Fluttershut Her Away For Now
"Ohhh, Fluttershyyyyy!"
Discord's voice rang loudly through the cottage, startling a few animals as he teleported himself in. His smile was large as he looked around for his best pal, only to realize that he hadn't received a response and there was no Fluttershy in sight.
Impatient as ever, his hands turned into cymbals, which he banged together to make himself known if he wasn't before. "Fluttershy? It's your most lovable handsome friend, Discord!" Oh, how he wished there was an echo.
Still receiving no response, he squinted. The animals were glaring at him now for all the noise he was making, but his priorities were elsewhere.
He flew into the kitchen, looking around. There were a few animals eating from her little basket of assorted fruits, but she kept one of those around for them all the time. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
He searched her bedroom next; nothing, though Angel was sleeping on her bed and giving him a glare, likely annoyed by his noise too.
Discord rolled his eyes at the rabbit, then left, his earlier enthusiasm from just a few minutes ago starting to dissolve into concern.
He frowned to himself, flying back downstairs and daring to peek into the bathroom. Once more, he only found disappointment.
This wasn't like her. Fluttershy so rarely left her house, and when she did, he usually knew about it. He ran down a mental list of the times she tended to leave, but none of them interfered with the time it was now.
He teleported his eyes outside, taking a very thorough look around the premises. No cute yellow pegasi with pink hair were in his sight, no matter how much he looked.
His eyes dropped back into the house through the roof, taking a moment to clink back into his head like some sort of bizarre pinball machine.
However, he was certain he'd passed through something that wasn't the roof on the way down. He glanced upwards, seeing a note hanging on the ceiling. He stretched his neck up to it, relief filling his system as he recognized Fluttershy's writing.
Dear Discord,
I know you like to pop in from time to time, and I didn't want you to worry, so I thought I might write you this letter. Spike visited me this morning and asked if I could help someone who used to be called the "Dragon Lord" with a nasty illness he'd been having. I was so terrified at first - you know how I feel about dragons - but I couldn't just leave the poor thing! Spike made him sound so nice!
I shouldn't take too long, but just in case, I wanted to make sure you knew where I was.
Be back soon! (I hope)
Fluttershy
He took the note from the ceiling and read it over once more. Of course she'd be taking care of someone.
Still, a dragon? She'd certainly gotten a lot bolder since he first met her. Granted, it was for one of her friends, but he was impressed nonetheless. At least now he knew she was safe; if she was requested by a Dragon Lord, even if they were no longer the current ruler, no dragon was likely to give her a hard time, and he'd just teach them a serious lesson in chaos if they did.
Though, who would put a note on the ceiling?
...Oh, I would actually. She probably did that for me.
He chuckled, smiling fondly as he magicked the note away. He supposed that he had no other plans for the day, so he went over to the couch and laid down, deciding to just wait for her. He normally wouldn't, but for Fluttershy, he'd wait all day if he had to.
He wasn't entirely sure of how long it took, partially because he'd fallen asleep halfway through, but the cottage door opening caught his attention, so much so that it actually startled him.
Not that he got startled easily - he absolutely did not - but this wasn't how the door was usually opened. It hadn't just been opened; it'd been flung open with great force, and that was not something that happened often in Fluttershy's house.
A familiar-yet-not-familiar giggle followed. "I'm hoooome~!"
Discord sat up on alert, sensing something odd in Fluttershy's tone as he watched her wander in. The animals rushed her as they tended to do whenever she returned home, and she gave them forehead kisses, as she tended to do.
But these weren't her normal kisses, oh no. These were over-the-top smooches, followed by a big, "mwah~!" each time. Discord could swear he saw a little heart pop up for every kiss. He smiled weakly at the sight, stroking his beard. Maybe she was just overly affectionate today?
He looked outside to gauge the time, seeing that it was near nighttime, the sun mostly set. How long had she been gone exactly? She had said that Spike asked her 'this morning', but when did she leave? Even if she'd only left just before she got there, that was still a lot of time, and there were too many factors to take into consideration on how exactly she got there.
