> The Assembled Letters of Twilight Sparkle, Protégé of Emperor Discord > by Caligari87 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Introduction > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle grabbed her suitcase again as it attempted to dash through her bedroom door. Much as she appreciated her mentor's desire to impart the Magic of Chaos into everything, truthfully it was tiring at times. She was not yet a fully developed practitioner of Chaos; her primal urges to sort, catalogue, and organize still required constant checking, but she was getting better. Ponies by nature were calm and orderly most of the time; it took a special kind of dedication to devote one's life to constant unpredictability, as she had. Still, such was the life of any who swore their lives to Emperor Discord's service as Agents of Chaos. Her training was not yet complete, but she aspired to someday be one of them, spreading disharmony and Chaos as though she were an extension of the Emperor's own volatile will. She knew and accepted the difficulty willingly. To truly know Chaos, she had to lose herself in it completely. Finally getting her things messily packed, Twilight skittered across the polished marble ceiling and into the hall where gravity was today turned mostly groundward. She deftly dodged the animated statue's game of fifty-two pick-up and made her way to the Royal Offices. The Emperor met her there, much earlier than he had said (probably due to his pocketwatch refusing to keep itself open for viewing). "Hello, Twilight Sparkle!" he exclaimed, floating on his side effortlessly. "Are you ready to leave?" "Yes, Emperor Discord," Twilight said. "Although I'm still curious; why are you sending me to Ponyville?" Discord sighed. "Still craving that little bit of 'planning ahead' we've been working on, I see?" Twilight looked down and shrugged. Try as she might, going off without some sort of plan or goal still made her stomach turn. "Oh well, I suppose it can't hurt this time." Discord magicked a thick day planner into existence and flipped through. Most of the days were filled with disconnected sketches, but this page had writing on it. "There's something in Ponyville that has me a bit worried, to be honest. The residents there seem to be displaying a strange sort of unity, and things are getting quite ordered. I'd like you to find out what's causing it." Twilight cocked her head to the side. "That's definitely worrisome. Any ideas why they're acting that way?" Emperor Discord shook his head. "None, although it appears some of them have dubbed it 'Friendship'..." > Letter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, Thank you for my assignment to Ponyville to investigate this strange new phenomenon known as “Friendship.” I regret the necessity of leaving your immediate tutelage and will miss being able to speak to you directly, but I trust these weekly letters will be sufficient for my continued studies in Chaos. I have learned much already and look forward to learning more. Although the ride was bumpy, our train arrived in only two pieces. When I left the station, the crew had nearly succeeded in wrangling it back onto the tracks. Had I not been exhausted from the trip, I would have enjoyed delaying them further. The library is unfortunately exactly where you said it would be, however I was pleased to find it in no kind of discernible order. Why some ponies insist on "alphabetizing" or "shelving" is beyond me. After a brief rest, I ventured to the local confectioner's to obtain dinner. The shop is a quaint little place called "The Sugar Polyhedron" (the owners tell me the number of sides kept changing, so they revised the name from the original "Sugar Cube Corner"). Here I met five mares who greeted me warmly and offered to be of assistance if I need anything. They are pleasant enough, but act “closer” to each other than I've seen before. They wish to include me in their group. Maybe this is related to Friendship somehow? I will examine further and report back. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle > Letter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, This week was supremely interesting. After spending some time with these five mares, I’m convinced the strange closeness is definitely a part of Friendship. Granted, the flying tables at The Sugar Polyhedron make talking difficult, but they somehow managed to maintain conversation, up to five minutes between interruptions! There was also a wide range of subjects discussed, from entropic farming to the latest fads in self-randomizing wardrobes. My acquaintances apparently spend more time together than almost any other ponies in town. I have yet to broach the topic of Friendship with them though. I will wait a bit longer, as they seem slightly wary of my status as your student. Perhaps I intimidate them? And yes, I’m sorry for my continued formal style of writing. I know it