The Magic of Hearth's Warming
Author's Note
This was written for Indigo Storyheart for Jinglemas 2021, who asked for a shipping fic starring Fluttershy and Discord, and 'a magical way of finding your soulmate during Christmas.' I hope I did it justice!
The Magic of Hearth's Warming
Discord loathed this time of year. He'd always hated the cold, snow was his least favorite color (white; so boring), and with so many creatures hibernating, everything was far too quiet for his liking.
There was really only one thing that made it better. "Welcome!" Fluttershy beamed up at him, cheeks delicately tinged with pink in the most adorable way, as she opened the door to her cottage. "So glad you could make it."
"I'd never miss our weekly tea time, Fluttershy, come rain, shine, or slush." Fluttershy could ask him to do anything, tell him to do anything, and he'd do it in a heartbeat.
As always, Fluttershy's cottage was as warm as the pegasus mare herself. Warm yellow light bathed the interior, putting all of Fluttershy's books and knicknacks into soft focus. From the kitchen, Discord could smell tea and soup boiling. Clearly his dearest friend had been working hard to make him feel at home.
It was touching, really. It had been centuries since Discord had been treated like somecreature that mattered so much.
"It smells wonderful in here, Fluttershy," he said, apparating two plates from pocket dimensions he'd conjured earlier. They made things so simple; how did ponyfolk ever get by without that particular power? "I'm willing to bet it puts my sandwiches and cookies to shame!"
Fluttershy adorably nosed the lid off of one of the plates. She gasped as she beheld cookies that all blinked at her with large glittering eyes. "Oatmeal and carrot cookies," Discord told her. "They're good for your eyes! They might turn them orange, though."
Any other pony might have been disturbed, but Fluttershy merely giggled.
"The sandwiches aren't quite so spectacular, I'm afraid; I tried to get them to sing, but they would just start screaming when they were dunked in soup or au jus." The cookies, at least, couldn't voice their pain when eaten.
"Oh, that's fine; they look delicious." Her eyes widened as she took a closer look at one. "What are those...red things with the spinach?"
"Cranberries. Still had some left over from the Apples." By this point, he'd lost track of what was in season. Let the professional farmers keep track of that sort of thing.
Fluttershy giggled. "Red and green! So festive!" Discord gulped as she looked up at him with big, adoring green eyes. "I can't wait to dig in."
Just as Discord was about to say something, a piercing whistle sounded from the kitchen, making the sleeping critters around the place jump up in alarm. "Oh! The tea!" Fluttershy did as her namesake suggested and fluttered into the air. "I'll get it."
"Do you need help, Fluttershy?" What would take a mortal pegasus effort would be absolutely nothing for a draconequus; he could decorate this whole place for Hearth's Warming with a snap of his fingers, if he so wished. Granted, they’d be quirky and chaotic decorations, perhaps inappropriate for Hearth’s Warming, but it was still something he was willing and able to do.
"No, no; it's fine." She beamed up at him. "I'm happy to do it! You make yourself at home, all right?"
"If you insist." With that, Discord stretched his long serpentine body out on Fluttershy's couch. He glanced to the side where Fluttershy's coffee table was. It was full, he noticed with a frown; where were they to put their goodies? Realizing that there was, in fact, something, he could do to help, he got to work. He moved stacks of paper, a sketchbook, and a few sticks of charcoal to the side, placing coasters near the edges, spread far enough so there would be room for his sandwiches and cookies and Fluttershy's soup and tea, but not enough to fall easily off the edge.
He stopped his work as he gripped the final object between his claws. It was a book with a royal purple cover; the title read 'Hearth's Warming Tales: Stories to Warm the Heart.' Discord was a fairly voracious reader, himself; the last book he'd finished cover to cover was the Ogres and Oubliettes monster manual, but aside from that he also enjoyed books on history and magical quantum theory. It had been a while since he'd tucked into a book of short stories. Curious, he opened the thing; the page bookmarked was talking about the magic of true love.
