(Prologue Chapter 1 of 2) End of the Road, Jack. Or is it? *Edited*

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a rag-doll? No? How about a rag-doll flung a good fifteen feet in the air when it was hit by a drunk driver? Still no? Well then, good for you. Unfortunately for me, I don't have that privilege. Why, you may ask?

The answer's simple: I am that rag-doll.

Today didn't start out so shitty, as a matter-of-fact, I'd say it was actually one of the best days I'd had in a long time; I'd finally got promoted to district manager at Wall-Mart I'd wanted, I proposed to my bombshell of a girlfriend (she said yes, by the way), and I'd finally made my final mortgage payment on my house. Yeah, it had been one hell of a damn good day.

But of course, the universe just had to be a colossal douchebag and knock me off that emotional high, and what better way to do it than have some asshole battering-ram me with his Ford F1-50. As I flew through the air, all I could think of was.... well, truth be told, I wasn't thinking much about anything but the ungodly amount of pain I was in. That is, until gravity decided to finally kick in and I began the rapid headlong descent towards the hardened asphalt below. That's when I was finally able to for one coherent:

Damn, physics and gravity suck ass.

With that, I plowed face-first into the pavement below, tumbling head-over-heel as the second impact shattered even more of my already broken bones, sending multiple waves of white-hot agony racing up and down my body. I continued to roll along the ground until I finally came to a grinding halt at the sidewalk, smashing my temple against the edge of the curb in the process. Black and red dots flicked across my field of vision as my sight began to blur. I was vaguely aware of all the commotion around me; cars came to a grinding halt, people were yelling as they crowded around me; something warm and wet was running down my arm and legs, but I couldn't move my head to look and see what it was. The pain was excruciating, but it was quickly overcome by complete and exhaustion.

My eyes grew heavy, as my vision became more and more distorted. I was about to just rest my eyes for a moment, but an abrupt slap (it felt like a slap) jarred me into semi-alertness. Raising my head slowly, an act I found to be extremely difficult, I managed to look at my unknown assailant, only to have my heart drop into my gut and what little air I had leave my lungs in a pained huff. Kneeling over me, tears streaming down her face, was Rachel; my girlfriend, and soon-to-be wife. I offered her a weak smile as I went to push myself up, but when I did, my arm snapped  with a sickening crack, causing me to once again have some quality face-time with the ground. Rachel reacted almost immediately, lifting my head off the ground and laying it on her lap. It was so warm and comfortable, and within seconds my vision began to blur again. I felt something drip onto my face, and managed to turn my head just enough to see Rachel crying all the more. I tried to say something, anything, but my mouth wouldn't seem to obey me. I say Rachel's mouth move, but I couldn't make out the words as I finally slipped into unconsciousness, the pitch black darkness pulled me into its cold embrace.

*Discord's POV*

“Hmmm, no.... no.... no. Most definitely not. Niet. Nin. Not likely. HAH, you've got to be kidding me.”

Sitting on his throne of peanut brittle and chocolate, Discord continued to sort through all the potential candidates for his little game. Since he'd decided to play nice with Celestia's “precious little ponies”, Discord had quickly found himself at wits end with boredom, having exhausted every means he could think of to entertain himself that didn't involve creating glorious chaos and sending the good citizens of Equestria running in fear.

Or, that was, until “The Chess Game Of the Gods” began. Discord wasn't quite sure which of the other gods had started the game, but it had quickly gained ground among all the Gods over every pantheon known to ponykind (and some not known). The goal of the game was simple; bring a sentient creature into Equestria, by hook or by crook, and get them to one-up the other god's chosen few. It was a clever little game, one that Discord was ashamed he hadn't thought of first (or had he, he couldn't quit remember).

But recently, Discord's old friend-turned nemesis Erebus had taken to the game like a moth to a flame, which wasn't boding well for the rest of the gods participating. Unlike the rest of the gods, who chose to influence the actions of their “chess pieces” through complex scenarios, Erebus chose to take a more direct, sinister approach, planting a piece of his darkness in the minds of his chosen pieces. That darkness either slowly overrode the morals and inhibitions of those chosen, making them some of the most effective killing machines out there, or it tore them apart, mind, body and soul, until not but a wisp of their former selves remained.

