Twilight Sparkle, Bringer of Chaos

by Caligari87

Chapter 3

Twilight paced the floor of the bedroom, muttering to herself. She was a fast reader, and had completed Lulamoon’s Tips and Tricks quicker than anticipated. The other books she’d grabbed only lasted a few pages before she got frustrated.

She estimated it had been less than two hours since she’d arrived in Ponyville, and already she was getting stable fever.

The overriding concern was getting to the Tree of Harmony, planting the Seeds of Discord, and getting out of town. The quicker she could do that, the quicker she could put this whole business behind her.

The problem was the darkness. Neither the sun nor moon had peeked above the horizon, and even the stars withheld their light. It was actually starting to get creepy at this point; normally random chance would dictate that something happen, but this was disturbingly consistent.

She also noted with concern that the local Chaos magic itself was rather under-active. One of her books had danced a little jig after she threw it on the floor, and a plant on the windowsill had started whistling a random tune occasionally, but that was it. Twilight couldn’t detect the magical field from the Tree of Harmony, but something was inhibiting Chaos. She just couldn’t put her horn on it.

Even outside the window in the dimming light of a streetlamp, things were almost...dead. The grass had shifted to a boring shade of dark green, and the cobblestones were solid in the ground. Fewer and fewer ponies could be seen on the streets, many probably preferring to stay indoors with at least some sort of light.

She turned with a growl of frustration and paced another few laps.

The longer she was here, the more likely something else would interrupt her task. At very least Rarity knew she was here, and that meant other ponies would likely learn of her presence as well. She still couldn’t figure why Rarity had been getting on a train out of town, but it seemed like a moot point at the moment.

Two more laps, and Twilight couldn’t stand it any longer. She roughly grabbed a quill and parchment from the nightstand and began writing.

Honorable Emperor Discord;

I will keep this brief. I arrived in Ponyville a few hours ago, and things are… different here. It’s pitch black outside, and something is inhibiting the local Chaos magic. It’s not the Tree of Harmony, it’s something else.

I haven’t been to the old castle yet; it lies deep within the Everfree Forest, and going there even in bright daylight is dangerous. However, I don’t wish to delay my task any further. I will be leaving in a few minutes, and with luck I will reach the castle, plant the seeds, and return quickly.

I will write you again when I complete my task. If you do not hear from me in a day or two, I most likely ran afoul of some beast in the woods. I hope that will not be an inconvenience.

Your student,

~Twilight Sparkle

She blotted and sealed the letter, then quickly gathered her saddlebags. She would send the letter at the magical post office near town hall to ensure it was sent quickly, instead of leaving it for pickup at the library’s mailbox. A few small pinches of magic extinguished the lit candles.

A quick glance through the front door of the library revealed no ponies in the immediate vicinity, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She trotted outside toward the post office, but in her eagerness to leave, failed to notice a faint light spell at the far end of the street behind her.

---

The three ponies halted in surprise for a moment when Twilight emerged ahead of them, illuminated by a street lamp in front of the library. Rarity nearly called out, but a raised hoof from Zecora silenced her.

Far ahead of them, Twilight quickly glanced around then slipped into the shadows towards town hall. Her behavior was secretive, as if she didn’t want to be seen.

“She’s sneaking somewhere, it seems to me,” the zebra said thoughtfully. “I wonder what her task might be?”

“We could just ask,” Rarity huffed, a little perturbed at being interrupted. “After all, that is why we’re looking for her.”

Zecora shook her head. “If dark or secret her purpose is, asking will only keep it hid.”

“You mean she wouldn’t tell us.” Rarity received a nod in response. “Are you suggesting we follow her instead?”

“It depends on what you seek to find, to mend the rift or know her mind.” Zecora shrugged, peering intently into the darkness. “Her heart is secret, so are her deeds. Tact and skill are what we need.”

“Could we maybe just see where she’s going, and decide then?” Fluttershy still seemed eager to avoid confronting Twilight directly.

“I suppose so…” Rarity conceded. The idea of sneaking around town and hiding in bushes was not very dignified. She didn’t know if it was something a true friend would do either, but Zecora made a good point. “All right. We’ll follow her for now and see what she’s up to.”

