Fluttershy heard the voice and she knew instantly whose it was. How could she forget those dark and yet somehow mellow tones? She lifted up her head, hair falling out of her bun and onto her face.

"Discord, what are you doing here?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

Discord flew down and slithered around her like a snake, flapping his wings slowly. Fluttershy sat up suddenly, feeling trapped. She frowned then and simply pushed him aside, stepping away from him.

"Go away Discord. I do not wish for flowers or attention or anything from you."

Now the draconeqqus stopped flying and simply landed upon the grass, looking a bit bruised. His ears even set back, as if he were a sad little dog instead of a large creature of the streets. Fluttershy, hearing no response from him, turned to face him. She saw his large golden eyes and a forlorn expression upon his face. Even she could not scold him with such an expression upon his face.

"I know you are unhappy," he noted softly.

She started abruptly and stepped towards him. Her eyes narrowed slowly.

"What would you know? You think you heard everything that night? That did not mean anything at all! My husband loves me, it's why he married me."

Discord snorted and folded his arms. Fluttershy bristled at this response.

"You know nothing about me!"

Suddenly Discord's eyes grew brighter and he approached her slowly.

"I know this: you want more out of life. And I am also sure you cannot find anything more here...with him."

Though angry, she began to listen closely. In many ways, he was correct in what he said. She was not as happy as she had once dreamed; she was not as happy as her grandmother had once promised.

"What is it you want?" asked she, more direct than she had ever been or usually was.

Discord smiled, flashing his one long tooth. For a moment the pegasus thought she might be eaten, but it was a fleeting thought. He came towards her then, slowly, like a tiger stalking its prey. Outwardly Fluttershy was not smiling, but on the inside she was quite bemused. He was a mysterious creature, but a playful one too.

"Leave him and come with me."

Fluttershy's mouth dropped a bit. She had not, even for a moment, expected him to be so direct with her. Usually gentlecoalts were indirect with ladies, it was considered in common courtesy after all. Besides, he had nothing to gain by his directness, she already had an answer in mind. Even so, her heart was beating rapidly.

"You know full well what my answer will be. Why bother to ask it at all?" she asked, her eyes beginning to well with tears. She did not know why, but suddenly she felt sad and forlorn.

The yellow mare turned and fled once more inside the house, inside the once place that she could confide, and that confined her. Discord knocked on the window, but she did not turn back to him. Instead she went to her bedroom and wept once more. Truly there was nothing she could ever hope to do...or to change.

More than a week past before Trenderhoof returned to the house. Fluttershy had spent that time alone, hardly eating, and throwing out all the flowers that came to her door. When her husband retuned she greeted him softly, almost meekly. In truth she has nothing to say to him, lying was rather difficult for her after all. He did not notice only told her, rather frankly, that he was tired and did not wish to be distrusted. He left her alone once more. The next morning he left for work without a word.

Fluttershy noticed the butler walking to her husband's study, carrying quite a few envelopes. She, having never seen so much post before, queried the butler. He, shrugging, handed her the letters to give to Lord Trenderhoof when he returned to work. The lady of the house thanked her help and sat down in the parlor to sort the mail.

With a letter opener in hand, a gilded one belonging to her late grandfather, Fluttershy set to work, sure she was relieving her husband of some of his work. He did seem weary after all. The first was a bill, from the florist, one bouquet of rare violet roses every day for the past month. The sum was more than she could imagine flowers could cost. She, though not the recipient of the flowers, set the bill aside and took a deep breath. They might, perhaps, be for a dying relative.

She turned to the next letter. This one was a bill as well, for the Mare L'moue, a restaurant located towards the north end of the city. It was five stars, highly ranked and very expensive. It was a bill for three separate dinners separated by only a week or two each. Fluttershy excused this one as well; his business work probably asked him to meet at a place such as this.

The third letter was not another bill but a letter. It was from the Countess Rarity. Fluttershy bit her lip, she probably should not do this. With one stroke she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. The script was lovely and written with a deep blue ink. It read:

My darling Trend,

My old husband pulled my allowance. I will need 3,600 bits for my wardrobe bills, 5,300 for my rent, and another 450 for dinner this week. Thank you darling. Attached you will find the receipts.

Fluttershy was not, in any way, amused. How dare that sneaky mare come into her life and drain her accounts? The money was from her grandmother and left to her, and then her husband. It certainly was not for some foreign pony leeching off another. The yellow mare was furious. It was the Countess that Trenderhoof spent all the money on. It was the Countess he doted upon, not his own wife.

Fluttershy looked at the numbers again. Truly if he kept this habit up their account would run dry within the year. She had to do something, but what? Now that they were legally wed, everything did, technically, belong to her husband. It would be difficult, and expensive, to seek a divorce but...

This thought made the mare stop in her tracks. Divorce? How could she even consider something so...extreme? Certainly Trenderhoof was being a bit irresponsible, but perhaps it could be changed in time. Not only that but divorce was, though legal, greatly frowned upon. No one would taker her in if she would to make such a move. She could not survive on her own.

So it was settled: she had to stay. But what of her heart? Could it take another blow?