>A’ight, I ain’t gonna lie. This change of scenery was really… something. Wish I could say something else, but, I really, really can’t. 
“Dude, I’m starting to think that Discord guy scammed me big time”
>Like, seriously! What the heck am I even supposed to be looking at?! It was just a room made outta wood! And it’s not even that big anyway!
“Okay, let’s see… we have, one bland bed? Check! One door? Check! One draconequus who speaks to herself a lil’ too much? Check, check and check! Ugh, this Discord must be hella cheap, at least the company gave me a drawer… wonder if I should stop talking to myself, though.” 
>Whatever, I’ll just do what I did during my stay at the company’s complex jail thing. Bang on the door until someone comes and fries my butt! What an amazing plan, isn’t?! 
“Huh… the door is open. Coolio, I guess.”
>Yeah, I really should’ve tried that first. Not my fault though, it’s not like I was feeling in top condition. In fact…
“ACHOO! Dang it! I’m getting sick! Ugh! I’m blaming Discord for this one!”
>Where the heck did that guy go, anyway? The only thing I could see was a large wooden corridor and that’s pretty much it. No doors, no stairs. Just a dusty, old corridor.
>Well, it’s not like I would find him here, so might as well get out of this room and explore… wherever the heck I was for a bit. Maybe trash the place in the process. Who knows? Everything could happen if I felt annoyed enough.
 
>This new and improved plan lasted for about, five seconds until I was forced to go back to the drawing board. ‘Cause as soon as I took a step outta the room, a little dust bunny hopped in front of me.
>I need to make something clear, I ain’t talking about the dust bunnies you find under your couch and stuff. No, this was like, an actual bunny. Y’know, ears, tail, paws, the whole cute thing, but made out of dust.
>The lil’ gal wasn’t alone either, her whole family was there too, and each one of them nodded their dusty little heads at me before hopping down the corridor, leaving a dusty trail behind them.
“ACHOO! Cool…”
>I really wasn’t lying about that. I legit thought it was awesome. So much that, before I knew it, I was on my four limbs, following the trail of my cute new little friends.
>Bad idea? Who cares?! I mean, I wasn’t doing this just ‘cause I was feeling for some weird reason. Those little guys could lead me to an exit… or whatever the heck was beyond this corridor.
>It wasn’t THAT weird at first. I mean, yeah sure, there were doors in the ceiling, little drawers on the walls, pictures of… some weird blob wearing a top hat in the floor, but nothing that spooked me like the company’s laboratory.
>I had to stop for a moment, just thinking on that place made me shiver. Those stupid ponies, dude. This flu was starting to get bad, but it was nothing when I remembered that my dork was still out there, all alone and in danger of becoming another guinea pig for the company.
 
>I swear, if those ponies even dare to touch my dork, I’ll make them pay! I will…! I will… what could I even do, dude? I didn’t know where I was and it’s not like I had magic like… Discord.
>He promised to keep Res safe and all that, but, he was so creepy dude! What if I just signed my dork for something worse than that laboratory? What if he… 
>I slapped myself before finishing that thought. Discord may be super shady, but I had to trust him. He was my only hope to keep Res away from the company.
 >It didn’t take me long until the wooden floor gave way to a very comfortable blue grass, and it took even less for the to start shifting and twisting like a spiral that ended on a thick metal door.
“ACHOO! Okay… now this is what I call weird! ACHOO!”
>As I made my way to the door, the floor would sometimes change to train tracks, the other corridor would open up into some kinda scenery while still being linear for some reason. 
>I ain’t as good as Res when it comes to telling patterns apart, but I’d have sworn that these changes happened every time I sneezed. Didn’t care much about it, though. I just wanted to find my way out.
>I suppose, this is the point where others would’ve said “I wish I had stayed in that room” or something like that. Not me, though! Nuh-uh! I loved and I mean, LOVED everything that came on my way.
>’Cause what I ended up finding behind that door was beyond unreal. The wooden, dank corridor had disappeared and instead, I was walking across upside mountains covered in pink snow, and it didn’t stop there!
 