The mares crossed to the darkened side of the street away from the lamp, and followed Twilight toward town hall. Zecora led, her eyes more accustomed to the dark. Rarity trailed a few paces behind; Fluttershy was glued to her flanks, as if the shadows themselves would snatch her away if she strayed from the magic light of from Rarity’s horn. They trod carefully on the grass at the edge of the street, avoiding the tell-tale noise of hoof-beats on cobblestone.

It wasn’t very far to town hall from the library, and soon they could hear faint voices around a nearby corner. Zecora peeked around, then motioned for the others to join her.

Twilight was at the drop-off box, standing under the mounted lantern on the nearby wall. They couldn’t see if she had dropped anything into the box, but there was another mare as well, a familiar cross-eyed grey and blonde pegasus with a mailbag.

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But everypony’s worried and upset! Shouldn’t they at least know you’re back?”

“No, Ditzy! I don’t want anypony to know I’m back, I’m leaving soon anyway.”

“Then why bother mailing a letter? Someone might write you back and send it here…”

“That’s my business, not yours. Excuse me.”

Twilight abruptly turned and trotted away. Her curt tone made it clear that the conversation was over, but Ditzy Doo wasn’t known for her grasp of social cues.

“Wait Miss Sparkle, shouldn’t you at least leave a forw- OOF!” Ditzy attempted to follow Twilight, but her non-aligned eyes misjudged the curb and she toppled ungracefully to the cobblestone. Her mailbag flew open, spilling dozens of envelopes into the street. “Oh, horsefeathers!”

Twilight paused for a split-second and glanced back. A skilled unicorn could have gathered the letters in seconds, but apparently the clumsy pegasus wasn’t worth the time and effort. She turned again and trotted away into the darkness without a second glance.

Rarity almost immediately began to follow Twilight, but without a word Zecora and Fluttershy went the opposite direction. “What are you doing, we’re going to lose her!” Rarity whispered at them.

“We’ve got to help Ditzy,” Fluttershy responded quietly over her shoulder. “It’ll take her ages to gather these on her own.”

Rarity felt her conscience prick. She had hardly considered the mailpony’s plight, even after watching Twilight Sparkle callously do the very same thing. With shame, she realized this made her no better than the mare she viciously berated at the train station.

“Fluttershy!” Rarity called quietly, trotting after the other two. “I’ll take care of those letters; fly up and try to spot where Twilight’s going, before she gets too far.”

Fluttershy looked apprehensive at being alone even for a short while, but nodded. She spread her wings and gracefully soared skyward, disappearing in the inky blackness.

It took only a moment for Zecora to help Ditzy to her hooves while Rarity gathered and stacked the scattered envelopes and scrolls. Thankfully the mailpony was fine, other than a slightly sore ankle and an overdeveloped sense of gratitude.

“Oh thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed repeatedly. “I can grab one or two with my teeth or wings, but these would have taken forever. They let me have the job for my flying speed, you know. Normally unicorns can handle the letters easier, but they don’t get places as quickly. You'd think maybe they could just use magic to--”

“Well, we’re glad to be of assistance,” Rarity said, gently interrupting the rambling mailpony. “Will you be okay, dear?”

Ditzy nodded. “I’ll be fine. Just gotta drop these off and deliver a few express packages before the day’s out. Hey, did you know Twilight Sparkle is back in town?”

“We know the fact you speak,” Zecora responded, “and it is this pony whom we seek. It seems she may now be gone; do you know what path that she was on?”

“Oh, I wish she would have told me where she’s going. Sorry I can’t help you.”

“That’s quite all right, dear,” Rarity said, as flapping wings drew close in the dark. “We had Fluttershy fly ahead to look for her.”

The timid pegasus came into view and gracefully flared her landing, then dashed into the circle of light. “I followed her light spell,” Fluttershy reported. “It’s strange; she almost doubled back, and I think she’s heading to the Everfree Forest!”

---

Just outside the edge of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle cursed her luck. The partially-familiar path to the old castle was hidden in darkness, and each time she thought she’d found it, her forays ended tangled in bramble bushes, or blocked by trees and branches. The forest itself seemed to be actively impeding her progress.

