After cluttering his kitchen, Discord checked his calendar. His weekly tea party with Fluttershy was tomorrow but he honestly didn't feel like waiting a whole day. Besides, from last week's tea, he deduced that she was running herself ragged. A break from her Sanctuary duties was exactly what she needed and what kind of best friend would he be if he didn't give that to her?
Mind made up, he snapped himself to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, hiding in a nearby tree in hopes of surprising his favorite pony. She was fairly easy to spot, walking across a wooden bridge.
"Anypony know where that useless list of Fluttershy's chores is?"
What?
Discord leaned in closer, eyes narrowing in suspicion. This pony looked and smelled like his Fluttershy but the way she carried herself was wrong. She was practically dragging her hooves and the animals all looked wary in her presence.
"Hey Fluttershy!"
Discord's ears perked up. He'd totally missed Dr. Fauna tending to a family of raccoons.
"I was starting to wonder if you'd make it back."
Make it back? From where?
"Fluttershy! Oh, yeah!" 'Fluttershy' said, rubbing the back of her head, "Uh, that's me. Definitely Fluttershy! A hundred percent."
Dr. Fauna found this response strange while Discord was livid. He hunched up and prepared to spring from the tree to attack this imposter when the next words out of their mouth took him completely by surprise.
"See how shy I am?" Fake Fluttershy said, holding her hoof to her cheek. "I talk to animals. I want to marry Discord."
Discord literally fell out of the tree. An inch away from hitting the ground, he stopped himself and clamped his paw over his mouth.
She wants to WHAT?!
So many times Discord had dreamt of Fluttershy confessing such things. This would have been the best conversation he'd ever overheard, except it wasn't her. Anger began to boil within Discord's chest. How dare this charlatan trick his emotions with words! How dare they impersonate Fluttershy!
He watched, his eyes trained on the interloper as she very poorly tended to all the animals.
Time to find out who you really are.
He watched Impostershy walk away from a fire lizard and a snake, tossing Fluttershy's To Do List over her shoulder.
Just a little closer.
Impostershy walked past his bush and Discord struck like a cobra. Yanking the pony into the shrubbery, he slammed her down onto the ground and covered her mouth with his tail tuft so she wouldn't scream.
Impostershy's eyes widened in terror as the full might of Discord’s wrath rained down upon them.
"Hello," he hissed, his voice deep and menacing. "Now, you may be wondering what warranted this unexpected attack? I'll happily tell you. In case you didn't know, I am Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, and I have every reason to unleash my wrath and destroy you because you're impersonating my best friend. So, are you going to tell me who you really are and what you've done with the real Fluttershy or do I need to toss you into the depths of Tartarus and let the monsters feast on your carcass?"
Impostershy looked positively petrified at the thought. She quickly lifted her hooves and tugged on Discord's tail.
The draconequus narrowed his eyes. "If you start to scream, I'll remove your voice before anypony can hear. Understand?"
She nodded.
He removed his tail.
"Will you get off me, you stupid goat snake?!"
Discord blinked. Goat snake? He’d been called that before but there was only one creature that ever said it with that specific amount of contempt. Changing his pupils, Discord looked past the body to see the soul beneath. Suspicions confirmed, he stared down at the pony, completely startled.
"Angel?" he cried. "What in Equestria are you doing in Fluttershy's body?!"
"It's not my fault!" the bunny-pony snapped. "Fluttershy and I weren't getting along so Zecora gave us some kind of potion to fix things- whatever that means." He rolled his eyes. "Next thing I knew, I was Fluttershy and she was me."
"And where exactly is Fluttershy?" Discord demanded.
"She thought Zecora gave us the wrong potion so she went to confront her about it, leaving me to do all of her stupid chores."
"Let me get this straight, you let Fluttershy venture into the Everfree Forest alone as a poor, defenseless bunny?"
"She can handle herself," Angel said, trying not to appear nervous by the dangerous growl in Discord’s voice.
