//------------------------------//
// Secret Garden 
// Story: Let Yourself Fall 
// by Briarberrybones 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy had left him with a million and one questions and although his body was moving forward, his mind felt absent and dizzy. She had successfully caught him completely off guard and sent him spinning off into oblivion, grasping for some foothold, but simultaneously hoping he’d drift happily off forever.
 
Sweet, lovely, mousy Fluttershy had kissed him; a small and soft one, but a kiss nonetheless that paralyzed his every sense except for the pounding in his chest and the steady heat washing over his whole being. She seemed to be working some unknown feminine, pegasi magic to pull him deeper into his trance. She was undeniably, without a doubt, flirting with him. 
 
Discord had had an inkling of a thought that the night may involve some courtly endeavors, but he now realized that he was completely unprepared for what that actually may entail. His body was on fire, but he couldn’t stop his feet from following her into the willows, obeying her silent siren’s song. 
 
Gingerly he parted the wall of vines and his jaw fell slack at the sight before him. 
 
Illuminated by Luna’s full moon was a small lake surrounded by a flowering knoll with another single, ancient looking willow tree near the water’s edge. Beneath it, looking out across the water, was his dear friend and lady.
 




  Fluttershy was desperately trying to contain her filly-ish giggles and her burning cheeks. She couldn’t believe she’d done what she had. She KISSED Discord, leaving him a flustered pool of warm goo, and THEN dared to seduce him into following her with that little flank swish! She didn’t know what was coming over her, but it made her feel absolutely silly! However, as much fun as it all was, she knew it was probably wise to take it down a notch for the rest of the evening. The last thing she wanted was to potentially spook Discord off with too much attention too soon. That’s when she heard the soft crushing of grass behind her. 
 
She quickly shook out some of her excitement and turned to give her friend a warm smile. “There you are! Well, what do you think?”
 
Discord shivered at the sound of her voice. “wh-wh-what do I think?” 
 
“Of the secret spot I picked for us, silly!” she corrected, gesturing to the dreamy landscape that surrounded them. 
 
“Oh! Yes, yes of course! It’s absolutely lovely,” he stammered. “She’s absolutely lovely,” he thought, not caring a bit at how corny it sounded in his own head. 
 
Fluttershy reached into the picnic basket that sat beside her and began arranging all their favorite finger foods neatly on the quilted blanket lain beneath her. “I found it not too long ago while mushroom hunting. It’s a great place to come to think or read. I don’t know if anypony else in town knows of it, yet.” She looked up to see Discord still standing there, looking hesitant at what he should do next, and still red in the cheeks. “Discord, please come get cozy. I made your favorite tea cakes,” she tried to ease him.
 
“S-so thoughtful of you, Fluttershy. Thank you!” he stammered again, carefully laying himself across from her. He watched her, starstruck, as she continued arranging their simple spread. He just couldn’t shake the disbelief that all he had hoped for so long, was true! Fluttershy did like him, as Spike had put it. His claws trembled with the urge to take hold of her then and there; to caress and kiss her like she was the rarest flower in existence, but he restrained his school-colt aches. Fluttershy was most definitely a lady, and she deserved a gentlecolt this evening. 
 
They ate and drank little in a comfortable silence, stealing a glance at the other every so often and offering light conversation here and there. Discord had moved past most of the initial shock from Fluttershy’s earlier flirtatious teases. Now he just wanted to melt into the moment. Everything about what they were doing just seemed so perfect and right. He couldn’t help but drift off a bit in his blissful fantasies while watching her put their dishes and leftovers away. 
 
“All tucked back away,” she mused softly, closing the basket back up and setting it further off to the side. Discord was jolted from his daydreams when he realized she was moving to lay beside him. Worried he may float away, his claws gripped slightly into their quilt when her shoulder brushed against his. 
 
“It really is so special out here and I’m glad that I get to share it with you now. Thank you for coming out this evening with me,” she hummed, crossing her forelegs nervously. 
 