annoys you, but for some reason I can’t seem to break the habit. Perhaps it balances against my desire to learn the higher ways of chaos over the banal normalcy we naturally crave. I will try harder to follow the spirit of Chaos in every endeavor. Muffins! In other related news, I brought the Magic of Chaos to three young fillies today! They were having a picnic, and I cast the “Need It Want It” spell on my old toy for them. It wore off sooner than I would have liked, but they seemed to enjoy it; absolute pandemonium reigned supreme in the neighborhood for over an hour! Tomorrow I plan to visit the local music shop and see if the proprietor needs any help shuffling her music selection. I will report on that in my next letter. Your faithful wAckY student, Twilight Spzarkle > Letter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, As promised, I visited the local music shop this week and met with the proprietor, Octavia. Much to my dismay, she declined my offers to demonstrate new ways of randomizing all the music books! She made the point that if they were always unorganized, then the fun of having them scattered about would quickly diminish or become expected. I am unsure how to feel about this, but it's something I will consider. Is "moderation" a principle of Chaos? Anyway, compared to the wonderful and new strangeness we experience every day in your empire, my new “Friends” (what followers of Friendship prefer to call each other apparently) are almost distressingly normal. I try to educate them on the Magic of Chaos, but they are uninterested at best, except Pinkie. She is truly unique; I think you’d like her special brand of chaos, even if it sometimes seems geared toward unity instead of disharmony. I think her overall randomness helps to offset it; perhaps with a bit of teaching, she could become a promising student. Still, earlier today was refreshingly out of the ordinary for these "Friends". The one named Rainbow dragged us all off to visit a “scary castle” she’d found in the woods. She said it had the frozen stone forms of the Day-Mare and Night-Mare, like the ones in our legends. Imagine my surprise when there actually were statues like she described! They were even solidly planted on the ground, and all the bricks were in the walls! In fact, the whole place was strange, and not in the wonderful chaotic way we know. The castle and surrounding forest seemed to be outside your influence. Applejack says it’s because of a tree under the castle, which grows strange gems. To be honest, the whole place gives me the normals all over, but I’m going back tomorrow. There’s something to this Friendship thing, and I’m beginning to think that castle and these ponies are at the root of it. I’ll report soon. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle > Journal 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Diary, Sorry I haven't I’ve neglected to write in this journal for some time, but my emotions are confusing at the moment and I’m not sure I visited the old castle again this week. Because it’s old, crumbing, and the route through the Everfree Forest is possibly dangerous, I asked Applejack to go with me in case anything happened. While we were walking, I broached the subject of Friendship with her. She was surprisingly candid where the others had previously avoided my questions. She said that Friendship is their way of looking out for each other and staying together. I gently reminded her that Unity is against the spirit of Chaos, and she seemed uncomfortable, but admitted she doesn’t much care for the blessings of unpredictability Discord showers on our kingdom. This surprised me. I reminded her that I was Discord’s personal student and asked if she was worried I might tell him about the conversation. She said she was, but that telling the truth was more important than what others might think of her. She also openly told me that she’s learned honesty is vital to cultivating Friendship and keeping Friends together. I then asked if she considered me a Friend. After some hesitation she said she does, and that’s why she wants to be so honest with me. I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I find it flattering she is willing to be so welcoming to a student of Discord while following a philosophy which seems more and more to be in opposition to his teachings. By this point we had arrived at the castle and entered the courtyard with the statues of the Day-Mare and Night-Mare. Nothing much had changed, although I noticed the statues were beginning to crack, more than might be expected from simple weathering. The whole place still seems outside the realm of Chaos; even a moderately powerful randomization spell did little more than turn a couple pebbles into various insects and writing implements. Applejack agreed to show me the tree which seems to be the cause of this normalcy. We ventured through the castle dungeons into a cave