Portrait of a Lovely Draconequus

by GeekCat

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Fluttershy, Discord, Pinkie Pie, Drama
Length: 6748

Fluttershy and Discord have taken up a new hobby—painting together! But Fluttershy's been making a very special painting in secret...

Fluttershy and Discord have taken up a new hobby—painting together! But Fluttershy's been making a very special painting in secret...one that she's put all her feelings into.

She wants to reveal her secret, but she begins to have doubts, and wonders if hidden things should stay hidden...

Day Six of #FluttercordWeek

Published 2021-01-24 13:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-01-24 13:10:00 UTC

Portrait of a Lovely Draconequus

Fluttershy laughed at a funny story Discord told. “Oh, Discord,” she said. “Sometimes I can't believe the things you do!”

“I'll have to take a picture next time, then!” he said, sipping at his tea. “Though most times I try, the camera tends to break afterward…” He shrugged. “Oh well. Collateral damage of being a chaos avatar, I suppose.”

Fluttershy giggled again. “Oh, I forgot to ask,” she said. “How are your paintings going?”

“Oh, they're going,” he said. “And I've finished most of them…but there's still one or two where I just can't seem to find the final inspiration to finish it.”

“I know the feeling,” she said with a sigh. “But sometimes, I just try to sit down in front of one of my canvases and just…add something, anything to it! Just to make progress.”

“That's good advice,” he said, taking a sip of tea. “Though there are some pieces where I…can't seem to find the perfect way to finish it.”

“I know…” she said with a sigh, thinking back to a very special unfinished canvas she kept in her room.

They continued drinking tea until the pot was empty. “Well,” Discord said, glancing out the window. “The weather is warm and boring…would you like to do a bit of natural landscape painting with me?”

“I'd love to,” she said. “Just let me get my…” Before she could finish, Discord had already summoned two canvases, and several brushes and paints, which floated beside him as he waited by the door for her. She smiled and approached, opening the door and stepping outside, with him right behind her.

They headed to the area behind her cottage, where nature could be found in all its glory. The two of them had started painting together…maybe about a month ago. A little more than that, actually.

Rarity had invited them both to an art museum in Manehattan, admitting to Fluttershy that she wanted to try and instill some sense of culture into Discord. Though a grand time was had, and Discord admitted later that he did enjoy some pieces, a sense of culture ultimately failed to be grown within him.

After the first hour, Discord was getting bored. To entertain himself, he snarkily (and loudly) gave his opinions on each piece. Rarity, feeling a little miffed at having cultural pieces blown off, challenged him to do better.

That had made Discord quiet for a while, if still bored…but later, he had come to Fluttershy with a canvas and paints, saying he wanted to take Rarity up on her challenge, and that he wanted her help.

They had started painting all sorts of things together, from animals to still-life. Though they had a rocky start, and Discord apologized to Rarity and admitted that painting by hand was much harder than it looked, they still had a lot of fun…and both continued to make their own paintings.

Fluttershy was jolted out of her thoughts when Discord suddenly stopped. They were at the top of a grassy hill, with the Everfree forest in the distance, a few trees scattered beyond its border like scouting soldiers. The sky was blue, a few fluffy white clouds were overhead, and the sun was warm on her coat.

“This seems…nice,” Discord said. She smiled and nodded in agreement, and with a snap of his fingers, two comfortable chairs appeared before them.

He sat their canvases on easels in front of the chairs, the paint and brushes between them. He sat down in one chair and paused, staring out across the hill as he dabbed a brush into green paint.

She sat in the other, looking at the scene and planning. After a few moments of thinking, she began to paint a light green hillside yawning along the bottom of her canvas, followed up by a field, the tree line, and finally the sky.

They worked for hours on their paintings, Discord's magic quickly drying the paint so that they wouldn't have to take breaks. Fluttershy's painting came to life, with a blue sky with clouds and birds, and a forest she couldn't resist adding a few animals peeking out of.

She spared a glance over to his canvas and smiled. While he had painted the landscape as it was, he had changed the sky—in his vision, it was purple and pink, filled with stars, and with a ringed alien planet hovering nearby.

