The city of Manehattan is not known for its subtle expressions of art. Nearly everywhere a pony looked, they could find musicians, painters, poets, and even the occasional sculptor taking their respective positions both on the streets, and inside the many clubs and galleries.
The nature of these cultural expressions is always the same. All of these examples are respectful to passers-by, not pressing their wares or talent upon anypony. It was an unspoken rule that to force the sights of ponies on your particular station was a crime unto itself.
It was the view of many that art was to be appreciated only by those who took an interest. Any who thought indifferently or sceptically about an art was free to pass on by. No words, no contact except for maybe a friendly smile. And certainly never any hard feelings.
In a lot of examples, religion is prominently present in forms of expression. Although free religion, (much like same-gender marriages) is frowned upon, Princess Celestia has made it very clear that her little ponies were free to stray from the path of praying to the diarchy. So long as they imposed no threat to the safety and stability of Equestria and the personal decisions of others.
Therefore, nopony who was taking residence in the Alicórnis Hotel and Lodge found it remotely unnerving to pass by room 14-C, or to engage in conversation with the pony who lived inside. Levii Nubis was not from around town, that much was easily apparent, courtesy of his intricately braided manestyle, and his unplaceable accent.
While most of the ponies inhabiting Manehattan were not afraid to strike up banter with others, Levii preferred to speak only when spoken to. This was not to say he was antisocial or distant, and when anypony decided to chat with the foreign pegasus, he could give even the most talkative nobles a run for their money with his vast comprehension and appreciation of art and individual expression.
Individual expression. It was Levii’s favorite explanation for his daily sessions in his room, door shut tightly, locks implemented to their full capability. It was his preferred inquiry killer for when the occasional pony saw fit to ask about his private escapades.
It wasn’t that Levii was afraid of being judged or hated, because it had been proven time and time again that a pony in such a culturally rich city as Manehattan would not be arbitrated by his faith, sexuality or democratic standing.
Still, Levii doubted that his neighbours would be thrilled at the true prospect of his religion. Very few ponies, even those as accepting as Equestrians would be comfortable living next door to somepony who practises the ways of one of Equestria’s greatest threats.
Discord.
***
A thousand thoughts race through Levii Nubis’ mind as he prays. Normally the abundance of feelings would ease the process of Verat Discordae, but the current track of his thoughts leads him into a state of confusion, which is not a mindset that is desired in reverence.
He takes a deep breath, eyes closed and attempts to avert his current train of thought. In his mind’s eye, he can see the shallow pewter basin of water sitting in front of him. He can see the vibrations felt through the floor transitioning into ripples across its surface. He can see the lazy drift of coloured sand tumble its way along the bottom in shifting, rolling patterns. He can see individual grains wandering haphazardly in all directions, all of different destinations, but of similar intentions.
Slowly, the fog of misunderstanding lifts, leaving Levii sitting stock-still, continuing to imagine the random movements of the red-hued sand in the basin, eyes shut relaxedly. Then, fanning out his feathers, all of the vibrations and noises caused by his neighbours cease, cut off by an unwavering wall of stifling air. The rippling water quietens, and the sand comes to an immediate halt, settling in a flat plane in the bowl.
Everything is motionless, as it must be by the second stage of Verat Discordae.
Tranquility.
Minutes pass, and not even a hair on Levii’s head stirs. He waits patiently for the opportune time. Then, one of his primaries flicks deliberately.
The almost indistinct motion sends a concentrated waft of air into the basin, creating waves on the ‘pond’ that race a path across its diameter. The gesture is quickly joined by others, as seemingly at random his feathers start to move imperceptibly.
Each twitch sends streaks of disturbance on top of the water, lines of air criss-crossing inherently. The force of the flicks become stronger, kicking up some of the sand at the bottom. At first, the grains fly about pell-mell as the feathers fling stroke after stroke of wind into the pond. The strokes get more coordinated, and the sand begins to gather in the center.
The grains swirl around in a funnel formation, the loose shape giving way to a sharp, uniform column of reds and browns.
Construction, the third stage.
Levii manages to hold a perfect, uniform column for about ten seconds, before individual grains start to fly away from the group. The lack of support from the missing grains causes mini avalanches in the surface of the funnel, loosened sand quickly being sucked into the roiling water surrounding the shape with increasing speed.
Destruction
Stage five always follows in swift succession to four. The once uniform column of sand is now collapsed, spread unevenly throughout the churning water, dissolving into a semi-transparent cloud of burgundy.
