//------------------------------//
// Kindness and Chaos 
// Story: New Year's Kiss 
// by scarves-n-converse 
//------------------------------//

Discord was restless, to say the least. Fluttershy had gone to the Ponyville New Year Celebration, and had left the cottage in his hands. Flutters had asked her new housemate if he wanted to join her at the festival, but the draconequus had declined. 

"Are you sure you don't want to go? There'll be refreshments and fireworks and--"

"No!" Maybe he shouldn't have yelled so loudly at her. She looked definitely ready to cry. "N-no, Fluttershy. Thank you." His answer softened. Flutters shook away the tears forming in her eyes and smiled.

"Alright. But if you change your mind, just head down to town square, okay?"

Discord didn't know why she persisted so. Petty pony parties were no events for the Lord of Chaos.

Discord finally lay down on the couch in the living room, sighing.

Even if he did go, the party guests would just run away from him. Nobody wanted to hang with the creature who had tried to drown them in a flood of disorder. And Discord didn't mind. They could have their silly celebrations without him, and that was perfectly okay.

Well, he told himself that it was perfectly okay.

Suddenly, a tap came on the draconequus' shoulder, diverting him from his thoughts. "Huh-- what?" Discord looked down to the floor to see that annoying demon-spawn, Angel Bunny, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "What do you want, runt?"

The rabbit kept tapping. Discord ignored him, closing his eyes and laying back his head. The noise grew louder. Soon the draconequus couldn't take it anymore. He opened his eyes, ready to strangle the thing. "Will you ever so kindly knock it off?! ...Huh?" Angel was holding a photograph of fireworks going off in the night sky. "Uh, no! I don't want to go to the fireworks at midnight, thank you very much!"

The tapping ceased, and Discord went back to his relaxation. Only seconds later, the demon-child resorted to jumping on him. Discord snatched Angel out of the air by the throat. His eye twitched. "Can you not even let me have a moment of--" then he saw another picture in the rabbit's paw.

It was a photo of the draconequus and Fluttershy at a carnival. The yellow pegasus had her hooves wrapped tightly around Discord, and yet it didn't look like he was reluctant to the hug. He was embracing the mare right back. that was such a fun day, Discord remembered. The most fun I'd had in thousands of years... But he quickly shook the memory off.

"If you're trying to imply that I have feelings for her, you can just..." then Angel started to make kissing faces. Discord rolled his eyes. "Kid, if you want a romantic moment, go look for one of your own kind!" But then he started to remember. He'd heard about the traditional New Year's Eve kiss. Was this spawn of fire implying that... "No! No way, no how, just, no! I am not..."

Now Angel had pulled out from nowhere a picture of Fluttershy at a wedding, perhaps one of her relative's. She was smiling, but there was a subtle... sense in her. Longing. Discord wasn't stupid. He knew that look in her eyes because... he'd felt it before.

Was Fluttershy really that much like Discord himself? Did she feel so alone, like he had those thousands of years ago when he was rejected time and time again? She wasn't exactly hard to look at, and her personality was likeable, a bit too timid, but likeable.

What stallion wouldn't want Fluttershy as their special some pony? Why, if Discord was a stallion... the draconequus sighed. Angel Bunny looked up at him with a face that said "and so the truth flows forth."

Discord jumped up from the couch, snapping his lion paw, making a formal suit appear on his body. "Hold on, my little pony!" he proclaimed. He nearly knocked down Angel as he flew out the door, fast as a bullet. The rabbit smiled to himself as he grabbed a carrot and began to munch.

The love expert's work is done here.


***


It was seconds from the clock striking twelve. Every pony pulled their special some pony close. Every pony but Fluttershy, that is. But Flutters just smiled. Oh, how she'd longed every year for someone someday to give her a traditional New Year's kiss.

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted into the air and someone else's lips touching hers... just as the midnight bells rang.

Every pony gasped. But then they started to cheer as the fireworks went off, illuminating the kiss that Fluttershy was sharing. The pegasus eventually opened her eyes and was pleasantly surprised to see her admirer. When the two had landed, Fluttershy let go and simply hugged Discord, whispering, "Thank you."

The draconequus hugged the pony as well. "You're welcome, Fluttershy."

From then on, Fluttershy knew she'd likely not be lonely again anytime soon.