//------------------------------//
// Mental Belle 
// Story: Chaos Mark Crusaders: RotE Episode 8 
// by Dream Volt 
//------------------------------//

	He was getting annoying.  I looked over my shoulder to see a relatively small Discord following me.  It was still a little taller than a pony if his feet were on the ground, but it was much smaller than normal.  Scootaloo had been right about one thing.  There really wasn't much he could do.  According to Twilight he might even be extra powerless against us specifically.

"Oh come now, you can't blame me for that, now can you?"

"I can and will.  Rarity said it's the most hideous piece of clothing in existence, and I agree with her.  Also somehow it ate up almost all of her most valuable cloth."

"Well it's not my fault.  I mean my magic is chaotic true, but something that horrendously ugly takes a clear and ordered vision.  You can't get something that bad randomly."

"So now you're saying it's my fault your magic messed up?" I spun around to glare at him

"Oh no, I'm saying you have no talent and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near any sort of visual medium lest you create something of a similar horrific nature.  That doesn't mean it's your fault my dear, after all you were just born that way."

I glared at him.  He just smiled back.  Scoots was right about it being super easy to use so with a thought and a bit of glow Discord was suddenly a little foal even younger than me.  He looked pretty adorable and I smiled.  He then stomped a hoof, then after a short wait did it again.  He tried to get his horns to light up but they just didn't.

"I'm stuck like this?  But I hate being a pony and…"

"Well that will make you think twice before you try to trick me again."  I then spun around and walked off in a proper huff.

"It's not my fault you have problems."  Then he smiled.  "Of course I could fix that."

I spun back around.  "What do you mean?"

"I mean there is only one way you could lock me out of my own limited power.  You have my mental abilities."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with helping me?"

He face hooved.  "Because my dear, just having my power has already helped overcome the normal weakness of foals, but what you really want is to change your mind."

I glared at him best I could be he didn't react for some reason.  "I know what you did to my sister and her friends and…"

"You don't want that?  Pity, but expected.  Also I said you have those abilities, not I.  You would decide what to do or not do.  You don't have the experience to do much right now, but with a little guidance I could help you."

"Like you helped with that dress?"

"Oh this would be much better.  So what do you say?"

I paused.  I was getting pretty good and making stuff into other stuff, but if I was really just broken maybe with his help I could fix myself.  But I had to be really careful.  Messing about with minds sounds really dangerous.

"Maybe.  What do I have to do?"

"Just focus on entering your own mind.  A unicorn spell would require a great deal of knowledge and study, but for you it should be as simple as can be.  Oh, and make sure to take me with you."

"Well that does sound easy enough."

I focused, my horn glowing.  Then I felt really sleepy, but before I could lay down we were both somewhere else.  Discord looked like his normal self again.  It was the clubhouse, but I could see the interior of Rarity's boutique out the window.  There was a bunch of weird junk on the floor.  Including Scootaloo's scooter, Applebloom's bow, a pile of Rainbow Dash figures, various random vegetables, and a ball of green cheese that looked like the moon.

"Ah, a wonderfully chaotic mind.  Come with me my dear, what we're looking for is clearly elsewhere."

"What is all this stuff."

"Everything here represents something.  The little multicolored figures are all the random facts about Dash Scootaloo is constantly spouting.  I imagine the pile is far larger than it appears right now."

I laughed.  "Yea."  Then blinked.  "Hay, I still don't know what you want me to do?"

"We are simply going to unlock a bit of potential.  See that is your problem, you don't really have the imagination to be a good designer.  At least not yet."

"Oh, that does make sense.  I mean you said I had no talent but I know I do just like my big sister."

"No, you don't, but with enough imagination you can fake it.  I'll show you where it is and then you just have to pull it out and…"

"That is not accurate."

We both turned to see Pinkie at the door of the clubhouse.  She was wearing a labcoat and wearing really big glasses.  I'm not sure they had frames, and was certain it didn't matter here.  Discord was pointing at her.

"No, you can't be here.  It's impossible."

Pinkie looked down, then back up.  "Noooo, I am here, so it must be possible."

"But you're really here just like me.  This is inside her mind, and you…"

"Ah, I understand your conundrum.  You mean it should be impossible, and I shouldn’t be able to be here.  Obviously I am.  Follow me Sweetie Belle."

