Title:           Chapter 11 - 20 TentaclesAnon
Author:          CookieSfh
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/b2NCWc8z
First Edit:      Saturday 18th of June 2016 08:14:29 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Monday 13th of February 2017 03:46:29 PM CDT

Chapter 11: Leader of the Pack
>You walk up to Twilight, who is in the afterglow of motherhood and tap her on the hoof, getting her attention.
>"Huh? Oh, Anon! What is it?"
"We need to discuss the abilities of the timber-wolves."
>"The timber-wolves? Ah yes, the essence." Twilight uses her horn and takes out a small glass jar from out of her bag, floating it onto her hoof.
>"Zecora gave me this so that we could trap a part of the living essence inside." but that isn't what concerns you.
"What are these creatures capable of? Are they strong? How do they act?"
>Twilight thinks the questions over for a moment and answers. "The most a timber-wolf can do is reassemble itself back into its original form, and the only weaknesses I can think of is that they're weak against fire and rocks are able to disfigure their forms for a good period."
>So you were overthinking their abilities.
>Your hooves could mimic a flying rock and starting a fire in a forest sounds like good memories.
>You're just gonna have to remind yourself that this is a different world.
>Different from your own.
>You walk up to Chinka who looks to have recovered a bit and boop her on the nose.
"Let's get moving."
>"Me... uh... OK."
>And so all three of you leave the grotto, to start the hunt for the timber-wolves.
>As you walk through the forest, Twilight questions why Chinka needs the flower like you.
>But she either shy's away or looks the other direction.
>You wonder if you should get Twilight to stop.
>It doesn't matter.
>A howl echoes through the forest, catching everyone's attention.
>It came from behind the three of you, yet a little to the side as well.
>You turn around, which stops both Twilight and Chinka in there tracks and enhance your left eye.
>You focus intensely on your senses, causing your face to distort.
>Your canines grow back, your nose lowers and pinches itself.
>Your ears grow extra fur, becoming long and thin, making your hear the tiniest change on the ground.
>And then, you wait.
>Bushes rustle to the left.
>A branch breaks a good distance behind you.
>A bunny hops through the grass to the right.
>Twilight talks, but you don't register it.
>You must focus.
>The scent of leaves and bark fluids your nostrils as the midnight breeze whistles in your ears.
>And then growling?
>The sounds of crackling wood makes itself apparent as every side of you is surrounded with noise and vibration.
>And then... silence.
>A game of patience, as twigs are crunched, breathe is held, and both you and these creatures know exactly when to strike.
>And... it... starts... right... about...
>Wait... clucking?
>Just then, the chicken from before comes out from the bushes behind you.
>It must have been sleeping while all of this was going on.
>But it's too late to complain.
>A timber-wolf has already lunged itself onto your throat.
>Making you and the ferocious creature to tumble away from Twilight, who has raised a solid pink shield around herself and Chinka, who is panicking inside 'said' shield.
>You are separated from both of them as both you and the creature tumble into a bush and down a steep hill, hitting trees, broken logs, stones, and rocks in that order before finally landing in a clearing.
>You unfurl your nose and hit the the wooden mutt in the throat, disconnecting it from its body.
>With that done, you unlock its jaw and break it off its head before smashing both on the ground, creating a little pile of twigs and bark.
>But it appears that it won't end there, as the pile glows green, shaking profusely before floating back to the wolf's body.
>The pile rearranges itself back into the head that you just smashed, and attaches itself back onto its body.
>And with that, it growls at you and scratches its ear before the real fight begins.
>Tentacles constrict your neck, but they don't hinder your breathing.
>They only blocked the hit.
>But now, it is time to destroy.
>The tentacles uncoil themselves around your neck and grow in mass, forming multiple muscles inside of them.
>The glow of the moonlight reflects the many fluctuating muscles as they grow to the size of pythons.
>Their positions on your body change as two move to the rear and two others mover to the front, four limbs covering all sides.
>A crack is heard to the right, and a slight skip into the air allows you to avoid another lunge from another in the bushes.
>Your flesh physically hardens itself, creating insect-like plates, and holding the tentacles in place.
>Using the added weight on your back, you balance yourself on two legs, readying your hooves in a battle stance.
>You grit your teeth and empty your mind as you start your assault on the timber-wolves.
>You jump forward and slam the timber-wolf into the ground, breaking its body under the pressure of your tentacles.
>Looking around, eight have gathered around you, growling and pacing around the pile of scrap you made.
>You don't see the hive-mind among them, so you'll just have to destroy them all.
>That also means Twilight is dealing with the real deal right now.
>You rev up your tentacles and your hooves, taking a crouched pose before pushing yourself forward into the air.
>The first wolf is blown into dust in front of you, an after-image of a hole blown into nothing.
>You land on your hooves and turn to face the second wolf, which bears its fangs at you.
>You slam its face into the ground and tear its body into pieces, repeatedly slamming your tentacles into it, turning it into sawdust.
>After you finish, the third one bites one of your tentacles, causing you wince.
>You slam it into another one and proceed to beat the both of them to pulp.
>Two more lunge at you, but are spearheaded by the tentacles on your backside.
>You focus on the two creatures and grow your tentacles, causing spikes and razors to protrude from there bodies.
>Eventually they are both engulfed like a sandbox and shredded, the dust creating a light mist behind you as you approach the last three.
>The three of them growl in hostility, but begin to run away into the forest.
>That can only mean one thing.
>Propping yourself onto your tentacles, you launch yourself into the air, heading straight to Twilight and Chinka.
>Hopefully they didn't do anything rash.
>Unlike you.
>But your power is unrivaled.
>And your the only one that had no trouble dealing with them.
>You wonder how long Twilight held that barrier for.
>Looking down at the ground, you see what the hive-mind has done.
>But it won't stop you from saving them.
 
 
 
>You land perfectly on your hooves, creating cracks on the dry area below you.
>And in front of you stands a towering giant of a timber-wolf.
"So this is what you plan to do?"
>The behemoth snarls at you and scratches the ground below it, picking up a chunk of the earth in the process.
>Looking around, the area is covered in scorch marks and burnt wood.
>Charred corpses litter the area and...
>Chinka lays crying over a passed out Twilight.
>No visible wounds from your standpoint, but she was able to drive the hive-mind to such lengths.
>Either way, you?r p?i?s?se?d?.?
>Ma?d... ?an?g?r?y?.?..?? t????r????a?n?????s????c???e???n??d????i????n??g????? ???r???a????g?e?????.????
>Your tentacles dissipate and fluctuate with your surroundings, becoming something and then nothing.
>You open your mouth, but only black sludge comes out of it.
>And the black sludge begins to cover your entire body, consuming it, shaping it.
>You start to grow sharp limbs out of yourself, which pierce the ground and hoist you up into the air.
>Your hooves are transformed into razor sharp claws with mixtures of black and white auras surrounding your entire body.
>Though your form has grown gigantic compared to that of a little colt's, it barely rivals the wolf in terms of height.
>But it's only a tiny setback.
>With a catalyst, anger is always easy to summon.
>Physically and mentally.
>Auras irradiate from your body, some of white stripes, and others of corrupted magics.
>A familiar body, but it's quite small in comparison to when you last used it.
>But it will do.
>Though you lack a proper face, with only a gaping jaw and light shards for eyes.
>It will be a proper fight.
>The both of you roar, making the ground around you shake and the trees to quiver.
>And then, you both lunge at each other, claws intertwining and teeth ripping through skin and wood.
>It tries to force you into the obstacles behind you, but you take its claws and throw it to the side, making the leader lose its balance.
>And now that it's on its side, you begin your assault, ripping out multiple trees and bushes, causing it to screech and wretch.
>It doesn't give up though as it rotates its body to clamp its jaw onto your head, swinging you down the same cliff as before.
>But with your claws, your able to keep from falling too far.
>You climb back up and snatch its front paw, ripping it off its hinges and slapping it with its own limb.
>The appendage falls apart in your grasp and you stomp on the ground screeching an impossible note before lunging at its throat, ripping its head off.
>And then you rip off its other leg.
>You continue to rip through the creature one branch after another, tearing trees off of its body, peeling the multiple layers off as you would skin.
>Until finally, you find it.
>A single tiny cloud.
>Smaller than the leaves it uses for eyebrows, it lays inside in its dormant hole, motionless.
>You reach in for the cloud and pull it out, causing the entire structure to collapse onto the ground.
>This is the essence?
>A cloud?
>Your body evaporates into a dark smoke before revealing your regular body laying on the ground.
>Still observing the tiny cloud in your hooves.
>And now that you've changed in size, you can see tiny sparks of emerald green flash through the clouds base.
>You now have all four ingredients.
>You look around and see Chinka, who is still crying on Twilight's hoof.
>Walking up to her, you take out the jar from her satchel and put the cloud inside, closing it with a cap.
>"M-... Me couldn't..." Chinka sniffles and tries to hold it in for you, but you pat her on the head.
>Checking Twilight over, a few gashes are around her stomach and throat area.
>And it looks like they got a good bite in as well before she fainted.
>Feeling her over, her breathing hasn't stopped, but blood continues to flow from some of the wounds.
>Chinka must have been too frightened about the whole ordeal to have noticed.
"Chinka, do you still have the venom?"
>Chinka wipes away her tears and nods, taking a helping of it from the dirt.
>She pours it onto your hoof as you get to work, taking some supplies from Twilight's satchel and your own.
>You rub the venom into the white bandages and apply them to the wounds, stopping the bleeding and numbing the pain.
>You conjure tentacles through the ground to gently lift up her entire body to assess more of her.
>The jaw mark leads to the other side as expected and...
>A giant gash mark is revealed, going from her neck all the way down to her lower thigh.
>This must have been the leader's doing.
>You lay her down on her left side to tend to the giant wound.
>Multiple tentacles appear and disappear as some act as scalpels, removing any splinters that might be stuck inside the wound.
>Others act as adhesives, going inside the wound to rub the venom inside and stop the bleeding at its source, effectively stopping the bleeding and sealing the wounds.
>All the while you attempt to prepare a bandage large enough to cover the entire area.
>Chinka grabs more and more venom from the ground, helping you lather the entire strip.
>"I-Is Tunka OK?"
"She has lost most of her blood, but she will recover. It will just require a lot of sleep."
>You point at the venom on her hoof.
"The venom will help her rest, even if she doesn't want to."
>Chinka looks at her hoof, and then back to you, nodding confidently.
>And so, the two of you work together, patching up Twilight the best you could.
>Of course you weren't a doctor, but you could certainly save her life.
>As for Chinka, she made for a nice assistant.
>Though you never figured out where all the venom came from.
>As the final bandage was placed, the entire wound was covered, and the two of you sighed a job well done.
>Chinka had an uncontrollable smile on as Twilight breathed in and out, peacefully without moving an inch.
>And you...
>You were exhausted.
>In the first time in your life.
>You felt tired, as if a limit had been set on you.
>Your eyes felt droopy and your breathing was slowing down, but before you could lie down, Chinka grabs you by your mane and yanks you back up, making you snap back to reality.
"Ngh... what is it Chinka?"
>"No bed, need take Tunka to safe!"
>Hmmm... you didn't know how to return to Zecora's hut, but you did know where you could go to keep safe from the creatures here.
"Chinka, lets return to the grotto. It is acid water, no creature will stop to drink it or to bother traveling to it."
>But Chinka interjects. "No grotto, blue likes big meanies! Bait for meanies! Need find safe!"
>You wonder how she can be this energetic when she just went through a near death experience.
>Most of what you've seen is intense screaming before and after someone's death, but she's all smiles.
>You'll have to ask her later.
>For now, you'll have to make your way to Zecora's hut.
"Chinka, do you remember the way to striped ladies hut?"
>Chinka thinks for a second, and then claps her hooves together. "Yes! Yes! It go here!"
>She points to the direction past the rubble and charred corpses.
"Uhm... good job... Chinka. Let's go."
>The little filly jumps in excitement and gathers her stuff, which was scattered during the supposed fight.
>You go to Twilight, taking her hoof and hoisting it over your side, leaving her head resting on your right side.
>No tentacles to help?
>Must be asleep.
>You move under Twilight and hoist the rest of her up onto you, using your mane as a platform for her to rest.
>And with the both of you ready, you set off to Zecora's.
>Twilight yawns and smiles, hugging you passionately in her sleep.
>You blush, but keep moving forward.
>Past the charred corpses.
>Past the rubble.
>Ignoring the full moon above you.
>Making your way through the forest.
>With her.
 
 
Chapter 12: To Have a Voice
>The two of you now stand in front of Zecora's hut, with Twilight still asleep on your back.
>You knock on the door and wait for a response.
>Chinka runs behind you, holding you from behind, shaking.
"Chinka, what's wrong?"
>Chinka only grips you harder, trying her best to hide behind your posterior.
>You shake your head and knock on the door again.
>This time you hear something on the other side, is she rummaging through her stuff?
"Zecora, open the door. I can't carry Twilight all night."
>The shuffling of papers and books stops and rushed hoof-steps come close to the door before it opens.
>"Ah Anonymous! I'm so glad you cou-..."
>Before she could finish her sentence, she gathers her thoughts as she looks at the scene in front of her.
>A single colt, carrying a pony covered in bandages half across the Everfree, with a filly firmly gripping his ass while intensely staring at her.
>Zecora shakes her head, ridding the thoughts plaguing her mind. "P-Please come in the both of you. I have prepared some complimentary stew."
>So you walk in, carrying Twilight on your back, and pulling Chinka through the ground as she tries to stop you.
>Zecora closes the door behind her and walks to her cauldron, taking a ladle and two bowls from the shelves
>As she fills the bowls with her stew, Chinka tries to get comfortable with her new surroundings.
>You lay Twilight on the nearby bed, tucking her in and making sure her vitals are still in order.
>Regulated breathing, check. No opened wounds, check.
>You might have to drop her off at a hospital to make sure nothing has gone wrong in her system, but other than that, she looks healthy.
>You turn and find that Chinka has climbed up the walls, all the way to the very top, using a nearby branch as leverage.
>You turn to Zecora, who doesn't look pleased at the situation. "Tell me Anonymous, why does your new friend strive to such heights? I fear that I will not be able to get her down, try as I might."
>Zecora takes on a somber expression, like that of someone who hasn't gotten enough sleep.
>You shrug as well, not knowing what to do.
>The both of you are too tired to deal with the filly that has traveled up onto the ceiling, of which she's now playing with the ornaments hanging above.
"We retrieved the ingredients, but Twilight was badly injured by the Timber-wolf alpha."
>Zecora's eyes go wide. "The leader?! Why did she decide to pick such a fight? Putting both you and the little one in such a situation could have led to a great fright!"
"We didn't pick the situation, they came to us. I took care of the alpha and tended to Twilight's wounds the best I could."
>"'You' took care of the great wooden beast? I'm sorry to say that I lack the proper feast."
>Zecora rubs her temples and looks up to Chinka. "If that is the case... I will let the little one play, but please do watch that she doesn't fall, to her dismay."
"I will do my best."
>"Thank you Anonymous, and I will do the same for your mother, though I am still curious of the whereabouts of your father."
"If you are curious about Discord, I do not know where he lives."
>Zecora pauses, then spit takes, and then walks over to the side of the room and sits onto a leaf-covered chair.
>"I... was not expecting such a turn of events... I need a moment before you can talk to you again."
"Take as much time as you need, I was adopted by Discord, and Twilight is now my current caretaker."
>"I see." Zecora begins to understand, but still, many questions loom over her mind.
>Questions that would best be saved for later.
>Because you really want to sleep.
>You go to Twilight's side and lie down on the floor, watching Chinka do... whatever she is doing.
>"Mmmm... Punka! Punka me stuck!
>Fucking...
"How did you get stuck?"
>"Me go in stick, but no fit."
>You look up and see that Chinka has wedged herself in between two branches.
>She's trying to wiggle herself out, but her bottom prevents her from getting out of the branches' grip.
>You take your saddle off, which is also holds Twilight's saddle, and place it on the bed near Twilight.
"Zecora, when you wish to do so, retrieve the ingredients from Twilight's bed.
>She nods and grabs the two bowls from earlier, placing them onto a table stool.
>And you proceed to climb the walls of the home in order to free Chinka of her current predicament.
>Though it's quite hard trying to not fall asleep while climbing, you manage to swing your way up to Chinka using your mane as momentum.
"Chinka, empty your breathe and relax your muscles. Do not struggle and let your body flow through."
>Chinka pauses her struggle and nods, following the steps you gave her.
>She empties her stomach of all air and lets her hooves fall down, catching nothing but air.
>You position yourself onto the branch, using your hind-hooves as a foundation as you push down the lower branch and lift the upper branch with one hoof.
>Your other hoof pushes her posterior forward, causing her to panic.
>Chinka swings her hooves around trying to find a way to not fall down to the floor.
>And that is when she spots your mane
>She quickly grabs onto the end and holds it for dear life as you finish pushing her rear through the wood prison.
>You however, do not notice the change in weight in time, causing you to lose your balance.
>Your eyes widen as your skin is pulled to the other side of the two branches via your hair.
>This in turn makes you somersault across the branches, heading head-first into the ground.
>And with a two-part thud, you both hit the ground in record time.
>At least, that is what you think the two thuds were.
>You turn your head to find that you've discovered a new definition for bed-head.
>Your hair has fluffed up into a perm, covering the general area of where you were going to land.
>And out comes Chinka, a bright smile plastered on her face.
