//------------------------------// // 29 - The Escape // Story: Outsider's Game: Turning Wheel // by Bluecho //------------------------------// Ch. 29 - The Escape “Uh...where are GAH!” “Mother of fuck!” Twilight Sparkle and Painwheel looked up to the sky. A cloud shifted and writhed, elongating and branching out. Until at long last, it formed into a vaguely dragon-shaped hodgepodge of animal parts. Made of cloud. The cloud smiled, its mouth opening wide in profile with upturned corners. “Lovely weather we're having!” it spoke, voice echoing from on high. “What the fuck is that?!” Painwheel shouted, pointing towards the cloud with one hand and gripping tightly the railing with the other. “Oh!” the cloud winced. “Language, please! I never.” “Uh, Painwheel?” Twilight said, putting on a nervous smile. “This,” she pointed towards the cloud, “is Discord. He's a...friend...” Her smile faltered a bit at the end, but she brought it back up again. “...D-discord?” Painwheel stammered, staring to the sky. “The avatar of chaos? Didn't he plunge Equestria into an age of disorder and madness, ruling it as a king?” “Gasp!” The cloud frowned. “I'll have you know I was no ruler! I merely brought Equestria the freedom I thought it deserved.” A random pegasus fly by, spotted the dragon-cloud, and approached to investigate. “Freedom from rules, freedom from constants, freedom from making sense...I say!” He waved a claw at the pegasus, who had busied themselves with trying to break up the meteorological formation. “Hooves off! I'm talking here.” The pegasus recoiled in horror, then fled. “...now, where was I?” “Discord...” Twilight groaned, rubbing the bridge of her snout. “Can you come down here? We need to talk.” “Hmm? Oh very well.” The cloud flew directly over the balcony, condensing into a proper cloudy mass. It darkened, then began pouring rain. The rain trickled down in a concentrated spot, collecting – not in a puddle – but as fluid in a shapely glass container. Slowly, the form of a snaking chimerical creature coalesced, the last few drops of rain that dissolved the cloud plopping on top of its head. And there stood Discord. “You were saying, Twilight?” Painwheel gulped. Was she more tired than she thought? “Um...” Twilight blinked, then shook her head. “Discord, this...” she said, pointing towards the human, “is Painwheel.” “Hi?” Painwheel said, eyebrow cocked. “Wait no, how are you friendly now? I don't get this. I thought you were enemies.” “Oh certainly, our different opinions on order versus chaos caused a certain amount of conflict between the ponies of Equestria and myself. In the past anyway.” Discord wrapped a lion's foreleg over Twilight's shoulder, drawing her into an uncomfortable hug. “But that's all water under the bridge, my dear. I've been 'reformed', as of late.” He brought up an eagle's claw and mimed air quotes over the word 'reformed'. “Right, dear Twilight?” “...right...” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. Painwheel merely cocked an eyebrow dubiously. “Discord, do you know what's been going on?” Twilight asked, wriggling from under the dranconiques' weight. “What have you been doing?” “Oh, you know, same old, same old.” Discord waved a hand. “Been out there, making the world more interesting. Just this past week, I was over in the griffin kingdoms. The Earl of Stroheim just bought the farm, and it turns out he had a hidden illegitimate child. I may have...informed the griffin court of the lad's existence, complete with how technically he's a more direct descendent than the next closest heir. Now they're having a full-blown succession crisis! Isn't it wonderful!” “Discord!” Twilight said, aghast. “That's horrible! What if someone got hurt?” “What? And leave a young griffin without his birthright?” Discord said. “At worst, it will be isolated to the squabbling royalty. What do the common griffins, after all, care if the nobles play their little throne games? Nothing, that's what.” “Ugh...I don't even care at this point,” Twilight said, rubbing her face again. “This is about Painwheel.” “Yes, and I know all about her.” “Wait, you do?” Twilight asked, surprised. “Of course!” Discord eyed the human, who squirmed under those eyes. “The very fabric of the gauntlet protecting this world from the outside opens up, and an alien creature pops out, causing a ruckus.” He cocked an eyebrow, smiling. “Of course I know about it.” “Well, Painwheel is currently suffering horribly because of an infection by internal parasites,” Twilight explained. “Oh?” Painwheel looked down at her feet. “It hurts...all the time...” “Does it now? Intriguing.” Discord said, stroking his beard. Wheels began turning in his head. He looked