A Demon's Second Chance

by Perfectly Insane

Chapter Four: New Home, Part Two.

Author's Note:

Yahallo! Sorry this took so long, time has been wonky for me recently and I've been struggling to get myself to write. Tell me if you spot any issues such as story or grammar, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

I didn’t put on the new clothes Rarity made for me and stuck them in my backpack instead. I’d rather put it on after taking a bath whenever we get back, it would have felt pointless to put them on when I was going to have to take them off anyway. We left the Carousel Boutique soon after, Rarity enthusiastically inviting me back whenever I needed new clothes and that she’d be happy to do so free of charge.

No offense to Rarity, but I didn't think I’d be visiting her anytime soon unless I really needed to; my social skills were terrible and she’s a bit overwhelming. Maybe when I get better at interacting with others and really need new clothes.

Somewhat less reluctantly than before, Fluttershy and I held hands to help me deal with being in public and stared at by so many curious eyes. My entire body tensed up and my chest tightened at the physical contact, but it was much more tolerable before. However, this time Fluttershy was somewhat uncomfortable. Her lips firmly pressed together like she wanted to say something, her movements noticeably more rigid and her grip not as gentle as usual.

I’m pretty sure she wanted to talk to me about some of the things I said when Rarity was gone, which I honestly should have expected. If she thinks something was bothering me she’ll ask about it because she wants to help me, even if she can’t. Like every other problem on my ever growing list, I’ll deal with it when I have to and just focus on what I’m doing now.

Getting to Twilight’s place was somewhat easier than Rarity’s, and I couldn’t quite place why. My background anxiety was creeping in like darkness about to consume a fading flame, my entire body trembling and stiff as if I was having a full body cramp. Yet it just didn’t feel as bad or overwhelming as before, which was as relieving as it was worrying.

We stopped in front of what I first mistook as a big tree in the middle of Ponyville, then I noticed the door, several windows, and even a balcony and a sign in front of it that read 'Golden Oaks Library'. It reminded me of a treehouse, but rather than the house being in the tree, the house was the tree. It was rather large too, just as big if not bigger than Fluttershy’s house.

“Twilight....lives in a tree?” I asked skeptically, Fluttershy letting go of my hand as she walked up to the door.

“Yes, her and Spike. She’s the librarian too, all the town's books are in here. Though they don’t get a lot of visitors besides us.”

“Spike?”

Fluttershy smiled with glee. “Her baby dragon, he’s adorable! He’s Twilight’s assistant, so please be nice to him.”

Angel tugged on a strain of her hair, jerking her head in a way that looked a bit painful. He crossed his arms and lets out a series of chirps, the frown on his face disappearing when she pet him with a warm smile. “Of course not, no one’s as adorable as you.”

I was extremely taken aback by the word ‘dragon’, especially with how casually she said it. I was being sarcastic when I asked myself if dragons would be the next mythological thing from my world that's real in this one, but I should have expected they would be with my luck. There were plenty of monsters in the underground, and then there were the ones I'd heard stories about but were told they weren't real.

Somehow, that made them more terrifying than the ones that were.

Fear struck me in sync with her knocking on the door, the image of a giant dragon that could breathe fire hot enough to melt my bones flashed in my mind, as childish as that sounded. However, considering the fact that this world had both magic and titanic sized creatures like that Hydra, it wasn’t as unrealistic as I wished it would be.

A shudder of anticipation went down my spine as the door opened from the other side. I held my breath as I coiled my body, preparing to leap away at a moment's notice.

“Hello? Oh, hey Fluttershy!”

Only for a small, more lizard like creature to answer. I paid more attention to the dragon part of what she said and not the baby, which explained how small this ‘dragon’ really was. He’s maybe three feet tall, counting the dark green spikes that went from his head to his pointed tail. His entire body was covered in bright purple scales, except for the front of his body starting at his chin that was an extremely pale light green. He had reptilian green eyes and claws, though surprisingly, no wings, maybe they just hadn’t grown in yet?

