//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: Chaotic Truths // Story: Lookout Equestria // by RadBunny //------------------------------// ‘Dad, was it this bad when you were overseas? I know better than to ask about specifics, I see how you change when the topic comes up. But I just- is this as bad?’ ‘…No, this is much worse.’ ‘What?!’ ‘Over there, I had my squad, a mission. I had a singular focus and a team with similar training and an entire army at my back. If I failed, it was my life and my team on the line. Here, if I fail, it’s you, your mom, your brother, and your sister that will be affected. That is more horrifying to me than any mission I went on. We were trying to prevent this sort of thing from happening. And now…’ ‘I think I understand. I take it that’s why you’re teaching me this stuff?’ ‘Exactly. I was a cowardly fool for not doing it earlier, but that was out of my own fears. Even if you never needed these skills, better you have them…well, it doesn’t matter now. We’ve got a few more minutes before we check the front doors. Now, replace the barrel and the slide- that pistol is easy to take apart and clean. Perfect, now for the other-’ *A ragged groan sounds out from the first story* ‘What in the world?! What were they saying?’ ‘…I think they were saying ‘help us.’ ‘Something doesn’t feel right. Grab the shotgun and meet me at the top of the stairs.’ ‘On it, Dad. Wait….’ ‘LET US IN!’ Jason awoke with a full body shiver, the plush yet alien sheets soaked through with sweat as he scrubbed his eyes. His arm was reached out to where a side table and certain firearm would usually be laying- but instead it just grasped air. These are getting bad; ever since coming here it's just like before. I was foolish to think they’d stay away forever. Stress always did bring it all back. Sleep didn’t come for some time after that. “Huh. You look different from the other humans I’ve seen,” the purple Alicorn in front of Jason mused, scribbling a few notes on a rather large piece of parchment. After downing a simple meal that had been delivered by a very nervous courier, Jason had been summoned to a side-room to meet with the (soon-to-be/current?) ruler of Equestria, the horrific nightmare now taking a back seat to the pleasant interaction with the curious alicorn in front of him. Alicorn…Princess….ish? He was still fuzzy on how that all worked. Was she immortal too? “Yeah, Princess Celestia said I’m from an alternate realm? Dimension? All the above? But the same basic rules of society seem to be mostly identical, for which I’m thankful,” Jason explained. “Fascinating, that explains the lack of…well, bright colors. And you said it was a thunderstorm that brought you here?” Princess Twilight asked, hopping up and down briefly with a grin. “Sorry! I’ve always been a bit of a science buff, and the whole ‘Element of Magic’ that you learned about, so this is quite a momentous occasion of the two crossing! I don’t mean to overwhelm you of course.” Jason chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “No worries. I’d be curious in your position too. But yes; a thunderstorm and creepy laugh-” “Ugh. Discord. Where is that troublemaker?” “That’s what Celestia- erm, am I allowed to refer to her without her title? I’d rather not be disrespectful.” Twilight waved a hoof, wings shuffling briefly (which Jason realized was akin to a human putting a hand on their chin in thought, or a shrug.) “I don’t think she’d mind- you can certainly just call me Twilight. I’ll be getting enough ‘Princess this’ and ‘Princess that’ to last me a lifetime,” she replied with an ever-present smile. “Well, she seems to think this Discord fellow may have something to do with me. I obviously have no idea.” A few more notes were scribbled down, Twilight letting out a thoughtful hum. “Well until we find Him we won’t have an answer either way. I can’t imagine him doing something this drastic though. Most of his chaotic doings are based around…well, chaos. Making clouds that rain chocolate, shrimps that bark like dogs, that sort of thing. Regardless, I have been brainstorming with Celestia some ideas as to how to make your stay comfortable, at least until we can try and find a way to get you back.” “Do you think that’s possible?” Jason’s question immediately caused Twilight’s ears to flatten, the Princess biting her lip before looking up at him. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know. The portal we have here is not to your world, or one even somewhat like it. If we’re dealing with alternate dimensions, then maybe? But if that’s the case, there’s an infinite number of them, as we’ve also postulated. So, locking down your specific one without a reference point….” A wave of the hand caused Twilight’s words to drift off, the man nodding slowly. “I get it. Trying to find a needle in an infinite haystack.” “Exactly. I promise we’ll try our best though.” He let out a long breath, slumping in the large chair. “And that’s all I can hope and ask of individuals. You’ve all been very accommodating; I just would like to know how to proceed from here.” Twilight flipped through some notes and tapped the pen to her forehead in thought. “Well, we’re certainly curious about all the various technology you possess, so perhaps