A Shadow’s Grave

by Pinkies Imagination

Deal or no deal?

Chapter 41: Deal or no deal?

I sat in complete darkness for what felt like hours. I began getting restless... but at the same time had no feelings or emotions whatsoever. After an unknown length of time... I felt a presence near me. I began regaining feeling in my body very slowly. All of a sudden there was a large rush of energy through my body and all of my emotions and feelings came back all at once... The dominant emotion at that time was... of course... fear. I began flailing around... Or at least I think I was... until a very familiar voice made me stop in terror.

"Ah... good... finally awake I see?" Said the voice.

'That voice... it's so.... familiar....' I thought searching for an answer.

Everything lit up in an instant. I was lying on the ground in my human form (Wearing clothes thank god) feeling very dazed. I lifted my head to get a look around. I was inside a small room no bigger than a prison cell with white tiled walls. Including tiled floors and ceilings. All of these resembled the style used in one of the popular games of portal. I didn't know where the light source was coming from but everything was lit up. Not one shadow, not even under my own foot. Other than myself, the only object in the small room was a single chair in the very center. As I noticed this giant red letters forming the words... 'Please take a seat' appeared on the opposite wall to me with a large red arrow pointing to the chair. I hesitantly moved forward. As I reached the chair I inspected it. It didn't at all looked trapped. So I sat. The moment I was sitting the craziness began.

The ceiling disappeared revealing an infinite darkness. I looked away feeling sick from my momentary glance. But it didn't help. The walls of the room fell away. Sort of like a box that had been cut in the corners and all the sides are falling away. As it did I tried to move... but something was forcing me to stay put. When the walls reached even with the floor they disappeared along with the floor. The chair continued to float. Then it lurched forward and began sailing across nothingness. As it went I began passing little transparent panels. Like large panes of glass. Then they all lit up. Each of them revealing a different moment of time in Equestria. But they weren't just any moments... they were all moments of me coming to Equestria and every last thing I had done after that. All of them. Every second like it was recorded. All was in third person view. No sound. I sat there watching the passing moments until I heard a voice.

"I see you like my little collection?" Said the voice.

I hesitated for a moment.

"Ho- Wh.... Who are you....?" I asked being afraid of the answer.

As I finished that the chair stopped in mid flight. All of the panels moved together and made a very large sheet of glass. At least the size of a full building. On them appeared a very familiar being.

"Discord's the name... wreaking chaos is my game." He said with a signature smile.

I stared at the colossal being for a moment in awe. I shook myself out of the state and looked up to him.

"What do you want?!" I shouted to him.

He playfully covered his ears in pretend agony. "Ouch! No need to yell. I want to make nothing but a simple request. A deal if you will." He said.

I raised an eyebrow. "I am not answering anything until I figure out what's going on here!" I said, looking at the chair that was floating in... nothing... with me on it.

I looked back at him. I saw him roll his eyes. "Alright alright fine..." He said snapping his fingers.

As he did all of the panels disappeared and he appeared floating in front of me. My chair disappeared as well. Panic set in before I realized I was standing on a platform that was no bigger than my feet... also floating in nothing.

"That's not any fucking better!" I said to him in my deluxe 'Imma kill u' stare.

He rolled his eyes again. "Ugh... FINE." He said faking annoyance. He snapped his fingers again and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The smoke looked a lot like a trollfa-

POOF

I lost my train of thought as I appeared in another room... This time it was HUGE. And I mean HUUUGE! It had the same design as the other. There was only one difference. There were a few boxes of something colorful laying on the ground and bouncing all over the place were strange substances of many colors. I walked over and picked up a box. I immediately dropped it. As It hit the floor It changed into another gooey ball and bounced off. I heard a laugh behind me. I turned to see Discord holding in laughter. I gave him a VERY annoyed look.

"... alright.... the infinite blackness on a chair.... I can handle that.... now infinite blackness on a small platform... kinda if-y.... but Gak.... Gak is just a strait out 'fuck you'...." I said looking at him with hatred.

