//------------------------------//
// 10. Exit Through Chaos 
// Story: Exit Through Canterlot 
// by TheBrianJ 
//------------------------------//

The world around Octavia blurred, leaving only her and the sketch pad. She took a deep breath and stared at the unfinished drawing in front of her, swirls of color and shapes with seemingly no connection. She slowly ran her hoof along the drawing, almost expecting it to come alive under her touch and tell her what should be added. The rhythmic tapping of the pencil on the edge of the sketch pad momentarily brought her out of the trance-like state she was in, and she laid back on the couch, just staring at the picture in front of her. She pressed her tongue into her cheek as everything came back into focus around her again, then flipped the pad open and began to look through it.

Page after page had been filled with sketches and she reflected on how different her sketches were now. The early drawings were simplistic and blocky, drawn in black and white with repeating patterns. But as time had gone on, the designs became more and more grandiose, covering each page corner to corner with abstract drawings and incorporating more and more color. She flipped to one of her more recent sketches, something completely different than the others: a detailed sketch of a wooden wagon. She had wanted to try something more realistic and her mind had gone back to the toy shop.

For a few seconds Octavia just stared at it, until she felt the spark shoot off in the back of her head, and the world blurred again. She smiled and excitedly flipped back to the sketch she was working on, reaching down and switching to a brown pencil and resuming her drawing, happily humming all the way.

As she did, Vinyl Scratch trotted out of her room and into the kitchen. A few seconds later she poked her head around the corner into the living room, staring bemusedly at Octavia.

"Hey, Tavi?

Octavia looked up at her friend. “Yes?”

"It's been a week. You know you have to stop smiling at some point, right?"

Octavia chuckled and returned to her drawing. "I don't see why."

"I'm pretty sure that excessive smiling can cause gum disease.”

"I can't help it, Vinyl. Ever since that town hall meeting, everything just feels happier." Octavia let out a dreamy sigh, gazing out the window as Vinyl trotted over next to her and sat down on the couch. "I don't think I can ever describe how I felt when I was on that hill, looking at the park. I certainly don't think that I'll ever be able to capture that feeling again, but if I can even feel half of it, I'll be satisfied."

"I'm guessing that's why Flanksy has been out every day this week?"

Octavia blushed. "Exactly," she said, going back to her drawing.

Vinyl waited a few moments, but Octavia just kept drawing, and her curiosity got the better of her. She pushed her head up over Octavia's shoulder to get a closer look at the drawing. The outer edges of the page were lined with spirals, but her eye was drawn instead to the center of it, where the abstractness seemed to end. Instead, the drawings became more realistic and recognizable objects, and as Vinyl stared at them, she saw a pattern emerge: a sled, a few small wooden dolls, a pinwheel, and others.

"Are those toys?" Vinyl asked, pushing her head even closer to the page. 

Octavia pulled the pad to the side so she could see what she was doing. "Yes, they are."

"Huh, that's different," Vinyl responded, again getting closer. "You gonna turn that into a mural?"

"That's the plan," Octavia said, switching colors and beginning to color in one of the dolls. "It's a bit different than what I've done before, but that's for good reason. Do you remember Graham?"

"Graham?" Vinyl muttered. She rubbed her chin, then held her hoof in the air. "Oh yeah! He's that old pony who owns the toy store! Always wears that blue hat with the red feather in it, and…" She momentarily trailed off, her hoof lowering as the smile disappeared from her face. "Oh…"

Octavia responded with a nod. "Exactly. The fact that I've left my name half-scrawled on the wall of his toy shop for this long is unforgivable. It is time that I do something about it."

"Cool beans," Vinyl said. "But, uh, what if he doesn't want a new mural? I thought he mentioned that he just wanted his wall cleaned up."

"I thought about that, so I'm going to ask him."

Vinyl's eyes widened enough to tip the sunglasses perched on her horn to one side. "Wait, what? You're gonna tell him who you are?!"

"Oh no no no," Octavia replied. "I'll be in disguise. I think I'll just hand him a note or something like that to see what he wants. If he wants the wall merely painted over, that's fine. But if he'd be okay with a more colorful mural, I certainly have the ideas."

Vinyl cocked her head to one side as Octavia returned to her sketch. "Huh. I'm not gonna lie, that's certainly different for Flanksy."

Octavia opened her mouth but was interrupted by the obnoxious shaking of a spray paint can. She waited for it to end before speaking. "It's a one-time event. It's not as controversial as the other things I've done, but it's something I have to do. I wasn't exactly thinking clearly when I was painting my name there. So it only seems appropriate that I let him—" Again, the rattling of the can interrupted Octavia. She sighed, looking up from the pad. "Vinyl, could you stop shaking that can please?"

