“Oh, I'm so excited! Two great friends of mine, getting together for the first time. Oh, it's going to be wonderful!”

Fluttershy's subdued voice may have contrasted to her excitement, but it did not diminish it in the slightest.

Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but grin. “It was awfully nice of Nocturne to finally agree to meet Discord,” the Alicorn said as the two sat at the edge of the Everfree Forest, waiting for their unexpected friend to appear, “It'll certainly be interesting to see them meet. I mean, two different creatures that you were the first to be able to befriend? They have so much in common already!”

“Yes, but . . . I told Nocturne that, and he . . . well, he wasn't too happy . . .”

Twilight considered this, and shrugged, “Well, he still has some adjusting to do. After all, he's been living in the Everfree Forest his whole life. Who knows what could be out there—” Twilight was interrupted by a rustling in the foliage just beyond the border. Twilight jumped, slightly startled, and Fluttershy squeaked, but both calmed themselves when they realized who was making the noise. Stepping out from the cover of the trees was the familiar tall, thin, silvery-coated form of Nocturne.

The look on his face, however, was not quite as familiar.

“Uhh . . . hi, girls,” Nocturne greeted with a raspy, stuffy voice. The tip of his snout was pink and irritated. His already-red eyes were bloodshot, with deep bags underneath them. His black bat-wings drooped at his sides, only marginally folded, but still looking hardly usable and significantly less intimidating than usual.

Twilight and Fluttershy glanced at each other worriedly. “Uhh, Nocturne?” Twilight cautiously asked, “Are you okay?”

Nocturne sniffed before he replied, “Aside from feeling like a foul, steaming pile of offal, I'm peachy . . .” he trailed off as he tried to hold back a sneeze. The reflex was too strong, and he sneezed, blowing saliva and mucus onto the ground. When he looked back up at the two mares, their eyes widened—Nocturne's own eyes flashed red for a moment, as they did whenever he became angry or upset. The difference: they blinked on and off repeatedly like a broken light fixture before going back to normal. “Yeah, I know,” the stallion nodded, “it happens when I catch something. Don't panic, I'm not going blind or anything.”

Fluttershy flittered over to Nocturne's side and put a gentle hoof on his forehead, “Oh, you poor thing! Are you sure you're all right? Are you breathing normally? Do you feel warm? You seem to have a fever. Oh, dear! And to think you still insist on living in those awful woods. How can you hope to recover in there?”

“Relax, Fluttershy,” Nocturne said sternly, “It's not like I've never been sick before.” He coughed a few timed before continuing, “I was actually in the middle of looking for Remedia herbs. I usually use them for illnesses, and they get easy to find when you live in there for as long as I have. But then I remembered you wanted me to come to this little meet-and-greet, so I had to come out long enough to tell you that I couldn't make it.”

“That's a shame, Nocturne,” Twilight replied, “I know it's no fun to be sick. But if you want, we can help you look for those herbs you mentioned.”

Nocturne shook his head, “Thanks, but no thanks. You'll only slow me down. Besides, I can handle it on my own—”

“Oh, no you don't,” Fluttershy interrupted earnestly, “I can't let a friend of mine go back into those woods alone and in bad health. You need a proper recovery, Nocturne. Here, come with me. You can stay at my house until you're well again.”

“Fluttershy, it's just a quick trip in and back. Besides, I can take care of myself—”

“But you don't have to anymore, Nocturne,” Fluttershy insisted, going behind him and pushing him along into town, “You're my friend now, remember? And that means if you need my help, I'm there.”

Twilight shrugged and nodded, “That is a pretty major point of friendship, Nocturne. If you need help, friends can be there.”

“I don't need help.”

“You can have my bed until you're better,” Fluttershy urged him on, “I can roll out a blanket on the floor if I need to.”

“No.”

“Now, we need to get you plenty of liquids. Staying hydrated is important when you're sick.”

“Please, don't.”

“And I can make you a nice, hot bowl of carrot soup. I have a special recipe that I use whenever Angel is feeling bad.”

“Really, I'm fine.”

“And I have a medicine for any ailment. My little animal friends always approve of the remedies I give them.”