The other gods, had taken note of this, but were unable to do much more than try to off his players before they became a threat, after all, what he was doing wasn't necessarily against the rules. However, that left Discord at a distinct disadvantage. Seeing as Erebus had a total hard-on for him, Erebus had sent his players after Discord's, wiping all but a few of them of the face of Equestria. Discord had tried to make up for it, fashioning a spell linked to his mind that would automatically sort out the potential players he liked from the ones he didn't. The problem was that the spell was still in its infancy, so at the end of the day he still needed to sort throw the potential players the spell singled out.

Groaning in frustration at the menial task before him, Discord slumped down into his peanut and chocolate laden throne, nibbling on a piece of cotton candy cloud he'd poof-ed into existence beside his head.

“There's got to be somepony out their with the skills to outwit Erebus's force of blood-thirsty, evil-addled buffoons. I mean, come now; if it weren't for him jamming his evil into their overcrowded skulls, they wouldn't even BE that much of a threat.” he shouted to no one, jabbing his clawed talon into his own temple before placing it to his chin, suddenly deep in thought.

….....

A moment passed in silence, then another, and another until...

“THAT'S IT!!!!”

Leaping from his throne, Discord began dancing madly to an unheard tone with boundless enthusiasm, while his mind began turning over and fine-tuning what he believed to be one of his best plans yet. So Erebus wants to infect his little pawns with darkness? Fine; two can play that game.

“Now the only question is, who to test it on?”

No sooner had he said this, the orb he'd used as the medium for his spell began to pulse a vibrant array of gold, red, and black swirls. Peering into its depths, Discord gazed at the scene it showed him, before switching to show him an image of Twilight Sparkle in her home, casting a particularly difficult spell from the looks of it. Upon closer observation, Discord's enthusiastic grin grew into a full-blown psychotic smile; he knew that spell. He couldn't have asked for a more perfect opportunity if he tried, and he wasn't about to pass it up know.

*As of Yet Unnamed MC's POV*

I've heard people say that the afterlife was supposed to be one of the  nicest, most peaceful places in all of existence. That  a feeling of serenity and absolute bliss should wash over you like a waterfall as you'd drift lazily towards pearly-white gates that open onto eternal paradise. We have all heard stories of near-death experiences and let me tell you right now.

They. Are. Full. Of. Shit.

Ever-so enticingly close, but well out of reach, was a celestial light shining high above me, it radiance as warm and inviting as a lit fireplace, away from the cold of a roaring blizzard. Beneath me, and far too close for comfort, a fire raged with infernal intent amidst a sea of molten magma, the smell of sulfur and brimstone assailing me senses relentlessly. All around me, to all sides except far above and below, was a black expanse of empty nothingness. Neither cold nor hot, frightening nor comforting, the black abyss opened wide, leaving nothing but doubt and suspense. In that empty void I hung, my weightless soul seemingly stuck between the threshold of  condemnation of salvation; I only wished that I could move even an inch, to bring this matter of indecision to a close for better or worse. And yet, that still wasn't the worst of it.

One thing that those near-death stories never tell you was that, as you hang there, floating between these two contrasting realms, you continue to relive your death with excruciating clarity, as if it was re-occurring at that very moment. I heard the squeal of breaks as they try and fail to bring the pickup truck to a stop in time; I feel the impact of the trucks front fender against my side as my arm, ribs and leg shatter under the tremendous force; I see the look of utter sadness and despair reflected in Rachel's eyes as mine shut for the last time.

The scenes played out in my mind over and over again, all the pain of those final moments repeating, with no room for reprieve, leaving me feeling weak, frustrated, and with half a dozen questions reeling in my mind. Why was I being forced to relive this horrible pain? Shouldn’t death have numbed me to pain entirely since I had no nerves or body to feel it with? Why wasn't I going anywhere? Was this what it would be like for the rest of eternity? There were so many questions, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer any of them, mostly because I was afraid of the answer. By all rights I should have been been driven mad by this and yet here I was, still able tothink and experience every bit of agony my death had to offer. It was so awful, yet all I could do was shut my eyes, grit my teeth, and bare it.

Oh, why hello there, Jace. Enjoying all that limbo has to offer, I take it?

Okay, the disembodied voice was new. Looking around all I saw was just the same as earlier; Light above, fire below, and darkness everywhere in between. Even though, the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I raised my hand to scratch my head in thought.