He’s kind of cute in the same way that I found animals cute, I felt kind of silly being afraid of him now.

“You’re a dragon? I expected you to be a lot...bigger.”

He turned his gaze to me, obviously made a little upset by my comment from the way he crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m twelve years old. I’ll get bigger, I think.” He said with an ounce of doubt, not entirely sure of that himself.

Spike’s eyes lowered as his eyebrows raised curiously, like he just now noticed something about me. “You’re the human that saved The CMC, right? I thought you’d be more…” He paused as his eyes wandered a bit, the feeling of someone staring at me made me feel immensely uncomfortable, though admittedly not that different from what I’d already experienced on the way here.

“Awesome.” The dragon muttered out hesitantly.

I already felt like I’d heard that word too often recently, and I had a feeling that I’m going to be hearing it more.

I glanced past into the library behind him, which looked about what I expected it to. I could see dozens of books on shelves that were carved inside the tree, a couple of book stands and a ladder with some kind of fern like plant in the center. The flower-like pattern on the inside of the walls with a giant sun on the ceiling I found a bit unusual, not that I knew much about living in a tree. I think what happened was a giant tree grew here, and someone in a stroke of poetic irony decided to turn it into both a house and library by carving out the inside of it. I’m a bit surprised by how homey and comfortable it actually looked.

“Yeah...you’re not the first to say that. Can we come inside, I’d…” I peeked over my shoulder to see some of the ponies around us. Some actually weren't even paying us any attention, which surprised me, but a few didn’t bother trying to hide their stares. It was hard to tell whether it was just pure curiosity or if they were judging me. Regardless, I felt unbearably uneasy in my own body all the same. “Like to get this over with.”

He appeared confused for a moment but then just shrugged his shoulders, opening the door the rest of the way to let us in. Fluttershy thanked him as we entered, the door shutting behind us. I shuddered as a wave of relief washed over me now that I wasn’t being watched by dozens of pairs of eyes, letting out a shaky breath as some of the tension left.

I could see a bit more now that I was inside, though there wasn't a lot else. There were some light brown wooden stairs with pink hearts on each step, which I presumed lead to Twilight’s room or something. A dark wood door in the back of the room that lead somewhere else, maybe the kitchen? I can’t say for sure, the layout of this place was a bit odd.

“So, where’s Twilight?” I asked Spike as I turned to him.

“She’s in her secret lab doing some weird magic stuff.”

“Her…” I paused as I registered what the miniature dragon just told me, as I realized that two of my internal comments had become true, hopefully the only ones. “Secret lab?”

“Well, it’s kind of an ‘open secret’, y’know? It’s just one of those things that everyone knows but you’re not supposed to talk about.”

Fluttershy glanced at the door beside the stairs, an absentminded expression on her face as she pet Angel. “I’ll go down and get her, there’s...something I wanted to ask her in private.”

Angel looked up at her in slight concern, letting out a brief chitter. I couldn’t hear her response but I did see her lips move. She walked towards the door and opened it, revealing a staircase that went down and quickly descended it. My gut was telling me that she was going to talk to her about me, but maybe I’m just being paranoid. Not everything was about me after all.

I peered down at Spike, curious myself if any of the myths about dragons from my world were true at all. “Can dragons really breathe fire?”

“I mean..I can in small bursts, but I don’t know if all dragons can. I’ve only met a handful of them.”

“Really? Are they endangered or something?” I inquired as I walked over to a nearby bookshelf, picking out a book at random. I only briefly flipped through the pages, but it was about someone named ‘Nightmare Moon’ who was trapped on the moon. Must be a fairy tale or something, unless they have the magical capabilities to do something like that in this world.

“No, they actually have their own kingdom. It’s more that dragons and ponies just don’t get along that well. Twilight hatched me herself so I’ve been raised by ponies, and the few dragons I did meet didn’t even consider me one of them. Honestly, they were kind of jerks.”

