Title:           Chapter 13: The Key
Author:          CookieSfh
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/wA6gkq1w
First Edit:      Tuesday 21st of June 2016 08:09:40 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Monday 4th of July 2016 01:37:22 PM CDT

>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.