sidelong at Twilight. “And?” “And...I was wondering...” Twilight said, “...if you could fix her.” “Me? I'm flattered, my dear, but why ask me?” “Please, Discord,” Twilight said, ears drooping to the side of her head. “We've asked practically every doctor, researched every book, and tried every remedy. Nothing promises to work. And you have...” “Intellect?” Discord said. “Sagacity? Dashing good looks?” He smiled wryly. “...phenomenal cosmic power...” “Oh, that too.” Discord frowned. “Though I'm just a little offended you waited until the last to ask me.” Twilight shook her head violently. “She needs those parasites out, Discord. She needs it, and now! Just please...please help...” Discord opened his mouth, but noticed Twilight's forlorn expression. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Painwheel. Seeing how she stood, how she carried herself. How she kept stealing glances towards the avatar of chaos. Subtle physical cues signaling an exhaustion, mixed with trepidation. Discord sighed, turned to face the human. “I'll see what I can do.” He drew close, bending over. Painwheel leaned back reflexively, a cold sweat rolling down her neck. The chaos creature's eyes darted over her flesh, drinking her in. She saw how he smacked his lips, focused utterly on the task. Her heart raced. It felt like those eyes didn't merely see her outside. And it was more intense an appraisal even than the doctors gave when examining her internal workings. Those eyes – ancient and wily – pierced her flesh palpably. Painwheel's skin buzzed with a strange electricity. As the creature circled behind her, a shudder ran down her spine and wrapped around the base, where the prosthetic was attached. She could not move. Neither did the parasites dare. It was not fear direct, but rather the overwhelming certainty of appraisal. Not even that every inch was seen. Rather, Painwheel felt as if every particle of her being given this...demigod's absolute scrutiny. Every atom, if not something somehow more fundamental. Painwheel hardly noticed how every muscle remained tensed; locked into rigid form. She shivered, eyes cast unmoving forward, so as to see him hover back into view. His first utterance nearly gave her a heart attack. “Hmm...” Discord said, stroking his beard. He smacked his lips. “...yes.” “What?” Twilight said, peeking from behind the draconequus. Discord unbent, resuming full height. “I said yes, I can work with this.” “...wha...really?” Painwheel said weakly, clutching her arms. She felt weak at the knees. Muscles relaxed, blood pumping in earnest now. Dare she hope? “You can get rid of the parasites?!” Twilight said, eyes sparkling. “Oh, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight,” Discord said, shaking his head. An upturn of the lip, and a corresponding raised eyebrow. He turned to the alicorn. “Who do you think you are talking to? I am Discord. Born was I when first life exercised self-determination. I have made mountains out of mole hills. Made clouds into cotton candy, and rain into chocolate milk. I have rearranged causality so that I may enjoy a hearty breakfast before I have had a chance to cook it. I've seen things you people wouldn't believe, and done things you wouldn't comprehend. Where I tread, logic and proportion don't mean anything at all. “I can fix your girl.” … Twilight smiled broadly. “Sweet Celestia! Did you hear that Painwheel?” Painwheel staggered. She gawked. “I...I don't know what to...” Her eyes threatened to go misty. Twilight rushed over to the human, throwing forelegs around her. “This is wonderful!” she exclaimed. She looked over her shoulder. “Can you do it right now?” Painwheel too looked to the draconequus. The emotions were so deep, she had trouble processing them. She stared expectantly. Her lip trembled. Discord crossed his arms. “...I can...” The two females leaned closer. One smiled, the other slowly building in her heart that most decadent, most heady of drugs: hope. “...that does not mean I will.” Painwheel's heart nearly shattered on the spot. Twilight's smile certainly broke. “What?” She shook her head, disengaging from the hug she held Painwheel in. “I'm sorry, what?” “I said,” Discord repeated, “that I can could fix the girl. I never said I would.” Painwheel's heart sank. She could scarcely comprehend what she was feeling, though it wasn't pleasant. “...not for free, anyway...” “W-what?” Twilight stammered, jumping towards Discord. “How can you...what is the matter with...I don't even...WHAT?!” “For f-free?” Painwheel said, quietly. “How could you possibly ask for payment on a matter this grave?!” Twilight yelled. “Painwheel is suffering, and you ask for...what? And why?!” Discord stood his