daily meetings to discuss those could be a start? Maybe give a bit of structure to your life while we figure everything out, if you’d like?” “…you do realize this puts me in a bit of a bind?” Jason remarked softly. “I’d be giving a certain government of this world an advantage over the others, since from what I’ve seen the devices I have are more advanced than what exists here.” Twilight only smiled wider, appearing rather happy that Jason had brought up the point. “That’s remarkably considerate of you, Jason. But I promise (and will write up,) a document stating that any advances we manage to undergo will certainly be shared in full with other races.” “That would indeed make me feel a bit better.” “I’m just happy you even thought of that- it shows a great deal of care, so thank you for bringing it up. Oh! Galley- erm, Private Stonefeather accepted to help you adjust, but she’s laid up for a few days at the very least with her injuries. Probably won’t be moving very fast for a good week or two.” The alicorn didn’t even attempt to hide the grin on her face as the man perked up slightly, head tilting in curiosity. “Days? That’s incredible.” he murmured, Twilight’s ears perking up at that. “Welllllll, the emergency spell matrix she used lets us energize her astral form well above the standard levels, so what should have taken weeks or months can be condensed. If she hadn’t used those crystals, she’d have to recover like any other pony. Buuuut she won’t be able to use that sort of magic for a good year due to the arcane saturation being off the charts,” Twilight rattled off. “…I only understood about a tenth of that. So those crystals she used before let her heal faster now, but is a once-a-year thing?” Jason asked cautiously, smiling as Twilight blushed in embarrassment. “Sorry. Um, yes, in short.” “Well, if I may ask, once she’s better, what exactly does it entail, having her help me adjust that is? I assumed I’d just walk around with the various guards…erm, no offense,” Jason added as he looked over to three of said ponies. “None taken, Sir,” they replied in unison. “It means she’ll be your point of contact for adjusting to life in Equestria, or wherever you decide to live. Basically, Private Stonefeather will take place of the guards for the most part. She’ll be the liaison, essentially, since you are, for the lack of a better term, and ambassador for all humans.” “No pressure,” Jason muttered, then looking back up to Twilight. “And she was fine with this?” “Completely. I think she’s more miffed that she’s stuck in a bed. I would say you could visit her, buuuuuut I get the sense she’d be more embarrassed than anything, given her condition.” Jason shrugged, not entirely understanding. “I mean, I took care of her for over three days. Not sure how that’d…oh, ok that might be a bit embarrassing,” he admitted. “At any rate, I think I have a few ideas on how to pass the time until then!” Twilight piped up. “I’m still working with the media to blunt the news of your arrival; and I think just talking with our historians or scientists would really help that too! Basically, show the average pony you aren’t a threat.” “I mean, that sounds logical enough. Me walking out down the street with a guard escort might cause a bit of an issue.” “Exactly, at least for now. But after a week or two with various meetings and interviews? That will help a lot, I think. In the meantime, that certainly doesn’t mean you’re confined to the castle! Just not as…” “Able to wander willy-nilly?” “Bingo. So, if you’re free right now actually, I know quite a few ponies who would love to figure out what exactly that item you had in your pocket exactly is. I've tried to explain it to them but I tend to get a bit carried away.” “My smart phone? You? Oh, right, Celestia did say something about that, you knowing about human technology. That's a bit of a relief, honestly," Jason remarked as Twilight laughed. "Takes a bit of the pressure off to explain everything?" "Just a bit. So you know how to use them, but have you dissected one before? I've got a few similar ones you can take apart and see about cobbling together, maybe make some weird magic hybrid phone?" The pure and utter joy on Twilight’s face was enough to nearly make Jason laugh out loud. Just wait until I show you that backup I have of ‘Wikipedia.’ The next three days passed as a blissful blur. ‘Blissful’ in the way that Jason’s schedule was fairly jam-packed with talking to scientists and a few media ponies. From explaining the basic fundamentals of how human circuit boards worked (the very, VERY basic fundamentals that is, which seemed rather similar to the Equestria ones,) to answering some of the more obvious questions, it had been an interesting three days indeed. The media probes were obvious and sometimes came off as ridiculous (do you eat ponies where you are from, for example.) But Jason could hardly blame them. He answered each question with the same open honesty as the next without judgement, be it as basic as ‘what do you like to eat?’ to ‘can you fly?’ The scientific part was where the man thoroughly enjoyed his time, explaining the odd gadgets he had accumulated for a scenario that had thankfully not occurred a second time. Apparently, they had Geiger counters and gas masks in Equestria, so that was something… On the evening of the third day, Jason had agreed to show the scientists one of the most dangerous items in his possession; namely, one of his rifles. Specifically, he had chosen the reliable military one, heavy as it was. With the report of the various weapons dispatching the Timberwolves, he knew it would have been a matter of time before someone test-fired it on their own, regardless of permission. At least in this case he could make sure it was safely done. After securing the underground testing area (located inside of a mountain,) Jason made the rifle ready to fire with a simple, full-metal jacket round. Thankfully he had taken a few instructor-level courses on firearms, so teaching ponies was different yet somewhat similar. Apparently, they had flintlocks here or the basic beginnings of such, so it wasn’t a completely alien concept. The target was an old suit of armor; the man’s description of how the impact was abnormally violent had a few of the scientists (including Twilight,) quite puzzled. “Alright, everyone has your ear protection on?” Jason called, holding the string connecting to the trigger as they all crouched behind a solid rock and metal corner. With the violent explosion from the Timberwolves, he didn’t want to risk shrapnel in this case. “Three, two, one…” *BANG* The roar of the rifle echoed throughout the underground chamber, the scientists and human peering out around the observation corner. “….uh, Jason?” one of the ponies asked, gesturing to the end of the impromptu firing range. “Is that a normal result?” Jason’s brown eyes were wide in horror, the full impact of what this test meant turning his stomach. Thank heavens I never fired at a biological creature. The solid suit of armor was twisted and warped beyond all recognition, the item appearing as though being impacted by a cannonball instead of a thumb-sized bullet. Pieces of the shredded and warped remnants of the breastplate were embedded into the rock walls in all directions, and the wall beyond the breastplate…. Jason had to lean against one of the observation post railings briefly, eyes wide as he looked at the melon-sized hole of stone excavated out of the back-wall, as though an ice cream scoop had been taken out of it. “No. It should have had an entry wound no bigger than the tip of your horn, Powder Vial, the exit wound would be large, but nothing like this. The bullet should have crumbled a bit of stone beyond that, nothing more,” Jason whispered to the lead scientist, his ashen expression clearly causing a bit of worry. “Are you alright, Sir?” one of the guards asked, and the human could only shake his head. “Not really, no. For whatever reason, my firearms interact with matter from your world violently. I’m just thankful I only hit creatures that could regenerate. If this had been a living, breathing creature rather than those regenerating wolves…” Despite the multi-colored array of occupants, quite a few seemed to share his ashen appearance as they nodded grimly. “I’d like to be present for any future tests. I have smaller firearms, the bullet no bigger than that of a pencil eraser. I suggest we continue any further exploration using that option, or the shotgun which fires slower moving projectiles. The fact metal and stone react so violently is rather unsettling.” “I fully agree,” Twilight muttered, having taken an hour or so out of her busy schedule to attend the test. “I won’t authorize any tests unless you are present and willing, Jason. We’ve gathered a great deal of data from the magical scanners and recordings, and that should last us at least for a while. We’ll need to secure all of these weapons here, Jason. I’m sure you understand that precaution.” As the scientists began to banter back and forth as Jason nodded in agreement, Twilight’s eyes widened, horn starting to glow as she listened to an unheard message. “Jason, please come with me. We finally found Discord.” “I don’t expect you to take this seriously, Discord, but a BIT of respect would be nice!” Celestia growled as Jason and Twilight appeared in the throne room with a flash of light. “I can, and will. I was waiting for our human- oh goodie!” Discord crowed, chuckling as he looked over Jason with an intense gaze. “Well, well, well, how goes the adjustment to the world of technicolored creatures? I imagine things were a bit blander back where you came from?” the Draconequus remarked, then not able to resist a laugh. “Truly this is a fantastic time. What could be more chaotic than this? It’s glorious!” “I know that laugh.” Discord visibly winced, his mirth vanishing as Jason stared at him, the God of Chaos actually appearing a bit despondent. “Come again?” “I. Know. That. Laugh,” Jason growled, pointing an accusatory finger. “I heard it just before I blacked out during that thunderstorm.” Discord was oddly quiet, seeming to quail ever so slightly under Twilight and Celestia’s gaze. “Oh, Fluttershy is going to be so mad…” he whispered, Twilight finally stomping her hoof. “Well?” “ALRIGHT!” Discord exclaimed, throwing up his mismatched hands. “Yes, I brought him here, and you’re welcome, by the way,” he added, looking towards the human. “You’re WELCOME?” Twilight exclaimed, gesturing to Jason. “How DARE you