“Guess who~!” Discord called in a singsong voice as he appeared in Fluttershy's cottage.
“Discord!” Fluttershy herself said cheerfully, setting aside her book and jumping up to greet him.
He smiled. “My, you're good at guessing games,” he said. “I think you deserve a prize.” He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers. She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and gladly returned the kiss.
Her special somedraconequus pulled back just when she needed to stop for air. “How was your adventure?” she asked.
He shrugged. “More of a trip than an adventure, but I still had fun.” He plopped onto her couch and grinned widely at her. “But before I start rambling on and forget, I grabbed a little something for you.”
“You did?” she said, sitting next to him and looking at him with curiosity.
His smile only widened, and he pulled a plastic rectangle out of thin air. The top half was teal, while the bottom was black. He placed the gift in her outstretched hooves, and she brought it closer to her to get a better look.
"Oh, wow," Fluttershy said, turning the object over in her hooves and examining it. "...what is this, exactly?"
"Just a little something I picked up from the mirror dimension Twilight visits sometimes," he said. "A gaming system." He reached over and opened up the lid, showing the two screens and plethora of buttons inside. "I made a couple of modifications so it's easier to play without thumbs."
Experimentally, she placed the device in front of her and tapped the large buttons with the tip of her hooves. Discord nodded in approval. "And, since it wouldn't be complete without a game..." He pulled a thin box out from behind his back.
Saddlemon was written prominently on the front, immediately catching her attention. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes sparkled. "A...a Saddlemon game!?"
"Over in that world, Saddlemon started with video games, not manga," he explained as he handed it to her. It was the HeartGold Edition. Opening it up, she saw there was a small square cartridge inside. "I thought you'd like it."
"I think I will," she said, pulling out the cartridge and staring at it. After a few moments, Discord took it out of her hoof and showed her how to put it into her new game system, and then how to turn the game system on.
Her eyes widened in sheer fascination as music spilled from the speakers and images of Saddlemon and their equine Trainers flashed across the screen. "I might have modded the game a little so the characters make more sense to you," he said.
"That sounds good," she said, still wholly focused on the screen as Ho-oh soared through the sky, the music playing on repeat.
Discord chuckled. "That's just the start screen. If you press the button, you can actually play the game." She did so, and her eyes gleamed as it moved past the screen and onto a selection of menus. She started to enter the time and input her name.
"...uh, could I ask one thing?" Discord said as she was trying to decide which starter to choose. She looked over at him and saw that he was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd like to be there when you face the Elite Four and Champion."
She tilted her head. "...you know, to see how far you've come at the game! And to offer moral support. They're pretty tough fights, after all."
"I suppose it wouldn't be bad to have someone watching," she said with a smile. "And you could give advice to help me, too. I mean, I've never actually fought one of these battles before."
He smiled, and started to look a little less nervous. "I'm sure you'll do great. I mean, you already know all the type matchups, you probably know every Saddlemon that'll be in this game...oh, but don't let me distract you!"
He gestured to her system, and she turned her attention back to it. After a few more moments of deliberation, she chose Chikorita as her starter, then headed out of the town.
Fluttershy immediately fell in love with the game. Each of her Saddlemon received a nickname, and she would always play just before bed, exploring the land, catching new Saddlemon, and battling other trainers. She and Discord even played it together during their dates and tea parties.
Occasionally, she would get stuck on a gym battle. If it was particularly tough, Discord was always more than happy to give her advice, and cheer her on the next time she fought them. He would also give her hints on where to go next…though sometimes, he couldn't help but laugh.
“Team Comet is broadcasting on all the radio stations, and you checked every town but where the radio tower is!? Oh, Fluttershy, you silly goose…”
Well. Even if he teased and laughed, he still helped her, and she enjoyed playing it with him. About two months, or maybe just a month and a half…she finally made it to the end of the Victory Road. The Violet League was in her sights.
But she remembered her promise to Discord, and so set the game aside for a few days, feeling like she was on pins and needles the whole time.
“I'm about to face the Elite Four in the game," she told Discord after pouring him a cup of tea. Tuesday had finally arrived, and with it, their Tuesday Tea.
Discord jumped in surprise, the tea he was drinking splashing onto his muzzle. “You are!?” he said. “Have you made any attempts yet?” In a whisper, he added, “Did you reach the champion?”
She shook her head. “I promised that you'd be there when I faced them, so I haven't made any attempts yet,” she said. “If you're ready, could we…?”
“Oh, yes! Yes, of course,” he answered. With a smile, she flew up the stairs, grabbed her gaming system, and flopped onto the couch next to him. He shifted to make himself comfortable, and she felt a shudder travel down his spine when she took her usual playing position, leaning against his side.
“Everything alright?” she asked, tilting her head back to look up at him while the system turned on.
His mouth formed a squiggly line, and he took a few seconds to respond. “Mhmm, yep, everything's perfect!” For a moment, she thought she saw knots on his tongue, but his mouth snapped closed again too quickly for her to tell.
