Pound and Pumpkin Tales 2

by Never2muchpinkie


11-3: Nega

Twilight landed nearby the Mayhem clone, folding her wings. “Hello there,” she said brightly to catch his attention.

“What do you want?” he asked grumpily. “Here to lecture me some more?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I wanted to apologize for being so aggressive before. I shouldn’t have handled myself in that way.” She sat down. “Let’s talk.”

“What’s there to talk about? I gave you what you wanted already, didn’t I?”

“I wanted to ask you who you are. Despite being a new creation you seem to believe that you’re Mayhem. You referred to his friends as your friends. The only real difference between you is that you have a lot of aggression towards him.

“You seem very confused, and in your confusion I think you’re acting in ways you shouldn’t.”

He stared at her for a short while before an odd look came to his face. “I… I am… I’m just…”

He couldn’t seem to finish. He looked distraught.

She closed the distance between them, giving him a hug. “I understand. You don’t know yet. You don’t have an answer for me because you’re still trying to figure it out yourself. And that’s fine.

“Why don’t we start things off the same way we started with Mayhem? He talked about how Fluttershy helped him start to develop an identity with a hug and a name when he first came out into the world.”

She pulled back, looking into his eyes. “I’ve given you a loving hug. Would it be alright if I gave you your own name? We need something to call you if you can think on your own. This way you can start to distance yourself from Mayhem the same way he did with Discord.”

She could see something stirring inside him, most likely his memories of Fluttershy. He nodded.

She stared at him thoughtfully. Fluttershy said that she gave Mayhem his name because it complemented his nature and it symbolized his connection to Discord.

She didn’t know enough about his nature to define him by a name, though she could certainly think of a name that defined his connection to Mayhem.

“What do you think about the name Nega?”

“Nega?” he said.

She nodded. “Appearance-wise you’re identical to Mayhem, except your colors are inverted. It’s like looking at the negatives of a roll of film. However, naming you Negative sounds insulting, so we shorten it down to Nega.”

Unlike Mayhem, he didn’t jump up and proclaim his joy. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

“If you don’t like it then let me know. The only living thing I’ve ever named was my owl, so I don’t have a lot of experience with it.”

“Your mom knows that all too well,” he said with a little chuckle.

Twilight grimaced as another of Mayhem’s memories surfaced in the little draconequus. She sighed and chuckled.

“I like the name, Twilight. Sorry if I’m not celebrating like he did when he got a name.”

She rubbed his head. “That’s okay. In the end you’re not Mayhem, so I can understand you not having the same reactions as him.

“I’d like to ask you a question, and I want you to try to stay calm when you answer.”

“Okay,” Nega replied.

“What is it that you have against Mayhem?”

He immediately glared, the usual reactions happening whenever he thought of Mayhem.

“Please, Nega,” Twilight pleaded. “It’s fine to be mad, but stop letting yourself fall into using dark magic. I want to hear it from you why you’re angry at him.”

He hopped up. “You want to know why I hate him? It’s because he’s a despicable monster that should never have been brought into the world!

“He’s caused so much pain and misery for so many ponies. He nearly killed you and all your friends. He nearly killed his own friends. And before that he tortured them, treating them like toys.”

“I acknowledge all of that, but aren’t you out of date? He’s turned over a new leaf.”

He floated up to her height, pushing his head against hers. “So what! I don’t care! Okay, so he can now make things out of popsicle sticks and wood and the other stupid things he’s learned. It will never make up for the past. Attempted murder doesn’t just become okay because he learned some hobbies, and trying to ease boredom or feeling too superior to lose are never acceptable reasons to try to kill someone.”

Twilight took in a slow breath, gently pushing him to put some distance between them. “I won’t even try to argue against that. What he did was not okay, and he did cause a lot of pain for others. However, he’s done so much good since then, especially for Spring Meadow, Sweet Pea, and their families.”

“That still doesn’t make it right.”

***

The other children were all looking at Twilight and Nega. “So,” said Pound, “what do you think they’re talking about?”

“I can’t really hear anything,” said Flash. “They’re too far away.”

“Hey, Mayhem?” said Chocolate.

