Chapters Discord thinks to himself: Well, I suppose it won't hurt to take a peek at Twilight's book.
He takes the book out of his stomach and opens to the foreword.
If you think you have a crush on somepony, but you're not sure what to do about it, then this book is for you! This book includes everything you need to know about how to deal with a crush: conversation tips, date ideas, and much, much more.
Wow, this book is exactly what I need!
He reads on to the first chapter.
Many ponies actually have a crush without realizing it. Some signs you have a crush on somepony are:
You think about them a lot.
You have butterflies in your stomach.
You start reading books about what to do if you have a crush on them.
If you meet two or more of these criteria, you may have a crush on them.
"Wow, I meet all three! — Although I suppose I did let the butterflies out of my stomach earlier, so maybe just two."
So, what do you do when you have a crush on somepony? The first step is to get to know them, then when you get to know them better, you can ask them on a date.
When you're getting to know somepony, a good strategy is to ask them personal questions, like:
What's your name?
Do you come here often?
What are your hobbies?
Once you get to know your crush, then it's time to ask them on a date. A date is a special outing with just the two of you, to evaluate your compatibility in a relationship. Some examples of good dates are:
Going to an amusement park.
Going golfing.
Third example.
Etc.
Good luck!
Thanks, Twilight. I hope I don't mess this up. Discord thinks as he puts the book back in his stomach.
Discord teleports over to Fluttershy's cottage, collecting more butterflies along the way. He looks over the book one last time, to make sure he didn't miss–
"Oh, hey Discord!" Fluttershy says.
Without warning, Discord panics and blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. "Hi! What's your name?"
"Umm, Discord?"
"Discord! Uhh, me too!" Discord says, staring down at the book to find what to ask next.
"So, um, do you come here often…?" Discord asks, though he instantly regrets it.
"I… suppose so? I live here–"
Discord interrupts, "What are your hobbies?"
"Umm…" Fluttershy glances at the book Discord is holding, "Are you… asking me on a date?"
Discord is frozen with embarrassment. His cheeks are bright red. He doesn't know how to respond.
"It's okay," Fluttershy says. "… Actually, I think that would be pretty nice, if that's what you're asking."
Discord's ears perk up. "Really?"
Fluttershy nods. "Really."
Discord squirms with excitement. "Then that's what I'm asking! What do you want to do? Amusement park? Golfing? Third example?"
Fluttershy responds, "Umm… actually, I was thinking of something a little more low-key."
"How about a picnic?"
"Sounds perfect."
Discord pops into existence in Twilight's tree-house. He looks around for her, and calls her name, "Twilight!"
Twilight looks up from the book she is reading and responds, "Hello, Discord."
"I need your help, it's urgent."
"What is it?" Twilight says with no hint of concern.
"I feel different around Fluttershy and I must know why."
Twilight pauses and puts down her book. "How exactly do you feel different? I need details before I can help."
"I want to stay by her side. I want to hold her hoof. I want to hug her and not let go. Even more than usual!"
Twilight giggles. "Sounds like you have a crush on Fluttershy."
"Are you sure that's it?"
"Do you feel butterflies in your stomach when she's around?"
"Well, yes, but where else am I going to keep them?" Discord opens a door on his stomach and three butterflies fly out before he shuts the door.
Twilight just looks at him, unamused.
Discord answers the question, "Okay, yes I do."
"Then, yeah. I would say you have a crush on her."
"Well, what do I do about it?"
Twilight thinks for a moment, then levitates down a book from her shelves. "Here, read this. It's a book about romance, it will help you deal with your feelings, and expressing them to Fluttershy."
Discord groans. "Augh, reading!? The lord of chaos doesn't read."
"I don't know what to tell you. The lord of chaos will have to read if he wants any advice on how to handle his feelings."
Discord reluctantly takes the book and puts it in his stomach before snapping his fingers and disappearing.
Discord poofs into existence at his next destination, Carousel Boutique. He calls out for the owner, "Rarity?"
Rarity trots into the main room from her kitchen before answering, "Hello. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Discord?"
