In Chaos

Awareness awoke, floating in a void of empty space, where the laws of gravity no longer applied. Consciousness was born, existed, arms and legs sprouted-- then without further ado the epiphany slapped sense back into its creator before it sprouted wings and soared off into the diet orange soda (sugar free) colored sky.

Nines, shooketh from his state of unconsciousness, only managed to turn in the air and to his dazzed and surprised state of awakening-- found something else blocking his vision and through instinct and reflex, immediately aimed to wrestle his offender into submission.

What ended up happening instead of his dreaded assailant going down, was him grabbing something thin, peeled, oddly familiar as he wrestled with the 'tentacled creature' that had affixed itself to his visor and what was most certainly was not a banana.

Unfortunately, it was and Nines was anything but amused.

The banana peel was tossed aside, floating away in a environment that (for now) defied the force of gravity, and if Nines wasn't mistaken he was sure that peel had just made a rude gesture as it flapped away from view.

Distant laughter bounced off giggling daisies on the ever shifting horizon and in that moment everything came rushing back to Nines as he recalled when and where he was.

This was not his Equestria. But it may as well could have been had things been different.

Heels clicked, boots ignited, and the zero gravity space Nines had been floating in no longer mattered. He flipped from upside down to rightside up and then righted himself as he turned, searching, looking, wondering where his target was and where he had scurried off to the moment he had appeared and interrupted his chance.

Hoping that perhaps, there still was a chance at all.

The voice, familiar but foreign, deep, full of mirth and callousness, laughed once more and the daises that floated by on sweet scented breeze laughed along with their creator.

Seeing nothing but lollipop trees, and brushing off the unexplainable reasons he was covered in whipped cream, bits of pie crust, cherries and banana pieces, Nines leaned northwards--

--diving deeper into madness.

Discourse.

The start and the end.

In the five years he had now been in Equestria (his Equestria, as the difference between this and that was always important to remember, to never forget that there was something that still remained when he finally went back), Nines had come to learn much of what he had accepted as the world he had been reborn in.

One of these things or rather one of whom, he had had to interact with- was Discord. And for that draconequus in particular there had been little interaction with the self-proclaimed (who assured he certainly was) 'spirit' of chaos. The few interactions they'd had always left him feeling...unnerved if not but sometimes oddly enough amused.

Discord tended to do that when he was entertained by someone and wasn't trying to be what Dash would call (translated) nicely "a pain", and if Twilight had anything to say: "he's someone you just eventually get used to" only after a pause to then add "...sort of..." before finishing with a weak and rather forced smile.

Weak assurances had done nothing to convince the soldier of an elitist regime of enforcers but then again, judging the self-proclaimed spirit (who rather found it annoying you questioned he was anything but) was not something the trooper would or thought of doing. Not with his background and the reflections he'd come to observe as time went on and he had become more involved in...this...

This fixing of errors and righting of mistakes.

Coming here though. To this when- it opened one's eyes. To a when and where that almost was, almost had been again, and one that held such a deep hold in the past its mere mention brought shudders. Especially since it could have been had things been different when he returned. And was different when this one was nothing like his own.

Coming into these other when's, these other where's was always somewhat jarring. There was always little they knew and only so much that could be told. It required what the librarian alicorn loved, research, but not the research she often joimed. One riddled with danger and consequences something her student Starlight was (sheepishly) familiar with.

Star Swirl's spell could only allow you to do so much, gave you only so much time to do things with. The Look Back, Look Fast spell seemed to have a security. A sort of safety measure if believed to be a precaution, a measure set by the past unicorn for others that did not completely apply to the creator. To prevent those who may come for his works from gaining any true successful efforts in altering time significantly and discovering that which should be left alone. And while adaptations had been made- there were still hurdles that could not be completely overwritten- at least when it came to ponies or the various species of Equestria (Sunburst had theorized)-- but when it came to Nines, that's where the spell's time limit seemed to be non-existent.

A boon for what they wanted to do and a disadvantage for what it meant.

He could drop into a when and stay for as long as was needed, get pulled out when they had enough bits and pieces to understand what they were dealing with. It took time to open a temporal vortex, energy and effort to maintain one for longer than at least a few minutes,continued use could lead to exhaustion and while there was a spell that used ley lines to feed the portal to act as a temporary battery for a limited time the issue that came was if the portal closed and the caster was not accurate- they would be sent back to their last location over and over and over- till they got the when and where right- or at least till they died from magical exertion.

And so when Nines went in- there was a timer that was required where he would and could be pulled out. So long as one of them that could cast the spell stayed behind there was no major reason to fear, except for safety. For staying too long in a time that was not his, in a world that he still was learning, could affects on his mind in ways which could have greater consequences than a Rainboom could if it never happened.

Steps were taken, precautions activated and so it had been done for Sombra, done for Chrysalis, done for that one reality where Scorpan betrayed his brother and was the one to go mad with corruptive power-- and now it was being done for Discord, Lord Discord.

