//------------------------------// // Riding Home - Stress // Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic -- Off The Record // by The King of Hearts //------------------------------// //// Riding Home - Stress //// “Well, it seems that you and your friends have done something that neither I, nor my sister have been able to achieve.” Celestia said to Twilight, as they sat next to one another on their way back to Canterlot, “Bringing peace between two nations is quite the achievement.” “Well- luckily, some of the changelings wanted peace as well,” Twilight said, shifting in her seat uncomfortably, “If Taurus hadn’t helped me, I don’t think we would have made it out of there.” “Indeed.” Celestia nodded, “When we setup proper channels of communication, I’d like to properly thank him for what he did. Perhaps give him an award for… something.” “I don’t think he’s really the type that looks for recognition… I don’t think many changelings are.” Twilight frowned for a moment, “Especially when it comes to being honoured by their old enemies.” “You’re right, it might look bad,” a voice said, as the two looked to the door of the empty car they were seated in, “Everypony might think he’s a traitor!” “I thought you were staying home to catch up on your sleep,” Celestia said to the hovering voice. “Well, Celestia, my dear,” he chuckled, “I was trying to get some shut-eye, but I found myself far too worried about our dear friends!” Slowly, Discord’s body faded in to existence, revealing the smirking beast to the two of them. “Oh, Discord,” Twilight spoke up, earning the attention of the floating beast, “I had a question about a spell we all saw inside that world.” “Mhmm?” Discord said patiently. “Right before we escaped, Aries used this spell… it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.” Twilight began, before Discord interrupted her. “A kind of magic you’re unfamiliar with?” He asked, looking to Celestia with a fake shocked expression, “Your teachers must not have been very good at their job, if you don’t even know the different kinds of spells!” Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly to him. “You should listen to her. I’ve never heard of the spell either.” Rolling his eyes, Discord closed the distance between him and Twilight, sitting down in the free seat next to her. Taking her cue, Twilight explained everything she knew about the Syphon. The casting conditions, what it did to the world, and the magic within it. And for the first time that any of them could recall, Discord’s expression hardened. “That pony can’t be allowed to live.” Discord said, shocking the two with his blunt statement. “Why in Equestria would you say that?!” Celestia asked, “It’s only a—“ “You don’t understand,” Discord said, looking back and forth between them, “I’ve had dealings with that kind of magic before. More than a thousand years ago.” “When you still ruled Equestria?” Twilight asked. Discord nodded, “There were many attempts to dethrone me by my subjects in those days, and a spell similar to the one you just described to me was used against me once.” “What happened?” Celestia asked, having no recollection of such an event taking place. “A small town in the Bountiful Flatlands worked together to come up with a spell that apsorbed chaotic magic. They had hoped that using it on me would render me helpless,” Discord recalled, his eyes glazed over. “Bountiful Flatlands?” Twilight asked, looking to Celestia, who was equally as dumbfounded. “Record keeping during Discord’s reign were… well, horrible.” Celestia shrugged. “To spare you all the boring details… the spell backfired, when it started absorbing harmonious magic, along with chaotic.” Discord continued, ignoring their confusion, “The spell kept growing, and growing, until it had sucked every drop of magic out of the flatland, leaving them a rotten.” “What stopped it?” Twilight asked, “Fluttershy had to physically knock Aries out of the epicentre to kill the spell, but by the sounds of it, the one you’re talking about was a lot bigger.” “After the spell went wild, all of the magic absorbed was directed back in to the caster,” Discord frowned, “It was too much for a normal pony to handle. He… exploded.” “Would that have happened to Aries?” Celestia asked. “No,” Twilight shook her head, “The spell was being routed through his PDA. Taurus told me that the device could hold a thousand times more magic than a normal pony.” “Such a spell could mean the end of Equestria as we know it,” Discord explained to them, “Everypony involved in its creation should be taken somewhere far away, where nopony can find them. And I have just the place in mind…” Twilight and Celestia both gave him a look. “Heaven.” Discord finished. “I’m afraid that’s out of our power, and out of the question.” Celestia shook her head, maintaining her authority to him. “Chrysalis