‘Jerks’ didn’t come close to how dragons were described in the myths. Towering beasts that would raze villages killing hundreds at a time; ‘beast’ didn’t even do them justice. However, my encounter with that Hydra showed me that some of them are as brutal as the legends say. Maybe it was a case by case thing? Hopefully, I wouldn't have to find out.

“I’m surprised how open you are to me. I’m basically a total stranger.” I remarked casually as I placed the book back, giving the others a brief look over. This section was full of fairy tales for children, which was made more obvious by a sign above them that read ‘Fables for foals!'. The few I saw were ‘Ponyrella’, ‘Derring Do and The Forbidden City of Clouds’, and ‘Ponyio and Juliet’. I couldn’t say I was particularly interested in any of them, but I might read a few just to see if there are any similarities to the ones from my world, though I only knew of the ones that Toriel kept around.

“I get that from being around ponies all the time, they’re all about friendship and being open. And why shouldn’t I be? It’s not like I have anything to be ashamed of.” He responded while crossing his arms and a near spiteful tone in his voice.

I got the feeling he said that more to convince himself of it than me, but I didn’t intend to push it. I trudged over to another section with a sign above it saying ‘History of Equestria’. I picked out a book at random, and it was about the relationship Equestria has had with other nations. Griffons were real here and had their own nation, apparently having an issue with money. I scanned over a chapter or two of things called Diamond Dogs, Yaks, and a list of other species that had much smaller sections. A lot of these names I recognized as mythical creatures from my world, others are things I’d never even heard of.

“What about you? I’ve read every book in here three or four times, and I’ve never heard of anything called a human. Do you like...live in The Everfree or something? All kinds of weird things come out of there.” There was a very short pause after he said that, then his eyes widened in realization as he sharply inhaled and put his arms out in front of him and shook them dismissively. “Not that you’re weird! Just...The Everfree’s such a strange place and stuff like giant serpents and wolves made out of wood come out of there and…”

He sighed defeatedly as his arms dropped to his side. “Great job on making a first impression, Spike.” I heard him mumble to himself as he brought his hands to cover his face.

I couldn’t help but half smile at how awkward he was being. It was....kind of refreshing to see someone else as lacking in social skills as me, makes me feel like I’m less of a freak.

“It’s fine, I understand what you mean. Sadly, I can’t really answer your questions, I have amnesia. The farthest back I can remember is waking up in the woods, I have no idea if there are other humans or not. I could be the only one in this whole world for all I know.”

Mixing in the truth with the lies is how I’ve managed so far, with the exception of Fluttershy. However, the expression he gave me was the last one I expected. His eyes widened as he laced his fingers together, the sympathy obvious in his near apologetic expression.

“Wow, that sounds...really lonely. I’m sorry.”

My grip on the book in my hands tightened as every muscle in my body coiled, I winced uncontrollably for a reason I didn’t understand. Whether it was what he said or how he said it, it stung. A lot more than I expected it to. It sat in my gut like something I couldn’t digest properly, air hitched in my throat as I struggled to breathe.

I tried not to dwell on the unsettling feeling I couldn’t identify, trying to think of some way to change the topic. “Do…” my throat felt drier than usual as I put the book in my hands back on the shelf. “Do dragons really hoard gems, gold and stuff?”

His demeanor shifted at the drop in my voice, tilting his head to the side, obviously worried that he said the wrong thing. I pulled another book from the shelf and pretended to read it, but actually I just needed to look at something other than him.

“...Sort of?” Spike said after what felt like an infinite number of tense seconds. “I don’t know if it’s just me or other dragons, but I have a problem where if I get too greedy I get really big, even bigger than this tree!”