Vinyl blinked. "What? I thought that was you, I thought you had a can in your other hoof."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before the rattling returned. They both looked over to the side, where a single can of green paint was sitting on the table, shaking violently on its own. Octavia put the pad down and took a step towards it just as it fell off the table.

"Um, Do spray paint cans normally do that?" Vinyl asked.

"Of course not," Octavia responded, prodding the shaking can. "Perhaps a bug got caught in it, or maybe there's too much pressure inside?"

Octavia picked the shaking can up and tapped the bottom a few times, with no result. She looked over at Vinyl, who responded with a shrug, then grabbed a piece of cardboard from the nearby closet. She held her hooves out as far as she could, the cardboard in one hoof and the shaking can in the other, and very cautiously pressed down on the nozzle. 

The can stopped shaking as a green bubble formed at the front, gradually growing larger and larger until it snapped free of the bottle and landed on the floor. Octavia glanced back at Vinyl again, then stumbled in surprise as the bubble began to rumble. It writhed about on the floor before suddenly flattening and rolling itself into a long thin shape. Octavia leaned closer to one end of it as it finally stopped moving, then abruptly raised one end and began to hiss.

"Snake? Snaaaaaaake!" Octavia yelped, stumbling back and falling over the edge of the couch. The snake slithered around the room and Vinyl leapt up onto the coffee table in equal shock. Octavia scrambled behind the couch and peeked her head over the top as Vinyl grabbed a book off the table and threw it at the serpent. The snake slithered its way over to the front door and Vinyl jumped next to it and flung the door open, kicking at the snake.

"Shoo! Shoo! Get outta here!" Vinyl yelled as the snake got partially out the door and she followed it to knock it all the way out.

"Is it gone?" Octavia asked, to no response. "What just happened?! How did that just happen?! H-how does a snake get into a can of… no! It wasn't even inside the can! It was formed from w-what was inside it! What the hay—"

"Tavi..."
 
She waited for a response, but Vinyl said nothing. Octavia looked up at her friend to ask again, but her mouth didn't even get a chance to open when she saw Vinyl standing in the doorway, completely frozen in place. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her lip appeared to be quivering slightly. Octavia slowly approached her friend and as soon as she joined her, her own eyes widened as well.
 
The sky, normally blue, was now rapidly changing colors until it settled on a bright pink. Clouds which had previously hung in the sky were now zipping back and forth, dropping what appeared to be lemons. But most telling was the fact that within seconds, panic had descended into the streets. Ponies were running every which way, screaming as the world around them shifted and warped.
 
"Wh-what... what's happening?" Octavia muttered. But before Vinyl could answer, the front porch on which they stood rumbled violently, sending Octavia pitching into the rail and struggling to keep herself upright as Vinyl stumbled back. Octavia and Vinyl leapt off the porch as their building suddenly rose into the sky, flipping upside-down and hovering in mid-air.
 
"Sweet Celestia!" Vinyl yelled. "What the hay is going on here?!"
 
No sooner had Vinyl finished her question than the shrill sound of a siren pierced the air. The ponies in the street paused briefly stare into the sky, but just as quickly panic set back in and there was a stampede in one direction.

"Is that the warning siren?" Vinyl shouted. "We gotta get to shelter!"

With a quick nod of her head, Octavia galloped along with the crowd, Vinyl right behind her. As they ran, the world around them continued to change. A street sign suddenly melted next to Vinyl, causing her to leap to the side as the puddle turned into fizzy soda; cobblestones under Octavia's feet randomly changed color at a rapid pace, until she stepped on one that sunk into the ground, suddenly shooting half-inflated balloons into the sky; in the distance, the clock tower's hands began to spin rapidly until the face of the clock broke off and spun off over the horizon.

"Did some spell go wrong? Is Canterlot being attacked?" Vinyl yelled, turning a corner and running down an alley.
 
"I have no idea, but I don’t know if we have time to think about it right now!" Octavia responded. As they exited the alley they turned right, but both stopped at the scene playing out in front of them.
 
Fancy Pants was backing up slowly, concern on his face.  In front of him, his wife Fleur De Lis slowly approached, a trash can floating next to her Something about her was different though—her normally pink mane was now a dull, lifeless grey, and her ordinarily content face was now twisted into an angry scowl.
 
"F-Fleur, darling, I don't know what you want! Don't you recognize me?" Fancy asked, pressing his back into the wall. "I love you!"
 
"I know exactly who you are!" Fleur yelled. "Love? Don't be ridiculous! I want to know where you're hiding all your riches!"
 