"Oh, really? Could you handle yourself in the same situation?"
"Of course not! I'm not stupid enough to venture into that place by myself! I'd get eaten alive!"
Discord slammed Angel back down on the ground, trying to ignore that it was Fluttershy's body currently beneath him. He leaned his head in close, his eyes bearing into those teal orbs that he loved but at the moment seemed so foreign.
"I'll tell you this, little white demon, if anything has happened to Fluttershy, anything at all, I will personally see to it that you and Zecora will never see the light of day again.”
Angel visibly gulped.
“Now,” Discord continued, “I'm going to go into that forest to find her and you are going to clean up the mess you've created."
"What mess?" Angel demanded, bravely pushing Discord's paw away.
"Oh please," Discord scoffed, "I'm the Master of Chaos. Do you think I can't recognize the railroad job you have going on here? For instance, After taking away its cookies, that snake you just left decided to go off and eat the elephant."
"He what?!"
"Better get on it skipper," Discord smirked, his eyes glinting, "I'd hate to see what Fluttershy will do when she finds out how poorly you've taken care of her Sanctuary. Not to mention the complaints that will arise from other ponies and animals. Oh, I can see it now. Awful reviews, possible loss of her business… Her very dream up in flames! You wouldn't want to be the reason that happens now, would you?"
Angel gulped. "I-I think I hear the cry of an elephant. I’d better go look into that."
“Good idea," Discord snorted, crossing his arms and watching him go.
Angel suddenly twisted around and pointed a hoof at him. "You'd better bring her back in one piece!"
"Don’t worry,” he said, rolling his eyes, “Your fluffy body will be fine."
"That's not what I'm concerned about!" he snapped. "I may be upset with her but that doesn't mean I don't love her. And, just so we're clear, not in the way you do."
Discord failed to hide his blush as he snapped, "Just take care of the animals, you nitwit."
The two parted ways, Discord teleporting straight into the forest, Angel running off to rescue an elephant.
Fluttershy was so incredibly frustrated! Twilight and Spike had been right there and yet neither of them understood her. Was this what Angel had to deal with every day? Sure, the other animals understood him but she was his only link to speaking with other ponies. Her poor bunny; no wonder he was angry with her.
She made a silent vow that after this whole mess was fixed she’d do her best to give Angel her attention as often as she could.
Dread filled her tiny body at the sight of a fallen log in the middle of the path. Her first attempt to climb it using the shelf fungus failed so she searched around for another possible solution. To her immense relief, the trunk had split, leaving an opening! She hopped through it and took a breath. Her poor little body was exhausted. It was then that she noticed the second fallen trunk. It blocked the path the same as the first except, this time, there wasn’t an opening. She pounded a tiny paw against the log and cursed, throwing up her hands.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she squeaked aloud only to freeze in horror.
Perched on a branch, its yellow eyes staring straight at her, was an eagle. It spread its wings and took off with lightning speed. Fluttershy only had seconds to try to escape. She turned tail and hopped for the bushes. She was so close! Hope filled her little chest. She was going to-
She screamed as the eagle’s fierce talons dug into her flesh, the bird scooping her off the ground. Fluttershy flailed in panic as the forest fell away beneath her. She tried twisting in her captor’s grasp but it was useless; the more she squirmed, the tighter the eagle’s hold became. She would lose her ability to breathe if she struggled further so she forced herself to remain still despite the turmoil raging inside her tiny body. She knew she was hurt; she could feel the sting from the cuts where the eagle had grabbed her and smell the blood staining her fur. She was in trouble and nopony would be able to help or hear her.
She was going to die.
The first thing she thought of when coming to this realization was Discord and her regret for not confessing her feelings. She’d had so many opportunities, so many missed chances, but she’d cowered behind her fear of him possibly ending their friendship because of such a declaration. She loved the draconequus with all her heart and now he would never know. She would have even accepted an immortal life at his side if it were possible! But now it was too late. She’d missed her chance.
