammed along to the music on the record, creating beautiful dissonance and chaos.

Half an hour later, they laid next to each other on the floor, panting. Their guitars had both been smashed to pieces at one point or another, and their throats were sore. With a groan, Discord rolled onto his stomach and offered Fluttershy a glass of water and a peppermint, before floating limping over to the player and carefully removing the record.

"That was fun," she said hoarsely as Discord slumped to the floor, sliding the record back into its sleeve. He began guzzling a gallon of water mixed with peppermints, while she sipped at her own drink. "Though very tiring..."

He nodded and gave a thumbs-up in agreement, slithering back over to her. They leaned against each other for the next few minutes, drinking their water and breathing heavily.

Eventually, Fluttershy popped the mint in her mouth and sighed, getting back to her hooves. Discord immediately shot up, holding his hands near her just in case. She smiled softly at him and walked to where the couch used to be. He snapped his tail feathers and got rid of the broken guitars, bringing back the furniture.

She spread out on the couch, groaning as she stretched all of her limbs. He couldn't help but stare. She was so...elegant. Graceful in every movement. She seemed to notice his gaze and blushed, giving one last, long stretch before sighing and settling onto the couch. He stretched his arms and hung from the ceiling above her by his tail.

"Listening to Skullcrushers is fun," she said. "I wonder what a concert in-person would be like." He nodded and made a noise in agreement...and something seemed to click in his mind. His ears perked up, and a lightbulb appeared between his horns.

"Discord?" she asked. He smiled and unraveled his tail, landing and kneeling beside the couch.

"I think I might have an idea on how you can tell Rainbow Dash about you liking heavy metal," he said. "Picture this..."

Discord leaned against the wall outside of the stadium. He slicked back his greased mane and adjusted his (faux) leather jacket. He glanced down at the spiked collars he had put on his wrists and neck, then glanced up and compared his choice of fashion to everyone else's.

He blended in (as much as a draconequus among ponies could, anyway), but Fluttershy had said this was what ponies wore to metal concerts. He had to admit that it wasn't a bad outfit...he wondered if he could get away with wearing it to some formal event, just to see ponies' reactions.

He pulled a packet of dragonfruit-flavored gum out of his jacket and began chewing on it. Every so often, he blew a bubble that floated off into the sky...hopefully, to surprise some pegasi. Maybe it'd even end up stuck in somepony's mane...he chuckled a bit at the thought.

After a minute or so, a familiar cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane hovered overhead. She was wearing a faux leather jacket with a Skullcrushers logo on the back, spiked bands on all four of her hooves, and a fake silver piercing on her lip. Her mane was mussed up into spikes.

"Hey Rainbow," Discord said, waving to her. "Glad you could make it."

"Heck yeah!" she said. "I'm never going to turn down free tickets to a concert! Unless it's a piano recital or something." She landed in front of him. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go in!"

"Not just yet," he said. "We're waiting for the third member of our little troupe to get ready."

"What do you...?" Rainbow's eyes suddenly widened, and her jaw dropped. Discord turned around and grinned.

Fluttershy had just come out of the bathroom, and her own attire nearly put Rainbow's to shame. Her mane, normally silky smooth, was done up in a curl and looked frizzy, a skull clip holding part of it out of her face. She wore dark blue eyeshadow, her lashes dark with mascara, and her lips black and glossy. Her hooves were painted black, she wore a black collar with spikes around her neck and hooves, and she was wearing a black faux leather jacket with a bright white, cracked skull on the back.

What Discord found most impressive was the fake piercings she had clipped onto her nose, lips, ears, and the tips of her wings, each one a gleaming gold and silver skull. As she stepped out, she placed the last item around her neck—a necklace of three pony skulls, each with glowing green eye sockets.

She glanced up, then glanced away when she saw Rainbow. "H-hi," she said, slowly approaching. "Um...are you excited about the concert, too?"

"I...yeah," Rainbow said, her jaw still dropped. "You, um...did Discord drag you here, or..."

"I bought the tickets," Discord said, waving said scraps of paper. "But Fluttershy is the one who wanted to come." Fluttershy blushed and nodded, looking almost abashed.

Rainbow stared at Fluttershy for a few seconds...and then gasped, her hooves flying to her cheeks as her eyes lit up. "You like Skullcrushers!?" she said. "This is amazing! We can go to concerts together, and have jam sessions, and, and...why didn't you tell me!?"

"I...I was nervous," Fluttershy said. "I thought if you knew, you'd think differently of me..."

"Are you kidding me? You married this guy," Rainbow said, pointing at Discord. "If my opinion of you would change, it would be because of that."

"That's what I said!" Discord exclaimed.

Fluttershy looked down for a second...and then looked back up with a bright smile, though there was a blush on her face. "I guess I should have known better, huh?" she said, giggling at herself. "You wouldn't have judged me for something like this at all."

"Well...it is a bit of a shock," Rainbow admitted. "But—nothing like this would ever make me think of you as less than a friend." She started moving towards the concert area, chatting with Fluttershy about their favorite respective songs and albums from the band.

The three of them found seats in the back. Discord and Rainbow each sat on one side of Fluttershy, keeping her separated from the pressing crowd as much as possible. "Oh, there's someone selling cider over there!" Rainbow declared. "Be back in a sec." She disappeared in a rainbow blur, off to sate her addiction to apple-based drinks.

As soon as she was gone, Discord turned to Fluttershy with a wide grin on his face. "Sooo? Who was right?"

She sighed, but smiled. "You were right, sweetheart."

"And you're right that I was right!" he said smugly, patting her head. "Doesn't it feel good, to have gotten that off your chest?"

"...it does," she admitted, leaning into his touch. "It really does." She beamed at him. "Are you ready for this concert? Oh, it's going to be so exciting! I wonder which of their songs they'll play..."

Her wings fluttered in excitement. He chuckled at her enthusiasm, draping an arm over her withers. They theorized about what songs would play as they watched the stage be set up, waiting for Rainbow to return and the show to begin.

Hoofrest

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she knit a sock while lying on the couch. She was only about halfway done with it, but didn't feel rushed to complete it—she didn't have anything specific in mind for it.

Discord had headed out in the morning, declaring that he heard the call of adventure. She had gone to the sanctuary to make sure everything was running smoothly, and seeing that it was, headed back home for a day of relaxation.

She had read, and knit, and baked a pie...She felt productive, but she found herself hoping that Discord would return home soon.

As though summoned by her thoughts, the door slammed open, and she lifted her head with a smile, ready to greet Discord. But the greeting died on her lips and turned into a small yelp when she saw him. "What happened!?"

Discord was covered head to toe in ice and snow. To her relief, he was at least wearing goggles and a coat that had kept his eyes and torso safe...though most of his body was still covered in frost, and icicles hung from his horns and beard.

He peeled off his coat and goggles, then dropped to all fours and shook himself like a dog, scattering snow everywhere. "The Yakyakistan mountains!" he said cheerfully, strolling over to her. "Did you know there's a blizzard going on over there? Oh, I haven't had that fun of a hike in ages!"

"Hike?" she said. She knew perfectly well that Discord could handle himself, especially when he had his magic...but still, she couldn't help but fret whenever he threw himself into some kind of danger.

She hopped off of the couch and wrapped her foreleg around his arm. She shivered as she did so—his fur was freezing! But she gave it a squeeze and quickly guided him over to the couch.

"I mean...I know it was dangerous, but it doesn't even make the top-ten list of the most dangerous things I've done," he said as he laid on the couch. Still, he didn't protest as she draped a thick blanket over him and started a fire in the fireplace they thankfully had in the living room right now.

His eyes drifted closed, and he relaxed. "This is...this is nice," he mumbled. She smiled and stroked his forehead, wincing when she felt how icy cold his skin was.

"I'll get you something warm to eat and drink," she told him. One eye cracked open to peer at her, and he slowly nodded. She placed a brief kiss on his cold cheek before heading into the kitchen.

She quickly got to work by boiling a kettle of tea. While waiting for it to finish, she went to the pie she had baked earlier—a mix of blueberry and blackberry. It was still warm, and she cut out a large slice to put on a plate.

Once the tea was done, she added lemon, honey, and sugar to it—hoping that it could help in advance if Discord had caught some kind of cold. She poured a cup and placed it and the teapot on a tray with the pie, smiling as she tried to tilt them to be at angles with each other.

She headed back into the living room with the tea and pie...but stopped when she noticed another Discord standing in front of her prone husband. This one had a long blond mane and was wearing a nurse's white uniform.

"Give it to me straight, nurse," Discord moaned as Nurse Discord inspected his feet, turning them over in his hands. "How bad is it?"

Nurse Discord clicked his tongue. "Oh, it's terrible," he said in a soprano voice. "There's nothing else we can do. We're going to have to..."

Suddenly, he whipped a chainsaw out from nowhere, pulling the cord to rev it to life. "...amputate," he finished.

The chainsaw roared. Nurse Discord laughed maniacally. Discord moaned and cowered away, but seemed to be on the verge of laughing himself. "Discord!" Fluttershy yelled, catching both of their attentions.

They both stopped laughing, and Nurse Discord tried (and failed) to hide the chainsaw behind his back. "I...have some shots to give!" he declared, his soprano voice cracking before he vanished in a flash of light.

Discord grinned innocently, a halo appearing above his head as she approached with the pie and tea. "No telling who gets out of medical school these days," he said. "So...Doc, what's the news?"

She was slightly startled when a white coat and stethoscope appeared on her body. But she quickly recovered from the shock and handed him the food before moving over to his feet. She carefully inspected them, rubbing them gently with her hooves and causing visible shivers to travel up his body.

"Well...there are no signs of frostbite," she said, feeling relieved. "But they're as cold as ice, and I think you have rocks and pebbles stuck in your hoof and your scales."

"Rocks and pebbles!?" he said as he took a messy bite of pie, looking aghast. "What would anyone say if they knew the impeccable Lord of Chaos had rocks get stuck in his feet?"

She shrugged, not having an answer. She suspected that his worry was less about what others thought, and more about his desire to maintain a good image...and his discomfort at having things stuck in his scales.

He frowned and shifted as he took another bite of pie. "Docter Fluttershy...they were cold and numb a few minutes ago, but now they're starting to feel uncomfortable. Is that a normal part of the thawing process?"

"Well...yes," she told him. "Getting feeling back in your feet will probably feel unpleasant. But they're probably also sore because you just went hiking over rocky, snow-covered mountains..."

"Ah..." he said, sipping at his tea. "I understand. Do you have any sort of cure or remedy?"

She pursed her lips in thought. Her eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "I just might," she said with a grin. "Wait here...and no amputation!"

"Aww, do you have to spoil my fun?" he said...though the grin on his face was wide. She snickered a bit, but quickly headed towards their bathroom. Her coat and stethoscope disappeared.

It took a lot of digging around, but she eventually found a tin basin, one she would sometimes use to wash animals if she couldn't find any others. A bag of bath salt was much easier to find in comparison.

She flew back to the living room and left the salt there. Discord watched her curiously as she headed into the kitchen with the basin. There, she filled it with hot water.

She took her time to carefully go back to the living room (and managed to only spill a little bit of the water!) and placed the basin in front of the couch once there. She poured some of the bath salt in, then used her hoof to mix the solution.

"Okay, I think it's ready," she told him. "I'll help you sit up, and then you can put your feet in."

She carefully gripped his lion arm, pushing him up into a sitting position. He lifted himself with ease, leaning against the back of the couch, his feet dangling just over the hot water.

Discord slowly placed both of his feet into the tub. He moaned loudly, his head falling back enough that his horns touched his shoulders. "Um...how does it feel?" she asked, not sure whether to interpret his reaction as positive or negative.

"Wonderful," he moaned, his head slowly rising. "Oh, I can feel the heat sinking into them, the salt scouring away the soreness..." His dragon toes wriggled. "Fluttershy, you never cease to amaze me with the ideas you come up with."

She beamed. "It's not completely mine," she admitted. "The spa does things like this sometimes...and other ponies do things to replicate it for their own at-home spas."

"Well, you remembered it, and it works," he said. "Thus, you get all the credit for making this." With a snap of his fingers, a silver medal appeared, hanging around her neck. Spa Maker, it read, with a picture of a relaxing pony engraved on it.

"Let me guess...you have the gold?" she said with a smile.

"Exactly right!" he exclaimed as his matching gold medal appeared on his chest. "Oh, is someone aiming for the gold medal in correctly guessing things about me?"

She laughed, and he chuckled. He patted the couch next to him. "Why don't you hop up?" he said. "Plenty of space to go around! But not enough blanket. That's all mine."

She chuckled, and was about to sit next to him...but paused, glancing at his soaking feet. "Maybe in a minute," she said. "There's something I want to do, first."

"Alright," he said, dipping his slice of pie into his teacup. She smiled and headed back into the kitchen, grabbing a washcloth.

Discord eyed her curiously as she returned. She sat next to the tub, leaning her side against the couch, and soaked the cloth in the water.

She gently took his dragon foot in her hooves, and carefully rubbed it with the washcloth. She added just enough pressure to massage his sore muscles, but not enough to possibly cause him more soreness. Discord sighed blissfully as she did so, his toes wriggling.

She smiled...though still, as she worked, she couldn't help but notice the tiny pebbles that had stubbornly stuck between his scales. She frowned, and carefully began to pick them out, giving every spot a massaging rub after doing so.

"...thanks," Discord said quietly, his eyes closed. "It already...feels better, without them there."

She smiled and continued her work. "I think the water dislodged most, at least," she said. Looking at it, she could see a bit of dirt in the water, and a few pebbles at the bottom.

"That's good," he said. He relaxed, his foot going completely limp in her hooves. His only movement was to occasionally lift up his teacup and take small sips.

Eventually, she had cleaned his entire foot. His emerald scales sparkled, and his toes wriggled, free of any pebbles or specks of dirt that could impede them.

She smiled and stood up, sitting back down on his other side. She lifted his goat hoof and repeated the process. She wasn't able to massage it, exactly, though she tried her best around his ankle. His hoof was easier to polish dirt off of, and only had one place for pebbles to get stuck—the split in between, which she quickly (but gently) cleaned out.

Once it was cleaned, and almost back to its sparkling, glossy self, she gently set his hoof back into the water. She draped the washcloth over the side of the basin, then crawled onto the couch and leaned against Discord's side.

"I could swap the water out for...cleaner water later," she said, snuggling into his fur. It was still cold, but not freezing. "I'm just going to rest for a bit."

"Perfectly understandable," he said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "...that was quite lovely," he said. "Thank you for that...I feel better already." He kissed her forehead.

A soft smile spread across her muzzle. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Of course..." he said, looking at her and stroking his beard. "One of these days, I'm going to use that remedy on you," he said with a grin, poking her nose. "Hoof massage and all."

She giggled and beamed at him. "I wouldn't mind that," she admitted. "You give really good massages, you know."

"I do know," he said with a smug grin. "And it's good that the most important pony recognizes it!" She laughed, wrapping her forelegs around him in a hug. He hugged her back, his paw gently stroking between her wings.

"...why don't I return the favor right now?" he whispered into her ear. Before she could ask what he meant, he was suddenly holding both of her forehooves in his hands.

He released his hold on one, and began to gently massage the other. She sighed as her muscles relaxed, both from the attention and the magical heat from his hands. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch.

"That good, huh?" Discord said, a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Better than good," she answered. His hands paused for a second before continuing...and when she cracked one eye open, there was a small blush on his muzzle.

She smiled, giggling to herself. She closed her eyes and leaned back against Discord's torso as he continued massaging her hooves. From one of them relaxing to the other...she giggled a bit more at that thought.

Discord's tail wrapped around her waist, and she felt him pull her closer. She smiled and corrected herself—they were both helping each other relax.

Blackout Bronzer

"I must say, a Disneigh musical was quite a treat," Discord said as he and Fluttershy stepped into their hotel room. They could hear the busy Manehattan streets, even floors above it all. "I hate to enjoy too many mainstream things, but their writing and songs just suck me in."

"It was a nice gift from Rarity," Fluttershy said as she stretched her wings. The white unicorn was rooming with Pinkie Pie, while Rainbow and Applejack shared a room. Twilight had come with them, but needed to leave as soon as the play was over.

"Indeed," he said. With a snap of his fingers, a blue dress appeared on him. "Which of the Disneigh Princesses do you think suits me best?"

She giggled as his dress changed to gold. Before she could answer, the lightbulb overhead suddenly popped and went dark.

Her first reaction was to yelp. "It's okay!" Discord quickly said. She heard him snap his fingers, and saw the dress disappear from his silhouette. "I'll just make a new lightbulb."

He flipped the light switch off with his tail, then reached up and began messing with the lightbulb in the ceiling. Once a new one was screwed in, his tail reached back over and flipped the light switch...and nothing happened.

"Huh," he said aloud. "Either I made another bad bulb, oooooor the bulb isn't the problem here."

"I...guess there's a blackout," she said. She could hear a few of their friends in the other rooms complaining about the power going out. "It must be through the whole building."

There was a knock on their door, and Fluttershy opened it. Rarity stood there in the dark hallway, using her horn to light the area. "As...unfortunate as this is," she said. "Or dinner reservations still aren't for another hour...would it bother you two to wait here, even in the dark?"

"It's nooo problem, Rares!" Discord said, slinging his arm over Fluttershy's shoulders. "I'm sure we can find something to do in the dark..."

He kissed the nape of Fluttershy's neck, making both her and Rarity blush. "I, ah...I'll go check on Applejack and Rainbow," she said. "And see how soon the lights will be back on."

She headed down the hall, and Fluttershy closed the door, turning to Discord. He cackled as soon as the door was shut. "Oh, the looks on both of your faces!" he chortled. "Priceless!"

Her face was still flushed. "Are we, um..." she rubbed her neck, where he had kissed her. Sometimes he caught her off guard and managed to fluster her, even after all these years...something he seemed to delight in at times.

"If you want to," he whispered into her ear. "But...perhaps we can find something else to do in this amazing chaotic opportunity."

She tilted her head, her blush slowly dying down. "What do you mean, an amazing chaotic opportunity?"

He shrugs. "Well...technology has failed us, and we're left blind in the dark, with only silhouettes to guide us..."

"Can't you see in the dark?" she said. She spotted his gleaming eyes, practically glowing in the darkness.

"A natural ability, but one I can turn off." He reached up towards his eyes, and she looked away. Even if it didn't hurt him at all, it felt odd to see him mess with his eyes. "Done," he told her. When she looked back, his eyes weren't gleaming or glowing anymore.

"But...why wouldn't you want to see?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Because this is new, and novel, and exciting!" he said. She could barely make out his tail wagging. "I've caused some blackouts before, but one's never happened to me! Listen, you can hear a bit of chaos happening around us..."

It was true. If she lifted her ear, she could hear ponies in other rooms bumbling around, asking themselves and each other where the lights went. "So...you're excited because you're in the middle of chaos that you didn't have to make yourself?"

"Ding ding, Sherlock," he said. He snapped his fingers, and she felt a hat land on her head...though she couldn't see what it was before it disappeared just as quickly.

"So," he said, sounding eager. "What do ponies do during blackouts?"

"Um..." She thought for a moment. "I think, most of the time...we try to find other light sources, after we panic about the lights going out. Then we just wait for the power to be fixed."

"...oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "How...boring."

"Sorry," she said with a shrug. She fumbled in the dark, trying to find her way to the bed. She ended up accidentally bumping into Discord. "Oh, sorry!"

"It's fine," he said. Her eyes were starting to adjust a bit, and it was getting a little easier to see him... "But Shyfly, surely we can think of something more exciting to do with this opportunity than just waiting!"

"I...don't know," she said. "Can you think of anything?" She maneuvered around him and found the bed, hopping up to sit on its edge.

She watched as Discord began to pace in the dark, muttering to himself. Suddenly, he stopped, and a lightbulb appeared above his head. He cried out as it lit part of the room, quickly grabbing it and swallowing it whole.

He sat in a chair in front of her. With a snap of his fingers, some sort of table appeared between them, covered in makeup containers. "Makeup in the dark," he said. She could almost see the grin on his face. "And, since it's too dark to see what each container is..."

"...we'll probably use the wrong types of makeup," she finished. "It'll be a huge mess."

"Exactly!" he said. "Doesn't that sound just wonderful?"

She paused and thought for a few moments. It did sound...fun, in an odd way. And what else were they supposed to do when they could barely see a foot in front of their faces?

"Alright," she said. "I'm in. How do we start...this?"

He grabbed something from the table. "We take turns, I suppose," he said. "Grab whichever container you think is right, or choose something wrong on purpose. Apply makeup. Rinse and repeat. Could you please close your eyes?"

She nodded and complied, closing them. She felt something be spread all across her face...either a foundation or something Discord figured was close enough to a foundation. She giggled a little bit...his fingers tickled as they gently flitted across her face, smearing the makeup everywhere they could.

"Your turn, you little gigglebox," he said, making her giggle again. She opened her eyes to see him wiping his fingers off on some sort of cloth.

She looked over the makeup in front of her. It was impossible to read the labels on them, but she could at least tell what their general shapes were. She grabbed a circular container...foundation came in containers like that, right?

After unscrewing it, she saw there was some kind of powder inside, and a circular makeup sponge. She dabbed the sponge into the powder, then began to lightly apply it to Discord's face.

"Don't be afraid to go crazy," he told her as she dabbed a bit above his eyebrows. "Remember, mess is best in this case."

She giggled, and her hoof went astray and into his fluffy eyebrow. "That's the ticket!" he said, making her giggles grow, and her shaking hoof added even more of the 'foundation' on his eyebrow.

Once she had coated his entire face in whatever the powder was, she set the makeup container down. "Your turn," she said, closing her eyes.

She felt him dusting something all over her cheeks, blending in the makeup with his fingers...though she suspected it was an excuse to caress her cheeks.

"Il tuo turno," he said. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked over the makeup selection in front of her.

They took turns putting makeup on each other. Occasionally, they would both burst into fits of giggles—either from the other's hooves or fingers tickling them or simply from how absurd this whole thing was.

"And...done," Fluttershy said, finishing applying what she hoped was mascara to Discord's eyelashes. A bit of it had smeared under his eyes, but most of it had gotten onto his lashes, at least...

Discord opened his eyes as she set the makeup container back on the table in front of them. "That's the last thing, isn't it?" he said. "We just have to...wait for the lights to come back to be able to see our handiwork?"

"I suppose so..." she said. "What else can we do, with the lights out?"

"Hmm," he said. "...huddle under the covers, read books with flashlights, and giggle like schoolfillies?"

She tilted her head and thought about it. "...that does sound kind of fun," she admitted. "But, oh...should we avoid looking at each other? To not spoil the surprise?"

"Of course!" he said. With a snap of his fingers, he created two flashlights and two books. He handed her one of each and slithered under the covers.

His flashlight turned on, and all she could see was his silhouette. She crawled under the cover with him, leaning against him, but keeping the blankets between their faces.

She turned on her flashlight, looking at the book he had given her. It was an autobiography of a pony who had lived in the wild for years, living off the land and dealing with animals.

"Oh, this looks interesting," she told him.

"I figured you would like it," he said. She heard him open his own book and start to giggle at whatever the contents were. His tail snaked from under the blanket barrier to wrap around hers.

She couldn't help but giggle herself. She leaned back against her pillow and began to read.

They eventually finished their books, and leaned against each other in the dark, waiting for the lights to turn back on.

"How much longer do you think it'll be?" she asked him. His fingers were currently tangled in her mane, and he was weaving loose braids into it.

"Until the lights come back?" he said. "Who knows...hopefully soonish. I want to see our beautiful handiwork! That, and dinner is probably coming shortly..."

She giggled...but her ears flicked up when she heard a sound. A flickering or maybe sparking sound.

They both lifted their heads, looking at the lightbulb overhead. It was faintly glowing, but the glow slowly faded, leaving them back in darkness. "Well...that's a sign it'll be back soon," he said. The two of them watched the bulb.

Slowly, the light flickered back on overhead. "Ooh, perfect!" Discord said gleefully. "Let's see how things turned out."

They both turned to look at each other. "Pfft!" Discord said, slapping his paw over his mouth as soon as he saw her face. His shoulders shook with barely-suppressed laughter.

"Is it that bad?" she asked, quickly biting her lips. Discord looked...ridiculous. His entire face was covered in rose-colored powder. She had apparently used blue eyeshadow instead of blush on his cheeks. Both of his eyes had a grey foundation on them, and his eyelashes were a glittery green.

He tore his paw away from his face, showing that she had at least gotten one thing right—there was bright red lipstick on his lips. It was smeared though, and probably not entirely because he had placed a hand over it.

"It's awful," he said with glee. "Absolutely awful. Should we both go to the bathroom and look in the mirror?"

"O-okay!" she said, her own shoulders shaking with laughter. The longer she stared at him, the funnier it seemed to get.

He teleported over to the bathroom door, opening it and gesturing for her to enter first. Stealing another glance at her awful makeup work, she went inside and slowly stepped towards the mirror.

...dear chaos, he wasn't kidding when he said it was awful.

Her entire face was covered in purple eye shadow, aside from her cheeks, covered with messy swatches of green eye shadow. There were clear fingerprints between the edges of purple and green. Her eyelids, and the area surrounding them, were coated with sticky red lipstick. Her eyelashes had something pink and glittery on them...perhaps blush. Her lips were covered in black mascara.

She had to take a step back as her shoulders shook with laughter. "Ah ha ha...it is terrible!" she said, smiling brightly.

Discord stepped up to the mirror, staring for a few long seconds at his reflection. His shoulders trembled...and once again, he burst out laughing.

"It's horrid! A total mess!" he exclaimed gleefully between laughs. "I absolutely love it!"

He scooped her up and into his arms, carrying her back into the bedroom and spinning her around. They both laughed as they spun around, ending when Discord crushed her against his chest, placing a large kiss on her cheek.

She giggled, noticing that some eye shadow had stuck to his lips...and was suspicious that he had left a lipstick mark on her eye shadow.

"What would Rarity say if she saw us?" she giggled.

"Oh, she would have a heart attack," he said. A mischievous grin spread across his face. "Why don't we wear this makeup to dinner with her?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she said. It was almost embarrassing, to think about going out in public looking like this...

"No, not at all," he said with a grin. "But it'll be fun!"

She frowned, considering it. "I guess...maybe?"

Discord stroked his beard in thought. "If you want, I can bring some moist towelettes," he said. "Once we see Rarity and the others' reaction, you and I can remove the makeup if we want."

The idea made her feel better. Showing her friends and having a laugh, but not going out in public like this? "Alright," she said with a smile. "I like that idea."

He beamed and clasped his hands together. "Wonderful! Now, all we have to do is pass the time until Rarity comes to fetch us...which shouldn't be too long, now." He snapped his fingers and caused a golden dress to appear on his body. "In the meantime...which dress should I wear? I want to look fabulous!"

She giggled a little, and offered a few suggestions. Eventually, he created a sort of hybrid dress, with swirling fabric in all colors of the rainbow. He spun around, the skirt twirling around him. She smiled, and they both exchanged curtsies.

There was a knock on their door that made them both look up. "Oh, it's time~!" he said in a singsong voice. He skipped towards the door...but paused, his hand hovering over the doorknob. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. With a wide smile, he opened the door. Rarity stood there, smiling. "Ready, you two? Our reservations—" She made a choked gasping sound when she saw Discord's dress and makeup.

"Like it?" Discord said with a smug grin, posing with his claw on his hip. "Fluttershy and I helped each other with our makeup!"

"I...uh," Rarity stammered. She took a few steps back, her mouth opening and closing. Discord sashayed past her, and Fluttershy followed him. Rarity's jaw dropped when she saw Fluttershy's face.

"We were bored in the dark, so we did our makeup," Fluttershy explained.

"What do you think?" Discord said with a wide grin. Rarity grit her teeth, and Fluttershy nudged his side, trying to signal that he shouldn't pressure her. He just grinned at her, holding up a finger. One second.

Rarity's eye twitched. "How, um...outgoing of you two..." she said, forcing a smile. "Trying to...set new trends?"

Rainbow and Pinkie both peeked around the corner to see what was taking the group so long...and burst into laughter once they caught sight of their faces. Applejack followed, and though she didn't laugh, the corners of her lips wobbled into a wavery smile.

Fluttershy smiled a bit...even if it was embarrassing, sharing a moment like this between her friends felt nice. "We know it's bad," she said to Rarity. "But...we had fun. And we do look silly." She giggled.

"While I prefer 'zany' or 'ridiculous' to just plain old silly," Discord said, holding a moist towelette out to his wife. "Dear zany Fluttershy here has it exactly correct."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said, accepting the towelette. She wiped the makeup off of her face...though she struggled a bit, as Discord had applied it thickly, and it was somewhat caked on.

"Oh, here," he said in a teasing voice. "I'll help." He began rubbing her cheek with another towelette—not quite a caress, but not too roughly, either. She smiled and leaned into his touch.

After a minute or so, he discarded the towelette in a small portal. "There," he said, holding a hand mirror out to her. "It's not perfect, but I can keep cleaning it up as we head to the restaurant. And most of it's gone, at least."

Her reflection showed that he was right. Most of the makeup had been removed, though there were a few stray streaks and patches of color here and there...especially above her eyes and around the edges of her face. It was noticeable, but...she glanced up at Discord, whose face was still covered in makeup, and who was twirling in his chaotic dress.

He stood out much more than she did. She giggled as he posed, and his ears flicked towards her. His head turned towards her, and he gave her a smile.

Rarity coughed into his hoof. "While we don't all look perfect," she said, glancing at Discord, as well as Rainbow and Applejack's ruffled manes, "Our reservations await us, so we should probably head out."

The others agreed, and they headed towards the stairs. Fluttershy followed behind, and Discord floated along beside her.

He quickly kissed the top of her head. "That was pretty fun," he said. "...thanks for joining me."

She smiled, and almost kissed his cheek—but quickly changed her mind and kissed his neck. "You're welcome," she murmured against his skin. "...I kind of had fun, too."

He grinned and snapped his fingers. A wet sponge appeared in his paw. "Now, why don't I make you a skoosh more presentable?" he said. "Either way, we'll both be the most fabulous creatures in Manehattan...don't tell Rarity."

She laughed and leaned closer, letting him dab away at the spot of makeup on her face. He smiled and did so gently, the two of them just behind their friends as they headed towards the hotel lobby.

Scratched Out

"Ouch," Fluttershy said with a wince. She felt tears spring into her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away and continued her task.

There were four long, angry red cuts on her left foreleg. The skin around them was pink. They didn't hurt—or at least, they hadn't until she began applying antiseptic. Now, the cuts were stinging, and making her tear up...but she knew how important it was to keep them from being infected.

She soaked another cotton ball in antiseptic, and dabbed it on her wound. She hissed, wincing again. But she had to clean these and put bandaids on them quickly, before—

"Good afternoon, Fluttershy!" Discord's voice called from down the hall. Fluttershy gasped, dropping the cotton ball. She considered hiding her foreleg under the blankets of their bed, but was sure that he would notice. Besides, he would probably arrive any second now.

She heard him teleport in, and lifted her head. He was dripping with syrup and jam, holding a soaked bouquet of toast flowers out to her. "I was a little busy, so I didn't hear you come in," he said with a smile. "How was your—" His eyes landed on the cuts on her foreleg, and he gasped dramatically.

"What in the world happened to you!?" he said. Before she knew it, she was whisked into his arms, and he was gently holding her foreleg to inspect it. She also noticed that the syrup and jam had vanished from his body...though there was still a small puddle of it on the floor, next to the dropped toast flowers.

"It's just a scratch," she told him calmly. "There was a new feral cat at the sanctuary who just gave birth...and when I tried to check on her and her kittens, well..." She pointed at the red claw marks that he was inspecting.

"A mean mama feline, eh?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Not really mean," Fluttershy corrected. "Just...not entirely trusting of ponies. And protective of her little ones. I probably should have been more careful...but really, it isn't so bad."

"Not so bad!? I saw you crying!"

She pointed to the bottle of antiseptic. "That's just because it stung while I was cleaning it." She shifted in his arms. "Could you put me down, now?"

"Oh...right," he said, laying her gently on the bed. But as she was reaching for the bottle, a flash of light engulfed Discord, and a doctor's coat and stethoscope appeared on him.

"Mrs. Chaos, allow me to assist you," he said. With a snap of his fingers, bundles of bandages appeared, along with a gigantic tube of ointment that he had to carry under his arm. "After all, the best way to let that heal is to not use that foreleg, right?"

"That's for broken bones and sprains," she corrected. He pouted, his pupils becoming wide and shiny. She closed her eyes, wondering why he had to be so convincingly cute sometimes. "But, I...wouldn't mind having some help with this."

He cheered, jumping into the air as fireworks went off behind him. "Now, first question—are you sure you don't want me to just snap the problem away?"

She shook her head. Discord occasionally offered to heal her minor scrapes and cuts with a snap of his claws. She usually turned him down (unless the injury was major, or she had too many of them to count), and had explained that he didn't want him to waste his magic on something that would only take a few days to heal.

Discord had accepted this a while ago, and didn't seem surprised at her answer. "Very well," he said. "Step one is...clean the wound, right?"

"I've done most of it, but it wouldn't hurt to touch it up with antiseptic," she said with a nod. He grabbed the bottle of antiseptic and poured a little onto a clean cloth handkerchief.

"This...will sting," he said softly and with a frown. The cloth hovered just over her scratches, "...I don't want to cause you pain."

She blinked, then smiled softly. She reached up and gently patted his cheek. "It'll just be a little stinging," she said. "And it'll keep my scratches from hurting more in the future."

"Right..." he said, relaxing. Slowly, he pressed the cloth against her foreleg, and began to gently rub it against her scratches. She did her best to hold perfectly still, and blinked quickly to keep herself from tearing up—she didn't want him to stop out of worry for her.

In just a minute, he had finished cleaning, and lifted the cloth away. "There," he said, dropping it into a bright yellow biohazard container, which closed and locked itself once he had done so. "An ointment comes next, right?"

She nodded. "An antibiotic one," she said. "To keep bacteria from entering the wound."

"And then a bandage, as a shield against outside invasion!" With a flash of light, his white coat transformed into white armor, and he held a shield with a red cross that was nearly as tall as he was. She giggled and nodded, and his grin widened.

He set the shield aside, and made his armor vanish. With another snap, the huge jar of ointment teleported into his arms, and he sat in front of her, unscrewing its lid.

She held her foreleg out to him as he began to gather plenty of the goop on his fingers. Slowly, he lifted his hand out and began to dab it onto her scratches, making her shiver a bit.

"Now, most ointments I see boast about being triple antibiotics," he said conversationally as he applied plenty of the ointment onto her scratches.

She nodded. "That's pretty common," she said. "I think that's what most of the ointments I keep at the sanctuary are."

"Well," he said, puffing up his chest. "This ointment has five antibiotics in it! Even more protection for my Fluttershy."

She smiled, giggling a bit. She shivered whenever the cold ointment reached an untouched part of her scratches, but Discord was very gentle applying it. He continued to apply liberal amounts to her skin, smoothing it out flat with his fingers.

Once her scratches were completely covered, a faucet appeared, floating in midair, which he used to rinse his hands off with. "Now that it's been cleaned, and you're protected from infection," he said as he pulled up a part of his coat to use as a towel, "The only thing left to do is bandage it, right?"

"Mhmm," she said with a nod. She reached for the bandages, but they floated up into the air and out of her reach.

"Tricky thing, isn't it?" he said, snatching them out of the air. "I can help with this part, too."

"You're sure?" she asked. "I don't want this to be any trouble for you."

"Fluttershy, you couldn't cause trouble for a mayfly," he said, already unraveling the bandages. "...I can't promise that this will be the best bandaging job in the world, though."

"That's okay," she says. "As long as it covers everything, and isn't too tight or loose, it'll be fine."

He nodded in understanding, and, sticking out his tongue, taped one end of the bandage just above the scratches. He began to wrap the bandages around her leg, carefully making sure that none of her scratched leg would be left exposed.

It was a quick job, if a bit sloppy—the layers didn't line up perfectly, and he had put two layers of bandage in some places, with just one layer in others. "Not too tight anywhere, is it?" he asked, ready to cut the bandage off of the roll.

She shook her head. "Not loose anywhere, either."

"Glad to hear it!" he said. With a snip of scissors, he cut the bandage, but quickly grabbed the loose end. With a little bit of pulling and tugging, he tied it off into a large bow, just above her hoof.

"There," he said as she examined his work, marveling at the bow. "Mrs. Chaos, your wound is now sure to evade all infection and heal properly!" He leaned forward, and in a stage whisper, asked, "That's true, right?"

She nodded. "All we can do now is wait for it to heal. And it shouldn't take that long...they're pretty shallow, and don't hurt."

"Oh, I just remembered!" he said suddenly as the medical supplies vanished. "There's one last trick to make this feel better...a trick I learned from you!"

She raised an eyebrow, looking at him curiously. He gently picked up her hoof, lifted it a little higher...and then bent his neck to place a gentle kiss on it.

The gesture made her giggle and blush. "Why, thank you," she said. "It's starting to feel better already." She leaned forward and kissed his nose. "Thank you for your help."

His tail wagged and his ears wiggled. "It was no trouble, really," he said. He scooped her into his arms, bridal-style. "Now, what say we have frozen yogurt together? A frozen treat is just the thing you need after seeing a doctor, right?" His white doctor's coat appeared on his body again.

She smiled up at him. "The kind of frozen yogurt where we choose our flavors and toppings?" He nodded. "Well, that does sound very good..."

"Then away we go!" he said, pointing his finger to the sky and flying towards the kitchen. She smiled and curled closer to his chest, holding her bandaged foreleg a little closer to herself.

Author's Note

Happy Easter, everyone!

Restaurant Wars

Discord and Fluttershy appeared in Canterlot with a flash of light. The two of them were well-dressed—Fluttershy wearing a simple blue dress and pink lip gloss, Discord wearing a fancy white dress shirt with iridescent sequins.

He unfolded a map, looking between it and the building they had appeared in front of. Miglior Cibo, a sign above its glass doors said. The outer walls were painted a tan color, with accents of red on the door and window frames.

"This is the place," Discord said, scrunching the map into a paper ball. "A little plainer on the outside than I had hoped for, but I suppose they're a bit new."

"But..." She tilted her head. "How would anyone know this is a Neightalian place? There's nothing here that says so..."

"Well, the extremely boastful name of their restaurant is in Neightalian," he said. "Not that that's much of a hint, since I don't know how many ponies in Canterlot actually speak that."

He adjusted his sleeves, showing off his one gold and one silver cufflink. "But we can talk about poor advertisement all night," he said. "So we don't we go in and talk about it over some plates of food?"

"Right," she said with a smile. She headed towards the glass doors, with Discord close behind her.

The inside of the restaurant was much fancier than the outside...though still not obviously Neightalian. The walls were gold, and the entire place was well-lit, with gleaming chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Tables covered in fancy white tablecloths were carefully arranged through the room, ponies sitting and eating at them—mostly in pairs of two.

Someone cleared their throat. She turned her attention back in front of her, and saw a lavender unicorn with a black mustache watching them from behind a podium. "Do you have a reservation?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Discord smirked. "Table for two, for Chaos, at six-thirty," he said, his voice slipping into a 'posh' accent. The stallion raised an eyebrow and checked his book...and then looked up at them with a smile.

"Ah, right this way, sir and madam!" he said, grabbing two menus with his magic. "We have one of the finest tables in the restaurant reserved for you both!" They followed him towards the back of the restaurant, where he led them to a balcony area, still inside, but higher than the rest of the restaurant.

"Oh, swanky," Discord said as they were escorted to a table close to a window. "Rarity didn't just mess around when she was making this reservation for us!"

"It is a nice anniversary gift," she said with a smile. "I don't know if we could've gotten in otherwise..."

"Oh, we're always happy to serve a Prince and Princess of Equestria!" the stallion boasted...conveniently loud enough for other patrons to hear. "I'll leave you two to look over your menus. Your waiter will arrive shortly."

He left, heading back for the podium. Discord's eyes quickly scanned over the menu options. "Ugh," he said. "Can you believe that the only drink besides water that they offer is wine? They could have had a cherry soda or something, at least..."

"Well, water is good for you," she said. "Are there any food options you like?"

"Maybe, maybe..." he mumbled, scanning the menu. She read through her own menu, eventually narrowing her choice down to a few different options that sounded good.

A minute or so later, a unicorn with a thin mustache approached. "Good evening, sir and madam," he said. "Could I interest you in a bottle of our house wine?"

"No, thank you," Fluttershy said. "Just water for both of us, please."

"Very well," he said. With a pop of magic, two water glasses filled with ice appeared in his aura's grip, and he set them in front of both of them. Another flash of magic, and he set a basket filled with slices of garlic bread in the center of the table.

"Please enjoy our complimentary, specialty garlic bread," he said. "Is there anything on our menu that grabs your attention? I recommend starting with our famous antipasto...or perhaps going right to our delicious pasta."

"Antipasta, huh?" Discord said as he eyed the menu.

"Antipasto, sir," the waiter corrected. "It's a traditional first course—a salad with olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, various cheeses..."

"I'll take two," Discord decided. The waiter rose an eyebrow and quickly jotted it down. "And...I'll take angel hair alfredo, and spaghetti with tomato sauce."

"And you, madam?" the waiter asked.

"Well...the three cheese penne sounds good," Fluttershy said. "Bruchetta is tomatoes, right?"

"Diced and with basil," the waiter said. "Would you still like it on your penne?" She nodded, and he made a note. "Excellent. I'll be back with both of your orders in a minute."

He left the table, and the couple was left alone to talk. "...this is a fancy place," Fluttershy said, glancing at the decor around them.

"Indeed," Discord said, munching on a piece of garlic toast. "A little too fancy for my tastes...I mean, they could have overdone things! Make spaghetti-themed chandeliers, a rug the color and pattern of sauce...or even just noodle decorations on the wall!"

She smiled. "I'm not sure the customers here would really like that kind of decor," she said, glancing at some of the posh upper-class ponies at the other tables.

"Their loss," he said with a shrug, grabbing another piece of garlic bread.

"Are you sure you want to eat so much of that?" she asked as he squirted a little bit of cheesy sauce onto it. "I mean, you did order a lot of food..."

"Oh, don't worry," he said. "I won't waste food...trust me." There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye, one that made her raise an eyebrow.

As he munched on the bread, he asked, "So, how's everything been with the sanctuary? Any more troublesome volunteers?"

She smiled, and took the opportunity to talk about how well things at the sanctuary were going, and which animals she was currently taking care of. Discord listened, leaning his chin against his fist as he focused all of his attention on her.

After a short amount of time had passed, the waiter returned, carrying several plates in his magic. "Three cheese penne for you, ma'am," he said, setting it carefully in front of her. "...and two antipasto salads, spaghetti, and angel hair alfredo for you, sir."

"Thank you," Discord said. The waiter refilled both of their glasses, and then left. Fluttershy picked up her fork and took a bite of her penne.

"Mmm," she said. "This is pretty good. What do you think, Cordy?" She took a bite of bruschetta and looked up...but to her surprise, he was arranging his plates on the table instead of eating.

She watched as he shifted the antipasto to one side and the pasta to another, with only a bit of space between them. There was a mischievous grin on his face—he was plotting something. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing that will hurt anypony, but something that will be very entertaining," he said, arranging toothpicks and utensils around the plates. "For me, at least."

Discord snapped his fingers. The antipasto ingredients suddenly sprouted tiny arms and legs, then jumped to their feet. "Death to pasta!" they cried in squeaky voices. With some difficulty, they all worked together to lift a fork, pointing it towards the spaghetti.

They charged forward, a few stray members arming themselves with toothpicks. They started to stab the noodles with the fork, pulling them out of the dish and onto the table...but before they could do much, the noodles suddenly shifted, rising up and twisting into the form of a tentacle.

It grabbed a knife and swatted the fork away. "Begone, antipasto scum," it said in a voice that could be called 'goopy'...though it did have an overdone Neightalian accent.

It raised the knife, and with a swipe, knocked away an olive. The vegetable was sent flying, hitting a far wall. The other antipasto cried out, and began to tear at the pasta with their hands and toothpicks.

Discord giggled merrily as he watched the food fight in front of him. "I do love dinner and a show," he said, popping a handful of bruschetta into his mouth and munching on it as though it were popcorn...complete with crunching sounds.

Fluttershy warily watched the warring foods, taking a slow bite of her penne. Thankfully, it didn't decide to rise up and protest. "...I don't know about this," she said. "It seems wrong to eat them after you've brought them to life."

"They're more like puppets, if it helps," he said. "Puppets under the influence of chaos. Once the magic's gone, they'll just be normal plates of food once again."

"Ah," she said. "But...if you eat them, aren't they going to act...scared about it?"

"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "I wasn't planning on eating them while they were 'alive', though." The angel hair had scooped up a few antipasto pieces and shook them until they stopped moving. Discord held his open mouth to the pasta, and it plopped its victims into his mouth.

"Hmm," he said as he chewed. "Not great, but not terrible. You said you liked yours?"

"Oh, yes," she said. "The bruschetta isn't as good as I had hoped, but the pasta is good."

"Ooh, mind if I try?" he said. She shifted the plate towards him, and a pink plastic spoon appeared in his claws. He scooped up a few pieces of bruschetta and ate them. "Hmm. Kind of bland," he said. "Here, try this."

With a snap of his fingers, a small bowl filled with bruschetta appeared next to her plate. She took a small bite...and smiled. "That's much better," she said.

"Isn't it?" he said, helping himself to a piece of her pasta. "They make a good cheesy pasta, though." He dropped the spoon onto the waiting antipasto army, and they immediately began using it to try and pull their pasta enemies apart.

They ate and chatted for a while, Fluttershy slowly working through her pasta, Discord being fed "sacrifices" by his food puppets. Just as he was regaling her with a tale of how he fought a giant spaghetti monster with a spork, the host came back to the balcony, escorting two white unicorns.

"It's always a pleasure to have you, Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith," he said, leading them to a table. "If we had known you were coming, we would have reserved the whole balcony for you."

"Hmm," the stallion said, his eyes flicking towards her and Discord. Both he and his partner were wearing ornate fancy clothes. "We'll remember that in the future."

The two of them sat down, and a waiter quickly came and poured then two glasses of wine. "Ugh," Discord whispered. "I smell special treatment."

"Didn't we get special treatment?" she said quietly back.

"Yes, but theirs was even more special," he said. "And they're the snobbish type of upper-crust ponies, too." His ear curled around to point at them, and she glanced over to see that the two of them seemed to regard everything around them with disdain.

"I...maybe," she said. "But let's not worry about them." She reached forward to grab his paw. "This night is supposed to be for you and me."

He smiled, and the fingers of his paw slowly wrapped around her hoof. "I love you," he said. He picked up his fork, using it to catch one of the fallen antipasto soldiers. "Wanna try some?"

She smiled and eagerly ate the offered piece of food. "Hmm," she said, chewing slowly. "The way he talked it up, I thought it would be more...flavorful."

"Same," he said, nibbling on an artichoke heart. "It doesn't taste bad, but...I dunno. I was expecting better, myself."

A forkful of noodles was suddenly tossed high into the air by an ambitious antipasto soldier. Discord watched as it soared up...and then slowly fell back towards the table. Once it had reached the level of his muzzle, he quickly bit onto the end and slurped it up.

He ate it so quickly that flecks of sauce sprayed across the table. A few of the noodles even widely flipped up to smack his face, painting lines of red sauce across his muzzle and cheeks. Fluttershy giggled, and he gave a chagrined smile as he polished off the noodles.

As he dabbed his face clean with a wet cloth, Fluttershy heard a loud, disdainful sniff from the table near them. She glanced over and saw the mare giving Discord a look—one that was just shy of a glare, really.

"I can't believe they let him in," she said snidely. "He completely ruins the atmosphere of this place."

Fluttershy froze, her eyes flicking towards Discord. It had been years, maybe even decades since anyone had actually badmouthed him in public... He seemed a bit stunned, one of his ears swiveled towards this nearest couple, but his expression didn't fall.

"Indeed," the stallion said, sipping from his wine glass. "You'd think he'd at least behave himself, to not be so...attention-drawing." Discord snorted, though it seemed to be more of a noise of amusement. "Why doesn't she do anything about him?"

"She must have horrible taste, I suppose," the lady said as their food arrived. "Or no spine at all. I don't know why the High Princess would have made her nobility, instead of somepony who actually knows how nobleponies are meant to behave."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. She hated being talked about like this...why would a couple start saying bad things about another couple they didn't even know?

Discord growled, showing off his fangs. His pupils narrowed to slits. "Oh, someone's crossed a line..." he said in a singsong voice.

Before she could ask what he was thinking or doing, the warring food on his table suddenly froze. The leader antipasto shook hands with a single noodle strand of the spaghetti. Then...the spaghetti grabbed one of the artichoke hearts and pulled it inside of itself.

A moment later, the spaghetti "spat" it back out, handing it over to the alfredo. The cheesy pasta placed the artichoke heart on a spoon, garnished it with a bit of parmesan cheese...and then flung it towards the noblemare.

Fluttershy gasped. The sauce-covered artichoke heart smacked right against the mare's shoulder, staining her dress and bouncing off. The mare glanced down at herself...and shrieked.

"This dress cost hundreds of bits!" she yelled. "It was custom-made by Princess Rarity...who's going to pay for the cleaning?" Her glaring eyes roamed, making the stallion who was with her cower...and finally, her glare landed on Discord.

"You," she hissed, marching over to him.

"Me?" Discord said innocently, leaning back in his chair and sipping chocolate milk from a wine glass.

"You did this, didn't you?" the mare snapped, pointing at the stain on her dress. "Why don't you make your obnoxious magic useful for once and actually fix one of your mistakes?"

"Don't talk to Discord like that," Fluttershy said with a scowl. She gripped her fork tightly as it shook in her grip.

The mare turned her glare on her. "And you! Where was that...meek little confidence a few minutes ago, when he was playing with his food, being obnoxious, and staining innocent ponies' dresses?" Discord snorted in laughter.

"He wasn't hurting anyone," Fluttershy said, frowning. "He was just having a little fun...and wasn't even affecting anypony else until you started saying nasty things about him."

"Correction," Discord said, twirling his pasta around his fork. "I only got them involved when they starting talking smack about you, dear Fluttershy." He loudly slurped his noodles, sauce smearing his muzzle.

"Still!" the mare exclaimed. "Have you learned nothing about what nobility should act like? If you were a true gentlecolt, you would fix your mistakes." She gestured towards the stain.

"Hmm," he said, stroking his goatee. "A fair point, I suppose..." He sipped his chocolate milk and snapped his fingers. The mare smugly looked down at her stain...which grew twice as large before her eyes.

"I meant for the impact and stain to be bigger," he said as he poured grape juice into his milk, while she made angry, unintelligible sputtering sounds. "And now, I've fixed that mistake!" He sighed and looked lovingly at Fluttershy. "You were so right, darling...doing the right thing does feel good."

The mare's face turned bright red...and with an angry shriek, she turned and stormed away. She made a beeline for the nearest poor waiter, who she began angrily ranting at, pointing at the two of them.

"Heh," Discord said smugly. "...I'm going to get in trouble for that," he said calmly, sipping his concoction. "But that was worth it."

"Oh, dear..." Fluttershy said, frowning as the poor waiter scurried off to find a manager. "She was a bit rude, but do you think you went a little far...?"

"Of course not," he said. "If someone was so rude, I'm sure Rarity herself would take the dress she made from them! Reduce it to the fabric and stitching it started as." He grinned, and his tail pointed to the other table.

She glanced over and saw that the antipasto and pasta dishes were now fighting on their table, too...though the war was much messier, sauce and oil splattering across the table cloth. The stallion didn't seem to have noticed, yet, his attention on his partner, who was tearing into the manager.

"Besides, fabric can be cleaned...even if it does take a little bit of magic," he said. "So really, I've just caused an inconvenience. Perhaps I overreacted...but not as much as she just did." He chuckled to himself, eating more of his now-docile pasta.

Fluttershy nodded, and slowly ate more of her own pasta, occasionally glancing over at the manager. Just when she was about halfway done with her bowl, he gave a weary sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose, and headed towards the two of them.

"I've heard that you, sir, have caused quite some trouble for one of our other guests," he said, addressing Discord. "Do you deny it?"

"Applejack always says to be honest," Discord said, dipping a few pieces of antipasto into a glass of apple cider. "And I can honestly say: she totally deserved it."

The manager sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I understand that you're royalty," he said slowly. "But we have to request that you leave...and not visit our establishment again."

"What?" Discord said with a gasp. "You're kicking us out, but not the ponies who were loudly saying rude things about all the other customers?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith are regular customers, and ponies who invested in us as we first started," the manager explained. "We will ask them politely to cease their behavior...but you two must leave."

"Ah..." Fluttershy's ears lowered.

"...fine," Discord said, standing up and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulders. "Their noodles are way too bland, anyway. If you're going to put all the flavor in the sauce, put more sauce on the noodles!"

He flicked a suddenly-appearing cape over his shoulder. "Oh, and your complimentary garlic bread was either burnt or underdone," he said. "Might wanna fix that." With his paw still on Fluttershy's back, he strutted towards the front doors, head held high.

Fluttershy noticed that as they went past, a few customers who hadn't been served yet—and even a few who had—started to get up and walk out behind them. Most customers stayed, though.

They walked out of the doors, and Discord stretched as he took a breath of cold night air. The other ponies who had left wandered away, muttering things about unfair treatment.

"Not exactly what I had planned," Discord said. "I was kind of hoping the spreading anti-pasta war and their rude behavior would get them kicked out, not us."

He gently patted her head. "Sorry I ended up getting us banned."

"...it's okay," she said. "The food was alright, but I don't think I would want to go back to a place that has...mean ponies like that for customers."

"Ah, true," he said. "...and I think others agree!" He gestured towards the small group of ponies that had left. "That's probably going to make a dent in their customer base...maybe even take a few bites out of their profits."

"Not everyone left, though," she pointed out. "Because we weren't...exactly blameless."

"That's no guarantee they'll come back again, though," he said. "And trust me, word of mouth can either help or hurt a business."

She nodded in understanding. "...I hope Rarity won't be hurt when we tell her about this," she said.

"...shoot," Discord muttered. "It was a gift from her. But...I doubt she'd be angry when she hears the experience we had."

"I suppose..." Her stomach suddenly growled, and she looked away with a blush. "I guess I didn't eat enough penne to be full..."

"Well...despite the fact I somewhat ruined our date at this restaurant...would you continue this dinner date with me?" he asked, dropping to one knee and holding out a black velvet box with...a small pile of spaghetti inside.

She giggled. "You didn't ruin our date here," she said. "At least...it wasn't completely your fault. And I'd love to continue this date with you."

"Wonderful!" he declared, snapping the box shut and standing up. He placed his paw on her head and began scratching behind her ear. "I've heard there's a more homey Neightalian place around here...one that's less posh, with better-tasting food than that."

She smiled as her stomach gurgled again. "Let's go," she said. He smiled and led the way, telling her stories of some of his own adventures in Neightaly as they went.

Maternal Instincts

Fluttershy took a deep breath. The air in the sanctuary was warm, and held the scent of late spring—the scent of dozens, maybe hundreds, of blooming flowers.

But she had a job to do, and she shouldn't waste time dawdling. With a smile on her face, she headed towards the meeting area. Animals of all kinds were starting to assemble there, all with one thing in common—they were either pregnant, or had eggs close to hatching.

She stood in front of them, waiting until she had all of their attention. "Hello, everyone," Fluttershy said to the gathered animals. "And welcome back to M.O.M—Meeting of Mothers. Now, I know a lot of you are nervous about having little ones for the first time." Several creatures nodded, glancing down at the ground nervously. "Well, hopefully these meetings will teach you all you need to know. Today, we're going to focus on how to carry your young. And I have someone special to help me demonstrate."

Discord teleported behind her, curtains appearing and separating her from him. Smoke formed from nowhere, and he rose onto his hide legs, projecting his shadow onto the curtains as the smoke poured out. "Whoooooo's ready to learn with...chaos!" he said in a booming announcer voice, stepping forward and shoving the curtains aside.

Several of the expecting creatures flinched, surprised. "It's okay!" Fluttershy quickly assured them. "It's just Discord." He visited often enough that most of the creatures living there at least knew of him.

Slowly, the creatures relaxed, and Discord strolled over to Fluttershy's side. He leaned against her, with his arm on her head. She smiled up at him before turning her attention to the animals.

"We'll go over how each of you will carry your little ones," she said. "Discord is going to help me demonstrate using his magic." Discord held out his paw and created a dancing gold flame in his palm to show off.

The animals flinched back a bit, though their eyes widened in fascination at the display of magic. Discord closed his hand, making the flame vanish in a puff of strawberry-scented smoke.

"Now, who would like a demonstration first?" she asked the group. They all exchanged nervous glances, before a young kangaroo slowly raised her paw. Fluttershy smiled.

"Roo, you'll be holding your little one in your pouch," she said. "They'll even be able to breastfeed in there, and will stay in there for...a couple of months." Roo's eyes widened, and she looked curiously down at her pouch. "Maybe a demonstration would be helpful?"

Roo nodded, and Fluttershy turned to look at Discord. He nodded and snapped his fingers, transforming into a kangaroo...though all of his limbs were still their original color, and he still had his horns, beard, eyebrows, and snaggletooth.

Fluttershy bit her lip to keep herself from snickering. "Now, um...I'll be helping him demonstrate." She stepped over to Discord, and he grinned and opened the pouch on his belly.

With a flap of her wings, she slowly settled herself in the pouch. Only her head and forehooves were poking out. She couldn't help but smile, feeling pretty snug and comfortable.

She looked to Roo, who was watching curiously. "Of course, your little one will be much smaller, and won't even come out of the pouch for several months, after they've grown and developed a bit more," she explained.

Discord began hopping around the area, showing that Fluttershy was safe and secure in the pouch. Roo seemed to relax at the sight of this.

Fluttershy leaned back against Discord's stomach, snuggling further into the warm pouch.

"Say, I should keep this," he said. "It'd be much more convenient to keep my things in!"

"Don't you have your magic for that?" she asked with a smile, looking up at him.

"Yes, but there are some things...or should I say ponies...that this is more fun to hold them with." He stroked her mane, and she looked away with a blush, her wings shifting.

She slowly relaxed as he kept hopping around. Roo seemed to understand...and as fun and comfortable as this was, there were plenty of other mothers who wanted help and advice.

"We should continue," she said. "Discord, could you help me out and transform back?"

"Of course," he said. He offered her a paw and helped her clamber out of the pouch and get back on her hooves. As soon as she was standing steady, Discord vanished in a flash of light, reappearing as his draconequus self...though with a grey pouch on his stomach, standing out against his brown fur. She placed a hoof over her lips to stifle her giggles.

"What?" he said. "I wasn't kidding about liking this. I'm going to keep it for a while."

She just smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, Discord," she said. "Just remember that there are more demonstrations I'll ask you to help with."

"Right," he said with a smile. "Because I'm the best at demonstrations. What next?"

Fluttershy looked at the crowd. Her eyes settled on a group of pregnant cats—most of them housecats, but Valarie the bobcat was also present.

"Why don't we talk about cats next?" she said. "Discord, could you turn us both into cats?"

He nodded, and with a snap of his fingers, they had both transformed into...Abyssinians. "Discord," she said in a warning tone, trying to balance on two legs. The wobbling was too much for her, so she dropped to all fours, shuddering a bit at the feeling of grass between her fingers. They were so sensitive...

"Alright, alright," he said with a chuckle. "For real now." He snapped his fingers, and she felt herself shrinking. Discord shrank alongside her, dropping onto all four legs as their bodies transformed into those of housecats.

"That's better," she said, stepping over to him. She paused when she realized that though they were closer in size than they normally would be, he was still larger than her. "Um...could you shrink a bit so I can demonstrate, Discord?"

"I have a better idea," he said with a grin. Before she knew it, she had shrunk several more inches, becoming the size of an older kitten, and he was gently biting the scruff of her neck.

Immediately, thanks to being scruffed, she went limp, her limbs curled close to her body. Discord held his head high and paraded her around with ease.

"See?" she said to the observing cats. "By scruffing your little ones like this, you can carry them around with ease. You'll have to do it one at a time, but with a bit of patience, you can move your whole litter!"

The group of cats nodded in understanding. Discord continued to parade her around the area, even hopping up suddenly-appearing platforms to show off his skills.

Eventually, though, after completing some impressive parkour (which Fluttershy assured the others that they would not need to do in order to carry their young), he made a ten-point landing in front of M.O.M.

They knew it was that good of a landing because three other Discords appeared in the back, each cheering and holding a sign with the number ten high above their heads.

Fluttershy laughed, though most of the other animals seemed mostly confused. Discord rolled his eyes at their indifference, and his tail stretched and twisted until it formed another hand.

With a snap of his tail hand, they both transformed back into their usual pony and draconequus selves...though Discord was still holding her in his mouth by the scruff of her neck.

"Um...Discord," she said quietly, trying not to think about how ponies normally didn't have scruffs. "Could you put me down, please?"

"Ah...'ight," he said. He slowly lowered her and dropped her gently on her hooves.

"Now...who'd like the next demonstration?" she asked. Immediately, two ducks and a swan raised their wings. They glared at each other, and the swan opened her mouth to hiss. "Oh no, don't argue!" Fluttershy quickly interjected. "You'll all carry your little ones in the same way. Why don't we head to the pond?"

The group headed in that direction en masse, Discord hovering overhead and tossing a superball between his hands, which changed color with every toss.

Fluttershy stopped at the shore of the pond. "Discord?" she said. He tossed the ball over his shoulder, where it bounced off towards town. She prayed it wouldn't cause anyone too much trouble, and continued, "Could you turn into some kind of waterfowl for a few minutes?"

He frowned. "Must I? I mean, transformations are fun and all, but couldn't we do just this one demonstration as our wonderful usual selves?" He snapped his fingers, releasing a small shower of white sparks. "Besides, I'm running on empty right now...give it a few minutes to recharge."

She rose an eyebrow, and he grinned sheepishly. "...well, not that empty," he admitted. "But I'm in the mood for swimming without transforming. And I think they'll get the gist either way, without me having to turn into a bird."

She frowned in thought...and then nodded. "Alright," she said with a smile. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

Discord cheered, and made a swan dive into the water. His head soon surfaced, shaking and spraying water droplets. The rest of his body followed, and he adjusted himself until he was right next to the shore, his back right in front of her.

"Care for a ride, milady?" he said in a posh voice. She giggled and carefully stepped onto his back, lying on her stomach with her legs folded underneath her.

Once she was safely "on board", he used his hind legs to kick off from the shore, shooting towards the deeper water in the middle of the pond. Discord paddled through the water with ease, barely making a wave in the water as he swam. Fluttershy relaxed on his back, laying her head between his shoulders.

"Of course, you'll need to carry more than one little one," Fluttershy explained to the watching waterfowl. "But then again, they'll be much smaller. And they should learn how to swim on their own quickly enough. In about two months at most."

The birds all nodded. Fluttershy rambled a bit about feathers and waterproof oil, while Discord's ears swiveled back towards her to listen.

After a bit more paddling around, Discord crawled onto the muddy bank, just a few feet away from the birds. His limbs sank into the mud, and he bent down to let her slide off his back.

Once she was off, he shook himself, spraying water everywhere. She laughed, using her wing to try and shield herself. "Ah, nothing like a refreshing swim," he said, standing up and using a towel to wipe the mud off of his hands.

Fluttershy glanced at the group. "While we're at the pond," she said. "Why don't we talk about how crocodiles carry their little ones?"

Carrie the crocodile looked relieved. Fluttershy sent her a reassuring smile, and turned her attention to Discord. "Could you please transform us?"

"Of course," he said. With a snap of his fingers and a flash of light, they both turned into crocodiles...though Discord was the smaller of the two this time, the size of a baby crocodile. "I'm a bit lost at sea here, so I'll let you take the reins on this one," he said in a squeaky voice.

She chuckled a bit. "Alright. Now, Carrie...your jaws are powerful, but this is one time you'll want to be as gentle as possible." She opened her jaws, bending her neck and pointing her maw towards Discord.

"...Flutters?" Discord said, almost nervously. She gave him a reassuring look...and then carefully scooped him up in her mouth.

She slowly turned and carried him towards the water, then plopped him gently into the pond. He immediately began paddling, thanks to instinct. "See?" she said to Carrie, who seemed intrigued, if still a bit nervous. "You can be careful with your little ones...and once they're in the water, they can swim by themselves."

Discord paddled his way back to her, looking up at her. "Do we need to keep going with this one?" he asked. "Or shall we move onto the next one?"

Fluttershy glanced over at Carrie...who thought for a moment, then nodded to indicate that she understood. With a flick of his tail, Discord transformed them both back into a pony and draconequus, respectively.

"Now...who'd like the next demonstration?" Discord asked, rubbing his hands together. Several more animals raised their limbs, trying to catch their attention.

Fluttershy smiled. She and Discord addressed every animals' concerns, complete with magical transformations. By the end of the meeting, each animal seemed to feel a little more confident about their upcoming motherhood.

Discord yawned, stretching as the soon-to-be mothers dispersed, heading back towards their comfortable shelters. "Goodness, they had a lot of questions," he said. "My magic tank might actually be close to running on empty!" He massaged his paw with his claw, wrapping a cold, wet towel around it.

"Oh, dear," she said. She glanced at the setting sun on the horizon. "I guess we'll have to work together and make dinner by hoof, then..."

He perked up. "Well...nothing makes up for magic depletion like a home-cooked meal!" He paused. "And chocolate. Oh, and also quality time with my favorite pegasus."

She giggled, flying towards one of the nearby portals. "I'm sure we can find a way to incorporate all of those," she said with a smile. "Maybe we can even have chocolate-covered bananas! And perhaps some mocha tea..."

Discord licked his lips as he followed behind her. "Mmm, you certainly know how to tempt me," he said. "We should make that right away, before you make me even hungrier with all your wonderful ideas!"

She giggled again, flying through an opening portal with him, and then towards their front door.

Fluttershy woke up groggy the next morning. She slowly lifted her head, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

They both must have been more tired than they thought—right after supper, they had gone to bed to snuggle and read together, and ended up falling asleep while wrapped around each other soon afterward. And now, a clock told her it was late in the morning, meaning they had both slept in.

She sighed, and started to roll out of bed—there was breakfast to make, and chores to take care of at the sanctuary. As tempting as it was, she shouldn't spend the whole day lying in bed. But, before she could get very far, a pair of mismatched arms suddenly wrapped around her torso from behind and pulled her close to a very warm, furry chest.

She glanced up. Discord's eyes were mostly closed, though cracked slightly open—it was impossible to tell if he was asleep or awake. She wriggled in his hold enough to face him, her belly against his chest, and then stretched her neck upwards to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

Discord stirred a bit, his eyes opening just a little more. Awake, then, she thought. Even if he's kind of half-asleep...

"Mmm," he said, his eyes slowly sliding shut again. She squirmed a bit in his hold, but his arms stayed stubbornly wrapped around her.

"Discord, sweetie," she said, gently tapping his snout with her hoof. "It's pretty late...I need to get up."

His eyes opened a bit more this time, and seemed to fill with a little more awareness as they focused on her. He made a strange sound between a cluck and a purr, fluffing up his chest fur. He held her closer, practically laying on top of her.

"Um, Cordy..." she said. "I need to get up to check the sanctuary."

"Mmmr," he grumbled. "No. Gotta keep you safe." He nuzzled the top of her head. "Safe..."

He coiled around her. While this wasn't uncomfortable (it actually felt kind of nice), she did have to get up. "Is something wrong?" she asked, pressing her muzzle against a sensitive spot on his neck.

At her touch, he stirred and blinked a few times. "Um...I don't think so," he said. "I just have a very strong urge to keep you safe..." His fur fluffed up a bit more, and he coiled around her a little more tightly.

She mulled over this information as she nestled a little deeper into his soft fur. "Um...do you think acting motherly for most of the day yesterday triggered that?" she suggested. It was unusual, but she had learned at this point that the unusual was actually probable when it came to Discord.

"...that is a possibility," he said slowly. "Either something magical or chemical...maybe Twilight would have an explanation." He nuzzled her. "But all I care about is keeping you safe."

"Discord, we both know that the sanctuary is safe," she said. "When has anything bad...?" She paused, slowly closing her mouth.

"Multiple trips, scrapes, bruises, and scratches," he said. "Plus the chance of you overworking yourself. And that's not even counting the slightly irrational but still possible things I can think of right now!"

"...right," she said, not sure what else she had been expecting. "But, I can't just stay in bed all day."

"Well...I suppose that would get a bit boring," he said with a small nod of agreement. "Do you have any...solutions? I really do want to just keep you safe and comfortable...but I can't keep you here forever..."

She frowned in thought, watching the tip of his tail slowly swish back and forth. An idea slowly took root in her mind.

"How about this?" she said. "You can come with me to the sanctuary, to keep an eye on me. And if the way you're...feeling doesn't wear off by this evening, we can talk to Starlight or Twilight about it."

He slowly stroked his beard. "...that is acceptable," he said with a nod. "But, ah...can you do your chores in a sling of some kind, so I can keep you close to me while you're working?" He grinned sheepishly.

She giggled. "I suppose," she said. "Though I might have to ask you to lend a hand, if you want to stay...literally attached to my side."

"Deal!" he said, quickly grasping her hoof and shaking it. "Now...before we get to work, I insist you eat a full breakfast!" He paused. "Though that might be the instincts insisting. Not totally sure."

Her stomach grumbled, making her blush slightly. "Do you want to make breakfast together, or..."

A buzzing sound made her jolt. "My overprotective side is saying 'danger'!" he said, holding a buzzing phone up to his ear. "Then again...it's probably a false alarm." He slammed the phone down, and it disappeared in a flash of light. "Still...me making us food would save time..." He bat long, black eyelashes at her.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, alright," she said. "You can make us breakfast with magic. But, tomorrow I'm going to make breakfast for you!" She gently tapped his nose to emphasize her point.

It twitched under her touch, and he smiled. With a snap of his claws, hardboiled eggs appeared in front of them, along with several slices of buttered toast.

They began to munch on their meal quietly. She could faintly smell vinegar from his eggs (they must have been pickled), and she saw him tying a blanket around his torso in a makeshift sling.

He glanced up as he sucked on an egg. "Look comfy enough for you?" he asked, holding up the blanket as he gulped down the egg.

"It does look cozy..." she said. "If I fall asleep in that, would you wake me up?"

"Possibly," he said with a smile. "I'm sure you'd be very well-rested thanks to it..." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to his side.

She smiled and snuggled against his fur. The blanket sling felt soft, from what she could tell, and...spending the whole day with Discord was nothing to complain about. It might make some chores tricky, but as long as he was willing to help...

She was jolted out of her train of thought by a piece of toast being tapped against her lips. She blinked back to attention, and saw Discord offering her the toast, now with a sunny-side egg on top.

Smiling, she took a small bite of the corner. Discord smiled, satisfied, making that clucking-purring sound again. She smiled and leaned more of her weight against his side, continuing to nibble at her breakfast.

Today would certainly be interesting...but then again, wasn't it always whenever Discord was involved? She smiled at the thought as he nuzzled the top of her head.

Author's Note

Idea by My Little Pastafarian! Sorry it took so long to actually write this one. :twilightsheepish:

A Chaotic Scarf

A green unicorn whistled a merry tune as he walked down the hall, carrying a pile of books in his magic. Things were going his way today—then again, they seemed to go his way every day!

Professor Apple Bloom had given them an extension on the potions homework, which meant he could fix his assignment a bit more, he had caught a flyer in the wind for a play that he was sure Mandible would enjoy...and now, he was going to Professor Belle's sewing class, but with Professor Fluttershy acting as a substitute!

Yes, things were going well for Lucky Clover. He kept whistling as he headed to class. The shortcut he took would make him a few minutes early, but it never hurt to be so. Besides, Professor Fluttershy was one of the best teachers—maybe she'd let him work on his project for Professor Belle before class, or quickly tell him some interesting advice or animal facts.

