Drums of War

Bored. I paced around the library, hands fidgeting with my 'casual-wear'. The hoodie and jeans were what I came here in, well-worn and threadbare. But they were very comfortable. BORED!

Twilight still hadn't come back, it was still raining chocolate, and Spike was using Twilight's absence to take a nap. There was nothing to do. BOOOORED!!! I flung myself into a wooden chair carved from a stump, shaking my head. Come on, keep it together... I growled and slapped myself a few times. "This is ridiculous..."

Standing up, I moved to the window, looking at the sticky, brown mess outside. C'mon, c'mon, there has to be something to do...

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I whirled around, looking for where the voice came from. The playful, masculine voice sounded like it was coming from right behind me, but I saw nothing. Please tell me I'm not hearing things...

"Of course, it's nothing compared to the chaos you used to wreak." I looked up, to see some...thing hovering near the ceiling, my watch between it's mismatched forelegs. "I must say, I'm impressed."

"What the Hell are you?" I blurted out, staring at the random mash of creatures floating in the air. It's scarlet and gold eyes glanced down to me for a split second before it simply appeared less than half a meter from my face.

"My boy, I'm your biggest fan." The monster grinned, massive white eyebrows furrowing over it's mismatched eyes. "Call me Discord." He snapped the cover of my watch down and tossed it to me. "That's a fantastic piece of clockwork you've got there."

I snatched my watch out of the air and stuffed it into my pocket. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have fans, I'm just a nobody." I scowled at the laughter my statement received. Like he knows something I don't... My scowl deepened. Who doesn't?

"Ohoho, and you actually believe it! To think you've been sitting right under Celestia's nose and she was none the wiser..."

His mocking tone was grating on me. I clenched my fist around my watch, glaring up at what I could only describe as a chimera. "Would you leave? I have things to do."

The irksome beast merely continued. "Oh, I don't doubt that... but first, answer one question?" He slithered closer, resting a matted, filthy lion-paw on my shoulder, followed by an ominous, "why have you never opened the watch?"

My mind screeched to a halt. "...How do you know about that?" I inwardly flinched at the wavering of my voice. The last thing I wanted was for this creature to know he'd gotten under my skin.

"It's quite amazing, isn't it?" Discord rambled, "something these ponies could never understand. Not even Celestia and Luna could comprehend living forever." The beast, suddenly far more terrifying than irritating, looked me dead in the eyes. "Seeing everything. Infinite universes, every single creature on every floating rock...It drives a man mad."

Bu-bu-de-dum, bu-bu-de-dum, bu-bu-de-dum...

"But you already know that, don't you?" Those eyes... I couldn't look away. The drums pounded ceaselessly in my ears, sending the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. My mind screamed at me to run, but my body refused past pathetically weak tremors. "Even if you don't see it yet, you know there's more."

"Stop it..." I growled out, forcing my eyes shut. I could hardly hear my own voice over the Bu-bu-de-dum, bu-bu-de-dum, bu-bu-de-dum in my head, my fingertips absently tapping against my thigh.

"Why don't you open it?"

My eyes shot open, and I bared my teeth. "I SAID STOP IT!" I was about to continue...

But I was alone. There was no sign of the creature anywhere. I only had a second to stand confused before the door opened, and Twilight's friends piled in.

Chaos. It was absolute chaos. The oddly desaturated ponies were being unreasonably cruel to one-another, but especially Twilight. It had started innocently enough, a game of keep-away, but had eventually gone out of control. Twilight sat in the center of the room, fuming beneath a tin bucket while Fluttershy openly mocked her. Rarity was jealously guarding a boulder, and the rest were...well, I wasn't paying much attention.

Did Discord do this?

The sight of Twilight being harassed was enough to force my hand. "Everyone, listen up!" I said, no louder than a normal speaking voice. Nonetheless, the pandemonium ceased immediately and I was met by four sets of slate-grey eyes staring right at me. Where's Rainbow Dash? I asked myself, before shaking my head and capitalizing on the silence. "Everyone but Twilight, get out."

Fluttershy flew up to me, glaring at me from a breath away. "What if we don't? What's a bald monkey like you gonna do, throw a banana at us?" I held my ground. Even with...whatever it was affecting her, she was far too adorable to be even slightly intimidating.

I stared directly into her eyes, making sure my voice was as clear and authoritative as possible. "Get. Out."

As if in a trance, all four left in perfect silence. I slammed the door behind them, pressing my fingers to my temples. Bu-bu-de-dum, bu-bu-de-dum, bu-bu-de-dum, why wouldn't it stop? I sighed and walked over to the trembling purple unicorn sitting in the center of the room, pulling the pail off her head and tossing it to the side. "Okay. What the Hell just happened?"

No response, beyond a tiny sniffle. I rolled my eyes and scooped her up, taking her to bed. "You will explain this when you calm down." Setting her down and pulling the blanket over her, I walked back down to my chair and picked up a book.

"Supernaturals: Natural remedies and cure-alls that are simply super". I'd read it cover-to-cover thrice already, but it was better than nothing.

No it wasn't. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the book, my mind always wandered to the barely noticeable weight of my watch in my pocket. Before long I had foregone the book entirely, simply running my thumb over the intricate circular designs over the timepiece. Part of me was beyond perplexed. I'd had this thing for years, yet...I'd never actually looked at it. Never put much thought into it. It was just...there.

Why don't you open it?

The memory put a chunk of ice in my heart. Some unnamed impulse told me it would be a bad idea. That opening the watch would be the equivalent of Pandora's box.

"What...are you?" I muttered, turning the unassuming piece of metal in my hands.