Chapter 66
Jax looked around in a daze. Discord had taken hold of his shoulder and now they somehow stood in front of a crystal tree.
For a moment he wondered if they had gone back to Ponyville, but the town was nowhere near. They seemed to be inside a cave.
He looked over at Discord who studied the tree intensely. “The Tree of Harmony. My mortal enemy for many, many years.” He started solemnly. “Can you believe it? I lost to an immobile tree. Well technically I lost to it’s seed.” He pointed towards the crown. Six… were those cutie-marks? Yeah… oh right, he knew what this was. He had read about it in Twilight’s book. They had given up the Elements of Harmony to this tree, and then later gotten the same effect through friendship or some such.
Jax sat down in a daze. He felt immensely humbled to be here, but at the same time he felt like the tree was radiating heat, and he was absorbing it all.
The heat made him smile blissfully. It felt so good….
“Stupid thing could do nothing but spawn those… things, to fight my reality changing magic, and somehow it worked! Celestia and Luna got hold of them and just used them on me, and that was the end of my reign!”
‘Did he bring us out here just to vent?’ Something blurry in his mind asked, but that soon melted away in the heat. Every worry, every thought, everything just melted away… replaced by warm happiness.
“And now I don’t even feel like it’s my enemy anymore, because - hey, are you alright?”
Something shook him. He looked up to see Discord’s mismatched, concerned eyes on him. He wanted… he needed to give him something. What did he have to give?
***
Luna cursed under her breath. Jax had simply disappeared. She had just started suspecting that he was way too close to a positive magic high, when Discord had spun her around and asked her several questions about Celestia.
The knowledge that Sunflowers were not her favourite flowers seemed to disappoint him.
When she turned around, Jax had been gone. And so was Discord when she turned to ask him if he saw where Jax went.
She looked around again, hoping that something would be different this time, that he would suddenly appear.
He was not there… but she spotted Pinkie standing close to the wall, by a fern of some sort, looking uncharacteristically neutral. “Hello Pinkie Pie.” She said as she approached the mare. “Have you by chance seen Jax around here somewhere?”
“Nope.” She answered with a shrug.
“Alright, please bring him to me if you do spot him and do not accept anything he gives you no matter how desperately he wants you to.” She told the pink mare who just nodded in understanding. Luna was about to move on when she decided to ask: “Is something the matter? You do not seem to be enjoying yourself as much as before.”
Pinkie looked at her for a moment. She was not frowning, but she did not have her usual smile either. “Nothing is wrong. I just let Epic Riff feed on me directly – apparently that means that they bite you and suck out your love or something – so now I just feel ‘meh’.” She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t feel unhappy… but I don’t feel like bouncing around like usual either. And I think he became drunk, because he’s been transforming into different plants for the last ten minutes.” She pointed at the fern which was now a petunia. A lovely deep blue shade, no less, and coincidently Celestia’s favourite flower. “I think this is how Maud feels....” Pinkie added as an afterthought.
Luna briefly wondered what would happen to the changeling if he was eaten as a plant, but the thought turned too macabre for her.
“Alright… just remember what I told you.” She said as she turned around, just to stand face to face with a portal. Out of it came Discord, with Jax being dragged through because he was holding on to Discord’s leg.
“Ah, Luna. Just the pony I wanted to talk to.” Discord looked uncomfortable. “I think there’s something wrong with Jax. In the last minute he tried to give me his clothes, his cloak, his house, grass, all his money, and dirt.” He closed the portal behind him with a snap of his claw. To her dismay, Luna glimpsed a crystal tree before it was gone. “Frankly I’m a bit weirded out.”
Luna raised to her hind legs so she could shake Discord violently with her forelegs. “You took him to the tree of harmony?! One of the few things that practically radiates positive magic?!”
Discord pushed her back with his claw, leaving her flailing comically at him. She wanted to blast him into the moon, but with Jax so close she held her magic to herself.
“So what? He hangs out with ‘the mane six’ all the time, and I wanted to talk with him since he’s one of the few who actually listen.”
“He’s become a Giver you…!” She swallowed the last of the sentence as she went down on all fours. Jax was looking at her, but his gaze was creepy. His pupils were bigger than ever before, and his lovely green irises nowhere to be found. He had a smile that lacked his usual warmth, one that made her shiver from the top of her ears to the tip of her tail. To look into the face of a Giver was rare, but when it happened… especially to somepony you loved… it was horrifying. Like they weren’t entirely there.
“A Giver?” Discord asked in confusion. He took out a dictionary and opened it. “Somepony who’s absorbed too much positive magic… positive magic high… tries to give everything away….” He closed the book with a ‘thump’. “Well that explains why he tried to give me all that stuff.”
“Did you accept anything?” She asked, getting ready to strangle him.
He huffed, looking quite insulted. “I can get anything I want at a snap. What would I need bits for, no less grass or dirt.” His look softened a bit, which got her to relax her stance. “Honestly Luna... I didn’t know. I didn’t mean for anything to happen to him.” He looked genuinely apologetic.
