Chapters

One
Two
Three
Four

One
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For the Love of Cake

One

“Fluttershy, I need you to come with me right away!”

The honey-colored pony peaked out from between her front legs, which she had used to shield her face when the ceiling of Twilight’s library crashed in. Fluttershy had dropped by to spend the afternoon with her friends, playing games and eating snacks, who were currently sitting around the table and in various states of surprise.

“Discord?” Fluttershy asked, seeing the familiar draconequus standing on the table before them. He was dressed in a cream-colored suit, complete with a top hat. “What are you doing here?”

“What did you do to my roof?” Twilight asked with a glare. Discord looked lazily up, considering the ceiling he had smashed through just mere moments ago as though for the first time.

“Oh right, sorry. Still getting used to this whole… good guy thing.” He snapped his fingers and the ceiling pieces that were scattered around them grew legs and began to walk up the walls single file. They fell into the place bit by bit until the ceiling was repaired. “Anyway- Fluttershy, we really must be going.”

“I-” Fluttershy began, only to be cut off by Rainbow Dash stepping in front of her.

“No way, Discord. Fluttershy is hanging out with us today. You have been hogging her lately.”

Discord snapped his fingers again, and Rainbow Dash poofed from one end of the room to the other, letting out a frustrated cry before a zipper appeared on her lips and zipped shut. She pawed desperately at her mouth, a muffled voice raging beneath.

“Where was I…? Right! Come along, Fluttershy. I can not stress enough how we must go right now .”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere with you until you undo what you did to Rainbow.” Fluttershy crossed her arms and gave him a contemptuous look.

“Oh, you’re no fun.” He snapped again, and Rainbow Dash’s mouth unzipped. Rainbow was about to let loose a torrent, but Twilight used her wing to block the multicolored pony.

“Where are you going that’s so important?” Asked the alicorn.

“Yeah, what’s the rush?” Asked Pinkie Pie, bouncing up close to Discord and inspecting his cream suit. She gasped. “Are you going somewhere fun? You’re dressed all fancy shmancy.”

“I’ll say,” said Rarity approvingly. “This is quite the suit, darling. Just what kind of event are you attending?”

Discord had a look of growing frustration. He tapped his foot and looked down at his wrist, where a watchface was spinning out of control. “None of that is important right now. The only thing that matters is us leaving. Right now. Us being me and Fluttershy of course. No offense, ponies, but only one mare is need-”

“Discord,” said Fluttershy, soft but firm. “Thank you for fixing Rainbow, but if you don’t tell me what this is about, how can I go with you? What are we doing?”

“Is it good enough to say we’re going to have fun?”

A chorus of no’s resounded from the ponies. Fluttershy gave her friend a hard stare, willing him silently to be more forthcoming. He hopped anxiously from one mismatched foot to another, the top hat twisting and springing back in his twisting paws. It almost made her want to smile, seeing him behaving so childishly, but she did not show one. If she smiled, he would win.

He let out a groan, then snapped his fingers and vanished in a puff. He reappeared in front of Fluttershy, now transformed into a small, gray puppy with big pleading eyes. “Fluttershy, don’t you trust me?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“Then trust me when I tell you this will be fun.”

“I don’t trust you,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy felt all eyes on her, and a wide array of emotions in all of them. She wanted to shrink away, to sink down into the floor and become part of the wood. Her wings hugged close to her torso, trying to take up less room, and her long strawberry pink tail swirling around body. She just wanted the moment of unbearable, intense scrutiny to be over. To disappear. To just pop out of the situation like-

“Ok,” she squeaked. “I’ll go with you.”

Discord’s eyes lit up and he cried, “Yahoo!” He snapped his fingers and returned to his original form, the cream colored suit returned. Another snap and this time Fluttershy was wearing a light green floral dress of her own, with a cream colored sash and flowers to matched his attire. A third and final snap, and without another word, they were gone before the others could finish their protests.

“That guy,” grumbled Rainbow Dash. She let out a groan of frustration and started to punch one of Twilight’s pillows, taking it out on the fabric. “He has no right to just steal Fluttershy like that.”

“They’ve been spending an awful lot of time together lately,” mused Applejack. She settled back into her seat and munched away on some of the apple goodies she had brought to share.

“I think it’s nice that Discord is trying to be good. Emphasis on trying, of course, because he’s still far from what I would consider good.” Twilight watched Rainbow Dash sidelong as the colorful pony beat up her pillow.