"Now wait just a second." Said discord, holding up a claw, pointing at Pinkie

"I think following her seems safer."

So I did.  I followed her up to Rarity's workshop where a blackboard was set up.  I also noticed what was outside.  It seemed to be some really huge sheet music.  I so don't get why it should be so big and important.  Pinkie then stopped in front of the board and with a little pointer in one hoof struck it, making it spin around to white board.  It was a new magic thing that you could write on with anything, and would wipe off completely if you used one of the magic erasers.  It was like you never wrote anything at all.  

This one was covered in felt drawings.  I'm not sure how you could draw with felt but that's what it looked like.  Some bits were even a bit scribbly and seemed to sort of shift from being marker into felt.  Looking at the transition made my brain hurt.  She pointed to one of the drawings.  It looked like me and a little circle with locks on it.  In the circle was a bunch of random stuff I couldn't make out.

"You see, that is a normal mind, what exactly the locks represent vary from pony to pony, but they are the restraints we put on our imagination."

Then she pointed to the next picture, felt Pinkie, and near its head the circle had only two locks.  There were a variety of balloons, party favors, and cake on the ground.  The circle was considerably less full of stuff.  I blinked.

"Yes, I indeed have fewer locks.  And some of the party in my head leaks out."

"Uh, Pinkie, what does that mean?  You don't literally pull stuff out of your head, do you?"

"No, of course not."  Then she paused, putting a hoof on her chin.   "Wait, maybe I do.  I didn't think so but I could be wrong."

"Uh, so what is the stuff coming out supposed to represent?"

"Oh, bad ideas.  See there's all sorts of stuff that if we didn't have some restraint we might think up.  Sometimes bad ideas can be super fun, but…"

She pointed to the next one it was felt Discord surrounded by formless pieces of felt and a circle with no locks at all.  Then she pointed at a felt Twillight who had a ton of locks on her circle.

"Having too few or too many can be bad.  Some of Twilight's have fallen off, but there are a ton more.  Having too many just makes you unhappy, but too few can make everypony unhappy."

"Oh please, that's not true at all."  Discord floated up next to the board.  "I haven't said anything yet because I just couldn’t hold in my curiosity about what you were going to say, that isn't how it works at all."

"Wait, so you're saying he was trying to trick me?"

Pinkie nodded.  "Yeppers.  It really wouldn't hurt you and you do have to do it yourself, but it would totally be bad."

"Oh please."  He rolled his eyes.  They didn't stop for while.  "She'd enjoy it immensely, and you haven't yet said it wouldn’t work."

"Well, it might, but I don't think so.  I dunno about fashion, so maybe he is right."

"Yes.  At the very least lets take a look at what we're dealing with."

Then Discord gave a small statue of me on the bedside table a whack and the walls fell down.  Somehow that swept the music pages outside with it.  There was now a stary sky above us, filled with items swirling though the air so fast I couldn't track them at all.  Pinkie dropped her pointer.

"Oooo, it's so pretty."

"What the heck?  This doesn't look remotely right.  There aren't even any seals on your imagination at all.  Are you saying the only thing that restrains you is your own force of will and decision making ability?"

"Uh, yes?"  Then then tilted my head.  "I think."

"Wow, I didn't even know you could do that." Said Pinkie  "Then again I don't really know what I'm talking about at all, so that makes sense, huh?"

Discord sighed.  "Well this is a bust.  Come on, there must be something else you want.  Something some magic can get you?"

I shook my head.  "I just want to be like Rarity and get my cutie mark in fashion."

"That is never gonna happen you stupid little brat."  Then Discord smiled.  "Of course I just realized there is an opportunity here."

Then Discord picked up Pinkie and threw her over the edge of the open building.  I then yawned, back in the field not far away from Rarity's real boutique.  Discord and Pinkie were missing.  What just happened?

"Run Sweetie Belle.  Run." I heard Applejack yell

"Why should I…"

I turned to see a giant monster made of apples running right behind Applebloom and Applejack.  It was only a vague four legged shape, not really looking exactly like anything.  The only thing clear was it had a huge mouth full of what looked like sharpened fence posts for teeth.  I took off running too.