//------------------------------// // Last Group: Setting Out // Story: A Touch of Chaos // by Written Out //------------------------------// Twilight let out a slight groan as she reached under her belly, using her teeth to pull tight the saddle strap wrapped around her. The others were making their own preparations to leave Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was getting the weather team to lash down her cloud house. Fluttershy was setting things up with the Mayor so somepony would keep an eye on her animals. Applejack was telling her family what had happened to Apple Bloom. Rarity was closing down her shop. Pinkie was saying goodbye to the Cakes – she had needed to be persuaded that throwing a Leaving Ponyville party would take too long. And Zecora was… well, Zecora was waiting for Twilight downstairs. As Twilight gave her body a shake to make sure the saddlebags weren’t going to slide around her barrel, her thoughts began to drift. When did everything get so out of control? How could she have stopped this sad chain of events? She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow to blame for everything that had happened. She knew her friends would probably tell her she was overthinking things, that there was nothing she could have done. But… But even still, the thoughts remained. Digging through her drawers for anything she might have forgotten, she threw everything she didn’t need haphazardly onto the floor. She picked up her closet up with her magic, upending it and giving it a few shakes. Clothes and apparels fell onto the floor in a messy pile, but nothing of importance stood out. Sighing, she picked up the clothing in her magic and was about to put it back in its original position when a lone piece of paper fell out of the cupboard before fluttering to a stop in front of Twilight’s hooves. A small sad smile spread on Twilight’s face as she picked up the paper, the cupboard and clothing forgotten. “I had forgotten about you,” she muttered quietly. The piece of paper was a photograph, one taken shortly after Twilight had been accepted as Princess Celestia’s student. In the very center sat Twilight herself, a huge smile splitting the little filly’s face in two. She held a little baby Spike in her lap, but the baby dragon seemed more interested in Twilight’s tail than he was in the camera. Twilight’s parents flanked her, their happy expressions only slightly tainted by the awe they felt for Princess Celestia. The Princess herself stood over the entire group, a warm, motherly smile on her face as she smiled at the camera. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance stood slightly off to the side together, almost but not quite touching each other. The photograph had caught them in the middle of a conversation, and Twilight had to laugh at the silly expression on her big brother’s face. Those had been some of the happiest days of her life, but they didn’t even come close to the everyday happiness she had felt since moving to Ponyville. A droplet of water appeared on the photograph. Twilight blinked in surprise, unintentionally showering the picture with more drops. I shouldn’t be crying, she thought, wiping the tears off the photo. There’s too much to do for tears. With a wave of her horn, Twilight carelessly made to tuck the photo into her saddlebags. As the flowing magic field brushed against the fabric, a sharp pain stabbed through her horn and her magical field winked out. A gasp of pain escaped Twilight’s lips before she could stop it, her hoof shooting up to feel her cracked horn. What was that? she thought, hurriedly but cautiously stroking her horn to feel for any extra damage. I thought the injury had no effect on my spellwork! Was I wrong? Am I going to lose my magic after all!? No no no no nonononono, this is terrible! She frantically rubbed at her horn with both hooves, completely oblivious to the fact that she was lying on the floor. As her hoof touched the tip of her horn, a few sputtering sparks escaped her horn. Before she could so much as breathe a sigh of relief the room was filled with a purple flash and everything went white. Hmmhmmhmmhmmhmm… I’ve been looking forward to this… Things aren’t going quite as I had hoped, but a little improvisation now and then is always good… And it looks like things are about to get even more fun soon… Luna’s pieces are almost in position, Chrysalis’ abandoned piece is on the move, Nightmare Moon’s has turned against her, and Celestia’s are about to set out… Things are moving along nicely… They’re getting impatient, you know… You’re running out of time… Poor, poor, little Twilight. So lost and alone. You say you want to stop me, but you don’t even know what I’m planning… You don’t even realize how much I need you… … … … Hello…? Helloooooooooooo…? Can you hear me…? Anypony home…? … … … Well, shoot… “Now, I