With that in mind, he smiled and opened the door to the classroom...though what he saw made him blink in surprise, his magic flickering enough that his books fell to the ground.

Lucky Clover stared blankly at the scene in front of him. Professor Fluttershy was sitting at the teacher's desk, looking at papers—not surprising, as she always tried to prepare before teaching a class. And seeing animals wrapped around her or perching on her shoulders wasn't exactly uncommon, either.

What was odd was that instead of any of her usual animals, her husband was wrapped around her.

His head was laid on top of hers, his eyes half-lidded and sleepy. His hands gripped her shoulders, though his arms had looped around her torso. His serpentine body was coiled around hers, and...Clover glanced at his professor's back hooves. Discord's tail had wrapped around one of them.

While he was still processing this, Professor Fluttershy glanced up. "Oh, hello, Clover!" she said cheerfully. "You can have a seat early, if you'd like. I'm just looking over the lesson plan."

"Um...thank you," he said. His horn flared with magic, and he picked up his books and headed to his desk...though he glanced nervously at the draconequus.

Their eyes met for a second, and Clover felt a shiver go down his spine. He wasn't that scared of Discord, and on most days, he convinced himself that what had happened that one frightening night was just a dream...though it was hard to shake off the uneasiness he felt around him.

Discord glanced away a second later, closing his eyes as though bored. Clover sagged in relief as he plopped into his chair...though he still shot nervous glances at the draconequus.

He tried to sew a bit of his project for Professor Belle, but he kept shooting confused and nervous glances at the draconequus wrapped around their substitute teacher. And she was still sitting there, casually reading the lesson plan as though he wasn't even there!

One by one, more of his classmates entered, each of them pausing in the doorway and staring at Discord. Professor Fluttershy happily greeted each of them as though nothing odd was happening, and everyone settled in their seats, confused looks on their faces.

"Is this normal?" Mandible whispered as he took a seat next to Clover. Everyone shook their heads, and whispering began—wondering why Discord was in their classroom, and why Professor Fluttershy hadn't introduced him.

An idea sparked in Clover's mind. "Maybe she doesn't know he's there," he said. "I mean, he has powerful magic...surely he could make himself invisible to certain ponies, or just seem like a normal scarf."

"But why would he hide himself from her?" Mandible pointed out. "And why wouldn't he make himself seem like a normal scarf to the rest of us?"

Though no one could answer Mandible's questions, the whispering continued. Everyone agreed that even though it had too many holes, Clover's explanation was, so far, the best they had thought of. There was a little more discussion, but no one could agree on any other explanation.

Their conversations slowly reached their end as the classroom filled up. Clover put his project away, taking his seat just as the first bell rang. Professor Fluttershy's ears flicked up, and she stood up, turning her attention to them.

"Good morning, class," she said with a smile. "Today, we'll be knitting a scarf!" The class murmured, their interest piqued. "Of course, you don't have to finish it today! A scarf can take a lot of work, and a lot of time. So don't feel like you have to rush."

A young Griffin slowly raised one of her claws. "Professor Shy?" she said. "What does knitting have to do with friendship?"

"I'm glad you asked," Professor Fluttershy said as she set a box of knitting needles and a pile of yarn on her desk. "A scarf could be a gift for a friend—something you made yourself, something from the heart. So, while you're working, I'd like you all the think of someone you'd like to give this scarf to."

She smiled and reached up to rub Discord between his ears. "And...if your scarf is long enough, two creatures might be able to share it, if they're very close to each other." Clover could pick up the faint sound of the draconequus purring.

He exchanged a glance with a few of his friends. She totally knows he's there, they all thought at once. She wouldn't pet a normal scarf like that.

"Now, could you all please come up in an orderly line?" she said. Discord stuck out his tongue. "You can choose a pair of needles and a color of yarn—once everyone has some, I'll show you all how to get started."

Clover slowly got in line with everyone else. Though he had ended up in the back, there was still a ball of the mint green yarn he had been hoping to use. He grabbed that and a pair of knitting needles, then went back to his desk.

He watched as everyone else got their supplies. A few creatures paused, opening their mouths as though to ask Professor Fluttershy a question, but then stopped and walked away.

"Is everyone ready?" Professor Fluttershy said once the last creature took their seat. She smiled and picked up a ball of yarn and needles. "Good. Now, to start knitting..."

The class seemed to just fly by. Though Clover wasn't terribly skilled at knitting, none of his stitches were horrible...and the mare next to him, who did know how to knit, quietly offered a few pointers when Professor Fluttershy wasn't nearby.

Professor Fluttershy patrolled through the classroom, pausing at desks to either compliment creatures' work, or to help them fix a few things. Discord's tail and legs dragged along the floor behind her, not enough to slow her down, but enough to make a somewhat distracting scraping sound.

His ears twitched as the scraping sound got louder, and he looked up just in time to see her approaching. "Do you mind if I see your scarf, Clover?" she asked.

"No, not at all," he said, holding it out to her with his magic. His eyes flicked to Discord, who currently had his chin and hands propped on top of Professor Fluttershy's head. She looked over the scarf, smiling and nodding.

"This looks good," she said. "A few of your loops look a little tight, though—make sure to not pull too hard when you're finishing them."

"Got it," he said, bringing it back to the surface of his desk. "Any tips for how to know when I should stop pulling?"

"Well...it's easier to demonstrate, really," she said. Discord shifted, and his tail placed an unfinished swatch and a pair of needles into her front hoof.

She blinked, opening her mouth for a second, then closing it. "Um...here," she said, grasping the needles. She began to knit more stitches into the swatch, pointing out what to watch, and the points where she liked to stop tightening and move onto the next stitch or row.

"...I think I get it now," Clover said with a nod. He tried not to stare at Discord, who took the needles and swatch away from Professor Fluttershy when her demonstration was over. "Thank you, Professor."

"Anything else?" she asked.

Yes—why are you acting like having him wrapped around you is normal!? he thought. His mouth opened, and he was seconds away from blurting it out.

Both Professor Fluttershy and Discord kept their eyes on him, looking at him in an almost...expecting way. He didn't know how to feel about that. He slowly closed his mouth. "No...I think I'm good," he said slowly, still casting a confused glance at Discord.

"...alright," Professor Fluttershy said. She turned and headed to the next student that needed her help, leaving Clover to work on his scarf.

Clover frowned, his needles continuing to click together (though now his stitches looked much better). He just didn't get it...maybe he should have asked, but his gut feeling told him not to. The whole thing was so...odd.

He whispered with a few of his classmates as he worked, trying to come up with a new theory or explanation. But this time, no one could seem to think of anything.

The bell rang, making everyone suddenly shoot up and out of their seats. "Everyone, please put your scarves with the rest of your projects!" Professor Fluttershy reminded them. "And have a great day!"

Several students returned the sentiment as they put their unfinished scarves away, gathered their things, and headed to the door. Clover did the same, pausing and wondering once again if he should ask about Discord...but decided against it, instead turning and heading outside.

"So, this is your free period, right?" Mandible asked once they were in the hallway. "What are you gonna do now?"

Clover shrugged. "Go outside, I think. Maybe I can find another four-leaf clover to add to my collection."

"It's only the beginning of spring," Mandible said. "I doubt there are many clovers around yet...but knowing you, you'll probably trip and fall right into a whole patch of them."

Clover chuckled and nodded. The two of them parted ways, and Clover turned, about to head towards a door leading outside, but spied a water fountain close by.

Wouldn't hurt to get a drink, he thought to himself. And so, he made a quick detour, bending his neck to drink the cold, refreshing water.

As he finished and lifted his head, he suddenly heard...voices. Voices that were coming right from the classroom he had just exited, voices that belonged to Professor Fluttershy and...Discord.

The possibility of getting answers was too tempting. He slowly crept towards the barely ajar door, stopping once he was close enough to clearly hear what Professor Fluttershy was saying.

"Alright, alright," she said with a sigh. "You won the bet."

"I told you," Discord's voice said smugly. "Creatures are more likely to simply ignore something than ask what's up with odd things! That's why I need to go the extra mile for chaos—to make things so out of the ordinary that they have to ask what in the cosmos is going on!"

She giggled. "I suppose I should have known better than to tangle with the master of randomness."

Clover slowly peeked inside through the tiny crack between door and wall. Discord was still wrapped around Professor Fluttershy, though he looked less sleepy and more smug now. "We could keep going," Discord said, shifting his coils. "See if anyone else in another class asks."

"Are we going to add up the classes, and whoever wins more rounds wins the bet?" she asked. "Or were you thinking that every class someone doesn't ask about you means one more lullaby for you?"

Clover rose an eyebrow. A lullaby? Was that really what they were betting on?

"Oh, the second, of course," Discord said. "You know that I love hearing your sweet voice! The more times I can, the better."

She giggled, reaching up to rub behind his ear. "Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt," she said. "Besides, maybe I'll win at least once if we keep going."

"Heh, we'll just see," he said, leaning into her touch. His paw looped around her front before holding itself out to her. "Deal?"

"Deal," she said, grasping his paw and shaking it. "Now, why don't we do a little knitting of our own?"

Clover blinked, slowly backing away before turning and walking down the hall. At least I know what was going on with them, now, he thought to himself. A bit...anti-climactic, though.

Still, at least he was lucky enough to have overheard their conversation. And perhaps at lunch, he could tell his friends what he had seen, so then everyone in the class could know. He smiled a bit at that thought and continued onwards, heading for the courtyard.

Plastic Proposals

"Fluttershy...this is boring," Discord said, his hoof bouncing up and down on the ground.

She reached over to pat his knee. "I know it's not fun waiting," she said. "But just think—in a couple of minutes, we'll be seated, and we can order some tasty Mexicoltian food...all you have to do is be patient."

"Still," he said. "You'd think that they'd hurry it up a little for three princesses."

Applejack, sitting on his other side, sighed and gave him a look. "It ain't right to abuse our roles just to get seated more quickly than anyone else," she said. She made a small gesture towards the crowd of ponies waiting with them.

They were in the first, relatively small room in the building, towards the back of the line. Fluttershy lifted her head, quickly spotting a rainbow mane that was slowly approaching the front of the line.

"Well...it was very nice of you to invite us on a double date," she said to Applejack.

Applejack shrugged. "It was mostly Rainbow's idea...since she got enough coupons to discount four meals." She gave Discord a sharp look. "I just hope that this will go better than the date at a Neightalian restaurant I've heard about..."

Discord whistled an innocent tune, looking away. "If that had happened, not saying it did, I wasn't the only one to blame," he said. "In this situation that never happened, I wasn't the only jerk—just the only one who got punished."

Fluttershy's lips twisted into a wavy line, not sure whether she should laugh or frown. "But," he continued. "That doesn't really change the fact that I'm both hungry and bored."

His dragon leg began bouncing up and down. Fluttershy reached over and gave his claw a gentle squeeze. "Why don't you find something to entertain yourself?" she said. "Something that's creative, not destructive."

"Like what?" he asked. "I'm not in the mood to paint anything. I'm too hungry to summon or create anything interesting. And it's not like there's anything to do in this room..." He gestured around the small room, showing that there was nothing but standing ponies, the tail end of a line, and the couch he had created...but then, he suddenly froze, his eyes and fingers landing on something in the far corner.

"Hold on a mo'," he said. "That looks like it could be something, alright..." He stood up and walked towards whatever he had spotted, the crowd of ponies parting to make room for him.

Fluttershy watched him go, sitting up a little to see what it was he had found. It looked like a plastic or glass box, filled with several plastic containers—though a few faded images on the front made it harder to see inside. The only clear thing was the writing above the metal coin slot and dispenser—blue words that read '1 Bit = 4 Prizes'.

Discord circled around the machine that was set up against the wall, occasionally giving it a tap with his finger and making the contents inside shift around. "Hmm," he said. "Not exactly thrilling, but...I think this will do for entertainment!"

He pulled open a part of his coat as though it were a pocket, reached inside...and pulled out a wad of Monopoly money. He shoved it back inside, then opened another pocket in his coat...this one holding a handful of small gems.

He frowned and continued to pat himself up and down, searching for something. Finally, with a sigh, he turned and walked back towards Fluttershy. "Could I borrow a couple of bits?" he asked sheepishly. "I left the infinite wallet in my other coat."

"But...other coat...what?" Applejack said, her brow furrowing in confusion.

But Fluttershy, who was a little more used to Discord's oddities, reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a handful of bits. He smiled gratefully at her, turning and once again heading towards the machine.

"...he'll probably get bored in a couple of seconds," Applejack said. "It's just foals' toys, and...usually pretty cheap ones."

Fluttershy smiled. "Maybe," she said. "But he does tend to enjoy the little things a lot of the time."

She watched as Discord slid the first bit into the slot. He began to turn the knob, and with a rattling sound, four plastic balls with colored plastic lids rolled out, one at a time. He scooped up the four of them and floated back over to Fluttershy, flopping next to her.

"Wanna help me open these?" he asked, holding them out to her.

"Sure," she said, accepting one with a pink lid. The plastic was opaque enough that it was difficult to tell what was inside them, though the shadowy shapes made it clear there was something there.

She grasped the lid by the edge and slowly peeled it away. After a few moments of struggle, it came off with a pop!, and she could shake the prize out onto her hoof.

Out fluttered a small piece of paper. "Hmm," she said, grabbing it and turning it over. There was a pattern of three balloons—Pinkie's cutie mark—on it. "I think this is a rub-on tattoo," she said leaning over to show it to Discord.

He was twirling a stretchy, purple rubber toy in his claw. "Huh," he said. "I guess there's a whole smorgasbord of stuff in there." He stopped twirling the toy enough for her to see that it had a star-like symbol at the end—probably meant to be some sort of 'wand'.

With a flick of his claw, the toy shot downwards and stuck to the side of another one of the containers. Another flick, and the toy sent it straight up into the air...in an arc that made it land right into her hooves.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. She gripped it, and this time, was able to open it a little more easily. Inside was another stretchy rubber toy, this one a light blue.

"Oh hey, we match now!" Discord said. He pulled a plastic pendant with a fake star gem out of his next capsule. She smiled and nodded as he began to put on the necklace...but found his head was too big for the chain to fit through. With a defeated sigh, he wrapped it around one of his horns, letting the fake gem dangle near the top.

She smiled and giggled again. "That was...a little fun," she said with a smile.

"You think so, too?" he asked. "I mean, it's not high-quality entertainment I would spend hours doing, but it's enough for...the next few minutes, at least!"

He stood up and took her hoof, jingling the few bits he still had in his paw. "Care to join in this time?"

"Mmm..." She took a few moments to think. Glancing back into the restaurant proper, she saw that Rainbow was now at the front of the line and talking to the cashier. "Well...maybe we have time for one or two," she said.

"Alright!" he cheered, pulling her onto her hooves and over to the machine. He slid a bit into the slot, then stepped back, bowing as he gestured to the ready machine. "After you, milady."

"Why, thank you," she said. She gave the knob a small twist, and a single plastic container fell out. Another twist, and a second container fell out. She stepped to the side a bit to open them.

Both of them contained more rub-on tattoos (Twilight's cutie mark and her own, this time). Discord approached the machine, narrowing his eyes and scanning it up and down, perhaps trying to figure out which containers would fall out.

"Hey guys," Rainbow said, weaving her way back into the lobby. "So, we're on the list and everything, but they said it would take a few minutes for them to get a table ready for us..." She paused at the couch, blinking and staring at Fluttershy and Discord. "What are you two doing?"

"Well, it was either this, be bored, or start redecorating to keep myself entertained," Discord said, cranking the knob another notch. A container tumbled out. "And no one appreciates my redecorating, trust me!"

"No one likes your restorations if you don't have permission," Fluttershy corrected, watching as he picked up the capsule and gave it a shake, holding it up to his ear. "Some ponies really enjoy your creativity when it's not...you know, a surprise."

"True," he admitted, popping open the container. "Oh! It's a ring." He shook it out and into his palm, holding it out to her. Indeed, it was a small, pink plastic ring, with a few streaks of glitter around its rim.

"It's pretty," she said with a smile.

"You think so?" he asked. He paused, looking down at the ring, then back up at her...and a mischievous grin spread across his muzzle.

"Oh, no," she heard Rainbow mutter upon seeing that smile.

"Fluttershy, Princess of Kindness," Discord said, dropping to one knee and holding the plastic ring out to her. "Would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Fluttershy Chaos?"

She gasped and smiled, her hoof flying up to her mouth. She had to bite her lip before she ended up bursting into giggles. "Yes...yes, I do! Or I will!"

She held her hoof out to him. With a smile, he expanded the ring into a hoofband, sliding it onto her hoof. "And with this ring, I do declare us engaged."

"For better or for worse," she said, smiling at him. A few ponies who had been watching cheered and applauded.

"Uuuugh," Rainbow groaned. "You two are already married! Do you always have to act like such dorks in public?"

"Absolutely," Discord said, twirling the knob of the machine again. "If by 'dorks' you mean 'absolutely amazing beings you have no hope of competing with'." Another plastic capsule fell out, and he quickly opened it.

"Aw, just a plastic doll thing," he said, handing it to Fluttershy. "I'm going to keep going until I get a matching ring...is that okay, my fiance?"

"I think that sounds very sweet," she said with a giggle, looking at the little plastic doll. It was some sort of small cat with a bow around its neck.

He stuck another bit into the slot, twisting the knob quickly. Four containers fell out. Three had rub-on tattoos, and the fourth had another pedant, this one with a pink heart gem. "Drat," he said, stretching the chain enough that he could put it around Fluttershy's neck.

She glanced at his palm, just as he held the single bit there between his fingers. "Last one," he said. "The moment of truth...if we don't get this, we might not even have the time to try again!"

Slowly, almost dramatically, he moved the bit towards the coin slot. He pushed it in with a single finger, then began to slowly turn the knob, one notch at a time. One by one, plastic containers fell out.

He picked them up and opened them one at a time. The first was a rub-on tattoo ("This is getting ridiculous"), the second was another plastic doll of a black-and-white cat ("Well...I guess you can have a matching pair"), and the third was...

Another plastic ring, this one a royal blue. "Finally!" he declared. He was about to slip it onto his claw...but then paused, holding it out to Fluttershy.

"Ah, okay," she said with a smile and a nod. She gingerly took the ring from him, then held up his eagle claw and gently slid the ring onto his middle finger. He beamed, his tail wagging slightly as he watched her.

"...dorks," Rainbow said, shaking her head.

"Rainbow Dash, party of four?" an unfamiliar mare's voice said. All four of them looked up. "Your table is ready."

Applejack stood up, the couch melting into a puddle that seeped into the floor with a wave of Discord's paw. He gathered up all the prizes he and Fluttershy had gotten, including the last unopened container, and followed the mare into the restaurant along with the others.

"Here are your menus," she said after guiding them to a table near a window. "I'll give you a bit of time to figure out what you want."

The four of them looked over the menus. "Hmm," Discord said. "I can't decide between the cheesy rice fajita and the triple-pepper one."

"I think I'll get the cheesy rice one, if you want to steal a few bites from me," Fluttershy said.

"That's quite kind of you...my fiance," he purred, wriggling his eyebrows. Rainbow groaned, and Applejack quickly stifled a chuckle.

The four of them chatted and laughed together, time flying by as they ordered and received their food.

They chatted happily as they each polished off their plates. Fluttershy had to admit that the food was quite tasty...she and Discord might have to come back here on their own, sometime.

Just as they were finishing up, and discussing whether dessert was worth it, a stallion approached their table—one wearing a suit and tie, looking very important. "Uh oh, here's the manager," Applejack said teasingly. "You haven't done anything, have you, Discord?"

He gasped dramatically, his paw flying to his chest. "I'm shocked at this accusation," he said. "You wound me. Why, my behavior has been perfect all evening!" A halo appeared above his head, and Fluttershy had to stifle a giggle.

Before he could continue boasting about his innocence, the manager had arrived at their table. "So!" he declared. "I heard that there was a proposal in the lobby!"

"Oh my Celestia," Applejack muttered. Rainbow snorted, but pressed her muzzle into her hooves to stifle her laughter.

"May I ask who the happy couple is?" the manager continued, ignoring their reaction.

"T-that'd be us," Discord said, raising his claw and looking like he was biting back a few snickers himself.

"Well! As congratulations, we'd like to offer you one of our signature desserts, on the house." A waiter arrived, as though on cue, and placed a plate of churros between them. "Please enjoy!"

And with that, the four of them were left alone again. Discord and Rainbow held back until they were out of earshot...and then began laughing, falling forward and leaning against the table.

"This doesn't seem right," Applejack said. "I mean...lying to them, and taking a dessert?"

"Not technically lying," Discord pointed out, gasping and lifting himself back to a sitting position. "He asked who the 'happy couple' was, and we are very happy." He threw an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders. "And now, we have a dessert and can be happy and very full."

"It still seems dishonest," Fluttershy said. "You know as well as I do that he was asking who had proposed."

"Again, I technically did!" he pointed out. "And it was extremely romantic. What, does already being married mean it doesn't count?"

Rainbow and Applejack gave him deadpan stares. "Yes, that's what it means," Applejack said bluntly.

Discord pouted, grabbing the plate of churros and holding it close to him. "You're all being so mean," he said, his eyes growing wide and shiny. "I'm not sharing any of my churros with you if you keep ganging up on me."

"Hey, I didn't say anything," Rainbow said, her hoof sneaking towards the plate of desserts. Before she could reach it, he held a stop sign up to block her way.

"Ah-ah," he said, clicking his tongue. "I think the 'happy couple' deserves to have some, first!" He turned to Fluttershy...and then dropped onto one knee, holding the plate out to her.

"Oh, Celestia," Rainbow groaned, hiding her face in her hooves.

"Oh Fluttershy, my love, my fiance, my wife...would you do me the honor of sharing a dessert with me?" he asked.

She hesitated for a moment. While she still felt this was dishonest...it didn't hurt anyone taking the dessert already given to them, did it? And so, she slowly nodded, taking one of the cinnamon-sugar-covered treats.

Discord set the plate back on the table and grabbed a churro of his own, tapping it against hers. "Cheers!" They both took a bite of their dessert at the same time.

"Mmm!" she said, smiling. "This is...really good, actually." She continued nibbling on her treat, nudging the plate towards Rainbow and Applejack. Rainbow quickly grabbed one, while Applejack paused for a long while before finally taking one.

They ate their churros quietly for a few moments. Fluttershy spent the time considering what the right thing to do was, and an idea started to take shape in her mind just as Discord was grabbing a second churro.

"...we should leave a tip," she said finally. "I mean, a big one. One that costs about what the churros would have."

"Alright, alright," he said. "I suppose the service has been pretty good tonight...I might have been thinking of leaving a diamond in the water glass, anyway."

"Oh, okay," she said with a nod, taking another bite of her churro. "That sounds..." Reasonable wasn't exactly the right word for this, was it? "...Fair," she said. "More than fair."

"Why, thank you, thank you," he said with a smile. He kept chomping away at his churro. "And...since we're at the end of our meal..." He held up his paw, and the last unopened plastic container rolled out into his palm.

"Oh my Celestia, you dork," Rainbow said.

"I can still take dessert away from you!" he teasingly threatened, before turning his attention back to Fluttershy. "Now...together?"

"Together," she said with a nod, reaching out and grabbing part of the lid.

With a little tugging from the both of them, it popped open. Yet another rub-on tattoo fluttered out and towards the table, but Discord quickly snatched it with his claw.

"I wonder whose cutie mark it'll be this time," he said, shaking it. "I do hope that it's yours." With that said, he flipped it over...and paused, blankly staring at it.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked, leaning over to peer at it, as well. She stared blankly at it for a few moments, too...and then giggled, grinning.

"What? What's this one?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

Discord chuckled and flipped it over. This tattoo wasn't a cutie mark, surprisingly enough. Instead, it was two tattoos—two halves of a sparkling pink heart, with half an inch of space between them...and the words 'Together Forever' in red on the whole thing.

Applejack smiled, chuckling. "You sure you didn't create that yourself?" she asked teasingly.

"I think I would remember," he said, looking at the tattoo again and smiling. "We should try this on tomorrow, Fluttershy!"

"Oh, that would be fun," she said. "Maybe we could try on all the others, too?" He nodded, grabbing another churro and handing it to her.

"I can't believe you got that by chance," Rainbow said with a chuckle, shaking her head. "You lucky dork."

"Don't I know it..." Discord said, wrapping an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders. She smiled and nestled into his side. He gave her a quick nuzzle on the forehead, then tucked the tattoo away and grabbed another churro.

"So, Fluttershy," he said. "What's the perfect way for two 'dorks' to have a second wedding?" He began chuckling, and the others joined in. The good mood remained as they polished off the dessert plate.

Tattoo Tango

Fluttershy yawned as she entered their kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Good morning, Shyfly!" Discord called from the kitchen counter. He was standing in front of a skillet, wearing a pink apron that read Chaos the Chef in purple, hoof-embroidered letters, while the smell of pancakes was heavy in the air.

"I hope you don't mind that I started making breakfast," he said, flipping a pancake. "But, well...it's still early in the morning, but for you, this is practically sleeping in!"

She glanced over at the clock. He was right—most ponies would consider the hour a perfectly fine, maybe even early, time to wake up, but she tended to rise much earlier. "...I guess that double date wore me out more than I thought," she said sheepishly. "At least there's nothing I need to check on in the sanctuary today."

"The wonder of volunteers," he said, sliding a pancake onto a plate as she took her seat at the table, yawning again. He walked over and set the pancake in front of her, as well as a tall glass of chocolate milk.

"Thank you," she said. He smiled, and the two of them briefly tapped their noses together before he stood back up and went to the stove, leaving her to enjoy her pancake.

She noticed that there was an intricate design of a Neighponese-dragon-like Saddlemon on top of the pancake. "Ooh," she said admiringly, poking at it with her fork. It smeared a bit, but didn't pour away like she would have expected syrup alone to do.

"I'll make a couple more while you enjoy that one," Discord said cheerfully from the counter. She smiled and thanked him, taking a few bites of her pancake. Mmm...that Saddlemon was definitely chocolate syrup. Chocolate syrup that somehow got just under the surface of the pancake without the design smearing...

She lifted her eyes to curiously watch him as he worked. He flipped a cooked pancake over to the plate in front of him, and then held up...a needle. She rose an eyebrow, taking a sip of her milk.

He dipped the needle into a pot of chocolate syrup...and then, began to rapidly move the needle in and out of the pancake. His hands became a blur as he grabbed another needle and began to work, shifting between the pancake and the chocolate syrup.

In just a minute, he dropped the needles into the sink and brought over the pancake. This one had a heart on it...no, that was a heart-shaped fish. "What do you think?" he asked, putting the plate in front of her.

"It looks...amazing," she said. "But...Discord, are you trying to tell me something with the way you're making these, or are you just doing this for fun?"

He smirked, sitting next to her and taking a long sip of chocolate milk. "I don't know," he said in the taunting tone of someone who did know. "Why don't you tell me what I did to the pancakes, and if it's a message or not?"

She took a slow bite of her pancake, savoring it. He snapped up a bowl of cereal-sized pancakes in milk, each of them emblazoned with a letter—either 'A', 'T', or 'O'...

"With the needles, you were tattooing these pancakes!" she said in realization. He smirked and nodded. "And, so...are you doing it for fun, or saying you want to try those fake tattoos today?"

"And Miss Fluttershy is right on both counts!" he said, clapping as stock cheering came from nowhere. "And for a reward, you get a free fake tattoo! Or about a dozen of them, if you want."

She smiled. "Well...why not? It does sound fun, and we did get quite a few from last night..."

"Excellent!" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'll get the 'parlor' set up."

He stood up and turned towards the living room, but she quickly reached forward and grabbed his wrist. "Not before you finish breakfast," she said. "You know that it's an important meal!"

"Ah, fine," he said, sitting back down and taking another bite of tiny pancakes. "Do you want any more pancakes?"

"I'll see in a second," she said, placing the heart-fish pancake on top of the Saddlemon one. "These two might be enough for me today."

The two of them continued to eat, Discord occasionally snapping up fruit for the two of them, or more tiny pancakes for himself. But eventually, both of their dishes were clean (besides the pancake-and-milk sludge at the bottom of Discord's bowl).

"Now may I set up the parlor?" he said. "Please, pretty please?" Their dishes all sprouted spider-like legs and began to scurry their way towards the sink.

"I suppose so," she said. "Though...what all do you need to add to the living room to make it into a parlor, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing much," he said standing up and strolling in that direction. "Just the tattoos, a bowl of water to be able to transfer the tattoos...oh, and a bit of redecorating, of course!"

She followed behind him, stopping in the doorway beside him. He held up his claws and began to snap at a rapid tempo. With flashes of magic, the walls became darker, and covered with images of 'edgy' tattoos. The curtains were replaced with ones that had flaming patterns on them, and a neon sign reading 'Skin Art' appeared above the couch.

"That should do it," he said, looking at his handiwork and nodding. "What do you think?"

"It's...interesting," she said, stepping into the room. "I suppose it makes me think of a tattoo parlor...but I don't really know what the inside of those look like."

"Eh, maybe I exaggerated things a bit," he said.

"When do you not?" she asked with a grin, causing him to chuckle.

Discord grabbed a lever that suddenly appeared beside him and pulled down. A panel on the ceiling popped open right above him...and he disappeared under a pile of fake tattoos.

"Discord, are you alright?" she said, stepping forward and digging through the pile. Discord's head popped out the top of the pile, scattering several of the small pieces of paper. There was a wide grin on his face.

"Perfectly fine," he said, stepping out of the pile. It collapsed at his movement, spreading and flattening across the floor. "Now, are you ready to get crazy with tattoos?"

"I...yeah!" she said, "But Discord...when did you get this many? I don't think we managed to get all of this from that machine last night."

He shrugged. "Oh, I've picked them up here and there. Free gifts at events of some kind, in the backs of magazines, creating them myself whenever I got bored...." With a flick of his claws, the tattoos shivered and flew back up to form a tall pile. "We don't have to use all of these, of course."

"Right," she said with a nod. "But...we need hot water to get started, right?"

"You've hit the nail on the head," he said with a grin, spinning a rubber mallet in his paw. He smacked the wall, and a bowl dropped from the ceiling, landing on top of his head.

He dropped the mallet, grabbed the bowl, and used his tail to scoop up a small pile of the tattoos. "Here," he said. "Why don't you pick out a few that you'd really like, while I get this thing ready?"

She nodded, sitting down on the couch and putting the tattoos on the table in front of her. Whether by random chance, or Discord's magic, there were quite a few tattoos in the pile that she liked—several Saddlemon ones, a few cutie mark ones from last night, and one Skullcrushers' logo.

"Thank you," she said, setting her favorites into a separate pile. "I think it'll be fun, trying this and having these for a few days."

"Yeah...enjoy it for a few days, then wash it off when you're through," he said, the bowl floating and slowly spinning in front of him. She nodded in agreement.

"I'm guessing you've never thought of getting a real tattoo?" he asked, preparing the bowl of hot water...by creating jets of steaming water from his palm that smelled of lemons and sulfur.

She rapidly shook her head. "It always seemed too scary," she said. "A-and painful...no design really seemed worth going through the process."

He made a noise of agreement, patting her hoof. "And...what about you?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he said, his ears perking up.

"Did you ever think about getting a real tattoo?" she clarified. "I mean...you're much braver than I am. And having more colors on your skin seems very 'you', if I'm being honest."

"Hmm," he said, stroking his beard. After thinking a few moments, he said, "I did like the idea of tattoos, at one point. For a while, I actually had some!" He held up a Polaroid photo of himself in his younger years—short horns, and with a long ponytail, showing off a tornado tattoo on his arm. But before she could spot any other details, the photo was engulfed in flames.

He tossed the flaming photo out the window, where strong winds started to tear it into embers. "But that didn't last long," he said. "I eventually got bored with any designs I chose, and ripped them right out of my skin! I could never think of anything that I would never regret having for the rest of my long life."

"Ah..." she said.

"On that note, I honestly never understood pony fascination with cutie marks," he said. "Oh, sure, maybe a couple of my tattoos were ideas of what a cutie mark I got would look like, but I would get bored of those in like a month, tops. How could you ponies stand having the same flank markings for the rest of your life?"

"Maybe because it's destiny?" she said. "And...we earn our cutie marks, instead of choosing something we might get bored of. That probably has something to do with it."

"Hmm. Probably," he said with a nod. He placed the bowl in between the two of them on the table, then dropped a small pile of his own fake tattoos next to it. "Ready to start?" She beamed and nodded, and he snapped a washcloth into the bowl.

"I think we both know which one to start with," Discord said with a smile. He held up that final tattoo from last night—the two halves of a heart, saying 'Together Forever'. She beamed and nodded, sliding her left hoof over to press it against his paw.

Sticking out his tongue, he placed the sheet of paper on their wrists, carefully arranging it so that they would each get a half. Once it was ready, he slowly pulled his claw away, reaching for the washcloth.

She reached over to gently hold the corner in place, to make sure it wouldn't accidentally fall off. He smiled at her, then gently pressed the damp, hot cloth on the back of the tattoo.

They waited for a minute or so, Discord tapping his dragon foot to some kind of tune that only he knew. But, once a few minutes had passed, he lifted up the washcloth and began to slowly, gently peel away the paper.

The tattoo had been successfully transferred onto their coats. "Well, looks like I'm a better tattoo artist than I thought," he said smugly, holding up his wrist to examine the good job he had done.

She smiled, looking at the heart half on her own wrist. "It is really nice," she said. With a smile, she reached up at tapped her wrist against his again, so that the halves formed one heart.

"Together forever," she said.

"Together forever," he repeated with a smile. He slowly leaned forward to tap his nose against hers. She closed her eyes and pressed her nose against his...then tilted her muzzle upwards to meet his lips in a kiss.

They remained like that for a few moments—eyes closed, lips locked, and wrists together. Then, they slowly pulled apart, smiling and gazing at each other warmly.

"So, my fiance slash wife," he purred, getting a small chuckle out of her. "Which tattoo would you like next?"

"Well...I don't know," she admitted. "I was thinking of putting on this small one, of my cutie mark, but wouldn't that be a little...self-centered?"

She glanced over at Discord from the tattoo she had been looking at, and saw that he was looking at himself in a mirror, holding a tattoo of his own smiling face and considering possible locations. "What was that?" he asked as his reflection clicked its tongue and made finger guns at him.

"Oh...nothing," she said, holding back a giggle.

"Say...here's an idea," he said. He took the cutie mark tattoo from her, twirling it in his claw. "Why don't we...each get one that represents both us?" With a flick of his fingers, he flared out two tattoos of her cutie mark, and two tattoos of his face.

"Oh, so we can match even more?" she said.

"And have a way to keep the other with us, have a way to tell off anyone who claims we're being self-centered—all that sentimental, organ-melting mushy stuff," he said, handing her two of the tattoos.

"Thank you," she said. After a bit of thought, she decided to put Discord's tattoo on her upper foreleg. Discord was placing her cutie mark on his upper arm, mirroring her, and snapped a second washcloth into the bowl of water.

They both took a cloth and pressed the tattoo against their skin. After a bit of waiting, they peeled off the paper, then moved over to their other arm or foreleg with the other tattoo.

"After this," he said as he pressed the cloth against the tattoo of himself. "We should do different tattoos. I love matching with you, but you know that too much sentimentality makes my insides all mushy and gushy."

"That's fair," she said. "I wouldn't expect us to match perfectly. Which one will you do next?"

"This one!" he said, using his tail to whip out a tattoo of a black Neighponese dragon. "What about you?"

"Well..." She glanced back over at her selection of tattoos. All of them looked so good...the one she liked most should go next, right?

Using her wing, she pushed choices away one by one—until she was left with two tattoos she couldn't decide between. One was a sparkling, pink-and-green-winged butterfly, while the other was a large Pikaroo—maybe it was a bit cliche, but she couldn't help but love the popular Saddlemon.

"I think that's enough time on these," Discord said, bringing her out of her thoughts. The two of them removed their cloths and slowly peeled away the papers, leaving clear, crisp images behind.

"And now, moving right along..." he said. He dropped his washcloth back into the bowl, then looked at the dragon tattoo. After stroking his beard for a few seconds, he placed it on his cheek.

"Are you sure it's safe to put it on your face?" she asked.

"Eh, it shouldn't be more dangerous than putting it anywhere else on my body," he said with a shrug. "As long as it doesn't end up in my eye, I mean."

He tilted it at an angle, then reached for the washcloth. He pressed it against his face, then leaned his elbow on the table. "Besides, even if it was unsafe..." A neon sign appeared above him, with the words 'Immortal Lord of Chaos!'

She giggled, blushing a little. "Oh, right..."

He patted her head. "It's sweet that my safety means so much to you, though," he said with a smile. Her blush deepened, but her smile also grew.

"Anyway...which one will you do next?" he asked.

"That's a good question," she said. "I'm stuck between these two." She showed him the butterfly and the Saddlemon. "And I'm not sure where to put them, either..."

"Shoulders and ankles tend to be popular locations," he suggested. "And why not both?"

"Well...hmm," she said. She held the butterfly near her back hoof and nodded, then turned her attention back to the Saddlemon one. "I don't think this would be a good ankle one, or shoulder one...it's a bit big, and I don't want to smear it trying to curl in around."

"You make a good point," he said. He stared at it for a few seconds, then declared, "Either I could shrink it, or put it on your back."

"...I like the sound of putting it on my back best," she decided with a nod.

"Want a hand with that?" he asked, slowly peeling the paper off of his face. The dragon design ended up a little...patchy, with parts of the ink missing, but she did have to admit that it looked cool.

"Yes, please," she said. He took the Pikaroo tattoo and grabbed another cloth from the bowl, while she turned her back to him, bending to press the butterfly tattoo just above her left back hoof.

She flinched slightly as she felt the warm cloth press against her back. Her wing feathers fluffed up. "Sorry," Discord said, continuing to spread the cloth over the full area of the tattoo. "I'll give a better warning next time."

"I'd appreciate it," she said. She tried to reach for a cloth, but her hoof could only find empty table. She suddenly felt something wet and warm being pressed against her hoof, and glanced up enough to see that Discord was using his tail to offer it to her.

"Thank you," she said, taking it and using it to press the butterfly tattoo against her skin.

After a few minutes, he began to peel the tattoo off of her back. A few seconds later, she started to peel away the butterfly. A few bits of ink hadn't managed to get onto her coat or skin, but most of it had.

"What do you think you'll do next?" Discord asked, dropping the washcloth into the bowl.

"...I think I might put this one on my other ankle," she said, showing off a tattoo covered with a swarm of tiny butterflies. "What about you?"

He stroked his beard, then snapped his fingers and created a blindfold over his eyes. "I'll pick at random!" he declared. "Because even if I grab something I don't like, it'll wash right out."

She smiled, watching him for a few moments as his hand fumbled for the tattoo pile on the table. With a small giggle, she reached over to nudge all of them a little closer to him, before grabbing the washcloth to start on her own tattoo.

An hour just seemed to fly by, each of them grabbing tattoos they wanted (or in Discord's case, occasionally letting fate chose which tattoo he should get). They were now absolutely covered with ink—Fluttershy's legs and back were covered, with a couple on her wings and a stray one on her neck, while Discord seemed to have tried to fit at least one tattoo on each of his mismatched parts...including the unrecognizable blobs of ink on his horns.

"I think we look good," he declared, looking at himself in a hand mirror. "...well. More than we already do."

She smiled. "I think these tattoos suit you." He was even more vibrant and colorful than usual...it was nice.

"You look amazing, too!" he insisted. With a snap of his fingers, a full-length mirror appeared in front of them. "Why, just look at you! Your beauty, accented by your feelings and interests on your sleeve..."

She laughed, stepping a bit closer to the mirror, seeing in the reflection that he was standing just behind and beside her. It was odd, seeing all the colors and shapes on her fur, but it didn't look bad, not at all. And it did feel nice to show her interests (and feelings) off, as he had said. She turned to look at him with a slight smile, giving him a nod. He smirked smugly, patting the top of her head.

"Oh, I can't wait to show these off to our friends!" he said, posing and looking at himself from every angle in the mirror. "Why, we'll be the most eye-catching and colorful creatures at the Council meeting...more than we already are."

His words made her freeze. She had nearly forgotten that their next Council meeting was coming up soon...in just two days, actually! And if they went to the meeting like this, that meant...

"...ponies are going to take photos of us during and after the council meeting," she said in realization. "What will they say if they think we've gotten tattoos?"

"Oh, probably just the usual conspiracies," he said with a shrug. "Someone will theorize that they're fake and there's no meaning besides we wanted to do it, and will probably be laughed off. Then, the tattoos will wash off, but nearly everyone will have forgotten about them by the next Council meeting."

"You think so?" she said.

"I'm almost positive," he said. "Besides, didn't you all learn some sort of lesson years back that what the general public thinks of you doesn't matter at the end of the day?"

"That's...one way of interpreting that lesson," she said with a slow nod. "I guess I'm still just a little nervous about what others think."

"Well, dahling," he said, placing a hand on his hip. "You are the most fabulous creature whose hooves have graced this land, and don't you forget that!" He smirked and snapped his claws sassily.

She giggled. "Even above yourself?" she asked teasingly.

"Well, I am fantabulous," he said smugly. "But I only have one hoof. You have hooves, plural." She chuckled, shaking her head.

"Now, what would you like to do next?" he asked. "...something without water would be best. I don't put much stock in the cheaper tattoos holding up for long."

She thought for a few moments. "What about a hike?" she suggested. "It feels like it's been a while since we visited Chaosville's forests."

He placed a hand dramatically against his forehead. "Too true! You're right, we simply must go right away and rectify this." He dropped down on all fours to hold her hoof, walking towards the door.

She smiled and followed, occasionally stealing glances over at the colorful tattoos he had chosen for himself. She caught him glancing over at her, and both of their gazes snapped away, the two of them chuckling to themselves.

Maybe ponies would start to gossip...but doing this had been fun. In the end, wasn't that what had mattered? She smiled and nodded at her reasoning (and Discord's earlier reassurances), leaning against her husband's shoulder with a smile.

Washed Out

Fluttershy sighed in relief as she finished polishing the kitchen countertop, wiping a bit of sweat off of her brow. Discord may have enjoyed leaving messes, but even this seemed a bit much...chocolate and maple syrup forming sticky puddles in the cracks?

She tossed the grime-coated rag into a bin with others and grabbed another clean one, looking around the kitchen. Spring Cleaning wasn't the easiest in their Chaosville home (and sadly, not too common as the years went by), but it always felt good to see rooms sparkle when she was done.

Discord hadn't been the biggest fan of all-out cleaning at first, but he was all for it when he realized it meant being able to create new messes. She was sure if she asked, he could clean the whole place with a snap of his claws...but he seemed to enjoy making games out of the tasks, from dancing with mops to chasing dust bunnies into cages. And she did enjoy finishing tasks with her hooves...even if it was a lot of work.

Now that she was thinking about it...where was Discord? She couldn't hear any signs of him cleaning—like other tasks, it wasn't something he was exactly quiet about. The last she had seen him, he was gathering up every scrap of fabric they might have worn or used in the past year into a large laundry basket.

Maybe he had those start washing themselves, and found something else to do, she thought. As for whether the 'something else' was actually cleaning...who knew?

Still, she had been cleaning the kitchen for a while...it seemed like a good time for a break. Boiling some tea and showing off the sparkling kitchen sounded appealing...but first, she had to find him. And so, she put the rag back into the bin, untied the handkerchief in her mane and the apron around her torso, and began to search the house.

Fluttershy went through each room she could think of, checking for any sign of Discord. He wasn't in the library or the memory museum. There was no sign of him when she peered out the window. There weren't even any of his new telltale messes left behind in any of the arts and crafts rooms, though a few old ones were left uncleaned.

She sighed as she entered the living room, taking a seat on the couch. If she called for Discord, she was confident he would come, but it seemed rude to summon him for something trivial if he was in the middle of something else. And so, she closed her eyes and tried to think of where else he might be.

...it would be so much easier to think without that annoying humming sound in the background, though.

That thought made her pause. There normally wasn't a humming sound like that in the living room...usually, it was either quiet, filled with laughter and voices, or with the sound of one of their records. Something out of the ordinary like that could be a clue as to what Discord was doing!

With a bit of relief, she hopped off of the couch, keeping her ears perked up as she began to follow the sound.

She eventually found a small room, tucked not far away from the living room. There wasn't much inside—just three washing machines, with the doors facing her, and five dryers, with their lids on top. One of the washing machines was humming and shaking, and a very large laundry basket was sitting on top.

So Discord had clearly been here...but there was no sign of him. Maybe he'll come back once the washing machine finishes its cycle, she thought. If the clothes don't decide to move themselves into the dryer... She sighed, brushing a strand out of her mane out of her face.

The washing machine hummed for a few more seconds...and then suddenly stopped with a buzzing sound. She paused, staring at it for a few moments and wondering if she should mess with it or continue waiting.

Then, there was a tapping sound on the machine's door that made her jump with a squeak. Her heat pounded, and the tapping continued, almost...expectantly. And so, she took a deep breath, stepped forward, and grabbed onto the door's handle.

It was sealed fairly tightly, but with a few good tugs, she managed to open it with a pop. As soon as the door was open, a small waterfall of sudsy water poured out onto the floor...along with a very long, and very soaked, draconequus.

"Discord?" she said, staring at her husband. He was lying limply on the floor, thoroughly soaked. Water and suds poured off of him as he just...laid there. "Are you...alright?"

Slowly, he raised his claw and gave her a thumbs-up. Water poured from his hand and down his arm, creating a tinier puddle next to the large one he was sitting in. "...never better," he said. "Just a little..."

He started coughing, and she stepped forward. But then, a stream of bubbles exited his mouth and floated towards the ceiling, and he cleared his throat. "Just a little stunned," he finished, snorting a smaller bubble out of his nose. "Whew. I was expecting it to be a bit intense, but that was something else!"

"What were you doing inside the washing machine?" she asked. He started to stand up on his back legs, so she held out a hoof to support him.

"Would you believe that I was training for a hurricane?" he said. "You know...getting ready to handle being tossed around like a ragdoll, getting soaked to the bone, feeling so dizzy I can't stand?" His legs wobbled underneath him, and he fell back onto his stomach.

She moved forward to help him back up, but he shook his head, curling around himself a bit and looking content to stay on the ground for a while. She rose an eyebrow. "I don't think you mentioned a hurricane happening anytime soon..."

"Because, well...there isn't one," he said. "I'm...getting ready just in case!" He glanced away, his tail wringing itself out. "And...it did sound a little fun."

"Fun?" she said. "To go missing, put yourself in a machine I'm...a little surprised you fit in, filled with water and damp clothes?"

"It...seemed like a good idea at the time," he said. "I couldn't really think of anything else to do, and it's not like anything as simple and domestic as this could actually hurt me." His tail thumped against the side of the machine.

"Still, I was...I was worried sick!" she said. "You disappeared all of a sudden with that load of laundry, and I couldn't find you..."

His ears flicked back, spraying droplets of water everywhere. "Ah...I meant to leave a note, but..." Sticking out his tongue, he began to dig through a pocket in his fur coat. Eventually, with a cry of success, he pulled something out—a soaked wad of paper, with trails of smudged ink dripping along it.

"...I seem to have been bested by the 'forgot to leave a note' and 'important item gone through the wash' cliches," he said with a sigh, unfurling the paper. The soggy material just ripped apart in his hands. "Whoops."

She stared at the wad of paper for a few moments...and then sighed, shaking her head. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked. "Do you want me to grab you anything, like a towel or a hot drink?"

He shook his head and shakily stood up on four legs. She took a few quick steps back just before he shook himself like a dog, spraying droplets of water everywhere. A few still managed to hit her, but she managed to be mostly unscathed.

"I think I'm good," he said, wobbling a bit but still remaining steady on four legs. He paused for a moment, and his eyes gleamed with an idea. "Although...there is one thing I could use a little bit of assistance with..."

"Yes?" she asked, brushing a few bubbles out of her coat.

"...you could help me into the dryer," he said with a hopeful grin.

She blinked a few times. "But...after all of that, ah...excitement, are you sure you wouldn't rather dry off with a towel?"

He stroked his beard in thought, wringing a bit of water out of it. "Well...honestly, I'm so soaked that it could take a dozen towels to get me dry again," he said. "And...most of our towels are as wet as I am, right now." His tail feathers pointed to the inside of the washing machine, where several fabric articles were stuck to the sides.

"I suppose another option would be hanging me on a clothesline with all of these," he said, peeling some of the towels out of the machine and tossing them into the dryer. A few made it inside the machine, but a couple caught on the edge and dangled over the side, only partway in the hole.

"Wouldn't that be...uncomfortable?" she asked. Just imagining dangling above the ground with clothespins pinching into her hooves made her shiver. "Though...tumbling in the dryer also sound pretty uncomfortable..."

"Maybe," he said. "But all the tumbling and spinning is exhilarating! But...being hung out to dry would be pretty boring. I think I'll stick with these exciting machines." He smiled and patted the side of the dryer.

"And...what do you need me for?" she asked.

"Well..." He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "My limbs still feel like noodles from the washing machine. If you could help me climb inside, and get the rest of these clothes and towels in..."

She thought about it, biting her lip. It still didn't seem very safe... "I'll...think about it while I load the dryer," she said slowly. She plucked a few clothes out of the washing machine, flying up and dropping them into the dryer.

"Alright," he said, grabbing a few more clothes and tossing them up to her. They kept working in synchrony—he got clothes out and tossed them to her, she dropped them into the dryer.

In what seemed like a short amount of time, all of the clothes had been moved. "Sooo?" Discord asked hopefully, his eyes becoming wide and shiny.

She frowned in thought. "...you'll be safe?"

"Safe, dry, and cozy," he said, nodding energetically. "Please?"

She hesitated a few more moments...and then slowly nodded. Discord's grin widened as she landed on the ground next to him. His tail whipped back and forth, and he leapt up towards the lid of the dryer.

He fell short, but he managed to grab onto the edge of the door, his feet scrambling against the side of the machine and leaving scratches in its pristine white side. Fluttershy put her forehooves under his back legs to support him.

"You're sure this is safe?" she asked again as she boosted him a little higher. His wings fluttered rapidly as he moved a little further.

"Oh, it's perfectly safe for me," he said, scrambling up and into the machine. He twirled around a bit, finally settling on a position where he was coiled around himself, his head poking out the top so he could talk to her. "If anyone else tries this, though...you have full permission to tackle them and force them to stop."

He chuckled, and she forced a few giggles. He reached down to place his paw on top of her mane, turning around to face the dials behind him. "Let's see here..." he muttered, twisting them all to his liking.

"Oh, one more thing," she said as he descended into the dryer. He watched her curiously as she dug through the detergents, finally emerging with a box of dryer sheets.

"This will keep you from getting too...static-y," she said, pulling one out and dropping it in next to him. "Plus they smell nice."

Discord smiled. "Your thoughtfulness is heartwarming and organ-meltingly gooey," he said. "I'd better start drying before your sweetness starts to make me melt." His head dropped inside, and he nestled himself in amongst the towels and socks.

"Could you do me a favor and press the start button, please?" he asked. "Once the lid is closed, I mean."

"Alright," she said, slowly closing the lid. She paused when it was just an inch open, and took one last peek inside. "Promise you'll be okay?"

He went through the motions of the Pinkie Promise. "I will be fine," he said. "If, for whatever reason, I am wrong, or even just uncomfortable or bored, I will immediately teleport out. That's a promise."

That helped her relax a bit. "Okay," she said slowly, lowering the lid. "See you in... an hour?"

"Yep," he said. "Thanks, love you!"

"Love you, too," she said, letting the lid drop closed. After a few moments of hesitation, she leaned forward and pressed the start button.

The dryer hummed the life, and soon, she heard tumbling and banging sounds from inside. It made her wince, but she told herself that he would be fine—he had assured her it was safe, he had his magic, and he had been through tougher things. And...he had promised to stop if he felt uncomfortable.

She still felt a bit worried, as she always did whenever he threw himself into danger for the fun of it, but his assurance and promise made her feel a bit better. With a sigh, she stood a little taller and headed back into the living room. Perhaps she could slow-boil a bit of tea for them to enjoy once he was done...maybe get the living room cleaned while she was at it...

"Wonderful tea, my dear," Discord said, sipping daintily out of his cup. Some patches of his fur were sticking up at odd angles, and his mane had puffed up. It wasn't as poofy as it had been at other times, but it was still enough that she had to suppress the urge to giggle.

"And the living room looks quite nice...did you leave anything for me to clean?" he asked, leaning against the arm of the couch and dropping a sugar cube into his cup.

She smiled, leaning back in her armchair. Normally she would have sat on the couch with him, but he had seemed a bit dizzy, and she figured he could use the space to spread out. "Don't worry," she said. "There's still plenty of rooms to clean."

"Ah, joy," he said. "Maybe I'll polish my spring collection after the room stops spinning..." She reached over to gently pat his head. He smiled and closed his eyes, gently leaning into her touch.

"...oh yeah," he said. "With me feeling dizzy, it's going to take a while for me to actually mess up the rooms you cleaned again." He grinned teasingly at her.

She paused...and then snickered. "Maybe I'll have to find other ways to wear you out during future Spring Cleanings," she teased.

"Hah! Good luck," he said. "I've had enough machine-washing and drying for...mm, maybe three years. You know I hate to repeat myself."

She smiled and nodded, pouring more tea into his cup. "At least you won't need a bath tonight..." she joked.

His grin widened. "Is that a challenge?" he said. "I can think of so many grimy corners to crawl through and clean..."

"Not if I beat you to them!" she said. "You should sit and rest for a while. Until the room stops spinning for you."

"...you'll still finish tea time with me, right?" he asked.

"Of course!" she said. As she set down the tea kettle, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead.

He smelled strongly of detergent, with a hint of flowery dryer sheet. She felt him lean up into her kiss, and she saw him smile out of the corner of her eye.

"...I'd actually be a bit relieved if you didn't go through the washing machine again for a while," she murmured against his skin. No matter how clean he seemed, that didn't wash away the bit of worry she had felt.

"Don't worry," he said. "...I can find other ways to make you worry over me!"

"Discord!" she said, pulling back. He laughed and ruffled her mane. Even though he probably wasn't completely joking...she couldn't help but giggle a little, too.

Sleepy Bundle

"Oh, Flutterbuddy!" Discord sang, appearing at Sweet Feathers Sanctuary in a flash of light. He held a tall pitcher of lemonade in his claw, juggling two cups with his tail. "You've been working hard all day...I think you deserve a treat!"

He paused, waiting for a response from his dear pegasus. But everything was silent, aside from the animals that had turned to see what he was doing, or the new arrivals that had quickly scurried away, surprised by him. He frowned, catching both cups with his tail and looking around.

He had appeared at the treehouse, aka the main central structure in the sanctuary, aka where Fluttershy kept her lists of tasks. He had been hoping to catch her here in between tasks...then it might be easier to convince her to put her hooves up for a minute.

"Oh well," he said with a shrug, letting go of the pitcher and cups and allowing them to float alongside him. A deerstalker hat appeared on his head, a bubble pipe in his mouth, and a magnifying glass in his hand. "This just means I'll have to find her and then convince her to take a break!" With a satisfied smile, he blew a large bubble and began to search around the treehouse.

Well, the hook meant for a list of chores was now most definitely empty. And since he had enchanted it to not let lists be taken off by anything but pony hooves, wings, or magic (with him and a handful of non-pony volunteers being an exception), and there were no volunteers working today, Fluttershy had to have taken it.

A bit more investigation around the clearing, and asking a few cooperative animals (with the bribe of treats, of course), led him to find a trail of hoofprints leading out of the clearing and to a wooded grove of the sanctuary. They were fresher than any of the other trails around, so that must have been the direction Fluttershy had gone in.

He followed her trail, staring at her hoofprints every so often with the magnifying glass, the lemonade and glasses still following behind him. Hoofprints all looked pretty much alike to him, though Fluttershy was the only one working today...and he hoped, at least a little, that he could distinguish her prints from anyone else's.

Hmm...how could he test that, though? If he boasted to Fluttershy that he could, she'd be more than willing to set up a test, but if he failed, he would certainly have egg on his face...

He smacked right into a tree, jolting him out of his thoughts. He scowled up at it, rubbing his head and pushing down the lump that was forming. It seemed that, as distracted as he was, he had floated all the way over to the grove of trees. A couple of animals were hiding in its shade, staring at him with gleaming eyes.

He whipped out his magnifying glass and looked at the ground. Yes, Fluttershy's hoofprints went into the grove...but he couldn't see a trail leading back out. He smiled, blowing a final bubble out of his pipe before making his detective outfit vanish, grabbing the lemonade and cups in his hands once again.

Landing on the ground, he slowly and silently crept forward and into the shade of the grove. She would be spooked and upset if he actually scared her...but startling her with a sudden gesture of affection never got old! And with the promise of a break, she would surely laugh it all off once she realized it was him.

His lips twitched into a smile, his head slowly turning back and forth to try to catch a glimpse of his Fluttershy. The grove wasn't that dark, especially since it was mid-afternoon, but it was shadier and cooler than most other places in the sanctuary.

Suddenly, his eyes locked on her pastel yellow coat. It...it looked like she was on the ground. And she wasn't making any noise...had she fallen, or hurt herself!? "Fluttershy!" he said, teleporting over to her in a flash of light, his heart pounding frantically in his chest.

As soon as he was in front of her, but not soon enough, he gripped her shoulders. "Fluttershy!" he said again. "Are you okay—" He paused, his grip on her loosening as he took things in. She didn't feel sick or overheated, he didn't see any injuries, and he couldn't smell any blood. Actually, she looked rather...peaceful.

In fact, her brows furrowed slightly at the sound of his voice, and she rolled from her stomach onto her side as his grip slowly loosened. He stepped back for a second, watching as her chest rose and fell with each even breath. "...are you sleeping?" he asked in a quiet voice, as though she could answer him if she was.

She shifted, adjusting some kind of makeshift pillow under her head. He blinked, his brows furrowing as he bent to get a closer look. It appeared to be her list of chores. He chuckled, shaking his head. "That can't be a very comfortable pillow," he teased quietly. She just shifted again, wrinkling the paper more.

Well...she probably wouldn't like it if she woke up to find her list wrinkled up, and maybe torn. With a snap of his fingers, he replaced the list with an actual pillow, holding the long sheet of paper in his paw. Some of the ink was a little smudged, and it was quite wrinkled, but there were no tears. After a couple of snaps to fix it up (and to add a few doodles that would make her laugh later), he teleported it back to its rightful hook.

With that done, he sent the lemonade and cups back home and looked at Fluttershy. She had happily snuggled into the pillow he provided, and he could now see that there were a few ink smears on her cheek. He chuckled a bit and summoned a wet washcloth, gently rubbing them off.

She had been working so hard at the sanctuary for the past few days...that was a large reason why he had hoped to surprise her with a break. She must have been more tired than he thought, if she had curled up near the trees and passed out like this. As he sent the washcloth away, he wondered if she had meant to fall asleep, or if she hadn't even realized how tired she was. She could be so determined and stubborn at times, especially when it came to her animals...

He sighed, but with a small smile on his face, sat on the ground next to her, laying his hand on top of her head. "Mmm..." she said, shifting slightly in her sleep. A tiny, sleepy smile appeared on her muzzle as he buried his fingers in her soft mane, gently scratching behind her ear.

His heart leapt just at the small actions she made when she slept! He couldn't believe he had gotten so soft over her. In the past, he would have woken a sleeping pony up, just to see their reaction, or drag them into the chaos he was thinking of. What was the point in sleeping if there was chaos to spread, mischief to cause? But spending so much time with his Fluttershy...it had shown him how nice quiet moments could be, too.

"You've really gotten to me, you know that?" he whispered to her. "But you already know how soft I am, don't you. Oooh, you just revel in teasing me about it, too." Her ears flicked, and her wings shifted, but she didn't stir otherwise. And that soft smile was still on her face.

He sat there for a few more minutes, letting her rest and enjoying being next to her. He glanced up at the sky, where the sun, though still high in the sky, was drifting ever closer to the horizon.

With a groan and stretch, he removed his hand from her head and stood up. Immediately, her expression turned to one of slight confusion, and her hooves sprawled out further on the grass. He couldn't keep his tail from wagging a little when he realized that she must be looking for him in his sleep.

Well. Even though it was still early, and she would probably say there was still work to be done, she couldn't exactly work in her sleep! And he knew from experience that sleeping on the ground, especially near trees and their roots, put quite a few kinks in your back and neck by the time you woke up.

With a snap of his fingers, he summoned a fluffy blanket, bending down to wrap it around her tightly. Once she was nice and secured, and still fast asleep, he scooped her into his arms, lifting her up and holding her against his chest. "Mmm?" she murmured, wriggling slightly in her sleep. The blanket kept her from moving too much, or slipping out of his arms.

(He had felt awful the one time that happened, apologizing as she rubbed the shoulder she had fallen on and assuring him that she was fine, that he couldn't have predicted it.)

"Hey there," he whispered, holding her tightly to his chest. "Flutternutter, settle down. If you've fallen asleep at work, you shouldn't be wasting more of your energy in your sleep!" He gently nuzzled her forehead.

At his touch, she quickly relaxed, smacking her lips and going completely limp in his arms. He sighed, adjusting his grip on her so as to support her head more easily. With a snap of his tail feathers, the pillow turned into a spongy moss lump, and with another snap, he teleported them both back home, right into their living room.

He placed her gently on the couch, laying her head gently on top of a fluffed pillow and unwrapping the blanket burrito she was trapped in. He shook out the blanket, sending any bugs or flecks of grass away with a snap of his tail feathers, before draping it over his wife and tucking her in.

His work done, he paused for a moment, watching the gentle rising and falling of her chest. She was...so peaceful and precious. A part of him almost wanted to wake her up, to be able to do things with her, or show her some chaos. But he knew she needed her rest...and another part of him was happy to spend any moment with her, even if it was quiet and she was fast asleep.

With a gentle smile, he patted her head again. "I'll make some tea for when you wake up," he whispered. "...I think whatever work you have left can wait until tomorrow, if you're tired enough to pass out in the sanctuary."

Her only response was a sleepy smile, and to shift slightly in her sleep, but that was probably more of a reaction to his touch than anything. Oh, she was just too precious to resist...with a smile, he leaned forward, and gently kissed her forehead.

His heart felt lighter at being able to express his affections. He stood back up and strolled towards the kitchen, humming tunelessly with a smile on his face.

Fluttershy's eyes briefly cracked open the slightest bit. She could hear Discord boiling a kettle in the kitchen, whistling along with it. She felt so warm and cozy...wrapped up snuggly in the blanket, with a soft pillow under her head...she yawned, curling back up and starting to drift off again.

This wasn't where she had fallen asleep...she'd have to remember to thank Discord when she woke up, she thought as she peacefully fell asleep again with another yawn.

Beat the Heat

Equestria was suffering from the worst heatwave they had experienced in decades. Twilight had explained that it had something to do with the sun, and how it corresponded with the pegasi weather schedule...which had now been changed to bring more rain in a few weeks.

Ponies everywhere were seeking relief from the heat...and while Chaosville wasn't affected in the slightest, Fluttershy felt a little guilty that all of their friends were dealing with this heat.

Discord didn't really want to admit it, but he was worried, too. So he had eagerly offered to take heat away from a few very specific locations. Though that wasn't as easy as she had first thought.

He had explained that snapping away heat wasn't as simple as just...snapping away heat. The way he put it, even if he got rid of it, more heat would pour back in...so he needed to set up some sort of spell that constantly took the heat away.

And that, of course, meant the heat needed to go somewhere. And naturally, the only place that wasn't already experiencing the heatwave...was Chaosville.

They had both agreed that a little bit of suffering was worth it if they could ease things for their friends. And so Discord had put his magic to work, moving heat from Equestria to Chaosville. Fluttershy stood on their front lawn, watching him work (wearing protective sunglasses, of course).

A small sun burned brightly overhead, pulsing heat down onto her. She panted and fanned herself with a wing as sweat dripped down her forehead. She tried to focus on where Discord was, working some sort of magic around the sun...while completely coated in sunscreen (she had refused to let him fly up without some sort of protection).

After much flitting about, the sun looked a bit bigger and brighter, but was also in some sort of reddish bubble, and had been pushed further away from their house. Discord floated back down to her, reapplying the sunscreen to replace what was dripping off of him.

"Everything's taken care of now," he said, dabbing sweat off of his brow. "And I've taken steps to ensure that things won't blow up in our faces."

"That's...good," she said, wiping sweat off of her forehead.

"Here," he said, holding a blue popsicle out to her. She accepted it and quickly bit down on the end, sighing in relief as the cold treat hit her tongue.

"This is...going to be a long week," he said, plopping down into a lawn chair next to her. He munched on a popsicle of his own, one that had pink and black swirls. "I mean, I could make things cooler here...but that heat would have to go somewhere. Probably somewhere in Equestria."

"So...we have to deal with this," she said, glancing up at the sun.

"Yep," he said. "Unless you want me to cut this off and let the heat build back up in the sanctuary, Applejack's farm, Canterlot, Sugarcube Corner, the Wonderbolts' training grounds..."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "A little heat...isn't too bad. Besides, everyone else in Equestria is dealing with this heatwave, too." She sucked on her popsicle.

"So," she said after a few moments of silence. "How are you planning on dealing with this heat?"

"Well..." He held up a list on purple paper. "First, I'm going to work on my tan. Then, lounging in a wading pool full of ice. Next, eat an entire carton of ice cream. After that?" He shrugged and tossed the list aside. "No clue. And if you have any ideas, they'll go to the top of the list."

"Really?" she asked. "I mean, if you want to do all those things, you don't need to put them off..."

He shook his head. "I'm just taking advantage of...being able to experience a heatwave that I can't just get rid of when I'm bored of it," he said. "It's...novel, I suppose you could say."

"I think I understand..." she said. "It's been a while since I've dealt with a heatwave like this, too. I think I was a filly, the last time I remember it being this hot."

"What did you do then?" he asked, swirling his popsicle in his mouth.

"Hmm. Well, my family and I went to the pool...we had some ice cream...oh, and I remember us eating a lot of watermelons." She glanced over and saw Discord scribbling on his list. "Which doesn't sound that much different than your ideas."

"I didn't think of the watermelon!" he said, waving his peacock feather quill at her. "Pool versus a wading pool of ice...which should be first?"

"Um..." She fanned herself with a wing as some sweat dripped down her neck. "Maybe...we could have a pool with ice in it? In the water, in the pool?"

"Perfect!" he declared. He shot into the air, wobbling a bit as he floated, and raised his fingers into a snapping position.

With a snap, a rubber bridge appeared, hanging off the edge of their floating island. It flicked upward, pulling up a smaller island with a large swimming pool (complete with a diving board and water slides), and settled into place.

Discord shot towards the pool, and she quickly rushed across the bouncy rubber bridge. He dropped from the sky into the water, alongside several chunks of ice cubes that appeared beside him.

She jumped in just behind him...and froze for a few seconds. Going from intense heat to extreme cold shocked her. She squeaked and splashed to the edge, pulling herself out as she shivered, her heart racing.

"Too much?" Discord said, paddling close to her. "Pony bodies don't like sudden shocks, do they..."

Shaking her head, she flapped her wings a bit. The heat pulsing down on them had already snapped her out of the cold shock. "Maybe if I take it slowly," she said.

With this idea, she dipped her back hooves into the water. A shiver traveled up her spine. That felt so good.

She sighed and slowly sank the rest of the way into the water. She flinched and shivered a little as the cold hit her skin...but she also let her head fall back with a sigh, the feeling of heat giving way to cold indescribably satisfying.

"So goooooood," Discord moaned beside her. "This is like eating the most delicious ice cream while in a volcano..."

"Yeah," she sighed in agreement. "...have you done that before?"

"Once or twice," he said, twirling a claw in the air. At this gesture, large glasses of lemonade smoothies appeared beside both of them, each with bright neon twisty straws.

She slowly sipped at her smoothie, while Discord loudly slurped on his. She glanced at the ice cubes floating on top of the pool...then blinked, lowered her sunglasses, and looked again. "The ice is already melting."

"Hmm?"

"The ice cubes are melting already," she said, pointing to them. Indeed, they were already slowly starting to drip into liquid.

Discord lifted his sunglasses and frowned. "Well...I'll be barbequed," he said. He snapped his fingers, and a wheelbarrow appeared, dumping another load of ice cubes into the pool. "That should buy us a few more seconds."

"Good..." she said, relaxing in the icy water.

They floated in silence for some time. The only sound was Discord snapping his fingers every so often, creating loads of ice...and after a few minutes, tubs of ice cream.

"We can have some watermelon after this," he said, sliding a tub of mint ice cream over to her. "Or whenever, really." He stuck a spoon into his own tub and took a large bite of some kind of purple ice cream.

"Maybe a bit later," she said. "After this, and the popsicle and smoothies, I think I'll be pretty full." She quickly ate several bites of her ice cream before it could melt away.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, draping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him as she ate, glancing up every so often at the sun. Discord occasionally flicked his claw to make light and colors dance around its surface, shapes appearing and vanishing to tell a story that only he could understand.

Eventually, their spoons were scraping the bottom of their tubs, with only a few puddles of ice cream at the bottom. With a snap of his fingers, Discord attached the two together into some sort of false clamshell. It (or they) began snapping open and shut, quickly diving into the water and out of sight.

Discord yawned, stretching his arms. "Well...I think that's my cue to start suntanning slash napping," he said. "Care to join me? We can be right next to the pool, to cool off if we get too hot..."

"Isn't sleeping while suntanning...unsafe?" she said.

"It can be," he said, clambering out of the pool. Two bottles appeared in his hands, and a timer with a sun pattern on the dial appeared in his tail. "But we'll wear sunscreen and lotion to keep ourselves safe, and this timer will make sure we don't doze off for more than fifteen minutes."

"Sounds smart..." she said. "But...is there any point to tanning? Wouldn't our fur just cover it?"

"When have I done things for the point of them?" he asked, balancing the two bottles on his horns. "Besides, tanning can give your skin a nice glow, one that will shine even through our fabulous coats. Besides...it'll be just like a sauna. Sitting and relaxing, letting the heat seat into your skin and soothing your muscles..."

"That...does sound kind of nice," she said. "Maybe I will join you."

He beamed, and with a snap of his fingers, two lawn chairs appeared—one neon purple and orange, and long enough for him to fit, and one teal and just the right size for her.

As she climbed out of the water (she swore she could feel the water evaporating off of her), Discord popped open the bottles of sunscreen and lotion and poured a generous amount of each into the palm of his lion paw.

He began to rub it onto his reptilian leg, using his tail to pass her the bottles. "Thank you," she said, squirting a bit of sunscreen into her hoof and rubbing into onto her skin.

In just a few minutes, the two of them were covered head-to-toe in the protective lotions—though Discord rubbed a bit more onto her back and wings, while she dabbed a bit of extra sunscreen along his face and ears.

"And with that," he said, smearing residue sunscreen onto the pads of his lion paw, "we are prepared and protected." He picked up the timer and twisted the dial. "Every fifteen minutes, we can take a big drink of water, or dive in the pool, or just roll over."

"Sounds good," she said with a nod, laying down in her lawn chair. "And...you mentioned water?"

He snapped his fingers, and two large glasses appeared next to their chairs. They were filled to the brim with water and ice, and a slice of orange was on the rim of each...along with a tiny paper umbrella.

"Cheers," he said, lying in his chair and holding his glass out to her. She smiled and picked up her glass to tap against his. The two of them took a sip, adjusting until they felt comfortable.

She laid on her stomach, resting her chin on her forelegs. A glance over to her side told her that Discord was lying on his back, holding some sort of reflective screen in his hands that made even more sunlight shine on his face. She also spotted his tail swatting at the timer to start it.

Feeling safe, and actually quite comfortable with the heat sinking into her, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing, though their 'breaks' ranged in length. Most times, they both took just enough time to drink their water, reapply sunscreen, and roll over. Other times, they dove into the pool and swam around together.

