Something From Nothing

Toya moved quickly, his Omnitrix going off and leaving him in his Diamondhead form. His arms shifted into blades and slashed at the shadowy tentacles emerging from Alex.

“Alex, calm down!” Toya called out, his voice distorted by his now alien biology.

“Worthless...” Whispers flitted from Alex’s dark form, claws swiping at Toya’s arms. “You break everything you care about...”

A thoughtful expression crossed Toya’s face. He let Alex claw at him and flinched a bit as the claws chipped at his diamond-like skin. “Alex, you’re not worthless. Don’t let that thing talk about you like that.”

Springing up Toya’s body, Alex twisted and spun. Claw and foot striking him in rapid succession. “Failure... you’ll never be anything but a failure.”

Growling in frustration, Toya grabbed Alex by the arms. In a matter of seconds they were encased in crystals the same shade of green as his skin.

Artemis stared, pompom whirling to and fro. Steadying herself against the forge, her voice came in sharp breaths. “I-is he... restrained?”

“I’d imagine so,” Toya offered, quickly moving in to encase Alex’s legs as well. “These crystals are on par with diamonds in terms of hardness.”

Shadow lashed out, batting Toya aside. Squirming and squeezing into every minute flaw, the wriggling darkness broke its prison into so many shards. Fixing his burning eyes on Artemis, Alex pounced.

Toya put himself between Alex and the moogle again, getting knocked off his feet by the sudden force.

“You’ll never be a real man...” Streaks of black dug into Toya’s skin, seeping into the cracks. “You’re pathetic...”

“What does real man even mean?” Toya shot back, trying to pry Alex off himself. “Mortals want to put themselves into neat little boxes. Make themselves think they fit one mold, and one mold only.” Reaching to his Omnitrix symbol, he canceled the transformation. “But life is messy. And we rarely fit into any one category.”

Vash wanted to say something, but for once, Toya had a good grasp on the situation. Reaching into his coat, he loaded his magnum. Given the shadow schtick going on, he settled on crystal tipped bullets loaded with flash spells. With a moment to aim, he shot at the tendrils trying to wrap around his son.

Only one would find its target, sending Alex in retreat. The others vanished into Screwball’s hat as she interposed herself between them. “No hurting Mr. Sister! Bad needle noggin!”

“They’re trick bullets,” Vash argued. “The light spell should damage the shadow magic while leaving Alex himself unharmed.” Coughing he added, “in theory” under his breath.

Screwball dug her hooves in, bracing her arms against Alex’s abdomen. “Mister Sister! It’s okay! Don’t be mad at little fuzzy!” Her voice became much harsher. “Ponies help, not gawk!”

Cadance's wings were extended, her feathers visibly ruffled. "H-how can I help?! I'm barely able to use telekinesis and that's when I'm not panicking!"

"Cadance, get out of the lab and tell the nearest guard to bring a squad to be on alert outside the workshop," Vash said, his tone even to avoid exasperating her panic attack.

Nodding, the pink alicorn sidled along the wall and towards the staircase.

“Little fuzzy, make quick now!” Screwball commanded, twisting her body away from Alex’s claws.

Artemis needed no further instructions, latching onto Cadance to let the princess carry them to safety.

“You’re the reason your mother’s sick...” Alex kicked away from Toya, planting himself on the staircase. “All your fault...

Throwing his hand out, Toya raised a wall of ice, cutting Alex off from Cadance and Artemis. “Good luck trying to find cracks in that. I’ve laced that with my magic. Fort Knox ain’t got nothing on my walls.”

Screwball attached herself to Alex’s back, burying her muzzle into his pitch black skin. “Alex, please! Come back! Everything will be okay.”

“I’m going to try something.” Adjusting his Omnitrix, Toya was back in his siren form. Wasting no time, he began to sing. Dancing to the beat of her own making, Toya let her emotional magic spread throughout the room.

Alex’s gnarled hand snared the gruff of Screwball’s neck, pulling the mare in front of him. Yellow eyes bore into her swirls, raising his free hand above his head.

“Any time you wanna let me use the flash bullets, let me know, Screwball,” Vash snapped, his revolver at the ready.

Screwball remained silent, watching unflinchingly as Alex’s hand crept towards her. His claws touched her fur, almost a stain against her coat.

“It’s okay,” she assured, nuzzling her cheek against his hand. “Come back to us.”

Shadow bubbled and boiled, running off Alex’s body in thick globs. He stumbled, collapsing against the ice wall. The cast of ichor congealed, reforming into his shadow. Going limp, Alex resembled peaceful sleep.