She began to cry.
Her tears only intensified when she thought of her friends and family. None of them would know what had happened to her. Well, Angel would tell them that she’d gone into the woods, but none of them would find her bunny body. And poor Angel would be stuck as a pony, never knowing just how sorry she was.
There were so many things she still wanted to do with her life! She’d only just settled into her dream job. She’d conquered some of her fears but not all. This was completely and totally unfair!
The eagle began its descent and Fluttershy knew she only had seconds before she would be devoured within its nest. She did the only thing she possibly could. She screamed.
“DISCOOOORD!!!!”
The eagle landed in its nest. Staring death in the face, Fluttershy’s chest heaved for air. This was it. This was the end. A second passed. The eagle lunged forward. Fluttershy screamed the scream of all prey before death.
But death never came.
It took her a moment to realize that no sharp beak had broken her body. Chest still heaving, Fluttershy looked up and gasped at the most welcome pair of eyes she’d ever seen.
“Discord!” she cried, her tears of fear quickly transforming into ones of relief.
She would have launched herself at him but she was still too shocked to move. Discord glanced at her in concern before turning to the eagle he held in his claw. The poor bird was frantically trying to escape, screeching, clawing, and pecking every inch of Discord’s eagle arm. Annoyed, the draconequus roared at the bird before flinging it like a master buckballer. The bird was a speck on the horizon in seconds.
Part of Fluttershy was sorry to see such harsh treatment to an animal; it was only doing what was natural, after all. But a greater part of her was happy the immediate threat was gone. She tried to move but Discord stilled her, placing a very delicate paw on her furry chest.
“Hang on,” he muttered, snapping up some medicine and bandages. With another snap, he tended to her wounds, the cuts stinging something fierce as the antiseptic touched the tender flesh. Once the bandages were in place, Discord scooped her up like he would a delicate flower and hugged her tightly to his chest.
Fluttershy’s whole body warmed both from embarrassment and delight. He’d never held her this long before. So many nights she’d longed for him to cuddle her like he was doing now, cradling her head and stroking her back. She snuggled deeper into his chest, breathing his scent, seeking and finding the security she so desperately needed.
“It’s okay,” he muttered, his thumb stroking her tiny back. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. It’s over now.”
Fluttershy sobbed, her little paws gripping parts of his chest fur as she rubbed her face against him.
“I was so scared!” she cried.
“I know,” Discord muttered, flying her away from the nest as fast as he could.
“I didn’t know,” she gasped, her breath hitching in her throat, “I didn’t know if you’d hear me.”
“I will always hear you,” he muttered.
Landing on a cloud but keeping her safely propped against his chest with his paw, he waited until she’d gotten control over her emotions. He reached forward to catch her tears but stopped when he noticed his talons. He quickly pulled them back.
Fluttershy saw. “Wait!” she cried, throwing out her paws. He looked at her, a silent question in his eyes. She took a deep breath. “I don’t ever want to be afraid of any part of you. Could you…?”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
She nodded.
Frowning, Discord very slowly brought his talon back towards her. Fluttershy watched him come, appreciating the deliberately gradual movement. He placed his talon on her back. She flinched. He began pulling away but she encouraged him to leave it there.
“Fluttershy,” he protested.
“It’s okay,” she breathed, closing her eyes. “Give me a minute.”
Discord waited, studying her silently.
Fluttershy internally envisioned Discord, focusing solely on the talon hand he’d used before to caress her cheek. She thought of the tenderness behind that touch, of the warmth she felt from it now as it rested against her back. She relaxed and smiled. She knew this hand; she would always know it. And it would never hurt her.
She opened her eyes, her smile growing. Discord hesitantly smiled back.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked her.
Fluttershy nodded. “I think I will be. Don’t ever hesitate to touch me unless I ask you not to, okay?”
“Okay.”
Another moment passed before she fully realized she was straddling his chest. Blushing furiously, she squeaked and nearly slipped off.