"I need your help! Twilight thinks I have a crush on Fluttershy and I don't know what to do about it." Discord's face wavers as concern flashes on his face.
"Do you think you have a crush on Fluttershy?"
"I don't know. I have been noticing her beauty a lot more now - like, thousands of times a day, instead of hundreds."
"Okay, yes, you probably have a crush on her."
"So what should I do?"
Rarity's face lights up. "You should take her out on a date."
Discord snaps his fingers. "There, done."
Rarity looks concerned. "What is done?"
"Every Friday all across Equestria is now Fluttershy Friday."
Rarity's face turns to worry as she rushes to a calendar on her wall, and sure enough, every Friday has been renamed to Fluttershy Friday.
She returns to him and says, "Discord, that's not what I meant! If you change it back I can explain in more detail."
Discord snaps his fingers, reverting the change. "Okay, fine."
"Thank you. Now, what I mean is to take her on a romantic date. A special outing with just the two of you. Maybe a… picnic! That's something Fluttershy might like."
"A romantic picnic, you say? But I still haven't digested the words Twilight gave me. They're still in here, where I usually keep my butterflies." He pats his belly.
"… Pardon me?"
"I need more advice from Fluttershy's friends before I can decide."
"Okay, well, good luck!" Rarity smiles and waves goodbye to Discord.
Discord waves back before saying, "Goodbye."
Discord materializes in front of the door to Pinkie's room at Sugarcube Corner. He knocks on the door and says, "Hello."
Pinkie opens her door a moment later. "Hello, Discord."
"Pinkie, I need your advice."
"Oh, what about? I'm always here to help!"
"I've got a crush on Fluttershy, and I don't know what to do about it."
"Are you going to ask her out?"
"Maybe, but I need to make it special. This is Fluttershy we're talking about."
"Oh, you could give her a gift when you ask her out!"
"I can't give her butterflies, left those at Twilight's. Can't give her a day of the week, Rarity shot that down. What about a book on romance?"
Discord pulls the book from his stomach, showing it off to Pinkie.
"No, no, no. It needs to be a gift from the heart." Discord hesitantly reaches for the door handle on his chest, but Pinkie shrieks, "NO! I meant, it should be something you make, something that reminds her of you."
Discord puts the book back, and taps his chin, thinking. "What should I make? I've never made anything myself, anyway. I always just snap my fingers and stuff appears."
"I usually bake a cake, but you might want to think of something more permanent that she could use more than once."
Discord thinks some more before snapping his fingers. A scarf appears in his hands that shares a striking resemblance to the draconequus holding it. "Ta-da! What do you think?"
Pinkie took the scarf and wrapped it around herself a few times. "This is really nice, but you should make a new one that's hoofmade."
"Okay, thank you, Pinkie!" Discord says with a smile.
Pinkie smiles back. "You're welcome!"
With that, Discord disappears and soon after so does the scarf wrapped around Pinkie.
"Hey, I was going to keep that!"
A few seconds later, the scarf reappears in Pinkie's room and falls onto her bed.
"Thank you."
Discord teleports over to the next pony.
"Oh, hey Discord. What's up?" asks Rainbow Dash.
"Well, the sky, of course! Of all ponies, I thought you would know that." Discord laughs smugly. Rainbow audibly groans.
Discord sighs. "Okay, fine. I have a crush on Fluttershy, and I don't know what to do about it. I asked Twilight, and she said I should read a book. I asked Rarity, and she said I should bring her on a date. Pinkie Pie said I should get her a gift. What do you think I should do?"
Rainbow thinks for a second, then answers, "Well, I'd say the best way to win a pony's heart is to impress them. If you do something really awesome for Fluttershy, she's sure to love it!"
"What would she think is really awesome?"
"Think of something Fluttershy really likes and try to do something with that."
Discord taps his chin. "Hmm. She really likes animals."
"Why don't you try to befriend some of her animals? That would probably mean a lot to her."