She looked back at her own painting, wondering what she could change. She had to admit, changing some element to make it interesting or chaotic was…fun. She could easily see why Discord liked doing it so much.

After a few moments of consideration, she changed one of the trees into one with a purple trunk and silver leaves. She had a few light blue flowers in its branches, and glanced over to see that Discord was eyeing her work, nodding in approval.

“Wonderful,” he said, stroking a thin black mustache as a beret appeared on his head. “Ve vill be ze finest artists in the Chaos Period!”

She snickered, and quickly had to hold her hoof steady before she added an accidental streak of blue to the hillside. Discord laughed, the beret and mustache disappearing as he blended the colors of the sky together.

After a while, as the sun sank low into the sky, they both finished their paintings. Discord smiled as his gaze flicked back and forth between the two, while her eyes were mostly on his creative painting. “I think we did some good work today,” he said smugly.

“I don't know,” she said, narrowing her eyes at her painting. “I feel like…some things could be better. Like the trees.” They seemed…off, with blobs of green and brown mixed to make leaves and branches.

Discord tousled her mane, jolting her own of her thoughts and making her heart race. “Flutterbutter, I think they look great,” he said. “Besides, they aren't nearly as bad as how my trees looked when we first started.”

She snickered. When they were still barely starting, his trees reminded her of octopi. When she mentioned it, he had huffed, playfully offended, and painted an octopus in the corner of her painting as retaliation. She had countered with a shark on his, and before they knew it, they had created painted forests absolutely teeming with marine life.

Discord also grinned at the memory. He stood up, and with a flick of his claw, their paintings vanished—his going to his dimension, and hers to her cottage, as per usual. He stood up and stretched, his tail using a pin to pop his chair like a balloon.

“That was fun,” he said, popping her chair once she stood up.

“It was,” she said, smiling at him. There were paint stains on his fingers, and even a few flecks on his muzzle. “Say, do you…want to paint together again tomorrow?”

“I'd love to,” he said, a sparkle in his eyes. “In fact…I have an idea for something new! We could go to the park and try to paint all the life happening there.”

She frowned. “I don't know…that sounds like it could be complicated,” she said. “And we've never painted ponies before.”

He grinned. “First time for everything! C'mon, we'll pick a small section of the park to put onto canvas…and if it doesn't work, we can lie and say that it's abstract art.”

She couldn't help but giggle. Discord could put a creative spin on anything he put his mind to, it seemed…it was something she adored about him. “Alright,” she said. “We can give it a shot. Maybe after lunch?”

“Sounds good. I can throw the lunch together for us, too,” he said with a smile. “Is there anything you need help with, or shall I get out of your mane?”

“I think I'm good,” she said with a grin. “Have a nice evening!” He smiled back and bid goodbye before disappearing in a flash of light.

She smiled and headed back to her cottage. There were animals to feed and check up on, dishes to clean (though it seemed most had already washed themselves), and her own dinner to prepare. Another hour passed before she was able to simply relax again, eating a simple but tasty salad and then heading upstairs to her bedroom.

Though her bed was tempting, either for an early bedtime or simply curling up and reading, there was something else there that she had in mind—a canvas and easel, fully covered by a white sheet so that no one could see what was on it.

Fluttershy glanced around, just to make sure the coast was clear. Then, she approached the canvas in a corner of the room and pulled off the white sheet.

Underneath was an incomplete painting…though enough of it was finished that one could tell it was of Discord, floating in a starry sky and smiling, holding something in his hands…or maybe just using his hands to do magic. It was too unfinished to tell, yet.

Even if it was just a painting, one she had made, she couldn't help but smile. Discord was a sweet creature, one who could make her heart race. She wanted this painting of him to convey everything about him she saw, and everything that she felt.

Of course…she did keep it a secret, especially from him. It would be embarrassing if he found out that she was making a painting of him. She shook the flustering thought away, picking up her brush and dabbing it into a bit of sky-blue paint.

