//------------------------------//
// Insediarsi 
// Story: Aether, Heir of Chaos 
// by Arcane Anonymity 
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Alright, now that both business and duties have been taken care of, let's keep going, shall we?

Small pause for a note: Making an object is preferable over simply conjuring it from magic alone - it's the reason why you'll always hear about how I keep transmuting any objects I intend to use for anything more than personal recreation, or if I want to keep them around for longer than the time I spend using them (save for a couple of exceptions where I conjured something utterly ridiculous because I went a little crazy or got super-determined, the latter usually out of intense anger and a desire to ridicule someone).

There are other reasons, as well: Food tends to have no calories unless you're very good, objects tend disappear when something goes wrong, clothes return to their base shape unless you hit 'em with a real transmutation... sometimes, conjuring is more like enchanting something to bring something else from elsewhere - like a book that changes stories on its own or at the reader's behest, 'summoning' the stories from a repository or the Collective.

Moving and managing information - that is an excellent use for Conjuration. As well as making videogames for personal use; conjure a new console to replace the one AJ, Luna and/or Fluttershy 'destroyed' in frustration, conjure your previous save data, the possibilities are endless.

Eh... back to the story.

It was... around noon when Celestia announced me. Most of the crowd was made up of ponies... when the news about Discord's escape got around, most of the non-Equestrians fled Canterlot, leaving only the Griffons and some of the really brave others. The ponies saturated the hall, though, and I didn't see anything that wasn't a pony or a Griffon inside.

Or a disguised changeling, but those are a different story. Not that I could tell at that time, anyways.

At that moment I was still rather calm. I even opted for taking a different appearance without too much trouble. The crowd was nervous, but the princesses' presence and serious demeanor managed to stabilize them and prevent them from voicing anything. The princesses were so calm, the gathered citizens followed their example as much as they could.

As I said, I'm immune to the negative and non-funny effects of herd mentality, and this includes 'Celestia Syndrome'... heck, I even cause a little bit of it myself, given the way I act. Princess Luna, too, would provoke Celestia Syndrome on the ponies if she were less intimidating, instead of inspiring 'mere' awe and projecting a 'commanding presence'.

Ironically, Twilight is also immune to CS due to all the time they spent cuddling when she was a filly, only to apply mother-, big sister-, and teacher-related neuroses to the sun princess instead. Twily isn't scared of failing Celestia because she's princess Celestia, bringer of the sun, and a near-supernaturally kind, very lonely pony, but rather because she's afraid of upsetting her teacher and second mother, princess Celestia, the pony who opened her doors and her heart to an 'egghead' with occasional confidence and self-esteem issues. The fact that she is a famous, powerful princess (the very one the condition is named after) just makes the jumbled mess similar to Celestia Syndrome.

I suggested finding a new name for it ASAP.

I transformed and looked... well, like a brown, male Luna post-purification, pre-recovery. Tall, lean, and with both wings and a horn. My mane and tail did the whole wavy-thing, but in a cascading sort of motion, as in, downwards. Not that it matters for me, since my hair is about as long as Twilight's, only sort of spiky. It also tends to change from black to white if I cross a door or something, and when it's white it moves upwards like a flame. When my tail is white, it's only the tip that tries to defy gravity.

I breathed deeply once, and shifted to try and feel my wings.

Let me tell you. Flight? Best thing ever. I always liked magic, but the feeling of flying under my own power is... is... like I can just keep going forever. And going at high speeds is also a favorite of mine, be it on the ground or high above; I feel like I can just bust through anything.

Sorry, I got sentimental. And sidetracked. Again.

My cutie mark, at least when I'm not in disguises, is a bit of an oddity because I have two of them. One symbolising the chaos and nature ability that Discord had, and thus passed over to me, and another for my own talent. And they... are pretty elaborate.