I could see out of the corner of my eyes as he waved his hands around as he gestured to the tree we were in to emphasize what he was saying in the most childish way I’ve ever seen. It was cute in its own way, but also scary if true. If he could really turn into a gigantic dragon from the legends because he wanted to take an extra cookie from the jar or something, and he’s a baby, then dragons might shoot up to the top of the list of things I needed to avoid no matter what.

“I shrink back whenever I calm down though, as long as I keep myself in check it shouldn’t happen again. Gems are different, I guess it’s because I just consider them snacks?”

“Snacks?” I asked as I turned toward him, my eyebrows briefly furrowing in confusion, then relaxing as I realized what he meant. “Are you saying you eat gems?”

The thought of sinking my teeth in something like a diamond or ruby made me cringe, they’d get chiseled down to nubs before I even got a nibble. Then again, I could see that his teeth were incredibly sharp, ones carnivores have for eating meat. Would they be able to break gems? Maybe but I couldn’t see why, I doubt shiny rocks had any nutritional value.

“Yeah, but they’re just for flavor mostly. Like, Rubies are spicy, emeralds are kind of like green apples, sapphire’s are blueberryish? It’s a lot like candy but...with a different texture?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, struggling to put into words what he’s trying to describe. “Hold on, it’d be easier to describe if I actually have one.”

He put his finger up as he went to the other side of the room, stopping at the middle where there is a stump with a large fern in the middle. He extended his hands but then stopped, turning back to me with a sheepish smile.

“Are you good at keeping secrets? Twilight would freak out if she knew I had a stash of gems here.”

I had to stifle a chuckle, asking me the question was silly since he already told me the secret, but I managed to keep my expression neutral. “This would be the first secret I’ve been told, so I guess we’ll find out.”

He gave me a look like he couldn’t tell whether I was joking or not, then shrugged and gripped the fern on both sides, ripping it out of the pot it was in and setting it on the ground. “Twilight leaves me in charge of keeping the plants alive, so she doesn’t even know I replaced it with a plastic one.”

The spot where the fern was where dirt would be was instead filled with gems, more than I’ve ever seen in my life. They didn’t shine like I expected them to though, they really did resemble colored rocks in a lot of ways. I watched as Spike reached in and grabbed one, taking a chunk out of it and chewing it as a sound similar to glass being stepped on or crushed with every bite, his teeth having no problems doing so.

“They’re really good, but I only have them every now and again. Twi thinks they’re bad for my growth, but I’m pretty sure she’s just overthinking it like everything else.”

Talking with a dragon so casually while he ate a gem felt like something straight out of a fever dream, then again that could be said about my entire time in this world so far. Yet it was happening right in front of me, so real I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to.

He tossed the rest of the gem in his mouth, the sound of the crunching as he chewed it audible even with his mouth closed. “See...the thing about gems and flavour is…” He paused as he swallowed it, which made me cringe a bit as I couldn’t help but imagine the sharp edges of gem shards stabbing my throat if I swallowed them. “Their formation is important too. Being made from liquids is like eating candy with a jelly core, but ones made from pressure are more like hard candy you’re supposed to suck the flavor out of, but I just chew them anyway. Oh! And when the ridges get formed just right...”

He made an ok gesture with his right hand and a sort of stop motion with his other, his eyes closed as he made a pleasant humming noise. “My taste buds sing!”

Something about the way he said that with a childish excitement made me let out a light giggle, which is rare since I couldn't remember the last time I came that close to laughing. “You know Spike, for a legendary dragon that can breathe fire and grow large enough to snap this tree like a twig, you’re pretty goofy.”

“...Thanks, I think?” he responded with a nervous chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called goofy before, but-”

He practically jumped at the muffled sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs from the basement, making a high pitched ‘Eep’ noise and then frantically putting the fern back in place, hiding his secret stash of extremely hard, and apparently flavorful, candy.

I’m a bit sad that I couldn’t learn more about Spike and dragons; his innocence makes me relaxed, he’s a child in the best ways. However, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in the back of my mind when I look at him, and I knew it was because he reminded me of someone I wish I could forget.