She began to add his goat horn to the top of his head, using darker blues to indicate the grooves along it. As she painted, she did her best to think of positive memories, hoping some of her passion for him would somehow absorb into the painting.

She recalled times where he would remove his horns to polish them, or to act as props for some sort of demonstration. She couldn't help but giggle as she remembered these times, though her hoof remained steady.

After finishing both of his horns, she admired her progress…and then yawned. A glance out the window told her that the sun was only barely peeking over the horizon. “Goodness, it's late," she said aloud as she gathered her used brushes.

She sealed her paints and covered the painting of Discord, then headed downstairs to clean the brushes off in the sink. After doing that, and making sure the animals were settled for the night, she got ready for bed.

As she drifted off to sleep, she stared at the covered canvas and thought of Discord…wondering if the finished painting could be a demonstration of her feelings towards him…ones that were stronger than friendship.

The next day, just a little before noon, Discord showed up at her front door with a picnic basket in his hand and a wide grin on his face. She smiled brightly, her heart lightening at the sight of him.

He offered her his arm, and with a flash of light, they appeared in the Ponyville park. There were other ponies enjoying picnics there, but he found them a nice, sunny hill away from the small crowds to set up.

They sat on the grass, and Discord reached into the basket. With a flourish, he brought out a pitcher of lemonade, and two sandwiches for each of them—cucumber for her, saltpeter and roses for him.

It was…relaxing, she realized, to watch ponies go by. Discord would spin stories and outrageous theories about them to make her giggle, while she was content to enjoy her sandwiches and lemonade, the sun on her coat, and tell him what the birds in the trees were singing about.

Time passed, and they both finished off their meals. “Well, that's pleasure taken care of,” Discord said, reaching into the basket again. “Now…for more pleasure.” He pulled two blank canvases and easels out of the too-small basket.

Fluttershy giggled as he set them up. “What about business?”

“Ugh, please. I never touch that if I can help it,” he said as he summoned paint and brushes for them both. “Now, do you think this is a good angle?”

She looked out over the park. The section right in view seemed simple enough—a flat grassy area, trees, a small pond that would maybe make it to the edge of the canvas. “It looks…fine,” she said. “It's just…all the ponies that worry me.” There were perhaps a dozen in view, all of them moving.

“It'll be fine,” Discord said with a smile. She wished that she had even just an ounce of his confidence. “We'll just do our best, which will automatically make our paintings the best ever, because they were made by us!”

She giggled at his enthusiasm, selecting her first brush. After a few moments spent staring out at the moving mass of ponies, she decided to make a quick background before focusing on any of them.

They painted with utter focus for the next few minutes. She was focused so much on hers that she didn't give Discord's a glance, as tempting as it was. When she looked up, she quickly marked where a few of the ponies were, and what they seemed to be doing.

Then, she shifted her focus, finishing the ponies, aside from a few details such as faces and manes. She repeated this process a few times, leaving the portraits to be finished in detail later.

When her painting was nearly full of ponies, she glanced up for a final time…and noticed a familiar pink pony skipping into the park, a song on her lips. Fluttershy stood up slightly and waved to her with a smile. “Hi, Pinkie!”

Discord glanced up and followed her gaze, also waving. Pinkie heard her, and with a wide grin, energetically waved back. “Hi, guys!” Pinkie said, bouncing over to them. “Oooh, are you painting?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile. “Want to join us, Pinkie?”

“Absolutely!” she said cheerfully. She took a seat on Discord's other side, pulling an easel and canvas out of her mane, followed by a brush and paint.

She hummed a merry tune, quickly glancing up and letting her brush fly across the canvas, painting flying every which way as she switched from color to color.

Fluttershy glanced over when a few specks of paint hit her foreleg…and her jaw dropped. Somehow, though she was working quickly and messily, Pinkie had made a realistic painting, so realistic that it was almost like a photograph.

Discord glanced down at Fluttershy, then followed her gaze, his eyes widening as he saw her painting. “What in the world?” he said, echoing Fluttershy's own thoughts.