Canceling his transformation, Toya knelt down and put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. With a quick wave of his hand, the wall of ice faded from existence. Catching him before he could fall, Toya stood up with the smaller teen in his arms. “Let’s get him to one of the guest rooms.” With that, he went up the stairs and out of the workshop with the others close behind.

What greeted him when he came out was a still frazzled, but more calm looking Cadance and a dozen guards. “Stand down everyone,” Vash said, his revolver tucked away. “The situation has been resolved.”

Screwball hovered at Toya’s shoulder, fussing with Alex’s hair. “Mister Sister is okay now. No more scaries from him.”

The guards relaxed, breaking off with a salute directed at Toya and Vash and went to resume their duties. Cadance gave her friend a tight hug, being mindful of the person he was carrying.

“I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Toya grinned, a chuckle escaping his lips. “Have a little faith. We only took so long because Screwball wouldn’t let us directly attack Alex.”

“Yes, well, thank you.” Artemis steadied her pompom. “I know my way about a forge, not a battlefield.”

“No worries,” Vash said, grinning. “I prefer to be a lover over a fighter myself.” Turning his attention to Toya, he gave him a nod. “Go ahead and teleport to a guest room, I’ll let Tia and Morning know what happened.”

Nodding, Toya disappeared in a flash with the others in tow.

When the group reappeared, they were in the castle’s infirmary. The nurse on duty jumped in her stool, only to frown when she saw Toya.

“Prince, how many times have I told you that the door exists for a reason?” She huffed, adjusting her cap as Toya laid Alex on the nearest open bed. “Let me guess, overexerted this one while training, as usual?”

“Not this time Patchwork,” Toya answered, forgoing a cheeky remark to make Alex an ice pack.

Hovering by the bed, Screwball clutched her hat close. “Too much tan, not enough sunshine.”

Patchwork quirked a brow at Screwball’s odd statement but went ahead and put a hand on Alex’s forehead. “Hmm, seems like she’s displaying signs of magic overload. I’ll get the sugar water mixed with electrolytes and some orange wedges.” Pushing away on her stool, she busied herself with grabbing the drink and fruit.

“Mister Sister not Sister Mister,” Screwball corrected, mushing her hat between her hooves.

“Ah, my mistake.” Sliding back over, Patchwork gently sat Alex up and coaxed him to drink.

Alex pushed the mare away, nearly flinging himself off the bed. Black bile heaved past his lips, pooling on the floor. Gripping the side, he purged the lingering shade from his body.

“Hmm, either your species deals with magic overload differently with ponies, or this was something else.” Patchwork seemed to not react to the events, merely grabbing a rag in her magic and cleaning up the bits of shade on Alex and then the floor. “Feel better with that mass out of you?”

Pulling himself back onto the bed, Alex covered his mouth as his stomach lurched again. “...Water...”

Without missing a beat, Patchwork had the water she’d given him previously in front of him. “Need a pan in case you empty your stomach some more?”

“M’fin.” Trapping the cup between trembling hands, he consumed the liquid in two mighty gulps.

“Want some more?” Patchwork asked gently, preparing more of the sugar and electrolyte water.

“Yes...”

Nodding, Patchwork quickly finished the pitcher and gave Alex another glass.

As before, Alex guzzled the water down. His body shuddered, fighting to expel its new contents. “T-thanks...” he muttered, keeping his stomach under control.

“You’re welcome, just try to rest easy,” Patchwork offered. “After what you’ve been through it’s best you don’t move around too much.”

Alex laid back, gulping back his gullet. “What happened?”

“You were consumed by darkness,” Vash answered, leaning against the counter. “Kept talking about your most negative thoughts about yourself.”

Gripping the empty cup tighter, Alex’s gaze traced the rim. “Everyone okay?”

“We should be asking you that,” Toya retorted, a slight smile on his face. “You’re the only one in the infirmary bed afterall.”

“...I’m fine,” Alex said, getting another refill. This time, he savored the water, each sip stilling his trembles. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Kid, I know mental trauma bubbling under the surface when I see it,” Vash said, taking a seat at the edge of Alex’s bed. “I don’t know if you’re lying to us or yourself, but either way you need to hear this. If you don’t get yourself in order, that shadow will come back, and are you willing to risk hurting your family if it does?”

“I’m already planning on seeing someone,” Alex snapped. “So drop it.”

Sighing, Vash shook his head and stood up. "Fine, I will."

Screwball wrapped her arms around Alex, peppering him with nuzzles and kisses. “Mister Sister is all better. Shades and sorrow are all gone!”