"Here we are!" Fluttershy's soft voice was still loud enough to break through Discord's thoughts. "I've saved up for some Darjeeling. It's a bit on the pricy side, yes, but I thought this was a special occasion."
"Oh! Excellent!" Admittedly, Discord didn't care much about the tea; it was all just leaf juice to him. That wasn't the reason he came here. But she looked so pleased with herself, he didn't mind playing along. He waved a talon once Fluttershy placed the tea kettle and the soup pot on the coffee table, placing his own plates of teatime delights on either side.
"Oh! You've find Rarity's book!" Her eyes had landed on the book in Discord's lion paw.
"Ah, you've borrowed it for her? I thought it was a bit surprising finding this among your things." Fluttershy's library consisted mostly of books about animal husbandry, with the occasional foals' book, more often than not cozy, cuddly books that starred bunnies or bears.
Fluttershy nodded. "It was very kind of her. And it's been an interesting read so far!"
Discord nodded as he hovered in place, levitating a tiny plate beneath a teacup, hoping to encourage her to keep going.
"The one about kisstletoe is my favorite so far."
"Kisstletoe?" The name sounded familiar. "Any relation to mistletoe?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "No, surprisingly. I think it was given that name when it was discovered what it could do." She ducked her head down to take a tentative sip from her hot tea. Discord was half tempted to cool the offending liquid down, but stopped himself; she'd told him it was a little ritual of hers that she really liked. "It looks completely different; it has short spiky leaves instead of long slim ones, and its berries are a dark purple red."
Discord nodded. "That's right; I think I've seen it before." He'd been alive for thousands of years; there was very little that he hadn't seen. "It's fairly rare, right?"
Fluttershy nodded, making her rosy pink forelock sway. Her smile was shyer than usual; considering that the word was quite literally in her name, that was saying something. "They say that if a pony comes near it, it makes their cutiemark glow. If they find another pony with a glowing cutiemark, it's said that the two of them become soulmates." She giggled; Discord could see that the pale yellow fur of her cheeks had turned a pleasant pink. "It's a bit silly, isn't it?"
Discord shook his head. Having been 'tamed' (as tamed as the literal embodiment of chaos could be, anyway) by Fluttershy and her friends, he'd been trying to cut back on his scheming. Oh, sure, he'd done it a little bit here and there, but he'd been learning that honesty was the best policy when dealing with ponyfolk.
But he couldn't help himself. He was getting an idea. A marvelous, brilliant idea for what he would give Fluttershy for a Hearth's Warming gift. It would be big; it would be heartfelt. It would be the best thing he'd ever done.
It was the very least the darling pegasus deserved. Only the best for his dear Fluttershy.
"Oh, I don't think so at all! I think it's very romantic." He sipped from his tea, materializing a top hat and monocle from yet another pocket dimension. Sipping tea and wine always made him feel like doing so; it was an oddly fancy feeling, drinking from the delicate cup with his pinkie talon out. "What are your thoughts on soulmates, exactly?"
"I think...it's a very nice idea." Fluttershy delicately nibbled the edge of a carrot and oatmeal cookie. Evidently she didn't notice how it squinted in pain. "I suppose I'm not quite the hopeless romantic that Rarity is, but I do like the idea of having a soulmate. Just...somecreature out there meant to be in my life."
Discord nodded. "I see," he said, trying not to sound too excited.
As they chatted through the rest of their weekly teatime, he formed the pieces of his plan in his mind. By the time it had come to say goodbye to Fluttershy, those pieces had clicked together.
It was a bit early in the season to start tooting his own horn--the tuba he kept around was specifically for the purpose of annoying all his neighbors, the gift that kept on giving--but in his opinion, it was his greatest plan yet.
Kisstletoe was not a plant that was easy to come by. It only grew in the highest peaks of the mountains that surrounded Yakyakistan, and once it bore fruit, it only remained for a week.