The only problem was- he seemed to have been aware of this. And now...now they were paying for it.

This, it seemed, was going to be more difficult than he had imagined.

Discord (confusing, yes?) had been consulted when the idea or the concept was being put together. Of helping the reality Twilight had seen where Lord Discord (a title that had made his go smug with oozing satisfaction) had won and was the ruler of Equestria once more.

The spirit of chaos had been thrilled at the concept of a space and time adventure; babbling about the mere chance of a temporal journey reminding him of two kids, an old man, and some car- all references none of them had understood even as his had proceeded to go into detail on the matter-- but had been quickly disappointed when he found he couldn't enter his counterparts own reality. It seemed only one Discord was allowed to this party and any others were being given the not so subtle sign to LEAVE.

Odd considering how many times the chaos lord and his identicals often went out clubbing but then again- chaos never made that much sense to begin with and probably would continue to avoid making sense as long as it had a say in its jogging schedule and kept on a separate lane from its hated neighbor, order.

And so since Discord could not help them the easy way (which was already questionable on whether bringing him made things better or worse), he helped them by giving them a gift. Something that would be useful-- one way or the other.

Three minotaurs, with the grace of swans, pirouetted, skipped and then leaped towards an approaching Nines.

Had Rainbow Dash been there- it would have been a sight to behold.

Images of one Iron Will flashed into the mind's eye and Nines, disturbed by this for the briefest of seconds, heard the voice of Iron Will shout: "Learn to assert your dominance on stage in a day, today! My moves will show you how to not just attract an audience but earn the respect of a real dancer!"

And that was when the first dagger flew by.

Banking left to dodge, Nines failed to notice said weapon became nothing more than a ballon that deflated behind him before exploding into roses.

It was one thing to have weapons, it was another thing to use them.

Taking a moment to charge as his enemies tossed their weapons aside, a feat that would confuse Nines (and only make sense once the battle continued) the soldier took a shot at a frontal strike--

And caught sight of a tour en l'air on the edge of his periphal directly above.

Time slowed as one bull did a triple twirling front flip in the air as he came down and brough one muscular hooved leg down to perform a fatal drop kick.

And then quite suddenly time sped back up and he had seconds to dodge.

Angling, shifting, turning, and repositioning Nines slammed a single foot into the ground, pushed off, then rebounded off a candy cane trunk just in time to hear it splinter, fracture...then fall.

He didn't have the time to think- only react.

The first meaty fist came with a graceful twirl and with a leap and rocket boost back, Nines created distance.

Minotaurs, were the athletic champions of the world. At least when it came to bipedals. Oh sure, there were Earth Ponies and the musculature they often boasted without having to say a word, but when it came to the bipedals of the world (excluding dragons because let's be honest their sizes don't help) the Minotaur were the victors when it came to speed, agility, durability and strength. It made them fierce foes. Dangers that had to be dealt with strategically rather than brute force or numbers (if you weren't an oversized dragon or all-powerful alicorn). It was why they held such focus in the craft of metal weaponry and close-quarters combat. Their agility and speed made them tough to hit easily, their strength something to be cautious of- and the coordination a group could have made them almost a disaster.

It also made them graceful and deadly dancers.

One minotaur came prancing on cloven hooves and kicked outward with a sweeping spin which fed into a rising twirl, knocking Nines down to pink poka dotted ground and then forcing him to roll as that stopping leg came down where his rib cage would have been.

The world shifted, the Sun evaporated, and when the steam was gone and darkness fell it was Night that came in place of Day. Stars collided to form viewers and in that moment as the fight continued there was a unanimous agreement amongst audience and contender--

balle had never been so terrifying till now.

Duck, jump, dodge, block, throw a jab here and it does only to slow down one as two more join the fray. Now it's three not one against one.

A leg sweeps and he jumps back, a piroutte comes at the speed of a gallop and a high kick is barely avoided in time. There's only enough time to dodge, roll and just barely enough to recover and stay aloft on his own feet.

He reached for his utility belt, grabbed at where the handle should have been, squeezed and raised to block--

And was met with a crushing blow to the helmet that would have brought worry for a concussion- instead, left him disoriented.

Muscle memory kicked in and Nines kicked, was dodged, stepped on chest, jumped back with elevated and back-leading foot, heels came together, clicked, gravity was an illusion and he soared back and away.

They chased, taking powerful leaps. Leaps that nearly reached him. 15 feet up and they jumped like crickets, covering distances that no normal dancer should ever have been capable of. But then again this was his world, where rules were meaningless and all that mattered was fun.

The stars where cheering. Hooting. Hollering
Some applauded. Others threw stardust constructs of roses and flowers out onto the field but they never landed because they never had a chance.

This world was madness- and madness lived in all.

Out-danced and out numbered, weaponless, and increasingly approached by minotaurs who had moves his eyes had never seen- Nines dove out of the way of one that got too close and landed on the ground, hard. Momentum did not care and proceeded to roll him across blue checkered ground like one rolled dough. He rolled and rolled, scratches and dust coalescing on his armored light weight plates and his pursuers folllwed.