“I’d have to read up on some psychology books, but what you’re describing sounds a lot like Closed Heart syndrome. Which is extremely uncommon, one hasn’t been recorded in a pony for over two decades. Is it one of your animals you're worried about?”

“I...suppose you could say that, yes.”

I heard the back end of their conversation when they got to the door. I’m not sure what they were talking about, but they stopped as soon as it opened. Twilight looked mostly the same, but now wearing a white lab coat that fit her quite well.

“Oh, Chara! It’s nice to see you, I like what you’ve done with your mane. I assume you’re here for the attunement?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but stopped, finding my throat dry and having to cross my arms so they wouldn’t see that my hands were shaking a little. I couldn’t help but be unsettlingly nervous, more than usual anyway. The reason hard to place, am I scared of what might happen if I get my own magic? Or is it my paranoia that they were talking about me when they were down there? It could be all of those things, but it didn't matter as long as I can put up with it. I gave her a silent nod instead.

“Spike, can you get the bag of birchwood ash? I have the symbol and the process memorized, but it needs to be written in the ‘dust of a white, fallen tree’.”

“Yeah, yeah I got it.” He retorted with a dismissive wave of his hand, running up the stairs.

I peeked at Fluttershy, who was standing beside Twilight and half hiding behind her mane. The other half being used by Angel as a blanket, the spoiled rabbit taking a nap against her neck. I’m not sure whether it was because he was tired or bored.

“Do you...need me to do anything Twilight?”

“No, I’d actually prefer it if you didn’t do anything. I have this whole process out in my head, and one unplanned variable could mess it up.”

Fluttershy nodded silently, trying not to move around too much so she didn’t wake up Angel. I hated how uncomfortable I felt. I know Fluttershy wants to talk to me about something, but I’m certain she’s going to wait until we’re back at her cottage. I’m just glad Twilight was socially oblivious, or she would notice and probably say something.

“Chara, come stand over here and don’t move. This shouldn’t take longer than thirty minutes. Not accounting for probability of error, of course.”

She didn’t even look at me when she said that, pointing at a random spot beside her and then turning to a bookshelf. She pulled out several books with her magic, checked the titles, and put them back until she found the one she was looking for.

“This is a pretty big bag Twilight, are you sure you need this much?”

“Zecora only had them in big bags. She uses them for a lot of potions, apparently. Alchemy is interesting, I just wish she didn’t speak in riddles all the time so I could learn a lot more about it from her.”

Spike handed her a brown bag about half the size of his head, Twilight took it with her magic and turned it upside down, pouring lines of ash on the floor. I know it wasn't dust, but seeing something so dustlike on the ground brought flashes of the genocide runs to mind. I grit my teeth and tightly gripped my arms as I tried to shove down the unease those memories came with.

“Chara, it’s ok. Twilight’s an expert, you don’t need to be worried.”

If the room hadn’t been so quiet I wouldn’t have even heard her meek voice, even still it startled me. Twilight was so focused on drawing symbols I didn’t recognize that she didn’t hear it. Fluttershy was telling the truth, there really was no point in me being worried. I could hear that or be told that a hundred times, but it wouldn't get rid of the tightness in my chest or pit in my stomach.

“Alright, I’m done. Get in the center of this, and don’t leave it until I tell you to.”

Her tone was somehow both stern and dismissive, not even giving me a glance as she gestured towards the strange assortment of hieroglyphs on the wooden floor drawn in tree ash.

I got in the center where there was a spot, a line surrounding it that looked a lot like a barrier.

“So, what is this for exactly?”

“When I attune you, the best way to get your magic flowing would be with a magic surge, so we’re going to try to start one. However, magic surges are notoriously hard to control. I had my first one when I was really young, and I ended up hatching Spike and turning my parents into plants.”

