Chapter 1 - Awakening & Consciousness
The brilliant light shined through the nebula, its radiance was blinding, I had to shun my eyes from it but as I held my hands up to block out the luminance, my arms came out transparent, and its light shined in a kaleidoscope effect, the lights were strangely rainbowed theme.
"You are safe, Child." The voice was smooth and calming, like the silk of the softest tune. It was feminine and showed age, the kind that would afford the strangest of wanderers a respite.
The light was still too bright to see the beholder of it but what I could make out was crystal-like ridged thick lines coming out, big as logs of trees and narrow like stakes. But as it came closer the crystals shined brilliantly, pulsing with all kinds of bright colors, I could see weird imitations of branches coming out, their blossoms emerged and buds began to slowly unfurl in synchronization. Colors sprouted from them, and each of them had a different single color. Pink quartz, cyan blue, magenta, rose, butter yellow, and lime green.
It was as if crystals were reflecting the light to shine at me, but there was one branch that was left with a lone bud, it did not bloom like the others but it held a feint glow of white emanating around the shell.
When out I saw the branches were much closer around me, it was warm, like a warm, secure hug about to ensnare me but I was okay with it. Its calming sense gave way and I relinquished all resistance.
It was drawing me closer, I could feel the warmth grow. I was completely transfixed with the scenery until a quick pulsing pain tore me away from the holy glow.
"NO!" The once calm voice now yelled out in panic. The pain gripped my leg and dug into my skin, yelling out in pain my voice only echoed. Looking down I saw a black thick vine with thorns wrapping my right foot.
"What the hell!?" my voice filled my head, hitting the sides of my brain like a raddling cage, I gripped my head in pain and extreme fear. Another pain flooded my senses, looking down to my legs I could see another tendril latched onto my left foot. It gripped hard, it felt like I was bleeding, and the tendrils dug harder before pulling me down.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?" The voice was now in full blown-breakdown.
I screamed out into the closing darkness and as I went further down my voice began to lose noise.
Sounds of ticking echoed out, and one by one they came from all directions, groggily I opened my eyes, a bright light flooded my senses and as I closed my eyelids I heard a clicking noise. Opening my eyes slowly I let the colors fill the room. An organ filled the room, it's notes like a choir beginning. Hints of laughter bounced around the room. The space in question was like an endless library, with lines of bookshelves, four times as tall as probably the empire state with giant colored bars to fill them, giant books for giant shelves. The bookshelves were separated horizontally by a large amount of space before another would line up, along with being separated across each other by white quartz pillars. In between the pillars was a cosmic-like carpet that only kept going forward with steps, you could see the dark blanket of space, stars would twinkle and comets would shine as they blazed by. Following the cosmic red carpet up my eyes set upon a giant stone throne. It held red cushioning on the seat and backrest. Though the backrest took some creative measures as the top of it would have two oddly shaped, antlers. Horns? It held a set of rubies, like bright red eyes.
"Tick"
My mind went haywire at the word. That wasn't a noise, that was spoken, and not by myself. I tried to look around hastily at the source of the noise, but all I could see were gears and clocks turning. It was until now I realized my mind had tuned them out the longer I was here, but now? I could hear them tick away, truly looking at my situation was becoming overwhelming to the senses. I could hear two clicks as I closed my eyes. This was all becoming nauseating, I could barely make out where, how, or why.
I tried to lift my arms to cover my ears but I was met with intense resistance, my arms were being tugged and pulled down. I opened my eyes only to see the throne now filled. My breath hitched, my eyes were wide and open, and my body began to shake. The creature was a gross, disturbed amalgamation of thrown-away parts. A goat head with a white beard, pupils of red in the yellow ocean of his eyes, and a sharp tooth somehow outside of his row of teeth. His form was like a child throwing discarded stuffed animal limbs upon some torn toy, but this twisted creation was real, its flesh and scales were very much there.
I was considering if I was losing it.
His two mismatched arms were on the stone armrests. His gross dragon-scaled leg was lifted and crossed over his horse one. His smile was disturbing, his eyes narrowed upon me like a predator staring at his prey. It made me shudder in fear.
My instinctual response only lifted his lips to an even wider, mirthful smile and I was petrified.
"I suppose you'll have a lot of questions, I, however, do not care." His honed onto mine, it felt like he was seeing my soul. "These will be the rules that bind you to my power," Lifting his hands swirling auras began to emanate from the palms, the orbs were purple and green with red lines zipping by, and the orbs began to grow unstable, it was like small cracks were letting some power leak out. Quickly closing his palms he lifted himself off the throne. "I will pull you back together from death," He lifted his arms before clashing his palms into one clap, slowly digging his digits inside he continued his declaration. "and in turn, you will serve me undyingly and without question." He slowly pulled away his palms out with red strings attached to each claw, in the middle, a small wooden pony was held by each string, dug into their sockets and joints. He looked up at me with a mischievous grin. "Do you, Charlotte, agree?"
The question shook me from my stupor, "Are you kidding me? Of course not-" Trying to lift my hands I looked down to see two things cause for concern. One, the same big snake-like vines were holding my 'hand', the second was I DIDN'T HAVE HANDS!
I tried to move away in horror, "WHAT THE HELL?!" What was being held in place so tight wasn't my natural human limb BUT A WOODEN LOG.
A dark chuckle began to ring out, turning my horrified face I found the same disgusting warped goat face. "I see you haven't seen your new body," He began to step down the stairs, "I had to make adjustments to the body you inhabit to ensure you abide by my rules." His steps finally reached the window to space and kept walking. His eyes glowed red. "You are a puppet of a pony, my puppet, and to ensure your survival, I am the only one to pull the strings upon your body." He was now a hair away from my nose. It was now becoming increasingly obvious that it was not a natural human nose nor was the hair in front of it human. I was also beginning to realize how much of a height advantage he had.
He lifted his left eagle palm and clenched it aside from one talon out. He curved the finger, and I braced myself for the worst, closing my eyes brought out two clicks. The only thing to hear was a wobbling sound, peeking my right eye I saw his arm above my head, and looking up I saw a red string coming down leading to my neck. He pulled back his talon, I could see he had his thumb out too, he then swiftly let loose his finger to hit the red attachment. My neck began to shake and the motion vibrated across my body.
He pulled back his arm with a grin, looking down at me it was clear he enjoyed the role he was playing. "These red strings are the only thing to keep your body from clattering like bones onto the floor. You are disposable, meant to follow my orders and nothing else, I give you life and you will pay the price tenfold. Follow my orders and you will stay alive." He snapped his bear digits and the black vines slithered back into the ground. I fell face first into the ground, before I could get up he pulled me by my hair, lifting me to meet his eyes. "Cross me, do something that hinders me, I will annihilate your body and soul."
His eyes became serious and his voice stern, "Do you, Charlotte, agree to the terms of our contract?"
I swallowed my fear with trembling lips, "I, agree."
"You didn't have much of a choice, but it's good I don't have to find a new puppet." He spoke coldly, dropping me to the floor again.
I could only weakly groan in pain.
Author's Note
This story is more of a interesting take I want upon a character that will appear in Chipped Shield. This story will be very important along the timeline of it so I wish to flesh out somethings about our characters here first before introducing them. It will be a bit long before they collide but I wish to make the most out this Discord's appearance as both stories take place in the same alternate universe.