>"Tunka save Chinka! Big! Big!" Chinka proceeds to give you a suffocating hug, making you empty the air out of your lunges.
>Two for two...
>You try to grimace as Chinka kneads the new bed around her and falls on it, quickly falling asleep.
>Your attempts are all for nought, as you yourself start to become drowsy on this new fuzzy surface.
>So you sleep, falling back into the darkness once again.
>Darkness...
>Back to darkness...
>This time, there is no platform holding you up.
>You simply float in a void immune to time, space, magic, and energy.
>Nothing leaves... nothing comes...
>And it is only you there.
>Nothing else...
>Like it always will be...
>But just then... a light...
>A single, dim light makes itself apparent in the darkness.
>Your eyes open and follow the light, which moves slowly towards you, brightening at a noticeable rate.
>But... before it can reach you.
>Just inches away from your face, something covers the light, hiding its glow and turning your surroundings back into nothingness.
>You try to reach for it, to catch it before it's pulled away, but you can't move.
>The light is taken away, leaving you in the darkness.
>Alone.
>You wake up.
 
 
>Looking out the window, the sunlight of a new day shines bright on your face.
>A bit too bright for you taste.
>You block the sun with your hooves and look around the hut.
>Zecora has fallen asleep on a new bed-spread on the ground while Twilight lays still in the bed.
>Chinka lays sleeping soundly on your fur, cuddling you in her dream state.
>You look at her and see that the flower that Twilight had gave her is still glowing.
>It's faint, but it still glows through the sunlight, its small lily petals glistening in her dirt covered mane.
>You wonder how many are awake at the moment, and you get your answer immediately.
>Your mane retracts itself back into its base mass, gently moving you and Chinka down onto the floorboard.
>Tentacles grow from your shoulders, all pointing towards Twilight.
>At least two.
>You get up and stretch your muscles, smacking your lips and rubbing your eyes.
>Though Chinka refuses to leave your side, hugging and nuzzling into you.
>Why does this filly keep grabbing you?
>If anything, you just want your body back.
>And your tentacles follow your needs, pushing Chinka off and laying her on the ground.
>Chinka grimaces, swinging for something to hold, but finds nothing.
>She quickly gets up and looks around. "Hmm? Wha? Chinka off?"
"You are awake. It is morning."
>Chinka rubs her eyes and nods. "Mmm... food?"
>You look around and see that the stew from yesterday is still brewing, fresh wood stoking the flames.
>So you take the ladle from yesterday and take a new bowl from the shelf.
>Pouring the substance into the bowl, you extend your hoof like rubber to Chinka, placing the bowl in front of her.
>And after that, you make a bowl for yourself and sit next to her.
>"Uh... thank?" Chinka hides a slight blush on her cheek, but you brush it off.
"Eat, the living require food to live."
>Chinka ponders over your statement, but gives up and starts to eat.
>And you turn to face the bowl you prepared.
>You eye it for a few seconds, wondering if any meat was added for flavor.
>Smelling it only makes you more hungry.
>You take your tongue and gently lick the surface, being careful not to touch any of the vegetables.
>It tastes... OK.
>Seasoned well with plenty of herbs and spices, and the vegetables don't seem to have any impact on the taste.
>So you attempt to eat one of the chunks.
>You scoop up a nice, round carrot and let it set in your mouth.
>You proceed to chew through it, wondering what might come of the new food.
>Sweet... earthy texture...
>The carrot literally begins to melt in your mouth as you take in the flavors.
>Swallowing heartily, you sigh satisfied.
>You didn't know there was an alternative to meat.
>Though it isn't as luxurious, it will certainly do.
>Maybe... you could try more of these... alternatives.
>Meat will always be your priority, but if there isn't any to eat...
>Your thoughts are cut short by Chinka, who pats you on the shoulder.
>Looking over at her, she has already finished her bowl and is holding it to you.
"Um... more?"
>"More!"
>You oblige to her request, taking her bowl and another scoop from the cauldron.
>Your tentacles do most of the work as they return to your side, placing the bowl right back where it originally was.
>Chinka's face lights up once more. "Thank! Thank!" and begins furiously eat the entirety of the food you brought.
>And in a few seconds, it's gone.
>A moment of de-ja-vu hits you like a ton of bricks as she moans happily, falling to the floor in a type of bliss.
>Maybe she just hasn't... experienced this before...
>Twilight did say something about her being lonely.
>But how far was she from the line?
~Not very far~
"What do you mean"
~A reminder of you, when you were free, free from the chains, that keep you solemn~
"I remember. Thank you."
>It doesn't respond.
>"You talk!" Chinka runs up to you, tackling you to the ground. "Talk! Talk! Me need talk!"
"What are yo-mmph"
>Chinka places her hooves onto your mouth. "No talk. Me talk!"
>You try to understand what she means by all this, but your left in the dark to wonder as Chinka keeps demanding for you to 'talk'.
>And that is when you see it.
>Out of the corner of your eye, a tiny green slime has made its way through the door, slowly squirming its way towards you.
>Your not sure what to do, and what the slime's intent is, but Chinka seems very determined to stop you from talking.
>So you decide to just observe.
>The both of you watch as the slime pushes its way across the wooden surface of the hut.
>It makes tiny squeaking noises as it comes to a halt in front of the two of you.
>The creature then proceeds to turn into itself, splitting in two and making its way onto you and Chinka.
>It feels... like your tentacles.
>But with a lot more moisture.
>The slime goes up and down your body, searching for something, but doesn't seem to find it as it climbs back down onto the ground.
>The same is done to Chinka before it goes back down, connecting itself to its copy and becoming one again.
>Chinka releases her hooves from your mouth and sighs. "Close.... close..."
"What did you do?"
>"Remember numnum? This sticky!"
>Chinka gets off of your lap and puts her hoof into the slime, causing it to flatten itself away from her hoof.
>Though it retracted its body, her hoof lays soaked in the slimy substance.
>"Sticky likes Chinka! Sticky follow." Chinka pats the slime on its... head?
>It shakes and shivers before going flat again.
>Interesting, a pet and its owner.
>Though you were never a fan of pets.
>You get up and dust yourself off, looking at the slime.
>It comes up like you and follows you to your hoof, lightly pecking it in slime.
"Does it always do this?"
>"Mmmm... only Chinka... Sticky likes!"
>It likes you?
>Looking down, it appears to be licking your hoof with what you think is its tongue.
>But there is something else about it that is making you curious.
"Why is it so small?"
>Chinka points over to Twilight, who is sleeping soundly on the bed. "Sticky big like Punka, but Chinka use too much."
>Hmmm... that would explain it.
>You look over to Zecora, who sleeps like Twilight, except motionless and silent.
>And then you look at Chinka.
>It strikes you that... you never asked her about the flower.
>Why should you care?
>Perhaps she has a similar use that you needed.
"Chinka. Why did you need that flower?"
>Chinka pauses for a moment, thinking of what to say.
>The flower wasn't for her pet.
>Was it for her?
>What would she need it for?
>And... there it is.
>Her feelings.
>Depression, hard and ruthless.
>"Chinka... lost voice. Need voice! But..." She looks down at her slime friend with droopy ears. "Chinka not know what do. But friend help me! Tell Chinka need flower like blue, a-and good friend. All Chinka need... need..."
>She looks away, too distraught by her own emotions to tell you.
>But you do have a vague idea of what she needs.
>She met someone in the wilderness and they told her to retrieve the flower, but something must have happened to them.
"I'm... sorry for your loss."
>Chinka wipes away at her face, what you predict are tears, and shakes her head. "No, Chinka sorry."
>You slowly walk up to her and put your hooves around her head, bringing her into you.
"When you grow upset, you cry. Twilight hugged me to stop the crying. She hugged you to stop the crying. I do not know if it is something she can do alone, but I will try to stop it as well."
>Chinka turns her body towards you, nuzzling into you and returning the hug.
>You suppose that you won't mind your fur getting wet.
>It can clean itself.
 
 
Chapter 13: The Key
>Zecora has woken up.
>And your coat is damp.
>But you don't mind.
>You like the embrace.
>Chinka has stopped her crying and is now sniffling into your chest.
>Zecora has decided not to interrupt, but to instead prepare the ingredients that you and Twilight gathered.
>She has also examined Twilight in terms of health, but didn't comment on the matter.
>Zecora takes a bottle off of the shelf and places the manticore's tooth inside.
>Then she takes another smaller bottle and empties what you assume is a catalyst inside the bottle.
>Closing it with a cap, she vigorously shakes it, before the entire bottle into a bowl.
>Taking the cockatrice' eyes, she pounds them up into a goo using a mortar stone and pours it into the bowl.
>The solution fizzles and shakes in the bowl, but nothing spills out of the edges.
>Then Zecora takes the bowl and opens the jar with the wild timber-wolf cloud, pouring the solution in and closing it.
>The cloud reacts harshly to the new liquid, evaporating into a green condensation which adds to the potion's volume.
>And finally, she tops it off with the flower, placing it inside on the surface of the substance.
>The flower's glow empties into the solution, turning it a glowing blue.
>The flower turns a pitch black, but it still glistens with light.
>And with that, she takes the jar and pours it all into a tiny gourd bottle, capping it with a tiny cork.
>"Ah, finished. Anonymous, could you come over and try the potion. I'd like to see of the voices would like their notion."
>You pick up Chinka by the flanks and carry her to Zecora, setting her down near you as she tries to stop her sniffling.
>You take the cork off of the gourd and take a whiff of the potion's strong scent.
>"I know that the potion carries a foul odor, but just one sip and it will all be over."
>You look at it and think if this will be worth the risk.
>There is no real risk involved, but if it works...
>What might happen to your body?
>Or your mind for that matter...
>You were just gonna have to find out what this chaotic forest is capable of.
>You take the gourd and chug the substance, ignoring the bitter sourness of the beverage.
>And then it begins.
>Fucking h?e?ll, whats this power.
>All of your limbs are on fire and your head feels like it was hit with another nuclear warhead.
>The two of them panic as you stumble backwards, choking on your own insides.
>Your head morphs itself to stop the pain, but the infinite number of tentacles tending to the invisible wounds fails to help in the slightest.
>Instead, it only adds to the pain.
>You'd scream, but your mouth has engulfed itself in foam as you fall to your side, twitching.
>More tentacles come out and dissipate rapidly as your stomach dissolves inside of you.
>You don't know whats happening, but everything seems to go dark as muffled sounds of panic and dismay are heard outside the protective wall of tentacles covering your head.
>Shit, you need to stop this before it does something you don't want to happen.
>You'll have to focus though, which is quite hard with this painful headache.
>You try your best to imagine your stomach opening from the outside.
>Shit, you can't feel it, how about... bursting... exploding...
>There it is.
>The tentacles around your head dissipate in reaction to the new force coming from your body.
>You swing your head to look at your stomach and regulate the burst.
>A giant splat is heard as your stomach opens to reveal that a mouth has grown in place of the hole.
>The mouth gurgles and regurgitates the harsh blue liquid out of your body, coughing and churning itself back into itself, forming back into your normal stomach.
>You feel the area around it and make certain that everything is in its proper place, before facing Zecora and Chinka, who stare it you with shocked faces.
"Zecora... what was that supposed to do?"
>Zecora rubs the back of her neck, looking away with regret. "The flower was supposed to harmonize your body and make the voices calm, but it appears that they have other qualms."
>Harmonize your body? Was she 'trying' to kill you?
>Looking at Chinka, her crying has stopped completely and now all she has is worry.
>"Punka... Punka OK?"
"I'm fine, you don't have to worry, Chinka."
>Chinka releases her breathe she didn't know she had and sits on on the floorboard relieved.
>You glare at Zecora, making it clear you are not pleased with the results.
>She's taken aback by the act, but holds strong. "I assure you Anonymous, I meant you no harm. If I knew such a thing would occur, I would have given an arm."
>The both of you exchange the mixtures of anger and regret, before you look away to the side to think.
>She did say that there was no guarantee that it would work.
>But she never said that it would bare risk, or even pain.
>If not for the agreement, she would have been killed on the spot...
>But then, who is in the wrong here?
>You for blaming her for not knowing it would cause pain? No.
>She was oblivious to the fact that harmony is the death of all.
>So what did she plan to do with such a potent poison?
>Perhaps she truly did not know.
"Perhaps, I am wrong. You did not know what it would do. Now you know."
>Zecora nods, taking the gourd, closing it, and putting it on the shelf.
>"Thank you Anonymous, I will be sure to mend your wounds. I truly do wish to have a friend like you." she gives you a warm smile before moving to Twilight's bed.
>"This is quite a large amount of venom you have used, yet it is not deadly. Your little friend there would be quite handy."
>Both you and Chinka look back at her slime, that of which wonders the room out of curiosity.
>Chinka looks back at Zecora. "Really? Slime good!?" Chinka bursts with excitement, jumping up and down. "Good! Good! Good!"
>Both you and Zecora follow her with your eyes, Zecora trying to hold back laughter, and you...
>You felt really weird.
>What is this feeling?
>Did the potion change something inside of you?
>It was only trying to kill the voices... right?
>You turn around, facing away from the cute fil-what the fuck?
>What the h?el?l? is going on?
>All these feelings welling up inside you... it makes you want to throw up.
>You hit your head repeatedly on the walls in desperation of breaking yourself.
>It doesn't work.
>Zecora has rushed to your side while Chinka has stopped her cheerful jumping.
>"Anonymous, what is wrong? Perhaps the effects of the potion prolonged?"
"Ergh... fucking... what did you DO TO THE POTI?O?N? ?ZE?CO?R?A?!"
>The both of them back away from you in fright as tentacles form around you, in bladed battle-stances.
"Y?o?u? h?a?v?e onl?y a fe?w s?econd?s to t?alk ?bef?or?e? I? kil?l? ?yo?u,? y?o?u ?w?retc?hed? er?g?h?.?.?.? ?A?A?AGH?!?"
>It hurts... it hurts too much...
>This churning in your stomach, the red in your eyes.
>You know whats happening.
>Your producing emotions.
 
 
>Normal, plain, emotions.
>The pain in your stomach, regret.
>The red fury in your eyes, anger.
>The feeling you get watching Chinka... you can't explain it.
>You've always known these as simple definitions of one's behavior, but this?
>How could anyone live like this?
>It either hurts to do things or it pains you to say it.
>Your sudden realization has made you calm down, your tentacles retracting themselves into you, but not letting there guard down.
>But a few feelings still linger...
>Looking around, Chinka and Zecora are still hiding behind their hooves in shock.
"I-... I um... I'm sorry I..."
>No... you can't take all this.
>You need to run.
>Your tentacles extend to the nearest window and pull you out of the hut, allowing you to land on your hooves and run away from the hut.
>Away from the Everfree.
>Away from everything.
>To think.
>You pass through the fermented brush and find the path you and Twilight took.
>You don't take it, instead, you opt to the right, running as fast as you can through the thick thorns from before.
>The tentacles stop any puncture wounds as you leap through the bushes and into a near open area.
>An area... familiar to you... though you can't quite place it.
>A vast open field with the grass glistening in morning dew.
>A cliff facing the sun as it shines brightly on the surrounding land.
>That is... all of Ponyville.
>The entire town sits in your view, along with a faraway mountain with what looks like a castle.
>A waterfall flows from the mountain, making a river through the town and the Everfree.
>Looking to the left, you can see your house as well, a giant tree-like structure from this distance.
>From this point of view, everything looks... calm.
>Peaceful, nothing interfering with anything.
>No conflict or misconception.
>You sit down and watch the sun as it slowly moves upwards through the sky.
>Some birds pass by, but they don't bother you, instead they just fly by you.
>A tiny flock of fish traverses the river, hoping to travel through to whatever end the river might have.
>You can make out what looks like ponies on the other side of the river, carrying out there day as usual.
>Nothing visibly wrong or out of character, just... doing what they would normally do.
>And that makes you wonder.
>Are you normal?
>...
>Are you not normal?
>Far beyond it.
>What does it mean to be normal?
>To follow what you think others would consider day-to-day life?
>Or is it to react normally to things that might occur.
>Normal is too broad of a term, but what other term is there for what these ponies do?
>When they show happiness, you're supposed to mimic there behavior with something similar.
>Have you been able to do that?
>To a degree, but you were never able to fully understand what to do in any situation other than to kill and move on.
>But you can't do that here.
>You've responded, but other than that...
>You have had some revelations of how to respond better, but you've never felt the words.
>You've never felt them...
>How 'do' you feel right now?
>Empty.
>This view makes you feel empty.
>You lay on the soft grass and sigh, for the very first time, to relax.
>All the things you've done.
>Everything that has happened up until now.
>And now you're here.
>Looking at the bright blue sky of what could be...
>Should you regret killing off an entire race?
>Obliterating an entire planet full of life?
>Displaying weakness when there are no faults?
~Ea, NO, N?o?~
"Then what do I feel?"
~Nothing~
"I cannot do that anymore."
~THEN LET US~
"Go back to nothing. No. I'm staying here."
~Th?en ?i?t? is al?l fo?r? na?ug?ht?~
"So be it."
>No response.
>Guess you're on your own.
 
 
Chapter 14: Birth to Rebirth
>You've calmed down from your earlier state.
>Maybe it's best if you go back to them.
>After all, you caused the scene.
>Confusion has too much control over your judgement.
>You'll have to deal with that later.
>For now you need to return to them.
>But more importantly, to Twilight.
>She still needs to go to the hospital.
>You get up and turn back into the Everfree to see that Chinka has followed you.