“He’s chaotic neutral!” Exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

“Yes, I suppose he-” but Twilight was cut off by Pinkie gasping, her whole body reacting to the gasp. “What is it, Pinkie?”

“Idea! I could track down Discord and Fluttershy and find out what he’s up to!”

“Discord’s magic is incredibly powerful. He could be anywhere in Equestria, or not Equestria.” Twilight tapped the nearby map on the wall to emphasize her point. “No offense, but I don’t think your chances of finding them are great.”

“Twilight’s right, Darling. Just how do you possibly expect to find them?”

“Oh that’s easy, Rarity. I’m a licensed private investigator.”

The other ponies looked at their friend with incredulity, but to their astonishment she produced a PI badge. ‘Pinkamena Diane Pie’ was emblazoned on the front. Twilight used her magic to levitate it away from Pinkie and inspected it with a critical eye.

“I think… Wow, yeah I think this is real.”

“Pinkie,” asked Applejack, her head shaking in unconscious disbelief. “Just how in the hay did you wind up with that thing?”

“You see the Cakes were having a problem where their cookies were going missing. They were doing a test run on some cranberry cookies, they were super yummy, but they weren’t ready to put them out yet. The problem was they’d make the cookies, go to bed, and then the next morning the cookies were gone!” She emphasized her point with a gasp, hooves to her face in shock. “They were getting really frustrated, so I decided to help. I figured who better to help solve a mystery than a detective, but it’s actually not easy to become a detective so I became a private investigator instead. It comes in handy.”

“Wait, what happened to the Cake’s missing cookies?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh! Turns out it was me the whole time! I was sleep eating the cookies because they were so super duper mega delicious! On the bright side, the Cakes decided the cookies were good enough and put them up for sale. Anyway, there’s a mystery ahoof and I need to get going before I lose the trail.”

They watched as Pinkie bounced out of the library in a flurry, speaking rapidly about red herrings and clues and the like. Twilight sighed, and used her magic to clean up the game board and pieces that had been scattered by Discord.

“I guess we should start a new game. Now that we have less players.”

Author's Note

‘does somebody wanna be fake engaged to me for like 2 hours to try free wedding cake samples.’ by alrightev on tumblr

cannon is... loose. do with that what you will lol. thank you for reading!

Two
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For the Love of Cake

Two

One moment Flutershy was in Twilight’s library which was wonderfully quiet and smelled of ink and paper and hazelnut coffee. The next she was somewhere. It was colder, air-conditioned, and filled with bright, happy chatter. It smelled sweet and crisp, like tables of pastries and champagne. When she opened her eyes, that was exactly what she was. However, that still didn’t answer anything.

Discord’s magic was fun and exciting, but sudden travel like that did sometimes make her tummy upset. It was a disconcerting feeling, to exist in one place and then suddenly to be in another. He stood before her beaming, mischievous, up to something.

“Where are we, Discord? What is all this?”

They were in a long hall, and it was decorated like a party. There were balloons and streamers, tables draped in pretty tablecloths and piled high with food and drinks, sculptures made of ice, and a quartet playing music in the corner. The dress she wore was comfortable, made of silky and stretchy material, and the skirt swished pleasantly, but it was elegant. Everypony was dressed well like they were at a high afternoon tea or a country club golf championship. They were in little groups of two, making unmistakable lovey-dovey eyes at one another.

“Fluttershy, you’re never going to believe this. This is an exclusive little gathering just outside of Ponyville; a veritable catering taste test and free sample-athon! There is just one catch, you have to be engaged.”

“Then why are we here? Neither of us are engaged.”

“See, that’s the beauty of it. We’re going to pretend.”

“Pretend?” She repeated, feeling something flip in her stomach. “No, no. Discord, we can’t do that.”

“Why not? We’re not hurting anypony. We’re helping.”

“Helping? How exactly are we helping?”

“Think of it, Fluttershy. This place is filled with choices.” With a snap of his fingers, two pony-like sock puppets appeared on the ends of his paws. He used them to speak in a high falsetto and baritone. “‘What kind of cake shall we have? Vanilla? Lemon? Chocolate? Red velvet?’ ‘Hey wait a minute, red velvet and chocolate are just the same. One just has red dye.’ ‘They are not the same! Take that back!’ ‘They are too the same, and frankly, I think you’re dumb for thinking otherwise.’ ‘I can’t believe I wanted to marry you!’”

“Where would we come into in all of this?”