Their longest break was when Discord had started splashing her. She countered with a splash of her own, and the next thing she knew, Discord had created hoofheld water cannons for the both of them.

That was a fun break, even if they had gotten absolutely soaking wet and she had insisted that they completely reapply their sunscreen and lotion, just to be safe.

But during one break, when they were simply floating next to each other in the pool, Fluttershy's stomach gurgled. Discord lifted up his sunglasses, then looked at the watch that was suddenly on his wrist.

"It is rather late, believe it or not," he said, leaning over to show her the time—which was past when they normally ate dinner. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but quickly glance at the sun, still high in the sky.

"I think we've had enough sunbathing for one day," he said, climbing out of the water and shaking himself off like a dog. "The question is, what should we have for dinner? Ice cream, popsicles, chunks of ice..."

"What about watermelon?" she suggested as she climbed out. He offered her a soft towel, which she took and began to dry herself off with.

"Hmm," he said. "You did mention that earlier...and it does still sound like a good idea." He nodded. "Very well. Watermelon it is."

With a flick of his tail to get rid of a few droplets, he started to head towards their house. She followed right behind him, wrapping the towel around her wet mane.

In the kitchen, Discord snapped up two large watermelons. Another snap, and the fruits split apart into cut slices, falling into a very large bowl on the table. "Ladies first," he said, pulling her seat out for her.

She smiled as she sat down, carefully selecting a slice. He sat across from her, quickly grabbing a random slice and taking several quick, messy bites out of it.

Watermelon juice dripped down his chin, dribbling off of his beard. "Is this suppose to help cool us?" he said, swallowing and taking another large, spray-filled bite. "Because I think the ice cream was working faster."

"I'm...not sure," she said, nibbling on her own slice. "It just became a tradition with my family because...it's a fruit that quenches some of your thirst. And it's healthier than eating tubs of ice cream all day."

"Ahhh," he said in understanding. He swallowed the last bite of his slice, and began swirling his tongue around in his mouth. After a few moments, he spat a seed out at her.

She laughed. "Is that how you're going to play this?" she said.

"Absolutely," he said, spitting another seed. It stuck onto her foreleg.

She grinned, then took a large bite of watermelon. She chewed slowly for a bit, using her tongue to separate the seeds from the pulp, and then finally swallowed. She had gotten three seeds...which she spat at him right away.

One missed, but two stuck into his fur. "Oh, now it's on," he said. He snatched up the next slice from the bowl and took a quick bite. She also took another bite, chewing as quickly as she could.

They both spat seeds at each other at the same time. What followed next was an absolute food fight. Discord tried to hoard the bowl for himself, spitting seeds to distract her, but she ignored the attack and grabbed several more slices before he could take all of the ammo.

Red pulp and juice sprayed everywhere as they took large bites. Black seeds flew through the air, occasionally sticking into their fur, more often falling to the ground or getting stuck to the walls or furniture. The two of them ran, flew, and dodged, trying to catch the other off-guard without being caught themselves.

In what felt like mere minutes, the watermelon was all gone. Fluttershy looked around to see what the damage was. Rinds had been scattered with wild abandon, several puddles of watermelon juice had spawned, and there were seeds everywhere...including the many that were stuck in her fur.

Discord approached her, waving a white flag. She noticed with some pride that there were many seeds stuck in his thick brown fur. "Truce?" he said, holding out his paw.

"Truce," she said, shaking it. "That was...kind of fun, actually! Though..." She glanced around at the mess they had made.

"Don't worry," he said, snapping his fingers. Sponges with wings appeared and began to scrub at some of the largest puddles. "When we come in here for breakfast—or a midnight snack—this place will be spotless!" He glanced up. "...but could we leave the seeds on the ceiling for a while? I think it's a chaotic touch."

She giggled. "Maybe just for a few days," she said. "Or until they fall..."

"Thank you!" he said cheerfully, kissing her cheek. "Now, what should we have for dessert? Ice cream, frozen yogurt, impossibly cold s'mores..."

She shook her head, patting her stomach. "Maybe tomorrow," she said. "I'm pretty full."

"Suit yourself," he said, a frost-covered s'more appearing in his paw. He took a bite, marshmallow smearing over his muzzle. "What would you like to do, then?"

Before she could think about it for very long, she yawned. "Goodness..." she said. "I know I spent a good part of the afternoon relaxing, but...taking a cold shower and going to bed sounds nice."

"It is fairly late in the day..." he said, chocolate smearing onto his fingers. "Perhaps we could take turns with showering? I'd suggest going together, but..." He held up his sticky claws, summoning another s'more.

She smiled. "That's fine," she said. "I'm not sure a cold shower together would be as fun as a hot shower together, anyway..." She glanced away, feeling a bit of heat rise to her face.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" he said, snapping his fingers and teleporting them to their room. "Because you know I'll take you up on that..."

Her blush grew a little hotter. "M-maybe tomorrow!" she said. A grin spread on his face. "Anyways, for now..."

She stepped into the bathroom, leaving him to his s'mores (the next of which he seemed to be topping with ice cream). After closing the door behind her, she twisted the shower knob, holding out her hoof to test the water.

Once it was just right—cold, but not freezing—she stepped into the shower. She sighed in relief as the water cooled her skin, watching sweat and lotion pour from her coat and down the drain. She moved slowly, savoring the cold as she scrubbed her mane, coat, and hooves.

Soon, though, the cold became less relaxing and more uncomfortable. She turned off the shower and stepped out, drying herself with one of the towels hanging down from the ceiling.

After drying her coat and giving her mane a quick brush, she went back into the bedroom. She saw Discord hanging from the ceiling by his tail, somehow having managed to smear marshmallow, chocolate, and Graham cracker crumbs completely over the lower half of his face. She giggled a bit at the sight, and he smiled back.

"My turn, then?" he said, floating past her and into the bathroom. She nodded, leaning over to place a small kiss behind his ear (which was s'more-free). He smiled, his ears wriggling as he closed the door behind him.

With another yawn, she headed towards bed...though paused, glancing at the window. Bright sunlight streamed through it...

She headed over to it, first, closing the curtains and blocking most, though not all, of the light. With that taken care of, and with another yawn, she crawled under her covers, leaning against her pillows and grabbing the book that waited on her nightstand.

Just a few minutes later, Discord emerged from the bathroom, polishing his horns with a washcloth. "That cold shower felt nice," he said. "...I'm pretty sure I could have made it fun for us."

She blushed as she closed her book, making him chuckle a bit. He snapped his fingers, creating two tall glasses of water, one in each of his hands. "Ready for bed?" he asked.

"Are you sure you don't want to add or take away anything else in the room?" she asked as he set down the glasses. "I mean, the sun..." She gestured to their window, where some light was still streaming in through the curtains...along with a bit of heat.

"Only a little bit of the light is coming in," he said, lifting the sheets and joining her. He placed a light kiss on her lips. "Plus, we're inside. It can't be that hot in here, with so little of the light."

Their sheets were strewn on the floor. The two of them were sprawled out on the bed, sweating and panting. Fluttershy suspected their mattress was now doubling as a sponge of sweat, but they were still lying in a puddle of it.

"Why is it hot everywhere?" Discord moaned. "How are we supposed to sleep when it's like this?"

"Can't you...move the sun?" she asked. Her hoof groped towards the nightstand, gripping onto a tall glass of water with a slice of cucumber.

"Too tired. Too hot," he complained. "Maybe in the morning..."

She groaned and took a large drink of the water. "I have...a few ideas to cool things down," she said.

Immediately, Discord pounced on her, spilling her water on her and the sheets. "Tell!" he insisted. She saw a droplet of sweat travel down his muzzle, plopping onto her forehead.

"Thicker curtains," she said. "To block out the light...and fans," she said.

He snapped his fingers, and the windows disappeared completely. A fan appeared in its place and began rapidly spinning in circles, sending cool air towards them. Another snap, and several more fans appeared and added to the cool air.

"Good?" he asked, rolling off of her and handing her a new glass of water (this time with a slice of lime).

"Better," she said, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of cool air rushing through her fur. She took a long, slow sip of her water. The sensation was so relaxing, she could swear she was already falling asleep...

A snore from beside her jolted her out of her thoughts. She peeled her eyes open and glanced over. Discord was curled up like a cat, snoring loudly as his fur was ruffled and sweat dribbled down his body. She smiled and reached over to rub his head. A smile curled onto his lips.

"You really are tired, huh..." she murmured. "Maybe tomorrow...I'll do some things to help us beat the heat." He snuffled in his sleep. "Hush, you're tired...let me take care of you tomorrow, okay?"

She set her glass of water back on the nightstand, then laid on her side. She pressed her nose against his forehead for a few moments, staying close to him for a few seconds...then moved back a few inches, so her body heat wouldn't bother him.

Still, she rested her hoof on his paw...and drifted off to sleep to the sound of whirring fans, thinking of all the things she could do for him in the morning.

T(ea)ranslator

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she pulled a tray of pastries out of the oven. She had spent most of the afternoon working on baking her specialty—sweet, mouthwatering tea cakes. Specifically, the special recipe that Discord never seemed to get tired of.

She set the hot tray on a cooling rack, then pulled her sweating hooves out of the oven mitts, turning the oven off. It had taken a while, but she had made enough tea cakes to last them for most of a week...if Discord didn't eat them all in one sitting, that was. She giggled at the thought, and the very likely possibility that it could happen.

But now, all that was left was to wait for Discord to come home so she could surprise him...and wash up, she realized. She had cleaned the bowls when the last of the treats were in the oven, and wiped up most of the counter, but...she glanced at herself.

As she suspected, there were bits of dough stuck to her coat, and it seemed that almost her entire front side was covered with flour. She suspected that there was some in her mane, as well.

Nothing a good bath can't fix, she thought to herself. Still...she at least tried to rub some of the dough off with a wet washcloth. It actually came out pretty easily, and in just a minute, she was already looking cleaner—

The sound of someone teleporting in behind her made her stop, turning to face the sound with a bright smile. "Good afternoon, you gorgeous birdhouse!" Discord greeted with a smile just as wide, throwing his arms around her neck and placing a big kiss on her cheek, complete with a loud 'Mwah!'

"Hello to you too, handsome," she said with a giggle, quickly kissing his cheek. "I'd hug you right now, but, well..." She sheepishly gestured to herself, dough and flour still stuck to her.

He gasped, a hand flying to his mouth. "Fluttershy! Have you been creating chaotic messes...without me?" He stuck his lower lip out in an exaggerated pout.

"Just a small one, by accident," she said, trying not to laugh at his expression. He gasped, a hand flying to his forehead as though he were about to swoon. "But...I did it while making some tea cakes."

He froze, lifting his head. "...the chocolate ones?" he asked hopefully. She nodded. "With cherries?" Another nod. "The little pastries that are the paradise on Equestria?"

"I don't know about them being that good..." she said, flustered.

"They are, they always are!" he chirped. "Oh, happy, happy day! You spoil me rotten, dear Fluttershy." He patted the top of her head with his tail.

"We'll have to wait for them to cool before we can eat them," she pointed out. She took the time to use a washcloth and wipe the last bits of flour and dough out of her coat.

"Aww," he said, his pout returning, though not nearly as exaggerated as before. She felt him dab at her mane with something, ridding it of a stubborn bit of flour that had settled there.

"It shouldn't take that long!" she said, not able to hold back a laugh. "And then I can boil some tea to go with it, and we can talk and enjoy a little chaos until dinner..." His pout rapidly vanished, and he was unable to hide a soft but bright smile.

"You're just too sweet for me," he said, scuffing his goat hoof on the ground and swaying like an exaggeratedly nervous schoolcolt, including keeping his hands clasped behind his back. "If only there was a way I could repay you for such sweetness..."

The way he said that made her pause, slowly looking him over. Something was up. His hands were behind his back, and the grin he wore was almost smug, but also excited and expectant. She knew him well enough to know that there was probably just one thing it could mean... "Are you hiding something?" she asked.

His 'gift giving' grin widened further. "Maybe, maybe not," he said teasingly. "You know the rules, Mrs. Chaos...you have to guess at least a few times before I show it."

"Is it alive?" she asked, leaning to try and peer around him. He leaned the same way as her, shaking his head. "Chaotic?" she said, leaning the other way. He again mirrored her motion and shook his head, though a bit more slowly this time.

"Cute?" she said, her wings shifting as she wondered whether flying up to try and peer over his shoulder was worth it. He craned his neck, stretching to his full height, and nodded.

Something cute, that wasn't alive or chaotic...she had to admit that she was stumped. But she didn't want to just give up guessing! She looked up and locked eyes with him. If she could catch even just a glimpse, she could have a better chance of guessing. He smirked at her, a gleam in his eyes telling her he wouldn't let her do it easily.

She stepped to the right, trying to look behind his back. He shifted to hide whatever it was, a grin twitching on his muzzle. She moved left, and he quickly moved to hide it again.

The two of them exchanged small, playful grins, Fluttershy hopping from side to side, back and forth. Discord's grin seemed to widen every time he twisted to hide it, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

After a minute or so, she felt a little out of breath, and had to rest for a moment. Discord barely seemed tired at all, and he smiled warmly, waiting patiently as she caught her breath. "Okay, I give up," she said, lifting her head to look at him. "What is it?"

With a flourish, he brought whatever it was out from behind his back. It was a book—no, it was too thin to be anything but a magazine. And the design on the cover looked so familiar, even though he was still waving it at her enough that it was hard to get a good look...could it be...? "Is...that what I think it is?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Discord beamed, handing over the magazine. She held it in her hooves and stared intently. Up close, it was quite clear what it was—a Saddlemon magazine of some kind. The mare drawn on the front was fairly familiar, though the name escaped her at the moment, and the Saddlemon on her shoulder was new...

"Is this the new arc, in the new kingdom!?" she said, her voice rising in pitch with excitement. "I-I didn't think this was going to come out for another few months! How did you...?"

When she looked up, she saw that he had a very smug look on his face, and was polishing his claws. "Well, you seemed so curious when you heard the news," he said. "And I was going to fight a hurricane in Neighpon, Land of the Eastern Unicorns, anyway, so I figured I could make a short little shopping trip."

He held up a plastic shopping bag. "I even picked up a few other toys and trinkets!" he said. "But I figured that magazine would be what you would want most."

"It is!" she said, holding the magazine up as she flew in a circle. "Oh, I've had so many questions! Like what this new character's name is, and what team she's going to have! What's her personality like? How does she like to battle?"

He chuckled, patting the top of her head and causing her to pause in place. "You're an adorable little goof," he teased, ruffling her mane.

She giggled, hovering in place and blushing a little. "W-well, haven't you been wondering things about this, too?" she said.

"Yes, but you're a bigger goof about Saddlemon than I am," he teased, tapping her nose and making it twitch. "I am more of a chaos goof, thank you."

She laughed, slowly landing and holding the magazine against her chest. "Yes, you are," she said. "And a complete sweetheart, too."

He grinned, though there was a hint of a pink blush on his face. "Of course, well...this is probably just a sneak peek of what the manga will look like," he said. "One or two chapters, at most."

"Still, maybe this will answer some questions I had!" she said cheerfully. She took a seat at the table, while Discord rifled through the shopping bag and sent each item floating to a different part of the house.

She opened the magazine, her wings fluttering slightly...and paused on the first page. The art was clear and crisp, but the letters...definitely weren't Ponish. They looked...similar to Ponish, but the symbols seemed so much more complex. Could this be...Neighponese?

"...um, Discord?" she said. His ears perked up, and he turned to look at her, pulling his head out of the plastic bag. "I'm really happy you got this for me, and it was a very sweet gesture, but..."

"But?" he said, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"...I don't know how to read this," she admitted, holding the magazine out to him so he could see the writing.

"Ah," he said, bending down to get a closer look. "I don't think it's been officially translated into Ponish, then...sorry." He stroked his beard. "I could try and use magic to change the letters, but if I don't keep an eye on the spell, things could get...odd."

"Odd how?" she asked. "Odd like...when you accidentally turned a book into a flying beast?"

"Oh, nothing that odd!" he quickly said. "Odd in the sense that words could spread out of speech bubbles and panels, or the ink might be too fresh and smear...or the translation could be so literal that it completely loses the cultural context of the original language."

"Oh, I see..." she said. "...wait. If your magic can translate it, does that mean you know Neighponese?"

He tore his eyes away from the page and nodded. "I know quite a few languages," he said. "Ancient Ponish, Pony Latin, Prench, Draconic..."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Don't dragons speak Ponish, too?"

"Yeah, but they haven't always," he said, flipping through the pages of the magazine, his eyes quickly scanning the panels. "Though Draconic has become a bit of dead language...hmm. That gives me an idea for a new pet project."

"If it involves reviving the language, I'm sure Twilight and Starlight would be thrilled to help," she suggested. He grinned, summoning a sparkly notepad and scribbling something in it in crayon. "But...you've picked up a lot of languages over the years, huh?"

"Mhmm," he said with a nod as he sent the notepad away, chewing on the crayon. "Some of them more difficult than others. I mean, compared to some of the snippets I've learned from other dimensions, Neighponese like this is practically a breeze!"

"A breeze, huh?" she said. "Then, um...if you're not too busy, do you think you could...tell me what's written here?" She smiled hopefully at him.

"...do you want me to read this aloud?" he asked, holding up and shaking the magazine.

"Please," she said with a small nod. "If it's not too much trouble..."

"Alright, alright," he said. "It won't be even an iota of trouble. Make yourself comfortable, and prepare to be thoroughly entertained!" He snapped his fingers, enveloping both of them in a flash of light.

Fluttershy blinked the spots out of her eyes. She found herself sitting on the couch, a small table with snacks and a full teacup next to her...and Discord sitting in a chair just a few feet in front of her, presenting the open magazine to her on a separate table.

"Ready?" he asked, his finger flicking at the corner of the page.

"Mhmm," she said with a nod once her vision was totally clear. She grabbed the teacup and took a small sip as he scanned the first page. Ah, rosehip green tea...very relaxing.

"Ahem," he said, tapping his throat as he cleared it. Then, in a mare's voice, he read, "This is Nemui Town, my home! It's quite peaceful here, but sometimes..." He gestured to the next panel, where a large Saddlemon tore through some bushes. "Trouble wanders in!"

Fluttershy leaned forward, listening intently as he continued.

"...and so, Amai Ninjin takes the first steps on her journey," Discord read in an announcer's voice. "What new friends and foes will she make? Only time will tell!" He left the magazine open for a few moments, so she could look at the full-page last panel, before slowly closing it.

Fluttershy smiled widely and applauded him. Not only had he translated the words for her, but he had done character voices, and even used his magic to create sound effects! She couldn't have asked for a better reading.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, bowing low at the waist and handing the magazine back over to her. "...I hope it's alright I left a few names and places untranslated."

"That's perfectly fine!" she said. She held the tray of macaroons out to him...though she had nibbled through most of them during his reading, and almost completely drained her teacup. "It gives me something to look forward to when the official translation is out—will they change the names, and what will they be?"

He smiled, grabbing several of the macaroons and popping them into his mouth. "You're such an optimistic little goof," he said with his mouth full, taking a seat next to her.

She giggled and turned her attention to the magazine. She still couldn't read it, but...she was able to recognize what she thought was Amai Ninjin's name. And a couple of Saddlemon names. But the rest...

"Neighponese seems more confusing than Ponish," she said. "I'm impressed that—well, I guess I'm impressed that you know so many languages in general!"

He smiled, shrugging off the praise...somewhat. "Oh, you know," he said. "It can take a lifetime to fully master a language...and I've seen plenty of lifetimes." He snapped his fingers, and a small cake appeared...though it was immediately crushed by the thousands of birthday candles that appeared on top.

She giggled, holding the magazine away from the splattered mess as Discord licked frosting and wax off of his fingers. "Still," she said, making him turn his gaze back to her as the cake vanished. "It's impressive. You're very talented, Discord."

He smiled, his wings fluttering on his back. "Are you trying to butter me up so I can read more of that aloud to you?" he said with a grin. "Because if so, please, do go on..."

"No, no!" she said, shaking her head. He rose an eyebrow, tilting his head. It wasn't accusing, just questioning, and maybe a little teasing. "...well, maybe a little," she admitted. "I know there's plenty of manga that have never been translated into Ponish...maybe even a few Saddlemon arcs!"

"I'd be very happy to act as a translator," he said with a smile. "I did enjoy doing this, you know. It was...adorable, seeing you get so delighted over what was happening in the story."

She giggled and blushed, her hoof scuffing at the ground. "So...you wouldn't mind doing this again?"

"Shyfly, if it made you happy, I'd read every manga in the world to you," he said. "You know I love to show you new things. Even if it's as small as a story in another language..." He paused, stroking his beard as a lightbulb appeared above his head.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning forward. It was always fun to listen to Discord as he came up with an idea, especially if he became invested and passionate about it.

"You know—maybe I could teach you how to read Neighponese!" he said.

"Really!?" she said. "I mean, I...I'd love that! But I don't know if I'd be the best student...I'm pretty average when it comes to learning things like that." She rubbed at the back of her neck.

"That's okay!" he said. "I can already think of the perfect assignments for you!" With a snap of his fingers, a stack of Saddlemon manga appeared in front of her—ones that were dear to her, that she remembered from her childhood. But when she opened the one on top, she realized that instead of Ponish, they were all written in Neighponese.

"And the perfect teaching assistant!" he continued. Another snap, and a large owl with green feathers appeared, perched on his eagle arm.

The owl hooted once, then said a sentence she couldn't understand. Then, it hooted again and said, in Ponish, "I can help you learn new languages!"

"Oh, you're amazing!" she said. She flew up and gently rubbed the owl's head, making it close its eyes and hoot contentedly. "How did you think up of him, Discord?"

"How does Treezie put it...? I can open my third and fourth eyes to the possibilities of things beyond our world," he said mysteriously.

She furrowed her brow in confusion, tilting her head. "It has to do with chaos, and being able to look at close dimensions," he explained a little more clearly. "...Pinkie does it sometimes. Or at least, she's aware of where the adjacent dimensions are..."

She blinked, still a little confused. "...do you really think I could learn this?" she asked, watching the green owl fly into a corner of the room to find a more comfortable perch.

"I fully believe that, if you wanted to, you could master this," he said earnestly. She blushed brightly and looked away, taking a few moments to think about it.

"Well...I'm willing to at least try," she decided, making a wide grin spread on his face. "So...how do we start?"

"Hmm. Well, we can't have proper learning without full bellies!" he declared, patting his stomach. "And fortunately, I think the best snacks are already waiting for us in the kitchen..."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Alright," she said. "If you choose a place to start teaching me, I'll put on the kettle to go with our tea cakes."

"That sounds most agreeable," he said, scooping the whole pile of materials into his arms and lugging it towards the kitchen table. She set a kettle of water on the stove, selecting some jasmine tea leaves to boil once it was ready.

By the time she had taken a seat at the table, Discord was already snacking on a tea cake, and had written a few large Neighponese characters on a scroll. "See this?" he said, pointing to the character at the top. She nodded, slowly nibbling on a tea cake of her own. "This one means 'tea'." He pronounced it in Neighponese for her as she stifled a giggle.

He went through various characters and words (only a few related to food), then opened a manga for them to pour over. They must have spent hours at the table, drinking tea and nibbling on tea cakes, but they both enjoyed themselves.

She didn't make that much progress, only able to recognize a few words, but Discord assured her that it was fine, gently ruffling her mane. She smiled and leaned against his side, listening to his voice as he read a page aloud in Ponish, dragging his finger along the Neighponese writing.

Love Letters

"Oh, Gavin," she sighed, a hoof against her forehead as she leaned into her lover's arms. "Promise you won't forget me!"

Gavin gently stroked her mane with his talons. "I could never, Marella," he whispered. "I swear, I'll write to you every day!"

Fluttershy sighed, a soft smile on her face as she took a break from reading to look at Chaosville's sky. It was shifting through lovely shades of purple today, and off in the horizon, she could just barely see a group of creatures performing ballet in midair. The temperature was nice, with a cooling breeze circling around every so often.

She took a deep breath, taking in the smell of peppermint that was heavy in the air today. Reading on the porch had been a good idea...even if she could imagine Discord laughing at her book in the back of her mind.

As her thoughts turned to him, she shifted on the small porch couch, her eyes lingering on the ballet creatures. Discord was currently on a trip to Las Pegasus—Celestia and Luna's choice of a vacation spot this year, which they had decided to invite him to. Five whole days of gambling, cavorting, and controlled chaos!

He had invited her to come along, as well, but she politely declined. She knew from experience that Las Pegasus would be chock full of crowds, flashing lights, and noisy attractions...other than the occasional animal show, there wouldn't be much to pique her interest. She encouraged him to go, though—she was confident that the trip would be fun for him.

A slight breeze ruffled her fur, smelling a little like orange peels. This was enough to bring her thoughts back to the moment. With a slight smile, she turned her attention back to the book in her hooves. Though she was starting to miss Discord a little bit, she knew that he would return home in just two more days. She hoped that he was having fun.

Her ears perked up when she heard something—the sound of flapping wings approaching her. She looked up, wondering if one of the birds needed her. But no...what she saw wasn't a bird, and she had to blink to make sure she was seeing it correctly.

It appeared to be a black mailbox, ordinary in every way...aside from the pure white, feathered wings on its sides, of course. It easily flew through the air, heading straight for her. She tensed as it came closer, but it stopped a few inches in front of her, its red flag popping up. It seemed to be waiting for her to do something.

Slowly, she opened the mailbox. It hovered steadily in place as she peered inside. There were two things inside of it, and she reached in to grab both of them. Once she had emptied it of its contents, the mailbox lowered its flag and flew away, settling on a wooden post near their front door.

She watched it for a few moments, to see if it would fly away or not, but it stayed in place. In fact, if it weren't for the wings, it would have almost seemed like a normal mailbox, sitting so perfectly still. Then, she turned her attention to the things she had grabbed from the box.

The first was a magazine—one detailing different animal shows in Las Pegasus, and how they were cared for and trained. She flipped through the pages, her eyes lighting up when she saw how many rare or odd creatures it went into detail about. It seemed like the perfect magazine to curl up on the couch and read. She shifted the items in her hooves to look at the second one.

It appeared to be a letter, though not an ordinary one. It was sealed in a black envelope by a dark red wax seal, which had the symbol of an X across it. It looked...ominous. As ominous as a letter could be, anyway.

She flipped the envelope to look at its back. It had a list of stamped-on instructions, the ink the same dark red color as the wax seal.

DANGER: FOR FLUTTERSHY'S EYES ONLY

IF YOU ARE FLUTTERSHY, TAP THE WAX SEAL TO OPEN

IF NOT, GIVE THIS TO FLUTTERSHY, NO PEEKING!

FROM: DISCORD

Somehow, she wasn't surprised it was from Discord. She was tempted to open it now, but...if he was this insistent that only she could read it, maybe it was meant to be extra-private. Even if there was nopony else in Chaosville, there were still several creatures around, chaotic or not, and it didn't seem right to read it out in the open.

And so, she gathered her book and mail in her hooves and headed back inside. She sat on the couch, setting the book and magazine on a pillar-like end table, then turned her attention to the ominous letter. She turned it over in her hooves, to see if she could spot anything else, but there was just the seal on the front and the instructions on the back.

Slowly, she tapped a hoof against the wax seal, as the back instructed. It glowed a faint blue under her touch, and then it broke apart. The black envelope unfolded in four flaps as the seal separated, revealing...another envelope.

This one was much different than the first, though. This envelope was a pale pink color, with lacy white trim glued crookedly along its edges. On the back, her name was written in cursive, in a dark red, glittery ink. The front of the envelope had been sealed with a puffy pink heart sticker.

Could it be...a love letter? she wondered, her heart pounding. All signs pointed to 'yes', but knowing Discord, it could just be a letter about the weather dressed in a fancy romantic envelope.

Well. Just staring at it wouldn't tell her anything! She carefully gripped the sticker and peeled it away, careful to not rip it or the envelope. With that done, she carefully removed the folded paper inside. She swore she could catch a whiff of chocolate perfume as she unfurled the letter, and recognized Discord's messy handwriting.

Smiling, she straightened out the paper and leaned back against the couch to read.

Dearest Fluttershy,

I hope this letter finds you well! I've been having a grand time in Las Pegasus. Don't worry, Celestia and Luna haven't gotten any of us into debt yet. Is everything at the sanctuary going well? I hope you aren't posing by windows like a lovestruck maiden, sighing as you wait for my return. If any drama happens, even lovestruck sappy drama, I insist on playing a part!

She paused and laughed, shaking her head before continuing to read.

Anyway. Speaking of drama, I...must admit that I've missed you these past few days. I've had a blast, of course, but...being away for so long makes my heart ache for you. And during the quiet moments, the moments where we wait for something to start, or when I can't seem to fall asleep...I wish you were by my side.

That's why, as utterly corny and cheesy as it is...I simply had to write you a letter. Spill forth my secrets, let my heart bleed onto the page, and so on.

She paused, and with a slight grimace, quickly checked the rest of the page. To her relief, there didn't appear to be any literal blood on it. Discord had an...odd talent of making sweet metaphors scary, but he didn't seem to have done so this time.

Okay...I'm going to get a bit sappy here. Ahem. The love in my heart burns hotter for you than any sun. The kindness in your heart is larger than even the ocean. Though we are apart, I long to see your face again, to pepper you with kisses and whisper as many silly sweet nothings as you want into your ear!

But I'll be home in just a few days, thank chaos. And don't worry, I'll try to pick up a souvenir or two for your while I'm here! Now, I'd better send this before I feel embarrassed and decide to burn it, instead.

Love, your devilishly handsome Discord.

She giggled, her smile stretching far enough that her cheeks were starting to ache a little. It was such a sweet gesture, even if it was, in his own words, "sappy". But she had missed him herself these past few days, and this short letter alone made her feel a small spark of the happiness he seemed to give her whenever he was with her.

With a bright smile, she flew towards the memory museum, holding the letter against her chest. Once there, she searched the room and eventually found a nice corner to tuck it in.

Then, she flew to the study, pulling out a sheet of paper, a quill, and ink. If Discord had written her a letter just to express how much he loved and missed her...well, it only felt right to write a message back. She picked up the quill in her mouth, dipped it into the blue ink, and slowly began to pen her message.

My dearest, most handsome Cordy,

I was delighted to get a letter from you. I've stowed it in the memory museum for now...I know you thought it was sappy, but I thought it was rather sweet. You know how to make me blush...I might have to read it again in the future.

I'm so glad to hear your trip is going well! I'm sure the three of you have been having such fun adventures—you'll have to tell me all about them over a cup of tea once you get back! Everything's been going well at the sanctuary, though I don't have many exciting stories to tell. Thank you for the magazine—it might give me some ideas on how to train new arrivals to the sanctuary.

If you don't mind...I'd like to get a little "sappy", too. Even though you've only been gone for a few days, and I know you'll be returning soon enough...a part of me still misses you. When you get home, I'm going to give you the biggest hug and kiss I can, and prepare your favorite tea and snacks. You don't have to worry about bringing anything home for me—just having you back would be enough.

She paused, racking her brain for anything else to say as a few drops of ink dripped on the margins of the page, in a place they wouldn't obscure any of her words. Then, she started to write again.

Other than that, all I can say is...I love you, and I hope you come home safely. Thank you for thinking of me and writing to me.

Love, Mrs. Fluttershy Chaos

She smiled, content with how it sounded, and set it down to dry. She began rummaging through the drawers, eventually finding a plain white envelope and stickers, along with rolls of unofficial stamps with Discord's smiling face on them.

With a chuckle, she placed one of the Discord stamps crookedly on the corner of the envelope. Then, she slowly scattered tiny heart stickers of all colors across the back, without any sort of pattern to them. Finally, she wrote Discord's name on the back in cursive, drawing a little heart next to his name.

She checked her letter and found that the ink was dry. She carefully folded it, making it a little bit crooked and uneven, then slowly slid it into the decorated envelope. She quickly licked it to seal it, then added a sticker on the flap for good measure—a pink, glittery heart, which she put on upside-down.

After grabbing a drink of water to get the taste of glue out of her mouth, she carefully gripped the letter in her wing and headed back outside. The flying mailbox was still perched out there. "Excuse me," she said as she approached it. "Could you take this letter to Discord, please?"

It hovered in the air, saluting her with one of its wings and popping open its door. She smiled and thanked it, slowly sliding her letter inside and closing the door again. It once again saluted her, then turned and rapidly flew away, quickly vanishing from her sight.

She stayed at the edge of the island, watching it until it fully disappeared. She smiled and headed back inside, a slight skip in her step. She hoped Discord would enjoy her letter as much as she enjoyed his. Maybe he would even write her back again!

The idea of restarting their tradition of writing to each other, even just for a little while, made her smile a little bit wider. She suspected that her romance novel wouldn't make her feel anything close to the warm, fuzzy feeling Discord's letter did...so she opted to pick up the magazine he sent and start to read that, instead.

But in the back of her mind, she was already thinking of what she might tell him in another letter...or when he returned home.

Muggy Weather

Fluttershy yawned as she wandered her way into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She had been waking up early the last few days, but on the plus side, she had been able to get plenty of work done at the sanctuary!

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Discord said from the kitchen counter. She smiled up at him. The last few days she had gotten up before he did, but it seemed he had beaten her this time. "Ready to make a scrumptious breakfast together?"

"Always," she said, flying towards him. As soon as she was by his side, he affectionately ruffled her mane, bending down to kiss her cheek. She smiled, and quickly pecked his nose before he could pull away.

He beamed, then began to juggle a half dozen eggs. "So, what shall it be today?" he said. "Scrambled eggs, fried eggs on toast, omelets, maybe even Prench toast?" He tossed all of the eggs high into the air, making her gasp. "Or forgo eggs completely?"

She tensed as gravity took hold of the eggs...but Discord easily caught all of them and began to juggle again. Well...almost all of them. One did splatter on the counter, but that wouldn't be too hard to clean up.

"Omelets sound good," she said, grabbing a washcloth from the sink. "Though...I'll just take a small one. There's still plenty of things to prepare at the sanctuary."

"If you say so..." he said with a sigh, greasing a pan. "What would you like in yours? I doubt we'll want the same things...I'm wondering what marshmallows and jalapenos would taste like together!"

She shook her head, trying not to imagine the taste. "Just cheese will be fine," she said, cleaning off the counter. "Though...maybe some chives would be nice, too."

He smiled, quickly summoning a handful of chives and chopping them to bits, while she cracked a couple of eggs into the pan. The two of them worked in synchrony to make two separate omelets—one that was smallish, with just chives and two different types of cheeses, and one that took up almost the entire pan, filled with everything Discord could think of, from sweet to savory.

In just a couple of minutes, they had finished cooking the omelets. Discord slid them onto two separate plates and carried them over to the table, while she smiled and took her seat.

Once she was sitting, he summoned and cracked open the lids of two glass bottles—one full of orange juice, the other with chocolate milk. She thanked him as he set the orange juice in front of her, now able to see how frosted the glass was. She gripped it in her hooves and took a slow sip. Cold and delicious.

She thanked him again, and quickly dug into her omelet. She watched as Discord made a small spectacle of each bite, using his magic to make salt and pepper shakers and ketchup bottles dance toward him, bow, and carefully season each bite. It brought a small smile to her muzzle as she took another sip of juice.

Soon, though, she had polished off her plate and drank the bottle dry, and so stood up. "That was delicious," she said. "Thank you, Discord. Have a lovely chaotic day."

"Are you sure you can't stay for tea, as well?" he said. "It's been so long since we've done any experimenting with tea leaves...and it'll be just the thing to wake you up!"

For a moment, she thought about it. She was still a little groggy...but no, there was sanctuary work to be done. "Not right now," she said with a shake of her head. "But maybe later."

He seemed disappointed, but accepted this answer. Still, he summoned a kettle for himself and began to pour it into a large cup. She blew him a kiss, which she saw him snatch out of the corner of her eye, and turned to walk into the living room.

"Before you head off to work," he said, making her pause. "I should warn you, it's quite...muggy outside."

She blinked. The weather simply being a little muggy was...quite tame, for Chaosville. And the weather report for Ponyville said today would have clear skies with little to no humidity...while she tried to puzzle out her slight confusion, Discord took a long, loud sip of tea from his...cup?

She blinked again, focusing her eyes on his too-large teacup. Now that she had gotten a good look at it, she realized it wasn't a cup, or even a mug, but a soup bowl. "Why are you...?" she started to say, before his words suddenly clicked in her mind.

"Discord...am I going to find all of our mugs and cups on the front lawn?" she said, sighing and shaking her head.

"Mmmmno," he said slowly, stretching his words like taffy. "Not all of them, I mean..." He didn't look guilty at all—if anything, the smug grin on his face was filled with nothing but amusement.

"...are there any in our cabinets?" she asked.

"Well, unless I missed one...noooo," he said. "Care for a bowl of tea? It's ginseng~."

The offer of a ~~cup~~ bowl of tea was still a bit tempting, but... "I really should get going," she said. "We can share a...bowl later, if you'd like."

He pouted, but took another sip. "Alright," he said. "Have fun at the sanctuary...don't overwork yourself."

"I won't, I promise," she said. With that, she headed through the living room, opened up the front door...and froze in place, taking in the sheer confusion Discord had decided to cause.

Mugs and cups of all kinds were littered on the lawn—she had been expecting that already. But what she hadn't expected was that the air itself would be saturated with the dishes.

Whatever cup wasn't lying on the ground seemed to have been enchanted to fly without wings. They bobbed lazily in the air—a few small cups circled around the house, while larger mugs simply bobbed up and down in place, almost touching the ground at some points. Looking around, she could even see one or two kettles, obscured by clouds of cups.

A loud slurp from behind made her flinch and look up. Discord was standing right behind her, still drinking from his bowl of tea. "Oh my, it's terribly muggy out here," he said, his lips twitching from his effort to keep a straight face. "Why, it's so muggy, I ought to insist you stay home!"

She stared at him for a few moments...and then laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, Cordy," she said. "Is that what you did this for?"

"That, and to get a laugh out of you," he said. "...did I succeed on both fronts?"

She thought for a few moments. "I, well...it is a bit funny," she said with a giggle. "But I really do need to head to the sanctuary...there's a lot of work I should take care of."

He looked disappointed. She quickly placed a gentle hoof on his paw. "But...after this week, I'll be done with structure inspections and training new volunteers," she said. "By the start of next week, I'll sleep in a little later, stay a little longer, and take more breaks. And I can spend the whole weekend with you..."

Her words made him perk up, with a smile that could light up the world. "That sounds excellent!" he declared, gripping her hoof and shaking it rapidly. She laughed, beaming up at him.

"I should...probably head to work," she said, using a wing to gesture away from the house. His ears drooped, but he nodded, a small smile still on his face as he released her hoof. He raised his claws and began to tear through the fabric of space in front of her. But as he opened the portal, something else caught her eye.

Another portal to the sanctuary randomly opened a couple of feet away. No animals came through this one, and normally she wouldn't have noticed what had become such a regular occurrence...but she just barely noticed a chipped teacup slowly drifting through the portal just before it closed.

"Discord," she said slowly. "Did you...turn off the random sanctuary portals after making everything muggy?"

He paused mid-portal creation and giggled for a few seconds, clearly pleased at her word choice. "Ahem. No," he said, quickly recovering. "Why does it matter?"

"I think we have fewer cups here than we did last night," she said. She gestured to a just-opening portal, and his eyes widened as he saw a patterned mug dance its way through.

"Oh...asterisks and squiggles," he grumbled. "I didn't think of that."

"...how many portals have been opening and closing since you put the cups and mugs here?"

His eyes became blank for a few moments. He could have been tapping into his magic, or thinking...or for all she knew, simply struck by how many dishes might have escaped into the sanctuary. He blinked, a net suddenly appearing over his shoulder, a pot on his head like a safari hat.

"I'll fix this mess, don't worry," he said. With a wave of his claw, any cups or mugs that were floating gently dropped to the ground, becoming still. "You have enough to do at the sanctuary without worrying about the trouble I've caused."

"You're sure?" she asked. "I could help..." He held up a paw, shaking his head. With a snap of his fingers, they were both teleported into the sanctuary.

"I'm going to go on the hunt," he said, swinging his net experimentally. "But I'll talk to you when I think I've gotten all of them."

"Alright..." she said. "But come to me if you need help grabbing any!"

He saluted her, flying off after a pair of mugs in the distance. She hesitated, watching him for a few moments, then headed to the treehouse, grabbing her list of tasks from its hook.

Fluttershy slowly but surely worked through the long list of chores she had. Not only were there animals to care for, but it was around the time of year she checked each structure and building to make sure it was stable and safe, made sure each tree in the sanctuary was healthy, checked on the stream that fed into the sanctuary ponds, and so on.

Of course, every so often she spotted a cup or mug while she was working—floating lazily in the air, or caught in the branches of a tree. Each time, she would fly up and grasp it, and it would become a normal, docile dish in her hooves. She took them back to the treehouse in between tasks, and found each time that the pile had vanished—hopefully because Discord had spotted them and sent them home.

Speaking of Discord...he wasn't exactly quiet in his "hunt". Throughout the morning, she could hear him wildly running about, crashing into branches, and shouting at the dishes that thought they could escape him. It made her laugh lightly to herself, and as long as he didn't leave any messes behind in his rampage, everything was fine.

Slowly, the sun rose higher into the sky, and her growling stomach told her that it was close to lunchtime. Just as she was thinking about finding Discord and suggesting they go to lunch, he marched towards her from the underbrush, a wide grin on his face as twigs stuck out of his mane. The pot on his head had been lost at some point, it seemed, and there were quite a few dents in his net.

As soon as he was in front of her, he stopped and deposited the contents of his bulging net at her hooves—a small pile of teacups, all of them a different color and pattern. "That should be the last of it," he declared. "At least...I don't sense any others besides these."

He snapped his fingers, sending the cups away in a flash of light. "I...didn't mean for this to get quite so out of hand," he said. "I think I've gotten all of them...well. All of them that ended up here, anyway."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You really should be more careful about your portals," she said. "Or at least...try to remember that they appear and disappear almost on a whim?"

"Yeah..." he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought I learned that after that incident with Pinkie, but...guess not."

She flew up to lay a hoof on his shoulder. "Well, no one got hurt, and you cleaned up the mess that happened," she said. "Besides, you did it while thinking of me, which is...sweet, in its own odd way."

He looked at her, a small smile flickering across his muzzle. "You always know what to say to make me feel a bit better," he said. "...could I help you with any of your tasks, to speed things along?"

"Well..." she thought about it. "I wouldn't mind having a helping hand this afternoon. But as for right now, I've gotten through most of the things I wanted to finish today," she said, setting the list back on its hook. "And since you've found all of the stray dishes, why don't we head back home for lunch together?"

"That sounds excellent!" he said, rubbing his hands together. "How about sandwiches? I can throw them together quickly, and you can get plenty to eat before you have to come back to work."

"Oh, that sounds good," she said, her stomach growling. "Could we have a few peanut butter and pickle ones?"

"Of course! And fried peanut butter and banana ones, and salad ones...and with it all, we can have a nice cup of...tea..." he said. After a few moments of silence, his paw smacked against his forehead.

She did her best to stifle her giggles. "Well," she suggested. "We should always have a nice bowl of tea."

He slowly pulled his hand away from his face, then nodded slowly. "Yes...yes, that'd work," he said. "I must admit, it's a little awkward to drink out of at first...but when it's delicious tea we're talking about, that seems worth it."

She smiled and nodded as he tore open a portal for the two of them, both of them discussing which type of tea to have as they headed back home.

Sparks and Wonder

Discord and Fluttershy appeared in front of a beach in a flash of light. "Well, here we are," Discord said, gesturing at the sandy ocean shore and the orange sun sinking ever closer to the horizon. "The spot of the 'most awesome, coolest show we'll ever see'."

"Isn't it exciting?" Fluttershy said with a smile. "Rainbow's been so enthusiastic about this show...she must have something really special planned."

"She's enthusiastic about any show she gets to help design," he said. "And even the ones she doesn't." He stroked his beard. "Still...it has been a while since we've seen a Wonderbolts show. I have to admit I've been looking forward to this."

The two of them headed for the entrance of the beach, where a makeshift gate was set up. It would have been easy enough for Discord to teleport right inside, or fly right over it, but they had long since had several discussions over not sneaking into events that should be paid for.

"Do you have tickets?" the pony in front of the gate asked.

"No, but there's still some left, right?" Discord said with a wink. "I mean, surely you have a few you can scrounge up a few for a princess?"

"...we have plenty of tickets left, yes," the gatepony said. "I don't have to 'scrounge' any up. That'll be twenty bits each, please."

Discord reached into his coat and pulled out a pile of bits, dropping them into the pony's hooves. He quickly counted the bits, then nodded and opened the gate for them.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said as they walked through. She glanced around the area to see how everything was set up.

The water was clear and calm, with a small wooden platform set on it a good swim away from the shore. No creature was swimming, though a few ponies were playing in the surf, and workers were currently watching them to make sure they didn't go any further.

The beach was crowded with ponies, griffons, hippogriffs, and all other sorts of creatures. Everyone had brought their own blankets or chairs to sit on, or were simply lounging on the sand. On the margins of the crowd, several vendor stands were set up, hawking food, drinks, and Wonderbolts merchandise.

"Oh, dear," Fluttershy said as they stepped onto the sand. "I hope we can find a spot..."

"Don't worry, my lady!" Discord declared. A blanket cape suddenly appeared, tied around his neck and billowing in a non-existent wind. "I shall find a place for us to rest our hooves."

He began to march forward through the crowd. She quickly trotted to keep up with him. He was tall enough and commanded enough attention that most creatures parted the crowd as he approached—something they seemed to do a little more once they realized she was by his side.

After a few minutes of crowd-wading, Discord finally stopped in a place a little off-center on the beach, where the crowd was slightly thinner. "I think we'll still get a good view from here," he said with a nod, untying his blanket cape. "What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect," she said, glancing around. They had a good view of the water and the sky...and a couple of creatures moved away from them, almost nervously, giving them some more space.

He shook the blanket out, then spread it flat against the sand. It was large enough that even he could lay on it without touching the sand—which he demonstrated by flopping onto his back, his hands under his head.

"Ah, the sun feels wonderful this evening," he said. He patted the space next to him. She smiled and laid next to him, spreading out her wings to soak up the sun's rays.

"Mmm...this is nice," she said, smiling and closing her eyes. She felt his fingers stroke through her mane, and her smile grew a little wider. For a moment, things felt quite peaceful, even with the chattering crowd all around them.

Then, her stomach growled, interrupting the moment. Both of their eyes snapped open, and Discord chuckled a little. She blushed, placing a hoof over her stomach.

"I can go grab some food from one of the vendors," he said with a grin, standing up. She was about to get to her hooves, but he held up a hand to stop her. "No, no, you can stay here and relax. The lines are probably pretty long, anyway."

He handed her a thin magazine, then teleported away in a flash of light. She sat up, looking around for a few moments before spotting Discord in a medium-sized line that led to a grill.

Knowing where he was, she laid back on the blanket, opening up the magazine. It appeared to be an informative one about the Wonderbolts' history with flying animals used in their shows. She smiled and relaxed, absorbing some of the interesting information.

Several minutes later, as she was just finishing the magazine, she felt a shadow fall over her. "Hey, good-looking," Discord purred as she looked up at him. "Could I take you out to dinner?"

She smiled and set aside the magazine, which disappeared in a flash of light. "Oh, yes, if you have something good," she said, sitting up and patting the blanket next to her.

"Oh, I'd say I do," he said, sitting next to her. He held out two wooden skewers packed with a variety of grilled vegetables. They smelled delicious, and her stomach growled again. His grin widened a little further.

"Here you are, dear," he said with a smile, handing her the shish kabob.

"Ah, thank you," she said, gripping the stick and taking a small bite of the first vegetable—a mushroom. She raised an eyebrow at the flavor, and took another quick bite. "This is...pretty savory," she said after swallowing. "And it has a little kick to it...how did they do that?"

"I'm not completely sure," he said with a shrug, crunching away on his shish kabob...stick and all. "All I could see was them grilling it, and maybe seasoning it with something. But other than that, they were very secretive about their recipe."

"Hmm," she said, nibbling on the grilled onion. "Maybe it's something we can try to experiment with later."

"I like the sound of that!" he said, swallowing a piece of pepper whole. "Maybe they put chili powder on it to give it the kick..."

The two of them mused about what spices, or even oils or sauces, could have been put on their meal, steadily munching away. As soon as Fluttershy finished her first one, Discord held a second out to her, using the remainder of his stick to pick food out from between his teeth.

She traded her empty stick for the new, full one. He tilted his head up, placed the skewer vertically in his mouth, and swallowed it whole. "You're sure that doesn't hurt?" she asked as she slowly nibbled on her seconds.

He licked his lips. "Not if it stays vertical and doesn't get stuck in my throat, no," he said, dabbing at his lips with a plaid handkerchief...before pulling out another shish kabob, this one slathered in ketchup, and began devouring it messily.

She giggled, and he grinned widely at her, showing off the flecks of food that had already gotten stuck between his teeth again. This made her giggle a little more and, not wanting to be outdone, tried to balance her meal on her nose.

...it fell off almost right away, but Discord caught it and had a good laugh before handing it back to her, so all was good.

The two of them quickly polished off their seconds, and Discord sighed, patting his stomach. "Not as filling as I had hoped," he said. "But hopefully dessert will take care of that."

"What were you think of getting?" she asked.

"Well...snow cones sounded nice," he said. Just as he spoke, another Discord appeared next to him, beaming and holding two large paper cones filled with colorful shaved ice out to him. "Ah! Perfect timing," he said, taking the cones with a slight hint of smugness.

His copy also looked quite smug before vanishing in a flash of light. "...were you waiting this whole time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The line for snow cones was even longer than the shish kabob line, believe it or not," he said with a nod. "Hopefully that means these are good snow cones."

"What flavors did you get?" she asked.

"Cherry and bubblegum for you," he said, handing her the red-and-pink cone. "And everything they had for me." He leaned back and took a bite of his rainbow mess of a cone. Flecks of colorful shaved ice stuck to his mouth and beard.

She giggled a little, taking a small bite of her own cone. He chuckled and licked his muzzle, completely cleaning it off. "How is it?" he asked.

"Really good!" she said. "The flavors are pretty strong...it brings back a few memories." She took another small bite. Summer flight camp tended to serve snow cones, to help keep foals cool and hydrated...it was one of the better memories of that place.

"Oh?" he said, raising an eyebrow. She launched into a short tale of some of her memories during that time. Discord listened intently, enraptured by the sound of her voice.

"...of course, they didn't always have snow cones," she said. "Sometimes it was popsicles...and I don't think they served anything that was as good as this."

"You'd think that they'd splurge on food to make foals want to come to camps and schools," he said, clicking his tongue. "Though I guess they're more concerned about hiring teachers and dolling out homework than making sure their food is enjoyable for the kiddos."

"Well, the food wasn't bad per se..." she said, taking several quick bites of her cone before it melted.

"Let me guess—the typical 'edible, but not preferrable' school food?" he said, drinking some melted ice from the rim of his cup. A bit of ice ended up on top of his nose as he drank.

"...something pretty close to that, actually," she said with a nod.

They continued talking about food quality and frozen desserts as they polished off their snow cones. "Now, they really know how to make these in Neighwaii...I'll take you there sometime," Discord said as he drank the last bit of melted ice at the bottom of the cone.

"Oh, that might be nice," she said. She had a hard time getting the last bit of ice...so she tipped the cone upside-down, right over her mouth. The last chunk fell in, though it also smeared across her nose and chin.

Discord laughed, pointing at her muzzle as she handed him her empty cone. All she could do was smile and point back at him, where even more colored ice was hanging on his muzzle, or had melted and dyed his coat a rainbow of colors.

He summoned a hand mirror and looked at his reflection, his lips wobbling with the effort to not smile or laugh at himself. A small chuckle escaped him, and he snapped his fingers. The mirror vanished, and their empty cones turned into coiled seashells, which buried themselves in the sand.

With those taken care of, he dusted off his hands and summoned two wet handkerchiefs. "Now all we have to do is wait for the show to begin," he said, wiping the mess off his muzzle.

"...do you think they'll have fireworks?" she asked, quickly cleaning her mouth with the handkerchief he gave her.

"Oh, probably," he said, dabbing the ice off of his nose before swallowing it. "I mean, Rainbow did say it'd be grand and flashy...and they occasionally have something like them during Wonderbolts shows, at the very end at the least."

"Ah..." she said, handing him her handkerchief. He folded both of them into butterflies, and set them free to fly into the approaching night. "I hope it's not too loud...I can get a little...jumpy during fireworks shows," she admitted, rubbing at the back of her neck.

Discord's eyes softened in understanding. "Here you go," he said, holding a pair of cotton balls out to her. "These might help keep things from being too loud for you."

"Oh, thank you," she said, taking them and sliding them into her ears. They fit in perfectly, as though they were made to be there...as they probably were. She looked up and noticed that his own ears were uncovered. "Aren't you going to wear some?"

He shook his head. "I've had dragons roar into my face, sat right next to lightning bolts, and listened to Pinkie's yovidaphone playing," he said. "These fireworks will be like popping popcorn to me."

He held up a pair of pink earmuffs. "But if you need a little more ear protection, let me know."

"Oh, thank you," she said. "...so, do you think it'll be starting soon, then?"

He held his hand in front of him, estimating the sun's size with his fingers. "Should be any minute now," he said. "Probably right after the sun sets and it starts to get dark."

She shifted to make herself comfortable, leaning against his side. "Well...until then, it's a beautiful sunset," she said with a smile.

"...yeah," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her close. The two of them leaned against each other, enjoying each other's warmth as the sun sank lower and the air grew colder.

A few minutes after the sun had set, something on the water caught Fluttershy's eye. A unicorn teleported onto the small wooden platform with a flash of blue light. It was too dark, and they were too far away, for Fluttershy to notice any of their features. She nudged Discord and pointed in the direction of the platform. He nodded, curling his tail around her as more ponies turned their attention to the unicorn.

"Good evening, everyone!" they shouted. "Have you all been having a good time!?"

The crowd cheered, stomping their hooves and clapping. Even Discord and Fluttershy smiled and joined in. "Well, it's about to get even better!" they declared. "Because now, it's finally time to officially start...the Wonderbolts' Beachapalooza!"

An even bigger cheer erupted from the crowd as the announcer took a bow. Her horn glowed a faint blue color...and then, she launched a stream of her magic into the sky.

It burst in midair with a loud bang. Just as it did, six figures leapt from the water behind the platform—seaponies wearing blue Wonderbolts uniforms. With a flash of pink light, they all transformed into hippogriffs and began performing complicated flying maneuvers.

"Oh, wow," Fluttershy said, her eyes widening as she watched them. The unicorn kept sending fireworks into the sky, along with a few others positioned along the beach. And it seemed like with every colorful firework, more fliers seemed to appear out of nowhere—most of them pegasi.

After maybe half an hour of complicated flying stunts, with loud, colorful fireworks as a background, there was a sudden lull in the flashing lights. The crowd began to murmur a little...everyone was still flying, so surely it wasn't over yet?

Discord nudged Fluttershy's shoulder, and she glanced over to look at him. "Look there," he whispered, pointing out the small platform. She blinked and looked down. She had been so focused on the fliers in the sky who only occasionally skimmed or dove into the water that she hadn't noticed the unicorn charging a large amount of magic around her horn.

"I'd say they're prepping for a big entrance," he said. "And who would want and deserve the biggest, flashiest entrance...? Besides you and I, of course."

As his words sank in, a wide smile spread across her face. "You think it's her?"

"Can't picture her staying out of a big show like this," he said with a grin and a nod.

They both turned back to the ocean—just as the unicorn on the platform launched her largest bolt yet.

The firework burst into a gigantic cloud of light blue sparkles, amazing the crowd. Then, a pegasus suddenly flew through the cloud from behind just as its brightness was dimming, her wings scattering the sparks as they turned into all the colors of the rainbow.

"It's not over yet!" Rainbow shouted, posing in her Wonderbolts flight suit as the fireworks faded. "It's only getting started—and I hope you're ready for the most awesome show in your life!"

She swooped towards the water, the others falling into formation behind her. The crowd gave their biggest cheer yet, a couple of ponies jumping up and stamping their hooves in excitement.

The show became even more exciting and fantastic when Rainbow entered, if that was possible. Maybe Fluttershy was biased, since she was watching her friend...but it felt like Rainbow led entire groups confidently into amazing, jaw-dropping flying stunts.

Hours just seemed to fly by in a blur, stars slowly appearing but being ignored in favor of the other spectacle in the sky. But then, every flier seemed to get into a certain position—and then began the largest trick of all.

Each group of fliers performed a different stunt together, but each of the different groups' performances seemed to meld together into one large, fantastic whole. The crowd was silent, their jaws dropping in sheer awe as the grand finale was emphasized by bursts of colorful fireworks.

While the crowd was still stunned into silence, the Wonderbolts finished their final routine. They then landed on the beach, just in front of the rushing waves, with Rainbow at the front. As a group, they all took a low bow, along with the unicorns that had been assisting them.

Then, they stood up, looking at the crowd expectantly. After a few moments where all were quiet and in awe...someone, a young foal, headed forward to talk with the group. That seemed to be all that was needed to break the spell on the crowd, as they all surged forward towards the famous fliers.

Discord snapped his fingers, creating a giant soap bubble around the two of them as he held her close to him. She leaned against his side as ponies rushed past—most of them dodging around them, but a couple bouncing off the sides of the bubble if they got too close.

Finally, once most of the swarm had passed them, Discord popped their protective bubble with a claw. He stood up and stretched, holding his paw out to help her up.

As soon as they had both stretched out all their limbs, they glanced over at Rainbow. All of the Wonderbolts were being swarmed, but Rainbow appeared to have attracted the most fans, and was eagerly soaking it all in, even as other ponies tried to tame the excited crowd.

"As chaotic as this is," Discord said, smiling and placing a hand against his chest. "I don't think we're going to reach Rainbow without a little pushing and shoving."

Fluttershy frowned. "And I wanted to congratulate her on the show, too..." She glanced at the crowd nervously, weighing her options and trying to decide if pushing through was worth it.

"Well, we can always pay her a visit tomorrow," he pointed out. "And you'd have more time to talk then, without a rabid fan pushing you out of the way."

"That's true," she said. "So...is there anything else you want to do here, or...?"

"I can only think of one last thing I'd like to check off before we leave," he said. He snapped his fingers and teleported away. She blinked, then began to fold up their blanket.

He returned about a minute later, a figurine of Rainbow in hand. "There are no lines at any of the vendors, now!" he said cheerfully. "Do you think Applejack would like some Rainbow Dash memorabilia?"

"I'm sure she'd like it," she said with a smile. He beamed, and with a snap of his fingers, the figurine was placed inside a box covered in apple-themed wrapping paper.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," he said, snapping his fingers and making the present vanish in a flash of light. She smiled, giving her wings another stretch, and headed towards the gate with their blanket folded under her wing.

He walked alongside her, snapping his fingers and causing the blanket to vanish. She smiled and gave him a nod in thanks, and he gave her a thumbs-up. She noticed how tired his eyes looked, though he still carried himself as though he had as much energy as usual.

"That was a fun show," she said with a yawn, pulling the cotton out of her ears.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said with a smile. He held out his paw for the cotton, so she placed it in his palm. He crushed it in his hand, and when he opened it, a small swarm of pink fireflies flew out. "I have to admit, the Wonderbolts certainly know how to create spectacle and glamor."

"Don't they?" she said with a smile. "I honestly don't know the names of that many of the formations, but...it's always so fun to watch. And it felt like every time I blinked, there was a different number of fliers!"

"A classic case of distraction," he said. "That's what the fireworks were there for. The bright flashing lights were the perfect cover for more pegasi to enter the sky at the right moment...or duck back to the cliffs for a quick break before re-entering the show."

"Oooh," she said in understanding. "You saw them take breaks?"

He shrugged. "I admire a good case of distraction," he said. "I wanted to see how they pulled it off, to see if I could maybe replicate it for myself."

"Do you think you could do what they did?" she asked curiously.

"Using the fireworks? With ease," he said. With a snap of his fingers, a tiny purple firework popped in the air above them, forming the shape of an eight-arrowed symbol before disappearing. "And of course, there were a few subtle substitutions between seaponies and hippogriffs..."

"There were?" she said. "Would that be...between when they dove into the water and flew out?"

"Exactly," he said with a nod. "And there were a few other things I thought I saw..."

He talked about a few other subtle swaps she hadn't noticed, as well as a few very well-hidden flying flubs. It was fascinating to hear how much he had picked up on...but as much as she would love to listen to him for hours, she felt her exhaustion slowly creeping up on her as her excitement from the performance faded.

She yawned loudly, and leaned against his side. "S-sorry," she said between another yawn. He patted her shoulder in understanding.

"It is late, isn't it?" he said with a yawn of his own. "We can discuss spectacle all we want tomorrow...right now, I think it's your bedtime."

"And yours," she said with a sleepy chuckle as he scooped her into his arms. He chuckled, and with a snap of his fingers, they both teleported back home.

Heavy Guilt

"Isn't a banquet supposed to be about food?" Discord whispered. "When are we going to get to the meal-serving part?" He eyed the food-piled table hungrily.

Fluttershy reached over to place a hoof on his knee. "There shouldn't be that many more speakers," she whispered. That's what she hoped, at least. The noble unicorn standing and talking about the virtues of charity was the third pony who had wished to give a 'small toast'.

Soon, though, they finished and sat down. Twilight quickly stood up at the head table, neighboring Fluttershy and Discord's, and tapped a spoon against her glass. "Thank you, Lady Lucky, for that toast," she said quickly. "Now, without further ado...I would like to officially begin the Sunset Charity Banquet!" She gestured to the long table of food set along the wall—an invitation for everyone to go and fill their plates.

Quite a few nobleponies started forming a line at the table, while others decided to mingle and chat. A small crowd approached Twilight at the head table, and a few started to head for Fluttershy and Discord.

He quickly grabbed one of her front hooves, teleporting them to the back of the now-long food line. "Sorry, but I prefer to have chatting and kissing up wait until I have a full stomach," he said quietly to her.

"That's fair..." she said, leaning to the side to peer at the food ahead. The long table was actually several long tables, each piled with a different kind of food—starting with salads and vegetable platters, and ending with a dessert table, which featured a towering, three-tier cake.

A couple of ponies got in line behind them, and started trying to chat up the two of them. Fluttershy spoke with them politely, trying not to promise anything to anyone, while Discord seemed more disinterested, not even really trying to hide it. At the back of her mind, she wondered if so many ponies would be trying to speak with them if their other friends were there.

The Sunset Charity Banquet was an event that Twilight had organized to support the various charities in Canterlot, and even a few outside of it. Tickets needed to be purchased, aside from those gifted to the largest donors of each charity as a 'thank you', and all proceeds would then go directly to charity.

Twilight had hoped to have more princesses than herself at the event, so that ponies would be more interested in buying tickets and coming. They had all discussed it during their last Council meeting, but found that Fluttershy and Discord were the only ones who could reasonably make it.

Applejack and Rainbow were working on preparing for harvest, Rarity was buried under a pile of custom orders, and Pinkie and Cheese had three different birthday parties to throw for the week. Even Spike was busy, away on a trip to the Dragon Lands. Fluttershy was busy at the sanctuary, but knowing she was the least busy out of her friends, especially with volunteers helping her, she had agreed to come to the banquet.

She was glad Discord had come with her, even though he didn't have to. Twilight was still busy chatting with nobles and donors, and she didn't personally know anyone else there. She said so quietly to Discord as the line slowly crept forward, ponies hemming and hawing over which foods to take.

He was quiet for a few moments, then shrugged. "As...boring as this all is, I couldn't leave you to face the rabble of admiring nobles alone," he said. "Besides, we get free food, I get to bask in the attention of ponies before crushing their hopes of leeching something off of me...and I doubt Twilight would begrudge us leaving early if we had to."

"True," she said with a nod, looking around at the surrounding ponies before slowly shifting her attention to her friend. Twilight was smiling and chatting with a couple of well-dressed unicorns. But Fluttershy could see the bags under her eyes, and that she looked almost ready to nod off.

"Twilight seems...tired," she said quietly to Discord. "I guess work has been hitting her hard, too."

"Yeah..." Discord said. "I wonder what's up with this month and work piling up on top of all our friends?"

"It might just be a coincidence," she pointed out. "Still, maybe there's something we can do to help her."

He hummed in thought, stroking his beard. "Well, with how quiet and boring this whole thing is, I'm starting to nod off myself!" he declared. "Surely it wouldn't hurt to liven things up a little bit." He raised his fingers into a snapping position, and Fluttershy felt blood rush from her face.

"No, wait, Discord—" she said. But it was too late. His fingers snapped, and his magic rushed out. For a few seconds, everything was calm, and she partially hoped his magic had only done something very quiet.

Then, the large centerpiece cake of the dessert table exploded.

Ponies all around yelped, dodging the bits of cake that went flying everywhere. It seemed that most of the food tables, and several shell-shocked guests, were now covered in frosting and cake batter.

The room was silent for a few moments. Fluttershy bit her lip, looking between Discord and Twilight. Discord grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. Twilight was stunned.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up. "Discord!" she yelled in a booming Canterlot Voice that she had practiced but very rarely used.

Discord looked shocked that she was angry, and Fluttershy could see that he was slightly worried. "Yes, Twilight?" he said as innocently as he could.

She gestured towards the mess the cake had become. "Only your magic could do something like this, without leaving a sign of where it came from!"

"What about all the unicorns—ah," he said. Having his defense cut off before he could even say it made sweat start to form on his brow. "Would you believe that the cake was part of an alien plot that I heroically stopped?"

"No, I wouldn't," she said dryly. "Because not only is there no proof aliens exist, but the chefs in the royal kitchen spent hours today making it from scratch!" She scowled. "Not that I imagine you appreciate hours of working by hoof, since you can just do everything with your magic!"

The crowd of ponies all seemed to lower their heads and back away. Discord's eyelid twitched. "Now, Discord, just remember our breathing exercises..." Fluttershy said, trying to calm him. He took a deep breath, but it was only to speak up again.

"So what?" he said, crossing his arms. "You've looked bored through this whole formal event! I figured it could use some livening up. And some of these ponies could learn to let loose a little." He gestured at a couple of ponies who still seemed shell-shocked at being covered in cake.

Twilight sputtered for a few moments, her face turning red. "I can't believe you, Discord!" she finally snapped. "This stunt...you're just as careless and irresponsible as ever!"

Fluttershy bit back a gasp, a hoof flying to her mouth. Her eyes turned to Discord. His eyes narrowed, and his hands balled to fists at his side. To anyone else, he would have looked angry...but she could sense that Twilight's words had cut him deeply.

"And why should I care about a fancy pants event by a bookworm princess in the first place?" he snapped right back. "You know what? I don't even want to be here!"

"Good!" she said. "Because I think it's best you leave."

"I will!" he shouted, turning on his heels and away from her. With a snort, he snapped his fingers and teleported away.

The room was shrouded in awkward silence for a few moments. Then, Twilight's anger seemed to dissolve, and she sighed, sitting back in her chair and rubbing her eyes. She seemed more tired than ever, now.

A flash of light right in front of Fluttershy made her blink. A coupon appeared in midair and floated into her hooves. For One Free Teleportation to Chaosville—Tear Apart, it read.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy said, holding up the coupon. Twilight looked up wearily. "I'm...going to head back home."

"Alright," Twilight said with a small nod. "...feel free to take a plate with you. Of whatever's left, anyway."

Fluttershy thanked her, gathering a bit of salad and some carrots without frosting onto a plate, placing it on her back, and gripping the coupon. She ripped it in half and disappeared in a flash of light.

She appeared in the middle of their living room, with Discord nowhere to be seen. With a groan, she went into the kitchen and placed her plate on the table, then spread her wings and began to fly around the house in search of him.

After a couple of minutes of searching, she finally spotted him when she glanced out of a window. He was sitting outside with his back to the house. She dropped to her hooves and galloped towards the front door, her mind racing by the time she got there and threw it open.

Some ponies who didn't know him accused Discord of being heartless whenever he caused his chaos, that he didn't care about the consequences of his actions or ever feel guilt. Fluttershy couldn't stand when ponies talked about him like that—if they spent any amount of time close to him, they would realize that Discord cared deeply about his friends...and he deeply felt guilt if he realized he had done something wrong.

But right now, she needed to be there for Discord. He was sitting on the edge of the floating island, his legs dangling over the abyss, his head drooping as though under a great weight. He was staring at his hands, though his eyes were so blank she could sense he wasn't really seeing or thinking about them.

Slowly, she approached him. Then, she took a seat next to him, extending a wing and draping it over his back. He flinched, his head shooting up to look at her. She did her best to give him a reassuring look.

"...I really had egg on my face there, didn't I?" he said.

She bit her lip and slowly nodded. "A bit," she said. "But, I mean...it's not the biggest mess you've made. Even in Canterlot Castle."

He chuckled, but it was clear his heart wasn't it in. He turned his attention back to his clasped hands. "...I doubt Twilight wants to see my face around right now," he muttered.

"I...don't know," she admitted. "She just seemed...really tired, actually."

"Great," he grumbled. "So I ruined an event, made her angry, and only managed to make her even more tired." He crossed his arms with a huff.

She leaned against his side. On the one hoof, she wanted to talk to him about what he had done, and about why acting without thinking wasn't a very good idea. But on the other...he was clearly already aware that he had messed up, and was feeling guilty enough without her piling it on. So she elected to remain quiet, pressing herself close to him.

After a few minutes sitting like that, her stomach suddenly growled, making both of them flinch. "Ah, right...you weren't able to get food because of me," he muttered.

"I-I still managed to grab a plate!" she quickly assured him. This didn't seem to make him feel much better. "Why don't we go inside and have dinner together? I can even boil a kettle of tea."

"...I think I'm going to head to bed, actually," he said with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't really feel hungry."

She frowned, her ears drooping. If he was skipping a meal, this must have really been eating away at him. "Are you sure?" she said. "I can make leftovers soup..."

He paused, as though briefly considering it. "...no, thanks," he said. "I'll just...eat a big breakfast tomorrow."

"If that's what you want," she said, offering him a hoof as he stood up. "I'll come and join you in a few minutes, after I eat."

"No rush," he said, smiling and gently ruffling her mane. She leaned into his touch, reaching up to place a gentle hoof on his wrist. He paused for a moment...and then pulled away, heading back inside.

She sighed and followed him, then went into the kitchen and began to slowly chew on the food she had gotten.

Once she had finished dinner, and after taking a quick shower, she crawled into bed beside Discord. He laid underneath the covers with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around himself, making it difficult to tell whether he was asleep or awake.

She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, her lips only lightly brushing against his skin, before laying her head on her pillow and closing her eyes. Listening to the sound of his breathing, she slowly drifted off to sleep, where towers of cakes and stunned ponies drifted through her dreams.

Something brushed against her side, disturbing her dreams. She frowned, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to reclaim sleep. But when something soft and feathery tickled her back hooves, sleep slipped a little further away...and she slowly pieced together that the 'something' was Discord.

He nudged her again, causing her to slowly blink fully awake. "Cordy?" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was still dark, and the nearest clock told her that it was the dead of night.

Once she had taken a few seconds to wake up a little more, she turned to her husband to see what he wanted. It was immediately obvious that he was still asleep—his eyes were shut, and he hadn't reacted at all to the sound of her voice. But his sleep didn't seem to be restful at all. He was tossing and turning, a frown on his face as he accidentally nudged her again.

"No, no..." he mumbled. "Not right..."

Her heart panged for him. She slowly wrapped her forelegs around his neck, gently running a hoof through his mane. "Shh," she said. "It's just a bad dream...I'm right here for you. It's okay."

He continued to turn and stir, groaning and whining as his upsetting dream continued. She continued to shush and stroke him, and slowly, his stirring stopped, though his expression was still quite upset.

