Chapter 5
True to his hunch, the evening dragged mercilessly slowly. First, the ponies had given him a concoction that might once have been composed of edible ingredients but had been boiled so ruthlessly that it looked, smelled and tasted like hot tar. He’d gagged it down only because Fluttershy had reminded him of his promise to follow her instructions where his illness was concerned. The self-satisfied smirk on Applejack’s face nearly made him throw it right back up.
Then he had to fight for the right to eat his dinner on the couch instead of at the table. He won, but found the victory hollow. Listening to the two girls chat happily across the room was distracting. And making him jealous. He scowled, peering over at them. Angel, seated in a booster seat next to Fluttershy, noticed the draconequus watching and stuck out his tiny pink tongue.
Discord bolted upright, consumed with an (admittedly exaggerated) coughing fit. As it ended, he sucked in a ragged breath and then called out, making sure to lace his voice with pitifulness “Fluttershy…?”
“Oh, dear, poor thing,” the Pegasus hopped down from the table, “Can I get you anything?”
He folded his hands together under his chin. “Some water please. Or maybe, if it’s not too much trouble, some tea?”
“Of course,” she nodded, then headed into the kitchen.
Angel glared. Discord stuck his tongue out. Applejack caught him.
Eyes narrowed, the earth pony got down from the table and crossed the room. He tried to look innocent as she leaned in to scrutinize him. “You promise you ain’t fakin’ this time?” she asked quietly.
“Cross my heart,” he answered, making the motion with his claw. “Do you really think I’d tolerate these incessant indignities otherwise?”
She thought it over a moment, then nodded. “Ah guess that makes sense.”
He decided to throw her a bone. “I’ll admit though, I might’ve made that sound worse than it was,” he said quietly, “Can’t blame a guy for wanting a little extra attention when he’s sick, can you?”
The smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth looked surprisingly genuine. “S’pose not,” she said, “Seems a might childish though, fer someone your age.”
Discord chuckled. “What can I say? I’m eternally young at heart. Also exceedingly immature.”
Applejack let out a surprised laugh. “Well, that there’s some of the straightest shootin’ I ever did hear!”
The chimera smiled widely. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Shoot, things get so sugarcoated around her sometimes, honesty like that’s mighty refreshing,” she told him.
He lay back against the couch cushions. “That’s one thing you can count on me to never do – unless we’re talking literally. Then no promises.”
“Fair enough.” She nodded, sitting down on the floor next to the couch. “So you really ain’t never been sick before?”
“Never,” he shook his head vigorously, then regretted it as it made him dizzy. He put a paw to his forehead. “I don’t know how you ponies can stand it.”
“Oh, some handle it better’n others,” she shrugged, “Mah little sister can whine with the best of ‘em. She’d give you a run for your money for sure.”
“Not you though,” Discord said.
Her expression softened, “I learned early on that complainin’ don’t do ya no good. Granny did her best when we was little, but there was three of us, and Apple Bloom needed her more than me an’ Mac did. So I got good at taking care of mahself.”
“I’ve been there.” The words were out before he could stop them. ‘Damn it!’ He could feel his cheeks burn as he stared at his hands. ‘This was exactly why I didn’t want Fluttershy inviting the others over here! Stupid, stupid, stupid…’
“Ah never thought about it like that before,” Applejack said, and the sadness in her voice forced him to look up at her. Her green eyes were shiny with tears and she looked to be fighting them. “Guess we got something in common, huh?”
He cringed, “Yes, I suppose we do. But, please, let’s not make a big deal out of this, hmm? I can hardly handle the mushy stuff with Fluttershy. I’m…I’m not ready to go there with anyone else just yet.”
She wiped a hoof across her eyes. “You’re right, Ah’m sorry. Didn’t mean to go all soft on ya.”
He forced himself to give her a pat on the shoulder. “There, er, there. No worries. This whole experience has just been…taxing in every sense of the word.”
