A harsh storm had rolled into Ponyville when Fluttershy and Discord returned from their polar adventure. Discord was quick to land their sleigh close to the cottage and in the same motion had bundled Fluttershy tightly in their downy quilt and snapped them safely inside.
“That was an unexpected turn,” Discord said, carefully unwrapping Fluttershy and snapping the soaked blanket away. “I hadn’t heard any news of another snowstorm in the area this evening.”
Fluttershy began undressing her cloak and draped it over a nearby chair to dry. “I hadn’t either, but it’s all right. I know all the animals are snug in the burrows they found and we made it back safe as well. I’ll start the fireplace so we can get warmed up.”
Discord gave her a smile and began taking in how lovely Fluttershy had decorated her cottage for them. Only a few candles left lit illuminated the space, but Discord could clearly make out her modestly decorated tree and the very cozy pile of blankets and pillows in front of her open fireplace and stove.
Snapping away his own overcoat, he gladly made his way over to slump into the nest she’d made. As he shimmied in, he couldn’t help but notice the aroma that hung in the air. It smelled heavily of winter pines and…he blushed… her; a perfect blend of honey and holiday spices sprinkling over his nose. With a huff he lowered his head down to the blanket he lay on and was delighted to find it lingering stronger in the fabrics.
The harsh winds outside made the inside of the cottage seem all the quieter and the more safer. All of ponyville, including the animals, had gone silent and had hunkered away in their own nooks and crannies, patiently waiting for the morning. “It really is just the two of us here isn’t it? Here in our own little burrow” Discord thought longingly to himself.
Fluttershy finally emerged from the dark kitchen with a small basket of waxed pine cones. Carefully, she lit each with a match and placed them beneath the logs in her fireplace. It wasn’t long before they had a crackling hearth and could begin to warm up.
Discord loved watching her work. She had no magic, yet she made everything look so easy. She was clever in that way and seemed to enjoy the simple day to day challenges of living as well as taking care of other lives. He admired that so much about her.
“There we go,” she said, rubbing off the leftover traces of wax and sap from her hooves on a spare cloth. “Now you stay right there while I go get our snacks.”
Discord lifted from his daydreams, “Oh, would you like some help?” he offered.
“Nope. You stay cozy and I’ll be right back.”
A few moments later, Fluttershy returned with a plate of fresh baked gingerbread and another plate that puzzled Discord. “What do we have here?”
“Oh, this is a savory snack that I think you’ll like very much.” She excitedly sat beside him and prepared a morsel from the plate that consisted of blue cheese on a wheat cracker, topped off with a small dollop of honey. “Open up.” She softly demanded.
Discord gave her a quizzical smirk, but obeyed. Fluttershy gently placed the treat on his forked tongue and waited for his reaction with poorly restrained glee.
Discord’s eyes grew wide and then fluttered close in exaggerated pleasure. Fluttershy had surprised him yet again. Her odd little snack was a perfect balance of sweet and sour and may have easily become his new favorite. “Absolutely delicious! I never would have thought of that combination, dear!”
Fluttershy giggled. “I knew you’d love that. Now I’ve got one more thing for us.” She quickly trotted back into the kitchen and returned with two steaming mugs. “Here’s another combination I think you’ll appreciate.”
Settling into the blankets beside him, she handed one of the mugs to Discord. He took a long whiff of the swirling potion. It smelled of mint and chocolate and was very creamy, but a tea bag hung from it’s lip. “And what do we have here now?”
“This, Discord, is a tea latte!” Fluttershy said proudly.
Discord’s ears perked in surprise, “A tea latte? Whatever is that?” He had an idea, but enjoyed playing coy with her.
Fluttershy gave her mug a swirl. “It’s essentially just our favorite mint tea steeped in a bit of warm water with hot cocoa.”
At that, Discord excitedly took a small sip. Once again, he was flabbergasted. Of course Fluttershy would find a way to combine both of their favorite things together to make something new and special for the occasion. “Always the clever one,” he thought again to himself. “This is perfect, Fluttershy! I love it!”
“Thank goodness, I’m so happy you do!” she replied with a smile. She took a sip from her own mug and then placed it on the ground beside her with a content sigh. Discord watched as she pulled out a small hollyberry hair tie, seemingly from the air, and began tying up her mane in a loose bun. He couldn’t recall ever seeing her with her mane up before in such a way. He gulped when he caught his eyes sliding down her now fully exposed neck. It was a very, VERY lovely look for her. “T-trying out a new look are we?” he nervously stammered.