>Why did she wait so long?
>Was she there the whole time?
>Chinka looks back at you with a warm smile and runs towards you.
>Urgh... that feelings back.
>You'll have to ignore it the best you can.
>"Punka no hurt? Is Punka OK?"
"I'm fine Chinka, just..."
>The word is at the tip of your tongue, but you don't want to say it.
>Instead, you opt to give her a... smile?
>That movement you do with your mouth right?
"A bit confused right now, but other than that, I'm fine."
>Chinka looks at you funny, but seems delighted nonetheless. "Good! Stripe want you back. Punka no wake. Nnngh..."
>Chinka holds a thought for a second, but before you can question her, she pulls on your hoof to follow.
>Guess she's in a hurry.
>So you follow her.
>The both of you make it past the thorned bushes and down the path.
>Surprisingly, Chinka had no trouble with the thorns, brushing the thorns off her fur easily.
>She must be accustomed to it though, so it should come to no surprise.
>As you arrive at Zecora's hut, the slime from earlier has moved out of it and appears to have doubled in size.
>It makes a chirping noise, a delight Chinka seems to perk up to. "No worry! We go soon with Punka."
>As she pats the slime, you wonder what she meant about that last part.
"You aren't planning to come with me and Twilight are you?"
>Chinka is clearly caught off guard. "Er, uhm... in! Yes in Stripe home! Yes..."
>Something seems off with her, but you'll have to brush it off for now.
>There are more pressing matters.
>You open the door and see that Zecora is attending to Twilight.
>While asleep, she's begun to hyperventilate with a few hooves kicking out here and there.
>Zecora notices you and beckon you to come closer to her. "Anonymous, I'm afraid that while you were away, Twilight might have been getting worse by the day."
"Not quite that long, but I will try my best to prevent that. She needs to go to the hospital."
>"I agree, though I have no idea what your dear mother is dreaming, it will most likely lead to an injury."
"Then let us not waste anymore time."
>Focusing on your back, multiple tentacles protrude out of your mane and tie themselves around Twilight's struggling body, effectively stopping her flailing.
>Though her breathing hasn't changed a bit.
>Chinka runs in towards Zecora. "Uhm... you have?" Zecora nods and hands her a book of sorts.
>The book cover is blank, so you're unknown to the knowledge it holds, but Chinka seems happy about the exchange.
>"Thank! Me go with Punka now! Safe Stripe!"
>Zecora gives her a reassuring smile. "You too little one."
>Everything is situated... except for one thing.
"Before I go, uhm... sorry for the outburst. You didn't hold any ill intent, yet I still acted upon a whim."
>"Nonsense friend, it was I who was in the wrong. Testing a potion without reassurance of the effects is a great deal of disrespect for me, but I do still wish that we can get along."
"We will."
>The both of you share a glance of understanding as you head out the door, with Chinka following close behind.
>Walking outside, the slime is still in the same position from before.
>Looking at Chinka, she shrugs shyly. "It move slow when small."
"I see."
>You morph another tentacle and move it towards the slime, twisting it together to form a circular platform and effectively lifting the slime from the ground.
>It moves a little and chirps happily at your gesture of good will.
>Guess it really does like you.
>But you better make this quick before Twilight gets worse.
>So the "Three" of you set off towards the nearest hospital in ponyville.
>And in record time.
>There was no trouble in the streets, since most ponies were still asleep at this hour, making it all the more easier to simply carry the both of them.
>As you approached the hospital, a few ponies stood outside, so you had to lower Twilight and the slime in the meantime.
"Chinka, make sure it doesn't go anywhere, I'm going to drop Twilight off at the hospital. After that, I'm heading to the castle."
>"Oh erm... OK. Chinka stay..." She was still thinking about something, but you had no time.
>loosening your grip and lowering both onto the ground, you hoist Twilight onto your back.
>Looks like the ponies haven't noticed till now.
>A few ponies with various medical symbols run up to you with panic in their eyes.
>You explain what had happened, but vaguely. Avoiding details about you and Chinka as well as the giving her the credit for the kill.
>The ponies understand almost instantly and a few more rush out with a stretcher.
>And just like that, she's rushed into the building without a moment of hesitation.
>With that done, the only thing you need to do now is go back to the castle and inform Spike of the news.
>Though you won't know how he will take it.
>But before you can start your leave, you see a very red Chinka, holding the slime in her hooves and looking down.
>What is she doing?
>And more importantly...
>You can't sense any emotion coming from her.
>Another after-affect of the potion?
>Either that, or your blocked emotions are preventing you from seeing others.
>Maybe if you were to release them for now?
>Though you don't want a repeat of last time.
>Last time was different, you just weren't used to the change is all.
>You'll just have to control yourself to an extent.
>You relax yourself and release the bottled energy and a wave of heat and flush fills your face.
>Your stomach turns into knots and your breathing has gone ecstatic to the change in your body.
>Your nostrils flare and your heart pounds fiercely as you look at the-...
>You bite your teeth hard and cringe at the thoughts flowing through your head.
>How is this even possible?
>How can someone put up with such useless mechanisms in their bodies?
>China looks up, now concerned at your current state and runs to you with the slime in one hoof.
>Your everything increases their efforts to fuck with you tenfold.
>You try and shake it all off, but it doesn't help in the slightest.
>So you execute your next attempt, which is to look away from the adorable monstrosity.
>But it is all for naught.
>Just the fact that she's behind you leaves you a flustered mess.
>But...
>Nnnnngh...
>It feels...
>IT FEELS SO FUCKING RIGHT!
>The adrenaline pulsing through you, the heat strewn across your face, your heart beating for release.
>You've never felt such a feeling before that felt so right.
>Such a renewed vigor, like being hit with a freight train.
>Of course you had the worst luck when walking on train tracks...
>That's beside the point.
>China taps your shoulder, making you flinch and look at her.
>"Er uhm... Punka ok? Punka no mad, r-right?"
>A wave of emotions washes over you like moonfire.
"Mad? N-no I'm not mad. I'm more... happy? Excited?"
>China is surprised by this. "Y-you really... mean it?"
"Mean it? No, that phrase would be too weak... maybe- no..."
>Whatever things you think of to explain your situation all seem too deluded, too weak to explain what you're feeling.
>Agh! It all feels like too much is happening at once.
>It's just all TOO MU-...
>What... is she.
>Chinka... is...
>Chinka quickly pushes you away, a deep crimson blush that could rival the red Sea.
>The both of you look at each other with shocked flares of blush.
>Chinka turns away, dropping the slime onto the ground in the process and covers her face with her hooves.
>"OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshIamsosososososososossososososorryIdidntmeantodothatIjustthoughtthatifImaybepossiblyk-k-k-k-k-k-kissedyouthatyoumightcalmdownalittleImeanalotIamsosorrypleasedonthurtme!"
>...
"..."
>"..."
>...
>She can talk?
"You can talk?"
>"I can talk?"
>And that's when you notice it.
>The flower in her hair has took on a luminous glow, releasing tiny bits of itself before dispersing around her.
>The both of you look at each other in confusion, until tiny runic symbols form around her mouth and disperse as well.
>Like a chain reaction of magic.
>So that's why she needed the flower.
>She did need that flower to talk, but... she never said the requirements did she?
"Uhm..."
>"Oh umm... Elune."
"Elune?"
>"With the curse lifted, I can speak my regular name... I can speak my regular name. I can speak my regular name! A-a-a-a-and talk as well, ooooh~ this is making me so giddy! What's your name? I never actually got a chance to ask."
"Err... Anon. You didn't hear my name from Twilight and Zecora?"
>Elune thinks for a minute and jumps up. "Oh that! Yeah, names don't really translate with the curse, but now that it's gone I'll be able to say proper names. Actual names... Name names!"
>Well, her bright attitude is still there, so that's good.
>That is until she looks down at her slime friend.
>"Nngh... It'll have to wait to hear your name I guess." The little growing blob chirps in response.
>While her cheery demeanor has effectively distracted herself from the prior event, you however...
>You still sit, bewildered by her random act of... love?
>Twilight said it was a way of showing affection towards another... right?
>Something warm has started to well up inside you.
>It feels nice.
>Not like the other feelings that have emerged.
>This one was familiar as well.
>The one you feel when you're near Twilight.
>Well... at least it doesn't hurt anymore.
>You'd better get to Spike before he starts to worry, though the both of you didn't return last night, so that might be too late.
>And with Elune and the slime with you...
>I suppose were having house guests.
"Elune, we're going to head to the castle. I need to go talk to Spike about the situation with Twilight."
>Elune gasps and gets a bit too close to your face again. "Really! We as in you me and it?!" pointing at her slimy companion.
>And now she's jumping in anticipation.
>How much energy does she have?
>You shouldn't ask that question.
>Not with ponies.
"Yes. Now let's get going, the sun will reach it's peak above the horizon soon."
>"Yay!" Elune's final jump lands right beside you.
>Her smile is brighter now.
>It's starting to hurt your eyes.
>So the both of you head towards the castle, along with the slime.
>Which increases in size every so often.
>You wonder how big it was before you used it for Twilight.
>Plenty bigger that's certain, but you were never able to catch a glimpse of it in the forest.
>Maybe it was tailing the three of you.
>But then how would it keep up?
>You'll just wait and see what it does.
>Meanwhile, you do have a few questions for your renewed friend.
>Very important questions.
 
 
Chapter 15: A Gooey Surprise
>You really wish she would stop talking.
>It's becoming quite the skeptical as well.
>No matter how many words come out of her mouth, they just.. keep... coming...
>"And Zecora's house or hut thingy was so cool, I thought I could climb all~ the way to the top, so I did, and it was like woah! but then I saw some ornaments and it just caught my attention you know? So I just started dangling them and pawing at them, it was so fun! You should really try it Anon! Oh oh and then uhm... actually I won't get into that part, but your fur was so comfortable, it was like a cozy furry bed that I just wanted to lie in all day..." She slowly lays on the ground in front of you and promptly falls asleep, like a mime showcasing an act.
>But it doesn't last long as she quickly jumps back up and cradles the slime in her hoof once more. "Oh you should have felt it, it was like bliss on my fur~ Oh I could have just melted!"
"I thank you for the summary of past events Elune, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut you short."
>Elune looks at you with a very visible pout. "And why not?"
"Because we're here."
>You point to the giant crystal castle in front of the three of you, which makes Elune's eyes widen. "This is the castle!? It's so big and sparkly and-" you place a hoof on her muzzle, causing her to stop, as well as scrunch up.
"You can sight-see after I'm done informing Spike. In fact, you can help."
>"Mmmm~ but I wanna-, wait I can help?"
>Guess her curiosity is working against her.
>Good, you don't think your ears can take it anymore.
"Yes, given that you your speech is back. I assume that you'd love to talk to Spike of all the past events."
>You thought that she wouldn't want to repeat everything she's said thus far, but her excitement knows no bounds. "Really! Yay! I get to talk more! It's been so long since I've been able to talk and the more I do, the more I never get tired of it!"
>That last part makes you cringe internally.
>But at least the parasite is being past on to a different host.
>You go to knock on the door, but are interrupted as Spike opens them for the both of you.
>"Anon! Where have you been!? Where's Twilight!? Is she OK? And uhhh... who is that?"
"That is Elune. She'll explain everything you need to know."
>Spike tries to further question what is going on, but you interrupt him.
"I'll be heading over to the kitchen, and as of right now, Twilight is at the hospital if you must know her location first."
>Spike becomes more panicked at the new information. "The h-h-h-hospital!?" and this time it's Elune who starts to speak.
>"Yeah! She had to fight these big mean wood wolfies wi- I mean... all by herself! There were lasers too! and it was like PEW POW BLEH!"
>Spike was getting suspicious now, but knowing the speech from earlier, he won't be able to escape.
>So with the threat nullified, you head up the crystal staircase and through the hall towards the kitchen.
>You wonder if Spike got any more shipments.
>Hopefully that was the case.
>You make your way through when you spot something on the table.
>Are those... tissues?
>Lots of tissues.
>In fact, there's a pile of them to the side of the chair.
>Was Spike up all night by chance?
>You'll question it later.
>For now, you head into the kitchen and look around for anything tantalizing.
>Though nothing is out, so you might have to look in the compartments.
>So you start off with the biggest one, the fridge.
>You open it and look around inside.
>Some vegetables lay dormant on the racks as well as milk on the lower end and egg cartons on the high rack.
>Yet no sign of the meat.
>Perhaps it is on a schedule.
>That would make sense to the current predicament.
>Or perhaps Spike was too busy sulking to pick up the shipment.
>You'll ask him about it later.
>For now, these... vegetables will do.
~OH BUT WILL THEY?~
"It isn't meat, but it is edible."
~HMHMHM... SO BE IT, IT WONT MATTER~
"Is a change close?"
~Yes, at the heart it flows, like corruption it will consume~
"I will do what is needed, you need not question further."
>Silence.
>You reach into the fridge, grab a white bush, and take a bite out of it.
>It's... Ok.
>It isn't quite as good as the stew you had, but it still looks like you're able to eat it.
>So you continue to take bites out of the white earth.
>That is until you sense something.
>Turning around, you see nothing in the hall.
>Nothing looks off in the kitchen.
>You still sense it.
>Perhaps you should scout the room out?
>That would have been the best course of action, until you heard an alarming chirp coming from the ceiling.
>Oh, it's just the slime.
>How did it get up here?
>And...
>It just fell on your head.
>How it grew so large is beyond your own comprehension, but now it's shear size is enough to engulf your entire head.
>You try to gently remove the slime from your face, but your hooves only get absorbed into the green mass.
>But it's OK, you don't need to breathe.
>It's just a function your body chooses to do.
>It isn't something you really needed.
>You just want your head back.
>As gently as you can manage, you form tentacles around head, contorting inside the goo until it has covered your entire head.
>The tentacles then position themselves in an escape position, before shooting out and clamping the slime into a gelatinous mass.
>The slime squirms a little inside your grasp, but relaxes itself in the hold of its new cradle.
>The feeling of ooze on ooze makes you feel ecstatic and weird, so you decide to put the slime down onto the kitchen floor.
>The little mass chirps happily and moves closer to you.
>Why did it follow you up here?
>Is it?
>Is it hungry?
>You move the white bush to the side of you, but the slime doesn't budge.
>You then move it to the other side, yet still nothing happened.
>So it isn't hungry.
>Taking another bite out of your meal, you eye it for a few moments more, seeing if it will react to your actions, but all it does is wiggle and distort every few moments, just to grow a few inches in size.
>Nothing seems out of place with it, maybe it's... following you?
>You step back a few feet and watch as the slime moves along with you.
>Oh, so it is just following you.
>Why is it following you?
>Maybe it's attracted to something you have?
>No, that would be the white stuff.
>You don't think it wants the white stuff, but your not entirely sure what it will do.
>You place the white onto the floor and move into the other room.
>And instead of going for the food, it continues to follow you.
>And now you've blocked your only way back into the kitchen.
>Nothing you can't solve.
>You walk around the table in the middle causing the slime to follow you in a circle.
>You return to the kitchen and retrieve your white fluff from the floor and continue eating it.
>Of which you are yet again interrupted as the slime moves closer to you, bumping you and combining with your flank.
>You try to shake it off, but to no avail.
>It has now made itself your tail.
You swish it about with an exceptional force, but the slime is persistent.
>No matter how much force you exert, the slime only absorbs the blow.
>And you can feel it getting heavier by the second.
>You focus on your flank and more tentacles form to squeeze out the slime from your tail.
>The slime tries to hold onto you, but eventually it is pried off.
>A few confused chirps are made by the ever-growing blob as it approaches you again.
>You decide it is best you distance yourself from the over-attached jelly.
>You head over to the table and sit in the middle.
>Soon after, the slime follows, climbing onto the table with you.
>Next you go over to Twilight's seat and with the help of tentacle extensions, go right over the seat to the other side.
>You wait a few moments as you hear it making its way towards the seat before it eventually stops to a halt.
>... Did it work?
>You focus on yourself to form an tentacle's eye and look over to the seat.
>It isn't there.
>You open your eyes a little too late as the ooze lays in front of you at perfect eye-level.
>It isn't going to try to consume your face is it?
>You really don't feel like killing her only pet.
>"Ah!"
>... Elune?
>Did she finish her conversation with Spike?
>"Ah Ah!"
>No, the sound is definitely coming from the slime.
>You watch a few inches from your face as two very definite eyeballs form on the slime's surface.
>Along with a little round muzzle and what looks like a mouth.
>"Ah! Ahnon!"
>... maybe this is just coincidence.
>You did cause Elune to get her voice back.
>But you have no idea how to explain the slime.
>This world is too random for its own liking.
>"Ahnon! Ahnon!"
"... Yes?"
>The slime squees in delight and nuzzles you in the face.
>Of which you are now a part of for a few moments before it retracts itself.
>Maybe this thing is the cause of Elune's hyperactive nature.
>The seem to both have a similar attitude.
>Though, that would be an assumption.
>You'll have to wait and see if it becomes better at speech, because as you think, it's lower body pulses and jiggles, forming what looks like her limbs.
>Also it's a she from what you can assume from the sound the sound of her voice.
>Her body becomes more defined by the second as her hips and shoulders form and her flank shapes up.
>A little amount of it extends to form a thick tail and mane, a bit bigger than Elune's.
>Her arms and legs separate from the main body and solidify, wrapping themselves around you.
>Is she finished?
>Oh, no... some of her back has started to shake profusely.