I raised an eyebrow skeptically at her, that story sounded like an absurd book for children that’s meant to teach them self control or something. I glanced at Spike, who sighed and gave a reluctant nod. Which actually made me a little afraid of Twilight. If she did that by accident when she was a child, what could she do now as an adult and on purpose?

“Alright, so what are these symbols for then? Helping force it?” I asked.

“I wish. If there was a spell that could force a magical surge, every unicorn would get it done at a certain age just to get it out of the way.” Twilight walked in front of me, the tip of her horn sparking as she closed her eyes. “It’s more for keeping it restrained so we aren’t in danger or anything. I’ve never seen a magical surge from a conjuration user before, so I don’t know what to expect.”

I took a deep breath as that familiar raspberry aura began to encompass my body, my heart about to jump out of my throat as it beat so hard and erratically.

“Chara, calm down. I’m not going to need to lift you up, I just...need to open up your channels, kind of like clearing up your sinuses. It’ll tickle at worst, you’ll be fine.”

She tried her best to calm me down; even if she was bad at it, it was sincere. I kept my eyes closed and focused on my breathing as I could feel the magic spread all over my body like warmth from a fire, but more...tingly? It didn’t quite tickle, more similar to the feeling whenever my arm falls asleep and I suddenly move it, but everywhere.

Thankfully, it didn’t last very long. As soon as it reached my feet the feeling abruptly stopped, my eyes slowly opening afterwards. I didn’t feel any different, other than less tense now that there was no magic on my body.

“What now?”

“Now that’s the part that’s up to you. As much as I’d like to train you in proper magic control, I’m…” She paused as she turned away for a moment, cringing in embarrassment at something. “Not good at teaching. Plus, I don’t even know where to start with you. At its base, magic feeds off your emotions. The best way to force a magic surge is to draw off some emotion, usually I would ask you to think of some time you felt strongly about something. But, your case is more difficult with your amnesia.”

“I...might have something that’ll work.” If strong emotion was what was required, I had more than enough of those. I’m guessing anxiety didn’t work, or I’m sure I already would be surging. “What kind of emotions does it take?”

“Anything intense. Anger, love, there’s a long list of things that could work. As long as it is something you can feel intensely, it'll do.”

“What was it for you?”

Twilight opened her mouth and extended her hand to answer, but then stopped, placing her finger against her mouth and furrowing her eyebrows thoughtfully. “I was going to say frustration, but now that I think about it, that doesn’t sound right. No, I think what really pushed me then was...fear.”

The feeling of utter agony as the Hydra tore me apart flashed like a reopened wound, the absolute terror I felt in that moment as I died was hard to forget. “Fear?”

“Yes, fear of failure. I studied rigorously before that day, I didn’t even sleep, I was so anxious! I wanted to prove myself to my parents, and to Celestia. Which is ironic since I learned later that that test was designed to be failed, but it doesn't really matter that much now.”

I wanted to ask her who Celestia was since she mentioned that name with such respect, but I focused more on trying to remember something that would work. The fear from my previous resets was bad, but I don’t know if it was enough. It had to be stronger than that, something that the near thought of threatened to make me feel it again as if it had just happened.

Something… “Intense, huh?”

Anger would be easy, but that was the problem. It was a constant in my life, even now. I needed something that was more than that, some singular moment, something that hit me. I dredged up everything from before I came to this world, every instance of anguish. So many options to choose from, the genocides, waking up for the first time…

Abandoning Asriel.

The thought of my brother brought up something in particular, a memory so distant now it was more like a foggy dream than something that actually happened. It was the end of the first pacifist run Frisk did, they were almost a different person then. It was before he had started his first genocide, when I believed he wasn’t like other humans, that he was better.

How wrong I was.

He fought The God of Hyperdeath Asriel Dreemurr, saving everyone in The Underground and freeing them. I thought he would leave with them, but to my surprise he went back to the flowerbed from the start. I don’t know if he was looking for something or knew, but Asriel was there. Not the all powerful Asriel who had absorbed the souls of six humans and all the monsters, but not the soulless Asriel either who took the form of a flower and called himself Flowey.

