The Secret Side Of Discord

by Lemon Pegasus

No pony's land

He wasn’t sure if he could do this, would it require more energy for more ponies? Not only that, but there many things to take into account here: what if somepony accidently bumped into a soldier, what if the spell wore off, what if a single pony was revealed? It was the best chance they had.

“I can cast us an invisibility spell,” Discord hoped his words were going to inspire some confidence, “Me, Spiral Dust, Friar and Chrysalis can fly overhead while invisible, maybe carrying a pony each.” It wasn’t very safe, but it would have to do. It didn’t help that he didn’t really know how physically strong these other fliers were. Somepony else could carry Starswirl while Discord carried a heavier non-flier.

Laba seemed to like this idea, but who would go with who was a difficult choice. After all, it could either end or save a pony’s life. The decision was eventually made with speed yet silence, not that they would be heard if they spoke anyway, hearing a pony from here over all the chaos of the battle would be a task in itself.

Discord would be carrying Sam Blue, him being the strongest. Chrysalis would carry Starswirl, mainly because she and the foal had met before. Friar would have to carry Laba and Spiral Dust would carry mysterious green mare, aka, Poison Ivy.

"After we pass the guards, we should eventually reach a set of train tracks. Every pony take a stick and stick it face up by the tracks once you've got there so we know a group has made it back. Once four sticks are standing, we’ll know everypony is okay.” Laba explained. It seemed simple enough, and there wasn’t really an alternative since they wouldn’t be able to see each other the whole time.

The biggest concern was the distance they would have to cover. The train tracks Laba was referring to would take quite the journey to reach on foot, now they had to fly over while escorting ponies PLUS they had to remain quiet. Still, full YOLO style, Discord decided to go for it. Either that or they would have to take a much bigger risk.

So, each pony… uhm, Draconequus and Changeling in the case of two particulars, teamed up with their chosen partners. Laba and Discord cast invisibility spells upon the group, with tiny white flashes, the ponies faded until completely see through. Discord still felt his paw on Sam’s shoulder, but he could see no sign of a pony being there, apart from four patches of flattened ground where his hooves were.

Feeling a pony’s body to decipher where the front legs were wasn’t exactly on Discord’s to do list, but he had to do it. It was awkward, though made less awkward by the fact he didn’t have to look at the, most likely, red face of Sam. Already in the air floating above him, he got a good grip on Sam and lifted him. For a second, he almost lost control due to the weight on his back -from the rucksack- counteracting the weight he was lifting. He managed to regain control, still keeping a firm grip on Sam.
He slowly started rising out of the leaves and wildlife, and gave sight to a view of of many trees dotted ahead of him, as well as an empty landscape filled with battling ponies, just as before. He started getting ever closer to the scene, and it all got to him in a way. These ponies that were all dying, ponies with lives, family and emotions, were all seeing their ends before him. Discord, arguably, was responsible. He hoped Chrysalis was making Starswirl look away at this point, that poor foal wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of stallions dropping like this, like they were inanimate objects that were out of use, being thrown away.

He didn’t know how Sam was handling this, what he did know is that he was showing no signs of fatigue despite the weight he was carrying. He had a job, a mission! He was going to complete it…

Way too much land here was being used to end pony’s lives, it seemed to be an infinite sight, ponies killing each other like this -in their numbers- was a sight to be in awe at. It didn’t even stretch out for THAT long, but an illusion was created that made it appear to last longer than it actually did, no doubt due to the shock.

The air was deathly still despite the pace at which Discord flew, almost as if nature herself wanted no part of this scene. It occurred to Discord that the odds of reaching the tracks without drawing any attention were pretty low, plus there were four groups, so it seemed almost guaranteed that at least one pairing would get caught somehow. Luckily, the odds of it being Chrysalis and Starswirl were safe, Chrysalis was a talented pony and was only carrying a small weight. Friar and Laba… well, Laba could probably cast a spell or two on Friar to keep him going. Sprial Dust and mysterious green pony -aka Poison Ivy- well, those were odds to worry about.

Luckily, the end of the enormous herd of ponies was in sight. It was a relief to finally get a break from this horrible sight, for the eyes to finally have a break, and to finally see more than death. Have I spent too long describing the battle? ...All well, continuing: with the end now in sight, Discord picked up the pace, flying with slightly more speed now. The extra speed made Sam feel slightly lighter, though the rucksack was still quite the weight. The crowd was now dropping in density… less… and less… and less.. until they were free. No more soldiers. There was also a train track in sight, adding to the feeling of relief. It would have been even greater if Discord knew how the other ponies were doing. As much as he wanted to look back and catch a glimpse of them, A: they’re invisible and B: he might risk dropping Sam.

It wasn’t until now that Discord realised, his spell wouldn’t last much longer! Parts of him were regaining their colour, and he could feel the sweat start to drip from the effort… He would have to stop quick! Thankfully, the tracks seemed to be on a slightly raised bit of ground, giving Discord and Sam something to hide behind when they got there. Well hey, at least that meant they could rest up. The tracks were now in close proximity, and Discord started lowering himself gently so as to not injure Sam. Not a moment too soon, his feet touched the ground. He kept hold of Sam with one paw and clicked his fingers, allowing the spell to deactivate. The two of them then ducked behind the raised ground.
“Well, that was fun” Discord sarcastically spoke, not even an adrenaline junkie would have liked that!
“Well, if that’s your idea of fun, I won’t question it!” Sam replied. Discord almost forgot, he removed his rucksack and took out a long, strong stick. He firmly placed it in the dirt. Come to think of it, he wouldn’t have to, he was right there in plain sight! All well, at least he was listening!

Before too long, a couple of ponies took form beside Discord, as did a second stick poking up from the ground. The white fur and grey mane soon made it clear that it was Laba, looking just fine, and beside him was Friar, looking rather tired. They spoke quietly, they were a good distance from the battle, but still best to be safe.

“Nopony else back yet, just us?” Laba asked.
“So far.” Discord replied. Soon enough, a small patch of dirt was forced inwards as if a stick had been pressed into it. With a quick spell from Laba, it was revealed that Chrysalis had placed her stick in the ground. And she had Starswirl! But, he looked… broken.

“I think you need to look at him.” Chrysalis handed, uhm… hoofed (?) We’ve had that problem before, but he was… hoofed, to Discord. He took the foal gently into his arms. Starswirl immediately clutched the body of Discord, he must have been in shock at that battle. Sorrow was Discord’s main emotion as he attempted to comfort Starswirl by holding him close, lightly petting him. Friar sooned disrupted the silence.

“So, what about Spiral Dust and Ivy Twist?” That must have been the mysterious green pony’s name, at least Discord got the Ivy part right! His original names were better, but whatever! Actually, this was a fair question. Discord feared these two would be the most likely to end up in trouble… oh Celestia…

“Oh, hold on.” Discord spoke, noticing what appeared to be a slightly noticeable cloud of dust heading his way… No doubt, it was Spiral Dust. The cloud swiftly made it’s way behind the group and took the form of Spiral Dust, looking concerned and with a large cut on his face.

Sam approached him and started speaking with him “Hey, Spiral Dust, good to see you back! ...umh,” he noticed there was no sign of Ivy Twist, “Where’s…”
Spiral Dust looked down at the floor. He had to transform for a reason, he must have lost his invisibility. As for Ivy Twist… well, odds are there was no way she could have escaped. Discord didn’t even know this mare’s name until just earlier, yet he could tell the mare meant something to these other ponies. Still, no time for mourning!