Luckily for Discord, he had Ponyville's own resident ambassador and expert on that area on claw.
"Ooh, yes! A hundred times yes!" The perky pink party pony jumped up and down in place. Discord could have sworn that he heard 'boing boing' sound effects as she did so. "A thousand times! No, a million! Billions and billions!"
Discord chuckled. Just after Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie was probably his favorite of the Elements of Harmony. Out of them, she was the one he had the most in common with. "So, you'll come with me, then?"
"Yeah! I just told you I would! Duh!" There was no malice behind her words as she giggled. The earth mare didn't have a single mean bone in her body. Discord knew; he'd looked, himself. "It'll be so super fantastic to see Prince Rutherford and the other yakkity yaks again! And it's all for a super special splendid surprise! I love surprises!" All of a sudden she stopped short, and fixed Discord with the most serious look she had. "This...isn't going to be the sort of surprise that'll put Fluttershy on the spot in front of a bunch of other ponies, will it?"
Discord shook his head, perhaps a bit more rapidly than he needed to. "No! Goodness, no. Have a little more faith in me than that, Pinkie; maybe I haven't known her for as long as you have, but I do know her." He glanced to one side, then to the other, before shrinking to an absurdly small size and cozying up to Pinkie's left ear. The fact that she didn't question it and merely leaned to that side, as though trying to listen to what he was about to whisper, was proof enough that the two of them were birds of a feather. "It's a quiet sort of thing," he whispered; "I'm going to get her a sprig of kisstletoe. She likes the idea of finding her soulmate."
Pinkie's response was a loud, dramatic gasp. "Oh my goodness!" she squeaked. "That's one of the most thoughtful gifts EVER!" Discord couldn't help smirking in triumph. If the official party planner of Ponyville thought a gift was a good one, then clearly it was a good one.
"I'm glad you think so." Discord returned to his full size. "I'm sure you can understand why this is secret, right?"
Pinkie nodded.
"Do you promise?"
"I'll do you one better! I'll Pinkie Pie Promise! Cross my heart..." she did so with one of her hooves. "Hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" She stuck that hoof in her right eye. Discord didn't consider himself squeamish, but the earth pony had done so with such exuberance he found himself wondering how she hadn't just hurt herself. Especially considering the fact that she'd just been stirring batter for jalapeno-pineapple cupcakes. "That's a promise I'll never, ever, ever break. If I do, bad things will happen!"
Some other more skittish creature might have asked 'What kind of things?,' but not Discord. He was familiar with these sorts of superstitions; they had a lot more power than ponies tended to realize. "I'll hold you to that, Ms. Pie."
Wind blew ominously through the opening to the mountaintop cave, sounding like hollow growling.
"Here we--!" Discord clapped his lion’s paw over Pinkie's mouth, holding a talon to his mouth in a universal 'Shh!' motion. She nodded; clearly he'd just reminded her of the potential avalanche around them. He let her go, and when he did, the two of them turned to the side. A small herd of yaks, including their leader, Prince Rutherford, had escorted them from their village up the winding path that led here. They'd been born and raised here; they knew the land better than any draconoquus or pony.
Rather than voice his thanks out loud, Discord merely held his thumb talon up with a grin. Pinkie smiled and trotted in place, snow and her fur-lined boots muffling her hoofsteps.
Discord had never thought Pinkie would know anything about moving quietly, but watching her tiptoe through the stony cavern taught him otherwise. It was really quite a comical sight; he had to muffle his giggles with his paw. In one of the dark corners of the cave, Pinkie had pointed to a massive furry lump. It might have been a hibernating bear or a yeti taking a brief nap. Either way, Discord didn't want to find out.
They continued that way, twisting and turning through the caverns as they dug deeper into the mountainside.
And then there it was. A clearing. Pale sunlight shone through a hole in the cavern ceiling, and right there in the middle grew a cluster of dark purple red berries surrounded by short, spiky green leaves.