It was just...Asriel, like he’d never died. Like I’d never gotten him killed.

They talked for a while. First Frisk tried to convince him to talk to his parents, but he wouldn’t, I don’t think he had very long. Then he asked Frisk why he came to the mountain in the first place, going on to say that I did for a very unhappy reason. I’m glad he didn’t elaborate.

If I had a body then I would have cried, so elated that my brother was alive again, even if deep down I knew it wasn’t permanent. When he started comparing Frisk to me, my not beating heart sank. My hatred for humanity, our similar color pattern, but one thing in particular stuck with me. One thing he said about me I’ll never forget.

“The truth is...Chara wasn’t really the greatest person. While, Frisk… You’re the type of friend I wish I always had.”

Those words, he spoke with such innocence and a genuine smile on his face, broke me. It might have been the nicest way to say it, but he regretted ever being friends with me. In fact, he would have preferred Frisk, who I later watched slaughter every monster in The Underground just because he could. I couldn’t blame him, I’d gotten him killed and tore his family apart.

But to hear him say it so blatantly? I...couldn’t take it.

Even now as I think back to it, I struggle not to collapse to my knees and break down. I strained to hold back the tears, I didn’t want them to see me cry. They’d ask why I was crying, and I don’t know if I could stop myself from speaking the truth.

As the despair hit me, a strange surge of power flushed throughout my body, more energy than I’d ever felt before. I steadily opened my eyes, seeing that my body was now enshrouded in a magical aura, this one a crimson red, the same shade of my eyes unlike Twilight’s gentle raspberry. Along with that it was a different...shape? Twilight’s had been much more solid, like someone had drawn wavy lines around whatever she picked up. This was more wispy, similar to smoke from a fire. I outstretched my arms and moved them around, the aura following my movements.

“...What now?” I asked Twilight as I peered up at her, who had that sparkly look in her eyes as she was obviously amazed by my magic.

“I’ve never seen magic like this before, it’s so condensed and- oh! Sorry.” She snapped out of it and stared at me, I got the feeling she was looking more at my magic than me. “Hm...think of your body as a storm, and your right hand as the eye of the storm. Focus all of your magic into there, think of it as your conduit.”

I closed my eyes and tried to do so, my magic spiking up as I tried to concentrate it down to my right hand. My short hair began to stick up, my clothes began to almost hover off my body and the palm of my right hand got heavier. It began to sag as I struggled to keep it up, all the magic had moved there and was now a small orb, with much more weight than most would think.

“This is…” Twilight began to look around as her own mane had started to move like there was a strong wind in the room, some of the books on the shelves began to vibrate. “Strong. Um, concentrate on your mind's eye. Picture something you’re really familiar with, so much so that you can imagine what it feels like. Its weight, its texture, how it would feel in your hands. Every detail matters.”

As soon as I tried to do so, a searing migraine struck me as my eyes began to violently and painfully pulsate, buckling under the weight as I collapsed to my knees. The pain began to spread, starting just behind my eyes and beginning to course like a poison in my veins.

When it reached my pupils, they began to...leak. Some kind of ichor began to drip down my eyes, but I could tell they weren’t tears. They were too big and thick, and they weren’t warm or cold, having no sort of temperature.

I brought my left hand to the side of my face as I grunted in pain, too afraid to do the same with my other one still having the magic in it. As I lowered my head, I saw that the lines the symbol was made out of had begun to burn, but the ash it was made out of rather than the floor itself.

“What? That shouldn’t be possible, it takes an absurd amount of magic to overpower symbols like these. And...this feeling, it’s the same kind of magic I sensed yesterday. I…” I raised my head as she abruptly stopped, panicking as her eyes darted around the room. The wind had become stronger, books were being thrown off the shelves and the windows were cracking. Fluttershy was holding Angel close to her chest, and Spike was visibly shaking.