"B-but I don't hide anything! You know that!" Fancy said, then gasped as the trash can was flung towards his face. He just barely dodged the can, then sprinted away. Fleur picked the can up again and gave chase, screaming about valuables as they disappeared into the distance while the sound of maniacal laughter cut through the air.
 
Octavia blinked. "What's happening to Canterlot?" she muttered. She felt a tap on her shoulder but barely paid any attention. "Why would Fleur act like that?"
 
"Tavi..." Vinyl said, again tapping on Octavia's shoulder. The sound of laughter grew louder, but Octavia was too stunned to react.
 
"Nothing makes sense," she said in shock. "None of this—" She was interrupted when Vinyl grabbed her head and turned her around by force. Octavia's gaze slowly shifted upwards as she stared at the figure standing before her.

 
A massive draconequus stood behind them, howling with laughter and clutching his serpentine body. He snapped a paw to produce a tissue and wiped his eyes, then crumpled it up and tossed it behind him, which then exploded and sent chairs flying in all directions.
 
"Dear me, I forgot how funny it is to see ponies acting like jerks!" he said, finally composing himself. "With all the bleating you do about friendship and love, it's so refreshing to see one just acting evil!"
 
"Who are you?" Vinyl asked.
 
The creature's eyes narrowed. "You cannot possibly be serious. You don't know who I am? How many draconequui do you know of? Let alone ones that can turn milk into bowling trophies?"
 
With another snap of his hand, a gallon of milk appeared in front of Vinyl and Octavia. It quickly shaped itself into a large statue of a pony holding a bowling ball, then exploded splashing them with milk. Vinyl shook her hair out and Octavia stared at the creature, too afraid to even react. Suddenly, something clicked in the back of her mind, and she gulped down her fear.
 
"D... Discord..." she muttered. A sudden fanfare sounded and Discord threw his hands up, sending confetti scattering.
 
"Yes! Ponies still remember their ancient history! Let's show her what she's won!" he yelled, and he reached down towards Octavia. Just before he touched her his paw stopped, hovering over her head. "Nah," he said, then suddenly shifted his arm and bopped Vinyl on her head.
 
For a moment, Vinyl's eyes flashed green. Her neon-blue mane melted away, leaving her black and white. She glanced back and forth before her eyes drooped.
 
"Vinyl!" Octavia yelled "Are you alright?"
 
Vinyl grunted. "Leave me alone," she muttered. Octavia gasped upon hearing her lifeless voice as Vinyl leaned up against the wall, sliding down and staring into space.
 
"What? Vinyl, are you—"
 
"I said leave me alone!" Vinyl snapped, folding her forehooves. "What gives you the idea that I even wanna talk to you?"
 
Octavia's jaw dropped and she turned back around. Discord was lazily laying on a cloud hammock held up on either side by two grey pegasi, their wings fanning him. "What did you do to her?!"
 
"I did what I do best," Discord said, sipping an empty glass that appeared to fill up with a brown liquid as he was drinking from it. "Call it what you like—Discording, Discordification, Discordificalololology—I personally just prefer the term ‘brainwash’ myself. Did you know that ponies used to call me Mr. Brainwash?"
 
Discord kept sipping the drink, pointing his free hand in every direction and sending bolts of randomness shooting through Canterlot. In a panic, Octavia grabbed Vinyl by the hoof.
 
"Come on, we have to get to shelter!" she whispered. Vinyl just curled her body away and laid her head down on the ground.

"What's the point?" Vinyl muttered, closing her eyes. "He's just gonna win anyway. I'm gonna lay here for a while."

Octavia huffed in frustration, then bit down on Vinyl's tail and began to drag her. In protest, Vinyl splayed her hooves out lazily and shut her eyes even tighter, then dug her hooves into the ground to slow down progress.

"Come on!" Octavia said through clenched teeth. "I don't care how you're feeling, we have to get—"

She stopped talking when she bumped into something behind her. She turned around and found herself staring at a large wooden sign with Discord's face on it. Discord—without his face—stood casually behind the sign, pointing down at it.

"Just where do you think you're going?" the face on the sign said. "I only just returned to Canterlot; you can't treat an honored guest like that!" The sign suddenly splintered apart and the face re-attached itself to Discord's head. "Besides, there are a number of ponies who I've wanted to speak with now that I'm back. You two are near the top of the list!" He paused, then rubbed his beard. "Ok, not the top. More like the middle. But you're on the list!"
 
"Leave us alone!" Octavia shouted. "What in Equestria could you want with Vinyl and I?"
 
