Men and Monsters: Metempsychosis.

When next Pinkamena woke up, she was strapped to a table again. She learned this the moment she opened her eyes and jolted forward, hitting the back of her head in recoil. In doing so, she ended up giving herself a headache. The first thing she noticed was that the table’s surface. It wasn’t cold steel, but a texture Pinkamena assumed was similar to plastic.

It was also vertical, as when she looked straight ahead, she only saw a ceiling. The most significant difference was the number and material of straps binding her, being belts instead of shackles. And while weaker in restraint, the multitude of them made it difficult to move. Some were in the same places as before, one on each wrist, and one on her ankles, though the one on her forehead was new. But, there were straps every few inches going down her arms and legs. One smaller strap was around her neck, three large ones on her torso, and the rest spreading over the rest of her body.

To her shock and relief, Pinkamena found herself wearing clothes. After spending a month under Blake’s rules and abuse, it felt alien to be wearing a shirt and pants again, almost wrong. But outside of the tight feeling around her limbs, she couldn’t make out the rest of her surroundings. There was no source of light, leaving her in complete darkness.

Not that it scared her or anything. Like most of her other emotions, fear no longer resided in her. After all that she’s experienced the past two months, fighting off predators, suffering from monsters with human faces, Pinkamena found it hard to believe anything new could make her afraid anymore. She was a completely different person now.

“Master? Are you there?”

Pinkamena whispered in the darkness, not sure what kind of response she would expect. Anything would have been fine; she just needed to know if this was Blake’s doing or someone else. But nothing happened—no new sound or whisper. For whatever reason, Blake drugged and dragged her here. She knew it wasn’t the same drug they used before; her nervous system was not overly sensitive in any way. Which meant two things; either Blake was doing a scenario to test her, or someone else was.

There was the thudding sound of a door opening, causing her to tense up. She couldn’t tell where it had come from, but it sounded close. Try as she might, she couldn’t make out anything in the darkroom. Only the impending sound of footsteps approaching.

There was a sudden flash of light before the entire room was lit up. Pinkamena’s eyes dilated, the sudden harshness nearly blinding her. She reflexively closed her eyes to adjust, not having been in direct contact with much light ever since Blake started ‘training’ her. So it took a few minutes before the glaring light overhead was less painful to her irises.

She began scanning the area as best she could now that the room was fully lit, which wasn't easy with her head strapped down. It was different from the one Blake kept her in, much cleaner. It was similar in size, the walls seemed to be the same distance apart, but that was the only way they were identical. The color of the walls was different, not just from Blake’s room, but different in general. Pink and orange, two combinations of colors that shouldn’t go together, were in the form of both spots and stripes on the walls. It must have been hard to paint, and it was harder to look at. Pinkie wasn’t artistically talented or even knew anything about art except what colors were suitable for parties, but even she knew those two colors were disgusting together.

There were a variety of machines in the room, none of which she'd seen before. Then again, she hasn’t seen a lot of devices. They were big, well above the height of an average person. There were buttons all over it, wires seeming to come out from all around. There was a slot on the front of it, kind of like the ones in arcades where the tickets come out, but bigger. Whatever it was, it looked complicated; its purpose a mystery to her.

The wires lead to a corner of the room, connected to a desk with a giant computer. It looked super-advanced, like something NASA would have. The purpose of it made her curious. Whether it was made to torture or educate her, a part of her wanted to know which would happen.

Then, shifting her gaze to the left of the computer leads her to the culprit. He wasn’t tall, but he wasn’t short either. He was average height, probably five feet nine inches. But everything else about him was anything but average. His hair was a bright gray, spiked up with blue tips. He had a long, skinny goatee that was the same shade of gray but without the blue tint. The sclera of his eyes wasn’t the usual white. Instead, they were yellow. Which probably wasn’t natural or healthy, to go along with it, his irises were red. She was partly expecting some part of his vision to be orange. His skin was especially pale, borderline gray. She wasn’t sure whether that was because he was unhealthy or these were side effects from constant chemical experiments. He was wearing glasses, small, clear ones, similar to ones a doctor would have. His clothes were somewhat strange too, he was wearing a long-sleeved lab coat, extending down to the point of covering his legs. But instead of being the typical white, it was brown. Hands were in his pocket, his body relaxed, his shoes were dark black, and his clothes were made from different materials stitched together like a Build-A-Bear.

“Sorry about that, just had to shine a light on the situation.” He spoke comically, his voice in a very non-serious tone. A grin on his face, either from his mood or because of the pun he made. She wasn’t sure whether to chuckle or insult him. He slowly began to walk towards her, the smug smirk still on his face.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, but I prefer to meet people myself. A shame they’ve requested you be tied up for this because I’d offer up a handshake!”

Pinkie remained unmoved by his sense of humor. His hands stayed in his pockets as he looked down at her.