“Oh!” Pinkie said, pausing mid-stroke. “I guess I never mentioned that Marble and I enjoyed painting together as kids…and we both learned a lot of tricks!” She sighed. “It's hard to paint rocks that look different with just color…so we learned about shading and contrast, and adding dimensions. And Limestone loved to make things as quickly as possible, so things became a race, and I could make quick paintings!”

Fluttershy blinked, trying to slowly absorb the story. Discord hummed, and pointed to one particular pony on Pinkie’s canvas. “Her wings…how did you manage to give them their individual feathers?”

“Oh, that's easy!” Pinkie said. “I just painted the wings, and used a thinner brush with a darker color to add the feathered pattern!”

“I see…” Discord said, now taking notes. “And…do you have any tips for showing expressive, sparkling eyes?”

“What I do is…” Pinkie chattered, and though Fluttershy partially wanted to listen and learn…she also felt stung. She had managed to convince herself her painting was improving, but…

She glanced at Discord's canvas. The sky was a night one…with three different-colored moons, and the landscape had a few small changes to it—upside-down trees, bushes with strange fictional berries, and random pink flowers that didn't seem to have any connection to the real park.

His painting didn't have many ponies…but he did have colored outlines in the shape of them, and a few of them had features like legs and tails, or oversized or undersized wings and horns.

Fluttershy frowned, glancing sadly back at her own painting. While the background looked nice enough, most of the ponies were only half-finished pastel blobs…and she had forgotten how to finish most of them, now.

And her background…sure, it was nice, but it was nothing special. It wasn’t creative like Discord's or detailed and quick like Pinkie’s…in fact, the longer she looked at it, the worse it seemed to get.

“What about yours, Fluttershy?” Discord asked, leaning towards her. “How's it going?” She quickly grabbed the canvas and stood up before he could see it.

“Sorry, I…I don't feel well,” she said. “I'm going to go home and lie down…you two have fun, okay?”

Discord sprung to his feet. “Here, I'll take you home,” he said, holding an arm out to her. “And I can make you some nice soup while I'm at it…”

She quickly shook her head. “No, thank you!” she said. “I just need to lie down for a bit…and I don't want to pull either of you away from your paintings…goodbye!” Before they could say anything else, she galloped away, keeping her head down and ears flattened.

She kept galloping until she made it home, and could set the canvas down in a place where no-one would be able to see it. Some of the paint had smeared against her, making it look even more unrecognizable.

With a sigh, she headed towards the bathroom, sinking into a tub of hot water and listlessly scrubbing the paint out of her fur. Maybe I should have stayed, she thought. It wasn't that bad… Still, she felt a bit stung, and felt more like hiding in her tub or under her covers than going back out into public.

I'll…talk to Discord tomorrow, she thought. Maybe do some more painting with him. But…she felt self-conscious, and not in the mood for painting at all right now.

And so, once she had gotten the paint out of her fur, she began caring for animals and preparing dinner, working until the sun had set, and it was time to go to bed.

Though she tried not to think of it, her mind kept going back to the same thing as she laid in bed—her own skills as a painter.

When she woke up the next morning, she had an idea.

She knew that she wasn't bad at painting. She was actually pretty good at some aspects! She was just…inexperienced, without practice. Well, practice was something that she could do!

And maybe, selfishly…she wanted to stumble on something that would stun Discord, and make him look at her with the same awe Pinkie had inspired. It wasn't jealousy…well, maybe it was a little bit of jealousy…but she wanted to keep smiling and laughing with Discord.

The first thing she did after breakfast was jot a quick note to Discord, explaining that she was okay, but she wanted to have some time alone to rest today. After sending it off to him, barely two minutes had gone by before an envelope appeared with a ‘Get Well Soon' card inside. Discord's voice sang when she opened it, one of her favorite Hearth's Warming carols…even though it was in the middle of spring.

She smiled at that, setting the card in one of her drawers to save it. After that, once her animals were fed, she sat in front of a blank canvas, paints at the ready, staring at the sleeping chicken in front of her.

