//------------------------------//
// First Impressions 
// Story: The Disharmonizers 
// by ApplauseJunkie 
//------------------------------//

"I hope you will find this comfortable," Derpy said, as she showed Fluttershy into one of the guest suites on the fifth floor below the surface underneath the old castle. The floors were numbered in opposite order, so the first floor was the top, the one closest to the surface. Fluttershy hadn't spoken a word on the elevator ride down, but now she wandered her room, and found it wanting for nothing. The bed was soft, the windowsills were clean, everything was comfortable. She turned to Derpy and nodded. "Thank you."

The blonde woman turned to leave their guest alone in her new quarters, and nearly ran headlong into her boss as Discord came flying down the corridor. Derpy dove aside just in time, and Discord burst into Fluttershy's room, causing her to squeal in surprise.

"Fluttershy! In order to demonstrate how welcome you are among our little band of rebels, I have brought you a gift!" And he held out the kitten in his hands, which looked up at her with terrified eyes after being carried at top speed down five flights of stairs.

Fluttershy blinked at the little creature, then silently took it from Discord's hands, gently cradling it against her chest. Discord watched her with an eager smile on his face, admiring how graceful and delicate her little hands were with the furry animal.

She looked up at him and murmured, "Thank you." Discord did his best to hide his disappointment when no smile appeared on her face.

"Yes, well, I'll leave you two alone then. Dinner will be at seven. I'll arrange a private meal for the two of us so that you won't feel overwhelmed by meeting everyone at once."

Fluttershy just nodded silently, looking back down at the kitten. "What's its name?" she asked.

"Uh..." Discord had forgotten most people name their animals. "I'll let you name it, my dear. It's yours, after all."

This, finally, had the desired effect. She offered him a weak smile. He grinned back at her, then started for the door. 

When she was alone with her new friend, Fluttershy looked down at the kitten and considered it. She decided to wait to name her until they had gotten to know each other a little better. Letting the kitten jump onto the bed, she sat down next to it and took a deep breath. It had been a long day. Her train had been hijacked, she had been threatened at gunpoint, she had met Discord, the most feared man in Equestria, and he had given her a kitten.

It was odd, but it seemed as if Discord actually wanted her to feel safe and welcome at the Disharmony Headquarters. Fluttershy looked down at her new friend, who was curiously exploring the bed. Why would he take such trouble to make her feel comfortable? Shouldn't a hostage be kept in fear of their life at all times? The tattooed man could snap his fingers and kill her just as easily as he had offered her a gift, invited her to dine with him. She shivered at the thought of being alone with Discord, and glanced nervously at the clock. It was already past six.

At ten minutes to seven, Derpy knocked gently on her door, and waited patiently until a pale and shaking Fluttershy opened it. Derpy frowned. "Are you all right, Miss Fluttershy?" she asked, as she began to lead her down the hall to the elevator.

"Y-yes," Fluttershy whispered, but it was far from convincing.

The blonde woman smiled gently at her as they entered the elevator and descended deeper into the earth. "You don't need to be afraid of him, Miss. He won't hurt you."

The look in Fluttershy's teal eyes said she didn't believe her.

Derpy sighed and shook her head. "You'll see," she said finally. "There's a reason his followers are so loyal to him."

The elevator doors dinged open to reveal a lavishly decorated dining hall. Fluttershy gasped and stared around at the decor, wandering further into the room as her eyes trailed over every wall.

The room was not extremely large, but every wall was covered in dark red velvet draperies, which came together in the center of the ceiling, with a spiral crystal chandelier hanging from the center. On the end of the room opposite the doors that Fluttershy and Derpy had just walked through was a huge ornate fireplace with a magical fire blazing in it, the dancing flames a light purple instead of orange. In the center of the room stood a glossy wooden table, its four legs carved into four different designs: a goat's hoof, a lion's paw, a lizard's claw, and an eagle's talon. The chairs were equally grand, with the same mismatched legs, and in the center of the table stood a golden candelabra, whose blood-red candles each burnt with purple flame.

As Fluttershy stood in awe, Derpy backed out of the room and Discord materialized beside the table, dressed in a sleek black suit, which appeared to be made out of some kind of snakeskin. He bowed deeply. "Welcome, Miss Fluttershy. I'm so delighted that you're here." He straightened up and looked her over, raising an eyebrow. "Hm." Vanishing and reappearing beside her, he circled her critically. "My dear, you simply cannot dine wearing that."

