The Story That Never Was - Chapter 8

>>It started as fun and games

>>Clouds of chocolate milk, streets of suds, checkerboard ground

>>Irritating, but amusing

>>The creatures were creepy, but relatively harmless. Bison in tutus, rodents with Giraff legs stampeding through town

>>Frustrating, but tolerable

>>Then buildings started leaving their foundations, inverting; some transmuting to particle board planks

>>Then day and night became inconsistent. It was as if Celestia had lost control

>>But she had not. Because she does have control over one thing

>>You

>>Her little human

>>And you couldn't be happier

 

>>These chaos abominations were persistent in their desire for blood

>>As usual, you are more than willing to grant that

>>“By Celestia!”

>>Cherilee squinted as you dispatched another marauding agent of discord

>>Your knuckles drip with crimson as you stand at the

>>Harmony has failed, but you are not harmony

>>Celestia told you that much. You are chaos. Controlled chaos.

>>Under their desks lay, cowering, a collection of the next generation of ponies

>>Their teacher, being courageous beyond her calling as a helpless victim of the powers over Ponyville, stops at nothing to comfort them

>>And you?

>>You serve Celestia's will. Even subconsciously, her will is often times your own

>>You live for this, you would die for this. You love Celestia for all she has done for you

>>And no one

>>No thing

>>Will lay a finger on Celestia's innocent children

>>Another charges the door. A hopelessly corrupt Pony whose face, even as twisted as it is, you still recognize

>>It is the ultimate test of your loyalty to your new God

>>Bam, boom, bibbity bop

>>Yet another body at your feet

 

>>This had been going on for what seemed like days. The constant shifts between day and night make it hard to tell

>>You grow weary, but you have great strength in your purpose

>>Right up until a loud crack calls your attention

>>You look behind you, and to your horror the elementary school has been instantly transfigured into a flat sheet of wood

>>No sign of its former occupants as it falls to the ground and shatters

>>You were their protector, their liaison to life

Oh, Celestia...

>>You raise an arm, attempting in vein to shield yourself from the reality of the situation

>>Of your complete and total inability to do anything

>>Of the murder of all those children

>>It is then that a voice pierces the chaos storm that your home has become

>>“Chaos is a wonderful, WONDERFUL thing!”

>>You turn to see it, and your depression transmutes into unbridled anger

>>You clench your right fist. Your right; so many opponents fell to your right. It's your weapon of choice. What you're known for.

>>You step towards the monstrosity. A large creature, with the head of a goat and the body of feathered snake. Forelimbs of a lion and an eagle. Hind legs of an ass and a skink. Its head is crowned with antlers from a mountain ram and a deer. Undersized wings, one of a bat and one of a dove, rest on its abysmal shoulders.

>>And then there was one long, stained, yellow tooth of a shark protruding from its lip

>>It sits upon a throne of all you held near and dear, claiming the eye of the storm which has reduced your life to ruin as its own

 

>>Your foot comes down in a puff of dust, and you look upon it. Clearly, it notices you.

>>“Oh! A human? Homo Sapien? Have you come to revel in my creation? I do know how much you people love this sort of thing.”

>>It squints one eye as it glares at you, holding a smile. It was so smug about it all

>>Celestia told you of Discord. In fact, Discord was one of the reasons you were brought here

>>But you did not make the connection. You never saw the statue.

>>You are bound to Ponyville, your trips to Canterlot are rare and gifted sparingly

My name is

>>You get cut off

>>“Anonymous. Ah, I know. One of Celestia's little pawns... to be honest I didn't think she'd have the nerve to try and bring one of your kind to this world. She's usually too boring to have any fun.”

>>He smiles and slinks over to you, wrapping his body around your back and presenting himself before you

>>“So, little human, how on earth did she manage to tame you?”

With the truth.

