More Than a Friend

by Tatsurou

Kindness

Fluttershy went carefully around her cottage, cleaning everything up and tending her animals. It was another ordinary day, just like every other. Her friends were busy with their own lives as everything moved forward, and she had her own life to live here, tending to those creatures who could not - or would not - tend to themselves. It was her job, her special talent, her passion. Nothing brought her more joy in her life than bringing the smile to those in her care as she made their lives better.

A knock sounded on the door in a random pattern.

Well, almost nothing, Fluttershy thought to herself as she went to the door. Pausing at the door, she smiled. Perhaps today, she'd do something a bit different. After all, she knew who was behind the door. Heading to her chimney, she climbed up it, across her roof, and leaped down on the startled draconequus from above. "Gotcha!" she said happily, wrapping her forehooves around his neck.

Discord fell backward in an exaggerated display of shock. "Fluttershy! When did you get so chaotic?"

Fluttershy giggled. "I thought it would help you feel more at ease."

Discord rolled his eyes at the kind pegasus. "Fluttershy, if Anypony could make me more at ease than I normally am when with you, it would be you." For reasons of his own, his eyes kept rolling in their sockets until they bounced out, rolling across the floor until they fell into two knots, which became Discord's face as he rose out of the ground, still holding Fluttershy. "I don't suppose you have time for tea?"

Fluttershy giggled, having come to enjoy Discord's strange method of point-to-point transmission and the tingly feeling it left her with. "I always have time for my friends, Discord." She hopped down, heading for the table. Opening a box, she pulled out the animated tea set, which still bounced around of its own accord due to the magic Discord had filled it with. The only drawback was that the tea it poured would be any variety except what was put in it, but Fluttershy found a solution to that. She kept a stock of the only variety of tea she disliked, and used it with this set.

Smiling, Discord slipped into the chair opposite Fluttershy, holding out a tray of tea cakes in familiar colors. "Like one?" he asked as the teapot poured him a cup. He tasted the tea. "Hmm, juniper with a hint of yarrow root. Delicious."

Fluttershy reached towards the cakes, then paused. "These colors look familiar." She looked up at him. "No one was hurt to make these, were they?"

Discord waved his claw. "Perish the thought!" he proclaimed, a thought bubble appearing over Fluttershy's head and falling to the ground in death throes. "I swear on my word of honor as the Spirit of Chaos, these cakes are not made from anypony." He laid his lion paw over her extended forehoof. "And more important and binding, I swear on our friendship."

Smiling, Fluttershy took the tea cake that resembled her and took a bite, enjoying the taste.

-------

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Celestia ground her teeth in frustration as she stared at the cake shaped holes in the stained glass relief of the Bearers of the Elements as they purged Nightmare Moon of dark magic using the Elements.

-------

Discord sat back, relaxing completely as he felt strain easing from him just from being in Fluttershy's presence. "It's good to be back," he said, rocking his head around on his neck. He suddenly jerked as his muscles locked. "Gak!"

Fluttershy hopped down from her seat to run to Discord's side, ignoring the pile of strangely colored moldable goop that appeared at Discord's exclamation. "Are you alright, Discord?" she asked, putting her hoof softly to Discord's shoulder.

"Yeah, just fine, really," he said, stretching his body again. His muscles twisted, and he let out a sudden roar of pain.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said quietly, running her hoof down Discord's back. "Look at all these knots in your back. You must be in agony!"

Discord smiled depreciatingly, not wanting to worry her. "Don't suppose you can untie them?"

In answer, Fluttershy seized Discord under both arms and flipped him onto his stomach. As he bounced, she delivered a few quick hoof strikes to chest and chin, followed by grabbing him by one leg and pulling back as she drove both her hind legs into the small of his back. All of her strikes had a surprising level of force behind them. As she released him at last, she then proceeded to walk on his back, pushing her hooves into him with sure motions. "How's that, Discord?"

Discord sighed in relief, letting out the breath he'd held to keep from screaming during the forceful adjustments. "Wow, Fluttershy...I'd no idea you were so good at deep tissue massage."

Fluttershy giggled softly. "You'd be surprised how often it comes in handy." She looked at him in concern. "How do you come by so much stress, though? And...why didn't you tell me about it?"

Discord sighed. "Fluttershy...you remember when you 'rehabilitated' me? How hard it was to convince the others that I really had learned to value friendship and wanted to live without hurting others anymore?" Fluttershy nodded sadly. "Well, convincing the rest of the world is even harder. And...when ponies and other creatures throw their scorn and fear in my face, dredging up the worst moments of my past and taunting me with who I used to be...the old me tries to act. I get so angry I just want to..." Discord closed his eyes. "But if I did that, then I'd be exactly who they claim I still am. So I keep it inside. I don't release my anger. I don't turn my chaos loose on them. It just...bottles up." He covered his eyes with his lion paw. "I can't talk about it with Celestia or Luna. They'd be afraid I was slipping back into who I was. And who else can I turn to? Who wouldn't judge me for the rage I don't want to feel?"