“Anyway, let me introduce myself. My name is Giles Hue Mallok, the Hue and Mallok part isn’t my actual middle or last name, but I changed them myself. I wanted to sound more…exotic. I’m what you’d call the mad scientist of this place, but I don’t really do a lot of science. I’m more of the borderline legal, inhuman experiments type. I’ve gained a reputation for myself. Now, since Blake’s time with you has expired, you’re under my care. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”

He smiled sadistically at her, and while it was nothing compared to Blake’s or Igneous', there was a specific aspect to it that… unnerved her. Pinkamena already had mixed feelings about this guy, but she couldn’t begin to imagine the plans he had cooking up with that smile.

“Giles is a bit of a mouthful. So, how about you call me by my well-deserved and fitting nickname? For the next month, you may call me... Discord~.”

Silence hung in the air, Pinkamena unphased by the silly name the doctor described himself. A few seconds passed before he sighed.

“Yeesh! No sense for the theatrics. Like father, like daughter, I suppose,” he shrugged, though noticed that her eyes lit up at the mention of her father. “Well then, let me explain why I’m here.”

He walked behind her over to the machine, followed by a shuffling noise as if he was looking for something. She could only look so far while strapped, keeping her head pinned to the steel table.

“There are many kinds of doctors that specialize in many kinds of things. Dentists, paleontologists, even a psychologist is a doctor. But for me? Well, my profession is a bit frowned upon and illegal in almost every state. Human biology~!”

The shuffling noises stopped, making her tense up. Discord leaned over her with a helmet of sorts in hand, reminding her of a bicycle helmet but seemed to have a more grey metallic texture. Multiple holes were in it; its purpose was a mystery to her like most else in this place.

“Now, you might be wondering; ‘How could research regarding the human body be illegal?’ Well, I’m glad you asked!”

Discord walked forward, placing the helmet right behind the back of his subject’s scalp. When it touched Pinkamena’s head, she pulled back. The sudden coldness of the object made her flinch. When he tried again, she didn’t resist. It would happen one way or another, no point making a fuss of it. Besides, she was kind of curious about what it was for. Curiosity remained one of her biggest vices.

The doctor helped put her hair into the helmet, which was strange. She hadn’t expected that. The helmet was cold and somewhat heavy but surprisingly comfortable. His smile seemed to widen at her willingness; at least Blake was good for something.

“I’m interested in what the human body is capable of. Not in terms of functions, but what it can do beyond limitations.”

He went behind her again, this time returning almost instantly. She could tell by his footsteps, but, for some reason, he stayed out of her line of sight. He seemed to be doing something with the helmet. She heard a scraping sound, seemingly putting something in one of the holes. Then, moments later, she felt a sharp pain in her head. It made her gasp from how sudden it was, but the pain didn’t bother her that much. Then, as sudden as it came, it left, as if nothing was there to begin with.

“Humans are very adaptable to pretty much anything. If exposed to something enough, we gain resistance to it. The same diseases won’t affect the same person the same way twice, if at all. But, that’s not exactly what I look into.”

The same pain had kept coming back in different parts of her head each time. If she had to guess, he was putting something in the holes on the helmet, needles or such, and they were going into her head.

“I want to see how moldable it is, how much the body can be changed, and if it’s still considered human. And I’m not talking about adding an extra limb or anything. I mean changing your physiology altogether. Your DNA, your genetic sequence, everything! Blake might have warped your brain, but I will morph your body. When I’m done with you, you’ll have the perfect body to match that ‘fantastic’ personality~.”

The pain kept coming back and leaving in different places, but she decided to focus more on his words. The way he said it made her both worried and excited about what he was going to do to her.

“There we go, good and tight. Everything’s in place!” Discord exclaimed in eagerness. “You see, for as long as mankind has been sentient, we’ve wanted one thing more than anything else; power. To be the strongest, smartest creatures above anything that walks on earth. And, in a way, we’ve achieved that through advanced technology and wealth. But, there’s one thing we’ve yet to achieve… creation.”

She heard the sound of footsteps again, but he didn’t seem to walk that far. She listened to the sounds of buttons being pressed, probably on the machine behind her. She figured whatever things he put in her head were connected to the device.

“Millions of animal species live and have lived here on earth. Whether it be through evolution or God, they were created. Humans have discovered, invented, built, bred, and destroyed. But we’ve never created something of our own, not really. Not when it comes to a new breed of animal life. And that’s where I come in; I wish to create new forms of animals~!”

The sound of a machine starting up filled the room, like the sound of a generator. It was coming directly behind her, which meant the engine was on. He moved over to the computer in the corner of the room, turning it on but not bothering to sit down. The sound of the whirring machine and clanking on the keyboard filled the room.

“Now the question is, what will I do with you? So many possible combinations of genetics and spliced DNA. Overwrite what is weak until the new gene codes slowly become apart of you. And once your body adjusts to these new changes, you will be my greatest achievement in science! Hopefully."

Discord pulled out a strange device from one of his more oversized pockets. “This beautiful little thing is called the Crisper. It manipulates genetic tissue on a microscopic level. Usually, it’s only supposed to be used on fetuses when the DNA is at its most adaptable. But I found a loophole! Trust me, took a lot of trial and errors to find~.”

“This was probably why government scientists haven't found out about this; the method is quite inhumane. If the body is in a particular state of instability, then it’s possible for it to properly bond with them. You have no idea how long it took for me to figure this out.”