“Yeah?” he responded.

“So… is that it?”

“Is what it?”

“The day we met Twilight said that your normal state is like a harmless kitten, but when you get too bored you turn into a tiger.

“Obviously you haven’t been bored recently, but that thing sure seems like it thinks it’s you and it’s full of darkness. So is that the Tiger Mayhem she told us about?”

Mayhem turned from Chocolate to Twilight and Nega. “Is that what it really is? The bad me inside of me that hurt my friends?”

Masky put a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. “If that’s true… then if we defeat it in this game then you’ll never ‘turn into a tiger’ again.”

Mayhem felt distaste looking at Nega. “Sounds good to me. Let’s crush him!”

***

“Let me ask you something, Nega,” said Twilight. “If you refuse to forgive Mayhem for the past then what does that say about what you think about me? I’m the one who chose to pardon him.”

Nega stiffened, a cold feeling going through him.

Twilight grunted in pain as Nega suddenly gave her an uppercut, sending her to the ground.

Almost as soon as she landed Nega was pulling her up. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, Twilight! I don’t know what happened.”

***

The other children gasped as Twilight went down. Most of them were about to get involved to protect Twilight, but Flurry used her magic to pull them back.

“No!” she said strongly. “Don’t get in the middle of things.”

“Why not?” Pound said angrily.

“Aunt Twilight can handle this. If you go in there and start making a fuss you’ll make it harder for her to settle things.”

“Come on!” said Tree Leaf. “He just attacked your family. Don’t you even care?”

He shrunk at the glare she gave him. “Of course I care! But I don’t want to let my temper get the better of me. She’s more than capable of dealing with this. Now just be quiet and wait.”

No one argued with her. Tree Leaf’s question had angered her, and she looked ready to blow if provoked again.

***

Twilight rubbed her chin before focusing on the child before her. He looked horrified.

She wasn’t angry, but the fact that he had actually attacked her meant she had to take things a little more seriously. “What do you mean you don’t know what happened? You hit me right after my question. So you’re willing to hurt others that associate with Mayhem or treat him favorably as long as it wouldn’t result in death?”

“NO!” he said, shaking his head hard. “No, no, no! I love you, Twilight! You’re like my mom. I would never hurt you intentionally!”

“So what happened? Am I supposed to accept it was just a coincidence?”

“I just… started feeling so angry and upset all of a sudden, and all I could do was lash out. Even if I don’t agree with you pardoning Mayhem I know that’s part of your job. I’m not mad at you for that.”

Twilight gently bit the end of her hoof. If Nega was telling the truth then what did it mean? He suddenly felt emotions that weren’t his?

She turned her head slightly to look at Mayhem. ‘Does this mean,’ she thought, ‘that this connection goes even further than I thought? If Nega has a Sombra-like power it’s not surprising that Mayhem is being affected and feeling his past mistakes. But this connection seems to be working in reverse too. Nega is experiencing and being affected by Mayhem’s feelings as well.”

She closed her eyes. ‘Something about this feels very familiar, but it’s escaping me at the moment.’

She opened them, turning back to Nega. She could see the clear regret on his face for harming her. ‘This could actually turn into a benefit for me if I work this right. There’s still much I don’t understand, but the time for study should come after the other children go home. Less chance for collateral damage that way if things go south.’

“I don’t know if I believe you,” she said out loud, putting some iciness in her voice. “Why should I forgive you?”

His mouth drooped, and he looked like he was about to cry. “B-b-but I really mean it. I love you, Twilight!”

“I don’t know. You’ve been very uncooperative, going against what I stand for. Unlike Mayhem, you don’t behave like someone I’d consider family.”

“J-just because I hit you once? Spring Meadow did that to you, and you still helped her.”

She shook her head, glaring at him. “No. Not for that. I can overlook that. I’m talking about carelessly getting innocents involved in your grudge.

“I don’t think anyone should resort to violence just because of a grudge, but if you must then you should direct it only at the one you’re angry at. You, Nega, were willing to kill everyone around Mayhem just because they were in the way and standing up for him.”

His eyes widened, shock crossing his face.