“Careful!” Discord admonished, clutching her safely within his hands. “You’re not a pegasus right now.”
“Right,” she muttered, still blushing furiously.
He stared at her strangely. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said, unable to meet his eyes. “I just want all of this to be over.”
"I still don't understand why that zebra thought this was a good idea," Discord grumbled. "I have half a mind to make her live through what you did."
"Oh, please, don't," said Fluttershy, placing a small paw over his large one. The size difference was rather comical. "Zecora was only trying to help."
"Yes, because literally walking a mile in somepony else's shoes was so incredibly helpful," he spat. "You would have died today, Fluttershy!"
"But I didn't," she assured. "Thanks to you."
"I still can't believe it took me so long to find you."
"You were looking for me?"
Discord then shared his encounter with Impostershy aka Angel and how he'd followed the trail Fluttershy left behind until it disappeared.
"I knew you'd been picked up by a bird because of the claw marks," he said, waving his talon. "I was searching for nearby nests when I heard you scream. I teleported just in time."
He cuddled her close to his chest and angled his head so she couldn't see his face.
"You have no idea what I would have done if I had lost you."
Fluttershy's eyes once again filled with tears. "Discord-"
"Come on," he said gruffly, leaping off the cloud and tucking her safely in the crook of his arm, "Let's go see if that demon rabbit of yours has fixed everything."
"Fixed everything?"
Discord didn't elaborate. He flew through the air, his body steady and warm all around her. Not wanting to see the world from this far up knowing she didn't have wings, Fluttershy burrowed into Discord's fur, closed her eyes, and breathed in the magnificent scent of candy and syrup; he always smelt different- one of the many things she loved about him.
Discord landed in Sweet Feather Sanctuary a few minutes later. Angel came running.
"What happened to her?!" he cried, seeing the bandages on the bunny's body.
"She got picked up by an eagle."
Angel and Dr. Fauna gasped, the latter rushing over with a medical kit.
Discord delicately placed Fluttershy on a pillow and stepped back to let the doctor examine the wounds.
"You did well, Discord," Dr. Fauna complimented. "I'm just going to redress the wounds. Poor Angel."
"Yes," Discord growled, staring at Impostershy, "poor Angel."
But Angel only had eyes for Fluttershy. Despite the hurt she was feeling, the ‘bunny’ managed to send the ‘pony’ a smile.
"I honestly don't know how you do it everyday," said Angel. "This place is so much work!"
"So is being a bunny!" said Fluttershy. "I can’t believe you live like this everyday."
"Well, I can't believe you work here everyday. These animals are crazy! No wonder you don't have time for me."
"Well, your life is hard too," Fluttershy said, holding out a paw.
"My life is hard? No. Your life is hard!"
"Oh, Angel, I feel so bad! I don’t think I’ve ever fully appreciated all you do for me.”
"No,” he countered, “I never appreciated you!"
Fluttershy began to cry. "I'm sorry, Angel."
"I'm sorry too!" Angel cried, picking her up. "Come here you little pony who is a bunny who is a pony!"
Fluttershy hugged Angel as hard as she could. Her body began to tingle with magic. In an instant, she felt her spirit pull out of Angel's body and resettle within her own.
She gasped and opened her eyes. "Oh my goodness! I'm back! I'm a pony again!"
She leapt up and kicked out her back legs in joy. Angel also hopped into the air and slapped his feet together before doing a little bunny jig.
"Oh, Angel," she said, "I promise to always make time for you from now on!"
"Maybe you won't have to," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"I'd like to join the predator/prey support group."
Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure?"
Angel nodded. "That way I can spend more time with you and help out around this crazy place."
"Oh, Angel!"
They shared another hug before Discord cleared his throat, reminding them he was still there.
Before Fluttershy could address him, however, Dr. Fauna stepped in.
"Can somepony please explain to me what is going on?"