Let's do this, she thought, her face set in determination.

She spent all of her free time in the morning practicing painting all sorts of things. From her animal friends to her own reflection in the mirror, she painted whatever she could think of.

Of course, she couldn't resist adding some chaotic touches, like a pink mustache to the portrait of herself. Discord would have been proud…and even if her paintings were far from perfect, she could definitely see improvement.

Still…she hadn't found something amazing to show him yet. But while her mind (and heart) was focused on Discord…

She headed to her bedroom, where she resumed work on the painting of Discord. She applied a few of the skills she had figured out, and overheard from Pinkie, such as adding detail to his feathered wing, or a scaled texture to his dragon leg.

There was still work to be done, but she touched up a few things here and there—adding more life to his eyes, a bit more texture to his thick fur, and so on.

She needed to care for her animal friends first and foremost, but she took every opportunity to either practice painting, or add something to Discord's portrait. Eventually, evening came, and she made herself clean and set aside her brushes…it was important to get sleep, even if staying up later to practice was tempting.

She slowly drifted off to sleep…and she imagined sharing her paintings with Discord. Perhaps earning a smile, maybe even one that made his eyes glitter…

The next few days were much the same. She would take care of her animals, practice painting, and work on Discord's portrait. It was becoming better and better, with more details, and more of Discord's expressiveness. She even added a few objects floating behind him, a representation of his chaos.

A bit of orange on the other side of the canvas, to form a sunset that meant change. She finally figured out what to do with his hands—have him use his magic to make a teapot hover in the air.

Then…she paused. It was only the third day of her practicing and working on this painting, but…it felt like she was done.

She took a step back. The portrait was…really good, actually, she thought. But something still bothered her, so she double- and triple-checked it. Discord looked great and detailed, the background was just how she wanted it, and there wasn't any empty space.

She was satisfied with how it looked. Maybe…I can show it to him now, she thought. To express how I feel for him. The painting even included things she loved about him—a wide smile for his humor, the surrounding chaos for his chaoticness and creativity…for a moment, she imagined what it would be like if he returned her feelings, what it would be like to be a couple…

But something still bothered her about the painting, even if it seemed to capture Discord perfectly. The painting was finished—but something still felt wrong.

She realized with a chill that the painting was done, and showed Discord being happy…but there was no room for her in the picture.

She whimpered and shoved her paints away, laying down in front of the canvas and placing her head on her hooves. Maybe he is better without me… she thought.

It was selfish to…want him to herself, to be more than friends. He was a powerful, independent spirit, and she couldn't imagine tying him down with her feelings for him. Maybe it was foolish to think that because of a painting…but maybe, subconsciously, she knew that he didn't need her. Not as more than a friend.

Swallowing back sadness, Fluttershy covered the canvas. She silently resolved that it, and her feelings for him, would stay covered and bottled up…there was no reason to pressure him with a confession.

It was for the best, she told herself, trying to make her heart believe it. Her heart still pinned for him, but she squashed down the feelings as best she could.

I need some time alone, she thought. Even thinking about Discord right now made her heart flutter…if she saw him in person, she knew it would be impossible to keep everything bottled up.

So, she jotted another note to him, saying that she wasn't feeling well (again), and would have to unfortunately not come to their usual Sunday painting session. They had it in his dimension, where he would summon all sorts of things until they had something they both wanted to paint…

She swallowed back her feelings again and sent off the note.

Not a minute later, he sent a concerned note back, asking if she was okay, if she needed any help. Her heart raced, and she quickly sent another note to affirm that she was fine, and she didn't need any help. His next note had a dubious tone, though he agreed to let her rest in peace, with a written wish for her to get well as soon as possible. It also held a few small blue wildflowers, perhaps to cheer her up.

She smiled and tucked the flowers into a nearby vase. She found a place for them in her kitchen, where they wouldn't always be in her sight, but where she couldn't ignore them. It wasn't the flowers' fault that she was…wrestling with complicated feelings towards the creature who sent them.