"I don't think anypony besides Fluttershy could befriend that bunny of hers. It hates everything and everypony that isn't her."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Angel only tolerates us now since we come around so much. I didn't mean him, though. Make friends with her other animals. You can talk to animals, right?"
"Oh, I can. I hadn't thought about that. We both can talk to animals. That's quite rare among ponies."
"But don't just snap your fingers and make it happen. Fluttershy will know. If you really do become friends with them, she'll be thrilled."
"Okay, thank you!"
"No problem."
With that, Discord snaps his fingers and disappears again.
Discord appears at his last stop before deciding what to do, Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack greets him as she turns to find him. "Howdy, Discord."
"Applejack, I need your advice. I have a crush on Fluttershy and I don't know what to do about it. I've asked Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow for advice. They all had different ideas."
"Let me guess, Twilight told you to read a book, Rarity told you to take her on a date, Pinkie told you to give her a gift, and Rainbow told you to impress her somehow."
"Wow, you really know your friends."
"Do you know Fluttershy that well?"
In a rare moment of self-reflection, Discord says in a somber tone, "I would like to think so, yes."
"Then how would Fluttershy want you to admit your feelings to her?"
"She would probably want me to just tell her, so we could have a conversation about it."
"That's my advice, then. Those other ideas you got would probably work, but no matter what, you two will have to talk about your feelings eventually."
"I'm surprised I didn't realize that myself. Thank you, Applejack."
"I'm not surprised," Applejack chuckles. "And don't mention it. Jokes aside, I'm glad you asked for help. It shows how much you care for her and how much you've learned."
"In any case, you've all given me a lot to think about. I don't know what I'll do yet, but I appreciate all the advice."
Applejack tips her hat to Discord. "Good luck to ya."
"Thank you." Discord says before disappearing to figure out what to do.
Discord reappears in his house and starts pacing around the room. What will I do? , he thinks to himself.
Suddenly, he has an idea. With a snap of his fingers, five clones of himself appear in the room.
The first clone says, "Twilight's idea is clearly the best! You've never dated anypony before, so you should read up on it. And besides, it's not like you know how to make a handmade gift anyway."
The second clone replies, "I think Pinkie Pie's idea is better! It's the sentiment that counts, after all. And besides, a gift would mean more than a special outing."
The third clone replies, "But what about Rarity's idea? Fluttershy would love a picnic date! At least it's easier than trying to befriend her animals."
The fourth clone replies, "It doesn't matter if it's easy or not! If you're going to date Fluttershy, you'll have to befriend her animals at some point anyway. You should follow Rainbow Dash's advice. At least it's better than just talking to her – that would never work."
The fifth clone replies, "You're all overcomplicating this! Just talk to her – there's no way around it. You should follow Applejack's advice."
Discord snaps his fingers, and the clones disappear. After considering what the clones said, he decides to follow the advice given to him by…
Discord knocks on Fluttershy's door, the first time he's done so in a while. Normally he would just appear in her house in a loud and brash manner, but this time, he wanted to respect her privacy.
Fluttershy answers the door with a somewhat confused expression. "Oh, hello, Discord."
"Hello Fluttershy. I came to ask… would you like to join me on a nice little picnic this evening?" Discord asks nervously.
"A picnic? Oh, that sounds nice. Sure!"
"Perfect!" Discord says, before snapping his fingers and teleporting both of them.
After a moment of disorientation, Fluttershy finds herself sitting on a picnic blanket with little hearts embossed into each square.
Discord opens a picnic basket and offers her a sandwich. "I made them myself," he says proudly.
Fluttershy takes it, noticing it has been cut into a heart shape.
"Such lovely weather we have today."
Fluttershy replies, "It sure is." Her expression lowers in confusion.
"I know I'm not one known for having spontaneous picnics, but I had something special planned for the occasion."
"I could tell something was up, but didn't want to say anything."
"Well, you don't have to. I will."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Anything."
Fluttershy snickers before staring at Discord for the real answer.
"Okay, okay. I planned us a quaint little picnic date."