>In fact, the entire area has started to shake as the slime and goo distorts itself out of her back to form more extensions.
>And now your sure what they are.
>Two well-defined wings, dripping with slime like a glass overfilled with water.
>That's why you didn't see her, she was probably in the treeline above.
>And with her shock absorption, the noise she would make would be nothing at most.
>Almost like that of a cunning predator.
>Perfect for hunting.
>Though now it's looking you as if your her next victim
>Her eyes look half-lidded and her mouth is drooling with snot.
>"Brlghlghfglfgfh."
"Excuse me?"
>"Brglgehrggfhfhblghlhgrgrhgl."
"... OK?"
>You try to move her away from you and surprisingly it works.
>Her new body has become more firm to the touch, but the squishy feeling of jelly is still there.
>But the feeling doesn't last as her hooves pull you towards her, effectively absorbing yours into her body.
>You try to pull your hooves out, but her new body constricts against it, only causing you to pull her closer onto you.
>As far as you know, she's enjoying every moment of this.
>At least that's what you think the grin plastered across her face is for.
>She notices and... giggles? Gurgles would be more appropriate.
>This causes some slight heat to cross your face.
>And that's when you realize it.
>This creature is driving you crazy right now.
>Your trying your best to hold in all the flustered emotions from earlier, and Elune did an alright job to quell them, but this...
>She is single-handed driving you to insane heights of restraint.
>And it doesn't help that her every movement causes her body to do a slight jiggle.
>It does things to you.
>Your not sure if they're good things.
>You form tentacles on your front and belly and push her a good few feet away.
>But she begins to distort through them, causing her body to flow through the tentacles like water, only for her to reform on you and lay on your side.
>The tentacles swiftly follow your gaze, blocking her and pushing her off, but her persistence knows no bounds as she distorts once more.
>This time she reforms between the tentacles locations and hugs you closely causing the tentacles to pause their pursuit.
>The tentacles form suction cups and try to pry her off, but they gain no quarter as they find no resistance on her soft contorting body.
>And now they go into a panicked state to save the host, forming blades and knife extensions and without warning, lunging into her.
>You go wide-eyed for a few seconds, only to realize a second later that nothing happened.
>The tentacles pull out of her in confusion and pause for a few moments only to disperse back into your body.
>You never went into combat against anything like this back on earth.
>The tentacles were probably expecting flesh and blood.
>Unless you will them to your command, they'll go on instinct, operating on past absorbed knowledge and your commands to serve as ways to attack.
>And you do have a few ideas of how to go about this, but as far as you know, this is a sentient creature, so you won't bother.
>You take your now free hooves and move them to her back and try to get a good look at her.
>Other than the tiny nose, the drooling, and the dribble going down her whole face, your guessing she's asleep.
>So she was tired?
>Maybe it required her energy in order to grow back to normal size?
>It would explain her slow movements from her previous form.
>Reaching around to the ground, you twist your body towards the back of the chair you've been leaning on and push yourself forward, causing her to meet face-to-face with your mane.
>You push with your legs and get up, hoisting her up along with you.
>You don't know where she'll sleep, but hopefully she keeps away from your room.
>In fact, the room is almost covered in slime from the top of the ceiling to the table and chairs, and that isn't excluding the floor.
>No, she's most definitely getting her own room.
>Maybe she'll share it with Elune?
>You wonder how Spike is doing downstairs with her.
>He's probably used to it from Twilight's ramblings, but your not sure about the amount of words Elune can say in one go.
>While thinking, you fail to notice that your friend has seeped into your mane.
>Literally.
>Her lower body is still intact, but her upper body has combined with your hair, creating a mixture of green and black.
>You were going to shower anyways.
>You walk through the door and down the hall.
>You can hear a conversation from down the stairs that seems to have really taken off.
>When you turn the corner, you can clearly see why.
>Elune has made her way up the ceiling and is currently dangling from a ledge by one hoof.
>All the while Spike is panicking, trying to position himself the best he can in order to catch her.
>"Yeah! Anon grew at least this high, it was crazy!"
>"That's nice and all Elune, but watch what your doing!"
>Elune looks down at Spike and waves her hoof. "No need to worry silly, I got this under control! Ive done this every day in the forest."
>Spike looks too doubtful to believe that statement as he prepares his body for the worst.
>And the panic has made your entrance quite subtle.
"Elune."
>Her ears perk up on command and looks in your direction. "Anon! How was the snack!"
>Spike turns towards you and his expression is that of hate.
>You dismiss it and instead focus your attention on Elune.
"Come down, your friend is asleep and I don't know what to do with her."
>"Oh! OK I'll be there in just a minute~!" Elune begins her descent down from the ceiling, jumping onto another ledge and using the wall as resistance, jumping onto the chandelier.
>And with little effort, she swings right onto the floor spotless as the chandelier rocks back and forth.
>Spike is stunned to say the least.
>"H-how the... w-what the... ah forget it..." With Spike speechless, all you need to do now is figure out how these two function.
>"Oh yay! She's back to normal!" Elune takes a hold of her friend as if it was a common occurrence and quickly lifts her from your back with relative ease, but the slime only slouches over in her tucked-out state.
>Or more slowly slides out of her grasp and onto the floor.
>Her entire upper body looks like a mess, with slime and distortions everywhere.
>But as far as you can tell, she's still asleep and your mane is still wet.
>"Er uhm... Anon, you don't mind helping me get her somewhere to rest, do you?"
>Somewhere to sleep?
>Where would she sleep?
>There is your room, but you really don't want a rogue slime inside your room at night.
"Spike. Do you know of any rooms in the castle?"
>Spike perks up and looks at the three of you. "Uhhh... Oh! There should be a few rooms down the hall to the right of you two, though they might be a bit dusty since Twilight hasn't found any use in them yet, other than a few side projects that she was planning. I'm sure she wouldn't mind though, I think." Spike ponders for a moment wondering if it would truly be OK for a slime and a filly with the physic of an athlete to use the rooms.
"You heard Spike, Elune. You two get your own rooms. Or share."
>Elune squees in excitement. "Ma-ma-ma-my own room! C'mon sleepy were getting rooms!" Elune has taken the slime like a rag-doll and is now jumping around with her.
>But before they can leave, you interject to their advances.
"Wait Elune. I still need to ask you some questions."
>"Questions? What kind of questions? Will it be like a game or something?" urgh, why is she so energetic.
>It can't be helped.
"Not likely, I need to know what exactly happened to you. And what happened when we were separated. The separation was brief, but it still left enough time for Twilight to nearly lose her life."
>Her expression goes from cheery to straight horror in two seconds flat.
>"O-Oh I uhm... maybe this can go on later? I kinda wanna look at my new ro-"
>Before she can start her expected sprint away, you grab her with your protruding force.
"I do hope you answer truthfully."
>Her audible gulp tells you she will.
>You'll have to make sure.
>Nothing will do this to your mother again.
 
 
Chapter 16: Elune
>"Can't we take her somewhere where she can rest first?"
"Of course. You will still answer the questions."
>"Of course..." Her lack of confidence spurs your thoughts and a few new feelings are felt.
>Your not sure what this gut feeling is, but it isn't the same as when it was clenching in pain.
>More like it's stuck on something.
>Like a spike on the road.
>Keeping her in the tentacles grasp, the both of you walk down the right and towards the alleged hallway and start checking doors for a suitable resting place for her friend.
>One room seems to be a makeshift library, but with no books, only empty shelves and blank papers strewn about.
>The next room has a few incantations drawn on the floor and surprisingly you recognize one.
>Though it was a brief use, you believe they called it a 'mind flay'. Staple for one's mind to transcend past the physical plane.
>But why would Twilight know of such a symbol?
>You shake your head and lead Elune out of the room and onto the next one.
>This next room appears suitable.
>A few cabinets and drawers lay around the walls along with spare beds of sorts.
>Some of them are missing padding while others are prepped up with pillows and sheets of all colors.
"Will these do as a bed for your friend?"
>Elune looks at the furniture in awe. "These look purrrrrr~fect!" Her eyes are abnormally huge and sparkle with excitement.
>If you didn't know any better, you'd say she's be exploding with anticipation.
"Go and bed your friend. I will wait."
>She squeals and zooms towards the most comfy bed she can find, dragging the poor unconscious victim with her.
>You're glad she's still asleep.
>Laying-er... Throwing her onto a separate bed, Elune jumps onto what you would have assumed to be the most clean and prepared one, and turns it inside out.
>Taking off the covers and throwing it aside like wrapping paper, she proceeds to tear through the mattress with a gusto.
>Mixtures of feathers, fluff, and springs fly everywhere, all the while her friend has seeped into a part of the separate bed she landed on and is making tiny chirping noises in her stupor.
>But it is barely audible as Elune continues her assault until finally she stops, leaving a tiny little white nest of fluff, torn sheets, and a very happy filly. "It's perfect!"
"I can see that."
>Elune looks at you with a gleeful smile. "So what did you wanna ask, Anon?"
>Right to the point, unexpected from her, but you'll take it.
"What happened to you before such a spell was cast on you?"
>Elune ponders on the question for a few moments, a slight cringe taking away from the smile. "I-... It was kinda my fault... when I went into the forest, at first I was scared, but after a while, I came to call it my home. I would find whatever food I could by pure luck, and I was even more lucky to have met her... but... after a failed attempt at a spell, she left me speechless, literally."
"Who is the one who cast the spell?"
>"I'm not sure. When the spell was cast, most names and words were lost to me, even my own... I still remember what she looks like, but any name would be filtered out."
"Then where did Elune come from? Was it from a regained memory?"
>Elune looks more doubtful by the second. "Well... It's what she called me after the events of the spell. It was the only name that wouldn't filter, so I assumed that was my actual name, though whenever I tried to say it, it would result in silence."
>So that covers her unusual use of words.
"What happened to this spellcaster?"
>"I-uhm... really don't want to talk about it." For the first time, Elune has taken a serious tone in her voice.
>If you hadn't got a look at her body as of right now, you'd say that was the voice of a grown mare.
>Even though it is lost information, you will honor her wish.
>But the more pressing matter is...
"When I was attacked and got separated from the two of you, what happened?"
>Elune hesitates for a second, biting her lip in thought, but with everything up until now, she breaks. "I failed... when Twilight's bubble popped, the two of us went on the attack. Twilight managed to singe most of them with her blasts while I was hitting them away from her blind spots, but..." Elune has now started to tear up. "More and more kept coming, the few wolves that appeared would then double their numbers, eventually I-I messed up and one a-a-attacked her. Eventually they all started joining in. I tried so hard... so hard... but they wouldn't give in... but then something happened. They all just... Stopped. They stopped and... looked in the direction you went and... and... before I knew it... they transformed... I was so scared, I thought that my luck had finally ran out, but... T-T-T-T-Twilight... she..."
>Elune was now a wet sobbing mess.
>Her guilt was overtaking her.
>Your going to have to calm her down before she can continue.
>And honestly, this whole display has left your body on edge, so it's best you settle this quickly.
>You walk over to her cocoon of a bed and pull her out with your hooves, pulling her into an embrace.
>This catches her off-guard, flinching from the touch, but eventually she eases into you.
"Calm down Elune. Assess the situation and breathe."
>Elune breathes in hard and choked hiccups escape her throat.
>"B-but she... she saved me.... It's-"
"Yes, She saved you. Do not blame yourself. You were scared, and you have nothing to worry about."
>And it was true as well.
>When you witnessed your battles, you saw many things.
>Though you never felt for the creatures, they always showed their most purest form on the battlefield.
>Some would charge at your armies like mad men.
>Others would scream, trying every possible way to escape them, scratching and squirming the whole way.
>And with every soldier that fell, more and more screams for a god were heard.
>Of muffled helps and save me's.
>There were those who wondered the streets wondering if they were the next to die.
>But.
>Before any of this...
>Was the initial reaction of frozen fear that they were all going to die.
>You brush Elune's messed up mane with your hoof and try to comfort her the best you can.
>She needs a shower.
>Her sister mane and fur, along with her crying and sobbing reminds you of the first time you cried.
>You didn't realise it at first, since it seemed like the most random occurrence of events, but...
>Twilight made you feel something then...
>It was faint, but you felt it.
>The slightest feeling that you couldn't defend yourself with.
>That of everything that happened up until that point, you felt nothing.
>No remorse for your actions, no penalty or limit of what you could accomplish.
>It crashed down on you in spades.
>Wrath suffered from guilt.
>Where they gave you turmoil, you brought upon them hellfire.
>For the first time, your existence was threatened.
>Yet you didn't feel fear.
>You felt an indistinguishable guilt.
>Mixed in with unethical relief.
>You had something that you could release upon.
>And so you did.
>And now, it's the same with Elune.
>Not to your degree, but to an extent that is manageable.
>As Elune's now muffled sobbing dies down, you pat her on the head.
"Uhm... Is it all out?"
>Some more sobs and a sniffle later, she nods her head
"Perhaps it would be best you took a shower."
>Elune raises her head and looks at you with a confused sad dribble of a look. "A shower? What's a shower?"
>Hmm... maybe it's best if you show her.
>You summon a few tentacles out from your sides and wrap them around her, copying the looks of the cocoon she made.
>You hoist her up and lead her out of the room, continuing down the path to the right.
>Taking the left turn and arriving at the bathroom door, you open it and walk in with Elune still in your grasp.
>The room looks like it wasn't touched by a soul, everything that you had used was either replaced or put back spotless.
>Spike really knows how to clean up.
>You place the frazzled filly into the tub and using your appendages, grab various cleaning products from the cabinet and turn the shower on.
>Elune is quickly bombarded by a stream of water from the metallic escape, coating her in cold liquid.
>She winces at the new contact. "Cold! Cold!"
>Taking her frustrations in stride, you reach for the other handle and turn it.
>"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm~" her slight squeezing turns into pleasant relief as warm water begins to fill her pores.
>Taking a seat behind her, you begin your work, taking a soap bar and coating it in in water before working it into her mane.
>The amount of dirt and filth draining out of it is quite unpleasant, so you work your tentacles around her body to make sure nothing is left unkempt.
>You work your way through her mane, picking out any loose twigs and chunks of dried mud.
>Your appendages gently work their way through her fur from from her upper body to her lower body.
>You notice a slight tinge of red cross her face as your tentacles make their way to massaging her flank, but you ignore it, being too focused at the task at hand.
>You don't know how it's possible, but her original hair color appears to be a heavy silver, a deep contrast to the dark brown coating the rest of her mane.
>And her coat matches a sort of indigo crossed with blue, becoming more defined the more your tentacles wash her.
>You take your time cleaning out her mane of all debris, making sure that no dirt is left and her mane is left stainless.
>Your tentacles, however, have made it past her flank, massaging and grinding along her hind legs.
>The few moans and pleasant squeals she lets out every once in a while means you're doing probably doing a fine job cleaning her.
>So you continue your efforts, running your hooves along her back and working out any extra dirt.
>She seems to be enjoying it for the most part, with her hooves crossed in front of her.
>She now has a firm grip on one of your limbs and appears to be cleaning her bottom quite thoroughly.
>Maybe you should help her with that?
>Her face is contorted with a sense of eccentric struggle as she pushes harder and harder on your member.
>You reach down and grab onto her flanks, causing her to yelp. "A-Anon! I..."
>Her entire face has gone beat red. "I-uhm-I mean-I forgot and-!"
"Is the dirt that bad in that area? I could help you clean it if you need me to."
>"Wha-I mean... No no I'm fine I just..." Elune was dumbfounded at something, you couldn't quite understand what she was going through.
>Elune slowly lifted herself off the tentacle, revealing a long strand of unknown liquid connecting to her...
>Her......
>What is that thing?
>An opening?
>A wet entrance?
>You have no idea what you're looking at.
>Was that the thing she was cleaning?
>As far as you could tell, she did a good job.
>You take the strand and break it off from your tentacle, allowing it to return to you and retract itself inside of you, along with the rest as they turn off the shower and put away the supplies.
>You jump out of the shower and throw her a towel.
>She reflexively grabs it, looks at it, and then at you with a look of general confusion.
"You should dry yourself off after every shower you take. I also think that any more questioning will have to wait."
>Elune follows your words and dives her face into the towel, shaking it through her fur and mane. "Thank you Anon... for the cleaning that is! I really appreciate it."
>You lick the residue off your hoof and nod to reassure her.
>Hmm... tastes... sweet?
>Elune burns a fierce-some crimson as you wave her goodbye with the residue-covered hoof.
>Closing the door behind you, you let out a some air in your lunges that appears to have hidden its visage from you.
>You're going to have to get used to this.
>You have no idea what problem she is facing at the moment, but you're almost sure it has something to do with you.
>Maybe you have a problem?
>Yes you do, you've already made that conclusion.
>Maybe it had to do with... that?
>You try to look around at your backside, but you don't see anything like what she had.
>Mostly because you can't see past your flank.
>But that's besides the point.
>"Uh... What are you doing, Anon?" Spike looks on in confusion as you attempt to get a closer look at your posterior.
>He must have be waiting outside to clean the bathroom again.
"I am trying to observe my anatomy."
>"And why are you trying to do that?"
"Elune has something on her flank that I've never seen before. I was curious if I had one too."
>Spike takes a second to comprehend what you just said, double takes, looks at you as if you transformed again, and before he can react any further, the door to the bathroom opens up.
>Revealing the shining sliver and pastel luminescent indigo colored filly.
>Her bright smile makes you wince, but you're happy she's clean now.
>At least that's what you think the warmth in your stomach means.