“Fluttershy . . . .”

“And I can get you some extra blankets . . . .”

“. . . what are you doing . . . ?”

“. . . and I can make you an ice pack for your head . . . .”

“Fluttershy . . . .”

“. . . and of course, we'll need to take your temperature regularly . . . .”

“. . . Staaahp . . . .”

Fluttershy had given Nocturne the works. He was laid up in her bed, underneath three layers of covers, with a large ice pack drooping over his head, his white fedora resting on top of it (Nocturne had fought hard on this, but Fluttershy was unyielding). Hanging out of his mouth was a glass thermometer that was slowly growing redder. Resting on the bedside table was a box of tissues, a glass of orange juice and a jar of chest rub that, Nocturne admitted, cleared up his sinuses fairly effectively.

Fluttershy came in from the kitchen airborne, a bed tray held between her hooves and a smile on her face. “Here you go, Nocturne,” she said as she slowly set the tray down in front of the ailing pony, “A piping hot bowl of carrot soup. Guaranteed to soothe an itchy throat, and achy head, and an icky tummy.”

Nocturne frowned, “'Icky tummy'? What am I, six?”

“Now, now,” Fluttershy gently admonished, as if speaking to her own foal, “Having a bug is no excuse to be grumpy.” She took the thermometer out of his mouth with a benign grin, “Now, you finish your soup like a good little colt, and you just let me know if you want seconds, okay?” With that, she hovered back into the kitchen area, humming to herself.

Nocturne was beginning to grow irate at Fluttershy laboring under the delusion that he was a child. This is embarrassing! he thought, his frown worsening, Ugh, she's lucky she's so cute, or I'd have to . . . His thoughts trailed away as he turned in bed, and as he lie on his side, he soon came face-to-face with a small, round, white face that looked highly displeased.

“Ugh, great, it's the happy hopper,” Nocturne griped, “What do you want?”

Angel stared back at Nocturne with narrowed eyes and a frown. He pointed a stubby paw at Nocturne's bowl, as if indignantly asking why he had a bowl of Angel's favorite soup.

“Look, rodent, I don't have the energy to deal with your bad attitude,” Nocturne snapped, “so don't mess with me while I'm in quarantine.”

Angel merely stared back, his resentment remaining, until he jumped up onto the tray and kicked the bowl off, sending steaming liquid falling to the floor.

Nocturne glanced, shocked, at where the bowl landed, then stared daggers at the little fluffy troublemaker, “You know, I was gonna eat that!”

“Angel!” Fluttershy approached the bed, having heard the bowl clatter to the floor, “How rude! That's no way to treat a guest!”

Angel merely blew a raspberry at Nocturne and continued to eye him angrily. Nocturne looked back, perpetuating a staring contest of animosity for a good few seconds. It ended when a sneeze took Nocturne by surprise, spewing mucus all over Angel's soft fur and knocking him off the bed. Nocturne sniffed as the blinking red lights in his eyes subsided, “I would say I'm sorry, Angel, but I'm really not . . .”

Fluttershy had taken a towel to the mess by this time, “Oh, I'm so sorry about this, Nocturne. I suppose Angel still needs to get used to you.”

“Fluttershy, I really wish you wouldn't do all this. Really, it's a straight shot into the forest for some Remedia herb, I'd be back in half an hour.”

Fluttershy shook her head, “I'm sorry, Nocturne, but letting you go into the Everfree Forest alone in your condition would be irresponsible. Besides, I can help you get better if you'd let me.”

Nocturne scoffed, “Do I have a choice?”

“That's the spirit!” Fluttershy beamed as she finished clearing up the mess, “Well, that's it, all clean. But it looks like I didn't have as many carrots as I thought I did. I'll have to go to the market for some more. Would you mind if I left you for just a tiny little while, Nocturne?”

Nocturne maintained his frustrated frown, “It'd be the first time you left me alone since this morning.”

Fluttershy sighed as she put on her saddlebag, then walked up to the side of the bed again, “Nocturne, I know being sick is no fun. But isn't it better to have somepony take care of you until you feel better?”