Discord stared at her, then started laughing again. "Wait, wait. Why would I care about a neon-maned wub machine like her?" He snapped his fingers, and a large cage dropped over Vinyl, separating her from Octavia. Before she could react, Discord reached down and grabbed her by the nape of the neck. She twisted to try to escape as he brought her up, and went face-to-face with the struggling pony.
 
"When I say 'you two' I am referring to you and Flanksy, sunshine."
 
Octavia stopped struggling and stared into Discord's eyes. "What? But..."
 
Discord chuckled. "Oh come now. I'm the God of Chaos, emphasis on that first word. Just because I'm encased in stone doesn't mean I'm ignorant." He laughed again. "After all, I'm not Celestia, now am I?"
 
She felt her throat close momentarily and her pupils shrunk. Discord patted her on the head and set her down.
 
"Oh, there's no reason to be nervous. I'm not going to brainwash you or anything. That would be quite counter-chaotic. In fact, I want to thank you!"
 
Octavia didn't know how to react, other than her jaw dropping. "Thank me? F-for what?" she said, instinctively backing up a step.
 
"Why, for doing things in the name of chaos! While I've been busy the past thousand years, it was so refreshing to see somepony carrying on my work!"
 
Octavia gasped. "What? I haven't been doing anything of the sort!"
 
Discord's eyes narrowed, and he grabbed Octavia by the hoof. He suddenly took off into the sky, jerking Octavia long behind him. He came to a sudden stop high above the city.
 
"Oh no no no," Discord said, lazily leaning back and letting Octavia dangle below him. "You've been doing normal, sensible things like painting trees orange and drawing cartoon faces of royalty!" He pulled Octavia up and set her on his serpent-like chest. "You have single-hoofedly created more chaos in Canterlot than anything in the last thousand years! Well, until now, that is. Now that I’m back, I can bring my much better ‘art’ of chaos!" He threw his other hand into the air, sending fish flopping down everywhere in the city.
 
He floated back down and landed on the roof of a building, dropping Octavia down next to him. She shook her head to try to regain her composure, then looked out at Canterlot. The streets were completely bare while ponies either took shelter or cowered in their homes. In the distance, however, she saw a number of floating trees; each one painted a different color. With a deep breath, she turned back to Discord.
 
"Oh cripes... I'm about to be lectured, aren't I?” he muttered, his eyes rolling so far back that the pupils swiveled completely out of view.
 
"What I have done is different," Octavia replied, standing her ground. "What I do is not for the sake of chaos. You make ponies miserable, but I show them the beauty of the world. I don't want to ruin ponies lives, I want to enrich them!"
 
Discord's pupils swiveled back, now with the words "HA" written across them.
 
"HA!" he yelled. "Go ahead, keep telling yourself that. At the end of the day, you and I have more similarities than you care to admit."
 
"We do not!" Octavia yelled right back. "Don't compare us! I may have painted some walls and trees, but you just cause chaos on a terrifying scale! What you do is wrong, and—"
 
Octavia didn't get a chance to finish as Discord grabbed her underneath her chin and glared at her. She started to hyperventilate as he leaned in, going nose-to-nose with her.
 
"You really are quite bold to be talking to a deity," Discord snarled. "You can say whatever you want. No matter what the scale, you are still causing chaos."
 
Octavia gulped. "I-I..."
 
A smile curled across Discord's face. "Oh, but don't get me wrong; I’d much prefer things like riots and property damage, but even a little bit of chaos is great!”
 
Again Discord grabbed her by the nape of her neck and leapt off the building, landing on the ground with a loud thud. He glanced around for a few seconds before driving his hand through a nearby window, turning it into white chocolate which splintered in every direction. He rummaged around inside for a few seconds before pulling out a trembling green unicorn.
 
He looked directly into her eyes. "What's your name?"
 
"Lyra..."
 
No sooner had she responded than Discord dropped Octavia to the ground and flicked the unicorn on the forehead, instantly dulling her color from green to grey. With a huge smile, he turned back to Octavia. "See? I just brainwashed Lyra, and I don't even know her! It's chaotic, and It's fun!" He turned back to the unicorn."Go do the opposite of whatever it is you do normally, harpo," he said, tossing her back inside.

"I'm not hurting other ponies like you are. I don't want to hurt ponies!"

"Oh, but I think you do," Discord jeered. "Why, as far as I can tell, this all started with you wanting to hurt Princess Celestia. Good work on that, by the way. Calling Celestia ignorant and ruining her statue? Even I wouldn't stoop that low! Okay I totally would, but I haven't."

"T-that, that..." Octavia stuttered.