He got up from his place on the couch, walking over to her and deciding to get answers himself. "Fluttershy, my dear, wherever have you been?" He found it hard to believe that she was with the former Dragon Lord all that time. "You've been gone all day with only a note and then you come home giving—" he paused briefly as she smooched another one of her animals, then gestured to prove his point, "...those, to anything that moves!"
He stared at her harder, his comedic side failing him as he noticed that her face was flushed red. Understandably so, he couldn't help adding on, "Are you... feeling all right?'
She drifted her gaze lazily to him, her eyes somewhat glossy. For some reason, it made him uneasy.
She offered him a lopsided smile. "Why? Are you jeaaaalous~?"
Discord's face immediately turned red, and he sputtered out sounds he didn't even know he could make, followed by a flat, "What."
She bit her bottom lip while smiling, eyeing him up and down, then started making her way towards him. "If you wanted one, all you had to do was aaaaask~"
"What," he repeated, staring her down as he backed away involuntarily.
Fluttershy pouted, flopping to the floor in a cute fuzzy heap, using her mane as a pillow. "Pleaaaaase don't be mad. I'm sorry I was gone so loooong."
She twiddled her hooves and nuzzled her own mane. "The Dragon Lord was just sooooo very sick. It took a bunch longer to help him than I wanted..."
Another giggle followed. "His breath tickled though~"
Wait... breath...
Discord's mouth gaped, as if he'd just had an epiphany. "F-Fluttershy, have you been..."
He got closer to her, sniffing the air around her as she made fruitless attempts to boop his nose, whining as she realized that her hooves weren't long enough to reach.
"Have you been breathing in dragon fumes!?"
She giggled louder. "I didn't think it would dragon for so long~"
Discord had to really struggle to suppress his sudden laugh. Fluttershy making puns was too cute; far too cute. But, this was a serious matter. Dragon fumes, especially from the Dragon Lord, were particularly detrimental to ponies, dulling their senses and mind. It was only temporary, but he didn't want her doing anything stupid. Still, at least now he knew why she took so long to return, especially if she flew at least part of the way back on her own. He wasn't sure if she knew or not, and maybe she was just doing it anyway as she didn't expect to take long, but the details didn't matter to him anyway.
"Y-you need to get to bed," he told her. Gosh, he hated being the responsible one. That was Fluttershy's job for a reason.
She looked so heartbroken, letting out a whine. "Noooo. Dissy, don't make me, please~!"
He squinted. "Dissy?"
She scrambled a bit and slid across the floor, clinging to his leg. "Let's go flying together instead~! All by ourselves~! <3"
Okay, that was weird. She'd already said a lot of weird things, but wanting to go flying was officially the weirdest. "Fluttershy, I may not have been your designated driver, but I am your designated friend!" He went to grab her, but she squirmed in retaliation. "You, my dear, are not going anywhere!"
He couldn't lie; it was ungodly amounts of amusing seeing her act this way, but he knew he had to suppress it, for her sake if nothing else.
"Whyyyy~?" she asked in a half-whining manner.
"Dragon fumes are not something to be taken lightly." He inwardly cursed himself for not considering this outcome. "They're very toxic to ponies if left unchecked."
She looked up at him with amusement, eyes half-lidded. "Toxic?" She grinned. "Like you?"
"No! ...Well, yes, I am quite toxic." He grinned proudly, but immediately waved his hands, dismissing the thought. "But, no, not like that!"
He was about to use his magic on her, but she fought back, smacking his hand away and tackling him to the ground. He let out a grunt as he hit the floor, turning red again once she started running her muzzle up against his chest. She was surprisingly strong when she wanted to be.
Up close, the smell of dragon fumes was powerful; her usual scent was completely masked by something that, while not unpleasant exactly, was strong beyond belief. He imagined that the animals earlier only tolerated it because it was on her.
"Mmm, hello, handsome," she cooed, pressing her face into his fur.
His ears perked, his snake-like body immediately sliding out from underneath her. He was standing up on the couch in an instant, awkwardly pressed against the wall. His fur bristled. His face was red. He wasn't used to this. He'd called himself handsome a million times before, but to hear Fluttershy say it, even if she wasn't in the right mindset, had his emotions on overdrive.
Needless to say, the realization that she was actually flirting with him wasn't helping.