She rose an eyebrow, but lowered her head to return her gaze to the screen. She opened her save file, double-checked that her team was at full health…and with shaking hooves, walked forward through the doors that led to the Elite Four.
Each of the battles was a challenge more grueling than the last. Each member of the Elite Four had a full team of strong Saddlemon, and after each battle, she would use as many items as she dared to bring her own team close to full strength.
But still, she managed to win every battle, even if they took several minutes, and the win was often just by the skin of her teeth. Her hooves shook the whole time, and even Discord seemed tense as he watched her, playing with her mane or his tail. He still occasionally muttered pieces of advice to her, for which she was rather grateful.
Then finally, finally, she beat the Four. She quickly saved her game, used plenty of items to rejuvenate her team, then saved again. “Alright,” she said, setting down the system to wipe off her sweating hooves. “Looks like it's time to…face the Champion.”
“Mhmm,” Discord said with a vigorous nod.
She took a deep breath, wiped her hooves off again, then picked her system up and began to move her character forward through the next door. The music swelled dramatically as she automatically walked across a red carpet, stopping in front of a draconequus.
Fluttershy blinked, narrowing her eyes. It was a small sprite, but it was clearly a draconequus. And a few seconds after that, she realized that it looked nearly identical to Discord. “Did you put yourself in the game?”
“Mm,” Discord responded. A glance up showed that his face was red and his mouth had curved into a very squiggly line, as though he had eaten something very spicy. But he gave her a wave to urge her on.
She turned back to the screen and pressed the button to advance the cutscene. So, the Discord Champion said. You finally made it. You've managed to go through each trial of your journey, and now all that stands between you and the title of Champion…is me.
But before we determine which of us is the better Trainer...I have just one question for you. Her brow furrowed, and she again pressed the button to progress the dialogue.
Fluttershy, will you marry me?
Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat before thudding rapidly in her chest. Slowly, and with bated breath, she turned to look at Discord.
He was shifting awkwardly on the couch, looking extremely nervous...and was holding a pink-and-white Saddleball out to her with a white heart painted on the top half. With a gulp, he pressed the white button, and it opened.
Sitting on the red velvet inside was a gold ring with a pink, butterfly-shaped gem.
Fluttershy's mouth opened and closed, and her eyes started to well with happy tears. "Oh...oh, I...yes!" She lunged forward, throwing her forelegs around his neck. "Yes, yes, yes! Discord, I love you, I love you..."
Her answer dissolved into happy babbling and weeping into the crook of his neck. Discord let out a heaving breath, like a weight had been released from his chest, and began to rub gentle circles on her back. "I love you, too. Thank you, thank you..."
Once she managed to calm her emotions a bit, she sniffed and sat back. Discord smiled, pulled the ring out of the box along with its gold chain, and draped it gently on her neck.
She held it in her hoof, getting teary-eyed again as she watched the light dance off of the gem. "It's beautiful," she said. "How did...how did you think of...of all this?" She gestured to the game, which had been left alone on the couch cushion.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "...when I gave you the game, I was already considering proposing," he admitted. "But I couldn't muster the words. So I gave you the game, and figured that...it could say the words for me, even when I felt tongue-tied."
Her jaw dropped. "The game...the end was like this, since the beginning?" He nodded. "But...but it took me months to reach this point! Have you been waiting all this time...?" Another nod.
"...the more time passed, the more I was ready to propose," he said. "But not even close to ready to actually say the words, y'know?"
“I think I get it,” she said with a nod. “Like…you want to say something, but you're too scared or nervous to.” His hackles raised for a moment, but he still meekly nodded. “I feel like that sometimes, too.”
He smirked, scratching behind her ear and making her practically melt against him. “Let me know if you have important messages you need to get off your chest,” he said. “I can make modded games for you to give, too.”
She chuckled. “Thanks, but I don't know if I could wait for weeks for the message to get to them.” She smiled, reaching up to touch her ring. Still real. “But this…this was a beautiful way to propose, Discord. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Now, I think you have a throne to claim…Champion Fluttershy.”
She glanced at her game, still waiting for her input. With another glance at Discord to make sure he didn’t mind (to which he gave an encouraging nod), she picked up the game and leaned against his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she shifted until she was comfortable against him.
“Do you use all dragon-types like the champions in the manga?” she asked as the battle began.
“You'll see,” he said with a smirk. “Though I did fill the team with some of my favorites to make it fun.”
“…no misprint Saddlemon, right?” She looked up at him. “I'd be worried something like that could crash the game.”
“They'd be glitch Saddlemon in this instance, and no, I did not include them.” He nuzzled the top of her head and rested his chin there. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “…I love you, Fluttershy.”
She nuzzled into his fur, selecting her first move. “Love you, too.” She bit her lip as she focused on the battle, Discord occasionally whispering pieces of advice into her ear. Once she won the hard-fought battle and became champion, they would worry about planning their wedding. But for now, they chose to bask in the moment and have a little fun.