>"Is something wrong?" Elune looks at the two of you in a similar confusion that Spike had.
>And you have stopped your activities to look at Spike, who looks like he just learned that his world is going to end tomorrow. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAAAAAA! WHY MEHEHEEEEE! TWILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"
>You have reflexively covered your ears and have willed some to cover Elune's.
>Whatever Spike is panicking about, you hope it isn't too much.
>You feel a slight touch and look at Elune.
>She's holding your tentacle against your ear and smiling at you.
>Heat fills your face and a weird gut feeling tells you that you should think before acting.
>Retracting your limbs, the both of you look at Spike, who is still panting from the outburst. "I... am... so... dead..."
>Spike composes himself and takes deep breathes before it starts. "Anon, do you have any idea what you just did in the bathroom?"
"I cleaned Elune and showed her how to use the shower."
>Spike's cringe intensifies. "Did you do anything else?"
"Not anything that I recall."
>While you answer Spike's questions, you begin to suck on your hoof, trying to remove the sweet essence.
>Spike's suspicion grows as he turns to Elune for questioning. "He didn't... do anything to you that you didn't agree to did he?"
>Elune shakes her head vigorously. "N-no he just cleaned my mane and my fur, that's it! Honest!" Though her defense is a bit too strong, Spike seems to believe her.
>"If you say so. As long as you were OK with it... ngh..." Spike was pondering on something, gritting his teeth in thought.
>Maybe he wouldn't be on edge if Twilight was here.
>Is he really that dependent on Twilight?
>Spike's tense demeanor loosens as he takes a breathe in and sighs. "I guess it's gonna have to wait till after Twilight recovers. Hmm... oh yeah! Anon, you still have school to go to!"
>Spike's revelation spurs Elune's curiosity. "School? What's school?"
>Spike doesn't hesitate to answer. "School is where fillies and colts go to in order to learn. Twilight is a huge fan of it and already has Anon enrolled."
>Elune ponders what she might learn from a school, but is more excited by the fillies and colts that attend it. "Oh! Fillies and colts!? You mean there are more ponies I could talk to! Yay!"
>"I can assure you that you'll have a wonderful time there, Elune. Once Twilight figures out everything of course! Which probably won't be for a while... oh yeah! I have to tell the Princesses about this! Gah, I'm such a scatterbrain today!" As Spike runs off, you decide that it's best that you get to school early.
>You're pretty sure Elune will be OK here on her own.
"Elune, as Spike said, I will be heading to school. Make sure nothing bad happens while I am away, though I am sure that Spike will have you under control. Right?"
>Elune perks up and salutes which gets another fallible reaction out of your innards. "You can count on me! No trouble whatsoever."
"One more thing. Keep slime out of my room."
>Elune nods reassuring you, allowing you to leave the entire castle to a filly, a slime, and a tiny dragon.
>This is not the best decision you've made, but you suppose you have no choice.
>'Twilight rule number 41: your education is your number one priority, do not skip class for any reason unless told otherwise.'
>You go down the hall, head down the stairs, open the door, and make your way through the crowds of morning ponies on your way to school.
>If you remember correctly, it was a straight, then a right through the market, then a bridge leading to the school.
>You follow the path, passing a few drowsy, yet happy ponies as you make your way to the school.
>You cross the bridge, but before you can head to the school entrance, you are met with a fuming Diamond Tiara.
>"YOU!" You're quite positive that the steam coming from her ears is a real commodity.
>"You... stand-me-up... waltz on over like YOU own the place... and then... THEN YOU!" Diamond was about to break.
>You're not sure if a pony's cheeks should be that red, or inflate for that matter.
>Silver Spoon quickly runs up behind her to try and calm her down, but she is quickly swatted away by her friend. "GET AWAY FROM ME SILVER! I can... I can deal with this SIMPLETON myself!"
>"Diamond, calm down! It isn't worth it! Can't you see what your doing?" Silver tries her best to reason with her friend, but Diamond won't have it.
>"THE NERVE YOU HAVE, YOUR LUCKY I DON'T DESTROY YOU, YOU-YOU-RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH"
>Ugh... More screaming, and worse you can't appropriately cover your ears.
>You wonder if this could be considered assault, because whatever air was in Diamond's lunges have all but been expelled from her, making her have a sort of breathing fit.
>Silver tries to help her calm down, but Diamond refuses her help.
>So instead, you help her.
 
 
Chapter 17: A Carousel of Chaos
>You walk up to Diamond and control yourself the best you can.
>Diamond reflexively flinches as you grab her by the hoof. "WHA-"
>Before she can finish, you pull her into your embrace.
>You've been hugging a lot of stuff recently.
>With as much rage as she can muster, she speaks. "What... In the world... Do you think you're doing?"
"You need to calm down. It is physically hurting you to speak."
>"Calm down... CALM DOWN?! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO CALM DOWN!"
>Diamond opens her jaw wide and claps down on your muzzle.
>She was expecting you to let go from the pain, but you can't feel it.
>Though you're having a really hard time trying not to outright pulverize her.
>If you're going to live here, you need to show restraint.
"Can you let go of my muzzle?"
>Diamond only growls at you and bites harder.
>Meanwhile Silver has gone deathly silent, backing away slowly.
"I am only asking you to let go."
>"WEHH WAYBE YOU HOULD WET GO!"
"But then you'd keep hurting yourself."
>"I HON'T HARE!"
>"Uhm... Diamond?"
>"WUH ISH IH HIHER?!"
>Silver points towards you, looking completely terrified from... something.
>Diamond, preoccupied as she is, looks up past your eyes, causing her pupils to dilate.
>She quickly let's go of your muzzle and slowly backs away from your grasp, causing you to let go of her. "D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-"
"Is something wrong Diamond?"
>The both of them scream simultaneously as a shadow slowly looms over you. "DISCORD! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
>And with that, the two take off, running towards the school in a fit of hysterics.
>You look up and see that it is indeed, Discord.
>"Hahahahahaha! That never~ gets old..." Discord looks at you with his usual mischievous grin and wraps himself around you. "By the looks of it, my son has been very naughty, tisk tisk tisk."
"What do you mean?"
>"Oh Anon~ if only you weren't so DENSE!" Discord picks your body up and throws it across the land like a baseball.
>Before you can react to save yourself, Discord pops up to you mid-flight. "Cmon! It's literally right in front of you!"
>What does he mean by-GNGHFG
>An audible thud is heard as a crater is made in a nearby mountain, the cracks lingering ever so slightly as your momentum is lost.
>Is he planning something?
>Discord face palms and teleports directly in front of you, clearly displeased. "I've honestly never met a pony so dense it effects them physically as well, but given the circumstances I suppose 'you' know all too well."
>Fixing yourself and relocating a few bones, you look at Discord.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. Why did you just toss me into a mountain?"
>Discord's cringe intensifies as he wipes his face off with his claw, literally. "Hello! Anyone in there!?"
>Discord begins to beat your head with his paw, all the while talking to you with his hand-face.
>You don't exactly know what he's implying at the moment, but this is starting to get slightly annoying.
"Stop hitting me."
>"What? I didn't quite catch that, mind speaking louder for me?" Discord takes out what looks like a copper cylinder and points the large end towards your direction.
"Erm... stop hitting me."
>"What? What was that Anon?"
>OK... Now you're starting to feel it.
>Your eyes begin to pulsate with energy as tentacles start to form in varying degrees of length and size.
>And with a swift movement, you grab a hold of Discord, causing him to choke on his next few words.
>But surprisingly, Discord just smirks. "That's... more... like it." And with what looks like what little force he can muster from your monster grip, he snaps his claw-face together, causing a blinding light to engulf the both of you.
>At least, that's what you think the giant flurry of rainbows and auras are.
>Your enhanced vision can't deal with all these colors.
>Refocusing, you notice that you're not in Equestria anymore.
>Far from it.
>Looking around, it appears that you are floating in a dimensional space-time with a multitude of keys, locks, sprockets, and gears all working their way through the chaotic spectrum.
>And it all leads to a center, a control of sorts.
>But why would i-YARGHDH
>"Whoops, forgot you could see those." Discord has 'you' in his grasp.
>Your eyes that is.
>Your body feels nothing, but your eyes are burning from the new touch.
>Discord quickly tosses 'you' into his mouth and gargles.
>This feels... so... nggghh
>You don't want to feel this feel anymore.
>Your body is reluctantly reacting to your current predicament, causing your tentacles to distort and misshapen, which allows Discord to become free from your grasp.
>Discord finishes and spits your eyes out into his paw and slaps them into your face, causing you to regain yourself.
"Nngggh... fuck..."
>Discord's grin cannot be more clear. "So that's where all your bite went, but enough about that, because I have something very special for you, my dear son."
"Urgh... what is it?"
>Fuck your eyes feel weird.
"Well, if you must know, I, the great and chaotic Discord himself! Will show you the meaning of CHAOS!" Land forms from under him, creating a sort of staircase with each set standing two Discord's with trumpets blaring with noise.
>The sounds eventually end with Discord standing triu-pathedically atop a golden throne. "Well, Anonymous? Care to join me on the careless journey to have some reckless chaos!?"
"I think I'd rathe-"
>"Excellent choice! And I promise you, you won't regret it."
>You suppose Discord doesn't take no for an answer.
>But this means you're going to break Twilight's rule.
>You'll just have to explain it to her when this is all over.
"Hmm... what is this 'chaos' I am going to receive?"
>"Oh silly Anon, you can't just 'receive' chaos, unrealistically speaking, you have to embrace it!" Discord extends his claw over to an empty space, which then turns into a distortion, and then into a portal back to Equestria. "And besides, there's nothing like spending time with your ol'pop!" Discord gives you an encouraging nudge towards the portal as you get a closer look at what awaits you.
>Though you don't recognize the location, you don't see anything that could spell impending doom.
>You step through the portal and wonder what this supposed 'chaos' will ensue.
>Discord is certainly excited for it.
>Stepping through the portal, you find yourself on the roof of a house.
>Discord follows suit, closing the portal behind him and takes in the air around him. "Ah! Canterlot! As smug and obnoxious as always~." Discord turns to you and gives you the widest grin he can muster. "Now, what I want you to do Anon, is to take that tiny little pony over there-" Discord re-positions you to look at what he's referencing.
>A random stallion with a monocle and suit walks through the streets, unaware of Discord's plot. "-and cover him in hundreds of bits."
"Cover them in... bits? Why?"
>"Tis just a trial my dear boy! Just to see how much chaos you have in that noggin of yours." This time, Discord lightly taps your head, alluding to the chaos inside of you.
>Bits were those coins used for currency as far as you know.
>You wonder how Honesty is doing.
>Focusing on the stallion for a few moments, you try to summon those hundreds of bits Discord was thinking of, but nothing comes as he simply strolls through and sits on a nearby bench to read a paper.
>"No no no, you gotta do it like this!" Discord snaps his claw, causing a pile of bits to appear on the roof. "See! No thinking or focusing, you just have to know what to do. Now you try it."
>Hmm... just know what to do?
>What is that supposed to mean?
>You know how to summon your powers, don't you?
~Discord talks of one. Your powers are four, your use of three, with magic~
>You mean there was one I haven't used?
~J?us?t? a?s? ?t?he ot?h?er?s?, thi?n?k ?no?t ?of? ?i?t~
>If it works I suppose.
>You walk to over to the ledge of the building to get a view the stallion, eyeing him over.
>And after a quick clasp of your hooves, it surprisingly works.
>A sensation of shock goes through you and out your hooves, causing multitudes of bits to fall onto the pony.
>Discord's grin intensifies as he stares on at the pony, who is now being crowded by hoards of greed-ridden bystanders.
>Some ponies take out a few bits, but throw them away realizing they're fake.
>Others attempt to loot from the pile, but get stuck as the bits ooze onto them like adhesive.
>A few others try their hooves, but recoil at the bits as they implode and distort into tiny golden soldiers, which then chase the ponies using their tiny spears and fake firearms.
>"Hahahha! Excellent work my boy, for your first try of chaos that is, but it needs a bit more oomph! More pizazz!" Discord snaps his claw once again, making the bits he made, as well as your own in the streets disappear.
>Discord creates the portal to the other dimension, motioning you inside. "If you will, We still have much to do today!"
"What is the point of all this?"
>You are honestly confused as to why you did such a random act to that pony, but Discord waves you off dismissively.
>"Oh dear Anonymous~ there's no point in chaos, and what kind of father would I be if I didn't even show my own son how to have some fun here and there hmm?" You swear he is up to something, but you have no clue what he is implying.
>But, if he can help you with this new power like they have with theirs... you will not argue.
>And it appears he has a more finite idea of chaos than what they could explain to you.
>More than subconscious understanding.
>You go through the portal with Discord and it closes behind the both of you, leaving you on a piece of land with a... house?
>There 'are' windows and doors, but...
>The house is distorted to the point where it appears that nothing could traverse or even imagine what is inside.
>And whenever a random window or door on the distorted house opens, raw chaotic energies spew out with varying effects and sounds.
>Discord flexes his body as a once-over, twisting into nonexistence and opening one of the doors from the inside. "Come now my son, this is where the true testing begins!"
>Discord snaps his paw and teleports you into his grasp, before pulling you into the impossibly small doorway with him.
>Miraculously, your body is able to fit and squeeze through.
>Discord lays you on the jelly-filled floor as you look around.
>The whole entire room is filled to the brim with jelly, with the only part not covered being the center.
>While you observe your surroundings, Discord meanwhile, has dawned a sort of outfit that you'd see most women wearing.
"Uh Discord? What are we doing?"
>He swoops his claw down into the jelly and takes a syringe from no where in particular and stabs it into your muzzle. "My you're persistent with the questions, but all you have to do is relax. I promise it won't hurt a bit."
>The syringe says otherwise.
>The pain causes you to wince as tentacles form a reflexive defense, but Discord disappears before any measures can be made.
>The syringe pushes itself into you before you or your appendages can react and pull it out.
>You're not sure if that device is supposed to go that far inside your head, but nonetheless, Discord is gone.
"Ergh... Discord, where did you go?"
>"Oh don't worry Anon, just doing a little spring cleaning!" Did... did his voice just come from inside of you?
"Discord, I suggest you sto-ERRRRRRAGGDGAGAHGAAAAAAAAAAAAAGAHAHGGFUFUFUFUCYZZZZHZGZGZGZGZGZGG!"
>Your head feels like it was just hammered to mush. "Sorry about that! I might have accidentally touched a nerve or two!"
"Ngh... Discord, get the fuck out of my-ZZZZGZHZHG-In today's news, Discord the greatest draconequus to ever exist causes mass hysteria and loss of sides as more and more Anons are bein-BZGGZGZGZGZHHZGZGHRRRAAAGAGAHGG GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
>Losing your senses and motor controls, you begin to lose your balance, and the soft rubbery surface you're standing on isn't helping in the slightest.
>"Alright! Just a few more tweaks and we'll be spotless! Now hold still!"
"Oh you've gotta be-EEEERREEAGAGAHAGAAÀAAAAAAHAHAHAHHGGGHGGHHFHFFGGHFHHGGGIDHSOQHRIFHXBXLSBEISGJXEGUWITHRIXHEUHDJXOZNAPWHEUYWOWBFICNNXOAVDUGEHWOAJWVDBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZT."
>Falling to the ground, you see Discord materialize out of thin air, wearing the nurse's outfit and a confident smile. "Well Anon? Anything you want to say? Anything at all?"
>Getting off from the gelatin and adjusting yourself, you muster the only words that can come to mind at the moment.
"... I fucking hate you."
>Wait... hate?
>Have you ever used that word before?
>Discord looks at your perplexed face and scoffs. "My Anon, such language! I should have Twilight ground you for that one."
"Err... what have you done to me?"
>Discord adjusts his collar and makes the doctor uniform disappear. "Oh a little tinkering here and there, a few well needed adjustments, and a kick in the brain to make it last. Nothing a little chaotic juice can't fix."
"Hrrrm... and that means?"
>"What it means is, whatever things that weren't working right in your fabricated chaotic body are now working. Mmm... I know! Let's get some faces in order."
"Faces?"
>"Yes, Anon. That neutral expression you have just kills the mood of all the chaos we could bring~ so we're going to fix that. Here, try this." Discord scrunches up his face, looking like a filly that's been touched on her nose a bit too much.
>You reluctantly follow suit and... you think your doing it?
>Your facial muscles you never knew you had are contorting, in a way.
>Discord crunches his body in two, forming a mirror through his body and...
>That's you. Scrunched up.
>This is weird.
>"Excellent work, now I want to see your excited face." He now has the grin and huge sparkling eyes that would kinda match Elune's when she wanted to tear something to shreds.
>Looking in the mirror, you contort your face, making a somewhat huge grin, which shows your now sharp as razors teeth from all the head distortions, along with your radiant ruby eyes.
>Discord looks pleased, clasping his arms together. "Perfect! now, do exactly what I do..." The mirror is swiftly consumed by his body and absorbs into him as he grows in height, his eyes burn a fierce red and fire consumes most of the once clear jelly room.
>You hope this material isn't flammable.
>With a shacked jaw and his claws to his side's, he laughs. "AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAAAH!" The shear volume was daunting in of itself, but it looked like Discord was really trying his best to sell whatever act he was pulling off.
>As Discord finished laughing, you were completely stunned.... with confusion.
>The jelly floor has gone back to normal and Discord's monstrous stature has shrunk back to his normal self. "Ah, nothing like getting a good laugh out before enacting chaos upon the world." Discord then turns to you. "Think you got what it takes to pull 'that' off m'boy?"