She was also frustrated because the longer she stayed here with the purple glowing light from her horn dancing around the edge of the forest, the more likely it was that somepony would notice her and interrupt again. Already Rarity and that walleyed mailpony knew, and that was enough.

Twilight did feel a bit guilty for leaving without helping pick up the spilled bag. It was rude and callous when she could have gathered all the scattered mail with nary a thought while Ditzy would probably be struggling with it for the next fifteen minutes, but she consoled herself with the assurance that her mission was more important. After all, if she didn’t -

“Whoa!” The ground under her hooves seemed to disappear, and she toppled forward into the darkness. The light from her horn extinguished as she lost concentration and slammed face-first into a bush.

Not just any bush either. It was a wild rosebush, dense with curved thorns. She’d fallen about a leg’s length into a small depression, and initially felt only the physical shock of falling, along with a burst of adrenaline. That quickly faded once she came to rest, replaced with the pricking agony of a hundred tiny needles.

“OW!” Twilight shouted. The thorns were excruciating. “OH FOR THE LOVE OF DISCORD!” She thrashed for a moment, then stopped to breathe through the pain. The more she struggled, the worse it would get.

Instead, she gathered her wits. Teleportation in a dark, unknown place was a gamble at best, deadly at worst. She didn’t want to bring part of the bush with her, or end up inside a tree-trunk, or impaled on a branch. No, better to do it the old-fashioned way.

Twilight gritted her teeth, and slowly extricated herself from the bush. It was arduous, but with patience and a little telekinesis, she finally emerged. She lit her horn and took stock of her injuries.

Painful though they were, the thorns were not life-threatening. She had dozens of tiny punctures and scratches on her legs and chest, a few of which wept little drops of blood. She couldn’t see her face or neck, but it seemed much the same. She thanked chaos that none had hit her in the eyes.

Stepping back up the slope, she regained her bearings. The path…

...The path was different. Not changed, but somehow she’d come up the wrong side of the slope. This path was far more familiar than whatever forsaken gametrail she’d been following. She could even see the cave where she and Pinkie Pie had hid from the coffee rain several weeks back. What Twilight wouldn’t give for the laughing party pony to be here now, cracking jokes and helping her forget the painful pricks in her skin.

A sudden lump rose in her throat at the memory, and she quickly shook her head to banish the feelings.

This was good. She knew where she was now, and she knew which direction the castle lay in. Now it was a straightforward matter of keeping her hooves on solid ground until she reached the moat and outer walls. Pumping extra concentration into her spell-light, she forged ahead.

---

Though it wasn’t long before Twilight reached the castle, the darkness and uncharacteristic stillness of the woods made the journey seem much longer than normal. A few times she thought she’d heard something moving in the bushes, or stalking far behind her, but it always turned out to be nothing.

The castle was ominous in the dark; she couldn’t see a silhouette against the blackness of the sky. The crumbling stone walls rose sharply from the ground, veritable gravestones paying homage to times and events long since dead and forgotten. It was creepy, but there was something else that troubled Twilight even more.

It was the magic. Yes, she could easily detect the Tree of Harmony’s influence in the air, radiating from the caves below her hooves. That was to be expected. It was more or less as she’d left it several weeks ago, if a little stronger, but not by much.

No, there was other magic here. It was dense, cloying like the darkness. She could feel it leeching into her, probing her own magical ability. It wasn’t Chaos magic that randomized, wasn’t Harmony magic to get disparate elements working together, it wasn’t even Ordering magic that put things into their natural states.

It was Control. Magic that could force anything the user wished, regardless of nature, will, or chance. Powerful, gripping, smothering Control.

Twilight had never felt it before. It was pulsing through the castle and surrounding forest, and she could now recognize it extended faintly to Ponyville. The air was thick with it, saturating everything. The intensity nearly made her stagger a few times.

Once she was inside the castle, Twilight tried pinpointing the source of the magic. It was localized somewhere deeper within the walls, in the castle proper, not with the Tree of Harmony below. She crept through rooms and halls in a roughly circular fashion, gradually narrowing down the location of the magical emanations to one of the inner courtyards which she remembered opened to the sky.

