An Investigation Into Chaos

by Forgoten Null

Chapter Three: Outside Influence

Creation is a type of magic just like any other.

There are those among us who would call me a god for what I can do with just a snap of my talons. It might be true that I can bend and mold reality in ways that can boggle the mind and yes it might be true that I can birth new matter into the world on a whim.

And I certainly won’t deny the fact that I exist as a living embodiment of chaos and as such I am intangible and ethereal by nature, not to mention immortal.

However, I am no god.

I may even be Chaos personified, but I hold absolutely no control over the same as it doesn’t’ hold any real control over me.

That is to say our relationship is less contractual and more symbiotic, I scratch its back and it scratches mine.

Chaos may be my own element and I may have more control over it than anyone else can ever hope to match but my connection to isn’t really any different than an Earth Pony’s to the earth beneath their hooves, the wind under a Pegaisai’s wings, or even a Unicorn’s unspoken bond to the real of arcana. Chaos is like a river that flows through me, if I were to attempt to hold it against its will it would tear me asunder, I can only give it purpose and direction.

More or less I provide it with the path of least resistance, though that isn’t to say that I can’t change that path with just a little magic of my own.

When I was young there were times where I attempted to control my Chaos, to make it do my will and my will alone, I think it goes without saying that it always ended badly. Now I have come to accept the fact that I cannot own the magic that carves its way through this world, all I can really hope to do is find my place among its currents.

I tried to keep all of this in mind when I entered the forest Luna had graciously presented to me. As I wandered through the verdant edges of the vale I saw the forests desire to expand and to flourish, in my mind’s eye I saw the will of the forest to extend its leafy branches and earthen roots beyond the horizon. When I passed through the unkempt undergrowth of the forest proper I felt within me the need to grow and to secure the land that I was now mingling my very essence with. Finally, as I walked among the most ancient part of the forest my limbs seemed to grow heavy and my ever present urge to sleep increased tenfold, I had to make a conscious effort not to collapse on the spot.

In time I managed to wander into a clearing of barren earth full of freshly grown grasses. I grinned and accepted the contract that the forest had presented to me. I channeled and shaped the energy of the Chaos that flowed through me and directed it into the forest that would serve as my new home. With my newfound connection to the land around me I began carefully weaving the magic of the forest and my own Chaos together into new shapes and forms that would serve our joint interests.

I enchanted wards that would turn away those who would seek to harm us. I built lattices that would allow the forest to grow and adapt itself as it pleased. Boons were bestowed upon the land that would provide plenty to all its inhabitants.

The forest reveled in its newfound power, wholly accepting me as its new caretaker.

When all was said and done I was tempted to slip out of my mortal coil and once again descend into blissful unconsciousness. The weight of this world pressed itself down upon my shoulders as it sought to force me to sleep.

It would have been so easy to just give into the urge and rest for a while.

Perhaps a long while.

But of course I didn’t give in. I perished the through and stood tall against the temptation, I had things that needed be done and I couldn’t allow myself to rest so soon.

I thought carefully on what I had already accomplished and what I would needed to be done going forward. I decided that I might need more than a simple clearing in the forest to facilitate my search. I pushed the edges of the clearing out gently and the trees shifted away silently to accommodate my wishes. With a thought I began pulling the materials I needed from the Chaos of the ether and the foundation of my estate began to take shape in front of me. With a blueprint in my mind it only took a few minutes to finish.

I never really needed much for myself, still it would serve me well as a place to store my worldly goods and a place where I could entertain visitors should the need arise.

Once that was finished, decorum and all, I casually walked inside and exerted my will once again; this time it going for something a bit more involved. I slowly extended my mind’s eye far past my little forest glen and away in all directions, as my perception passed by different areas of interest I held them close in my mind. Once I could picture everywhere I might want to go I slowly brought the places together to an infinitely small point of space in front of me. When I was done I opened my eyes and I saw that the air before me shimmered like liquid glass, I exerted just a bit more power to conceal the rift.

I took the time to place just one final ward on the nexus and I stepped forward into the breach.

I silently emerged in a secluded, as well as restricted, section of The Archive; I said to nobody in particular, “Yes, I do believe that this will do nicely.”

---

Finding any new leads for my little “Investigation” was becoming troublesome, the reports on my activities ceased as soon as Celestia signed off on my “Orders.” It seemed that the case was well and truly closed.

Perhaps I should have ended my search there, “let bygones be bygones” as they say. However, by this point I felt compelled to continue, I needed to find out what was really going on and to uncover the truth.

I decided to look back at the report that started it all.

Once more I carefully read through it, by that point I was absolutely positive that it was intentionally falsified. There were incidents cited that didn’t exist, lists of payments to accounts that were never even registered, not to mention all the other contradictions and impossibilities. I sneered at the absolute mockery of officiality that lay before me. Somepony obviously wanted the real reason for my re-emergence hidden, at this point I took it as a personal insult, the fact that they were so heavy handed with the fabrication while simultaneously leaving no trace of the act itself was like a slap to the face.