Now it was Nocturne's turn to sigh, “Fluttershy, I don't need anypony to take care of me. I'm used to taking care of myself.”

“But Nocturne,” Fluttershy rebutted, patting his shoulder with a hoof, “You don't have to take care of yourself anymore. You have friends that can help you, remember?” She gave him one last smile before turning to leave, “You two be good, okay?” And with that, she was out the door and out of sight.

“That's not the—” Nocturne tried to reply before she left, but was interrupted by the closing of the door, “ . . . . point.” He sighed again as he lie there in bed, glancing around at the empty cottage out of boredom. Fluttershy was being kind, true enough; after all, she couldn't help being the Element of Kindness. But she'd also seemed to forget just how self-sufficient Nocturne had been, living alone for so long, and in one of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been treated like a foal.

Not that he could remember much of anything, of course.

Nocturne sneezed again, waited for his eyes to stop blinking, then looked down at the floor and saw Angel staring up at him with a judgmental look. Nocturne stared back, offended, “Oh no, you don't, rabbit! You do not get to be that guy! You just knocked over my lunch, you do not get to look at me like that!” Angel merely continued staring, stubby paws crossed in front of him.

Nocturne groaned and turned over. This was getting to be more than he could bear. With Fluttershy smothering him and Angel being difficult as usual, Nocturne was past caring about his health—at this point, it was his sanity he worried about. The only pony capable of driving him crazier than this was Pinkie Pie.

Nocturne then sat up in bed, tossing away the ice pack, “I have to get out of here.”

“Okay, I got just enough to make soup for both of you,” said Fluttershy as she walked back into the cottage, “And how is the patient—NOCTURNE!”

The bed was empty, and hanging halfway out the side window was a flailing, struggling Nocturne. His large wings had inhibited his progress out the window, and as a result, his entire back end dangled from the window, his back hooves pushing against the wood paneling.

“Well, the back window was locked!” Nocturne called inside, “What was I supposed to d—” he was interrupted by another sneeze, but he shut his eyes as the window squeezed his wings and ribs, “Oooohh . . . . hurts to sneeze . . .”

Fluttershy raced into the house and to the window, dropping her saddlebag at the door, grabbed Nocturne by the tail and started pulling. Nocturne pushed back this time, working with her to pull himself out. After a few seconds of straining, Nocturne popped out of the window, sending him and Fluttershy tumbling into a chaotic heap on the floor.

Both Pegasi stood up, and Nocturne reached up to feel for his hat. “Oooouuuhh . . .” he moaned, dazed, “. . . . next time, I'll just break the window, screw this . . .”

Fluttershy stood immediately after him and rounded on him, “Nocturne, what were you thinking? You're still sick! You can't just climb out the window, not feeling the way you do! And why would you even do that in the first place? You know I'm trying to help you get better, and it would be irresponsible to let you go, for me and for you! Now you get your sorry behind back in that bed, mister! And I mean now!”

Nocturne was shocked at Fluttershy's firm, scolding tone, and it started to make him a bit angry. “Did you forget who you're talking to?” he asked, his voice low and ominous, “Because if spending all this time with me has made you forget, maybe I should remind you: I am the Phantom Pony of Everfree! Sick or not, I'm still the scariest thing you'll ever see. And I do not let anypony bully me! Especially not you!”

By this time, Nocturne's eyes were glowing an intense red, but Fluttershy just glared back, her eyes wide and still. Nocturne was familiar with Fluttershy's rare forceful moments; it was, after all, how she'd appealed to him and finally set him on a better path. But something was different this time. Fluttershy was putting one-hundred percent effort into simply staring him down. Nocturne vaguely recalled, in one of Fluttershy's stories of her adventures with her friends, her use of what they tended to refer to as “The Stare”. This could possibly be it; she could be using the same mental tactic she used to stare down a cockatrice to hold her own against Nocturne's intimidation.

Suddenly, Nocturne looked down at the floor and sneezed again, and the glow in his eyes blinked out like damaged fluorescent bulbs. Nocturne gave a low moan, “Well, that ruins the whole effect, doesn't it?” He glanced back up at Fluttershy's forceful look and frowned, “Fine, I'll get back in bed.” He crept to the bed and slipped in under the covers, laying his head back on the pillow and grumbling, “Memo to self: don't challenge Fluttershy to a staring contest.”

