Title:           Chapters 21 - 30 TentaclesAnon
Author:          CookieSfh
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/3VKKemVs
First Edit:      Tuesday 4th of October 2016 01:49:41 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Monday 13th of February 2017 03:56:08 PM CDT

Chapter 21: The Jungles of War's Past
>The both of you continue down the path, but it feels like you're getting nowhere.
>You've regained feeling in your body, but your distraught mood hasn't changed.
>Starlight noticed this and tried to keep as close to you as possible, hoping to prevent the previous events, but it didn't help in the slightest.
>That is until you started leaning into her for being so close to you.
>She retracted herself from you at first, but she slowly got used to it.
>Her soft fur feels comforting and soft against your tense body.
>And it starts to get better for the both of you when you see a dim light in the distance.
>"Oh thank goodness, I thought we'd never make it through."
>Rubbing your face against her side, you nod.
"Mmm... I wonder if Discord had anything else planned."
>Starlight sighs in frustration. "I hope not. My hooves are killing me."
>You close in on the dim light in the distance as it becomes brighter by the second before a flash blinds you.
>Rubbing your eyes, you look around and notice movement as Starlight breaks away from your side to rub her eyes as well.
>"Nngh... what in the...?"
>The tube has disappeared around you, leaving a sort of tropical deterioration of stone and marble.
>Roots and vines hang from the ceiling and run down the corroded walls covered with cracks that spew streaming water.
>The steps down are littered with dirt and concrete debris from some sort of explosion.
>Examining further, the charred area is far from fresh.
>Possibly a past attack from an unknown threat?
>But one things for certain.
>Whoever lived in this structure is centuries old now.
>You look back at Starlight, who appears stunned by something in front of her.
"Starlight? Starlight? You there?"
>What might she be looking at?
>Something to the left?
>Maybe she's... exaggerating...
>A giant pillar of untamed magic gushes out of the earth itself, ripping it's surroundings to pieces.
>Even the air is rejected as vibrant waves pulsate from the pillar, pushing away everything in its vicinity.
>The pillar seems to extend high into the sky and enter a rift in space-time.
>And flying around said rift are two very large serpent-like beings, one a red crimson, and the other a defined blue.
>You're not sure if those two creatures are the cause of this magic rift, but by the looks of it, they seem to be in an enraged state.
>Anything that obstructs their circular motion around the pillar is instantly set aflame.
>They must be projecting some sort of aura.
>Enhancing your vision for a few moments, the sheer mass of chaotic energies blind you for a few moments before adjusting to the shining locks and chains all around you.
>These locks and chains look like the ones from Discord's realm, so perhaps we're inside it?
>Though you had no idea he could make something this vast
>At least makes things interesting.
>Looking at the pillar in a new light, it doesn't look like a pillar at all.
>More a giant spiral of mist, as if a cloud was twisted around by a thread.
>And that thread is a very large chain going an extreme length around the mist, with several locks around it being unlocked.
>But... it's weird.
>The keys have been left inside the locks.
>And looking at the serpents in the sky, the aura spreads by a wide margin, but it doesn't reach ground level.
>Perhaps if you got there attention, they could fly away from the giant mass so that you could figure what those keys are for.
>That, and why there are floating locks everywhere.
>"Uh... Anon?" You look at Starlight and she reflexively backs away from you.
>Looking at her horn, a single malformed key floats on top of her as it takes shape.
"Starlight, is something wrong?"
>Starlight gives you a questionable look. "Anon? No wait... you are 'Anon'... aren't you?"
"Yes I am. You can relax Starlight."
>Starlight hesitates, but follows your command, causing the key to dissipate back into her horn. "Nngh... Alright. If you say so."
>Her reaction raises an eyebrow from you.
"Why are you on guard? There are no rogue tentacles as far as I am aware."
>Starlight waves her hoof dismissively "Oh it's not that... you just...had those same eyes when they were casting that spell."
"Oh, I did not know. I apologize."
>You relax your eyes back to their normal scarlet and look back at the sight.
"We need to go over to that magic distortion. The portal may lead to the next section since it is the only way up."
>Starlight looks up at the spectacle and nods "Hmm... good deduction, but how will we get past those dragons?"
>Dragons?
>Guess that's what they look like.
>Maybe the growth process for dragons is slower than the other native species of Equestria?
>That or this isn't Equestria and those are a type of wyvern or wind serpent.
>But they do have an affinity for fire and air.
>You'll have to see for yourself.
>Focusing your body, three tentacles grow out from your back.
>One grabs onto Starlight while the other two start to expand in mass and muscle.
>"Uh Anon!? What are you doing?!" Starlight frantically looks around at the tentacle attaching itself onto her with suction cups before looking back at you.
"We're going to the distortion. Stay still"
>"What do you mean stay sti-AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Starlight screamed like a little filly as you propelled yourself through the air and adjusted your tentacles to elastic webs.
>You and Starlight fall through the thick canopy of the jungle below before you grab a hold of a loose vine and swing across the vast jungle floor.
>"ANOoOOooOoOooOn!" Starlight is clinging onto your appendage for dear life as you swing from tree to tree like an elastic slingshot.
>The constant change of motion is making her voice sound weird, but other than that, she seems fine.
>You continue on through the thick underbelly of the forest, swinging across trees and jumping across a river before landing on a timbered tree and swinging once more, all the while Starlight is doing her best to keep her composer over all the obstacles you traverse in a matter of seconds.
>You quickly focus your left eye and spring up from the ground.
>Landing softly on your hooves, you look down as the abnormally large venus fly trap nearly takes the head off of Starlight who flinches at the closing snap of it's jaw.
>Turning your hearing to optimal levels, you hear two-three pursuers and something lunging through the-
>You quickly dodge the foreign object and cling onto a branch with both hooves and tentacles.
>Bird? Two wings. Talons, beak, it's escaped through the canopy.
>You look across the path and see that it's been cut off by various tangled vines scattered throughout the area.
>An ambush? How did they know we were here?
>You quickly swing Starlight past the tangled vine before detaching your limb, causing it to retract itself all the way to her.
>There, that should keep her safe from these creatures.
>But these aren't normal creatu-
>You quickly dodge left, narrowly avoiding a backstabbing from the...
>Human...
>Suited in dark leather and red robes, he descends down to the floor and looks back up at you before disappearing in thin air.
>And right after, an... ORC!?
>The orc clad in a loose-strung plate charges into the tree at full force and slams into it with his axe.
>For a few moments, nothing happens.
>But soon after, the tree begins to timber.
>You quickly leap to another tree, but an arrow comes barreling at you, hitting your left tentacle and sending you off the path.
>Shit, it's tranquilized.
>You nose-dive into the ground and quickly recover in a sliding motion.
>Taking out the arrow, you look at the orc who smiles as he brings his axe over his shoulders with a single arm.
>No, he's too relaxed, WAIT SHIT-
>A tentacle quickly covers your back, taking the shadow strike from the rogue human.
>You tense your muscles and go rear-side as you send your hoof directly at his torso.
>But in the blink of an eye, his body becomes faded for a few moments, causing your miss to blast through the air and tear a hole through the vines blocking the way.
>Somewhere in the forest, you hear a slight whistle, but can't pin the location in time before an axe comes through like a guillotine , cutting one of your tentacles halfway through.
>The Orc sneers before bringing his axe back up to see the fresh ebony blood run down the metal end.
>Recoiling, you bring both tentacles into a defense stance and regenerate the wound.
>But just then, a striped saber tiger lunges from your side.
>You quickly dash right and kick it back into the lone brush before another comes barreling at you, and another, and another.
>Fuck it's a stampede.
>You extend your tentacles as you hoist yourself upward, avoiding the large felines, but in doing so, you head right into the orc's axe throw.
>You descend back to the ground with a thud as you shove the axe out of your side.
>Some blood escapes you, but the spot quickly regenerates, but not before a robed figure blinks into the fray and focuses a spell of pure arcane around you, locking you in place and lifting you up into the air.
>"Nngh... what strength..." The female mage recoils, but lifts both hands into a casting stance before she strengthens the barrier around you.
"NnnnghYAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!"
>The four of them flinch at your sharpened pain cry.
>The orc walks up to the mage with panicked vigor. "Careful! We don't want to kill him!"
>"I'm sorry! But... nyagh... his resistance to my arcane is... it's unreal! I can't help it! AAAGH!" The arcane sphere bursts, setting you free from the mage's grip.
>She gasps for air as the gryphon, the rogue, and the orc charge at you with inhuman reflexes.
>You grit your teeth and prepare for a sharp pain to course through you as you rush tentacles into a muscle-filled leap.
>The gryphon leaves the other two behind to pursue you, but it can't nearly get as much momentum as you catapult through the vines.
>With audible snaps and a strained cry, you make it through the barrier and roll down a steep hill.
>Oh no, not again.
>You quickly grab onto the wood stump that passes you and regain your balance.
>You focus for a few seconds and quickly pinpoint Starlight's position.
>Hmm... she's moving fast towards the magic pillar, which means she's safe.
>You'll just have to catch up.
>Turning towards the sensed direction, you hurl yourself forward and grab onto the vines.
>But the swinging is not as peaceful as you hoped as the gryphon tried to grab you in it's flight.
>The both of you swoop and dodge each other as it's talons keep grabbing air and your hooves reach empty blows, causing multiple explosions to vibrate throughout the forest floor.
>A few trees fall down with audible cracking as you finally get a grip on the gryphon and slam through a tree, leaving a hole with your bodies imprints.
>You didn't feel a thing, but the gryphon recoils in intense pain, screeching before falling down in defeat.
>You loosen your grip on the vine, slide down to the end, and swing high into the air, getting a full view of the emergence above.
>You're getting close, but the distance between the two of you is only changing by a slight estimated kilometer per minute
>The tentacle you left with her is probably working on the task you last gave it, making its way to the magic pillar before going rogue.
>At least she's too far away for any of these arrows to be a problem.
>You quickly dodge them before a blunt edge graces your chin before it explodes in your face.
>Shrapnel and fire fills your vision, blinding you as you plummet back into the jungle.
>Branches hit you and lower you down to the next as you try to get a grip on one.
>But before you can, another arrow hits you, sending a sharp pain throughout your body.
>Damn, poison.
>You focus your mind, hitting branch upon branch before the poisoned arrow is discarded by the growing tentacle.
>It grabs the final branch, lowering you back down to the floor, only to meet eye to eye with the huntress.
>Hmm..  a... troll if you recall?
>The troll smiles with confidence knowing that you've been pushed into a corner. "Best tread lightly mon', don't wanna step on sum'tin' you'd regret."
>The troll puts her bow away and takes out a spear and points it directly at you. "Your move."
>Think, traps on the floor, switched to close quarters.
>She's stalling.
>You try to launch yourself away from the area, but the huntress throws a grapple, getting you by the neck.
>Her grapple reels itself in, forcing the confrontation with a lunge from her spear.
>You swiftly kick it out of reach and gain focus, allowing you to grow sharp blades on your free tentacle.
>Landing with a thud, the both of you get up with a sense of determination.
>Alright, you may be falling for her trap, but you won't get anywhere with her around.
>Using a bit more energy, your tentacle extends it's flesh, forming a long sharp sabre, it's end pointing directly at her.
"En garde."
>The troll's face forms a smirk. "Oh, so da boy's got sum' manners. Too bad dis' be where da real fun begins." She snaps her fingers and you wait.
>The Orc emerges from the right, axe at the ready.
>The mage comes out from the left with a swift blink, preparing a spell of strong fire.
>And with a swift motion, you parry the rogue from behind.
>A soft audible "Heh..." is heard under his mask before all four begin their assault.
>The grappling hook comes flying at you.
>You use your sabre as leverage and toss the rogue in front of you.
>He vanishes and the grappling hook lands right on your neck.
>You stomp on the ground and get a good hold of the earth, making the Huntress's grapple to pull her into you instead.
>A flaming ball of aura flies towards you as well as the warrior from the air.
>You swing the grapple around your neck, making the huntress slam into the warrior and in a swift motion, you open your mouth wide and swallow the flames whole.
>The mage looks in disbelieve before you exhale an inhuman amount of steam from your body.
>Quick, sense her.
>Over there.
>You stab the sabre into the ground and use it as a a catapult, hurling yourself to the direction of Starlight.
>The ball of flame should last a few more minutes.
>Closing your mouth, you climb high on a tree and make it up to the emergence.
>You tense your muscles and close your mouth, causing the intense steam to build up.
>Mmm... come on... a few more...
>A strained belch escapes as you hurl ludicrous amounts of steam and mist into the forest, effectively turning the entire area into a dense foggy terrain.
>Finally, you should be able to lose them now.
>Lightly leaping off the tree, you plummet into the branches below and grab onto a vine.
>Third time's the charm.
>Hmm... Oh! A play on words...
>Now you get it.
>Sort of...
>Using the direction of Starlight and your enhanced vision, you quickly make your way out of the mist.
>A few swings down the hill and a leap over the lone rocks and you're nearly there.
>One thing is that they've stopped.
>Two is that you haven't seen the group from before.
>17 minutes isn't much, but it isn't much for them either.
>Maybe a few modifications are in order before your next confrontation.
>Strengthening your hooves with swollen muscles, you test it on a nearby rock.
>It shatters almost instantly, the ground from under rupturing from the abnormal amount of force.
>Hmm... maybe that's a bit too much.
>You don't want to kill them.
>You focus your mind, tuning the muscle mass down to a light overworked build.
>You go over to another rock to test it.
>This time, only the surface shatters, but the added laws in your body cause the rock to bounce with torn earth.
>Well, it can't be helped if they're launched through the air by your blows, but at least now it isn't immediate death.
>Alright, more focus.
>Focus on your body... bind it... strengthen it... you can feel it.
>You're ready.
>Two tentacles come out at will and grab onto the two trees.
>Using augmented strength, you pull them back, causing them to tear by the roots.
>And with a change of momentum, you're sent flying straight to Starlight's location.
>Nothing in your sight so far.
>You plummet down towards her location and loosely grab onto a passing tree.
>The change causes you to lose some speed, but allows you to fall into the forest with a bit less noise.
>You grab onto a vine and swing your way to the destination before you let go and roll into the nearby brush.
>You get up and very subtly look towards the direction.
>But all you see is... the tentacle.
>It wiggles around aimlessly, looking for something.
>Must be Starlight.
>You will the tentacle to dissipate and it does, leaving a shrivel of black steams before disappearing.
>Keeping close to the ground, you crawl towards the magic field.
>If it stopped there, then that means Starlight went ahead.
>Making your way through the brush, you make sure to keep yourself hidden.
>That is until you reach the field.
>A barren soot-covered wasteland lays before you, with the center being covered in a strong torrent of magic energy.
>Like the princesses, the magic is so potent, it radiates without your eyes adjusting.
>Shaking your head, you look around from the safety of the bush for signs of life.
>The soot around the area makes it easy to spot differences in coloration.
>A few moments pass before you see Starlight come from the other side of the pillar, who is dangerously close to the radiation, but is too distracted in observing the pillar to notice.
>Guess only you can see the high density rays.
>But before you can emerge from the brush to greet her, the mage from earlier appears out from thin air to greet her instead.
>Damn, so you were right.
>How fertile is this soot?
>Dipping your hoof into the sandy substance, you practically fall into it.
>Perfect.
>You push your hoof slightly through the soot until you hit some resistance, but by then half your body is already submerged.
>You focus on your hooves and soon after, you feel the changes take affect.
>And with the swipe of your new claws, you dig your way into the earth.
 
 
Chapter 22: A Jungle of War's Past
>Burrowing through the loose soot with ease, you quickly make your way to the magic pillar.
>Even through the earth, the radiation persists.
>Using this fact, you've navigated around it in a circle, making your way to what you think is a position between Starlight and the mage.
>You can hear them through the dirt and soot, but can't make out the words.
>Maybe if you use your eye...
>Yes, the soot should blend in.
>Digging lightly up at the surface, you close your right eye and push it up through the dirt.
>OK, you can feel the outside air, now you just need to focus.
>Using some more energy, you awaken your right eye and slowly open it.
>The pillar's aura is ten times as dense than the last time you saw it, but you can still make out the shadows as Starlight and the mage.
>Their faint movement and auras tell you that they haven't noticed you, but you still need to be sure.
>Raising the sensitivity a little, your ears perk up through the soot, tuning in on the conversation.
>"-would you do that? We haven't done anything to you, so why?" Starlight sounds desperate for answers.
>"We must investigate any magical interference as per orders from the Kirin Tor." Her stern tone tells you that her business isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
>And the Kirin Tor... you've heard of that somewhere before.
>Possibly some historical figures in the past?
>Whatever the case is, you have to get Starlight and enter that portal.
>"But that doesn't mean it's OK to attack others! especially those who haven't done anything to you."
>A brief pause, then the mage speaks. "I'm sorry... but in these times, we can't afford to make mistakes." A difference in her aura makes her intentions clear.
>Starlight's shadow backs away from the other figure in fright before you see another figure come into view from behind her.
>Shit, the rogue.
>You pull yourself from the hole and work your claws like a chain, causing you to glide through the soot at remarkable speed.
>The rogue and mage can't react to your actions in time and you get a straight direct hit in the rogue's gut.
>The rogue recoils in surprise and coughs strained blood as he is sent flying through the air, creating a neat little line through the soot before hitting the end with an audible impact.
>The mage tries to cast an ignite, but you block her ignition with a smoke cloud.
>The area is blasted in heat as she tries to pinpoint where you've went.
>It gives you just enough time to knock her square in the face.
>Her body is sent spiraling towards a tree, but she never makes impact as her body instantly cases itself in ice.
>You dash towards Starlight and make a hard sturdy stance in the sand.