“We could prevent that kind of fight from even happening. We both try the pina colada cake and loudly talk about how great it is, and bing bang boom the young couple chooses the objectively correct cake, fight avoided, happily ever after.”

“They have pina colada cake?”

“Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy,” he tutted, snapping the puppets away. He made himself small and wrapped around her shoulder like a fur stole. “They have everything here. Every flavor you can imagine, and made by the best of the best from all over Equestria. Treats have been flown in from Manehatten, Appleloosa, Canterlot just to name a few. The best part? No one from Ponyville is here, at least not physically. Mr and Mrs Cake did provide a few sweets.” He snapped again and returned to full size. “That way no one, uh, you know, thinks we’re engaged.”

“I wouldn’t care what anyone thought, Discord. I just don’t feel good about deceiving others.”

“You wouldn’t?” He regarded her a long moment, and she thought perhaps she had something weird or upsetting. “Anyway, you’re the Element of Kindness not of Honesty, and I don’t see Applejack anywhere. Although, there are some of her family’s world-famous apple cider here. I think the kind thing to do, would be to help me help these poor ponies make the best choices possible for their special days. Oh, come on, Fluttershy. Don’t make me do the puppy eyes again, you know I will.”

He was trying to manipulate her, and she didn’t appreciate that, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t working a little. She would be lying, but it was ultimately a harmless lie. However, she was unsure if they could be helpful.

“Could I have everypony’s attention, please? The taste testing is about to begin, so we need to ensure you are all signed in and have your cute little nametags. If anyone still needs to get signed in please come find me, and I’ll make sure you get the complimentary gift bag!” A white and pink pony with a towering cake cutie mark called from the center of the room.

“Please say yes, Fluttershy.”

He dropped down to one knee, taking her hoof in his paws. The big ham. He was trying to be good, trying to be the best Discord he could be. He could have just kidnapped her and forced her to do this with his magic, but he had been polite. Polite for him, anyway. Even now he was waiting for her permission. She let out a big, unsure breath.

“Ok. Let’s do it.”

“Yes! Oh yes, thank you. You won’t regret this. Oh, we’re going to have so much fun!”

“But!”

“But? What but?”

“But… let’s be mindful of the other ponies that are actually engaged. Let’s promise to not take the first or last of anything, and to not cause too much chaos.”

“Boring, but deal. Now hurry up, before we miss everything!” Discord quickly ushered her across the room to the welcome table. A severe-looking mare sat behind the desk, looking up from a wedding magazine to examine the pair with her dark gray eyes.

“Name?” She asked. Fluttershy felt herself shrink under the older pony’s gaze, but Discord beamed and leaned down casually onto her desk, contorting his body.

“Discord. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He cordially held out a paw for the unimpressed mare. She glanced at it, then looked pointedly at Fluttershy instead.

“And your name?”

“Fluttershy,” she mumbled softly, wishing she could hide in her hair.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Oh, it’s… it’s Fluttershy?”

“Hon, you’re gonna need to speak up. What is your name?”

“This is Fluttershy, my good lady. My fiance.”

“I assumed as much.”

The mare, a unicorn, used her magic to fill out the paperwork. Fluttershy contemplated the word, fiance. There was a lot attached to that. So much responsibility but also so much promise and hope. That word could be the building block for the future. Was it acceptable to be throwing it around so casually? Her thoughts were interrupted when the mare slapped a sticker onto her chest, her name printed neatly on it.

“There you go. Take a bag and go find yourself a seat, the event will begin in a few minutes.”

Discord tipped his top hat, scooped up a baggie, and led Fluttershy away from the mare. The unicorn rolled her eyes and returned to reading her magazine.

“Discord, don’t you think we’re a little… overdressed?”

The draconequus paused rifling through the bag to regard himself. “What, you don’t like the suit? Does it make me look fat?”

“No, silly,” she said with a laugh. The whole situation still didn’t fully agree with her, but he sure knew how to defuse a situation and make her smile. “You just look like you’re ready to stand at the altar today.”

“That’s the point, isn’t it? Am I too convincing? I suppose you are right. We’re not quite matching the vibe. Hang on.” He snapped and their attire changed again. This time she was wearing a soft, green dress and he had a simple green plaid suit to match. It looked like they were ready for a fancy, outdoor picnic. “Better?”

“Better. Did you get anything good in your bag?”

“Our bag, my dear. Remember, we’re engaged now, so we better start acting like it.”

“But it’s just you and me right now.”