“Ah can imagine,” she said, her composure regained. “Well…we’ll do our best not to make it any worse than it has to be – and maybe pound a little humility into you in the process.” She poked him in the ribs, the teasing tone back in her voice.
He was relieved to hear it, and put up his hands in mock surrender. “Yes, yes, very well. Consider me humbled, Miss Apple.”
“An’ don’t call me that,” she chided, “Just ‘Applejack’ is fine.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
At that moment, Fluttershy emerged, balancing a tray of three teacups on her head. “Here we go! Everything all right out here?”
Applejack helped her maneuver the tray onto the coffee table. “You bet.”
“Certainly,” Discord added, helping himself to the oversized cup Fluttershy had purchased especially for him a few months back. He caught her eye, and from the depth of her smile, wondered just how much she’d overheard. “Thank you, my dear.” He took a long sip and marveled at how quickly it soothed his throat.
“My pleasure,” the pegasus said. She picked up her own cup and blew on it gently. “Applejack, thank you again for your help today.”
“Anytime, sugar cube,” the earth pony nodded. She took a swig of her tea and set the cup down. “I should get goin’ though – I gotta be up with the sun after all.”
“Oh! Yes, of course!” Fluttershy said, rising and walking her friend to the door, “Have a good night! I’m sure we’ll see you soon.”
Applejack pulled her hat off the rack and set it atop her head. “Sure’s shootin!” she grinned, then craned her neck to look past Fluttershy, “You behave yourself, ya hear?”
Discord smirked. “Clear as crystal.”
“Good. Night y’all!”
Fluttershy shut the door behind her and headed back towards the couch. “That went pretty well, I think.”
The draconequus took another sip of his tea. “Not a complete disaster, anyway. I do wish you’d give me more of a head’s up when we’re having company. Being caught off guard like that…it’s not a feeling I’m particularly fond of.”
“That’s fair,” she conceded, climbing up to sit next to him. “I’m really proud of you, though – for being patient with Pinkie, and not picking fights with Applejack.”
He shrugged, “In my current state I’m not in much of a position to do otherwise.” He caught her disappointed expression and quickly added, “Not that I hated it…exactly. Pinkie’s quite the anomaly, so truthfully she fascinates me. And Applejack has a certain coarseness about her, but she’s not ornery just for the sake of being so.” He leaned back, draping one arm over the back of the couch. “I think, given the right circumstances, she might be frightfully fun to argue with.”
“Huh?”
The bewilderment on the yellow pony’s face made him laugh. “Strange as it may seem, it’s something I enjoy. You might prefer the term ‘debate’ but what I really love is a no-holds-bar, all-out argument with someone who won’t pull their punches.” He paused, realizing he’d been gesticulating with his arms, nearly spilling his tea. “Not with you, dear, of course,” he said, settling back down, “You’re far too sweet, and I prefer it that way. But it might be nice to have different kinds of friendship with the others.”
Fluttershy stared at her cup a moment, and then said, “If that’s something that would make you happy…I guess that would be ok. But only if you really thought Applejack would like that kind of friendship.”
“Hmmm…” he took another sip, “I can’t say for sure. I’ll have to tread lightly to start. But I hope it’s something she’d enjoy. I haven’t gotten to have a good argument in a long time!”
“Did you used to have them a lot?” she asked.
“Oh yes!” he said, smiling at the ceiling, “Tia and I used to have the most glorious spats back when she and I were–” He stopped short, eyes wide, his cup clattering to the floor. ‘What is wrong with me?!’
Fluttershy looked like she’d just been let in on the best secret ever, completely ignoring the mess he’d just made. “You mean you and Princess Celestia used to be–?”
He clapped his paw over her muzzle. “Ah, ah, ah! Don’t you dare! NnnngGAH!” He raked his talons over his head, tugging on one of his ears. “What is with you ponies?? How is it you keep prying these things out of me??”