"And what about the Elements of Harmony?" Discord continued. "They ruined the most important night of your life and they don't care! They have no idea that they took your hopes and dreams in their hooves, and crushed them. Don't tell me you've just forgotten!" He snapped his fingers and a scroll floated down in front of Octavia, unfolding to reveal a picture of the six Elements of Harmony, all happily posing for the shot. She stared at it as Discord snapped his fingers one more time and the picture changed: the ponies were still standing there, but now beneath their hooves were the shattered remains of a cello.

The corners of the scroll crumbled in Octavia's now trembling hooves. The chaotic world around her evaporated, and she returned to the night of the Gala. For the first time in a while, the images of the six ponies who had ruined it swirled in her head. She finally looked back up at a smirking Discord, then shook the images out of her mind and tossed the paper aside.
 
"It doesn't matter what I think of them. I'm doing this for other reasons, and not for the sake of fun!" She looked back at Discord, who was now laying against the wall, playing with a ball-and-paddle that appeared to be made of feathers. "I want to change Canterlot!"
 
Discord stopped and looked over at Octavia. With a poof the toy turned into a microphone and he loudly cleared his throat.
 
"If I could be serious for a minute," he said into the microphone and then tossed it into the air, where it exploded into a storm cloud that rained maple leaves as it raced away. "I know you want to change Canterlot, but you are going about it all wrong."
 
 "All wro—" was all Octavia got out before a cloud of smoke erupted around her. When it cleared, she was laying on a long couch with Discord sitting next to her in an elegant chair, a pair of googly-eye glasses perched on his nose and a notepad in hand.
 
"See, you want to change Canterlot, but all you’ve done is put up your art. It's the equivalent of politely tapping a pony on the shoulder and asking if they’d maybe consider changing." Discord paused, then shook his head. "Mental note: the Element of Kindness might resist brainwashing. Anyway, the point is that if you just ask ponies to change, you might get a little something-something out of them, but eventually they'll change back. They always change back."

"That's not true," Octavia replied, folding her hooves on her stomach. "Look at how Canterlot has reacted. Look how Prince Blueblood has been embarrassed. I've created change in Canterlot that—” she stopped herself, looking down at the couch she was on and the notes Discord was taking. She shook her head and rolled off the couch, instead stepping towards Discord. “I’ve created change in Canterlot that will last, and I have done it with art!”

Discord sighed. "I can tell I'm not getting through to you just yet. But that's fine. You'll learn eventually. Now I'm sorry, but I'm afraid our lovely little discussion is going to have to end. I have a handful of flies to deal with,” he said, punctuating it by holding up a now six-fingered paw. “But while I'm gone, I want you to remember something. Listen very carefully to what I'm telling you."

Octavia gulped as Discord leaned in even closer. His eyes narrowed and when he spoke his voice was cold.

"Nothing changes unless you make it change. Just asking ponies to change won't change anything." His frown shifted into a creepy grin. "Believe me, merely asking ponies to accept chaos doesn't work. Why do you think I do things like this?" he asked, pointing his free hand back and shooting a white beam into the wall behind them, which melted down into chocolate. "Just keep that in mind."

He finally relented on his grasp on Octavia, and she fell to the ground, curling up against the wall. He cleaned off his hand, then smiled. "Now then if you will excuse me, I must be off. Let me leave you with a little parting gift!" he said, then pointed towards Octavia's head. She curled up even tighter, shivering, but Discord's paw stopped. "No," he muttered, pulling away. “Just remember what I said. Here, you can even have your friend back." 

With that, Discord snapped his fingers and was instantly covered in a puff of pink smoke. Octavia shielded her eyes, opening them after a few seconds to find Vinyl Scratch in his place, still grey and curled up in a ball.

"Vinyl…"

"Shut up!" Vinyl yelled at her, staring emptily at the pink sky. "I don't care about whatever you were gonna say. The entire city is screwed anyway, so why bother even talking?"

Octavia looked off into the distance, where several guards were standing around the door to a shelter, ushering ponies in. She turned back around.

"Come on, we're getting to safety."

"Don't wanna," Vinyl mumbled.

"I'm sorry about this, but you aren't going to have a say in this matter," Octavia said, clamping her teeth down on her friend's tail and dragging the lifeless Vinyl towards the shelter.


---


Octavia sat against the far wall of the shelter, her back legs curled up into her chest. It was the only place she could feel remotely comfortable since the shelter was so jam-packed with ponies that finding a place to sit or stand had grown increasingly difficult. Numerous guards stood around to keep everypony calm, as many of the ponies in the shelter were colorless and reckless from encounters with Discord. Hours and hours had passed by, but the only window in the shelter continued to indicate a bright pink sky. Although a guard had arrived to inform ponies that Discord had left the city hours ago, Canterlot remained a hotbed of chaos and nopony was brave enough to venture outside.

