New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

40 - A Matter of Life and Death

"Well, then we won't do that." Discord put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "And that's that. Nice and easy."

Fluttershy lifted an ear, the other going to the side. "I don't... think that's something you just 'decide' to do."

Discord put both hands on his chest. "Are you forgetting who you're talking to? If I don't want to do it, then no force can make me do it."

Celestia pinned her ears back, perhaps noticing how agitated Discord was becoming. "If I may?" He looked towards her, fire in his eyes, literally. "It would be very... Harmony would approve of a life that never changed."

"That's a low shot." He crossed his arms with quite a pout. "If everything does something and one thing doesn't, that sounds pretty chaotic to me."

"Even if that chaos is to never change?" Celestia took a gentle nibble at dinner. "It doesn't seem to be what she wants."

Fluttershy shrank at the conflict. "I mean..."

"That can't be right." Discord scowled at her. "Tell her. Go on, say it." He opened and closed his hand in a speaking fashion as he spoke condencendingly, "I want to live forever." He brought his fingers together, ready to snap. "Just like that! None of that aging stuff. We can play forever. We can try all the teas in the world. We can see all the exotic animals there are to see, and there will be some new ones. Ooo, you can't miss that new fox species that's coming in a hundred moons or so."

Fluttershy only wilted as he excitedly made his case. "Well..."

"Well what?" His hands settled on the table. "This isn't a complicated thing. Yes or no? Ponies have tried for eons to find ways to get around this little problem. They've wanted it forever! And now I'm offering it, no strings attached." He tossed away the strings he hadn't been holding. "You don't even have to hang out with me... but I would hope you'd want to anyway. We are friends, aren't we?"

"Of course!" Fluttershy forced a smile. "And we will be... I hope, until the day... That day... But, Discord... I admire the natural order... quite a deal."

Discord hissed in a sudden intake of air. "Order... Order!" He leveled a finger at Comforting accusingly. "This is about her and her new friend, isn't it?!"

"No! No no no... Please don't be mad at her." Fluttershy dove onto the table, standing over the food to be in the way of his anger. "I love nature... I always have, well, almost always. I love its pretty parts. I love its ugly parts. I love the happy and sad parts... I love its starts... and with a start comes an end... eventually... To deny it would be to deny nature, and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that..." She slid back to her chair, some of the tension fleeing the room, to her clear surprise. "Do you understand?"

"I..." He went quiet, the room only having the sound of clinking of silverware on plates. "I think I do..." But he smiled. "But that means I have a chance to change your mind, until that day. Don't blame me for trying. Any good friend would want their friend around a little longer, hm?"

Fluttershy's worried expression brightened to a gentle smile. "Any good friend would want that." She put a hoof on his closer arm. "I won't be angry at that. I would do the same, if I were in your place... Any feeling pony would... But, for now, we're all in good health, so let's enjoy some good food."

"Speaking of that." Celestia set her magically held fork down. "This was delightful, Fluttershy. Free of pretension, which is a rare treat in itself. A homecooked meal filled with the love of a mother for her daughter, I could taste it with every bite." Even as Fluttershy blushed, Celestia was looking at Comforting. "You are very lucky."

"What do you think?" Comforting was looking at the nervous guard. "Liked it? Be honest."

"It was very good." If he said that honestly or copying Celestia wasn't entirely clear. "Different than what they serve at the castle."

"Very true." Celestia nodded slowly as she willed her plate to the side. "They are very formal in their preperations there. Quite good, but different. I appreciate that difference. Now... Comforting, we've found your specialty. I would recommend you focus on it. Alterations and how they can help those around you. Focusing on that will make the magic come more easily, and bring you greater joy."

Advice that seemed to make sense to Comforting, but other thoughts came too. "You run the school of magic, don't you?"

"One of." Celestia inclined her head. "You're already in a school, I remind."

"I'm not trying to switch..." As fun as that might be on a few levels. "But... since you do, you probably know a ton of spells..."

Celestia flashed a smile. "Twilight would be upset if I went behind her back to show you anything."

"So we won't tell her," shot Comforting, returning the statement. "And she won't be upset."

Fluttershy frowned at her daughter. "I don't like lying, Comforting."

"I won't! That doesn't mean I have to tell Twilight every little thing I do." Comforting fluttered her lashes at Celestia. "A little spell?"

With a magical pop, a scroll appeared, hovering in Celestia's magic. "It takes longer than what little time we have left to learn a spell, but this... Use this on yourself, or another, to invigorate them with your magic, allowing them to be a little stronger or faster, just for a moment. A fine starting spell, with few ways it can go wrong." She willed the scroll into Comforting's eager hooves. "Use it well, and bring a smile."

"I will do my best." Comforting squeezed the scroll, joy building at the idea that she'd secured a new spell. "Not to question... but why did you have this?"

"Hm?" Celestia sat back with a knowing smile. "Old habit... A starting spell of each foci is something I often carry around, just in case. You only have to keep the target in mind, the rest is quite set. Very few ways to get it wrong, which makes it a fine starting spell. Be happy you didn't have illusion. There are basically no illusions that don't require great focus and very specific images. How can you make a false sense if you aren't imagining that false sense precisely?"

Fluttershy looked confused suddenly. "Why did Twilight teach a spell with so many... variations as the first one then?"

"I prefer not to second guess my student." Celestia considered Comforting. "But I imagine she thought Comforting could handle it, and she did. You make lovely flowers."

Comforting willed flowers all over the big alicorn, sprouting across her white-pink fur in a thick carpet. "And they look better on you," she giggled, her mirth only increasing with Celestia's kind smile, clearly taking it in good humor. "I like that spell."