Fluttershy slowly shook her head, then went up to tuck Nocturne in. “Nocturne, I wish you wouldn't be so difficult,” she cooed, “I know things are different for you now, and it's confusing and a little scary. But I'm only trying to help you. And when you try to leave before I can . . . . well, it really hurts me. So please let me help you. Please?” Her eyes widened again, but this time there was no force behind it. There was no deprecation or admonition; there was only a gentle plea.

Nocturne felt his heart melt when he looked back at her. He hated it when she did that. “'Difficult'?” he asked, still grumbling, “After what you just saw, you say I'm just 'difficult'? Geez, do you know me or what?”

Nocturne and Fluttershy turned at the sound of a knock at the door. Fluttershy went to answer it, and saw the mailmare, Derpy, standing on the other side of the door. “Package for Fluttershy,” she said cheerfully, holding out a large brown-wrapped box. She glanced over at the bed, saw Fluttershy's guest, and waved to him, “Hi, Nocturne! Fancy seeing you . . . oh!” She seemed to realize that she may have interrupted something she was not meant to be a part of, “Oh, my . . . .”

Fluttershy saw the blush in Derpy face, and immediately made to correct her, “Oh, no, Derpy, it's not what you think! Nocturne's sick. I'm taking care of him until he gets well again.” Nocturne began coughing, as if on cue, selling Fluttershy's point much better than she had alone.

“Oh!” Derpy smiled in realization, “Is that all? Okay then . . . . uh, here's your package, Fluttershy.” She glanced back at the bed again, “And get well soon, Nocturne!”

Nocturne nodded and waved as Fluttershy took the box inside. Derpy bid her good day and left, and Fluttershy examined her unexpected package, “Hmmm . . . there's no name. I wonder who would send me a package . . . ooh! I can't open this just yet! I almost forgot, I still need to pick up one more thing.” She donned her saddlebag again, “I'm sorry to leave you again so quickly, Nocturne, but this is important, and I'm sure it'll help you a lot. Will you be all right by yourself for a few more minutes?”

Nocturne rolled his eyes and coughed a few times, “I was a minute ago. Why wouldn't I be now?”

“And you promise you won't try to leave before I get back?”

Nocturne was about to answer with his usual annoyed brazenness, but he saw the pleading look on Fluttershy's face again, and he softened up inside. Like she said, she was just trying to help. And he realized it was pretty rude to (attempt to) walk out on her. She may have been a bit overzealous, but kindness was what she was best known for. Seeing that look in her eyes made Nocturne suddenly feel ungrateful.

“I'll stay. I promise.”

Fluttershy eyed him steadily, “Pinkie-Promise?”

“I'm not doing it.”

“Come on, Nocturne, just one little Pinkie-Promise?”

“No.”

“Pretty pleeeeeeeease?”

Nocturne could feel the softness of his heart growing; it was starting to get a bit annoying. “Fine!” he relented, then sat up in bed, preparing to do the motions. Quickly, he muttered the words, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There, happy?”

Fluttershy nodded, “Remember, nopony ever breaks a Pinkie-Promise.”

PLUNK! went a sound coming from the back window, and both ponies turned to see Pinkie Pie pressing her face against the glass. Her face spread to cover the width of the window as she yelled out, “EVEEEEEEEEEEEEERR!!!” She then pulled her face back with a POP, and hopped away as if passing by with no thought to visit at all.

Nocturne held back a shudder, “She genuinely scares me . . .”

Fluttershy giggled before heading for the door, “I'll be right back, Nocturne. Be good, okay?”

Nocturne nodded as Fluttershy walked out the door. He sat in bed reflecting on what had just happened. Fluttershy was trying so hard to help him get better when he didn't even need her. And she seemed fully aware that he was self-sufficient enough to aid in his own recovery. So why was she working so hard unnecessarily? Not even the Element of Kindness could explain this completely; this kind of compassion wasn't just because of some ancient pony relic. This was true, honest-to-Celestia kindness, something no magic could duplicate.