It was taunting me.

They even managed to get this piece of garbage emblazoned with Celestia’s royal seal of approval, or at least a perfect copy of it, if they could do that much they could at least put a bit of effort into the document itself.

As I coasted from dead end to dead end I grew more and more frustrated, the futility of looking over my report was becoming more and more apparent by the minute. Eventually I closed the file and slapped it down on the table, not wanting to look at it for another minute, despite my distaste I sat back and just grimaced at the cover page.

The Official Investigation Of:
The Release And Re-Incarceration Of
Discord: Spirit Of Disharmony

Approved By The Crown: Princess Celestia

Officiated By:
Dual Vision

As I glared at the cover something that I had yet to look into caught my eye.

“Dual Vision, that’s a peculiar name.” I said aloud to myself. I unfolded my arms and picked up the report taking a long look at the name in question before I went off to find some reference material.

To my surprise this Dual Vision was one of the few Ponies listed in the report that had the pleasure of actually existing. I looked into the mysterious Pony’s records and found out that he was a “legal expert” from Ponyville. I decided on the spot that another inquisition was in order. It had been a while since I had talked to Fluttershy in person and Ponyville was lovely that time of year.

---

I left Fluttershy’s cottage around noon, armed with knowledge in my mind and a smile on my face. Now that I knew where my quarry hid it was about time that I began my hunt.

It took me about a half hour to find the residence in question. It was a modest home nestled deep in Whitetail Wood, in all honesty I almost didn’t find it. I thought it was somewhat strange that a legal consultant would want to live and work in such seclusion, but in that regard who was I to judge?

When I opened the door a bell chimed lightly above me and a voice rang out from another room “I’ll be with you in just a moment,” after a moment he added, “make yourself at home!”

I looked around the room and noticed a large bookshelf on the far wall. I waltzed over to it and some interesting titles caught my eye, scattered among the hum-drum legal texts. I read one title aloud to myself.

“Coup De Gra: The Rise of the Ethereal Sisters and the Fall of-”

“Lord Discord!” A voice stuttered out from behind me, I turned and noticed a very surprised looking Earth Pony having a mild panic attack. I didn't wait for him to finish.

“Has word of my new title spread so quickly?” I asked dryly. I thought to myself for the first time how much of an annoyance this could become. He ceased his pacing and looked at me, only slightly more confused.

“As far as I was aware Princess Luna awarded you the title more a month and a half ago,” he said, obviously not noticing the surprise on my face, “anypony who pays attention to the nobility would know about it by now.” I relaxed a bit and replied.

“Forgive me, time passes me by sometimes.” I said mechanically and continued. “Regardless, would you happen to be the one they call Dual Vision?”

“Yes, my Lord,” he confirmed as I rolled my eyes at the formality it all as he continued on bended knee, “but please, my friends call me Dual.” Deciding I didn't have time for this I used just a smidgen of my magic to lift him back onto his hooves.

“In that case please call me Discord. I find that titles are just a hindrance to proper conversation.” To this he replied.

“Of course, my Lo...” He caught himself before he continued. “I mean, of course, Discord.” At this he grinned up at me and continued. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to my humble home?” I replied to him stone-faced.

“I am here to discuss an investigative report you oversaw,” I noticed his features return to those of confusion and decided to elaborate, “the one about my escape and subsequent ‘rampage’ several years ago.” At this he somehow seemed to become even more lost, however he quickly regained his composure as he switched into what I assumed was his ‘business mode.’

“Of course,” he said then subsequently paused in concentration before he said, “if you would kindly follow me, Discord; I prefer to discuss matters of business in my office.” He turned and began walking down the adjoining hallway and I quietly followed.

---

The office at the end of the hallway was small and sparsely furnished, there were no distracting knickknacks and the curtains on the window were tightly drawn. The whole place had an air of officiality. I found myself sitting across from Dual, who himself was sitting behind a desk while wearing a stern look on his face. He politely waited for me to get settled in and began.

“So, Discord, what exactly is it you want to discuss about my report?” He spoke with all of the experience and confidence of a legal professional, it was almost as if someone had flipped a switch and I was talking to an entirely different pony then the nervous fool I had just met in the other room. “Of course due to its subject matter I can understand your interest in its contents; however, I just want to make sure you and I are on the same page.” I nodded and replied.

“Of course, to be blunt your report is full of inconsistencies and contradictions that are totally inexplicable,” I said with pure certainty, “in fact my own research suggests that the majority of the report was intentionally falsified.” I smiled grimly at him; his face contorted with confusion and for a time he simply sat thinking over his next words carefully.

“That is a very serious accusation,” I nodded again and he continued, “are you absolutely positive you’re not mistaken?”

