Camp Orion Chapter 14
Luna
After days of imprisonment, therapy, and journal entrees, the guards allow us to go outside today into the back yard for the first time. Snowheart said the fresh air might do us some good. Many of the guards protested, but just as I have seen during sessions, her persistence proved to be not just limited to interrogation.
Just like the front, it is decorated with bright flowers and shady trees. The bright green grass look like plastic against the dry, cracked earth of the surrounding land. My hoofs get tickled by the thin blades of grass as I trot further away from the building.
“What exactly are we supposed to do out here?” Discord floats up behind me with a fatigued look on his face.
“It is a yard.” I reply flatly.
“Yes, it is. But, what is there to do?”
“You can walk.” I gesture to his claw and hoof hovering above the ground.
“I can walk inside, too. What’s the difference out here?”
“You are outside.”
“I am but what am I supposed to do?” I stifle a groan under my breath.
“You don’t understand it, do you?”
“Oh, I understand it plenty, but it seems so tedious and pointless when you think about it, doesn’t it?”
“Just… leave me alone.” Discord blinks.
“Oh, fine Princess Killjoy. I’ll leave. I’m just trying to make conversation, that’s all. I think I’ll take a walk, then.” Discord flies ahead and plants his feet on the ground. He marches away, taking overly exaggerated steps as if he is stepping over a puddle each time. I scoff and turn away from his retreating back.
The shadows that the tree casts enshroud me in cool air. I let myself sit down at the base of the tree, watching the sunbeams send golden light to the ground. One light beam rests on a bright, pink flower. The petals cascade from the center like a kind of skirt. I allow myself a grin as I touch the top petal of the flower. I urge my magic to work against the inhibitor and onto the flower. The blossom glows a light blue briefly and then fades. Suddenly, the petals begin to move on their own. The stem twists the blossom around and the petals move up and down. The two movements make the flower look like it is dancing for me. I let out a slight giggle as I watch the show.
“How adorable. Well done, Princess.” I whip around to find the smug face of Discord grinning down at me. “Though, I would expect something more… flashy from an alicorn.”
“Do you mind?” I growl at him.
“Oh, no, not at all. Just continue.” I glare at him as he stares expectantly. Magic returns to my horn and find the blades of grass along the side of the flower. They wave side to side in a circle around the flower, creating an optical vortex around the base of the stem.
“Okay, that’s just lame. What kind of presentation is that?” I use my magic to stop all movement and stand bolt upright, staring Discord right in the face.
“I don’t recall ever asking for your opinion.”
“Why did you create the little show, then?”
“I was just playing around. It was really nothing.” Discord chuckles and straightens his back.
"Art is meant to be shared, never for just the maker alone.”
“Why don’t you make your own magical presentation instead of critiquing mine?” He frowns and snaps his fingers. The snapping sound reverberates through the air, but nothing happens beyond that.
“You know exactly why, Princess.” I look down back at the grass. “Look, I’ve been without my chaos magic for five days straight and it’s driving me insane despite our location. The least you can do is let me observe your magic.” I let out a huff as my memory traces back to the second night at Camp Orion. I remember his cold voice, clearly offended. He’s right, it’s the least I can do to make amends for that.
I use my magic to pick some blades of grass from the ground and wad each blade into a ball. Moving them outside of the shade and into the light, I lift them into the air. I remember each combination, each picture that the balls are supposed to make so clearly that I don’t even have to look at what I am doing. It is not until I look up at my creation that I fully come to realize what I have created. I hear Discord coming up behind me.
“Those are the stars, aren’t they?” I swallow hard and release my magic, letting the wads fall to the ground, lost in the sea of grass blades. “Seems like I’m not the only one who misses their magic.” I don’t reply to him.
“You know there’s a way to break out of here, right?” I turn his way.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing is perfect, Princess. Equestria isn’t perfect, Celestia isn’t perfect, and any kind of magical inhibitor she makes isn’t perfect either. It has flaws and if you find it, you can break it.” I blink at him. There’s no way to escape the inhibitor, is there?
“What, pray tell, is this flaw?” Discord motions for me to follow him to the line where the lush grass meets the cracked earth. The line is met with a slight pink ripple in space to signify the presence of the barrier. I look to Discord for a cue.
“Go on. Touch it.” I lift my leg against the barrier and the tip of my hoof falls through.
“Wha…” I keep my hoof moving deeper through the field, ripples flying away from my contact. “It’s… not real?”
“Oh, it’s real alright. Believing that you cannot escape is the most powerful prison of all, there’s no need to put up actual bars.” Discord briskly steps through the field and lands fully on the dry earth. I step through to join him on the other side, feeling the entirety of my alicorn magic surge through me. Discord lifts his wings up to his side and smirks back at me.
“But, unfortunate for them, we know better.”