“Better safe than sorry. We’re in enemy territory now.” He snapped, and suddenly his face was painted in camouflage. “Eyes and ears are everywhere.”

“Discord, I’m losing the plot a little. I thought we were here to help ponies, and now they are our enemies?”

He pressed his lips together, considering. “You’re just too rational for me, Fluttershy.” Another snap restored him to his picnic facade. “But I like that about you. I’d never be able to pull off a move like today without your grounded nature.”

“I like you too, Discord. I’d never even think to do something like this without you.”

Discord’s eyebrows perked up in surprise, his beaming smile faltering a moment only to be replaced with a softer, more genuine one. “Then let’s go get some cake, huh? They have a cake from the Crystal Empire and I want to see what I’ll need to turn my teeth into to be able to crack that bad boy.”

an undisclosed amount of time later…

“Girls!” Pinkie Pie was breathless as she slammed the door to Twilight’s home open. The other ponies were startled by her sudden arrival, having been in the middle of a game. Pinkie had been gone for a short while, and the others were enjoying a quiet and contemplative board game while sharing the latest town gossip.

“Pinkie, darling, whatever is the matter?” Asked Rarity, stroking her friend on the back as she gulped down lungfuls of air.

“Fluttershy…! Discord…!”

“Yeah? What about them?” Rainbow Dash zipped over to her friend’s side.

“Don’t tell me you found them?” Twilight asked in disbelief.

“Yep!” Pinkie sucked in a few more frantic breaths before continuing. “I can’t give away my sources, as I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but a few little birdies told me that I would find them just outside of town. So I did, but they were in this great big building. There was some kind of event going on, so I went, but they didn’t let me in because it was an event for only couples.”

She waggled her eyebrows significantly, but the others only regarded her blankly.

“Alrighty, I’ll bite,” said Applejack with a shake of her head. “What kind of event?”

“A wedding planning event! A big shindig with cake tasting, floral arrangements, custom monogramming!”

This earned the reaction she had been looking forward to. Some gasped, some muttered, and all looked surprised. Twilight stepped forward, fluttering her wings to diffuse the situation.

“Settle down, everypony. Pinkie Pie, it’s not fair to assume anything about Discord and Fluttershy’s intentions. Discord is the embodiment of chaos, after all. It is nearly impossible to understand his motivations. I don’t know how Fluttershy can spend so much time with someone so… chaotic.”

“But I have proof!”

Three
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For the Love of Cake

Three

“Discord you have to stop,” said Fluttershy, muffled from the cloth napkin pressed to her snout. “You made me laugh so hard tea came out of my nose!”

“That’s a good thing in my book, my dear,” said Discord happily, and refilled her cup. “Do you think we convinced that nice couple from Phillydelphia to go for the tiered brambleberry pie in lieu of a traditional wedding cake?”

“You were very persuasive,” she chuckled after she had recovered.

“Bursting out of the top pie as a bunch of tiny hula dancers wasn’t too much?”

“Oh no, not at all. Though, that would be hard to replicate at their wedding. You should see if Pinkie Pie would hire you out to parties.”

“I do make a mean balloon arch.” He snapped his fingers and instantly became an arch of multi-colored, and textured, Discord balloons, his facial features on separate balloons. They came loose and began to float away, igniting another eruption of laughter from him and Fluttershy.

“See? See? ” Pinkie urged her friends “Just look at them.”

“Pinkie, this doesn’t feel right. Maybe we should just leave. It looks like they’re having a lot of fun.” Twilight pulled back from the window that she and the other ponies were looking through. She felt ridiculous, hiding from her friend in a bush and spying on her.

“I don’t know,” said Rainbow Dash, stretching out the syllables in thought. “I think Pinkie might be right on this one.”

“At the very least, we don’t want to scare or embarrass, Fluttershy,” added Rarity with a thoughtful nod. “This is a delicate time and she needs to feel love and support.”

“That’s why a surprise party is the perfect idea!” Pinkie nearly vibrated with excitement as she spoke.

“Hold on there, sugar cube. I’m on Twilight’s side. Wouldn’t it be better to wait for Fluttershy to tell us herself?”

“There are no sides, Applejack,” said Twilight with frustration. She wanted to stretch her wings. “I mean, we’re all on Fluttershy’s side. Even if it is surprising.”

“Surprising? Discord crashed through your roof in a suit! If anything, we weren’t paying enough attention to her. I’m with Pinkie, we should show her that we love and support her,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I for one do hope he doesn’t intend to wear that suit. Oh! I could make him a new suit, he’ll need one to match her dress. Naturally, I’ll be making the dress.”