Discord’s grip loosened at her feather soft words of sincerity. “Thank you for sharing it with me and I’m always glad to spend an evening with you, my dear.” Those words felt a little sweeter than normal leaving his lips. 
 
Fluttershy looked out across the shimmering lake again. “It’s still far too early in the season for them, but I do kind of wish the fireflies were out and about.”
 
At that, Discord had a brilliant idea. “I may not be able to wake any fireflies yet, but I may be able to make something that’s a close second.”
 
With a quick snap of his talon, the reflections of the stars in the lake began to lift themselves up and out of their watery mirror. Fluttershy gasped as she watched them start to stretch and fold into the shapes of hundreds of shining butterflies. In slow motion, they fluttered and drifted about the clearing, sometimes swooping down to kiss the water and drift back up again. 
 
A pair of two fluttered towards them beneath their willowed canopy to rest atop Fluttershy’s crossed hooves and fly off again. “Discord, they’re so beautiful! Thank you!”
 
Discord relaxed and leaned just a hair closer to her. “You’re welcome, dear. But I should be the one thanking you.” Fluttershy looked up at him with a quirked brow. 
 
He lifted his head to look out across the water. “You’ve done so much more for me than I’ve ever deserved. I don’t even feel like I’ve earned the right to share this special place with you, yet you asked me to, and I could never tell you no. You make me feel like I’m not so much of an outcast to the rest of Equestria…and I just want to be a better version of myself for you.” He spoke every word without a single falter. He needed her to hear every bit as clearly as it was written on his heart. 
 
Fluttershy could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes and the heat returning to her cheeks. She bowed her head and leaned into Discord’s shoulder and chest. He was startled by the contact but didn’t move. She was so warm. 
 
“You don’t owe me a thing, Discord…I just, I just want you to know how special I think you are and how important you are to me. I…I like myself a lot more when I’m with you. You make me feel like I’m special and important too. Our time together is always exciting, but we can also enjoy quiet things like this, and I just really, really like that.” Fluttershy’s bashfulness was beginning to get the better of her again, but all she could think to hide it was nuzzle deeper into his fur. Confessing just some of her affections to Discord in person was a huge weight lifted off her heart, but it also felt messy; like she was cradling a slippery, squirmy foal. 
 
She felt a tightness rise in her chest at Discord’s lack of response, but it nearly burst when she felt his warm breath near her ear. “Fluttershy…can I…touch you?” He wanted to comfort her, but felt it polite to ask first. 
 
Her eyes shot back up at him, his expression held no trace of trickery, only solace. She couldn’t find her words; only nod and lean back into his fuzzy chest.
 
With a gulp, Discord wrapped his lion arm around her and ran his claws carefully through her mane. She was so soft and so incredibly warm. Any attempt to slow his wildly beating heart had gone out the window.
 
 Fluttershy leaned into his touch and sighed. Here, finally so close to him, she could take him in. He smelled faintly of the air after a rainstorm, but with a hint of sugar. Cotton candy perhaps? Either way, she very much liked it, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she felt his warm breath on her skin again; this time on her neck. 
 
Discord had regained some of his confidence and reasoned that if Fluttershy was allowed to tease, then he could too. His actions were also pure and genuine just the same. 
 
He gently pressed his muzzle into the back of her neck, breathing her in as well. She smelled like wild flowers, green tea, and honey; he couldn’t get enough. Fluttershy felt like she could faint. Was this her dream coming true? Oh, goodness!
 
It’s not that she wasn’t enjoying the way Discord was handling her, she was just simply too overwhelmed. She had wanted Discord to touch her this way for so long, but now that it was happening, she didn’t know what to do. In a panicked reaction, she rolled to her left, but quickly found that she had put herself in an even more compromising spot. Now she was face to face with Discord on her back, just tucked beneath his lion arm. 
 
With an “Eep!” she covered her face with her forelegs. She had trapped herself. 
 
Discord was equally taken aback and a single thought reared itself to punch out his heart. “Maybe that wasn’t what she wanted? Maybe I went too far? Oh, no! Sweet Scorpan, no!”
 