He shook his head and waved his hand at me. "Oh... you have a terrible sense of humor!" He said snapping his fingers again.

All of the abominations disappeared and we were left in the room alone. I looked at him as silence fell among us. After a moment he shrugged.

"Well?"

"... well what?" I asked.

"Are you going to take a seat?" He said.

"What are yo-" I stopped as I noticed the chair beside me.

"Ha ha.... fuck you." I said stepping away from it.

"Oh never mind... on with the conversation." He said smiling.

He began pacing. "I have been keeping an eye of you for quite a while now." He began.

My mind drifted back to the panes of glass. "Ya no shit." I said back.

He gave me a look of annoyance, clearly he hates being interrupted. I shrugged and he went back to pacing.

"And I have noticed something that you have that is of great importance to myself." He said.

I waited for a moment before speaking. "And what's that?"

He stopped and looked at me with a smile. "Trust." He said in a sickening grin.

I felt my body go a bit cold after he said that. I knew this can only end badly.

"Trust? I don't know... I get a lot of hating on myself." I said back.

"Not from what I've seen. I've seen you have made close friends with eight very important ponies. Especially that yellow one... Fluttershy isn't it?" He asked.

I nodded slowly clenching my jaw.

He smiled and continued pacing again. "So I'm here to make you a deal."

I shook my head. "Forget it Discord... I'll never do anything to hurt my friends!" I said back.

He stopped and smiled. He turned towards me and turned his paw and claws into a square shape. He pulled them away from one another and it formed a strange blue bubbling... thing. It looked 2D but was floating in mid air. The best way to explain this is... yet again... imagine a portal in that game that isn't linked to another.... (Here is an example of WTF I'm talking about) I raised an eyebrow at it.

"What's this f-" He cut me off by raising his hand up.

The inside of the portal... thing... obj- FUCK IT I'm calling it a portal! All of the portal except the ridges of it began to swirl quickly. When it reached it's top speed (At least I think so) It went transparent. But when I looked inside the portal... I didn't see the other wall of this room. No. What I saw made my eyes go wider than they had ever gone before. I was looking at a house through this portal. But it wasn't just a house.

It was MY house.

Not my house in Equestria... my real home. On earth. It was a simple white painted house with a nice driveway and a decently sized lawn. The only other detail I could see was the car that was pulling in the driveway. As it stopped the doors opened. Out stepped my mother and father. My mother was a wreck while my father was showing no emotion whatsoever. Now that I'm seeing this I take a better look at the house. The lawn is overgrown. The house itself looked dirty along with the car. And the telephone pole close to the house had a fairly sized 'MISSING' poster on it. I couldn't tell from the distance... but I was sure the picture it held was me. I felt a tear fall down my cheek as I watched my parents walk inside the house. I had seemed so happy here in Equestria. But deep down... I always wanted to find a way home. To see my parents again. But when I had gotten that letter from Celestia that bore the terrible news I was forced to move on...

>>>Some time between my house being constructed<<<

I was walking to the library hoping to find some nice reading material. As I walked up to the door I knocked.

"Just come in! It's a public library!" Said the voice inside.

I shook my head. "Ya... sorry... still find it hard to believe you live in a library..." I said opening the door.

I saw the last of Twilight rolling her eyes. I went up to ask her about any recommended books when we heard a belch. Spike came in with a scroll. As he handed it to Twilight he looked at me.

"What's up bro?" He said.

"Nothing much... just looking for a book." I said back.

Before he could say anything else a scroll began floating in front of my face.

"it's... for you... from Celestia." Said a confused Twilight.

I raised an eyebrow but took the scroll. I began reading it in my head.

"Greetings Chris James,

We are sad to inform you of our recent discoveries while testing our magic in the creation of portals. Unfortunately we're unable to conjure a portal strong enough to bring you back to your own world. The only reason Twilight did was because that's what the spell chose to bring fourth. We cannot force it to undo it's decision. Both me and my sister are truly sorry for this sad news. We hope you may understand.... again... we're truly sorry that you can't return. There's only ever been one being able to bend reality to his will. And he's too unstable to even attempt freeing... so until next time...