“Slow down, Rarity. We don’t need to go that far.”

“I’m not saying we plan the whole thing now, Twilight! Don’t be silly, you can’t pull off something so important in just a couple of hours. I don’t even know what color confetti she’ll want! We’ll just have a little party. To celebrate the engagement!”

Fluttershy watched on as Discord chatted up another couple, pressing her lips together to keep from laughing and giving away his bit. She wasn’t fully convinced that they had really helped anyone today, but equally, she felt certain no one had been bothered or upset by their antics. It seemed like everypony was having a good time. Discord had used his powers several times to give the ponies presenting a little “extra oomph” as he had put it, but as promised had kept the chaos to a minimum.

It was funny. It wasn’t long ago now that Discord had put those same powers to bad use. Not very long at all since she and her friends had had to go up against him, fight with their elements, and ultimately win. Friendship always won in the end, it seemed. Indeed, her unexpected friendship with Discord had flipped her world upside down in more ways than one. Literally on multiple occasions.

She wouldn’t trade it for anything.

She loved her pony friends: caring for the farm animals with Applejack, her two pony book club with Twilight, and pampering girls' days with Rarity. Even her friends who were already more chaotic, like Rainbow Dash and her unexpected races and more gentle flight lessons, or Pinkie who occasionally interrupted her animal choirs but also always brought the best treats to their forest picnics.

But Discord was something completely different. Not just because he was a different, well, thing entirely. She had never met anypony like him before, nor had she known that somepony could have such a change of heart. He was still fundamentally the same, and convincing him to help could sometimes be like pulling teeth, but something had changed within him.

Discord was like his own element, his power alone nearly equal to theirs combined. The element of chaos, in a way. If the elements of harmony weren’t already perfect, she thought that forgiveness would have made a good addition. A symbol of who you could become if shown the way, and a splash of love and patience. There was room yet for him to grow, but Fluttershy hoped she would be there in those years to see just how much more he could grow and become a better, truer version of himself.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asked when he finally returned to his seat. His arms were loaded with mini snacks, and samples from the hopeful caterers, and he spread them across the table.

“Aside from that one?” He asked, chomping into a greasy mini calzone. She didn’t dignify the question with a response, merely giving him a look that earned a laugh. He wolfishly swallowed down the calzone and dabbed his mouth with a cloth napkin held in his tail. “Of course, Fluttershy. What’s on your mind?”

“What made you want to come here? Can’t you just use your powers to make all this? I’ve seen you make cakes and pizzas before, and sometimes they are as big as a house!”

“And just as delicious. But, you know, they have such a good assortment here. I’m glad you said something I almost forgot!” He snapped his fingers and a slice of cake appeared before Fluttershy on a delicate dish. It was sunshine yellow, with white frosting, on the top and in the middle. The cake had been baked in such a way that cutting it revealed a cute, red heart pattern inside. “Angel food cake, your favorite. I saw it over there and knew you’d want some.”

“Wow, this looks great! But you’re not avoiding my question so easily, Discord. Why did you want to come here today?” Maybe he just wanted to be lazy and not have to use magic to make them. She couldn’t deny that food often tasted better when someone else made it.

Discord made a funny look, and put down the bowl of mac and cheese, absently stirring it with his spoon as he spoke. He looked away from her, his eyes somewhere distant. “I thought you’d like it.”

“Oh come on, that can’t be the reason. What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Fair question, though. I know you like weddings, I know you like snacks even though you’re worried you’re getting fat. You aren’t by the way, not that it would matter. You’re pretty… uh pretty great no matter what.”

Something twisted in her stomach, almost like the flutter of a butterfly. “Thank you. You’re, um, you’re pretty great too.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. If I’m great, it’s only because you helped me. I guess maybe I just like repaying your kindness. I know you’re always telling me to pay it forward, but I like seeing you happy. Is that a friendship thing? Always wanting to see your friend smiling?”

“Yeah, that’s friendship. I like seeing you smile too, Discord. Even if sometimes that smile means you’re up to something.”

He laughed, but it sounded a little more bitter than usual. She wanted him to look at her, but his attention was somewhere far away.

“I feel like I get friendship, but then sometimes I get… new feelings and it’s all so confusing and I don’t know what to do. Being good is hard.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if I can explain it. Maybe I’m just not used to how strongly you can feel your friendship feelings for another. It feels like it gets stronger with each day.”