Chaos.
But to call Chaos the fifth stage may be contrived. Chaos is both the beginning, and the end of all Order. In a circle of power, Order is the more prominent, revered as the right way. The best way. While ever-present Chaos is thought of as evil and disruptive. In a circle of power, Chaos is neither insult. Chaos is the other end of the scale, the counterweight to Order. And while both forces constantly attempt to destroy the other, simply stated, you cannot have one without the other.
Order cannot be perceived without Chaos. Chaos cannot be assumed without Order. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. The blacker the shadow, the more vibrant the light. When one empire rises, another one is already in the process of tearing it down. And soon the victor itself will be torn down. And so on.
Levii folds his wings against his back, and suddenly, the sounds and movements of the hotel are back once more. He opens his eyes at last, and peers into the stilling basin. Rogue grains drift along the motionless plateau, looping randomly, just like at the start of his meditation. Representative of Chaos. The stray grains sink to the bottom and rest one by one on the flat of sand. Representative of Order. But as soon as one grain settles, another rises up to take its place.
The forces of structure battle a perpetual war against each other, both trying to stamp out their opposite.
Exhaling slowly, Levii gets to his hooves smoothly. He picks up the basin and sets it on the coffee table, out of danger of being stepped on. Then, he canters over to the front door, and unlatches the locks before stepping into the bathroom to take a shower. Manipulating the wind in such a way as he just did requires a lot of energy, and the pegasus is soaked in sweat.
Standing under the stream of hot water seems to bring back his previous thoughts that were banished by the meditation. A frown finds its way across Levii’s muzzle, as he recalls the events of the past couple days.
Discord messed up. Levii had felt the balance of the hypothetical scales tilting weeks before the demigod had shown up. The sand had reacted differently, the phases of Destruction and Chaos lasting longer than Tranquility and Construction, where before, the time allotted to each step was immaculately timed and balanced so that the chaotic time matched the ordered time.
Discord had been gathering strength and was fully intending to tip the scales for Chaos. But the nature of his embodied element had betrayed him. When he emerged, and the Elements of Harmony worn by Twilight Sparkle and her friends tried to stop him, he twisted Chaos to his advantage, using it as a tool to divide the Bearers. As a result, the enchanted jewelry had corrected him. Harshly.
By trying to bring about the permanent downfall of Order, he had inadvertently invoked the wrath of the Elements. The Elements themselves had done their duty to protect Equestria by bringing balance once again to the scales. They trapped Discord’s soul in stone, and succeeded in trapping the fluid entity of Chaos accidentally as well.
But because of the need for equality with Order, Chaos had escaped its stone prison in the only way possible. It cut all ties to the draconequus, using Discord’s fractured soul as a catalyst. As Chaos escaped, it used the latent energy from Discord to jump to a different host while it recovered. As a result, Discord’s soul faded.
Stepping out of the shower, Levii dries himself off and walks to the living room, still occupied in his thoughts. A couple of days ago, after it had first happened, Levii had been frantic as to what it could mean to his religion, his way of life.
But as it turned out, Chaos had solved that for him.
Levii stood over the basin, gazing down at the tedious battle raging in the water. Suddenly, he let all of the strength flood out of his body and into his mind, collapsing onto the couch while still facing the basin. Over the course of fifteen minutes, the haphazard grains of sand that represented Chaos all sank to the bed of silt beneath them.
Order crushed all visible signs of Chaos in the basin. The sand lay completely motionless, a flat, expressionless expanse of reddish plane. Waiting a little longer, Levii concentrated, and gave the ‘guest’ in his soul a little push.
In the very center of the vacant underwater beach, a single grain of sand rose. At first, it just rose straight up, but when it got half-way to the top of the water, it drifted, buffeted by the will of Chaos. As it wafted over other grains, they too floated upwards, setting out in random paths through the basin.
Soon the basin was filled with the partly opaque mass of sand flying around in the water, gathered in uneven clouds. Contrary to before, there was now no sign of Order in the basin, which was now a roiling mist of maroon. Even when Levii cut off his newfound influence on the basin, the Chaos continued to ensue. In the basin, Order was obliterated. Nothing was left in the bowl to counteract the Chaos.
Levii proudly regarded the basin for a minute. When he smiled, Chaos smiled with him. He placed his right front hoof expectantly over the basin, upturned.
Chocolate milk rained into it, and Levii laughed.