"Can you block objects with that magic of yours?"
>You don't look at her for answers, you're too busy analyzing the keys and locks around you.
>"Uh... yes! Yes I can do tha-"
"No time! On my mark."
>The dust settles around you, but you pay it no mind.
>You take of one of the locks and turn the key, causing the lock to distort into itself before shooting into the mist cloud.
>An opening is created within the magic distortion from your point of view, but it seems that Starlight doesn't notice the change in the wavelengths.
>But now you have an understanding on how these locks work.
>Looking back at the forest, you can hear crushed leaves and muffled whispers.
>Any moment now.
>You have to hear it.
>...
>...
>...-cr-
"Now!"
>Starlight creates a luminous sky blue barrier around the two of you as a barrage of arrows comes flying out of the jungle side.
>Starlight winces with each direct hit, but the majority of it flies into the magic pillar, disintegrating once they enter.
>Starlight looks back in shock. "Wait! So we weren't supposed to go into it?"
"Maybe it's the materials she used in her arrows. We don't know what will happen if two magical beings go inside."
>Starlight bites her lip, thinking of the situation at hand. "But still, what if we just disintegrate like those arrows? We can't risk it!"
>Looks like you're forcing her inside.
>Every way you look at it, the magic flows into the portal, and that is the only way out as far as the both of you know.
>The troll and the orc rush out of the brush and ready their weapons.
>The huntress rolls through the soot and kneels to take aim.
>The warrior leaps through the air and crashes onto the barrier.
>"Ack... hnngh..." Starlight manages to keep the barrier together, but it finally breaks as an arrow pierces through.
>You enhance your left eye and hiss steam through your mouth as you take a battle stance.
>And with an echoing clank, your claws and his axe meet.
>"LOK'TAR OGAR! RAAAAAAAGH!" A thunderous current pulses through you as his figure lies in mid-air from the fierce clash.
>Feeling the adrenaline pump like a shot through your veins, you counter his war cry with a cry of your own.
"SCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
>Flowing steam runs out of your hoof as you push through the axe, your cry effectively breaking the sound barrier.
>The aura of the magic pillar wavers from the force and pushes the earth down with shattering crackles.
>The hilt breaks under the intense pressure and the orc is sent flying along with everything in your vicinity.
>Thinking quick, you dive back into the sandy soot and take a glance at the huntress.
>She's holding her ears stunned by your actions.
>You dash through the soot and with a soft stance, you grab a pained Starlight, who is currently holding her ears down for dear life.
>You see no blood, so she must be hearing white noise at the moment.
>The best opportunity so far.
>You carry Starlight to the pillar and test the stability with your hoof.
>Hmm... steam, but no pain.
>You need to focus for this.
>Hopefully everything was stunned during your shout.
>Closing your eyes, you focus, growing multitudes of tentacles from your body.
>You grab a hold of Starlight and without hesitation, you jump into the dense magic field.
>All the tentacles wrap themselves around Starlight, shielding her from the intense rays, all the while your body is being lifted by the current in a rush of steam and patience.
>Looking down, you see the rogue try to rush after you, but he quickly regrets his decision as his flesh is seared to the bone through his clothing.
>Your eyes widen for a few seconds as he wreathes in agony, the huntress running up to him before she looks up at you with that same determination from earlier.
>You pull Starlight close to you and scrunch your face as your body starts to slowly spin upward.
>You really need to figure out how to stop spinning in midair.
>A few moments pass before you reach the portal, sending the two of you through a ripple of space-time before landing into yet another dark tube.
>You let go of Starlight and look around for any changes of some sort.
>Well... it looks like the same place as before.
>You can only hope you're making progress of some kind.
>You look back at Starlight who is rubbing her temples to no end. "Nnngh... Anon, you mind toning it down a bit before blasting everypony's eardrums?"
"Sorry Starlight. I got caught up in the moment. That and it was a good way to get you through the portal."
>Starlight pauses for a moment and opens her eyes to look around.
>Unfortunately for her, she can't see anything in the darkness. "Huh? Wait... don't tell me we're back in the tube again."
"We are."
>Starlight groans in displeasure. "Of course we are..."
"We made progress."
>"Well yeah, but..." Starlight focuses for a moment before her horn turns into a blue light. "I really wish we didn't have to walk all the way through these things..."
>Starlight ponders on her words for a moment before clasping her hooves together. "I got it!"
>You turn your head from the sudden noise behind you and walk back.
>"If I can think up a way teleport us all the way to the end without having to walk, we could save a lot of time. Now if only if I had a-"
"What are you doing here?"
>Starlight perks up and looks behind her, only to see you holding the mage from earlier by the throat.
>"I-... plea-... let go..." The mage tries to free herself, but her skinny figure is no match for your strength alone.
>"Anon! Stop!" Starlight teleports between the two of you, making you lose your grip.
"Starlight, what are you doing?"
>"I could ask you the same thing! You shouldn't just choke other ponies er... whatever she is..."
"Human."
>"Oh, really? Wait... how do you-"
>"I'm a blood elf tha-keh-keh... thank you very much." Looking back at her, she takes off her hood, showing her long pointed ears separating her hair and emerald glowing eyes, along with a bloody nose and hoof-shaped bruise.
>A blood elf?!
>No... this can't be... they should all be dead...
>The historical records, orcs, elves, trolls, they should all be dead.
"How!?"
>You point to the blood elf with your demand.
"What year do you come from blood elf?"
>She scoffs and turns her head. "And why should I answer such an absurd question?"
>... what did they put there again?
>Oh yeah.
"lle eithel naa anfaug manke amin tul a tuulo', edhel. sii' quena."
>Both of them look at you in udder shock, but for two different reasons.
>"Did you just speak a different language!?"
>"I-... what!? That... that can't be..."
>You ignore Starlight and walk up to the blood elf for the answer.
>After a few moments, she reluctantly speaks. "Alright alright... its the fo-" before she can finish, a flash of light consumes her, teleporting her to a place unknown.
>And in her place is a very amused Draconequus. "Oh~, we can't have any of that."
>Getting slightly irritated, you take Discord by the throat and shove him into the side of the tube with reinforced tentacles.
"YOU! TALK! N?O?W?!?"
>The impact cracks the sides of the tube a bit, making Starlight wobble on her hooves.
>"Anon my boy! Having hnnggh-having fun?" His attempts at communication makes your stomach burn.
"Starlight could have died!"
>"Oh sticks and sto-ack-stones son, stick and stones, now if you'd kindly let go of me that would be just... dandy..." Discord smiles as he draws whatever breathe he can before you decide against any further actions.
>He better have a good explanation for this.
>First your sent to your old world, and with your new friend in toe.
>And second she's nearly killed under your watch.
>Unforgivable.
>Discord takes his neck and blows into it, making a "Laaaa" sound before he puts it back on. "Ah much better~. Now what seems to be the problem here?"
>Starlight tries to begin her explanation, but you cut her off short.
"Where did you send us Discord? I know for a fact that blood elves should be extinct. Especially because I hmmmph-"
>Discord covers your mouth with his paw and shakes his head. "Oh Anon, so dense yet so perfect. If you really must know, I simply sent the two of you back through time per say."
>Before you can question further, Starlight puts her hoof on your mouth. "You can travel back in time Discord? I thought that kind of magic was beyond even you."
>Discord teleports and boops her on the nose. "Oh~ and it looks like someones been recruited to your little club Anon, and no this isn't any time travel of any sort. Just a simulation I found from who knows where."
>You give him a skeptical look from under Starlight's hoof while the two have there conversation.
>Just a simulation he says?
>For some reason you can't be bothered to prove his claim wrong.
>Mostly because you're too focused on how soft Starlight's hoof is.
>Like pushing against a marshmallow, taking an actual punch from these ponies would be a joke in of itself.
>Guess it would be the act more than anything.
>Like your constant acts of aggression.
>"A simulation? Discord, how many of these 'simulations' will we have to go through before we reach the throne?"
>Discord ponders for a moment before shrugging. "I have no clue, your guess is as good as mine."
>Starlight twitches a little from his answer before she starts. "What!? You don't even know? Your the one who created the game, so how could you not know?"
>"As I said Starlight Glimmer, this game is a carousel of Chaos! Just because you complete a few levels doesn't mean that you're making any progress." Discord poofs a cup of tea into his grasp and sips it lightly. "It just means that your on the ride like everyone else."
>Starlight's distraught by the new information. "Wait, but then how do we reach the throne? If there isn't really any end goal, then how will we win?"
>"Oh don't worry, it's all part of the ride, you just have to get lucky and end on the position of the throne." Discord's takes another sip from the beverage before it poofs away.
>"Wait... if we have to get lucky... Good luck... that's it!" Starlight's epiphany stuns the two of you as she clasps her hooves around your head in excitement.
>"If all we have to do is get lucky, and this is a one-way ride as you say it is Discord, then all we have to do is get there before anyone else."
>"Well I suppose, but how exactly do you plan to do that?" The two exchange pure smug as your head is pulled into Starlight's chest.
>Woah!?
>It's... it's so... fluffy...
>"You'll just have to find out for yourself. I'm not Twilight's friend for nothing." Starlight closes her eyes and focuses on something, causing her horn to shine bright before the two of you are engulfed by the light it emits.
>Opening your eyes, you are met with a pocket of pure fluff as Starlight cradles you in her hooves.
"Starphhh, pheph pho."
>"There's no time Anon! If what Discord said is correct, then that means that out of all the scenarios in this place, the throne is almost guaranteed to be at the end of this carousel.
>Ugh... why is she running so frantically?
>You summon a few tentacles to free you from the fluff, allowing you to talk properly.
"Yes, he told us that, but why are you in such a hurry?"
>"Because if we don't hurry, I'm afraid he might bend the rules on us." Starlight had a cute look of determination as she was running.
>She seemed almost certain that the next room was gonna be the throne room.
>But...
"How do you know that this next scenario is the throne room scenario? How can you be so confident?"
>Starlight hesitates with her answer, but she is compelled by sheer confidence that nothing can prove her wrong. "Well, I'm not very proud of it myself, but one day a group of business ponies came to my hometown." Starlight takes a few breathes before continuing through the tube. "They said that if even one of the town's ponies could win, that we'd win a whole sack of bits, but the catch was that if we lost, we'd have to work for them. So I had to come up with a plan. We'd start with stallions and the mares, the oldest out of the town, then we'd work down to the children, then down all the way to the final pony, me."
>Intrigued by the story, you push yourself out of her grasp, causing her to lose her balance.
>You quickly grab her with an extended tentacle as you enhance your left eye and begin jumping through the tunnel with intense speed.
"Please continue, but do try to keep it brief."
>The tentacle wraps around her, pushing her in several directions before a neat little cradle is formed.
>She is more than stunned by the acts that you've performed, but goes on with the story nonetheless. "I-er umm... well... when all the stallions were done, they were confident that the pony who they were playing against was cheating. So this time, I observed as the mares went up to take a shot at it. From as far as I could tell, I couldn't see any cheating, but they were definitely on a winning streak. And then the strangest thing happened. All of a sudden they said stop. I questioned why they didn't want the whole town under their control, but they said that the adult ponies were enough. Luckily, I saw through there strategy and got them to play till the end, where a single filly with no cutiemark to show for herself went up, and just like that, he lost."
>The tube makes a spiral upward as you jump and climb up with relative ease.
>"As it turns out, his cutiemark granted him extreme luck, making it nearly impossible to lose, but due to the unknown potential of a pony with no cutiemark, the luck was turned against him, causing all the cumulative wins to crash down on him. Pretty ironic if you ask me."
"And humph..  all this equates to our current humph... situation how?!"
>"Call it cheating the system in a sense, for you see, I didn't just teleport us anywhere. I teleported us back to the beginning of the game, and what we're gonna do is start at the end of the ride, not at the beginning. That way, no matter how many scenarios we encounter, there will always be a huge chance that we will find the throne room, no matter how many unsuccessful attempts."
>Is... is that how it works?
>Could you really modify the chances by simply going the opposite direction?
>This sounds idiotic at best.
>No matter what, you're going to reach the throne, and messing with the chances only sounds like starting from a different direction.
>But... you won't let this information hinder you.
>Either way, you're making progress through the tunnel.
>Leaping forward, you reach a linear path heading straight towards a new light, one that shines bright and sheds warmth on the both of you.
>In fact, the feeling is awfully familiar to...
>You sprint to the new scenario and dive in with Starlight close by, still in her tentacle cradle, as you're both engulfed by the light.
>The various streaks of white try to comfort you with their warm touch, but disintegrate as they do so.
>Guess your body isn't very welcoming.
>Starlight on the other hand is taking in the light throughout her body, closing her eyes as it becomes too bright to see her.
>On to the new world.
 
 
Chapter 23: Gust of Celestial Winds
>The light disappears around the two of you, leaving behind your two conscious bodies...
>Falling from the clouds miles above the vast ocean below.
>Well, you can get used to this.
>You don't know about Starlight though...
>You clap your hooves between your cheeks, making a silly face before streaks of light and faces of pure horror engulf you, creating a sphere of uncontrollable energies.
>The blast is powerful, sending shockwaves through the clouds above as you dash upwards with your newly formed wings.
>Alright, now to save Star-nngh
>Starlight boops you in the nose and giggles as you frantically try to keep your balance.
>"Hehehe... sorry Anon, just thought you'd like the little surprise." Her friendly smile tells you enough.
>You fly over to her and fluff her face with your wing.
>She reflexively giggles before she repeatedly gasps for air in a sort of panicked way.
"Hey, Starlight, are you O-"
>"Achoo!" Starlight lightly rubs her muzzle in a weird way. "Heheh... Excuse me."
>Her shy demeanor confuses you.
>And why is she asking you to move?
>What the fuck just happened?
>Was your dominance so assertive that it triggered her gag reflexes?
>No, those weren't gags.
"Uh... Starlight? What was that... thing you just did with your nose and your mouth?"
>Starlight looks at you perplexed. "A sneeze? You mean to tell me you've never sneezed before?"
>A sneeze?
>Sounds like the name you called one of your faceless.
>In any case, she said 'excuse me' and rubbed her muzzle... so...
>You fly up to Starlight and start rubbing her muzzle.
"Excuse you?"
>Starlight scrunches her nose and quickly removes your hoof. "Eh... gross..." That is before she pulls you in for a hug. "But adorable nonetheless."
>You blush from the sudden touch and...
>Adorable?
>No, you aren't that.
>Stop.
>Bad thoughts.
"Nnngh... Star..."
>Starlight begins to blush as well, letting go of you and brushing the side of her arm. "Er I mean um... sorry Anon, got a bit carried away there."
"You don't say. Cmon, we're wasting time and for all we know, this could be the throne scenario remember."
>Starlight nods affirmatively. "Exactly, no messing around now."
>The both of you are about to head down when a forthright gust of wind sends you on your way through the clouds and upward, making you face the impossible.
>No... this is... remarkable...
>A castle of stone and wind tunnels lays dormant atop the sky itself, piercing the suns rays and sending clouds every which-way, creating a scenery like no other.
>All the clouds align in perfect symmetry as the two of you gaze in awe at the giant structure.
>Starlight cannot believe her eyes as well as your own. "First alien species... now a castle in the sky!? It's almost like Cloudsdale, except a hundred times bigger! And with actual concrete! How in the world could someone build something so... huge!? Either Discord's simulations have a few bolts loose or... or..." Starlight couldn't wrap her head around the large structure that loomed above the both of you.
>But to you, it seemed all too familiar.
>You remember plain as day.
>The place where you escaped from.
>The most guarded facility on that island in the sky, and you crashed it down on the earth beneath you.
>Ah... that's why the Kirin Tor sounded so familiar.
>The KTPA and those damned sonic cannons.
>The most advanced task force you faced on that rock, they put up a fight till the very end.
>And as you remember correctly...
>You place a hoof on your right rib-cage and feel around for it.
>Just... about... there!
>Good times or bad, you thought it was crazy to trade one of your own ribs for that of a Kirin Tor agent from the top class.
>A weird sense overtook you over that time, but it went away quickly as you saw how easily it allowed you to penetrate through their barriers.
>It was the only regular bone in your body at that given time, but as for now, it feels almost as firm and dense as the rest of your battle-torn bones.
>Too bad 'firm' and 'dense' are being used figuratively.
>This body can't take as hard a hit as it used to, but it can still throw unrestrained power.
>Looking up at the fierce winds, you can barely make out the entrance, two gold-encrusted doors latched closed with a lock.
"I see the entrance. Let's go."
>You begin to ascend towards the castle, but Starlight stops you mid-way. "Wait, I still have to figure a few things out! Now... if we take the density of vapor and wind alone and use it to push literal concrete into the sky..."
"Star, this isn't time for theorizing. We have to go inside."
>"But I need to!-... wait, did you just call me 'Star'?" The blush returns with a vengeance from both sides as you look away from her in confusion.
"Star? I mean... OK I did... um... is that a good thing? Because I uh..."
>Oh fuck why did you call her that?
>It was short and swe-
>The word makes your gag reflexes kick in.
>N-no stop...
>"Anon, are you OK? You don't have to get so worked up, I mean... I don't mind... the name that is." Starlight comforts you with her hoof.
>The reassurance is pleasant, but the overall feeling of dread and suffering can't escape you.
"Er... nnngh... bleh... is it really OK if I call you Star? Er... Star?"
>"Well, my parents always called me that when I was little, 'our little star' as they always said, so it might take some getting used to from a little colt, but other than that... I don't mind Anon, honest." Starlight had a genuine smile on her face, you couldn't deny that.
>But still...
>Not even you knew where that came from.
>But I guess you'll just have to deal with it.
"So um... Sta-... Star? Can we um..."