>After I went through another metallic door, I was in the middle of a massive hurricane made out of chocolate milk. And after that? A volcano that spat confetti and streamers! 
>This just kept going, each door lead to a new and cool world, like my personal favorite! A jungle made out of neon trees with buff sunglass-wearing penguins swinging around.
>Now that I think about it, me not being freaked out at all should’ve been a big red flag. I mean, everything about this was out of a fever dream, but… 
>There was this part of me that kept saying “Don’t worry! Everything is cool!” and maybe it's ‘cause this stupid flu had gotten worse, but I decided to roll with it and continue enjoying the ride.
>And, to be honest? This craziness made me feel much better about my dork, ‘cause if all this craziness was made by Discord’s magic, then there was no way those stupid ponies could ever hope to touch Res.
>Yeah! Now I was feeling pretty excited, fever and all. I wanted to see more of this, and even more than that, I wanted to find Discord, so he could show me even more chaos.
 
>I think it was at the popcorn caves that I finally decided to ask for some directions. I really dunno why. I had been walking in a straight line the whole time after all, but… it couldn’t hurt, right? 
>Luckily for me, there was a giant spider carefully knitting her web not too far from where I was. And while it would seem weird to ask directions from a spider, it kinda felt like the natural thing to do.
>I also have to say, this was one trusty looking giant spider, she was wearing a pink sweater with the words “#1 catcher” on it while humming a little tune. 
“ACHOO! Hey! Excuse me! Could you tell me where I can find Discord? I’m kinda new here!”
>The giant spider looked at me with her eight eyes and I think she smiled. I dunno, it was kinda hard to know with her fangs “Oh, poor thing! Of course I can, honey! That old coot is usually downstairs. If you want to go there, you just have to look down and jump.”
“ACHOO! Look down and jump? You sure?”
>“Mhm! Easy as pie, isn’t?”
>Well, why not? It’s not like I had a better solution. So with a shrug I thanked the nice spider.
“ACHOO! Thanks, ma’am! Oh, and that web you’re knitting? I ain’t an expert, but it looks A-W-E-S-O-M-E! ACHOO!”
>The big spider let out a giggled and waved one of her legs at me “Oh, aren’t you lovely! Be sure to come back soon, honey! I will have a nice sweater for you.”
“ACHOO! A’ight! Will do! Thanks again, ma’am!”
>After sneezing a couple times. I did exactly what she told me. I looked down, jumped and… 
“AGH! Now where the heck am I? ACHOO!” 
 
>I had landed on the couch of a small, boring living room. Well, it’s not like the place wasn’t crazy, I mean, the ceiling was the floor and vice versa, the staircase that led nowhere was neat, and my dust bunny friends were all there. 
>It’s just that after so many crazy and wonderful things, this living room felt like a step down. To make things worse, I couldn’t see any sign of Discord. Just a couple photos of a yellow pegasus mare placed on top of a drawer.
>I do have to say, this wasn’t a complete bummer. Why? ‘Cause this place actually had windows! Ain’t that awesome?! 
>And guess what? There wasn’t a blue sky outside them. Nope! It was a weird palpitating purple thing made out of shapes and waves and… I don’t know how to even begin to describe it, dude.
>Now this is what I was talking about! There was bit of a problem, though. I was starting to feel very, VERY sick, but not enough to stop me from going straight to the door, of course. I think my curiosity helped out with that.
>This is why it was a bit frustrating to hear Discord’s voice behind me just as I had placed my paw on the doorknob “Ahem! I really wouldn’t do that if I were you. Trust me, my dear. The void can be quite the dangerous place for newcomers.”
“ACHOO! Oh, look who we have here?! I’ve been looking all over the place for your creepy…! EEEP! What the heck are you, dude?! ACHOO!”
>I was expecting the same creepy, middle-aged stallion that creep me the heck out back at the company’s lab, not a creepy middle-aged DRACONEQUUS that was grossing me the heck out.
 