And she's doing it for me. Again, Nocturne thought, . . . . . Why?

A shifting noise in the front of the house caught Nocturne's attention. “Angel, what are you up to this time?” he asked warily before he saw the rabbit snoozing on a pillow on the far side of the room. Nocturne was confused at first, but remembered that Fluttershy kept quite a few animals in her cottage. A second later, the noise went off again, and when Nocturne saw what was really making it, his confusion doubled.

It was the package Fluttershy received earlier—it was moving.

Nocturne's eyes widened as the package began jumping around on its own. The sight forced Nocturne to glance at the bedside table where the chest rub sat and think, What does she put in that stuff?! A few more seconds, and the package began to hover in the air for a few seconds before exploding in a burst of sparkles and confetti.

“TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

The sight that replaced the package was even more bizarre; standing before him in Fluttershy's house was a dragon-like creature with the head of a horse and limbs resembling those of many other animals. Having heard Fluttershy's stories, he was one-hundred percent certain who this was.

“Hm?” he said after his light show ended, looking around the room, “Strange . . . this is usually a big hit . . . . I hope I didn't scare her away . . .” his eyes then fell on the bed, and he and Nocturne looked at each other awkwardly.

Nocturne raised an eyebrow at the visitor, “So . . . . you must be Discord.”

Discord immediately took a low bow, “Ahh, my glorious reputation precedes me!” He looked back at Nocturne, and an enlightened grin crept over his face, “And you must be Nocturne!” He swept up to the bed and shook Nocturne's hoof, making his hat drop down over his eyes, “Wonderful to meet you, dear boy! Fluttershy has told me so much about you!”

When Discord let go, Nocturne readjusted his hat and eyed Discord dubiously, “Likewise.”

“So, where is our mutual friend, hmm?” Discord asked, a pair of binoculars appearing in his paw and talon from out of nowhere, “Inviting me over for a meet-and-greet, and shows up late? Tsk-tsk-tsk! Not at all like her . . .”

“She stepped out,” Nocturne explained with a sniff, “Fluttershy's been coddling me for most of the day. If it's unclear why, I'm a tad . . .” Nocturne stopped; once again hitting a cue, he sneezed, and he continued as the glow in his eyes blinked again, “. . . . under the weather.”

Discord returned Nocturne's dubious look, and vanished, reappearing right next to Nocturne in doctor's attire, complete with headband and stethoscope. “Hmm, 'under the weather', indeed,” he muttered, listening to Nocturne's heartbeat. He produced a tongue depressor and looked down Nocturne's throat, examined his ears, then stared into one eye with a magnifying glass. “You should really see somepony about these eyes . . . .”

“Will you knock it off!” Nocturne shooed Discord away with his hooves, “Like I said, I've been getting enough of that from Fluttershy today. If it's enough from a pony, it's too much from . . . .” he paused, searching for the right word, “. . . . whatever it is you are.”

Discord frowned, “First of all, my invalid friend, I am a draconequus. But we can argue nuances later. Second of all, you appear to have trouble with the way Fluttershy is treating you today. One cannot help but ask, 'Why?'”

Nocturne rolled his eyes, “She doesn't seem to realize that I can take care of myself. I'm not a foal, you know.”

“Psh!” Discord laughed, rolling his own eyes, “Could've fooled me. The way you're sitting there whining and whinnying, I should check to see whether you have one of those 'cutie mark' things.”

“Hey, wait a minute! I don't have to sit here and—”

“Oh, calm down!” Discord interrupted, “As ridiculous as you're acting, I can understand your distress. In fact, more or less, I was in your horseshoes once. If Fluttershy's told you anything about me,” he vanished again, reappearing on the headboard of the bed and looking at Nocturne upside-down, “and I'm sure she has,” he teleported back to the side of the bed, “you'll know that I, too, once thought of her attention as unnecessary.” He stifled a chortle, “Funny story, really. These silly-fillies actually thought they could—you'll never believe this—reform me! Me! The spirit of chaos! Hilarious, right?!”

Discord allowed himself to laugh uproariously, but Nocturne was not laughing. “I'm tickled inside. I really am,” he replied monotonously.