already meant to execute them!” Discord argued, “Just tell her that she can!” “And end this war with more bloodshed?” Celestia asked, her anger mounting within her, “Absolutely not! Chrysalis has promised me that Aries will be imprisoned for the rest of his life. Nopony will get the chance to find out what he knows about the spell.” “Is he the only one that knows how to create it?” Discord asked, looking to Twilight. Twilight held a still expression. The fact was, Taurus knew as well. It sounded like he had a large part to do with making it. But, he was a free pony, and that might not sit well with Discord. “No.” Twilight shook her head, “Aries came up with it himself. He certainly bragged enough about it.” Discord huffed, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms, “And you’re sure I can’t just… teleport him in to the sun?” “My sun?!” Celestia asked, glaring at him with the kind of fury that caused him to sink back in to his seat. “Well, if everything goes to heck, you can’t go blaming me!” Discord relented, levitating himself up, “I’m going to go talk to Fluttershy! She’s much nicer to me than the two of you!” With that, Discord snapped his fingers, and disappeared in an explosion of confetti and streamers. Celestia wouldn’t admit it in front of him, but everything he had just told her scared her. Her body was rigid, and a close observer would notice that her hair wasn’t waving quit as much. “He’s crazy,” Twilight laughed, looking to the Princess with a smile, before it faded at the sight of Celestia’s expression, “Are you okay?” “Have you ever seen him act like that?” Celestia asked her student, “I’ve never seen Discord take a matter so seriously. And that includes when he talks about the end of the world.” “I don’t think so, but that might just be because he’s scared.” Twilight shrugged, earning a confused look from her teacher, “I mean- whatever’s coming for us, to end the world, if it shows up, Discord can just jump to another dimension. If a spell like that went off though? He’d be powerless.” “Something he’s never been before,” Celestia muttered, nodding slowly, “That makes sense, thank you Twilight.” Twilight gave her a happy smile, but found that Celestia was no happier than she had been a few minutes before. “Is there something else you want to talk about?” Twilight asked, cocking an eyebrow. Celestia was silent for a moment, as she mulled over the hurricane of thoughts in her head. The truth was, the world was a very scary place for her right now, and Discord was simply adding more to the heap. “I’m fine,” She lied, giving her student an expertly fake smile, “It’s just been a long, and stressful day with you and your friends locked away.” “Things always turn out alright for us, it seems” Twilight said, laughing a bit, “I could have sat on my rump the whole time and we still would have escaped one way or another.” “Well, that’s certainly a positive way to look at it,” Celestia laughed, “Next time I’m in trouble, I’ll have to remember that piece of advice.” The two were interrupted by the door to the car opening behind them, as they both turned to see Luna standing in the entrance. “Sister, what did you say to Discord?” Luna asked, “He’s sobbing in to Fluttershy while she’s trying to sleep!” “Sobbing? Of course,” Celestia rolled her eyes, “He’s just looking for attention. I told him he couldn’t execute one of the changelings, and now he’s looking for sympathy.” “Why did he wish to execute a changeling?” Luna asked, tilting her head. “The spell that was used against Twilight and her friends was something that worries him greatly, and he wanted to guarantee that it wouldn’t be used again.” Celestia repeated, just wanting to get off the topic. “What spell was that?” Luna asked. “Luna, would you please leave this alone for now?!” Celestia snapped, surprising both Twilight and Luna. Luna blinked a couple of times, before taking a step backward in to the train car she had come from. “I- Of course, sister…” Luna said, clearing her throat, “We can discuss it later.” With that, Luna closed the door, leaving an incredibly uncomfortable silence hanging in the room between Celestia and Twilight. “I… think I’m going to go talk to Alpha for a little bit,” Twilight said, standing up quickly, “We can talk about this later, after we’ve all had a chance to get some sleep.” Celestia didn’t answer. “I’ll see you later, Princess.” Celestia felt a tear run down her cheek. It seemed like the world was bearing down on her from every direction. The coming end times, Twilight’s dark side, Discord’s worries… Each one amplified the stress she felt in her body exponentially. “Perhaps some sleep will help…” She muttered, as she used her magic to flip the light switch, and darken the car. Any escape would do her good. But in the back of her mind, she knew that this world would be waiting for her when she woke up.