She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, hoping it would be enough to calm him fully. Instead, he started to stir again...but this time, he blinked fully awake.

"...sorry," he said as his eyes met hers. "Did I wake you?"

"Well...yes," she said. "But that doesn't matter now. Did...did you have a nightmare?"

He was silent for a few moments, then slowly nodded. "If it's quite alright," he said quietly, "I'd rather not go into the details. Once was quite enough."

"Of course," she said just as quietly, running a hoof through his mane. "...could you tell me what caused it, though? It could make you feel better, to get it off your chest..."

He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling, where some fake magic stars were twinkling. "...I'm...not totally careless and irresponsible, am I?"

She blinked a few tears out of her eyes, hugging him even more tightly. "Of course not," she whispered into his ear. "You've improved so much and taken on so many responsibilities, and...thinking about what happened is proof that you do care."

"...caring doesn't do much good if I keep making wrong choices," he said. He rubbed at his eyes. "What was I thinking? No, don't answer, I already know I wasn't. Ugh...I should have stopped and thought, or at least listened to you."

"...maybe you should have," she said gently. "But, do you think something like this is going to make Twilight mad at you forever?"

"It might," he said. "Maybe if you annoy a pony too many times, you run out of chances! Maybe I've taken too many prime times to aggravate her!"

"I don't think that's true," she said. "After all...she forgave you after...lots of bigger things than this." Tirek and the Battle of the Bell came to mind, but she pushed the thoughts away. They were painful times for everyone, but they were in the past.

His eyes shone with even more guilt for a few seconds, probably remembering the same instances she was. Then, he blinked, and they both took a deep breath at the same time. When his eyes opened again, he seemed a little calmer, like a few of his worries had been taken off of his shoulders.

"...you think she'll forgive me if I apologize?" he asked for confirmation. She smiled and nodded. "...should I throw in a gift while I apologize?"

"That'd be a nice gesture," she said with a nod. He sat up. "Oh, you don't have to pick it out now!"

"If I don't, I don't think I'll be able to get a restful sleep," he said, rubbing at his eyes. "You can go back to sleep without me...I already have a pretty good idea of what to give her."

She crawled out of bed as his feet hit the floor. "I want to help," she said, trotting alongside him down the hall. "Besides...after we pick it out, I can throw a little something together for a midnight snack."

His stomach gurgled quietly, and he clutched at his torso. "...I'd like that," he said. "But, gift first! I don't want to get so distracted by your cooking that I forget."

With that, he threw open the door to the library and flew up to the shelves. "Start looking for anything about magic!" he shouted down. Fluttershy nodded, flapping her wings and scanning the shelves for anything that fit what he was looking for.

After about a half-hour of searching, the two of them had found a small pile of magic books, which Discord dropped in front of the reading pony statue and began to sift through.

He tossed books away when he saw their titles, or after flipping through all the pages...but there were two books that he set in a separate pile. "Which do you think Twilight would like better?" he asked, holding them up. "Pre-Equestrian Magicks of the Frozen North, or An Attempted Studies on the Terrors of Chaos?"

Fluttershy frowned in thought, looking between the two old, worn books. "The first one, I think," she said. "Especially since the second is an 'attempted' study...which I'm guessing wasn't written by you?"

He shook his head, looking fondly at the book. "I remember it coming out, and I just laughed and laughed at everything they got wrong...I mean, perhaps Twilight would appreciate the comedy, but she might not get the joke." He let go of the book, allowing it to float back to the shelf.

With a snap of his fingers, a red ribbon appeared and tied itself around the Frozen North book. He tucked it under his arm and turned to her. "Now...you said something about a snack?" His stomach gurgled eagerly.

She smiled, and began to fly towards the kitchen with him. "It may not be much, but I can throw a couple of sandwiches together," she said.

He licked his lips. "Sounds delightful. ...could we heat something up, too? Warm comfort food sounds good."

She nodded, trying to remember what all was in the fridge that she could prepare.

After a relatively small midnight snack—Discord ate plenty, but not as much as he usually did—the two of them went back to bed, hoping to catch a few good hours of sleep. Fluttershy stayed awake for some time, a wing draped over his back, just to be sure that his nightmares wouldn't return.

Once she was sure that he was sleeping soundly and peacefully, she nodded off to sleep herself, this time dreamlessly.

She woke up earlier than Discord that morning...but instead of getting up, she snuggled close to his side, draping her wing over him in the hopes that it would convince him to sleep longer. For a few minutes, she laid there quietly, her breathing in sync with his.

Then, he began to stir awake, yawning loudly and stretching himself out like a large cat. He smacked his lips, turned to her...and smiled, tapping his nose against hers. "Good morning, Flutters," he said, lightly pecking her lips.

"Good morning," she said, returning the light pressure. "...how did you sleep?"

"Eh," he said with a shrug, standing and stretching his arms. "My dreams could have used a pinch more of excitement and chaos, but it sure beat the night terrors."

She crawled out of bed, stretching out her wings with a yawn. "What would you like for breakfast?" she asked, heading out the door and towards the kitchen.

He placed a hand over his stomach. "...I still don't have much of an appetite," he said. "Or maybe I'm just full from those sandwiches. I'd think about skipping breakfast and going right to apologizing to Twilight, but..."

She gave him a look. He grinned sheepishly. "I'll take whatever you want to fix," he said. "No skipping breakfast in this house, I know, I know."

This made her relax. In the kitchen, she fixed a quick meal of cheesy scrambled eggs. Discord poked, prodded, and stirred his meal, but he did clean his plate, even complimenting her on her cooking.

As soon as they both finished, he sent the dishes into the sink with a flick of his claw. Then, he reached into his coat and pulled out a stopwatch. "It's early in the morning," he said. "But not that early. Would Twilight be up at this time? And would she be busy?"

She glanced at the nearest wall clock. "Well...we could go to Canterlot Castle and see," she suggested. "If she's asleep or busy, we can always tour the gardens quickly and then come back."

His shoulders relaxed. "That's...true," he said. "Wait...are you...coming with me, then?"

"If you want me to," she said. "Discord...it's going to be your responsibility to give Twilight the gift you chose and apologize. But I can still be there to support you."

He paused, staring at her for a few moments...and then smiled. He stood up and summoned the book they had chosen, the ribbon still wrapped around it. "Well, no point in putting this off!"

She stood next to him as he tightly gripped the book. He snapped his fingers, teleporting them both to Canterlot Castle.

They appeared in front of the throne room doors, where a familiar griffon in gold armor was standing guard. "Princess Twilight is—oh, it's you two," Gallus said. "If you're here to see Twilight, she's going through her agenda, but she might take a break to see you...maybe." He gave Discord a look.

Discord flinched, taking a step back as his ears (and even his horns) drooped. Fluttershy stepped closer and patted his lower back. "I'm right here if you need me," she said. "But Discord...you can do this." She smiled encouragingly up at him.

He paused, looking worried for a second. She took a deep breath, gesturing for him to do the same. He breathed in deeply...and they breathed out at the same time, letting their bodies relax.

"Okay. You're right. I can do this," he said. She suspected he was talking to himself as much as to her. With another deep breath, he turned to the large throne room doors and spoke to Gallus. "I'd like to talk with Twilight."

The griffon rose an eyebrow. But, after a moment of consideration, he nodded and opened the door to the throne room. "Princess Twilight, Discord is here to see you," he announced. Twilight responded, though neither Fluttershy nor Discord could hear exactly what she said. Gallus came back out, paused...and nodded Discord towards the open door.

Discord slowly walked inside, though his feet and tail dragged against the ground.

"Fluttershy?" Gallus said. "...would you like to enter, too?"

"Yes, please," she said. "But, um...please don't announce me. I just want to be there as moral support for Discord."

Gallus smiled and nodded, opening the door a little wider. Fluttershy smiled and thanked him, stepping inside as the door closed behind her.

The throne room was practically empty—besides her and Discord, Twilight was the only other pony in the room, checking things off on a checklist. As Discord approached her throne, she set the paper and quill aside to turn her attention to him, her expression neutral.

Discord paused just a foot away from her throne, his grip tightening on the book, which he held behind his back. He glanced up at Twilight, then at some of the open windows in the room...and then at Fluttershy, who stayed near the doors. His body seemed to lose some tension at the sight of her, and he turned back to Twilight.

He nervously shuffled his feet, then handed the book over to Twilight. "...sorry for ruining the banquet," he mumbled, still not able to look her in the eye. "I just...you looked so bored. I thought a prank on those stiffs would cheer you up. I should have known better, and should have tried to think of something that would help without ruining your hard work."

She slowly took the book, a smile flickering across her face as she read the title. "Thank you, Discord," she said. "And...I'm sorry, too."

He lifted his head, looking shocked. "You...are?"

"I said...lots of things I shouldn't have," she said, setting the book to the side. "It was wrong of me to say that you were careless and irresponsible. Even if I...wasn't pleased with what you did, you've shown through the years that you do care, and you can be responsible...sometimes." Her smile was teasing.

A smile spread on his own face. "Careful, your Highness," he teased. "What will the noble stiffs say if they hear all these compliments you're giving me?"

She chuckled. "Well. Whatever they said, I'd let them know there's not a friend like you in all the world."

"Yeah, and you're never getting rid of me!" he said, laughing. "No matter how much you might want to sometimes."

They both laughed, and Discord stepped a little closer, holding out his paw. Twilight smiled and reached out. They both shook, reaffirming their friendship. Fluttershy beamed, her wings fluttering.

"So...I'll get out of your mane now," Discord said, stepping back. "Unless there's something else I could do to make things up for you?"

Twilight frowned in thought, rubbing at her chin. "Well...we managed to clean the banquet hall without trouble, but we have gotten a lot of dry cleaning bills..."

Discord snapped his fingers, summoning a small pile of bits. "Thank you," Twilight said. "...these aren't ones you just took from the royal coffers, are they?"

"Of course not! Pinkie Promise, yadda yadda, baked goods in my eye," he said, waving away her worry. "I hope you enjoy the book...and don't overwork yourself."

"I won't," she said with a nod. "Have a nice day, Discord."

He smiled, then turned and walked back towards the doors, standing taller than he had when he first entered. He locked eyes with Fluttershy and beamed at her.

He managed to hold in his excitement until they exited the room and the doors were closed behind them—but as soon as they were shut, he cheered loudly, fireworks firing behind him.

"That went well," Fluttershy said with a smile. Gallus rolled his eyes at Discord.

"I feel so much lighter, now that she's forgiven me!" he said, floating in the air. "And she even apologized for what she said!"

"It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" she said. He paused in mid-air...then dropped and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Thank you for helping me," he said. "With the gift, and just being there...thank you."

She smiled and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, nestling her cheek into his fur. "You're welcome," she said. "But, you know...you did all the work of saying the apology and giving the gift. And you did very well." She pulled away enough to show him her bright smile. "I'm proud of you."

His wings fluttered on his back. "...well. While I'm still being sappy and mushy enough to apologize, I should probably go and apologize to the guests whose evening I disrupted," he said. With a snap of his fingers, a guest list appeared in his hand.

"I can give moral support with those, too," she said with a smile. "Where do we start?"

He smiled back at her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close as his eyes flicked over the list. She smiled and draped a wing over his back, hoping to convey how much faith she had that he would do the right thing, and do it well.

Fashionistas

Discord appeared in the living room with a flash of light. Fluttershy quickly set her sewing aside just before he wrapped his arms around her.

"Good afternoon!" he said cheerfully as she hugged him back. He placed a kiss on the top of her head, then took a step back. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, not much," she said. "Just mending a few things." She gestured to the pile of clothes next to her, full of stitched-up socks and dresses. "How was your visit with Twilight?"

"It went well!" he said. "And guess what we have now~." He pulled an envelope from out of nowhere, which opened on its own to reveal two golden Gala tickets.

She gasped, her eyes sparkling. "Gala tickets? Already!?"

"She probably didn't want to risk me getting them late and starting another...ahem," he said, looking away. "Incident."

"The Gala's not for another month, though, right?" she asked. He nodded, and she relaxed.

He pulled out one of the tickets and dropped onto one knee. "Fluttershy, love of my life...would you do me the honor of being my plus-one to the Gala?" he said, holding the ticket out to her.

She beamed, placing her hoof on his palm, holding the ticket between them. "I would love to," she said earnestly.

He beamed, handing the ticket to her and jumping to his feet. "So, what should we do with this other one?" he said, waving it around. "Give it to Smooze again? He was the life of the party last time!"

"As long as he doesn't cover the ballroom in ooze or eat all of the snack tables again, I don't think Twilight will have any complaints," she said. He grinned and snapped his fingers, sending the envelope and ticket away in a flash of light.

"We have our tickets, and we've determined that we're going as each other's plus-one," he said, slipping their golden ticket into a glass case and hanging it in a prominent place on the wall. "Now all that's left is..."

"Figuring out what to wear," she said. "I could ask Rarity for a dress, but...I think she's mentioned being swamped with everyone else getting ready for the Gala."

"Yes, and she won't make my best suit and dress ideas!" he complained.

"...didn't you want a dress made of needles and stained glass, once?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, well...maybe it would have taken some magic, but it couldn't have been that hard to create," he said, crossing his arms. A dress appeared on him, made of silver needles that flowed gracefully down his body. On his chest were a few stained-glass pieces, forming a picture of himself.

"With your magic, we could make our own outfits," she pointed out. "Or at least come up with some designs so Rarity doesn't have to do all of the work."

"Capital idea, my dear," he said, patting her head. "But oh, what outfits to make? I'm always just brimming with ideas!" He snapped his fingers at a rapid tempo, causing several outfits to appear and disappear on both of them. Fluttershy blinked as she saw all kinds of dresses appear on her, from smooth silk black ones to feathery ones that had all the colors of the rainbow.

"I just don't know what to choose!" Discord bemoaned, making their last outfits vanish and falling backward onto a fainting couch. "How can Rarity pick any one design for anyone!?"

She stepped closer, patting his shoulder. He was being a bit overdramatic, but his statements probably revealed a hint of how he was truly feeling. "Slow down, take a deep breath," she said, stroking his neck. "Just relax, and let the ideas come to you."

He inhaled in and out through his nose, slowly closing his eyes. She continued stroking his neck as he relaxed...until his eyes suddenly sprang open, a lightbulb appearing above his head. "Matching outfits!" he declared, hopping off of his fainting couch.

"Matching?" she said, tilting her head. "But...that doesn't sound very chaotic. And we have different tastes in clothes."

"Wait...maybe 'matching' isn't a perfect term," he said, stroking his beard. "What I meant to say is...we wear outfits that work as a pair, matching in theme. But individually, our outfits will be opposite of each other!"

"Opposites like...blue versus orange?" she said.

He stroked his beard and snapped his fingers. His old orange suit appeared on him, while a sky-blue dress appeared on her. "That could work," he said. "Or chocolate and marshmallow..." He snapped his fingers again, changing his suit to chocolate brown and spritzing a sweet cologne on his wrists, while her dress became white and puffy with a golden brown hem.

"Or hero and villain," he said. With another snap, her outfit changed to that of Saddle Rager's, while he now wore a red-and-black suit that was complete with a black eye mask and red scarf, which had a gold eight-arrowed pin shimmering in the light.

"So...there's a lot of different themes we could use," she said. "And it does sound fun, but...how can we choose one?"

He stroked his beard in thought, then pointed a finger into the air, another lightbulb appearing above his head. "A fashion show, of course!" he said. "With the best draconequus model and designer ever...me!" He snapped his fingers while they were still held in the air, and three copies of himself appeared behind him in a flash of light, all of them crossing their arms and looking smug.

"That does sound like a good idea," she said. "So...which themes will you all be modeling?"

The Discords all began to loudly talk over each other, listing what they wanted to use...and bickering whenever two of them said the same thing. The original Discord rolled his eyes, snapped up a top hat, and tossed in several slips of paper.

"Want to add an idea to the hat?" he asked in a whisper, holding it out of her. She thought for a few moments...and then nodded. He handed her some slips of paper and a quill, and she took the time to jot a few things down—'night and day', 'sun and rain', 'plants and animals', and 'the natural world'. She thought for a few more moments, then shrugged and tossed her ideas into the hat.

Discord shook the hat, shuffling the papers around. Then, he turned to his still-bickering copies, pressed his fingers to his lips, and gave a long, shrill whistle. Each of the copies winced, covering their ears.

"Alright, you three," he said, shaking the hat at them. "Each of you is going to grab a paper from this hat that tells you what theme you'll work with. You'll each make one set of designs, then present them to us, your lovely judges." He wrapped an arm around Fluttershy, and the other Discords murmured and stepped forward to the hat.

"Only three designs?" she asked as each of the copies grabbed a slip of paper.

"Well...three to start with," he admitted. Each of the copies read their prompts and grinned. "I mean, if we don't set a limit, we could be here all day, trying on different outfits. And as fun as that sounds..."

"It also sounds like it could be exhausting after a while," she said. "And I know you can come up with lots of different design ideas, but me?" She shrugged. "I might be able to sew one, but I can't design dresses as nearly as well as Rarity."

"Or me!" he boasted. With a snap of his fingers, a desk appeared in front of each of his copies, stocked with plenty of paper and colored pencils. Each of them sat down and began furiously sketching ideas.

"And the two of us will judge their work...though I might have to ask you to model, as well," he said. "We'll judge each set of outfits, determining whether they're good..." He held up a round sign with a blue circle, and a dinging sound played. "...or bad." He held up a sign of the same shape and size, but with a red X painted on. A buzzing sound played.

"Alright," she said. "And then at the end, we choose whichever outfit set we liked best? Or keep going until we find one we like?"

"Precisely!" he declared, tapping her nose. "Now, while the three of them are working, I'll get the stage set up. If you want, you could put in your two cents on their—"

"No, not yet!" one of the drawing Discords shouted, covering his paper.

"It's meant to be a surprise!" another added.

The Discord next to her sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fine...why don't you help me with the stage?" he suggested.

"Alright," she said. "Though I'm not sure how much help I'll be."

"Oh, your help will be just what I need!" he said. He held up two swatches of fabric in his arms. "Which do you think would be best for the curtains—sapphire or boysenberry?"

Discord's magic meant that creating the stage was a snap—as soon as they agreed on a design idea, he could snap it into reality. Which was why only fifteen minutes after they had started, they were seated along the side of a glossy black runway with sapphire curtains and small globes of light along the side.

Discord was juggling his acceptance and rejection signs, while more of his voices whispered and hissed from behind the curtains. "Are you ready?" he asked her, catching the signs and setting them beside his chair.

"I think so," she said. "Are you?"

"I guess we'll find out," he said. He summoned a megaphone and started shouting into it. "Hey, you three! Whenever you're ready, start showing off!" He paused and then added, "And if you're not, hurry it up, before we miss the Gala!"

"Discord!" she said, nudging his side. He chuckled, setting the megaphone aside.

"I'm almost done! Me first!" one of the Discords behind the curtain said. She heard a lot of shuffling sounds, then silence as the curtains shifted slightly...and then, the lights of the room and runway slowly dimmed. "Prepare for Discord, and his theme for today...elements!" he announced, his voice echoing through the room.

A few flames flared along the sides of the makeshift runway, making her blink in surprise. A goat hoof slowly emerged from the curtains...and then, Discord pushed through, shoving the curtains aside as the flames leapt up, growing in intensity.

He strode forward with confidence, slowly showing off his outfit. Fluttershy's jaw dropped, and she was unable to take her eyes off of him.

His beard and eyebrows, instead of being white and fluffy, were now golden orange flames. A silver tiara sat between his horns, shaped almost like a flame, and his black high heels clicked against the ground. He was wearing a sparkling red-and-orange dress, which trailed just behind his tail.

He smirked and came to a stop in front of them. "Like it?" he said. "I figured, what's more elemental and powerful than fire?" He spun on his heels, the dress twirling around him. Flames swirled in the air around him.

Discord clapped beside her. "Outstanding! Brava!" he cheered. "Wonderful showmanship."

"Thank you, thank you," the Discord on stage said, taking a bow. His eyes flicked over and locked with Fluttershy's. "And...what does the other lovely judge think of this ensemble?"

"I have...a couple of questions," she said.

"Fire away," he declared, smirking smugly as embers sparked from his tiara and traveled up his horns.

"Um...would I be sheathed in fire, too?" she asked, nervously eyeing the embers and the tongues of flame still licking at the hem of his dress.

"Of course not!" he said. "You can wear an outfit representing water, of course." He snapped his fingers, enveloping her in a flash of light.

She was now dressed in a flowing dress in different shades of blue, with sequins sparkling around her chest, and a thin, fluffy white scarf was wrapped around her neck. She noticed that even her mane had been styled—brushed until it almost looked wild, with mane glitter added and even a few seashells sprinkled in.

She glanced down at her hooves, where there were shoes made of a comfortable sea-green crystal, then back up at Discord. He seemed absolutely breathtaken with her. "What could be better than calm water to balance out raging fire?" he said, his eyes still locked on her. "And who better to balance out my...excessiveness than Fluttershy, with her gentle nature?"

His words made her blush and smile softly. "I wanted our set to show creatures how utterly divine you are," he continued, eyes sparkling. "And you certainly look the part. A beautiful sea goddess..."

"You stole my idea!" another Discord roared, storming out from behind the curtains. "Fluttershy as a wild divine being of water was part of my outfit set!"

"Well...I guess it's back to the drawing board with you," the current Discord said, sticking out his tongue.

"I guess it is!" the angry one roared. He threw some crumpled-up sheets of paper at his opponent...but not before coating them in ketchup.

The first one scoffed, twirling around quickly. Flames whirled around him, burning the papers to embers before they could even touch him. "That's enough!" the judging Discord shouted through his megaphone. "Fiery, keep answering questions. Pitcher, get off the stage!"

"Pitcher" huffed, turning his nose up into the air and strutting back behind the curtains. "Fiery" looked smug, turning his attention back to Fluttershy.

"I didn't need to steal anything...I came up with and presented the idea first, so it's mine," he said. "How do you like your dress?"

"It's very nice," she said. "And very comfortable, but...I'd still like to ask you a few questions about yours."

He beamed, twirling around. "Isn't it gorgeous?" he said. "And I really think I have the figure to pull this off, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but...I have a serious question about it," she said. He froze in place, and she noticed how the Discord next to her tensed slightly.

"Is that dress...safe?" she asked.

"...define 'safe'," he said.

She narrowed her eyes. "Safe meaning that it won't accidentally set anything on fire."

"...define 'accidentally'," he said after a much longer pause. She narrowed her eyes even further, and he held up his hands in defense. "It won't, it won't! I am in complete control of these flames! ...I'm pretty sure."

Fluttershy exchanged glances with the Discord next to her. "I might need to think about this one," she said. "I mean...it's very impressive! I'm just worried about...well..."

"Me burning the castle down," he finished. "Which, as fun as it sounds, would completely ruin our night at the Gala and upset Twilight." He turned his attention to the stage and waved his copy away. "Next!"

The copy sighed, snapping his fingers and taking the outfit off of Fluttershy before striding backstage, his head held lower than when he came out. "It's a beautiful dress, really!" she called out to assure him. "I just...need time to consider it."

His head perked up just as he was pulling back the curtains, and he turned back to look at her. He gave her a small smile, then headed backstage.

"Alright, alright!" Discord said, clapping his hands. The lights in the room returned to normal, and the runway flames disappeared as he grabbed his megaphone. "Who's next!?"

"Not me, since I have to redo my work!" one of them snapped. There was the sound of a scuffle backstage.

"Break it up, you two!" Discord yelled. "Is anyone actually ready?"

"I am!" another said, poking their muzzle out of the curtains to speak. "My theme was 'mirror opposites'. Coming up with something that showed we're two sides of the same coin wasn't that hard."

Fluttershy turned to the Discord next to her, her brows furrowing. "Is that what 'mirror opposites' means?"

"I thought it was," he said with a shrug. "I mean...you and your reflection look the same, just inverted in ways, right?"

She frowned, mulling this over, while he turned back to the stage. "Okay, show us your thing before we die of boredom," he said.

Discord stepped out from the curtains, flipping an imaginary mane over his shoulders and posing. He was wearing a pure white suit, with only a black tie and black rose on his lapel standing out.

"Like it?" he said. "I know it's a bit simpler than my usual fare, but it'd be great for matching with you, dear Fluttershy."

He snapped his fingers, and she was enveloped in a flash of light. When it disappeared, she was wearing a black suit with a white tie and a white rose.

"Ooh," she said, looking down at herself. "It's very formal..."

"Yes, but very plain," Discord snarked from next to her. The current model gasped, reeling back. "Sure, it'd be fun for maybe an hour, maybe even with cameras focused on us as we do crazy stuff, but for the full Gala?" He held up his rejection sign, the buzzer sounding.

"But sometimes, simplicity can be good," Fluttershy argued as the outfit was snapped off of her. "And it'd surprise anyone who was expecting something extravagant from you, right?"

"That is true..." he said, stroking his beard. He turned to his copy. "Put your outfit set into cold storage, would you? I can pull them out for us for any boring royal ceremonies we have to go to. Give those prissy nobles a small shock."

His copy nodded, walking backstage with a spring in his step. As soon as he was gone, the next copy walked out. He wasn't wearing anything besides the annoyed expression on his face.

"Um...Discord?" she said, causing them both to look at her. "Were you able to finish your design? You can have more time if you need it..."

"Well," he said, sniffing haughtily. "I did actually manage to remake my idea, since someone stole my first one..." A lion arm appeared from the curtains, throwing a black high heel at the back of his head.

"Could you please explain what your theme is?" the judging Discord said with a sigh. "And then actually show us what you came up with?"

"Certainly," the Discord model said, straightening up a bit. "I drew 'the natural world'. My first thought was sea and sky, but since someone already took the 'divine water being' idea—" This time, it was the flame-like tiara flung at him, which he didn't even react to. "—I decided to go with 'seasons'."

He raised his hand above his head and snapped. A black cloud appeared above his head, and large snowflakes showered on top of him. They swirled around his body, slowly turning into fabric as he closed his eyes and lifted his head.

A snow-white, sparkling shawl formed, long enough to go from his shoulders to the ground. The sleeves were long, draping down at his sides. He slowly lowered the arm he had used to snap and tucked his hands into the large sleeves.

With a nod, the storm cloud above him also swirled and transformed into fabric, forming a black, hooded cape that flowed over his back and settled on top of his head.

"Well?" he said with a slight smirk, tilting his head. Light glinted off of something around his neck, and dangling from his ears—icicle-themed jewelry, she realized.

"Very impressive," Fluttershy said, clapping her hooves. Even the judging Discord clapped a little. "So...if you're winter, would that make me spring?"

The modeling Discord beamed, holding up a confirmation sign like the judging Discord's, complete with dinging sounds. "Congratulations! Give the mare a prize!" He snapped his fingers to make the spring outfit appear on her.

It was a forest-green dress, with patterns of vines and roses all along it. Her shoes were dark green, with vines stemming from them and climbing up her legs, complete with tiny white flowers. Her mane was twisted into a braid, with several colorful flowers woven in.

"It's beautiful," she said with a smile. "I love it." She glanced up to see that the previous two models had poked their heads out, glaring at the current model with envy.

"Oh, sure, no one's ever thought of giving Fluttershy a forest-themed dress!" one of them heckled. "Boooo!" the other added, giving a thumbs-down.

"I guess you should have thought of it first," the current model said, sticking his tongue out at the two of them. The others snarled back.

"Oh, please don't fight again!" Fluttershy quickly said. "All of your designs are lovely, really!" All three of them slowly relaxed, though they still glared at each other.

"I think we've seen enough," the judging Discord next to her said. "It's time for Fluttershy and me to make our final decision!" He snapped his fingers, and the three copies vanished. Another snap, and six photographs appeared floating in front of the two of them—arranged in pairs, showing off Discord and Fluttershy wearing each designed outfit.

Discord's eyes flicked over the photos, while Fluttershy frowned in thought. "I don't know," she admitted. "I like all of your ideas—even the fire dress! As long as it's safe, it would be nice..."

"Yeah..." he said, scratching his head. "None of them are terrible. Sure, I don't want to wear that for the full Gala," he pointed at the white and black suits. "But it's not a terrible outfit. And it's hard to choose between the other two..."

The two of them mulled over the photos for a while longer, sipping at tea that Discord summoned for them, but neither could fully say they preferred one outfit over all the others...they were all just too good. Discord sighed, setting down his teacup. "Well...we might have to wait and try to come up with more ideas," he said. "Keep going until we find the perfect—" A lightbulb appeared above his head.

"Did you have another outfit idea?" she asked.

"In a way, I suppose," he said. "What if we pulled a Rarity?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

"I mean, what if we continuously change our outfits throughout the evening?" he said. "We can wear different outfits without them ending up too uncomfortable or boring..."

"And we can wear all the other outfits you thought of!" she said happily. "More than just the three you just showed off..."

"That's right!" he declared. "We can be hero and villain, chocolate and marshmallow, and orange and blue! ...with a couple of tweaks on the last one to keep it interesting."

"And we can wear whatever other ideas we think of in the future..." she said, mind wandering.

"And I can make a spell that provides us with automatic costume changes, so we don't have to miss a single second of the Gala!" he said. "...and I can loan Rarity a copy of the spell once I've completed it."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that," she said. "It'd be great for modeling the outfits she makes."

"...and maybe the gift will be enough to convince her to make my needle and glass dress!" he said quietly, his eyes gleaming.

She pressed a hoof to her lips, but couldn't stifle a snort as she shook her head at him. He laughed, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. He was already snapping his fingers, causing odd dresses and suits to float through the air, and making magic tingle against her skin. She smiled and leaned a little closer, watching as his chaotic ideas floated through the air in front of them.

Snazzleberry Sampling

"Discord?" Fluttershy said, poking her head into the arts and crafts room. There was no response. She sighed, stepping out and closing the door, moving on to the next one.

Earlier that afternoon, Discord had vanished somewhere into the house, muttering something about 'stands' and 'bad timing'. Dinnertime was slowly approaching, and Fluttershy was hoping to find him so that they could make supper together.

As she was about to check the room made of glass, she heard something from two doors down—Discord's voice. She slowly crept towards the door, which led to Discord's chaotic greenhouse, and listened. He was definitely in there, and mumbling something about different fruits.

Her brow furrowed, and she knocked on the door. He went quiet, then said, "Come in, Flutters."

She opened the door and stepped inside. Discord was standing behind a desk, staring down at a calendar and map of Ponyville, with large piles of fruit around him. He was also wringing his hands. "Discord...is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" he said with a short laugh. "Why would anything be wrong? This summer has been perfect, I wouldn't change a thing!" One of his pupils drifted to the side.

She rose an eyebrow, and his fake happy expression fell. "Well...I am a little bit worried about something," he admitted.

"What is it?" she asked. "You know you can tell me anything." He slowly nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"What I'm worried about...is this!" he said, thrusting the calendar at her. It was turned to the next month, the first one of Fall, which was only a couple of days away. The month's photo was of a bushel of apples, and several of the days were marked with apple stamps. She looked up, tilting her head in confusion.

"Don't you see?" he said. "Once fall begins, no one's going to care about any fruit but apples! Applesauce, apple juice, zap apple jam...no one's going to care about delicious chaotic fruits!"

"It's not that bad," she said. "I mean, in Ponyville, it's not like everyone's going to suddenly lose their taste for other fruits."

He rose an eyebrow. "Wasn't that the same town that almost started a riot when Sweet Apple Acres ran out of cider?"

"I...um," she said. "Maybe it would have been a...teensy riot."

A smile twitched onto his muzzle, but he shook his head. "The point is...I can invent new fruits and drinks with a snap of my claws," he said. "But with it being so close to cider season, I doubt anyone would be interested in giving it a try."

She stepped forward, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "You know I would," she said. "And besides...if Fall's only barely begun, there'll be plenty of time before it's actually cider season. The apples need to be harvested before cider can be made, you know?"

His ears perked up. "...Flutterbuddy, you just gave me two wonderful ideas," he said with a smile.

"I did? What are they?" she said.

"Well, the first involves time, apple harvesting, cider, and mixing things up for chaos," he said. "But I can handle that on my own. The second is that together, the two of us can act as taste testers for new, previously non-existent fruits!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Well...of course!" she said. "That sounds like it could be fun. What fruits were you thinking of trying first?"

"That's...a very good question," he said. "Now, let's see here..." He pulled away and began rooting through the piles of fruits in front of him. Eventually, he let out a triumphant cry, emerging from the pile with what looked like a bunch of grapes.

"Snazzleberries!" he declared, holding them a little closer to her and making it very obvious that they were not grapes. Their purple color was just a little darker than usual, their skins had swirls instead of being smooth...and she swore there were dark patterns that made it seem like each berry was wearing little sunglasses.

She reached towards the bunch, but he pulled them away. "You don't want to just eat them plain," he said with a shake of his head. "Remember punchberries? It's not quite that bad, but it's still not fun."

She did remember punchberries...especially how even the juice had a strong kick to it. She lowered her hoof. "So...do we want to turn them into juice before we eat them?" she asked.

"Precisely!" he said, snapping his fingers. The berries all floated into the air, then compressed themselves, squeezing juice into two glass bottles. It was very satisfying to watch. Discord grabbed both full bottles from mid-air as metal lids appeared on top, a thin layer of frost covering the glass.

She peered at the frosty bottles. The juice inside was a reddish-purple color that looked...shiny, for lack of a better term. "Is there a name for this color?" she asked, furrowing her brow in thought.

"Snazzleberry...or snazzberry, I suppose," he said with a shrug.

"I like the sound of snazzleberry better," she said with a smile. "Rolls off the tongue."

"Indeed!" he said, opening his mouth and letting his tongue roll out. The word 'snazzleberry', in snazzleberry-colored letters, slipped from his throat and down his tongue like a slide, eventually flying from the tip of his tongue and out the window.

Fluttershy laughed, her smile stretching to the corners of her eyes. Discord beamed, gripping both of the bottles' necks in his paw. "You know," he said. "I think cold snazzleberry juice is best enjoyed outside on warm days."

"So...to the porch?" she suggested.

"To the porch!" he declared in agreement, pointing his claw into the air and marching deeper into the house.

After several minutes of traversing the maze that was their home, he finally opened a door and stepped outside onto the porch. It was right next to the small garden she kept, though the doors to both of them were a good distance apart from each other inside the house...like every other time they came out here, she shrugged it off as 'classic chaos'.

Discord snapped his fingers, creating two recliners with cupholders. He took a seat in the boysenberry one, leaning back and watching the horizon. She took a seat in the sea-green one, also leaning back and relaxing.

She heard a popping sound and glanced over. Discord was using his snaggletooth to pop off the metal lids of the bottles. He grinned at her, making the lid he was currently working on snap right off, and handed her the bottle. It was cold to the touch.

She nearly took a sip, but paused and thought of an idea as Discord spit out the lids. "Well...to the last days of summer," she said, holding her bottle out to him.

He tapped his against hers, making a clink sound. "And to the first days of fall," he said. "Cheers." He tilted his head back and swallowed a few gulps of the drink.

She slowly raised the bottle to her lips and took a couple of sips herself. The juice was...mostly sweet, but not overly so. Very fruity, and berry-like, though she couldn't place any berry flavors specifically. It was also tingly and fizzy, kind of like a soda, and there was a hint of bitter tang, though not enough to reduce her enjoyment of the drink.

She pulled the bottle away, licking her lips. "Not bad," she said.

"Oh ho, if you think that's good, wait until we try blue snazzleberries!" he said confidently.

"If they're anything like this, I'd be glad to!" she said, taking another sip.

"They're similar, but different," he said. "They're a little sweeter, and taste a little more like blue raspberries."

"Mmm," she said, licking her lips. Discord grinned at her reaction, and they kept drinking their juice in silence, staring at the Chaosville sky, and the flying sharks flitting across it.

When she had finished about a quarter of her juice, she glanced over at her awfully-quiet husband. He appeared to be deep in thought as he nursed his drink. "...bit for your thoughts?" she said.

He jumped a little, then smirked and held out his hand. She frowned...then rolled her eyes, digging into the space behind the recliner cushion. She eventually found a single bit, which she dropped into his palm.

"Hmm. I feel like being cliche and watching a sunset with the love of my life," he said, pocketing the coin. "But an ordinary sunset just sounds so...boring right now."

She sipped her juice. "...what about a snazzleberry-colored one?" she suggested.

"...you wonderful, beautiful genius," he said, leaning forward to quickly press his lips against hers. He tasted of snazzleberries, though there was a mix of all sorts of other fruit underneath that. He pulled away, turned to the horizon, and snapped his fingers.

A reddish-purple sun appeared far in the distance, making the sky all around shift to a similar, if lighter, color. It slowly began to move downwards, disappearing from the bottom as though setting behind a horizon. "Do you like it?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I think it's beautiful." He smiled back, tapping his nose against hers.

The two of them relaxed on the porch, staring at the snazzleberry-colored sunset and sipping their cold drinks. When it came to ending summer...this wasn't the worst way, Fluttershy mused.

She reached over and let her front hoof brush against Discord's paw. He smiled, slowly curling his fingers around her hoof. They both took another sip of their drinks, while she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Cocoa Cuddles

The door to Fluttershy's old cottage was flung open with great force, slamming against the inside wall. Cold winter winds screamed and howled, already pushing their way into the house and dropping icy sharp snowflakes onto the carpet.

A pair of mismatched arms, hidden under layers of fabric, quickly ushered a shorter bundle of winter clothes inside. The bundle shivered, wrapping two wing covers around itself and turning back to look at its partner.

The owner of the mismatched arms hustled inside, slamming the door closed behind them with great force and snapping their fingers, creating five different locks and a bolt to keep it shut and the winds out. "Phew!" they declared, tugging two scarves away from their neck and muzzle. "I wasn't expecting the winter storm to come quite this early. Sorry about that, Shyfly."

The bundle of winter clothes started pulling itself apart, a hat and a scarf pulled away to reveal a yellow muzzle and long pink mane. "It's okay," Fluttershy assured him. "We got in safely, didn't we?"

"That we did," Discord said, shivering and shedding his coat, hats, mittens, and boots like a snake, leaving them sitting in a pile on the now-damp carpet. After taking a moment to smooth down parts of his fur and mane that were sticking up, he snapped his fingers and made a roaring fire spring up in the fireplace. "Still, it's probably best we take plenty of time to warm up."

Fluttershy nodded, relaxing as warmth quickly started to fill the room—Discord must have been using magic to speed it up. Not that she could blame him. Even bundled under a thick coat, and multiple scarves and hats (Discord kept adding more as they had pushed through the wind and snow back to the cottage), she could still feel sharp icy flakes stabbing any open skin they could find, the wind's cold fingers threatening to pick her up, tear off her protection, and toss her into a snowbank.

Not that Discord would have allowed that to happen to either of them. He teleported over to her side as she kicked off her boots and fumbled with the cold zipper of her coat. He helped her unzip it and pull it off, and then began to pull off the other clothing articles he had added to her ensemble. She wouldn't have normally worn so many hats and scarves (there were at least three of each) or wing bling, but he had made a good argument about the day getting colder as they spent time outside. At least he hadn't tucked all those offered hot water bottles into her coat...she had to draw the line somewhere.

Once she had been freed from the bundle, Discord tossed all her clothes into a pile next to his own. "Don't worry, I'll clean everything up later," he said, going through the motions of the Pinkie Promise in a blink of an eye.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. He smiled and nodded, heading back over to the fire and poking at it with a staff. Each prod made it change color, shift into shapes, or make the room just a little bit hotter or colder.

She smiled, watching him work for a few minutes before heading to the nearest window. The glass was so dark that she had to lean her muzzle close to the glass before she could begin to see anything outside, even though it was in the middle of the afternoon.

"I hope all of our snowcreatures will be okay," she said, placing her hooves against the windowsill and peering outside. The snow was so thick in the air that it was impossible to see even a foot away, and her breath fogged the cold glass.

"Of course they will!" Discord declared. She glanced over just in time to see him snap his tail feathers. "They're an army created by us, after all. There's no way a little storm like this will be enough to take them out."

A smile flickered onto her muzzle, and she stepped away from the window, closing the curtains. She heard him snap his fingers, and a thick gold ribbon appeared to tie them shut. "So, how about some hot chocolate?" he asked. She turned and saw him standing in front of a red-and-yellow fire, a steaming pitcher of bubbling brown liquid in his paw.

"That sounds wonderful," she said with a smile, approaching and taking a seat on the couch. A bit of hot chocolate would be just the thing to banish the chill that still clung to her ears, hooves, and the edges of her wings.

Discord smiled and snapped his fingers. Two mugs appeared in midair—one black and crisscrossed with colorful lines, with the words #1 Chaos Entity in front, and one yellow with a pink rim, and the pink words Best Pony on the side.

Carefully, he poured equal amounts of hot chocolate into both mugs. Fluttershy took a deep breath—she could already smell how chocolatey and delicious the drinks would be. Discord set the pitcher next to the fire with his tail, sprinkling a bit of cinnamon onto both drinks before summoning a bag of marshmallows. One handful went into his mug, and two went into hers.

He plopped next to her on the couch. "Here you go," he said, handing her the steaming mug. "One hot chocolate, with extra marshmallows for the sweet marshmallow." He patted the top of her head, snickering to himself.

She stuck her tongue out at him, taking a sip of the hot drink. It was sweet and delicious. Her eyes flicked over to the bag of marshmallows, then to him slurping his own drink. The marshmallows. Him. The marshmallows.

"Something wrong?" he asked, setting the mug in his lap.

She shook her head, reaching into the bag. She grabbed a large hoofful of marshmallows...and plopped them into his drink. "Extra marshmallows for the marshmallow," she said, parroting back his words.

He stared at her blankly for a few moments...then dramatically reared back, gasping and placing his claw against his chest. "Oh, you did not," he said, eyes wide with feigned shock.

She had to bite her tongue before she started giggling. "I did," she countered.

"Oh, it. Is. On," he said, his eyes gleaming as his pupils narrowed into slits. He reached into the bag, grabbed another handful of fluffy marshmallows...and tossed them at her. "You're the marshmallow here!" he declared as they bounced off of her muzzle and forehead.

She blinked, leaning backward in shock. Discord cackled, pausing to take a quick sip of his cocoa before grabbing another handful of marshmallows and tossing them at her shoulder. She laughed, ducking her head and raising her forelegs to try and shield herself from the onslaught.

Discord snapped up an armful of jumbo-sized marshmallows, laughing and tossing them at her one at a time. She giggled as they bounced off of her forelegs and shoulders. But as fun as this was, her mind was racing, trying to figure out some kind of counterattack.

Her eyes landed on the open bag of marshmallows. With his new ammo, Discord wasn't paying as much attention to the smaller sweets...which gave her the perfect opportunity. Carefully setting her mug on the side table, where it was out of the way, she dropped onto her stomach, ducking just underneath three large marshmallows.

While her husband was still blinking in surprise from her sudden dodge, she used her hind legs to push herself forward on the couch. She grabbed the bag, stuck her hoof inside, and blindly threw as many marshmallows as she could grab at him, aiming in the general direction of his face.

To her surprise, he easily snapped the marshmallows out of the air, his jaws snapping shut with a loud click. "Mmm, delicious," he said, licking his lips. "...though I can see a much more delicious marshmallow right in front of me."

Heat rose in her face, and an embarrassed gasp escaped her. He gave her a wide, toothy grin, which did not help her embarrassment in the slightest.

Only one thing to do...she grabbed another hoofful of marshmallows and tossed them at him. They bounced off of his nose, which twitched as he blinked, rearing back a bit. His lips wobbled, and he started to snicker. "You still think you can win?" he said, chuckling. "Me, the champion of food fights? I ask you, who won our snowball fight earlier?"

"...me," she said quietly, sitting up and trying to puff her chest out the way he did when he boasted.

He paused, seeming almost frozen for a second before he shook his head. "...we'll say it was a tie," he said. Even though he had been the one pinned to a tree, surrendering to her greater number of crudely formed snowballs and her great accuracy with them. "But this is an area where you won't win, treasure!"

His chest puffed out. He still held an armful of large marshmallows, much more ammunition compared to her crumbled and depleted bag. Still...even if it was silly, doing this was just too much fun. And so, Fluttershy pulled out a single tiny marshmallow, set it on her tail, and flicked it at him.

It bounced off the center of his forehead, landing on the couch and rolling to the floor. Discord followed it with his eyes until it was out of sight. His gaze then flicked back to her, and he gave her a grin that made his snaggletooth gleam, its sharp edge very obvious.

"You asked for it," he said. His tail moved to the side, just enough that she could see it...and watch his he snapped his tail feathers.

A flash of light appeared above her head, bright enough to draw her attention and make her look up. A swirling white and brown portal had appeared above her...and as soon as she had looked at it, marshmallows of all shapes, sizes, and even colors began to pour from it and on top of her.

After a few moments, the rushing sweets stopped, but she was already buried under a pile of marshmallows. She munched on a few pink heart-shaped ones, then shook herself and sat up. Enough marshmallows fell away that at least her head could emerge.

Discord grinned smugly, especially when he saw she was munching on a few of the sweets. "Give up yet?" he asked. He pointed above her, and a quick glance told her that the portal was still positioned above her.

Well, there was no beating his magic. She sighed dramatically and held a hoof out to him, spilling even more marshmallows on the floor. "You win this round," she said. "...but I won the snowball fight."

He snorted. "Fine, if you must insist," he said, dramatically rolling his eyes and shaking her hoof. He glanced around the room, huffed again, and snapped his fingers. The marshmallows she was buried in, and all the others that had ended up scattered around the room during their antics, shuddered and floated towards the back of the couch.

She turned to watch curiously. The marshmallows all congregated into several oddly shaped statues, though a few were recognizable as ponies and Nirik. "I think I made a few too many to roast, but at least I can do something interesting with them," Discord said, leaning closer and nuzzling the top of her head as she giggled. For a moment, she felt his body temperature rise, radiating a burst of warmth just for her.

With their food fight finished, she reached out with a wing to grab her mug of hot chocolate, bringing it back into her hooves and taking a sip. Still as perfectly hot as when he had given it to her. She caught him smirking smugly as he took a sip of his own cocoa. She raised a hoof to her lips, hiding a smile of her own.

She leaned against his side, looking into the fire as it made shapes reminiscent of dancing Nirik. She felt comfortably warm now, almost sleepy...especially when she pressed her cheek against Discord's soft fur. Right now, he smelled strongly of chocolate and marshmallows. It was pleasant.

Discord wrapped an arm around her, draping a knit blanket around her as he did so. "Comfy?" he asked.

"Very," she said, nuzzling his side and taking a long drink of her hot chocolate.

"That's—" Discord yawned loudly, showing off all of his fangs. "—good to hear." He smacked his lips and blinked, taking a sip of cocoa.

Fluttershy couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Feeling a little worn out?"

"Chaos does not get worn down or defeated," he said proudly, stirring a little more cinnamon into his drink. She smirked and rose an eyebrow. "...but chaos does get tempted to take it easy and rest with the bestest, favoritest pony in the world." He bent his neck and gently nuzzled the very top of her forehead, placing a brief kiss there before pulling away.

She smiled, grabbing the edge of the blanket and pulling it over so that it rested over both of them. Discord blinked, then smiled warmly, snapping his fingers and creating a few more blankets for them to share and huddle under. With a bit of shifting, they were completely shielded from any potential cold air, with only their heads and forelimbs poking out.

Fluttershy yawned widely, leaning more of her weight against his side as she felt him wrap his tail around her waist. She closed her eyes, basking in the heat of the fire as she took another long sip of hot chocolate. She could feel Discord's breath slowing and becoming heavy, and glanced up to see his eyes half-lidded. She leaned up enough to kiss his neck, right underneath his cheek, and saw him smile softly.

With another yawn, she laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes and holding her steaming mug close to her. She was pleasantly warm, and with Discord next to her, she could almost forget about the raging winter storm outside.

Hammock Hanging

"...it looks like your cut's healing nicely," Fluttershy said to Harry, reapplying a bit of plaster on his nose. "Just remember to be careful around new mother cats, okay?"

The elderly bear made a rumbling sound from deep in his throat, leaning forward to press his head against her shoulder in thanks. She smiled and patted his head, and he stood up and wandered towards the pile of mushrooms she had left for him.

She smiled as he started to eat, checking that task off of her list. She had already completed most of it, with it being in the middle of the afternoon. But there was still a lot to do...enough that she had started early this morning, eaten a small packed lunch, had asked Dr. Fauna and Zecora for their help today, and there was still at least a page of things to be done.

Still, thinking about it wouldn't complete them. Soon, school would start, and she'd have more student volunteers to help. But for now, she needed to take care of most things herself, including... "Bring extra material for birds to build their nests," she said, reading the next task aloud.

She grabbed a basket full of gathered twigs, leaves, pieces of straw...and a few colorful yarn strands Discord had slipped in. He loved to make each nest look a little bit different in small ways, and she encouraged her bird friends to give the soft, colorful strands a chance.

With the basket in her mouth and her long list rolled up and tucked under her wing, she visited every bird nest and offered her gatherings. A few of her avian friends told her that they were fine and didn't need anything, but most flitted down and selected a few items, carefully tucking them into their homes.

Her basket was picked over but barely even depleted by the time she made it to her last stop—the small but thickly wooded grove, full of healthy trees that provided shade and homes for several sanctuary creatures, including several of her bird friends.

But when she arrived and set down the basket, she looked up and saw that most of them were flying quickly from tree to tree, chirping at each other. They didn't seem panicked, and weren't flying away in a swarm, but they seemed very determined to share something with each other.

"What is it, friends?" she asked, whistling a soft tune to catch their attention. Their heads turned to her. "Did something bad happen? Or did someone new fly in?"

He didn't fly in! Betty the bluejay whistled to her. But he appeared in the middle of the grove, he's still there!

H-he...he looks weird, said Stella the sparrow, a much newer arrival at the sanctuary. Y-you're sure he's not going to eat us?

Some of the older birds, or ones who had been there longer, all tweeted assurances at once and said it was fine. The newer birds still seemed a little wary, though, and quickly grabbed things from Fluttershy's basket before returning to the safety of the high branches.

"Who appeared?" Fluttershy asked. She already had a suspicion, though, even though she wasn't entirely sure why he would be here. "Actually...why don't I check it out myself, and you all help yourself to everything in the basket?"

A few of the birds gave her directions, most of them tweeting over each other. She still couldn't make out who had appeared, but she already had a theory. She smiled and wished all of them well, heading further into the grove and following their directions as they picked through the basket, pulling several colorful yarns strands out and carrying them away.

Soon, she was far into the shady area of the grove, though a few rays of sunlight still streamed through. She turned around the corner to see who they were all chattering about...and paused. There was a hammock made out of cloud strung between two of the trees in a partially sunny area, and lounging in it was none other than Discord, wearing bedazzled sunglasses and sipping a purple smoothie.

"...Discord?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

His head turned to her, and he lifted his glasses up with a grin. "Fluttershy!" he said. "Wonderful to see you here."

Her eyebrow rose a little further. "This is...the sanctuary," she said, a little bit confused. "I think I should be saying it's wonderful to see you here, but...what are you doing here?"

"Oh, not much," he said, dropping a few cherry tomatoes into his smoothie and mixing them around. "Just 'chillaxing', as my second-favorite pegasus would put it. How's work?"

"It's been going well!" she said, smiling. "Mariella's foot is recovering nicely from that infection, and Samatha is almost ready to go back into the wild, I think." She held up her list and started to scan it. "Of course, the baby bunnies are developing huge appetites, and I still need to make sure the water in the pond is fine..."

Suddenly, she was lifted up by a gust of wind. She squeaked, barely holding onto her list as the wind carried her over to Discord. He easily grabbed her out of the air and held her against him, kissing the top of her head.

"Sounds like you deserve a break," he said. He slipped the scroll from her hooves and hung it on the closest tree, easily within either of their reaches. "Why don't you lounge with me for a bit?"

It was quite tempting, but... "I have a lot of things left to do, Discord," she said. "Maybe later?"

"Ah, but 'maybe later' could also apply to your chores!" he declared triumphantly. "And 'later' will be cooler...you wouldn't have to work directly in the hot sun..."

He stroked her mane, looping his tail around her waist. He laid down again, trying to pull her along with him. She still remained sitting up, but...the sun on her coat was relaxing, and a cool, refreshing breeze came by every so often. Discord's fur felt soft and warm, and the sky was a beautiful, peaceful blue...

"I mean, this is nice, isn't it?" he said. "Just sitting back...watching the clouds...sleeping in the sun..." He took a long, slow sip of his smoothie.

Her eyes began to droop, and she quickly blinked before she ended up drifting off. "I suppose it is...kind of nice," she said. "But Discord, the animals..."

"Are being taken care of," he said. "Zecora and Dr. Fauna can handle it for a little bit, can't they? And you've already done so much work the past few days...surely a short break wouldn't hurt?"

As he spoke, he summoned a blender and poured her a smoothie, adding a neon twisty straw and paper umbrella once it was filled to the brim. She hesitated for a few moments...and then took it, sipping slowly at it.

"Just for a few minutes," she said, leaning back against his chest. He smiled, lazily wrapping his eagle arm around her and offering her a pair of sunglasses with his tail.

She slid them on and tilted her head back, slowly sipping the smoothie. She could taste several kinds of berries in it, and the cold, tasty drink felt absolutely wonderful and refreshing. "This is really good," she said, tilting her head back further to look up at her husband.

He smiled, loudly slurping his smoothie. "Why, thank you," he said. "Just tell me if you need it topped off."

She shook her head. "Just this one will be good, thanks," she said. "Then I'll have to get back to work."

"...well, at least I got you to take a small break," he said, tapping her nose. "You little workaholic."

She giggled, sticking her tongue out at him. He stuck his out right back at her, making a sound like a party favor. She snorted, quickly pressing a hoof against her lips to stifle her laughter. He continued sticking his out and making a party favor sound in varying tones, until she finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Discord laughed along with her, his tail feathers brushing against her sides in an effort to make her laugh longer. In turn, she stretched her wings behind her and brushed her feathers against his chest. His laughter grew louder, almost booming, and the hammock swayed underneath them as they laughed and tickled each other.

Eventually, their laughter calmed down, though a few giggles still escaped her. She fell back and relaxed against Discord's chest as she caught her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him flick away mirthful tears. The hammock continued to slowly sway, rocking her into a relaxed state.

She allowed her eyes to drift closed, sipping slowly at her fruity drink. She wasn't quite tired enough to fall asleep...but she still fell into a half-sleep stupor. It helped that everything about this felt so relaxing, from the warm sun on her belly, to Discord's heart beating against her back. A few of the birds were still singing and chirping, though they didn't seem bothered by Discord's sudden appearance anymore.

Discord's fingers buried themselves in her mane, scratching against her scalp. A smile flickered across her muzzle, and she shifted to lean up into his touch. She swished her tail around until she found his, and was able to loosely tangle hers around it. Even in her drowsy state, she could feel his tail wrap a little more tightly around hers. His fingers continued to stroke through her mane, and he placed a gentle kiss on top of her head.

A smile spread across her muzzle. Her body began to relax as she continued taking lazy sips of her smoothie. Already, she could feel the air grow a little cooler as the afternoon drifted slowly onward.

After a while, though, when she went to sip her smoothie, all she received was a loud slurping sound and a few tiny flecks of ice. Her eyes flicked open, and she saw that her cup was empty, aside from a few fruity dredges.

"Drat," Discord grumbled, his arms giving her torso a light squeeze. "I...suppose you'd want to get back to work now, then...?"

"Yes," she said, wriggling out of his grip. She saw him pout a little, but he still released her. "There's still a lot to do." She yawned, stretched out her wings to try and wake herself, and started to roll off of him. "...thanks," she said with a smile, kissing his cheek before fully getting out of the hammock. "Just lying around for a little bit...it felt nice. Thank you for...for doing this for me."

He smiled, kissing her ear as she dropped to the ground, making it flick. "I'm always happy to help," he said with a soft smile. "...don't overwork yourself, okay?" He handed her a glass bottle full of cold water.

"Thank you," she said, grabbing it with her wing, along with her list of tasks. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"Oh...I'll probably work on my tan here for a little bit," he said, unfolding a reflective screen and shifting to make himself comfortable. "After that? I hear there are a few pretty big rainstorms near the Perilous Peaks...I might go check those out to see if they're any fun."

"As long as you stay safe," she said with a smile. "I'll see you at dinner...or maybe sooner."

His ears perked up. "I promise I'll stay extra-safe, especially if it means you might come home a little earlier!" He clasped his hands together and gave her an almost pleading look. She laughed a little, shaking her head and giving him a bright smile.

She reached out and briefly placed the tip of her wing on his paw, smiling and trying to convey all her love through the simple touch. He smiled back, and based on the warm look he gave her, the message was completely received and returned.

The moment stretched for the two of them, but it was still just a moment. She withdrew her wing, and with a final wave goodbye, turned and headed out of the wooded grove. While unfurling her list, she noticed that a blue cloud had started to follow her from above, shielding her from the hottest rays of the sun.

Smiling, and feeling a little more rested, she continued onward and started to complete the rest of her tasks.

Discord Detangler

Fluttershy sighed, closing her eyes as she sank deep into the hot water in the bathtub. She could just lie here for hours...especially since the water didn't seem to grow cold at all. Probably a small spell from Discord, she thought with a smile. He could be so thoughtful.

A relaxing bath that never grew cold was just what she needed after today, anyway. Spring had arrived, and that meant several things needed to be done at the sanctuary—including helping birds build their nests, and hibernating creatures clean out their burrows and dens. Her day had been long, and left her with mud caked on her coat and twigs and feathers stuck in her mane, but it had been worth it. It always was.

She lazily rubbed a blue bar of soap over her forelegs, enjoying the scent of jasmine. Her coat had been easy enough to clean off, but her mane...that was a different story. Oh, the mud had come out of it easily, too, after a thorough soaking and shampooing, but there were still plenty of twigs and feathers left from the birds who preferred to wait there instead of in the branches as she worked.

She set the soap bar aside, dipping down into the water and rinsing the suds out of her coat. She emerged and twisted around, pulling most of her mane in front of her and brushing it with her hooves. She worked carefully to pluck out all of the twigs, feathers, and even leaves stuck there, setting all of them aside on the bathroom floor.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long, though there were some slight delays whenever something was well-wrapped and tangled in her mane. A bit of gentle tugging was usually enough to free them, though, and a little shampoo or conditioner helped them slip out if not.

She finally managed to remove all of the debris in her mane, and she sank into the hot water to relax for a moment. Still, she knew her task wasn't done. She should probably comb out all the tangles she had run into. It had been a while since she had given her mane a very thorough combing, but hopefully she wouldn't run into any more tangles than she had already found.

She sat up in the tub, then moved over to the other side, where she could easily reach the cupboards under the sink. After a bit of searching, she found a plastic, neon orange-and-green comb, with writing on the handle promising it was one hundred percent recycled material. Comb in hoof, she moved back to the other side of the tub, made herself comfortable, and started to comb her mane.

Before she had even been combing for five minutes, the comb snagged in her mane, making her wince slightly. That felt like a big tangle. With a frown, she tugged and tugged on her comb, wincing from the slight pulls on her scalp, until the comb's teeth finally passed through the tangle.

She sighed in relief and continued to brush the comb down through her mane. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any more tangles that big.

...just as she thought that, her comb was caught in yet another large tangle.

This time, she sighed in frustration as she started to tug at the comb. This tangle was being much more stubborn, and the pulling on her scalp was starting to become much more unpleasant. After a few failed attempts, she scowled and decided to just pull the comb out of her mane and start over.

...but when she tried, her mane was tugged along with it. She twisted and looked over her shoulder, and saw that her comb was plainly stuck right in the middle of her mane. She let it go and watched as it dangled over the floor, still staying stubbornly in place.

Well, that was a bit vexing. She tugged at the comb a few more times, but to no avail. It was stuck firmly in place. She continued tugging a little more without expecting much. All she received for her small efforts were more tugs on her scalp, and the comb probably getting even more caught up in her mane.

She tried to reach the knot, to see if she could untangle it by hoof or wing. But whenever she got a hold of it, it was always in the perfect position to be just out of her sight. There didn't seem to be any way to fix this alone...she was going to have to ask for help. Even if the thought embarrassed her and caused her to blush.

With a deep breath, she pushed her embarrassment away and found her voice. "Um...Discord?" she called. "I...need a little bit of help."

With a flash of light, Discord appeared beside the tub, bowing low at the waist dramatically. "What troubles you, milady? How may your ever so handsome and charming husband assist you?"

A smile flickered on her muzzle, and she shifted her head to show him her mane and the comb stuck inside it. "Do...do you think you could help me get this out?"

His eyebrows rose, and he carefully lifted the comb and the tangle it was stuck in. "I certainly can," he said. "Maybe I can fix this tangle, too."

"Oh, that'd be nice," she said, smiling. He smiled back, rubbing some conditioner on his hands that smelled like coconut before moving behind her and starting to experimentally, gently tug at her mane.

She could barely even feel anything, he was so careful. Discord hummed a small tune to himself as he worked, with a melody only he probably knew. After a minute or so, she heard him say "Aha!", then saw a familiar plastic comb enter her peripheral vision.

"Oh, thank you!" she said, turning around to smile gratefully at him. He grinned smugly, brushing his conditioner-covered fingers through that part of her mane a few times and showing how well it had been smoothed out.

"Still, though... there are a few more tangles to puzzle out in here," he said, stroking his fingers through her mane. It wasn't long before they stopped just at the edge of another tangle, this one thankfully a little smaller. "I didn't think you were letting the birds build their nests in your mane, Flutters!"

She blushed, tucking a strand behind her ear. "I don't mean to...but oh, they like to rest there while I'm helping someone else," she says. "They may have accidentally tangled it up a bit..." She tapped her hooves together and looked at him a little shyly. "Could you...please help untangle the rest?"

He blinked a few times, his expression neutral...until a wide grin spread across his face. "Helping you, and having a wonderful excuse to play with your mane!?" he said, a few sparkles shining in his pupils. "Fluttershy, you don't even have to ask! Of course I'll help!"

Her smile became a little less shy, and she straightened up as he moved behind her. She felt him tug at it lightly in a few places. "Now, let's see what the damage is," he mumbled. She heard him shift back and forth for a minute or so, humming to himself and giving her mane experimental (but never painful) tugs.

Eventually, he stopped right behind her, right in her blind spot. "Hmm....hmm," he said, holding up her mane in what seemed to be a thoughtful way. "Hmm?"

"Is it that bad?" she said, hunching her shoulders. She knew there were a few tangles, but it couldn't have been that bad, could it?

He clicked his tongue, stretching his neck forward and around to look her in the eyes. "Well, I wouldn't say your mane is its great, wonderful, smooth glossy self," he said. "But I've definitely seen worse tangles. Rarity might be horrified, but me?" He rubbed his hands together. "I see a puzzle I'm more than happy to solve."

"So...you really wouldn't mind helping?" she said, her expression brightening.

"Not in the slightest!" he said. "But forget just helping...I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to just sit back, relax, and let your incredibly skilled husband take care of everything."

He batted his eyelashes at her. She mulled it over for a few moments—it seemed unfair to ask him to fix all of it by himself. But he had offered, and...she yawned quietly, her tired body drooping and laying down below the water without her thinking much about it.

"Is that a 'yes'?" Discord asked, tilting his head. She slowly nodded as her yawn died out.

"Excellent!" he said, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles. "First things first, though...I'll help set a relaxing atmosphere for you."

He snapped his fingers, and two candles appeared in his hands, one light green and one light purple. He set them near the sink and lit them both with a quick puff of blue fire breath. Once the candles were burning merrily, he snapped his fingers again, creating a few golden urns that poured their contents into the tub, along with a flurry of red rose petals that settled and floated on top.

Fluttershy smiled, shifting backward until she could lean comfortably back against the side of the tub, her mane hanging over the edge. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The candles, though they had just started burning, already filled the air with the aroma of mint and lavender. Whatever he had poured into the water was slowly mixing in and sinking to her level, and she felt a soothing sensation wherever it touched her skin.

"Feeling comfortable?" he asked, rubbing her shoulders. "Nice and relaxed?"

"Oh yes, very," she said, giving a slight nod. "What did you put into the water?"

"Just a few oils and conditioners I've learned about over the years," he said, a smile clear in his voice. "Things to help relax you, and that will make your coat and skin clean and smooth! Rarity would most certainly approve...dare I say she'd even be a little envious?"

She shifted in the tub, feeling the oils do their soothing work as Discord smeared something between his hands. "Trust me, Fluttershy," he said, kissing the nape of her neck and making her shiver. "These nasty little tangles and knots won't know what hit them!"

And so, he got to work. His fingers brushed against her scalp, then stroked through her mane until they ran into some kind of snag. He would carefully pull apart each tangle, with only the lightest tugs on her scalp, then kept moving on until he ran into the next tangle. Every so often, she felt him rub shampoo into certain spots, then wash away the suds with warm water. She kept her eyes closed the whole time...he was so skilled, and it all felt very relaxing.

"I hope you don't mind that your mane's going to smell like lots of different shampoos, now," he said. "They're all flower- and spring-related, of course...so your mane's going to smell even more like a garden in springtime than usual."

She giggled. "I don't mind," she said, feeling him rub more shampoo onto a particularly nasty tangle. She caught a whiff of hibiscus. "Besides, I think it all smells nice."

"I knew you would," he said warmly, carefully rinsing away the shampoo suds. She smiled and kept relaxing as he worked, the scented candles and bath oils almost enough to make her drowsy.

Before she knew it, Discord was stroking his fingers through her mane without running into any resistance. "They've been defeated, milady," he said proudly. "Every last one of them." She heard him snap his fingers, and heard mane dryers appear and start blowing warm air over her mane and back.

With those, and a towel Discord summoned, her mane quickly went from soaking wet to almost completely dry. She sat up in the tub and started to get out, the mane dryers floating in the air and following her, while Discord held her mane above the ground in the towel.

He snapped his tail feathers, and a large, fluffy towel appeared in front of her forehooves. "Oh, thank you," she said, picking it up and using it to dry herself. Even after she dried her coat, it still seemed smoothed down, and quite soft—perhaps those bath oils at work.

Soon, she was totally dry, and Discord sent the towels and mane dryers away with a snap of his fingers. "Well, what do you think?" he asked, releasing her mane and letting it drop onto a rug that had suddenly appeared. "The tangles are gone, but does it still meet your approval?" He grinned, tapping his fingers together.

She turned her head, trying to see as much of her mane as she could. It looked clean, glossy, and tangle-free. It also felt very light on her back, though that could have been thanks to the debris being removed. She caught a whiff of a few different shampoos—tulips, roses, and coconut flowers were the first few she noticed—and smiled. She tossed her mane back and forth a little, enjoying the feeling of it. It felt wonderfully clean and bouncy. "It's wonderful," she said. "Thank you for all your help, Discord."

He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was no trouble, really," he said. "I mean, you know I just love messing with your mane." He chuckled and leaned forward, taking a small strand and curling it around his claw a few times before releasing it. It fell back, still holding a little of the curl he had given it, but quickly straightening out.

She glanced at the blue flower that she normally used to tie her mane up in a loop, resting in a vase next to the sink. She sometimes wore it even in bed, to avoid getting tangled up in her own mane as she slept, but...she brushed a strand of her mane with her hoof, then held it out to Discord.

"I think I'll let it hang loose tonight," she said with a smile. His ears perked up. "Do you think you could give me a hand? I'd hate for it to get dirty as it drags on the floor, after you—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, he scooped the length of her mane into his arms, briefly lifting a small strand to press it against his cheek. "Your wish is my command," he purred, letting it fall in with the rest. "And if your wish is to let your mane down, leaving it oh-so-easy to brush and touch and play with, why, what husband would I be if I didn't help a little?"

She smiled and started walking out of the bathroom, heading for their bed. Already, she could sense Discord stroking her mane, sighing as he enjoyed its softness and let it tangle around his fingers. Her heart fluttered. Being able to make him happy with just a small gesture like this...it was moving.

She climbed into bed and under the sheets, letting her mane drape out beside her. Discord teleported under the sheets once she was in bed, and began to stroke his fingers through the length of her tresses. He reached up and scratched behind her ear with his claws, making her sigh and relax. It felt wonderful.

After a few moments, she leaned forward and lightly kissed him. He eagerly returned the gesture, and she could feel him smiling against her lips. "Good night, Cordy," she said, making herself comfortable.

"G'night, Flutterbuddy," he said softly. She opened one eye for a second to see what he was doing. He was laying comfortably, almost looking ready for bed...but was busy braiding and unbraiding her mane, letting the strands of her mane all slip from his grip before picking a new location to mess with. She smiled, closing her eyes and relaxing before she ended up giggling.

Hopefully, she wouldn't have even more tangles in her mane when she woke up. Then again...Discord would probably be more than eager to help untangle them again. And she wouldn't mind relaxing and letting him.

Bulk vs. Fluff

So, this was how it was all going to end, Discord thought as he stared up at the ceiling. All of his work, everything he had put into this...it would all be for naught. All because he was pinned by this heavy metal bar, and his arms just gave up whenever he tried to lift it!

"Hrrgh," he grunted, making another attempt before his muscles quivered and went limp. The dumbbell handle fell back onto his chest, and he grunted as it pushed air out of him. He groaned loudly out of frustration, his voice echoing down the hallway.

"Discord, are you alright?" Fluttershy called back. "Where are you?"

Discord flinched, gasping. She was home from the sanctuary earlier than he had expected, and he had wanted to surprise her! But if he didn't answer, she would start to worry... "...I'm in the gym!" he called, grunting and huffing as he tried to lift the dumbbell off. He had to do this legitimately, that was the whole point of this! But it still refused to budge.

He could hear her galloping through the hall to the gym. She rushed through the door, her face full of worry. "Discord, I'm here! What hap—" she said, before becoming speechless at what was before her eyes.

There were several hoof weights of various sizes scattered throughout the floor. Towels were strewn across most surfaces, damp with sweat, and empty water bottles rolled about. Discord was currently laying on his back on a cushioned bench in the middle of the room, trapped underneath a dumbbell that had three large, circular weights locked in on each side.

"Losing...energy..." he gasped dramatically, his arms wobbling as he tried to push it off of his chest.

Fluttershy quickly approached him, trying to lift the weights off of her husband. "Can't you...remove them with your magic?" she panted, struggling with their weight.

"But then I won't...get stronger!" he panted. He slumped against the bench, sweat pooling under him as his tongue rolled out of his mouth. "...but maybe sixty pounds was a bit much..."

"But Discord, your safety and health are more important!" she said. "Get out of this right now, please! Or...or if you're too tired to use your magic, I can bring someone to help you!" She turned around, ready to go and look for help.

"No, I can get out!" he said quickly. If their friends heard about this, they'd laugh at him forever...especially Rainbow! He made one last attempt at lifting the dumbbell. When that didn't work, he sighed and snapped his tail feathers, teleporting to Fluttershy's side.

She grabbed one of the nearest towels and handed it to him. "What made you want to do this, anyway?" she asked, still looking at him with worried eyes.

He frowned, accepting the towel and patting sweat off of his brow. "...well, I wanted it to be more of a surprise, but..." He lifted his lion arm and flexed. A tiny bicep bulged up, and he looked to her with a grin.

She smiled at this action. "So...you wanted to be bulkier? I thought you liked the way you look." She raised one eyebrow.

"Of course I do!" he said, holding his head high and puffing out his chest. "I am a gorgeous specimen, and we both know it." He flexed both arms, trying to strain the muscles in his torso, as well. The abs he was hoping for still weren't there, and the bicep of his eagle arm wasn't nearly as impressive as he wanted. "I just figured...you might like it if I had a little more muscle mass."

"But why?" she said. "I like your noodle body. And...this." She flew up and brushed his fur with her hoof, blushing slightly.

"My fur?" he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I mean...my coat's a little thicker than a pony's. Especially here." He gently held her hoof close to his chest, where his fur was the thickest. "It is magnificent, isn't it? But you don't want a pair of strong, bulky arms to wrap around you in a cliched way, like they do in your romance novels?"