"Perfect..." Discord whispered, rubbing his claws together. He plucked a sprig of the stuff from the cluster with his talons. Then he took another, placing it into a different pocket dimension, in case something happened to the first. He was tempted to take the whole darn thing, but decided against it; both Fluttershy and Applejack had informed him about environments and ecosystems and what was needed where. He didn't know what would happen up here if its supply of kisstletoe was completely depleted or how bad it would be. Besides, those two were his friends; their disappointment in him would almost be worse than being encased in stone again.
Almost.
"Perfect!" Pinkie hissed with a grin. If Discord was having trouble containing his excitement, then Pinkie was practically bursting with it. Thankfully her boots were continuing to muffle her hoofsteps.
The way out was more difficult than Discord had realized. He supposed he could shrink himself and leave through the opening in the clearing, but the hole would still be too small for Pinkie. She was his friend; he supposed he shouldn't do that. Despite what everycreature tended to think when they met him, there were limits to what he could and couldn’t do. He was the god of chaos, after all, not the god of convenience.
Thankfully, the earth pony had been born and raised on a rock farm. Where all the stony walls looked like varying shades of grey to him, she could tell them all apart and it was in that way she was able to navigate them to a cavern more familiar.
It was near the throat of the cave's mouth that Discord made the mistake of taking his eyes off his pink-furred companion and bumped into something.
Something foul-smelling, warm, and furry.
He gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping against all hope that the sounds he would be met with would be the sounds of icy wind being blown through the cavern, or at most the sounds of an angry large critter being annoyed by being woken up but then going back to sleep grumbling.
He had no such luck. Typical; his powers made chaos around him to the Nth degree, but not luck. Luck and chaos, evidently, had nothing in common; he discovered this just as the pale-furred yeti snapped up onto its two freaky ape legs, turned, and gave a mighty scream-roar right into his face.
With the greater of two dangers now directly inches away from them, Pinkie finally screamed "RUN!" As she did so, Discord didn't hesitate, zooming along without his feet ever touching the stony ground, though still being careful to keep up with her. He didn't dare look behind him, knowing he wouldn't like what he saw, and he didn't come to a complete stop until a good few steps after he and Pinkie Pie had left the opening of the cave.
Yetis were terrifying. Discord had no problem readily admitting to that; apes were some of the scariest creatures out there, being incredibly big and strong and intelligent with sharp teeth and opposable thumbs, and yetis were much bigger and much smarter than that. So when he and Pinkie were a decent few yards away from the opening of the cave and he made the mistake of turning his head around, he got an eyeful of just what he'd made the mistake of waking up in this forsaken frozen wasteland. The creature's hairless pale lips were pulled back alarmingly, seemingly impossibly, revealing two-inch-long sharp canines in even rows of large, pale yellow teeth. Massive fists came down on the snowy ground just outside its home as it bellowed and roared.
This was a creature that had no magical ability whatsoever, and yet Discord found himself scrambling for memories of times he'd ever been so frightened.
Thankfully they were not alone, courtesy of one ambassador Pinkie Pie. It was Prince Rutherford, himself, who barged his way through the snow as though it were nothing in order to get between Discord and Pinkie and the foul ape-like creature. One single grown yak was a sight to behold; even Discord, with all his years and experiences, couldn't help but watch in awe as the monarch reared up on his hind legs and bellowed, a deep, long, powerful, wordless sound that seemed to make time around all of them stand still. It was only emphasized by the rest of Rutherford's herd gathering around him soon after, snorting and bellowing and stamping in such a display of unity and strength that Discord almost wanted to cry.
Any intimidation felt about the yeti was quickly dampened. The creature was strong and aggressive, but not stupid; gazing around at the creatures much bigger than itself, it quickly shrank and retreated back into its cave, hopefully to sleep for the rest of this awful winter.