“That means you’re getting closer to ponies, Discord. That’s a good thing. You’re bonding with others. You must feel much less lonely now.”

“I do, but I don’t feel this way about every pony. Even the ones I really like, like Pinkie Pie. She’s my kinda gal, you know. That party canon thing is something else. We’re in talks to improve it.”

“What do you mean this way ?” Fluttershy asked, mouth feeling strangely dry and her heart thumped roughly in her chest. Was she getting sick?

Finally, he looked at her, and she was unprepared for the intensity of his gaze. He stared deeply into her eyes for a long moment, like he was searching for something. An answer deep inside that only she had, if he could just figure out how to get it.

“I don’t have the words for it, Fluttershy. I just know I want to see you smile, but it doesn’t end there. I want to spend time with you, and I like being by your side. We don’t even need to go to things like this, I would be content in silence with you. I am never content in silence. I want to protect you and keep you safe, and I like making you laugh. You make me happy, Fluttershy. I just want to be with you. But I don’t feel this way about everypony and I’m worried that something is wrong. I’m worried I went too far and broke friendship.”

More than friendship , her frantic mind urged her. That’s love! That’s love! He’s in love with you! Her two-pony book club with Twilight was one in which they read sappy romance novels. This had all the trappings of a standard romance story, friends to lovers. But the rational side of her mind was louder and argued against such a bold assumption. Discord hadn’t had any friendship like the one he had with her. He might have been just feeling friendly emotions, but they were strong because they were unfamiliar.

Besides, she felt all of those same things about and for him and she certainly wasn’t in love with Discord.

“You didn’t break anything,” she said gently. He did seem to be feeling very strongly, and she didn’t want to hurt him or upset him when he was being so vulnerable. “I can’t tell you what you’re feeling because I’m not you. But it sounds like you are learning to love your friends.”

“Love? I keep hearing ponies talk about that, especially today. Elaborate.”

“That’s not an easy thing to do, Discord.” She looked around helplessly, hoping something might give her an answer to end this quickly. The conversation was starting to go down paths she was unsure how to navigate, and her heart was beating annoyingly quickly. It felt like she had eaten butterflies that were now protesting in her tummy.

“Uhm, well. Ok, the other ponies here are really engaged. Engagement is kind of like a promise, and the wedding is when you solidify the promise. You promise to always be by the other’s side no matter what happens, to defend them, to be their best friend. You have to love a pony very much to make a promise like that because you also are promising to love just that pony in just that way for the rest of your life.”

“I’m confused. Love is when you make a promise?”

“No. I’m doing a bad job explaining this. There are different kinds of loves. You can love your parents or siblings, and that’s familial love. You can love your friends, and that’s platonic love. They have different expectations. Then these ponies love each other romantically. Rarity says that romantic love is a step beyond platonic love, but platonic love is still really powerful.”

“So, what is the difference between platonic and romantic? You can only do it with one pony your entire life? How do you know you’re making the right choice?”

“I don’t know if I’m the right pony to be asking this, Discord,” she squeaked. She could feel an embarrassed blush creeping across her face. Why did he have to look at her so intensely? “It, uh, it’s different. You want to do different things together.”

“Like what?”

“Like, um, well kissing for example.”

She was mercifully spared from having to further explain when one of the hosts announced that the event was coming to an end. Everypony should grab samples, business cards, and whatever else they needed so they could start filtering out of the event hall. Discord immediately took them up on that offer, creating an oversized bag to stuff as much food into as he could.

To her relief, their previous conversation didn’t continue. Discord rambled off ideas that he had for hypothetical wedding planning businesses they could run. They took the long way home, walking at a steady pace so the laughter didn’t have to end too soon.

Four
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For the Love of Cake

Four

“What are you doing here, Fluttershy?”

The two friends met, unexpectedly, before Ponyville town hall. The town square was suspiciously vacant, despite the warm, sunny, lazy day. Each one had in their possession a simple, hoofwritten letter that said the same thing. Time, date, place. Right now, today, right here. Check, check, check.

But why?

“I could ask what you’re doing here. I have no idea why I’m here.”

“What? You just do what any old letter in the mail tells you to do?”

“Oh, and you don’t?” Fluttershy asked with a teasing smile, gently punching a hoof against his leg. “Who do you think sent these?”