"Let's hope that's the case," Toya agreed, fiddling with a cube of ice in his hand and letting it shift shapes every so often. "My throat's still scratchy from my siren song."

“Sorry.” Alex shrugged, focusing on his cup.

Sensing the tension in the air, Vash slipped his glasses onto his face. "Oh, Toya! I just realized I had some new gun tricks to show off!" Unholstering his gun, he deftly removed the cylinder so he could safely demonstrate with it. Spinning it on his finger, he tossed it into the air. While it flipped in midair, he pivoted on his heels to spin in place. Extending his hand, he looped his finger through the trigger guard all without the gun losing its rotation.

"I'm thinking of adding a little hoop to the grip," the blond man explained, making a crude dance of his display. "Then add some retractable fishing line that gets sewn into my glove and make it impossible for me to get disarmed. Not to mention the pistol whipping tricks." Distracted by his own train of thought, his feet got tangled up, tripping him and sending him falling towards Alex.

Breaking glass echoed across the room, Vash melting into light. When the light died Alex was standing in his bed in a new outfit. A red letterman's jacket was draped over his shoulders with a golden V stitched on the right breast. He was now wearing a red basketball style jersey with twin revolvers emblazoned on it. The jersey went down to his knees, hiding the basketball shorts beneath.

Alex hopped up, patting himself down. “Huh. I wasn’t... expecting that,” he said slowly, fishing his phone out of his pocket. Snapping a pic, he glanced over his shoulder. “Made a nice jacket though.”

"Uh, what about my dad?" Toya asked, looking Alex over.

“Oh he’s my clothes.” Alex motioned to himself. “At least right now.”

"Okay, how is he your clothes?" the hybrid deadpanned.

Grabbing Vash’s revolver from the bed, Alex began to perform one of Vash’s tricks. “It’s complicated. Let’s just leave it at magic.”

"Ah, then you don't have to explain it," Toya agreed with a laugh.

“Nope. Not in the slightest.” He smiled, twirling the revolver. “He’ll be alright though.”

'This feels really weird,' Vash thought, trying and failing to move.

Placing the gun down, Alex giggled. “I imagine becoming someone's clothes would be weird. I wouldn’t know, thankfully.”

‘Okay, but how do I stop being your clothes?’

“That’s up to me.” Alex stretched, cracking his knuckles. “But right now, I feel good! Thanks for the pick me up!”

‘You’re welcome. So, since you’ve got my gun, why don’t you see if you have the skill? There’s targets in the training yard.’

Retrieving the revolver, Alex moved to the doorway. “Okay! Thank you nurse lady for the care. Let’s go shoot stuff while I have an emotional high!”

Toya poked at the jacket, quirking a brow. “I take it my dad can talk to you while he’s like this. Otherwise you’ve snapped and are talking to yourself.”

Alex pushed him out the door. “Can we just go shoot something? Please?”

“Fine, fine,” Toya said with a chuckle. “But walking is for chumps.” Snapping his fingers, he, Alex and Cadance disappeared in a flash of light. With another flash they appeared in a training yard with a series of targets, some in varying sizes.

A frown tugged at Alex’s face, glancing furtively at Toya’s fingers. Shrugging it off, he moved a good distance away from the targets. “Alright! Are we ready to start?”

“We’re all ready here. Let’s see if you can aim half as well as my dad,” Toya said, giving Alex a thumbs up.

Lifting the firearm, Alex took aim at the closet target. Letting whatever instincts he acquired from Vash take hold, he squeezed the trigger. With a bang, a hole in the center of the target appeared. The noise jostled Alex’s concentration, sending the firearm tumbling from his hands.

‘Seems like I’m good for something besides looking good in this form. Relax, it’s natural to get the jitters when something that loud is close to you.’

“How the hell do you fire that thing without going deaf?” Alex knelt down, gingerly lifting up the revolver.

‘Abnormal physiology for the most part. I do still get a slight ringing if I fire it a lot at a time though.’

Alex resumed his stance, steadying his breath. “Okay. Walk me through this.”

‘Okay, relaxing is the first thing. Steady your breathing or your arms will waver. The sight is your friend, use it since you don’t have the years of experience I do. And when you fire, move your arms with the recoil. You can hurt yourself if you fight it. Ever wonder why movie characters lift their arms when shooting pistols? That’s why.’

Taking a breath, Alex slowly exhaled. When the last of the air left his lungs, he pulled the trigger again. At first he thought nothing happened, but with a bit of concentration he realized he hit the exact same spot as before.