"Thanks, Rutherford!" cried Pinkie, enthusiasm clearly not defeated.
Rutherford gave the earth pony a smile, one of the few things that seemed to connect all the different creatures and their different cultures around here. "No problem!" he called, stamping a cloven hoof good-naturedly. "Pink Pony and Goat Snake good friends of Yaks! You look out for us; we look out for you!"
Discord was half tempted to protest against the term 'goat snake,' but decided against it. These big, beautiful, powerful creatures had just saved the skin of one of his dearest friends, and by extension, himself. "Thank you, Kindly Yaks."
He made a mental note to ask Pinkie about whether Hearths Warming was a tradition that yaks took part in, and if so, what presents might be appropriate for them.
Discord was many things. Patient was not one of them. The days leading up to Hearth's Warming Eve were pure torture for him. Every time he saw Fluttershy, every time he so much as ran into her out in town, he was nearly overcome with the urge to throw the 'surprise' aspect of his gift to the wind and blurt out what his plan was.
He was certain Fluttershy noticed how antsy he'd been, but being the literal element of kindness, she was far too polite to say anything. Discord thanked his lucky stars for that; while he usually had no trouble telling the occasional lie, something about Fluttershy's big, open, honest green eyes made him want to open his heart to her. And mortal creatures usually didn't like it when he did that; he frequently had to remind himself that not every creature was as literal-minded as he.
It was four days to Hearth's Warming Eve when he put the next step of his plan into action. It was his turn to have Fluttershy over for tea, and thankfully, she wasn't too busy with the holiday plans to agree.
He waited for just the right moment; she was giggling in delight as the tea kettle filled with Ginseng tea whistled a jaunty tune. Her eyes were closed as her musical laughter filled Discord's living room.
He reached into a pocket dimension and pulled out a sprig of kisstletoe. While her eyes were still closed, he held it to her side.
Then Discord blinked rapidly in confusion. He could see her cutiemark clearly from here. It looked like it always did; while there was light shining on her from lamps hanging upside down on his ceiling, but that wasn’t the same thing.
Thinking quickly, he hastily put the sprig of the stuff back. Maybe that one hadn't matured fully? Or it was too mature. There were a few different logical explanations for why this had been a fluke.
Fluttershy had stopped giggling at the tea, and was now sampling one of the sandwiches. It was too cold for something like cucumber or potato salad, so he'd settled for grilled cheese sandwiches that he'd cut the crusts off and displayed around a pot of tomato soup. While her eyes closed again in rapture--he wasn't much of a cook, but he did know how to make a mean grilled cheese--he reached for another, hopefully less defective sprig of kisstletoe.
The same thing happened. There was no glowing; he couldn't even trick himself into seeing it. "What...?" he whispered, glaring at the plant in his talons as though it had just insulted his mother. Honestly, he'd rather that it had; at this moment, he'd find it less offensive.
His plan was completely falling apart. And at the so-called most wonderful time of the year, too!
"Hmm?" The sound of Fluttershy's small voice brought Discord out of his reverie. He quickly tossed the sprig aside, where brightly colored mist swallowed it up. She didn’t seem to have seen it; at least that was less monkey wrench in the works. "Discord? Is everything all right?"
"Oh, my, yes!" Discord grinned a too-toothy grin at his friend, hoping she didn't suspect anything. "How could it not be? You're here!"
Not even Fluttershy's sweet smile or kind thoughtfulness could make him feel better.
The next two days were frantic for Discord. The stupid kisstletoe hadn't worked on Fluttershy, but maybe there was another pony that it would work on.
He donned a disguise as a grey-furred, buck-toothed colt, and as discreetly as he could, he held the sprig over a brown-furred pony with a short-cropped, slicked-back mane. He grinned as the hourglass on his hip glowed with a soft golden light. The pony, clearly too focused on his holiday shopping, didn't seem to notice, though everypony around him turned to look.