“I have no idea, although I do have my suspicions.” He snapped his fingers, and he was suddenly dressed in a long trench coat and deerstalker cap with a magnifying glass in paw. His now over-sized eye examined the letter. “For example, the stationary has a distinct frosting smell, and stain, to it. Buttercream, possibly, but we’d need more clues for that.”

“You know, when I opened mine this morning sprinkles did fall out of the envelope.”

“Ah, another clue indeed. The hoofwriting is particularly curly q as well. Is that familiar to you at all, Dr Fluttershy?”

“Hmm.” Fluttershy looked through his magnifying glass at her own letter. The paper had little rainbow smears, probably from the sprinkles. “Now that I think about it, in my professional doctor's opinion, the writing is similar to Pinkie’s. But it’s not quite right. Like somepony else was copying her, or she was trying to make it look different from her normal writing?”

“I guess there is only one way to find out, Doctor. After you.” He snapped again, losing the detective costume. He flourished his arm dramatically as he held the door open for her. She thanked him with a laugh and entered.

The hall was dark, but they could hear a rustling noise. Just as she was about to ask him to find the light switch, all of the lights came suddenly on. Balloons and confetti fell from the ceiling, and ponies jumped out of every hiding space yelling, “SURPRISE!”

Startled, Fluttershy jumped and knocked into Discord. He steadied his friend with a hand on her back as she ducked down low, hiding within her long, pink locks. After a moment she peaked out, confused and alarmed.

“S-surprise?” She squeaked.

“It’s not my birthday,” said Discord as he looked at a miniature calendar on his wrist like a watch. “It’s not Fluttershy’s either. What’s the big idea?”

“Surprise, Fluttershy!” Yelled Pinkie as she hopped out from her hiding place, a slice of cake balanced on her head. “It’s a twofold surprise. One, because you surprised us, and two because it’s a surprise engagement party! I’ve put on lots of engagement parties before, but I’ve never gotten to throw a surprise engagement party!”

“We were a little unsure at first,” said Twilight. She and Fluttershy’s other best friends came forward, big smiles and brandishing bags and boxes wrapped in fancy white papers with bows.

“But Pinkie showed us the proof, and we just had to throw a totally awesome party for you, Flutters!” Said Rainbow Dash, hovering above them with a gift braced between her front legs.

“Proof?” Asked Discord, incredulous. “Proof of what?”

“Why, your engagement, darling!” Rarity exclaimed. She used her magic to levitate multiple presents and dress boxes and nuzzled against Fluttershy with affection. “Congratulations, Fluttershy. For the record, I knew it was just a matter of time before you two made it official.”

“Ponies, ponies,” said Discord with a not-quite-condescending laugh. “You know I love chaos, but I’ll admit it’s not so fun to be on the receiving end of the confusion. What are you talking about?”

“Don’t be so shy, Discord!” Said Pinkie. From her bag, she removed a set of pictures and slapped them down onto the lace-covered table. “I watched you propose to Fluttershy yesterday. I missed what you said at first but then I heard you say, ‘Please say yes, Fluttershy’ while on bended knee.” She raised her eyebrows to emphasize the significance of the moment. “Then, Fluttershy, you said, ‘ok, let’s do it.’”

A puff of steam emitted from about Discord’s shoulders, engulfing his face and mushroom clouding upward. He fainted, snapping his fingers to create a fainting couch, and fell upon it. Steam dissipated, and his face was left crimson.

“Wow, he’s excited,” said Rainbow Dash around a mouthful of cake. “Hey, when is the wedding anyway?”

Fluttershy had never wanted to run away as badly as she did at that moment. The wondering gaze of her friends, combined with the music and chatter and smells, was making her feel dizzy. Applejack stepped forward. She quickly set her bag down and went to Fluttershy, somewhat blocking the pegasus with her body.

“Settle down, ya’ll. I told ya’ll we should have waited until Fluttershy was comfortable enough to tell us. But just so you know, sugar cube, there would never and will never be any judgment from us on your choice of… uhm… groom I suppose.”

“You think we’re engaged?” Fluttershy finally managed. Her voice was so meek the others only partially understood.

“Well of course we do, silly goose,” said Pinkie Pie. “You’re always off spending time with him, he comes over to your home regularly for tea. You two went off to a wedding convention for goodness sake! I want you to know I already have your wedding planned out and we’ll go over it asap! I have lots of fine detail questions.”

“Oh, and I’ve already started drawing up designs for your wedding dress. I’m thinking of a long train, dotted with lovely little flowers. You’ll be the most beautiful bride, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. She sat beside Discord, fanning him, well acquainted with a fainting couch. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten you, Discord. I’ll need you to swing by the boutique so I can take your measurements.”