really don’t think we should try moving her, AJ. We might just hurt her more.” “She ain’t hurt, she’s just unconscious. She’ll feel better if we toss her in bed.” “Really. We have no idea why she passed out. She might be injured and moving her would just make things worse.” “Quiet down, cease your bickering. Twilight is rousing, her eyes are flickering.” The tiniest of groans escaped Twilight’s throat as she rejoined the land of the conscious. What happened? she thought woozily. A slight throbbing at the back of her eyeballs was the telltale sign of a growing headache and she was already starting to regret waking up. Her eyelids flickered several times before slowly crawling open, letting her see what was right in front of her. At first she thought there was something wrong with her eyes, because all she was able to see was blue. An unbroken expanse of blue covered her entire field of vision. Before Twilight could wonder what she was seeing, a wall of pink quickly dropped over the deep blue before rising again. Twilight sighed, having figured out that little mystery, and her hoof rose between her and the blue expanse, gently pushing it away. “Pinkie, what have I said about personal space?” The blue-eyed mare smiled happily, unconcerned about the hoof on her snout. “Good news,” she proclaimed to the room at large. “She’s okay!” “Uh, yeah, I can see that, thanks.” Rainbow Dash nudged Pinkie out of the way, looking down at Twilight in concern. “Hey, you are okay, right?” Twilight groaned as she rubbed her forehead, careful not to bump her horn. “Yeah, I’m alright. How long was I out… for… What the-?” “Little less than an hour,” Dash said with a shrug before noticing Twilight’s expression. A mischievous grin appeared on Dash’s face. “Oh, this?” she shrugged her shoulders a little harder, jostling the cargo lying on her back. “Everypony decided that since I’m the strongest, I get to carry the heavy stuff. Hey!” “Ah ain’t ‘stuff’,” Applejack said with some annoyance as Dash rubbed the back of her head where the farmpony had smacked her. The pegasus grinned unrepentantly and Applejack let out an irritated huff. “And what’s this nonsense about you being the strongest? Ah can hoofwrestle you into the ground any day of the week.” “I’m sorry, who won the Iron Pony competition?” Dash asked playfully. Her grin only widened as Applejack sputtered. “That’s what I thought.” Twilight gave the pair a deadpan stare before shifting it to the others. “Alright, is anypony going to explain to me why Applejack is riding on Rainbow Dash’s back?” `Pinkie excitedly bounced in front of Twilight. “Me! Me! I know! I know! See, AJ walked out to Sweet Apple Acres, but she took so looong and she moves so slooooow that we thought’d just be faster to let Dashie carry her. AJ protested at first, but she gave in at the end.” “I see…” Twilight said slowly before turning her head back to Applejack. “AJ, are you sure you don’t want to stay behind?” Sympathy filled her voice as she stared at in her friend in concern. “I know Apple Bloom…” Applejack pressed a hoof against Twilight’s mouth. “Ah’m gonna cut you off right there, Twi. My sister’s in danger, and that’s all the reason I need. Don’t even bother tryin’ to stop me.” The side of her mouth quirked upwards, easing the harshness of her words. “Besides, you said Princess Celestia asked us to get the Elements out of Canterlot. They ain’t gonna be no use at all if we’re not all together.” Twilight slowly closed her mouth, wanting to protest Applejack coming along, but unable to deny her point. “Alright,” Twilight said with a sigh. Her gaze transferred to Rainbow Dash instead. “How about you, Dash? You’re not pushing yourself, right?” Dash rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the unicorn’s over-protectiveness. “I’m fine, mom.” Turning her body, she exposed her side to Twilight’s view. “See? AJ’s not even touching my wing.” “Yeah, okay, sorry.” Twilight rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I’m just worried. I can’t help feeling like something really bad is about to happen.” She shivered as a gentle touch brushed along her side. “It’s okay,” Fluttershy said, running her hoof across Twilight’s shoulders. Her voice was firm, lacking the meekness it usually held. “We’ll get them back.” Twilight gave Fluttershy a grateful smile. “Thanks.” Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Twilight straightened out her back and held her head high. “Alright girls, Princess Celestia has entrusted us with a dangerous mission. I don’t think I exaggerate when I say the safety of Equestria is at stake. Our first goal is to ensure the safety of Spike, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. After that, we’re going to break into Canterlot Castle and retrieve the Elements of Harmony. Fortunately,” craning her neck around, she stuck her nose into her saddlebags. After a moment of rummaging around, she found what she was looking for and emerged with a pure white feather held between her teeth. “Fortunately, Princess Celestia had the foresight to lock away the Elements so they couldn’t be accessed without her magical signature. That means this feather is our key.” Tucking the feather back into her saddlebag –using her mouth, not her magic – she turned to look at the other unicorn in the room. “Rarity, you’re certain that Spike and the fillies are in Canterlot?” “Positive,” Rarity replied without a hint of hesitation. “I cast the locator spell again a few minutes ago. I’m sure that, at the very least, Apple Bloom’s clasp is still in Canterlot.” Twilight grunted in acknowledgement, the gears in her mind whirring as fast as they could. “Alright. Walking there’ll take us a little over a day, so there’s a good chance that they’ll be discovered and captured before we get there.” Before the others could do more then let out gasps of horror, Twilight raised her hoof to cut them off. “That said, I don’t think we need to be too worried. They’ve got the entire city to hide in.” “Well, what’re we waiting for?” Applejack said, grabbing Rainbow Dash’s ears. “Hi-Yo pony! Away!” “OW! Watch it!” Dash complained, flicking her ears out of AJ’s grip. “Those things are sensitive.” Despite her complaints, she was the first one out the door, followed by Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, leaving Twilight and Zecora alone in the room. “So… uh…” Twilight said, awkwardly scratching at her elbow. She stared at the floor, not willing to meet Zecora’s stare. “I…” “You aren’t going to tell them?” Zecora asked, interrupting Twilight’s fumbled explanation. “They are your friends, they will not condemn.” “Tell them?” Twilight asked, looking at Zecora in disbelief. “Oh, yeah, that’ll go over wonderfully." She crossed her eyes and slightly stuck out her tongue while her voice deepened to a mocking parody of her own voice. "‘Hey guys, you know that creature that was so hard for us to capture? The one that injured nearly all of us and foalnapped Apple Bloom? Well, I let him go. Sorry’ Argh!” She slammed a hoof against the ground, her voice returning to normal. “What was I thinking?” “You were thinking how to end all of this,” Zecora replied, unphased by Twilight’s sarcasm. “And I still think your assumptions were not amiss.” “Yeah, that does me a world of good,” Twilight grumbled under her breath, kicking at the floor. “I’m still the one that has to-” “I am coming with you,” Zecora interrupted, cutting Twilight off. Her expression unchanging, she lifted a hoof to silence Twilight’s protests. “Do not try to deter me, I have thought this through.” “I… What?” Twilight needed a moment for her brain to start up again, her train of thought thoroughly derailed by Zecora’s out-of-nowhere proclamation. “But-Why?” “Many reasons, as myriad as the seasons,” Zecora replied simply. “First, and worst, I cannot return to my home.” She shook her head, her mohawk bobbing back and forth. “Not when out there Nightmare Moon does roam. Reason the second is that I am beckoned.” Seeing Twilight’s confused expression, Zecora stopped to explain. “It has to do with the changelings. I am connected to them by fate’s strings.” “Fate’s… strings?” Twilight repeated blankly, tilting her head in confusion. “What do you mean?” Zecora hesitated, and an uncomfortable expression appeared on her face. “I’ll explain it later, when the need is greater,” she said eventually, waving away Twilight’s questions.“ Reason three and four…” She jabbed a hoof in Twilight’s direction. “Are connected to you, and is something I cannot ignore.” “Me?” Twilight squeaked in surprise, jumping back from Zecora’s outstretched hoof. “What do you mean?” Zecora stared deep into Twilight’s eyes. The force of the wise zebra’s look bored into Twilight’s core, but the unicorn was completely unable to tear her gaze away. After a few uncomfortable seconds passed, Zecora broke the silence. “I wish to prevent the occurrence of something tragic.” There was a heaviness to her words, and Twilight felt like she was hearing her own death sentence. “You probably haven’t even realized the change in your magic.” “What?” Twilight squeaked again, unable to stop herself. I sure am asking a lot of questions today, a cynical part of her mind thought. “What-“ She stopped herself, trying to get her thoughts back on track. “What do you mean my magic’s changed? Magic doesn’t just change!” Zecora nodded “Indeed, we go into lands uncharted. Fortunately, it appears the change has just started.”  