system, and by spell-light from my horn managed to find the right passageways. When I asked Applejack how she found it in the first place, she said she’d been with Rarity, using a gem-finding spell. Chaos had not recently produced any source of gems, and Applejack needed more to sustain her pet dragon. The tree is definitely not a product of Chaos. It is magical to a degree I’ve never felt before, and grows what appear to be very powerful channeling gems. Rarity said Applejack shouldn't feed these to her dragon because she doesn’t know how they will affect him. I explored the falloff of the magical field around the tree, and it does seem to correspond to the area unaffected by Discord’s influence. My own Chaos magic is unable to effect any change near the tree either. At this point Applejack and I were both very tired and returned to town. It hailed peppermints on the way back; I thought they were delicious, but she kept sighing as if she was annoyed. I left her at the farm and returned to the library. I’m becoming sure that Friendship is a force or magic rooted in Harmony, which puts it at odds with the teachings of Chaos. Ironically, I also feel more at home here than anywhere else in Discordia. I’ve never been someone’s Friend before, and I kind of like it. I know that’s my “natural mare” talking... Still, it feels right. I’m too tired to write to Discord tonight, but I feel like I should tell I’m not sure if I’m going to tell him everything from today. I need to sleep on it. Twilight Sparkle > Letter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, I hope you are doing well! I haven’t heard from you lately. Perhaps you’re off spreading Chaos to one of our sister countries, or maybe you’re on a beach in your office and the secretary is holding your mail? Anyways, I look forward to a letter from you soon. By the way, thank you! We had peppermint hail yesterday! Things have been depressingly normal in Ponyville lately, and such a surprise was quite refreshing (not to mention delicious!). I visited the castle, like I mentioned. I’m still not sure exactly what’s causing the odd behavior, or if it’s related to Friendship, but I’ll keep looking into it. What’s for sure is that my Chaos magic doesn’t work there. Of course, since no pony lives out that way, there’s no reason to bother. I’ve discovered that this Friendship phenomenon is strongly rooted in unity between ponies. For example, I learned that Applejack is honest with me because she considers me a Friend and Friends tell the truth. It’s the flip side of the coin, but so far I don’t see any harm from it. Chaos still reigns supreme over Discordia, freeing your subjects from the daily grind of normalcy, but not all are as used to it as you and I. Perhaps being unified gives ponies extra ability to tolerate unpredictability when most prefer stability. Of course, I’m probably just guessing here. There’s still more to learn. Your chaotic student, Twilightning Sparklers > Letter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, Didn’t get much investigation done this week, unfortunately. The ground around Ponyville turned into a lake for a few days, and then it rained hot coffee! Everyone pretty much had to stay inside to avoid either drowning or getting burnt. I did get to spend some time with Pinkie Pie. Turns out her particular feelings on Friendship are centered around making ponies smile. She says Friends cheer each other up when they’re feeling down. Again, the principle seems innocuous enough. Chaos can be funny at times too, even if it was less than pleasant this week. We have to take the good with the bad; it’s all about keeping life fresh and exciting. Stuck in the library, I got some studying done too. There’s lots of books about Chaos, although a lot of them are laughably out of date, like pony scientists trying to find patterns in random happenstance, or ways to control or harness it. Still, they’re interesting to read and gave me a lot of ideas for things to build into my randomization spells. Not much else to report. I’ll try and get to the castle in the next couple days. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle > Journal 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can’t believe I lied to Disc No, it’s not a lie. I just left out a few unimportant details. Even so, I’ll bet Ap It doesn’t matter what Applejack would think. The key to being a good student of Chaos is being unpredictable, and always telling the truth is the exact opposite of unpredictable. Discord would probably be proud of me. Or not, I don’t know. I’m not sure why I’m getting so worked up over this. Anyway, I wrote Discord about spending some time with Pinkie Pie. I left out that I actually tried to go to the castle with her after the lake dried up, but the coffee rain started while we were on our way into the Everfree Forest. It was just a little sprinkle at first, and then the downpour really began. We