>He was at least like, twice as large as me but he had no mane, just a white beard and a much uglier face. That said, he still had the same smug look.
>“I’m Discord, of course! And this beautiful specimen that’s standing in front of you, is my true form! Well… kind of” He chuckled and then with a big shrug, started hovering around me “You see, my dear, while absolutely gorgeous to the eyes, I’m nothing more but a replica of the real Discord, or as the ponies from your boring world would say, an automated informational system.”
“My butt that you are! ACHOO! There’s no way you can be a pre-recorded message!”
>Discord teasingly raised an eyebrow as he caressed his bear “And tell me, my dear. Why not? You have seen my powers and what they are capable of. Surely you don’t think that something like this is beyond me, do you?”
>I raised my paw, but quickly turned it down. That guy had a big point.
“Let’s say I believe you… ACHOO! Why would Discord do… this weird thing instead of, y’know, just showing up?”
>“Believe me when I say that it was Discord’s absolute intention to be here when you woke up. He set up this stunningly handsome message in case he miscalculated the time in which that event would take place, and as you can see, that’s exactly what happened.”
“You really like to go on circles… ACHOO! Just tell me where the heck the real Discord is!”
 
>“My dear, did you already forget what Discord’s part of the deal was? Or perhaps you thought this was nothing but a crude scam? Of course not! Why would you ever think that?” Discord chuckled and shook his head “Anyway, I was supposed to introduce you to the void while the real Discord is busy taking care of the young Resonance, but I think we are past that point, wouldn’t you agree?”
“ACHOO! The… void? Is that some kinda weird magazine that Discord likes?”
>“Not at all, it’s the dimension we’re currently in. That corridor you went through? It was a gateway that Discord created to different parts of the void. I hope you liked it, because from now on, this shall be your new home.”
“Oh! I don’t mind that one bit, but… ACHOO! What about…? ACHOO! What about Res? He’s gonna live here too, right?!”
>“I’m afraid not. There are other… plans for the young Resonance.”
>I knew it! I knew that I couldn’t trust Discord! This was a scam so that jerk could get to my dork!
“WHAT?! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!”
>The house shook violently, but I didn’t care at all, or rather, I didn’t notice. My rage and frustration were just too darn much, and it didn’t help how casual that “replica” was being about it.
>Like, he just shrugged off everything and continued smiling “Getting angry? Well, too bad! I don’t know the specifics, only that the real Discord has other plans for your friend.”
 
>As my anger got worse, so did the fever. My head was spinning like crazy, I could barely see straight, and yet… I was getting this feeling that something else was bubbling up inside me and was ready to explode.
>… And it wasn’t just me, dude. The house was shaking so darn much that parts of it started to collapse.
 “MY BUTT YOU DON’T KNOW! I AIN’T GONNA SWALLOW THAT LIE, DUDE!”
>“I’m just a pre-recorded message, my dear. I only know what the real Discord wanted me to know, and that doesn’t include whatever will happen to the young Resonance. Frustrating? Yes, indeed, but that’s how things work around these parts.”
>The house was not only collapsing now, everything started to catch fire, twist, shift, explode and all sort of impossible things.
>“Oh, my! It seems like things have gotten way out of control, but…” The replica shrugged and laughed “This is not my problem! I’m just a pre-recorded message! Ta-Ta!”
>Part of me told me to stop and chill out. That maybe there was a reason for all this and that I should wait for Discord to explain, but there was another part that said the contrary.
>That I shouldn’t hold back and let loose, and honestly? That didn’t seem like a bad idea. Whatever was happening, it started to feel good, REALLY good.
“DISCOOOOORD! YOU AND THE COMPANY AND ALL THOSE STUPID PONIES WILL PAY! I SWEAR ON IT!”
>This time, there wasn’t any quake or anything like that. The house just disappeared in a pulsating, purple explosion, leaving nothing but a giant crater… and me floating over it.
 
“A’ight… Think that maybe I lost my marbles there, but. Tee-hee! Who cares?! This is awesome!”
>The fever was completely gone now, and its place a new sensation of relief and even liberation came to me, and that’s not the only thing I was feeling.
>Guess anger really cloud one’s vision, ‘cause now that my head was chill, I could really appreciate the landscape that stood all around me, and I was in complete awe by it.
 “Dude! What the…! I can’t…! This is… just… unreal! I LOVE IT!”
>An infinite number of islands were floating under the purple sky of the void. Some were barely bigger than the house I had blew up, but these were the exception, most of them were as big as cities, if not more.
>All of this would’ve been boring if the islands were just barren chunks of rocks floating aimlessly. This wasn’t the case at all. I can’t even begin to describe the kinda crazy stuff that made up these islands. Like, they were everything I could possibly imagine and more
>And would you look at that? The fake Discord wasn’t lying about the gateway thing. I could easily recognize every single landscape I walked through in the most nearby islands. Except for the jock penguin jungle, but hey! It must be out there, right?!
>I dunno for how long I kept floating around and admiring the view. Minutes, hours, days, who knows? Point is that after a good while, I let out a sigh and stretched my limbs.
 
