//------------------------------// // This isn’t like last time... // Story: Is this how it ends? // by Slick Dash //------------------------------// We sat in the living room at the back of Rairity’s boutique. I wanted to know everything that had happened to make the platinum unicorn fall for the once little dragon. Over the space of an hour she mentioned how caring and devout he was to her. How she could always rely on him, and after mine and Rainbow Dash’s relationship it made sense. “You two proved species isn’t a boundary! And when the suddenly ‘Adult’ Spike came ask asked me out on a date, it just seemed...right.” She lay for hoof on Spike’s leg affectionately, watching them didn’t make me feel sad. It just made me miss Dash even more. I wanted to go and find her, but was held back by what Discord had said. Was there a reason he had said not to see Rainbow straight away? Or was it all just for his enjoyment. There had been so much he hadn’t told me, and by the sounds of it, he had done a lot of damage to my friends while using my face! After a while, I felt nature calling. “Don’t suppose I can use your bathroom can I Rarity?” She waved to a door in the back of the room, headed towards other rooms of the building. “Of course darling! Feel free!” I got up, brushed the cat fur from the sofa off of my new wonderbolt-like uniform, and left the room. I found the bathroom easily enough, the tiled floor reflected the light from the hallway back up at me harshly. The room was dark, remembering what had happened only a few hours ago when entering a dark room, I groped along the wall for a light switch. I found it, I flicked it up. Nothing happened. Was there another switch further along the wall? I slowly made my way into the room, groping through the dark searching for something to relieve me of all this gloom. In the dark, unable to see anything, my mind began to wander, and the voice grew stronger. ‘So how does it feel? Knowing you USED sompony’s feelings for you to get what you wanted? You’re just like that little tramp back in there, flinging her power over others to get whatever she wants! You’re no different!’ I still couldn’t find another switch. “That’s good, if I’m like Rarity then that’s wonderful, she’s the form of generosity! AND SHE’S NOT A TRAMP!” silence for a minute. My hand finally found something, it was flat and wide and dipped in the centre into a basin. I’d found the sink. I grabbed the tap and turned on the cold water, splashing it over my face and calming myself down. ‘Yes she is generous...’ the voice began again. ‘She goes and makes gifts for you all the time! And do you do anything for her in return? NO! You just take, and take, and take. No wonder they haven’t taken you to Dash yet!’ I looked up into the mirror at my barely illuminated face, there was only a small sliver of light coming in from the hall through the open door. “W-what?” I suddenly saw what the voice was speaking of. My friends all knew I would want to see Dash before anyone else, but none of them had offered to take me to her. Or let me go and see her alone. Was there an actual reason for that? No one had mentioned her to me yet, why? “You’re making this no fun!” Said a voice from behind me. The door slammed shut, and I was plunged into complete darkness. I turned quickly, holding onto the basin for stability. I searched the dark to find a hint of who had spoken. Not that I needed any help, I knew who it was. The light, blinked on suddenly, and a pair of red unsymmetrical eyes stared straight back at me only an inch away from my nose! I pulled myself back with a gasp, I couldn’t move far, the basin pushed into my back stopping me from backing away from the Draconequus that stood before me. He looked at me thoughtfully, “What’s changed?” The question made no sense, was it to me or to himself? “...why?” he pondered. “You caused so much mayhem last time you came to this world, but this time!” He looked disgustedly at me as he stood up straight. “This time, there’s barely anything! A chase across town, a little shouting match with the stupid purple unicorn, knocked to the floor by a scrawny dragon, and NOTHING FROM SHOWING YOURSELF TO RARITY! Why is it so different?! What are you doing differently that means I get no chaos?!” He sounded like a pouting child who hadn’t gotten his way. I glared up at the Chimera, his look turned to one of shock, “What a terrible look! What could I have possibly done to deserve such a thing?” He dropped the charade and leant in smirking. “So how much have you figured out?” I didn’t break eye contact with him once, I simply glared at the creature who had twisted the lives of me and my friends unbelievably out of shape. “Well...” I began, my voice shook with quiet rage, but I tried my best to keep it in check. The Draconequus clicked his fingers, and was engulfed by a plume of purple smoke. When it cleared –after much waving and coughing on my part- I looked to the ground to see a little baby version of Discord, his thumb was in his mouth, and he sat on a small multicoloured rug that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Story time, I get it, Not very funny! I fought the urge to stomp on the little creature’s head and end it all now. Taking a deep breath, I continued. “Well, after I died in this world, you decided it would be fun to pose as me. You took my form, and spoke to my friends and made them think I was alive.” I stopped, I really didn’t know anything about what had happened! That was all I KNEW, the rest was only guesswork. “Then... then once you messed with their head enough. You escaped because of the chaos you made from their confusion?” I ended with more of a question than a statement. The little baby Draconequus rocked back and forth, he took his thumb away from his mouth with a wet ‘Pop.’ “Gee mister, you wealy don’ know what wealy happonded does you?” The sarcastic baby voice was too much! I sent an arm down to the ground, and grabbed hold of the child by the throat! I swung my arm to the wall and took the infant with it. It hit the wall hard and made a nasty crunch! The illusion broke, and I was staring at the normal adult chimera. I snarled like a rabid animal “Enough games! What did you do?” The draconequus smiled as my hand kept a firm grip on the fur of his throat. “An answer for an answer my dear boy, does that sound fair?” I knew I’d never get a straight answer from him. So with a sense of foreboding, I nodded slowly. “Well?” the chimera purred. “I did ask you first. What are you doing differently from the first time you came here? Why aren’t you making the chaos that I can’t do for just under another a century?” I didn’t release him, but my mind did wander. There wasn’t any chaos like previously. Yes Mac had misunderstood who I really was, but that was confusion not chaos. Making Twilight look into my eyes was what won her over, Spike’s instincts and trust were what got him to believe it was me. Rarity was the same! Why was it so easy to bring myself back into the world? “Because...” I thought aloud, “Last time, I didn’t know what I was doing. They were all strangers and I didn’t feel comfortable in this world a lot of the time...” The Draconequus looked at me with genuine interest, so much so he hadn’t even taken action on my hand around his throat. “Then... when me and Dash... I...” I looked into the creatures eyes, my expression resolute as the realisation hit me. “I realised I belonged. You yourself said, the universe knows I belong now, so nothing is stopping me. My friends know me this time, they realise I’m being honest with them! That’s the true meaning of BELONGING! It isn’t some unwritten law for you to bend to your will, its knowing that when you return, everyone will accept you! That’s why this isn’t like last time!” I finished my rant, and the chimera looked at me oddly, was that expression pleasure? Or was it mirth? I couldn’t tell. I pulled him from the wall slightly before ramming him back into it! “NOW! TELL ME WHAT YOU DID!” The creature raised his eagle hand, and pressed his fingers together. Yet another snap. My head Felt as though it burst into fire from the inside! I released the Chimera, and fell to the floor clutching my skull screaming! Discord brushed himself off, and while admiring his talons he said drolly “Don’t fight it, it will hurt a lot more if you do!” I doubted that very much, but I stopped pushing my hands to my skull, and stopped trying to focus on him. I let my mind go as much as I could in this pain. Images flashed through my mind at great speed, though I couldn’t register them all, the general story was clear. Every detail of the last year poured through my mind in a manner of seconds. And when the images stopped, and my vision returned to me, I knelt there panting as though I had been running! “All better now?” Discord asked, before adding in an undertone, “Spoilsport!” I knew what had happened now. He hadn’t just twisted the memories of my death, he had CAUSED MY DEATH! Fire began to rise inside my belly. This creature standing before me had pretended to help me get home. He made me pity the very being that had murdered me! That wasn’t what made me angry though, the images that made me truly mad were the ones of Dash. He had used my face, to tell her to attack and try to kill the princess of Equestrian night; Princess Luna! He had acted just like me, seduced my beloved Dash, using her memories to create a mindset that made her feel that Luna was to blame for my death! No wonder Big Mac had attacked me, if I had been in his place I would have outright murdered me the second I set foot on the farm! I stood, my hands balled into fists. Discord scoffed, “Oh the ever so intimidating human! What can I do?! I obviously must repent for my sins before I feel his wrath!” He didn’t bother with any of his over the top melodrama, he simply said it all in one bored tone. He knew I couldn’t harm him, so did I, but I didn’t care! “You!... Turned my Dash... into...” The image of Dash ramming her fist into Luna’s face flashed before my eyes. “Into something...She’d despise!” The chimera made a little curtsey in acknowledgment. I swung a fist at his face; I felt my knuckles touch the tips of his fur. Then nothing! Then The solid wall behind! He had vanished again! I turned to find him now standing in the centre of the bathroom. “I do that to everypony in some way or another my boy, it’s my job, I’ve explained this to you. Why are you so angry about Dash being used?” He was obviously goading me, but in my rage, I didn’t realise. I took a large step towards him and screamed at the Draconequus. “Because I love her!” I ran to him. “AND YOU DID EVERYTHING WEARING MY FACE AND IN MY NAME!” Another pop, and Discord had vanished again. I looked around, but couldn’t see him. There was a knock on glass from behind me, I turned to see him yet again. This time he was inside the mirror, ONLY his reflection was there. He himself was nowhere to be seen. When he spoke, it sounded just like when people spoke to me throw a closed car window, muffled, and with a slightly robotic tinge to it. “Well, now you know. But knowing what happened is only going to make it SLIGHTLY easier to bring everyone back to loving you. I was only curious as to what had changed inside you my boy, I never really have understood the concept of ‘Belonging’ because I have never really belonged anywhere... Now you’ve told me, I can promise you that you won’t see me again. You used to be fun to watch, but now you don’t cause any chaos I find you tedious and dull. But I still only brought you back out of a debt. Goodbye old boy, enjoy your life in ponyville. Don’t go and die again!” He winked at me one last time, and coiled into a ball. The ball continued to coil into itself until it was the size of a pinprick. Then with a flash of light, it vanished completely leaving me alone in the bathroom, now knowing all that had happened, and now knowing why so many ponies here would hate me until I proved who I really was. He was right; this wasn’t going to be easy!