had to take shelter in a cave, and I scalded my hooves and left foreleg in a puddle of coffee, because I didn’t watch where I was trotting. Pinkie found a cold pond deeper in the cave, thankfully. If not for that, my scald might have been a lot worse when we finally got home. As it was, we got stuck for several hours until there was a lull in the rain. At first, I was in a pretty sour mood, but Pinkie seemed to see that as a challenge. Pretty soon she had me crying with laughter. It felt good. A little later, I asked why she wanted to get me to laugh. She told me that a smile or laugh is the best medicine she knows, and when a Friend is down or feeling badly, it’s important to help them feel better. I wrote about that in my letter to Discord, but I left out how insanely dedicated Pinkie is to making ponies happy. And not just “ha ha, funny joke”, but actually genuinely happy. She literally considers it her entire purpose in life, and she’s 100% committed. Or should be committed It seems crazy, but I guess that’s okay. This is so alien to me. Most ponies look out for just themselves. When we live every day unsure of even the ground under our feet, there’s little sense in doing much else. Somehow these Friends have discovered something else, and even more amazingly, they’re making it work. I know I’ve dedicated my life to entropy, to never experience the same thing twice, to never be worn down by a daily grind, or sick of predictability. I’ve sworn to bring that Chaos far and wide, to smash the bounds of a boring “normal” life, but Pinkie seems dedicated to something better. How can I reconcile that? Anyway, the coffee washed out our path through the forest, so the castle is a bust this week, but we were still smiling wide on the way back to Ponyville. I really should smile more. Twilight > Letter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, After successfully discovering two different aspects of Friendship from two separate ponies, I’ve decided to continue doing the same with the rest of my Friends and glean everything I can from their thoughts and feelings on the subject. I don’t feel like there’s any particular threat to Chaos from this strange phenomenon, but it can’t hurt to examine further. Last week’s coffee rain left hot foam clouds that didn’t leave even after the rain stopped. Combined with all the glass in town turning into roiling steam, it was almost unbearably hot for a few days. Then a giant butterfly showed up from somewhere and flapped a few times in the town square, and now we’ve got a crazy cold snap. All the steam-windows are solid now, and the foam clouds crumbled into iced-coffee snow. I met Rarity at town hall on my way to the local bakery. She was passing out blankets to everypony that asked, made from the fabric stock for her boutique. When I asked why she was just giving away perfectly good fabric she could craft or randomize into something sellable, she told me that being generous was more important; somepony needed it more than she, and so she gave whatever she could. I believe this is yet another facet of Friendship, and it Rarity wants to spread it around. Again, it appears harmless and keeps ponies happy, even when the coin lands on tails in our unpredictable world. I’m still drawn to the old castle, and I plan on visiting again when the weather improves. I’ll send some more reports and check if the magic counteracting Chaos in that area has gotten any worse. Your chilly student, Twilight Sparkle P.S. I still haven’t heard back from you in weeks. Is everything okay? > Journal 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I HATE BEING COLD. Miserable all day and night. I can’t even keep a fire lit because my chimney keeps sneezing from the soot. What I wouldn’t give some days for things to be consis No, that’s my lesser instincts talking. I swore to devote my days to Chaos, and that means putting off the natural mare, base desires, creature comforts. The price of consistency is eternal slavery to mechanical conformity. There is no Order, only Chaos. Do not fear Suffering, for it is temporary. Do not seek Pleasure, it will be lost. Abandon the Past, it is dead. Forsake the Future, it will change. Live in the Moment. Hail Discordia. A dedication vow varies for everyone, but this one is mine. The words are usually a comfort to me when I’m weak like this, but they bring no warmth. Right now, the only thing doing that is the blanket I got from Rarity. The flower print occasionally turns into frogs or sparrows or hairbrushes, but otherwise it’s keeping the frostbite at bay. I went into the town hall because I could see they had managed to get a fire going, and my hooves were practically frozen solid. I spotted Rarity at the front of a line of ponies, passing out blankets of every size, shape, and color. Mr Cake already had a heavy jacket, but took one large and two smaller blankets for his wife and foals at home. A