“So this is the void, huh? Maybe this place ain’t too bad. Now, I think it’s time I give another go to these powers. Tee-hee! Can’t wait to see what other stuff I can do!”
>It really sucked that all my excitement was sucked out the moment I heard that annoying voice again “With the proper amount of practice and experience, there’s absolutely nothing you can’t do with chaos magic, or as I heard from some feeble creatures once. Sky’s the limit, my dear.”
“You again?! Seriously, dude! Why dontcha go being useless somewhere else?! I’m having lotsa fun here and I don’t…! Hey, why the heck are you wearing that thing?”
>Like, seriously, dude. Discord was already ugly, did he really think that putting some goofy green tie would improve his looks? 
>Or that’s at least what I hoped he was doing ‘cause if he suddenly pulls a bouquet of roses and says he’s sorry… Eww, I dunno if I’d be angry or just grossed out.
>“You mean this? Don’t get the wrong idea, my dear. I’m not fond of formalities at all, but I have a very important meeting in about ten minutes with two VERY stiff ponies, and I want everything to go perfect.”
“Meeting? Pffft! Do you really think I’m gonna swallow that one, dude?! You’re just a little message! You suckers don’t have meetings!”
>Discord was looking at his talons, seemingly uninterested on my insults “I see you have recovered your confidence. That’s good, I have no interest in dealing with a scaredy pussy-cat. Just a little correction, though. The absolutely gorgeous draconequus that is floating in front of you, is actually the real deal.”
 
“Oh, brother! That’s some good news! Now I’ll test my new powers by ripping your ugly face off!”
>“Really, now? That’s an interesting proposition” Discord chuckled as a wide grin appeared on his face “Why don’t you come and try it?”
>I clenched my paw in anger. I could definitely feel that power coming back to me, and trust me, it wasn’t a dud. Not when everything around me started to distort like the waves a rock would make when thrown into some water.
“Sure! Just hold still for a sec! I promise this will only hurt a lot!”
>I charged at Discord as fast as I could, but my punch never came. You see, this is what anger does to someone. It makes you do choices without really thinking about how stupid they are.
>Despite this new cool magic, I was really no match for Discord. The guy just snapped his talons and trapped me inside a beach ball.
>I tried to break out, trust me I did, but this stupid beach ball was too strong to tear it apart and my magic decided to stop working.
“W-What?! This is cheating, dude! Lemme go so I can show you who’s…! WHOAH!”
>I suppose this is something that I should’ve seen coming. With a snap of his talons, Discord make three other versions of him to appear, and all of them were wearing a tropical shirt and sunglasses.
>As the Discords played volleyball with me, they also started talking one at the time “Now, now, my dear! I understand that you have a lot of teen angst, but there’s no need to jump into conclusions or to rush things. Not when a world of fun has just opened up for you!”
 
“WHOA! AAAH! S-Shut up! I ain’t gonna fall for your tricks again!”
>“Tricks? Whatever do you mean, my dear? I have been nothing but honest with you. Well, as much as someone of my nature could possibly be at least.”
>At this point, I had given up on trying to break free and were more focused on not throwing up.
“Urp! D-D-Dontcha play dumb with me, dude! Y-You know what I’m talking about, dude! Urp! Y-You promised to keep my dork safe!”
>“And safe he is! It took me a bit of extra planning, but I kept my part of the bargain. So again, I have no idea where these accusations come from, my dear.” The Discord who said that hit the beach ball so hard that it was sent flying up into the purple sky. 
“AAAAH! LIAR! YOU AIN’T KEEPING A THING! YOU ARE TAKING RES AWAY FROM ME!”  
>“Is that what you think? That I’ll be keeping the child for some shady purposes?” One of the Discords leaped several feet in the air and punched my beach ball down “I’m sorry, my dear, but I’m afraid that you have your pretty teen head on the clouds and I have to bring you back to Earth.”
>The guy hit the ball so hard that it basically became a missile, making me crash in the barren floating island.
>While part of me was thankful that the impact didn’t kill me, most of me was feeling incredibly frustrated. I had been out played and there was nothing I could do against Discord.
>The replicas and holiday attire had disappeared, leaving only the original Discord laughing and shaking his paw “Oooh! That was one mean spike, I tell you! Perfect way to end a perfect match! But why the long face, my dear?”
 