She stared at her feet, color rushing to her face. It hadn't occurred to her that she might be expected to dress up to have dinner with the Lord of Chaos. But Discord was smiling. "We'll soon fix that!" He snapped his fingers and a trio of mirrors surrounded them. "Let's see, what would look best on you?" 

Discord snapped his fingers again, and Fluttershy gasped as a slinky black evening dress appeared on her body, made of the same snakeskin material as Discord's suit. She wiggled uncomfortably, blushing furiously at the low neckline and tight fit of the dress. Discord frowned. "No, huh? Well, we could do..." he snapped his fingers again and a voluminious golden gown appeared on her instead, with long gloves that passed her elbows and a golden tiara in her hair. Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest, but he was already shaking his head. "No, that won't do. Not for a first dinner. How about..." One more snap of the fingers and Fluttershy gasped. She was dressed in a high-waisted gown, with a pink flowing skirt with a short train. The bodice was a soft spring green, decorated with a garland of real lillies that formed a modest neckline and floral straps over her shoulders. Her hair had been pulled up and decorated with matching lillies, and on her feet were a pair of green sandals.

"Discord, it's..." She trailed off, staring at herself in the mirrors.

"...perfect," he finished for her, smiling as he watched her admire his handiwork.

She turned to smile at him. "Thank you."

The gesture caught him off-guard and Discord suddenly felt as though his knees might give out. He reached up to adjust his tie, his single oversized canine glinting in the candlelight as he smiled back at her. Seeing her in that dress had already made him uneasy, but nothing could have prepared him for how incredibly beautiful that woman was when she smiled. Her simple expression of gratitude nearly swept him off his feet. It was a long moment before Discord realized he should probably say something. "Oh, um, you're welcome, not at all, yes." He swallowed. "It fits you beautifully."

Fluttershy blushed a little and went back to looking at herself in the mirrors. After a while, she looked around at the room again. "Did you make all of this, too?" She asked, gesturing to the draperies and the chandelier.

Discord nodded, looking around. "Mhm. Might have gone a bit overboard with the red..." He snapped his fingers and the red draperies were covered with embroidered golden rose vines. Fluttershy gasped again and covered her mouth with her hands in delight. "Wow," she whispered. "I never knew your magic could do things like that..."

"What sort of things did you expect, my dear guest?"

"Well..." she trailed off, staring at her feet. 

He frowned. "What is it?"

Fluttershy hesitated, afraid of what might happen if she offended him. "Th-they say you can use your magic to...hurt people."

"So can Celestia."

Fluttershy looked up, appalled. "But she wouldn't!"

Discord crossed his arms. "And who told you that I would?"

She stared at him, caught. Her mouth closed and she looked down, ashamed. "E-everyone says so."

"Everyone? Has anyone who's actually met me said so?"

"I don't know anyone who has actually met you."

"But you have met me yourself. Have I hurt anyone to your immediate knowledge?" He subtly waved the mirrors away so that they were alone once again in the dining hall, not even their reflections to see them. She looked up at him, confused. She could name no one; every person that she thought he had harmed was here, and seemed happier for it. His eyes met hers and almost involuntarily, he took a step towards her. "I wish to give you no reason to fear me, my dear."

Fluttershy stared up at him, though whether she was paralyzed from fear or something else she couldn't say. There was something in the quickness of his eyes as they darted over her face, lingering on her lips, before meeting hers again that fascinated her. Her own teal eyes slid down to glance at his fanged mouth, but immediately snapped back upwards when she felt something pull at her gut, something she'd never felt before. It frightened her.

Discord fought to keep his hands at his sides; they twitched to reach for her but he restrained them. She was so close he could smell her; she smelled like flowers and cat hair. When her eyes fell to his lips he almost leaned forward, but when she looked back up at him there was fear in her eyes again, and he closed his mouth. "Shall we dine?" he asked smoothly, gesturing to the table, which was suddenly set with the most succulent feast Fluttershy had ever seen. She gasped and hurried to her seat, filling her plate with salad, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Discord watched her curiously, then offered her a leg of lamb.

Fluttershy looked up. "Oh, um, no thank you. I'm a vegetarian."

Discord raised his eyebrows in surprise, but smiled anyway. He snapped his fingers and the meat dishes were replaced with pasta, legumes, and tofu. "And if there's anything you want that you don't see, you just ask and it's yours."