"Discord, your arms are already much stronger than most ponies'. You don't need to have bigger muscles. I love you the way you are, and the way you look." She gently nuzzled into his chest, closing her eyes.

A light pink blush formed on his face, his ears wriggling. "...thank you, Fluttershy," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling the top of her head. "So...no changes you'd want to make when it comes to me? Nothing at all?"

"Nope," she said. She lifted her head and pecked his lips.

His tail wagged, and he closed his eyes, lightly returning the pressure of the kiss. How lucky was he, to have fallen in love with someone who was practically perfect, and wouldn't change a thing about him?

After they pulled away for air, she gave him a knowing look. "Let me guess. You suddenly wanting to have bigger muscles has something to do with Spike teasing you about it again?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Yesterday was O&O Night, and today I find you in the gym..."

"...maybe," he admitted. "I mean, come on! Even if he doesn't say anything, he's practically showing off! You know most of the mares working in the castle are ogling him. Probably a couple of the stallions, too."

He glanced at his much thinner arms, "...I know my arms are basically sticks. Spike knows it, you know it...I just thought some muscles would impress you and shut up that...stupid, handsome, bulky face of his."

She chuckled. "To be honest, I'm not that surprised. When he was younger, most of the other dragons teased him and made fun of how small he was. Though he probably means it in a much more friendly way with you."

"Yeah, yeah, it's all in good fun. But he definitely got lucky once he really started to grow," Discord said with a nod. "...plus, I'm pretty sure he started hitting the weights pretty hard once he was big enough."

"You know...if you want, we could have some exercise sessions together once a week," she suggested. "I wouldn't mind improving my condition."

"You don't have to change a thing about yourself, either, you know," he said, pressing his cheek against hers and giving her a gentle nuzzle. "But...doing it together might be fun. Especially if we can do something a little more interesting than just sitting around lifting heavy stuff."

"What do you mean, Cordy?" she asked, looking at him with curiosity.

"I mean...could we do more exercises like the ones for buckball training?" he said. "Those were at least a little interesting."

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," she said. "But don't overdo this." She glanced over at the sixty-pound dumbbell still laying on the bench.

"I won't, I won't," he said, drawing an X over his heart. "...but you'd better not push yourself too hard, either!"

"Don't worry, I won't," she said, smiling and kissing his cheek.

He smiled, leaning into the kiss. "...well, since you've saved me from being trapped forever under that," he said, pointing at the dumbbell, "Why don't we just take some time to relax? Perhaps with some cold, fruity drinks?"

"That sounds lovely," she said. "We could make them together."

He smiled and nodded, holding his paw out to her. She placed her hoof on his palm with a grin on her face. He gave her hoof a gentle squeeze, snapping his tail feathers to teleport them both to the kitchen.

Fluttershy went to the fridge and opened it. "Let's see...we have some oranges, grapes, mangos, and bananas, as far as I can see."

"Ooh, how about some orange-mango-banana smoothies?" he suggested, pulling the fruits out of the fridge and juggling them all in the air.

"I think that sounds tasty," she said, licking her lips.

He snapped his tail feathers and summoned a blender with ice inside, each of the juggled fruit plopping directly into it and leaving their peels hovering in the air. He quickly snapped the lid on top, and the blades began to quickly turn, slicing the fruits into liquid. She smiled and watched as he worked.

Once the blender stopped, he quickly poured them two large glasses, topping them with little paper umbrellas and neon straws before handing one to her. She took it from him and began to sip. "Mm, it's wonderful!" she said.

"So glad you approve," he said. "...so, would you say smoothies are a quicker way to your heart than sweaty skin and strong muscles?" He chuckled.

"Maybe," she said with a tiny giggle, smiling teasingly.

He grinned. "Well, then...just let me know if you need that topped off," he said, posing with the blender in his hand and flexing.

"I will," she said with a snicker at his antics.

He sipped at his own drink, smiling and coiling his long body around her. Just for her, he used his magic to fluff his fur up a bit, since she liked it so much.

She sighed with pleasure as she nuzzled into his fur. He reached up and buried his claws in her mane, scratching right behind her ear while still sipping his smoothie. Knowing that he could make her happy with small gestures like this...it made his chest feel light and airy.

...muscles were overrated, anyway.

Author's Note

This chapter was written with the help of Eveeka! She also made this lovely art:

Harvest Festival

Fluttershy opened the front door and stepped inside their home—and was immediately surprised when Discord appeared in front of her in a flash of light.

"Fluttershy, my darling, my love, my butter half!" he said, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tightly. "It's a delight to have you back home...here, have a gift!" He pressed a gigantic bouquet of all kinds of flowers into her hooves, the whole thing tied together with a plaid ribbon and bow.

She wobbled for a second under the weight of it, looking up at him. His grin was wide...almost too wide. And his eyes were flitting around nervously. "And, um...I made other things, just for you! Like these tiny cakes that aren't related to the Harvest Festival at all!" he said. He held up a plate filled with tiny lemon cakes, frosted and topped with strawberries.

"So, let's sit on the couch and not go into the kitchen," he said, ushering her over. "I can fetch things for you...would you like tea? A vase for those flowers? Shoulder massage? I can do—" She reached up and placed a hoof against his lips to stop him.

"Discord," she said gently. "Take a breath. Breathe..." The draconequus obeyed, taking several deep, exaggerated breaths. But eventually, he seemed a bit less frantic, a little calmer. "Now...could you please tell me what happened today?"

He looked away guiltily. She waited, setting the bouquet into a nearby vase (which it fit in perfectly despite it being way too small), and placing the plate of cakes onto the living room table. She sat on the couch, patting the space beside her. He reluctantly sat, his fingers entwined together.

"I was thinking," Discord said. "About the family gathering we'll be attending. And I thought, and thought, though I tried to distract myself..."

"What happened?" she asked. He flinched, still wringing his tail a bit.

"I...may have set fire to the kitchen while trying to make pies," he said. "So, um...don't freak out at the smoky smell, okay?"

"You..." She took a deep breath. "You tried to bake a pie. And it started a fire?"

"Several pies," he said. "But once they were in the oven, I started thinking about...about salads. And so I made some salads, and I forgot about the pies, and the next thing I knew..." He paused. "In my defense, I think at least three of the salads I came up with taste really good."

She bit back a sigh. "Discord..." she said.

"But maybe I can do better!" he exclaimed. A bundle of recipe cards appeared in his hands. "Maybe something more traditional...or should I go with a twist? Sweet, or maybe go with savory?"

She grabbed his hands and gave them a squeeze. He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes.

"Look," she said. He kept clutching the recipe cards in his hands. "We sent my family a letter about this, remember? They said they would handle most of the meal, and we don't have to do anything. We can bring soup, salad, or dessert if we want."

He nodded slowly, setting a few of the cards down...but still holding onto some. "Let's do all three," he said. "I'll make two or three of each, really impress them."

"No," she said with a shake of her head. She shifted a little closer and pressed against his side. "You're worrying too much about this, sweetie...I hate to see you so stressed."

"But it's your family! I have to stun them, give them a chaotic taste that will last forever in their memories!"

She sighed and pressed her muzzle into his cheek. "Discord...you don't have to fret," she says. He crinkled the cards. "Look...if I agree to help you make one soup and one salad, will you stop worrying and trying to overwork yourself?"

He frowned. "Well...it would be nice to sleep easy without dreaming about the various ways I could make the gathering historical."

"Yes...and doesn't not worrying sound nice and relaxing?" she said, rubbing his shoulders. He sighed, his eyes sliding closed as his head drooped. "I'll help you with the cooking, and both of us can just relax..."

"Yes...relax..." he said, his eyes drifting closed. She continued massaging his shoulders. "Mm...you make a very good argument," he purred.

"So...one soup and one salad?" she said. He hesitated, but slowly nodded in agreement. She smiled and patted his arm. "Okay. Let's look at those cards and figure out what we want to do."

"...shall we go into the kitchen?" he offered. "I fixed just about all the damage."

She nodded and stood up, heading into the kitchen, with him right behind her. He shuffled the recipe cards as she took in the room. Looking at it, nothing appeared to be wrong, though there was that faint smoky smell in the air that Discord had warned her about.

Discord took a seat at the kitchen table, grabbing her chair and pulling it close to him. As she sat down, he spread all the recipe cards out on the table. "I just don't know what to choose!" he said. "I want to make something impressive, but not too impressive. I want to wow them without showing up anyone else in your family..."

She patted his shoulder, making him relax slightly. She began to shift through all of the recipe cards, first sorting them into piles of soups and salads, then looking through each individual recipe. Discord grabbed recipes individually, tossed them aside after looking them over...only to maybe pick them up a minute later, comparing it with another.

After a couple of minutes of sorting through the soup recipes, she found something that sounded good. Something savory, something they hadn't had in a while...something that just the thought of made her lick her lips.

"How does a cheesy hayburger soup sound?" she suggested, showing off the recipe card. "I don't think we've made it for a while, but I remember it being hot and filling..."

He stroked his beard, licking his lips. "Mmm...that doesn't sound too bad," he said. "Not too crazy, but still pretty tasty and impressive..."

"So is that a yes?" she said. He nodded, but continued stroking his beard in thought.

"I'd still like to pick a salad before we start making anything," he said. "...is there a salad that would go well with that soup?"

"...if you counted a cheese hayburger as a salad, maybe," she said, nudging his ribs. He stared at her for a few seconds, then began to chuckle, shaking his head.

He kept chuckling as he looked through the cards. "...nothing in here is really grabbing me," he said with a sigh, flicking a card away.

"Maybe we can experiment, and make something that doesn't have a recipe," she said. He glanced at her, stroking his beard.

"What...about..." he said slowly. "A fruit salad. But instead of regular fruit, we use tropical fruit!"

"And we could cut the slices into irregular shapes!" she suggested, causing him to nod eagerly. "But...what sort of fruits are tropical enough?"

"Well, we want something citrusy, but not too sour. Mandarin oranges would work for that," he said, snapping his fingers and creating some of the round orange fruits in his hand. "As for what else...what's the first tropical fruit that comes to your mind?"

She tilted her head and closed her eyes. Thinking of the tropics made her think of sandy beaches and flower leis, fruity drinks with tiny paper umbrellas...and on their last vacation, the first fruity drink had contained...

"Kiwi," she said aloud. "That's the first one that comes to mind for me."

"Kiwi," he said with an approving nod, snapping up two of the furry fruits. "Well, we've picked a soup and a salad...want to work on the salad?"

"Sure," she said, picking up the fruits and bringing them to the counter, digging around in the drawers for a sharp knife. Once she found one, she began to peel the brown skin off the kiwis, while Discord snapped up a large bowl on the counter between them.

He started peeling the orange and pulling it into separate slices. "So...what else would a tropical fruit salad have?" he asked, dropping the slices into a bowl.

"Hmm," she said, chopping up the kiwi into thin slices. "Maybe pineapple?"

"That sounds good," he said, tossing the orange slices into the bowl like throwing stars. "What about cherries?"

"Maybe just a couple," she said. "They're not terribly tropical, and we can't exactly cut them into fun shapes." With that said, she paused before tossing the next slices into the bowl, using her knife to cut them into star shapes.

"Oh ho, is that a challenge?" he said. He tore the peel of the next orange with ease, letting the slices fall easily into the bowl.

"...I supposed you could try to cut them into fun shapes," she said with a shrug, chopping up the rest of the kiwi and reaching for the second one. "I think one more fruit would probably be good. We don't want to overwhelm the salad with flavor."

"Says you," he said, sticking his tongue out as he summoned a pineapple and large knife. "...though you are probably right," he added as he began to saw off the tough, spiky skin.

She hummed in thought as she cut the kiwi slices into squares and triangles. Something about her memory of that fruity drink on the beach...it nagged at her. Another tropical fruit? But they had already added kiwi, and Discord was tossing in pineapple...

"Oh!" she said suddenly, the realization hitting her. "Coconut! What's more tropical a fruit than coconut?"

"...you beautiful genius!" Discord declared. "Actually..." With a snap of his fingers, the bowl transformed into half of a giant coconut shell. He summoned another coconut and cracked it open, peeling the white meat out of it as his tail kept cutting the pineapple into strips.

"Do you need any help with that?" she asked, cutting the kiwi into thinner slices before tossing it into the bowl.

"I think I've got this," he said. He hung the strips of coconut on what looked like a miniature clothesline, where they started to rapidly dry. His tail continued moving, not only sawing the pineapple into strips, but slicing it into blocks, and then into shapes such as triangles and circles. "Why don't you find some cherries?"

She blinked, startled for a moment—watching him had just been so entrancing. But she nodded and moved towards the fridge, scouring the shelves until she found a plastic container of cherries, about half-full. She brought it back and opened it up, just as he was tossing dried coconut chips into the bowl.

"Oh, those look good," he said, licking his lips as he eyed the cherries. "How many should we add?"

She leaned over to look into the bowl. "Probably not too many...the bowl looks pretty full," she said.

He peered in with her. "...looks like just about enough pineapple, too," he said. His tail dropped the knife next to the carved-out pineapple. "Perhaps...a bit more coconut, and a handful of cherries?"

She nodded, and he tossed in another batch of dried coconut, taking a single cherry and placing it in front of himself. She added nine cherries to the bowl, listening as Discord sliced and slashed with a knife, hissing and grumbling to himself.

She glanced over to look...and saw that his hands were covered in cherry juice, some of it even ending up in his beard. A mangled cherry sat on the counter, juice pooling from it.

"...perhaps cutting cherries into fun shapes isn't the greatest idea," he said, setting his knife aside. He grabbed the mangled cherry and popped it into his mouth, rinsing his hands with a faucet in mid-air as he slowly chewed.

She grabbed a wooden spoon, and began using it to toss the salad, mixing all the fruits together so they were less layered and organized. Once Discord finished rinsing his hands, he snapped his fingers, each snap causing the fruit to jump and toss itself.

After just a few minutes, Fluttershy paused, pulling out the spoon. The salad looked well-mixed, with a variety of warm, tropical colors visible. Discord turned to her, clasping his hands together and waiting silently for her approval.

"It looks delicious," she said. "I think they'll love it."

Discord seemed to relax, then tucked the fruit salad into the fridge. "...care to help me make the soup, or should it wait for another day?"

"If it'll help you relax, we can make the soup now," she said. "What do we need first?"

He grinned, snapping up a large pot and summoning the recipe card into his paw. "Let's see...well, the first thing is to start boiling water, and add some cheese," he read.

Fluttershy and Discord appeared in the suburbs of Cloudsdale with a flash of light. The sun was slowly climbing higher in the sky as noon approached, and a few pegasi were flying through the air, probably heading towards whatever family or group they would spend the Harvest Festival with.

She unfurled her wings and rose into the air, flying towards her parents' home. Discord followed behind her, dragging his feet against the cloud and carrying the food they had prepared for the Festival.

She quickly dropped in front of her parents' front door, waiting for Discord to arrive. As soon as he was there, she raised a hoof and knocked on the door. "Nngh," she heard him say, and turned to look at him.

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I...I don't know," he said. "Are you sure this is the best soup and salad? Perhaps I should create more, so that everyone has plenty of options..."

"Discord," she said, reaching out to hold his paw. "It'll be fine. My parents love you, Zephyr loves you—in his own way—you don't need to do anything to impress them."

He paused, looking away. "...I know," he said slowly. "I'm just...not used to that. It took me so long to realize I didn't need to do anything to impress you..."

She squeezed his paw, but before she could give him any more assurances, the door opened. "Fluttershy, Discord!" Mrs. Shy said. "You're both looking well. Come in, come in!"

Mrs. Shy ushered them inside. "All of the other food is in the kitchen, if you want to set your things there," she told them.

The two of them headed into the kitchen, where there was already a wide spread of foods. Discord swallowed and placed his soup and his salad on the table with everything else. Fluttershy glanced around the kitchen and living room. "Where's Zephyr?" she asked.

"He said he'd be running a bit late," her dad said from the living room. "But he'll be here soon, hopefully."

"Oh...I guess he must be pretty busy," Fluttershy said. She and Discord headed into the living room, taking seats on the couch. Discord's tail wrapped around her waist.

Mr. and Mrs. Shy took seats in their usual spots. Fluttershy had a jolt of realization of how much...older her parents were getting. They both seemed to be aging well, and actually looked a little younger than their ages, but it was still impossible to miss the wrinkles around their eyes, and how even small movements made them wince from soreness at times.

"So," Mrs. Shy said, interrupting her thoughts. "How is the sanctuary doing?"

Fluttershy pushed away her previous thoughts and smiled. "Oh, things are going great," she said. "Two cats just had healthy litters, and I recently planted some petunias for the bunnies to enjoy..."

"I added a couple of hot pink ones," Discord added. "For fun." His tail was still wrapped tight around her, but he seemed to relax...if only slightly.

"Oh, how clever!" Mrs. Shy praised. "My, I wish I had space in my garden for more of your flowers..." Discord blushed, and Fluttershy glanced out the window. Her mom's garden was looking as healthy as ever, filled with flowers and vegetables...with one row filled with quite unnatural, chaotic plants.

"I could...give you some seeds for later," Discord said. With that, he snapped up a small, white, sealed bag, which had a crayon drawing of a hot-pink orchid on it. Mrs. Shy smiled and thanked him as he handed it to her.

"Been on any adventures lately?" Mr. Shy asked. Fluttershy shook her head, while Discord raised a hand and shook it in a 'sort of' motion. Her dad cracked a grin, and the four of them began to talk about all kinds of things—how their hobbies were going, news they had heard, and new things they had begun to try.

After perhaps an hour of sitting and talking, peppered with Discord occasionally using his magic to demonstrate something or entertain himself, the front door opened. "Guess who's hooome!" Zephyr's voice called.

"We're in the living room, dear!" her mom called back. "Please, come and join us!"

Zephyr slowly entered the room. He had grown a few inches taller over the years, and his current manestyle was a long ponytail, his bangs brushed away and out of his face. There was a bulging saddlebag slung over his shoulder, and he was carrying a small cheesecake in his hooves.

His eyes landed on Discord. Sparks of tension flew between the two of them for a few seconds...but neither said anything. "I'll...go set this in the kitchen," he said, lifting up the cheesecake. He slowly stepped back into the kitchen, then shifted quickly out of sight.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and shook her head. Zephyr and Discord had a...rocky start, to say the least. They might not have been glaring at each other from across the table and slinging thinly-veiled insults and challenges at each other anymore, and actually kind of got along, but the atmosphere around them was still awkward. Discord, for his part, didn't seem to be glaring at or challenging her brother, and actually looked slightly guiltily that he had unintentionally scared him off.

Zephyr returned and sat on the armrest of an empty armchair—closer to where Fluttershy was sitting than Discord was. "Where's Pixie Cut?" Mrs. Shy asked. "I was hoping to be able to see her today."

"Oh...yeeeah," Zephyr said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She had a lot of appointments this week...ponies wanting to look good for the Harvest Festival and so on, you know?"

He flopped into the chair and lounged back against the other armrest. "She's taking the day to relax, and she's going to see her own family either tomorrow or this evening—whenever she feels up to it."

"Oh, that's completely understandable," Mrs. Shy said. "I hope we can meet her in the future, though."

Discord leaned over and whispered to Fluttershy, "Of course, it's hard to bring an imaginary marefriend with you." She narrowed her eyes at him and nudged him in the ribs, shaking her head.

"What was that, Discord?" Mr. Shy asked.

Discord's face was blank for a moment. "Just, uh...asking Fluttershy the usual question of why this 'holiday' is called a Harvest Festival when it's really only spent with family," he said quickly.

Mr. and Mrs. Shy blinked, looking at each other. "...that is a good question," Mrs. Shy said. "Maybe High Princess Twilight would know...isn't she the one who revived it as a holiday?"

"And your friend, uh...Frosting Pie helped, too!" Zephyr pointed out. "How come you don't know the answer?"

"Pinkie Pie," Discord said. "And I haven't asked, because that would take all the fun out of guessing!"

Zephyr opened his mouth...then closed it, apparently not having a counterargument. His stomach growled. "Oh, you must all be hungry," Mrs. Shy said, standing up. "Let's all dig in."

"Oh boy, grub," Discord said, holding a hand out to Fluttershy to help her up. She smiled and thanked him once she was on her hooves.

The five of them headed into the kitchen, each grabbing a plate and taking their places at the table. Her parents sat on one side, her and Discord on the other, while Zephyr sat between her and her parents.

"Well...help yourselves, everyone!" her mother said. That was all the encouragement Discord and Zephyr needed to start piling food onto their plates.

Discord hit most of the main dishes, while Zephyr did the same, also taking the soup and salad they had brought. Her parents helped themselves to a little bit of everything, especially the dishes they had brought. Fluttershy smiled and helped herself to some of her favorite homemade foods, like the nut bread and fruity jello, along with the fruit salad she and Discord had worked on.

All five of them dug into their food. Mr. and Mrs. Shy had excellent manners, eating slowly. Discord and Zephyr ate a little quicker, and much more messily, while Fluttershy tried to eat quickly enough to sate her hunger, but still slowly enough to savor the food.

Compliments were exchanged all around, and soon, Discord had cleared his plate. "Wonderful food, as always," he said, patting his stomach. "My compliments to the chef."

"Are you going to have seconds?" Mrs. Shy asked.

"Oh, probably," he said with a shrug. "Maybe just a little, though...want to save room for dessert and all that." He took a small amount of everything, his plate of seconds looking smaller than his first plate.

Of course, this wasn't quite enough to satisfy her mother. "You should have more!" she said, doling more potatoes onto Discord's plate. "You're so skinny...I always worry about you."

Discord blushed, his chest fur puffing up a little as he tried to hide his face. Fluttershy smiled, but spoke up and said, "Mom, please...Discord's a perfectly healthy weight."

"But I could never turn down extra homemade food!" he said quickly, taking a bite. Fluttershy felt something tap on her foreleg, and she looked down.

A tiny Discord clone was on her chair beside her. He held a finger to his lips, then lifted up a cue card that read, Please, don't fuss over me! Maybe if I eat, she'll stop fussing, too...

She smiled, giving a small nod and patting his head. He smiled and leaned into her touch, before disappearing in a flash of light. "Is something wrong?" her dad asked.

"Oh...no!" she said, quickly looking up. "I just thought I'd dropped something for a second. But it's fine."

They all continued eating, her mother making sure Discord, Fluttershy, and Zephyr were all getting enough to eat. Eventually, after seconds and thirds had been eaten, and a good portion of the food was gone (especially the tropical fruit salad), Zephyr stood up.

"I brought dessert!" he said. "Let me just get it out of the fridge."

"I hope this is good," Discord said as her brother grabbed the cheesecake, putting slices on five separate plates. "I mean, I'd hate to think I saved room in my stomach for something that's not worth it!"

Plates of cheesecake were placed in front of all of them...though Discord's seemed a little smaller than the others. "I figured I'd try my hoof at baking!" Zephyr said. "The cheesecake is homemade...and I even tried to make it vegan!"

"Ooh," Fluttershy said, intrigued. Picking up her fork, she scooped up a bit of the cheesecake and took a bite—and had to immediately fight to keep her face from scrunching up. The taste wasn't terrible, but the texture...'squeaky' was the only word that came to mind to describe it.

She noticed her own parents biting their lips as they tasted the cheesecake, trying to think of what to say. Discord seemed to enjoy his slice, though, quickly eating another bite and munching away.

Zephyr beamed and took a bite of his own slice...then frowned. "That's...not how it was meant to turn out," he said, sounding a bit ashamed. "Maybe making it vegan wasn't the best choice for a first cheesecake..."

"Oh, it's not that bad," Discord said, still munching on his own slice. "I love the subversiveness of getting an unexpected texture to food! Tell me, what ingredient made it like this?"

"I'm...not sure," Zephyr said. He put a hoof to his chin and closed his eyes. "Maybe it was the baking powder...? Yeah, probably."

While he wasn't looking, Fluttershy slid her cheesecake closer to Discord. He winked at her and scooped it up, tossing the whole thing into his maw. She swore she could hear squeaking sounds as he chewed...she shuddered.

When Zephyr opened his eyes again, he didn't seem to notice her empty plate—instead focusing on the fact that Discord was still munching away at his own slice. "Soo..." he said. "Do you like it enough that you'd want to take the rest of it home?"

"Hmm," Discord said, using his fork to stab the rest of his cheesecake into mush. "I'll think about it. I mean, there's so little space in our fridge at home...and I'd just hate to deprive you of the dessert you worked so hard to make..."

"Oh no, you don't have to worry about taking it off my hooves!" Zephyr said. Fluttershy noticed that there was a bit of sweat on his brow. "I insist that you take it, since you like it so much..."

"Hmm...I'll really have to think about it," Discord said noncommittally. Zephyr's shoulders sagged, but he stopped sweating bullets...at least for now.

They—well, just Discord—polished off their slices of cheesecake quickly. No one was up for seconds of that, not even Zephyr himself. Discord stood up, stretching and patting his stomach.

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Shy," he said with a slight polite bow. "You really know how to cook, and make a spirit feel welcome."

Mrs. Shy blushed. "Oh, thank you, dear," she said. "You know we're always happy to have you over." Fluttershy noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Discord was fighting off his own blush.

Mr. Shy stood up. "Why don't I show you my cloud collection?" he said to Discord. "I've been working on it quite a bit, even picking up a few odder ones that you may appreciate."

Discord's interest was piqued, his ears perking up. "Probably nothing quite as chaotic as what I can make, though," he boasted.

Mr. Shy chuckled. "True...I'm not sure anypony else could think of the things you do." The two of them left the kitchen, talking about cloud structure and weather patterns. Fluttershy smiled as she watched them leave and bond.

"Fluttershy, Zephyr," Mrs. Shy said. "Would you mind helping me clear the table and put food away?"

"Not at all," Fluttershy said, grabbing a dish and heading for the fridge.

"Eh...okay," Zephyr said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him slowly tuck a magazine back into his saddlebag, then grab the empty plates on the table and stack them next to the sink.

Her mom started to wash the dishes, while Fluttershy tucked each food into the fridge. Zephyr loitered a bit, but he also brought silverware and dishes to the sink, and smaller dishes to the fridge, so it wasn't as though he weren't helping.

Once the table was cleared, and the dishes cleaned, Mrs. Shy dried her hooves and said, "Why don't I show you how my garden is doing? And we could catch up with your father and Discord afterward."

Zephyr yawned. "I'll catch up with you all in a couple of minutes," he said, already heading upstairs. "Right now, what I really need to catch up to is some Z's."

"Of course, dear, I understand," Mrs. Shy said. As Zephyr stepped into his bedroom upstairs, she turned to Fluttershy, who smiled brightly.

"I can't wait to see what you've done with your garden," she said cheerfully. Mrs. Shy smiled, and guided her outside. For a moment, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of Discord and her father talking animatedly about clouds. She cracked a smile, then turned her attention to the flowers her mom was growing.

After a long day, which included a dinner that stuffed them as much as lunch, and a quick, simple card game between all five of them, Fluttershy and Discord turned in for the night in Fluttershy's old bedroom, snuggling close in her old bed.

Discord twisted and turned for several minutes, grumbling about pony furniture, until his magic expanded the bed to his liking and he was able to fully stretch out his legs. He sighed, laying his head on the pillow and finally relaxing.

Fluttershy smiled, stroking his upper arm. "Today went well, didn't it?" she said.

He cracked an eye open, smirking. "Is this the part where I realize my worrying was for naught, because my in-laws actually truly like me?"

"...something like that," she said. He gave a low, throaty chuckle, then gently pressed his lips against hers.

"As long as you're around to remind me and keep me grounded...everything will be fine," he said. "I love you."

"Love you, too," she said, lightly kissing him on the lips. "Good night."

They both curled close to each other, closing their eyes and drifting off to sleep together.

Date Night

Fluttershy rooted through the very depths of the fridge, searching for a snack of some kind. The fridge was much larger and deeper than it looked from the outside, and she had dove in deep to inventory the contents and look for something to nibble on.

Discord was away for the day, off on his monthly visit with Celestia. She had spent a few hours in the morning working in the sanctuary, but once the volunteers got into their groove, she headed back home to enjoy a relaxing day off. She had enjoyed the lunch of sub sandwiches Discord had left behind for her, but after a few hours reading Saddlemon manga and knitting, she was starting to feel peckish again.

After a little searching, she found a pile of pink apples that seemed untouched and forgotten. She munched on one of them, enjoying the sweet taste and crispness it had. These would make for a good snack...though a drink wouldn't hurt, as well. She found a shelf in the back that was packed with plenty of bottles and cartons, and began to scan it for anything good.

As her hoof skimmed the shelf, it tapped against a bottle of wine. I didn't think we had any wine, she thought. Curious, she grabbed the bottle by the neck and pulled it out to inspect it.

Reading the label, she saw it wasn't wine, but a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres Cider. She remembered now...one year, Rarity had convinced Applejack to sell some cider in specially-shaped bottles, perfect for romantic evenings. While the sales had been good, Applejack had decided they weren't worth the extra trouble of ordering the special bottles...though she still gifted all her friends a bottle or two.

That was quite a few years ago, Fluttershy realized, peering at the bottle. She doubted it had gone bad, since almost nothing in their fridge ever did. But it began making her think. When was the last time she and Discord had enjoyed a romantic evening dinner date together, without him terrorizing some rude customer or overreacting and overworking himself?

For that matter...when was the last time she had set up a date for them, aside from brewing a kettle of tea every now and then?

She took a deep breath before her thoughts spiraled away. She and Discord loved spending time together, whether it was conventionally romantic or not. Discord loved even the simple tea parties she had set up, and the picnic lunches...not having a romantic dinner every so often was nothing to worry about!

Still...now that she had found the bottle, it would be a shame not to use it. And besides...Discord would probably love it if she surprised him with a romantic dinner just for the two of them. Smiling, she set the bottle back into the fridge, tossed away the pink apple core, and began to plan.

Well...she had found plenty of vegetables and lettuce in the fridge. A fancy salad was good for a romantic dinner, wasn't it? Perhaps with an unusual topping on Discord's, for a little bit of chaos...she began to gather up lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and feta cheese. She could glaze the carrots and chop the tomatoes thinly, with the cheese sprinkled on top...oh, and she could place plenty of condiments on the table, even the ones that didn't normally go on a salad!

She grabbed a saucepan, cutting board, and knife. Might as well start with glazing the carrots, since she could prepare the other things while they were on the stove...she placed one of the carrots on the cutting board and got to work.

After about half an hour of chopping, glazing, and careful ingredient layering, she had made two tasty-looking salads. They seemed fancy, but were just a little too messy to be considered properly "gourmet". Still, them being a little messy was a bit chaotic, and probably more interesting to Discord than perfectly arranged layers of vegetables.

She had made the salads on two nice plates with trims of curling lines—one a powder blue, trimmed with gold, the other a sky blue trimmed with silver. In her search for plates, she also found two silver dish covers, both covered with etchings of vines, leaves, and flowers...and hopefully airtight enough to keep the salads nice and fresh.

But before she covered them and set them on the table, Discord's salad still needed a little extra...something. Frowning in thought, she searched through the cupboards, considering and rejecting several fruits, vegetables, and snacks...until her eyes landed on a large bag of gummy bears.

It seemed perfect—something colorful, sweet, and a bit out of place was exactly what Discord would enjoy. And so, she grabbed a hoofful of the sweet gummies and sprinkled them carefully over one of the salads, making sure to cover the entire dish. Once she was satisfied with the number of gummies, she put the bag away and carried the salads over to the table, quickly covering them once they were set in place.

After the dishes were set, she placed a fork next to them both, along with crystal-clear wine glasses. What else does a romantic dinner table need? she thought. Setting the bottle of cider out sounded good, so they could top off their glasses...maybe in a bucket of ice to keep it nice and cold. Oh, and some good lighting and music would help set the mood!

She tapped her hooves together, grinning and flying out of the room. After searching several rooms, she found two tall, slender candles that were checkered pink and purple, and glass candle holders for both of them. She carried them back to the kitchen and set them up in the center of the table, then searched the kitchen for a bucket.

After finding a golden one at the back of the cupboards, she filled it with plenty of ice, then set the cider bottle inside before putting it all in the fridge. She would move that to the table just before dinner.

She flew into the living room, grabbing their record player and lifting it up. It was heavy and bulky, and tricky to carry, but she still managed to move it into the kitchen and set it on a far corner of the kitchen counter. Panting, she wiped sweat off of her brow and flew back into the living room to pour over their record collection.

She eventually narrowed it down to two that seemed appropriate, which she carried into the kitchen and set next to the record player. With that done, she smiled and went back to the table, landing and looking over everything.

Well, the table setting looked nice, and they would be able to easily hear the romantic music. She nudged one of the forks so that it didn't line up with the plate so well. She'd light the candles once he was here, pour them glasses of cider, and reveal the meal once they were both seated. Everything seemed perfect...she just had to wait until he arrived.

She glanced over at the clock. There were still several hours until dinner...and that was assuming Discord wasn't pulled into some scheme or prank war by Celestia and ended up running a little late. She fidgeted slightly, tapping a hoof against the ground. If she spent the whole time just waiting, she would probably start to get anxious and fuss over everything she had set up, even though she knew it was all good...

Maybe she shouldn't just wait, then, she decided. What was a good romantic dinner without a dessert to share? Already grinning at her idea, she grabbed one of their cookbooks from a drawer and found a recipe for a red velvet cake that promised to be delicious.

She started to gather up the ingredients. Baking would kill a lot of time, and cleaning up after that would kill even more...hopefully she wouldn't have to wait too much longer once she was finally ready.

Fluttershy laid on the couch in the living room, crossing and uncrossing her back hooves as she read a Saddlemon manga. Everything was ready for their romantic dinner date—the table laid out with their meal and condiments, a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting waiting for them on the counter, a record playing soft jazz music. Even the ice bucket with cider was set out and ready.

She looked down at herself. After taking a quick bath to clean the flour out of her coat, she had dove into her wardrobe in search of a nice outfit. She had finally settled on a light blue and green one, each alternating color in the form of a wavy line that made the dress seem to flow across and down her body like liquid. It was comfortable and soft, and she had tucked a forget-me-not behind her ear to compliment it...she hoped that Discord would like it.

A flash of light appeared next to the door, and she quickly snapped her manga shut and sat up as Discord teleported in. "Fluttershy, I'm home!" he declared happily, scooping her into his arms and twirling her around before placing a big kiss on her cheek. She laughed, hugging his neck and pecking his cheek.

"How was your visit with Celestia?" she asked.

"Oh, wonderful," he said. "I was a little closer to beating her at chess this time, I swear! And we pulled a couple of pranks on some of the ponies lounging on the beach, and..." His voice trailed off as his gaze scanned up and down her body. His ears perked up and twisted around, picking up the sound of soft jazz.

"...I didn't forget an important date or anniversary, did I?" he asked with a nervous whisper into her ear.

"Oh, no!" she assured. "No, you didn't forget anything. I just...thought it might be nice to have a romantic evening together." She smiled shyly up at him.

He blinked...and then smiled. "Well, that does sound fun," he said, setting her carefully back on her hooves. "Though I feel a little underdressed at the moment, I can fix that in a snap!" He raised his claws above his head and snapped, and was enveloped in a flash of light.

Once it had faded, she saw he was now wearing an orange tuxedo covered with red spots, with a crooked red bowtie around his neck and a yellow chrysanthemum on his lapel. He reached into his suit and pulled out a small bouquet of tulips. "For you," he said with a smile, bending on one knee to offer them to her.

"Thank you," she said, taking them into her hooves. "Let me just put these in a vase..." He snapped his fingers and created a thin crystal vase, already filled with water, which he also offered to her.

She smiled and carefully slipped the flowers inside, holding the vase with her wing. "Shall we?" she said, offering her hoof to Discord.

"We shall," he said, taking her hoof. Holding his paw in her hoof and the vase in her wing, she escorted him into the kitchen.

The room was dim, since she had closed the curtains and blocked out most of the light. "One moment," she said, letting go of Discord's paw to head to the table. She set the vase next to the ice bucket, a good distance away from the candles, then grabbed the box of matches she had set out earlier in preparation.

She quickly lit both of the candles, blowing out the match when she finished. The room was now filled with a soft, warm light that felt...calm. Inviting, perhaps. She smiled in satisfaction and discarded the match, turning back to Discord and offering him her hoof again.

"Wow," he said, eyes scanning the table and pausing on the candles, covered dishes...and finally landing on her and staying there. "You really want all out on this, didn't you?"

She blushed as she took his paw, escorting him to his seat. "Well...I hope that you like all of it."

"I do!" he insisted. "You look wonderful, and this looks wonderful, and I know anything you make will be delicious..." He raised his muzzle and sniffed at the air. "And is that...dessert I smell?"

She smiled and nodded. "A red velvet cake," she said. "I know my desserts aren't as mouth-watering as Pinkie's, but I think it turned out pretty good."

"Well, if it tastes as good as it smells, it'll be amazing," he said, taking a seat and adjusting his suit, popping up half of the collar. She smiled and walked over, using her wing to lift the silver cover off of his plate.

He rubbed his hands together, licking his lips. "Ooh, fresh salad with tasty toppings...you're really spoiling me tonight, Flutterbuddy!"

She giggled, blushing a little as she headed for the ice bucket. "Well, I tried to make something nice," she said. "I hope that it's filling enough...and I have one last surprise!"

She grabbed the bottle by its neck and pulled it out, turning it so that Discord could read the label. He blinked, lifting up a pair of opera glasses and squinting at the writing. "...Sweet Apple Acres Cider?" he said, sounding a little impressed. "I forgot we had that bottle."

"So did I, until I found it in the back of the fridge," she said, moving over and tugging at the cork. Oof, that was stuck tight. "It seemed a shame not to enjoy it...and it only seemed right to make a romantic dinner along with it."

He clasped his hands together and leaned his elbows on the table, smirking. "And how...romantic will this dinner be?" he purred, his tail swishing back and forth. With a snap of his tail feathers, the cork loosened and was easily pulled out with her next tug.

She blushed, pouring him a generous amount of cider. "Well...h-how romantic do you want it to be?" she said, trying to match his wide smile.

His smirk grew, close to stretching impossibly beyond his muzzle. "As romantic as it can be," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips. She smiled and closed her eyes, returning the kiss.

After a few minutes, they pulled away from each other, their lips making a click sound as they separated. Discord smiled softly at her, his pupils shaped like hearts. She smiled back, tapping her nose against his for a moment.

With a flick of his claw, the bottle of cider levitated out of her grip. She blinked in surprise and watched as it floated to her side of the table, where it poured its contents into her glass. "Now," Discord said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "As much as I'd love to distract you and kiss you all night long—" She blushed. "—it seems a shame to just sit here and let all this delicious cooking of yours go to waste."

He tapped her nose, making her giggle and stick her tongue out at him. She headed over to her seat as the cider bottle recorked itself and settled back into the ice bucket. Once she had taken her seat, she uncovered her own salad dish, though her gaze flicked upwards to watch Discord before she started eating.

He grabbed his fork and stabbed deep into the salad, skewering several cubes of cheese, carrots, pieces of lettuce, and gummy bears all at once and quickly shoving it all into his mouth. "Mmm," he said, smiling as he chewed and swallowed it.

"Is it good?" she said, pouring a little ranch on her salad before taking a bite. It tasted pretty good to her, and she licked a little bit of ranch off of her lips.

"Very," he said, licking his lips and reaching for a bottle of balsamic vinegar. "The gummy bears are a nice touch." He sprinkled on the vinegar, plus a bit of raspberry vinaigrette, before taking another large bite and humming appreciatively.

"I figured that you would like them," she said, a little proudly. He nodded and continued to chew, already mixing the salad around with his fork.

Soon, after devouring a good portion of his salad, he picked up his glass of cider. Before taking a drink, he paused, his gaze flicking towards her. "How about a toast?" he said.

She swallowed her bite before responding. "Sure. What sort of toast were you thinking?"

He grinned widely, his arm stretching across the table and holding his glass just in front of her. "How about...here's to us," he said.

She smiled and raised her own, tapping it against his. "To us."

His arm shot back to its usual size, and he quickly gulped down a little more than half of the cider. She just smiled at him and took a small sip, savoring the taste.

They continued munching on their salads, the cider bottle occasionally floating over to them to top off their glasses. Discord alternated between complimenting her thoughtfulness and cooking skills and telling her about the adventures he had gone on that day, while she listened attentively, laughing at certain parts of his tale until she couldn't breathe. Discord knew how to weave a good story.

After several minutes, though, she took her last bite of salad and swallowed. She felt comfortably full, with just enough room for dessert. Discord stretched his arms all the way up to the ceiling, then lowered them to pat his stomach.

"That was truly delicious, Fluttershy. I can't think of a pony who could make a better salad," he said, using his tongue to work gummy bears out from between his teeth. "Now, before we dig into that delectable-smelling cake..." He snapped his fingers and teleported right beside her, holding out his paw. "...care for a dance?"

She didn't even need long to think. She nodded and placed her hoof in his paw, and found herself whisked out of her seat and into his arms. He twirled away from the table, the kitchen expanding outward to create a wide dance floor for the two of them.

While he started to sway back and forth, turning in a slow circle, she moved one of her forehooves to his shoulder, the other wrapping around his torso. Discord placed his claw on her shoulder and his paw under her hind legs, supporting her. She smiled and laid her head on his chest, swaying a little bit and forth in his arms in synchrony with his own movements.

Between songs on the record, Discord spoke up. "Thank you, Fluttershy."

She lifted her head. "Oh...it was no trouble, really!" she said. "And I've had a great time tonight, too."

He smiled softly at her, bending his neck to tap his nose against hers. "I know. You really have a terrible poker face," he said with a chuckle. "But, when you do things like this, it makes me feel...special."

After a few moments, he coughed and looked away. "I mean...even more special than I obviously already am!" he declared. She giggled. "Still...I want to make you feel special, too."

Her ears perked up. "...got any plans?" she asked. She had to admit she was curious about what he was thinking.

"Well, first I'm going to dance until we can't dance anymore," he said. "Then I'm going to eat as much cake as I can stomach, and compliment you on every bite."

She grinned, and he leaned close and started to whisper into her ear. "Then...I'm going to kiss you and say silly sweet things until you're a blushing mess," he said. "After that? ...we'll just see."

A light blush was already on her face, which made him chuckle. She couldn't help but giggle at herself, too. After swaying back and forth for a bit, she planted her hoof firmly against his shoulder, hoisted herself up, and pressed her lips against his.

Discord froze in place, stunned for a moment. Then, his body relaxed, and he returned the pressure of the kiss. She felt his tail slide underneath her to hold her up as his hands began to caress her back and stroke through her mane.

She smiled, only pulling away when she needed to breathe, and noting how Discord's breath seemed a little heavier, too, his cheeks rosier. She grinned and nuzzled his neck, giving him a loose hug. All in all...she'd consider this date to be a success. And he probably did, too, she thought with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her and continued to dance.

Company Stock

Fluttershy was used to catching Discord doing odd or chaotic things. After all, chaos was part of who he was, and he never felt the need to hide that part of himself from her.

So, seeing him covered in flecks of paint as she walked into the living room? Not surprising. That his tongue was sticking out in concentration as he glued pamphlets into some sort of collage? Barely something to bat an eye at.

No, what gave her pause was that he had an entire stack of pamphlets which seemed to be about the same company...and his painting, though colorful, appeared to be of a tall office building.

"Discord?" she said, stepping closer. "What are you doing?"

He flinched, his brush making a slash of green along the office building. "...you love me, right?" he said, turning to her with a nervous grin.

She raised an eyebrow. "I would say yes immediately, but the way you said that makes it sound like you did something."

"I haven't!" he said. "Well, nothing bad. And not today. But this statement is not a promise to continue doing nothing in the foreseeable future..."

"Discord," she said in a flat tone. He froze in place, looking down at the ground.

"...how about I start from the very beginning?" he said. "Take a seat...this will be a bit of a presentation." She frowned and did so, raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly the lights went out...only for Discord to be illuminated in a spotlight just a moment later. "Ahem," he said, snapping a ruler into his claw. "Thank you for coming here today. There is a matter of grave importance I must discuss with you."

She rose an eyebrow and waited for him to continue. With a clap of his ruler against his palm, a portrait of a stern-looking tan unicorn appeared. "This is Manilla Folder," he said. "An uptight Canterlot snob from an uptight noble family. Seriously, they could use some loosening up." With a flick of a paintbrush, a pink mustache was drawn onto the painting.

"Anyway, about a month ago, he decided to start a company: the terribly unoriginal Manilla Enterprises," he said. Another clap of the ruler and the picture of the office building from before appeared. "Their business plan? Mainly renting out ponies to organize files, cabinets, libraries...if the customer has bits, they'll stick their muzzles into it and organize like no tomorrow!"

He waved his hand, and a light shone onto the picture, revealing the complex drawings and notes he had been working on. "Fortunately, I have found a simple solution," he said. "I'll disguise myself, get hired as an employee, then tear their company apart from the inside!"

"In fact 'Gray Ribbon'..." he showed off a picture of his unicorn form. "Already submitted his application, and based on his beautifully-crafted resumé, has been quickly hired! All that's left is to do is to destroy the company."

He took a bow, and the lights turned back on. "Any questions?"

"Well...just a couple," she said. Discord looked delighted at her interest. "Why do you even need to take action against them?" His face fell slightly.

"Because their whole shtick is organizing things!" he bemoaned, grabbing and stretching his cheeks like putty. "That's like the number one thing I'm opposed to!"

"I know, but..." she frowned. "You allow some organization in our house, if only in a few rooms...why can't you just turn a blind eye to this group?"

"Because!" he declared, throwing his hands into the air. "Because they aren't you and haven't earned my favor! Because they want to officially work for the Crown and organize all of Canterlot! Because their idea of order is so bland and boring, all monochromes and files, that just the thought of it..." He gagged.

Once he recovered a bit, he pinched and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If they...succeed in spreading their order through all of Canterlot, I won't be able to go there without feeling bored. Or worse, actually sick."

"Why don't you tell Twilight?" she suggested. "If she knows it'll be bad for one of her friends, she won't hire them."

"Oh, I'm sure that conversation would go well," he said, spinning the dial of an unplugged rotary phone. "Hey, Sparklepants! Just so you know, there's a company living and breathing organization out there, and they're itching to help you—oh, you've left to get them to organize your library and job list! Never mind, I only sped things up."

He hung up the phone and looked at her. "...maybe if you sent a scroll, instead," she offered. "Instead of talking through the mirror, or on...that."

"I could," he said. "But Flutternutter...this is my chance! An opportunity to infiltrate a company and break it apart from within!" He cackled and rubbed his hands together.

She frowned, her ears lowering a bit. "I don't know about this..." she said. "It doesn't seem like a good thing to do. And if their entire place is so orderly, what if it hurts you spending so much time there?"

"...a good point," he said. He grabbed a pink crayon and jotted an extra note in the margin of his painting. "I'll make something to automatically return me here if I get too infected with order. Oh, I could enchant the tie that's part of the suit!"

"Suit?" she echoed. "And...I mean..."

"Yeah, a suit," he said with a sigh. "I've been looking them up, and they have strict dress codes. And of course, I can't wear any actually fun suits." A purple tux with an orange bowtie flashed onto him. "Nope." His suit became teal with a lime green tie. "Nada." Plaid with polka dots. "Not a chance!"

Finally, his suit shifted into one she had never expected to see on him—a black suit with a plain, matching black tie. "Eurgh," he said, shuddering. His hands flew up, and he tore the offending fabric off of himself. "It's awful...but I must do it!"

"Must you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He paused in the middle of tearing the boring tie to shreds. "...well," he said slowly. "It certainly feels like I must." He tossed the shredded fabric into the fireplace, where it burst into flames.

She sighed, and he teleported next to her to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "It'll be fine, trust me," he said. "It won't take long, and no one will ever figure out I was at fault!"

She had her doubts about that, and his whole plan in general, but before she could say anything, he scooped her into his arms and started moving towards the kitchen. "But I'm sure you're hungry and tired, and could do with putting your hooves up. How do extra-cheesy noodles sound for dinner?"

Her stomach growled, making her blush. He chuckled and patted her head, setting her down in her chair before working on dinner.

...dinner was so delicious, and she was so tired and full afterwards, that it wasn't until she was lying in bed that she realized she had forgotten to protest more against his idea. And now he was asleep, so it was too late...she sighed and closed her eyes, resolving to talk to him in the morning.

When she woke up the next morning, Discord had already gotten up. She wandered her way into the kitchen, where she found him sitting at the table already, glaring at a bowl of oatmeal.

"...what are you doing?" she asked, stepping a little closer. The oatmeal didn't even seem to have any fruits in it.

"Method acting," he said, tossing in a single spoonful of sugar and stirring it in. "I need to get in the mindset of a plain, organized buisnesspony to make sure I 'fit in'." He took a bite of the oatmeal, and his face scrunched up.

She frowned. "I still—"

"But you don't have to eat this plain old boring stuff!" he said, shoving it to the side. "How do triple-chocolate pancakes sound?"

"They sound delicious," she said. "But..."

He gripped her under her forelegs and whisked her to the counter, quickly throwing together some pancake batter. She found herself in charge of mixing all the chocolate into the batter, while Discord flipped the cooking pancakes.

After she had found her rhythm, she said, "Discord, I still don't think you going there is a good idea."

He flinched, biting his lip. "Well...I have plans in place to keep me safe," he said. "The tie will bring me back home if I start feeling unwell or start to fade, and there are bathrooms and other places I can cause a little chaos in if I'm just feeling bored."

"But what about the company, and all the ponies working there?" she said. "I know you said they could be a danger to you...but maybe if you just talked things out with Twilight..."

"Oh hey, pancakes are done!" he said, sliding a plate with a large pile over to her, his grin twitching. She narrowed her eyes at him, but took the plate and went back to the table.

Discord kept trying to eat his oatmeal...but after a few minutes, he stuck out his tongue and flung it towards the trash, quickly digging into his own stack of pancakes. Fluttershy had to admit that they were quite delicious...though she kept giving Discord a look from across the table.

After they had finished their breakfast, he flung the plates towards the sink like frisbees. "Well...I should probably head out," he said, snapping his fingers. He disappeared briefly behind a flash of light, transforming into his unicorn disguise and wearing a plain black suit and tie.

With a sigh, his horn glowed. It turned from a pale blue color into a grey that matched his coat, and his tornado cutie mark slowly morphed into a knotted black ribbon. He grimaced, and pulled two gold, glittering cufflinks onto his forehooves. He walked towards the living room, kissing her on the cheek as he stepped past.

"I really don't think this is a good idea," she cautioned one last time as he stepped towards the door.

Her words made him pause. He briefly looked down at his hooves and suit, looking for all the world like just another unicorn. "...I still feel like I have to," he said finally. "Have a good day at the sanctuary, Fluttershy."

He blew her a kiss as his horn flared with magic, and he teleported away in a flash of light. She sighed, shaking her head, and slowly headed for the door herself, flying towards one of the nearby portals.

Not much needed to be done at the sanctuary that day—mostly just checking on volunteers and making sure they were doing alright on their tasks. And so, she was able to head home by lunchtime...though Discord was still nowhere to be seen.

She sighed, fixing a quick lunch, along with some peanut butter and pickle sandwiches they could have for dinner. After eating, she glanced up at the clock and saw that it would be another couple of hours before he returned from what he 'had to' do.

The thought made her frown, snorting slightly in annoyance. She occupied herself by slicing some apples for supper, then grabbing a knitting project and working on it in the living room...glancing up every so often at the clock.

As soon as it became five o'clock, she set her knitting aside and sat up. Not a second later, the front door was thrown open. "Honey, I'm home~!" Discord sang, strolling through the door in his usual form. There was still a tie around his neck, which he promptly tore off and tossed away.

"Welcome back," she said, with less enthusiasm than usual. He quickly scooped her into his arms, spinning her around and burying his muzzle into her mane. She quickly noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "...long day?"

"The longest," he said, squeezing her even closer to his chest and kissing her scalp. "Dear chaos, it was even more boring than I imagined."

"Really?" she asked, rubbing his back. "I thought you were prepared for all the order there..."

"I thought I was," he said. "I was very, very mistaken." He plopped down onto the couch, still holding her against his chest. "May I ramble for a bit?"

"Alright," she said. He nodded and took a deep breath, preparing himself.

"So there were two tasks I had to do," he started. "Make appointments, and organize files. It was mindnumbing. Just check the file for the date, then check the subject, and put it in its proper place."

He grimaced. "The worst part was that I had to do it properly a good chunk of the time, so they wouldn't notice what I was up to."

"A good chunk of the time?" she echoed. "It...didn't make you sick, did it? Or start to fade?"

"Only to my stomach," he said. "Fortunately, I had the opportunity to mess with some files and scramble up some appointments—most of which weren't mine to take care of, so they can't trace it back to me."

She frowned, looking down at the ground. "Hey, Flutterbuddy...I'm alright," he said, cupping her chin and lifting her head to meet his eyes. "See?"

She glanced away. "I...still don't like the idea of you doing this," she said. "I mean...it feels wrong, and you could get hurt or worse..." He scoffed quietly, setting her gently on the couch and sitting next to her.

"Pah!" he said. "They're so new, and I'm so experienced, that I can have the company on its knees by the end of the week!" He stood on the couch, pointing a finger in the air. "I will not be bested by an organized organization!"

"It still feels wrong, though..." she said.

His eyes softened. "...well," he said. "If I can't break them by the weekend, I suppose I can throw in the towel and talk to Twilight."

She didn't feel completely better about it, but her ears raised the slightest bit. "You promise?"

He drew an X over his heart, nodding. "Everything will be fine," he said. "And no one will ever figure out it was me."

She still had a few doubts about that, but his stomach growled before she could say anything. "I fixed up supper earlier," she said, hopping off the couch. He slowly stood up and followed her, his tail dragging behind him tiredly.

...She hoped the weekend would come soon, though she didn't say that aloud.

When Discord returned home late Friday evening, he looked about as smug as the cat that ate the canary. Fluttershy set aside her book and trotted towards him. Though there were still dark, tired circles under his eyes, this was the first day he didn't seem utterly frustrated.

"It's done," he declared, a manic grin twitching across his muzzle. "They're finished. Over. Within the jaws of death, drawing ever closer to their end!" He cackled, and lightning flashed outside.

"They are, huh?" she said in as neutral a tone as she could manage. On the one hoof, she definitely didn't want to congratulate him...on the other, at least he wouldn't force himself into an ordered space anymore...

"Well, it took about twenty missed appointments, and a mysterious silly string explosion in one of their main filing rooms..." he said with a wicked grin. "But they've practically lost all their business, and the word is spreading! No one's interested in hiring them."

He rubbed his hands together. "They're firing ponies and cutting salaries to make up for it, but it's too late," he said gleefully. "...I think I'll put in my resignation. Start off the swarm of ponies leaving in a panic."

"Mmm," she said noncommittally. He quickly snapped up a piece of paper, jotting a message and shoving it into an envelope, which disappeared in a flash of light.

"Now that that's over with..." he said, rubbing his hands together. "Care for some s'mores for dinner? I have stuff I'd love to burn, after all." A fire pit appeared in the middle of their living room, which he tossed his plain suit and a pile of paper into.

"Alright," she said. He approached the fire pit...then paused and looked back.

"I know you aren't...terribly thrilled about what I did," he said. "But, it's over now. And I doubt another company I'll have to defeat will appear soon after this one's fiasco."

She frowned, looking away. "I'm not thrilled," she said. "It still seemed like an awful thing to do, and there's no guarantee you're really getting away with it."

He clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers. The evidence of his subterfuge burst into flames. "There's no evidence that I, as a draconequus, was there," he said. "And this is all the evidence that could be used against me...well. Almost all evidence."

He pulled a thick manilla folder out of his coat for a second. "I hung onto a...few momentoes," he said. "But it says more about that company than me." He tucked the folder away and summoned a bag of marshmallows, along with sticks to roast them on.

She slid her marshmallow onto her stick, while he slid on five. She still had the feeling this wasn't over...but based on how Discord was tossing company pens into the fire, he didn't want to talk about it anymore right now.

She started to roast her first marshmallow, resolving to talk to him about it tomorrow.

Discord spent all of the next day on chaotic adventures, though, recuperating from the week of work. She joined him in some of the chaos, but both of them always got so caught up in the whirlwind of excitement that she forgot to talk to him about his actions. By the time she remembered at the end of the day, he had passed out in bed.

The morning after that, he seemed quite smug. "If they haven't caught me yet, they'll never catch me," he boasted when she brought it up during their breakfast in bed.

A magenta flash caught her eye. The spark-shaped gem on the mirror Discord and Twilight used to speak to each other was glowing—Twilight wanted to talk with them. "This early in the morning?" he grumbled, rolling out of bed. As soon as he was seated in front, his reflection changed to an image of Twilight...who looked quite mad.

"Discord!" she shouted. "I expect to see you in Canterlot Castle in no less than ten minutes! I found out about the stunt you pulled, and we are going to have a talk about this."

Discord nodded meekly, and Twilight canceled the spell on her end, making the mirror's reflection change back to normal. "Oh, I knew this was a bad idea," Fluttershy sighed, shaking her head. "It hasn't even been two days, and she knows what you did!"

"...maybe not," he said. "She never said which stunt she found out about! Maybe she's talking about the toothpaste and shaving cream pie in the royal fridge. Or the blank book sealed shut with magic and glue."

"I...really doubt that," she said, ears drooping. Discord smiled, but it was taunt and twitching.

"Well...at the very least, I could get a chance to argue my case," he said, slicking back his mane. "No point in dawdling, I suppose..."

With a snap of his fingers, he teleported away. Fluttershy bit her lip, pacing for a few moments...and then galloped outside to find the often-closed portal that led to the throne room.

It had taken her some time to find the portal...and once it opened for her, she found the throne room empty. Fortunately, Gallus was there, and quickly gave her directions to where Twilight had taken Discord.

After several minutes of wandering through the maze of hallways, she came across a door that Discord and Twilight's voices were coming from...though the wood was too thick to hear what they were saying. She raised a hoof and knocked on the door, and both occupants became quiet.

The handle of the door was enveloped by magenta magic and slowly pulled open. The room seemed to be an office or study of some kind. Twilight and Discord were sitting on opposite ends of a mahogany table. Both of them seemed surprised to see her...then, Twilight relaxed, while Discord looked more worried.

"Fluttershy...do you know what Discord was up to this week?" Twilight asked calmly.

"She knew, but she wasn't involved," Discord said quickly. "Actually, she...she tried to talk me out of it. This whole thing isn't her fault at all." Fluttershy paused, then slowly nodded.

Twilight frowned, opening a scroll next to her and jotting a note before closing the scroll again. "You're more than welcome to stay, Fluttershy," she said, crossing her front hooves on the table. "I'm just having a...talk about Discord's behavior." Discord flinched.

Fluttershy nodded, taking a seat in the corner. "I'll just be...over here," she said. Twilight smiled and nodded, while Discord gave her a pleading look. Still, she didn't budge.

Twilight turned a glare toward Discord. Sweat pooled on his forehead, but he tried to seem calm and collected. "As I was saying, just before Fluttershy showed up," he said. "That company was a danger to me. If you had hired them, I wouldn't be able to safely come to the castle. It would be too dangerously organized."

"You could have just sent me a scroll, and I would have listened to you!" Twilight said. "You didn't have to ruin the company!"

Discord lowered his head. "...that's what Fluttershy said," he mumbled. "But I was too occupied with my chaos."

Twilight sighed and started to pace. "I'm very upset with you, Discord. I thought you were better than this." He squirmed, looking quite guilty. "That company...because of your actions, they're floundering! Think of all the poor ponies they've hired who won't have jobs anymore."

Discord froze, as still as a statue. "...what would you have me do?" he said slowly. "To fix this."

"Well...if they're floundering, they need a bailout," Twilight said. "Normally, the bits would come from the royal treasury, or their insurance, but..." She gave him a pointed look.

"Since it's my fault, I need to cough up the bits," he finished. She nodded, looking at him expectantly.

"It's only fair," she added in after a few seconds passed with him doing nothing but shifting in his seat, twiddling his thumbs.

"Are you sure you want me to pay them money?" Discord asked. He dropped a manilla folder on the table between them. "Because though they do provide the service advertised, I found a few things happening in the company you may be interested in."

"Such as?" Twilight said, opening the folder with her magic.

"Payroll cuts just for the C.E.O to get a big fat bonus, breaks cut if deadlines aren't being met, hiring ponies with little experience quickly and overworking them, relatives of high-level employees getting high-level jobs in the company right out the gate without even bothering to hide the nepotism..." he counted off. "There's a file for everything in there—a copy, at least. I hid most of the real ones."

"If you hid them, why didn't you—" Twilight shook her head, flipping through the pages in the folder. Her eyebrows slowly rose with each one she read. "...we'll look into this," she said finally, setting down the folder. "I'll give you my final position on whether you should bail them out after the investigation."

"Got it," he said, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. "...I'm not off the hook, am I?"

"Not a chance," she said bluntly. "The bailout was just the first part of you fixing all of this."

"I figured..." he said. "Alright...could you just...give me the full list, by chance?"

"Certainly," she said, lifting a list up with her magic. "First, you should personally apologize to everyone you spoke with and tricked...face-to-face. Second, you need to do community service for all the clients your antics caused trouble for. Third...I'm going to have to ask you to stay in the castle until you finish all the apologies and community service. Just so I can check exactly how you're fixing everything."

"...can I alter a room to my liking?" he asked hopefully.

"I'd prefer you didn't," Twilight said. "But you'll have one of the nicer guest rooms. And finally...I leave the last punishment up to Fluttershy, since you didn't listen to her warnings."

Discord froze, glancing between Twilight and Fluttershy. Slowly, he leaned forward to whisper something to Twilight. The alicorn shook her head, and his shoulders sagged.

"...I'll go start making apologies," he said, standing up. "Let me guess...you have a list to ensure that I'm not going to skip anyone?"

"Correct," she said with a hint of smugness, pulling out another scroll. He sighed and grabbed it, trudging slowly out the door...but pausing as he passed Fluttershy, locking eyes with her.

"Here, Butterbug," he said, handing her a stack of coupons. "Get as many free frozen yogurts as you want! There's a location not far from here that has the most delectable flavors..."

"Hey!" Twilight said, narrowing her eyes at him. "No buttering up your wife to get out of her punishment for you!"

"W-whaaaaat?" he said, placing a hand against his chest. "I would never..." Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, and he flinched. "I'll just...go and apologize," he said, snapping his fingers and teleporting away.

Twilight sighed, pressing a hoof against her forehead. "Oh, Discord..." she groaned. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

"...Twilight?" Fluttershy said, making the alicorn look up. "What exactly were you thinking his punishment from me would be?"

"It can be anything you want," Twilight said. "It doesn't even have to be related to the company! But, speaking of things related to the company... " She shifted through a couple of papers. "I know exactly who he needs to do community service for. But I don't want to give him something too ordinary or organized!" She bit her hoof. "It's community service, not a death sentence!"

"I can help with that," Fluttershy said. "I know which tasks are too much, and which he can handle." Twilight's shoulders relaxed, and Fluttershy approached the desk, looking at the list of clients and making suggestions.

Just as they were finishing up, Discord reappeared in a flash of light. "Okay, I apologized," he said, thrusting the list back at Twilight. "Most of them yelled in my face, I'll have you know!"

"But you apologized, and that's the first thing you needed to complete done," she said. She took the list of names back, and checked an item off of his list of retributions. "Now...let's break for lunch before you have to do community service." She gathered everything she and Fluttershy had gone over into one massive tower of folders.

Discord looked up at it and gulped. "That...that'll take me the rest of the day!" he said.

"And a good bit of tomorrow, too," Twilight said with a nod. "But, like I said...lunch first." She stood up and headed down the hallway. Discord and Fluttershy followed.

He crossed his arms as they headed for the dining room. "So...I'm guessing that if I put things off, I'll just have to spend more nights at the castle?" he huffed.

"Pretty much," Twilight said. "But it wouldn't hurt to get everything out of the way, would it?"

"It might," he muttered. "But fine...I'll just get all this over with in one shot." He flopped into a balloon chair at the dining table, while Fluttershy sat next to him, placing a hoof on his shoulder. Twilight smiled, and the three of them enjoyed a brief, but nice lunch together.

Fluttershy hummed as she scrubbed the remnants of her lunch from the pan. She had wondered how Discord was doing, but figured it was better to wait than check up on him and distract him.

After yesterday's lunch, he requested she head home—"I'll be working for a while...I don't want you to wait all day in the castle for me. And you should sleep in our cozy bed, not whatever cold boring beds are in the guest rooms here."—and after she agreed, sent her back with a kiss on the forehead.

Last night had been lonely without Discord...but she understood why Twilight wanted him to stay at the castle for the time being. Besides...being alone gave her time to think of what her punishment for him should be.

Discord suddenly appeared behind her in a flash of light just as she was setting the last dish aside. With a groan, he fell forward and wrapped his arms around her, nestling close.

"No more," he said. "No more community service. No more apologies. I don't care how good the food in the castle is, it's not worth working for the Crown for hours."

She patted his back. "Did you finish everything, then?"

"Yes...every last scrap of service she detailed for me. None of it was too orderly, but...ugggh," he said. "And yes, I got plenty to eat, and as good of a rest I could in that plain bedroom."

With a snap, they were teleported into the living room sofa, and he leaned his weight against her. "I'm just glad everything is over with," he said, snuggling into her side.

She draped a wing over his back, but rose an eyebrow. "...did you forget the last thing Twilight said?"

He flinched, looking up at her nervously. "N-no...but I was kind of hoping you would," he mumbled.

She shook her head. "Discord...you did something wrong. And I tried to warn you." She took a deep breath to stay calm, stroking his cheek. "I love you, but...I had to think of something to teach you why you stepped out of line." She hopped off of the couch.

"Is it sleeping on the couch?" he asked. "Scrubbing the kitchen floor? Giving each and every animal a bath?"

Those were all tempting suggestions...but she had already made up her mind. "Oh, no," she said, shaking her head. "It's something you'll dislike more than those."

He gasped, his hand flying up to his mouth so he could bite his nails. She almost felt bad...but still led him towards the sanctuary pantry in the kitchen. It needed a bit of cleaning and organization, anyway...

Nice to Meat You

"Thank you all for coming to this summit," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm eager to host this event, and to hear news from your nations!"

"Let's hope it won't be like...that one particular meeting," a griffon said with a haughty sniff, looking down his beak at Discord. He grinned, a halo appearing above his head as he kept his hands clasped in front of him.

"Anyway," Twilight said, shooting a look at Discord. "Let's start by sharing some of the recent news and upcoming events in your kingdoms."

Thorax started rambling about an art gallery they had just opened in the hive. Discord tuned him out, instead glancing out the large window and thinking of the chaos he could cause once the meeting was over.

After some more tuned-out rambling, Fluttershy leaned against his side, and he brushed his fingers through her mane. He glanced back over at the representatives, noticing that Queen Novo was just finishing up a conversation about a festival that the hippogriffs were about to host.

One of the griffon representatives spoke up next. "Our efforts to rebuild Griffonstone are going well," he said. "And we have a few events lined up to raise more money for architectural development."

Discord was about to tune him out again, but then the griffon said, "For example, next weekend we will have a large barbeque with free-will donations. We hope to see some inhabitants of your countries come."

Discord's ears perked up. Ember and the king of the Absynnians looked intrigued, while others looked confused. "A barbeque?" Pinkie said. "Is that like a party?"

The griffon blinked. "Well...in a way, I suppose. A barbeque is a gathering of creatures who all get together to cook and eat..." he paused, looking at each of the ponies worriedly. "...meat."

The room was silent for a second. Discord bit his lip and glanced down at his wife. She had tensed up a little, but her expression was calm. "My apologizes," the griffon said. "I forgot that most of you here don't like to eat meat."

Twilight glanced at her friends. "It's alright," she said. The others nodded. "And maybe some ponies would like to attend...just without eating anything."

The griffon paused. "That would be very kind," he said. "Other than the barbeque, there are no new events we're planning. We'd like to see how this event goes first."

The group chatted for a bit, Ember and the king of Absinyians briefly talking about meat-based foods in their kingdoms. He looked down at Fluttershy, who was tightly gripping onto his arm and looking a bit green around the gills. The other ponies of the group maintained calm expressions, but also looked a bit green. Spike and Thorax also looked a little disturbed.

Soon, though, the king of Absinyans segued into talking about a sort of fish cookout that they would be hosting soon, and then other, non-food-related events. Fluttershy and the other ponies relaxed, and Discord breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The meeting ended without much further incident. Everyone talked and caught up afterward, until they all realized they simply could not put off going home any longer and bid their farewells.

Once the last ambassador was gone, Discord snapped his fingers, creating portals for all of his friends to use. "Goodbye and good night, everyone!" he said, tipping a hat to them as he scooped Fluttershy into his arms. They waved goodbye as Discord dived back into his portal, which zipped closed behind him.

He teleported them into the kitchen and started slicing fruits and vegetables, while Fluttershy got down some plates and poured them some milk. "That meeting was nice," she said. "I hope you weren't too bored."

He scoffed, tossing an apple into the air and slashing at it with his knife. "It wasn't too bad. I behaved myself," he said. With a smirk, he added. "Mostly..."

"Discord..." Fluttershy said.

"I only played a teensy prank on Twilight!" he said. "I added a few extra bullet points to her royal itinerary. I think she'll notice before she goes through with 'Profess romantic love for books publically' or 'Honk like a goose at the tea party'." He chuckled to himself.

Fluttershy shook her head, though there was a smile on her face. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of a few things," he purred, wrapping his tail around her waist. Her face turned bright red, and he laughed, missing the fruit he had just thrown into the air.

She tried to shake away her flustered expression, gently pushing his tail away. Still blushing, she said, "A-anyway, were there any events they mentioned that you thought sounded interesting?"

One came to mind, but he shoved the thought away. "Eh. I was only barely paying attention to them. Nothing really caught my eye, honestly. What about you, my dear?"

She hummed in thought. "Well, that gallery Thorax mentioned sounded nice. It might be fun to see the art the changelings are making now." She tilted her head as she scooped bits of fruits and vegetables onto both plates. "Other than that, nothing really seemed like something I would enjoy. I do wonder how many creatures will go to the barbeque, though..."

Discord felt guilty, but quickly shook the feeling off. He hadn't done anything to be guilty about! "Who knows?" he said with a shrug. The two of them finished fixing up the meal, which Discord levitated over to the table.

They both sat and ate, discussing the meeting, the sanctuary, and other things. Discord did his best to enjoy the meal, pushing away thoughts about a certain event, one he knew she wouldn't approve of.

As the week went by, the thought of the barbeque kept coming into his mind. He shoved it away each time, but that became harder as its date came closer. All I need to do is distract myself on the day of, he assured himself. And that can't be too hard, can it?

The day of was pure torture. He could calculate how many miles away the barbeque was...imagine the scent of cooked meat wafting through the air, as flame licked at the flesh of meat...and had to stop himself from teleporting there.

He spent the entire morning trying to distract himself. He floated around Fluttershy's sanctuary, helping her with the animals, but she eventually told him that there were enough volunteers that he could go home to relax. He considered begging to stay—being by her side kept his mind off of it—but discarded the idea, knowing that she would be suspicious if he started acting like that.

So he went home and floated through their dimension. He redecorated parts of the house, rearranging hallways until he was satisfied with their chaoticness. He was now laying on the couch, eating out of a peanut butter jar with a large spoon, glancing every so often at the clock on the wall.

The thought of the barbeque entered his mind again. He groaned, smacking the peanut butter jar against his forehead. "Why can't I stop thinking about that!?" he said. "I've given up meat! I don't want it! I'd probably find it disgusting, after going so long without it!"

Still, the memory of a smell—cooked meat—made him sigh, his peanut butter becoming unappetizing the more he thought about it. "Well...maybe a little peek wouldn't hurt," he said to himself. "It's not like I would be eating anything...and it might get rid of this terrible temptation."