Discord trotted along after him for about half an hour, hope rising as he began walking in the direction of Fluttershy, who was at a nearby stall...only to have his hope quickly dashed as he headed to the flower shop, instead. Once inside, Discord saw that one of the employees--a beige-coated pony with a lovely rose-red mane and tail--came over to help him.
Her cutiemark, a rose the same color as her mane, was glowing with that same golden light. She gasped as she glanced at it, then back to the stallion, who'd finally taken notice that something was different.
Discord frowned around the kisstletoe clenched between his teeth. Fine; he'd just helped two ponies find their soulmates.
Just not the one he'd wanted.
Well, that was just one attempt. Surely somepony in this whole forsaken town had to be the pony of Fluttershy's dreams...
His next victim was one Bon Bon. As the three wrapped candies on her flank began to glow with a rosy pink light, she turned her head. Discord managed to jump behind a snow-covered bush just in time to escape her gaze. "What...?" Then she turned to a pony just coming out of a nearby shop, one Lyra Heartstrings. "Hey, Lyra! Take a look at this!" she said, tilting her hip in her direction.
"Oh my gosh! I was just coming to show you..." Lyra galloped to Bon Bon, and Discord saw that the golden lyre on her flank was shining that same rosy pink.
Discord snorted and rolled his eyes. Well, that was obvious, he thought; he supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised. As long as he'd taken up residence in Ponyville, those two had practically been attached at the hip.
This was growing tiring. He needed something sweet to drink, and he knew just where to get it.
Despite how much he loathed the winter season, he had to admit, the Apple Family's farm looked awfully cozy and cute, with snow topping the roofs of both the barn and the house.
He floated miserably to the door, raising a taloned fist, but as he turned to the window, he caught a glimpse of two of the Apples; one born, one recently made. It was Big Macintosh and Sugarbelle, cuddled up warmly on the sofa, making sickening goo goo eyes at each other.
Yet another couple he'd once helped. Perfect; wonderful. That could be Fluttershy as a blushing bride with the love of her life, but it wasn't. Why was the universe conspiring against him? Didn't it know it was Hearth's Warming Eve?
Well, all right, it was in two days. But still!
With a roll of his eyes, he floated towards the barn. At the moment, he didn't feel like confirming Big Macintosh's soulmate status, nor did he feel like putting any ideas in little Apple Bloom's head; she'd just reached her tenth birthday a few months ago. She was too young for that sort of thing, as far as he was concerned.
There was only one Apple sibling he wanted to see at the moment; if anyone could help him out right now, it was most likely her. Maybe she'd even take sympathy on him and let him taste some of her namesake, the alcoholic beverage he knew she usually made around this time of year. At least the stupid cold was good for something...
Just as he thought, there she was: in the barn, using her mouth to stir something brown and sweet-smelling in a large vat. Still operating with a one-track mind, Discord dangled the sprig of kisstletoe over her back. The three apples on her hindquarter began to glow pale yellow.
"What in the hay...?" She turned her head. Her eyes met Discord's, and when they did, they narrowed in familiar familiar look of annoyance. "Discord? What in Sam Hill are ya doin'?"
"An experiment." He curled his long slim body up in mid-air, forming a loop he could dejectedly rest his elbows on. "I don't suppose you've always wondered who your soulmate is, have you?"
"What? I--" She shook her head, nearly making her Stetson fly off. Discord had to wonder how it never did; did she staple it to her mane? "What brings ya here, exactly?"
"I've got a conundrum, and I needed somepony honest to give me perspective." He gave her his best puppy dog expression. "And you're the most honest pony I know."
Applejack blinked slowly up at him, clearly unsure. He almost felt offended. So he'd betrayed her and her friends when Tirek had come to town; so he'd played mindgames with her and the other five to test them and their skills out. Maybe he'd pretended to be an ancient evil goat and unintentionally drawn three powerful villains into an equally powerful bond. That was all in the past; shouldn't an element of harmony be above holding grudges?