“I-I-I’m so sorry, Flutterhsy! I don’t know what came over me. Um…I can leave. I’m so sorry.”
 
He shuffled slightly to get up but was gently pulled back down by Fluttershy’s hooves on his shoulders. Her face now revealed to him; blushing and beautiful in the dappled glow of his starlight butterflies. 
 
“No, please don’t,” she whimpered. “I’m sorry I just…I was just surprised is all. I um, really like it when you touch me and you.. oh, this is a little embarrassing…fluster me sometimes is all.”
 
Discord let out a shaky sigh of relief but found it hard to catch his breath again. He could feel his cheeks beginning to flare at her confession and the rest of him begin to flare with the want to give her what he thought she may be asking. 
 
Fluttershy, brought a hoof up to cover her face again slightly. “You…y-you can touch me more if you want?” she spoke, just above a whisper. 
 
Discord needed no other word. Slowly he settled down again, keeping her gently tucked beneath him, and moved to stroke her mane once more. Fluttershy let her eyes fall closed and leaned into his palm with a hum. At that, he bowed his neck down and pressed his muzzle back into her mane on top of her head as he cradled hers in his paw and talon. The world could have crumbled away entirely, but he wouldn’t have noticed a thing. All that mattered to him was being allowed the honor of holding her close here in their secret garden. 
 
Fluttershy’s breath began to hic as she could feel his breath washing over her again and her body betrayed her when she felt his fang brush her ear. She had let out an audible little moan and there was no covering up for it now. 
 
Discord reared back again to see her face burning a hot fuchsia. She quickly moved to cover herself in embarrassment once more, but was stopped by his free talon; slowly moving them aside. He just wanted to see her. 
 
Some force of gravity, stronger than he’d ever felt, began pushing him down closer to her and Fluttershy felt the equally powerful force of magnetism pull her chin up to meet him. 
 
There under the shielded canopy of the ancient willow, their lips met. 
 
Fluttershy felt she could faint again, and Discord was sure he was close to physically melting, but held together just enough so he could continue feeling her lips against his. She was so much softer and sweeter than he’d ever dreamed; he didn’t want to ever part but had to let her go for air.
 
With a huff he lifted from their kiss. Everything felt so beautifully hazy.

Discord lazily opened his eyes to see Fluttershy wake from her own stupor as well. As she came to and realized Discord was still looking down at her with half lidded eyes, she turned to hide her face with another “Eep”, but Discord wasn’t going to let her run away from him again. He simply shifted her back to face him and placed his forehead against hers. 

“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I may have dreamt of doing that for quite sometime now.”

Not a breath later, Fluttershy pressed her lips against his for a second time. His tail wagged absentmindedly as he could feel her smile against him. “Me too,” she shyly spoke, breaking away and once again leaving him a gooey warm mess of a draconequus. 

Discord slumped to his side with her still tucked beneath his lion arm and a great, blissful sigh. His head was far too lovestruck and light to think of words at the moment. He just wanted to watch her and get lost in those eyes looking up to him. 

Fluttershy reached out to lightly caress his cheek and in a shy, but hopeful voice spoke, “Um, would you maybe like the idea of staying out here with me for the rest of the night? I kinda… don’t want to leave you.” 

“Hmmmmm,” Discord purred happily as he began to curl around her like a dragon guarding its most precious jewel. “I think I like the sound of that.” 

A glowing butterfly drifted back into their willowed canopy and landed on Fluttershy’s nose. “Oh,Discord! Will the butterflies be alright while we sleep?”

He opened an eye and with a chuckle, tenderly lifted the shimmering insect away from her face. “They’re made of pure starlight. They’ll likely disappear as the sun rises.” 

“I see… then will they reappear at night too?” 

“Hmmm… possibly.”

Fluttershy snuggled deeper into his chest; safe and sound. “Would you perhaps want to come back tomorrow night to see if they do?”

Discord pulled her in closer and began to drift off. “That sounds like a perfect idea.”