…...

…...Wait a minute....

I COULD MOVE MY HAND!!!

Looking down at the appendage, I confirmed that, sure enough I was able to move it about without restraint or restriction. Testing the rest of my limbs, I found that they too were free of whatever force held them not moments ago. Swiveling around, I found myself no longer starring into empty blackness, but the entrance to what I could only describe as a throne room.

The room itself was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Several different color schemes were laid out on the floor in a spiral pattern while while the six banners on the walls each held a distinct pattern of gold, red and black, depicting a creature that looked like a Frankenstein style mash-up of six or seven different species of animal. The “throne” was actually a throne-shaped sculpture made of chocolate and peanut brittle. Chocolate milk waterfalls fell out of huge pink clouds as upside down paintings, buildings, rocks, and other debris floated around haphazardly. In short, this place was a disaster and a half.

I opened and closed my mouth several times, at a lose for words to describe how I felt about this severe case of WTF before me. Truth be told, I don't think anyone could.

“So,  my dear Jace, what do you think of my my personal space?”

This time the no-longer-disembodied voice came from behind me. Swiveling around in the air, I found myself gawking in open-mouth disbelief for the second time in the space of a few minutes. The same creature who's portrait decorated the banners of this fun-house throne room now lie a few feet behind me, lying on a floating couch and sipping from a glass of what looked like apple cider.

“Well, if this is your idea of interior decorating, remind me not to ask you to fix up my house.” I deadpanned. After the crap I just had to deal with, I was in no mood to make small-talk with the monster version of a jumbled-up Rubix Cube. The mix-matched creature crossed at arms, obviously more than a little bit offended at my bluntness, to which I only shrugged.

“Hey, you asked; I answered. If you didn't like it, you shouldn't have asked the question in the first place.”

Placing it's hand to it's chin, the creature seemed to mull this over for a moment before shrugging dismissively, “Hmm; fair enough, but that's neither here nor there, and of little importance where your concerned, Jace.”

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, crossing my arms defensively. “How is it that you know my name? I don't remember introducing myself.”

The creature just rolled his eyes, as if fact that I didn't already know the answer bugged it to no end.“Oh come now, must we really go through this? You ask, 'How do you know my name', to which I answer 'Oh, I know all about you, Jace'. You then toss out some charming little quip like 'Oh really? Well then prove it' and I'll tell you all about yourself, leaving you standing there, gawking at me, unable to believe your ears....much the same way as you are know.”

True to his word, I was just floating their, mouth a gap, as he rattled off the exact same scenario than had just played out in my mind. It was... unsettling, to say the least, that a creature I'd never seen, and never would have thought existed, knew so much about me, yet I knew so little about it. I couldn't help but lean away from the creature, which also made me lazily drift back a few inches.

Once more the mix-matched creature rolled it's eyed, but this time the action was accompanied by a poorly hidden smile. “And know it seems that my having such a profound understanding of who you are has upset you. Oh, I do so hate making bad first impressions What to do, what to do....Ah, yes!”

With a snap of the creature's fingers, the grossly chaotic room began setting itself to right; the pink clouds vanished in a puff of gold smoke, the several color schemes laid out on the floor blended together, turning each tile into a glossy shade of crimson red. Pillars of polished black stone rose from the floor, white veins running there length and strips of gold surrounding their base. The throne, no longer made of chocolate and peanut brittle was now a rather sinister-looking vestige of gray and red metals, a massive pair of deer antlers protruding from its tracery, near the top of the back. After a quick look at his handiwork, the creature gave a stoic nod before appearing in front of me, a rather welcoming, if not somewhat unsettling smile on its face.

“I believe I may have... forgotten myself in my haste; I forgot how anxious you humans can get when confronted with something outside your comfort-zone. Allow me to start over.” It said, holding out its paw, “My name is Discord: dracconequuis, and Spirit of Chaos and Disorder.”

Discord.

Again, that name rang with an unquestionable pang of familiarity, just as his voice had. Come to think of it, before he had reconstructed the room, it too had a familiar look to it. I was so wrapped up in my own jumbled confusion that I hardly noticed Discord take hold of my hand, shaking it vigorously and jarring me off my train of thought.

"Uh, yeah; my name's Jace...but then, you already knew that.”