As she grew closer and closer, she noticed something else. At first she didn’t notice because the light from her horn overpowered it, but soon enough it became apparent.

The air was glowing.

There weren’t little lights in the floating dust, or some kind of point source. Literally, the air around her was glowing, illuminating the walls and floors with a soft, even light. And the closer she got to the source of the magic, the brighter it got.

Finally, she reached the last hall before the inner courtyard. The glowing light was now bright enough that Twilight could see clearly without her horn, and she ceased her illumination spell. Now, she could see the true color of the glow: It was a deep, royal blue.

Twilight realized that her heart was pounding. Her mouth was dry, and tiny beads of sweat were forming on her brow. She tried unsuccessfully to swallow, steeled her nerves, and stepped into the courtyard.

The atmosphere was positively ethereal.

The courtyard itself was in a roughly rectangular shape, wider than it was deep, edged by a shallow, column-supported awning. The center was lower than the edges, two steps down and open to the sky. Long neglected bushes bordered the lower courtyard and outgrew their planters, spreading to the long grass in the center.

Every surface was evenly illuminated with diffuse blue light. The air itself was still; there was not even the hint of a breeze. Powerful magic pulsed and flowed, rivers and eddies, an ocean of invisible power undulating silently. Tiny silvery lights teased the edges of Twilight’s vision, only to fade and disappear when she tried to look toward them.

And in the center of it all, the statues of the Day-Mare and the Night-Mare stood still, rearing in frozen fury.

It was like standing in the eye of a magical hurricane.

“Oh, my goodness!”

Twilight screamed in panic and whipped toward the voice behind her. Almost involuntarily, she fired a powerful targeted blast of Chaos magic… that fizzled and popped in the air like a technicolor stream of plaid and polka-dot confetti.

Rarity shook a few bits of paper and glitter out of her mane, looking annoyed. “Careful with that, dear! I haven’t carried this mane all through the Everfree Forest just for you to muss it with a misfire!”

Shaking with adrenaline, Twilight stared in shock for a brief moment. “That was a concentrated Chaotic disruptor spell; it should have randomized you at the molecular level! How did…?” She shook her head. “Nevermind that. What are you doing here!?”

“Well, we followed you, obviously,” Rarity said curtly, as if it should be self-evident.

“...We?” Twilight repeated. It was then she noticed Fluttershy and Zecora stepping into the courtyard behind Rarity. “Wait, three of you? What’s going on?”

“We could ask you the same, truth told,” Zecora said, staring around with wide eyes, “but I wonder more at what this castle holds...” She wandered in a slow circle, taking in the courtyard. “Magic like this I have never seen, it almost seems to be a dream!”

“Yes indeed,” Rarity was also entranced by the otherworldly atmosphere. “Although I am curious, Twilight; what would possess you to come all the way out here , and in the middle of the night, no less?”

Twilight’s initial panic was subsiding now, and she stepped out of her defensive bracing posture. The back of her mind was starting to shout that it would be best to keep the three mares ignorant of her true purpose regarding the Tree of Harmony, and this magical oddity would be a perfect distraction.

“Technically, it’s only late-afternoon by most measures,” Twilight corrected, “but the answer is simple. I detected the magical field reaching out toward Ponyville, and thought it would be worth investigating. As you can see, there’s some sort of anomaly going on here, but I haven’t had a chance to figure out what it is.”

“It is a curiosity,” Rarity agreed, “I’ve never seen anything like it. But more to the point…” She rounded on Twilight. Her voice remained pleasant, but her azure eyes were cold and sharp as tacks. “Why are you in Ponyville, of all places? It seemed you positively scrubbed your hooves of us last time.”

Twilight felt herself quail a little inside, but tried not to show it. “I… I just left some things here last time. You know… some books, some notes, um…”

“The blanket I made for you?” Rarity’s voice sharpened to a razor edge.

“Uh… Yeah, that too!” Twilight nodded in agreement. She’d almost forgotten about Rarity’s generous, if simple gift. The guilt crept back in, a pit in her gut that would not be filled.

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “I see.”

“Ahem.” A demure voice sounded from near the courtyard entrance. Twilight glanced to see Fluttershy throwing a look to Rarity, but the pegasus quickly averted her gaze and flattened her ears when she saw Twilight had noticed.