"It's simple, Doc," said Discord. "Zecora had the brilliant idea to switch their bodies so they could learn a lesson. Of course, she didn't think to consider how dangerous it would be. Let's let her know this little scheme of hers wasn't appreciated."
He was about to snap his fingers when Fluttershy reached up and grabbed his paw. He looked at her questioningly.
"While it was dangerous,” she said, “I really do appreciate what happened."
"What?" Discord cried, shocked. "You appreciate nearly being ripped apart by an eagle?"
Fluttershy winced but held her ground. "Yes, because it helped me understand Angel."
Discord snorted, folding his arms. "I still think that zebra overstepped her boundaries. Souls shouldn't be messed with."
"The next time I see her, I'll ask her not to do it again."
Discord huffed but let it go. "Fine. I am glad you're back to normal, Flutters. Say, mind if we take a short walk? There's something I need to talk to you about. Alone."
Bewildered, she nodded, promising Dr. Fauna and Angel that she'd be back soon.
She followed Discord away from the Sanctuary, the two wandering a little further into the woods before he stopped and turned to face her. Leaning casually against a tree, he smirked. That look immediately sent Fluttershy on high alert. This was the face Discord made when he was up to something.
"So, my dear," he said, "When I arrived at Sweet Feather Sanctuary this morning, I overheard Angel talking to Dr. Fauna. He was trying to convince her that he was you."
"Oh." Fluttershy frowned. "What did he say?"
"Just that you're shy and can talk to animals. Oh! And I almost forgot! He also said you want to marry me."
Fluttershy gasped, her pupils shrinking as she stared up at him, frozen in shock. He chuckled and her face turned as pink as her hair.
Discord buffed his talons against his chest, examining them before looking up at her. "You wouldn't happen to know why he would say that, would you?"
Fluttershy wanted to crawl in a hole and die. She could not believe Angel would blab her biggest secret! And now the very subject of her affections was standing before her, fully aware of how she felt! This was a disaster!
"Fluttershy?" Discord prompted.
Fluttershy hid behind her mane. She couldn't look at him. She was terrified of the rejection she was sure to find there. There was no way the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony would be in love with her. This was a foal's dream and she was a fool for thinking it could ever work.
"Shyfly?"
She whimpered as Discord gently swiped her mane away from her face. To her immense surprise, his talons lingered, caressing her cheek. Against her better judgment, she opened her eyes. What she found shocked her.
Discord's face was mere inches from hers, his eyes filled with nothing but tenderness. He smiled reassuringly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," he muttered.
Fluttershy shivered in pleasure at the deep tone, her breath hitching as he drew closer.
"You… mean it?" she said, her eyes getting lost in his.
Discord nodded. He leaned closer but stopped, hesitating. Fluttershy put his nerves to rest by closing the distance. Their lips met and electric sparks flew down Fluttershy's body.
The kiss was innocent, short, and wonderful. The two quickly pulled away, faces on fire and sheepish smiles climbing their cheeks.
"That was…" Discord began.
"Nice," Fluttershy finished.
"Yeah." Discord glanced at her before clearing his throat. "Um, Fluttershy?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind, um, marrying me someday?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened and he quickly rambled, "Of course, we don't have to get married right away! We could date for a while first and then get engaged; do things properly."
Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled. Discord stopped talking, slapping a paw over his face. Taking pity on him, Fluttershy flew up and gently removed his paw.
She cupped his face and stared straight into his mismatched pupils. "I would love to marry you someday, Discord," she confessed.
"You would? What Angel said was true?"
"Uh-huh."
"So," he said, a hopeful smile on his face, "Special someponies?"
"That sounds like a great place to start," she said, returning the smile.
Discord picked her up and spun her around. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" he shouted with glee. "Let's go celebrate!"
Fluttershy laughed, allowing him to whisk her off to Sugar Cube Corner for their very first date.
She'd have to remember to thank both Zecora and Angel; without them, this never would have happened.