>As Discord floated towards me, I wanted nothing more but to punch his smug face. I couldn’t move even a talon, though. So I just groaned and said.
“Ugh… You’re just… as bad as the company”
>“Kids these days, I swear!” Discord rolled his eyes and leaned very close to my face. He was way more serious than anything I’ve seen from him before “Tell me exactly why I’m the evil one here, my dear? Because you weren’t reunited with the young Resonance? I did tell you he was the meant for something else besides making you agree, didn’t I? It’s your own fault for not paying attention, besides…!”
>Discord pointed at the big crater where his house used to be “Your chaos magic has just awakened, and look at what you have done! Think, my dear! You can’t control your magic nor your anger!”
“That… was just an accident…”
>“I believe you, trust me I do, but…” Discord’s voice became softer “Do you honestly believe that it would be safe for that foal to be around you right now? What if you lose control again? Would you be willing to take that risk?”
>I closed my eyes and held back my tears, but… Discord was right. Not even my frustration was big enough to make me want to argue against him. 
“I… I… I’m useless…”
>As I cried like a baby, Discord started to gently caress my mane “Don’t think like that, my dear. As I said, you are new to this chaos magic business, it’s natural that you would be absolutely terrible with it at the start.”
 
>I narrowed my eyes at Discord as tears continued to roll down my face.
“You’re not helping, dude.”
>“Maybe, but I do plan to change that. After all, I did mention that I would help you polish your potential, didn’t I? I can’t promise that it will be a fast process, but, with my help, you shall learn how to control your magic and, who knows? Maybe you will have that reunion with the young Resonance one day.”
>I was a bit calmer at that point, or at least enough to not be crying anymore.
“Will you tell me where he is?”
>Discord shook his head and floated away from me “Hah! Are you kidding me?! I saw how moody you can get. Revealing this information would put the child’s and your safety at risk, and honestly? I’m not about to make any stupid mistake when I’m THIS close to get what I want.  I can tell you this, though. There’s no need to worry about your pint-sized friend, trust me, he will be in very capable hooves… or at least I hope so. That foal really won me over.”
>I could feel some strength coming back to me, not much, though. Just the right amount to lemme kinda stand up.
>Despite giving me his back, I think Discord was aware of this, since chuckled and waved his paw “As for you, my dear. Well, we won’t be starting your training until I get back, so the void is yours until then. So experiment with your magic! Make and destroy and squish at your heart’s content! Have fun! This is what chaos is all about, after all. Oh! And if you want to use the bathroom…”
 
>I quickly gathered every bit of energy left inside me and jumped at him, but…
>Discord snapped his talons and disappeared, making me eat his dust. Still, his voice echoed through the entire place “You should have thought about that before blowing up my house. Ta-Ta, my dear!”
>I clenched my paw and talons and slammed them on the ground, making the entire floating island to crack wide open.
“DISCOOOOOOOORD!”
>I kept venting my frustration like that for a good while. That is, until a brilliant thought finally came to me.
>Discord was right, I couldn’t control these powers. If I somehow found a way to get to Res, then I’d just be putting him in big danger, so I needed to change tactics. Discord said he wants to teach me, right?
>So what if I went along with whatever stuff he teaches me, and once I’m able to control my powers. BOOM! I kick Discord’s butt and take my dork from whatever horrible ponies he’s gonna sell him! 
>And once I have my powers in check and my dork with me, then I’ll go back to that rotten pony world and take it over by force! I mean, who’s gonna stand a chance against the power of chaos?