//------------------------------// // Order and Chaos // Story: Order and Chaos // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Fluttershy kept her eyes shut tight as she stepped through the portal. With all the chaos and insanity Discord had proven capable of unleashing, she was certain that the Realm she was going to would be nightmarish beyond her capacity to imagine, and just looking at it would drive her beyond the grips of sanity. Despite her fear being strong enough to paralyze her, she'd managed to take a step through the portal since all her friends were doing so with theirs. The togetherness had given her the courage. But as the portal closed behind her and she heard only silence, she fell to the ground and huddled in on herself, doing her best to not whimper audibly for fear of bringing whatever unholy creature roamed this land to feast upon her entrails while she still lived... And yet she continued to be greeted only by silence. In fact, the ground on which she lay didn't even feel like natural ground. While at first that set nightmare images of some ancient keep haunted by phantoms that wanted to consume her soul, she quickly realized it didn't feel like stone either. Before her mind could conjure images of hospitals staffed by demonic doctors harvesting organs or schools haunted by black maned white fillies with much too big mouths or even the pizzeria...she realized the floor beneath her had no noticeable pattern. It seemed...completely smooth and flat. Greatly daring, she slowly opened her eyes to peak at her surroundings...only for her eyes to widen in shock. Everything was gray. The sky was gray, the land was gray, with no visible features to break up the monotony nor haziness to hide the total absence of landmarks. As she stared around, her fertile imagination tried and failed to conceive of anything threatening she might encounter here...and if nothing else, she was certain anything trying to sneak up on her would give itself away a great distance away as long as it couldn't teleport, and there was no need to teleport here when anywhere could be reached by walking. "This is...nice," she murmured as she got to her hooves, feeling her fear drain away. "Calm. Quiet. Rather relaxing." She glanced back and forth. "Now...where do I go?" She looked back and forth, turning all the way around to try and find some difference in the sameness, but found nothing. "Oh...oh dear," she murmured softly. "If I don't know where I'm going, I could end up wandering forever without ever knowing whether I'm going the right way or not! I could end up wandering so long I die of starvation or dehydration, and then slowly decay until my bones rest as the one landmark upon this unbroken, unchanging landscape!" She let out a soft whimper. "Oh...why did writing horror stories have to be so profitable for funding my animal care passions?" She took a few deep, calming breaths. "Well...I guess there's no help for it." Closing her eyes, she spun around a few times before coming to a halt. Opening her eyes, she marched off in the direction she was facing, hoping against hope it was the right direction. As she kept watching, eventually she caught sight of something that differentiated from the unending gray. A flickering blue seemed to float in the air, giving off burst of light in other colors here and there. Fluttershy slowed as she caught sight of it. While the unending grayness had been worrying, it had also been comforting in the absence of imminent threats. The flickering light ahead was a change, which could mean all sorts of things. Frowning and steeling herself, she walked towards the flickering light. As she approached it, she saw more flickering light in the distance, and became convinced this was the right direction to go...however comforting and disquieting that was to learn. As she reached the first one, she stepped to the side where she could clearly see the floating screen, and the scene it depicted. She saw a humanoid figure garbed in a riot of mismatched colors sitting upon a throne, playing with an infant Discord. Standing behind the throne was the shade of another figure, garbed entirely in gray armor, that watched on affectionately. Another screen showed the gaudily dressed humanoid arguing playfully with an infant Discord as a cloud hovering above changed as they threw magic at it. Again, the gray armored figure stood just behind the gaudily dressed one, watching and conveying a smile despite the absence of visible facial features. As she walked, she saw that the pattern remained true from those first two. The gaudily dressed figure would be engaged in some antics with the slowly growing Discord, while the shade of the armored figure looked on fondly. Other figures she didn't recognize appeared now and again, but always it was the three of them together. She was so enraptured by the visions that she nearly walked into the small table that sat at the center of them. Letting out a quiet meep, she backed up and looked around. The table was set for tea, with two chairs. A centerpiece of the table was an interesting tableau, the gaudily dressed and armored figures in miniature, each leaning against a throne that was half cold gray, half brown wood. Sitting on a green cushion on the throne was a young Discord that grinned cheekily at her. The scene was so lifelike that she nearly missed the life size armored figure - who was not a shade - sitting at the other end of the table from her. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped out in shock and embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you-" "I was waiting for you," the figure interrupted softly and gently. "Please, have a seat." Fluttershy whimpered as she climbed into the chair. "Oh, I hope I didn't keep you waiting long-" "You arrived exactly when I expected you to," the figure interjected, his voice remaining gentle as he poured a cup of tea for her. "You have nothing to feel nervous about. Please, relax." Fluttershy did her best to obey, but she knew she wasn't the best at social interactions. Taking a sip of the tea helped. She couldn't place the flavor, but it was delicious. "Thank you," she said softly as she nibbled on a cookie on her plate. "I am Jyggorath," the figure introduced himself. "Daedric Prince of Order, former Daedric Prince of Madness, Father of Discord." Leaning back, he chuckled softly. "Oddly enough, titles listed in reverse order of the importance I assign them, as far as my sense of self. My, how time and one little hellion can change things." Fluttershy smiled softly. "Being a parent always changes things," she reasoned calmly. "I've seen it all the time with my little animal friends, and with the ponies in Ponyville." "It certainly changed me," Jyggorath agreed. "Before Discord's arrival, I...well, I was two individuals that hated each other with a passion. But raising Discord, and learning to love him as my son...it made me whole. Of course, there was a lot more involved than just that, but it is because of Discord that I am the Daedra I am today...and I am eternally grateful. He showed me where I'd gone wrong in how I understood my role as the Prince of Order, and helped me find balance, joy, and hope." "Then...then Discord brought a lot of good to your world?" Fluttershy asked gently. "That he did," Jyggorath confirmed. "While there are a few who might disagree, his introduction of Chaos actually made things more orderly. And the lengths he went to, to save me from myself...and to make a lasting peace..." Fluttershy fell silent, uncertain what to say. Reaching behind his chair, Jyggorath handed over a sheathed greatsword that was bigger than Fluttershy's entire body. "Here. This is the artifact you came for." Fluttershy took it, nearly collapsing under the weight. "Oh goodness!" she gasped out as she gently shifted it to rest against the table. "But...don't I need to complete a trial or something?" Jyggorath smiled. "I just wanted some pleasant company for tea." Fluttershy blinked a few times. "Oh. Umm..." She glanced around, and noticed a plate of crackers. "Umm...if it's not too much trouble...could I have some cheese?" Jyggorath's smile slowly widened.