Eventually her good nature won out. She sighed, setting her haunches down. "All right. I'll hear ya out. What's troublin' you?"
Discord told her everything. The book he'd found on Fluttershy's coffee table, his brilliant plan to find her her soulmate as a present for Hearth's Warming, the perilous journey to obtain the kisstletoe, and the embarrassing failure after failure he'd been experiencing ever since then.
"I see..." Applejack looked thoughtfully between her hooves. "That's...actually real thoughtful of ya, Discord."
Discord couldn't help himself. He grinned smugly. "Right? Easily my best plan yet!" He pouted as he remembered the visage of Fluttershy's smiling face. He knew what she looked like when he'd hurt her before; he didn't think he could bear that again. "Right up until this little hiccup."
Applejack frowned. "Y'know, in my experience, creatures usually appreciate the effort of stuff, not the stuff, itself. Why, one of my favorite past Hearth's Warmin' gifts is from Apple Bloom. It's a bowl she made when she was six." She smiled fondly. "It's still on the mantel over the fireplace. I think it embarrasses her; keeps sayin' she can do better. But I still love it."
"I see...I suppose you have a point."
"You want my advice? I'd say to give 'er the kisstletoe as is. Let 'er know what ya went through to get it." She smiled up at him. "Y'know me. 'Honesty's the best policy.' That's my motto."
"Yes. I know." It was a bit disappointing, he supposed, but what one needed to hear wasn't always what one wanted to hear. He leaned down, standing on three legs for once, and used his talons to pull Applejack in for a brief hug. She hesitated, clearly taken off guard, but returned it.
"Anything to help out a friend, Discord. I know Fluttershy; I think she'll be happier 'n' ya think." As they parted, a thoughtful look came into Applejack's green eyes. "Y'know, kisstletoe's great for ponies 'n' all...but what about non-ponies?"
Discord shook his head. "Don't be silly."
Applejack smiled, looking like she'd just figured out something that Discord didn't know. "Just a thought. Now get a move on; I've still got lots to do."
"Of course," Discord said, hovering once again in mid-air. "Carry on, Ms. Workaholic."
Applejack merely resumed stirring with a roll of her eyes.
As he left the barn, he took note of a growing blue silhouette. The form of Rainbow Dash settled into the snow before the barn, hooves crunching in the snow in a way Discord had to admit was satisfying. She grinned at him, proud as always. "Hey, Discord. What's up?"
He shrugged. "I needed Applejack's advice for something."
"So she's in? Cool!" As she trotted up to the barn doors, Discord held out the sprig of kisstletoe yet again. Rainbow Dash's cutiemark glowed pale yellow.
If there was a way to take flight angrily, Discord discovered it right then and there. "Oh, come on!" he muttered to the closing wooden doors.
It was the day of Hearth's Warming Eve, and despite everything, there was nowhere else Discord would have rather been. "It looks marvelous, Fluttershy," he said from his comfortable spot on the couch, bundled up in the ugliest Hearth's Warming sweater he could conjure up.
"I'm glad you think so!" Fluttershy was draped in a green sweater with white trim, every bit as festive. Hot steam from her mug of cocoa rose around her muzzle, giving her a dreamy look. "I love this time of year; I always have a good time with the decorations." Indeed, Fluttershy's cottage was decorated to the nines with tinsel and fairy lights. In the corner stood the pine tree that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had thoughtfully chopped down for her; Discord had helped her thread lights and strings of popcorn all along it. At the top was a light in the shape of a star; it shined brightly, washing the room in golden yellow light.
"It's beautiful." He made to stretch himself out and drape himself around Fluttershy like a fake feather boa, wanting to warm her up even further, but he was stopped by her fluttering off the couch. She set her mug down on a coaster in the shape of a rabbit's head. "Before anything...I'd like to give you my present."