Fluttershy blushes slightly. "Like a romantic date?"
"Yes, do you like it so far?"
Fluttershy's blush intensifies, and she says in a quieter voice, "Yes."
Discord blushes before he eats one of the sandwiches from the basket.
After they have both finished eating, Fluttershy asks, "What's next?"
Discord lays down on the blanket and stares up at the sky. "I figured we could watch the clouds together."
"Sounds very serene," Fluttershy says before lying down too.
Discord points up at a cloud. "Look, it's the formula for cold fusion!"
Fluttershy tries to find it but can't. "I don't see it." She points at a cloud herself. "Oh look, its Rarity!"
"That's cute." He looks around for a new cloud before pointing to it. "Do you see this one, it's clearly a septendecillion-sided die."
"Uhm, no, I can't see it, sorry." Fluttershy finds her next cloud and points. "It's Twilight playing chess with Pinkie!"
Discord smiles. "Oh, that's a good one, but do you see that one," — he points at a new cloud. — "it's the Mandelbrot Set."
"I can kinda see it, oh look!" She points to a new cloud. "It's the script for the story we are in!"
"Wait, let me see that." Discord reads the cloud before saying, "I like how it ends."
Fluttershy giggles before Discord joins in with her.
Discord sits up before offering his hand to pull Fluttershy up. She takes it, and they sit there staring at each other.
Fluttershy asks, "So, how did the story end?"
"Well, I have a question for you…"
They both blush.
"Fluttershy, will you go out with me?"
Fluttershy pulls Discord into a tight hug. "Yes."
Discord hugs back. "I couldn't actually read the ending, by the way."
They both giggle together in the loving embrace.
Discord knocks on Fluttershy's door, nervously holding a present behind his back.
After what feels like an eternity, Fluttershy opens the door. "Hello Fluttershy, can I come in? I have something for you."
"You do? Oh, sure!" Fluttershy replies. "Actually– I had something for you too."
Fluttershy leads him inside and they sit down. Discord presents his box to her. It's wrapped in a cute butterfly-themed paper.
Fluttershy presents her gift to Discord. It's a plain cardboard box.
They take each other's gift and start opening them.
Discord opens the box and sees the wrapping paper was put on the inside of the box.
"What a nice touch, the inside of a box rarely gets such love," Discord says before he unwraps the inside of the box.
Fluttershy giggles as she opens her gift.
They both pull out a scarf. Fluttershy's is designed to look like Discord, while Discord's is designed to look like Fluttershy.
They both ooh'd and aww'd as they wrapped their scarf around themselves.
Discord speaks up. "I made it myself. I wanted you to never feel alone even when I'm not around."
Fluttershy replies, "I made yours, too. I wanted to always be there for you as well. I got the idea after seeing Pinkie Pie wearing a scarf that looks exactly like this one."
"Oh, that one!" Discord laughs. "That was the scarf I snapped into existence. She wanted to keep it and told me to make one by hand to make it more special."
"I really like it, thank you!" Fluttershy says as a blush starts to form on her face.
"I love mine too, thank you." Discord blushes as well.
"I actually had something I wanted to ask you…" Fluttershy's eyes drifts to the floor.
Discord takes her hoof and holds it in his hands and smiles at her.
"Discord… Will you go out with me?" Fluttershy asks with a mix of worry and glee in her voice.
"Absolutely, yes!" Discord says before pulling Fluttershy into a hug.
Fluttershy hugs back.
Discord says, "I was planning on asking you out, but you beat me to it."
After the hug, they lean back and smile at each other.
Fluttershy says, "After I saw the scarf on Pinkie, I asked her about it, and we started talking, and I told her about my feelings for you. I asked for her advice. I take it you asked her for advice, too?"
"Yes, actually. I asked all your friends for advice, and decided to take hers."
"I'm glad you took hers then. Now we both have matching cute scarves that we can wear together, or when we're alone."
"Speaking of Pinkie Pie, why did she want a scarf that looks like me anyway?"