“Okay, there’s no way I’m that good.” Alex ignored the ringing in his ears.

‘You may not be, but I am,’ Vash chimed in. ‘I’m guessing that this little technique gives you some of the skills from the one you’ve turned into clothes?’

“Something like that,” Alex said, shifting a bit. “I’m just glad you don’t have me twirling around.”

‘It also seems like you didn’t get my telepathy. Good thing too, can’t imagine what a teenager would do with that. Stick to shooting things responsibly.’

Alex rolled his eyes. “I’m in my twenties.”

‘And what’s your age physically?’ Vash countered.

“Get out of my head.” Alex glowed, spawning Vash from himself. Deciding against trying out a gun trick, he held it out to Vash. “Thanks for the tips though.”

“No problem. Would hate to see someone break their wrist trying to hit a target.” With a quick flourish, the tall man holstered his weapon once more.

Vash’s coat squirmed, wriggling and thrashing. Screwball’s head popped out of a pocket, blinking the swirls under control. “Not Mr. Sister.” Retreating into the coat, she proceeded to emerge from behind Alex. “Time to go. Mother is very worried about the shade!”

“That’s a shame, come back soon,” Toya said, grinning and holding out his hand. “I’ll be sure to show you the best arcade in Canterlot the next time you come here. Though I doubt you’ll be able to beat Caddy’s Mareio Sisters score.”

“Those are words.” Alex took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “But I’ll take you up on that when I have some free time.” Turning to Vash, he cleared his throat. “Sorry about... stuff...”

“Apology accepted, but not needed,” Vash assured, giving Alex a thumbs up. “Put your all into the therapy you get and we’ll consider the whole thing water under the bridge.”

“Will do.” Alex nodded. “So uh... send me home!”

“Our contract is complete,” Vash said, waving. “Take care, kid.”

When reality melted back into view, Alex was sitting in a comfy chair, a small rabbit on his lap. Discord stood before him, clad in medical scrubs.

“Alright, you’ll need to lose the coat,” Discord ordered, pulling a glove over his paw.

Rolling his eyes, Alex shrugged off his coat. He didn’t see the point in this, but didn’t say anything if it made Discord feel better. Anxiety raced up his spine, watching Discord reach into his chest as if he touched water.

“Okay! Whoa! That’s freaky!”

“Alex, you need to stay still,” Discord chided. “I don’t want to mix up anything in your metaphysics.”

“You try not squirming when someone pulls a Temple of Doom on you,” Alex shot back, doing his best to settle down.

“You say those things like I know what...” Discord paused, eyes searching off to the side.

Alex could feel his paw wrap around something. He squirmed a bit, unable to truly comprehend the strange feeling.

“Fluttershy! Come here, dear,” Discord called out, slowly easing the thing from Alex’s chest.

“Uh, what did you find?” Alex said, not looking down at whatever Discord was pulling out of him. “And should I be concerned?”

“Just wait for your mother to get here,” Discord said, an edge to his voice. “Now you might feel a pinch...” he warned, removing the thing from Alex.

Wincing, Alex rubbed at his chest in a vain attempt to relieve the sting. “With all that chaos magic there wasn’t a painless way to do that?”

Fluttershy stepped into the room, a nervous glint in her eyes as she wiped a hoof on the apron she was wearing. “What is it, Discord? Is Alex going to be okay?”

Discord straightened up, cupping something in front of him. “Do you remember how Alex was sucking in magic and he pulled in some of your ambient pegasus magic?”

“I do remember that,” Fluttershy confirmed, nodding and staring at the thing in Discord’s paw. “What does that have to do with now though?”

“Well...” he mulled the words on his tongue. “I thought I had removed all the chaos magic. It turn out, he was still pulling it in.” Turning around, he revealed the orb in his hands.

It roiled with color, no shade lasting more than a few seconds. A thin cord trailed from its bottom to Alex’s chest. Near the top, a small wisp of black emitted from its body.

“So are you saying you can’t fully remove chaos magic from Alex?” Fluttershy questioned, staring at the orb with a frown.

“No!” Discord hissed, cradling the orb like a child. His features shifted, reverting to a more primal nature. Closing his eyes, he breathed out, restoring his more placid look. “We can’t remove it. This isn’t my chaos anymore, it’s Alex’s.”

Blinking, Alex tried to process what he was hearing. “Are you saying I’m making my own chaos magic now?”

“Your chaos is a seed,” Discord began. “And it needs to germinate before it blooms. If it ever does.”