Fluttershy flapped her wings. She still seemed determined, eyes set on him. "Dissy~!"
She licked her lips, making Discord swallow nervously and cover his mouth with a hand. This pegasus was going to send him to his grave.
It was chaotic, how she was acting. He loved chaotic but, no, this wasn't right. He wasn't sure how much of this she actually meant, but acting on it, whether to please her current state or not, would make him feel like he was taking advantage of her.
He couldn't do that. He'd never forgive himself.
She leapt at him, but he scurried away immediately, diving under the couch and popping back up on the other side. She gave chase, running him all around the room while her various animals fled with confusion. They tried to call out to her, but it was like her mind was in another dimension.
Discord himself considered just teleporting away, but he knew it wouldn't be a smart idea to leave her.
"Come flying with me!" Fluttershy pleaded once more.
"Not on your life!"
A squeaky giggle left her. "Not on my life, on you! My life isn't something you can ride, silly!"
He tried to hold back another laugh, but couldn't help snorting. He desperately wished this wasn't a serious situation, because almost everything about it was funny. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of such thoughts. He'd never felt so conflicted in his life.
Finally, he found himself braced himself against the bookshelf, looking down at her.
Fluttershy, now almost predatory, ran at him and pounced again with fervor.
He shut his eyes, snapping his fingers. In a flash, Fluttershy was bundled up in a blanket and on the floor, trapped. She wriggled and squirmed, but couldn't seem to break free.
"D-Dissyyyy..."
Opening his eyes back up, he sighed, slightly relieved. He hadn't wanted to trap her to get her to obey him, but there didn't seem to be any other option. He gathered up Fluttershy in his arms, making sure she was secure, then went for her bedroom. Fluttershy pressed her face against his chest, looking up at him with her big cyan eyes, as if pleading with him to release her, but he did his best to ignore it.
Angel was still laying on her bed, but a simple turn of Discord's head sent him tumbling off with a bit of magical influence. The little rabbit got up to complain, but noticed Fluttershy and dashed out of the room, probably not wanting to be caught almost sleeping in her bed.
Discord set Fluttershy down, though she definitely whimpered a little over it, squirming further in his trap. He frowned, then turned, ready to leave her to sleep.
"Waaaait!"
She'd managed to get her forelegs out from inside the blanket, using them to grab hold of his hand. Her grip was firm, so he turned his head to her, at least giving her focus for a moment. He owed her that.
"S-staaay with me," she pleaded, looking particularly pouty about it.
He hesitated, then opened his mouth, only to shut it again. No, it'd be better to not say anything. He'd only rile her up more. Anything he said would just get a bigger reaction out of her.
He pulled away from her, though finding it rather difficult to walk away from her while she was in such a state.
"Nooooo~!" she slurred, now upset and desperate for his presence.
He managed to turn, back facing her.
"No, no, Dissy!"
Ears flopped to help block his hearing out, he went for the stairs and started going down.
"N-no, but, Discord, I love you!"
A jolt went up his spine at that, freezing him in place.
He jerked his head around, watching Fluttershy flail uselessly in an attempt to get to him. For a moment, he could've sworn that she hadn't slurred that; he was certain she'd called him by his actual name and not that "Dissy" thing, but... no, no, she couldn't have. Her eyes were still glossy and her face was still red, small tears of clear over-emotion pouring down her face.
Though he fought with himself over the matter, it was far too hard to leave her now. He just couldn't do it when she was looking at him like that.
He groaned internally, relenting and moving up onto the bed. Her face brightened up as he relaxed, her hooves pawing at him. He tried to tease her, just to make himself feel a bit better. "I swear, you ponies are—"
She embraced him immediately as he'd gotten close enough, bubbly giggles coming out of her mouth. If Discord didn't know any better, he'd say she had a genuine Fluttershy-ly smile on her face. Still, his face felt a bit warm and his voice had become soft at her touch.
"...so very clingy."
He hesitantly brought his arms around her, feeling her burying herself into him. She breathed out, the warm breaths against his chest only ceasing to make him more flustered.
He promised himself; as soon as she was asleep, he'd back off. Fluttershy would only have more questions in the morning if he didn't.