>Hmmm... you're starting to doubt why you're doing this in the first place.
>All of this going about doing random stuff to random ponies, then doing even more random stuff at an unimaginable pace.
>Maybe he has a reason for not telling you anything?
>Perhaps, you can humor him, until he gets to the plot of it that is.
>Mimicking his actions, you will your body to a monstrous size, causing the jelly around you to change into luminous nothing.
>Tentacles, eyes, faces, mouths, and other unnameable appendages slowly rise out from under you as they all form a wide grin.
>And like a chorus of a thousand dead souls, you laugh, causing the entire structure you are in to collapse in disorder.
>Discord seems to have formed a defensive barrier as physical sound-waves boom from your orchestra of chaos.
>The land beneath you crumbles and wakes, turning into even more disassembled heads of distorted creatures, which join the comical release of your voice.
>The house has fallen into it's own conundrum, distorting all over the space around you, failing to find freedom in the empty space it now occupies.
>You finally finish the act with slight crazed chuckles as your now dismembered form bellows under, flooding into the ground underneath you and then shooting itself back into your body.
>Calming yourself, you look at Discord, who is...
>Wow... he's actually trembling.
>The shield he made looks like it was almost about to shatter, and his whole body has turned a pale white.
>But it doesn't last long, as a new Discord has come out of nothing to shatter the pale Discord's shield and take a hold of him, which snaps 'your' Discord out of his trance. "Wha-what!? No wait! I can-!" but before he can finish, the new Discord punches him into the distance and into another portal into nothing, quickly closing as he enters it. "Pssh, amateurs..."
"Discord? Wait... what?"
>Discord looks at you and forms the most happiest grin he can muster, quickly teleporting to your front and picking you up with a bear hug. "Oh I knew I picked the right one for the job!"
>Hmm... it... seems like Discord.
>He did say that you don't have to think about chaos.
>You just won't think about it.
>But you will get to the point.
"Discord, are you going to tell me what this is all for? I appreciate you awakening new powers within me, but I do not understand why you would do this. What is going on?"
>Discord looks at you skeptically, but waves you off. "Oh Anon, you're thinking way too into this. What I am trying to do is give you a good firm definition of the word 'chaos' before we can actually do some, well... CHAOS! And what have you learned thus far?"
"Umm... that you are random in your choosing of actions?"
>"Excellent deduction ol'sport, but instead of thinking of me, think of the word 'chaos'." The words come out of Discord's mouth and flash sporadically like one of those broken Las Vegas signs you've past by a few times too many. "Where there is harmony and order, there is chaos and disorder. A yin and yang if you will, and you know all too well that if either side is tilted just slightly in the wrong direction, 'everything' goes out the window."
>Hmmm... he was correct.
>The world you inhabited was filled with chaotic energy with no harmonic flow in existence.
>With a world that easy to manipulate, there would be no telling what would happen if it was the other way around.
>Discord hovers over to you and pats you on the head. "And you, my dear Anonymous, are filled to the brim with unimaginable amounts of chaos that even I struggle to comprehend." getting out a microscope, he looks intently at all the features of your body. "I'm even surprised myself that you didn't spawn as some sort of amalgamation of sorts, pretty lucky if I would say so myself."
"I believe the ones will my body to be it's physical parallel, to avoid unnecessary conflict, but is it really that surprising that I have power?"
>"Careful Anon, your dense is showing, and that is not what I'm referring to." Discord claps his limbs together, summoning a sort of animated scale out of nothing. "Let's say this little bar all-the-way down here, is a regular being. No special power or anything of the sort, just physical strength and nothing else. Now..." Discord moves his claw up to one of the middle bars. "Here is where your average, run-of-the-mill Alicorn would be, a.k.a. your mother."
"Hmm... The middle of the scale? Meaning she is a magical being, but lacks an edge of sorts."
>"Quite. Yes, your dear mother Twilight is but a little mare with little experience under her belt, unlike the two Alicorn princesses of Canterlot, but she is still filled with the magical energy of the land itself, quite formidable they can be." Now Discord moves his claw up the scale, extending it by a few bars all the way up to at least a few extra meters in height. "And hear is where I, the great and chaotic being himself, would be, in terms of raw power, which doesn't result to much, but my chaotic energies make up for the difference."
"That's pretty high... but... where do I land on this 'scale'?"
>Discord takes his paw and ponders for a moment, then teleports down over to you. "Well that's just it, no matter how far I extend this stupid thing, 'you' don't show up anywhere. I've gone and done my research multiple times, but no matter how much time I take to search through it, you just aren't there." Discord swallows the power meter's whole length and looks at you with a quizzical grin. "But, there might just be a way to err... 'estimate' the size of it."
"Estimate the size how exactly?"
>Discord jumps through the air and reaches for a lever from no-where-in-particular. "Why..." The lever contorts and shoots into its slot as it expands into a monstrous size, disappears, then summons what appears to be a... pole of sorts? "-through CHAOS of course!"
>Of course.
 
 
Chapter 18: A Carousel of Chaos Cont.
>The structure Discord has summoned reaches to an unimaginable height, with a little metal vice sitting at the bottom.
>Discord motions you towards the device. "Now Anon, what I need you to do is 'ever-so-slightly' hit that little round end, and make sure you put as little physical strength as you possibly can."
>You walk over to the metal sphere and inspect it.
>It appears to be attached to the pole in a way, with a little mechanical device attached to the pole structure.
>Only a little force, right?
>You reach your hoof over the metal center, and with as little energy you can muster, tap it.
>And just then, the pole jolts with energy, shooting the mechanical piece upward.
>The device glides up the pole and eventually leaves your sight.
>"Good job Anon, now follow me." Discord hovers over to a new land platform and crosses his arms in wait.
>Wait, he isn't going to teleport you?
>Well, he 'can' levitate.. so...
>You lightly tap your hooves together  and a familiar jolt surges through you, but then goes through each of your hooves and back into your body.
>The sensation feels... invigorating to say the least.
>You step off the platform and float aimlessly towards the direction Discord is.
>This elicits some slight chuckles from Discord as he catches you midflight before you miss the platform altogether. "You sure are a piece of work."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
>"Oh you'll get it soon enough, now what I want you to do is to solve this maze with your Chaos powers."
>A maze?
"Why a maze?"
>"It's to see just how sporadic your chaotic energy might be, now hold still and dont move from this spot." Discord hovers into the air and when he reaches a considerable distance, claps.
>And what you were viewing in your vision was now replaced with a rainbow-colored ceiling.
>Looking around your new room, you notice the entrance and move towards it and look inside.
>Just a path forward with two ways through.
>This looks awfully familiar to... yes, that place.
>If these walls were white, I'd be just like home.
>If you're willing to call it home.
>No, you have a home now, a real home.
>A castle, more or less.
>And friends too.
>Things have changed since then.
>A lot has.
>And all of it has been... well... most of it has been for the better.
>You shake your head out of these intrusive thoughts and go to the task at hand.
>Hmm... two paths...
>You look around, but finding nothing.
>Just two pathways.
>Maybe if you look further something will happen?
>Moving a bit closer to the end of the hall, you look to the left.
>Another pathway with two entrances.
>And looking to the right, there is a near identical view.
>You're... not sure what to do here.
>Should you pick a direction to go?
>It doesn't feel right if you do.
>Maybe if you go back?
>But then you wouldn't make progress.
>Discord said he was testing your chaos... but...
>An unknown paranoia is preventing you from doing any action at the moment.
>So you just sit, and stare at the two entrances.
>Maybe if you went through the...
>But what if it was the wrong one?
>Maybe if you just...
>You'd be breaking the...
>It won't be that bad.
>Yes it will.
>It would be really bad.
>That would mean you'd fail.
>They don't want you to fail.
>If you fail, then what would they do to you?
>You don't want that again.
>You refuse it.
>You don't want it again.
>You'd be horrible to do so.
>If only you-YOU CAN'T THINK LIKE THAT, YOU'RE NOT ALOUD TO-
>Startling yourself, you go into a defensive position with every amount of force ready to destroy it.
>Yet all you see is a wall.
>A very colorful radiating wall now.
>Looking around, you're back in the room you started in.
>Various tentacles have made themselves present through your own panic, with eyes viewing the surroundings for any threat and blades ready to spill blood secrete acid on any nearby threats.
>And as for you...
>You are are currently sweating bullets and hyperventilating.
>You... you don't want to solve this maze.
>You really don't want to solve this maze.
>You really really really don't want to-YAGH!
>Discord just clapped you in the face. "Really, Anon? A maze? 'That's' the one thing you can't do?" Discord takes his arms up from you to rubs his temples and snaps his claw, making the room around you disappear. "If your claustrophobia was that bad you could have just said so."
"N-no it's not that... it's just..."
>But Discord ignores you completely as he contemplates his next test. "Hmm... If we can't test your stability... oh I've got it!" A light bulb appears above Discord head, but doesn't stay lit for long as he puts the giant sphere under his skin and snaps his paw.
>"We'll just test your accuracy." Discord has changed into a sort of green outfit with a hat and quill as he pulls a bow and arrow out of no where and fires into the nothingness.
>Surprisingly, a sort of target appears out of nowhere to catch the arrow, hitting the object right in the center.
>"Bull's-eye! Now, invincible targets might be a bit much, but with all that chaos in you, I'm sure it won't be a problem." Discord throws the bow and arrow your direction and you promptly catch the supplies with your reformed appendages.
"Discord, I think I need a break."
>Discord stops in his tracks, the apple he was placing on his head falling out of his grasp. "And why is that?"
>The tone in his voice isn't very pleasant.
"I... I need a bit of time to think."
>Discord's groan of disgust cannot paint the picture more clearly as he snaps his claw, bringing you... inside a house?
>A regular normal plain house.
>You take a second to observe the surroundings around you, mostly because you were expecting something completely different.
>A couch and carpet in the center, along with a big, red chair to the side of the room.
>A tiny little chimney fire makes it all the more comfy as you steadily make your way into the comfort of the couch.
>You have no idea where you are, but you might as well follow Elaine's example... to an extent.
>Looking outside the window from your cozy shelter, you see that you are indeed still in the chaos realm.
>But then... where's Discord?
>Wait... what's that smell?
>Like that of... burnt rubber?
>Smells good... strange...
>Tracking the smell to its source, you see an entrance to a kitchen.
>And coming out from the entrance is Discord in an apron while holding... a.... what...
"What... is that?"
>"Oh this? Just a hot steaming meatloaf made just for a certain you-know-what..."
>A mea-haaaaaaaaah~
>A meatl-oooooooh~
>You forgot.
>You extend your tentacles and lunge at the newly presented dish, but Discord narrowly avoids it through teleportation. "Oh, someone seems a bit eager. Did anyone ever tell you about manners Anonymous?"
>You lunge your whole body at him, but crash into the ceiling as he now holds a fork in his hand and has taken a large chunk of it out. "Cmon, get the meat, get it!"
>Discord waves the delectable chunk around you, causing you to follow it with puppy eyes.
"Dis... give meh... da meat... the... ha... ha..."
>"Ah ah 'ah', you have to work for it!" Discord snaps his paw and the fork lets go of the meat, only to stand on two limbs while holding the treat.
>You quickly dash towards it to swallow it whole, but the fork jumps up at an incredible speed and dashes towards the kitchen.
>You quickly follow suit, your tongue swaying in the nonexistent wind between your maw of pearly white fangs.
>The fork takes a nose dive through the lower cabinets, of which you quickly tear apart.
>Various cleaning products and supplies barrel through, yelling nonsensical things, but you keep your focus on the fork.
>The little metallic object runs into a nearby room, the food still steaming with flavor.
>You run into the room and stare at the utensil as it walks through a portal atop the dining table.
>You don't care where it's headed, you're going to fucking destroy it.
>Going through the portal, you run at Mach speeds towards the stainless steel, but it quickly dashes left through a different hallway.
>Screeching to a halt, you quickly pull yourself through with your tentacles and renew the pursuit.
>This thing is fast for what little limbs it has, but neither of you lose or gain any distance as the two of you zip through the various halls and stairways.
>A few muffled sounds are heard in your peripherals, but you ignore most of it as you continue your chase.
>You extend your tentacles towards the running escapee, but before you can finally get a grasp on the damn thing, it takes a sharp U-turn, hitting you off balance and onto the floor below as it runs through two huge solid doors.
>You will have that meat.
>You don't care how fast it is, you will crush it with a vice grip.
>Running over and catapulting through the two doors you take a whiff of the air and turn a 180 towards the ceiling, effectively cracking your neck.
>The fork stands proud on the ceiling ledge with the meat skewered and ready for consumption.
>The moment lasts a few seconds, but is cut short as you react instinctively to a sound coming from the front of the room.
>Tentacles and aberrations extend every which way, cornering it to prevent escape.
>It tries a single vain attempt to karate-kick you, but it is all for naught as it flies right into your mouth.
>A-HNNNNNGH
>An powerful flavor enters your mouth and you welcome it with an open throat.
>Much to the disdain of the fork, which you quickly spit out to focus more on the new treat.
>It all falls apart in your mouth as various feelings engulf you.
>Pleasant, wonderful, exquisite feelings.
>Nothing is being held back as you fall to the floor below, crippled from the effective snack.
>You don't mind the thud, all you feel is ecstasy.
>Oh if only you knew how describe this... feeling.
>It's not normal to feel this good... but you want it so badly.
>You want this feeling to last forever.
>But eventually, you swallow it whole and with a satisfying sigh, fall back and lay on your mane satisfied.
>A few shadows loom over you, but you don't care.
>You'll take care of them later.
>For now, you must savor this feeling.
>"Well that certainly was an entrance." A white luminescent shine approaches you.
>"Indeed. I believe this is the one Twilight spoke of, and might I say, he has such beautiful dreams." The other aura of an oddly familiar dark blue walks next to the other.
>Looking at the combination of colors relaxes you from you excited state, making your limbs retract themselves.
>You get up from your trance and shake your head to further clear your mind.
>And the two standing before you are...
>Two Alicorn princesses.
>...
>This isn't a good feeling.
>You just broke 17 of Twilight's rules.
>You don't think you should list them.
>But... it's strange.
>Whatever feeling's you'd thought to appear from this, are completely dashed away at the presence of these two.
>In fact, they're radiating with magic even without your enhanced sight.
>How powerful are these two?
>"You 'are' Twilight's young little colt known as Anon, correct?" The white Alicorn speaks with such a calm tone, you can only wonder why.
"Mmm... yes, I'm Twilight's son. You are?"
>"I am Princess Celestia. Twilight's past teacher and the co-ruler of all of Equestria. And am I to believe that you've already met my sister?"
>You look to the right and see that the blue Alicorn has a gentle smile and some confidence about her.
"I'm... not sure what you are implying Celestia. This is the first time meeting the two of you. Though this does feel... strange."
>Like a sense of dejavu.
>You swear you've seen her aura before, but...
>Any memory of the past of her has been lost.
>Oh well, you'll come across it eventually.
>For now, you need to figure out why Discord sent you here, and to the rulers of Equestria no less.
>Maybe he has good intentions?
>No, he's probably as random as his name sounds.
>The blue Alicorn cringes and looks to you for a second. "Are you sure you do not remember me, Anonymous?
"Yes, I'm not sure if I have seen you before due to the familiar aura around you, but that is as far as I remember."
>Her defeated tone sounds less than desirable. "Oh, I see... well, in any case, I am Princess Luna and it is a pleasure to meet you once more."
>Eh... you'll take her word for now.
>Looking around the room, you notice a lot has changed from your crazed state.
>Four large windows tinted with lemon yellow, lime green, sapphire blue, and ruby red.
>The marble pillars combined with the stone walls contrast with the embedded decoration of hieroglyphics on the walls.
>And in the front of the...
>Hmm... maybe that explains her tone.
>The doors you 'flew' through broke off their hinges and were sent flying.
>And both doors have made nice cozy cracks on the walls intersecting the throne itself.
>With the red velvet carpet leading right to Celestia's figure.
>Other than the constant twitch in the corner of her eye, she's taking this pretty well.
>Though you don't know what would happen i-"Hahahahhaha! Perfect! The timing, the tragedy, the inevitable doom~" Discord, in a outfit you're not sure how to describe, is now in a fit of hysterics as Luna and Celestia turn their attention to the draconequus.
>The both of them simultaneously chant "Discord..." with equal amounts of cringe.
>"Yes, it is I, and do hold your applause." you can never tell when Discord is taking anything seriously, even in front of the rulers he is acting with a sort of confidence.
>Though Celestia doesn't seem to be having any of it. "Discord, what is the meaning of this intrusion?"
>"Oh you should know full well 'Princess'. I'm simply taking a little stroll down memory lane and having my dear sweet innocent little son go with me." Discord picks you up and gives you a bear hug, causing you to expand like a plushie.
>Though it doesn't hurt, and the squeezing noise comes from a mysterious source as he puts you back down and looks at the two of them.
>"Now, where is my little damsel in distress?" Celestia walks up to Discord, now calm and collected with no twitching whatsoever and speaks up.
>"Would you be referring to erm... Twilight?"
>Discord lights up with streamers and confetti shooting out of his limbs. "Correct my dear, but enough games-" the streamers and confetti light on fire and are turned into soot in seconds. "-where is she? I was certain she was having a meeting with the two of you if I recall."