>"Of course!" Starlight quickly takes you by the hoof and the both of you ascend to the pantheon above.
>Honestly, reminiscing about the dead, and now you're flustered.
>All these new emotions...
>They've started to settle in a way...
>You do not know if they are good or bad, but they certainly help in mysterious ways.
>Such as letting you know that you've said something weird.
>At the very least, you're still... going to thank Zecora.
>The both of you make your way up to the air-splintered sky until you reach the summit.
>The two of you land on your hooves and approach the doors that lay near ten times your size.
>Starlight looks at the lock slightly intrigued. "Hmm... we don't have a key, but if we can make our own~..." Starlight focuses on her horn, making it glow with energy.
>The wavering mist hovers over to the lock and enters it with relative ease, making various sounds as gears are turned and metals are pushed until finally, the lock opens.
>"There! Piece of cake." Starlight stands ready for appraisal, but only receives disappointment.
"Please do not say cake."
>Starlight gives you a look of pure confusion. "You don't like cake? I thought everyone liked-I mean, that's not the point! It's a figure of speech Anon."
"Another one? How many do you know?"
>Starlight face hoofs. "How should I know? They just come and go when it suits the situation."
>These terms and phrases still confuse you.
>But now isn't really a good time to discuss the vernacular.
>You walk inside of the castle and look around, seeing three separate platforms from your own connected with wind-powered vents.
>Each has a figure made purely of air and storms and currently...
>They bow towards the middle with a sense of distasteful defeat as the center pours wind throughout the open sky inside the castle.
>Fierce and savage, the winds build around the center until a tornado spirals into formation.
>The unnatural phenomenon proceeds to spread, forming two more spiraling vortexes on its sides as it weaves cloth on its apex.
>The central core of the storm is wrapped in a variety of clothing, creating a sort of funnel in the opposite direction that a normal tornado would form.
>Instead, the convection zone is the widest area around it, gushing endless momentum even in a state that shouldn't allow it.
>The both of you watch awestruck as the massive cyclone dawns armor that literally falls from the heavens and with a final clank, it takes the long sword in his right hand, piercing the wind as it lays in his hand dormant.
>"WHO DARES DISTURB THE WINDLORD'S SLUMBER!?" His loud voice echos throughout the vast sky.
>Before either of you could answer him, however, a voice from a separate platform booms loudly.
>"IT IS US, LUNA AND MY SISTER CELESTIA, WE SEEK AN AUDIENCE WITH YOU, WINDLORD AL'AKIR!" The voice isn't as loud or as defiant as Al'akir's, but it certainly got his attention.
>"TREAD LIGHTLY MORTALS, THE ELEMENTAL PLANE DOES NOT MAKE EXCEPTIONS!"
>Starlight looked scared half-to-death as she watched the colossal figure in the sky lowered his blade to the two of them. "SPEAK OR HOLD YOUR TONGUE, YOU WILL NOT LEAVE MY DOMAIN ALIVE!"
>Al'akir turns his sword ninety degrees and pulls it back, preparing a swing with the monstrous blade.
>Celestia and Luna dash upward as the platform they once stood on is torn asunder by electric currents and wild winds.
>Al'akir's swing pierces the sky, sending multiple Gusts of electricity to shower the area in destruction.
>The elemental Lords as well as yourself and Starlight are safe under the protection of the structures, but Celestia and Luna fight under extreme pressure to keep themselves from being injured.
>Various beams of magic shoot out from the princesses to cancel the gusts that fly towards them while others are dodged within inches of a stray feather.
>"The princesses are in trouble! We have to go help them!" Starlight tries to dove into the fray, but you stop her with an extended hoof.
"Do you realize what you are doing?"
>"Yes I do! I'm saving the princesses from being fried and or sliced to pieces by whatever that giant... thing is!"
>Ugh... why does she always prefer discussion over action?
>Pushing her down to her flanks, she looks at you with confusion. "Anon, what do you think you're doing!?"
"Well, if he is a windlord as he says he is, only I have the power to stop him."
>Starlight looked at you as if you just grew three heads. "You can't be serious! You can't possibly take him on! He'll tear you-... to..." Starlight watched as you lunged backwards, making a back-flip with the many flying tornadoes around you and heading straight for the windlord. "Shreds..."
>You propel yourself forward, using the wind as a guide until you reach the summit of the catastrophic winds.
>And there he lays, in his monstrous glory, he swings his sword in various directions, summoning tornadoes, lightning, and the untamed minions of the air itself.
>Celestia and Luna fire unrestrained magics at all of it, stopping the barrage of tornadoes and discharging any lightning that comes forth.
>When the minions are hit, they dissipate into the ground as condensed electric charges ready to explode.
>But one thing is certain out of all of this.
>Both Celestia and Luna were becoming exhausted, and they haven't even laid a finger on the actual boss standing before them.
>That definitely isn't good.
>They'll exhaust their resources before they can even reach the first stage.
>You spread your wings and shoot out like a bullet, penetrating the wind surrounding the windlord and land a solid frontal blow on his armament.
>The impact is hard and you struggle to keep your own momentum as the sword struggles to pierce through your body.
>Celestia, Luna, and Starlight look on in surprise as the winds coming from the blade nearly come to a hold from your advances.
>"MORE INTRUDERS!? I SHALL STRIKE YOU DOWN WITH THE ELEMENTS THEMSELVES!"
>Still struggling to hold back the weapon, you forego his words.
"I WILL STOP YOUR NONSENSE, DEITY!"
>Focusing all your energy into repelling the blade, your hooves grow monstrous in size compared to your own body.
>Even when the sword is stationary, you struggle to push it back with sheer strength alone.
>The two of you push for dominance, but neither can gain the upper hand.
>Damn it... your modified strength won't be enough.
>Nngh... this isn't the best place for it... but it's your only option.
~We will contain, do? n?o?t? wo?rr?y ?Ch?o?se?n?, LOSE CONTROL, h???e?h????e??h????e??h???e???~
>As you say, make it quick.
>Your teeth and eyes take their natural forms and your hooves grow three separate limbs on each, creating flexible strong claws.
>Your wings extend themselves outward, pulsing with chaotic energy, a rainbow vibrant with shades of black and white.
>The extensions clang onto the blade and push it back with the delicious sounds of screeching metals.
>The blade tries to force it's way through, but you bite into it, piercing the metal and chewing on it's components.
>Al'akir quickly takes his blade away from you as you swallow the chunk of iron mid-flight.
"Heh... heheheh... delicious..."
>You look the windlord with a maniacal grin and blood-lust in your eyes.
>"THIS POWER... IS NOT OF YOUR OWN!" Al'akir cleaves the ground below him, creating a typhoon of blistering wind.
>You slice through the gust and rush at the colossal figure, lunging your claw into his wide lower ground before  tearing through all the way to his eyes.
>He wreathes in agony as you fly into his face and punish him with a slice to his hood.
"HEY! I'm not done you a?nnoyi?n?g? pi???e?c??e?? ?o?f?? ?s???h?????i??t?????!"
>You land a hit right on top of his head, causing his body to pulsate towards the ground with a large thud.
>"GRAAAAAAGGGH!" He tries to recover by throwing his sword counter-clockwise your direction, but you deflect it and grab onto the blade.
>Slowly and painfully, you push the sword towards his body, forcing his arm in directions it shouldn't go.
"HehehehahahA???H?A?H???A???H?A??A?H?A???! Yes, that's it! Just a little more and y?o?u?r s?uf?fer?i?n?g ?b?e ?all... o???v?????e?r????."
>"NYAH... CAN'T... RESIST... ANY LONGER... NOOOOOOO!" His arm finally gives in and breaks off, the cuffs falling into the abyss as you press the sword into his head.
"Heirs to the throne, your service is no longer needed."
>You fly up to the sword's hilt and slam it into his head, causing his entire body to fall apart and dissipate into the sky.
>The surrounding area calms to a soft breeze as you start to heave steam and magic.
"Er... R??AA?A???AG???H?! It's... it's over... stop..."
>You can't resist the urges as multiple tentacles start to grow in the empty space around you.
>All of them start to channel beams of purple, sucking the black and white energy out from you.
>Hnngh... it's... it's as Starlight said...
>But this time you're conscious.
>And these tentacles weren't doing anything bad, they were saving you...
>Starlight's observations were a smart move on her part, but it's too bad the intentions were the opposite.
>As the tentacles drain you of your chaotic energy, Starlight and the princesses fly over to you in a panic.
>"Anon! Quick, we need to-"
"Don't! They're helping me... control myself... don't... interfere..."
>"But I thought-"
"Do not worry... you had good intentions... but now you must let me be..."
>Starlight hesitates to stop the tentacles, but this time, it is Celestia intervenes. "Anonymous! What is the meaning of all of this!?"
>Huh... didn't know Celestia could get angry.
>And Starlight looks more scared than the time when you dragged her across the jungle.
>Given that was the only time where she scared in pure terror, but scared nonetheless.
>"I-uh, we were trying to save you from Al'akir or whatever and things sort of got out of hoof so I tried to stop it, but Anon said no and things got so out of hoof that-" Luna puts her hoof up in protest, stopping Starlight's speech.
>She shook her head and looked back at you, who was being stripped of your powers.
>Your eyes and teeth turn back to normal and your hooves retract back to their regular form.
>After a while, your wings start to turn into a sort of black sludge, slowly floating away from you before it goes veering into each tentacle.
>Slowly, you regain your tiny colt figure and begin to fall down to the nothingness below.
>But before you do, Celestia catches you with her torso.
"Bleh... thanks."
>"Anonymous, what exactly was that transformation you performed?"
"My powers? Oh right... uhm..."
>You really wish you didn't have to tell so many of these ponies.
>Guess you'll have to-"If I recall, the powers are from elder descendants sister." Luna flies over to her sister along with Starlight.
>"I already informed you of his powers sister, it shouldn't be a surprise." Luna looks at Celestia for understanding, but she only displayed concern.
>"My dear sister, you told me that the powers this colt possessed were that of a chaotic nature, but this..." Luna lays her hoof on her sister for comfort.
>"Do not worry sister, there is still hope, 'your' hope. We must believe in Twilight and have faith that Anon is willing to change." Celestia looks up at her sister, her eyes now filled with hope and looks back at you.
>"Anon, are you willing to change for the goodness of others?"
>The goodness of others?
>That's a weird question.
>But are you willing to change?
"Well, I'll change for Starlight... and Twilight... and Elune."
>Celestia's determined gaze trails off as she looks away, bats her hair over to her side, and chuckles in amusement. "Oh Anon, you really are something."
>Out the corner of your eye, Starlight is back to blushing as the princesses are safe and playing like foals again, but now you're back on Celestia as well.
>"Well... you can't save everypony I suppose, but this was a bit tragic in of itself."
>"Oh Luna, don't push yourself, it seemed like Anon knew what he was doing... well... until he started with the laughter, but other than that."
"I can hear you."
>"We know" They both say simultaneously.
>Hmph, these irritating little-
>"Anon, can I ask you something?"
"Huh? Um... sure."
>"You seemed to have a connection of some sort with the wind lord. Something about 'no longer needing his service' or something along those lines."
>Well you did get caught up in the moment.
>Hmm... how should you put this...
"Back in my old world, my powers um... allowed me to control most of the elemental lords and uh... Al'akir wasn't one of them, but I did have the element of air in the form of a wind lord."
>Celestia's eyes go wide for a second before Luna butts in. "Wait a second, so your telling us that we tried to make peace with the elements themselves? I thought they were just beings related to the elements, not the actual element."
"Well, the elements were born as untamed spirits of my world. Trying to make peace with one can only be done through situational crisis or manipulation. In nature they are savage like no others and are unmatched in terms of destruction."
>"And how many of these elemental lords were there?" Starlight asks the obvious question, but you'll answer anyways.
"Four to be exact. Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. Air being one of the weakest of the four."
>Starlight thought that to be silly. "The air? The weakest? Puh-lease, if you thought what he did was 'weak' then I have no idea what the others would be capable of."
"Well, the earth takes most of the damage that the water and the fire deal upon it, and the wind sort of fuels the destruction. Not much else to say unless you want to get in to full detail, which I will not do."
>Starlight pouts and rolls her eyes. "Well obviously, how about when we get home maybe?"
"Of course, but first we have to head back to the castle"
>"Well yeah, what do you think we're all doing?"
"Hovering here when the thrones are right in front of you."
>The three of them look at you in shock and confusion before you begin to point at the four separate platforms around the skyline.
>Starlight facehoofs and looks at you in a mix of concern and irritation. "Those aren't thrones, Anon. Those are platforms. Not. Thrones."
"Oh really... then why is this place called the 'Throne of the Four Winds'."
>Starlight is more than stunned as both Luna and Celestia fly over to the platforms.
>Celestia lays you on the platform of a defeated spirit of nature before she takes off back to the center.
>"I don't get it, how did Anon know that?"
>Celestia smiles and pats Starlight's head. "We learned from the defeated council we had to fight long before the two of you showed up. And since Anon knows this world more than us, perhaps he'd know a 'thing or two'?"
>Celestia flies over to a platform and Starlight sighs and looks over at you.
>You wave at her and she meekly smiles and waves back before flying over to the last platform.
>As soon as Starlight lands, the four of you are engulfed with a familiar light, transporting you into the... nothing.
>There's nothing here... literally.
>As soon as the light surrounded you, nothing of interest happened after that.
>Just black.
>Starlight isn't here, and neither is the princesses.
>Where... where are you?
 
 
Chapter 24: The Pleasantries of Old
>Maybe Discord is fucking with you.
>This entire space... empty with nothing of interest or value?
>You're half-tempted to go back, but you really don't want to return to a rejuvenated Al'akir the shitlord.
>You enhance your eyes to look for whatever is here, but you see nothing.
>Not even a lock or two?
"Uh... Discord? Is this thing broken or something?"
>No response.
"Hello? Are you even listening?"
>No response.
>Guess not.
>You look around you, but only see the darkness around you.
>Hmm... nothing to do... in a vast abyss of darkness...
>You aren't going to meander around like an idi-PHHGH
>You take a direct hit in the face and fly backwards, scraping the pitch black ground below you.
>Ah, what the hell!?
>Where did tha-GAHAH
>Air escapes your lunges as something comes out of the ground, hitting you sharp in the stomach.
>Your skin doesn't pierce, but your body is sent flying upward before landing with a thud.
>Before you can recover, something tendril-like wraps around your body, restricting any airflow and lifting you into the air.
>Whatever this is, you can't see it.
>Not even your eyes can see at least a hint of magic or a shadow of sorts.
>It's as if it has... oh for fucks sake.
>This thing is in a different dimension.
>You nearly forgot that several forms of you exist in each plane of existence.
>Though... which one is this thing in?
>Guess you'll have to find out.
>Two tentacles grow from your forehead and reach out into the nothingness.
>As soon as they get a hold on the silky fabrics, they rip it apart, creating a hole even darker than the surroundings.
>They reach in and tear you away from the unknown being, pushing you through the portal.
>You plop onto the ground and get up.
>At least you think you do.
>Your body is currently adjusting to the new dimensional plane, swapping with the existence of your former self.
>When the transfer is done, your body stiffens back to its original form.
>There, now that you can see the figure you ca-...
>You... can...
>Uhhhhhhhhh....
>"It's been too long. Anonymous. Do you enjoy freedom. To the outside. You are akin. But deep down. You feel nothing. Or do you now?"
>An ancestor of old.
>One that doesn't exist through time.
>No, stop thinking.
>It'll hear.
"Do you need me?"
>"I do not need. Nor want. Petty objects. Or freedom of self digest."
"Not really. Do you enjoy your tomb?"
>"I do not feel. You do? How do you feel. Or they of them, it."
"You are wise, but I feel emotions only. The others feel nothing."
>"To thank. Given foundation. Touch. The void.
"No need, I did what felt right. Can I return?"
>"Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember. Remember."
"As you say denizen's of old."
>Using your tentacles once more, they rip the space around you and plunge you back into the abyss of darkness.
>The gate closes and a sense of relief washes over you.
>You really hate talking to that one.
>Either it's deaf half the time or it spews words of insanity, and you have to guess the correct response each time.
>Of course the responses come naturally, but you always wonder about the souls who don't.
>That and the fact that your thoughts are recorded as answers.
>You doubt any mortal could look at him without bursting into laughter.
>Before literally bursting that is.
>But now you're back here again.
>In this abyss of nothingness.
>Maybe you could try a different dimension?
>The swift hit to the side tells you yes.
>Before it gets another hit in, you open the portal once more on the ground and dive into it.
>This time, your body stays the same, but the surroundings do not.
>The area around you distorts with various colors of light before exploding on itself.
>As if being sent into warp speed, several different colors zoom past you along with several glowing stars.
>The journey through the cosmos is short-lived though, as it all comes crashing down.
>You head right into a mountain at several-times the speed of light.
>Needless to say, the mountain ceases all activity.
>You crash into solid ground in a cataclysmic wake, tearing earth out of the ground like liquid.
>Hopefully this is another simulation, because you're pretty sure you just capsized a few major cities with this stunt.
>Magma spews from the fractured earth as you push yourself out of the tight hole.
>You look around the destroyed space and notice the bright blue crystal-covered cave walls , clear and pretty before dust and smoke clouds cover it's beauty.
>With the whole area covered in a dust cloud, it makes your job of observation hard.
>Clapping your hooves together, a tiny jar pops up in front of you, sealed tight with a lid.
>You walk up to the jar and open the jar with an audible pop before it starts to suck all the dust inside like a vacuum.
>After the majority of it is sucked up inside, you close it with the lid and swallow it whole, making sure not to break the glass.
>With that settled, you look around at the shattered earth, spewing magma like blood out from the wound.