bring a sentient, inter-dimensional individual here without-” “He was going to die.” Those words stopped Twilight’s outburst cold and caused Jason to sit down on the nearest step. “What?” Jason whispered, Discord actually seeming to become a bit subdued as he massaged the back of his head as though embarrassed. “These ponies have rubbed off on me! I felt bad knowing you’d die, and made the decision to hedge my bets instead of just observing. I wouldn’t have even agreed to come here unless I knew it wasn’t happening.” “What is happening? You’re not making any sense, well, more than normal,” Celestia added. “Our worlds bumped noses, Jason, and you were to be a casualty unless I intervened. I felt like I should save your life because I could, yes, but also as a potential resource for the future.” “I mean, if that’s the case, thank you…” Jason muttered, then gesturing towards the odd creature. “But what do you mean ‘the future’?” “How can I explain this in non-chaotic terms; oh this is going to give me such a headache,” Discord muttered, waving his paw. Hundreds of bubbles suddenly appeared, drifting this way and that. “This is beyond any of you, so I’ll try to dumb it down,” Discord said, a professor cap and gown dawning his shoulders as he strode back and forth. The Draconequus produced some obnoxiously large pills with the lettering of ‘anti-chaotic painkillers’ on them, then promptly unhinging his jaw to swallow them whole before continuing. “Each bubble is what you call a dimension or realm, floating about willy-nilly, use whatever terms you’d like because in the cosmic sense they are very similar. In this case, dimension is most applicable. So, in our cosmic journey occasionally this happens.” Two bubbles smacked into the other, rebounding to go on their separate ways. “That can sometimes cause a violent reaction in each dimension. But other times….” Two bubbles now floated together and merged; the pair sharing a wall as they floated about like an oddly-shaped bean. “They connect but still cause such a reaction. Now if that happens permanently, a stable connection between the two must be formed eventually, because now they can’t separated without destroying both themselves and the other realm. But that shared space has to connect eventually or it will degrade. Follow?” Discord asked, Twilight scribbling down notes frantically as Celestia nodded. “And the mirrors?” she asked. “Those connect to specific realms, alternate dimensions if you will, concerning this world and a few mirrored counterparts. That magic is different, for just allowing a temporary connection. Those are but a few out of an infinity,” Discord said as he waved a dismissive paw. “The reason I waited to be found by you all, as it were, was because I didn’t know if the situation was this,” two bubbles glanced off each other in front of the four creatures, “this,” two bubbles now stuck together and moved through the others peacefully, “or this,” a conglomeration of bubbles now piled together, dozens joining and re-joining within moments. “Unfortunately, it’s the last option at least for now, a pile of crossed over bubbles that appear harmless in their interactions. Time will tell if a one, or a few realms stabilize with this one, or if they all pop away and go their separate ways,” Discord grumbled, gesturing to Jason. “Personally, if we have to establish some sort of contact with these individuals on a temporary or permanent basis, I’d rather have one of them on my side, considering how…unique their history and mannerisms are.” Jason blinked, brow furrowing as the ‘bubble’ scenarios continued to demonstrate the actions in front of him. “Is that why I felt the need to get all my supplies into the tower? As preparation for this…event? Was that your influence as well?” Discord nodded, the bubbles continuing to float this way and that. “Correct. I simply wanted you to be prepared for whatever may happen. I gave you a general feeling of unease, nothing more; I’m quite happy to see that manifested in a healthy way. I’ve kept my talons out of your head from there on out! So, don’t look at me like that Twilight!” he added as a certain Alicorn began to glare at him. “Wait. These realms, will they be mine? My bubble? Will we connect, or even possibly connect to the world you took me from?” Jason asked cautiously. The bubbles vanished along with Discord’s get-up, the Draconequus not meeting the gaze of the three individuals in front of him. “I can’t tell you that.” “Can’t, or won’t?” Celestia growled, Discord then glaring at her. “I’m a reformed lover of chaos, not a sadist who enjoys torturing creatures like this!” he exclaimed, actually appearing rather angry for a brief moment. “I can’t, because it’s all gloriously chaotic. There is both a certain and uncertain chance we will connect with his realm or one along his general timeline. I can’t give percentages because they always change! I just don’t know, and can’t know! Because our friend Jason is here though, I’d say it’s a fair chance if we are able to join with a world, or worlds, it will be along his general timeline, since he acts as a sort of ‘dimensional anchor’. Whether it is the exact when, where, and who, I just don’t know.” “So, I can’t go back,” Jason whispered; the statement not