She reached out and grabbed a small bottle of water, sipping it before standing up. Vinyl Scratch remained curled up on the ground, lazily chipping away at the wall with a scrap of metal she had found.

"Do you want some water?" she asked, holding the bottle out. Vinyl swatted it away and looked at up at Octavia with ashen face and dark circles under her lifeless eyes.

"What part of 'leave me alone' are you just not getting?" she hissed, then turned back to the wall.

"Vinyl, you have to snap out of it!" Octavia said. Vinyl just laid her head back on the ground. Octavia shook her, but Vinyl raised a back hoof and kicked Octavia away. Octavia stared at her monochrome friend, and felt a lump forming in her throat. "Y-you have to! I don't know what Discord did to you—I don't know what he did to everypony—but you have to snap out of it! Y-you…"
 
She trailed off and sniffled as she fell against the wall, her head dropping into her hooves. Her breaths were labored as she closed her eyes just wanting everything to go back to normal. But when she thought she was beginning to drift off to sleep, a sentence rang through her head.

Nothing changes unless you make it change.

Octavia snapped back awake, shaking her head to chase Discord's words away. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep again.

"Don't worry," a voice came from in front of her. "Canterlot will be back to normal soon."

"How do you know?" was all Octavia could respond with. "After everything that's happened so quickly…"

"Canterlot will persevere, as it always has. No matter what happens to this city, it will always return to its glory as the greatest city in Equestria."

Octavia sighed, finally beginning to look up. "But how can—" she immediately stopped when she saw who she was talking to.

Prince Blueblood stood in front of her, looking her right in the eyes. Despite the chaotic situation, he seemed as prim and proper as ever, his hair styled and his cummerbund not even showing the slightest hint of a wrinkle. The only thing that was different about him was his face. It was the only time Octavia had seen him genuinely smiling.

"Canterlot has endured far worse. We will be fine," he said. "Whether aunt Celestia and Luna intervene, or even the ponies of this city do, Discord will be stopped. I have lived in Canterlot for far too long to expect anything less than the city returning to normal after this."

Octavia gulped down a lump that had formed in her throat upon realizing she was only feet away from her biggest rival in Canterlot. "Do you really think so?"

Blueblood nodded. "I know so."

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?"

Blueblood turned to look out the far window. The pink sky suddenly turned dark as the moon shot into the air. He gazed over all the ponies that had packed the shelter, then turned back to Octavia.

"Because it is my duty," he said. "It is always the duty of a prince to look out for what is best for his kingdom. Even I know I can't confront Discord or change Canterlot back myself, so in a situation such as this, I must focus on protecting the citizens. At least until..." Blueblood trailed off, looking like he just bit his tongue. Octavia could've sworn she saw the spark of a fire ignite in his eyes but it quickly died when he spat out the rest of the thought. Under his breath he grumbled, "The Elements of Harmony can stop Discord. After that the city will be back to normal, and we can focus on what is important again.

With a nod, Blueblood turned to the side. Octavia started to close her eyes, but a thought shot through her mind again:  this was the only opportunity she would ever have to talk to Blueblood. Mustering all her energy and courage, she called out behind him.

"Important like Flanksy?"

Blueblood stopped in his tracks. He spun around and now there was no hiding the fire burning in his eyes.

"Yes, like that scourge. Once Discord is defeated, I can focus on ridding Canterlot of her once and for all."

Octavia cocked her head to one side. "But I thought that after the meeting last week—"

"What, that farce?" Blueblood asked. "Where not a single pony came to my defense? Where suddenly the ponies who disliked Flanksy were too afraid to speak their minds in public? I'm proud enough to admit that I took the wrong approach in that sense. It's a single loss in a greater battle." He put his hoof down and held his head up high as if posing for a dramatic painting. "Don't you worry. I am not going to let Flanksy ruin this city any more than she already has. She is nothing less than the worst scourge in Canterlot, and I will personally see to it that she is brought to justice. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to attend to other ponies."

As soon as Blueblood turned back around, Octavia's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth. She wanted to scream at Blueblood, but she knew that now wasn't the time. Blueblood had only taken a step away when he paused and whirled his head around, and Octavia shifted her expression to a smile as quickly as she could.

"I'm sorry," Blueblood began, "but I just have to ask: have we met before?"

Octavia's smile wavered for a moment as Blueblood approached her. "Um, I don't think so…" she muttered.