With that done, she gathered up her paints and put them away, then cleaned all of her brushes. She spent the rest of the day helping her animals, hoping the work could distract her.

It worked, but only temporarily.

The next morning, she sluggishly crawled out of bed, shooting a glare towards the covered canvas in the corner. It just sat there innocently.

When she had tried to fall asleep, her eyes kept flicking towards the canvas, and her feelings threatened to rise up. She had tossed and turned, trying to get visions of Discord out of her head—impossible, lovely ones where he returned her feelings and everything was perfect, and ones where he looked sad as he gently let her down as easily as possible

Shadows of the visions even haunted her dreams…all because the portrait in her mind's eyes kept reminding her of everything. The canvas still sat there innocently.

She fed all her animals, and slowly ate her own breakfast. The portrait still haunted her, and she dreaded having another night of difficult sleep, all because of it.

So, once breakfast was finished, she stood up and marched back to her bedroom to confront it. She paused for a moment, glaring at it. She then grabbed it and carried it back downstairs.

Many of her paintings were scattered around the house, though some had been traded for Discord's paintings. But, in a small room connected to her living room, she stored paintings that were unfinished, or ones that she had no idea of where to put them.

The room had been made for her by Discord, once their painting developed into a hobby, so that her home wouldn't become too cluttered…she shook the thoughts out of her head and opened the door.

She took in the paintings, many of which she had made this week. Still, painting made her think of fond memories with Discord…and she knew that even painting on her own would lead to her thinking of him.

So, with a sigh, she put the canvas with the rest, shoving it into a small corner and leaving it covered. It…hurt, to see it in her bedroom and think about her bottled-up feelings. It hurt too much to simply have it there every day, all the time. Maybe she should just throw it away…but she couldn't even imagine doing that, after putting her heart and soul into it.

With another sigh, she left the paintings behind and headed back upstairs. Perhaps a nap would make her feel better…or a book, one with a story that she could lose herself in and forget the real world for a while…

But though she tried to distract herself with work and relaxation throughout the day, she could still feel her bottled emotions, roiling underneath everything and wanting to be let out.

The days passed in boring blurs. She missed how Discord would add color and excitement to her days…but she quickly shook the thoughts away before she could begin longing for him.

Forgetting about her feelings seemed to be working. By distracting herself with caring for animals and short trips to the market, and pointedly ignoring everything that reminded her of Discord, things seemed to be returning to normal—back to when her feelings for him were merely friendship, and nothing more.

Maybe after a few more days, things really would be back to normal in that way, she mused. She was currently reading a field guide on birds of paradise, a gift from Twilight. She lost herself in the colorful descriptions and relaxed on the couch.

A knock on the door made her jump. She closed the book and set it aside, wracking her brain to try and figure out who was there. She had been so focused on just not thinking about Discord that she had lost track of the days…feeling tired after the barely-restful nights she had been having didn't help at all.

“Fluttershy!” Discord said, knocking on the door. “It's Tuesday!” She gasped and held her breath.

I forgot about Tuesday Tea! she realized, feeling a bit guilty. She swallowed, wondering if she could use the excuse she wasn't feeling well.

“I haven't seen you in a week!” he said in a loud voice. “If I don't see a sign that you're okay, I'm breaking down the door and coming in!”

She flinched. His tone may have been light, but she knew he was probably very serious. With a sigh, she stood up and walked towards the door, opening it just enough to peek through. She saw Discord visibly relax as soon as he saw her.

“There you are!” he said, unable to hide a bit of relief from his voice. “You've had me worried sick, you know. No letters, no popping in for a quick visit…” Before she could do or say anything, he opened the door the rest of the way and strolled past her.

“I sent those notes that I needed rest, and couldn't make it to our painting session…” she said as he took a seat on the couch.

“’Notes' are not ‘letters',” he said. “A note is a simple message that you read and eat, but a letter is longer, something where the words are worth more than the paper and ink, and so, so worth saving.” He stretched and spread himself out on the couch. “So…you at least look healthy. Have you recovered?”