Celestia"

As I finished the letter I closed it. I held in any tears that were building up.

'So I guess this is home then...' I thought sadly.

'I'm so sorry mom and dad...'

"Are you OK?" Asked Twilight.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Y-Ya... I'm OK." I said nodding.

"I-I'll see you all later... I need time alone to think...." I said as I walked out of the Library.

>>>Present time<<<

As I snapped back to reality I noticed Discord's face literally in front of my own. I jumped back in surprise.

"Gah!" I yelled as I jumped.

Discord threw his arms in the air. "Ugh... FINALLY!" He said with mock boredom.

I regained my footing and looked back to him standing beside the portal, still showing my house.

"So. As I was saying before you rudely stopped listening... I'm here to make a deal. I have the power to give you anything. So here's your part of the bargain. I'll send you home so you may see your family again. But it cannot be permanent. Something is continuing to forbid that from happening. It'll last an hour. Now before you say anything... let me say this. Your parents have been falling apart since you left. They've searched non-stop for you. They're of the verge of losing their jobs and home. Basically everything. If you could see them again and tell them what had happened... it could save them. If not... well... then anything that proceeds will be your fault. Your mother has already attempted suicide!"

I flinched as he ended that statement. I didn't want to accept... but I wanted to see them so badly.

I paused for a moment before speaking. "And what do you get in return?" I asked.

He smiled again. "Oh me? Nothing of course. I'm going to... however... give YOU something." He said.

I once again became confused.

"If you accept than I'll send you home for an hour. And when that time is up... and you come back, I give you my powers for a little while. Let you do whatever you want... seem fair?" He said grinning.

'I know I shouldn't trust him... and there's probably something hidden in all of this... but it doesn't make sense'

I shook my head. "So wait. I get to go home for an hour... and for your part of the deal I get YOUR powers for a test run?" I asked.

"Correct."

I scratched my head. "Bu- I- Wha... huh?!" I said even more confused. "What if you're lying? What if this is just a whole scheme to get me away for some reason?" I said back.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine... I give you my powers as I send you there. And in return taking away my own. But keeping my own invisibility and immortality." He said back.

I thought it over. "Do you promise not to do ANYTHING bad. Not ONE thing while I'm gone? AND not do anything that causes problems to my friends or any of Equestria?" I said.

He smiled again and placed a paw on his chest and his other claw in the air.

"I swear on my own life that I, Discord, shall not cause anything in anyway that will create any kind of problems in Equestria while you are gone and when you come back." He said in a cheery tone.

I narrowed my eyes and stared into his own. As he stared back. After moments of silence... I made my decision.

"Deal...." I said.

He grinned, almost evilly, and motioned towards the portal. I got right in front of it and began going through, only to stop.

"When I get there I'll have your powers, and you won't do anything bad?" I asked.

He nodded.

"What if you break your word?" I said back.

He looked at me sinisterly.

"I may be the lord of chaos... but I never... I repeat.... NEVER break my word." He said back.

As he finished saying that a watch appeared on my wrist showing 1:00:00 I looked back at him.

"This here will start counting down when you get into your world. When It reaches zero you'll return to Ponyville. Just outside though to avoid suspicion." He said

I nodded and looked back to the portal. I closed my eyes for a moment thinking over everything that had just happened. I still couldn't find anything wrong with the deal. I pushed the thought away and opened my eyes. I looked at the portal leading home. I took a deep breath and braced myself.

'Here goes nothing' I thought as I stepped into the portal.

As I did it sucked me in and I went soaring through a swirling blue tunnel. Just as I was nearing a bright light at the end I heard a voice from far behind me echo through the tunnel.

"See you soon...." He said in a dark voice.

Then I reached the light and I felt blind. A few moments later I opened my eyes I didn't know were closed. I noticed I was on a street. I looked up and saw something that made me want to run at top speed in joy.

I saw home...