tiny white pony with a huge downy coat took one for her roommate who was too proud to ask. Dozens of others were waiting, but each took only what they needed, not a stitch more. After I’d had a chance to warm up a little, I went over to Rarity. I could see a few samples here and there of thin, cheap fabrics, but she was passing out the very best first. When I asked why, Rarity said: “If one is going to give, then it never does to be stingy. That simply defeats the purpose of giving in the first place.” She explained that she doesn’t help just because she should, she helps because she wants to, and although it’s nice to get something back, like money or trade, it’s even better just to make sure somepony has what they need. I stayed and helped Rarity for a few more hours. Applejack’s brother Big Macintosh helped out by bringing another load of fabric from the boutique, and I continued passing out blankets while Rarity quickly stitched more together. When there were no more shivering ponies in town hall, I went to leave, but Rarity stopped me. I was shocked when she presented me with a large, thick comforter, stuffed with feathers from a few extra pillows. My tongue simply stopped working for a moment, and for some reason it made me want to cry. I tried to refuse, but Rarity insisted because she knew I had come from the palace with little more than a couple saddlebags, and the library was poorly furnished as is. She also told me that although we didn't know each other well yet, a true friend always helps those in need, and she wanted to be one to me. I don’t know what she did to this comforter, but it must be enchanted. I really shouldn’t be this warm already. Getting sleepy; I’ll have to ask her tomorrow. Twilight > Letter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, Ponyville’s cold snap didn’t last much longer after I last wrote you. It’s actually been pretty mild lately, although there was a lot of excitement over a flock of spoons digging tiny holes all over town. As planned, I visited the castle again this week once the way was safe. Per my previous intention, I decided to take Rainbow Dash with me and ask about her opinions on Friendship. Unfortunately, while she’s very talkative, it’s hard to get a word in edgewise or change the subject away from daredevil stunts and flying. Upon arriving, we examined the gem tree again. I’m concerned to report that the magical field around it has grown marginally stronger, and Chaos magic now hardly works at all within the walls of the castle. I don’t want to speculate on the reasons why, but it worries me a bit. Maybe your powers could help slow the growth of the magical field somehow? Mine aren't able to effect any change on it. Otherwise, the visit was uneventful until we tried to leave; on our way out of the castle, a pack of timber wolves noticed us and chased us back inside! Rainbow was able to avoid them by flying through the broken ceiling, but I was trapped. I thought I was done for, but Rainbow came back with a large branch and beat the timber wolves into splinters. Not a permanent solution, but it gave us enough time to get away. I inquired why she was willing to risk herself to come back for me; she said she considers it paramount to stay loyal to her friends and not leave them behind. We managed to make it back to Ponyville without any further issues, although I’m really tired now. That leaves Fluttershy to ask about Friendship; hopefully I can find some time with her in the next few days. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle > Journal 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My hooves are still shaking. Without Rainbow Dash’s help, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of there alive. My magic is strong, but timbers are elemental, some of the strongest magic there is. They can’t simply be disintegrated or transfigured or teleported. After some study, I found that even shattering them to pieces doesn’t actually kill them; they’re part of the forest, random eddies of magic and matter gaining enough cohesion to form a creature of raw animal desire. It’s incredibly frightening how such deadly Order can arise from Chaos, and why we must be ever vigilant against it. I’m eternally grateful to Rainbow; I quite literally owe her my life. She’s brave, but it’s more than that. When I complimented her on her courage, she confided in me that she was actually scared breathless during the entire ordeal. It was thinking of me, her Friend, that gave her the strength to return and save me. I understand loyalty in a sense. I’m loyal to Chaos as a concept and principle, at least most of the time, but it’s different. Rainbow being so loyal to another pony that she would be willing to risk her very life… The very thought gives me knots inside. I’m not sure I’d be strong enough to do that. In fact, I’m not sure of anything anymore. I feel like I’m living a second life. Most