“Um…yes,” she said, scuffing at the ground a little. “Though, I think I might…still need some time to truly feel better again.”

“Well, what better way to speed that up with some hot soup and tea?” He snapped his fingers, and a steaming tea kettle appeared on the table, right beside a large pot of tomato soup.

She smiled a little, taking a seat in her usual chair. “I think you're the only creature who would think of having soup during a tea party,” she said.

“Well, I can't help being a genius,” he said, pouring a bowl of soup with one hand and a cup of tea with the other.

She could help it. She snorted with laughter, though she tried to stifle the sound with her hooves. Discord grinned widely, passing her both soup and tea. Then, he took a bowl of soup and a cup of tea, and began sipping…the soup bowl.

She chuckled a bit, lifting up her own bowl and copying his actions. She sighed and closed her eyes as she drank—the soup was hot enough that the warmth spread through her body, but not hot enough to scald her throat and tongue. And it tasted quite nice.

“This is…this is good,” she said. Discord grinned, his snaggletooth gleaming…and everything she felt for him burst right out of the bottle she had tried to force it into. She took another quick slurp of soup before she blurted anything by accident.

It felt…awkward. She tried to shove her feelings back, but they refused…especially as the soup and tea helped her relax, and Discord fussed over her. “You're sure you're alright?” he asked, a hint of worry in his eyes. She quickly nodded.

The awkwardness of the tea party continued, though Discord managed to find a topic as she finished her first bowl of soup. “So…what did you do when you were unwell?” he asked. “I'm not sure what you ponies like to do when sick, other than lie in bed, feeling gross and miserable.”

“That's…fairly accurate,” she said. “Though I wasn't that sick. I just rested, read a few books, and practiced some painting.”

“Oooh!” he said, his eyes lighting up with interest. “Did you make any fun, chaotic ones? May I see them!?” His wings fluttered in excitement.

She blinked, shocked by his reaction. She hadn't been expecting it, and now, she almost regretted her words. But it would be suspicious if she said no, he couldn't, and he would probably find a way to sneakily look at them anyway…

As long as he doesn't see it, everything will be fine, she thought. “Sure,” she said aloud after a long sip of tea. “Here, let me show you…”

She guided him to her collection of canvases, trying to best to ignore the covered one in the corner. She pointed out some of the new ones, where for each one, Discord had some kind of compliment to give—from admiring her chaotic creativity to her work on a certain background.

Just when she was relaxing, her heart feeling light at his compliments…his eyes caught on it. The covered canvas, the one she absolutely couldn't let him see. “Oh, what's this over here?” he asked, moving towards it.

“I…it's nothing,” she said. “Just a painting that didn't work out right…” The gleam in his eyes told her that he didn't believe that for a second. No other painting was covered, not even the ones she was still terribly embarrassed about (though she had shoved them into corners).

“Well, if it's nothing,” he said, stepping towards it. “You won't mind if I look, right?” He paused in the middle of reaching for the cover, and she realized a second too late that he was waiting for her response.

He took her silence as an answer and not a sign of panic, unfortunately. He gripped the cloth and whisked it off of the canvas, his grin wide. When he saw the portrait of himself, his eyes widened, and then dropped the cloth cover.

She covered her face with her hooves, waiting for his reaction. What would he say? Would he be creeped out, in plain shock, or even…angry?

When he said nothing, she slowly peeked out from behind her hooves. He was staring at it, his jaw dropped, his eyes wide. But as she watched, he turned to face her…and a grin spread on his face.

“A portrait? Of moi?” he said excitedly. “And so detailed, too! Did you do all this from memory? I would have gladly been a model if you had asked!”

She blinked a few times. “You…don't think it's creepy? Or…wrong?”

He frowned in thought, tilting his head. “No? I mean, if you had spied on me to make this without my permission, that would be a bit off. But you don't really have the ability to do that, which means you used your memory and photos to recreate me! I'm so touched.”

She turned away from him, blushing. She quickly bit her tongue before her feelings for him could pour out. “I…made it. For you,” she said awkwardly. “But I decided to…not give it to you because…” Oh, how to say it? “…it didn't feel right.”