Discord simply nodded. “Quite. Now, before I begin explaining why you're here, I'd like to apologize for having left you in Limbo for so long. I can this from personal experience; it's not pleasant. But I do have a reason for placing you in such a...distasteful position.”

“Being...?”

If words could kill, the venom behind that one would have been more than enough to have this mix-matched spit-fuck foaming at the mouth. Alas, all it got from him was look of false injury and a weak smile, neither of which did anything to make me feel less pissed. What did catch my attention, however, was when Discord settled onto his throne, crossing his legs and placing his hands on the armrests.

In a split second, the outgoing, but thoroughly irritating draconequuis had gone from being kind, if not super creepy, to completely stoic and unemotional, actually looking the part of the all- powerful Lord of Chaos he claimed to be. Gazing up into his cold, apathetic red and yellow eyes, I felt a chill shoot up my spine and I suddenly felt very, very small.

"Tell me Jace, are you familiar with the concept of the multiverse?” Discord asked, his voice as apathetic and icy as his gaze. All I could manage was a hesitant nod.

“Good, than you'll understand as I explain the situation.”

With an abrupt flick of the wrist, all the the torches in the room were sniffed out in an instant, their reddish-gold glow replaced by the dull, silver glower from a giant sphere in the center of the room.

“You see, as there are infinitely many universe, each unique in its own specific way, so too are their infinitely many gods and goddesses that rule these universes. Now, most gods choose to go about their work discretely, so as to prvent those in their charge from becoming complacent sheep who rely solely on the god to provide for their every need. However there are some, like myself, who take an active role in the day-to-day affair of mortals.”

As Discord spoke, the sphere began to tremble and shift, until images began to flick across its surface. The first was an explosion of some sort, blasting outward, and at its center was the flickering of a shadowed form. With every passing moment the faded silhouette would change shape, first a winged women, then a horned man; a strong figure bathed in a warm light, a fragile frame shrouded in an encroaching darkness. All these and more flashed  across the globe's surface before it suddenly burst into multiple smaller orbs, each showing what I assumed to be other universes. Each showed events of a similar theme, but each unique in and of itself; an older couple cuddling by a fireplace; children running through a field of grass, a mother holding her child lovingly in her arms. Each was a beautiful sight, and I couldn't help but smile, the warmth these tender moments seeming to flow into me.

“Some seek to bring about peace and prosperity to all those in there charge, to take an active role in the further improvement of the sentient race. Still others just use those in their care to satisfy whimsical impulses and wanton desires.” Discord continued, “And still...”

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Suddenly, the dull light from the azure orbs changed to piercing, crimson red, as the happy, joy-filled scenes burned away from the orbs' surface with a deafening shriek, and I felt a chill slowly crawl it's way up my spine as new images came to take there place. In one, a child lay crying over the still, lifeless body of his mother, a puddle of blood steadily forming beneath them. In another, more bodies, some still moving, hung suspended in mid-air, each impaled atop tall, barbed posts. A pale, pasty- skinned man in a black suit and red tie strode lazily down a near deserted street, a sickeningly wide, ear-to-ear grin displaying rows of jagged, bloodstained teeth. Behind him, a legion of monsters, all resembling living shadows, writhed about in twisted exhilaration, before dashing past him to the crowd ahead. People stumbled over one another in an attempt to outrun the monstrosities, but never made it very far before slender, bony claws seized them and haphazardly tore them apart.

I felt bile burn the back of my throat as I fought the urge to empty the contents of my stomach onto the floor. I looked back at Discord's throne, only to find him standing right beside me, watching the massacre with a frigid, melancholy expression.

“...Other gods,” Discord mumbled, his voice no more than a whisper, “seek nothing more than to cause not but pain and suffering; to see all life extinguished, and to thrust whole worlds into eternal destruction, for whatever reason they may have. That is why I've brought you here.”

With a wave of his lions paw, the sights and sound coming from the orbs faded into oblivion, as the orbs dissolved and the torches re-lit, returning the room to its original state.

“I don't know who, or for what reason, but war has erupted among the gods, and their chosen battlefield is my domain. I have brought you hear to offer you a second chance at life and to hopefully turn the tide of this war back in my favor. I want you to be one of my champions.”

......

…...

…....

“….Deal.”