“And what if it hadn’t been your friends that stood up for him? Then you wouldn’t have stopped and others would have gotten hurt.

“In the end, you’re no better than the Mayhem you’re angry at. The both of you acted selfishly for your own interests, not caring about the harm you’d cause to others.”

He tried to respond, but he couldn’t.

She let him stew for a little while.

After a minute she said, “I’m willing to give you another chance like I gave to Mayhem, but you need to do something for me.”

“Anything!” he replied instantly.

“Your hatred is dangerous. You may have pulled yourself back at the last instant, but so long as you’re ruled by that hatred you’ll always be a danger to those you care about.

“What I want from you is to give Mayhem a chance to redeem himself to you.”

His temper flared up. “I refuse!”

“Then there’s nothing to talk about. I won’t offer forgiveness or relate myself to someone who submits to evil.

“I won’t deny that Mayhem committed heinous, wicked acts during the superhero adventure, but at the end he realized how much evil he was responsible for, and sought repentance for losing himself.

“I think the children said it best. You can’t ask for forgiveness for an action while still committing to do the same actions that hurt others in the first place.”

“Are you saying I’m not entitled to my feelings?” he said, glaring at her. “That, if I don’t feel the same way you do, that you’ll wipe them out?”

Despite his angry expression he still flinched when she raised her hoof.

She set it gently upon his shoulder. “Your feelings are your own,” she said kindly. “I certainly don’t expect you to follow everything I say blindly, but what benefit does your hatred have? Does it feel good to be consumed by such terrible feelings?”

She lifted her other hoof, pulling him into a hug. “I don’t want to force you to obey me or threaten you for disagreeing. I want to come at you with love and see you do better, just like all the other villains who redeemed themselves.

“You’re more than just a lump of hatred, aren’t you? You have feelings for all of Mayhem’s friends.”

When she pulled back she saw tears coming down his eyes. “T-T-Twilight… it hurts! It hurts so much inside! I just want the pain to go away. I don’t know why it’s just him, but I feel like it will finally stop hurting if I just get rid of him.”

‘He… he has all of Mayhem’s inner regrets and feelings inside of him,’ she thought sadly. ‘In a way, he’s cursed. Cursed to be the embodiment of all the pain Mayhem felt for attacking his friends. It’s no wonder he’s so aggressive.’

Once again she had a rush of déjà vu, sure that she had seen something similar to Nega before.

“Ah!” she cried out, blinking as the memory revealed itself to her.

Nega was almost exactly like the Tantabus, Luna’s creation to give herself nightmares.

‘The Tantabus never spoke,’ she thought, ‘but Luna told us enough about it to understand its motivations. After she was brought back to normal by the Elements of Harmony Luna created something to remind her of the pain she caused by creating horrible alternate futures in her dreams where she wasn’t turned back to normal.

‘The purpose was that if she ever forgot about that pain it might lead to her acting in the same way as before. However, after months of feeding on all her guilt and pain it grew strong enough to start to rebel. It invaded other dreams to give them nightmares before it attempted to infiltrate the real world.

‘We managed to stop it before it came to that, but if Nega is functionally identical in purpose…’

She bit her hoof, her stomach burning. ‘If Nega is another Tantabus then if he continues feeding on Mayhem’s negative emotions he’ll-”

“Twilight?” came the concerned voice of Nega. “Are you okay? You’re scaring me.”

She looked down at him, seeing his innocent expression, so reminiscent of Mayhem.

She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. She couldn’t stop tears coming down her eyes as she pulled Nega into a hug.

‘What am I thinking?’ she thought mournfully. ‘I can’t just give up on him. I have to work on him right now before the corruption takes hold like it did with the Tantabus.’

She wondered about the Tantabus. She had only seen it as a bad thing, but she couldn’t help but be curious about its true nature. How sad must it be, to be created for the sole purpose of harming others? Even if it was self-harm, absorbing so much self-hatred and loathing would corrupt anyone.

She had seen it so many times, the way others lashed out and performed bad deeds simply because their inner pain was so great the only thing they could do was lash out.

