//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3(What's In a Name, Really?) 
// Story: The Chaos Conundrum 
// by Chaos_Azeroth 
//------------------------------//

All of the ponies stared in shock. Suddenly Rainbow Dash began to laugh so hard she fell over.

'Wahahaha! We're supposed to be scared...of that?' Chaos looked up to see a blue pony who also had feathery wings, and a rainbow colored mane and tail rolling around laughing.

'What are you laughing at?' She glared at the blue pony. Then her expression softened. 'You guys...are afraid of me?'

'Well it doesn't right help when we hear our friend holler like that.' An orange pony with a hat, who had a blonde mane and tail. It was Applejack. Chaos turned, and looked at her. She began to tilt her head, obviously puzzled.

'What's goin on, sugarcube? Why are ya lookin at me like that?'

'Do you wear that hat because you have a horn and want to cover it up?' Applejack blinked.

'Uh, no sugarcube. I don't have a horn.'

'So you're like Pinkie Pie then? What was it? An earth something. She never finished. But obviously based on what she said, and earth something has no horn or wings. Why doesn't anyone have both?'

'An earth pony,' Twilight Sparkle said. 'And only the Princesses can have both.'

'Aww why?' Chaos practically whined, then her tone became serious. 'Want to bet? Anyway, I don't know any of your names.'

'I'm Twilight Sparkle.'

'I...I'm Fluttershy...'

'Applejack.'

'Rarity, darling. And I must say I absolutely adore your do. Absolutely fabulous.'

Rainbow Dash finally stopped laughing, and wiping her eyes said, 'Rainbow Dash, the best flyer in all of Equestria.'

A yawn came from Twilight Sparkle's back. 'And I'm Spike.' Twilight Sparkle was shocked to realize she hadn't known Spike had gotten on her back at all. He stretched and jumped off.

'So Twilight, this is Chaos? I think all that reading has scrambled your brain.'

'Look at her wings, Spike.'

'Holy moley!'

'What is up with my wings?!?'

'Take a look at the back of the statue, silly.' Pinkie Pie's chocolate rain had finally stopped for the time being, though the cloud was following over her head.

'Pinkie Pie, I told you! He's not my boyfriend. And I'm not a pervert!'

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. 'For his wings. Look at his wings!' Then she muttered.

'You're awful paranoid there. Gotta wonder...'

Chaos blushed. 'How am I supposed to know what she means? You act like I've been around soooo many ponies.' She walked around to the back of the statue, and gasped.

'That....that can't be. How?'

'I don't know who you are really,' a Twilight Sparkle said as Chaos walked back to the other ponies. 'You might be Chaos. It seems very likely. What connection to Discord to you have? That's even harder to say. Maybe you don't have much of one, or maybe you're just a part of him. There's no way to know yet.' She sighed.

'But for now, let's just tell you what happened....'
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The sun was almost set by the time they finished. They told her everything, even their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions about each part. That was why it had taken so long, in fact, to tell Chaos about Discord.

'So you see why we might be a little nervous?' Twilight Sparkle asked, and edge in her voice.

'Oh, darling, we aren't blaming you by the way,' Rarity said. 'We have no reason to believe you were there or anything. Still...' She paused thoughtfully.

'Still what?' Chaos asked.

'Still he did it for you,' a voice came out of nowhere. Chaos felt a strange chill, the realization she had felt it before. It was like the moon. Chaos turned to see a black pony with both wings and a horn. The pony's voice was somehow different than the other pony's voices.

'The moon...That means...'

'So you must be this Princess Luna they talked about.' Princess Luna ignored Chaos' comment and continued.

'You are chaos, he sought eternal chaos. However, the question remains. Did you ask him to do this?'

'I...I have no idea. I don't really remember anything from before...I don't even know how I got here.' Princess Luna walked close and gasped. There was a faint energy she hadn't noticed before, so faint it took her being near the pony to even feel it at all.

Elements of Harmony...backlash...

'We have just realized something new, something important to this. We are all responsible for her being here, in a way. Yes, Discord has his own part in this. But it was his being sealed away that brought this one here.'

'That can't be possible?' Twilight Sparkle asked, alarmed. 'Can it?'

'It doesn't matter,' Rainbow Dash cut in. 'The whole memory thing is so bogus! She's Chaos, right? Chaos. We're supposed to believe she doesn't remember anything before? Puh-lease.'

Chaos glared at Rainbow Dash. 'I remember darkness, and then seeing a silvery orb before I ended up here. That's it. Why do you....' Princess Luna interrupted.

'Listen to us very well. It is likely this is true. Imagine you were born before, lived before. You don't remember now because the shock of your birth. That every pony has lived before, and forgot. And her 'birth' was far more traumatic.'

'So were we? That seems pretty vague,' Twilight Sparkle said, slowly. 'I mean, you can't tell me you can't say what Rainbow Dash said doesn't make sense. I'd started wondering the same thing.'

'We cannot give you the answers to all you would want to know. But yes, you have lived before. Ask us no more about this, we aren't allowed to tell you. There are rules in place, and for reasons. And think on this, if you will indulge us. If she were any other pony, would you be acting like this?'

'But she's not any other pony, she's Chaos!' It came as a surprised outcry from the ponies.

Princess Luna shook her head sadly. Oh how they had feared her as well! She looked into Chaos' eyes. They were blue...wait. For just a second, Princess Luna swore the pony's eyes had flashed a vivid green. It didn't matter though, it didn't change what she was going to say.

'She is a pony. She has thoughts, feelings. She's up against something she doesn't understand. She is trying to learn about herself. She is lost, scared, and basically alone. Would you turn on her, would you turn her away? Have you learned so little about friendship? You, who gladly ended up accepting us, after what what had been proven we did? And the fear of us to begin with, it hurt us. How do you think she must feel. We do not know if she has done anything wrong. Why act as if you do?' Princess Luna hugged Chaos briefly, and continued.

'Come with us. We have much to discuss with you. Mayhaps we can help your dilemma as well.'