"No, I swear you look familiar to me," Blueblood said, getting uncomfortably close to her face and squinting. "I swear we've met at some point. It's on the tip of my tongue…"

Octavia felt herself start to sweat. She frantically glanced around the room for something to focus on before a thought popped into her head.

"The Gala?"

Blueblood tilted his head to one side and took a step back. "Yes, that's it. You were one of the performers on stage! I thought you looked familiar. I suppose I forgot your face because that night was…" He trailed off, looking away. For a moment, Octavia thought she saw another spark in his eye, but he shook his head briefly. "That night was complicated."

"Yes, it certainly was," Octavia muttered. 

Blueblood looked back at her. "Wait. Why—"

Before he had a chance to continue, the entire room shook as the sound of an explosion pierced the air. Ponies screamed and ducked their heads down instinctively as Octavia curled up against the wall and Blueblood dove for cover next to her. The window at the top of the shelter glowed as a wave of blinding energy shot through the room, enveloping everything inside. For a few moments, everything was white.

Octavia finally opened her eyes once the shaking of the room had stopped. Nothing seemed to have changed as she glanced through the room. "W-what was that? What did Discord do this time?" she said to herself as she shakily got to her hooves. 

She started stepping towards the window to try to get a better vision of the outside, but stopped when she came across two ponies separated from the crowd: Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis. They were locked in a tight embrace, tears running down both their cheeks and to Octavia's surprise, the grey that had plagued Fleur was gone. Her mane and tail now shone a pristine pink, the way they were before Discord arrived.

"Wait…" Octavia said out loud, her eyes widening. "If Fleur is back to normal, does that mean—"

"TAVIIIIIIIII!!"

She had only started to turn around when she was tackled to the floor. She rolled onto her back to find herself staring into Vinyl Scratch’s excited eyes. Vinyl’s mane was as vibrant as ever and she jumped up and down, her words blending together into a slurry that Octavia could barely make out.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" she fired off. "I'm so so so so sorry I was being such a jerk; I couldn't help it! In the back of my head I was all like 'stop being such a downer' but I couldn't actually do anything about it! But I'm back and I'm feeling great and everything is awesome again and please please please don't hate me for telling you to shut up or…" Vinyl finally trailed off, staring down at Octavia. She blushed, then carefully stepped off and helped her friend to her hooves. "Er, sorry about that. That was probably a bit awkward for you."

Octavia responded by reaching forward and wrapping Vinyl into a hug. "It's nice to have you back, Vinyl."

"Heh, thanks," Vinyl quietly replied. "It's good to be back."

They remained embraced until a loud noise came from the other side of the room. A Royal Guard had flung the door to the shelter open, standing breathlessly in the light. Once Octavia's eyes had readjusted, she gasped upon seeing what was outside the window: blue sky.

"Canterlot is back!" the guard yelled. "Everything is back to normal!" 

There was a loud commotion as ponies stampeded to the door and out into the open. As if a switch had been pulled somewhere, all of Canterlot had returned to the state it was before Discord had arrived, almost as if he had never been there in the first place. 

"Is it over?" Vinyl said. "Is it really over?"

"My subjects!"

The crowd of ponies looked up to see Princess Celestia herself flying overhead. She landed on a building in front of them, a professional smile on her face.

"My loyal subjects, the Elements of Harmony have prevailed. Discord has been defeated, and Equestria is once again safe!"

A massive cheer rose up from the crowd as Celestia took off again to continue spreading the word. Vinyl and Octavia hugged again as the crowd dispersed to celebrate Octavia glanced to the side to see Blueblood, who almost seemed to be holding back tears as he looked around at the returned city before he held his head high, surrounded by guards. 

"We gotta go celebrate!” Vinyl yelled, rushing off. Octavia quickly caught up with her, slowing Vinyl down. “Hey, lemme ask you something. What did Discord say to you? I sorta remember him grabbing you and rushing off. What was he talking about?"

Octavia laughed. "It doesn't matter. He said an awful lot of things, but they're the kind of things that one shouldn't take to heart. He was merely trying to cause trouble and I'm not about to pay him any mind. All that matters is that he's gone and Canterlot is back to normal."

"Yeah!"

As they returned to the apartment, the streets had filled with celebrating ponies. Vinyl rushed into the apartment to grab her shades while Octavia stood on the front porch, turning around and just admiring the scene. It was as if an impromptu parade had started, with ponies cheering, singing, some were even dancing out of pure joy. For a few moments, she was brought back to the week before, when she had sat on the hill at the edge of the park, just watching ponies enjoying life. It was a rare sight in Canterlot; one that amazed her even now.

“Tavi?”