>>Discord vanished and appeared on his throne, one hand behind his head and the other curled as he breathed on his nails

>>He wiped them off on his body as he rolled his eyes

>>“Oh, no. Don't tell me that out of all the humans Celestia could have gotten, she picks the most BORING of the bunch.”

>>You do not speak. You are a man of few words

>>Instead, you just march forward, advancing on Discord's throne. Righteous fury in your eyes. You are curious what color his blood will run

>>He puts a finger to his lips, feigning worry, before nodding to you with a confident smirk

>>“Oh, please”

>>A corrupt Royal Guard pony, stationed in the township, materializes before you

>>Its skin runs like ink, the armor tattered and in disrepair

 

>>The only thing that resembled what it once did in life was the swirling unicorn horn jutting from its forehead

>>“Now, Anon, you wouldn't...”

>>You thrust your left hand forward and grab the horn of the chaos-inflicted guard

>>You have fought unicorns before in the fight circuit. The best way to defeat them is to not give them a chance

>>With a rough yank, you cause the skeletal body of the thing to rattle as it catapults over your shoulder and dashes to a hundred pieces on the ground behind you

>>Discord freezes

>>Even he wasn't expecting that

>>He was expecting harmony

>>But you aren't harmony

>>You're Anonymous

>>You do not forgive, you do not forget

>>You're controlled chaos, just like Celestia wanted

>>You continue your advance towards Discord

>>“Yeah, okay”

>>He puts his asymmetrical hands on his hips in an unimpressed huff

>>“Real tough guy. Well, what about this?”

>>He extends a single finger towards you, his face something criminal and psychotic

>>You are overcome by an electric beam of chalky white, and as the energy clears you find yourself standing before you

>>Albeit in a more gray tone

>>You look at it curiously, it looks at you with malice

>>“If there's one thing you humans are good at, it's killing one another. But can you kill yourself?”

>>Discord gave a confident chuckle, thinking he had this in the bag

>>But you are Anonymous

>>“This should be entertaining”

>>Discord smirked and drew up a glass of chocolate milk, prepared for a show

 

>>You look upon yourself with some worry

>>Up until now, you have fought Ponies and Diamond Dogs. Never a human

>>But you have a job to do. Celestia commands it

>>You dart forward and throw a left jab straight at your doppelganger, lunging in to the attack

>>He easily swishes past, raising his dukes

>>You raise yours in turn

>>You launch a second jab, aimed to pass through his guard

>>He pulls away, rebounds, and lunges in for a short punch to your gut

>>You anticipate this and perform a low block, deflecting the low punch before attempting to clinch the opponent when you two are close

>>He recovers too quickly and nails you with a fast uppercut from his left, followed by a hook from his right

>>He took advantage of your lowering your guard to clinch, and you earn yourself a bloody nose

>>You stumble back and wipe the crimson from your face before raising your guard once more

>>You go on the offensive again, throwing a hook from your leading left to get around his defenses

>>The doppelganger throws his right arm into the crook of your elbow, deflecting the punch as he lunges in for an elbow to your face

>>You recover and slip it, putting up your guard

>>You purposefully let him take the initiative for that one second. He takes it

>>What follows gets Discord's rocks off, and he bellows a laugh at your expense

>>Your doppelganger throws a left jab, a right cross, a left hook, a right uppercut

>>It's a flurry of blows, many of them endanger your guard

 

>>But you cover-up, using your forearms to form an aegis before you as you back away, rolling with the punches, keeping your head out of danger when you can

>>He does not let up

>>A straight hook into a short punch, a jab rolling into another jab which gives way for a right cross

>>Your right cross is powerful, you know that. You keep your cover up and duck it, but you do not counter. Your guard is good. You know that as well

>>An overcut clocks you in the face, but you endure.