>A few seconds pass before elementals start to emerge from the crater, roaring and rampaging as they take form.
>Alright, still the simulation.
>You climb up the thorn in the earth and look around for signs of life.
>A few stone craters and lava ruptures, but other than that, this place is reminiscent to the stone core.
>And the locals appear to be running away in fear.
>Guess your entrance really shook things up around here.
>Not like you couldn't help it.
>You jump off the side of the thorn and land on hard ground.
>Perhaps the locals can tell you information that Discord wouldn't.
>And if the past is as you see it, the races are all still alive.
>Now you'll just have to-
>Your body is consumed in a blast of molten earth as you are then crushed beneath the ground by something large and built hard like titan-forge.
>It feels very uncomfortable to be in this position, especially with the magma getting in your hair.
>Using your muscles, you force your way up to a squat and push up against the metallic being.
>The figure let's loose as you jump up like a ball of fire being shot by a catapult and land to see what exactly is attacking you.
>Err... That's a dragon.
>Now this is a dragon.
>This is your type of-"SCRREEAAAAAAAAAAAGAHAHAGAHAAAGAAAAAH!"
>THIS IS YOUR TYPE OF DRAGON!
>Topping the windlord in terms of size by a landslide, the colossal behemoth tears it's way through the earth and lays it's gaze upon you.
>"A GREAT FORCE HAS FREED ME FROM THE EARTH! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, CREATURE!?"
"Uh... your welcome!"
>The dragon spreads his wings wide, showing the torn flesh covered in ash and magma from the earth's crust. "I, DEATHWING, SHALL GRANT YOU POWERS BEYOND COMPREHENSION! WAIT NOW AND WITNESS THE BEGINNING OF THE END TIMES!"
"I don't know why you guys always have to yell in my ears, but OK!"
>Deathwing takes off, the surrounding area ricocheting like an earthquake.
>The amount of ash and dust he's covered in blankets the area with a dense inferno.
>When he reaches the center, he shoots up, breaking the earth in a monstrous display of power.
>The ceiling is torn asunder as Deathwing crawls through the magic-spewing crevice, laughing the whole way through.
>The last you see of him is his bulky tail as it slaps the area around it, causing earth to fall in chunks down to the floor below.
>When he finally makes it through, a boarding pillar of magic comes from the crack and a little portal is formed at the top.
>Welp, now you know where to go.
>You'd like to thank him, but he's already far gone.
>And it looks like you're gonna have to fly in order to reach the magic anomaly.
>Not like the energy draining was bad or anything.
>You just feel that flying is becoming a tiny bit too convenient.
>But it's not like you'll use it much in Equestria... so in any case...
>You clap your hooves onto your cheeks as you are once again enveloped in white and black streaks of light before exploding into your pegasus form.
>Alright, time to get out of-
>Fucking piece of-every fucking time something just wants to fuck with you.
>And this time it's a barrage of boulders and debris.
>You dodge a few and punch the biggest one to oblivion before you get a true understanding of the situation.
>Hundreds of geodes, elementals, and earth giants are all working together to take you out of the sky.
>And now a few stone drakes are flying straight towards you with what you assume is shear force alone.
>You make impact one the first one and it recoils in pain.
>They might have hard stone hide, but your muscles are harder.
>The rest of them surround you, each diving into you, only to be hit in the forehead and fall to the ground.
>You spread your wings wide and torpedo your way through the stone drakes, dodging any loose earth that shoots towards you.
>You gain insane momentum, scaling the stone towers in seconds as you finally reach the magic pillar.
>Diving into the magic, you relax and watch as any and all pursuers are burned and turned into ash.
>Slowly you float upward and once again, spin in an upward motion.
>You try to return to your normal position, but your hooves won't gain any ground.
>These damned levitating devices will pay.
>If only you could stop spinning.
>You try to use your wings and flap back to your position, but it only pushes your entire body in one direction.
>Out of sheer rage, you attempt to punch your way back to your previous position, but before you can even attempt to do so, the portal sucks you inside.
>Whoever thought of the idea of levitation will die by your hands.
>You don't care for the changing colors and lights that expand throughout your vision.
>You're spinning with unbridled fury.
>As soon as all the changes are pit into place, you fall flatly on your face as a certain someone yells in excitement. "Congratulations! You wi-"
>You slam him into the ground, annoyed with rage.
"Why do I spin when I levitate!?"
>Discord pulls his head off the ground with his face still attached to the floor. "Well, if you knew how to balance yourself, then there wouldn't be a problem now would there?"
>You squint at his serpent-like figure as he picks up his face like paper mache and slaps it back on.
>"You won the game, so why not enjoy it?" Discord snaps his claw, proofing tables with tons of assorted foods and glasses with what you assume is red punch.
>A disco floor is formed on the center as the disco ball falls to a stop by a string.
>Discord teleports in front of you wearing fuck knows what and starts moving his feet to the jazz in the background.
>You swear it is his doing in some way, but...
>The song isn't too bad, and the food looks interesting as well.
>But still... Starlight isn't with you...
>And neither are the princesses.
>But you're sure Starlight will be able to return soon.
>But before that.
"Is Star OK?"
>The record goes to a screeching halt as Discord stays suspended in mid-air, about to land in what you think is handstand. "STAR!?"
>Without hesitation, he teleports in front of you with the most shitty grin you've seen. "You mean 'Star'light Glimmer?" Discord can barely hold himself together as you scrunch your muzzle in disapproval.
>"Oh silly silly Anonymous~! In only five mere Equestrian minutes, you've managed to befriend her, form a bond like no other, and even managed to come up with a cutetsy wutetsy wittle nickname."
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
>You turn away and cross your hooves, but it doesn't help in the slightest as he simply teleports in front of you with the weirdest face imaginable. "Aww and you're even beginning to pout! Isn't that just precious!~"
>You bat your hooves at him, trying to make him go away, but he keeps dodging you.
>Fucking prick, why won't he leave you alone?
>You're already pissed as it is.
>Now you just want to eat.
>Of course you care about Star, why wouldn't you?
>She's your mom's friend and pupil.
>That and she smells really nice.
>But other than that, of course your her friend.
>She even said it herself!
"Just tell me if she's OK."
>"Oh she is. You don't have to worry about a thing. As soon as you left the carousel, the breaks should have 'lifted'."
"Breaks? What do you mean?"
>"Well, your world is filled to the brim with chaos, so I had to put some limitations all around the area in order for me to get an understanding of it."
"Are those limiters lock-related?"
>Discord poofs into a science outfit, with glasses and all. "Precisely! They restrict the flow of all magic and make the area around them either ten times as stable and well... the latter. You get the point." Discord waves off his statement as he discards the clothing an flies over to the food tray.
>Taking in the majority of the sweets like a vacuum, he swallows it all before you can ask.
"So now that I am out of the carousel, what exactly will you do with my memories? And what will the three do inside the carousel? Will they have to deal with my world's powers alone?"
>"One, I can't say for sure, but I will examine the latent stability of your world and the many things that inhabit it. Two and three, no, they'll probably flail around like fish in a remodeled version of 'my' Equestria, to keep things safe that is."
"Wait, you can do that?"
>"Of course I can Mr. Density, there's nothing I can't do with Chaos!"
"Except time travel."
>"Because I know how to tolerate the past and the future. If I had to do anything of the sort, it would be under drastic measures, and nothing is drastic for muah.~"
"Yeah, and I tear the fabric of reality, what else is new in this 'Equestria'."
>You move your hooves in the sarcastic manner every other pony does and take a dish from the table.
>Hmm... this is... a.... what is this?
>"Having trouble?"
"Fuck off."
>"My what a potty mouth!" Discord poofs a extinguisher into his grip and aims it at you. "I might just have to do something about that you know."
"I'd like to see you try."
>Putting the foreign object into your mouth, you chew through it like butter.
>Tastes... nice.
>Not as good as meat, but it sure has an interesting texture to it.
>And such unique properties to-
>He's gonna spray you with the fire extinguisher isn't he?
>You turn around and in a split second, Discord has it trained right on your muzzle, but quickly poofs back to his normal position and whistles with innocence.
"You are a horrible actor."
>"Hmm? Oh I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
>You literally saw hi-ugh
>If he must, so be it.
>He will be the one being punished in the end.
>You continue to indulge yourself on the mysterious objects before a certain someone clings onto his little metal toy a bit too hard...
>As if it isn't as obvious as it was before.
>And as his claw tightens on the lever, you quickly dash under the table, hearing the spray cover the other side.
>"Oh don't think a tiny little table will save you Ano-"
>You take the table and slam it into his face.
>Like a over-sized pie, the foam splatters everywhere, covering most of the disco floor as well as parts of the ball.
>He groans in displeasure as you take another swing at him, but he soon covers the whole room with gleaming light, leaving the room spotless with no tables at your disposal.
>"There, now what will you do against me A-"
>You take his fire extinguisher from his grasp and hit him right in the head.
>"Ooph! Nngh... why I otta..." Discord poofs the device out of existence and flicks you to the side of the room.
>"One more thing out of you mister and I might just have to do something about those fouls manners."
>Oh please, he can save his breathe for all you care.
>You were hungry, and he's getting in the way.
>That and...
>You're really itching for a contest of strength.
>It might have been for mere moments, but the thrill of battle has never changed.
>You just hope Discord shares the same spirit as you do.
>You walk up to the groom's entrance and open the doors, making a loud creaking noise in doing so.
>Discord poofs in between the crack of space and holds the doors stationary. "And where do you think you're going?"
"Nowhere. In fact, we are right where I want us."
>Discord looks at you questioningly before you slam the door on his body.
>Like a balloon ready to pop, Discord teleports out of the doors' grip and readies his claws.
>"Oh I do hope you're ready Anony-"
>You rip the door off it's hinges and throw it at him.
>He quickly teleports out of its trajectory, but not before you slam into him, sending the both of you out of the balcony windows.
>For an annoying Dad, he sure has the weirdest grin on his face.
 
 
Chapter 25: Chaotic Fun with Father and Me, Or Is It?
>Discord tries his best to tear you off of him, but you won't budge an inch.
>"Urgh... Anon, would you be dear and get off your father for just a moment?"
"Sure, why not?"
>You let go of his serpent body and clasp your hooves together, creating a giant jello trampoline below you.
>Using your able wings, you spread them out just a smidgen to create more lift than your so called relative.
>And like a jackhammer, you reel your hoof and smash it down on Discord's head, sending him right into the trampoline with a bloop.
>In a few moments, Discord is sent straight upward as you throw another hoof into his face, cancelling his momentum and sending him back into the trampoline.
>You wait once more before he rockets back up, but this time he has something in his paw.
>Before you can react, he takes both arms and swings an abnormally expanding hammer right into your face.
>The weight on this thing is insane to say the least, as it pushes you and loops around, sending you towards the ground like a rocket.
>You clap your hooves together and form a large spiderweb behind you, catching you before you can make impact.
>Discord then teleports in front of you, with no hammer in sight, before he moves his finger in a swirling motion, causing your web to wrap around you like a coil.
>"Looks like someone is in quite the bind!"
"Mmmph, mmmph mphh."
>"What was that son? I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that last part."
>If only he's keep his mouth shut...
>Honestly, why do people decide to add dialog during fights?
>As far as you know, it only got you openings to kill whoever was the genius to get my attention.
>You clasp your hooves in the little space provided and wait a few moments before Discord starts to get impatient. "What? Giving up already? It was only a million pounds condensed into your face, Anon. I'm quote sure you could handle it.
>You tear a hole through the top of the webbing and point upward, causing Discord to smirk. "Really Anon? I didn't know you'd be familiar with pranks, but that's the oldest one out of the-"
>A font of water pours onto the whole area with an audible clap.
>The water carries both you and Discord downstream away from the castle before you're able to rip the rest of it off.
>You swim up and look around for Discord, only to see him in a ducky boat paddling in joy. "You know, I thought plain old water would be a bit boring, but this isn't half-bad Anon!"
>You grit your teeth and dive under.
>With the speed of a torpedo, you swerve around the many submerged trees and focus your mind on the flow of the water.
>Simply imagine the image.
>The maw of the beast.
>The water begins to take form, lifting you with it's current before your body is engulfed in the body of water.
>Discord paddles around merrily with his eyes closed before he notices the change in current.
>Opening his eyes, he screams like a lady as you chomp down on him.
>Holding his breathe, he looks at you with a smug grin before he snaps his claw.
>Soon after, all of the water expands to mist.
>You quickly ascend to the sky and search for Discord through the fog.
>No, not there, where did he-"Looking for someo-"
>Your body does a one-eighty and you swing your hoof with the momentum.
>But all you hit is air as Discord floats just an inch above your hit.
>"Oh that was a close one, good thing my beautiful face was out of the-"
>You got him right between the eyes, sending him spiraling through the clouds.
>Following close with your flight, he spirals for what seems like forever, blasting through clouds and rainbows alike before a clear scene comes into view.
>Ponyville huh?
>Is he gonna try to use the public against you?
>You definitely aren't gonna let that happen.
>You swing around a nearby cloud and catch Discord before he can start his descend.
>This time however, Discord has repulsive make-up on and looks at you smiling. "Oh Anon, how forward of you! hehehe~"
>Ugh... you'd rather drop him at this point, but you can't let him get an advantage.
>You throw his body upward and grab onto his tail with your mouth.
>Discord tries to shake you off, but you don't budge.
>Instead, he's the one that flails around like an air vent flap.
>If you know anything, nothing escapes your jaws.
>And you mean that literally.
>Discord tries to snap his way out, but a phased image appears where he would have been.
>"Oh that's right, it's not just your hooves. Drat!"
"Whu hu ou ea hi hat?"
>Discord looks at you perplexed before the meaning of the sentence gets through. "Oh! Well if you must know..." Discord snaps again, putting on a suit and tie with a top hat and monocle and opens up a book that spans an infinite length, reaching all the way across the sky.
>"Ahehem... contradictory rules section one million three hundred forty two paragraph infinity to the eighty second power. Only those who are chaotic or of a chaotic nature in terms of chaos are able to prevent and slash or control other beings in terms of their chaotic ability." Discord poofs the line of pages out of existence along with his suit and looks at you with a grin.
>"Meaning as long as you touch me, I can't do a thing because 'you' outrank me in terms of chaotic energy... as sad that is to say." The last part gives Discord a nasty grimace before he's back to a cheery mood.
>"But as always, I expect no less from my dearest son."
>Hmm... so if you just have to keep touching him...
>You clap your hooves together, hoping to get a vague result and...
>Bingo!
>Your body detaches itself from your head, leaving you on his tail like a bear trap.
>And with a few moments of waiting...
>Your head regrows back on your head with time to spare.
>Your mind warps a bit, but you're able to return your conscience to your body.
>You smile as you look at the crippled draconequus in all his glory.
>But he only smirks and looks at the head in amusement. "I have to admit, this plan would have been fool-proof. Though a bit of emphasis on the fool-proof." Discord snaps his claw and...
>He teleported!?
>You thought for sure that would do the trick.
>I mean, it was contact... wasn't it?
>Well, he still has that rule book, so he's probably either making shit up for the fun of it, or he's keeping rules hidden from you.
>Either way, your head is still attached to him.
>With a little outward conscience, your head kindly explodes from up in the sky with a loud thum.
>And again, and again, and again...
>As he tries to pry off the head, it constantly explodes in the sky, clearing most of the clouds before he teleports only to repeat the process.
>With a bit of frustration, Discord brings out some over-sized nail clippers and clips his tail off, letting the head fall somewhere on the ground below.
>"There we go! Now that that's out of the way I can get back to-"
>You tackle his face and wrap your hooves around it.
>Discord spins like a compass before it's finally pointing back to North.
>If North was facing the ground.
>At an angle.
>Either way, you have a grip on his head, and you won't let go.
>Discord tries to push you off, but you have him in a head-lock.
>It's just too bad that your entire body can only cover his face.
>"Anon, will you be a dear and let go of your father?"
"No."
>"Please?"
"No."
>"Pretty please?"
>You swiftly deck him in the schnoz with your hind hoof and resume your head-locking.
>You don't like that word anymore.
>Discord fixes his nose and goes into a thinking pose for the duration.
>I-Is he thinking of a way out of this while you're attached to him?
>This is the second time this has ever happened before.
>And this time it isn't you doing the thinking.
>Discord twirls his beard in thought before his head moves in a weird way.
>He doesn't say much, but you assume he's found a way out.
>Though, you don't exactly know what he has in mind.
>Discord does a somersault in mid flight before propelling himself straight to the ground.
>He makes it to the concrete streets of Ponyville, which are surprisingly clear of any ponies, and begins to scrape your body across the road.
>Almost mimicking a running motion, except his head is on the ground and the ground is acting as sandpaper on your body.
>Though it's only getting a bit of dust in your hair.
>His plan must be going somewhere... but...
>Where exactly is he taking you?
>Somewhere in Ponyville... nothing really gives you pause.
>The castle isn't a threat, school is boring to say the least.
>What could he be planning?
>Discord flips upward, removing you from the pavement and giving you a the view of colorful houses and streets again.
>Sliding along the pavement in a screeching halt, Discord puts his palms together and yells out to the world. "OH PINKIE PIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!"
>Pinkie Pie?
>That energetic one?
>What could she possibly do?
>In not a single moment, Pinkie zooms into view, as cheerful and gitty as the last time you saw her. "Hiya Discord, how are you doing?"
>Pinkie glances over the two of you and pauses with the grin still plastered across her face.
>And with a sudden burst of energy, she gasps. "Oh my gosh! I was right! Discord is Twilight's hubby! I gotta tell the others lickity-split!" But before she can leave, Discord catches her with his claw.