"It is a fine spell." Celestia stepped down from her chair. "Enjoy your new one. I should return to the castle." She yawned softly, but grandly, covering her mouth with a hoof. "The sun is set, so I should too. We are tied in this way. Luna may be wondering where I am, poor thing. Thank you for hosting us, Fluttershy."

"Of course, your highness." Fluttershy bowed low before the princess. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Very much. Philomena, let's go." With a squawk, the bird landed on her back and she started for the exit with her guard. "Sleep well."

Fluttershy rushed to the door to see her guests out, then close the door gently behind them. "That was unexpected." She turned back to see Comforting sneaking way, and no Discord. "Comforting Shade!" Comforting went still at her full name being used in such a way. "Get over here."

Comforting's ears sagged as she went to stand before Fluttershy, tail limp. "Yes, mom?"

"I do not approve of you going against Twilight, even if she never finds out." She crossed her arms, giving Comforting The Look™️. "I am not raising you to sneak around other pony's backs, and you know that's exactly what you're doing."

Part of Comforting bristled. She was an adult! She could decide what she wanted to do! But she was also Fluttershy's daughter... She had... accepted that. As her daughter, being chastised was part of the package, and she was sneaking... "But I really want to learn this spell. Please?"

Fluttershy set a hoof on Comforting's head. "I believe Celestia. That sounds like a nice spell for a young unicorn wizard... Which is exactly why you will show it to Twilight tomorrow, in school, and tell her exactly what Princess Celestia said today. If she allows you to study it, then you may. Otherwise, you wait, as she asked you to."

Fluttershy leaned in. "And you will tell me how it goes, good or bad. No lies of omission there! Comforting..." She leaned in, touching her nose to one of Comforting's folded ears. "I still love you... I'm angry because I care."

"I understand..." She hated it, in that moment, but she knew how it worked. She'd been on the other side of it. "I'll tell her... She better let me study!" She suddenly burst into laughter, realizing how things had turned. She had become a small child that planned to beg for the chance to study something. What a difference a world could make... "It sounds like a fun spell, and harmless. Even more harmless than the flowers." She looked around, but all the flowers she had conjured were already faded away back into the ether.

"Which is the only reason I'm allowing this." Fluttershy gently bonked her daughter. "No going around your magic teacher. She knows unicorn magic very well, and she's your teacher. Please listen to her, even the parts you'd rather skip." Fluttershy sat on her haunches and offered a hoof. "I don't want to be mad at you."

"I don't want you to be mad at me..." Having Fluttershy upset with her was kind of awful. "Can we stop?"

"Will you be good?" Fluttershy smiled timidly, as was her nature. "I prefer being proud of you."

Comforting accepted the offered hoof and was soon nestled in warmly with her mother. Arguments came to a stop in favor of cuddles between the two, a far more pressing matter. "Talk to her tomorrow... There's a good chance she'll say yes anyway. Twilight knows what it's like to be an eager little wizard."

"That's probably why she's holding me back." Comforting folded her arms in the grip of her mother. "She's worried I'll get all fixated like she does."

"And you won't?" Fluttershy nuzzled at Comforting's head from the top directly. "You seem pretty fixated."

"A little! I do not go Twilight. That's a special kind of fixated."

"Hmmm..." Fluttershy was quiet a moment. "It's true... that is a special... Don't tell her I said that. Talk to her tomorrow, good or bad, please."

"I promise! I should go to bed." She was allowed to spring to freedom and start for her room. "Good night!"

"Good night, Comforting." Fluttershy went instead to start cleaning up. So many ponies, and one chaos spirit, had left her a mess in need of tending before she could consider sleep. Such was the life of a mother.

"She doesn't take after you."

Fluttershy turned an ear without the rest of her turning. "Comforting?"

"She's nice, that much she has." Discord slipped up next to Fluttershy. "But that's where the similarities end, my dear. If you want a foal, I could get you a nice pegasus one. You could show them how to fly."

Fluttershy wrinkled her nose at the idea. "No! I'm Comforting's caretaker, and she loves me very much... Even if she is naughty once in a rare while... If I did get another foal, it would be another foal." Abandoning the one she had was not on the table. "Thank you for the offer, but no, thanks."

Author's Note:

That tense moment is worked out. Yay reasonable endings!

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Comments

[2tail]

Discord offering to give Fluttershy a foal....

[Moonlight_Mist]

11262979
I wonder if he even knows what he's offering...?

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

"A little! I do not go Twilight . That's a special kind of fixated."

A special kind of fixated indeed. I think that the phrase "going Twilight" should be a thing now.

Not telling somecreature something isn't really lying...

But going against their direct instructions not to do something can still be a bad thing. Especially if they had your welfare in mind when they gave you the instructions.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

11262979
He'd probably just snap one into existence

[David Silver]

11263136
Where it came from could still be a concern.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

11263142
True.

[SRY]

11263136
Well viewed sideways that is almost canonical for him...

[geomease]

Discord low key offering to put a foal in fluttershy

[TheLocalCannon]

Fluttershy set a hoof on Comforting's head. "I beleive Celestia. That sounds like a nice spell for a young unicorn wizard... Which is exactly why you will show it to Twilight tomorrow, in school, and tell her exactly what Princess Celestia said today. If she allows you to study it, then you may. Otherwise, you wait, as she asked you to."

"I before E EXCEPT after C, and when sounding like 'a' as in neighbor and weigh, and all through May, and you'll always be wrong no matter WHAT you say!"
'That is a hard rule... That is a rough rule.'

believe.

[tamales]

comforting echoing starlight's words a couple chapters ago... she definitely acts more like a kid than she realizes, imo. she funny tho 😭😭

[Poparakelis]

Starting to dislike discord

[Luckyfanisaac]

She looked around, but all the flowers she had conjured were already faded away back into the ether.