She forced herself to calm down. It would not do anypony any good to play the blaming game, and as he said… he could not have known. She barely noticed until recently.
She let sorrow wash over her for but a second when she looked at Jax again. She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus. “I shall take him to Twilight. You make sure the others get home safely.”
Discord saluted. “You can count on me, Princess.”
***
Luna managed to get Jax to follow her, and Discord opened a portal to Ponyville. Luckily the streets were abandoned; it made it easier. She would not have to explain to everypony she met not to accept anything from Jax. “Luna.” He said from behind her. She froze, maybe because his voice sounded so normal. “You look cold. Here, take this cloak.”
She jumped forward, using her wings to help spin her around. He had already taken his cloak off and was offering it to the place she had been a moment ago. His gaze slowly moved up to meet her eyes, and once again she found herself shivering. “No. Come with me.” She started trotting forward, mindful of his steps behind her. Her words had been so cold and… unnatural. She would never had said a sentence to him in that way normally, but now she did not know how to address him when he looked at her like he did. She hastened her steps, hoping Twilight could help.
She did not even knock as she entered the castle, not until she stood in front of Twilight’s room. It was rude, but given the situation, she would probably be forgiven.
She did not answer the door though, which gave everything time to catch up, thoughts she had tried to keep at bay. She could lose Jax. He could be gone forever, and she would be….
Twilight finally opened the crystal door at her fifth knock. She was forgiven for taking so long since it was three in the night.
“Princess Luna?” She asked groggily, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. “Was goin’ on?”
“We have an emergency, Twilight Sparkle, and you are the one my sister comes to when something is wrong.” She started, using her official tone because of nerves. She just hoped Twilight could help… she did not know what else to do then to rely on the mare that had beat the odds again and again. “I… Jax has become a Giver.” Twilight opened her mouth, looked at Jax who stood beside her, then closed it again. “I… do not want him to go to the Everfree to live and learn to balance positive and negative magic properly, if that could even work at this stage.” She said more heartfelt, closing her eyes. “…Please Twilight, beat the odds once again and help us. Please… I do not want to lose him.” She felt a single tear roll down her fur.
She felt a hoof on her withers, and when she opened her eyes, Twilight was looking at her with determination. “I will do my very best, Luna. I promise.”
***
Luna was walking home with Jax sleeping on her back. She was almost out of Applejack’s orchard, the apple trees making the late night air smell fresh and inviting.
She snorted. Jax’ home had at some point become as much her home as his. Maybe even more than the castle, which she felt was more Celestia’s than hers. She stopped to look back at his sleeping face, so peaceful and calm, she would not have known that something was terribly wrong.
“Oh Jax… why do you get into these situations….” She asked her sleeping love, knowing he could neither answer nor help it. It was not his fault, nor was it his choice. Everything just happened outside of his control.
She looked at him for a few more seconds before she decided he would be more comfortable in a bed.
She went a couple of more steps, clearing the last of the apple trees, just to stop again.
Jax’ house had been vandalized in the worst way possible, and all she could do was open her mouth in shock. It had been painted white, with Celestia’s cutiemark adorning every wall. The roof had been painted in the colours of an aurora, masterly so even, almost making it seem moving in a wind. In front of the house, a flagpole had been raised, with a flag that read ‘Celestia is the best Princess’ flapping lazily in the non-existent wind.
She pulled herself together and sighed. Too much… she did not know whether to smile or curse. On the one hoof, it was nice to see Celestia - because there was no doubt that it was her revenge - have some fun. On the other, the timing was horrendous, with what had happened with Jax.
In the end she just shook her head and entered the house. The inside had thankfully been spared, and two of her very own guards sighed in relief at seeing her there with the being they were supposed to be watching. It seemed like she interrupted them in a game of poker.
“Princess.” They echoed each other and gave her a court nod. She nodded tiredly back, and went directly into the bedroom. “Did he… have too much to drink?” Shadow Wing asked cautiously.
“I am afraid the situation is more dire than that.” She could practically feel the exhaustion in her voice. Two sets of ears turned upright as they awaited the news. “Jax… has become a Giver.” Other than their eyes widening in surprise, the guards did not move. “As such, I must impress upon the both of you not to accept anything from him.” She jumped unto the bed as to make it easier for her to lay Jax in it.
Night Guard, one of the first to join her guard, stood as still as a statue, but the younger Shadow Wing looked distraught. “Is… is there a cure?”
Luna found herself frowning at the stallion, and forced her expression to more neutral folds. “I spoke with Twilight about it, and it turns out she did some research around the time we first suspected that Jax might succumb to positive magic high. The normal method in my- in old times was to magically inject doses of negative magic to the patient. The practise is not used anymore, since the dark magic which was required to cast it would affect the doctor. In the most extreme cases they would suffer from negative magic high, and become a Taker. Ironic and quite ineffective.”