When Nines had stopped the ground was littered with pebbles and marbles. And that's when he saw his chance. The stone. He grabbed several, picked an extra and then scrambling to knees, his foes rushing at full giant leaps, one of them a hooffoot away, he jumped back, threw his body into the bedsheet covered ground and then chucked one at just the right time at just the right landing. The stone flew. Soared. Became a blur. Mass shifted, its spin rounded, and then became hard candy with swirls of red and white as it went through the air. Contact was made- a painful sound from something hard hitting sensitive nerves and tissue above the knee, there was instantly a look of pain crossing features on not one but all three, then down went the male minotaur with a hissing cry of pain.

A crowd of boos came from watching stars- there was even yell of "foul play!" from a passing crow. Three chirping crickets croaked their judgement and the tally came to a total of 0. If Nines paid these any mind he clearly didn't give a reaction. Because one second there was booing- the next there was sunlight and cotton candy clouds. Instead, he grabbed another stone and ignored the alteration of matter as the smooth surface turned into another wrapped sweet.

"Where is he?" it was the only sensible question to ask in a land that shifted from madness to sanity, back to disorder and instability.

The minotaurs, all three of them with grey hues of varying types, ignored this question and instead gave their downed comrade the attention he deserved.

Out of nowhere chips began to fell from the sky. Triangular in shape, almost but not quite orange in color and fell from cotton candy clouds.

Distracted by this Nines looked up, failed to notice the fact that one of the minotaurs was rising-- then just as he was turning his attention back to his opponents, the pebbled ground turned to ice and became the largest skating ring in history.

Instantly the minotaur slipped and went down, Nines drawn back to the situation instinctively did not move and thus saved himself the embarrassment of slipping and earning the same laughter from the flock of giggling flamingos flying by.

Heels clicked and Nines floated. He looked down at the Inverted. Minotaurs, that would never be have the way they normally would if one maniac had not freely flipped them around and let them do so
For one brief moment there was sympathy. He held an expression of sympathy that they could not see and then gained higher altitude. Tapping his helmet- locking onto a signature, and then without a second glance back headed east. Where the madness seemed to grow.

The world was oddly upside down, dull, and muted and Nines could not help but notice this as he made his way in.

Leaves withered into dust, twigs curled into agony and fell from the ground to the sky never to be seen again, and the doors were all a nasty shade of pale yellow..

There were doors everywhere. Doors that he did not open for he knew how this game went.

The signature was here. Somewhere- possibly behind a door.

The question was which one. Which one had her.

And as if to vaguely answer that, there was a sniffle somewhere to his right and he turned. He turned and flew in that direction wondering, hoping, desperately wanting for it to be one of them.

The sniffling grew louder and then the doors did a thing.

They rearranged. And now the sniffling came from everywhere.

"Pinkie?" The soldier called and there was a louder sniffle and no response as Nines floated higher in an inverted state of inverted. Feet towards sky, head nearly touching mud. He looked betweem the doors, tried to use his built-in locator and found it to be useless.

"Pinkie!?" he called again.

"What -sniff- could -sniff- you possibly want?"

It was a good question. One he didn't think about.

"I...want to help..." and it was sincere.

"Don't need any." Came the sullen response.

"Your friends need you Pinkie."

"Nopony needs me..."

He winced, he looked. The doors were so many- the voice came from them everywhere.

"And what makes you think that?" he tried.

"Because..." there was hitching and it was palpable.

"Because??" he stressed and flew lower. Where the voices merged and the sounds seem to be coming from an area that was the strongest.

There was no response. The silence was punctuated by sniffling.

"Pinkie?"

"Because I'm just a joke. A joke and that's all I'll ever be." And the pain in her voice shattered three doors.

Silently, "Jokes, make people laugh--"

"But when they laugh at you- make fun of you--"

"--then they're the wrong audience. And the right one's still waiting for you out there, out here. We're all parts of a bigger joke that make each other whole. And Pinkie you're the one that brings cheer and joy to everybody you meet. Not every joke fits in with that- you're the one that tries to make room for any joke, gives them a bit of joy when they don't deserve it, gives them something to look forward to, and gives them something to smile about." There was warmth in his tone. "Even me."

There was a moment where nothing happened. Then a single door opened. In its background there were dull and drab greys, boring lifeless blacks. And one muted color toned pinkish pony mare with a mane that nearly touched her hooves.

"And who" she wiped at tears "are you?"

She got the odd sense he might've been smiling. She didn't know how she knew or guessed or even felt it. But her mark tingled and it made her feel like that guess wasn't wrong.

"I...guess you could call me a friend. One who's been looking for you and the others for awhile." Her eyes went down, saw her knecklace, her faded Element in his hand. And Pinkie felt something stir in her. Something that hoped.

And then the necklace was on- and everything got a little brighter.