a question. “I…” Discord appeared to be at a loss for words, as though the full impact of his actions hadn’t fully resonated until now. “I don’t know.” “You just said even if it’s likely to connect to a world similar to mine, it might not even be when. It may be a hundred years in the past, five hundred in the future, huge history events being changed. There’s an infinite number of realms, right? So, the likelihood of finding, let alone connecting with mine…” the man didn’t finish his sentence, now looking at the floor. “And after everything I’ve seen, I don’t know even how I’d go back without a memory wipe, if you can even do that.” Twilight visibly winced, a knowing gaze from Celestia confirming the ruler understood the general gist of Jason’s words. “I did take a precaution,” Discord whispered, making a piece of parchment appear out of thin air. “I can’t locate your exact world, but I took a snapshot of sorts when I yanked you out of that storm,” the Chaotic God gestured to the parchment. “That will be sent to all of the realms that you might have come from. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s as close as I could get. It will be sent to…I think your family’s location, I didn’t have a lot of time to double-check, or at least where they would be. There were hundreds, if not thousands of realm options from the millionth of a second I had.” “I can send a note?” Jason asked, carefully picking up the parchment as though it was made of glass. “Yes. And it will go to your kin, at least as much as I can tell.” Jason stared at the parchment, shakily standing up as he looked to the three creatures. “I…” words failed him, and Twilight waved a guard over. “We won’t bother you until you signal otherwise, Jason. Take all the time you need,” Twilight remarked, the guards starting to lead him down the halls. “To send it, draw ten circles in a corner of the parchment,” Discord relayed as the man nodded, vanishing towards the guest quarters. “Now why didn’t you tell us all that before now?” Celestia asked the Draconequus, Discord sighing and rubbing his temples. “Because until now I didn’t know if our realms were going to be connected or just bounce off. All I know is that we’ll be connected to an array of them for some period of time. I don’t know which, or how long, or how that plays out, only that it will happen. I saw no point in bringing up the matter if it would only give our local human false hope. At least now I know something will happen, ranging from nothing to a lot of somethings.” “That’s remarkably thoughtful of you, and the parchment too,” Twilight mused, Discord not meeting their approving gazes. “I got the idea from Fluttershy when she was writing to some pen-pals. Contrary to what you may think, Twilight, I’m not heartless.” “Those who know you, Discord, don’t believe that,” was the purple alicorn’s reply, the Draconequus now starting to gag. “Enough of that. I will be near that odd tower of his- if there’s going to be activity between realms, it would be at that leyline point. Ooooh this is so chaotic and out of my control! I love it!” Discord squealed in his familiar energy, vanishing with a *pop*. “So, we might end up connecting to a human world temporarily, or permanently? And we have no idea what kind of dimension or realm that may be,” Twilight stated, Celestia letting out a sigh. “That’s what I gathered. Now I have to find a way to explain this to Luna.” “I recorded all of it. She can just watch the projection.” “And this, Twilight, is why I trust you to lead in my stead,” Celestia chuckled, accepting a small crystal levitated over. “I think I’ll go brief my sister and then pay a visit to Galley. Jason’s adjustment just got quite a bit more difficult, I think.” What more should I write? What can I write? Jason stared at the paper, knowing full well that the moment he sent it, the full weight of his situation would come crashing down in the days ahead…or longer. What else? I love them, the general statement that I’m doing alright, I’m honestly ok (and not dead,) telling them things only I’d know, a personal message to each of them, I don’t have that much more space. What else can I say? A hint as to where I’m at? A slight smile that threatened to breach the emotional dam edged onto Jason’s face as he wrote, a few tears trickling down his cheeks regardless. ‘Know that just like during those months, if I can find my way home, I will. But I don’t know if that’s possible this time. As a final note, you know that phrase ‘worlds without number?’ I can personally attest that’s true, looking around right now. I love you all, and I’m going to be ok no matter what happens. Please be there for each other and live a life you’re proud of. Love you all, Jason Ferrin’ After staring at the parchment for another good few minutes, Jason drew ten small circles on the corner of the item. It fizzled and popped, the paper dissolving into flames repeatedly over and over again, repeating faster than the eye could see for countless times. And then it was gone, an empty wooden desk staring back at the man as he let out a shaky breath. “So that’s it then. Until we discover otherwise, this is home,” Jason whispered, leaning forward to rest his head amidst his arms. “I can’t go back, one way or another.”