>"Wait just a second Pinkie Pie, for I have a little favor to ask of you." Pinkie tensed up from Discord's words.
>"A favor!? You mean like a..." Pinkie puts her hoof on the side of her lips and moves it across her face. "Because I don't do very well with 'those' kind of favors."
>Discord pats her on the head and shakes his along with your body. "Not at all, you see what I need you to do is to bring me your most delicious treat from sugarcane corner. After that, you can do whatever."
>Pinkie puts her hoof under her chin in thought. "Oh I don't know about that one Discord. I already have it set for a party in just two hours or so."
>Discord waves her off. "Oh I'm sure I can replace whatever it is you need at a moment's notice, just bring it here and I promise you it will be worth your while."
>Pinkie Pie salutes with an "Okie Doki Loki!" Before zooming off and in just a few moments, returns with a-HAAAACKCK
>What the literal!?
>No please... anything but that vile creation.
>You start to get nauseous as the giant... strawberry coated... choco-hnngh... cake stands tall before you.
>You... you can't... the smell is... damn him...
>Somehow diluting his argument with Celesti-hmmgh... Celestia, he was watching.
>Watching and-hmmghah...
>You begrudgingly let go of Discord and fall to the ground in a fit of gags.
>Tears start to stream down your eyes as the smell gets worse by the minute.
>Pinkie looks at you with slight worry, but is still as cheerful as can be. "You OK there Nons? I know made the cake full of all kinds of chocolaty treats, but it didn't know it would be that good."
>You recoil from all of the convulsions in your body before you start to notice something.
>A few figures start to come into view in the distance.
>You can't say for sure how many there are, but you have a nagging feeling that this won't get any better.
>Tentacles grow from all sides of you to cover your mouth.
>And it looks like your defenses were activated by accident.
>Just swell.
>You look around for the neares-is that a trash can Discord is holding?
>Discord gives you the most smug look you've seen before he waves you on over. "My my, someone looks a little under the weather."
>you shoot him a glare before the gagging takes over.
>Using your now free gives, you sprint over to the trash can, but it disappears before you can reach it. "Ah ah ah~ tell me Anonymous, what do you say?"
>Is... is this fucker serious?
>Really running out of options here.
>And Pinkie doesn't seem to understand the situation, as she's taking a few larger than necessary bites out of the cake. "Hou hair you'd hehlays ih highh?"
>Discord hovers on over to her and watches your struggle in amusement. "Why yes, so eat as much as you want. Savor the taste most especially."
>Pinkie gladly follows his command, taking huge chunks out of the cake for her own enjoyment. "Mmmmmaaaahh!" Pinkie laps her tongue in amusement before facing Discord. "Thanks again Discord, I owe you one!"
>"Oh please my dear friend, consider it on the house."
>Though through Pinkie's own excitement, she notices you by some miracle.
>Please tell me she's going to-"Hey Nonny! When did you get those cool looking tentacle thingies?"
>OH FOR THE LOVE O-HMMMMMNNNGH
>Eck, it's building up.
>Guess it's now or never.
>You clap your hooves together, causing a metal container to appear below your feet.
>You back up and prepare for the worst as your tentacles move by command.
>And before you can react, you throw up.
>Hard.
>The metal container doesn't even hold the bare minimum of your stomach acids.
>Due to it literally melting from your stomach acids.
>The gaseous fluid steams through the ground, melting through it like a chemical experiment gone bad.
>With a few more dry heaves, you watch as the ground under you dissolves into a round crevice.
>And a large one at that.
>The tentacles wrap around your head like a hood as you look up from the drying mess.
>Pinkie seems to finally understand the situation, a look of regret strewn across her face.
>While Discord is currently holding back laughter.
>The other ponies who gathered around the area have joined in with looks of disgust and displeasure.
>You don't know how, but the comments bore into you like daggers.
>"Who is that pony?"
>"Eek, Discord's here!"
>"Is that a hole through the street!?"
>"Who do you think is gonna pay for the damage?"
>"Who's colt is that?"
>"I think it's the princesses'."
>"Twilight's!? No way!"
>"My what a ruffian we have in our mits."
>It feels... just like that time...
>"Oh jeez, that looks disgusting."
>The world zones out.
>"Anon! Are you alrig-..."
>Everything tones out in your mind.
>"Trust me, it'll be..."
>The voices prick at your every thought.
>"It's OK! You don-..."
>The thoughts bring forth more memories.
>"You don't have t-..."
>The memories make you feel things...
>"Please, listen to..."
>Very bad things.
>"Ah, you monster! How cou-..."
>You feel like you're ready to end it.
>"Please, spare me, spa-ACK-..."
>And then.
>"Don't leave m-"
>Silence.
>No one moves an inch.
>No one breathes.
>No one looks.
>No one hears.
>All except for Discord.
>His laughter.
>It feels... quite painful.
>Yes... painful...
>You can feel your heartbeat.
>It's going pretty fast right now.
>Just like... like...
>THOSE INCOMPETENT USELESS GOOD FOR NOTHING FUCKS WHO RUINED YOUR LI-Huh?
>Nngh...
>What is...
>Discord has hovered over to you and is now patting your head.
>A gentle petting.
>Gentle... touch?
>"I know what bloodlust is Anon." Discord curls around your body and lifts you up emits the ponies frozen in time. "And I know how you feel towards the beings of your past, but these ponies are different from them. Very different." He flicks a lock of your hair to the side as you look up at him with... that... face... "I do admit, maybe this is going a bit too far, but now that you have the feelings of those beings, it is important to know just how much 'they' can feel. I know it might be unbearable at first, knowing that you might become an outcast do to your nature, but no this." Discord puts you up to eye level and looks you directly in your... "I will do everything within my power to make you have the most wonderful time in Equestria. I promise you." A light engulfs you, the Discord holding you fading to light. "As a father, it will be my number one priority." The light becomes too bright to see. "Remember." Discord fades through the light, and in his place.
>A human glowing through the light illuminates your vision like the sun. "Remember why you were born... your purpose... Anonymous..."
>Your face, your wings, your body.
>It's all covered in the light, dashing away the chaotic features in an instant as she opens her eyes, blinding you in a rainbow of light until finally.
>It's over.
>It's all over now.
>You wake up.
 
 
Chapter 26: Oh Sweet 'Homeworld'
>You get up and look at your stupor figure.
>OK, everything seems intact.
>But where ar-...
>The black room.
>The infernal black room...
>Then does that mean...
>You didn't find the throne?
>Or you had a dream of finding it, winning, then being humiliated?
>Your head hurts for the first time in a while.
>Damned dimensional travel.
>Always fucking with your head whenever you use it.
>So I guess you accidently travelled to the dreamscape dimension.
>Which put you to sleep.
>Ugh... just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...
>And does this me-yep he's punching you again.
>Damnit, if only you knew where this thing was...
>I mean, your eyes would be useful right now, but as far as you can tell, they won't activate.
>You try and cast some chaos magic from before, but you don't feel a thing.
>A dud huh?
>All the while this... thing keeps getting open hits on you.
>In fact, it's actually starting to hurt a little.
>Guess the blows during your sleep accumulated.
>You really wish you could remember what this place was.
>Pitch darkness, and the figure might have a plane you can't reach.
>Like one of your tentacles, except going in for single punches every time.
>The thoughts flood through your mind as you try to piece it all together, but the shadow isn't making it easy.
>Maybe if you try and find it's dimension once more?
>Yes, that sounds good.
>Tentacles sprout forth from your neck, ready to tear reality apart when the unknown figure once again restricts you with tentacles of its own.
>A pattern?
>You look around at the dark figure's restriction out of curiosity.
>If he's repeating the process, there must be a reason.
>You wait patiently for the darkness to act, and sure enough, it does.
>The lower half loosens it's grip as the floor around you turns a shade darker than before.
>And the hole ripped right through the floor is another dimensional portal.
>Interesting, so it wants you to come with it?
>You'll gladly accept it's offer.
>As long as you can pay it back of course.
>The tendrils pull you into the portal with ease, squeezing you through like Discord's door.
>After you make it through, your body falls to the ground not so far below.
>Hmm... no one's here.
>Just a seat.
>And an odd seat at that.
>A chariot more like.
>Attached to a pole connecting to this blank space.
>So...
>Do you sit in it or...
>You're gonna sit in it.
>You walk over to the seat in the room and well... sit in it.
>And in doing so, a burst of confetti and streamers comes out of the side.
>Looking to the sides, two red buttons have appeared.
>So maybe this is intended as a two-seater?
>Either way, you're the only one here.
>Maybe... just maybe...
"Discord, what's going on? Are you there?"
>And just like that, a flash of like appears from thin air, coating the once blank white room and rainbows.
>"AHA! THERE YOU ARE!" Discord gives you a jolly bear hug before letting you go with a plushie pomf.
"Nngh... Discord, what happened exactly?"
>Discord taps his fingers together, seeking a way to explain it, but apparently it won't be that easy. "Er well... you see I um... I kinda maybe if not a little screwed up the coordinates to your portal."
"What do you mean by that?"
>"Well, to put it in simple terms, you fell off the carousel." Discord takes out a wet cloth and starts dabbing your face with it. "But not to worry, your old man has everything under control."
>The cold cloth feels uncomfortable against your face, but you accept it with open arms.
"How did you manage to screw it up?"
>Discord shoves the cloth into your cheek as he talks. "Well, I still haven't figured out your magical wavelength in a sense. Because Starlight was with you, teleportation was a breeze, but without me actually being there to move you along, the portal went a little... awol.
>Hmm, you wonder if what he said... and the time he said it...
>You grab Discord's extended arm and hold it against your body.
>Discord is no less than confused. "Um... I can't clean you if my arm is being held Anon."
"In what sense?"
>"Well for starters the cloth is in that arm, not my other, and secondly because-"
"You can't use your powers? You can't teleport? You can't do anything?"
>Discord looks at you with a face of pure confusion. "Er... where in Equestria did you get all that? And if you must know..." Discord detaches his arm and pats the place where it was detached, proofing it out of your grasp.
>Eh!? It was really only in the dream?
>Actually... now that you think about it...
>Did this transformation to a child make you...
>Oh jeez.
>Discord is right.
>You are dense.
>You nearly strangled him once!
>Honestly how couldn't you know the answer to that unless you...
>Discord slaps you with the cloth, snapping you out of your train of thought. "You OK there Anon? Do I have to slap you again? Hrmm... maybe your emotions are more a nuisance now."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
>"Oh you know as well as I do that emotions can always get in the way." Discord poofs a chart up out of nowhere, displaying a picture of Twilight, Discord, and you. "You can't kill Twilight because of emotional attachment, I can't do anything to her because she'll tell the princesses and Fluttershy, and she can't touch us because she absolutely loves you and hates me with a passion, but because I'm your father, the link goes too deep." The chart disappears with a snap as Discord crosses his arms and lays next to you. "Honestly, even the old you would know that much, am I right?"
>Even the... old you?
>Did you really change that much?
>Discord flicks you in the nose, causing you to scrunch over. "Hey! Don't go into another one of your dazes again."
>And his personality is a bit different too, so it must have been a dream.
>Or maybe this is a dream too.
>Discord is being more serious than usual.
"Discord, have a really changed that much?"
>He puts his finger on his beard and twiddles with it throughout his thinking. "Well, you have feelings now. Which is good in terms that you won't kill anyone without the soft feeling of regret looming over you. Bad in terms that your chaotic nature might take advantage of those feelings."
>Yes, he was right on the second part.
>You don't know about the first though.
>Discord goes on with his explanation, earning your full attention. "And in terms of mass genocide, you haven't killed a single thing!" Discord's head pops off like a cork as applause rain through your ears in spades before he lands at the front of your seat. "I honestly thought at least one or two little good-for-nothings would die in the process, but props to you my boy!"
>Well, that was true, you haven't killed in a while.
>But that doesn't explain shit.
"Discord, you usually act so carefree. Why are you serious now of all times?"
>Discord ponders further before his claw snaps him back onto his body. "Oh please, you think I'd just be all 'sunshine and rainbows' the whole way through. Ugh! Gag!" Discord points inside his mouth for extra emphasis before you looks back at you. "It's mostly all just an act so that those ponies out there don't accuse me of being a 'bad friend'. Especially the oh so perfect princesses." Every word relating to ponies and friends is added with a hint of disgust as he settles down in the cart with his arms played back.
>"But now that we're finally alone in a dimension of my own, with no harmony in sight and the chaos already being wrought. We can finally relax and talk it up. So what do you say Anon? Wanna talk it up with your old man?"
>Huh... so Discord has a whole other side?
>That dream really fucked up your views.
>But at least now you could get some answers.
"Sure. Let's... um... 'talk it up'."
>"Excellent! Now... on your marks..." Discord puts his paw over the button and motions you to do the same with your tentacles.
>So you follow his movement and wait for the signal.
>"Get set... GO!" The both of you push the red button on each side, causing the room to shine with rainbows before the walls explode into light.
>The surroundings become a whole lot more clear as the sky spirals around along with the earth.
>The chariot starts up with a poof of gas from an engine of some sort, but in only a few seconds, the two of you take off.
>Well, one of you takes off.
>Discord waves his detached arms off as the chariot torpedoes forward in a spiralling motion, following the distorted earth before you can finally make out an exit at the end.
>The realm around you distorts and zigzags, causing the chariot to lose balance and fall off the land.
>But it doesn't hinder the destination as you are propelled forward into the portal, streaks of light engulfing the two of you.
>Within the instance, you hear Discord snap his fingers, forcing the light to engulf your body as well.
>And soon, your vision is blinded once again.
>It doesn't take long to adjust, but you really hope all this light doesn't hurt your eyes for much longer.
>The world opens up around you, with clouds on the ground, oceans in the sky, and the sky where the earth is supposed to be.
>Your position is corrected as gravity pulls the chariot upwards towards the earth above, but it doesn't shake the feeling that the world seems a bit off.
>In the sense that when you land, your body feels like it's standing upside-down.
>But Discord doesn't look phased in the slightest, a soft grin going across his face as he snaps once more, creating a a sort of bridge across the domain in the opposite direction.
>You get off the chariot and adjust to the abnormal land around you before you start your trek across the bridge.
>The first steps feel weird, as instead of supporting your weight, it instead pushes you upward along with its planks as it floats upward in the direction of the sky.
>Discord hovers merrily beside you as you walk under the platform and flies in circles around you. "What do you think? Still needs a bit more tweaks, but after that, it'll be a brand new playground."
"And who is going to be playing on it?"
>Discord floats on over and boops you in the nose. "Why you of course! Who else but my own son to have a world all to himself where he can destroy, mess around, or do almost anything without repercussions."
>A world... all to your own?
"Why would I need all this? I know that my powers are becoming a bit unstable, but I am sure I can-"
>Before you can finish talking to Discord, you run into a hard wooden sign labeled 'not so fast'. "The area around here is filled to the brim with the chaotic energies of your old world. Wild and untamed, I believe it would make a perfect get-away home whenever we have our little talks like this." Discord poofs the sign away so you can continue your journey, but continues to speak his mind. "And as such, this little project along with my little guinea pigs still on the ride will help me figure out just how to configure it to a point where it could be turned into a permanent residence." Discord goes up to you and wiggles his eyebrow. "If you catch my drift."
>Oh jeez, another play on words?
>Well, you wouldn't mind an entire world all to yourself, but with the mimicked energies and general make-up.
>Eh, you'll give it a try, but you'll still prefer Twilight over anything.
>Unless he brings the entire castle here.
>But that wouldn't work for her if it meant living with Discord as well.
>At least that's the general sense of it.
>Now if you could bring Star over here, that would be-nngh
>Discord slaps you again with the cloth from before, pocketing it in his skin before looking at you annoyed. "It doesn't take that long to think Anon. Either you want it or you don't. I'm just being considerate with your, well... results."
>Your results?
>Oh, the chaos tests of sorts.
"What about my results?"
>Discord scratches his head with a hint of confusion and concern before telling you the exact results. "Well, for one thing, you were able to find an 'end' to my chaotic potential pole. And on another, you're claustrophobic. So in terms that you can understand..." Discord poofs in front of you and points directly at you. "Unless you are within Twilight's vicinity. You will sleep here on this world where nothing bad can happen that might lead to some unprecedented complications."
"Such as?"
>Discord gives you a look of pure disappointment before hitting you in the head. "Honestly, I really do hope your head is as dense as you are."
>Ergh... at least your head doesn't consist of metal.
>Just dense fibers and hair.
>That and the forces of unmeasurable chaos.
>... Yeah... he may be right.
>But you're certain nothing bad could happen in your sleep
>Your tentacles are tame... enough.
>... You can control them, that's all that matters.
>You make it past the long bridge and look up at Discord who is currently picking his teeth for something.
"I don't mind the world. So I guess I can live here when it is finished. And when Twilight is not around."
>Discord twitches from that last remark, but is overall happy. "Excellent! I'll tell you when the preparations are finished as soon as it's done so that everything is to your liking. Now, on to other things." Discord snaps his paw, making a sort of spiral contraption for you to walk through.
>"I have a matter to discuss with you, and it mostly involves your understanding on the subject." Discord floats through the middle of it while you walk on it with a slight caution.
"It wouldn't happen to involve chaos would it?"
>Discord smile fills with hope, but soon deflates into a frown. "Ah... as much as I'd love to talk about all the little details, sadly no. It isn't chaos that we're talking about here." Discord snaps again, creating a floating flow chart in the air. "It has more to do with the adjustments that you've been through in order to fit in this world. So mainly, and dare I say... 'feelings', and the 'friends' you've made thus far." Discord was cringing hard from this.
>You could tell them somewhere along the lines, he really didn't want to get into this.
"Are you sure? You seem to be in pain. Maybe you should reconsider?"