The chaos mark on my right side can be identified quickly as the symbol for it - the eight arrows pointing in different directions; one for order, the others for all remaining possibilities. That's where the familiarity stops, though, since each arrowhead is actually a symbol of it's own: A flame, a drop of water, a feather for the wind, a leaf, a sharp rock, a spearhead, and a bolt of lightning, united by a snowflake, with the last two lines being a yellow shaft of what I suspect is light and a really dark purple one that I guess is darkness.

The one I call my own, on my left flank, is a black-and-white magic circle. It has a pentagram inside, with several different symbols inside - yin yang, a cross, the six-pointed star... Now, you'd think it's a magic cutie mark... well, it is, but it is more about my penchant to take different things and concepts and then mix them - which helps loads in magic, but is not limited to that. One thing, though - if I were any less good with my head, or loved flying any more, I would surely have gotten a cutie mark for flight instead.

After taking my deep breath, I strode out with a serious, neutral expression, and I was looking forward! I usually look down all the time, making sure I can see my feet since I have a habit of spacing out. Then again, I was in 'prince' form and conjured a little silver circlet for myself, so I had to behave princely in public or when conducting business.

Bar the odd pie to the face.

Sorry Leadfoot, that was my bad.

With a slow gait and my head held high, I admit I did look good; not that I could actually walk any faster than that, mind you. My appearance earned a collection of gasps, though.

I blinked, as if I was surprised. "Is... is my appearance inadequate? Isn't this form one you are comfortable with?"

The crowd began to murmur... the (inner) chaos this caused fed me for a while, so I knew I was messing with their heads something fierce.

"Should I shed the aspect I gained with this power? Would it be acceptable if I were to turn into a draconequus?"

I think- yep, that mare near the back almost fainted, good thing I deemed that 'actually turn into one as I speak' would be too much.

"Or perhaps something befitting 'change'... like a creature of myth?"

I assumed my natural form with a 'pop'... OK, I might have made a couple of cosmetic changes, like making my face a little leaner, and getting rid of a couple of birthmarks and reducing another, but that was it! As far as clothes went, though, those were quite the change; I can't make a good impression on these ponies wearing jeans.

Uhh... it's hard to describe. It was ultra-fancy, since Equestrians like that quite a lot... it was kind of like a suit Dracula would wear, but not any one - those of the Castlevania videogame series. Only instead of red (since I thought red would be a tad too aggressive) it was blue, and white instead of black (since I like how it would go with the blue). Full of gold decorations too. My glasses were back on, to add a sort of 'intellectual charm' and a 'harmless scholar' vibe. My staff, obviously, was back in my hands for that 'wizardly' look and make me seem a little wiser than I was.

I saw a random Griffon to the far left- wha...? He actually squee'd! Waaait a moment... that is... Twilight was right. 'Special connection before we even met'...

Eh. Maybe I was starting to enjoy having the gathered ponies flip-flop between emotional responses a little too much, so I decided to give them some control back.

"You, the stallion with the tie, what seems to be the trouble?" I asked while gesturing to a pony wearing the aforementioned accessory. The only one with one in that portion of the crowd, so he had no-one to pass the buck (ha!) to.

"W-why a-a-a hu-hu-human?" He was so scared he could barely work his mouth. To his credit, I think the mare next to him would have swallowed her tongue had I chosen her instead.

"Why not?" I asked innocently, tilting my head for full effect.

"Aren't humans... evil?" He asked, and one of the Griffons made an incredible jawdrop - one of the female ones fainted.

"With the way you are saying that, it would seem you think all of them are!" I said with a low chuckle. Every single member of the audience was so quiet you could hear me when I gave them an amused sigh. (The Griffons were so due to shock, though, plus the fainted female.)

I blinked once, twice, and lost my smile. "You do think so."

No pony could look meet my eyes. Man, I turned out to be a pretty good actor.

"Aye." I said, using Johnny Depp's lovely slightly-inebriated accent. And Sparrow's look. I swayed a little and gestured with my hand. "I won't deny there be lot's of unsavory types out there. Men who won't think twice to do horrible things to one another, and are not to be trifled with, savvy?"