He spoke with the giddiness of a child, a complete contrast from Blake’s tone whenever he was excited. He may seem like some looney scientist, but Pinkamena had been deceived by initial appearances before.

“Of course, even when I properly bond them, there are still complications. Different blood types, incompatible DNA, sometimes even a broken bone could make a difference! I learned I need to get the right animals and a stable state of being for my subjects. So many factors to consider, so many different variables; it’s a very time-consuming process. Fortunately for you, I’ve already finished my preparations while you and Blake were ‘bonding.’ But the result, when done right, it makes me prouder than a father after his son just won a baseball game.”

The sound of the keyboard clicking stopped, replaced by the sound of footsteps. Pinkamena looked up at him nervously, unsure how to feel towards this guy. Unnerved? Angry? Impressed?

“People often label things that they can’t understand as demons, monsters, cryptics, among other names. But I think it’s far more beautiful than just some ‘Chimera.’ It is a combination of multiple animals, which is as close as I can get to what you will become. Well, might become. Even with all the preparation and considered factors, it’s not a guarantee. This could easily kill you! And if it does, it will be beyond painful. But, should you survive, then the outcome will be worth the risk. For me, at least~.”

Discord looked down at Pinkamena with a surprisingly serious look on his face. One hand was in his pocket, while the other was behind his back as if he was hiding something. She looked at him back, a neutral look on her face. She had learned a while ago not to show what she was actually thinking on her face; it’s better to keep them guessing.

“I would love to tell you more, but I rather we get started. It will take a week or so before your body will be in the proper state, then your metamorphosis can begin. Now, since this may be your last moments of consciousness, I’d like to give you the chance to speak any last words. Go ahead! Don’t be shy~.”

Pinkamena narrowed her gaze, not expecting the doctor to give her such an opportunity. Honestly, she’s never thought about last words before; the thought just never occurred to her. So taking a deep breath, Pinkamena thought about what she wanted to say before opening her mouth.

“I’m not going to die. I’ve come too far now. And after everything, I’ve had to go through? After everything that’s been done? I refuse to let this be where I die! I could give less of a fuck about your sick desire to turn humans into animals! I’ll live through this because I need to kill him! So do your worse, doctor. Can’t be worse than the shit Blake did to me.”

Her chest rose and fell with each breath, venom flowing off her tongue. Blake may have changed her, but he couldn't change the impotent rage she felt for her father. It was going to take more than physical torture to get rid of that. Once he was certain Pinkamena was done with her response, Discord smiled.

“I like you~! Such spunk and defiance, even in the face of potential death. Let’s cross our fingers and hope you make it through this because I can’t wait to see what you become! Now… Let’s get started~!”

Discord pulled out a remote control from behind his back, a variety of buttons on it. She assumed it was meant to activate the machine behind her.

“Your body will have to be in a deranged state before I can start. This means I’ll have to do many things to get the right...stimulation. Maybe a few signals throughout your body will help expose you to new elements!”

He looked at the remote in hand, fidgeting with the buttons as if he was going to turn something on. He then looked up at her, a cocky smile on her face.

“Heh, I guess you could say this will spark some chemistry between us~!”

The doctor pressed one button, and the whirring of the machine sped up. It sounded louder and like it was doing something else now. Pinkamena understood what he meant. Then, the helmet started shaking. The electricity suddenly attacked her body, pain flooded her entire system. She could feel it in every area of her body; it was like the tingling sensation when your arm falls asleep but magnified by ten thousand! It hurt immensely! She’s been shocked before by Blake, but not to this extent. Her body bucked against the straps; it was practically steaming from the heat inside her body the electricity was causing. She wanted to scream, but she was afraid if she tried to open her mouth, she’d end up biting off her own tongue.

Discord watched in amusement, curious to just how much of a pain tolerance Blake put on her. The voltage wasn’t that high, but the needles inserted into her head were made to make the brain think more. It was just tricking the brain, which wasn’t as hard as you’d think. The brain was actually relatively easy to deceive, or maybe that was only because of his experience. Either way, this would be very interesting to see if she’d live up to his expectations. When Igneous went through this, he showed incredible endurance, and the results were terrific. This was his daughter. She had high expectations, both by him and Igneous.

After a few minutes of Pinkamena thrashing against her straps and her body steaming from the electricity, he decided to turn it off and see how she was doing so far. He pressed one of the buttons on the remote, and the machine went back to its usual whirring. Her body stopped thrashing, but there was still some steam coming from her singed flesh. Pinkamena remained motionless as if knocked out.

“So… how are we feeling now, my dear?”

She didn’t respond. Her eyes were still closed, only breathing steadily. Discord felt a twinge of dread that she was dead until a smile crept across her face as her eyes fluttered open slowly. She moved her head to the left to look at him, a look of defiance in her eyes.

“... Is that the best you can do?!”

Pinkamena sounded arrogant, her smile going from ear to ear. The scars on her face were very evident. A feeling of nostalgia filled Discord. That look on her face, the tone in her voice. It reminded him of how Igneous behaved when the doctor tested him during the trial. His own grin widened, intrigue glimmering in his sickly eyes.

“Not even close~!”