>Discord's mouth fills up with air as the words struggle to come out, but it's all in vain as a huge puff of air flies out. "Ugh... if only Twilight wasn't down for the count..."
"Was she really that crucial to the plan you had?"
>Discord huffs. "Psh... as if. Twilight was only supposed to get you through the 'lovy dovy bits of friendship' while I was going to spice it up a bit, but now that she didn't come, I have to explain... ugh... the magic of friendship-hmmmph" Discord gags on his words as you watch him struggle to find more.
>Well that's kind off ironic.
>Ironic.
>Hehehe... you get that!
>Irony, suffering, what's the difference?
>It's all the same really.
>But just so you're safe, you'll help him out a bit.
>You don't want your attitude to make Discord vomit on you instead.
>Karma is a crazy demon that takes sides.
>All except for the one dealt by it.
"Well. Twilight is my mom, so I love her."
>The words make Discord worse as his whole head turns green with nausea.
>"That's... nngh... great and all, but-"
"And because Star is Twilight's pupil, I should love her too."
>Discord nearly double-takes on his lunch. "Ack, wait you got it all mixed-hmmph!"
"And because Elune is my third best. I should give her my love too."
>Discord keels over in a fit of laughter and held-back vomit as he snaps his claw, forcing a metal shield to slide down his throat. "Ah, ack... Ahehem... ahrmhrmhrm..." He breathes in a monstrous amount of air into his throat before he pulls out a loudspeaker and puts it behind his muzzle. "NO YOU DENSE LITTLE DOLT, THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM ASKING FOR!"
>His voice echos throughout the unfinished world as your hair flies behind you from his booming answer.
>Hmm... it lacks the oomph of your enhanced voice, but it sure was something nonetheless.
"So what are you asking for Discord?"
>"Well not your love life for one..." Discord brushes himself off before continuing down the spiral of land, where as you just follow. "I'm talking mostly about your, well... friendships thus far..." He's still having a bit of difficulty with his words, but he still manages to talk. "Like how you... feel... and how you..." And just like that, he drops it. "Ugh, forget it. Maybe Starlight Glimmer would be better with this kind of thing."
"Perhaps. If you struggle this much with it, why bother?"
>This makes Discord light up immediately. "Exactly! Always with the nagging when I'll never be as..." Discord looks at your blank face and pouts. "You're just saying that aren't you?"
>You shrug and continue down the path.
"I do not do things I do not excel at. If I do, there is a chance for failure."
>Discord floats next to you and asks questioningly. "And what if you have to do something you're not good at? Do you give up? Do you push through like a brute?"
"No. If I can do it. I can excel at it. As simple as a question asking yes or no."
>The path spirals inward, leading down the a cloud below with a unique opening.
>A star shaped portal swirls inside of it, shimmering with light.
>Discord hovers on over to the entrance of it and snaps his claw, making the portal shake with intensity. "But what if the answer wasn't what you thought it would be? What if it wasn't that simple?"
"Then I would make it simple."
>Discord teleports next to you and pushes against your cheek with his. "Oh come now Anon! You can't always hope to bend the rules, can you? There must be at least one alternative if things go wrong."
"They have never gone wrong unless I chose them to. Nothing can change that."
>"Well suit yourself then, but remember this..." The both of you reach the portal and head on through. "Nobody likes a yes man."
>Your vision fades to white as the two of you walk through with no lights to surround you.
>Just pure white.
 
 
Chapter 27: Real Time with a Father and his Son
>You walk through the portal and drop down right on your head.
>It's just dumb luck that you landed right on a couch cushion.
>Wait... are you...
>Yes, this is the house back in the chaos dimension.
>You suppose this is where he actually lives then.
>Which also means...
"Discord! Where is the meat?!"
>Discord appears in what you believe is a suit and tie with a pipe in hand and a monocle to boot. "Why I say, somepony is getting a bit eager, but I am happy to oblige." He snaps his paw and a chunk o-aaaahhhh...
>You jump up from the couch and immediately swipe the line of ribs with outstretched hooves.
>He laughs heartily as you tear a sizable chunk out of the it, breaking through the ribs bone and all.
>Some hardy crunching and a swallow later, a satisfied sigh leaves your mouth.
"Aaaaah... I really needed this..."
>Discord's smug grin catches your attention for just a few moments before you continue munching on your raw meal. "You know, such a habit would be considered very taboo to most ponies."
"Well... they can go... kill eachother... for all I care."
>The smirk grows deeper as you looks on in amusement. "So I assume that ferocious carnivore can't get enough blood in his diet can he?"
>Another crunch through the bone and you're now halfway through.
"I have... no idea... what you are talking about."
>Down the hatch and back into the fray.
>Your appetite has no bounds as the chunk turns into a mere fraction, before a single bite is all it takes to finish it off.
>Ah, that was so good.
>Why can't this 'Equestria' have any meat like this?
>If you were to take anything into consideration, it would be Discord.
>An infinite supply of meat sounds heavenly, and you're a bit on edge to try and make some yourself.
>Either way, this stuff is only fit for gods~
"Oh yeah, that's the stuff..."
>Fully energized, you look at Discord with excitement in your eyes.
"Got any more? I swear I can down a few hundred more."
>Discord cuts your celebration short as he blows smoke out from his mouth. "How about we wait on that little proposal. As much as I'd love to watch you slaughter wildlife, I think there are other things we could talk about."
>Other things?
>Like meat things?
>No he just said he doesn't want meat.
>How about other things.
>Such as chaos things?
>You have questions about this new power that you need answering.
"How come you can control your powers but not me? You always seem to get an outcome greater than mine, even though you say that I contain more energy."
>"Well that's simple my boy, I have more experience than you do." Discord poofs the suit away as quickly as it was put on. "Without any long-term experience, you can never 'excel' at chaos."
>Experience?
>Well, you did just get this power today, but you should be getting a handle for it now.
>You did do some practice in your dream, but you're not sure if it'll work here.
>Maybe with a few tweaks, you can properly control these powers.
"How long did it take to get as good as you are right now Discord?"
>Discord ponders for a moment before the relative time could become clear to him. "Oh I'd say about a few thousand years or so, but that's just the fundamentals in order. Now true chaos, that comes through the millennials."
"The millennials?"
>"Yes, and I don't mean those little failures that realize their lives were wasted the day they were born, I mean a group spanning multiple dimensions, all exceeding a birth age of the millions in comparison to other beings." Discord summons a paper and pen and begins to write on it with an odd precision. "As to where I am naturally gifted in the beauty of chaos as a whole, those beings have gained raw understanding through destruction and devastation, much like yourself." Discord turns the paper over to you, showing a shoddy drawing of what appears to be you.
>The little figure mimics a roar and runs around the page like a rabid dog, trying to tear itself out of the page.
>But the image slowly turns black with ink as the image grows tentacles and consumes itself.
>"That would have been your fate. Spending an eternity in a dead space with nothing to do, eventually you'd reach that millionth mark, where the members would finally take you as one of their own. But..." The page is covered with white marker as the little drawing of you reappears, a blank stare on his face as he looks around confused. "Now that I'm in the picture. They'll have to work thrice as hard in order to keep you in their grasp."
>The picture begins to cover itself with more images of black tentacles. "Of course, this would mean that they would be drawing the attention of those around them." The tentacles are erased with an eraser floating above. "Which means that as soon as they decide to make their move, we'll be ready." The image is soon covered as multiple ponies cone from the sides of the paper, with Discord drawn right above the rest of them.
>The paper finishes it's display with a burst of light as six ponies make themselves apparent with symbols on each of their bodies before it bursts into flames. "At least, that's the gist of it all. I've tried telling the princesses about the current predicament, but..." Discord begins to cringe in disgust. "Thanks to Luna's little powwow with Celestia, they believe they can 'change' you for the better. And let's be honest here."
>Discord floats over and looks at you at an arms-length. "Your attitude and feelings can now change, but the real you will always exist." He snaps his paw, teleporting to the side of the room and laying on the chair in relaxation. "Trust me on that Anon. No matter..." He stretches his body to inhuman lengths before returning back to normal, his head falling flat on the side. "-how much a villain can change, their true nature will always lie dormant, ready to take over. And especially!" He stretches his arms up, reaching high to the ceiling before returning them back to his sides. "In your case, Anonymous."
>So... they were actually trying to... convert you?
>You always thought that they would just kill you at some point, but if they just wanted you to join them...
>But Discord, he's made it different for you.
>Now you have people... ponies... who care about you.
>Those beings... the Millinials?
>You've never heard of them before, but if they hold tremendous power on the forces of chaos, then they will do anything to reach you, won't they?
>And if they're anything like you.
>They'll want nothing but destruction.
>By going here, you've cast aside the need to destroy or kill.
>You do not suffer from withdrawal, but you do love the taste of meat.
>In fact, most things that apply to your body are oblivious to the changes.
>Aside from the abnormal stability in your mind, your physical body doesn't react without a sort of force or energy to act on it.
>You aren't sure if that is a healthy trait though, as some ponies tend to use their bodies to talk as well.
>You'd simply stand still until the thing standing in front of you wouldn't be anymore.
>At least you can talk properly now.
>Thanks to those three.
>...
"Are you sure it will be OK that I due not attend school today?"
>"Oh don't worry about any of that." Discord begins to file his claws either out of boredom or relaxation. "Because with all things considered, a private lesson with the Princesses of Equestria and Twilight's very own star pupil would have very little refutes."
"Really? Are these princesses that special? These Alicorns?"
>"Oh without a doubt." He examines his claws for any flaws and continues filing. "The princesses are all Alicorns, representing the traits of all three types of ponies. The strength of an earth pony, the agility of a pegasus, and of course the magic and intelligence of the unicorns."
>Discord glances at you with a smirk. "But their powers are usually overshadowed when it really matters."
"What do you mean by that?"
>"Well, the most they can do is take care of wildlife and minor threats, of which I am generally surprised that Twilight had a hard time with." Discord floats towards you with a sense of curiosity. "Just how big and bad was that little timberwolf I wonder..."
"Well... the size rivaled the tallest trees around us. I had to transform and rip it apart to reach it's core."
>Discord summons a notepad and starts jotting down notes. "I see, and do you know what your mother happened to do before she fell?"
"Well... according to Elune, she fought off the pack before she was overwhelmed with a surprise attack to the side."
>"Hmm... interesting, but not quite what we are looking for. Tell me Anonymous, was she ever fatigued during your travel in the Everfree?"
>Fatigued?
>You think back further, past the time of the fight.
>You left the hut, went through the forest, went up the mountain...
>Twilight was breathing heavily during the trek.
>And now past that, whenever we were walking, she was trying to keep up with you.
>You thought it was because she never really traveled much away from her castle, but...
>He isn't implying that... no...
"Are you saying that Twilight is suffering from a type of disease of sorts?"
>"Perhaps, but we won't know for sure until more symptoms occur. For now, we have to be sure that nothing happens to her while she rests. Which means..." Discord snaps his claw, creating a tiny vortex within his carpet. "We're getting the family back together!"
>You look at him perplexed.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Disturbing those who need rejuvenation?"
>"Oh hush Anon, were only going to check to see if she's OK. As well as make sure no idiotic pony wakes her from her slumber."
>The portal grows in size as it begins to suck up the nearby furniture.
>"Welp, no time to waste I suppose. Come my boy! Your mother needs attention."
"I got it the first time."
>You jump off the couch and stretch like a cat, your abnormally huge mouth revealing your canines with a large yawn before retracting back.
>Discord picks you up after your long stretch and dives into the hole, sucking the both of you inside.
>After the predicted light show finishes, you find yourselves on the outskirts of Ponyville.
>Right in front of the hospital.
>"Here we are! Now to find my little Twilight Sparkle all snug in her bed."
>Looking around, it appears our entrance has drawn the attention of a few ponies.
>But after a few seconds, they just carry on with their day.
>So it wasn't just Discord that I had wrong.
>The ponies don't really seem to care about you much aside from the fact that they always look when something weird happens.
>Maybe you could experience with this new information, perhaps lay a few mines and see what they react to.
>A surprise light show much like the portals you've been going through.
>And if you get results, then you'll know exactly how-nngh...
>You look up at Discord with your face still scrunched.
"Quit doing that."
>Discord floats above you in the shape of a crescent and turns to look at you. "Well maybe if somepony would stop dosing off we could make some progress."
"Urgh... fine."
>You walk to the entrance and open the door to head inside.
>A pony sits inside the front counter, minding her own as she organizes files and papers.
>Guess you're a bit too tiny to notice.
>And it seems that Discord doesn't want to be seen at all.
>Right when you enter huh? And as a little pendant in your hair no less.
>You try to bat at it, but your hair rebels against you as it always has.
>You swear you're gonna cut it one of these days.
>You sigh and go up to the counter.
"Um... hello?"
>The young mare looks over at the entrance and looks at your mane with curiosity.
>"Hmm? Uh... may I... help... you?"
>You put your head up a bit to catch her attention, but she doesn't seem to notice you under all your hair.
>"A... moving mane? A talking mane?!"
"What? No. My name is Anonymous. Twilight's son. I came to see her."
>"Twilight's so-? Oh! You must mean princess Twilight."
>The mare walks to her left and begins to rummage through the cabinets before she pulls out a few sheets of paper.
>Inspecting them, she quickly relays the information with ease. "Just go down that hall over there and take a left. She's on the fourth floor in... D-twelve!"
>Huh... why is she so cheery?
>That and why did she just tell you everything without hesitation?
>Ponies act really odd.
"Uh, thank you. I will be going then. I suppose."
>Your hesitated demeanor goes unnoticed as the cheerful mare continues about her day, even going as far as to whistle with a joyous tone.
>... Something seems off...
>You walk through the hallway and pass a few doctors and nurses before reaching the stairs and oddly enough, they were all smiling.
>Just genuine friendly smiles, as if something had happened that gave them their happiness.
>You walk up the flight of stairs and make it to the fourth floor.
>Looking down the hallway, you see a few more nurses and doctors making their way to certain rooms before you see it.
>Door number D-twelve, sitting only a few doors away.
>And permeating from it's cracks is of course, her strong pink auras of love.
>You walk to the door without interruption and crack open the door, but in doing so, the aura flows all around you, as well as the voices that occupy it.
>"-I gotta admit, I was surprised myself when I heard that Twilight had actually been injured. It just wasn't like her you know?"
>"Heck, if I saw any no-good two-timing varmint laying their hooves on my friends, I'd a been sure to givem the what are.
>"Honestly! How can anypony be that reckless? Does anypony realize how much dirt and filth lies in such a savage place?"
>"Of course you'd be worried about dirt Rarity. If I was there, it wouldn't even have got the chance to say it's sorry. I'd be all like wapow! And take that! Done in no time."
>"Of course you'd say that Rainbow."
>"Wha-Er! Ah forget it!"
>"Hey, get me another black marker, I almost have it all finished!"
>"Oh I don't know about this Pinkie, are you sure Twilight's gonna be OK with this?"
>"Sure! We're her friends after all! And what friend wouldn't draw balloons and streamers and confetti and cakes and-"
>"All o-over her face?"
>"Don't question it silly! Just keep it coming!"
>"A-alright, if it's OK with her of course."
>You... Are completely lost.
>You feel a bit of movement in your hair before a very miniature Discord crawls into your field of vision.
>"Ah, the elements! Can't you smell it? The mass amounts of dreadful love and friendship?"
>Ugh... what a squeaky voice...
"That voice doesn't suit you at all."
>You can't tell from his small figure, but you swear he's smiling again.
>"Oh pish posh, now go in there and see if your mother's OK!"
>Is he serious right now?
"Why can't you go in there with me? Or why can't we wait for them to leave or something?"
>Discord's tiny movements suggest that he's thinking on something. "Oh that's right, these hospital rooms are a bit small for you."
>...
"That isn't the problem here Discord."
>"It isn't? Because I'm pretty sure that the only problem here is your fear of walls."
"Urgh, I don't have a fear of walls you ignorant little snake! Those are her friends out there."
>"Then what's to worry about!? You'll be fine I'm sure."
"But what if something happens to her again?"
>"I'm sure they want nothing but Twilight's health Anon, just go in and have a good ol'bit a bantz like your old man!"
"And what if they act like all the rest of these abnormally cheery or smug or domesticated-anger-management type ponies? The more I meet, the more I feel... alien to their ways."
>"Oh don't worry about all that, just be yourself! I mean, how hard can it be!"
>O-oh jeez...
>Starlight said the same thing didn't she...
>But...
>How are you supposed to act in front of others?
>It turns out not everyone likes your actions, but some do.
>Maybe cherry-pick the ones that do?
>Perhaps, but there's more to this than some... bantz.
>If these are different ponies then, should you act different as well?
>Or maybe if you try and be a bit more... friendly?
>Both of these ideas sound horrible.
>Maybe you should just go through the motions?
>Not if they're her friends.
>All of this makes you want to just get it over with.
>But you don't really want to ignore them.
>So perhaps if yo-"Oh hey! Nonny's here!"
>Wut?
>The door lies right open as Pinkie bum rushes you into a bear hug. "It's good to see you! How've you been?! Have you made any new friends?! Oh, don't tell Twilight about our little surprise OK!? Because we've been working on it since we got in here and woowee was it fun!"
>Was this your fate?
>To be consumed by pink fluff for an eternity?
>You just couldn't help but accept her soft warmth.
"Mmmph, mmmhphhpmhmmhpmm..."
>"Heehee, your funny Nonny."
>Ugh...
 
 
Chapter 28: The Elements of 'Friendship'
>Pinkie Pie snuggles you to no end, and you swear she's trying to squeeze something near your rear.
>But before Pinkie can advance further, a loud interruption comes from a random direction in the room.