Digging into her own bulging saddlebags, the zebra pulled out a large book with a hard red cover. Leafing through it, she glanced up at Twilight. “Now, I just need to make sure you are aware; What are the three types of magic and how do they compare?” Twilight blinked, confused by the apparent shift in topic. I’m not going to just dumbly ask her a question this time, the tiny voice in her head said. “That’s easy!” she proclaimed. “The three types of magic are earth pony, pegasus and unicorn! Earth pony magic enhances their strength and helps them create things, pegasi use their magic to fly and control the weather, and unicorns are fully able to exert their will on the world around them.” I’m prepared for this, she thought somewhat smugly. “Wrong,” Zecora said bluntly, completely deflating Twilight’s confident mood. “Only to ponies does that branch belong. But the magic of ponies is only one section, you need to look at it with a different inflection.” Finding the page she was looking for, she slipped a bookmark into it and passed it to Twilight. “Read this as soon as you can. It may give you insight into your enemy’s master plan.” Twilight almost dropped the book in surprise. “You think this help me figure out what Discord’s-“ Rainbow Dash stuck her head into the library, an annoyed look on her face. “HEY SLOWPOKES! KEEP IT MOVING!!” Twilight offered Zecora a sheepish grin. “Guess we’ve taken too long. We’ll finish this later.” An Excerpt from “The Magic of Magic.” -Translated by Twilight Sparkle with assistance from Zecora, with notes and foreword by Twilight Sparkle. Magic is something we see every day, but so rarely do we stop and think about its underlying mechanics. How does magic work? What is it? Why are we able to use it? When did we start using it? Who first discovered it? Through my years of study, I’ve come across many possible theories and explanations for these and other questions. But every book I’ve ever read on the topic has always had one thing in common: It was written from a pony’s perspective. To ponies, magic is a powerful force we are able to innately access. All ponies are able to access it, so we never think about it beyond that. Even in my most informative – what my assistant calls extreme – tests have never really delved deeply in what makes magic. But what about species that aren’t able to innately access magic? How do they view it? Magic is a mighty force that fills the world around us. From previous chapters, you already know that it cannot be destroyed or created, only directed. The act of spellcasting channels magical forces to do our bidding, and to force our will on the world around us. Even when using magic to create magical artifacts, magic is drawn from the surrounding environment and carefully controlled by the caster. If an artifact is strong enough, the magical signature of the caster will be imprinted on the artifact. This is why magical artifacts of great strength can only be destroyed by the ones who created them. Magic is defined, therefore, by where it is drawn from. This affects the magic’s “strength”, its “force”, and its “capabilities”. There are three main classifications of magic. These are the magic of the “self”, the magic of “others”, and the magic of the “world.” The first, and most common type of magic, is the magic of the “self”. This is innate magic, and draws strength from the user. The ponies of Equestria use this type of magic, be they unicorn, pegasi, or earth pony. As far as strength, it is possible the weakest of the magics, as it the user can usually only put in as much power as they themselves possess. However, “self” magic is also the easiest to control. Since it is innate, it cannot be taught if the user lacks the required magic of their own. Its capabilities are also the widest, and vary from user to user. In ponies, the brand of magic that the user is best at will appear on their flank, in what they call a “cutie mark”. Zebras who travel to Equestria or often deal with ponies with occasionally tattoo similar markings to cutie marks on their flanks, so as to make the locals more comfortable. One noteworthy comment about “self” magic is how it overlaps with “other” magic. As established, there is only a limited amount of magic in the world, which must always be used. This means that when the magic is not in use, it will try to be used. As a practical example, it is theorized that this is the reason for the immortality of Princess Celestia and the Banished Princess Luna, otherwise known as Nightmare Moon. Many thousands of years ago, there were a great number of alicorns all over the land. They were widespread, and ruled the entire world with care and love. But, for reasons unknown, all but two of them vanished. Celestia and Luna were the only alicorns left in the world, and all the magic that had been used by the alicorns of the past was forced into their bodies. This explains their great power, immortality, and why any alicorns born since then have always been mortal and lacked the strength of the Princesses. (Twilight’s notes: I have never heard