Discord brushed away a tear as his chuckles died down, “Oh, but over time, I've gotten quite used to living the life of a 'good-guy', so to speak,” he used quotation fingers with his use of the phrase, “and it's actually nice to have a friend like dear, sweet Fluttershy.” He materialized a white robe, a bouquet of flowers and a halo as he said her name, then it all vanished before he continued, “You know, you may not know it now, my child, but she really does have your best interests at heart. And take it from someone who knows,” he crept in close and nudged Nocturne with a shoulder, “You'll come out better for it.”

It was then that Nocturne had an unexpected revelation. These words of guidance all came from somepony that, when Nocturne heard him described, he had cautiously labeled a psychotic demigod. But other than being a little obnoxious, Discord seemed like a decent enough fellow—notably peculiar, seeing as how it was because of him that Equestria had gone straight to Tartarus at least twice. If Discord was really reformed now, and it was because of Fluttershy, then it made his little sickness seem insignificant, perhaps foal's play for a pony so intent on helping others.

It made him realize that Discord was right—he was acting like a child.

The door suddenly opened, and Fluttershy stepped back in, “Oh, Nocturne? I'm back. I got you something really nice at the—Discord! You're here!” She happily raced in and hugged the draconequus, and he returned it.

“Oh, I wouldn't miss it! When I saw that you weren't home, I thought I'd keep your little patient company for a while.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked, still smiling, “So, you two have met? That's wonderful! And how have you been getting along?”

Nocturne shrugged, “About as well as could be expected. Listen, Fluttershy, I need to talk to you.”

“Oh, but Nocturne, I got something at the market that I think might really help you—”

“That can wait,” Nocturne insisted, “I have to say this. Look, I . . . . I've been kind of a jerk. You're right, this has all been new to me, and I don't really know what to make of it. But you've been so nice to me, and I've been giving you a hard time. It's like . . . . . it's like when we first met. I kept scaring you away when all you wanted was to be my frie—” Nocturne's sneeze interrupted him again, and he waited for the flashing in his eyes to die down before resuming, “Look, long story short, you're only trying to help, and I should have just let you. I'm sorry, okay?”

Fluttershy's eyes misted up upon hearing this, and she hovered over to the bed to give Nocturne a big hug, “It's okay, Nocturne. I understand. All is forgiven.”

Nocturne felt that familiar warmth inside, the same warmth he'd felt when she'd forgiven him for scaring her. He felt himself tearing up a bit, as well; as familiar as the feeling was, it touched his heart every time. Even at times when he felt he hated it, at the same time, he couldn't hate it. It was strange that way, but Nocturne wouldn't have given it up for anything.

The moment only lasted for a few seconds, until Nocturne suddenly had a strange feeling. He looked to the other side of the bed, and saw the cause of it—Discord had joined them for a group hug.

Nocturne yelped, startled, and Discord jumped back, sniffling and sobbing, “Th-that was . . . . s-so beautiful!” He pulled a handkerchief from out of nowhere and blew into it with a resounding HOOOOOONK, “Oh, and to think if you hadn't sneezed, you'd be thanking the Academy right about now!”

Fluttershy giggled at Discord's hi-jinx, while Nocturne deadpanned, “Really, dude? Really?”

Once Discord 'composed' himself, Fluttershy spoke up again, “Ooh! I almost forgot!” She dug around in her saddlebag and pulled out a jar full of dark-green, leaf-like material. The jar was marked: 'Remedia Herb – for soothing colds, flu and other illnesses'. “I remembered you saying you used this while you were in the Everfree Forest. It turns out, they sell it at the market for three bits a jar! Isn't that funny?”

Nocturne couldn't quite think of a word to describe this irony, but 'funny' certainly didn't come to mind. Still, he smiled for Fluttershy's sake, “Yeah . . . . well, all's well that ends well, I guess.”

“Well, Nocturne, now that we have what you asked for, let me make you a nice hot pot of tea,” Fluttershy hovered back into the kitchen area with the jar of Remedia herb, “You're welcome to stay if you'd like, Discord.”