"I asked her about it. She told me that she's been meaning to start a scarf collection that looks like her friends for years and your scarf was the perfect jumping off point."
"Oh, maybe I should make one for her of you too!"
"That sounds like a great thank-you gift."
"It sure does. Would you like to help?" Discord asks before snapping his fingers, making yarn and needle appear in front of him.
"Sure." Fluttershy giggles, as the two smile and start on the scarf.
"So, this is Elizabeak. She needs to be fed twice per day. Angel Bunny needs to eat three times per day, but he can be picky– here's the recipe for his special salad. Make sure to follow it exactly." Fluttershy hands Discord a recipe. "This is Hummingway and Constance. They eat at the same time as Elizabeak. There's also Harry, but he's in hibernation, so you don't have to worry about him. You sure you can handle all that?"
"Elizabeak and the birds eat twice a day, Angel eats three times. Yes, I think I can."
"Thank you so much for watching my animals, Discord– I really appreciate it."
"Oh, it's no problem at all. I'll take great care of them! Enjoy your trip."
"Thanks, Discord. I'll see you later."
Fluttershy leaves to go to the train station. As Fluttershy leaves, Discord summons a watch to look at the time– it's time for Elizabeak to eat. He opens the cupboard to grab the chicken food and goes out the back door. "Hello– you must be Elizabeak," he says as he sees the chicken.
Elizabeak tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Hello? You can speak to animals too? I've never met anypony who can do that besides Fluttershy. What's your name?"
Hummingway and Constance fly onto a nearby tree branch to listen.
"My name is Discord. As the spirit of chaos, I have the power to bend reality in any way I want– including speaking to animals. I'm going to be pet sitting you for the next few days."
Elizabeak has a frightened look on her face. "The… spirit of chaos…?"
"Oh, don't worry." Discord replies, as a halo appears over his head. "Fluttershy and I are good friends. I don't use my powers for evil. Well, I used to, but Fluttershy convinced me to stop. Now I use my powers for good, and only for small, localized instances of chaos. Mostly."
Elizabeak replies, "Well, okay then… you seem friendly enough, and friend of Fluttershy's is a friend to me. Nice to meet you."
"Thank you for giving me a chance," replies Discord, "Here's your food." He sprinkles the seed on the floor for Elizabeak to eat.
After a moment, he turns to look up at the branch behind him. "You two must be Constance and Hummingway?"
Constance nods, and Hummingway hums in affirmation.
"Here's your food. It's nice to meet you both." Discord poofs in birdseed for Constance and nectar for Hummingway.
"So, what do you girls usually do with Fluttershy?" asks Discord.
The birds think about it for a while before answering. "Well, one of my favorite things is when she has us inside for tea," replies Elizabeak. The others nod in agreement.
"Hmm, tea sounds good. How about we do that tonight?"
Suddenly, Discord feels a tug on his tail. He turns around and sees Angel Bunny pointing to an empty bowl in his hands. "Oh my, is it time for your dinner already? I'm sorry girls– I'll see you later."
Angel Bunny stomps his feet.
"Okay, now let's see that recipe of yours… One head of lettuce, twice washed, cut in one centimeter wide strips. Two medium-sized carrots, julienne cut. One large cucumber, peeled, cut in slices. Mix together in large bowl. Wow, you really are a picky eater, but I think I can handle this."
Discord snaps his fingers and an apron appears on him. He grabs the ingredients from the fridge, and washes the lettuce. Twice. He picks up a knife, and with a snap of his fingers, it perfectly chops all the vegetables by itself. He mixes it in a bowl, and passes it to Angel Bunny. "Here. Just the way you like it."
Angel Bunny gives the salad a sniff and cautiously takes a bite. After a few seconds, he wolfs down the whole thing. "Wow, you're a great chef!"
"Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I know we've met before, but I don't think I've properly introduced myself. My name is Discord. I'm going to be watching you while Fluttershy is gone. What do you usually like to do with Fluttershy?"
Angel puts his paw on his chin. "Nice to meet you. My name's Angel. I spend a lot of time with Fluttershy, but I think one of my favorite things is when Fluttershy reads us books. That's always nice."