>"How hath thy-!" Luna attempts to question Discord, but Celestia motions to her a sign of reassurance. "If we were close the local hospital in Ponyville, I would have gladly led you there myself, but sadly, that is not the case."
>Discord double-takes and tries to speak, but Celestia continues. "Now, if you were well-informed, you'd know that the meeting had been cancelled by Spike just a few moments ago, approximately the time where she 'might' have arrived." Celestia now has a smug grin on her face. "But instead, you chose to take your son on a 'stroll' through the city, am I correct?"
>Now while you were calm and sleepy from the auras around you, Discord was currently the complete opposite of calm and collected. "THE HOS-BUT HO-AND THE MEE-YOU!" Discord's flaming cloak of anger is... oddly amusing to you.
>"Anonymous... what in the hell fires of Tartarus did you do?"
"Twilight took me to the Everfree Forest. We got attacked by timberwolves."
>"That does not answer my question..." Discord's eyes were filled with fire and the surroundings around you were turning quite... grim.
>Though the princesses looked like they were prepared to intervene, Discord payed them no mind. "What... did YOU do?"
"I destroyed them and got a cloud."
>"FOR WHAT PURPOSE!?"
"Twilight wanted to take care of me, so she had Zecora make a potion for me, but it didn't work. What it did do was make me feel."
>Discord's rage simmers down to curious wrath as he raises an eyebrow. "Make you feel? Oh cry me a river then, because now all my wonderful plans are ruined!" Discord takes out a pamphlet from his mouth and burns it to cinders before falling onto the floor face first.
>Both you and the princesses look on in confusion as he gets up and dusts himself off and sighs defeated. "And it was going to be so much fun for the three of us..."
>Wait a minute...
"So you never told me what we were doing because... you wanted it all to be a surprise?"
>Discord face palms and teleports in front of you. "YES! A SURPRISE!" Little miniature fire crackers appear around your feet as Discord blows through a party horn. "Both my 'fiancee' and my son, together having the best times of our lives through the most chaotic means possible! Except..."
>"Except now it's ruined?" Luna chimes in, a smirk strewn across her face.
>Discord is less than pleased at the disruption, crossing his arms and hissing. "Pfft, as if you'd know any better..."
>"What I think my sister is trying to say is... why not have some fun with us perhaps?" Discord's ears perk up and his head does a one 180.
>"Excuse me? You two?! The Princesses, who want nothing but 'Harmony' and 'Friendship', want to wreak havoc among the local masses with chaotic intent? Oh please, that sounds way too good to be true." while Discord waves his limbs around in disbelieve, Luna walks up to him and pats him on his... hip? Somewhere where his legs are.
>"Discord, even though we've had our disagreements, both me and my dear sister understand that it might get a bit... boring for you." Then Celestia walks up beside her.
>"And we understand more than anyone else that business and royalty don't really mix into what you'd call a 'fun experience'. So as such, we both decided to take some 'vacation days' for some personal time to ourselves. Am I right Luna?"
>"Quite, and now that you're here Discord, we could maybe perhaps 'push the schedule a bit'?" Jeez... you didn't know how smug a living creature could be up until now.
>Though Discord seems to be on board.
>Because without a moments hesitation, both you and the princesses are engulfed in light.
 
 
Chapter 19: A Carousel of Chaos Cont.
>The light dims around you and the princesses revealing the land below.
>That is from the peak of the mountain top you saw during your... alone time.
>It seems Discord really did have something planned...
>Too bad it was ruined.
>As you view the land, you start to fall from the air, so you quickly tap your hooves together, causing you to stop and slowly float down and hit the soft surface below.
>Discord has made a nice little bubble platform, though for reasons unclear.
>And it seemed that this protective bubble prevented the two princesses from falling, when you'd assumed that they'd simply use their wings.
>You'll ponder it later, but for now you decide to take a good look at the land below you.
>Hmm... Ponyville looks so small from here, and looking slightly above it, you could see the Everfree Forest in its entirety.
>You wonder how ponies have managed to keep such a large chaotic forest in check.
>Maybe Twilight could tell you sometime.
>Taking in more of the view around you, the land begins to look a bit... condensed compared to your world, with the deserts and jungles lacking thousandths of the size you walked through.
>Perhaps this world is not as vast?
>It puzzles you to think that such a small world could prosper.
>Is their populace effected by it?
>You could probably expand your body and crush the entire land under your weight.
>Or perhaps create more pathogens and wipe the land clean.
>Nah, that would be a waste.
>Maybe if you covered the land in fire?
>Burnt meat never tastes good.
>Maybe if you...
>You're thinking doesn't make sense.
>You can't do any of the suggested, so why think of it?
>It isn't really necessary, is it?
>Perhaps this is another side-effect of the potion?
>You'll think on it later.
>Celestia notices your curious gaze and lightly pats you on the head, getting your attention away from your mind. "Beautiful, isn't it? Tell me Anonymous, how has your stay been in Equestria?"
>Your stay in Equestria?
>Hmm... you've met Discord, your mom, a Pinkie Pie, honesty Applejack, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, Zecora, Elune, and the questionable Slime.
>Oh and Spike.
>And all of them have acted on good will.
>Well... except maybe the Tiara one.
>Maybe she's still trying to control her emotions like you?
>And even that, you've gained an unnatural use of emotions you didn't even know you had.
>You thought it died the day you were born.
>And ever since you've made it here, everything has gone for the better by the looks of it.
>And you've finally gotten a hold of this tiny body's physic and adapted to it's strength.
>With the overall young and healthy body instead of the malnourished scar-covered bone of your former self, you've come to great terms with this new body.
>A renewal of yourself.
>And it all feels...
>Wonderful.
>These words keep showing up on request yet you only have a vague idea of what they mean.
>Maybe it goes on a scale of sorts, or depends on your bodies condition?
>If only Twilight was OK.
>Discord said she had the answers, but now...
>Guess you'll just have to wait for her to recover.
>Given her previous condition, the estimated time would be at least three days, five if anything on her body worsens.
>You won't let that happen again.
"I've met ponies and became their friend. Though the concept of friendship is still loose to me, I think I am starting to understand how it works."
>"And what are the names of these fine ponies?" Celestia had a nice grin on her face, making the calming aura all the more comforting.
"Well, the most recent friends I have made are from the Everfree forest."
>"The Everfree forest?" This time, Luna's curiosity got the better of her. "Oh do tell, Anonymous! What kind of friends have you made there?" in fact, she was oddly ecstatic from the mention of the forest.
"Currently, both Elune and the Slime are staying in the castle back at home with Spike."
>Now both of them were sitting eagerly for your explanation.
>You swear if it wasn't for the radiating stature, you'd see them as no different than the curious ponies on the streets.
"Elune is an abnormally excited filly that likes to talk. The Slime can talk somewhat and kind of acts like a pony, but I still question if the creature is sentient."
>"Hmm... I lack the proper experience to determine if your Slime friend would be able to communicate properly, but it might be the case given time." Luna ponders on the thought of Slime communication before Celestia adds her two-cents.
>"If my memory serves, Discord had such a friend. The Smooze if I recall?" Celestia looks up and the both of you follow her gaze to Discord, who is currently cycling through various amounts of catastrophes.
>"What do you think Celestia? Cotton candy avalanche? Oh! Or maybe chocolate fudge volcanoes?" Discord dips his claw into the giant clump of chocolate candy and waves the mass around like a lightweight bowling ball.
>Celestia looks at the mass in amusement. "Discord, as much as I would love a chocolate volcano, I don't think we can allow 'that' much chaos."
>"Ah, but my dear Princess Celestia, how can we have chaos without a little risk? And I'd prefer it if the answer isn't along the lines of 'Oh Discord, too much chaos is bad~'" Huh, he does a good Celestia impression.
>But isn't he contradicting himself from earlier?
>Maybe it only applied to you?
>Celestia's face goes from a smirk to that of slight irritation. "First of all, I don't sound like that, and second, too much chaos 'is' bad. For every pony." Discord puts his hands on his... oh. That's where his hips are.
>And teleports in front of Celestia for a confrontation of sorts.
>But in doing so, he drops the colossal ball of chocolate.
>"Celestia, if you can't get that royal head of yours out of the past, 'someone's gonna have to give it a push" Hmm... this doesn't seem good, they're completely ignoring the ball heading straight towards the city.
>Both you and Luna watch as the events unfold before taking evasive action.
>"Well I think my head is fine where it is Discord. It just seems that yours still has a screw loose~." You tear a hole through the bubble and jump through it with Luna following close behind.
>"I have a screw loose!? Says the boring princess who does nothing but sits in her castle all day!" You extend your limbs and expand them to inhuman dimensions, creating a sort of hoop to catch it, but it only rolls off of it, gaining air as it descends upon the city.
>"At least I don't harass my subjects with mindless tasks." Luna swoops below the ball and shoots a sort of beam at it, causing it to lose momentum, but not enough as it continues towards the city.
>"At least 'I' don't bore my subjects to death with 'duties and protocol's~" The ball flies straight for a statue in the middle of the city as bystanders look at the ball in horror.
>The two of them pause there conversation for a few seconds.
>Maybe they see the ball?
>... Are they laughing?
>You instinctively clasp your hooves together to think of something relevant.
>And in doing so, the entire ball disappears.
>Huh... you could get used to this new power...
>Maybe Discord knew you'd be able to take care of it?
>Looking at Luna, she gives you a look of confusion before staring in utter shock at... something.
>Something above yo-...?
>Everything has gone black.
>You just teleported it on top of you.
>You really need to get used to this new power.
>After a few moments, you feel a slight change and what feels like a swaying movement.
>You can only assume you're now rolling down the mountain.
>Exerting some energy onto yourself, you sprout mouths from all sides of you and begin to make a space around you.
>You take a few chomps out of the area... and... nngh... too sweet... FUCK WHY IS THIS SO SWEET!?
>You quickly extend tentacles and latch onto the corners of the little room you've made before coughing up the chocolate.
>You don't want to eat anymore sweets.
>Or maybe it's the constantly swirling motion that's making you want to spit it all out.
>You really want this horrid feeling in your stomach to end.
>You try to think of the most safest way to stop, but can't focus due to the feeling.
>You... can't...
>You clasp your hooves onto your face to prevent any unnecessary convulsions, but in doing so, a flash covers your eyes as the jolt of chaotic energy reenters your body.
>The weird surge throughout your body causes you to uncontrollably pulsate and vibrate, ending in a flash of light and what sounds like an explosion around you.
>Is that a good thing?
>Opening your eyes, you look around at your surroundings, which are now covered in hot chocolate and fudge.
>Ponies, buildings, the statue from before, and in addition, the two princesses and Discord, who lapped up the chocolate in glee. "Hahaha! Great work Ano-..."
>...
"... What is it Discord?"
>"... Did... you... always have wings?"
>Wings?
>Looking at your back, you 'indeed' have wings on your back, which are currently flapping carelessly.
>Huh... you have wings...
>Why do you have wings?
>...
>Answe?r me.?
~You sent power into your body, U?nst?ab?l?e ?e?n?e?rgi?e?s? ?w?h?i?c?h can?n?o?t ?hol?d ?y?o?u?r? b?o?d?y t?og?e?th?er?~
>So my body grew unstable and lost hold of my previous form?
~T?h?i?n?k ?o?f? a? ?f?ut?ur?e, you will return in time~
>Hmm... temporary transformation, except uncontrollable.
>As long as you can return back to normal, there should be no problems.
>"Nnngh... Discord? A little help?" Looking down at the Princesses, Luna was struggling to get out of the now hardening cocoon of chocolate fudge, while Celestia was stuck in a fit of laughter.
>With a swift snap, Discord makes all the chocolate disappear, freeing the area of it's sweet prison.
>You lower yourself down to eye-level with the princesses, catching their attention.
>"Hmhmhm Oh Anon~, I'm glad you're... you're a Pegasus?" Celestia was sure she saw you as a normal earth pony, she was caught a bit off guard as well as Luna.
"Apparently it's a temporary mutation due to my misuse of chaos magic, but don't worry, I'll return to normal eventually."
>Discord teleports and hugs you from behind without warning. "Haha! Always full of surprises, just like your old man!"
>Looking up from your current predicament, you can't help but feel... happy for Discord.
>And you're starting to get used to these hugs.
>The Princesses seem to agree with Discord's behavior as well, giggling at Discord's antics before he lets go of you and allowing you to return to the air.
>"I never took you for the loving type, Discord." Luna's smug makes Discord blush.
>"Er-I well-oh be quiet you." Discord crosses his arms and slithers his tongue, eliciting more giggling from the princesses.
>This warm calm feeling... you can't help but smile at the whole thing.
>Even though some of the other ponies around look on in either disgust or pleasure at the warm moment, a few share the same dumb smile you have.
>That is until...
>"Princess Celestia!? Princess Luna!? D-D-DISCORD!?" A light purple unicorn with a purple and aquamarine-striped mane comes running up to the four of you.
>Both Princess Celestia and Luna perk up and look her way, with clear joy in their eyes. "Ah, Starlight Glimmer! What a wonderful surprise."
>"Tell us, what brings you here to Canterlot on such short notice?" Luna's question catches Starlight off guard.
>"Oh well I um... had... a... spell to work on! Yes! A spell, and the research notes were here in the library, so I just cast a bit of teleportation and well... here I am! Hehe..." Jeez, she's beat red and sweating profusely.
>If you didn't know any better, the spell she cast made her run a marathon and a half.
>Either that or she's very nervous around others.
>While Discord continues to pout and ignore the two, you decide to get a feel for your wings.
>Controlling the frequency, adjusting the wingspan, and the use of force, you fly up high and plummet to the ground before going back up again until eventually you're back to a hover.
>Huh, you've never felt so... free.....
>You've grown wings before on the other world, but never as agile and light as these.
>They just felt so much more... right?
>More natural-born than anything.
>Adjusting your body to add to your momentum, you hover over to Celestia and Luna and land on Celestia's head with a light pat.
>Celestia shudders from the new touch, but slowly adjusts to your weight and smiles gleefully.
>While on the other hand, Starlight is trying her hardest not to explode in a cringe-induced panic. "And who is... that? If you don't mind me ask of course... Your excellency!"
>Mmmmm.... her mane is surprisingly soft, and the long flowing strands of hair tickle your body.
>This feels so nice...
>"Hmhmhm, well aren't you something? This is Anon Starlight, Twilight's son." Celestia couldn't help but find this whole situation adorable, struggling to contain herself.
>All the while Starlight was the complete opposite. "TWILIGHT'S SON!?"
>Nngh... too loud...
>"B-b-b-but how!? And why!? Who's the lucky stallion? Why didn't she tell me!? Wait... if I was sent on a vacation two weeks ago, and I'm getting introduced to her son now..." Starlight has a very skeptical look on her face as she contemplates how in the world Twilight found a stallion, got married, and had a colt in a span of two weeks.
>Maybe you should help with the explanation.
>You really don't want a misunderstanding.
"I am Twilight's adopted son. My father is Discord."
>Pointing at the moping draconequus, she only double-takes.
>"Discord!? Has... a son?" She's having the toughest time of her life processing this. "Wait... so Twilight adopted you while I was away... Discord brought you here to... meet the princesses... anything else?"
"Well, I can use chaotic powers."
>"I expected that coming from the son of Discord and all, but when exactly did this happen? And for what purpose? Discord could easily raise you on his own... couldn't he?" This catches Discord's attention very quickly, causing him to teleport instantaneously to her.
>"Ah, well my little pony, you haven't seen my son's... other special talent. Anon if you would?"
"But I'd be breaking Twilight's rules."
>Discord reflexively cringes. "Oh of course she did... well as your father, I out-rule her! Got it?" Hmm... he can do that?
>You're not sure if you should listen to him.
>Well... maybe for just this once.
>Focusing a little, a few tentacles protrude from out of your body, with a few waving at Starlight as commanded, but a few others still growing in length.
>One of them in particular begins to snake around Celestia's neck before suction cupping the position securely and then waving gingerly at the now wide-eyed Starlight Glimmer.
>A few others continue their growth down all the way to her belly and back, wrapping themselves around her entire body width.
>Celestia and help but recoil and wriggle at the movement around her body, making her give off a slight blush.
>"Er... Anon? Don't you think that's a bit much for a simple wave?" Discord's smirk doesn't really match his tone here, which confuses you.
"Mmm... perhaps I gave it too loose a command?"
Before they can continue their advances, you will them back into your body, leaving only the one around her neck, given its the closest one to Starlight.
>Of which is currently blushing just as much as Celestia and Luna can't help but looked concern. "Dear sister, are you a-alright?"
>"I'm fine Luna, no need to worry~." Celestia lifted her wing and put her head to the side, causing the wing to fluff and fwap your head.
>Nngh... too fluffy...
>You swipe around at the fluffy feathers, but lose your balance in the process, causing you to fall to the side of her face with the only thing keeping you in place being the tentacle's grip.
>She quickly nuzzles your face and you can't help but blush yourself. "Hmhmhm, thought you got the best of me, didn't you?"
"I have nngh... no idea what your talking about... Celestia."
>"Really now?" Celestia giggles at your adorableness, but you don't want any of this.
>So you fwap her in the face with your wings in retaliation.
>Your face reacts with a scrunched look as Celestia bursts out in full on laughter.
>Nnrrgh... what is this feeling?
>It's like you want to kill her... but not at the same time.
>It feels so... weird...
>Yet you don't mind this feeling.
>It doesn't hurt in any sort of way.
>Maybe this is how Celestia has fun?
>It's certainly a contrast to Discord's random nature, since this is more a child having fun with a slightly older sibling of sorts.