He tossed his peanut butter aside and snapped his fingers. With a flash of light, he disappeared from the couch and reappeared in a lounge made completely of clouds. With a clap of his hands, the lights dimmed to almost complete darkness, and he laid on a cloud couch in front of the wall mirror.

"The Griffonstone Barbeque," he said. His reflection winked at him and clapped its hands, clouds pouring from them and filling the glass. The clouds were pulled back like a curtain, revealing a plaza in Griffonstone, its air filled with smoke and the occasional tongues of fire. A large crowd had gathered, mostly composed of griffons, dragons, and Abyssinians. The occasional changeling or pony was here and there, but most of them didn't seem to be eating anything.

He focused instead on what the more sharp-toothed participants were having. They waited in lines, dropping a few bits into buckets as they grabbed their plates, and went down the line, chatting with the griffons manning the grills, who gave them their choice of meat.

Large steaks and burgers, steaming and hot, which the guests piled with their choice of topping and condiments. Discord's mouth watered, and he licked his lips.

Realizing what was happening, he slapped himself and turned away. "What am I doing?" he said to himself. "I shouldn't do this...I shouldn't even be watching!"

Still, he found himself turning back to the mirror, watching the scene. Meat cooking, meat being eaten, the scent of meat and smoke probably heavy in the air...he couldn't help but drool. "Maybe...just one," he muttered. "What could just one secret hurt?"

Glancing over his shoulder at the closed door, he panned the image to a grill, the griffon manning it deep in conversation with a pretty young dragoness. Quickly, he reached through the mirror and grabbed one of the steaks off of his grill, snapping his fingers and making a pile of diamonds in the nearest donations bucket.

He held the steak close to his muzzle, inhaling the scent. He was already salivating, and he licked his lips. He opened his jaw, letting his teeth form into fangs, and took a large bite out of the steak.

He grimaced as he bit into it. Too late, he realized that the steak he had grabbed was nowhere near being fully cooked—the entire inside was pink and cold, only the cooked outside possessing that savory taste he wanted.

But it still smelled like cooked meat, and he still felt the urge to eat it. He nibbled at the cooked parts at first, tearing them carefully away from the raw inside. Ah, forget it, he thought, before taking another large bite out of the pink meat. He surrounded his paw with fire and pressed it against the center, steam rising as he continued to heat the inside.

Juice, or maybe blood, dribbled down his chin and into his hands. A part of him felt disgusted. Another part was thrilled at the idea of trying something exciting and forbidden. His predator's stomach was telling the rest of him to shut up and enjoy the meat, something he hadn't had in so long.

His fangs tore into the steak, smoke rising as his magic cooked it. Still, he ended up taking bites of raw meat every now and again...it wasn't pleasant, but he still continued.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. "Discord?" Fluttershy's voice said. "Are you in here? I smelled smoke—" she froze in the doorway, staring straight at him. He saw his image in her wide pupils: large fangs buried deep in a hunt of meat, something that might have been blood dribbling down his chin and hands, a fire covering his paw and lighting up his face in a frightening way.

She stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes slowly widening. She glanced over at the mirror, which still showed the image of the barbeque. "Discord...why are you eating raw meat while watching the barbeque?" she said coolly.

He gulped, swallowing the meat in his mouth and moving the steak behind his back. "I-I was hungry," he said. "I just helped myself to the first thing I thought of..."

She placed a hoof on her forehead with a sigh, a deep frown on her face. "You wanted to go to that barbeque, didn't you?" she said. "Why did you lie, Discord? And why are you hiding in the dark, eating a raw steak?"

He lowered his head. She sighed. "Discord, please don't—" He lowered his ears, not wanting to hear anything else. He snapped his tail feathers and teleported away.

The first thing he did was fling the half-cooked steak into another dimension, the furthest one he could think of. After that, he washed his face, beard, and hands five times, and brushed his teeth ten times.

After that, he felt a little bit better, but still had a heavy, guilty feeling in his chest. I can't go back yet, he thought. She looked...so upset. He shuddered as her expression came back into his mind, the guilt hanging a little heavier and tugging down on his heart.

He waited in a far corner of Chaosville, brooding and thinking over what he'd done wrong. He used his magic to create a few extra sanctuary 'spillover' areas, tying them with large ribbons to present them as gifts...if Fluttershy even wanted to speak to him again.

But eventually, his stomach growled, and his watch told him it was getting closer to dinnertime. "Well...I have to face the music eventually," he said with a sigh, snapping his fingers. He teleported to their front door, which he opened to step into their living room, keeping his head low.

A sizzling sound caught his attention. Is she frying eggs? he thought, slinking closer to the kitchen.

But as he approached, he caught a whiff of—something. It seemed familiar, but...not. Like something he hadn't smelled in a long time...yet briefly, very recently. As he took another whiff of it, his mouth began to water, and he licked his lips. That's—no, it couldn't be! he thought. There's no way—!

He crept closer and poked his head through the kitchen doorway. Fluttershy was hovering in front of a grill, which they normally cooked haysteaks, hayburgers, and carrot dogs on, and was using a spatula to move something from it to a large plate.

It was a steak. A true steak, made of real meat, and sending fumes his way that made his mouth water even more.

Fluttershy set the plate at his place on the table, and he noticed that she had used clothespins to close her nose. She set his place at the table with cutlery and a glass of chocolate milk with a swirly straw, her nose still wrinkling every time she came near the steak.

With a cough, he knocked on the edge of the doorframe. Fluttershy flinched and looked up at him. "May I enter?" he asked, his tail wringing itself into knots behind him.

"You're back!" she said happily, flying forward and throwing her hooves around his neck. "I was worried when you left...I'm so glad you came back." She nuzzled her cheek against his, while he stood completely still, shell-shocked.

"And of course you can come in!" she said brightly, taking his hand and leading him over to the table. "I made you something!"

"The steak?" he asked, pointing it out as he and Fluttershy floated closer to it. She nodded. "But...why?"

She frowned, wringing her hooves together. "Well...after I caught you, I felt bad that you weren't able to go to that barbeque...and that I sounded so harsh talking to you. So I thought I could try and make it up to you. I managed to find some meat in the sanctuary for predators, and I figured I could get some more later..."

He tilted his head as he took his seat. "No, I mean...you looked upset when you caught me eating a steak. Why would you make me another one?"

She frowned, narrowing her eyes at him. "Discord, I was upset because you were eating a raw steak. Do you know how many diseases or parasites you could have gotten from doing that?"

"Well...no. But I'm guessing it's quite a few nasty ones," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "To be fair, when I grabbed it, I didn't realize it wasn't completely cooked."

"Well, this one is properly cooked and safe to eat," she said, turning as though to fly to her own seat. But instead, she stopped and placed a hoof on his shoulder, eyes widening sorrowfully.

"But Discord...I was also upset that you didn't tell me about wanting to go to the barbeque, or that you would have enjoyed eating meat. Why didn't you say anything?"

He frowned down at his steak, turning a fork over and over in his hand, transforming it into a knife or back into a fork with each turn. "I...didn't want to upset you," he said. "I know how much you love animals...I didn't want you to know that I do enjoy eating meat, sometimes."

"Discord," she said, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "I would have understood. I do understand. It's true, seeing creatures eat meat is a little...upsetting. And I know I could never do it myself. But eating meat is a part of nature, and I've come to accept that some creatures need to eat meat. I've fed Harry and the ferrets fish, remember?"

"Yes..." he said. "But what about that little 'vegan predator' group that you started at the sanctuary?"

She blushed. "I started that so that any prey could feel comfortable staying at the sanctuary. There's a separate area that's predators-only, so that they can eat meat in private, without the other animals feeling nervous. And Dr. Fauna, Zecora, and I make sure they get all of their necessary vitamins."

"But anyway," she said. "I've never seen you eat meat for as long as I've known you. Have you been...wanting to eat meat this whole time, and bottling it up?" She was frowning, her eyes wide and shiny.

"No! No no no no," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "Even before I met you, meat was never high on my list of preferred meals." A scroll rolled out on the floor behind them, showing pictures of various desserts. "It was easy to cut it out of my diet when I reformed. Oh, sure, once in a blue moon it sounded good, but usually something else savory was enough to satisfy my appetite." A pot of noodles covered in peanut butter appeared in the air, a wooden spoon offering some to Fluttershy.

She slurped at the noodles, and he continued. "Anyway, today was a very rare occurrence. Knowing about a huge event like that...smelling the cooked meat..." he inhaled, taking in the scent of the meat in front of him. A knife began to saw it into cubes. "It was just too tempting for me, especially since it was something I 'wasn't supposed to have'."

He placed a small piece of the steak in his mouth, chewing and swallowing it. "It's good," he said quietly, savoring the savory taste lingering still in his mouth.

"That's good," she said, taking the clothespins off her muzzle. Her nose wrinkled, and she quickly flew to the other side of the table. "S-sorry," said, looking a little green. "Even if I understand, the smell of cooked meat is..." She turned away.

He blinked, looking down at the steak. "Does seeing me eat meat...bother you?" he asked quietly.

She shuffled. "It's...a little bit unnerving..."

"Well, how about this?" Discord said. "This steak is the last meat you'll see—or smell—me eat. If I ever feel the urge to eat meat—which, again, is very very rare—I'll do it so that you can't see it. And I promise that it'll be properly cooked." He tapped his chin. "And I can use my magic to make it out of nothing, so...it won't have even come from any creature."

Her ears perked up. "That'd...that'd preferable," she said with a smile and a nod. The bowl floated over to her, and she continued to slurp her noodles. "Thank you."

He continued to chew on his steak, savoring it without making a show about it. After this...He imagined he wouldn't have a craving for this stuff for a long while.

Crystal Convention

Fluttershy and Discord wandered through a large, impressive crystal building, one not far away from the Crystal Palace. "What's our number again?" Discord asked, staring at the crystal numbers glittering on all the doors around them.

"Two hundred five," she said, guiding him towards the correct room. She used the key to open it. The two of them stepped into a large hotel room, with a single large bed pressed against one wall.

"Ah, the royal treatment!" Discord said, dropping their bags on the ground and flopping onto the large bed. "Now this is my kind of hotel room...not like that room you ended up staying in last time."

She chuckled and sat down next to him. "Well...I didn't spend that much time in that room, thanks to that tent you made for me." She looked around. "And...I know this room is bigger, but what makes it better than the last one?"

He gasped, sitting up. "You have to ask?" He grabbed her under her forelimbs and lifted her up, pointing down at the bed. "First point—a large bed with a much better mattress!" He zipped over to the bathroom. "Second point—a bathroom fit for royalty! Look at that large tub, big enough to hold the both of us!"

She blushed at that. "Cordy..."

But he had already carried her to the sliding crystal doors. "A superior view of the Empire!" he said, throwing back the curtains. "Plus, a balcony!" He stepped out onto the balcony and continued pointing things out down below.

"A pool, a small crystal garden...and oooh, there are restaurants nearby!" he said. "Not that we have to use them, because this hotel has room service!" He held up a pamphlet and showed it off to her. "We can order food whenever we like!"

"As long as it's within this timeframe..." she said, tapping at the opening and closing hours of the room service. "And Discord...I never thought you'd be so excited about this. You can make things like this with your magic."

"I know," he said, floating back inside and laying back down on the bed, with her lying on his torso. "But it feels good for someone else to do all of these things and give them to me." He stretched, placing his hands behind his head. "And to think that Cadence is paying for all of this! What a steal."

"Because we're helping her," Fluttershy said. "And don't you go abusing her generosity...you do know that room service might have extra fees, right?"

He sighed and nodded. "Yes, and they charge for all the snacks and drinks in that fridge over there, and bill for any damages in the room..." He sat up and ruffled her mane. "But c'mon, Flutters, let's live a little! Cadence has plenty of bits, I don't think we could come close to draining her dry without actively trying to."

"Well..." she hesitated for a second, then sighed and relaxed in his arms. "I suppose that...it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of fun. As long as we don't take it too far."

"Exactly," he said, rolling over onto his side and letting her roll off of him and onto the bed.

She sighed and relaxed on the sheets, shifting to be closer to Discord. This was a pretty nice bed...after a few minutes, she opened her eyes and saw that Discord was wearing a thoughtful expression. "What are you thinking about?" she asked him, stroking his cheek.

"I wonder..." he said, "If the glasses are made of crystal." He teleported over to the fridge and whipped open the door. He gasped and emerged with two cups and a bottle of soda. "Even better! They and the soda bottles are made of crystal!"

He popped open the bottle and quickly poured them two glasses. "Discord," she said. "We don't need to..."

"Ah, but this looks like some tasty soda, though!" he said, offering her one of the full glasses. "Lemon flavored, too..." he said in a singsong voice.

"...alright," she said, relenting and accepting the crystal glass. He smiled and took a sip, his eyebrows raising a bit in surprise. She took a slow sip of her own.

Her own eyebrows rose. The soda was lemon-flavored...but it was less fizzy than she was expecting, and a little sourer (while still being sweet). It was like...someone had taken some tart lemonade and carbonated it.

Discord smacked his lips. "Not bad," he said. "Not quite what I was expecting...and not bad." He took another long sip of his soda.

She took another sip herself, laying back down on the bed. Discord plopped next to her, still drinking his soda. "Mmm. I'm making some bottles of this for back home," he said. He grinned at her. "See? There's a reason why we should try their stuff. New foods to find!"

She smiled and chuckled, taking another sip. "Okay, okay," she said. "We can try some of the things in the fridge...as long as we don't overdo it."

"Moi? Overdo things? Never," Discord said, a halo appearing above his head. She snickered and nudged his side. He chuckled and nudged her back.

The two of them ended up nudging each other and giggling like schoolfoals until their glasses were empty...at which point, everything turned into a full-on tickling pillow fight.

Eventually, the two of them laid on the bed, panting, pillows strewn about the room. "...want to get dinner?" Discord said. "We can order room service and listen to something on the radio. Maybe a cheesy, romantic drama that we can both laugh at."

"That sounds...fun, actually," she said with a grin. "If you take care of ordering food, I can find something on the radio."

"Great!" he said. With a snap of his fingers, a telephone appeared on the crystal nightstand. "I'll call the front desk and place the order." He began to dial numbers on the phone, while she got off the bed and went to the radio.

It took a few minutes of searching—most stations were either news-based, or only played music. But she did eventually find one that seemed to be a drama. She paused, retracting her hoof and listening for a few seconds just to be sure.

"Oh, Ferdinand," a female voice moaned. "How could we ever be together?"

"Our love shall guide us," a male voice responded. "We can overcome any challenge, as long as we hold faith in each other!"

"Ugh!" Discord said. "Sounds like a really cheesy one." He stuck out his tongue...but then a wide grin spread across his face. "That's perfect!"

Fluttershy chuckled. "Did you place the order?"

"Mhmm. The receptionist was a bit confused by the phone at first, but she still took my order." He flopped onto the bed, patting the space next to him. "Any minute now, we shall receive two orders of rice with cooked vegetables."

"Sounds good," she said, leaning against his side. Already, she was starting to relax...only the idea of dinner and enjoying something cheesy with Discord kept her from sleeping in the soft, comfortable bed they were on then and there.

The drama was very cheesy, enough that Discord was laughing for more than half of it...and his laughter was quite contagious. Their dinner was also quite tasty, and they had gone to bed in a good mood and with full stomachs.

Fluttershy woke up the next morning with a yawn. The sun was bright, crystal birds were chirping...and Discord was cooking tiny pancakes on the hotel iron.

"What happened to room service?" she asked, smiling and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Well, there were some tempting things," he said, dropping the pancakes onto a plate. "But what could be more tempting than hasty pastries cooked in a way that never should have been?"

She looked at the pancakes as he brought the plate over. Most of the pancakes seemed a bit uncooked and slightly sticky. A couple actually looked okay, though. "...I'll give you some of the better ones," he said, sliding the good-looking ones onto a separate plate in front of her.

"Thank you," she said. "...sure you don't want to order room service?"

"Hmm. Not right now. Maybe tomorrow, after feeling a tinge of regret at eating these. Or this evening, after feeling quite hungry after today," he said.

"If you say so," she said as he handed her a fork. She began to eat the pancakes. They might not have been perfect, but they still tasted alright.

As soon as they polished off their breakfast, they stood up and stretched, both of them heading to the bathroom to get ready. After their teeth and manes were brushed, and Discord had fluffed up his eyebrows and beard until he was satisfied, he added the final touch—two lanyards with plastic cards around their necks, each with their names and the name of the convention on them.

"Ready to go?" he asked, cracking his knuckles. "If we head out early, we can beat the line!" She nodded, and he snapped his fingers, teleporting them both.

Unfortunately, there was still a small line they had to wait in before entering the sparkling convention center. Though Discord griped and grumbled, the line was quickly let through, and soon, they were inside the large opening hall.

A pink alicorn with purple-tipped wings spotted them, quickly waving at them. "Cady-lady!" Discord said cheerfully. With a snap of his tail feathers, he and Fluttershy teleported through the crowd to reach her.

"It's good to see you, Discord," she said with a bright smile. "I hope you enjoyed your stay in the hotel?"

"Oh, I did," he said with a nod. Fluttershy nudged his side. "Thank you for inviting us, and giving us the room," he said. He playfully rolled his eyes at Fluttershy, and she giggled.

"Speaking of that, Princess Cadence..." she said, suddenly remembering something. "Why did you invite us to this event? If you wanted someone royal, I'm sure Twilight would have been willing to come...

"That's simple," Cadence said with a smile. "You two are one of the best examples of how love can change us for the better. Just mingle a bit with visitors, and answer any questions they have during your panel."

"Panel?" Fluttershy said, tilting her head. "We're running a panel?"

Discord's eyes gleamed, and he rubbed his hands together, chuckling a little. "We have a panel?" he said. "Oooh, what should I talk about? Maybe sow some seeds of chaos into the glitter ponies' heads..."

"It's just a simple question and answer session," Cadence said to both of them. "Half an hour long. After that, you're free to do whatever you want." She smiled. "I would have liked for you two to have a larger time slot, but...I figured the less you had to talk to ponies, the better you would feel."

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes...what sort of questions will they be asking us, anyway?" Her heart was starting to race a bit in her chest. She didn't know how big this panel would be, and she automatically began to imagine the worst, huge crowds staring and judging—!

She flinched a little when she felt Discord's paw on top of her head. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she slowly gave a nervous smile back.

"Just questions about the two of you, and your relationship," Cadence said. "And like I said—half an hour, then you can do whatever you want. You don't even have to stay for the rest of the convention, if you don't want to."

"I think we can handle it," Discord said, scratching behind Fluttershy's ear. "When is our panel, anyway?"

"One in the afternoon," Cadence said. She held a map up in her magic. "I marked which room it is on this map."

"Thank you very much, Sparkle Princess," Discord said, taking the map and crumbling it up, sticking it in a pocket of his fur. "Flutters, I saw a table with stuffed animals for partners thataway. Wanna check it out?"

"Sure," she said, brightening up and following him, waving goodbye to Cadence.

In a few minutes, they had acquired matching stuffed animals—purple platypi, much to Discord's delight. They wandered around the convention, getting trinkets and nibbling on some of the snacks from the booths.

But even with all the snacking, Discord's stomach started grumbling. "We should probably eat an early lunch," Fluttershy said. "To make sure we have plenty of time before our...panel starts."

"Good idea," he said, patting his growling stomach and trying to shush it.

"Let's see..." she said. "Oh, there's a food court right over there!" She pointed to a collection of small food booths right down the hall, and trotted towards it.

Before she could enter the area, Discord teleported in front of her, holding up a paw to stop her. She froze in place, looking up as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

He clicked his tongue. "Oh no no," he said, shaking his head. "Convention food is not the way to go. What we want to do is leave and get food at any of the nearby restaurants."

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Well...take a look at how much some of this costs," he said, pointing at the board of prices. She read it, her eyes slowly widening as she realized how expensive it all seemed. "Unless you want to overpay for food that's probably not as good as what we could get elsewhere."

"...I thought you weren't worried about costs," she said. "Because Cadance was covering it...not that I want to encourage overspending."

"Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just that the food in a nearby restaurant is probably much better, that's all!" He leaned down to whisper, "And...I don't actually want to make Cadance pay of pounds of bits...it'd be a bit rude to do that to a pony princess I semi-respect, even if we're not that close."

She smiled brightly. "Well, then...let's see what's outside the convention." Discord nodded, and with a flash of light, they teleported outside of the building.

"Let's see," he said, holding up a pair of binoculars and scanning the street. "There's an ice cream shop, a few stands selling drinks and popcorn—my guess is they're trying to prey on ponies from the convention—a pizza shop, and a sandwich place."

He frowned. "I was hoping more restaurants would be on the first street...for a delicious bit of irony."

"I don't know," she said. "Those all sound like good options to me..."

"What suits your mood most right now?" he asked. "I could go for anything, really. I wouldn't mind something savory, though."

"Pizza, then?" she said. "That sounds yummy."

"Yeah..." he said. "Let's do that!" Ice skates appeared on his feet, and he skated across the street. She laughed and followed him as he dodged ponies walking by.

He skidded to a stop in front of the doors, twirling in circles as he waited for her. She finally reached him, and he smiled and opened the door for her, his skates vanishing as he headed in behind her.

"Let's see...how about we get one large pizza," Discord said, partly to the clerk and partly to Fluttershy. "Half cheese, and half every topping you have, plus extra green peppers. Oh, and all stuffed crust!"

Fluttershy nodded, and the clerk quickly rang them up. Discord paid for the pizza and pocketed the receipt ("Still not as expensive as convention food!"), and the two of them were guided to a table next to the window, where they could watch the busy street.

They chatted about everything, from the convention to how crystals could be used chaotically, until their pizza arrived. "Mmm, smells good," Discord said. He pulled a slice of pizza from his overfilled half, sprinkling a few crystal flakes on top before taking a large bite out of it.

"Is it good?" she asked, taking a bite out of her own pizza. He nodded. "I think so, too."

They kept chatting as they ate their lunch. Discord ate all of his slices, while there were still a few of Fluttershy's left. "Oh, I'm too full," she said, patting her stomach. "You can have them, if you want."

He shook his head, and with a snap of his fingers, the slices vanished. "We'll save them for you to have later," he said, leaning over the table to kiss her nose. "...though if you don't eat them in time, I might actually steal them! That was a good pizza."

She giggled and kissed his nose before he could retreat. A lovestruck smile spread across his face.

He glanced down at his wrist, where a golden watch gleamed. "Oh, would you look at that," he said. He tilted it to show her the time. "The time of our panel is coming closer!"

"Right...panel," she said, tapping her hooves together nervously.

He reached over to pat her head. "Don't worry," he said. "It'll just be a short Q&A thing. They ask things, we answer honestly. And if anyone rude shows up, we dump them into a giant shaving cream pie!"

"Discord!" she said sternly.

"...well, maybe not that far," he said. "But still, we can at least kick them out." He stood up and held his paw out to her. "Shall we?"

"I suppose so," she said, slowly placing her hoof in his palm. He smiled, and with a snap of his fingers, they teleported away.

They reappeared inside the convention center again, this time in a medium-sized room. There were crystal tables with empty crystal chairs scattered about, with a particularly long table with microphones at the front. Bronze placards with their names were set on top of it.

"So...this is the place," Discord said, plopping into a seat behind his placard. She took a seat next to him. "We just have to make ourselves comfortable and wait for some glitter ponies to show up, then."

He grabbed a microphone and began tapping it. A thunking sound echoed through the room. Nodding, he handed it to her, then tested another one for himself.

With that done, he began rocking back and forth in his chair, causing the crystal legs to leave some marks on the crystal floor. "I'm sure it won't be long before someone arrives," she tried to assure him. He hummed, and kept rocking in his chair, but he seemed to be making an effort to leave fewer scratches.

It didn't take more than a few minutes for ponies to start showing up—most of them crystal, but some regular ponies were also there. Even a few yaks and dragons showed up. Soon, as their panel's starting time came closer, the room began to fill, some creatures even having to stand in the back as they ran out of seats.

Fluttershy took a deep breath, feeling nervous about all the eyes that were on her. Discord placed his tail against the small of her back, helping her feel a little calmer. He leaned forward and began to speak into his microphone.

"Alright, everyone!" he said. "Who's ready for the bestest, chaoticest Q&A session of your lives!?" The crowd cheered.

She leaned over. "I don't think those are real words," she whispered. He just shrugged, the smile not falling from his face.

"Now, I think you all know how this works," he said into the microphone. "Just get our attention, and we'll answer your questions. And...go!"

Most of the crowd started waving their limbs in the air, yelling and whistling to try and catch more attention than anyone else around them. Discord's eyes scanned the room for a moment...and he finally pointed to a young crystal filly.

"U-um..." she said, seeming nervous as eyes turned to her. "What's your favorite thing about each other?"

"Ooh, hitting us with the tough stuff, huh?" Discord said, cracking a grin. He glanced over at Fluttershy. "Well...it's impossible to say that there's just one thing that's my favorite. She's kind, willing to offer me a chance in the first place. Patient and understanding, so she keeps giving me more chances, even when I mess up. She's adorable, sometimes silly, very clever, especially when it comes to animals..."

He paused, then finished, "So...my favorite thing about her is that she's Fluttershy."

"Aww," a few members of the crowd cooed. Fluttershy blushed, feeling very tempted to hide underneath the table. Discord placed a paw on top of her hoof, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She took a deep breath, and leaned a little closer to the microphone. "U-um," she said. "I love Discord because he...he always knows how to make me laugh and smile. Ever since we became friends, he's always supported me. He always, always puts his everything into whatever he cares about...and has put so much into our relationship."

She swallowed. "So...my favorite thing about him is that he's Discord."

The crowd cooed again, and Discord blinked, looking a bit stunned. "...Fluttershy, please don't make me melt before the panel's barely begun," he said, voice cracking slightly as he fanned himself. Murmuring chuckles spread through the crowd.

She chuckled a little to herself, starting to relax. This wasn't as bad as she had feared...especially with Discord by her side. She gave his paw a squeeze and turned her attention back to the ground. "Next question?"

Several creatures raised their hooves and hands. Fluttershy's eyes scanned over the crowd, trying to figure out who had raised theirs first, before finally pointing at a tall and slender dragon in the back. "Who usually wins arguments, between you two?" he asked.

Fluttershy frowned. "Well...arguments aren't about winning. We both try to figure out what the problem is, and take steps to fix it."

Discord pointed at her. "She's nearly always right when we bicker about something." A few chuckles came from the crowd.

"You're right about things a lot, too," she said, lightly nudging his side. "...and most of the time we argue, we're just concerned for each other."

He nodded and kissed her forehead, earning a few 'aww's from the crowd. She blushed and pushed his muzzle away. "N-next question?" she said.

The two of them answered question after question—things like how they felt about working in different fields, or what the hardest part about living with each other was. Fluttershy warned them that she and Discord had different experiences than any other couple, but Discord answered happily, whispering to her that, "Just telling them about us could cause a little chaos! Imagine if they tried to model their homes after ours."

She couldn't help but chuckle a little at that mental image. The half-hour just seemed to fly by, and soon, the attendees filed out of the room. The two of them were left alone in the gleaming panel room.

"Well," Discord said, taking a cloth and smearing some unknown grease onto the table, dulling it. "I'd say that was a success!"

"Yes...they seemed to understand what we were saying," she said with a nod. "And no one was rude at all..." Which she was quite thankful for, since Discord did not respond to rudeness politely.

"And it was surprisingly fun," he added, smirking. "Don't think I didn't notice that little smile you had, missy." He poked her muzzle, making her giggle.

"Well...speaking of fun, would you want to wander around the convention for a bit?" she asked, standing up and pushing her chair in. "There must be something interesting we can find."

His ears perked up, and he jumped to his feet and offered her his arm. "You read my mind," he said, his grin widening as she looped her foreleg around his elbow. He raised his fingers and snapped, teleporting them both into the thick of the convention in a flash of light.

The crowd had grown as the day went on, but most creatures quickly moved aside as they appeared, and gave them plenty of space as Discord picked a random direction and strode forward. Fluttershy flapped her wings, staying at his side and looking around at everything.

The crystal floors and walls had all been polished until they sparkled, and booths were set up everywhere, usually a crystal table with a simple curtain behind it to separate it from the other booths. All sorts of things were offered at different booths—candy, flowers, jewelry, and plenty of traditional anniversary gifts.

Fluttershy looked up to Discord, to ask if he was interested in getting matching bracelets, but he looked...unhappy. There was a scowl on his face, and he actually looked a little green. "Are...are you okay?"

He shook his head and gagged. "Ugh...there's so much luuuuuurve in the air, it's almost sickening."

"But Cordy," she said, tilting her head. "I thought you'd enjoy this...you're quite romantic yourself."

He quickly placed a finger to her lips, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. Most of the crowd was still giving them space and minding their own business. "Oh no no no," he said. "That is love. I love you, I adore you, I would give you the entire universe if you so much as hinted at wanting it." He frowned and gestured around him. "This...all this is lurve. If love is sugar, lurve is the artificial sweeteners that taste funny and give creatures stomachaches and nausea."

"...huh," she said, looking around. A lot of things were pink, most booths had very plain and generic gifts, there were hearts plastered everywhere...even the matching bracelets were fairly generic, with pink or white heart-shaped crystals. "It does seem...a bit much," she admitted.

"Yes, and Twilight likes books 'a bit much'," he said. He made another gagging sound. "Urgh...it's all so sappy and artificial, I don't know if I can stand it."

She placed a wing on his back. "Let's go back to our room," she offered. "We can relax a little, cause a little chaos to perk you up..."

He smiled weakly at her. "Ah...that's love, not lurve," he said. "Speaking of chaos...want to cause a little at this convention?"

She frowned. "I don't...think that's a good idea," she said slowly. "We shouldn't ruin Cadance's event..."

"I'll find the most artificial, nauseatingly sappy place to cause it," he said. "Plus, we can do it in a way to replace this lurve with love."

She still frowned. "Well...I suppose if no one gets hurt..." she said. "And...as long as I can say 'no' to the chaos you have planned."

"Naturally," he said, straightening up. "Now, let me try to find a wellspring of lurve to plug up."

He surged forward, sniffing at the air as she trotted to keep up. He gagged a few times, but made hairpin turns towards whatever caused his disgust. In just a few moments, they were in a whole other section of the convention center, and he tugged her into hiding behind a large ficus.

"There..." he said in a hushed whisper, pointing forward. "Terrible, terrible lurve. Can't you smell it?"

Her gaze followed the direction he was pointing in. There stood a booth, coated in pink sparkly hearts, with a sign overhead. Chocolate Heart Soulmates, it read.

She watched as a few couples approached, apparently making chocolate in a heart mold from a chocolate fountain, and adding ingredients together. "It seems...novel. A bit tacky with the decorations, but novel," she said. "What makes you dislike it?"

"This flyer," he said, holding it out to her. It bore the same name as the booth. "They're...actually acting like having similar preferences in chocolate and making a good chocolate heart determines whether you'll be good partners."

"...ah," she said, reading over the flyer and realizing he was correct. "Well...maybe they're not serious. But it sounds like they are, and that's...a little problematic."

"Exactly," he said. "What if new couples feel disappointed because they have different tastes in food? That's no reason to break a good thing apart."

"So...you want to cause chaos for this booth?" she asked. He eagerly nodded. "What were you thinking of doing?"

He whispered into her ear. She slowly nodded. "...that's not so bad," she says. "Let's get in line and try it."

They had to wait in line for a few minutes, much to Discord's displeasure. Still, he kept himself busy by chatting with her about his plan...and what he noticed about the booth. "The meter's fake," he said. "There are controls under the booth, you can see her reach down to mess with them."

She nodded in understanding, and he grumbled about sleight of hoof not even being convincing. "grumble subjectiveness grumble mutter cheap tricks..."

She gave his paw a squeeze to help distract him. His fingers slowly curled around her hoof, and soon enough, they were at the front of the line.

The mare running it smiled brightly. "Welcome!" she said cheerily. "Would you two like to test your compatibility, and get some chocolate?"

"Oh, yes!" Discord said, his pupils growing wide and shiny. "I'd just love to base the status of my relationship around food and a plastic meter!"

"He means that we'd really like to try it," Fluttershy said. She smiled at Discord, who winked back.

"Alright," the mare said. "Before we begin, you'll need to pay first. That'll be ten bits, please."

"Ten bits!?" Discord squawked. "That's highway robbery! This is—"

Fluttershy placed a hoof on his arm. "Sweetie, it's fine," she said. "You wanted to do this, right?" She dug through her saddlebags and pulled out the ten bits, handing them to the mare. Discord's eyes bored holes into the mare.

She accepted the bits and tucked them away. "Now, let me get your heart ready first," she said. "This chocolate cools quickly, so we'll need to be fast."

She grabbed a mold from under the booth, then held it under the chocolate fountain. Once it was full, she pulled it out and set it in front of them.

"Now, each of you should pick three different ingredients," the mare said. "Try to pick something that calls out to you, that speaks to your heart—"

"Yada yada, cliche stuff," Discord said. "Picking out ingredients we like, we got it." He scanned over the items available. "Mind if I use something I brought myself? None of these are quite saying anything to me."

Fluttershy glanced over the options herself. There was some peanut butter, some mint extract, and several fruit extracts. The mare's smile tightened another inch. "...you may..." she said slowly. "But note that...it might take the Love-O-Meter more time to read out your chocolate if you add something it doesn't recognize."

"That's fine!" Discord said, snapping his fingers. Three glass bottles appeared in front of him—a bottle of hot sauce, a bottle of dragonfruit extract, and a bottle of that lemon soda from before. "In it goes!" he said, pouring each of them in.

Fluttershy added in some of the mint extract...then a little blueberry, and finally a bit of peanut butter. "Done?" the mare asked, to which they both nodded. She picked up the mold and rotated it a bit to mix the ingredients around.

"Now...both of you turn your eyes to the Love-O-Meter, which will measure the love in your heart!" She gestured to the sparkling dial behind her, setting the chocolate heart on a scale. Fluttershy glanced up for a second, then down to the mare's hooves...which were busy under the booth. Discord snapped his fingers behind his back.

The needle in the meter shuddered, then began moving towards the red. "Oh, too bad," the mare said. "Your heart's flavors are in conflict, so..." With a loud pinging sound, the needle suddenly shot in the other direction, pointing to the highest possible readout. The mare blinked and turned around "What...?"

"Oh no! It's a paradox!" Discord exclaimed, clapping his hands over his cheeks. "We're maxing out our love, but our chocolate preferences don't match up at all!"

The mare running the booth glanced between them and the scale. "I don't...what?" she said, her tight smile falling a bit. The chocolate fountain began to shake.

"Paradox explosion incoming! Duck!" Discord shouted, falling to the floor and pulling Fluttershy with him. An umbrella appeared in his hands, shielding the two of them...just as the chocolate fountain exploded.

Warm liquid chocolate sprayed everywhere, coating the booth, the mare, and a few of the ponies behind them. Only Discord and Fluttershy made it out completely unscathed, thanks to the umbrella.

Discord grinned widely and stood up, shaking off his umbrella before it disappeared. "Sorry about that!" he said cheerfully to the stunned mare. "Paradox explosions are pretty rare...didn't think I'd see one in the Crystal Empire!"

His grin tightened enough to match hers. "Unless...the paradox happened because this is a tourist trap that preys on couples and doesn't actually measure a couple's 'love' at all?"

A few whispers spread through the watching crowd. The mare's smile fell. "I, um...I have to close up shop for today!" She grabbed the box of bits and dropped a 'closed' sign on the booth, darting away.

Discord laughed, snatching their heart off of the scale. "Nothing to see here, folks!" he called. "Just a tourist trap of a booth shutting down!" He started walking away, bending to Fluttershy's eye level.

"You're okay, right? None of that melted chocolate hit you?" he asked as they weaved away from the crowd.

"No, I'm fine," she said. "That umbrella kept me safe."

"Good..." he said, standing up with relief clear on his face. "I'm glad."

Discord took a bite of the heart. "Mmm. What a chaotic mixture," he purred. "I must say, I think the heart we made is good." He broke off a piece and offered it to her.

She accepted it, slowly chewing on it. "...I'm not a fan of the spiciness," she said. "Other than that, it's...interesting. Could be worse."

He snapped his fingers, creating another heart. "Here. A clone sans hot sauce," he said.

She nibbled on it. "Not bad," she said. "Though...I don't think this is going to become a favorite of mine."

"Fair," he said, taking a large bite of his chocolate. "If you don't want it, I can finish it off!"

"Nice try," she said, continuing to nibble on her chocolate. He chuckled, patting the top of her head.

Hearth's Warming Home

Discord and Fluttershy both appeared in their living room with a flash of light, both of them wearing warm winter coats and boots, with a few small snowflakes stuck to their coats and manes. "And a Happy Hearth's Warming to yooooou~!," Discord belted out, his voice quickly veering off-key. Before she could either laugh or wince, he scooped her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers. Though a little startled, she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and returned the kiss.

They eventually needed to separate for air, and Discord set her gently back down on the ground. She noted that his face was flushed—either from the kiss, the cold, or the Hearth's Warming eggnog he had helped himself to several glasses of. He smiled and stretched his arms above his head.

"All in all," he said, snapping his fingers. The candy cane coat hook in the corner jumped to life and rushed over to them. "I think that Hearth's Warming Eve party went rather well."

He dropped his coat onto the first of the hooks, then bent down to help Fluttershy out of her own, floating in the air and kicking off his boots at the same time. "I think so, too," she said as her coat was dropped onto the hook. "...at least the castle didn't flood with magic pudding."

Discord chuckled. "And no one seemed to have a panic attack over finding the perfect gift," he added. "Speaking of which..." He held up a brown paper bag and started rustling through it, before pulling out a carved bird whistle and handing it to her.

Fluttershy smiled and looked over it, once again admiring the craftsmanship of it. The applewood was perfectly smooth, and...she pressed it to her lips and blew a clear note, a very bird-like whistle coming from the end. She smiled. "Applejack must have spent a lot of time on this gift."

"Probably," Discord said with a nod, pulling out a windsurfing board that couldn't have possibly fit into the small paper bag. "The Hearth's Warming Helper system seems to be working great, as usual." He smiled and looked over the board. It was striped black and purple with a white spot towards the front, which held a tornado with his two mismatched wings on the side. "I wonder how long it took Rainbow to get a custom board..."

"It looks really good," she said, looking it over. He beamed and nodded, hugging it close to his chest, nearly pressing his cheek against it. She had the feeling he would soon be looking for strong winds to surf on, or even whipping up some of his own. "...I hope that Cheese liked my gift. It feels like everyone has something magical they can do, or connections to use, but..."

"But you know how to find perfect, personal gifts at that Craft Fair," he pointed out, tapping his finger against her nose. "A case of multiple colors of party string is so Cheese Sandwich! And then you topped it off with knit sweaters for Boneless Six and Boneless Seven and a hat and scarf for Lil Cheese. You gave him an amazing gift, trust me."

"If you say so," she said with a bashful smile. "Still...it wasn't quite like the necklace you gave Rarity."

He raised his head, puffing out his chest. "It is one of a kind, since no unicorn has figured out how to capture fire in gems yet," he said. "But why don't we agree that we're both amazing gift-givers?"

She giggled. "Alright, alright." She smiled and set the bird whistle next to their record player before turning back to Discord.

Discord hung his board on the wall above the couch, then sighed and pressed his hands against his back, which made popping sounds like bubble wrap. "As fun as Hearth's Warming Eve is, especially with Canterlot Castle decorated so much...being home feels good."

"Mhmm," she said, nodding in agreement. She couldn't help but smile as she looked over all the Hearth's Warming decorations that dominated their living room. Tinsel of all colors of the rainbow (but mostly in red, green, and silver) was strewn through the entire room. Wreaths hung on both their front door, the kitchen door, and probably a few other doors, as well. A piece of mistletoe dangled above the couch, though she knew it would change positions throughout the room (Discord was coy about whether he was moving it, or it had been enchanted to move by itself). Red stockings with their names stitched on them hung from the mantleplace, where the knit Hearth's Warming dolls they had made of each other sat.

Finally, in the corner, sat their Hearth's Warming tree. This year, they had compromised on it—since it was a real, traditional pine tree with the traditional Flame of Friendship on top, Discord was allowed full creative and chaotic liberty in decorating it.

As soon as they had entered the room, its bright lights lit up, slowly blinking and alternating through different colors. Pink and black, blue and white, red and green, all six colors of the rainbow...and then there were the ornaments. Popcorn on strings wrapped around the tree, in plain, caramel, and cheddar flavors, accompanied by dangling popcorn balls in various dyed colors. Candy canes hung from the branches, each one a different flavor. A few of Fluttershy's favorite ornaments, such as the soft reindeer and framed family photos from when she was a filly, were hung in prominent places of honor. There were also framed photos of her and Discord together, sometimes including their friends. Sealed glass jars twirled in place, flickering, colorful images of her and Discord spending their previous Hearth's Warmings together captured in time.

And, of course, there was a large pile of presents under the tree, all with different kinds of wrapping paper. Discord had shoved anything he had gotten for her under the tree, and as the holiday approached, she snuck a few of her presents for him into the pile. All but a few last hidden ones had been added to the pile...and thankfully, it didn't look like Discord had tried sneaking a peek into any of his yet.

Speaking of which...she glanced over and saw that Discord had moved over to the mantleplace, plucked his stocking off of its hanging hook, and was taking a peek inside. "Darn, still nothing," he said, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

She bit her smiling lips, resisting the urge to giggle. "Discord, you know stockings aren't filled until the night of Hearth's Warming Eve." In fact, since they were always magically full and bulging with candy and fruit in the morning, he was the one filling them!

"Still," he said, stepping away. "It's close enough to nighttime that it should be full. That's what I think, at least."

A small giggle escaped her. "You have to be asleep, too, silly." Hopefully he would sleep deeply enough she could slip her stocking stuffers into his before he realized she was gone. Friendship: the Gathering cards had seemed like the perfect one for this year, and fortunately, he hadn't found them tucked at the bottom of her wardrobe.

Undeterred by the lack of stocking loot, Discord turned his attention to the tree...or more accurately, the stack of presents underneath it. "Now, why don't we open up a couple of these parasites?" he said, rubbing his hands together before dropping to all fours and sifting through the pile of presents.

"Parasites?" she asked in confusion as she stepped closer and watched him.

He shrugged. "They're not green, so they're not plants. In normal circumstances, the tree would slowly die through the season..." He paused to pour a little water into the large pot at the tree's base. "...While they retain their color and thus, health. Therefore, presents parasitize Hearth's Warming trees." He looked over his shoulder and gave her a grin.

"That's..." she started to say, before pausing. "...if presents were alive, that could be...a possibility."

"And my other question?" he said, wagging his tail a little. "Can we open a few of them up and remove their insides?"

She pretended to think, though this wasn't an unusual request. After a few years of celebrating, they had eventually settled into this tradition. "Let's make a deal," she said. "If we each open up one tonight, you won't sneak in here and open the rest until tomorrow morning."

"Deal!" he said quickly, grasping her hoof and shaking it. "Now, let's see here..." He dropped onto all fours, his belly low to the ground, and began to sniff at the ground like a wolf going after its prey. She smiled and took a seat on the couch, watching as he disappeared into the pile of presents with lots of loud sniffing and snorting noises.

His horns poked up above the gifts, and after a while, she saw him freeze, sneeze loudly, and then poke his head out with a rectangular present in his mouth. He bounded over to her, not landing on a single present, and dropped the gift next to her.

"Here's one from me to you," he said, tapping against his scrawled handwriting in the corner. It barely stood out against the snazzleberry-colored wrapping paper with neon ornaments. "You could open this one, or you could pick out another one you'd rather do."

"No, I think I'll stick with this one," she said, picking it up. "Did you see any of mine that you want to open?"

He groaned, throwing his head back. "I spied two in there I want to open," he said. With a snap of his fingers, two of her gifts to him teleported in front of the couch. One was a regular-sized gift bag, the contents hidden with paper, while the other was large and lumpy, covered in wrapping paper with tape and ribbon holding it together.

"What to choose, what to choose?" he said, looking back and forth between them. "The small one probably has more things inside. But the big one has one big thing inside!" He licked his lips. "Fluttershyyyyy..."

"Just one present," she said, covering her mouth with a hoof to hide her smile.

"Drat," he muttered. His eyes continued to swing back and forth between his options. After a minute or so of thinking and mumbling to himself, he tapped his finger against the larger present. "This one. I'll open this one." The gift bag floated back over to the tree and settled itself underneath.

Fluttershy smiled. While she was sure that he would have enjoyed the mug in that bag (custom-made, with a picture of them making silly faces at the camera), along with the novelty tea bags and hot chocolate packets, he would like the big present a lot more. At least...she hoped so.

"Why don't you open yours first?" he said, bouncing up and down on his heels before plopping onto the couch next to her.

"Are you sure?" she said, brushing her hooftip along the edge of the wrapping paper. She smirked teasingly as his tail quivered behind him. "Maybe you'd like to go first..."

"Yes, I'd like you to go first, you tempting tease," he said, tapping her nose. "But if you don't hurry, I might just change my mind."

She smiled and gripped the paper, carefully peeling it away and revealing...a second layer of wrapping paper. Discord chuckled beside her, and she smiled and peeled the next one away, revealing a thick paperback book. She flipped it over to read the cover.

"A Guide to the Birds of Paradise," she read aloud.

"I know you already have a few guides...if you haven't memorized them already," he said. "But trust me, you'll like this. Give the inside a peek."

She would have enjoyed even just a new guide, but his pleased smile told her there was something special about this. And so, she opened the book to a random page in the middle. Interestingly enough, there were extra photos of the birds of paradise taped into the book, notes scrawled in the margins of the page with a purple glitter pen, and...blue buttons next to each description?

Discord grinned, pressing one of the buttons. To her surprise, noise came from the book—the mating call of the Lesser Bird of Paradise, so clear and loud she could have sworn the birds were really in the room. "It took a while to collect all of their calls," he said. "And take good photographs...and take a couple of notes."

"You...added all of these?" she said, gesturing to the writing, the photos, and the buttons.

"Yep!" he said proudly, holding his head up high. "Some of those birds weren't exactly cooperative, and a couple of the photos might be blurry, but I think I did a pretty good job."

She smiled, flipping through more of the pages. The guide was peppered with colorful photos and personal notes that made her smile. "I think this is wonderful," she said, leaning over to wrap her forelegs around him in a hug. "Thank you, Discord."

He grinned, patting the top of her head. "...I'm glad you like it." His eyes gleamed as he turned his attention towards her present for him, rubbing his hands together. "Now, let's see what's inside this particularly bloated parasite!"

He leapt forward with claws unsheathed, tearing into the wrapping paper like a predator might tear into its prey. Fluttershy shielded herself with a wing as scraps of paper flew everywhere.

Once he had soundly defeated the wrapping paper coating, Discord stood triumphantly to look over his prize...and paused, his jaw dropping as he stared at it.

His present was a full-size throne knit from yarn. The seat was red, with one blue and one yellow armrest, with wavy lines of the opposite color along the outsides. The back of the throne was a mixture of brown and purple yarn, with a black outline and back. She couldn't see it from where she was sitting, but there was an image of two wings on the very back identical to Discord's. Two mismatched horns drooped from the very top, and the entire thing had been stitched compactly enough that anycreature would be able to actually sit in it...she hoped.

Discord was still silently walking around it, absentmindedly screwing his jaw back into place. She fidgeted a little—she really hoped that he liked it, even though it definitely wasn't perfect. He stared blankly at it for a few more moments...then gave a happy cry, grabbing her and pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh, this is wonderful!" he said, squeezing the air out of her and smooshing his cheek against hers. "Thank you, thank you!"

Just as quickly as she was pulled into the hug, she was dropped, and he teleported onto his new throne. He sighed, sprawling his arms across the armrests and stretching his back up against the back. "Oh, this is fantastic," he said, raising his head and posing, looking to any observer a smug, confident monarch. "How...how long were you working on this? And how did I not notice?"

She smiled. "It...did take a few months," she admitted. "I had to make the stitches really close together, so it'd be compact enough to sit in." Her smile morphed into a pleased grin. "And I hid it in one of the yarn piles in the knitting cave when I wasn't working on it."

"Clever mare," he said with an approving grin. His arms stretched out and grabbed her, pulling her forward and onto his lap. She smiled and tilted her head up to look at him, and his grin widened as he stroked her mane.

After a few moments, though, she yawned. "E-excuse me," she said, covering her mouth with a hoof.

Discord just chuckled, snapping his fingers and teleporting them both back to the couch. "It has been a long day, hasn't it?" he said. "A little bit of rest before bed wouldn't hurt. And as wonderful as the throne is, the couch is probably easier for us both to get comfortable on."

"Probably," she said with a nod of agreement. Just laying down for a bit did sound pretty good, but first...she turned her attention to Discord, giving him a soft smile.

"Happy Hearth's Warming, Discord," she said, gently caressing his cheek.

"...Happy Hearth's Warming," he murmured, wrapping his tail around her waist.

She yawned and laid down on the couch, finding a throw pillow placed under her head. She heard Discord shuffling, and felt him wrap his long, serpentine body around her, his arms holding her close to his chest.

Smiling, she shifted to be a little closer to him and make herself comfortable. Her hoof gently tapped against one of the buttons in her new book, and an elaborate birdcall filled the room. She relaxed, keeping her ears perked up to absorb every sound, while Discord chuckled behind her.

"I take it my gift meets your approval?" he said, stroking her mane.

"Mhmm," she said, "And...you like the throne?"

"I love it," he whispered into her ear. "I'd sit in it for hours right now...if it wasn't Hearth's Warming Eve and you'd tell me we have to sleep in bed because 'tradition'."

She nudged him in the ribs, making him laugh. She yawned. "...I think I might go to bed soon," she said, closing her new book. Her exhaustion from their celebration with friends was starting to catch up to her.

"Well, what kind of husband would I be, leaving you alone with a cold bed?" Discord said, standing up and scooping her into his arms. She shifted, holding the book close to her chest, while he used his tail to drop a white furniture cover over his new throne.

He carried her down the hallway and towards their bedroom, sipping a mug of peppermints he held in his tail. She continued to yawn, using his shoulder as a temporary pillow. Though she was tired, there was still a wide smile spread across her muzzle. And when she glanced up, she saw a smile equally wide and warm spread across Discord's.

She relaxed, closing her eyes as he scratched behind her ear. It had been, and was still, a happy Hearth's Warming.

Author's Note

A chapter for Hearth's Warming was suggested by ChubbyNia! :heart:

Bashful Birthday

A tiny alarm clock went off in Discord's skull. He snorted, jolted out of the wonderfully chaotic dream he had been enjoying. With a flick of his ear, the alarm clock was sent flying to the other side of his head, where it smashed and left his brain blissfully silent.

He smacked his lips, curling his arms loosely around Fluttershy. Perhaps he could still reclaim that dream if he could get back to sleep...

A different alarm in his skull started going off. With a small groan, he squinted his already-closed eyes and focused on turning it off, along with the eight others he had lined up in advance. By the time he was finished, sleep was far out of his reach.

He yawned, showing off all his fangs and stretching out his lithe body like a cat. After that, he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and glanced over at Fluttershy. She was peacefully asleep. That was good, he would have hated for his alarms to wake her on her—

His thoughts came to a halt, his body and breathing freezing. He remembered why he had set so many alarms.

It was Fluttershy's birthday.

Immediately, all of his plans for today came rushing back to him. Fortunately, he had already set everything in motion, told everyone where and when to meet, and given Twilight a one-use portal key for easy transportation from Canterlot. Still, he raised his fingers and snapped as quietly as he could, using his magic to send reminders in the form of flyers.

Fluttershy's ears twitched, a huff of air escaping through her nose. He went completely still, even his breath freezing for a moment. But she remained peacefully asleep, and his shoulders relaxed.

He reached over and gently tugged her blanket upwards, all the way up to her chin. It had slid down below her shoulders sometime in the night. He held his breath, even as his claw slowly retreated. Fluttershy snuggled a bit more into her pillow, but thankfully didn't stir awake. She seemed rather comfortable and content.

That would be her first gift of the day—being able to sleep in. She was typically an early riser, but on her birthday, she deserved a bit of rest.

With a flick of his tail, the curtains closed completely, and any light that still made it into their room dimmed to almost nothing. Another flick, and her pillow slowly fluffed up underneath her head. Finally, he levitated a vase of fragrant lavender over to her nightstand.

He had done all he could to make her sleep a little dapper, save for using magic directly on her, an idea he immediately balked at and discarded. With a quiet yawn, he twisted and turned on his side of the bed, working out the kinks in his body before laying his head back on his pillow, watching his sleeping wife with a soft smile on his face.

After some time, though, nothing but exhaustion could persuade early-bird Fluttershy to stay sleeping. It happened slowly—first her muzzle twitched, then her ears and wings, and then her eyelids, which slowly cracked open. She blinked a few times, her vision clearing and focusing on him. She gave him a soft smile that made his heart want to sing.

"G-good morning," she said with an adorable yawn.

"Good morning," he said with a chuckle. "Do you know what day it is? It's very important..."

She blinked, frowning in thought for a few moments before a smile twitched onto her muzzle. "...my birthday?"

"Corrrrrect!" he said, clapping as confetti showered down on her. She giggled, blushing a little. "Happy birthday, Fluttershy." He leaned forward to peck her nose, then her cheek, before finally pressing his lips against hers in a kiss. He could feel her smile and return the light pressure of the kiss.

They soon had to separate for air, but he reached up to scratch behind her ear, tangling his fingers in her mane. She sighed, leaning up and into his touch as her eyes slid closed. He smiled and stroked his paw down her back—but paused when her stomach suddenly growled.

Fluttershy opened her eyes, blushing as she placed a hoof against her stomach. "I guess I'm hungrier than I thought," she said. "Do you want to start making breakfast together?" She moved to get out of bed, but he grabbed her shoulder and clicked his tongue.

"Shyfly...it is your birthday, and you deserve to be spoiled!" he said. "Which I why I shall create breakfast in bed today!"

He prepared to use his magic, but paused for her approval. After a moment of consideration, she gave a small nod. He grinned and snapped his fingers, creating a tray in his hands. There was a plate with a small stack of blueberry waffles in the middle, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. In one corner there was a cold glass of strawberry milk, a fresh strawberry embedded on the rim, and in the other, a tiny balloon reading Happy Birthday! bobbed in place.

"For you, my lady," he said with a smile, gently placing it in her lap.

"Oh, thank you!" she said as a silver fork with a rose pattern on the handle appeared in her hoof. "It looks so delicious." She paused, admiring the waffles, and how the strawberries on top were arranged to look like a flower. He couldn't help but smirk slightly. He knew she would love that.

She glanced over at him. "Don't worry, I'm not skipping breakfast," he assured her. With a snap of his fingers, a bowl of pickled eggs appeared in his lap, which he picked up one at a time before slurping them down whole. Satisfied that he had something to eat, she dug into her waffles.

They both finished their meals, and Fluttershy leaned back against the pillows and sighed, patting her stomach. "That was very good," she said, smiling.

"So delighted that you approve," he said, shaking vinegar off of his hands before leaning over and gently caressing her shoulders. She smiled and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, making it easy for him to reach up and tangle his fingers in her mane. Her ears slid closed and a blissful sigh escaped her lips as he scratched behind her ear.

A warm, soft smile spread across his face. Her soft mane felt like heaven, and that peaceful expression on her face made his heart do backflips. He could do this all day—well, for most of a day, at least.

Thankfully, nothing was happening for several more hours, so the two of them could just sit there for a while, feeling cozy...

His ears perked up as Fluttershy placed a gentle kiss on the nape of his neck, and a shiver went down his spine as she felt her nip him slightly with her single tiny fang. He looked down and saw that she was smiling coyly at him. "Am I picking up on some...signals here?" he said grinning widely.

"Mhmm," she said, leaning upwards to peck his lips. His ears wriggled, and he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Well, I'm more than happy to give the birthday mare what she wants," he said, kissing her back. His tongue snaked into her mouth and wrapped around hers, and she moaned in approval.

Perhaps hours, or perhaps just minutes later, the two of them laid in bed. Fluttershy was snuggling against his chest, her breathing even and her expression content...though he was proud to note that her face was still flushed.

"Thank you," she murmured, still with that pleased smile on her face. It warmed his heart.

"Hey, I enjoyed it, too," he said, stroking her back. "Plus, it's your birthday. Whatever you want, you'll get." He kissed her brow.

She blushed. "Um, this...could be a little silly, but...could we read Saddlemon together?"

He smiled warmly. "Silly or not, that sounds nice," he said. "Here or in the library?"

"Library, please," she said, sitting up and stretching out her wings. He smiled and snapped his fingers, teleporting them both to the library. They appeared on a comfortable couch on the ground floor, right next to a babbling fountain full of water lilies, and with another snap, a good portion of her Saddlemon collection flew over to them, forming piles beside them.

Fluttershy searched the pile before grabbing one of her favorites and leaning against his side. He grabbed one of his favorites, an issue full of misprints, and wrapped an arm around her. They both cracked open their books and began to read.

The morning just seemed to fly by as they both devoured the manga. (Figuratively. Fluttershy would have had his head if he ate part of her collection!) The Twilight cuckoo clock in the corner chimed on the hour, chanting "Books! Books! Books!" every time.

A little after noon had rolled around, Fluttershy's stomach quietly growled. Discord summoned Saddlemon bookmarks for them both, passing one to her. "I guess I didn't realize how hungry I was getting," she said, marking her place and closing her issue. It disappeared, teleported to their bedroom to be read later.

Discord grinned, and while her back was turned to shoo the flying manga to go back where they had come from, rubbed his hands together with a devious gleam in his eye. It was finally time to play his part and set the ultimate birthday plan in motion!

"How does a picnic lunch sound?" he innocently suggested when she turned back around, the manga settling themselves on the shelf. "Maybe on that lovely hill just outside the sanctuary?" He hoped she agreed. If not...well, Plan B of blindfolding her and teleporting her there was a possible option.

Fortunately, she smiled brightly and nodded. "That sounds really nice," she said.

Yes! he cheered internally. Externally, he smiled widely and snapped his fingers to create a wicker picnic basket. Another snap, and a blanket and several plates of her favorite food appeared in the air, all of them floating and settling themselves inside the basket.

"Care to add anything else?" he asked, holding it open and showing it off to her.

She peered inside. Her gaze scanned over the cucumber sandwiches, the fresh strawberries and apple slices, and a few of the desserts he included, before nodding in satisfaction. "It looks delicious."

"Then...shall we?" he said, bowing and offering his arm to her. She looped her foreleg around his elbow, and he stood up, snapping his fingers and making them disappear in a flash of light.

They reappeared on the side of the hill just outside the sanctuary. A flick of his tail, and a discrete message was sent to the party planners. "Oh, it's such a lovely day," Fluttershy said with a smile, opening her wings to absorb the sunlight.

"You know, I think the other side might actually get more sunlight," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Care to come with me and see?"

"Sure!" she said, her wings folding against her sides, trotting to keep up with him as he headed uphill.

He struggled, resisting the urge to cackle and rub his hands together. She was putty in his hands, and everything was going perfectly! As long as he didn't give away what was going on before they actually got there. Fluttershy currently appeared oblivious to his scheming, simply smiling and enjoying the warm spring air as she trotted alongside him.

Soon, they came over the top of the hill. "You know..." Fluttershy said. "I'm kind of surprised none of our friends dropped by our home. Pinkie always likes to surprise ponies on...their..." She froze in place, staring at what was set up right at the bottom of the hill.

All of their friends were gathered there, even Twilight. Her mother and father were also there, along with her wishy-washy brother. Several picnic blankets were spread across the ground, pinned down with multiple baskets and a cooler of apple cider. A plastic table had been set up, with gifts piled on top of it. There were few decorations, so the animals wouldn't be disturbed or try to swallow something they shouldn't, but a banner that read Happy Birthday, Fluttershy! was still placed between two wooden poles erected behind the party.

Applejack noticed the two of them on top of the hill and waved. This got the attention of the others, who also started waving and beaming. Discord smiled and glanced over at Fluttershy, whose jaw had dropped. He snapped his fingers, teleporting them into the middle of the group.

"Surprise!" everyone said once Fluttershy was there.

"Oh!" she said, blinking in surprise, slowly turning and looking at everything that had been set up. "You all...and..." She glanced up at Discord, who gave her a smug smirk. "You knew?"

"I planned it!" he boasted. Pinkie coughed into her hoof, and he flinched. "Well...okay, Pinkie and Cheese did. But I helped, and I was the one with the plan to get you here!"

"So...the picnic lunch for two was a ruse?" she said, looking between him and the party.

"Yep," he said with a smug nod. "There's still lunch, of course. And carrying this basket made bringing my final party contribution easy." He opened it up, showing her a glimpse of a patchwork job made from various wrapping papers. He dropped the basket, allowing it to float over to the table Pinkie had set up for presents.

Her stomach growled, jolting her briefly out of her shocked stupor. "...lunch sounds really good right now," she said, smiling bashfully.

He smiled and took her hoof, guiding her over to the collection of picnic blankets. She paused next to her family, giving each of them a hug before finally sitting next to them. As soon as she had sat down, Discord plopped a cardboard crown crookedly on top of her head, with the words Birthday Queen written on it. "All hail Fluttershy, Queen of the Day!" he declared, summoning and blowing into a tiny trumpet.

"Oh, Discord," Fluttershy said, giggling. The rest of their friends laughed, even her family chuckling a bit. Discord's grin widened, and he sat right next to his wife, curling his tail behind her.

With all of them together, Pinkie and Cheese opened up the wicker baskets and started to pull out food. The first things they pulled out were what Discord had packed earlier, to their mild confusion, but they shrugged it off and laid everything out.

Everyone was given a paper plate and told to help themselves. Discord watched as Fluttershy helped herself to his cucumber sandwiches, and several dishes he recognized from her parents ' cooking, plus some baby carrots. Applejack went around, giving everyone a full glass of Sweet Apple Acres cider.

Discord filled his plate with a few carrots drowned in ranch, a couple of sandwiches, some cheese from Cheese, and a few of the dishes Mr. and Mrs. Shy had clearly made, like the green jello. Thankfully, it didn't look like Zephyr had decided to 'help' provide food this time.

They all ate, drank, and chatted, with Fluttershy being wished a happy birthday many times (usually from Discord, which made her giggle). Before they all knew it, they had eaten their fill, and were enjoying slices of carrot cake made by Pinkie while listening to the party planning couple debate about cheese tables versus dessert tables.

"Alright!" Pinkie said, rubbing her hooves together as Cheese gathered the empty plates. "Who's ready for the birthday mare to open all her presents!?" A burst of confetti appeared behind her, and with a pink blur, the whole tableful of presents was moved into the middle of the picnic blankets. Discord snapped his fingers, causing the basket his present was in to fall apart and reveal a lumpy present with garish, hodgepodge wrapping paper, which was much too large to have reasonably fit inside of the basket.

"Oh, already?" Fluttershy said, blinking. "Well, alright..." She scanned the small mountain of presents, her eyes pausing just for a second on Discord's gift.

"I'd save mine for last, Flutterbuddy," he said in a stage whisper. "After all, it's the best! No one else's is going to match it." There were a few grumbles and challenges from their friends, especially from Rainbow, but no one directly argued against it. They'd eventually see he was speaking the truth, anyway.

"Okay," she said with a nod, her eyes shifting as she looked for something else. Eventually, she just grabbed the gift bag that was closest to her.

"Oh, that's mine!" Zephyr Breeze declared. "You're going to love it!"

We'll just see, Discord thought, trying not to glare as Fluttershy pulled the tissue paper out. The younger pegasus's gifts in the past had been quite...hit and miss. Photos of himself, terrible experimental perfumes, and tacky baubles...he stuck his tongue out as he remembered them. Fluttershy deserved quality presents, for chaos's sake!

Of course, it seemed memories of past mediocre gifts didn't damper Fluttershy's mood at all. She dug through the bag and finally pulled out...an extra-large bottle of shampoo. "Oh!" she said, turning the bottle around to read the labeling. "Oh, and it's strawberries and cream, even...this should last for a while. Thank you, Zephyr!"

Her brother puffed out his chest, even his feathers fluffing up a bit. "You're welcome, Sis," he said. "It's the perfect formula for your mane, and it'll keep it soft and bouncy!" Discord bit his tongue, but still rolled his eyes. Fluttershy didn't need expensive shampoo to make her mane as wonderful as possible. ...but it was still a nice enough gift, and Fluttershy seemed pleased with it.

She carefully set the bottle aside, then began searching for a specific present, eyes skimming over the name tags and labels. Finally, she grabbed a small gift bag with a butterfly on the front, the tag saying that it came from Mom and Dad.

"Our gift...probably isn't as impressive as all of your friends'," Mr. Shy said, rubbing the back of his neck. There was a bit of sweat on his brow—being surrounded by ponies who were technically royalty probably did that to a pony.

"But I hope you'll still like it," Mrs. Shy added, patting her husband's shoulder and giving Fluttershy a soft smile.

"I'm sure I will," Fluttershy said, giving a smile back that was just as soft. She carefully began pulling the tissue paper out of the bag, then dug around and pulled out a few of the items. First was a handful of seed packets for irises, roses, and tulips. Then there were a few rosehip green tea bags, followed by tea bags for chamomile. Fluttershy's smile became a little brighter as she pulled out a few more kinds of tea and seed packets, finally pulling out and opening a birthday card.

"'To our favorite daughter—Happy Birthday'," she read with a smile. "'Love, Mom and Dad.'" She looked up at them, smiled, and leaned over to pull them into a quick hug. "Thank you both...I love you." She kissed both of them on the cheek, making them smile and tear up a little.

Discord just smiled warmly, gathering the items carefully and shifting them back into the bag they had come from. He set the bag close to where Fluttershy had been sitting with the utmost reverence. Fluttershy settled back in her place, shooting him a quick, thankful smile. He gave her a thumbs-up in return.

"Now, let's see..." she said, looking back at the pile. But before she could think long about what to open next, a rainbow blur flew over it, screeching to a halt in front of her.

"Here, open mine next!" Rainbow said, shoving a Wonderbolts-themed gift bag into her hooves. "I guarantee that it's the most awesome thing you'll get today!"

Discord smirked. "Bold words, considering I'm also giving her a present," he said.

Rainbow scoffed. "Whatever. I know Fluttershy will love mine, and that immediately makes it awesome, guaranteed." She sat down with a wide grin, tapping her forehooves against the ground.

Fluttershy dug through the bag, eventually pulling out a record. "A...a Skullcrushers album?" she said, eyes widening.

"Wait, what?" Discord said, quickly zipping over and looking over her shoulder. His eyes quickly scanned the cover, and to his relief, that wasn't anything gory or disturbing that he would normally cover up with stickers. Actually...it was much different from their usual covers. It was a picture of the band during one of their concerts, rocking out and blasting their music.

"Limited edition copy!" Rainbow said, looking smugly proud of herself. "They were selling them for an anniversary event. It was packed and hard to get tickets or merch, but being the Captain of the Wonderbolts helped me get through the line before they all sold out."

Fluttershy flipped the record over, her smile widening as she read all of the songs that were included. Discord noted that a couple of her favorites were on it. He didn't have a preference for any of their songs in particular, but if any of them made Fluttershy especially happy, that was good enough for him.

"Thank you, Rainbow," she said, hugging it to her chest. Rainbow chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck, still with that smug grin on her face. Fluttershy carefully set the record with her other gifts, looking back at the pile. The next thing that caught her eye was a white hat box tied closed with an elegant purple ribbon—clearly Rarity's gift.

She grabbed it and used her wings to pull the ribbon undone, pulling off the top. Inside sat two pairs of boots made out of thick faux leather, with intricate golden designs of vines and leaves, the thread so fine and closely packed that even Discord couldn't see the stitches, even after increasing the magnification of his eyes a few times.

"Thank you, Rarity," Fluttershy said, picking one up and examining it. "They're beautiful."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, darling," Rarity said. "Besides, I heard through the grapevine that you might be thinking of helping even more birds with sharper talons," Rarity said, closing her eyes and taking a slow sip of cider. She shivered—either she was thinking about those sharp claws, or the vine full of whispering grapes Discord had made to talk to her.

(He had been nice and cleaned it all up! And even offered her the jar of jam. She seemed a bit nauseated by it, for some reason.)

Rarity set down her cup and opened her eyes, smiling. "And I figured you might want something that would be fashionable and keep you safe from being scratched by any of those large birds."

"Oh, thank you!" Fluttershy said, slipping the boots on. "Most of the raptors I know are very careful, but these will be good for introducing newcomers into the sanctuary. Or helping clear out briar thorns..." Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at the boots, probably imagining all the wonderful, sappy things she could do with them.

"Or come hiking with me," Discord suggested, holding her close. "After all, with thick boots like those, we wouldn't have to feel worried about you hurting your hooves!" His favorite hiking mountains tended to be hard and filled with plenty of sharp rocks...but if he was confident she would be safe, it would be fun to have her by his side!

"I guess that's true!" she said with a smile, leaning against his side. She carefully slipped the boots back off and into the box. "We'll have to see on another day, though." He nodded in agreement as she rifled through the gift pile, pulling out a large, lumpy present covered in bright pink wrapping paper with Happy Birthday written all over it.

"This one is from Pinkie and Cheese," she said, reading the sticker label posted on the side. Pinkie threw one of her forelegs around Cheese's shoulders, grinned widely. They both seemed to be quivering in anticipation.

Fluttershy tore into the wrapping paper...and a small pile of yarn balls tumbled out and across the blankets. "Ah!" she cried, quickly standing up, her wings flaring out.

"Don't worry, I've got them," Discord assured her, snapping his fingers. Each of the yarn balls floated into the air, bobbing back over to her and arranging themselves into a multi-colored pyramid. There was a ball for each color of the rainbow, and even some sparkly silver and gold ones.

With the yarn saved, Fluttershy relaxed and sat back down. She picked up the last item sitting on top of the wrapping paper—a pair of wooden knitting needles, etched with vines and flowers. She smiled, tapping them together experimentally. "Pinkie, Cheese...thank you! This was so thoughtful."

"Pshaw!" Pinkie said, waving off the praise with a grin. "We know you'll make amazing things with those yarn and needles. So we got you the best stuff we could find!"

"Almost the best escapees, too," Cheese said with a chuckle. The whole group giggled along with, even Fluttershy. Still, Discord used a little magic to make an invisible barrier around the yarn. No more escape attempts for them!

She carefully set the needles next to the yarn pyramid (a thought was enough to let her hoof through the barrier), then reached towards the pile again. The next gift was in a wooden crate with a stamp of three apples on it, tied off with a large red ribbon. "From Applejack, I'm guessing?" she said. The orange earth pony smiled and nodded.

Fluttershy pulled the ribbon off, then removed the top of the crate. Inside sat six gleaming jars of zap apple jam, along with two jugs of apple cider...and one bottle of cider that was shaped much like a wine bottle, with a red ribbon tied around the neck.

"Ah hope it's enough," Applejack said, rubbing at the back of her neck.

"I think it is!" Fluttershy said. "I mean, the cider alone should last us for a month or two..." Not to mention all that delicious sweet jam, Discord thought, staring at the jars and licking his lips. His attention was snapped away when Fluttershy used her wing to lift out the fancier bottle of cider. "I thought you weren't putting cider in bottles like this anymore."

"We weren't," Applejack admitted. "But someone made a special request, and even provided the bottle." Her eyes flicked over to Discord, who covered his face with a hand. Why had he thought the Element of Honesty would be able to keep that little detail a secret!?

Fluttershy looked over at him, smiling. He felt heat rise in his face. "...well, I did enjoy that date night we had with that last bottle," he said. "I wouldn't mind doing it again." Her smile only seemed to grow, and he looked away, biting his lip.

"...I think that sounds nice, too," she said, leaning up and pecking him on the cheek. His ears perked up, and his tail wagged.