"However, make no mistake." Sir Ian McKellen's voice spoke, with the guise of an old wizard in a white robe. "There are good men that, when you are lost in the pits of despair, will not hesitate to chase after you and offer their help." I stood straighter and tapped my staff on the floor. "Men who will not doubt to stand against injustice, even as they are beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of the evil."

I returned to my princely form (pop!) and swept the room with my eyes. "Doesn't that sound familiar?"

I can tell Celestia is smiling softly, and Luna raised an eyebrow.

"I can see, my dear friends. I see beyond the boundaries of this world... I have seen their art, I have witnessed their commitments to the ideals of justice and freedom..." I sigh, as if deep in thought, and the audience is waiting my next words with bated breath. "Despite the differences, human essence is similar to that of ponies. We both keep going no matter the odds. That is my goal - to use what was given to me for the betterment of society."

"We advance constantly. Each day, we move forwards a step. Our spirits are endless! I will place my faith on that greatness! The wishes of those who left us, and the hopes of those to come... with those two thoughts in mind, let us make a path to tomorrow!"

Even the most hesitant of the ponies applauded my adapted speech - as I said, combining things is something I do. I loved it when I saw it on the anime, and I know every last bit is true. Doubly so in a place were friendship and love can produce such powerful effects. I think this was when I was starting to get accepted - not bad for a human with the odds against him, huh? The triple-royal-presence whammy contributed a lot, though. If Cadence had been at the meeting I bet we could have convinced them to outright love me from the start.

"I am glad we cleared that." I continued. "For, you see, I met a human."

Celestia and Luna smiled, knowing that, until yesterday, every single person I've ever met was human. This was part of my plan. Figures, the new prince of chaos makes a plan, only to have it nigh-totally derailed by two trolling princesses. At least the three of us can give hell to Shining Armor.

"He was... lost, for lack of a better term. He is an educated and kind man... slightly on the confrontational side, however. He greatly dislikes injustice and is quite sensitive, I assure you; he shall lend you his aid, should you need it. His insight could prove useful on discerning if Discord's claim had any truth to it." I raised a foreleg to appease the crowd. "Now, now, I propose that we extend our friendship to one another, and we shall see the wonders that will open themselves to us!"

The Griffon ambassador had that 'OMG I'm meeting a legend!' look on his face. Too bad I had to get settled both physically and officially before I could take any 'official appointments'.

The gathered ponies were feeling more confident now, and my.... uh, princely scent and calm presence relaxed them, so one pony asked. "Why did Discord chose you?"

"I do not rightly know what went through his mind... however, I do know it was because the Elements would not allow him to use his powers to cause more trouble; it could not be anypony, he had to chose a heir who would want to look after Equestria. I only know it was extreme boredom, a complaint in which he called princess Celestia a 'stick in the mud', my outsider's viewpoint, and disappointment that the world is unbalanced against chaos, what caused him to give me his powers and leave."

The mumbling among themselves renewed.

"We are going to investigate that, but if you know something, please, do not hesitate to inform me or the human. Curiously enough, he responds to the name 'Aether' as well - possibly the reason Discord's magic had the effect it did - so please, do treat him kindly."

Like hell I'd give them my real name; also, this little bit of subterfuge saved my bacon (literally, I 'ported some over from Elsewhere) and life more than once - still landed in the hospital a couple of times, but it's one hell of a trick. You should see how much mileage I can get out of saying 'it was Discord's fault', 'it's magic', or 'you want the other Aether'.

"Yes? The pegasus filly in the front." I pointed at a little filly five ponies from the very front with her hoof in the air, standing on her mom's back with the other foreleg resting on top of mom's head. She was... around four, I'd guess.

"Can you use magic?" Her very voice nearly caused me to 'd'aww' out loud.

"Well, yes, I can use magic."

"Can you-"

"No, I am not going to make a cotton candy cloud." I said, and her huge puppy-dog eyes nearly caused me to cave in. I tensed a little, like I got smacked in the stomach. "I think your mom would be mad at me if I gave you something like that before lunch."