“What is this? Chara you have to stop!” Twilight warned me.

“I…” My voice came out shrill as I closed my eyes, trying to push the magic back in. “can’t.”

“You have to! I...I can’t...you’ll hurt yourself or someone else, I’m not sure what’s going on but somethings wrong. Just calm down. Usually it’s easier to just wait until you burn out, but that won’t work here. Think of something positive, please.”

“I…” Power was flowing through me, more than I could handle. I was on the brink of exploding, both metaphorically and literally from the agonizing vibrating and pulsating of not just my head and eyes, but my body being burned with magic. When I opened my mouth to speak, it all seemed to flow out of me. “CAN’T!”

I couldn’t remember the last time I raised my voice that loud, something about it didn’t sound like mine either. It was...nearly demonic, and reverberated throughout the library. Twilight looked at me in response and shrieked, taking a few steps back as her horse ears lowered and eyes constricted to pin pricks.

I shifted my gaze to Fluttershy, who had a similar reaction, pushing herself against the wall to escape from me, clutching Angel as desperately as I do the necklace. What hurt more was when I glanced at Spike, who...was hiding as much behind Fluttershy as he could. I could barely see him, his grip on Fluttershy trembling along with his entire body, resembling a child hiding behind their mother afraid of something.

He’s...afraid of me.

They are all...afraid of me! My power, my voice, they’re scared that I’m going to hurt them. An innocent child, a mother figure who wanted to help me, a scientist with only the best intentions. All people who have been trying to help me and be my friend...and they’re afraid of me.

As soon as that realization hit, everything stopped. The wind, the headache, the magic surging through me, the weight on my hand and body, halted. The windows stopped cracking and the tossed books stopped having their pages flipped by an invisible force. I retracted my left hand from my face, examining it as I could tell there was something on it.

Solid, close to vantablack colored liquid, and I use the term liquid loosely. It had more of a gel texture, but had the appearance of ink. I know what this was, I’m extremely familiar with it and what it means. I wiped it on my shirt as I raised my head and drew a breath, the deafening silence in the room worse than the leftover ringing.

“Twilight?”

She didn’t hear me or didn’t notice, her eyes still constricted and fixated on me. Or what I thought at first, then I followed her gaze as it was lower than that. I somehow failed to sense the weight in my right hand, having been so light compared to the magic orb before that it nearly didn’t register.

I couldn’t hear my own heart beat, my breathing completely stopping with a last gasp as everything froze as if someone had taken a picture of the moment. I knew this feeling well, the black grip that fit nicely in a hand, the way the front of it lowered itself from the steel it was made out of, and how it curved in the middle to make for easier movement. Yet, despite having the weight of steel, bright red took its place. Like my magic had been turned solid.

It was a knife; there’s a knife in my hand.

Comments

[Oreon]

oh no.

[redsopine]

Wow that’s dark confusing and it’s gonna be hard to explain everything now

[Javachip]

This has been a great read so far. I’m very interested in the implications of a knife being an object that Chara is most familiar with. Keep up the good work!

[Perfectly Insane]

10856068
Glad you liked it! Not sure if you caught it earlier or not, but I mentioned something a few chapters ago about Chara’s connection to knives and sharp objects, it was the part where I mentioned scars.

Don’t want to say much else, but you should be able to get it now that I’ve made that connection blatant.

[Puppet Maker]

Oh…. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here!!! Also, so nice to see this updated again! Absolutely great chapter!

Have a great day!!!!!

[redsopine]

10856226
I get it and that’s dark particularly if Fluttershy starts asking questions or connects the dots

[Spellflame]

… what else could it be?

[Donnaly]

There’s her dagger I thought it would be red.

[Falkenlied]

Jimmineys what a chapter, the attunement was a rolercoaster!

Lovely interactions, I'm loving this fic thus far!

[Gypsybard]

My my what do we have here