“I'd love to, dear!” Discord grinned, “How very kind of you!” He turned to the Pegasus in the bed, “Well, Nocturne, now that you're about to be on the road to recovery, I suppose there's nothing left to do but wait.” Behind him, a large, comfortable armchair appeared, and he sat down, a smoking jacket, a fez and reading glasses appearing on him. He produced two newspapers from out of thin air, started reading one, and dangled the other in midair over Nocturne, “Equestria Daily?”

Nocturne shook his head, “I'm good.”

Only two days had gone by, and Nocturne was back on his hooves, feeling better than ever. He'd decided to pay Fluttershy a visit as an extra thank-you for helping him recover. All the while since, he'd been thinking of a way to repay her for her trouble. He wasn't sure how yet, but he knew he had to do something for her, and not just in return for taking care of him.

He needed to repay her for putting up with his inexcusable behavior.

He walked up to the door of Fluttershy's cottage and gently knocked, “Fluttershy? You home? It's Nocturne. Can I come in?” He listened for an answer, but there was none. “Hmmm . . .” he pondered, “. . . strange. She always answers if she's home. Can't think of where she could be today.” He then sidestepped to a nearby window and peered inside, hoping to see an indication of activity. The house was insufficiently lit, and nothing and nopony presented itself. Nocturne was beginning to worry; did something bad happen to Fluttershy?

Nocturne heard a sound next to him, and when he glanced at it, he did a double-take. A nearby tree, skinny with differently-colored branches, was bending over, appearing to look into the window along with him.

“Discord!!”

The tree immediately stood back up and transformed into the now-familiar form of the draconequus; he had made a set of hair curlers and a bra appear on him, and was blocking Nocturne's view by holding a towel up between them. “EEEEEEEEEK!” he squealed in an effeminate voice, “Peeping Tom! Avert your eyes, you cad!”

“Discord, I'm not in the mood for this!” Nocturne yelled over him, making Discord pout and poof away his knickknacks, “I wanted to see if Fluttershy was home, so I could thank her for taking care of me the other day. I don't think she's here, but I don't know where else she could be today.”

Discord raised an eyebrow, “You have no imagination, my good son. The best way to know would be to go in and look for yourself. I do it all the time!”

“Exactly why I won't do that. Besides, you can't just walk into another pony's house while—” Nocturne was interrupted by a knock on the window; Discord was already inside, waving at him and making silly faces.

“Discord!” Nocturne growled in frustration and went to open the door. Standing just outside, he whispered (so as not to attract attention), “Discord, get back here! You have no right to go barging into her house like this! Suppose somepony catches you—”

“Achoo!”

A delicate, high-pitched squeal of a sneeze cut Nocturne off, and both he and Discord turned around to see the source. They both walked toward the bed, and Nocturne spoke up tentatively, “Uhh . . . Fluttershy?”

Indeed, there she was—the little yellow Pegasus was laid up in bed, under the covers, a thermometer in her mouth and an ice pack on her head. Her eyes were baggy and the tip of her snout looked red and irritated. In front of her was a tray with a steaming hot bowl of soup on it, and beside her, on the bed, Angel was spoon-feeding her, occasionally giving her a gentle pat on the head.

“Oh, Discord. Nocturne,” she greeted them with a hoarse, stuffy voice, “Nice to see you today. I'm sorry I couldn't answer the do—” she stopped when another squealy sneeze interrupted her, “Achoo! Excuse me . . .”

Nocturne and Discord glanced at each other worriedly, and Nocturne continued, “Are you okay?”

“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy assured with a sniff, “No need to worry about me. I don't want to be a bother to either of you. Just—achoo!” Another squeal of a sneeze cut her off, and she sniffed and blushed, “Excuse me.”

Nocturne glanced up at Discord again, but this time, the latter wore a mischievous look on his face, “Well, you did want to be able to thank her for her kindness. No time like the present, eh, Nocturne?”

Nocturne rolled his eyes and pulled up a tissue to wipe Fluttershy's nose, “Just shut up and make some more soup, Discord.”

Author's Notes:

I have a few more ideas for one-shots featuring Nocturne. If you like this one, I might just go ahead with them. Thanks for reading!