"Aww, you sound like daddy." She sounded soooo disappointed! I just had to make it up to her. Her mom was giggling, though.

"There is something I can give you." I pulled some power... and then a lot more, and I searched the various dumpsters across the city for goggles or pieces of goggles, as well as old electronics. Chaos powers are easy to use, since I just have to want the effect, but it's difficult to reign the power in (even more so than darkness after you get over the initial hurdles), but I have so much, that using them willingly counts as an effect of it's own! As long as I have an actual objective in mind, however. Anyways, I then used the old parts to transmute them into new goggles, then displaced them over to the spot in front of my head.

Not just any goggles, either - these were red goggles with the covers tinted yellow. And had built-in lights. I floated them over to the little filly. "For when you fly; fully adjustable, so one size fits all. They have a pair of buttons on the side, which will turn on the lights in them. They are waterproof, and the batteries are long-lasting, especially since the lights are extra special."

I am pleased to say that real, fully-functional high-intensity LEDs, working batteries, and circuits can be made with junk and magic as long as you know how they operate, and can be further enhanced with a small spell that feeds on ambient energy - not very strong on its own, but it is kind of a sub-component for 'proper' light spells, and used to regulate the intensity. It's technically order magic as we discussed during the first evening I spent in Equestria, but I could visualize the spell (lamp spells are magic kindergarten stuff, you see) so the chaos magic took care of directing the unicorn one quite easily.

I felt my stomach flip, though. At least, I learned from the experience so that I would not attempt that again.

Without further refining the technique, anyways.

"They are modeled after those of a human hero, but fit for ponies." I said softly to disguise the pain, trying to ignore the beautifully stylized knot in my guts; at least the crowd was politely silent. The pain seemed to be mostly in my head, since I wasn't actually winded or anything.

And the filly? You'd think I had them gold-plated. She was bouncing and asking. "Mommy! Mommy! Can I put them on? Can I? Can I?" OVER AND OVER. Heartmelting, really.

The Griffons I could see were green with envy, and the ambassador tried to act nonchalant, but I could see his pleading eyes darting over to the Simon-goggles I gave that filly. It was very funny seeing the usually-proud beings so childishly upset over an imitation of an animated character's possession. Though I made it up to them some time from then.

Letting them smack me with a wooden sword, then returning the favor... that counts, right?

I tried to step back, but one of my knees buckled. I did not actually fall, thanks to Celestia discreetly giving me a push upwards with her magic - just enough for my other legs to pick up the slack.

"Are you unwell?" Luna asked, standing next to me to support me.

"I need to learn proper alchemy." I answered, because I knew the principles but not the technique. My voice was barely audible in a fruitless attempt to see if regulating my breathing could make the pain stop. I am only partially adapted to chaos magic, so there are repercussions if something is off. "And I might have discovered a neat trick."

"Perhaps you should rest." Celestia spoke, fully intending for the crowd to hear it. "You have done splendidly, adapting to these new powers, but you should proceed slowly lest they do you harm."

I nodded, and let myself be guided back to one of the private meeting rooms by Twilight and Luna, while Celestia answered questions about my made-up backstory (You'd think it would pop up before, but my shapeshifting trick must have derailed their trains of thought). Some sort of otherworldly observer and record keeper (and a rookie at that), unable to act until Discord pulled me here, Discord's magic lightly affecting my behavior...

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"Like Celestia and Luna gored me with their horns." I replied. She shuddered, trying to avoid conjuring any images... poor Twilight, her biology lessons made it pretty much impossible.

I made it up to her using math. We are about the same level, which would be much more impressive if she weren't two-thirds my age and currently having three times as many subjects on her load as I have ever had.

Whew. I'll be back shortly, I need to see Tinsel Rose's and Leadfoot's performance; haven't missed one, and I'm not going to start today. After all, I was the one who gave them the job. And had Leadfoot's shako commissioned; that hat is an important investment!