//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 - Fangren // Story: SunLight Sliders: Infinite // by Amber Spark //------------------------------// Discord. Sunset knew the proper name for the Chaos Gods was 'draconequus', of course; what self-respecting dimensional traveler didn't know that? But the first one she'd met – the one from her home world, in fact – had called himself Discord, and so the name had stuck with her and remained constant in her mind even when nothing else about the race did. Appearance, motives, personality, and every other trait imaginable; no two Chaos Gods were ever exactly the same. Granted, their names did repeat quite often – only so many chaos-related synonyms to go around, after all – and she'd met at least three wildly different 'Discords' on her travels already. The particular specimen currently towering over her with a mirthful smirk on his pony-like face was... massive, to say the least. A whale-like body and tail supported on four pillar-like legs of what appeared to be an elephant and bear in front, badger and duck in back, tapering into a serpentine upper body with the right arm of a human – no, the digits were wrong and it was covered in coarse brown fur; a monkey – and left of something black and chitinous and insectoid with three rigid-looking hooked claws at the end of it. His head was fairly normal in comparison, gray-skinned with a curled ram's horn growing from the left and some kind of colorful fish fin from the right. He flicked a long, forked tongue in eager anticipation, and stared down at Sunset with cat's eyes. “Well!” he said in a slick, oily voice. “Well, well, well. I imagine our two guests must be filled to the brim with questions for one as illustrious as myself. Well?” he looked at Sunset expectantly, beckoning for her and Twilight to stand up. “Get on with it! The sooner we get through this, the sooner we can talk about what you're actually here for.” “I... I-I..,” Sunset heard Twilight try to say. She looked over to see her on her knees, legs splayed, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, raising a single trembling hand as though she were in some kind of classroom. Guess she's never seen one of them before, Sunset thought to herself, staring more at her current companion and frowning as a thought occurred to her. Wait, something's wrong with this picture... Twilight's hand curled into a single finger thrust straight at 'Discord', and her sputtered words changed shape as well. “Wh... wh... who are you? What are you?” His grin widened. “Well! I,” he drew himself up to his full height and rested a loving claw on his scaly chest, and only then did Sunset realize just how impossibly huge the room they were in was, filled with marble pillars stretching up to a ceiling she couldn't see and stained glass walls that seemed to loom up from the horizon, “am Discord, the One and Only.” And then suddenly his neck-body was arcing down towards Sunset in a curving spiral until his head was level with her and he gave her one of the cheekiest winks she'd ever seen, saying, “Accept no substitutes!” “Wha... that...” she heard Twilight try to stammer and Sunset looked her way just in time to see her grit her teeth, the spectral spectacles blazing around her eyes. “That answers who you are,” Midnight said, “but not what you are.” The demand in her voice went unspoken. She was rewarded with her previously-outstretched finger becoming Discord's neck and head, bending back towards her with a smile on his face. “Why, I'm your friendly neighborhood Spirit of Chaos, of course!” “Gah!” Midnight cried, wildly shaking her finger – Discord dissipated from it with a puff of flower petals, leaving an unharmed digit behind. Midnight regarded it with a blank face once she realized it was back to normal, then turned a scowl back towards Discord. Sunset registered a faint snickering from next to her, and turned her head to see Daybreaker – still wearing her armor, she noted – with a hoof to her muzzle. “I hope that answers your question?” Discord asked, now somehow behind Midnight – or had she been the one to move? – and craning his neck over her. She growled at him and finally stood up on two legs, and that's when it finally clicked for Sunset. “Wait, why is only she a human?” she asked, baffled. She heard Daybreaker snicker again, and turned her head. “Took you long enough,” she told Sunset with an infuriating smirk. “That is strange,” Twilight remarked, brow furrowed as she looked at both Sunsets. “Every world before now we've always been the same species. I thought that was just how it worked.” Discord snorted, and popped himself behind Sunset. “Well, rules are meant to be broken, isn't that right my little thief?” he said, reaching down and tussling her pigtails to her annoyance. And then he was gone, or rather he was a pattern in the floor tiles – a mosaic of color in a sea of black and white. “In this world, everyone simply iswhat they are, or rather, what they were born as. Quite the refreshing change of pace, is it not?” “Makes just as much sense as everything else that's happened today,” Twilight replied, deadpan. “And isn't that just grand?” Discord said, rising out of the tilework entirely though still keeping his mosaic appearance. “No,” Sunset said, also deadpan. Discord pouted. “Well, no matter.” He blew into his monkey-thumb, inflating himself back to his original size and texture. “Any other questions? I happen to know quite a lot of interesting secrets, you know.” “As interesting as that sounds,” Midnight said, practically hissing as she crossed her arms and glared up at the titan, “I'd prefer to know what you want with me so I can get it over with and go back to doing what I want to do.” “Oh, well that's simple,” Discord answered, resting his head in his monkey's paw and his elbow on his other arm. His upper body shortened, or perhaps retracted, as he bent down to look more closely at her, and after a moment of appraisal he said “Very simple, I think. The name of the game, as I'm certain my darling little student has told you-” his paw suddenly