I replied without skipping a beat, “I am one hundred percent positive.” He brought a hoof up to his chin and scratched it plaintively.

“You said that you have your own research against my report?” I nodded. “Could you show me a copy of the report in question?” I nodded again and stretched my will to a particular portion of The Archive, with a small flash the report materialized itself in my waiting claw. I presented it to him without question; he grabbed it up in his hooves and began reading through it carefully.

After about fifteen minutes of him flipping through it he placed it back on the desk and spoke up.

“I’ve seen enough, and this is obviously the official report. This is straight from The Royal Archives, correct?” I nodded and was about to begin my inquisition when, to my surprise, he cut me off. “However,” he waved the report in in front of me with a hoof, “I didn’t write this report.”

My brows arched skyward in surprise, he quietly got up and trotted over to a filing cabinet tucked in the corner of the room. He withdrew a thick packet of paper and returned to his chair saying, “This is my report.”

He placed the packet on the table and slid it in my direction. After a moment of trepidation I eagerly snatched the report from the table and began tearing through it word by word. My eyes were greeted by dozens upon dozens of pages of carefully thought out analysis and contextually supported arguments with expert testimony; this was the report that I needed to see, it had everything I was looking for. I painstakingly poured over every word until I reached the last minutes of the report; I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

It explained everything perfectly.

...While the ultimate cause of Discords release may well be the dissidence produced by the argument at 12:13, due to the history surrounding prison itself it can be safely assumed that this alone would not be enough to free Discord from his containment. The only significant event that could lead to his release would be the release and subsequent reformation of Nightmare Moon (A.K.A. Princess Luna) and the effects said event might have had on Princess Celestia.

When Princess Celestia imprisoned Nightmare Moon in The Moon over a millennia ago their bond to The Elements of Harmony was severed, as such neither could hold conscious control over them. However, while the Elements themselves draw their direction from the conscious mind my research suggests that the catalyst which unleashes their power lies in the subconscious (i.e. Conviction, Bravery, Positivity etc.), so long as the Ethereal Sisters maintained their conviction over Discord’s imprisonment the Elements would continue to suppress Discord’s power.

Celestia maintained this conviction through the centuries until the return of her sister, Luna. Upon Luna’s return and reformation after being forcibly imprisoned for a thousand years it can be said that Celestia would have ample reason reflect upon her past actions. Regret touches all of us from time to time. While Celestia’s conviction obviously remained I believe it was weakened to the point that the seal on Discord’s prison was comprised; this state of partial containment likely lasted until the air around him became charged with emotional energy (from the aforementioned argument) and touched Discords mind, stimulating him enough where his instinctual drive to resist confinement kicked in and sought to destroy his prison.

At that point, with the prison weakened as it was, it was only a matter of time before he escaped.

All of this is mere speculation mind you however; all other explanations can be thoroughly invalidated by the research contained within this report.

If this lack of conviction is in fact the reason for Discord’s initial breach of containment then it is unlikely that such an event will occur again. Lacking unforeseen outside influence, the new bearers of The Elements have no reason to doubt the ethicacy of Discord’s re-imprisonment. It can then be soundly conclude that without intentional intervention, Discord will remain trapped in stone until the end of time…

“I hope that clears up any misconceptions you had about the accuracy of my reporting, Discord?” The suddenness of the voice shook me out of my fixation; I looked up to see Dual staring out the window, apparently admiring the sunset.

“Yes, yes it does.” I spoke, still somewhat dazed. “Though is brings out so many more questions.”

“Advocate or Investigator?” Dual asked suddenly.

“What?” I asked dumfounded. He elaborated.

“Discord, it is obvious to me that you have a vested interest in finding out what exactly happened here.” I nodded dumbly as he continued. “To be frank, you can’t do that on your own. You have been investigating this alone, for what I assume to be months, and I just single-hoofedly destroyed what was probably your last lead. It takes a lot of desperation to wildly chase names into the woods.” He paused a moment, probably so I could catch up with what he was saying.

“Discord, you need my help.” He concluded with total sincerity, maintaining direct eye contact he continued. “So I’m asking you would you like to hire me as an Advocate or an Investigator.” It took me a moment to properly process his offer and to make a decision but eventually I replied with a grin plastered on my face.

“Dual, I would like you to be an Advocate; an Advocate for Truth.” To which he replied with a smile of his own.

“Discord, I think that you and I are going to get along just fine.”

Comments

[Forgoten Null]

Chapter Three Comment
New and improved chapter! Now with ~25% more words!

No but seriously, I hope this lives up to the rest of the story so far. This chapter feels a bit different for some reason.

On a related note, the story will begin ramping up to the finale in the next couple of chapters. So expect the unexpected!

Cheers, Null

[Luna Secret Stallion]

3552986 I love this story. Like and fave.

[Fury of the Tempest]

I do like the new character... wonder why the reports where swapped