ground. “It is because of how grave this matter is that I can't do the service gratis.” “I don't...gah!” Twilight stamped a hoof on the tiled floor. “Is this blackmail? I thought we were friends, Discord!” “Blackmail is an ugly word,” Discord said. “But no, it isn't that. And need I remind you that though I consider you a friend, this same consideration does not extend to the girl.” He pointed towards the human. Painwheel merely stood there, mouth agape, completely stunned. “Well she's MY friend!” Twilight barked. “And if I've learned anything from my researches into friendship, it's that the transitive property applies to friendship too. You're my friend, which means you're also Painwheel's friend by proxy! And what about Fluttershy? What would she say if she found out you were extorting a suffering creature at her greatest time of need?” Discord's expression turned to one of pain. Eyes drooped, ears flattening. But he shook his head firmly. “Fluttershy...would have to understand. Understand what you're asking me to do.” He backflipped sadly, putting distance between them so he could lean against the railing. “Do you know what you're asking me to do? It's replacing chaos with order. Something that goes against my very being.” “That...that's absurd!” Twilight said. “No, it's the truth.” Discord frowned. “Your girl's own body is at war with itself. Conflict arises because of the parasites. Remove that, and I'll be directly promoting a more stable, regular state. Favoring Stasis. I'm a being of Dynamism, and to act against that is to act against my nature.” He pointed a clawed finger at Twilight. “Suppose I ask you, Princess of Friendship, to use your knowledge and magic to destroy the friendship between two ponies. Even for a good cause. How would you feel doing that?” “I don't...that's different...it's...uh...” Twilight cast her eyes about, considering the thought. “...I don't...” “Right. It would go against everything you are, even if you knew it was what needed to be done.” Discord stroked his beard. “I've never undone an element of chaos I myself didn't create. Undoing my own work is simply my right. Disassembling an engine of conflict created by another? It goes against the spirit of disorder...which is why the act must be compensated for. I don't merely ask for payment. I MUST be paid, for compromising my principles. “Besides, the girl wouldn't have properly paid for her cure anyhow.” Painwheel scowled. “Paid?” she said, eyebrows knitting close. “I haven't paid enough? I haven't suffered enough? Who the hell are...” “There is a difference, my dear,” Discord shot back, “between suffering and overcoming. Anyone can suffer misfortune. It takes a certain strength to weather their pains and throwing them off.” Discord floated over the ground, rising so as to look down upon Painwheel. “What would you have me be? A god in the proverbial machine? Discordia Ex Machine? Your story, and your suffering, will mean nothing if it is merely swept away by some benevolent power who took pity on you. I offer you the salvation from your overriding problem. What I ask is that you earn your happy ending.” She narrowed her eyes. It did all seem too easy. She would even have accepted life-threatening surgeries if they had any hope of success. “Name your price, then,” Painwheel said, red eyes staring defiantly. The draconequus smiled. “Your life...in service to me.” “...what?” Painwheel said, resolve faltering, face falling. “Say what?” Twilight said, equally confused. “You...you can't ask her to...” “I can ask you for anything I want!” He pointed at Twilight. “And it's her choice at any rate, not yours.” Discord pressed a paw to his chest indignantly. He turned to Painwheel. “My price, in return for taking away your pain, is to serve me for the rest of your days. Personally, I think it's a fair trade all around. Your life now is utterly, completely miserable. A lifelong indentured servitude to me is small change indeed compared to being able to move, to sleep, to live, to think! Without the constant thorns in your sides (and everywhere else).” “...what would I have to do?” Painwheel asked, a knot already forming in her stomach. She had to know. She didn't want to know, but she had to know. Had to know what she stood to lose. “Nothing major or backbreaking,” Discord said, waving a paw. “Not often anyway. Since your cure subtracts from the net chaos in the world, you'd spend the rest of your days helping me make up for it. Be my personal assistant in my quest to make the world more...interesting. Running errands, painting things bright colors, trawling the land for places and peoples too mired in their own orderliness. Spreading word of my efforts and my