Rarity sighed and took a moment to regain composure. When she spoke again, the edge in her voice was gone, replaced with sincerity. “Twilight… when you left Ponyville the way you did, a lot of feelings got hurt, my own included. I don’t know why you did what you did, or why you said those nasty things in your letters. I almost left Ponyville without saying goodbye to my friends, because of what you wrote.

“When I met you on the train, I was hurt, and I lashed out. My behavior was atrocious dear, and for that, I hope you can forgive me. I didn’t greet you as a friend should, nor give you the chance to explain yourself.”

“...I, um…” Twilight was lost for words.

“To that end,” Rarity said, “I wish to make amends. I don’t know why you’ve come to Ponyville today, but it would be remiss of me to not give the benefit of a doubt. The hoof of friendship and forgiveness is extended, if you wish to take it.”

With her last sentence, Rarity stepped in and raised a forehoof towards Twilight. Her expression was genuine, although simultaneously worried and wary.

Twilight raised her own hoof reflexively. Her mind was whirling, a lump was rising in her throat. After all she had done, the heartless things she’d said, the friend she betrayed was generously offering her forgiveness and acceptance, and all Twilight needed was to say ‘yes’.

“Rarity, I…” she began to stammer.

The magic shifted.

Twilight stumbled back, raising a hoof to her horn. It was like an invisible wave crashing on the beaches of her subconscious. Rarity staggered slightly. “What in the world…?”

The others were not unicorns, finely attuned to magic like Twilight and Rarity, but they felt it too. Fluttershy’s wings spasmed and twitched. Zecora stomped her hooves as if her legs has fallen asleep.

The four ponies glanced between each other in surprise and apprehension, and immediately began looking about for some change or sign, but none was to be found. The light in the courtyard remained steady, no wind began blowing, nothing came into sight or hearing.

“Please tell me the rest of you felt that!” Rarity exclaimed.

“I did,” Fluttershy squeaked, cowering low with wings spread.

“I felt it too, some surge of the spell.” Zecora was stepping side-to-side nervously. “Though what it was from I cannot tell!”

Twilight shook her head and tried to focus. Yes, the magical wave had come from the courtyard where they stood, but there was more. Something had triggered it. An undercurrent, a riptide, something under the surface…

Her eyes widened and she gasped in realization. The Tree of Harmony!

The others looked at her in confusion, and Twilight suddenly realized the words had reached her mouth instead of remaining in her mind. A little voice began berating her for the loss of control. No, stupid stupid stupid! They weren’t supposed to know about that!

Rarity raised a curious eyebrow. “Twilight? What is-”

She was cut off as a sound broke the unnaturally-still air. A horrible, grinding, crunching noise like granola being ground slowly between teeth, but sharper and deeper. The four mares whirled toward the source of the noise.

The massive marble statues of the Day-Mare and the Night-Mare had been placed at opposite ends of the rectangular courtyard, about five horse-lengths apart. Each was reared back on her hind legs, facing the other. Apart from weathering, each was as it had been carved over a thousand years ago.

The stone form of the Night-Mare trembled on its pedestal, and her terrible, helmed head began to turn. Her neck cracked and crunched as it twisted. Chunks of marble crumbled to dust and sprinkled the ground below, as her frozen face met the horrified gazes of four little ponies.

Fluttershy screamed.

The sound snapped the others out of their terror-induced paralysis. All four turned tail and galloped back through the castle in blind panic, their only concern to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the Night-Mare.

The statue smiled.

Comments

[Caligari87]

5377157
Sorry it took so long! I thought about this for a while and finally decided to use it, with the authors permission. Thanks for the suggestion!

[shinikage]

dunno why but i have the feeling that this universe version of celestia and luna are better of as stone since they dont have harmony magic but CONTROL magic

[SageBrony07]

Wow. That was intense. I wonder if the Night Mare is good or not. I guess we will see next chapter. Good luck and thanks for the update.

[Caligari87]

5422434
Working on editing the next chapter now, should be posted soon. The secrets of the Night-Mare are not yet to be revealed, though ;)

[Zuabug]

... That's nor horrifying at all.