>At least that's as far as you can interpret these feelings.
>But you overall don't mind.
>Unlike the latter around you.
>Discord looks like he was the one inside the chocolate sphere, Luna is currently watching her sister in awe, and Starlight is doing the best she can to not ruin the mood.
>"Hehehe... the great ruler of Equestria... giggling and playing like a little filly..." She honestly didn't know what to say.
>"Well, Celestia was always in her best moods when a young foal was involved." The two of them look on as the both you and Celestia try to fwap each other with feathers.
>Of which you have the prime advantage of being just inches away from her face.
>Of course she gets a few fwaps in, but your frontal assault is unchallenged, with the both of your scrunched faces taking fwapping after fwapping.
>That is until finally, Discord intervenes by teleporting you into his grasp. "I think that's enough rivalry for today, and as much as I would love to keep watching, there's some amazing chaos to be ha-" you fwap his face with your wing, your face still scrunched and ready.
>Discord scrunched himself, but quickly shakes his head of any thoughts and smiles at your battle-ready stance.
>"Oh you have no idea know what you've just done Anon."
"I have asserted my dominance over you."
>"Good guess, but not quite." Discord chuckles to himself before you and the rest of your group are teleported back into the Castle.
 
 
Chapter 20: A Carousel of Chaos Cont.
"Discord? Why are we back at the castle?"
>"Why you ask? To play a little game of course!" Discord snaps his claw, making the throne in the center of the room start to grow in height.
>"Discord! No modifications to the royal throne!" Luna shouts at Discord, but doesn't do any good as he takes off his ears as a set of earmuffs.
>"Hmm? Did I hear complaining?" Discord looks at his ears and surprisingly they answer.
>"Nope, no complaining."
>"Chaos is the only words I hear... help me."
>Discord nods to them before putting his ears back on and making a rising motion with his hands.
>Luna turns to Celestia for support, but only sees her calm demeanor from before. "Relax Luna, whatever changes Discord makes, they can be reverted. And besides, I'd love to play a game at the moment. Wouldn't you?" Celestia winks at her and Luna blinks a few times in response before nodding her head.
>"Oh yes, right. It almost slipped my mind." Those two were up to something, but you couldn't quite understand what they might be thinking.
>And as for Starlight...
>Jeez, she didn't look too good.
>"Well... I guess this is what I deserve for trying to ditch my vacation duties..." Before she can't slump down in disappointment and shame, you pat her on the head, getting her attention.
"You have a connection to my mother, so I won't let anything happen to you."
>"Oh-uh... thanks..." Starlight appreciated the support more than anything at the moment. "So you're gonna be Twilight's son? I never expected her to be the one to adopt and take care of foals, especially one like you... no offense of course."
"I do not know what Twilight's preferences are regarding young, but I am going be her son according to Discord."
>This made Starlight puzzled. "But why would Discord choose Twilight of all ponies, unless it had to do with that power of yours as he mentioned, but I don't see her doing anything about it at the moment."
"That's because she's in the hospital."
>"Oh, well that makes se-... why is Twilight in the hospital!?"
"We went to the Everfree Forest and got attacked by timberwolves."
>Starlight's concerned look matches no other you've seen before. "The Everfree Forest is supposed to be the most dangerous place around Ponyville. Why in Equestria would she willingly just 'walts' in like that?"
"That... would be my fault, but perhaps this wouldn't be the best time to talk about it."
>You point to the center of the room, which has turned into a giant display of twists and turns and loops of a tunnel system with each either ending up or down the mountain leading to the throne at the top.
>The walls and windows have contorted out to make room for the large growth, separating the ceiling like a flower in bloom.
>And sitting on the throne satisfied is none other than Discord. "Ah, it's good to be king again!" Stretching his arms out of their sockets and cracking their fingers, he looks down at the for of you and preemptively clears his throat before speaking. "Hello everypony! Today we are going to play a little game I like to call, "The Carousel of Chaos"!" Fireworks shoot out from the contraption, hitting the walls and forming more of the sporadic loops in there place and connecting back to the throne.
>Luna grimaces at the state the throne room has been turned into, but begrudgingly sighs. "I don't suppose there will be rules for this game, will there?"
>Discord teleports down wearing a red cape and fancy golden crown and perfects his stance with a golden cane. "Why of course! It can't be a game without any rules!" Discord taps the cane on the floor twice, summoning a tiny scrap of paper for you all to read.
>Starlight walks up to it with a confused look. "Rule 1: Good Luck? Discord, where's the rest?"
>Discord takes the paper and expands it for everyone to read. "It is at it says! Get to the throne before everyone else and tada! You win! As simple as baking a cake, and as for the rule..." Discord leans in and forms an sinister grin. "You're gonna need it." Discord taps his cane and once again, teleports the four of you in a flash.
>You wish he could have explained how to get to the throne.
>Whatever, you can just make your way there.
>Adjusting your eyes from the constant teleportation, you spot your companion, Starlight Glimmer, who is currently groaning in displeasure. "Nngh... Anon?"
"It appears this is a team game."
>Getting up and dusting herself off, she looks around, but sees nothing but darkness. "You wouldn't happen to have night vision, would you?"
"I do. The room is shaped like a tunnel with the only pathway being forward."
>"Huh... I was asking sarcastically, but I think a little light wouldn't hurt." Starlight takes a moment and closes her eyes, focusing her mind.
>And after a few moments, her horn emits a bright blue light, showing the room in all its... tunnel.
>Just a plain rainbow-striped tunnel.
"Perhaps it's a game of endurance?"
>Starlight sighs and begins the trek through the tunnel, with you following beside her. "Ugh... if I was planning for exercise, I'd of just asked Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash?"
>"You haven't met Rainbow yet? Or heard of her?"
"Not really. Is she your friend?"
>"Eh, more Twilight's than mine, but we still hangout... somewhat."
>Hmm... Twilight's friend?
"Interesting, does she represent anything?"
>"Represent anything? Oh right, the elements of harmony. Guess Twilight already told you about those huh?"
>Wait one second...
"The elements of... harmony?"
>Starlight takes on a surprised look "Oh, I thought you knew. My bad."
>The elements of harmony?
>You're learning how to make friends... aren't you?
>How could Twilight mix up friendship and harmony?
>Though you still don't have a solid idea of friendship, it can't possibly be connected, can it?
"Twilight called them the elements of friendship. I had no idea they were meant for destruction."
>Starlight stops in her tracks in shock "Destruction!? The elements of harmony are meant to keep peace and balance for all of Equestria. How in the world could you make such a conclusion?"
"Harmony is a source of peace for those who want it, but balance can never be achieved with harmony alone."
>Starlight looks at you full of curiosity and doubt. "For a little colt, you know a lot more than most, but being the son of Discord 'and' the princess of friendship? I figured you'd at least know the difference between good and evil or something along those lines."
"I do know the difference. I've witnessed it myself.
>You bring your hoof in front of Starlight and walk out in front of her.
"Harmony wants to keep a world in perfect balance. Good wants a world to be peaceful without any malice. Chaos wants nothing but the world to be free. Evil wants to take control of the world and bend it to their will, and now that I have seen them on all four accounts... I know there is something more than good and evil."
>Starlight's curiosity keeps getting bigger. "Something more than good and evil? Care to elaborate further?"
>Hmm... what would be a... ah!
"Well... what is the thing your horn is glowing with?"
>Starlight looks up at her forehead and shrugs. "Light? I don't under-"
"And what is it that light is used for?"
>Starlight pauses for a moment to think of a relevant answer. "Er... to see through the dark?"
"No. Light is used to banish the dark. Anything can see through the dark if they adopt to it. What light does is it hides the darkness from view. It shines brightly, gaining the attention of those around it, but you don't see anyone looking at the darkness around it. Why would you? No one wants to go towards the darkness, because there is nothing there. Everyone flocks towards the light, even evil and chaos look to the light for guidance and their own ambitions."
>You look at at her speechless features and with a deadpan face, you ask.
"I will ask you something that I have been thinking on for a long time. Who do you think looks at the darkness? Do you think they would be worse than what the light shows or would it be better?"
>"I... I don't... I'm not sure..." Starlight is at an absolute loss for words, now she understood how you could be Twilight's son.
>You put up an argument and a hypothesis without hesitation, as if it was all off the top of your head. It was crazy, but she could see the potential. And yet... "Why tell me all of this? Why not tell Twilight instead?"
"Because you're the only one who has brought up such a topic. That and... I want friends to talk to."
>"... Pfft ahahahhahahaha!" She couldn't help but laugh. "You know, if you wanted me to be friends with you, you could have just asked." Her snarky smile made you feel something, but the conversation felt too compelling to notice.
"Is it really that simple?"
>"Well, you could have been like 'Hey! what's your name? My name's Anon! how are you? Let's be friend's!' or something along those lines?"
"That sounds... plain... and boring... and something I would never say."
>Starlight puts a hoof behind her head and shrugs. "Eh, it's what I'd expect from a little foal. Carefree and oblivious to the surroundings around him..." Then she looks at you and smiles. "Well, unlike you by the looks of it."
>Unlike me?
>Is she implying something?
>You're not sure.
>But it looks like it isn't a no.
"So are we friends now?"
>"Well of course! I wouldn't be sitting and talking with you if we weren't friends now would I?"
"I don't quite... understand, but if that is what friends do, I can manage it with you, unlike a certain filly that makes my brain ache."
>Starlight gets up and walks up to you with a smirk. "A certain filly?"
"Yes, when she talks, she rarely stops even to take a breathe, but she is tolerable when she talks in fragments or when she's busy doing something. It is amusing."
>Starlight nods sympathetically and motions you up to continue through the tunnel. "What's her name? For curiosities sake."
>You get up and start to walk with her, carrying the conversation on foot.
"Elune, she is currently making herself comfortable at the castle."
>"You mean Twilight's castle back in Ponyville? Well, I guess if talking is what she does, Twilight would most definitely make her day."
"Yes... I suppose she would..."
>"Oh I mean uh... when she recovers from the timberwolf attack of course..." Starlight cringes a bit and looks away. "What exactly happened to make her go to the Everfree?"
"She wanted to 'cure' me. The voices inside me allow the use of the powers I showed you earlier with Celestia. Twilight went to Zecora to try and make a potion so that the voices would stop due to Zecora having a past experience with such powers. The ingredients were a mandicore's tooth, a cockatrice' eyes, and the living essence of the timberwolves if I recall."
>"Those do sound like core creatures that live in the Everfree, but you said it was the timberwolves that attacked you? Wouldn't the other two pose just as much trouble for Twilight?"
"Not as you think. I was the one that subdued the manticore and overwhelmed the cockatrice visual prowess. What happened with the timberwolves was due to an untimely ambush."
>Starlight had to think once more, but didn't stop her movements. "Hmm... are those powers of yours really that powerful, even powerful enough to the point that even Discord needs help taking care of you?"
"Apparently so. He tried to measure my 'chaotic potential' a while ago, but whenever I did something to his tools, I think they would malfunction? And due to a chaotic overload to my body, I have grown wings and became a pegasus."
>This catches her off guard, shooting her head to your side and giving you a once-over. "Wait, so you aren't a pegasus?"
"No, I am an earth pony."
>"Huh, interesting. Say... you wouldn't happen to know anything about chaos magic would you? As in how it works and that sort of thing?"
"Discord told me it works completely at random, which seems to be the case given his very random nature. What I know so far through my own experience is that if you don't focus on the object at hand, then said object will be acted upon."
>Starlight was taking mental notes in her head and making weird faces in the process before looking back at you. "Wow... is that how it works? Weird... and with Discord. He's like... personally training you?"
>You shrug and continue walking.
"To an extent."
>"Huh, never took him for the teacher-student type. At least we have something in common now."
>Something in common?
"We do?"
>"Yeah we do. I'm Twilight's student and you're Discord's student. Were both students who are learning about the 'magic of friendship' or erm... chaos in your case."
"The magic of... friendship?"
>Starlight scratches her head and blushes. "Well, that's what Twilight always says anyways, 'friendship is magic' and all that hehe...."
"Friendship is magic? I thought it was a sort of agreement between two beings to not cause harm upon one another."
>"I uh... don't know where you got that from, but you're kinda right? It's more an understanding that the two of you will be with each other through thick and thin, and that no matter what happens, they will always be there by your side to support you."
>... So... it's just... knowing?
"I never thought of that. So it doesn't have anything to do with a contract or agreement of any sorts? You just know?"
>Starlight nods happily. "Yep, no signing or anything of the sorts. Just lots and lots of... mental preparation... only for it to be shattered when something in the conversation goes wrong... and then you have no clue what to do and then all of a sudden you're a student for the princess of friendship living in a castle with nothing but your previous training in the arts of magic and your wits as you try and understand what a friend is and how you're supposed to act around said friends and deal with their everyday needs of socializing until you finally have to repeat it all over again the next day hehe... hehehe... he..."
"..."
>"..."
"That sounds nice."
>Starlight looks down at her hooves with the same happy smile. "... It is... really nice..."
"Starlight?"
>"Hmm?"
"What is socializing?"
>She giggles A little before answering. "A mess. That's what socializing is."
"..."
>"Sorry, play on words. It's when you talk to others in order to strengthen your friendship with them, or to form a friendship you didn't have before."
>When you talk to others... to strengthen an understanding?
>More talking... to strengthen understanding.
>Talking... Understand...
"What if you don't want to do that?"
>"I'd tell you to join the club, but Twilight says that it's necessary for everypony who has friends."
"Join the club?"
>"It's a play on words. You know, join the club meaning I don't really want to do it either, but... yeah you get the idea right?"
"Vaguely. Also, is your voice always this sporadic? Or should I make myself sound more like it?"
>"Er... what?"
"Well, all the ponies I have seen talk in different ways. I am not sure if I should do it as well."
>"Oh, that's easy. Just be yourself."
"Be... myself?"
>Starlight's confidence can't show more clearly. "Exactly. As long as you know who you are as a pony, you don't need to worry about how you sound like."
>Starlight continues to trot forward, but you hesitate to take more steps.
>Your feet won't move from your spot on the tubular material.
>Starlight slowly makes her way down the tube as you stand there, motionless.
>Wait, you have to...
>Just... be yourself...
>Wait...
>Who are you?
>Your name is Anonymous.
>How do you act?
>You... don't know.
>How do you speak?
>You don't know.
>How do you think?
>You don't know.
>Why can't you answer these questions?
>You don't know.
>No... you're asking the wrong questions.
>How can you act like yourself when you don't know who you were supposed to be?
>No, you aren't supposed to be anything.
>You didn't amount to anything.
>You never needed to become anything.
>You never wanted to...
>Never... needed...
>Need... need... need...
>You... need...
~Do not resist, let us help, we know~
~T?he? ?l?o?ng?e?r ?y?o?u str?uggle, the ?ea?sier ?y?ou ??br?eak?~
~BREAK, CRUSH, DEVOUR, CONSUME~
~W???e?? ???c?????a????n??? ??h???e?????l????p??? ????y??o????u?????,? ??j????u?s????t???? ??l??e?????t???? ????u???s???? ??f????i?????n??i???s???h?,?? ???w?e? ????w????i????l?l? ????f????i??n?????d?? ????y????o??u?????,??? ???l?????e????t??? ??u???s???? ??b????e?? ??f????r??e??e?????,???? ???w???e????? ?????k??n????o?????w???? ??w???h???o??,????? ????d???o??? ????i???t?? ???n??o????w??,????? ????w?????e???? ?????w?????i???l??l??? ???f???i??n??d??,?? ?y???o???u??~
>No?..?.? I? ?c?an't.?.?. p?lease?... ?s?t?o?-YOWGHGH
>"... anon... anon... Anon? ANON WAKE UP! SNAP OUT OF IT!"
>You quickly regain your surroundings and gasp for air.
>Starlight stops shaking you with her magic and slapping you simultaneously and looks at you with worried eyes.
"NYAAHAA... Haaa... haaa... what?!... What's going on? I can't... I can't feel anything... what did you do?"
>"I have no idea. One second you were behind me and the next... you..." Starlight points to the back of you before placing her hoof onto her other, making a sort of guilty stance and letting you down gently with her magic.
>Gaining your balance on the floor with your numb nubs, you look at the back and see several near-dead shriveling tentacles all trying to regrow through their own will.
>Except they're all struggling to fight against the constant steam draining away from their bodies.
>When you turn back, you see Starlight isn't in the most pleasant mood. "Yeah... when I turned around to look at you, you were back down in the darkness. So when I returned, I saw all of your erm... appendages... trying to cast something on you like some sort of concentrated black purple-white streaked ray? I don't know how to explain it, but it didn't look good, so I went and cast a dehydration spell on them."
>Nnngh... well... she did a good job at least...
>Only you know what would have happened if you lost control...
"Uh... thanks. Maybe we should head out of here before it starts to get worse."
>Starlight nods. "Agreed. I don't know what those powers are, but it looks like it comes with a heavy prize. And it looks like you were right. Regular earth pony huh?"
>Looking at your back-back, you see that your wings have come and gone.
>You think you shrug.
>You can't really feel your body at the moment.
>But it looks like you did as Starlight nods with reassurance faces forward towards the darkness.
>The both of you walk through the tunnel with a slight determination and vigor in your steps.
>But with every step you take, the more heavier you become.
>You lost control... so easily... without warning...
>If you can't keep the voices in control before Twilight comes back...
>What will happen?
>And even worse...
>There's a fifth voice.