If she followed that train of thought, maybe the reason the Tantabus slipped out of Luna’s control and began to act on its own was because its thought processes corroded with time. It constantly punished Luna on a nightly basis at her own request for the sake of keeping her in line, to keep her memory of her bad deeds of the past fresh in her mind. Perhaps it sought to do that with all ponies.

If it had actually escaped into the real world then it could have caused untold suffering. The only thing that deprived it of its power was Luna confronting her guilt and seeing her true value.

That’s what Mayhem and Spring were attempting to do in wanting to fight Sombra. They both wanted to finally conquer the darkness that had clouded their hearts for so long.

She pulled Nega back, still seeing worry on his face for her unexpected emotional breakdown. “Nega,” she said, her voice a little shaky, “I want you to answer one question for me.”

“W-what, Twilight?”

“What do you think you’re going to accomplish? Even if you’re successful in getting rid of Mayhem what would you do after that?”

Seeing Twilight looking so vulnerable stopped him from getting angry like he usually did when Mayhem was mentioned.

“I… I don’t know. I just… I just…” His expression grew pained, crying along with her now. “I just want it to stop hurting, Twilight! I can’t take this pain inside of me.”

She found herself thinking of the Tantabus again, wondering if it felt the same. Besides being created just to cause pain for another, having to suffer the burden of someone else’s worst pain was a horrible thought.

She hugged him to her again. “Nega… do you really think that’s going to accomplish anything? Revenge may feel good in the moment, but when the satisfaction of ‘winning’ fades… what do you have left?

“It would have been the same for him. After Mayhem got his victory and the feeling of winning faded, all he would have felt afterwards is misery and guilt for wiping out so many of the people he loved.

“If you got rid of Mayhem for good you may feel like justice was served, but you won’t get any true happiness out of it. I think Flurry said it best that the feelings you come at others with perpetuate more of those feelings.

“You can come at Mayhem with hatred, and possibly destroy him, but then what of everyone that surrounds him? What about Spring Meadow, who took this journey with him? What of Fluttershy, his mother figure? What of the rest of his friends?

“Even if killing Mayhem got rid of all the current pain inside you it would just be replaced by new pain. Everyone who cared for Mayhem would despise you. In the end you’d be no better off.

“Please… let this love reach your heart.” She hugged him tighter. “Don’t be consumed by the darkness.”

He hugged her back, still crying. “I… I can’t, Twilight. I can’t forgive him.”

“Can’t you give him just one chance? For me? That pain inside you will never go away so long as you’re committed to harming others.

“I’m not asking you to overlook everything he did right away. Like Mrs. Cake, give him the opportunity to prove himself to you.”

She felt him start to shake in her hooves. “Will… will the pain finally stop if I do?”

“Not all at once. But if you and Mayhem work out your feelings towards one another you’ll start to feel much better.”

He started to sob, holding her tighter. “It hurts, Twilight. My heart feels so heavy. If… if you say that it will make it stop t-t-then I’ll… I’ll give him one chance.”

“That’s all I’m asking. Thank you.”

“If… if I lose here then maybe… maybe he really will be ready.”

“Maybe. However, there’s one more thing I have to ask of you.”

He pulled back, wiping his eyes. “W-what?”

“Don’t let him win. Whatever the results it will come to nothing if both of you don’t push each other to the limit and give it one hundred percent. After all, Mayhem pushing the others led to the strength of their friendship magnifying. It allowed them to create the Fire of Friendship and gave Flurry the strength she needed to accept her destiny and acquire her cutie mark.

“It’s the same thing here. Even if you’re hoping to lose you can’t compromise that by giving it any less than your all. If he can’t defeat you at your best then clearly he’s not ready to vanquish the darkness and both of you will continue to suffer.”

“Okay, Twilight.” He looked around awkwardly. “Can… can I have one last hug before we start? Even if it’s only pretend I’m going to have to play a part I hate and act like I’ve turned against my friends.”

She gave him a warm smile and nodded. “Of course.” She held him to her. “The two of us know all those ponies over there well. I truly believe in my heart that they’ll lead us all to victory. By the end of today I truly believe you’ll be freed of the burden you’re carrying.”

He let out a little sob. “I sure hope so, Twilight.”