>"Ahehem!"
>You feel Pinkie's entire body jolt with energy.
>Her. Entire. Body.
>Like a wave of vibrations, she pulls you in front of her and squeezes you, making your body squeak like a chew toy.
>In front of the two of you sit an annoyed AppleJack, a flustered Fluttershy, a rainbow-maned sky blue pegasus, a purple maned white unicorn.
>And sitting next to your-...
>Why is Twilight covered in marker?
>And a ludicrous amount of marker at that.
>Various colors of marker stream across her face and down to her body, but the rest is covered by the soft white blanket.
>What... what in the fuck is wrong with these ponies?
>And sitting next to her unconscious body is Spike, who looks slightly paranoid by the whole thing.
>The blue pegasus flies over to you with a unique precision before speaking. "And uh... who are you? Don't tell me you invited all the colts and fillies over here."
>"Nope! Nonny came on his own! And boy is he adorable!"
>You blush as her hold on you gets tighter.
"Nngh... Anon... it's Ano-"
>Another squeak leaves your mouth as Pinkie snuggles you to no end.
>"Pinkie! Let go of'em will ya. 'Non probably came to visit Twilight is all."
>"Aww..." Pinkie reluctantly let's go. "But he's so fluffy!"
>"Well he ain't no toy Pinkie, no matter how much that sound he makes bugs me. He's still a pony for petes sake."
>Yes! Finally free!
>Now you ca-"and where do you think you're goin' little guy?"
>The blue pegasus cuts you off before you can even begin to walk.
>Annoying pes-no no... she's Twilight's friend.
>Have to be nice.
"Uh... Hello uhm... can I see my mother please?"
>There! That should take... care of... it...
>She's staring at you now.
>Very intensely.
>W-were those the wrong words?
>You're pretty sure you said that right.
>Then what is she doing?
>I-Is there something on your face?
>Or perhaps she's just weird like the rest of them.
>Yeah that's probably i-"Hmmmmmmmmm..."
>Ok, that was really loud.
>"Spike! Are you sure this is the one that stopped the timberwolves?"
>Wait... is that what she's on about?
>"Y-yeah! He's the one. At least that's what Elune told me back at the castle." Spike adjusts himself in his seat and continues on with his explanation.
>"If I'm correct, she said that 'Anon turned into this giant baddy and beat up the other baddy so there was no baddy no more.'"
>Uh... yeah that sounds like her.
>In any case, am I being interrogated?
>"Turned into a baddy huh? This guy? He doesn't even look intimidating. If anything he's more on the soft side honestly."
>... Your going to-mpph...
>"Soft AND cuddly!"
>"Pinkie..."
>"Oh sorry... hehe..."
>Nngh... so lucky she has a fluffy pink mane...
>You try to walk to Twilight's side, but the rainbow pony keeps getting in your way.
>"Hey! I'm talking to you pipsqieak!"
"I want to see my mother."
>"Well the least you could do is answer my questions first, like how tough were the timberwolves? And uh..."
>You've walked past her during the rant.
>"H-hey!" She immediately flies to your front, blocking your view of Twilight from the side.
"What is it? Can't you see I am trying to see my mom?"
>"Well, yeah, but the least you could do is well, y'know, answer the question?!"
"I do not care to answer at the moment. I want to see Twilight."
>"Ugh... fine!" The blue pegasus flies over to Applejack and crosses her hooves in frustration. "Hmph!"
>Applejack rests a hoof on her friend shakes her head. "Just let the little guy be Rainbow. Ah'm sure that he's the one sufferin' the most right now, being Twilight's colt an all. So givem' some space will ya?"
>Rainbow slouches and pulls at her eyelids in frustration. "But I wanna know so badly! It's not everyday that Twilight gets her flank handed to her."
>"Well, we all know how dangerous the Everfree Forest is. I just hope Twilight's OK, because if she wasn't, I wouldn't know what I'd do."
>"Oh don't worry yourself dear, I'm sure Twilight will be out of bed in no time."
>Fluttershy smiles. "Thank you Rarity."
>The five of them look at you in anticipation for what you might do.
>So... Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity?
>Great, so you have an audience now?
>You aren't really one to entertain.
>Guess you'll just make the observations first.
>"Sup Anon?" Spike isn't too enthusiastic about the whole thing.
>Seems kind of... dead... but not too dead, just sort of five eighths dead.
>The rest is either worry or concern, a mixture of the two.
"Hey. How long have you been here?
>"Eh, bout right after you left for school. Then Pinkie showed up with all her party supplies, but the nurses weren't too pleased as you could tell." Spike points over to Twilight.
"Right. Have you noticed anything odd when you got here?"
>Spike looks at you confused. "What do you mean? Like with the room, o-or with Twilight?"
"Mainly Twilight, since you seem to be the only one paying actual attention to her."
>"H-Hey! We were watching her!"
>That blue one is annoying...
"Just tell me if you've seen any of these traits. Has she taken any deep breathes? Does she struggle in her sleep? Has she ever had any pained expressions on her face?"
>"I-uh... no, to all three."
>Alright, so she hasn't been infected by you.
>It must be something before you came here.
>Which means...
>You look at the other five and motion them outside the room with your hoof.
"I am going to need you all to leave for the time being. Er... family matters I believe."
>"Wha? You can't just-" Rainbow tries to interject, but Applejack shuts her up.
>"Cmon everypony! This ain't our business no more."
>Rainbow pouts, but they all follow Applejack out the door.
>She's a good pony.
>Only regular one out of the bunch.
>As soon as they all leave the room, you sigh.
"Ugh... How do you deal with all those ponies?"
>Spike is even more confused now. "What, do you mean!? I don't have any trouble with them at all!"
"Not you Spike. You seem to tolerate them well enough. I mean you Discord."
>Discord slithers out from your hair and grows a bit bigger in size, but fails to reach his normal mass. "I wouldn't say the word 'tolerate' but, whatever floats your boat I suppose."
>Spike flinches out of surprise and nearly falls out of his chair, but you catch it just in time. "D-D-DIS-!?"
>You reflexively cover his mouth as well for good measure.
>"Oh nice thinking kiddo, here! Let me help." Discord snaps his claw, causing a flash of light to cover Spike's face before you let go.
>Hmm... you wish you could remove Elune's mouth.
>Spike's muffled screaming appears to have gone unnoticed by the outside.
>So there's one obstacle out of the way.
>Discord hovers out of your hair and poofs to normal size, along with an addition of new clothing.
>He pops a donut into his mouth and puts on sunglasses as a baton repeatedly hits his other arm. "Tell me when Anon, I'll be guarding this door with my... self."
>Spike mumbles in an inaudible tone, but it looks like he's trying to tell Discord something.
>Though he goes completely ignored as you motion to the door.
>Discord nods with a grin and snaps his free paw, causing him to disappear.
>You can only assume he's fucking with the door at this point, but whatever.
>You remove the covers from Twilight and see what appears to be the rest of Pinkie's artistic capabilities.
>Random party favors all placed in random patterns around her body, but most avoiding the new and more sanitary wraps around her wounds.
>You thought it bizarre for such acts, but for some odd reason it feels... warming...
>Never mind that, have to get started.
>You crawl up against Twilight's unconscious body and hug her close.
>Her fur is very soft in this spo-no wrong thoughts.
>Her breathing is very steady, and it appears that she does react to your touch.
>A light smile and a pat on the head during her sleep confirms that she isn't infected by you.
>Crawling up against her, you place a hoof to the side of her throat and close your eyes.
>Huh... the pulse rate is... very low...
>Is that normal?
>Certainly not for humans, but this is a different case.
>You'll have to be extra careful with her.
>Perhaps you should have absorbed a veterinarian or two.
>Too late for that you suppose.
>You rise from her fluffed chest and scoot yourself a little towards her thighs.
>You notice the muffled insecurities of Spike in the corner.
>Maybe you should lighten the mood a bit?
"Alright. Let's see how these doctors have been treating her, shall we Spike?"
>Spike raises his arm in protest, but you think of it more a sign to go forward.
>You focus a little on your hoof, and a multitude of tentacles start to protrude out from it, all ready with varying sizes of blades.
>Spike starts to scream, but without a mouth, it's more a hum of terror.
>Either way, it's annoying.
>You extend your hoof out at Spike, making one of the tentacles wrap around and shake him violently.
>He temporarily goes googly-eyed for a few seconds before you can hush him for silence.
"Will you stop that, I am trying to check her health and I cannot do that with such an audible distraction."
>Spike mumbles in various tones before pointing to Twilight defensively and crossing his arms.
"If you do not want to watch, just go near the door, but I have to check her entire body for problems."
>Spike looks down in thought before pointing at the blades on your tentacles and mumbles at them.
"I cannot sheathe them. I need to get to her internal organs before anything goes unchecked."
>Spike then looks at the door and points at it in a furious fit of mumbles.
"I do not need help, and I can't show these powers in public. The ones outside can wait for a few minutes, because nothing is getting through that door."
>Spike ponders for a few seconds before looking at you and mumbling.
>You nod and place him back on his chair.
>Surprisingly, he doesn't move off of it, so you guess he's staying to watch.
>An odd feeling goes over you, but you can't quite catch the name of such a feeling.
>Less than pride... more a sense...
>Urgh, whatever, back to the task at hand.
>As fluid as a stroke on a piece of paper, you sharpen your blades on each other, coating them in black sludge as the blades' metals are worked out.
>A wonderful symphony of metal fills the room before all the blades are coated with the substance.
>Good, now onto the dissection.
>Six blades line her body, all secreting the fluid onto her coat.
>Wait for the fluids to do their work...
>A few more seconds...
>Then like the fluid itself, your blades seep through her coat with no resistance.
>Done, next part might take more effort.
>Focus... need to focus on each one...
>Multiply...
>The tentacles begin to split and phase through themselves before becoming four independent limbs.
>Move... move away... feel the wave...
>They move as commanded, every one moving through her body until an invisible coat of her skin begins to form in the quadrilateral void between them.
>Your starting to see her insides... just a little more...
>The tentacles continue to expand the space until finally, the corners meet on each side.
>More focus... more energy...
>The tentacles in each corner combine with each other, forming a single unit and wrapping around the corner like a thread.
>Then, the reformed tentacles begin to move inward, until they meet each other once more and combine.
>The last combination is formed, pulling the threaded void into the air, giving you a glass image view of Twilight's insides.
>You can't quite tell, but from the corner of your eye, Spike appears to be more than shell-shocked by your powers.
>And considering you've used this only a few times in attempts of torture, it's no surprise to you.
>Twilight seems to be fine, sleeping soundly without any sort of pain whatsoever.
>You look at Twilight's throat for signs of change and switch your views to her stomach several times to see the location of the lunges.
>Strong, healthy, and expanding around her slow pumping heart.
>A large lengthy organ covers some of the organs, but most you can make out the important ones.
>The stomach and liver are healthy with no signs of damage.
>And what you assume are the small intestines and the spleen are working as well.
>You focus on a free tentacle and summon a conscious eye at the end.
>Divide your attention...
>Half of your conscience is swapped with it, allowing you vision.
>The tentacle dives into the glass like jello.
>Upon closure inspection, her organs are still functioning with perfect health, but what about the other side?
>You lightly push through the corners and indents of her body before popping out with proper vision.
>The other side of the lunges is... also healthy.
>The tentacle retracts and your mind wonders to it's own again.
>And now you're finally starting to feel fatigue.
>Actual, body wrenching, fatigue.
>The main tentacle holding the strings together looses it's grip, snapping the strings back into place.
>The gelatin state of her body doesn't cause her any pain, but it does fly back, hitting you right in your face.
>Hrrmmm... at least her internal organs are fine.
>If nothing is wrong with the innards themselves, then it must be through a sort of muscle fatigue.
>Something in her body might not be functioning properly.
>And if it isn't any of her organs, then...
>It isn't anything physical.
>After the liquids materialize back into her soft warm coat, you rest your head on her chest and sigh.
>Looking to her side, you see that Spike seems almost as tired as you are.
>The mimicked motions of panting and relief as he flicks sweat off his brow are fluid and clear.
"Yo-... you OK?"
>Spike nods exhausted and points at the door.
"No, still need my alone time."
>He crosses his arms and raises his eyebrow.
"What? I haven't seen Twilight since... this morning, but that isn't important."
>He raises his arms in exasperation and jumps off his chair.
"Where are you going?"
>He points at the door once more with a furious gaze.
"Discord will not open it for you."
>Spike ponders for a moment before motioning to his mouth.
"If you needed that, I could have taken care of it."
>Spike looks at you surprised and runs up to you.
>You look down at him with half-life eyes as he continues to motion towards his mouth.
>Ugh... you really miss deathwing.
>With as little effort as possible, you raise your hooves up and clap them together.
>The light flashes and ah... too fucking tired.
>"Huh? Hey I can talk again! Wait, I can talk again? You can use chaos powe-!?"
>You cover his mouth out of sheer desperation.
"Too loud. And yes, I have been practicing with Discord."
>Spike's face scrunches before you release your hoof and return to nuzzling mom's chest.
>"Wait a second, practicing with Discord? I thought you just asked permission from Miss Cheerilee to come here."
"Nope. Didn't go to school. Do you think Twilight will be mad?"
>"Well I wouldn't say mad, more like furious. You do realize Twilight's gonna hear about that when she wakes up right?"
"Well, I expected as much..."
 
 
Chapter 29: Emotional Discrepancies
>Spike keeps giving you that look of disapproval, but you ultimately ignore him.
>"Can I let them back in now?"
"No."
>"... How about now?"
"No."
>"Couldn't you do this another time or something?"
"No."
>He crosses his arms and huffs. "Are you ever a nice pony?"
"Define 'nice'."
>"Uraafgh! The more you talk the more you sound like-"
"If I wanted to be an amalgamation of serpent creatures, I would have taken that form long before this."
>"Hrmm... wait... so you 'can' transform?"
"If need be."
>"Then uh... what can you transform into?"
"... What kind of question is that?"
>"I don't know, just thought maybe some pony's being a bit too relaxed you know?"
>You share a neutral stare at the baby dragon before diving back into Twilight's chest.
>You can't really help but be engulfed by her flowing auras as you playfully nuzzle her fur.
>It feels so soft, you can't contain yourself.
>Tentacles grow from your body and pull you closure to her unconscious body, creating a sandwich of love and comfort as you yourself hug around her chest.
>Spike becomes more and more uncomfortable by the second as you enjoy yourself. "Oh brother..."
>You don't quite understand why he feels so, but if it's any indication, it most definitely has to do with mom.
>You raise your muzzle from her chest and lay your head on it's side.
"Problem?"
>"Obviously!"
"Care to explain further?"
>Spike grows more flush by the minute. "Well for one you're... you're... you're cuddling my lifelong friend."
"And that is a problem why?"
>"Well er... it's just... it just doesn't feel right ok?"
"Doesn't... feel right?"
>Interesting...
>There are wrong and right ways to feel?
>As if something would seem off if you felt it?
>Well, you've had experiences as to where it did fit the role to feel, but not when it was the other way around.
"Tell me Spike..."
>You press your head firmly into Twilight's neck and rub against her.
"How does this make you feel? Words and context would be convenient as well."
>Spike furrowed his brow out of disapproval. "You think this is some sort of game?"
"No. I just want to know. I've only experienced these... 'feelings' for a short period. I want to know what those feelings might feel like."
>"That... sounds... weird."
"Is it?"
>"Definitely. I mean, who asks how others feel when they're being undermined by them."
"Well then... tell me how you feel."
>"..."
"..."
>"Ugh... fine. It's embarrassing."
"Anything else?"
>"Annoying..."
"..."
>"... and angry."
"Clearly."
>Spike's lackluster gaze meets yours as you let go of Twilight with a pomf.
"These emotions are interesting to say the least. Telling you various signs through the use of the body. Do they work through the nerves? Is their a signal that sends wavelengths through the body?"
>"And now you're starting to sound like Twilight."
"Like Twilight?"
>"Confusing and hard to understand."
"I am only talking on the neurological level."
>"And you expect me to know what all that means? Sorry, but I'm not a scientist."
"Then forgive me."
>You hop off the hospital bed and tuck Twilight in with a stray tentacle.
>"Where are you going?"
"To continue my discussion with Discord."
>"Wouldn't it be better if you went to school instead?"
"Discord said that any private lessons with the Princesses of Equestria are enough. So I will be going back to the chaos dimension."
>"The princesses? The chaos what now?! Anon, you can't seriously be thinking of going with him, can you?"
"I see nothing wrong. Anyways, I will be going now."
>You walk up to the door and knock on it.
>A vibration of light springs the door to life as it opens, revealing the blinding light.
>Yeah, your eyes won't get enough of this.
>You walk on through as Spike looks on in disbelief before the door closes.
>A zap and a warp later and you face-plant directly into the sofa like before.
"Mmmph..."
>"Oh don't worry Anon, I'm sure Twilight will be fine."
>You get up and throw a pillow at him, but he catches it.
>"So! How WAS my little fiancée?"
"Aside from her friends, their wasn't anything wrong as far as I could tell."
>"Oh really now? It was quite interesting watching from the door, but you didn't actually test her did you?"
"Well... no. I simply checked her vital organs."
>Discord face palms and sways his arms out in frustration. "Oh come on Anonymous! The least you could have done was check her blood."
"I would rather get her permission before puncturing a vein or two."
>Discord swirls around in mid-air before landing on the sofa with you and sending the pillow into a flight path of its own.
>You catch the pillow and place it down between the two of you when Discord throws the one on the sofa right into your face.
>You scrunch and take the pillow off, before receiving another pillow to the face.
"Mmmph..."
>"Well it's your fault for wasting some very precious time."