this theory before, but it does make sense. I do wonder how the author knew about all this, however. Even in the great libraries of Canterlot, there is almost nothing recorded about the time of the alicorns. It is interesting to note that the author refers to Princess Luna as both Luna and Nightmare Moon. This book was likely written before Princess Luna returned from the moon. Again, even the great libraries of Canterlot said almost nothing about the connection between Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia. I suppose Princess Celestia didn’t want to see anything that reminded her of her missing family and had all books that mentioned the topic removed.) The second type of magic is the magic of “others”. Little is known about this type of magic, and it is mostly theoretical in nature. It works by drawing magic from the living organisms surrounding the caster, and is then channeled according to the user’s wishes. The magical energy can either be used right away or stored within the body of the caster. No confirmed users of this type of magic have ever been witnessed, but some assumptions can be made. First, the magic drawn out can either be taken by force or given freely. Second, once the magic is drawn out, it takes the form of the caster’s magical signature rather than the signature of the one drained. And third, the strength of the caster is dependent on the amount of strength drawn from others. This means this type of magic has no practical upper limits. (Twilight’s notes: I believe this type of magic is what the changelings use. Zecora agrees.) The third and most powerful brand of magic is what we zebras use, “world” magic. “World” magic does exactly what it sounds like, drawing magic from the world around us. We pull out the strength of the earth, the force of the river, the power of the fire, and the might of the wind. World magic is the mightiest form of magic, and the strongest users are able to reshape the world itself. (Twilight’s notes: Wow, whoever wrote this certainly had a swelled opinion of themselves. Zecora’s reading over my shoulder and she just told me to stay impartial. Sorry.) But for all its benefits, world magic also has several severe limitations. It is not an innate magic, and needs to be learned. In order for a creature to use world magic, they must first drink the Great Spirit’s potion. Zebra Shamans are the only ones allowed to drink this potion. (Twilight’s notes: I guess this Great Spirit was the first zebra to discover this type of magic. Whoever it was must have somehow discovered a mix of fauna that allowed them to channel this magic. Spirits are not scientifically possible, after all. Zecora says it’s not an exact translation, but its close enough.) (Twilight’s notes cont.: I just asked Zecora, and she says she doesn’t know how it’s made. She was trained as a shaman, and did drink the potion, but her teacher died before he could finish her training. Now she’s gone all quiet.) World magic is also the hardest magic to control. Only ones who have already proven great self-control are given the opportunity to learn this magic, as it is very easy to unintentionally hurt others with it. However, like the magic of “others”, world magic is drawn from outside the user. In particular, it is drawn from the strength of movement and change. An unscrupulous individual would be capable of throwing the world around them into continuous motion, and then use that motion to fuel their own power. Similar to the magic of “others”, this gives the wielder of this magic no guaranteed upper limits. Twilight blinked, rereading what she had just written. The paper and book bobbed in front of her as she walked on the dirt path out of Ponyville. Her friends walked in front of her; occasionally looking back to make sure she was still following them. Zecora walked at her side, helping her with the translation. Her mouth worked as she carefully re-read that last paragraph, wanting to confirm what had caught her attention. “…continuous motion,” she whispered quietly. Something about that phrase stood out to her, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. “Continuous motion, continuous motion…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, trying to think why that phrase stood out so motion to her. “Continuous motion, continuous motion… Constantly in motion.” “That sounds like fun!” Pinkie piped up from up front, poking her head over the top of Twilight’s parchment. “Could you imagine if everything was moving all the time? It’d be like a party that never stops.” Twilight chuckled, shaking Pinkie off the floating parchment. “Actually, that just sounds pretty chaotic to me.” Her hoof froze, suspended in mid-air as the connection clicked together. Chaos was exactly what Discord was after. And so far, he was certainly getting it. “Oh, that’s not good.”