Pick Your Own Adventure - Discord Day

Discord Day

Setting the Stage

"Ah'm much obliged that you'd put me up like this cuz!" Braeburn thanked Applejack once more.  She smiled and waved it off with her hoof.

"Now it ain't no trouble at all.  Ah only wish y'all were stayin' longer.  It ain't often we get to see one another," she admitted.  Braeburn nodded as Applejack lead him into the guest house.  It was really just a little corner of the barn Applejack and Big Macintosh had put bed in and then sectioned off with some curtains.  "It ain't much, but I reckon it'll do fer two nights.  Big Mac was worried you'd be lonely, but I figure you'd prefer the quiet."

"Thank ya kindly, cuz.  Canterlot was all bright lights and noise in the nighttime.  Some peace and quiet is exactly what Ah need," Braeburn confessed, setting down his rucksack next to the bed.  He put a hoof on the wide mattress and gave it a few, experimental pushes.

"It's a tad old.  Used to belong to our Ma 'n Pa.  We only bring it out when we've got company that needs a place to hang their hat," Applejack explained.  Braeburn gave her a reassuring smile, but it suddenly lead into a long yawn.

"Whew!  That train ride took it outta me.  I think I'm gonna go ahead and hit the hay!" Braeburn announced.  He hung his hat on the bedpost and flopped down on the mattress.

"Well, Ah'll leave you to it.  Did you have any plans fer tomorrow?" Applejack asked as her cousin tried to find a comfortable pose on the mattress.

"No plans... Ah was just gonna wander 'round really." Braeburn yawned again.

"Alrighty then, g'night!" Applejack said before retreating behind the curtain.  Braeburn would have said something in return, but he was already drifting off to sleep.

He awoke the next day at the crack of dawn due to his strict schedule on the farm back in Appleloosa.  No sooner had he opened his eyes than a rooster crowed loudly right outside the barn.  The rest of the day was remarkably uneventful.  Braeburn had breakfast, walked around Ponyville, ate lunch, walked around some more, and then returned to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner.  After dinner he hit the hay, perfectly tired from doing not much of anything.

That night though, he had a dream.

He looked down at his hooves and saw he was standing on an enormous clock.  Before he could fully process what he was doing on a clock, the minute hand swung around and grabbed him, dragging him on several circuits around the clock face.  Just before Braeburn lost his breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a monster descended from the black space above him.  It swooped down and landed its mismatched legs on the minute hand.  It turned and put its pony face right in Braeburn's.

"I suppose some introductions are in order," the creature spoke to him in a mockingly sweet tone.  "We ironically don't have much time, so I'll skip the pimping and pumping and the pomp and circumstancing and come right out and tell you my little farmpony that I am Discord, the Avatar of Chaos!  I reckon you've 'eard of me, pard'ner?"

"Ah reckon Ah have!  Whaddya want?  What is all this?" Braeburn asked, trying to be as threatening as he could.

"Mwha?  What I want is very simple:  I want to break free of my current prison and rule Equestria once more.  Now, your other question is the fun one!" Discord gushed, materializing a reclining armchair and sitting down in it with a quack.  "You see, gaining the energy necessary to break free of my stone imprisonment takes... well it takes a few millenniums.  I don't want to wait that long, understandibly because a few millenniums is a long time to wait, right?  Anyway, I got this brilliant idea!  I'll just stick myself in a time loop so the millenniums will pass for me, but I'll be causing chaos in Equestria by Thursday!

"The only hitch in my plan was I can't just stick myself into the loop alone;  I have to take somepony with me.  That pony just so happens to be you, Braeburn.  Consider this your lucky day!  It's the only one you'll be having for a while!"

"What in tarnation does that mean?" Braeburn questioned.  Discord snapped his fingers, causing a glass of chocolate milk to appear in his lion's paw.

"It's very simple really.  The day you just experienced is like this chocolate milk here!"  Discord upturned the glass and let the contents empty out into the air.  "Normally you finish it and it's all gone, but now that is no longer the case."  Discord turned the glass back up again.  Braeburn watched as the contents were magically replaced.  Discord chugged it down and belched loudly before casting the glass aside.  Braeburn watched as it fluttered around in the wind.

"You mean I have to live yesterday over and over again?"  Discord smiled and gave Braeburn two thumbs up.

"Bingo!  It won't be exactly the same, though.  You and me will remember each and every loop, but nopony else will.  Feel free to do what you want because tomorrow is never going to come!"

"Ever?!" Braeburn shouted.

"Well... not ever.  If you must know, if you decide to help a little filly called Scootaloo fix her scooter before the day is out the time loop will cease," Discord explained.  Braeburn's expression brightened.

"Really?"

"No," Discord chuckled.  "There is a way out, but I'm not going to tell you what it is!  That would defeat the purpose of my whole plan.  I'd be ever so grateful if you didn't go looking for it, so just try and enjoy yourself.  If you help me out here I'll let you be the Grand Poobah of Appleloosa or something."

"No deal!  Ah'm gonna get outta this you two-tongued snake!" Braeburn threatened.  Discord got up from his chair and leaned in close to Braeburn.

"Then let's begin, we don't have much time!" The clock's hand came to a sudden stop and simultaneously released Braeburn, sending him flying into the darkness around him.  Soon the clock faded from his vision and all he could hear was Discord's dreadful laughter.