She offered him a brave smile. "Thank you, Discord. You've been a very gracious host."

He grinned brightly, taking his seat and filling his own plate. "Of couse, my dear. You deserve nothing less."

Color filled her cheeks and she looked down at her plate as butterflies flooded her stomach. She fought for something to say, but ended up just stuttering, which she finally ended by putting a forkful of green beans into her mouth and chewing silently, staring at her plate.

Discord watched her with curious delight. What a funny thing she was, this woman. He had never seen anything more beautiful, and somehow at the same time she could be awkward and shy, unused to ay kind of attention. She was obviously terrified of him, and yet here she was, having dinner with him, being perfectly kind and even smiling for him. He'd never met anyone quite like her.

She could feel his stare and her blush deepened. Keeping her eyes on her plate, she tried to act as though she didn't notice his eyes on her, but the heat on her face only worsened. Her embarrassment only deepened when she felt the same heat not only on her face, but in her stomach. What was he doing to her? Was he casting some kind of spell on her?

Discord was thinking the same thing about her, wondering if her delicate beauty was some kind of enchantment, if that was why he couldn't seem to look away from her. When she still refused to meet his gaze, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Tomorrow, if you like, I can have Derpy show you around Headquarters. Better yet, I can show you around!" He grinned excitedly at his idea. "How does that sound?"

Fluttershy finally looked up at him, her face still burning. "That sounds lovely, Discord. Thank you." 

"I dug everything out myself, you know. Well, not with my hands, of course, but with my magic." He tried to give a flippant laugh, but it ended up sounding squeaky and nervous.

The pink-haired woman managed to give him an impressed smile. "Wow," she breathed. "You really are all-powerful, aren't you?"

Discord laughed heartily. "Oh, not at all, my dear. I am indeed very powerful, but there are things in this world much more powerful than I." He looked at her curiously. "The Elements of Harmony, for example."

Fluttershy gasped and blushed again, looking down at her plate. "I--I didn't--"

He cut her off. "It's all right, my dear. As I told you before, you are in no danger here, and I trust you to extend to me the same courtesy. Not that you could use the Elements until your friends get back anyway." He smiled at her, confident that she could do him no harm.

Fluttershy looked relieved to know that he did not view her as a threat. 

Eventually, they both finished eating, and Fluttershy suppressed a yawn. 

Discord saw it and set down his wine glass. "I think it might be time for bed, my dear. May I see you back to your room?"

Fluttershy was glad to hear that it was bedtime, but paused at his request. He wanted to walk her to her room? Normally, she would think he was just being a gracious host, but something stirred in the pit of her stomach and she bit her lip. "Y-you may," she whispered.

He rose from his chair and stood at her side, offering his arm. Her slender hand shook as she accepted him, letting him help her out of her chair. He led her to the elevator and pressed the button, silently wondering if it was acceptable to continue to hold onto her arm. Fluttershy silently wondered why touching his arm made her feel so...strange. What made even more strange was that she didn't want to let go. They stood in the elevator arm in arm, neither daring to look at the other, both just trying to prolong the thrilling sensation of standing so close together.

When he opened her bedroom door for her, the kitten hurried out of it, mewing indignantly at Fluttershy for leaving her alone for so long. Fluttershy reluctantly let go of Discord's arm to bend down and pick up the little creature.

"I'm sorry, it was only a few hours," she said, to which the cat mewed even more loudly.

"Well, she's quite the spoiled little princess, isn't she?" Discord asked, scratching the kitten's ears.

Fluttershy giggled. "Say, I think that's what I'll name her! Princess!" She turned to smile up at Discord, not realizing until too late just how close to him she was standing. They were inches apart as he smiled down at her. They both realized it at the same time and awkwardly took a step back, both of their faces bright red.

"W-well, good night, Discord," she whispered, disappearing behind her door.

Discord stood still for a very long time, staring at her closed door. What had just happened? What was wrong with him? Why was she so tantalizing to him? Finally he turned and made his way back toward the elevator. He rode it down to the very bottom floor, Floor 13, and stepped out into his personal bedroom. The first thing he did was go the sink and splash cold water on his face, but it didn't help. Her teal eyes still floated before his eyes, her soft musical voice played in his ears, and the place on his arm that her hand had touched still tingled.

Discord looked at himself in the mirror, concern beginning to show on his face. "This isn't good."