"Thank you," he mouthed to Applejack as Fluttershy set everything in the crate and set it aside. She just smiled and nodded, while Fluttershy thanked her again, skimming the pile of presents.

The next one she picked up was rectangular, the wrapping paper immaculately folded and taped, and shiny and glittery enough to look a little more expensive than the usual fare.

"From Twilight," she said, reading the label. Twilight smiled and nodded, tapping her front hooves together in anticipation. Discord couldn't help but chuckle to himself. All these years, and the High Princess of Equestria was still the same old dorkish Twilight.

Fluttershy unwrapped the gift, revealing...a book. "Of course," Discord said, rolling his eyes with a grin on his face.

"Be nice," Fluttershy whispered to him. Her eyes skimmed the title, her grin widening. "A guide to exotic creatures?" She flipped through the pages. "Cockatrices, manticores...and even chimeras!?" Her head snapped up, and she beamed widely. "Thank you so much, Twilight!"

The High Princess beamed. "I thought you'd like it," she said. "Still, I...also got you another one." She laughed, levitating another rectangular gift over to her. "Couldn't help myself. Taking a break and finding the perfect present is just so fun!"

Discord chuckled. "Let me guess...you made a list of potential gifts, and you spent time organizing it alphabetically to relax?"

"...maybe," Twilight said, smiling sheepishly with a small blush.

"Oh!" Fluttershy declared beside him. His head swiveled back over to her, and saw she was holding a brand-new Saddlemon manga...in such mint condition that he wouldn't be surprised if it was fresh off of the press. "This is the next issue in the current arc! I thought it wasn't supposed to come out for another few weeks..."

"Technically not," Twilight said with a sigh. "But when I go into stores and ask where the newest books are, somehow they manage to find something that isn't even on the public shelves yet..." Her wings drooped. "At least they accepted the extra bits I offered this time."

Discord crossed his arms, a bit of smoke pouring from his nose. He was royalty by marriage, and no one ever offered him things that weren't available to the public yet! "Thank you again, Twilight," Fluttershy said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I'm sure this book is a good one."

She placed it reverently on top of the exotic creature guide. Her wing briefly brushed against his arm, and she gave him a concerned look...she must have seen the smoke. He smiled warmly and gave her a thumbs-up, assuring her that he was fine. Her expression lightened, and she turned back to the selection of presents.

The next one she grabbed was actually two presents tied together with a loose green ribbon, each of them messily covered in wrapping paper, with some bits of tape sticking up here and there. Discord turned to Spike, grinning and giving him an approving nod for his wrapping job. Spike just shrugged with a sigh. Ah, so it probably hadn't been intentional. Still, it met his approval.

Fluttershy slowly tore her way through the paper. The stray pieces of tape caught stuck to her hoof a few times, slowing her progress, but she managed to flick them off and continue on. The first gift she opened was a Saddlemon manga—one made for a promotional crossover between the ever-popular O&O and Saddlemon. Discord's ears perked up, and did Fluttershy's. That could be a fun game to play together, once it was released.

The second present was a Saddlemon plushie of Mewnew, one of Fluttershy's favorite legendaries. "Thank you, Spike," she said, smiling brightly. Even Discord had to admit that he was impressed with the dragon's gifts.

Spike chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "It took me a while to find an issue I didn't think you had yet, and I thought you'd like to know about that crossover game coming out," he said. "Did you know there's a store in Canterlot now that pretty much just sells Saddlemon stuff? The O&O store I go to recommended it."

"There...there is?" Fluttershy said, her eyes sparkling. Discord brought out a notebook to jot down a memo. That gave him an idea for something the two of them could do after their next Council of Friendship meeting.

"So anyway...I hope you like them," Spike finished with a smile.

Fluttershy beamed, hugging the plushie to her chest and smooshing her cheek against it. "I love them," she declared. Spike's face flushed, and he gave a proud smile (if a little sheepish).

Mewnew was set carefully in a gift bag, along with the manga. "So then, that just leaves..." She looked back at the 'pile'...which couldn't really be called that anymore, since there was just one large present left sitting there.

Discord beamed widely, light literally shining from his smile. "That's mine!" he declared. With a flick of his claw, magic surrounded the present and levitated it over to her. "I know that you're going to love it."

"I'm sure I will," she said. Her eyes sparkled, and she peeled back the wrapping paper eagerly. There was a sand-colored carrier underneath, filled with a bag labeled Lizard Pellets, a small pile of tubers, and a water bowl that looked like a rock. On top sat a small, tan whistle.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Discord, this...this is all so nice, but...for you, it seems...rather tame." She gave him a look, and he grinned. She was clever enough and knew him well enough to know that something was up.

"You caught me," he said. "These are supplements to your real present. If I wrapped up your actual present, I don't think you'd ever forgive me." He picked up the whistle and blew into it. No sound came out, and everyone furrowed their brows in confusion.

But, just moments later, two very large, furry ears perked up from behind a rock. Soon, a canid head followed, eyes focusing on Discord. A small fox with straw-colored fur stood up and lopped his way towards the group, coming to a stop in front of Discord.

Fluttershy gasped, a delighted smile spreading across her face. "A...a...a fennec fox!" she squealed. Discord grinned and nodded, giving the little fox a gecko tail as a reward for coming to him. The fox's large ears swiveled around, carefully watching the yellow pegasus that flew around him and looked at him from every angle. "Oh goodness, oh goodness...where did you find him, Discord!?"

"Oh, I came across him on one of my desert adventures," he said with a shrug. "He looked young, and he seemed friendly enough...I thought you might like to meet him."

"Oh, yes, oh thank you!" she said. She quickly dug into the bag of food and held out a hoofful of the pellets to the little fox. He sniffed the food cautiously before taking a small bite...and then quickly devoured the rest of the pellets, eagerly licking her hoof to grab any stray crumbs. Fluttershy giggled—that tongue must tickle.

Discord grinned, crossing his arms and watching her. The fox had already warmed up to her a little more and was sniffing at her neck and face, giving her little licks every so often that made her giggle. His heart tumbled, and his expression became warm. Her gift with animals was beautiful to watch.

"There should be some nice sunny rocks you can rest on if you like, and plenty of water in the sanctuary, and a small area with sand I've been planning on expanding..." Fluttershy babbled to the fennec fox. The canid looked pleased and was rubbing against her legs.

"...alright, I have to admit," Rainbow said. "That? Is an awesome gift for Fluttershy." She held her hoof out to him, and he smirked and bumped his fist against it, sunglasses appearing on both of their faces.

Eventually, the small fennec fox sniffed at the air and wandered off to explore the nearby area. Fluttershy bid him well, quickly giving him directions to areas of the sanctuary he might enjoy. Discord snapped his fingers and summoned a food bowl filled with Lizard Pellets in the area the small fox had been resting earlier.

"Alright!" Cheese said, bouncing to his hooves. "Is everyone ready to play some party games?"

"Discord, Fluttershy, you should play Twister!" Pinkie said cheerfully, bouncing onto her hooves and trying to usher them towards the mat with colorful dots set up near the picnic blankets.

"Sounds fun," Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Hah! You know none of you stand a chance against me!" Discord said. "So of course I'm going to play." All of their friends chuckled, arranging themselves into a group who wanted to play and those who just wanted to watch.

As the afternoon continued on, Pinkie and Cheese encouraged everyone to take part in plenty of party games, including bobbing for apples and Twister. Fluttershy was even encouraged to try out the karaoke machine a couple of times, and Discord couldn't take his eyes off of her, entranced by her singing. They all helped themselves to cupcakes from Pinkie and a cheese platter from Cheese, continuing to enjoy each others' company.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Starlight were able to swing by quickly during a free period between classes, wishing Fluttershy a happy birthday and giving her cards, flowers, and an enchanted manga with moving pictures (from just Starlight). Even later in the day, when the afternoon was almost over, Dr. Fauna and Zecora swung by, both to inform Fluttershy that her tasks were all taken care of, to wish her happy birthday, and to give her cards and a potion that would help any animal sleep (from just Zecora). Even a few volunteering students swung by to wish her well...though Lucky Clover gave Discord a nervous look before approaching.

Eventually, though, everyone was partied out. Everyone headed back home, with the Shy family flying towards Cloudsdale, and Twilight and Spike using a portal created by Discord to get back to Canterlot. Pinkie and Cheese cleared up everything from the party in just a few seconds before heading out, and Fluttershy bid everyone goodbye.

She yawned, stretching out her wings. "Worn out?" Discord asked, all of her gifts gathered up in his arms.

"A little bit," she admitted. "But...it was very nice." She smiled brightly. "Thank you."

He smirked, puffing out his chest. "Well, Pinkie and Cheese were the party planners of the day, but I did do good, didn't I?"

She giggled, pressing her hoof against her lips. "Yes...yes you did," she said. She leaned against his side, rubbing up against him. Heat rose in his face, and he felt a warm smile spread across his muzzle.

"Ready to head home?" he asked, getting ready to snap with his tail feathers. She nodded, and he teleported the two of them back to their dimension.

They reappeared in their living room with a flash of light. Discord snapped his tail feathers, sending Fluttershy's pile of gifts to her bedroom. Then, he stopped and raised his muzzle dramatically into the air, sniffing loudly. "Hmm, can you smell that, too, Fluttershy?" he asked.

She sniffed at the air curiously, and blinked in surprise. He grinned, taking a deep breath and enjoying the scent of a savory vegetable stew that was thick in the air.

"Why, I do believe that it's the smell of one of your favorite dishes!" he said, grin widening. "And perhaps we'll even find some delicious apple slices, strawberries, and..." He snapped his tail feathers. "...fresh-baked biscuits we can use to enjoy that zap apple jam you got?"

Her surprise slowly faded, and she smiled at him. "...that sounds like a lovely dinner," she said. "Thank you, Discord."

He smiled, shrugging off the praise. "You deserve to have some of your favorites on your birthday, right?" he said. "Trust me, it's the least I could do." And it was—he could have made cakes larger than the house, or entire oceans of brothy soup, but Fluttershy was simply happy with a delicious homecooked meal. In a way, he loved that about her.

His stomach growled loudly, and he patted his torso to shush it. Fluttershy smiled widely. "I suppose that's our cue to go and eat," she said.

"Yes, I suppose it is," he said. He offered her his arm and started to escort her towards the kitchen, but paused in the doorway when he remembered something.

"Oh, almost forgot," he said, snapping his fingers. A pile of cards, flowers, and babbles appeared in the middle of the living room. "Here's all the items your subjects dropped off at the cottage, your majesty."

"Oh, dear..." she said, staring at the pile as it spread across the floor. "That's...an awful lot of gifts."

"Well," he said with a shrug. "You're a princess. On top of that, you're the kindest princess. Of course a lot of ponies will want to do small things for you on your birthday."

She began to sift through the cards and read them. "...I'll have to try and send them all thank-you cards."

He sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead. "You probably don't have to," he argued. "It'll be so much work, and they're probably not expecting anything from you, and..." He paused, staring at her. She was stubbornly unconvinced. Just like every year she got the gigantic pile of birthday baubles.

He sighed again, shoulders sagging. "...and I'll help so you don't get bogged down by it," he muttered, crossing his arms.

"Thank you," she said, smiling gratefully at him. She flew up and pecked his cheek, and his lips twitched up into a soft smile.

Her stomach gurgled quietly, though not as loudly as his had just a moment ago. She blushed, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "But before you throw yourself into a lot of work...we should both eat."

She nodded, putting down the current card she was reading. "You're right," she said. She sniffed at the air again, smiling as she headed towards the kitchen. Discord followed along behind her, snapping his fingers to make the prepared food fresh and hot. After all, he wouldn't want to disappoint her with a cold meal!

He urged her to take her seat as he used his magic to bring the meal over to her. Before he sat down, he bent and kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday, Flutterbuddy."

She smiled, kissing him back. "Thank you, Discord," she said. "Today has been lovely."

He beamed, his tail wagging. Fluttershy had confirmed that her birthday had been wonderful—mission accomplished.

Author's Note

The idea of a chapter about a birthday party for Flutters came from ChubbyNia!

Sweet Memories

Fluttershy hummed, opening the book in front of her. The pages were all blank...but not for long. Piles of newspapers and photographs were spread around her, glue and scissors at her side.

She picked up one of the oldest newspapers, her nose wrinkling when she saw how faded the photos were, how yellow the paper was. Before she could dwell on it, mismatched arms wrapped around her torso.

"Hello, gorgeous," Discord purred, kissing her cheek. "What are you doing inside on such a lovely day?" A crash of thunder sounded outside, chocolate milk rain pounding against the window.

She smiled, kissing his cheek. "Scrapbooking," she told him. She showed him the pile of newspapers and the blank book.

He grabbed one of the newspapers and narrowed his eyes at it. "Wait a minute...this is old! This is back from when we...had our first, not-great meeting."

She nodded. "I wanted to make a scrapbook about our relationship," she said. "And...while our 'first meeting' wasn't the greatest, it is important to our relationship. At least...I think so."

He wrinkled his nose for a moment, then sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I think it would be fun to invent a new first meeting, something that paints me in a teensy bit better light...buuut the truth is important, isn't it?"

"Mhmm," she said with a nod. "Besides...no matter your past, you're a good creature right here, right now." She took the newspaper and carefully clipped out the article about Discord's escape, featuring a collection of photos of the chaos caused, Discord's statue, and the six Elements of Harmony receiving their awards for defeating him.

Discord sighed and snapped his fingers. With a flash of magic, the article was as good as new, the paper white and the words clear. Another snap, and the other newspapers looked just as good. "Care for a hand?" he said. "I'm bored, and helping you with this seems a little less boring than messing with the Canterlot library so subtly only Princess Bookhorse notices."

She gave him a look, but he continued to grin mischievously. "...well, I suppose working together could be fun," she said. "And if it'll keep you out of trouble..."

"Me? And trouble?" he said with a gasp, placing a hand against his chest. "Why, perish the thought." A glowing halo appeared above his head as he flopped onto the carpet next to her, resting his chin against his fists. "So, what do we do first?"

"Right now, I'm mostly just getting things ready," she said. "Going through newspapers and clipping out articles, picking the photos I want to use...that sort of thing."

He grunted, chewing on the halo and revealing it was chocolate covered in a shiny gold foil. "So...you're just going through all this," he flicked his tail at what was around her. "And picking out all of our best moments?"

She nodded...but paused and sighed, glancing at the piles around her. As much as there was, she suspected...knew that it wasn't quite complete. "I...am missing photos of some things," she admitted. "Like our second meeting, when we became friends. Or anytime we were facing a villain. There might be articles about those, but..."

"Ugh, those are so impersonal," he said, sticking his tongue out, grabbing his cheeks and pulling them down. "If we're making a scrapbook about us and some of our finest and...less fine moments, it should be from our perspective, should it not? Have a little personal touch?"

"I think so," she said with a nod. "But we can't exactly change the past to get photos from back then..."

He clicked his tongue, wagging his finger at her. "You can't change the past," he corrected. "And while I try to avoid altering it myself, you have just given me a good idea!"

Before she could ask what exactly this idea was, Discord raised his claws and tore them through the air, leaving behind a shimmering blue portal. "There," he said. "I'd stay away from this, if I were you, but this is how we'll get pictures of some of our finest moments!" He snapped his fingers, and a flock of cameras appeared around him, each with a different pair of wings on their cases.

A whistle suddenly appeared in his mouth, and he blew into it, pointing at the portal. The cameras flew in and vanished from sight. As soon as they were gone, he began marking the area around the portal with bright yellow tape.

"Time travel can be fun...but paradoxes are not," he said. "Do you have any idea how annoying it is to explain things to your past self? Not to mention making sure your timeline doesn't hiccup and decide that it doesn't exist anymore?"

"Um..." she said, giving the portal a nervous look. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"I know what I'm doing," he said. "I'm not some bright-eyed century-old whelp who doesn't understand that a paradox isn't a couple of waterfowl." He polished his claws. "The cameras are invisible in the past, and if they ever make accidental contact with a creature, they'll immediately teleport back to our time."

He frowned. "Which would influence the past a tiny bit, but it'll only give the timeline a bit of 'indigestion', not make it decide to give up the ghost."

"If you're sure," she said. Still, she inched away from the portal.

"While we're waiting for those," he said. "Why don't we start using what we already have on hand?" He laid on his stomach and turned a few pages, flipping to a new blank one.

"Sounds like a good idea," she said, lying next to him. "Where should we start? I mean...I know you don't like order, but there should probably be some semblance of it. In case we want to look at a specific memory."

"True," he said. "But my magic can shift things around if needed, so we don't need to go crazy and plan where each little thing needs to be."

She nodded. "Just a general sense of how many pages we want to dedicate to certain events would be enough, I think."

"You're the boss, Flutterboss," he said, reaching over and grabbing a stack of photos. He splayed them out between the two of them, the book in the center of the sprawled collection. Fluttershy began to look through them all and arrange them chronologically, while he picked some up randomly, smiled, and "sorted" them into what appeared to be random piles.

Together, they decided how many pages certain events deserved. His reformation, once they had the photos, would get a full two-page spread, as would their wedding and first date. Other special events, such as her opening up the sanctuary, and his proposal, would perhaps get a page on their own, or at least half of one. Other photos they liked would be scattered on miscellaneous pages, and they would include plenty of notes in the margins.

"So," he said, stretching out his arms and cracking his knuckles. "While we're still waiting for the older photos to come back, why don't we start on something a little more recent?"

"But...if you could send the cameras back in time, couldn't you...?" she started to ask. He held up a hand quickly to stop her, then pulled a large chalkboard out of nowhere. It was completely covered in math, diagrams that made her head hurt just looking at them, and the title A Basic Understanding of Time Travelling. He gestured to it, raising an eyebrow.

"...okay, maybe I don't want to know," she said, trying not to look at the spiraling diagram in the center that was painfully hypnotic.

"Probably for the best," he said, setting the board on fire before snapping his fingers and making it disappear. "I prefer you both sane and without a headache, after all." He kissed her forehead, and she felt a cooling spark pass through her skin that made any remaining headache disappear...and which fogged up her memories of those odd diagrams.

"...I suppose we can get started on the photos we do have while we wait, then," she said with a nod. Discord's magic could help fix things if they had to, so they wouldn't have to spend too much time planning. He probably wouldn't have the patience to sit and plan much longer without doing anything, anyway.

"Let's start with our wedding, first," he said. "Yes, I know that it's far from the first thing that happened between us, but...it was one of the most amazing days of my life." He placed his paw on her hoof and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her heart raced a little, and a wide smile spread across her muzzle.

"...as long as it's not in the first pages," she said, chuckling a little.

"We'll put in right in the middle!" he said. "I'll bet you a teacake that I'll pick the perfect page. It'll go right where it would have if we had done this the normal, boring, orderly way." He started to flip through the blank pages, sticking his tongue out in concentration.

She was sure that he would change it with his magic to make it fit in the perfect spot when she wasn't looking, but she didn't mind baking. "I'll take that bet," she said, leaning over and pressing her muzzle against his cheek. He froze mid-page turn, slowly leaning into her touch.

"Then we have a deal," he purred, nuzzling her. He grabbed a stack of their wedding photos. "Now, let's get started!" He stuck double-backed tape onto one of the photos and smacked it onto the page. She smiled and smoothed out the creases before it stuck and became wrinkled, while he quickly jotted a note next to the photo in blue glitter ink.

They slowly worked on the pages, laying down the photos crookedly, deciding what details to write about, and frequently stopping to laugh at or fondly reminisce over some of the photos...like their first dance. Or how he had smeared frosting all over her cheek while feeding her a bite of cake. Or how Discord had made a silent firework show for everyone there...

She was jolted out of staring at the half-finished page when the time portal started making odd sounds. She looked up and saw that it was shaking in the air, ominous rumbling sounds coming from it.

"Is...is that what's supposed to happen?" she asked nervously, edging away from the rumbling portal and ducking behind Discord.

"Don't worry," he assured her, patting the top of her head and scratching behind her ear. "That just means something is coming back through it. And since I know what I'm doing, the only thing that can come through is those cameras and all the photos they took."

She swallowed. Even though she trusted his word, she couldn't help but keep a wary eye on the shaking portal. Its movement grew in intensity, getting a little bit louder...until it finally froze in place, as though nothing had happened.

Before she could ask if something had gone wrong, a huge mountain of photos spilled out, nearly as tall as the portal itself, and wider than her body. It spread out and sprawled across the carpet, the cameras tumbling away with their wings folded up. A few stray photos were coughed out of the portal before it finally winked out of existence.

"...I don't think we have enough space for that many photos," she said, staring wide-eyed at the gigantic pile.

"That's okay!" he said. "I ordered the cameras to take more photos than necessary. That way, we'll have plenty to choose from." He grabbed a large stack and began to shift through them, glancing between it and the large pile behind him. "Though...perhaps I ended up going a skoosh overboard."

"Or a lot of skooshes," she said with a smile, shifting closer to him as he shuffled through the pile. Some photos were clear, while others were blurry, but she could tell when most of the photos had been taken. A very blurry photo of several Discords fighting for her time and attention, a clear one of them baking a cake together, another one of them playing buckball together... "But at least we have plenty of photos to choose from."

"That we do," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Aww, look at this one." He a photo out to her. She accepted it and looked at it, blushing as she did so.

It was a picture of them at one of their earliest tea parties. He had been nervous, having never done something like this with another pony. To put him at ease and cheer him up, she had started eating a slice of cake with her bare hooves.

The picture was when she was about halfway done with the slice. Frosting was smeared all over her muzzle, and she could see a blurry Discord laughing his head off beside her.

She couldn't help but laugh herself, and Discord himself started chortling. "We have to add this," he said, flipping to an appropriate page.

"Yes," she said, still snickering. She smeared a bit of glue on the back of the photo and handed it to Discord. He placed it in the book at an angle, using his quill to write a quick caption of what was happening.

They added some more of their wedding photos to their page, along with colorful captions and quick sketches Discord made from memory. "Hmm," he said, stroking his beard. "These pages look good, but they need a little more...pizazz."

"Oh, I have an idea!" she declared. She dug around in the supplies for a bit, finally emerging with a thin booklet in her hooves—one full of stickers.

She turned the pages until she found some romantic, glittery ones—hearts, roses, and slices of wedding cake. "These should be a good addition, right?"

His eyes flicked over the selection, his pupils slowly dilating. "...they're perfect," he said in an awed whisper, sparkles appearing in his eyes. She pressed a hoof to her lips to stifle her giggles, while he began to peel a glittery heart sticker off of the page. He slapped it in place, right along the corner of the photo of their first dance after getting married.

She grabbed another sheet of stickers and helped him decorate the pages. Soon, they were simply sparkling and shining with a variety of romantic stickers, though their pictures still stood out clearly through it all.

"Much better," Discord said with a satisfied nod. "Now...why don't we go back to the beginning and get this project really rolling?" When she gave her nod of confirmation, he stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, the pages turning all the way back to the very first empty page.

He snatched up a small article about how the Lord of Chaos was reformed and working for the Crown, along with a photo of her holding his paw for the first time, and began smearing glue on the back of both. She glanced over at the large pile of photos, and leaned over and started to sort them—both by weeding out blurry photos and sorting them chronologically.

They spent the next several hours pouring through photos and reliving their relationship through them. As the storm outside died down and noon drew closer, they went through all of their interactions together that led up to Twilight's coronation, their first tea-party dates, their first date in public at the Gala, their engagement, all the way up to their wedding.

Time continued ticking by as they chronicled events from their marriage—the birthday parties they threw for each other, the holidays spent together, the visits with her family. The time he helped her when she became Flutterbat again. The time they went to a metal concert with Rainbow. The time he had spent a class at the School of Friendship wrapped around her. Even the small moments, like her grooming his shedding spring fur or the two of them helping themselves to a midnight snack had a photo or two put in.

Noon came and went, and finally, they put in the last photo they agreed on—a selfie Discord took of the two of them, with the scrapbook prominent in the frame. "And that's that," he said, taping it in on an empty page while she put a few stickers of cameras and stars around it. "Nearly every moment of our life together recorded, plus some moments with all of our friends. Plus, there's still plenty of empty pages..." He flipped through the blank remainder of the book. "...and you owe me a teacake."

She smiled. Their wedding photos had been perfectly placed in the scrapbook. "I'll make some tomorrow."

"Excellent!" he said. "Now, where exactly do you want to store your book?" He handed it to her.

She blinked. It had been so much fun working with him that she had almost forgotten the reason she wanted to make the scrapbook. She smiled and pressed it back into his hands. "Here," she said. "I wanted to make this for you...so that you can always have the memories of us together."

He paused, his fingers gently wrapping around the book. "...Thank you," he said quietly. "But...I won't need this to remember how much you've done for me. And..." He held the book back out to her. "I want us to keep working on it together."

She smiled softly, placing a hoof over his paw. "...I will," she said. "For as long as we're together, I'll work on this scrapbook with you."

"You'd better," he said. "And...you'd better help me with this for a long, long time." He squeezed her hoof, a little tightly. "Don't you dare leave anytime soon."

She blinked, her eyes becoming shiny. "You know that...I can't do anything to stop..." She shook her head. "But...I'll do my best, okay? To stay for as long as I can."

"Good!" he said. With a snap of his fingers, the scrapbook was teleported away—probably to his memory museum. "So...care for some lunch?"

Her stomach grumbled, answering his question. He chortled as she blushed, a bit embarrassed. "I'm in the mood for something hot today," he said, heading for the kitchen. "Just give me a few minutes, and I can whip up something savory that'll have you salivating!"

"I'm already looking forward to it," she said with a smile, following behind him. "Do you mind if I grab some fruit to have on the side?"

"If you must, you little health nut," he said with a roll of his eyes. They both chuckled as they got to work on making their meal.

Once they sat down to eat, Discord surprised her by moving his chair so it was pressed right up against hers. He wrapped an arm around her, leaned close to her ear, and murmured, "You know I love you, right?" he said. "With all of my heart."

She smiled, turning enough to kiss his cheek. "I love you, too," she said. "...I'm really not going anywhere for a long time. I promise." She reached over to give his paw a squeeze. "We still have quite a few years together...and plenty of chaotic adventures to go on."

His eyes twinkled, the last bit of worry shining in them slowly fading away. "...of course we will!" he said with bravado. "We're practically a force of nature together, an unstoppable duo!"

She giggled a little, and he leaned in close. "...but thank you for the reassurance," he said, his voice so quiet that even she just barely heard it. Slowly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

She smiled and returned the pressure of the kiss, wrapping her forelegs around his neck. They lost themselves in the passionate kiss, their lunch briefly forgotten about as they reminded each other of how much they loved them.

Author's Note

So, this is it. The hundredth chapter, the final one.

Writing this story has been a fun journey for me. I'd like to thank every reader who stuck through it and read this story, every person who commented and encouraged me to keep writing, and everyone who gave me chapter ideas. Big thank you to Nashie_Floof_Butt and Eveeka for helping me with chapters in the past, and in Eveeka's case, making amazing art that often inspired me with ideas for new chapters.

Though this story is over, I still plan to keep writing! Especially Fluttercord stories. But for now...thank you for reading Domestic Drabbles of Discord's Dimension.

Breakfast Blues

Fluttershy yawned quietly as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Purple light was streaming in softly from the window in their bedroom. As she breathed in the early morning air, she felt a weight on her chest, a slight pressure.

She glanced down, and of course, there was Discord's paw, wrapped around her torso. Her husband was still snoring softly behind her, and a small grin spread on her face.

Alright, I can do this!, she thought. She carefully lifted his paw off of her, placing a large, white pillow underneath it. She slid towards the edge of the bed, trying not to rustle the covers as she went.

A smile spread on her face as her hooves made contact with the floorboards...A smile that fell as several of them squeaked loudly under her.

Discord's ears flicked, and he quietly snorted as his snoring came to a halt. He woke up, yawning loudly and stretching. Fluttershy thought, Maybe I could⁠—

But Discord's red-and-yellow eyes were already focused on her. "Ah, good morning, my dear!," he said cheerfully. "Come here, come here!" He waved her close to him.

She obliged, crawling back onto the bed. He pulled her close to him, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. "You're up early," he murmured.

She blushed. "It's not that early...is it?"

He shrugged. "I don't actually know what time it is. Just seemed like the right thing to say." She couldn't help but giggle, making a grin spread on Discord's face. "Anyway, now that you're up..."

He snapped his fingers, and a large stack of pancakes appeared in front of Fluttershy, giving off small wisps of steam. Next to them, on the silver tray which sat comfortably in her lap, was a tall glass of chocolate milk, and a decently-sized orange.

Her stomach growled, causing her to blush and Discord to chuckle. As she dug into the meal, she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed in herself.

Maybe tomorrow...

Pinkish light danced over Fluttershy's face as her eyes fluttered open. With a yawn, she glanced over to her husband's side of the bed...only to find him missing.

For a second, she was worried. It disappeared immediately, though, since she knew that Discord would often disappear to do unknown things, and that he was fully capable of handling himself. Then, a smile spread on her face. She had woken up a bit earlier today, and if he wasn't here...!

She scrambled out of bed, poking her head out of the bedroom door and glancing around. Seeing that the coast was clear, she flew down the tunnel quietly, keeping her eyes peeled for Discord.

The grin on her face grew wide when she made it to the pale yellow doors she had been searching for. She still hadn't seen any trace of Discord. She reached out with a hoof and slowly began to open the door.

Today, I can finally— Her train of thought was cut off as she entered the room. This was their kitchen, with its tile floor of ever-shifting colors and impossibly spacious counters, the pastel-painted walls lined with various drawers and cupboards.

But to her surprise, the kitchen was already in use. The smell of pastries wafted from the oven, while pancakes sizzled in dozens of pans on the stovetop. Fruits, exotic and local, were flying out of the fridge and the cupboards and into colorful bowls laid out on the unique table in the middle of the room.

And Discord was right in the middle of it all, humming merrily and coordinating everything with small flicks of his fingers.

Fluttershy silently bemoaned her bad luck. Why wouldn't Discord be in the kitchen? She slowly tried to slink out of the room, feeling a bit put out, but her husband's ear twitched, and he turned to face her. His face lit up.

"Fluttershy!," he cried. "Good morning, my dear! Come in, don't be so shy!"

She approached him, smiling softly at his enthusiasm. He gestured to the table, covered in fruits, pastries, and pancakes. "I thought I'd make us a little treat today," he said, looking pleased with himself.

She glanced at the towers of food, covering the entire tabletop. "I...don't think it's little," she said quietly. "Oh, Discord, are you sure we can eat all of this?"

He grinned. "I think you underestimate my appetite. But hey, that pile isn't going to get any smaller! How about we dig in?" He held a chair out for her, sliding a large plate of pancakes and a bowl of fruits in front of her once she had taken her place.

It took them quite some time to get through all the food, and both of them were stuffed afterwards. The room was filled with small chatter as they ate, the two of them telling each other about crazy dreams and what plans they had for the day. Everything was delicious.

But though she kept it hidden from Discord, Fluttershy was still disappointed in herself.

The next day, Fluttershy woke up before any color of light was able to dance across her eyelids. Her goal immediately flashed through her mind. She glance over at her husband, hoping that this time, he was asleep in bed.

Thankfully, he was...and with his back turned to her, even! She let out a sigh of relief, and began shifting towards the edge of the bed. Every time Discord snored, or shifted slightly, she froze, hoping he wasn't waking up. He wasn't, and would go right back to peacefully breathing deeply.

She sighed softly as she made it to the edge of the bed. All she had to do was slip out from the covers and out the door. It was the furthest she'd ever gotten. Her hoof carefully slipped out from the bedsheets, extending towards the bedroom floor.

Finally, I can—

Suddenly, the covers over her shifted. She quickly glanced behind her, expecting and worried to see Discord, waking up and stretching. To her relief, his eyes were still closed as he shifted in bed, rolling over to face her.

That relief disappeared as his claw began fumbling around in front of him, his brows starting to furrow in concentration. He shifted again, rolling a bit closer to her. She held her breath, waiting for him to stop moving and settle back into his deep slumber.

Then he grabbed her.

A soft squeak escaped her throat as his claw pulled her closer to him, crushing her against his chest. His muzzle buried itself into her mane, and he stopped shuffling. She could feel his warm breath, and his chest's rising and falling, as he stopped moving and began breathing deeply and calmly once again.

Frustration was building up inside of her, throbbing in her throat and chest. Even asleep, he still managed to stop her!

She was at her wits' end. She needed help, if she wanted to get anywhere. With a sigh, she curled closer to Discord, thinking of who she could talk to. His soft breathing lulled her back to sleep as she thought.

But once they had woken up and he had materialized her some breakfast (waffles and apple slices), she had the beginnings of a plan in mind.

The doorbell gave a soft chime as Fluttershy stepped into Sugarcube Corner. Pound Cake's head rose, and the young teen offered her a smile. "Miss Fluttershy!," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, do you know where Pinkie Pie is?," she asked quietly. Pound Cake nodded eagerly and went further into the shop, coming out with one of her best friends in tow.

The pink mare's face lit up at the site of Fluttershy. "Hi, Shy! What's up?"

Fluttershy bit her lip. "Pinkie...can I talk with you about something?"

Pinkie blinked, but quickly nodded and led them to a booth in one of the back corners. She smiled as Fluttershy took a seat and began fiddling with her hooves. "What's up, Shy?"

Fluttershy sighed. "I...I need some advice. I've run out of ideas, and I'm not sure what to do..."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "What kind of advice?"

She shifted her wings, fiddling with her hooves. "It's...it's about Discord." Pinkie was quiet, waiting for her to continue. "Every morning, he's so sweet. He'll make me breakfast in bed, or cook up a feast for us...or both. He greets me with a kiss, never wakes me when he gets out of bed..."

Pinkie blinked, her brows furrowing. "I'm not sure what I can say about that. It sounds perfect!"

Fluttershy quickly nodded. "Yes, of course! It's just..." She sighed. "Every morning, I've been trying to make him breakfast before he wakes up, so that I can surprise him with something nice for once. But every time I try...I can't. He wakes up early to surprise me, he wakes up when I get out of bed, he snuggles against me so I don't want to leave—" She covered her mouth with a hoof, blushing.

Pinkie held a hoof to her chin in thought. "You really want to make him breakfast, don't you?" Fluttershy nodded. "Why don't you just tell him? That way, he won't stop you accidentally."

Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. "I...I don't know. I wanted to surprise him..."

Her friend sighed. "Fluttershy, you're married to the embodiment of chaos. I don't think surprising him is going to be possible. Besides, wouldn't you feel better if you talked about this with Discord?"

She looked down. "I'll...think about it. Thank you, Pinkie."

And think about it she did. It kept her up that night, long after Discord had already curled around her and fallen asleep. She was still thinking as his warmth helped her drift off to sleep, and when the bright morning light woke her up.

With a soft sigh, she tried again to crawl out of her husband's grasp. To nopony's surprise, he began to shift and grumble as soon as she was out of his arms, and he was quickly blinking awake himself. He smiled softly at her, leaning up on his elbows to lean up and give her a kiss.

"Good morning," he whispered against her lips. "You want breakfast?"

"Mmm." She still felt disappointed in herself.

Discord snapped, and a tray of waffles and pancakes appeared in her lap. He snapped up his own plates and dug in, glancing over at her. She prodded the fluffy baked goods with her fork, taking small bites. Everything was delicious, but it didn't make her feel any less disappointed in herself.

Discord slowly set his fork down. "Fluttershy...is something wrong? You seem down today."

She looked down, avoiding his eyes. She thought about what Pinkie had said yesterday, and let out a sigh. "Discord...I..." A deep breath. "I love how sweet you are you me. I love how you make me breakfast in bed. But...I feel like I haven't done anything to thank you. I...I've being trying to surprise you with breakfast in bed. But every morning, I fail. And...and I just feel bad that I can't do anything for you in return."

The room was silent. She was too nervous to look at him. The silence was broken when she let out a small 'eep' as Discord laid his muzzle on top of her head.

"My dear sweet Fluttershy," he sighed. "You don't need to do anything for me. Just choosing to be by my side is all I could ever ask from you." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, and I express it in any way I can. Just knowing that you love me in return is all I need to make me happy."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch with a sigh. "I just...I still want to do something for you. Because I love you."

He chuckled. "And that's why I keep making breakfast for you. I thought it made you happy, so I did it as much as I could."

She nodded swiftly. "It does make me happy! But..."

With a hum, he pulled away, though her kept a hand on top of her head. She turned to look at him, and saw him stroking his goatee in thought, a smirk forming on his face. "What is it?," she asked, causing him to grin, a gleam of an idea in his eyes.

Fluttershy smiled as she threw a hooffull of blueberries into the pancake batter she was mixing. Nodding in satisfaction, she slid the bowl down the counter, closer to the oven.

Discord caught it and summoned a skillet, pouring the batter in while he positioned the skillet on the oven, next to the other two that already had sizzling batter in them. Fluttershy came closer, breathing deeply the scent of pancakes intermingled with fruit and chocolate.

Discord smiled as he started flipping some of the pancakes dramatically, juggling them in the air and catching them in different pans. Fluttershy giggled, then reached over him to carefully flip a few of the more well-done pancakes he had missed.

In the end, they made three towering plates of pancakes together, which they barely managed to get through. The next morning, Fluttershy woke up and chose to snuggle against Discord until he awoke, before they headed down to make waffles together.

At that was how it went every morning: the two of them, waking up to make breakfast together.

Sick Day 2: Draconequus Boogaloo

Discord sniffed loudly. He hated being sick, rare as it was. He typically only ever felt sick if he was surrounded by pure order, struck with something potent he wasn't expecting, or deliberately giving himself some odd illness to mess with ponies.

Apparently, cuddling next to his sick wife all night was another way to get infected.

Fluttershy was flittering around him, fluffing his pillows and pulling the blankets up to his chin. He sighed, sinking into the softness of the bed, and sniffled loudly again. She passed him a tissue box, asking, "Do you need any more pillows?" She had already grabbed enough that he could make a fort.

He shook his head. "...But some chaos might make me feel better," he admitted. She smiled, nodded, and tipped over the vase on their nightstand. She flew around the room, overturning most of the objects in their room, though leaving some alone. He sighed in contentment, the small acts of chaos making him feel relaxed.

She came back to his side. "I'm going to make some breakfast. Do you promise to stay in bed?" He nodded. "If you need anything, just call, alright?" He nodded again, and she flew out the door.

He blew his nose, and snuggled into an armful of pillows. He would have preferred snuggling into Fluttershy, but he couldn't stand the thought of making her sick again, creating an awful viscous cycle. He sniffed, and grabbed another tissue. His nose was clogged, and his throat was already feeling a little sore. He wasn't sure how Fluttershy was able to work in the sanctuary for so long, if she felt anything like this.

After two more tissues, he wondered when she was coming back. How long has it been? Ten minutes? Fifteen? He glanced at the squiggly-handed clock on the wall, smiling for a second when he saw it was upside down. That smile fell when he read the time. She had only been gone for two minutes.

He rolled over onto his stomach, then onto his back again. At this rate, boredom will kill me before the illness even gets a chance, he thought.

He glanced over at a piece of furniture that had been untouched by Fluttershy's adorable chaos spree. It was a small, pastel green bookshelf, filled with all sorts of books. He had added it so Fluttershy didn't need to go to the library to get one of her favorites if she wanted to read before bed.

A book sounded great right now. Thanks to the influence of his wife and Twilight Sparkle, he had developed a taste in books that didn't involve eating them. But alas, his personal favorites were in the library, and he was confined to his bed. He could easily reach her bookshelf, but Fluttershy's books had never appealed to him.

Realization hit him, and he couldn't help but laugh at himself. Obviously, magic was the solution here. He snapped his fingers, picturing one of his favorite novels.

A book appeared in front of him. He reached out to grab it, but it flapped its paper wings, evading his grasp. He growled and sat up, reaching up again. The book flew away again, its pages contorting into thin appendages it used to scuttle across the ceiling. Annoyed, he threw a pillow at it, hoping to dislodge it. The pillow struck true, but the book creature held on.

Its cover turned to face him, thin slits narrowing. The bottom part of the book started to detach, and he watched as the paper began to fold into numerous pointy fangs. He gulped, sliding back until his back was against the headboard.

The door creaked open, and in walked Fluttershy, carrying a tray on her back, smiling softly at him. Her brows furrowed when she saw his expression, and her head lifted to follow his gaze. She saw the book monster, which was shifting its focus (and teeth) between its attacker and this new creature. It scuttled into a corner, gnashing its teeth at both of them.

"Oh, there's no need for that," Fluttershy said softly, setting her tray at the foot of the bed. She carefully flew over to the creature, hoofs outstretched in peace. Discord watched carefully, ready to lunge forward and shield her. The book creature gnashed its teeth, but Fluttershy shushed it.

"It's okay," she whispered. "No creature's going to hurt you." The book slowly closed its mouth, the thin slits above it widening as she came closer. As she reached out, it dislodged itself from the ceiling and flew into her hooves.

Discord watched, mesmerized, as she stroked the book's spine. Its pages ruffled, and it snuggled into her chest. Carefully, she flew over to the window, opened it, and released the book from her hold. It grabbed onto her forehooves, clinging on, but she gave it a gentle nudge with her muzzle. Slowly, it let go, and flew out the window with paper wings.

She closed the window and turned to Discord. "What was that?," she asked as she picked the tray back up and brought it to him.

"It was supposed to be a book," he said with a cough. "But I think my magic got a little out of hand with making it." He slid down the headboard, relaxing against the pillows.

Fluttershy set the tray on his lap. There was a bowl of yogurt, a mixture of different flavors, a slice of toast covered with butter and cinnamon, and a tall glass of chocolate milk. He smiled and grabbed the bowl, greedily eating the chaotic concoction. She simply sighed and picked up a napkin, cleaning whatever he spilled.

"Why were you using your magic?," she asked as he dropped the bowl and began to munch on the toast.

"Well, I was bored. And I couldn't leave the bed, so I figured magicking up a book would be the perfect solution," He said between mouthfuls. He grabbed the bowl again and his tongue slithered out, slurping up the last of the dairy product.

He gulped down the chocolate milk, and she dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "I don't suppose I could convince you to go to sleep?" He shook his head. She sighed and picked up the tray. "I'll be back in just a minute. Please just try to rest...and no magic, please." With that, she walked out the door.

He snorted, his head falling back onto his pillow. Like he could sleep. He was too restless to close his eyes, but something seemed to be draining at his energy. It wasn't enough to make him sleepy, but it did make him tired, and a bit irritated. He rolled over onto his side, then rolled over again to stare at the clock.

He watched the minutes hand tick slowly by, resisting the urge to make something to entertain himself. His ear perked up when he heard the door open, and his head quickly shot off the pillow. Fluttershy had entered, holding a book in her hoof.

She pulled the small, wooden chair he had made last night to his side. "I thought, maybe...I could read to you?," she said quietly.

He rose an eyebrow, glancing at the title of the book she was holding. The same novel he had tried to make. "Are you sure? You might not like this story. It's quite chaotic, and nothing like the books you read."

She smiled. "I'm sure. Besides, I want you to feel comfortable, and that means you shouldn't be bored."

She opened to the first page. "In a distant and second-hand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part..."

He slowly blinked awake, glancing around the room. His throat felt sore and itchy, his nose was running, and he felt a pressure in his chest. He breathed heavily with a wheeze, looking around for Fluttershy. She was missing, but the book was sitting on the chair, bookmarked.

A glance at the clock told him it was a little after noon. He was surprised. He'd apparently been asleep awhile, if he'd drifted off towards the beginning of the book.

The door opened, and Fluttershy came in with another tray. She'd made him tomato soup this time, with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side, and a tall glass of ice water. This time, she spoon fed him, which he was grateful for. His claw kept shaking when he was trying to eat his sandwich, and she had to help him hold onto his glass so he didn't spill water all over himself.

She flew away with the tray, returning quickly. As she started to pick up the book again, he stopped her. "It's alright. I'm not quite in the mood for that story anymore," he said raspily. Don't really feel like laughing. She put the book down on their nightstand.

"Are you feeling any better?," she asked.

He shook his head. "Worse, actually. Especially my chest." She looked at him questioningly. "There's some kind of pressure."

She gently placed a hoof on his chest. He winced, a small cough escaping him. "I think some rest should be able to clear that up." He groaned, his head falling back on the pillow.

"But it huuuuuurts," he moaned. "My throat, too. Why can't I just snap it away?"

She rubbed at his back. "Sweetie, you know what happened when you tried to make a book. Do you know what could happen if you tried to use magic on yourself?" He huffed. "I just don't want you to hurt yourself."

He crossed his arms, sniffling. She sighed and rubbed at his side. "I think I know something that might make you feel better," she said. "Can you roll over onto your stomach?"

He grunted and shifted. She slowly flew over him, landing on his back. She slowly rubbed her hooves on his back, somehow managing to press her hooves deeply into all of his sore muscles. He sighed, his arms dangling limply at his sides. He breathed deeply, feeling some of the pressure leave his chest as his muscles relaxed.

If he was using his magic, he would probably have melted into a puddle by now. Instead, all he could do was let out another sigh and let his eyes drift closed as her hooves dug in deeper into his chest, lightly massaging the rest of his back.

He blinked awake again, yawning as he rolled onto his back. He took in a deep breath, realizing the pressure in his chest had lessened. He felt a soft hoof at his side, and turned to see Fluttershy, sitting in her chair. "How are you feeling?," she asked.

"Not great...but much better than before," he said with a sniffle, leaning into her touch. She smiled and felt at his forehead.

"No fever," she said. "That's good." She glanced towards the clock on the wall. "Oh my, its past dinnertime! You'll be fine if I leave you for a few minutes, won't you?" He nodded, and she handed him the book on the nightstand before leaving the room.

He laid his head back on the pillow and flipped through the book. He glanced at the clock every few seconds, his tail swishing impatiently at how slow the minute hand was moving. The small coughs that came from his throat weren't improving his mood, either. He flipped his book upside-down and settled down, finding it easier to read.

Soon, she came back and placed the tray in front of him. She fed him the vegetable soup, then rubbed at his shoulders while he nibbled on the various cheese slices she brought. He was halfway done with his orange-grapefruit juice when she spoke up.

"Um, I know you haven't had a fever, but...I liked it when you gave me a bath, so...do you want me to..." She tapped her hooves together, a bashful blush on her face.

He blushed, then threw his head back, drinking the juice with one gulp. He pulled back the covers and flew into the bathroom, before hovering above the tub, tapping his fingers together as Fluttershy slowly followed him.

With her face still a bright pink, she turned the knob, letting the tub slowly fill with hot water. She twisted the knob back and forth, switching between hot and cool water. When it was about halfway full, she glanced up at him. "H-How's the temperature?"

He slowly dipped his tail in. The bath was pleasantly warm, and some of the steam made his nose feel much clearer. He sighed and slid in the rest of the way, closing his eyes as he leaned his head on the edge of the tub. He heard Fluttershy fly somewhere and back, and opened one eye to peek at her.

Her hooves were absolutely full of different bottles of liquid. She placed them next to the tub as best she could without dropping them, before grabbing one bottle out of the pile and heading back over to the faucet.

She poured a generous amount of the pink liquid into the water before turning the water on again. Large suds began to form, and Discord flicked his tail to bring some closer to him. He began to mold the bubbles into a chaotic shape, rejoicing in that his nose had cleared enough that he could smell the bubblegum scent of it.

Soon, the tub was filled to the brim with warm water and bubbles. While he molded a pile in front of him into the shape of his old statue form, Fluttershy rubbed at his mane, lathering shampoo in. He sighed and shifted backwards, trying to move closer to her. She squeaked. "D-Discord, you poked me with your horns."

"Oh! Sorry," he said, shifting back. She continued rubbing at his mane, and he closed his eyes contentedly.

As she worked from his head down his body, she switched between different bottles of shampoo. He had to admit, she was much better at this than he was. She was gentle with him, never doing anything surprising or sudden, making sure he knew exactly what she was doing.

Eventually, she pulled away. "Alright, time for bed." He whined, sinking into the warm water, hiding in the bubbles. "Sweetie, I know the bath is nice...and I'm sure it helps you feel better...but a good night's sleep will make you feel even better. Besides, that water's going to be cold soon."

He sighed and slithered out of the tub, standing on all fours and shaking himself dry like a dog. Fortunately, Fluttershy already had a towel on hand, and managed to shield herself from the aqueous onslaught. She giggled and lunged at him, wrapping the large towel around him and furiously rubbing him dry.

He laughed and playfully thrashed, trying to get away. She giggled again and rubbed at his head—a little roughly, but still in a playful, gentle manner. Soon, he stopped struggling, laughing as he took the towel and dried himself off. He floated back into their bedroom and flopped down onto his pile of pillows, waiting for Fluttershy to follow him.

He raised an eyebrow when she flew past the bed, towards the door. "Where are you going?" She smiled.

"Just getting something from the kitchen," she said before flying out the door. He smiled and snuggled into his ramshack pillow throne. A before-bed snack, right after dinner? Not usual, but when have I ever cared about that? He licked his lips, wondering what treat she might bring them. An apple or an orange? Perhaps a cookie or a candy bar? Maybe even a bowl of ice cream?

She came back inside, holding three containers. He sat up, but froze when he got a closer look at the contents. That's not food...

"Actually, Flutters, I feel fine," he said with a laugh. "I don't need to take any—" He coughed, but continued, "M-Medicine."

She frowned. "Discord, you've been saying how awful you feel all day. And you slept for hours, when you almost never take a nap for more than thirty minutes, and I have to drag you to bed sometimes." Her eyes widened, almost becoming 'The Stare'. "You're taking this medicine, buster, no ifs, ands, or buts."

He gulped, biting his tongue before it decided to get him in trouble. She opened the first bottle and poured a thick red liquid out onto a spoon. "Open wide," she said. His jaw popped open, unhinging almost completely. "Maybe not that much," she said. He reached up and popped his jaw back into place before opening his mouth normally.

She stuck the spoon in his mouth. He dutifully swallowed the syrup, though his nose wrinkled and the overly-sweet, terribly-fake cherry flavor. When she set the spoon aside, he could help but stick his tongue out in distaste. Without even looking, she handed him a glass of water.

He chugged it down, but groaned when she saw he had opened the second bottle. "Do I have to take all of those?," he groaned. She sighed.

"You don't have to eat these ones, Discord. They're topical medicines." Seeing his blank expression, she continued, "They go on certain places on the body. Can you lift your head, please?"

He did so, and shivered as she rubbed some cold goop on his throat. "This is suppose to help your throat. Head down, please." She wiped her hoof on a cloth and opened the next vial, dabbing some of the liquid on his nose. He sniffed, biting his lip to contain a sneeze. "And this is suppose to help clear your nose."

She set down the vial. "I'll put these away in the morning," she said, before walking towards her side of the bed. Discord's tail slid forward and stopped her. She turned to him, and he twiddled his fingers.

"How do I say this...I'm sorry," he mumbled, hanging his head. "I'm sorry for how I've behaved today. I just...really hate being sick, and not able to use my magic. I truly appreciate all you've done for me today, trying to make me feel better." He glanced away. "I'm sorry I haven't really shown that in my...behavior."

His ears lifted when something soft pressed against his cheek. He turned his head slightly, glancing out of the corner of his eye. Fluttershy pulled away, stroking his mane with a hoof. "Discord," she sighed. "I know you're frustrated because you're sick. And you've listened to me, even if you acted stubborn about it."

"Let's just go to sleep, and hope you feel better in the morning," she finished, pushing his tail away. As she climbed under the sheets, he pushed a pillow against her chest, holding her back.

"Are you sure this is wise?," he asked. "I mean, I got sick sleeping by your side. What if you catch the same illness again?"

She pouted. "But...like I said, I sleep better next to you."

He sighed. "I know. And I sleep better with you next to me, too. But I'd sleep even better if I knew you were safe and healthy." He laid back. "Either of us could take a guest room. I think we'll survive one night apart."

She tugged at one of the pillows he was lying on. "But, what if we made..."

"Fluttershy. Your side of the bed is still soaked with sweat. And if we switched, mine is covered in germs. The Great Wall of Pillows won't change that." He sighed. "Guess we'll clean the sheets tomorrow. But, please...go to a guest room."

She nodded and headed towards the door. She paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder. "Good night, Discord. I love you." She blew him a kiss.

He snatched the kiss out of the air before blowing her two of his own. She giggled, smiling softly as she turned out the lights and closed the door behind her. He sighed and snuggled into his pillow pile. He didn't like being a voice of reason, but if it keep Fluttershy safe...

He nodded off, dreaming of his kind, caring Fluttershy.

Author's Note

For once, a drabble connected to the one before it! I hope it wasn't too much of a repeat of the last one.

If you can identify the book Fluttershy read, you'll win a cookie*!

*Prize not guaranteed.

Catnip Craziness 2: Return of Catcord

Fluttershy hummed a merry tune as she stepped inside the house, her saddlebags filled to the brim with supplies for her animals. The prices at the market today had been good, and she even had enough leftover bits to buy some more things for the kitten room without guilt!

As she walked through the living room towards the kitchen, a swarm of books flew past her, nearly knocking her off of her hooves. She spun in place, covering her head with her hooves as they flew by. Too late, she realized the strap on her saddlebags was coming undone.

She yelped and reached out, trying to hold it closed. But just before she grabbed it, the cat toys, cat food, and catnip she had bought all spilled onto the floor. The cat food cans were dented but intact, and the toys just bounced away, but the bag of catnip split open, spilling all over the floor.

The books flew past, down another hallway. Off in the distance, she could hear Discord giving a warcry, and she could already picture him swinging a net around, war paint covering his face. She giggled, then glanced down at the mess at her feet.

Maybe I can save most of it, she thought as she scooped some cans into her hooves. Even if I can't, I'll need to grab a broom.

She flew into the kitchen, looking for a place to set down her burden and find a broom.

A minute later, she flew back into the living room without her saddlebags, and with a broom held in her front hooves. She dropped the broom in surprise when she saw that Discord was lying down, curled up over the catnip spill. Off to the side was a butterfly net, a large broom and dustpan, and a softly humming vacuum.

"Again, Cordy?" she said with a sigh. He rolled over to face her, his pupils so wide they almost filled up his entire eyes, and stuck his tongue out at her. There were some flecks of yellow paint on his face, but he licked his paw and swiped them away before rolling onto his belly and breathing in deeply, his tail thrashing.

Fluttershy giggled. "My, who left such a large, cute kitty in our living room?" Discord just purred loudly, rolling around in the catnip until it covered him completely. He stopped on his back and stared up at the ceiling, the tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth.

Fluttershy giggled again, walking forward and rubbing her hooves through the thick, soft fur of his belly. He purred again, batting at her hooves whenever they were within his reach. After a minute of rubbing, he sat up and little more and grabbed her hooves, lightly gnawing on one of them.

"Aw, Discord," she said with a giggle and shake of her head. She tried to pull her hooves away, but he pulled back. "Cordy, I need my hooves." He ignored her, rubbing his cheek against the flat parts of her hooves with a loud purr.

Glancing around her, she saw the various cat toys that had also been scattered on the floor. Grinning, she snagged a nearby toy with her tail—one that looked like a fishing pole, with a rod attached to a string, which held a soft toy that looked like a fish. Using her tail, she swished it past his nose.

His eyes followed the shiny fish toy. She swung it back again. His grip on her hooves loosened. She swung it past his nose again.

This time, he let go of her hooves to try and grab at the toy. She took the chance to pull her hooves away and hover up into the air, pulling the toy out of his reach just a second before he grabbed it.

She removed the toy from her tail and held it in her hooves, dangling it above him as she hovered in the air. He kept trying to grab it with his hands, growling each time he missed. With another giggle, she said, "Maybe I should buy catnip more often. You look like you're having fun."

Discord squirmed, then leapt into the air, grabbing the fish in his mouth and pulling the rod out of her hooves. He landed on the floor with a thud, but seemed unhurt, as he focused on gnawing and batting at the rod.

She giggled as he rolled on the floor, focused entirely on beating and smacking the object he had captured. "You really are a cat," she said with a laugh. "And much more energetic than last time." She looked around her, and her eyes laid on a small, plush mouse toy, which had catnip inside.

"I wonder..." she said, picking it up. "Discord, would you like a catnip mouse?" She held it out towards him, making his ears perk up. He dropped the mangled fish-and-rod toy, sitting up to sniff and stare at the mouse she was holding. He tilted his head, sniffing another side.

"Do you want it?" she asked, giving it a little shake. He made a strange sound, somewhere between a growl and meow. She laughed, shaking her head. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." She dropped it on the ground, right in front of his paw and claw.

Quick as a flash, he grabbed the mouse in his mouth, jumped into the air, and ran out of the room, all of his fur and feathers puffed up, much like a scared or startled cat.

"Oh dear," she said. "I hope he doesn't do anything crazy...well, crazier than usual."

Just as she finished saying that, she heard the sound of crashing coming from down the hallway, probably from him bumping into walls as he tried to turn around corners. She bit her lip and ran after him. "I'd better make sure he doesn't hurt himself...or destroy our home."

She ran through the halls, trying to find out where he had gone. None of the doors were open, and she was certain he wasn't...aware enough to close a door behind him.

Just a she was thinking this, the sound of shattering glass from the hallway to her right made her ears perk up. "Oh no," she said, galloping down the hallway.

She dashed into the only room with an open door—a collection of the bouquets of flowers she and Discord had given each other through the years they'd known each other, all carefully arranged in beautiful and/or chaotic vases. Discord was currently sitting on a table and facing away from her, a pile of broken glass, water, and roses on the ground next to him.

She gasped when she saw the next vase he was about to knock over—a glass sculpture of the two of them hugging each other, the tulips held between the two of them. "Discord, that was your anniversary gift to me! Don't you dare break it!"

Without even looking at her, he shoved the vase off of the table. It shattered into pieces.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she shouted, "Discord, if you break another one, I'll...I'll sleep in the guest room! And you won't be allowed in!"

Uncaring, he pushed aside the next vase in front of him...though thankfully, since it was one of his strange rubber ones, it bounced instead of breaking.

"Oh...that's it!" she said. "Time for drastic measures!" She flew out of the room, taking a few shortcuts to get back to the living room in just a few seconds. She hurried into the kitchen and found what she was looking for—a spray bottle.

She filled it half-full, before deciding she had taken too much time already, and rushing back towards the vase room. While she was gone, he had knocked over another glass vase, and another rubber one.

"Discord, you stop it right now!" she said in her sternest voice. When he didn't even bother to look over at her before raising his paw to swipe at another vase, she sighed, raised the bottle...and sprayed him with water.

He hissed, his hackles raising. Quickly, he jumped off the table (not into the broken glass, thankfully) and rushed out the door. "Get back here!" she called. "I won't let you break anything else you've made!" She flew after him.

The next room she ducked into was a guest bedroom, decorated much like an expensive hotel suite. She heard a growl from under the bed, and saw Discord's long, lithe form shift.

She almost crawled after him, but realized that would just make him run away again. Instead, she flew overhead and grabbed some pillows from off of the bed, using them to block off the left side and the foot of the bed. Once that was done, she landed on the right side and peered underneath. Discord hissed, bearing his fangs at her.

"Are you going to come out, or be grumpy and hide?" she asked. He only hissed again, backing away from her. "Okay, fine. You be grumpy! I'll just sit here and wait until you're calm!" she declared before taking a seat on the bed. She crossed her front hooves and huffed, but soon felt bad for snapping at him. He was being troublesome, but it was only because of the catnip, really.

She peered back under the bed again, expecting to be hissed at. Instead, she saw that he was curled up with his eyes closed, snoring softly. She sighed and grabbed another pillow, reaching under the bed to push it beneath his head. He snorted and shook his head, but remained asleep and snuggled into his pillow. "Shy," he mumbled.

A smile flickered onto her face, and she laid down on the bed, still holding onto the spray bottle. "Hopefully the catnip will have worn off once you wake up..."

A few hours later, Discord yawned loudly, and began to stretch. He flinched when his head hit something hard above him. He rubbed at the new bump on his head, looking up to glare at the...bottom of a bed?

He crawled out from under the bed, pressing his chin against the ground to keep the wood from touching his horns. Don't want to get stuck like that again. It was embarrassing enough the first time Fluttershy saw. Before he could slighter towards the door, a soft, sleepy mumble from the bed made him turn around.

He peered over the edge of the bed, and saw that Fluttershy was lying with her head on a pillow, loosely holding onto a spray bottle of water. He reached forward and gently shook her shoulder. "Fluttershy? Sweetie?"

She slowly blinked awake, yawning a little. "Oh...I must have fallen asleep..."

"Fluttershy," he said. "Why do I feel like I ran a marathon? And why was I sleeping under the bed?"

"You don't remember?" she asked, to which she shook his head. "Well...remember that one time I left you in the kitten room, and how you reacted to the catnip?"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that, ever," he said. "What does that have to do with—" He froze as parts of his memory became more clear. While how he got under the bed was still fuzzy, he could clearly remember chasing the escaped flying books from the aviary to the library, and seeing a mess on the floor...stopping to clean it...and getting a good whiff of it as he tried to figure out what it was...

"Oh," he said, feeling his neck turn a shade of red. "I...I reacted to the catnip again, didn't I?" She nodded. With a gulp, he asked, "Please tell me I just decided to crawl under here for a cozy nap...and that spray bottle is just your comfort object I never knew about..."

She shook her head. "I'm...afraid not, Discord." She launched into the story, telling him everything from the moment she found him to the point he fell asleep.

His face was bright red. "I...I broke how many vases?"

"Three."

"And one of them was the anniversary gift?" She nodded. "Augh! Why would I break that one? I like that one!" He buried his face in his hands. He couldn't deny any of the story. Fluttershy was no liar, and as she told the story, he could recall very fuzzy, almost dreamlike memories of the events.

He slowly crept backwards until he was under the bed again. A paper bag appeared on his forehead. "I feel awful," he moaned. "Can I have some time alone, please? I promise I'll fix...everything I broke later."

Through the bag, he could see her silhouette as she crouched down to look at him. "Discord, it's okay," she said. "You didn't hurt anyone. You only caused a little trouble, because you were acting like a—"

He covered his ears with his hands, whining. "I'm not a cat! I'm not an animal!" he snapped.

She paused. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know you're not an animal, and I know how much it hurts you to be treated that way..." Her ears lowered. "And I still brought catnip into the house, even though I knew how you'd react to it."

She sniffed. He whipped the paper bag off of his head and reached out to her. "Oh Fluttershy, no, don't cry," he said. "I should have recognized it. Hay, I even though to myself 'is that catnip?' right before a smelled it." He caressed her cheek. "I should have been more careful, and not taken a smell of that stuff."

She sniffed and blinked, smiling at him. "And I should have been more careful, and not let something I knew you could react to spill out in the open in such a large amount...at least, not without a note warning you."

He tapped his fingers together. "How about this...I'll add an extra pocket to your saddlebags to hold catnip specifically, and tighten up that straps. That way, nothing can spill out accidentally."

She nodded. "And I'll warn you ahead of time whenever I bring out the catnip, so that you know to stay out of the kitten room." She tapped her chin. "Though...maybe in very small amounts, it wouldn't be so bad for you."

He tilted his head, frowning. She continued, "Last time, you were just very sleepy and affectionate. This time, there was a lot more catnip, and you got a boost of energy and a...desire to cause trouble." He blushed. "Maybe with just a little pinch, it'd just be like a sleeping aid."

"We can experiment later," he said with a wave of his paw. "Right now, I'm going to hide from the world." He summoned a blanket around himself and curled up into a cocoon.

She smiled at him. "Alright. I'll clean up the living room and the vase room, and make some carrot-ginger sandwiches. Do you want to have tea later?"

"Yes please," he said, making the finishing touches to his pillow fort. She smiled.

"Alright. I'll see you then." She blew him a quick kiss. "Love you."

With that, she flew out of the room. He curled up in his blanket cocoon inside his pillow fortress, and began to think about what Fluttershy had said about small amounts of catnip, and him being 'very cute'.

Author's Note

A big thank you to the Fluttercord Discord server, especially Senpai_Fluffy_dino and Eveeka! This sequel is possible thanks to them!

Baby Bunnies

Discord took a large sip out of his mug of piping hot black licorice, shuffling the copy of Equestria Daily he held upside-down in his hands. He leaned back in his floating armchair, setting his mug on a nearby floating book in such a way that a passerby could see it had #1 Chaos Being! printed on it.

He glanced up at the melting clock on the ceiling, growling to himself and thrashing his tail when he saw that only a minute had passed since he last checked it. He glared down at the paper in his hands, as though it was its fault that his darling wife hadn't come home yet.

Sighing, he tossed it off to the side and pulled out a blank piece of paper, which he began to doodle on with glitter pens. Arrows and spirals formed, which only he could interpret as being an approximate guide to Chaosville's current state—more specifically, a guide to areas he wanted to show off to Fluttershy.

He quickly finished the guide (since he had already memorized it) and started to tap his feet on the ground. He took another sip of black licorice, the mug's words changing to #1 Husband!, and glanced up at the clock. Only another two minutes had passed.

With a groan, he flung himself onto a nearby couch, posing with a hand on his chest and forehead to signal to the world how utterly horrible the world was to him. "What's taking her so long?" he said. "I swear, if one of those little fuzzballs is causing trouble for her, I'll—"

Suddenly, the front door burst open, and Fluttershy flew in. Discord was startled enough that he yelped and tumbled to the ground, missing the portal on the ground by just a few inches.

"Discord!" she cried. "Come quick, to the sanctuary! We need a camera, and towels, and carrot extract, and, and..."

Discord lifted himself off of the ground and flew over to her, placing a paw over her mouth. "Fluttershy, it's fine," he said. And he knew it was—if it was an emergency, she would have been dragging him to the site by his arm as soon as he was close enough. "Take a deep breath, and tell me what's going on."

She inhaled deeply, and he pulled his hand off of her muzzle. "Dawn just gave birth! To eight kits!" she said. "We need a camera to take pictures, and towels for the kits, and carrot extract for Dawn!"

"Got it!" Discord said, snapping his fingers and creating everything she had listed. "Let's go!"

Another snap of his fingers, and they were teleported to a warren in a quiet corner of the sanctuary. A large group of bunnies was gathered in a circle around one particular den, noses twitching, but most of them stayed a good distance away, and stepped aside as Fluttershy and Discord walked past.

Just at the entrance of the den were eight bunnies. The smallest one, with white, fluffy fur, squeaked as they approached, alerting the others. She hopped forward and nuzzled her head against Fluttershy's hoof. Five other bunnies leapt forward and nuzzled against her, an affection she returned.

Discord turned away and made a quiet gagging sound, sticking out his tongue.

One of the bunnies who hadn't run over to Fluttershy was glaring at him. He glared back. Seraphim had gained most of his father's personality—including his dislike for Discord, and tendency to cause trouble for his wife. At least the rest of them took after him after his mellowing out, he thought, baring his fangs.

Seraphim was unfazed, but the other rabbit shivered and cowered away. This rabbit had pure black fur, and if he remembered right, was Dawn's mate, and a fairly new addition to the sanctuary. Discord stopped his scowling and glanced back over at Fluttershy, who was trying to keep the carrot extract out of reach of the pudgiest of the bunnies.

"No, Carrots," she said sternly. "This is for Dawn. I'm sure she's very tired, and she needs this extract to get her energy back." The rabbit huffed and crossed her arms, but stopped reaching for the bottle.

"Okay, everyone. I'm going to check in on Dawn and her kits." She glanced over at Discord. "Can you help me? I might need an extra pair of hands."

Dawn's mate waved his arms in protest at that, blocking the den as much as he could with his stubby arms. "Midnight, Discord isn't going to hurt her or your kits. He's very helpful, and you can trust him." The rabbit glanced between her and Discord, but was gently nudged away by another of Angel's children—the largest of them.

He nodded to Fluttershy, who sighed in relief. "Thank you, Guardian," she said. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here to keep the peace." A tiny smile appeared on Guardian's muzzle, and he focused his attention on calming Midnight.

Discord shrank down and climbed onto Fluttershy's shoulder. She nuzzled the top of his head, then walked towards the den, bending down and climbing in once she was close enough.

A tired white bunny lifted her head, smiling softly at Fluttershy. She leaned forward to nuzzle her favorite pony's muzzle, before carefully shifting to show both of them what was nestled against her belly.

Eight little pink blobs were sucking on her belly, a few whining when she shifted. Discord wrinkled his nose when he saw there were still a few beads of blood on the hairless little things.

"Oh, they're so precious," Fluttershy whispered to Dawn, reaching back behind her and bringing the carrot extract forward. She placed a few drops of it on Dawn's tongue, who smiled gratefully. Discord flashed the camera into his arms and began to take pictures.

Fluttershy brought out the towel and began to gently wipe the pink blobs dry. Discord kept snapping pictures, holding onto her mane to keep himself steady as she worked, and snapping the towels clean when she was done with them. Once the kits were clean, she gave Dawn another few drops of carrot extract.

"Okay," she said. "Do you feel ready to let the others see your kits yet?"

Dawn squeaked something at her, and Fluttershy nodded. She backed out of the den and looked at the group of bunnies waiting anxiously outside. "She says she feels tired, but she wants Midnight and Dusk to come in."

Midnight bolted past her into the den, chattering quickly. A white bunny who resembled Dawn exactly, aside from the fact he was male and had a few grey spots on his back, hopped forward more calmly, nodding a thanks to Fluttershy before he entered.

A white-and-brown bunny hopped up to Fluttershy and began making hand gestures. Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't know, Coco. Dawn is very tired, and she might not want to see visitors for a while." The bunny's ears drooped.

Another white bunny hopped up and made a small hand gesture, stretching her tiny arms out in front of her. Fluttershy smiled. "Well...Discord, do you remember how we helped Duchess after she had kits?"

He flashed back to his normal size and snorted. "I was busy trying to keep Demon Bunny from tearing up the whole sanctuary from nervousness. You're the one who helped Duchess."

She hovered up and whispered in his ear, "Please, Discord. Maybe this will help make Seraphim less angry with you."

Discord blinked, and glanced over at the gray bunny whose glare was awfully familiar. "But...I remember that with our help, Angel brought her some of her favorite flowers to make her feel better." Fluttershy nodded.

"So Vanilla, I think the best way to help Dawn is to bring her something to eat once she feels like having visitors," she said. The white bunny beamed and began to hop away, with all of her siblings but Seraphim following close behind.

The gray bunny glowered at Discord for a few more seconds, before huffing and hopping away in the opposite direction of his siblings. Fluttershy sighed. "I worry about him sometimes, Discord," she said. "All of his other siblings took after Angel after he saw how important the sanctuary was to me. But Seraphim..."

"Is like a nastier Angel," Discord said. "Including his hatred for me." He looked at the other bunnies near a patch of flowers. Guardian was holding a batch of flowers that Vanilla was carefully picking and adding to, Coco and Cherub were struggling together to dig up a very large flower, and Carrots was nibbling on a rose bush, holding a small flower in her paw. "The others at least seem pretty neutral about me."

"Cherub likes you," she said. "Remember when she could fit in your paw, and she would nibble on your fingers?"

A smile flickered on his face. "Cherub likes everyone, Fluttershy," he said. "But Seraphim seems to hold a special dislike for me."

Her smile wavered, and she looked down at the ground. "Hey," he said, placing a hand on top of her head. "It's not your fault. I probably did something to mess with him that I've forgotten about, and he's just holding a grudge." He scratched behind her ear, making her coo softly. "Besides, you had some great-grandkids now. Isn't that worth celebrating?"

She giggled, a smile coming back to her face. "Yes, I suppose so," she said. After a few seconds of silence, she said quietly, "I-I think we should visit Angel today."

His mouth twitched. "Are...are you sure?" She nodded, and with a quiet sigh, he scooped her into his arms and flapped his wings, hovering to a particular corner of the rabbit warren.

A good distance away from the dens, just at the edge of a field of flowers, Discord stopped and landed on the ground, setting Fluttershy down gently. She took a deep breath and glanced up at him. He placed a hand between her shoulders and snapped his fingers, creating a small bouquet of white carrot flowers.

