"Discord, we've been flying for a while? Can you tell me where we're going?" Fluttershy asked, trying not to look down and see how high up they currently were as the wind whipped her mane in her face.
The draconequus in question turned his head to look at her. "Don't worry, Flutters." He said. "We're just about there."
Fluttershy sighed but accepted the vague answer as she buried her snout into Discord's lithe body, secretly enjoying the feeling of his soft fur. In a way, it was nice for them to go for a flight together like this, but they weren't flying just for the sake of it. Discord said he wanted to spend time with her by showing her something at a place that was very near and dear to him. She was excited to see what he wanted to show her. She just hoped it wouldn't take much longer.
Discord's words turned out to be true, though, as his elongated form arrived at what appeared to be a clifftop by a waterfall. They landed on a small ledge that sat right next to the falls. Fluttershy gently slid off Discord's back and her hooves clicked against the rocky ridge, her fetlocks briefly brushing against the scales of Discord's serpentine tail, causing the draconequus to shiver slightly at their warmth.
The pegasus looked forward and gasped. The sight was, to put it simply, breathtaking, the green pine forest seemily going for miles as the small river that the waterfall fed moved in a meandering manner. Tall snow-capped mountains stood proud in the distance as flocks of birds flew across the horizon. Fluttershy inhaled sharply and her eyes started dilating as she saw the sun gracefully lowering past the mountain peaks.
"Discord..." Fluttershy said. "This is..." She just had no words. How could she when seeing such a beautiful sight?
"Yeah, it certainly is amazing, isn't it?" Discord said with a light hearted smirk, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"Amazing doesn't begin to describe this." Fluttershy said, her eyes glued towards the horizon as the sun continued to dip.
"I used to come up here with my mother all the time." Discord said wistfully. Fluttershy turned her attention towards the draconequus as he continued to speak, "She'd teach me how to use my magic, and how to be a draconequus. Sometimes though," he looked up towards the sunset, "...we'd just watch the sunset from all the way up here."
Though nearly unnoticeable, Fluttershy spotted tears building up in his eyes. But he blinked them away, as if to hide them from her. Fluttershy looked at him with sympathy. It was only two months ago that she learned about Discord's parents, but it was obvious how much he missed them, especially his mother, Eris. Guilt slowly crept up inside her as she recalled the time she talked about her parents with him, and though he listened with interest like always when she talked, there was a subtle hint of sadness in his eyes. At the time, she didn't know why, but now she did.
Both curious about his parents and hoping talking about it would help, she scooted closer and placed her hoof on his paw, gaining his attention. "What were they like? Your parents?"
Discord blinked in surprise before taking a deep breath. He never really told anyone about his parents before, not anyone who didn't already know anyway. But after that adventure involving Discord and Fluttershy along with her friends (and, okay, his friends too) and them fighting a pack of timberwolves, they learned that he was the last of his kind, a great lineage of bizarre mismatched creatures that slowly diminished until only he and his parents remained, and now it's just him left. But beyond the basics he and the princesses he called his sisters told them, he never talked about what they were like.
He almost didn't want to talk about them, but he felt like Fluttershy deserved to know. He exhaled loudly before beginning to speak, "Well, they were...I looked up to them like any child should. Da was rather serious. He didn't really talk much, preferring to listen and plan things in his mind. At times, he was rather snarky and if I'm honest, he was stern. But behind that tough exterior, he loved and protected those he cared about."
He tapped the black metal collar currently around his neck with his talon, "This used to be his regalia collar, you know. It was a sign of his power as leader of the draconequi. Ma said it made him look regal and that once I'd wear it one day, she'd be so proud of me."
He chuckled as he thought about something else. "Ma always said I looked more like my father." He laughed more as he flopped his right ear about, showing the newly acquired notch from the timberwolves. "Guess she was more right than she knew."
Fluttershy looked away, her face feeling warm as she hid in her mane. Shortly after Discord saved her from the timberwolves, she was gaining strange thumpings in her chest whenever she looked at him or thought about the incident. Why am I feeling like this? She questioned in her mind.
Ignoring those thoughts, she looked back at him as he continued to speak, "I still remember what he used to say to me all the time whenever I felt down," Discord straighted his spine as he remembered the words of his father (Fluttershy thought that posture made him look rather majestic), "'A creature isn't defined by what great achievements they made, but by the little things they do for their fellow creature.'"
Fluttershy smiled. "He sounds very wise."
Discord nodded. "Yes, he was." The falling sunlight hit his face in a perfect angle to illuminate his face, highlighting his strong jawline and making his ruby red eyes shine.
Fluttershy pretended to not notice how handsome Discord appeared in the light as he began to tell about his mother, "My mother was..." He hesitated, still remembering watching her die before his very eyes. Fluttershy snuggled into his side more, trying to ignore her redding cheeks (and not noticing the blush on Discord's) and wrapped a wing across his back.
Discord smiled at her in appreciation before taking another deep breath, "My ma was...she was amazing. She was kind. She was funny. She was...what I strived to be like once upon a time. And now, I guess."
Discord scratched his neck before looking at Fluttershy. "Now that I think about it, you remind me of her."
Fluttershy blinked, "Really?"
Discord nodded. "Absolutely. You both are kind, compassionate, you make everyone's lives better just by existing." He looked straight into her eyes, "And though not the same shade of blue, you both have the most gorgeous eyes."
Fluttershy couldn't hide the blush engulfing her face as she stared back into his eyes. She swore she heard a wispy, seemily feminine sounding voice speak directly in her ear, telling her to kiss him.
Though her blush grew at the suggestion, it wasn't a bad one the more she thought about it. She leaned forward and kissed Discord's cheek, catching him by surprise. He looked towards her, unaware of the blush forming on his face.
"Thank you. You know, about what you said about my eyes being gorgeous." She said with a timid grin and a completely red face. Trying to ignore what she just did, she looked up towards Discord and tried to focus on what he said about Eris. "She sounded wonderful. I would've loved to meet her."
"Ah, you're...welcome, my friend." He smiled as the blush faded from both of their faces. "And I'm sure she would've liked to meet you, too."
They looked at each other in adoration before turning back towards the sunset, Discord slinging his paw over her withers as they watched the last of the sun starting to disappear together.
If one looked closer, the clouds seemed to form the shape of two draconequi, one male and one female, looking at the pair with a smile on each of their faces as the sun dipped fully past the mountains.
Author's Note
My first story for Fluttercord Week. Sorry it's a little late for the day it's suppose to show up on.
I love love love Celestial-Rainstorm and the stuff she makes, so I felt I should tribute the first fancomic I read, and is still my favorite fancomic to this day.
And yes, Eris is totes a Fluttercord shipper. She just wants the best for her only son, even in death. And Fluttershy is clearly the best for him. 