intentions; you'd be surprised how often ponies fail to understand why I turned an entire parade float into dinosaurs.” He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. “Go where I want and do what I want, all in the name of chaos. “So. What do you say?” “No...” “Hmm? No? I know it's a little much...” “I would rather die.” Discord shut up immediately. Twilight found herself at a loss for words, so just gaped. Painwheel didn't give either a chance to talk. She sniffed. “...I can't do this anymore. I won't. Ever since...ever since Lab Zero turned me into...” Painwheel brought a hand up, rubbing her scalp furiously. “...into a monster! When that happened, I wasn't just not human any more. I was a slave! A slave to Brain Drain. What I wanted more than anything, back then, was to be free. “I'm free now...but I'm still in pain.” Painwheel began scowling fiercely. “I don't want to be in pain...but I don't want to be a slave either!” She started yelling, fists clenched, “So no! I won't do it! I'm done, do you hear me? DONE!” Weary eyes shot daggers at the draconequus. Twilight edged forward. “Painwheel, it's okay,” she said, “we can get Discord to be reasonable. We...” “It's NOT okay, Twilight!” Painwheel screamed. “It's not fair! And I'm not going to do this anymore!” Twilight shrank in horror. Her ears fell against her head. Painwheel breathed heavily, then spoke more softly. In a voice that wavered like a leaf in the breeze. “I don't...I can't do this anymore...I'm done...” Her eyes fell to the ground, staring intently at her bare feet. How stupid a thing to think about, her lack of shoes. It was time. “Twilight...” “...yes?” Twilight said. “Kill me.” Painwheel said, looking directly at the alicorn. “Kill me now.” “...sweet Celestia, no!” Twilight cried, shaking her head. “I can't do that! You don't know what you're saying!” “I know exactly what I'm saying...I'm so tired. And I won't compromise. Not with him...” Painwheel cast a glance towards Discord, who remained silent. But his shock was wearing off, and he looked...contemplative. “...not for that price.” Tears began forming in Twilight's eyes. “Why not? You can't give up on life! There's still hope!” “I'm tired of hope!” Painwheel barked, fists clenched into balls tight enough to crush coal into diamonds. “I'm tired of having hope dangled in front of me, only to have it jerked away! I'm tired of being chained up...given orders...” Her speech regained its wavier quality. “...I'm tired of hurting all the time, and you all not getting it. Twilight...I'm just tired...I can't even sleep anymore...” She rubbed her eye with the base of her palm. “...freedom from pain...freedom from masters...I can't accept not having both. I sacrificed too much to do that. If I have to...to die to have both, than I will.” Scrunching her face, Painwheel stepped forward and spread out her arms. “Twilight. Kill me.” “P-painwheel...I-I can't...” Tears rolled down Twilight's face. She backed away further. “I can't. I won't. I'm not going to kill you!” “You can!” Painwheel said, keeping her arms spread out. “No!” “Twilight please!” “Don't ask me to do that, Painwheel!” “Twilight!” Painwheel stamped a foot, a tear rolling down her face. She raised her voice. “If you're my friend, then you'll do this for me!” “Ooooh,” Discord intoned barely audibly. “Ah...I...” Twilight gaped. She shut her eyes, “It's because I'm your friend that I won't kill you!” “...” Painwheel bit her lip. Bit it so hard it drew black blood, though the wound knitted close as soon as she opened her mouth again. She wore a tortured expression. “...okay,” she gasped. She turned around, placing a hand on the railing. She faced out, to the landscape. Back to the others. “Fine.” “Painwheel, I'm sorry I...” Twilight started. Painwheel planted a foot on the railing and pushed herself up. “Painwheel? What are you doing?!” The human stood on two feet, balanced on the railing. She faced out, head downcast so as to see the drop. “Twilight,” she said. “Painwheel stop!” Twilight screamed, stepping forward. She looked up towards the draconequus. “Discord! Say something!” “Hmm...no,” Discord said, stroking his beard. “I want to see where she's going with this.” “Twilight.” The alicorn princess turned back to the human. “...P-painwheel...please...” “Twilight.” Painwheel looked over her shoulder, sidelong at the alicorn. “At least...be a good enough friend...not to stop me.” She looked back out at the landscape. “I'm...I'm sorry...” A foot dangled out over the edge. “Painwheel! No!” “Sorry...for coming here...and being a monster about it...” She allowed her weight to pitch forward. “PAINWHEEL!” In an instant, she disappeared over the edge. “PAINWHEEL!!!”