days of the week, I spend practicing magic and trying to see what I can affect around town. My raw abilities are getting stronger, but the Chaos effects are growing inexplicably weaker. It’s not the tree; that’s still too far outside Ponyville to make a difference. It’s something else, and I think I’m starting to realize what. When I’m not practicing Chaos, I’m spending time with my Friends. I’m not sure what they see in me; Applejack would be out of her mind if she knew how dishonest I’m being with my teacher. I don’t take opportunity to spread joy like Pinkie, or give to others like Rarity. Yet they smile when they see me, visit me when I’ve been shut up for days, invite me on outings when things aren’t too bizarre around town, or stay at the library with me when it’s not feasible to go outside. I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve their Friendship, but I am thankful. And yet, the closer I grow to my friends, the less my chaos magic works. I suspected before, and now I’m certain: Friendship is rooted in Harmony, and I know that Harmony is the antithesis of Chaos. I’m gradually falling away from the principles I dedicated myself to serve, and pulling closer to the ones I swore against. Is that a bad thing? If so, why do I feel happier than ever before? I don’t know. There’s something else too; something frightening. I wrote to Discord about visiting the castle again, but I left out a lot. When we arrived, the magical field around the tree was the same as when I’d left before, but the growth rate I measured while there is astronomical. In the past few weeks, it should have grown large enough to reach Ponyville! I can only conclude that the tree’s magic is only growing when I’m there with somepony, and that means the tree is fed by something we’re bringing. I fear to say it, but I believe our Friendship is making the Harmony magic around the tree stronger. I’m not sure how to tell Discord about all this, but I need to soon, before things get worse. Twilight > Letter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Emperor Discord, The weather has remained mild since our cold snap (things are probably due for a little shake-up soon; I’m getting antsy), but recently strange illnesses have been going around. I think it may be partially due to foods deciding to uncook themselves while being eaten, combined with a hostile infestation from the local florist’s stock; the flowers apparently mince themselves into herb supplies and get mixed into various dishes. My latest test of Chaos magic may or may not have something to do with this. I visited Fluttershy yesterday, in her cottage at the edge of the Everfree forest. Her housemate Zecora was there as well. Their home has become a sort of clinic for ponies who are sick, but not bad enough to warrant a bed at the increasingly overcrowded hospital. Both mares were too busy to talk at length, but some of the sick ponies were willing. Apparently many ponies come here, not just for Zecora’s renowned knowledge of herbs and potions, but for Fluttershy’s tender care. According to them, she’s the kindest mare they know, if a bit timid. Many of them proactively offered that they consider Fluttershy a good friend as well. At this time, I’ve discovered several facets of Friendship from these ponies, and although there is probably more, I think I have enough here to make a determination about my thoughts and findings. I’ll be writing you again soon, but wanted to at least provide a small update for this week. Your student, Twilight > Journal 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I’m so torn. On the one hoof, I’ve learned more and been happier these past couple months than I ever thought I could. I’ve made Friends, when I didn’t even know such a thing existed before. They’ve shown me the benefits of being honest, bringing joy, sharing generosity, staying loyal, showing kindness. Not only to me, but others as well. The residents of Ponyville are by far the happiest ponies I’ve met in Discordia. Is happiness is a worthy outcome? On the other hoof, I made a pledge. A solemn vow to dedicate my life to the spreading of glorious Chaos, of freeing ponies from the shackles of Order. Order breeds distinction and inequality. Predictability fosters expectations and inevitably leads to disappointment. Chaos equalizes ALL before it, and I swore to that principle. In learning Friendship, I tried to compromise and ended up betrayed everything. I hid my experiences and knowledge, and so have been dishonest and disloyal to my mentor. I’ve spread Chaos around our my this town, much of which has caused pain. I’ve withheld knowledge of the magical tree, possibly endangering the entropy of the entire region. I’ve selfishly used other ponies to further my own goals, instead of sharing with them or caring for them. I’m not a true Friend, and I’m not a worthy Agent of Chaos. I’m a mare stuck between two opposing