//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Blank Slate // by The Fateweaver //------------------------------// “You never actually told me why you’re here or why you’re helping me, Discord. So, start talking.” I said with finality, crossing my arms while staring at him warily. “I made a bet with some friends that I’d be able to take over Equestria without being petrified again. And that’s where you come in, my friend. You’re the most chaotic being to exist that I’ve seen, and I thought that I could use some assistance in usurping the throne.” He said candidly. “You see, some ancient relics called the Elements of Harmony are the bane of anyone that tries to have some good, old-fashioned, chaotic fun. And since you’re not from Equestria, that renders the Elements useless should you be caught.” “So you’re my contractor, in a way?” “Yes, when you put it that way.” He glanced over his shoulder, spotting something that I couldn’t. “Alright, the Princesses are in the garden. If I so much as give off a twinge of magic, they’ll put the spell restrictors on again. I’ll see you soon!” He shoved me forcefully off the couch and I woke up back in The Facility in cold sweats, panting heavily from the sudden ejection. I glanced at my left hand, making out the Mark that Discord had given me. So it was real and not just my mind coping with solitary confinement. “What happened, cupcake? Have a nightmare?” Someone familiar sneered. I looked up and I saw him. It was Daniel Reaves, the Guard Captain. A cocky grin was on his smarmy face. Something had him obviously excited, like it was his birthday or something more twisted in mind. “What do you want, Reaves?” I asked bitterly, getting up from the bed and standing in front of the bars that separated me from the outside world. “Wouldn’t want to be late for your own execution now, would you?” He unlocked the cell door with a cruel, twisted smile with his taser in hand. “Come on.” “There’s no need for that,” I gestured to the taser, stepping out of the cell. “I’ll go quietly.” He chuckled, nudging me with the barrel of the weapon as I walked down the hallway. “I’m sure you will.” I gave my regards to the other five prisoners when I passed by their cells. Guards were giving me death glares as I passed by them, which I returned with a look of indifference. I felt the Mark of Chaos pulse intensely. I took a deep breath and spun on my heel, taking Daniel by surprise. He raised the weapon and I seized the barrel, wrenching it away from his grasp. My fist slammed into his gut and he exhaled sharply, trying to breathe as he fell over. I seized the M1911 handgun from his holster and quickly gunned down the two guards in the immediate area. With the taser and the M1911 in my hands, I darted down the hallway toward the testing field and disposed of any people foolish enough to get in my way. The corpses of several guards littered the doorway to the field and fell into a pile as I exited the building and went outside into the yard. I backed up into the yard, firing several rounds into the mass of incoming guards. Automatic gunfire filled my ears from behind me. I turned around and saw a scientist clutching an M16A4 carbine, the latter aimed in my direction. I put a bullet in his head and cast away my weapons, cartwheeling backward and picking up the carbine. Four more guards poured through the door, only to be cut down by a volley of three-shot bursts from my weapon. Bullets streaked past my head, diverting my attention to the plethora of guards approaching from the other side of the field. I considered taking them down right now while I had the advantage in weaponry, but the risk of being swarmed stopped me from doing so. I retreated back into the compound past the cells with guards on my tail and ascended into the upper levels. Two guards ran by on the catwalk, unable to see me because of my spectacular hiding spot. Once the clanking of their boots hitting the metal of the catwalk faded from earshot, I peeked out from my hiding spot and cautiously moved all the wall. I heard people talking from one of the rooms and said, “A sound. Close by.” I flung open one of the doors and found four scientists casually going about their day like there wasn’t a criminal with a machine gun, like myself, running about. I felt my Mark pulse again and I was suddenly hearing the thoughts of the people in the room. Oh my god, Thought the first man, who was standing near the microwave. Sometimes I never wish I left my room, Thought another, lowering the book from his face. OH MY GOD, I’M A DEAD MAN! The third man practically screamed in his mind and caused me to wince a little from the volume in his voice. Ugh, I’m gonna have to change my underwear, Thought the last one, who sounded a little like an elderly man. “Left for death. They’re all gone,” I said ominously, raising my rifle and letting loose a volley of accurate, three-shot bursts. The scientists barely had time to react. Splatters of blood painted the walls and floor as they fell down dead, drowning in pools of their own blood. I walked out of the room and continued to traverse the catwalk for a few minutes as to lose any possible pursuers. A metal arm smashed through the wall just in front of me, so I slid under it