“Oh, not really,” Fluttershy responded. “It’s just getting a little long and gets in the way sometimes.”
Discord tried to stop his next words from spilling out, but failed miserably. “Well, you look very pretty with it up.” He thanked Scorpan that in the dim fire light, his crimson face likely couldn’t be seen.
“Oh!” Fluttershy turned to hide her own sudden blush. “Thank you.”
The night was nearing the midnight hour that would strike the official day of Hearth’s Warming. Fluttershy had enthusiastically retold the story of the first Hearth’s Warming to Discord in great detail as they finished their snacks and minty drinks.
“And that’s what Hearth’s Warming is all about. Ponies coming together despite their differences to make something better. So we gather with friends and loved ones on this day in remembrance,” she finished.
“I see, I see,” Discord replied with a smile.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Fluttershy sprang from their plush nest and flew to retrieve the gift from beneath her tree. She gently landed back down and extended the box to Discord.
“Since we’re giving gifts early, I think it’s fair that you have this tonight,” she said softly.
Discord gave her another warm smile and began unwrapping the mismatched paper from the box. With a gasp, he lifted out from it an extra long, hoofknitted, red sweater with black trimmings. On the front was a perfectly detailed cyclone pattern. He was at a loss for words. Fluttershy’s knitting skills had certainly improved and he couldn’t help but wear it immediately with a snap of his claws. It was exceptionally soft, he noted. He pawed the hem and felt a lump in the bottom trim. He turned it up to reveal an embroidered tag sewn into the seam that sported three pink butterflies and a heart.
“Do you like it?” Fluttershy asked, looking up at him with just a hint of concern.
“Do I like it? Fluttershy, I love it!” He bellowed and scooped her in close. “This is the greatest, Hearth’s Warming I think I could ever have!”
Fluttershy giggled as he swung her in a circle before placing her back down into the blanket pile and nestled back into his spot as well.
“I’m so happy I get to share this Hearth’s Warming with you, Discord, and that you’re having a good time too,” she hummed.
Discord rested his chin in his palms and wagged his tail tufts. “Well, I’m glad that I get to share it with you, my dear.”
Fluttershy looked away, hoping to again hide her blush again.
Discord was beginning to drift off into his own little fantasies once more, but that’s when a stray sprig of Juniper on the ground caught his attention. “Oh that’s right!” He thought. “That funny little plant that Spike gave me.”
“Um, Fluttershy?”
She looked up to him with a smile.
“Spike gave me something odd in the marketplace earlier today and had said that you might be able to tell me what it is. You know the way Spike is, but would you mind taking a look at it for me? I think it may be Hearth’s Warming related.”
“Oh, of course, Discord. I’d love to help,” she responded.
With that, Discord conjured the white berried leaf cluster in his paw and extended it to show her.
“Kind of a pretty little thing isn’t it?”
Fluttershy's eyes grew wide.
"Oh, um," she coughed into her hoof. Her throat suddenly very dry.
"T-that's… m-mistletoe…"
"Mistletoe?" Discord retorted. "That's a silly sounding name. It seems to lack both toes AND missiles! what does this little thing have to do with Hearth’s Warming?" He said, looking it over.
Fluttershy fidgeted uncomfortably and kept her eyes lowered. With her mane pulled back, she had nothing to hide her evergrowing blush behind. Discord was clearly innocent here and was just asking her a question about a small tradition. It'd be incredibly rude not to answer him truthfully.
"Well, um… nopony knows exactly where the tradition really came from, but it's a plant that grows in the treetops during winter and likely was originally used as a symbol of love and peace"
Discord thumbed the little berries thoughtfully. "Well, doesn't that sound sweet?"
Fluttershy kept her eyes down. "Um… usually ponies hang it from the ceiling and..and"
"Oh, like this?" With a snap of his free talon, the humble little sprig now hung just above them from Fluttershy’s ceiling.
"Eep! Oh, Discord, no! I-I wasn't finished…"
Fluttershy hunkered her face into her hooves.
Discord was incredibly confused and inched a bit closer, gently pulling her hooves away from her face. He was surprised to see that she was the same shade of red as her holly hair tie.