“Can you dumb that down for me?” Alex asked with a huff. “It’s been a long day and I’d like to understand things for once.”

“It might never amount to anything or... you could become like Screwball and I.”

Alex rubbed the side of his head, letting that sink in. “So like... A chaos god?”

"We prefer the term spirit since the word god has a lot of baggage," Discord argued, rotating his talon like it was a drill bit. "But essentially, yes."

Fluttershy hovered up to the orb, pointing a hoof. “What’s that stuff leaking out?”

Discord’s face shifted, catching a bit of the wisps on his talons. “That my dear Fluttershy is Nightmare Moon. Consider. We were all very afraid she’d try to affect Alex through his memories. Isn’t it strange that she never did? Or that the topic was just... dropped?”

Alex clicked his tongue. “That would explain all those weird ass dreams I was having around then.”

“Your chaos wrapped around her like a steel trap, isolating her and the affected memories. Instinctively, it suppressed the knowledge in yourself and those around you.”

Sighing, Alex shook his head. “I’m just gonna pretend I understood that. Point is, Nightmare isn't able to get what she wants, right?”

Discord tsked, motioning to the leak. “I would say yes but your ‘incident’ seems to have jolted the lock. As it stands, she’s still trapped.” Pushing the orb back into Alex’s chest, he offered an oversized rainbow lollipop. “Try to keep it that way, young man.”

“Got it, no more shade mode. Good thing we planned on sending me to the shrink.” Standing up, Alex patted his chest. He couldn’t feel his chaos. Despite being aware of it, it went as unnoticed as the blood in his veins.

“Good, then wash your hands because I’m almost done making dinner,” Fluttershy chimed in with a smile. “You can have that candy as dessert.”

Discord put a paw on Alex’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I believe before that, you have an apology to give.”

Sagging his shoulders, Alex grunted. “Are Screwball and Artemis still around?”

“You know Screwball is never too far away and I think I saw Artemis in the garden,” Discord offered, waving his paw at the door.

Swallowing back his doubt, Alex left his room. His heart pounded in his ears even as his stomach sank into an abyss. Stepping through the horde of animals, the soft sounds of the evening greeted him outside.

“Artemis?” he asked the night, almost hoping she wouldn’t respond.

“I am here, kupo,” Artemis responded. Alex was able to make out the pom pom on her head from the bridge leading into town.

Shuffling his feet, Alex made his way to the bridge. Looking over the railing, he glared down at the sad girl looking back at him. “Hey um...” the words trailed off, his mind failing to supply them. “We should... talk.”

“Okay, I will listen to what you have to say.” The moogle’s usual monotone betrayed nothing, giving Alex very little to work with.

Alex shuffled in place, gripping onto the railing. “When Aubade broke, it felt like everything my father ever said was right. And when I saw the miscoloring I-I couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry.” Barely choking back a sob, he lowered himself out of sight. “I’m so sorry, Artemis. I could’ve hurt you so badly. Aubade never should’ve picked me.”

“If one were unworthy of a keyblade because of a moment of darkness, then none would carry one,” Artemis responded. “It is at least heartening that you care about the state of your blade. Perhaps don’t let insecurity keep me from doing my job, kupo.”

Forcing himself forward, Alex lurched into the garden. “That’s it? You're not pissed that I tried to kill you? You should be refusing to see me! Refusing to even work on Aubade!”

“Working on Keyblades means working with Keyblade Masters,” Artemis answered, looking at Alex as if that was obvious. “And working with Keyblade Masters entails all the risks that comes with. It’s unfortunate you had your shade unleashed, but darkness and light shift constantly within those who take up the key, kupo.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Extending a shaky hand, Alex conjured forth Aubade. Desperate eyes avoided staring, willing himself to avoid its shape. “Here.” Placing it down beside her, he bowed his head. “I won’t argue with you anymore.”

“These things are never easy, kupo,” Artemis offered, taking Aubade in her hand. “Understanding comes with time. How could I be angry when you too are hurting? And you understand the problem. That puts you ahead of some Masters I have seen, kupo.”

Wiping at his eyes, Alex cleared his throat. “Right. Thanks.” With his emotions settling, the chill of winter made itself known. “I’m going to go back inside. Do you want to join us for dinner?”

"Hmm, that will delay my full repair but hospitality is appreciated." Flapping her wings, she latched onto Alex's head. "Lead me to food, kupo."

Rushing back to the warmth, Alex’s thoughts lingered on the day's events. Whatever was happening to him, whatever he was becoming, he’d make it his.