“I’m sorry if the surprise was a little too much,” said Twilight. She put a wing around Fluttershy and pulled her into a hug. “We just wanted you to know how loved and supported you are. We are your best friends, and we wanted you to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we will be there for you no matter what.”

“She’s right, sugar cube. You’re so humble and sweet, we couldn’t help it if a perfect opportunity to celebrate you fell into our laps.”

“You mean that, don’t you?” Asked Fluttershy, her heart feeling suddenly quite full if conflicted.

“I think I speak for everypony when I say, of course!” Said Spike. He scrambled up the side of the table and placed a small present among the rest. “Congrats, by the way.”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy. She cast a glance to Discord, whose eyes were spinning and he looked to be in a bit of a stupor. “Do you think I could have a minute with,” she swallowed hard, and her voice broke as she spoke, “with my fiance? Alone?”

The others made various goodbyes, and a few intimations, before breaking off to the snack table and dance floor. Fluttershy tapped Discord’s arm, and he roused immediately. He jumped up and looked around until he was certain the coast was clear.

“Good, they’re gone. Playing dead worked, you should have done that with me. Well… it seems I’ve mucked it all up and gotten us into a pickle.” He let out a sigh and hung his head low. Fluttershy climbed up onto the fainting couch beside him. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I was just trying to have fun with you, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you in front of all of Ponyville. I was trying to do precisely not that!”

“I’m not embarrassed, Discord.”

“You’re not? Even though everypony thinks that we’re, uh, getting married?” He averted his gaze as he spoke.

“No, that doesn’t bother me. Should it?”

“I- uh- well... I suppose not? I just, I know that public appearance is important to a lady. I don’t want to poison the well for any future relationships you’ll have.”

“I’m not bothered by any of that. If I’m bothered by anything, I’m a little annoyed at my friends for jumping to conclusions. But I think it came from a place of love, and this is just a misunderstanding. I asked for some alone time so that we could figure out what we wanted to do about this.”

“Well, obviously we have to call it off. I’ll do something only a real jerk would do so that you’re not at fault and I don’t poison the aforementioned well. Then you can break off the engagement in front of everyone and save your reputation.”

“My reputation? What about yours? I don’t think it will be easy to gain back their trust if you’re seen publicly breaking my heart.”

“Oh, I hardly care about that. You know the only opinion I care about is yours. What about this, we could have a quiet breakup in a week or so. We just want different things in life.”

Fluttershy bumped herself gently against him, making him look at her. Something in her felt suddenly sure, like the little voice that had told her that Discord was in love with her. She had had a long night to ruminate on that voice. She took a deep breath and took a chance.

“Is it so bad?”

“What? Is what so bad? What do you mean?”

“If, um, if they think we’re engaged.”

“I… I am still lost, Fluttershy. I guess it’s not bad, but…”

“I like you, Discord. A lot. Pinkie Pie is right, we do spend a lot of time together. Normally, when I spend time with somepony I have a limit, and then I need a bit of time to refill my social battery. But I never feel that way with you. I feel like I could spend all of my time with you, never need to rest, and never get bored. I don’t know, maybe I’m being chaotic. Maybe you’ve rubbed off on me.”

“I’m a terrible influence!” He said with a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “I thought about what you said about love, what it is, and how it differs from friendship. I think I’ve wanted something more than just platonic love with you for a while, I just didn’t know how to express that, or really what I was feeling. I also was terrified it would ruin our friendship, and then I’d lose even just your platonic affection.”

“I think I’ve felt this way for a long time too. I never thought a powerful being like you would ever settle for a simple pegasus like me. I was also worried I’d be taking advantage of our friendship.”

“Settle? Fluttershy you’re a dream and a breathtaking beauty! You’re not simple by any means, there is much more than meets the eye. ‘Settle,’ she says.”

Fluttershy was burning from blushing, barely able to maintain eye contact now. “So do you want to just… stay engaged? It can be a long engagement. If it doesn’t work out we can break up amicably.”

“And if it does, Pinkie said that our wedding is already planned out. Well, in that case, it appears that we have a party to attend. We are the guests of honor after all. My lady?”

He snapped, dressing them both in their fancy picnic attire. He bent down low and offered her his arm. She took his arm and allowed herself to nuzzle against him. He stiffened at first but then melted into her touch.

“More of that please,” he said dreamily. “Much more of that.”