detached itself and reappeared patting Daybreaker on the head- “is Capture the Twilight. And you, my little shadow archetype, are the only one both resistant to that aggravating alicorn's mental prowess and powerful enough to pull it off.” It was at that point that Sunset realized that Discord's face and voice had morphed into Midnight's, and unnervingly she couldn't recall exactly when it had happened. Midnight seemed just as unnerved, but only for a moment; a smirk appeared on her lips shortly after, and she said “Good to hear. Unfortunately, I know from experience that even if I can overpower her I can't do that and take care of her groupies at the same time.” “Well, only two ways around that,” Discord replied, visage back to normal and long upper body craning around both sides of Midnight at the same time. “Either get on her good side and stab her in the back when she's alone,” said the Discord on Midnight's left. “Or set up a distraction to lure her little sheep away,” said the Discord on Midnight's right. “It's your choice.” Then both Discords were gone, and then Discord was under Midnight, rising up with her on his head. Mid – no, Twilight – yelped in fear, and Sunset glared at Daybreaker when she snickered again. “Luckily, we have plenty of time to work out the-” he stopped abruptly and his whole body suddenly spasmed, bending and twisting at painful-looking angles- “kinks in the plan.” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly Twilight was standing next to Sunset, and Discord was in front of them. “Well then!” he said, his tone and expression suddenly jolly. “Was that satisfactory, Miss Sparkle? Care to sort out the finer details with me? Perhaps over some nice tea?” He pulled off his ram's horn and used it to pour tea into a porcelain cup he'd produced from nothing. He offered it to Twilight, who stared into the liquid as wide as her head and grimaced. “Umm...,” Twilight said, biting her lip uncertainly. She'll say yes, Sunset thought. I know she will. How couldn't she? She's a Twilight. Besides, it's not like Midnight seems interested in stopping her from rushing recklessly into battle against an incredibly powerful foe that honestly isn't her responsibility to do anything about. That's... pretty much what Twilights always end up doing. Even... Sunset looked up; she knew Twilight – the one she was with now – had said something to Discord, was looking up at him with a resolute expression, but she couldn't work out what. All she could think about was her Twilight, what had happened back then, where she could possibly be now... The realization struck her like lightning, and she silently cursed herself for not recalling Adagio's words sooner – clearly, Sunset was getting soft. She glanced at the Talisman hanging around Daybreaker's neck, and felt a fire reignite inside herself. “Hey!” Sunset barked, striding forward without fear, her gaze locked on Discord. He looked back at her with an amused expression. “I just remembered! You know where my Twilight is, don't you?” Discord grinned, and shared a look with his equally-grinning disciple. “You really aren't very quick, are you?” Daybreaker said. Sunset glared daggers at her. “Whatever. Just take me to her, and I promise I'll do whatever it is you want.” “Ooh, I've been waiting for this part,” Discord said with a quick and giddy clap. “And since you've been so generous as to pay up front, I think I'll take you there right away!” He raised his paw, and snapped his fingers. Sunset found herself – as well as Daybreaker, Midnight, and Discord – on top of a grassy hill. It was almost stereotypically scenic; cool wind, cloudless blue sky, mountains in the distance, and hints of a village in a valley to her right. Even the quaint little cottage standing in front of her, although the satellite dish sticking out of the roof was a little jarring. At least she had a killer mohawk now, if her brief feel-around of the top of her head was any indication. Plus Midnight was a pony again. “Oh, Twily-poo!” Discord leaned forward and practically sang at the front door. “Guess who's here to see you!” It wasn't even a second before a unicorn appeared in front of them in the telltale puff of teleportation residue. She looked up at Discord with excitement on her muzzle, saying “Boss! It's-” She was exactly as Sunset remembered her, from the notch in her left ear to the mane cut short so it wouldn't get caught when they were on the run. Even the angry glare she leveled when she caught sight of Sunset was familiar, as was the bitterness in her voice as she spat out, “You.” In that moment, Twilight was all that mattered to Sunset. She didn't notice the looks that Daybreaker and Midnight were giving her, nor Discord's smile. Just the mare in front of her, the hair rising on the back of her neck, and the fire raging inside her. “Yeah. Me,” she spat back, taking a step forward. “You've got a lot to answer for, Twilight!” Twilight let out a short, bitter laugh. “Oh please! Don't act like you're the innocent victim here! My brother had to seal himself away because of you!” The rage in her eyes and the pain of the memories it drug up was enough to stop Sunset cold, but the words she heard next were enough to stop time entirely. “Twily? What's wrong?” Five pairs of eyes whipped as one to the cottage doorway as it opened, revealing another Sunset with her mane tied back tight and an apron that read 'Cooking with Sunny' on the front. She fell silent, staring dumbfounded at the party assembled on her doorstep. Discord was the one who spoke first, and Sunset could hear him smiling. “Well! If it isn't a double dose of universal reunions! I never would have guessed." "Wait, really?" Daybreaker said, because Sunset was too confused to do so herself. "Yes indeedily!" Discord replied, practically giddy. "Two thieves from one universe," he said, swirling around Sunset and her Twilight before changing course to circle around the other pair. "And two ex-humans from the other!" Sunset looked at Midnight and the other Sunset, who were now staring at one another in open-mouthed shock. "What."