>>He attempts to get inside of you to clinch, but you perform a check hook and get in behind the opponent before shoving him in the back with your open hand

>>Your silence is taunting

>>Your pokerface is infuriating

>>He comes around with a telegraphed short hook, which you easily roll with

>>He sloppily goes for a haymaker, which you weave under

>>Your doppelganger, sweating and running out of steam, leans in and tries to go for a one-hit knock out with a wide hooking right

>>You throw your left arm into the crook of his arm, step in, and ram your cranium into his nose while his guard is open

>>He staggers back

>>You clench his collar with your left hand, raise your right hand over your shoulder, and pull him in to a massive right cross

>>Lights out

>>You turn back to Discord and continue your advance

It's called the rope-a-dope

>>Celestia was wise to leave you with some of your relevant memories

 

>>Discord drops his drink, eyes wide as you approach

Do devils know fear?

>>Discord snaps his finger, causing an Arabian woman to appear before you

>>She is strikingly beautiful, belly dancing with thin silk strands following her movements

>>“I could give you anything your heart desires, Anonymous... I know you are lonely in this world.”

>>Celestia is good enough

>>You shove aside the woman as you continue your advance

>>“I could give you a way home!”

>>He snaps his fingers again, and creates a swirling vortex of planar energies to come to life before you

>>Celestia has already shown you what you would be going back to

>>You bypass it

>>He grows frustrated

>>“Well, Anonymous, how can you be so certain that your idol, Celestia, has your best interests at heart? Just how many of your memories are your own, and now abridged cuts fabricated by your precious Queen?”

I have faith

>>Celestia, in her wisdom, made sure of that

>>He sneers

>>“Oh, for Goodness' sake! Alright, then. I'll just steal Celestia's final possession from her.”

>>He smirks, confidently

>>You approach the throne and prepare to deliver a divine beat down on this knave, raising your right fist over your shoulder

>>He reaches a hand out and calmly touches your forehead

>>Your color drains, and with it goes your will

>>Your eyes dim, replaced with spiraling rings

>>All desire to destroy Discort is replaced with cowardice, and from him you flee

>>You flee as far as you can, horrified at the devil before you

>>You flee just in time for Twilight and her comrades to arrive

 

>>Hours later, while hosts the closing of a reward ceremony to congratulate the mane six, you occupy your domicile back in Ponyville

>>You are not to attend the celebration. It is not your place

>>Celestia has not requested you

>>You work on various projects. Re-keying your home after the latest Applejack break-in is at the top of your priority list

>>But you learn, as you kneel at your door and work, that you are not alone

>>A hoof beats as it comes down on the ground behind you.

>>“Hail, subject.”

>>You stand, turn, and acknowledge the presence of Princess Luna

>>You fall back to a kneeling posture

>>She offers her hoof

>>Like a good little subject, you take it in your hands and touch your forehead upon it before she retracts it.

>>“Rise, Anonymous.”

>>You stand, slightly taller than the midnight blue mare before you. You see her as no less your superior.

>>Luna looks up at you with the blank, emotionless expression that she is accustomed to.

>>She likes you, but doesn't show it. You humor her, out of ignorance or respect. Probably both.

>>“My sister sent me to congratulate you for your victory over Discord.”

>>Your eyes shift to and fro, searching for an answer, but they return to her and you squint your eyes

But... I didn't best Discord

>>Luna was so regal, maybe more so than her elder sister. Pish posh, she takes your response as over-modesty

>>“Twilight Sparkle and the others have returned Discord to his stone imprisonment. Using the combined Elements of Harmony, they restored order where there was no hope”

 

>>“But your interference caused Discord to expend vast quantities of his magic. Your resisting of his temptations introduced him to the concept of doubt, which was pivotal in the final battle.”

>>You blink

>>“You have performed admirably, Anonymous. Continue to do so, and you will remain in the good graces of my sister and I.”

>>Luna vanished, then, in a thunderous clap

>>You remained still for a moment

>>You thought on the previous events

>>Then you turned, and got back to work

>>You were Celestia's little human

>>And you couldn't be happier.