The warm, cozy feeling Discord had been washed in drained away, leaving cold dread. "Present? R-right now?" Even with Applejack's admittedly sound advice in the back of his mind, Discord couldn't help but be nervous.
"Yes. It's nothing big, but...erm..." Discord wasn't sure if it was the warm light or the heat, but Fluttershy's cheeks looked pinker than usual. "It's...something I've been thinking about. For, um...for a while now."
"I see..." Well, there was nothing for it. Best to get it out of the way, right? "I've got something for you, too...mine isn't big, either. I was hoping it would be much bigger, but..." He finished with a helpless shrug. As Fluttershy trotted back to him with a long, slim box in her mouth, Discord conjured a box of his own out of thin air. Wordlessly, they exchanged gifts; he clutched the small box, tied in a red ribbon, between his paws as he watched Fluttershy delicately untie the ribbon of his own. He held his breath as she lifted the top of the box with her nose.
Her eyes widened as she realized what was inside. "Kisstletoe?" she squeaked, looking up at Discord in an expression that was considerably more awed than he would have predicted. "Where on Earth did you get this?"
Yet again, he told his story. He was tempted to exaggerate here and there, but the look on Fluttershy's face prevented him from doing so. He finished with a sad sigh, curling himself into a sad pile. "My gift to you was supposed to be your soulmate...but it just...didn't work out the way I was hoping for."
Fluttershy gently but firmly lifted his face by the goat's beard on his chin so that his eyes met hers. "Discord...you really went to all that effort? For me?" Her green eyes shined brightly in the nearby candlelight. "I don't believe it. Thank you!"
Discord chuckled. "Applejack thought you might say something like that."
"Though, actually..." Fluttershy paused, clearly taking great care to plan what she was going to say next. Thoughtful to the nth degree; that was Discord's dear Fluttershy. "Something happened that day you tried to use it on me. My cutiemark didn't glow...but it did feel awfully warm." She made her way closer to him. He gulped. "I've been feeling that warmth since you brought that package out. Discord..." She touched her soft, warm, velvety nose against his. "I think I know what's happened. The kisstletoe didn't make my cutiemark glow, or my soulmate's...because he doesn’t have one."
Discord blinked. Fluttershy was much closer now, large eyes boring into his soul. "Applejack...might have suggested that, too." That tricky pony...she'd known. "I felt warm, too...but I wasn't certain if it was the kisstletoe. Because...that's how I always feel when you're nearby."
"Me, too. I think that's why I just now realized it." Suddenly as she'd pressed closer, she backed away. She leaned down to the slim box in Discord's paws, which he now realized he'd been clutching with increasing tightness. "Open your present, Discord." For once, she didn't ask him; she told him.
She could tell him to do anything, and he would obey without a second thought. This was no different; heart feeling like it was about to beat out of his chest, discord unwrapped the thing with shaking claws.
A single sprig of mistletoe lay in the center of the box. Not magical, but traditional.
Nothing big, but right then and there, Discord realized that it was exactly what he'd wanted.
There was no mistaking it now. Fluttershy was most definitely blushing. Still following the 'shy' part of her name, and yet looking up at him boldly. Small and fragile, but stronger than any creature Discord had ever known. "You know what tradition says, right? What...what happens when mistletoe's nearby?"
Discord laughed, shakily and nervous. Hiccupy sweet. "Fluttershy, nothing about us is traditional."
"I know. It's what I love about us." She placed a little yellow hoof on Discord's shoulder, right where the green yarn met the red. "It's what I love about you."
Discord leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Without thinking, he raised his paws; with his lion's paw, he cupped the soft yellow fur of Fluttershy's cheek. His bird's talons, he ran through the soft rosy pink hair of her forelock, realizing with a start just how long he'd been wanting to touch both.
As they curled up together, kissing sweet cocoa-flavored kisses, Discord came to an important conclusion.
Maybe, just maybe, he could grow to like this time of year.
