//------------------------------// // Stuck in the middle // Story: Happy Go Lucky Me // by Chemtest //------------------------------// My prancing down the roads continues more and more, still not reaching the town. I have attached another bell, so I ring out every time I move. In the middle of my playing, I realize something. I hold the party to a stop, and look around, “Is it just me or is the amount of random changes decreasing?” Some ponies start to think, only to come to the same conclusion, “The chaos seems to be retracting into a specific point!” I can see what he says is true as the landscape around us all seems to flee to a centeral point, “Huh, wonder what that means?” The pony who spoke before starts to cheer, “It means that we can go back to normal again!” Normal? Who wants to go back to normal? Normal isn’t fun, normal isn’t music, “What about our songs?” The pony looks around, “Well, we have all gained marks of music, so I guess we will continue to do that. You can play with us, Tim, we can make a band!” My party of ten all make noises and nods of agreement, “Wow, thanks. I think I might take you up on that offer, if fate allows.” The ponies all smile, “Then the Jesters are formed!” I smile along with them, “Yes, indeed, the Jesters are formed!” I nod, and hold up my ukulele, “But we shall spread our songs until then!” “Yeah!” We pick up our instruments, and are about to travel onwards, but I see Celestia and Luna crest a hill in front of us. I smile at the two of them, “Hello again, Celestia, Luna, are you still sure you don’t wish to join the Jesters? We always look for more friends!” Celestia smiles back at me, “It is nice to see you again, Tim. I’m afraid we do have to recline your offer, we still have a job to do.” Luna jumps up, “‘Tis true! We have found the Elements, and Discord now flees with his chaos!” Chaos is fun, chaos is music, this chaos is paradise. But will it make my fellow Jesters happy? No, I just not allow my thoughts to be corrupted. I smile at them, “Wonderful job you’ve done, then! Go ahead and defeat him, if you must.” Celestia smiles at me motherly, “Well, since we’ve run into you, we can offer you to come with us. We would love to have you on our side when we cast Discord down. Laughter might be Harmony right now, but I cannot sense the mark of a Disharmony Element on you. I can sense an Elements magic, but it seems confused. You could very well throw the entirety of the world into Harmony by joining us against Discord, becoming a seventh Element for the first time in history!” Harmony? People cannot make unique music under Harmony. The discord of our music goes against that entirely! But my friends want it. They say this will make them happy. But I cannot fight, that’s not fun, I’m not a violent man! But it will help them won’t it? But... I cannot bring myself to attack the one who gave me the ability to create the Jesters. I’m not a betrayer, I’m not a monster who seeks out a fight. I’m a harmless musician, a Jester, I cannot do this. I slowly shake my head at them, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t bring myself to attack someone. I will just continue on as I am, a non violent musician. I wish I could bring myself to go, but I cannot attack something like Discord, he’s the one who granted me my gifts. I give you my blessing, and good fortune, but I cannot go.” Luna fluffs up, and takes a deep breath, then Celestia interrupts her, “That’s fine, I understand. As long as you don’t help him, you should be fine with us. You are a musician as you say, so I won’t call on you to battle anymore.” I smile, “Thank you, Celestia. Good luck.” She starts to walk, and smiles as she passes me, “Good luck in your goals as well.” I can feel a weight added onto my hat as the amount of bells comes to five. They both walk away, and I start to walk with the Jesters, “Come along, we shall bide our time until this is over.” The others all nod, and pick up their instruments as we start to prepare to move again. Then I hear a snap, and Discord appears right in front of me, “Oh, Tim, I need your help!” I shake my head, “No, I’m sorry, but I cannot help with defeating the two sisters. I will just journey on.” Discord snarls down at me, “Excuse me? Did you just say you wouldn’t help me?! After beta I’ve done, you refuse!?” I nod, “I will not fall to violence. I am a musician, not a warrior.” Discord growls, “If you won’t help then you don’t deserve your freedom!” He reaches down, and hold me up by my throat, “Discord, don’t!” He pushes magic through me, and I can see my jesters clothes turn grey, “You have done only a horrible job, Tim! You will get ponies to have fun!” His corruption spreads throughout me, and I hit him on the side of the head with my ukulele. He drops me instantly, “I told you not to do it!” He holds his head where I hit it, “Oh, now you’ve messed up! I think it’s time you earned a punishment!” I two hand my ukulele, and whack him in the chest, bending him in half, “I don’t see you smileing, Discord, you’re not having fun are you!?” My mind starts to slip into something else as Discord rights himself, “Well, I must say, that actually hurt!” I somehow will my ukulele to have an axe head on one side, and I charge Discord again, “Where’s the fun now!?” I chop Discord in his torso, and leave a huge cut, “What the Tartarus!? You cut me! That’s not possible!” I kick Discord so he flops down onto the ground, and aim at his neck, “I’ve always wondered what a so claimed ‘gods’ blood would look like. It will be fun to discover!” I’m only stopped by the voice of one of my Jesters, “Tim, stop!” My mind is slowly returned, and Discord uses this to teleport away. I will my ukulele back to normal, and look back at the pony, “He’s managed to corrupt some of me, but not all. We must continue on with our song, it shall ward away the corruption.” And the bells were changed to become eight.