"We can read a book tonight if you want. Plus, we can have tea, and carrots, and whatever else you want," offers Discord.
"Sounds nice," replies Angel.
As Fluttershy arrives home, Discord is in the living room with the animals.
"Hi Fluttershy!" he says.
Angel Bunny runs up and hugs Fluttershy, petting his head.
"Oh, hi Discord! Hi Angel Bunny, Elizabeak, Hummingway, and Constance. How did Discord treat you?"
Angel Bunny speaks up, "Discord was great!"
Fluttershy acts surprised, "Really, Angel Bunny? You've never said that about anypony– that's surprising. Thank you, Discord, I'm very proud of how far you've come."
Discord smiles.
Angel Bunny whispers something in Fluttershy's ear.
"Oh? Really?"
Angel Bunny keeps whispering.
"Um, Discord? Is it… true that you have a crush on me?"
Discord blushes and nods timidly.
Fluttershy blushes. "That's okay. Actually, I've had a crush on you too, but, you know I'm way too shy to ask anypony out. Looks like you are too," Fluttershy giggles a little.
Discord blushes. "So, do you want to go out with me?"
Fluttershy replies, "Sure!"
Discords knocks on Fluttershy's door and waits.
She answers with a smile. "Hello Discord, would you like to come in?"
"Sure."
She leads him inside, and they sit down in their usual spots for their tea party.
Discord speaks up. "I wanted to talk to you. I've been feeling different and there's something I need to tell you."
Fluttershy pours them each a cup of tea. "Oh, sure, I also wanted to tell you something, I'll let you go first."
The butterflies return to Discord's stomach, and he decides to let them out. "The butterflies are back. They always show up when you're around…" He opens his stomach and three butterflies fly out into Fluttershy's house.
Fluttershy asks, "Why do they show up?" A blush forms on her face as she watches the butterflies flying around the room.
Discord takes a second to answer. "Well, you see, I… The way I feel around you has changed, my feelings for you have changed…"
Fluttershy's blush has taken over her face. "How have they changed?"
Discord blushes. "I've realized you are the pony I want to spend all my time with. I feel different around you in the best ways. I want to hold your hoof and never let go. I want to give you the biggest hug ever. I can't stop thinking of your beauty."
Fluttershy offers her hoof for Discord to hold. "Well, my feelings for you have also changed…"
Discord takes her hoof and holds it gently. "In a good way?"
Fluttershy giggles. "Yes, in the same ways as you, actually."
Discord smiles. "Fluttershy, will you go out with me?"
Fluttershy nods.
Discord pulls her into a hug, and she hugs back.
After the hug, they sat back down and both took sips of tea.
Discord speaks up. "I asked your friends for advice, care to guess who's I followed?"
Fluttershy confidently says, "Applejack."
"How'd you figure that out so quick?"
"Because this is the simplest way it could go. You just sat down and were honest with me."
"Well, how do you know none of the others could have suggested that?"
Fluttershy giggles again. "Because I asked them for advice, too."
Discord is speechless.
"I took Applejack's advice too."
"Oh, I see."
"I'm pretty sure some of them tried to hint that you asked for advice about the same thing, but at the time I didn't catch on."
"Did you see the butterflies I left at Twilight's?"
"I did, hehe. I helped her catch them."
"If I had the book on romance, what did Twilight suggest to you?"
"She said to borrow the book from you."
They both laughed.
"What did Rarity say to do?"
"She said to take you on a date but in reverse."
"That does sounds like something I would like."
"I saw Pinkie wearing a scarf that looked like you, and when she said to give you a gift, I immediately thought to make a scarf that looks like me."
"Oh, that would be rather cute. What did Rainbow suggest?"
"She said to surprise you with a kiss."
"Oh, wow."
"As you know, Applejack said to just talk to you."
"I must say, you have some amazing friends."
"You're wrong." Fluttershy hugs him tight. "We have some amazing friends!"
Discord hugs her back and smiles.
