Fluttershy sighed, watching snowflakes dance outside her window.
Today was a particularly cold day, with bitter, harsh winds and thick snow. Cloudsdale was apparently hoping to set a snowfall record this year. Ponyville citizens had been warned and were encouraged to stay inside and warm.
Fluttershy knew all of her animal friends were safe—many hibernating or having migrated to warmer areas, and the few still active were brought inside her cottage. Right now, they were sleeping, each given a blanket that she had knit for them.
But it hadn't stopped her from nervously looking out the window, shivering as she watched fat snowflakes drift past.
It was probably fortunate that Discord decided to suddenly drop in…quite literally, by falling down into a fireplace she didn't have before.
Once he had dusted soot off himself and made the fireplace vanish, she eagerly greeted him with a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you were going to do some ‘extreme' sports in this weather…”
“It was tempting,” he said, pecking her nose. “Very tempting…and I did have a kite fly me around for a bit!” He tilted his head and tapped the side, making some clumps of snow fall out of his ear.
“…but I thought about it, and…” He dropped onto all fours and coiled his long body around her, pressing his cheek to hers. “I didn't want to leave you alone in this weather. So I thought I’d come bother my marefriend!”
She smiled, pressing against his cheek and closing her eyes. He was so warm, even after coming from the outside…
“…Flutterbuddy?” he said. “You're alright, aren't you?”
“Oh, yes!” she said quickly. “I'm only a little chilly. I'm sorry for making you worry about me.”
His brow furrowed, and he pressed his forehead to hers. She sighed, automatically pressing back and soaking in his heat.
“I know you don't want me to worry,” he said. “But I…sometimes, I just have to know that you're safe. For my own sanity…or what little of it I have, at least.”
Fluttershy laughed, and he pressed his palms against her sides. Maybe it was her imagination, but he seemed to be a little bit warmer, now. “Well, I'm fine here,” she assured him. “You can keep having fun in this weather, if you want.”
“…that's what ponies would expect me to do,” he hummed. “And I can't always do what's expected of me, you know! I have to always keep them guessing.”
Fluttershy opened her eyes and tilted her head at him. “Then…what are you going to do?”
He smiled and pulled back. With a flash of light, a quilt was draped over his shoulders, and he held a steaming mug with both hands. “Why, I think I’ll stay inside all day and snuggle with my favorite pony!” he declared. “That would be the last thing most ponies expect, wouldn't it?”
“You might be right,” she said. He lifted one end of the quilt and partially wrapped it around her. “But are you sure? I don't want you to be bored…”
“Fluttershy, I don't think I could ever be bored being around you.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and began to nudge her towards the couch, his drink having vanished. “Now, c'mon, let's get you warmed up.”
She didn't need any more convincing to sit down, Discord sitting right next to her and wrapping them both in the patchwork quilt. She looked down, admiring the pattern, which had stitched abstract ponies playing in the snow.
“Care for some tea? Cocoa? Maybe a bit of both?” Discord said. She glanced up and saw him holding up his claws, which shimmered with magic as various pots and dishes appeared, hovering in the air above her living room table.
“…a bit of tea sounds nice, actually,” she said, shifting a little closer to him.
He smiled and began to twitch his fingers, animating the dishes. Pinches of leaves were added to a teapot, and a steaming pitcher bobbed from the kitchen to pour hot water into it. A purple fire appeared below the pot, and the sugar bowl and other utensils began to dance around it as it heated up.
It wasn't long before the teapot whistled. The fire stood up and ran through a tiny portal into Discord's dimension, and the teapot rose up, pouring its contents into two mugs—one pink and covered in glowing butterflies, the other plaid and with Discord's smiling face stamped on it.
Discord continued twitching his fingers, making sugarcubes dance their way into the mugs. A dollop of honey was added to Fluttershy's, while chocolate powder and coconut syrup were put in Discord's.
Finally, the mugs rose off the table and hovered in front of the two of them, the rest of the dishes bowing before vanishing. Fluttershy reached out and grabbed her mug out of the air, deeply breathing in the steam rising off of it. Discord was already loudly slurping out of his own.
Fluttershy took a small sip of hers. Peppermint tea, with a hint of…jasmine? “Mmm.” She closed her eyes and took another sip. “This is really good.”
“I'm glad you approve,” Discord said, now cradling his mug close to his chest. Fluttershy copied him, curious…and smiled as she felt more of the tea’s heat seep into her.
She leaned against his side, closing her eyes and taking sips of her tea. The sudden heat was welcome, but it was quickly making her tired. Before she knew it, she was attempting to sip tea out of an empty mug.
“Want any more?” Discord asked, holding up the teapot.
“Mmm…thank you, but no. I think I’ve had enough.” She placed her mug on the table, then quickly pulled her foreleg back into the pocket of warmth under their quilt. She felt her eyelids droop shut…
And when she opened them again, she and Discord were lying down on the couch, with her nestled in the crook of his arm. Now there were two blankets wrapped around them, and a pillow under both their heads. “When…?”
“You only dozed off for a few minutes,” Discord told her, stroking her mane. “I just thought this would be more comfortable.”
Fluttershy shifted a little, ignoring her pillow to rest her head on his chest. “…it is. Thank you.”
They lapsed into silence. Fluttershy wasn't sure how much time had passed, tired enough that she could only snuggle into Discord's fur, doze off, only to awaken and repeat the cycle.
On that note…she yawned, closing her eyes again. She felt Discord's arm wrap around her, holding her close. She smiled as she drifted off into a deeper sleep.