“Isn’t this a rare thing? Something that barely happens anymore?” Shadow Wing asked, a tad naively perhaps. A sign of the progress made, to be sure.
“No. While it is rare, it still happens. The effects have been well documented, and doctors have been battling it since… well since before the term ‘doctor’ was widely used. Back in Discord’s time of ruling, it was much more common… now it is practically treated from birth, making it almost die out, thankfully.” She took a moment to make sure Jax was comfortable, before returning to the conversation. “There is a Zebra proverb: ‘A potion for every spell’. They believe that they can do everything that unicorns can, by using the plants around them, and in time they became so skillful in it that I bowed my head in respect of their creations.” She thought back on the event so long ago, before snapping back to the present. “In any case, while I was on the moon… they found something resembling a cure. There is a plant which… ‘drinks’ positive magic, in a sense. By using the leaves of this plant, and balancing it with other reagents, they made a potion. If a foal has too much positive magic, they drink the potion and some positive magic comes out with it. They continue until the doctor is satisfied that the foal’s body has learned to balance the magic inside of it. The problem comes when used on adults.” She took another moment to get comfortable beside Jax, laying her wing protectively over him. “Foals have an easier time adapting. Adult ponies tend to react badly at losing portions of their positive magic, with different side-effects ranging from depression, to an inability to use spells. We are going to try it on Jax and see if he reacts the same way a pony would, and if he does we shall figure out something else.” That was most of the information Twilight had given her. She skipped over most of the side-effects Twilight had so helpfully listed.
“Princess Luna.” Jax said from beside her, making her propel herself away from him with her wings so fast she almost lost her balance. The day Jax called her princess Luna with anything but a teasing tone of voice was the day she would worry.
This was not Jax.
“We need to talk.” Sombra said as he raised Jax’ body.
***
Sombra was having the worst time. It took a ridiculous amount of energy just to fight the stupid smile that wanted to reign over his frown, this body felt weird and alien, and Princess Luna was looking at him with mistrust.
Alright, that last one he deserved.
He just wished he could vacate this stupid body and all the problems that came, and were soon to come, with it. He was still held in place by something that felt like chains around his soul. They had loosened a lot since Jax had first reversed Sombra’s spell and trapped him there, but they still held firm around Sombra’s ethereal horn.
If only Jax had listened to him before he became a Giver. Sombra had tried to warn him, but did he listen? No, of course not.
Not that Sombra could entirely blame him. He had tried to take Jax’ body as his own….
No. No that was the positive magic talking. Of course he could be blamed.
“And what would we have to talk about, usurper?”
Hostility. What a surprise. He liked her better when she smi-
No. He didn’t like her at all, damnit.
He tried to school his expression into something… he didn’t even know what, so he settled on a frown again with some effort. “What do you think?” He managed to snark despite the positive magic affecting him.
Princess Luna took a more aggressive stance. A useless gesture since he knew she would never do anything to hurt the body he was in. “Have you learned about the joys of guessing games from Pinkie Pie? Just tell us what you want.”
He took a deep breath. She was right of course. This was no time to be hostile.
He wondered once again whether this was his choice at all. First he had tried to become a Taker, and now he was on the opposite end of the spectrum. It was ridiculous how similar it felt, the warmth that radiated from the core of his being. The only thing sparring him from the full brunt of the positive magic was that this was not his body. He had to salvage what he could. He did not relish the thought of losing himself once again.
“I want to discuss the terms of my surrender.”
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Have a bunch(or a hive) of 'lings suck Jax dry. Of positive emotions thingamajig. Well, maybe not only of emotions, I guess 'lings would be nice in bed. Not too cuddly tho, seeing as they are chitinous.
...I'm scared.
Huh... didn't think I'd hear that from Sombra.
Actually, now that I think about it, I didn't think I'd hear anything from him other than, "crystals."
7701863 Somebody's been following along nicely xD Good job ^^
7702843
Don't worry, nothing to be scared about here XD
'He wanted… he needed to give him something. What did he have to give?
He... he only had his body to give... and now that he thought about it, Discord didn't look so bad.'
Now you can be scared XD
NO HIS BODY BELONGS TO LUNA!
7702987 Well in the show you only hear him laugh, so anything is really an improvement XD
7703255 I'm glad you didn't go that way.
7703344 Yeah, I'm not into crazy twists like that XD
“I want to discuss the terms of my surrender.”
well I did not see that happening.
I don't really give Authors a lot of praise, but I like you and this story. Keep up the good work and please don't let this one die without completing it.
The Monk
7708328 heh I'm glad you feel that way, I'm always happy to receive praise ^.^ Don't worry, I have already promised to end it and I will :)
7722061
have you scene the brand new video from Duo Cartoonist?
7722254 watching right now
oh and *seen
7724069 Didn't make this clear. sry. thought this one was Tales of the Opressed
7724357 hehe alright ^^
7731138 I know but still, a brony can hope right?
7731140 Sure ^^
7731518 Brohoof
7731519 heh, Brohoof ^^