With another deep breath, Fluttershy took the bouquet and began walking down the path between the flowers. Discord walked behind her, watching her carefully as he wrung his hands together.

She stopped in the middle of the field, right in front of two polished gray stones. One read Duchess, and the other read Angel.

She sat down in front of Angel's stone, setting the bouquet down carefully, tracing the five engraved letters with her hoof. "G-good morning, Angel," she said. "I know it's been a while. Dawn just gave birth today, to eight healthy kits." She smiled. "You're a grandpa now."

Discord silently sat down beside her. Fluttershy sniffed, blinking quickly. "I wish you could see them, Angel," she said. "You didn't...I wish you could have seen more of your own kits growing up." She wiped at her eyes. "It...it wasn't long enough. I should have worked harder, done more to help you—"

Discord quickly wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to his side. "Shhhh," he said. "Don't think like that. How long did Angel live, when you raised him from a kit?"

She sniffled. "F-fifteen years."

"And how long did you say most rabbits live?" he said, stroking her mane.

"E-eight to twelve years," she mumbled, burying her face in his fur.

"He lived longer than most rabbits," he continued. "He had a mate, and he was there to see the first few years of his kits' life...and he had you as a mother." He kissed the top of her head. "I think his life was as full and happy as it was long."

He summoned a silk handkerchief and wiped her face. She sniffled, but had stopped crying. "I-I know," she said. "I just...wish he could be here."

"Well...you're here for him, aren't you?" he said. "And I'm sure he'd want you to be happy today."

She sniffled and nodded, forcing a smile on her face and snuggling into his fur. "Thank you, Discord. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome." He placed his forehead against hers. "Do you...want some time alone with the furball?"

She paused, then nodded slowly. "I'd like that," she said, placing a hoof on his paw. "I-I won't cry anymore, I promise."

"Good," he murmured, kissing the corner of her eye. She closed it and giggled. He stroked her mane, smoothing it back into place, before slowly standing up.

"I'll make sure the junior furballs don't tear up all the flower beds," he said. He snapped his fingers, making a glass bottle full of carrot extract. "Before I leave, do you mind if I share this with him?"

She shook her head. He poured some extract into two shot glasses, handing one to Fluttershy. "I have to admit...it's not the same without you, Demon Bunny," he said. "I can still feel where you bit me on the nose."

He sighed and overturned the bottle, pouring the extract on the grave. He quickly drank his own extract, while Fluttershy sipped at hers. "See you later, hairball," he said, placing the empty shot glass down, running his fingers through Fluttershy's mane one last time before teleporting away.

He had hidden at the edge of the flower field for a minute or two, invisible, watching Fluttershy carefully. Once he saw that she was talking calmly, almost happily, to Angel, he teleported back to the warren, summoning a pair of binoculars to scan for rabbits.

He quickly caught Carrots before she sank her teeth into the rainbow tulips he had made to spice up the flower patch, and placed a salad topped with carrots and cherries in front of her. She carefully set her small flower down and began to eat.

He began snapping his fingers in a rhythm, creating new flowers where the young rabbits had dug them up. As an afterthought, he made a rosebush towards the center where each bloom was a different color, and began to file away at the prickles to dull them.

A thumping to his right made his ears perk up. He glanced over at the gray bunny who was glaring up at him, smacking one of his back paws on the ground. "Hello there, Thumper. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Seraphim chattered something at him. Discord cleaned his ears out with a toothbrush and shrugged. "Sorry, couldn't catch that. I don't speak fuzzball, and unfortunately, my translator is busy at the moment. So if this can wait..."

Seraphim shook his head and chattered faster, more angrily, pointing at his ears, then at Discord. Discord rolled his eyes and reached into his ear, twisting a few dials inside. He pulled his hand out and flapped his ears a few times before saying, "Now, care to repeat what you said?"

Seraphim glared at him. "What did you just do?"

"Oh, I just adjusted my language knowledge to include rabbits," Discord said, filing his claws.

"Why don't you include it all the time, Wormhorse!?" Seraphim said with a glare.

"Well, it's never completely off. I can pick up a few words, especially when you're insulting me," he said with a wide grin, showing off a few extra fangs. "And leaving it on all the time gives me a headache. I don't know how my Fluttershy can stand hearing everything chatter all day."

He placed an ice pack on his forehead as two rabbits ran by, chatting merrily about the flower bed. "Ugh, just tell me what you want so I can adjust it back," he grumbled.

Seraphim glared at him. "Why did you visit Father's grave? You hate him, and he hates you!"

Discord bit his tongue before he could say something about how it was hard for Angel to hate anything in his situation, and kept biting until he could think of a good answer, his lips puckering. "I don't hate the fuzzb—Angel," he said. "Oh, we argued, we fueded...he bit me pretty badly on the nose once...but we eventually got along. Even if it was because we realized we both cared about Fluttershy."

"He had his time with Fluttershy, and I had mine. We shared a few bottles of carrot extract together after a long day at the sanctuary. I was there when all eight of you junior puffba—young bunnies were born." He held up his arm, and a sheet of photographs draped down like a cloak, revealing pictures of eight pink, hairless kits nursing off of a grey-and-brown rabbit. In one picture in the corner, Discord was taking a selfie while giving a peace sign, as Fluttershy rolled her eyes with a smile in the background, tending to the newborns.

Seraphim's glare hardened. "Why do you insult him, then? I've heard you call him Demon and fuzzball!"

Discord chuckled. "Old habits die hard. And before we got along, he really was a tiny demon!" He pulled his nose off of his face and held it out to Seraphim, pointing at a certain spot. "He bit me right there, once! When I was just minding my own business, cuddling Fluttershy! He bit me and drew blood!"

Seraphim cringed, pushing away his nose. Discord slapped it back onto his face, and the bunny sighed in relief. Cracks started appearing on the top of Discord's head, and he cringed and slapped another ice pack of top of them. "Get to the point quickly, please. I can already feel the headache," he moaned.

"You don't hate my father," Seraphim said, staring up at him. After a few seconds, he sighed. "I don't have anything else to say."

"Thank chaos," Discord said, reaching into his ear again and quickly turning the dial. He sighed in relief, dropped the ice packs, and began putting strips of masking tape over the cracks on his head. Seraphim scoffed and hopped away.

"Discord?" Fluttershy said from behind him, making his ears perk up. "Are you okay?"

He turned to face her, grinning. "Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine! Why do you ask?" She pointed at where he had clumsily taped over the cracks. "Oh. That. Just a minor headache. Nothing to worry about!"

She frowned slightly, then flew up to lightly kiss the center of the cracks. He sighed, hearts forming in his eyes as he slumped to the ground. Only Fluttershy's hooves under his head kept him from banging his chin against the ground.

She sighed and shook her head, gently landing on the ground and letting go of Discord's head. He floated a few inches above the ground, smirking at her, and snapped his fingers. The cracks and masking tape both disappeared. She shook her head at him. "Did you really have a headache?"

"A small one," he said. "And it went away quickly. Like I said, nothing to worry about." He floated closer to her. "I wouldn't mind another kiss, though. Just to be sure it's fine."

She laughed and kissed him in the same spot. "What were you doing that gave you a headache?" she asked, running a hoof through his mane.

"Talking with Seraphim. It went surprisingly well. He just asked me a few questions and left," he said, laying down on the ground, leaning his head against Fluttershy's chest. "Did you have enough time with Angel?"

She nodded, sitting down and wrapping her hooves around his neck. "Y-yeah. Thank you for letting me have some time alone with him."

"It's really no problem," he said. "He's your bunny. You should have time alone if you want it."

The sound of hopping paws made them look up. Angel's children were hopping up to the den were Dawn was resting. Vanilla and Guardian both carried large bunches of flowers, Coco and Cherub were working together to carry several flowers larger than both of them, and Carrots followed behind with a few small but delicious-looking flowers.

"They're all so sweet," Fluttershy said, smiling. Then, her eye caught on something further back. "Is that...?"

Discord glanced in the direction she was looking...and his jaw detached from his face, falling to the ground. Seraphim, with a scowl on his face, was hopping along behind his siblings, carrying a large bouquet of various flowers.

"Those are all of Dawn's favorites," Fluttershy said as he fished around for his jaw. "Except for that tulip..."

Discord popped his jaw back into place, just as Seraphim paused a few feet away from them. He stared at Discord for a few seconds before tossing the tulip towards him. It landed on the ground a few feet away, and Seraphim continued on his way to Dawn's den.

Narrowing his eyes, Discord carefully grabbed the tulip with his claw and twisted it around, holding it away from his body. He recognized it as one of his creations now: a tulip with petals that were yellow on the outside, but all colors of the rainbow on the inside, constantly swirling and shifting.

"A peace offering?" he said, bringing it closer and showing it to Fluttershy.

"I guess so," she remarked. "Whatever his questions were...maybe your answer made him change his mind about you."

"Hmm," Discord said, twirling the tulip between his fingers a few more times before sticking it behind Fluttershy's ear. "Maybe. Now, if only that meant he would stop causing trouble for you..."

They watched as the bunnies handed their bouquets to Dusk and Midnight, who then moved them inside the den. They both seemed confused when Seraphim came up, but he quickly shoved the bouquet into their paws and hopped away.

He paused by Fluttershy and Discord again, eyes lingering on Discord's, before squeaking something at Fluttershy and hopping away.

"What'd he say?" Discord asked.

"...He just said 'sorry'," Fluttershy responded. A small smile appeared on her face. "Angel needed to take baby steps, too. I'm glad to see Seraphim really is his son."

Discord chuckled, curling his body around her. "Let's hope none of your new great-grandkids ends up a troublemaker. I think dealing with two was enough."

She giggled, laying her head on top of his. He shifted himself so that she could lay comfortably in his coils and he could wrap his arms around her, and laid his head down carefully, not wanting to jostle her. She sighed and shifted so that she was snuggling into his neck instead of the top of his head.

They laid there, snuggling against each other, while Discord snapped up new flowers and showed them off to Fluttershy, making her laugh and compliment him. As soon as the flower bed was replenished, they pried away from each other and checked on a tired but happy Dawn one last time before heading back home.

Delight in Debauchery

The bell rang, and the students all jumped to their feet, gathering their items. "Goodbye, class!" Fluttershy said cheerfully. "Remember to have your paper on rare creatures ready to give to Miss Applebloom by Monday! Have a good weekend!" The students returned her wishes and filed out the door, leaving her behind in an empty classroom.

With a sigh, she sat behind the desk and took a sip of hot tea. The school is so different now, she thought to herself. There are more students, and things seem more...school-like. But still a bit like how it used to be... She took another sip of tea, then glanced up at the clock. An hour until Applebloom's next class...I should prepare for that.

She refiled through pieces of paper in Applebloom's desk until she found one titled, "The Study of Wild Creatures: 11 am class." She began to read through it, only looking up when a bright flash of light appeared in front of her.

Discord leaned over the desk, looking at her expectantly. She lightly kissed him on the lips, then said, "I'm afraid I'm not done yet. I still have one more class before noon, and two after that."

Discord groaned, deflating like a balloon until his chin hit the surface of the desk. "But Flutershhhhy," he whined. "I wanted to spend time with you today! I've already waited for most of the morning! Can't you just skip the rest of the classes?" He pouted, his pupils widening into a pitiful look.

She sighed and fixed him with a hard stare. "Discord, I agreed to substitute for Applebloom weeks ago. She deserves to have a day to herself every once in a while, and I promised I would take care of all her classes. I'm not going to back out on a promise." He snorted, glaring down at the desk and the papers on it.

She brushed a hoof through his mane, causing a shiver to travel down his spine to the end of his tail. "But I'd be happy to have lunch with you after my next class," she said. "And I can spend some of my time in between classes with you...as long as you understand that you might not get my full attention."

He lifted his head and tilted it in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because I have to read through Applebloom's lesson plan and figure out what she wants each class to do," she responded, pointing at the paper in front of her. "I need to spend at least some part of the time between classes focusing on it."

He floated to her side of the desk, scanning over the paper as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ugh," he groaned. "Aren't you a substitute? Just give the kiddos a puzzle, or have them read their books or something."

She leaned back against his chest. "Discord, Applebloom went to the trouble of writing out the lesson plans. The least I can do is follow them."

Discord grumbled, scratching behind her ear. "Can I at least spend some of the in-between times with you, with your full attention?"

She nodded. "Of course." She tilted her head up to kiss his cheek. "In fact, we can spend some time together once I finish reading this."

He grinned and let go of her shoulders, backing away quietly, though his tail brushed against her side, and stayed there. Her eyes scanned over the paper several times until she was certain that she was prepared for the class. She glanced up at the clock—ten minutes had passed—then turned around to see what Discord was up to.

He was doodling circles and lines on the chalkboard, and various shapes that seemed to move and shift around and inside each other. The margins contained some complex formulas that made her head throb just looking at them, one of which he was just finishing, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth.

"Discord?" she said. He flinched, dropping the piece of chalk. "What is that?"

He dusted off his hands, a large chalk cloud appearing and floating up to the ceiling. "Just a model of traveling through the fifth dimension by twisting the fourth," he said, blowing chalk dust off of his drawings.

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at it. Her head throbbed. "I...don't get it," she said.

"That's good," he said, nodding and patting her head. "Most ponies who do get it have gone insane. And I prefer that you stay sane."

She bit her lip. "...Maybe you should get rid of it before a student sees it." A pair of unicorns walked by the door. One of them glanced at the chalkboard. Their face grew flushed, then pale, and they put a hoof to their forehead, hurrying past.

Discord winced. "Whoops. You're right." He pulled his chalk drawings off of the chalkboard and rolled them up like a scroll before shoving them into his ear. "I've got to remember to keep stuff like that at home."

He smirked and leaned towards her, placing his hands on both sides of her, trapping her between him and the desk. "But you called my name," he purred, "And you know I can't be gotten rid of after that." He leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers.

She returned the kiss, her eyes sliding closed. He groaned and increased the pressure, brushing his tongue against her lips as his hands started to brush against her sides.

She pulled away and gasped, her eyes opening. "Discord!" she said, "I don't mind spending time with you, but...we can't do that kind of thing here! What if a student saw us?"

"I'm sure most of them know what two married creatures do in their own homes," he said, rubbing a thumb in circles at the nape of her neck. "Besides, it's just kissing...intensely. It's not like we're...you know..."

Fluttershy's face flushed bright red. "I-I don't think...I mean, we're behind the desk...they might think we're..." She trailed off, her blush spreading to her ears and neck. "B-besides, s-some of the students are pretty young. I-I don't want any of them seeing us..."

Discord snapped his fingers, and the classroom door shut itself. He leaned forward again, his lips aiming for her neck this time. Quickly, she put a hoof up to stop him, and pointed at the door.

"It doesn't lock," she said. "Someone could come in at any time. A-and there's that window." She pointed out the small window in the doorway—not large or low enough that anyone just coming by would see them, but large enough that any student trying to peek in and see if the substitute was available would get a full few of them making out. Discord groaned and let go of her sides, sliding down to the floor with a huff.

"Stupid school," he grumbled. He pouted, crossing his arms and glaring off to the side.

She sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Discord." She got off of her chair and brushed behind his ear with a wingtip. "You know we can do things like that once we're at home. You just need to have a little patience."

"Don't wanna," he grumbled, flicking an ear and turning his head. His eye seemed to catch on something, and after a few seconds, his pout shifted into a grin. "What's that?" he asked, pointing in the direction he was looking.

She followed his gaze to a simple doorway. "I think that's the supply closet for Applebloom's potions class," she said. "Why do you...?" She glanced back at him, and realized he was wearing an even larger grin on his face. "Discord?"

His grin grew, stretching past his face. "That door doesn't have a window," he said. "And if we closed it and turned the lights off in here..."

Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh...but what if a student needs my help?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Honestly, most of them will just wait for their regular teacher to return to answer all their questions. And you've already read through what you're doing for your next class, so what's the harm?"

She glanced between him and the closet. She shivered as she thought about the idea, her feathers ruffling slightly. "I could miss the class," she said weakly. "You're very distracting."

He chuckled and snapped his fingers, creating an alarm clock in his paw. "Set for five minutes before it starts," he said, twisting the key on the back. "Anything else, Professor Shy?" he asked, tail wagging, a hopeful expression on his face.

She paused for a few seconds, before finally saying, "O-okay. Let's do this." He smiled and offered her his arm, escorting her to the closet door. With a snap of his fingers, the lights went out and the door creaked open in front of them. As soon as they floated through, it creaked back closed behind them.

The first thing Fluttershy realized about the closet was that it was pitch-black. The second thing was that the smell of dust and potion ingredients mixed together in the air to create a sort of musty smell, one that tickled her sinuses. She sneezed. "Excuse me," she said, wiping at her nose.

"Gesundheit," he said. "Now, let's get a little bit of light on the subject..." He shifted a little, and she saw his paw open, tiny dots of light floating out from his palm and spreading through the corners of the closet. It was a small space, with shelves on both sides filled with jars and bottles of ingredients.

Discord dropped the alarm clock on a nearby shelf, glancing around the closet. "Now, let's see..." he said. With a snap of his fingers, the walls and shelves spread out, leaving them with more space. "Much better," he said, wrapping his arms around Fluttershy and pinning her to the plaid chaise lounge that had suddenly appeared.

He began to trail kisses along her neck, letting his fang graze her skin after each kiss. She felt a shiver go down her spine and sighed, relaxing onto the chaise and gazing at him. He glanced up at her and smirked, this time letting his fang come close to scratching her. She squeaked and squirmed, feathers ruffling.

His hands began to explore her sides as he continued kissing her neck, this time moving upwards. She sighed and wrapped her hooves around his neck, brushing them through his mane and behind his ears, reaching as far down his back as she could. He traced the edge of her wing with a finger, making her gasp and squeeze his neck tightly.

Finally, he pulled away from her neck and kissed her on the lips. He tangled his fingers in her mane, while she buried her hooves in his. They each pulled the other closer, deeper into the kiss, Discord even lifting her off of the chaise. They separated moments later with a click, each panting for breath.

Discord sighed and placed his head against her chest, still running his fingers through her mane. He shifted until his ear was right above her heart, and stopped, closing his eyes as he stroked her mane. She brushed her lips against his forehead.

"Please don't be mad later," he murmured. "It's just...I want to be close to you." His arms tightened around her. "I need you."

She wrapped a wing over his upper back. "Is it...one of those days?" she whispered. After a pause, she felt him nod. "Don't worry. I'm here." She kissed his forehead again. "I'll be here with you for as long as I can."

He snuggled into her, and she held her wing tighter against him. After minutes ticked by, with him unmoving, he stirred and began to trail kisses up her neck.

"B-better now?" she asked. He nodded, trailing his fang against her skin while tracing the edge of her wing with a finger. She shivered and relaxed back onto the chaise, rubbing at his shoulders as he continued trailing kisses.

Time passed by in a blur, the two of them tangling together, exchanging kisses with passion. They were in the middle of a passionate kiss, each of them holding the other close, when the closet door creaked open. Both of their eyes widened and shifted over to the doorway.

Starlight Glimmer stood there, eyes wide and mouth open. The three of them stared at each other for a few seconds, until the ringing of the alarm clock snapped them out of it.

Starlight coughed and turned away, a light blush on her cheeks. "I...just wanted to check that Fluttershy was doing fine, but it seems you're busy!" she said with a laugh. Fluttershy pulled out of the kiss and buried her bright red face in Discord's fur.

Starlight coughed again. "You should probably get ready for class, Fluttershy. Can I...talk with both of you in my office during lunch hour?" Discord tapped Fluttershy's head. She whispered a 'yes', which he relayed. "Great! I'll, um, see you later!" Starlight said, quickly turning and dashing out of the room.

Discord quickly straightened up and peeked out the door, looking in all directions. He turned back and gave her a thumbs-up, and they both exited the closet. Fluttershy took a seat behind the desk and began taking deep breaths, trying to get rid of the heat in her face.

Discord floated over with a hairbrush in his paw and began to brush her mane back into place. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy," he said. "I honestly believed we wouldn't get caught. I'm sorry I dragged you into such...wanton actions." He paused in his brushing, then shrugged and continued. "Actually, no. I'm only sorry we got caught."

She fanned her face as she felt her blush heat up. "I-it's fine, Discord. You said you needed closeness, and you did your best to keep us hidden." She tapped her hooves together. "It's embarrassing, but at least it wasn't a student who caught us."

After a few more seconds of him brushing her mane, she whispered, "B-besides, it was kind of...exciting." She heard Discord drop the hairbrush, and turned to see a stunned expression on his face, complete with a slight pink blush.

He shook his head and faced her with a grin. "I'll have to keep that in mind," he purred, running his claw under her chin. She smiled, trying to keep her blush from spreading.

She giggled, pushing his claw away. "Discord, you need to go. I'll see you after class, okay?"

"I'll bring you lunch," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "And I'll make sure Starlight knows the whole thing was one hundred percent my idea. You won't get in any trouble."

She kissed his cheek right before he snapped his fingers. He grinned and disappeared in a flash of light. She took a deep breath and turned to face the desks, waiting for the students to arrive.

Starlight looked over her desk at the two of them, her forehooves clasped together. Fluttershy shifted in her seat, glancing over at Discord. He looked as cool as a cucumber, relaxing on a lawn chair and eating a bowl of macaroni that filled the whole room with the smell of garlic.

Starlight sighed, opening the window behind her with her magic. "So...do either of you have a good explanation as to why you were making out in a potion closet?"

Discord raised his hand. "It was my idea, Headmare. I wanted to spend some quality time with my wife, and that closet seemed like the best way to not get caught."

Fluttershy added, "We didn't want any students seeing us...and I didn't want to leave the school grounds."

Starlight sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "Well, it might have worked...except the door wasn't exactly soundproof. How did you two think I knew to check in there?" Fluttershy and Discord both blushed, though Discord tried to hide his by shoving his head into his bowl.

Starlight sighed. "I understand that you're married, you two, but couldn't this sort of thing wait until you got home?"

Fluttershy gulped and said, "I would have waited, but Discord needed me. We needed to be close to each other." She reached out and grabbed Discord's paw. He slowly tightened it around her hoof, lifting his head up and smiling at her, noodles dripping down his face.

Starlight's expression softened. She took a sip from the cocoa mug next to her. "Alright. Discord, do you care to explain why you needed to be so close immediately?"

Discord frowned, glancing down at his bowl. Fluttershy placed her other hoof on his upper arm, patting it gently. "I just...need to be close to her, sometimes. Not often, but every once in a blue moon," he mumbled. "I just like to hold her, listen to her heartbeat...I just feel anxious until I can do that."

Starlight took another sip of her cocoa. "Alright. You say that this feeling doesn't happen that often?"

Fluttershy and Discord both nodded. "It's been over a year since this last happened, right, Cordy?" Fluttershy said, looking up at him. He nodded, patting her forehoof.

Starlight sighed. "Okay, good. I only have two things to say. First, as your friend: Discord, if those feelings happen any more frequently, I really recommend you see a therapist. I'm fairly sure it's not healthy."

"Second, as Headmare: seriously, both of you, please save the making out for when you're at home. At the very least, if you really can't wait, soundproof the closet door and put up a sign saying not to open the door. Alright?"

Fluttershy and Discord nodded, Fluttershy with a blush on her face. Starlight smiled and stood up. "Okay, that's all I had to say. Do you two want to come eat lunch with me in the cafeteria?"

Fluttershy smiled. "That'd be lovely."

Discord snapped his fingers and teleported the three of them into the cafeteria. Another snap, and a large gourmet salad appeared in front of Fluttershy. He held her chair out for her before taking his seat.

He swiped the noodles off of his face and continued to eat his macaroni, starting a conversation with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle about their classes. Fluttershy and Starlight talked about her classes until the five of them merged their conversations into one.

Discord wrapped a wing over Fluttershy's back as they talked, leaning closer to her. She smiled up at him, looking carefully into his eyes. He smiled back, and his eyes showed it was genuine. He looked happy, without any sort of worry or anxiety he was trying to hide from her.

The smile began more mischievous as he 'accidentally' brushed the edge of her wing with his own as he folded it. She shivered and grinned back. "Later," she mouthed. He grinned and turned back to the lunch and conversation.

Something Sweet to Bite

"Fluttershy!" Discord said cheerfully, poking his head into the library. She lifted her head, setting down the book she had been reading. "I just finished making something for the trick-or-treaters...wanna see?"

"Alright," she said, standing up and flying over to him. "But isn't it a bit early to set everything up? Nightmare Night is a week away..."

"I'm just getting the items ready," he said, snapping his fingers and teleporting them into the kitchen. "I won't set up the actual spell on your cottage until the holiday." He grinned, and took a position opposite her at the table. "Now, are you ready to see my creations?"

She nodded, and he reached under the table. He grunted, lifting a large pumpkin up and dropping it onto the table. There was a picture of a lollipop painted on the side facing her. With a snap, a vine handle grew on its top, and he grabbed it and lifted it, showing how easy it was for him now. Then, he grabbed the cut stem on top and gave it a twist...pulling it off. He nudged it towards her, and she peeked inside.

It was stuffed to the brim with all sorts of candy—from piles of candy corn and caramel squares to large swirled lollipops and chocolate bars as big as her hoof. The entire pumpkin was full of a wide variety of candy, and she could taste the sugar (and cavities) just by looking at it.

"Should I add more?" Discord asked. She quickly shook her head.

"This is plenty!" she said. "Maybe even too much..."

He scoffed and waved off the notion. "There is never a thing such as too much candy," he said. "Oh, and do you want to see something really interesting?" She nodded, and he turned the pumpkin over, spilling all the candy onto the counter—more than she had thought was in it, and more than the pumpkin should have been able to hold. He dropped the empty pumpkin and slid to her side, holding his breath.

"Three...two...one..." he said. When he was done, the pumpkin disappeared in a puff of orange smoke that smelled of pumpkin spice. He grinned and blew the smoke away to reveal a large pumpkin pie.

He grinned and clapped his hands. "Isn't this neat?" he said. "Anyone who knocks on the door will get a bunch of candy, and a pie! Aren't I a genius?"

She smiled. "It is pretty neat..." she said quietly. "But Discord...don't you think this might be too much candy? And what if some kids try to get even more candy than they should, by coming back to the house again?"

"Again, there's no such thing as too much candy," he said. "Besides, any adults will probably monitor their candy intake for the next few days. It'll be fine. As for ponies trying to get seconds..." A devious grin spread on his face.

"The spell I put on the door knows who's been by, and who hasn't. If someone tries to get more than their fair share...they'll have a special surprise waiting for them." His devious grin only growing wider, he held up a black pot and slowly opened the lid a crack.

She immediately plugged her nose at the stench that came out, something close to rotten eggs and spoiled milk. Discord snapped the lid closed and vanished the pot, using a paper fan to wave the stink out towards the open window.

"And to make sure everything really is fair," he said. "The goodie pumpkins have anti-theft measures. Only the person who knocked on the door can grab onto it, and anyone who tries to take it from them without their freely given, verbal permission..." He snapped his fingers and made another candy-filled pumpkin, then placed a plastic hoof on the handle. He reached for the handle...only for part of the vine to suddenly uncurl and smack his paw away.

He rubbed his hand, looking pleased with himself as he sent the pumpkin away. "I think I've covered everything," he said. "What do you think?"

"I think..." she said, pausing as he shoved his face in front of hers, his eyes wide and pleading. "...that you've thought of everything!" Discord cheered, leaping into the air and doing a backflip. "But, Discord...what are you doing for Nightmare Night?"

He paused mid-flip and floated to the ground, filing his claws. "Oh, probably the same as last year," he said. "Dress up in a costume, get some candy, and go scare some ponies. Maybe team up with Lulu." He looked up. "Unless you want me to be the guardian of your pillow fort."

She scuffed a hoof on the ground. "Actually, I...I won't be spending this year in a pillow fort." He gasped, a happy smile coming onto his face. "I'm going to spend the evening in the sanctuary." There was the sound of a record scratch, and his face fell.

"B-but..." he said, lip quivering. "I understand wanting to spend Nightmare Night at home...but if you're going out, why can't you spend it having fun with me!" He paused. "And our other friends, I suppose."

"I don't really want to go out..." she said. "But last year, someone threw rotten eggs into the sanctuary, and toilet paper into the trees...and some black cats and snakes went missing." She shuddered. "When they found their way back, they told such awful stories of being taken just to scare other ponies...I have to stay in the sanctuary and make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Can't someone else be the lookout?" he asked. "If you wanted, I could do it, and you could stay at home."

She quickly shook her head. "Oh, no! Zecora and Dr. Fauna are both busy that night, and I couldn't ask any of the volunteers to give up their plans to help me." She grabbed his paw. "And...you've done so much planning for the night, I don't want you to waste it by doing something I should be doing."

"...not a waste," he said, gripping her hoof. "But, if you're sure you don't want to let me take over and stay here...in our safe house...in our cozy bed...where nothing scary could happen..."

She sighed and shook her head. "Nice try, Discord," she said. "But my mind is made up. I'm going to stay in the sanctuary for as long as I can, to watch for trouble."

"Bah humbug," he grunted, making her shake her head again and fly up to kiss his cheek.

The week passed quickly, and Nightmare Night finally arrived. Discord finished setting up the spell on the cottage, while Fluttershy prepared for a hopefully calm, quiet evening in the sanctuary. Discord helped her pack a pair of saddlebags (black with glittery pumpkin buttons) full of books, warm blankets, and several goodie bags of candy.

"Thank you for helping," she said as she slid them on. "Is there anything I could help you with?"

He grinned. "No, thank you. The spell is on your cottage, and I have my costume and pranks all prepared." His smile fell. "Are you sure you don't want me to watch the sanctuary instead?"

She nodded. "As I said...you've put a lot of work into getting ready. I'd hate to make you waste your night like that." She adjusted the straps of her saddlebags. "Now, why don't we have a quick supper together?"

Discord nodded, seeming cheered up by the idea of being able to make a spooky meal. Screaming cheese on toast, corn on the cob that 'bled' butter (and in some surprising cases, tomato soup), peeled grapes with painted irises, bubbling cups of brown liquid that tasted like fizzy chocolate milk...and the main course, a haysteak that had been slathered in a thick tomato paste, with pieces of corn and cauliflower scattered on it. It was very spooky and a bit gross, almost too much for her taste, but it all tasted good.

"And now...for dessert!" he said with a grin, holding out a covered tray shaped like a skull. He whisked it off with a flourish, revealing—a pumpkin pie covered in chocolate syrup and candy corn, surrounded by caramel-glazed popcorn balls. "I know, not the most original," he admitted as he passed her a large slice of pie and a popcorn ball. "But these seem to be traditional treats...sort of. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give them a try."

She smiled and took a bite of the pie. It was almost too sweet, but it still tasted good. She complimented him and paced herself, while Discord quickly devoured several slices and balls in a row.

Finally, she finished, and with a sigh, pushed herself away from the table. "I'm going to head out now," she said. "Thank you for dinner...and happy Nightmare Night." He nodded, keeping his eyes trained on her as she walked out the door, pumpkin filling smeared across his chin. She went through the living room and out one of the portals outside, landing in the sanctuary.

Several animals greeted her warmly, and some black cats and snakes rubbed themselves against her hooves. "Hello there," she said. "I'm going to stay with you all and make sure no one can hurt you again." They thanked her, and all the animals started to nudge her towards a specific corner of the sanctuary.

They guided her to a small grove, where a pile of soft leaves had been laid under a tree. The trees were packed close enough that she wouldn't be easily seen, but there was still plenty of moonlight streaming into the spot. "Oh my," she said. "Thank you, everyone. This is perfect."

She sat on the leaves and covered herself with a blanket, pulling out one of her books as her animal friends cuddled close. She smiled and leaned back against the tree, reading parts of the story aloud to her gathered friends.

Time passed, the last bit of sunlight giving way to complete moonlight. Several of her animal friends had gone to sleep, while others had wandered off to scan the area. She had finished the first of her books and helped herself to a few of the candies in her saddlebags, and was just getting started on her second book. Even if she wasn't at home, it seemed that tonight would be peaceful.

A rustling in the leaves made her ears perk up. She lifted her head out of her book and quickly looked around, her heart racing. Thoughts of pranksters, thieves, or even worse...real monsters, flowed through her mind. But there was nothing in sight but the shadowed trees, her dozing animal friends, and the starry night sky.

With a few deep breaths and a sigh, she leaned back against the tree trunk and opened the book again. She tried to get lost in the story, but the niggling feeling that she wasn't alone refused to leave her. She heard the snap of a twig, and her head quickly shot up.

For a second, in the shadows in front of her, she saw the gleam of two predatory eyes...and a pair of glittering white fangs. She gasped, backing up against the tree. But as soon as she blinked, the shadows were empty, and she was alone again...though a few of her animal friends had woken up and were looking at her curiously.

"I...it's just my imagination," she told them. "I'm just seeing things in the shadows because it's Nightmare Night...right?" Seraphim frowned unsurely, then raised his head to yap at the others.

"Search the area for anything suspicious!" he said. "This is no time to rest! It is Nightmare Night, after all." Several of the animals groaned and complained, but all of them got up and wandered away, scanning the nearby area. Seraphim gave a smile and nod to Fluttershy before hopping away into the shadows.

She let out a sigh, leaning back against the tree. It did make her feel better, knowing that her animal friends were all looking out for her...it brought back old memories of Nightmare Nights back in her cottage. With a smile, she opened her book back up and began to read.

But before she could get very far, a small drop of red liquid fell from above, splattering right in the middle of the page.

Her blood ran cold, and she slowly tilted her head upwards. There, in the branches above, was a shadowy figure. It seemed formless, and the only things she could make out were its glowing red eyes and sharp white fangs. She inhaled, but before she could scream, the figure pounced, and she was enveloped in darkness, pressed close against something thick and furry.

"What a fright," it hissed in an almost sing-song voice. "Give us something sweet to bite." Sharp fangs pressed themselves against her neck, and she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut.

The fangs slowly trailed against her skin, before meeting with a click and pulling away—though not without placing another tiny nip on her neck. She shivered and slowly opened her eyes as she felt the fangs leave her skin, tilting her head back.

A tiny bit of moonlight illuminated her captor's face—wearing a smug grin, with two fangs sticking out of his mouth, and red liquid painted onto his lips. There was a black cape tied around his neck, which enveloped both of them. She frowned, glaring up at him, and his grin only seemed to grow wider.

"Discord," she said. "That wasn't funny at all. You really scared me!" His ears drooped, and his arms fell to his sides, releasing the cape and letting moonlight shine on both of them.

"...sorry," he said quietly. "I wanted to do something to get you in the spooky spirit...but I suppose this wasn't the way."

"It wasn't," she said, leaning against his chest. "It was too scary..." She laid her head there, listening to his heartbeat and trying to calm her own.

"I'm sorry," he said again, draping his cape over her and stroking her mane gently. "I only meant to give a little scare...but I went overboard. If it'll make it up to you...I didn't come just to scare you."

She opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly. "Hmm?"

"I came to say that I had an idea to protect the sanctuary," he said. "I'll cast a spell of fog around it that will repel anyone, or anything, that tries to enter. Anything inside will be undamaged, your animals will stay safe, and the fog will evaporate when the sun comes up."

She paused...and then smiled. "That...that sounds like a really good idea!" she said. She frowned. "But I'm still not going to spend Nightmare Night with you, especially not after what you just did."

He sighed, his ears lowering. "I...I thought you might say that," he said. "But, I found something else..." He reached into a pocket of his cape and pulled out a flyer, showing it off to her.

"Nightmare Night: Treats without Tricks," she read aloud. "Come to Spruce Street, where all can enjoy trick-or-treating without any scares. Costumes allowed, but nothing gory, inappropriate, or overly scary."

She glanced up at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I...thought it could be fun," he said. "We could get candy together without you feeling scared...but I guess I mucked that up, didn't I?" She nodded, and he sighed.

"I can open up a portal and make you a pillow fort back at home...unless you want to stay in the sanctuary," he said. "Either way, I can put up the protection spell." He held his claws in a snapping position, his paw still holding her close to his chest. "What would you like?"

She paused to think about it. Her fright from earlier had vanished, and Discord seemed truly sorry to have scared her like that. He was sweet to think of her, and...it felt nice, being so close to him. "Maybe..." she said. "Maybe we can just go down that one street together. And after that, I'll go home."

Discord was frozen for a second...and then his eyes widened and filled with sparkles, his mouth stretching into a grin as he gasped. "You'll come with me and have fun!? You really will!?" he said.

She giggled. "Just for the one street," she said. "And then I'll go back home."

"Right, right, of course," he said, standing up and cradling her in his arms. "First order of business..." He snapped his fingers, and the dome of fog suddenly appeared over them. "Second...I think you need a costume, my dear."

He snapped his fingers again, and she glanced down at herself. He had given her a sparkling white dress that draped down her body—but it didn't extend all the way to her hooves, which now had white-and-pink slippers on them. She shifted her wings, and realized that they now had thin wing-bling that made them look like pink butterfly wings.

"Do you like it?" he asked, setting her gently on the ground, a mirror appearing on the tree trunk. She nodded and smiled, turning to look at all of it.

"I love it," she said, which made his grin become even wider.

"Now!" he said. "To that street! I'd take us there right away, but I want to savor this moment by walking to town. Do tell me if your hooves get tired." He started walking forward.

She giggled and followed alongside him, watching as he parted the fog like a curtain and bowed, allowing her to step through first. He apologized again for scaring her, and once he was assured that he was forgiven, but warned to not do it again, he launched into tales of his other conquests in scaring ponies.

She had to admit, most of them made her giggle...especially since he assured her that the victims had been good sports about it.

They eventually came close to her cottage, and she could already hear screams of fright and delight from the town. Before she could keep walking towards them, though, Discord suddenly grabbed her and dragged her with him into the nearby bushes.

"Shh," he said. "Watch this." He snuck a little closer, and she copied his movement. They had a good vantage point of her cottage, which was covered in cobwebs and creeping vines. Next to the door was a sign written on in red paint: Knock on door. Take only one. She peered out at a group of teenage ponies, all cheering as they looked into the goodie pumpkins they had received. The last one left knocked on the door, which opened, a thorny vine dropping the pumpkin into his hooves.

"Hey, guys," one said. "If this place just gives out candy..." They all grinned, and the oldest looking approached the door, lifting his hoof and knocking on it with a smug grin.

The door opened...but instead of a thorny vine, there was a hissing statue of Chrysalis. "Only one!" it screeched, sounding like a high-pitched version of Discord. Then, just as the pony's face went pale and he started to back away, the statue spat a green goo at him.

It soaked into his coat, practically glowing under the moonlight, and Fluttershy could smell it even from where she was. The whole group screeched, pinching their noses. She heard Discord chuckling beside her, the bush shaking due to his laughter.

One member of the group looked particularly angry. "This isn't fair!" he said. "We only wanted a little more candy!" He used his magic to lift up an egg, hurtling it towards the house.

Fluttershy winced and whimpered, but Discord reached over and placed a reassuring paw on top of her hoof. She watched as the egg sailed towards her old home...and just before hitting the wall, suddenly froze in midair and flew back towards the pony who had thrown it.

He shrieked and tried to run away, but the egg followed him, getting faster and faster. It struck the back of his head when he was almost to the bridge, making him stumble and fall into the stream. The bush shook even more, and Discord, unable to contain himself, began laughing loudly, the sound echoing through the clearing.

The teenagers jumped, looking every which way. "G-g-guys," a pegasus said, shaking. "Do you think this house is...haunted?"

They froze at the word, and Fluttershy saw Discord twitch his finger, sending a cold wind in their direction. A grin spread on her face, and she held her hooves to her mouth. "Yes it iiiiiiis," she said in her spookiest voice. "If you don't leave now, the consequences will be, um...diiiiiire."

The unicorn who had pulled himself out of the stream seemed to relax a bit. "Well, how are we supposed to be scared of a ghost that sounds like that?" He laughed, and his friends joined in uneasily. Fluttershy whimpered, her ears pressing against her skull. She heard a rumbling sound, and saw Discord's eyes had turned an eerie red.

"Oh, was that not scary enough?" he said, his voice echoing through the clearing. "I guess you must think you're tough enough for the...worst stuff I have." He chuckled darkly, and fire sprang up between their hooves and the cottage.

The group screamed, turning and running over the bridge and back towards town, dragging their bold unicorn and petulant smelly friends behind them. Discord laughed evilly in his booming voice that echoed behind them...and once they were out of sight, kept laughing in his normal voice.

"Did you see that!?" he cackled, emerging from the bush. "The looks on their faces were priceless!"

She laughed and walked back out onto the path. He leaned against her, giggling, and she kept laughing along, until they were both out of breath and using the other for support.

Discord let out one last chuckle and held his fingers in a snapping position. "That was fun," he said. "Now...we've had a good walk, so why don't we skip the spooks in town and get right to our spook-free motherload of sweets?" She smiled and nodded, and he snapped, teleporting them to the "Treats without Tricks" event.

Dancing in the Rain

Fluttershy lingered in the sanctuary that afternoon, even after finishing all of her tasks. She glanced to the sky every so often, watching as teams of pegasi brought out a blanket of grey clouds.

She inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of nature and anticipation hanging in the air. The first rainshower of spring was coming.

"Hello, Flutters!" Discord's voice said from behind her. She turned and saw that he was wearing a fancy suit, holding an inside-out umbrella in his paw. "Looking forward to the coming storm?"

She smiled, stifling a giggle at his ensemble. "It's not going to be much of a storm," she said. "Just enough of a rain shower to give all of the trees and flowers and other plants the water they need to grow."

"Yes, yes," he sighed, swinging his umbrella around, causing it to change color with each revolution. "I don't understand why they can't at least toss a little bit of lightning in there, spice it up a bit."

She couldn't help but giggle. "I don't understand how weather ponies decide what goes in a storm," she said. "Um...what are you wearing?"

"My rainsuit!" he said cheerfully, slinging the umbrella over his shoulder as a blue flower bloomed on his lapel. "Specifically designed to be fun, comfortable...and to get a laugh out of the loveliest of pegasi."

That broke her. She began laughing loudly, ending up so out of breath that she needed to lean against his side for support. He chuckled at her reaction, adding a few fancy pieces to his ensemble to keep her laugher going—until he ended up with five cufflinks, a striped top hat, and a gold chain necklace.

She wheezed, recovering her breath with a few giggles escaping. He patted her back, his fancy outfit melting away as she slowly managed to calm down.

Once she had her breath back, she lifted her head to grin at him. "Do you want to join me for the rainshower?" she said. "I know it won't be terribly exciting, but it will still be fun."

He pursed his lips in thought, glancing between her and the darkening sky. "Sure, why not?" he said with a small grin. "I'm sure I'll find a way to have fun with it."

"I'm sure you will," she said with a bright smile, rubbing against his side. She led the way towards the hills around the sanctuary—somewhere out of the way, with plenty of space for the two of them.

She sat on the grass, looking up at the sky. Discord sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. His fingers drummed against her shoulder as she nestled into his fur.

After a minute or so passed by, he spoke up. "Is it going to start anytime soon?" His fingers' drumming increased. "Or am I going to have to take matters into my own hands?"

"Discord," she said, wrapping a foreleg around him. "Don't mess with the weather, please."

"I won't! But I still want to do something to speed it up. The pegasi are gone, shouldn't the rain start soon?" He glared up at the clouds, then held a megaphone to his mouth. "Hey! Hurry it up, up there!"

To her surprise, a raindrop landed on her nose. She blinked in shock, going a little cross-eyed as she tried to look at her muzzle. More raindrops began to shower down on them.

"Sweet chaos, I was not expecting that to work," Discord said, holding out his paw to catch the raindrops. "I'm even more amazing than I thought! Commanding weather like that should be enough to give Rainbow a run for her money."

She laughed, standing up and feeling the dampening grass under her hooves. "I guess you are," she said with a soft laugh. The rain poured down, more and more of it falling down the longer the shower went on.

Discord laughed, dancing and weaving through the raindrops. She giggled at his antics, watching as he headed towards the top of the hill.

Fluttershy smiled and lifted her head to look at the sky. Rain poured down her face, soaking into her mane and causing it to stick to her face. It was peaceful...the rain was a wonderful type of spring rain that wasn't cold at all.

A joyful shriek broke the peace, and Discord tumbled down the hill right past her, splashing her with mud.

"Hey!" she shouted after him as he kept rolling. He continued shrieking and laughing, eventually sliding to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

He grinned up at her as mud dripped off of his body. "Why don't you catch me and do something about it?" he taunted, his grin stretching past his cheeks.

She scowled playfully at him and tried to gallop down the hill. It was more slippery than she thought, and she had to stumble to keep a stable footing. Discord laughed, standing up and shaking the mud off of himself.

Then, an idea came to her mind. With a grin, she took a few steps backward, leapt forward...and began to slide down the hill directly towards him.

Of course, she lost direction almost right away and spun out of control as she accelerated down the slope. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that there was nothing directly in her path.

She ended up tumbling over herself, and landed in a heap somewhere at the bottom of the hill. Once her head felt like it was done spinning, she opened her eyes...and saw Discord looking down at her, his shoulders shaking as his lips curled into a wavy line.

"Don't laugh," she said with a slight pout, rolling over and getting back onto her hooves. Still, Discord began to snicker, though he covered his mouth with his hands to try and stifle it.

Once back on her hooves, she shook herself to rid herself of the mud. Some of it stuck to Discord's legs, but most was simply being washed off by the warm rain. She sighed and looked up at the sky again, trying to reclaim that sense of peace.

"I-I have to say," Discord managed to force between chuckles. "That was quite a performance. I'd give it a two times pi out of ten."

She glanced over at him. His grin was wide, and his shoulders were still shaking a bit from repressed laughter. She glanced back down and scuffed at the muddy ground, digging a hole for a new puddle to begin forming.

"I mean it!" he said. "Okay, I'm being a little teasing, but that was an impressive tumble-slide. Did you have fun?"

"Not...really," she said. "I didn't like losing control." She paused and thought for a moment. "Though...it was a little fun before I flipped over myself..."

"That's the spirit!" he cheered. "It's a simple, exciting pleasure, rolling down hills...why should foals have all the fun?" He bounced on his heels, placing his hands on her shoulders with an excited grin.

"C'mon, we can both slide down together," he said, pointing towards the top of the hill. "Once you have the, ah, 'steering' down, it's quite fun. A thrilling, chaotic ride!"

"Well..." She had jumped down the slope after him the first time without much hesitation. And it really hadn't been so bad, aside from... "What if I end up tumbling over myself again? Or if I run into something?"

"Oh, but tumbling over and over and over yourself can be fun!" Discord said, floating into the air and tying his serpentine body into knots. She raised an eyebrow, and he slowly lowered himself to the ground, still with the knots in his torso. "But, ah...there's nothing to run into on this hill, see?"

He gestured to said hill, which was fairly plain, all things considered. No rocks or trees...only a few small patches of flowers here and there. With a snap of his fingers, the flowers all hopped out of the ground, fashioned umbrellas from twigs and grass, and wandered off. Another snap, and a few tiny pebbles floated up into the air and swam away.

"Perfectly safe!" he announced, turning to her with a broad grin. "Please...once with me, for me?"

With his enthusiasm, and her worries addressed, she found herself a bit less hesitant. "Well...I can at least try it again," she said. His grin widened even more. "Can you show me how to...not tumble over myself?"

"Of course," he said, untying his torso. "It's easy, really—just try to stay on your stomach, or back if you prefer, and don't overbalance your weight in one direction." He began to skate up the muddy hill on his bare feet, carving the beds of tiny rivers as he went.

"That's it?" she asked, trotting to keep up with her. Every step, her hooves sank into the mud with a slosh. "And...what do I do if I end up overbalancing?"

"Ah...hm," he said, scratching his nose. "I think the best thing to do is...nothing. Don't flail around to fix it, or you might, um...roll over a limb and...hurt it. So just...stay calm and wait until you make it to the bottom of the hill."

"...okay." It didn't sound like an ideal solution to her, but if it was the best Discord could think of...well, she'd try to avoid getting into that situation.

They soon made it to the top of the hill. Discord brushed some rain out of his eyes and scrutinized the hill...and then her.

He poked at her hooves, guiding her into a position that didn't feel that much different than how she had been naturally standing. He stroked a paw down her back, slicking down her wet fur.

She shivered a bit at his touch, but leaned closer to him. "Ah ah ah," he said, nudging her back into position before getting onto all fours beside her.

"Now, on three," he said. "We'll both dive forward and slide down the hill together. Ready?"

She nodded, and he grinned and turned to face the hill. "One...two...three!" he said, lunging forward. She lunged forward alongside him, landing on her belly as she made it over the curve of the hill.

The grass and mud were slippery, and she quickly accelerated forward. She shifted every so often to keep herself from tipping over. She heard Discord laughing merrily, and lifted her head to look at him.

There was a wide grin on his face, a gleam in his eyes even as mud sprayed on him. She couldn't help but smile a little at his happiness...and realized too late that she had unconsciously started leaning towards him, and was now heading straight for him.

She ended up sliding right into him...knocking them both a bit off balance.

The two of them started to tumble. She squeaked as her world began to flip, but Discord wrapped his arms and body around her, holding her close and...laughing. Though it was hard for her to focus on anything (the spinning made her very dizzy), she glanced up and saw that he was laughing merrily, a wide grin on his face as mud splashed around them.

His laughter was infectious, and she couldn't help but smile and laugh, too.

They eventually splatted to a stop at the bottom, where they both laid on top of each other, giggling and panting as rain soaked into their fur.

"One more time?" he said, sitting up and wiping some mud off of her face. She eagerly nodded, and they headed back to the top of the hill.

They stayed in the hills for the whole rainstorm—sliding and rolling down hills, dancing and weaving in the rain, and throwing mudballs at each other. The two of them laughed the whole time, their fun only coming to an end when the rain slowly stopped.

Discord scooped her into his arms as the clouds began to fade, a few pegasi coming to corral them away. With a snap of his fingers, they teleported to the middle of their living room.

He stretched, then dropped to all fours and shook himself like a dog. Fluttershy squeaked and tried to shield herself...not that it would have done much good, since she was just as soaked as he was.

Now a bit drier, Discord stood back up on his feet and dabbed at her mane with a handkerchief. Large globs of mud were dislodged, and she brushed a hoof through her mane to see just how bad it was. Her hoof came back muddy...well, muddier.

"Well!" he said, tossing the handkerchief away. It shook itself off and flew out a window. "We can't stay like this, can we? Our coats are much too fabulous to be stained with mud the whole day...and I can't risk letting you catch a spring cold from that rain!" He scooped her up, holding her underneath her forelegs. "A nice, warm bath is just what we both need."

She hummed in delight at the thought. "Yes...yes please," she murmured, leaning back against his chest. "Together?"

"Naturally," he said with a smirk. "You should get warm as soon as possible, but I'm much too impatient to wait for my turn."

She giggled and nestled into his fur, the mud stuck to both of them making a few unpleasant sounds. He smiled and nuzzled her forehead, smearing a bit more mud into her coat. With a wave of his tail, they both teleported into the bathroom.

Refreshing River

Discord dusted off his hands. "Well, that should be the last bit of trash in this river," he said, chucking a plastic bottle through a basketball net and into a recycling bin.

Fluttershy smiled. "That's good. This river is so beautiful...I can't believe ponies would let their trash fall in here!" She flew up and hugged him. "I really appreciate that you came to help me. I don't know if I could have done this without you."

He smiled and patted her head, wrapping one arm around her. "It's no problem, really. Though I must say, Fluttershy—you're the only pony I know who would spend their weekend pulling trash out of a river."

"O-oh, I'm sure there are others who would do the same," she said, blushing. "I just...saw a plastic bottle floating down the river on a nature walk, and it bothered me, that there could be so many of them in here..."

"Well, now there's less...I'd say none, if I was very confident in my powers," he said. "Oh wait, I am!" He snapped his fingers, and the river water glowed blue for just a second. "There is no trash in this river, and that spell should keep plastic out for, oh...a few more centuries."

She smiled. "Oh, thank you!" She kissed his cheek, then looked up at the sky. "That didn't take too long," she remarked. "Is there anything that you want to do today?"

He hummed, stroking his beard. "Well...you've done a lot of work recently," he said. "Why don't we just spend some time relaxing, having a little fun?"

"That sounds lovely!" she said, clapping her hooves together. "What's your idea? A spa day, maybe just a lazy day at home?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of swimming," he said, snapping his fingers and creating a thick vine in his paw. "I mean, we helped the river. Why not enjoy the fruits of our labor?"

He backed up a few steps, then jumped off of the ground, whooping as he swung forward on the vine. As he swung above the river, he let go, flying into the air before splashing down into the water. He lifted his head up and shook water out of his mane, laughing.

A soft cry that sounded like it was trying to match his own cheering made his ears perk up. He lifted his head, and saw Fluttershy swinging forward on the vine, clinging tightly to it as her own cry petered out. The vine swung back, with her still clinging to it.

"You have to let go!" he shouted to her. She squeaked and shook her head, clinging tighter to the vine as it started to swing back to the river. "Don't worry! I'm right here!"

As she came back over the river, he saw her squeeze her eyes shut, taking a deep breath. She let go of the vine, and flew forward with a scream before splashing into the water in front of him.

He swam forward, counting the seconds as he waited for her to resurface. Just as he was about to dive under, she burst out of the water, laughing. "That was...that was fun!" she said with a laugh.

He laughed, reaching forward and ruffling her mane. "Wasn't it?" he said. "Do you want to do it again?"

"Maybe...yes," she said. "Actually, could we go on it together?"

"Of course!" he said, stretching his paw up. With a little magic, the vine started swinging their way again, and he grabbed it as it passed by, wrapping his other arm around Fluttershy. He snapped his tail feathers under the water, and the vine swung back, pulling the two of them out of the water and back to shore.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, reaching forward and grabbing onto the vine. He shifted so that she was sandwiched between him and the vine. With a smile, he kicked off of the ground, and the two swung forward.

At the peak of their swing, just above the water, Discord let go. He had wrapped his tail loosely around Fluttershy's waist...but it wasn't needed, as she let go at the same time as him, a large grin on her face.

They splashed into the water, then burst out of the surface, laughing. Fluttershy splashed Discord with a spray of water, a favor he quickly returned with a laugh.

They continued their splashing fight for a few minutes, Discord whipping up small typhoons and whirlpools with his magic, while Fluttershy did her best to splash him (admittedly, he moved a bit more slowly when dodging so she'd get in a few extra hits).

Just as he had pulled out a water gun, Fluttershy's stomach growled, and she stopped mid-splash. Discord laughed, putting the water gun away. His stomach then growled, much louder than hers had. He blushed, while Fluttershy giggled.

"Well, I suppose it is close to noon," he said, peering up at the sun between the trees. "How does a nice picnic on the shore sound?"

"Wonderful," she said, already paddling to the shore. He was following close behind her. She laid out on the grass, speading her wings and limbs, while he stopped and shook himself like a dog to expel the water. With that done, he fell in a soggy heap next to her and snapped his fingers.

A picnic basket appeared between them, which he opened up to pull out a large pile of vegetarian sushi rolls. Fluttershy lifted her head and rolled onto her stomach, grabbing several rolls and shoving them into her mouth. Discord pulled out baby carrots for her and spiced pickles for him, along with bubble tea, and then joined her in digging into the food.

Once the food was all eaten (including the watermelon-flavored popsicles he made), they laid on their backs and stared up at the sky. Then, Fluttershy rolled onto her hooves. "Let's go swimming again!" she said cheerfully. She walked towards the vine, then jumped up and grabbed onto it.

Discord leaned forward, holding his breath as she reached the peak of her swing. But she let go in time, and landed in the water with a great splash, laughing as she emerged. He laughed along, jumping up to grab onto the vine and splashing next to her in the water.

They continued their splash fight, Discord whipping out his water gun to soak her several times. After several minutes of this, though, Fluttershy sighed and stretched, spreading her wings out to float easily in the water. "This is nice," she said. "Just...relaxing in the river like this."

He paused, watching her for a few moments as she bobbed peacefully on the river. He swam a few laps around the river, even trying to float the same way she did, but found himself rather bored. That, and the opportunity to cause a bit of mischief was hard to ignore. He grinned deviously, rubbing his hands together as he watched his unsuspecting Fluttershy.

Discord sank under the water until only his eyes, horns, and nostrils were visible. He narrowed his eyes and carefully observed his prey. She was several feet away, and had spread her wings to easily float on her stomach. She sighed as she bobbed in the water, and he could picture her closing her eyes, feeling peaceful.

He grinned and dove underwater, his back and tail arcing above the surface and then silently slipping beneath it. He wriggled his body to swim forward, humming the Jaws theme to himself.

He paused right underneath Fluttershy, peering up at her. She looked so calm and peaceful. He grinned evilly, then used a surge of magic to shoot towards her.

He burst out of the water with a roar, making Fluttershy squeal. He paddled his legs to keep them above the water, while Fluttershy sat on top of his head, clinging to his horns. He could feel her heart racing.

Once her heart rate had calmed, she hugged his neck and nuzzled the top of his head. "You silly draconequus," she cooed. He felt his heart flutter as a wide grin spread on his face, and his pupils grew wide and shiny as he peered up at her. She planted a kiss on his forehead before slipping off and swimming out into deeper water. She paddled around for a bit, keeping an eye on him, before resuming her floating position.

He swam a few more laps, then headed to the middle of the river and performed jumps and leaps, diving in and out of the water like a dolphin. He caused a few splashes, but a little bit of magic meant that they wouldn't be large or loud enough to disturb Fluttershy's meditation.

He paused in between his tricks, shaking water droplets out of his mane and wondering what to do next. He spared a glance at where his wife was—only to see she had disappeared. His head twisted in all directions, and he found himself panicking when he couldn't see her anywhere in the river. He rose his fingers into a snapping position, prepared to teleport her right to him.

Suddenly, before he could snap, Fluttershy lunged out of the water in front of him, wrapping her hooves around his neck. She attempted to fall back into the water, but only succeeded in dangling limply off him. He tilted his head and grinned. "What was that?"

She blushed and looked away. "I'm...Fluttershark," she said. "And I'm trying to drag my prey down with me."

"Prey, huh?" he said with a grin, as she tugged at his neck and attempted to move him. "Oh, no!" he said, placing his claw to his forehead dramatically. "I've been caught by the dreaded Fluttershark! Oceans, have mercy!"

He let himself go limp, which let Fluttershy successfully pull him under the surface. She paused for a second, stunned by her sudden success, then pulled him deeper under the water, holding him to her chest and nuzzling her face against his. He smiled and gave a small nuzzle in return.

After a few moments of this, she booped his nose and let go of him, using her back hooves to paddle away and to the surface. He gave one strong kick, shooting up to the surface and taking a deep breath.

Some distance away, Fluttershy was floating on the surface, panting. He swam over to her, and she smiled softly. "I'm...a bit out of practice," she admitted. "Especially without my snorkel." He smiled and ruffled her mane, kissing her on the nose.

"You made for a very good shark," he said, patting her head. "Though I wonder...are these waters terribly infested with Fluttersharks?" She tilted her head. "Can we expect more attacks?" he added with a wink.

She blinked. "Well...I suppose we'll just have to see," she said. "And I suppose that depends on if there will be any more...Discoshark attacks." She blushed a little, playing with her mane.

He grinned. "Well, the day is still young! I suppose we'll just have to see!" He snapped his fingers and made goggles appear on her eyes. "Now, would you like to say hello to those fishy friends of yours?"

She gasped with joy and dove underwater. He playfully rolled his eyes and dove after her, snapping his fingers again to make breath mints appear in both of their mouths. Fluttershy paused for a second, a little surprised, but kept swimming towards a small group of brown fish with whiskers.

Hours later, with the sun much lower in the sky, Fluttershy and Discord laid on the grassy bank, catching their breath and resting their sore muscles.

Fluttershy had had a conversation with the fish that she described as 'pleasant...and they have such good humor, too!'. Discord found himself once again in awe of her ability to understand animals, even ones she couldn't technically hear. After that, they had resumed swimming and playing, and there were several more Discoshark and Fluttershark attacks.

But as pleasant as it all was, it left them feeling very sore as they stared at the puffy clouds through the foliage, licking on the ice cream cones Discord had made for them. "Discord," Fluttershy said. "I had a lot of fun today, but I'm kind of tired. Can we go home in a bit?"

"Of course, my dear," he said. "I'm a bit worn out, too. Curling up with you and reading a book sounds very pleasant right now." She made a noise of agreement. "But...after we finish our ice cream. The breeze here is just lovely."

She nodded, shifting closer so that she could lean against his side. He wrapped an arm around her, leaning his head against hers, both of them closing their eyes and sighing as a cool breeze ruffled their fur.

Author's Note

Discord attacking from underwater inspired by:
by Eveeka

"Fluttershark" inspired by this story: The Fluttershark

Organized Chaos

Discord nervously followed Fluttershy through the kitchen. His heart pounded, his mind racing as he tried to imagine what punishment Fluttershy had thought up. Will I be cooking desserts for a week? But I like baking, even if I'm terrible... Be forced to catch knives!? ...wait, no...Fluttershy can hardly leave an uncovered knife sitting in the open, let alone throw it at someone...

Fluttershy walked past their personal pantry...and stopped in front of the extra pantry for Sweet Feathers Animal Sanctuary. He swallowed thickly, already not liking where this was going.

"For your behavior last week, and taking down that company..." she said. "Twilight told me to punish you somehow."

He grumbled, grinding his teeth. "As though she hadn't done enough already..." He shuddered as he thought of all of the dull community service he had to do, and that even more horrifyingly dull, practically unused, guest room.

She coughed into her hoof, bringing his attention back to the present. "And so...I'm going to have to ask you to organize this pantry," she said, gesturing to the door next to her. "All of it."

"..."

"...Discord?" she said, almost nervously.

"...rebooting," he said in a robotic voice, his eyes a shade of blue. "Please wait..."

She sighed, scuffing a hoof against the ground. She glanced down at the floor, then back up at him...then at the pantry door.

He blinked, his eyes returning back to normal. "Reboot complete," he said. Then in his normal voice, he said, "Flutters dear...love of my life, star in my sky...surely you can't mean the whole pantry, can you?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "I said the whole pantry, and I meant it," she said. "Besides...it's really not that big, Discord. And I have a list to help you." She pointed to it, sitting on a clipboard hanging next to the door.

"But...that'll take all afternoon!" he bemoaned, tugging on his ears.

"I think you'll be able to finish by dinner," she said. "...especially if you start without trying to stall by complaining."

Drat. She was too good, being so easily able to see right through his plans! "So...get things in order, cleaned, and with the appropriate amounts?" he said with a sigh.

"Mhmm. But before you start, I'd like to lay out a couple of...ground rules, I guess you could call them," she said.

He snorted, crossing his arms. "What, like 'no eating in the pantry' or 'no magic allowed'?"

"Not...exactly," she said. "Though I would prefer if you took care of this by hand instead of with magic."

She held up a wing and started to count rules off on her feathers. "First: if you're feeling unwell from too much order, leave right away. Second: if you have any questions, come see me...I'll try to stay nearby. Third: I'll try to check up on you every fifteen minutes or so."

"...oh," he said weakly. Those all sounded like...rules put in place to protect him. "I'll keep...all of that in mind," he said. "Anything else?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Just make sure we have the correct amounts of everything on the list, and see if you can get things in order in there."

He frowned, slowly nodding. "...let's just get this over with," he said snatching up the clipboard and throwing open the pantry door. The hallway of shelves stocked with food seemed to stretch away from him, laughing and mocking him.

He grit his teeth, shoved up his fur like sleeves, and marched in. "No order can best me!" he declared with determination. "You'll see! Even without magic, this'll be a snap!"

"And...twenty," he said with a sigh. "Twenty radishes. Twenty. Stinking. Radishes." He glared down at the list in his hand. Twenty seemed to be the desired number of radishes, so he aggressively checked that off.

He let the list hover in the air beside him as he nudged the root vegetables into nice, neat rows. He sent a tendril of magic into each, making sure that they were fresh. Once satisfied, he wiped the sweat off of his brow...and shifted over to the next item on the list.

Fortunately, this pantry already had a pretty good semblance of order...since it was Fluttershy's area, after all. But he still had to make sure that everything was in the general order of the list, that there was the correct number of everything, that there were no messes or rotting food...he stuck out his tongue.

The door to the pantry creaked open, and Fluttershy walked in. "How's everything going?" she asked, quickly trotting up to him.

"Oh, juuuuust peachy," he said, rolling his eyes as he counted the number of peaches. They were short one, so he snapped up a fresh, juicy one.

She stepped closer, draping a wing over his back as she looked at the shelves. "You seem to be making good progress," she said.

"Oh yes, wonderful progress. I'm just delighted," he said, checking off peaches and moving on to the next thing. "Is it enough progress to take a break?"

"Well...how are you feeling?" she asked.

He scowled. "Grumpy, tired, and...ugh, orderly," he said with a shudder.

"But not sick, or unwell?" she pressed.

"...No, not yet," he said with a huff.

"Then I'd appreciate it if you kept going," she said, reaching up to give his paw a squeeze. "As I said, if you start to feel really unwell, leave right away! I'll make you a cup of tea for the next time I come in."

His ears perked up. "...singing ginseng?" he said.

"If that's what you want," she said with a nod. "Now...I'll leave you to it."

She stepped to the doorway, rapping her hoof against the door. "I think it'd be a good idea to leave this open," she said. "So, um...I can peek in on you, or you can get to chaos quickly if you have to."

"Alright," he said with a nod. There goes my privacy to slack off, he thought. Though...this meant he could take breaks without being surrounded by order! ...and if Fluttershy kept insisting on the whole pantry being organized, slacking off would probably just prolong this torture.

She smiled and headed over to the kitchen stove, probably to boil that tea she promised. He sighed, running a tongue over his dry lips and nudging a few carrots into their proper place as he started to count them.

Discord continued going through the pantry, slowly working his way down the list. Everything felt like a dreary haze of food and numbers, clarity only truly coming back when Fluttershy brought him a cup of tea, along with some snacks. The tea was different each time, even if it was just a different number of sugar cubes or an extra dollop of honey or chocolate syrup, and he was grateful for the small bits of chaos he could get.

He gulped down each cup in seconds, and devoured the snacks in just a few bites. Fluttershy would ask how he was feeling, looking him over and feeling his forehead. But although he was terribly bored and frustrated, he wasn't in any danger...and her tea seemed to give him an extra boost to keep pushing forward, making him feel better, if only for a few moments.

He checked off on the number of potatoes, of which there were quite a few. He looked down at his list for the next item. Nothing on the page after potatoes. He lifted the sheet of paper to look at the next one...and just saw an empty clipboard.

It slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor, the completed pages all fluttering back into place. His jaw dropped, and he glanced around the pantry. It was all clean and sickeningly organized...everything in its place, with the correct numbers of everything.

After taking a few seconds to let it sink in, he grabbed the clipboard and ran out the door. "I'm freeeeeee!" he roared, his voicing echoing down the hallway.

Fluttershy yelped from nearby, surprised enough that the cup of tea she was holding slipped from her hooves, crashing to the floor. "I can fix that," he said, snapping his fingers. The cup fragments levitated and pulled themselves together, attaching to each other with molten silver filling the cracks. The tea puddle spiraled up in a tornado, whirling its way towards the sink drain.

"You finished?" she said, holding out a hoof. He quickly placed the clipboard in it, and stood to the side of the door, presenting it like a game show host.

She read through each paper, smiling and nodding...and chuckling at a couple of doodles he couldn't help but make to stave off the boredom. She then looked up and at the organized pantry, nodding in satisfaction. "You did very well, Discord," she said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Yeah...but I never want to do that alone again," he said, placing a hand against his head. With his victory high and his last shot of caffeine wearing off, he was starting to feel tired, with the beginnings of a headache. "...how long did that take? I was too busy counting everything to register your number of visits."

She bit her lip, looking away with slight nervousness. "...three hours," she said quietly, and with a small wince.

His eyes went blank, and he felt a systems crash almost coming back again. Three. Hours!? He had complained that it would take all afternoon, but...he didn't expect to hear that all that organizing had actually taken such a large chunk out of his day!

The exhaustion he felt rushed up, threatening to overtake him...and it came with its friend, a splitting headache. He scowled and groaned, pushing himself off of the wall and stumbling towards the living room. He heard Fluttershy doing something behind him, before the sound of her hoofsteps told him she was following.

After walking through (and bumping against) the doorway, he flopped onto the couch, his head nestling into a soft pillow. His head still pounded, but lying down made his exhaustion feel less pressing. Fluttershy slowly approached, holding something in her mouth.

"I figured you might want this," she said, holding it out to him enough he could see it was an ice pack. "...headache?"

He slowly nodded, and she placed it on top of his head. It was wonderful cold, dulling most of the pain...though there was still an unpleasant throbbing sensation under his temples. Stupid orderly pantry.

"Whhhhhy....?" he whined, placing his hands on top of his head. "Why would you make me organize an entire room, after all the organization I faced last week!?" He knew this was borderline guilt-tripping, but he felt too...too infected with order to really care.

Fluttershy's face scrunched up, and she took a deep breath through her nose. "...Discord," she said slowly. "If you had a choice, would you organize all of that again?" He quickly shook his head. "Would you try and get somebody else to do it?" He nodded.

"And...if you were a pony living in Canterlot, is there anyone you could hire to organize your things?" she asked.

He briefly opened his mouth...then shut it with a click. "...no, not anymore," he said. "Because I got rid of the one company that offered to organize things."

She slowly nodded. "I know order is dangerous—sometimes even deadly!—for you, but...some ponies, even if they like having things in order, don't like to do it themselves," she said. "Like the clients of that company."

"...so," he said, popping his lips. "Is this a lesson in how I should have tried to co-exist with the company? Spoken with Twilight instead of crushing them like a soda can? Because there's proof that they were pretty shady, doing some legally gray stuff..."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't target them for doing shady stuff. You targeted them because of their business goals." He flinched, looking away. It was true...he had only found the evidence of their shadier things after infiltrating them, and had only collected it to save his own hide if he had to.

"...so I should have talked with Twilight, trusting that a friend would listen to my side before rushing off and supporting something that would hurt me," he said. She nodded, and he sighed. "Seems like the less fun option, but okay..."

"Discord, you complained about that company half the nights you came back from them," she said, raising an eyebrow. "And the only time you really seemed happy was after you 'finished' them. That doesn't sound very fun."

"...huh," he said, eyes widening in realization. Infiltrating a company had founded like exciting spy work, and causing the silly string explosion had been fun, but...now that she mentioned it, he could remember the grueling task of organization, having to tread carefully to keep his cover. And the company wasn't kind enough to check on him, bringing him delicious tea to help him keep going...

"...I was a real dummy last week, for not listening to you," he mumbled. "Heck, I...I even went overboard on chaos and entertainment when I was home to try and distract you from worrying about me." She blinked in shock, and he glanced at the floor.

"I know that I...I'm not perfect. And I'll probably keep making foolish mistakes," he said. "But...in the future, I promise I'll listen to you...if you're still willing to help and support me."

There was a pause...and then, he felt her wrap her forelegs around his neck. "Oh, Discord," she said. "I'll always be here to help you. ...though, listening to me before going through with crazy plans would make things easier."

He chuckled a little, as did she, and she placed a feather-light kiss on his cheek. "I'll make a pot of leftovers soup for supper," she said, gently rubbing a hoof against his cheek. He sighed and closed his eyes, smiling the slightest bit. "You just rest until you feel better, okay?"

He gave a tiny nod, and he felt her pull away and stand up. He heard her pause by the record player and slide something on...and soon, the soothing sound of static filled the room. Then, he felt a thick blanket draped over him, and opened his eyes. Fluttershy had given him a multicolored, chaotic mess of a blanket—one of the first things they had knit together.

She smiled and patted his side before heading into the kitchen. He sighed, closing his eyes once again. With the ice cooling his headache, and soothing chaos surrounding him...He was already starting to feel a little bit better. And with a lesson learned, hopefully he wouldn't have to face an organized punishment for a long time.