//------------------------------// // Stop Coddling Me // Story: To Fix an Empire // by Neoeryn //------------------------------// ”When will you stop barging in and making excuses for me? Maybe I want to do this. You can’t control me forever, you know!” “Excuses? Since when have I ever made excuses for you? I’m just doing what I promised; looking out for you, helping you control your magic, and making sure you don’t go down the same chaotic path I did,” He picked up one of the books laying on the table. “Why don’t you read a history book about my mistakes sometime?” “I know exactly what mistakes you made, but you didn’t make those mistakes because of others. You chose to make those mistakes yourself-” Calamity slammed the book down. “-and because of that, you suffered the consequences. At least you actually had ponies who believed in you. Why can”t you do the same for me?” Calamity started shuffling towards the door, her tone gradually becoming more aggravated. She never explicitly showed it, but she couldn’t stand when he tried pulling her out of activities. She’s missed out on so many things she wanted to try, all because of some fear he had deep down. She had always thought it was due to him losing Fluttershy and being alone for so long after, but at this point, he didn’t have any excuses left. “Look, I know you like doing all this fancy stuff! However, I’m sure that’s enough adventure. Your schedule is busy enough and adding a ‘saving the world’ course to it probably won’t do you any good. Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s nothing-” “Nothing?” I’m pretty sure the map doesn’t make mistakes, and if you feel something’s off-balance then something is definitely up. Sure, I got into the schools that I wanted, but there could be possible ponies in danger or needing help with something important.” She was already making her way out of the school. The others slowly followed behind, enough to give her some space. They were pretty used to this as it happened frequently, and a lot of the activities she had been pulled from were part of their club. They had made their way across the bridge until they were abruptly stopped. “Well, if you’re leaving so soon, you wouldn’t mind if I tagged along would you?” Calamity was growing quite bothered with his games. He always made excuses for her to stay behind or always tried to make room for himself. “I don’t know, Discord. I don’t know what’s left from right at this moment. I don’t even know if I actually recognize these new Elements, or if they’ll lead me to my family if I even have one.” She had started pacing in circles and ground her teeth, lost in thought. Where did these Elements come from, and would they lead her to answers about her past? She didn’t want to risk any possibilities, even if it meant trying to escape from the pressure Discord had always put on her. Perhaps he didn’t realize how stressed she always was. “Oh. Well, if it was for that reason you could’ve just said something. I just don’t want-” “Discord, I know you mean well and want to keep me safe, but you need to let go and realize that trying to keep me here won’t fix or change anything. I know I’m not exactly proficient in magic yet, but it’s not like I can’t do magic-” “Stop with that nonsense. You can do magic just fine! That’s not what I’m worried about-” “Then what are you worried about?” Calamity stomped one of her hind hooves into the dirt, exhaling through her nostrils. She wasn’t sure how much longer her patience would linger for. Her frustration was growing immensely. “I know we’re family in a way and we’ve hung out for so long, but I’m nothing like Fluttershy. I know she enjoyed your company and was special to you. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy your company as well! I just need to live my own life, too. I can’t rely on you to always come in and try to ruin opportunities for me, and you can’t expect me to just stay here forever because you want me to.” He had disappeared in a flash of light as quickly as he had appeared. Calamity was sure she had said something wrong. “Are you okay?” Snowbank was quite stunned at what happened. She had experienced their arguments before, but not enough for them to turn out the way this one had. If anything, this was the first true argument she had witnessed between Calamity and Discord, other ones consisting of childish insults and pranks to get back at each other. “I’m fine. We’ll come back and see Princess Twilight tomorrow afternoon. I have to make sure he’s alright. I’ve never actually mentioned Fluttershy in front of him before, so I’m not quite sure how he took it.” Calamity had teleported back home to Chaosville. She wasn’t sure if mentioning Fluttershy had actually done something, but she didn’t want to just up and leave if she had hurt him by her choice of words, especially when she knew how close the two were.