Fluttershy stopped moving. "I wouldn't hold it against you. You could always come to me."

Discord looked at her. "But you have enough in your life. I can't put my pain on you. That's not the act of a friend, is it?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Discord, when you have a problem you can't handle yourself, you're supposed to turn to your friends for help. Friends are there for each other when they're in pain. I may not be able to do much to fix the problem, but I can always be here for you, to listen to you."

Discord looked at her, shocked beyond words. "Fluttershy..."

"Now promise me you'll let me know when something's bothering you. I can't help if I don't know, and I want to help you."

Discord smiled, flapping his wings to push Fluttershy up into the air before rolling onto his back to catch her. "Cross my heart," he said, popping his chest open to draw an 'X' on his heart. "Hope to fly," he continued, rising up into the air. "Stick a cupcake in my eye," he finished, conjuring a cupcake out of the air and shoving it in his eye socket, which became a mouth and ate it. "Hmm, carrot cake flavored."

Fluttershy giggled. "You're silly, Discord." She wrapped her forelegs around him in a friendly hug.

He smiled, hugging her back. He then noticed how much time had passed. "I should probably get going," he said. "I've taken up so much of your time already, and it's getting on towards night. I should be getting to bed soon." He stretched. "Adjusting to Harmony is tiring, and I need my sleep."

"Say Discord," Fluttershy spoke up as he turned to go, "where are you staying, anyway?"

Discord smiled. "Generally wherever I stop for the night, I find a comfortable spot to curl up and sleep. I need to get to finding a spot for tonight."

Fluttershy was shocked. The idea that her friend Discord was technically homeless... "But, don't you have a home?"

Discord shrugged his shoulders. "The world is my home," he replied, trying to make light of it.

"Well," Fluttershy said, looking down at the ground, "maybe, if you want, you could...stop here for tonight?"

Discord turned to her, shocked. "Really?"

She nodded. "I'm sure you could find a comfortable spot somewhere around here. And, you could help me a bit with the animals and I could make you dinner and-"

Discord smiled. "That sounds lovely."

After a few more hours, all of Fluttershy's animals were fed and bedded down. Fluttershy had made them both dinner, and it was time to head to bed.

"So, umm..." Fluttershy began, climbing onto her bed and curling up, "where are you going to sleep?"

Smiling, Discord floated into the air, curling up in a tight circle around Fluttershy. "I'd say this is the most comfortable spot in the house," he said, grinning.

Fluttershy blushed brightly. "Well, you can sleep here, then, and I'll sleep on the guest bed-"

"But then the guest bed will be the most comfortable spot!" Discord interrupted, whining slightly.

Fluttershy looked confused. "I don't understand."

Discord smiled at her. "What could be more comfortable than curling up to a friend?" Noticing Fluttershy's blush, he frowned worriedly. "You don't mind, do you?"

Blushing brighter, Fluttershy smiled as she shook her head. "No, not at all." As Discord lay down around her with his eyes shut tight, she rested her chin at the back of the base of his neck. "This is...nice..."

The two of them slowly dozed off into contented slumber.

Comments

[Sapphire_Spectre]

I really like it so far! I await the updates!

[WolfeofChaos]

I can't wait to see where this goes. Your friend Wolfe

[Gdenofa]

This was VERY cute!! I have to keep reading this now

[Tarox]

My oh my what a beginning. Hilarious and adorable, such an appropriate combination. It's only going to get better.

[Jonathon Smythe]

D'awwww...

[re- Yamsmos]

Awwww.

[iCeTeRiX]

Awwwww, the embodiment of Chaos, and the bearer of Kindness...I await what happens next!

[Midnitemist]

!!!

[zero588]

I await flutterchord foals!!

[recca pony]

nice it is so easy to have there voices in my head while i read it

[booklover41]

Great job with the chaos and
WARNING : Adorability overload

[tana1100]

awwwwww! that just sounds like it would be so sweet!

[titanicdragon]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[MajorasTacos]

Reading this first chapter, I thought that this was going to just be a sweet little fluff story, and then I saw the sex tag.
Well, hopefully there'll be a little disclaimer for when the graphic stuff comes up.

[TwibraFlattercordlover]

The two of them slowly dozed off into contented slumber.

The next day. :Hey Fluttershy-! Aaaaaahhh!