and levelled my rifle with the protruding appendage. After a few intense moments, the robotic arm disappeared from sight. “I see you,” I said quietly right before another wall smashed in behind me. I jabbed my weapon backward, striking something sturdy with the stock of my weapon. The machine jolted from the sudden strike, allowing me to whirl around in time to level my weapon with its head. “You were taught well,” It said in a monotonous voice. It tried to rush forward but the volley of rounds that had penetrated its skull caused it to lurch on its feet, crashing into the ground in an unceremonious heap. I put another three rounds into the head to make sure it stayed down. “Now, where’s that armoury at?” I muttered to myself, leaving the malfunction MP-WARBOT down on the floor as I left for the prison’s armoury. After countless minutes of wandering, I had found the armoury and promptly broke in. My face lit up like a kid in a candy store. All sorts of weapons were displayed in racks, cases and boxes. I picked out an AK-47, a Glock 17, a ballistic vest and plenty of ammunition for both weapons. By this time, the Mark of Chaos was acting up pretty badly. My hand began glowing brightly, bathed in a blue aura, as did the Mark. I pointed my outstretched hand at the concrete wall, a bolt of blue energy rushing forth and striking the wall. The bolt opened an opaque, swirling rift on the wall. I heard shouting from outside the armoury. Someone must’ve heard the racket. Without a second thought, I charged through the rift and tumbled onto grass. Whoa. Teleportation? Seriously impressed, Discord. Multiple bodily sensations hit me at once. My stomach was churning like one who had ridden a rollercoaster right after eating, and my energy was suddenly sapped from the teleportation as well as an immediate dimming of the light glowing from my Mark. Perhaps the brightness of the light was directly tied to my physical energy and my newfound ‘magical’ energy. Of course, first things first. I reeled over and emptied the contents of my stomach (terrible prison food mind you) onto the grass. God, it was like they hardly tried to mask the taste of poison in that unrecognisable slop they called ‘food’. “Uh, sir, we have a situation here,” A deep, commanding voice, much like Daniel’s, said out of nowhere. “What is it, soldier?” Another one said. “That thing that just teleported into the gardens and puked onto the grass,” The first voice said, probably pointing toward me if his description was spot-on. “There’s also a strange marking on its left foreleg.” Foreleg? What am I, a horse? I turned around and what I saw shocked me, though I didn’t physically show it. Two white equines dressed in gilded Romanesque armour were staring at me, watching my every move. I strapped my AK-47 to my back and approached the two. Their gaze followed my featureless face, save for my bloodshot eyes staring into their very souls. “Would you two gentlemen kindly tell me where I am, or are you going to stare at me like I’m some kind of freak-of-nature until I leave to find more competent equines?” I asked very calmly, despite my situation. Discord never mentioned talking equines before, so I was going to give him a piece of my mind when I saw him again. The first one looked to the second for guidance. The other one just stared at his companion as if to say, “What do you expect me to say?” While they were mentally breaking down, I walked past them and pushed open a door leading inside wherever I was. I was greeted with medieval architecture, something more refreshing than the grey walls of The Facility. A stained glass window depicting several multicoloured ponies blasting a demonic-like pony with a rainbow beam greeted me as I strolled along the hall. Ah, I see you made it. Discord’s voice rang in my head. And at the palace, too! It’s always good to be ahead of schedule. “When were you planning to tell me that Equestria is populated by ponies, technicolour ones at that?” I asked aloud. That may have slipped my mind at the time. All that matters is you didn’t get mangled by the teleportation process. “Wait, mangled?! You mean I could’ve been killed?!” I seethed loud enough for my voice to echo off the walls. Yes, that was a concern at one point. Most creatures that are dimensionally relocated often succumb to mana burns or grievous physical injuries. “When I get my hands on you, you son of a bitch, I’m gonna throttle you so fucking hard!" Yes, I’m sure you will. You might want to stop talking now, other ponies might think you’re a lunatic. More so than you already are. I didn’t respond and was about to wander about the hall when a real-life version of that winged unicorn statue in the garden was staring right at me with a puzzled look on her face. God, she probably heard me talking to myself. I followed her gaze to the Mark of Chaos on my hand, immediately hiding it behind my back like any suspicious person would. “What art thou, strange creature?” It asked in a female voice, also speaking like it was from the Middle Ages. “And what art thou doing in the Hall of the Elements?” Here’s a random fact for you people out there: The most convincing lies are the ones that aren’t really lies at all. “Truth is,” I began. “I’m sort of lost.”