"Fluttershy, what in Equestria is the matter? Surely this poor little plant can't harm us?" He joked.
Fluttershy could now see the concern in his face. He truly didn't know.
She scooted away from his touch slightly and with a gulp finally spoke, "Discord… ponies are traditionally supposed to… to… to kiss… under the Mistletoe."
Discord reared back, his cheeks now matching the same tint as Fluttershy’s.
"Oh, oh!" He chuckled, nervously stroking the back of his neck. "T-that's, t-that's certainly a funny tradition isn't it? You ponies, always coming up with such wacky things! It's pretty impressive!"
Fluttershy couldn’t answer him. This certainly was not in her plans for the evening, but she kicked herself inwardly for having the faintest wish that something like it would. She always knew that this would be his reaction to something so forwardly romantic towards her, and was foolish to think otherwise. She was sinking her own heart and could feel slight tears begin to swell behind her eyes. She was about to apologize and excuse herself when she heard Discord speak.
"Um… is it a couple exclusive tradition...or… or… are friendly kisses accepted?"
It took every ounce of courage to piece his words together, but he didn't quite feel like it was him speaking; perhaps it was something deeper. Whatever it was, he couldn’t stop it. He waited with a nervous smile for her answer, desperately trying to hide his shaking claws by clasping them together.
Fluttershy turned to him slowly, both in confusion and a hint of shock. "Um… pardon?"
She looked so beautiful, Discord thought. The firelight danced on her face and in her watery, teal eyes. "Um," he choked. "Can… can friends also participate in um…" He glanced up to the mistletoe dangling above them… waiting.
Fluttershy tried to find her words. Did he WANT to kiss her?
"I um, I-I don't think that's against the rules," she whispered in a shaking voice.
Discord gripped his back claws into Fluttershy’s wood floor, for fear that he'd shoot straight through her roof. Does she WANT me to kiss her? Does she actually want-?
"Um…" she quickly added. "Only if you uh… want to, of course."
"Oh, I do!" Discord exclaimed far, far louder and more excited than he intended. He quickly covered his own muzzle with a claw and cursed himself. "But, um… only if you also want to, my dear."
This was all so incredibly awkward, but Fluttershy knew that she had to answer. Summoning all of her own courage once more she spoke, "I… would like to, Discord."
Discord shivered at the sound of his name leaving her lips.
Gingerly he settled himself closer to her. Fluttershy could feel her bashfulness beginning to get the best of her yet again, and tried desperately not to shake. She angled herself adjacent to him, but still found it hard to look at him face to face and so…close.
Discord gripped himself further into the floor. She was so close. “Is this really happening?” He couldn’t stop thinking. He could feel her nervousness and desperately didn’t want to offend her, should he show hesitation now. Then she finally met him with her eyes; those luminous eyes of hers with firelight flickering wildly in them, looking straight into his…pleading. Discord could feel it now. Here amidst the storm, she could be his and he could be hers. He just needed to show her.
Carefully he brought his lion paw up to cup her face and thumbed away a few loose strands of her mane.
Fluttershy gasped at his gentle touch and let him pull her forward. She feared her heart could beat straight out her chest and then… they met.
Their lips found each other in a soft, delicate peck and just as quickly, they parted.
Discord still kept his paw cupped around her face. He felt indescribably dizzy, but then… he felt Fluttershy gently lean back into him.
His eyes opened wide to see Fluttershy lightly pressing herself further into his lips again... he could taste her; sweet winter spices and mint. He daringling brought his talon up to her other cheek and deepened their kiss, begging entrance with his forked tongue across her lips. Fluttershy moaned slightly in surprise, but quickly found herself surrendering. Discord reciprocated by beginning to coil himself closer to her.
All around them had fallen away, at least it felt like it had. Time meant nothing. The storm meant nothing. All that mattered was the feeling of their lips perfectly locked together and the tingling firecracker sensations running up their bodies and then melting together like hot, gooey chocolate syrup.
Slowly, and a little reluctantly, they parted for air.
The chiming of a clock somewhere in the dark of the cottage signaled the midnight hour and broke them from their lingering stupor.
Fluttershy hid her blushing cheeks into Discord’s palm and brought her own hooves up to meet them.
"Um… happy Hearth’s Warming, Discord," she whispered.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Fluttershy,” He said, tenderly pressing his forehead to hers and then his muzzle into the crook of her neck.