He looked between her and the portrait, scrutinizing it. “I…think I know what you mean,” he said slowly, almost…nervously?

“Really?” she asked, lifting her head. Was she so transparent that he saw through her? That would be so embarrassing…

“It's…amazing, really,” he said. “But…I think something's missing from this portrait.”

“I…I know,” she said, looking down at the floor. “It's finished, but…you're the only one in the painting…you don’t need m—anypony.”

Discord laughed, which made her flinch, her ears flattening. “Of course I need somepony!” he said, making her look up slightly. “A very, very special somepony, mind you.”

She relaxed a little, but still felt upset. So he wasn't laughing at my expense… she thought.

Discord snapped his fingers and summoned a canvas, the back of it facing her. He twirled it around, showing a…very good painting of her. She was in flight, headed towards something out of frame. The background was sky-blue, with orange along one edge, and a pattern of flowers behind her. She tilted her head, a bit confused. “You need…me?”

“Of course!” he said. “And for proof…why don't we put together the pieces of this puzzle?” Discord took his painting and slowly placed it next to hers until the sides were flush against each over. She blinked and had to take a step back.

The backgrounds of the painting merged together so well that…it looked like one large painting. One where day and night skies met. One that showed her flying up to meet him with a lovestruck look, while he smiled back warmly…

“Oh…” she said. She glanced up at him as he wore a satisfied smile. “Did you…know that I was…?”

“Nope!” he said. “I just made a painting of the most important creature in the world…but until now, it felt like something was missing from it.” He scratched the back of his neck. “And I was…pretty terrible at painting certain features, like your wings…”

“…that's why you asked Pinkie so many questions,” she said, struck with realization. “To figure out how to finish it!”

He blushed and nodded. “Yeeeeeah…your wings and eyes were particularly and bothersomely tricky.” He quickly turned to her. “I-I mean…they're lovely on you! They're just hard to paint, but I lo—” He stopped himself, biting his tongue and looking nervous.

“…do you want me to say it first?” she asked quietly. It would be hard, but it didn't seem any easier for him.

He nodded, and she took a deep breath. “I love you, Discord,” she said. “You're the most wonderful creature I've ever known, and I…if I could spend the rest of my life with you…I’d be the happiest mare alive.”

His eyes became wide and shiny, and he opened his mouth. “I love your wings, your eyes, every inch of you. I love you, my butter-colored muse. I want to…to show it to the whole world, and to show you the world…”

Her heart raced, and she smiled bashfully at him. Slowly, she stepped forward, close enough to wrap her forelegs tightly around his soft, warm torso.

He slowly returned the gesture, pulling her close enough that she could hear his heart racing in his chest. “Thank you,” he whispered slowly. “For everything. For saying it first. For…just being you.”

She blinked happy tears out of her eyes. “T-thank you,” she said. “For returning my feelings. And for…being you.”

He grinned, bending his neck to kiss the corners of her eyes, making her giggle. He continued to pepper her face with kisses, lifting her up and carrying her over to the couch.

“Are you still feeling ‘too unwell'?” he asked with a smirk. “Or could we…do a few couple things right now? Perhaps go out on the town for dinner and a play?”

She blinked as he kissed her cheek. “…are you asking me out on a date?”

“Whatever you want to call it,” he said, wrapping his tail around her. “I was thinking of…that little café slash gallery that opened a few weeks ago. You mentioned wanting to check it out sometime, right?”

“Yes…and I'd love that,” she said. “But…maybe tomorrow. Today, I just want to…relax and be with you.” She tapped her nose against his.

“Your wish is my command,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and letting her nestle into his fur. They laid like that for a while, petting and kissing each other. Discord kept whispering compliments and sweet nothings into her ear, making her giggle and blush.

During a more relaxed moment, she turned her head. Her eyes caught on the paintings they had made of each other, fitting together so seamlessly…and smiled brightly, turning her attention back to her wonderful, creative, talented draconequusfriend.