She reached up and pulled his paw away from her mouth, grinning. “It hasn’t been very hard. Maybe you just feel comfortable enough to start sharing some things?”
He pouted, his face hot. She had a point. Neither she, nor Applejack had pressed him on anything, he’d just shot his mouth off without thinking. And why wasn’t he thinking? “Is that…” he began, casting an embarrassed glance at her, “…is that something that happens when you’re friends…?”
“Mmhmm.” She nodded, then scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso.
He stiffened. Affectionate physical contact was still so foreign; he was at a loss as to how to respond. Slowly, he let his arm drape around the little Pegasus. She nuzzled his chest. He assumed that meant it had been an ok thing to do.
He rubbed his temple with his talon and let out a heavy sigh. She stayed quiet, which he was grateful for. The slow, easy rise and fall of her back as she breathed was soothing. When he spoke again, his voice was low, all of the usual animation stripped away. “I’ve been alone for a looong time, Fluttershy. None of this is easy for me. But I wanted you to know…that I appreciate what you’ve been trying to do.” He kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. If he looked at her he wouldn’t be able to finish. “I can’t promise you anything, except to say that I’m trying. I really am. I just…don’t know what in the hell I’m doing.”
He felt something warm and soft brush against his cheek and it took him a moment to realize she’d kissed him. Befuddled, he finally turned his gaze back to her. She was smiling up at him. “Trying your best is all I could ever ask of you, Discord. It’s ok. You don’t need to worry so much.”
He returned the smile half-heartedly. “If you say so.”
“I do say so,” she said, with a decisive little nod. She hopped down from the couch. “Now, we should head upstairs and get ready for bed. I think you could use some serious cuddles.”
“Cuddles??”
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CUDDLES!!!!!!!!!
4401669
Haha! Yes, they'll be coming next!
This was sooooooooo sweet! Seeing Discord and AJ bond was both funny and cute!
Also, Discord and Celestia had some kind of relationship in the past? As a hardcore Dislestia shipper, this pleases me.
And don't even get me started on how adorable that hug was! Discord is so precious when he gets all awkward and genuine!
Can't wait for the next chapter!
Aw we fluttercord moment so cute!!
This pleases me
4402132
Thank you!! ^_^ Discord and AJ make for an odd dynamic, but their exchange was a blast to write!
And yep, I'm a Dislestia shipper myself, so while I don't think it will feature prominently here, I had to slip in some hints at their past (at least in my headcanon, haha).
And if you thought the couch hug was precious, wait til the next chapter!
D'aaaaaaaaaaaaaw. This is really fun and this chapter in particular was just plain cute. I'll keep an eye on this. Have a fave and a like.
One thing though: "“Do you really I’d tolerate these incessant indignities otherwise?”" You missed "think" after "really".
Looking forward to more chapters. Happy writing.
4434765
Whoops! Good catch - thank you!
Glad you're enjoying the story! ^_^
My version of Applejack -- based on Alex Warlorn's -- would be detecting Truth from Discord at this point, and feel sympathy for him (*). Applejack is canonically both perhaps the toughest and the nicest member of the Mane Six; she even gives Fluttershy a run for her money where Kindness is concerned. Once she allowed herself to feel sympathy for Discord, it would be very difficult for her to stop. In Dragonshyness -- which is a retelling of "Dragonshy" -- she helps Fluttershy climb the mountain almost literally every step of the way -- and never complains about it. Not even once. And I based this almost directly on what they showed on-screen.
In my fanon, before Discord Awoke to his true self, he was in love with Celestia. And she returned his affections. That was two and a half millennia ago, and a lot has since happened between them to destroy that love. On her part, anyway.
===
(*) Discord can lie directly to Applejack and get away with it, but only by careful wording. Even he can't fool her directly about something simple, without engaging in verbal circumlocution. Honesty is her Element, and she's peered into the real Pool of Truth. On the other hand her abilities are not perfect -- if Applejack avoids examining something carefully, she may miss a subtle or well-hidden lie.