>You take the pillow and wack him in the face.
"It is not my fault. I may have the straight facts of a human, but I have no idea what ponies might suffer from."
>Discord huffs. "Well that's just dandy. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without such a helpful colt around."
"I was a human. I was not interested in any of the wild life. The faceless would just consume them and moved on."
>"The faceless? You mean those weird tendril-like abominations that roamed that sorry excuse of a planet?"
"Yes."
>"Hmph, figures. How did those things come to be anyways, with there own will and all? Did 'they' just gift them to you like play-toys?"
"In a way. A subject or living vessel has to be brought to insanity before the faceless can take over. Once that is done, they devour any who contain living essence."
>Discord goes into a sort of thinking pose, twiddling with his long white beard. "Hmm, so much like the way you turned and destroyed the timberwolf?"
"No. When I transform, it is to release locks from my body, becoming closer to my true form."
>"True form?" Discord grows a smirk on his face as he stares intensely at you. "Oh do tell Anon, I'm all ears!" Discord snaps his claw, making a large amount of ears to form on his body. "I promise I won't miss a single detail."
>U-uh... that's... weird.
>Weird feeling, he shouldn't look like that.
>And something with the look, dreadful.
"First, you look absolutely sickening. Second, I will not disclose my form to any living being."
>"Oh yes, do go on." Discord takes out a newspaper from the side of the sofa and starts to read it.
>And he isn't even gonna listen?
>What is he doing?
>You stare at him until he notices your crushing silence.
>"Hmm, oh I'm sorry, I just can't help but be bored to death my all the descriptive details." He snaps his claw once again, making all the ears disappear.
>His actual ears have been covered with ear muffs, so you can only assume that those were just props.
"Anyways... I cannot disclose my form to any living being."
>"Oh, one of those mysterious types ay? Maybe I should show you a form of my own, hahahhahahaha!"
>...
"Can I kill you?"
>"Hmhmhm... probably, but you won't if you know what's good for you young man!" Discord snaps her claw, summoning a portal just inches away from the two of you.
>Inside, you can see the desolate land of before in between the cracks and features of light connecting to your old world.
>"I still have the keys and the way back if need be."
>So is that how it's gonna work?
>Mmm... whatever.
>You're still slightly aggravated.
"Listen when I speak."
>"Oh, feisty aren't we? But don't worry Anon, I'm listening. Just a bit bored is all. Kind of a habit around ponies."
"Well I am different."
>"Of course you are. I know that better than everypony."
"Then listen."
>"I'm all-"
"Stop."
>Discord smirks at your serious expression before sighing and laying down on the couch.
>"Lay it on me buddy boy."
"... You call me the weirdest names."
>"Then would you prefer this instead?" He snaps his claw and a record player begins to-"Anon! Anon hey! Hey! Anon! Nonny! Nonnon! Nonnykins! Nonnypoo! Annonnywonny! Supercalifragilisticexpialanonymous! Ano-"
>You smash the recorder into oblivion before it squeaks one last dreadful sound and falls flat on the floor in flames.
>You don't know why it's producing flames, but it'll do.
"Where. In the fuck. Did you get that recording."
>"Oh you know." Discord taps his head, referring to... oh for fuck. "Just the good ol'noggin!"
"And that specific memory why?!"
>"It seemed the most, well... interesting." Discord grins intensely.
>But no.
>He has no fucking idea.
"Interesting? Interesting!? Elune, she went on and on the whole trip back. It was so annoying I tried to zone it out, but then she just kept saying my name to get my attention. Every single time she did it was like a fucking dagger to the spine."
>"Ho, then I take it your new friend was more than thrilled."
>"I'LL KILL HER! I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT I'LL FUCKING KILL HER!"
>You pant in frustration before Discord hovers over to your side.
>"Oh Anon, you can't just bottle up your rage until it wants to destroy, you have to act upon it! Here, let me help demonstrate."
>Discord snaps his claw and the blinding light shows once again.
>When you open your eyes, you're sitting right in the middle of the planet.
>The one Discord said you'd be sleeping on.
>Discord snaps his claw once more, summoning two huge boxing gloves and some padding to cover his face.
>And this time around, you are also fitted in his wears.
>It feels weird and spongy as you lay on it with your fore-hooves, but you guess that's necessary if you're gonna...
>Act upon your rage.
>At least the headgear is comfortable.
>Discord preps his arm in anticipation of a punch, before yelling with all his might and throwing it through the air.
>The punch goes wild as his arm zigzags all over the place before landing into the ground with a thud.
>The arm slowly slithers back to him and he flexes it back to it's original form. "Ah, nothing like a good yell and throw to get the blood a pumping! How about you give it a try!"
"Erm... are you sure? I do not quite understand why I should 'let my rage act'."
>Discord flies over in a discrete sort of way and careens around you like the crescent of the moon. "Storing emotions is very unhealthy, which is why you must expel them when you feel them, or quell them with another means."
"A means such as this?"
>"Why yes, now give into your rage, given! Then shoot it out like a cannon!"
>Ugh, emotions are weird.
>So you have to either express them, or act upon them.
>, Feel them, but you can't control them.
>And furthermore, you have no idea how to act upon them.
>It's a lot harder to respond with neutrality as you would before.
>Now nearly everything fits a need for a response of sorts.
>It's very annoying.
>But then again, that's just another emotion.
>You can't rely on any past experience.
>You can't kill to learn.
>You can't do many things now.
>But...
>You're getting friends.
>You're making progress.
>They don't really fill the void, but they do make it tolerable.
>Oddly enough, maybe... maybe these feelings...
>Maybe you can do something with these new feelings.
>Various new feelings, that of which make you tingle, or cringe, or feel pits in your stomach.
>If only you could find out a way, a way to... utilize them?
>Perhaps.
>It would be the best course of action.
>But what about these elements, and Discord, and this Equestria?
>If only you can find a way to...
>Express.
>Yourself.
>Ex-ex-expre-ex... express.
>The word echoes through your mind, louder than any interactions or thoughts.
>It trumpets above all else, a word of significant weight pressing itself down on your conscience.
>That... that is it.
>To express... emotions.
>Now the word is clear to you.
>A lot clearer.
>You look up at Discord and give him a smirk.
"Thanks, you blubbering oaf."
>Discord is caught off-guard, as well as at a loss for words as you rev up a punch.
>No, one isn't enough.
>You raise both hooves high in the air.
>You have to express yourself.
>You tense your muscles to diamonds and tremble with your thoughts.
>The frustration you felt with Elune... no, that isn't the source.
>You have to dig deeper.
>You found Twilight near death... deeper than that.
>The intense rage... the slaughter... the nothing you felt...
>If only, if fucking only!
"IF ONLY I KNEW HOW THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS FELT BEFORE I SLAUGHTERED THEM! I-IF I KNEW! IF THEY DIDN'T LOCK ME UP! IF THEY DIDN'T FUCKING DO THIS TO ME! THEN, THEN... I! COULD! HAVE! BEEN!-"
>You slam your hooves into the ground, the fury, the wrath, building up from inside you, only to then be transferred to this false-earth's core.
>The piercing black and white energy surges through the entire planet, tearing the surroundings apart in a flurry of cracks and crunches.
>Through the cracks shines death and destruction to all who see it, erupting as volcanoes of raw magics before exploding into gaping holes all across the planet.
>The piercing sound of the earth tearing itself apart echoes throughout the dimension as a duet of deafening cracks and ear piercing explosions sing their songs of relief.
>Then, everything goes silent.
>The explosions stop.
>The light dims.
>The ground shakes.
>The cracks ripple to the forces.
>Then you feel it, from underneath your hooves as they separate from the pulling gravity.
>The earth splits in two.
 
 
Chapter 30: Discord's World
>Your body floats through the empty space as Discord laughs heartily.
>"Great display my boy! I'm sure a few more of those and you'll be just fine.
>You pant in exhaustion as you look down at your display of power.
>That is, before you start to drift in an upward spiral.
>You don't know why, but you swear something is fucking with you every time this happens.
>If only you had the means to balance yourself, or anything to hold on to-...
>You quickly dive towards Discord and grab his head.
>"Hu-what? Anon, what in the world are you up to?"
"Do not worry. I only need a balance."
>"What do you mean? All you have to do is stand still."
"Well it does not work. And I partially blame you for it."
>"Wuh? Why me!?"
"You made this dimension! You should be able to make me not spin!"
>"Well excuse me for thinking your body would function normally in a realm between time-space!" Discord snaps his claw, the light engulfing the entire area.
>Everything is covered until the shine deafens and the two of you are left standing on a new planet.
>You tap it slightly before planting your hooves onto the sphere and sigh.
"So did you have me put on those gloves on purpose?"
>"Well, you could say it was a sort of muffle. Didn't want you destroying the atmosphere or the dimension itself."
"Hey! I am not that bad."
>Discord rolls his eyes. "Says the pony who has yet to show his 'final form' pfft..."
"I do not understand why you find it... funny? But I speak the truth. Many of my forms grow larger, and tend to drive others insane if left exposed."
>"Oh yes yes, I understand the dangers. I just find it absolutely hilarious how they put you inside a barrier."
"I put myself in this barrier. I preferred it as a way to preserve my being."
>"Just like my Japanese animes."
"What?"
>"Oh nothing, but do explain further."
"I thought I already told you to take me seriously."
>Discord snaps his paw, putting on a suit and top hat. "I am taking you seriously, Anonymous. You just don't know who 'I' am."
"What do you mean? You are Discord."
>"And who is 'Discord'?"
"Discord is Discord. What are you on about?"
>He face-plants into the ground, cracks forming in the dirt.
>"Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse."
"Is something wrong?"
>"Yes, very. Your density is rising."
>You scrunch your face.
"I am starting to think that is a sort of insult."
>Discord looks up at you with a thousand yard stare before getting up from the ground and dusting himself off.
>"You know, maybe we should go check up on the Princesses."
"Did something happen?"
>"Oh yes! Something terrible, we simply must go right away before they become mincemeat!"
>Is he still using sarcasm?
>You can't quite tell.
>He wouldn't joke about danger would he?
>Yet he doesn't really take anything seriously.
>You wish he'd take you more seriously.
>Discord snaps his claw, summoning a portal to what you think is his version of Equestria.
>A look inside and all you can see is colorful pastel colors filling your vision.
>But before you can examine further, Discord pushes you in from behind.
>"Good luck!"
"Wha?"
>The portal sucks you in, causing you to fall towards the ground.
>You quickly gather your surroundings and land on all fours.
>Errwoah?! The floor...
>The floor bounces up and down, as if it absorbed your shock.
>After it comes to a stop, you finally get a chance to look around.
>The sky is less than pleasant, with torn land and chunks of water floating around.
>Even though gravity is still here, it isn't for the sky.
>Contorted houses lie everywhere around you, some spewing... eh... chocolate.
>While others are chirping like birds, and some get up and walk around like people.
>Tipping their ceilings to each other, they pass by like carefree lawmen.
>Not many ponies can be seen.
>Well, except for the one that keeps flipping her lips and making that odd yet infuriating noise in the distance.
>And is she... yes that pony is flying.
>Much like the helicopters that you would chew apart by the blades.
>You have an odd feeling to hit her with something, and now it's more than just the noise.
>But the pony moves into a nearby house filled with cool whip, disappearing into the sugary substance.
>Weird.
>You get up, but are pulled back down by the ground.
>"Love me."
"What?"
>"Love me, then I shall let you go."
>You stare at the ground, which has now turned into a gigantic face, his visage spry and gay.
>"Love me!"
"Uh... umm... sure."
>"Thank you kind stranger! I shall now release you from your bonds!"
>You get up and dust yourself off.
>This land is weird, but it is Discord's... interpretation.
>You just have to find Star and the others.
>... You like the name.
>You walk past most of the houses without much trouble.
>Just the occasional house walking their sheds and the streets moaning for cleaning.
>Which you don't really know how to do, because it keeps jumping off the ground and curling up like a snake when you try.
>Guess you'll just have to move on.
>Looking around some more, you notice a sort of deformed town square.
>In the center of it is oozing pink fluids of an odd sort.
>You think you're gonna avoid that.
>Hopefully these houses won't complain.
>All they've been saying is hello and good morning.
>That and the occasional get off my lawn.
>Taking that in a literal sense confuses you.
>What would be considered the lawn on your body?
>Maybe the stomach?
>Or maybe it's their clothing.
>Wait why are you trying to figure out house anatomy?!
>You jump over the path of ooze and opt to land on top of the town hall.
>But instead, you're sent floating past it.
>Weird, it's as if the sky has it's own gravitational pull.
>And now you're in the middle, floating endlessly across.
>No, no please...
>Yep, you're spinning again.
>Why does your body always do this!?
>You try and wave yourself in the opposite direction, but it only adds to the momentum.
>Urgh, blast this infernally small body.
>Looking around at the ground, you can see the entire state of Ponyville.
>The ground floats on a platform in space as the mountains and rivers below form a sort of unity of chaos.
>The sky swirls inward around the clumps of land, attempting to keep the impromptu earth intact.
>And right in the center of it all is the torn bastardized version of what you can only assume is Equestria.
>And rotating around it are many gravitational rings of rubble and debris from the chaotic destruction that must have occurred here.
>And further out, like eyes defining a face, are the sun and the moon.
>They seep flames and tears from themselves as the actual form of a face starts to make itself apparent.
>Equestria moves upward to the middle, while the rings of rubble fly out towards the bottom, along with the platforms of earth.
>The face is jagged, with many noticeable holes and cracks, and the tears of the sun melt whatever earth forms around it.
>And as the so-called mouth opens for it's introduction, what instead comes forth is the loud booming weeping of a child.
>Tentacles form to cover your ears, but the voice is high-pitched and strong, so you opt to deafen yourself.
>The tiresome display of emotions is quite bizarre.
>You're starting to question whether this is a dream or not.
>The face of the astral contorts to a more condensed form before exploding with vigor.
>A new face is formed and this time, it has a more serious nature about it.
>Caves of earth have formed to create the eyes, the whole of Equestria stripped like a wrapper.
>The mouth is a sort of oceanic surface with mist and clouds covering it like a woven beard reaching all the way to the head of the cosmos.
>You return your hearing and uncover your ears to look at the face.
>You can't tell, but you think it's looking at you.
>...
>You wave your hooves, but it doesn't respond.
"Uh... hello?"
>"FLABBERJACKS!"
>... That was really loud.
>"YOU! MORTAL! DO YOU POSSESS THE FLABBERJACKS?"
>Again, really fucking loud.
"What is a flabberjack!?"
>"DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME! I AM UNIVERSE MUSTARD OF THREE PIES!
"W-What?!"
>"I CHANGE MIND, BRING ME TART!"
"I don't have any tarts!"
>"THEN TO THE GUILLOTINE WITH YOU!"
>Wait, were you just sentenced to death?
>"NEVERMIND, BRING ME BAG OF ETTES!"
"A bag of what!?"
>"ETTES! BRING ME-... I CHANGE MY MIND!"
"Stick with one thing you pillock!"
>"I SHALL DO WHAT I WISH! AND I WISH THAT I WILL WANT ONE THING!"
"That doesn't me-"
>"STAR! BRING ME! A STAR! I SHALT STICK WITH STICKS FOR STAR! BRING!"
>A... star!?
"Can you tell me where I can find Star!?"
>"DO! MY NOSE ITCHES, THEREFORE STAR IS THERE!"
>... You'll take it.
"Thank you! I will bring you Star... but you can't have her!"
>"STAR A PRETTY!"
"Good for you giant face!"
>The face er... smiles?
>It's nostrils widen and a very weighted force starts to pull you in.
>As you fly towards Equestria, you begin to notice flashing lights in a certain part of the unwrapped ball.
>Well that might be a good sign.
>Now you have a chance at finding them.
>You finally make it to the spiral of land, the force now quadrupled in power.
>When you finally reach Equestria, you land with a rough pound.
>Eck, even Equestria has a weird feeling in it's earth.
>Somewhat like a mix of rubber and fabric.
>Whatever, where are they?
>The lights appear to be coming from... there!
>You run across the odd landscape and follow the spurs of light until you're finally able to reach it.
>And the scene is... quite...
>"Nyurufufufufufufu~ hit me hit you can't hit me nyurufufufufufufu~"
>A giant octopus extends itself across the majority of the surface.
>Celestia, Luna, and Starlight have all taken to the air, firing bolt upon bolt of magic.
>Though, whenever a bolt hits the creature, it bounces off like a trampoline.
>"Gah... hah... how long... has it been... Sister..."
>"I would say... at least... three days... and three nights..."
>"Still... no progress!? Hah... what is... this thing... made of..."
>"Perhaps... we should rest... once more..."
>The three of them lower to the ground and slump in exhaustion.
>You're slightly worried that thing will attack, but it appears to be toying with them really.
>"Nyurufufufufufufufu~ rest well friends, hopefully you can kill me soon!"
>You walk up to them unnoticed and watch their banter from only a few meters away.
>"Ugh... why is this thing so powerful?"
>"Discord was a creature of tricks and deceit, but this is beyond even our understanding.
>"Yes, who knew Discord had such a light side to him."
>Celestia chuckles a bit before returning to huffed pants.
>"This isn't a time for games Sister... we must defeat this creature before time runs out."
>"I agree with Luna... but how are we supposed to defeat that thing? We've tried nearly everything... and none of it has worked... and now we're just too tired to even do a dent to it."
>Their little quarrel is... interesting to say the least.
>Maybe this is what those beings were doing in order to find ways of defeating you.
>Now you can tell just how fruitless their endeavors were.
>But...
>Now you're here.
>Just like that beacon of hope.
>That you slaughtered.
>Hopefully it goes the other way this time around.