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Chapter 4

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Jareth was not amused. Not only had the Runner gotten straight to the castle with seemingly no difficulties- he was back here.

"Why." Jareth asked the two doors, his eye twitching.

"We like it here!" The top red head replied. "They are nice! Unlike some people in the Labyrinth."

"Well, wasn't it nice for you to have a little vacation?" Jareth asked sarcastically. All four heads nodded. "And if you don't get back right now, I will Bog you all."

"You can't do anything!" The bottom blue peaked out and said.

"Yeah! You have to defeat us first!"

Jareth smiled dangerously. "I know that all of you tell half-truths, so don't even start that tired riddle." All their mouths shut with a snap. "And I would like to point out that you are a door... with no walls. I can and will walk behind you and kick your collective asses."

The heads looked back, noting that he was right- they were just doorframes in the open air.

"I did feel a bit of a breeze." Commented the top right.

"If we was the Sphinx- you would be sorry!" Bottom right snapped.

"Ah, but if you were the Sphinx, then no one would have gotten past you, would they?" Jareth smirked.

"Obviously!" Retorted the top blue at the same time bottom red said "well, there was the one time..."

"Get back to the Labyrinth!" Jareth bellowed. Both doors 'eeped' and burst into a puff of glitter, presumably on their way back to their approximate normal locale.

"Defeated again?" A voice said behind Jareth.

"If I have to talk to one more Bog-cursed pony..." Jareth growled, but stopped as he turned around to face a scaly belly. He looked up... and up, into the amused red mismatched eyes smirking down at him. "Great. Another dragon. Even better."

"Do you ever get headaches?" The dragon asked.

"Pardon?" Jareth furrowed his brow in confusion. This world was worse than his Labyrinth!

"From the different pupil sizes. I find that sometimes the difference in light causes me to have headaches- not to mention the problems with depth perception! I'm sure you have encountered them as well- though you seemed to fly pretty well." The dragon mused, stroking its goatee with a scaled and taloned hand.

"Well." Jareth blinked. "Yes, it does, but in my owl form I actually have conscious control of the pupils independent of..." He stopped himself. "Who are you?" He scowled.

The dragon grinned. "Ah, Discord, at your service." The dragon swept a deep bow, his lion's paw sweeping in front of him as he lashed his red scaled tail. "And I'm actually a draconequus." He stomped his hoof. "See? Because a real dragon is much too mundane." His red and yellow eyes sparkled in glee. "Tell me about the one you encountered, though- that tale sounds absolutely delightful!"

"I think not." Jareth grumbled, turning to leave. There were certain spots where one could come and go from realms, and this dragon-whatever had made him lost track of the exact location.

"Oh, come on- just a name! Maybe I can help you deal with it?" Discord waggled his large pale grey eyebrows. "It'll be fun~!"

"It was a river, it tried to drown me, and it said its name was Gekko." Jareth relented.

"Gekko!" Discord stood up rather straighter. "What's he doing messing with other realms? He's such a calm, deep river. Never bothers with people, hardly ever drowns anyone."

"Well, he's been drowning my Runners." Jareth crossed his arms over his chest.

"He what?" Discord asked in disbelief. Then he grinned. "How positively chaotic. I wonder what he is thinking..."

Jareth poked Discord in his scaly belly. "Do NOT come to my Kingdom."

"What if I wish away a pony?" Discord asked, the picture of innocence.

"Then I will be positively gleeful when the River bites its head off." Jareth snapped.

"He's actually biting people? What kind of Runner do you have in your Kingdom?" Discord was looking even more intrigued by the very idea.

Jareth rubbed his temples. "I only accept bipedal children and infants." He said finally.

"Ok. Any other conditions?"

"That was not a condition!" Jareth snapped. "Do I come to your world and turn everything upside down?"

"Was that an offer?" Discord asked, looking overly excited by the idea. "Your presence alone has all of Ponyville in an uproar."

"Ponyville." He muttered in disgust. "Of course." Jareth finally located the tear that would allow him to get the Bog out of this conversation. He flew away as rapidly as he could, ignoring Discord behind him, though he would have done well to listen.

"Careful with that River, Goblin King. He's a Force, not just any old creature!"

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With some consternation, Jareth realized that a large portion of his Labyrinth was still where it was supposed to be... but... it was not because, as he had foolishly thought, because the Runner had not conquered it. Or, at least, that wasn't the only reason.

"Let me in!" He kicked the outer wall. Nothing happened.

"Eh, Jareth. Why are you kicking the door?"

"Hugby- what are you talking about?" Jareth contemplated if kicking the dwarf would make him feel better.

Hoggle went over to the wall and pushed it... or rather, the door that Jareth hadn't been able to see, open. Jareth strolled through it as if he had simply been testing Hoggle. He also walked straight by a suspiciously deep looking pond without acknowledging the eyes in their depth.

"That jerk never says 'thank you'!" Hoggle groused. "See what help he gets if he keeps up with that attitude."

"Help?" The pond rumbled. "We can help him, Hoggle."

"Don't even start, you. You've been doing quite a good job with the drowning." Hoggle rolled his eyes. "Do any more any you'll be King."

"Hmm." Gekko dipped under the water.

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A/N: Back to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for this cameo.