Octavia jumped a bit and turned around to find Vinyl standing next to her, her shades now perched on her face. "Oh, you startled me," Octavia said, chuckling. "I was just admiring the scene."

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing, ain't it?" Vinyl replied, trotting down the steps. "Then again, everypony’s got reason to celebrate."

The two continued back through the streets of Canterlot, which were increasingly full of celebrating ponies, all happy that the city had been restored. Vinyl and Octavia didn't talk much, just looking around at the celebration.

"It really is amazing, Vinyl," Octavia mused as they turned the corner onto Sunflower Boulevard. "Although I suppose defeating a wrathful god really is cause for it all.”

"You suppose?" Vinyl replied with a laugh. "That was Discord! He ruled Equestria way in the past, and he almost did it again now! Of course ponies have a reason to celebrate, the Elements of Harmony came through and saved the day! They…"

Vinyl walked on, caught up in her monologue, not realizing that Octavia had stopped behind her. Octavia's gaze had frozen, staring at what was next to her. It was Graham's Toy Shop, as neat and tidy as it ever was, with Graham himself happily chatting with some fillies inside and handing out small pinwheels. That wasn't what caught Octavia's eye, however.

The wall was grey.

Octavia's hooves trembled as she stared at the wall. Her eyes kept scanning back and forth, as if hoping that suddenly her work would appear again, but the wall remained dull and lifeless.

"No… Wh-what happened…"

She took a few steps back, then glanced up at the nearest cross street before galloping through the crowd. She weaved in between celebrating ponies, her breath quickening as she she raced past street after street before coming upon Clopperstone Road. She turned the corner and immediately was met with the sight of Prince Blueblood, walking in her direction with a smile on his face.

"It's a great day, gentlecolts!" he yelled in victory to his guards. "Two birds with a single stone! Discord's defeat returned Canterlot not just to the way it was before, but the way it always should be! Why, I should go thank Discord for this, wherever he is!"

"But sir," one of the guards interjected, "what if she just comes back and—"

"Let's not talk about the future just yet, Ambrose," Blueblood said, waving his hoof. "What matters is that right now, I am back in control. Whatever Flanksy may do next, I'll be on top of it. Now then, let's go celebrate!"

Blueblood walked around Octavia and off into the distance as she stood on shaking hooves and looked down the street. It only took her a few seconds to spot Princess Celestia's statue in the distance; standing upright and noble, not a speck of green anywhere in sight.  Octavia's lip quivered as she tried to remain composed. She leaned against the wall, staring at where the statue stood.

"W-why would Discord… Why would he…" she muttered, before her eyes shot open and her breath momentarily disappeared from her throat. 

"The park!"

She turned around and raced through the crowd, towards the park. She felt as though she was being choked by an invisible force, her breaths labored and shallow. She dodged between celebrating ponies, finally making it to the gates of the park. 

"It has to be the same," she said to herself as she scaled the hill, her head looking down and eyes nearly shut. "Discord wouldn't have changed it back. It's fine, everything is fine."

She got to the top of the hill, her entire body quaking. Her breathing quickened again as she shut her eyes, quietly saying, "please…" under her breath. She got to the top of the hill and squeezed her eyes even tighter, almost afraid to open them. Taking one long breath, she forced her eyes open and looked up at the park. There were very few ponies actually in the park itself, most of them crowding the streets. The park was quiet, almost frozen in time amid the partying going on around it. But all that Octavia saw were the trees and the fountain.

Brown and grey. Colorless. As if nothing had ever happened to them. Everything was gone.

Octavia's legs finally gave out and she fell back into a sitting position, just staring straight ahead. As the sounds of celebration and the visions of the world blurred around her, she felt empty. She wanted to cry, but no tears came. She wanted to yell, but she had no voice. As she sat there, she could have sworn she heard the faint sound of laughter in the distance, and a single thought crossed her mind.

Nothing changes unless you make it change.

She finally stood up in an empty haze, almost stumbling down the hill and back into the crowd. As she turned the corner, a voice rang out.

"There you are, Tavi!" Vinyl Scratch pushed her way through the crowd up to her friend. "Got lost in the crowd, huh? Come on, let's go get some food!"

Octavia didn't break her stride, her head hanging as she walked straight by her friend.

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"What? Well we gotta do something! Look around you, Canterlot is back to normal!"

Vinyl smiled, waiting for a reply. Instead, Octavia glanced up for a split second before sighing and walking away, oblivious to the celebration around her.

"Yeah," she quietly muttered. "Normal…"


---------------



End of Chapter 10: Exit Through Chaos


Special Thanks: Razarl, Wardonne, Worstna, and The Propny Squad