worlds. Harmony is the opposite of Chaos, and no mare can serve both. I have to make a choice. Twilight ~ ~ ~ I’ve decided. I can’t bear to write any more now. Going to send some letters in the morning. > Letter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the Great and Honorable Emperor Discord, Primo Chaotica, Eternal Steward of Discordia, As you are aware, I came to Ponyville to make a study of the phenomenon known as Friendship and report back on any threats it posed to the reign of Chaos over our great land. I regret to inform you that I have been less than forthcoming about my findings, and I wish to set the record right. I have determined that several tenets of Friendship exist: Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Kindness. There are likely more, but these are the ones I know of. I have discovered these are all connected by the core principle of Harmony, of bringing together or into agreement. This principle stands in opposition to Chaos and is most definitely a threat to all we’ve worked for. I have been called Friend by ponies who exemplify these qualities and openly taught them to me. Although it pains me, I must uphold the vows I made to Chaos. I sent letters to these ponies, advising them to disband and cease practicing Friendship. While their actions threaten the entropy of our great land, I believe they were acting in ignorance and should not be punished. I also wrote to you of a magical tree located under the old castle outside Ponyville. I know neither the purpose nor origin of this tree, but I do know it generates a magical field of pure Harmony which nullifies the effects of Chaos. The tree also appears to gain strength from the Friendship of nearby ponies, causing its influence to grow at astonishing rates. I must recommend this tree be destroyed or neutralized by any means possible, in order to preserve the Empire. As for me, my conduct is inexcusable. I will take no action, nor plead my case, but leave my fate in your wholly arbitrary claws. Your humble student, Twilight Sparkle > RE: Letter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Twilight, I know this is the first letter you’ve gotten from me since you left. Sorry about that, part of it was seriously beyond my control; I had a bad incident with a stampede in the grand ballroom and was laid up for a while. Oh, and I must confess: I knew about the tree, Twilight, and I also knew enough about Friendship to realize it would be a temptation to you. I wanted to see how you’d behave on your own for once, and I have to say I’m a little disappointed. My sources tell me Ponyville has actually gotten more normal since you’ve been there. I was expecting you to inject a fresh batch of Chaos into the mix and get that place random again, not become friends with a bunch of Harmonizers. Anyway, I am so glad you told me everything, in the end. I don’t know what this will do to your status as an Agent of Chaos, but for right now I want you on the next train back to the palace. We’ll decide then, and I’ll think of what we can do to fix this Harmony problem. Best Wishes! ~Discord D/qq (dictated, but not read) > Journal 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Packed my things and left this morning. I’m writing this on the train from Ponyville, where I’m leaving behind what may be the best or worst thing that’s ever happened to me. Although I had already written the letters to my friends the other five my Friends, I held off sending them until I got Discord’s response. I met the grey mailpony on my way out the door. Although we’ve never said more than good morning or hello, she knows I’m Friends with the others. With all my bags being packed and five letters to send, she must have picked up on the fact that something was wrong, and asked if I was okay. I didn’t have the heart to say anything. I just left. My friends will probably be getting and opening their letters by now. Fluttershy will cry, maybe Rarity too. Rainbow and Applejack will be angry. Pinkie will I don’t know what Pinkie will do. I’m trying to tell myself it’s all for the best. Chaos has reigned for a thousand years, if not longer. I’ve upheld that reign my whole life; I can’t just forsake my entire belief for the sake of a few feel-good moments and a future full of unsustainable expectations and disappointments. We may live in anarchy, but at least we know not to trust anything so fragile as Order. Besides, it’s too late now. I’ve burned whatever bridges I’ve built. Emperor Discord will be sending extra Agents of Chaos to ensure entropy in Ponyville remains at maximum, and he’ll probably personally oversee destruction of the Friendship tree. I’ll probably remain at the palace for the foreseeable future so he can keep an eye on me. I’ll never see my Friends again, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever want to see me either. I should get some sleep and try to clean up before we arrive. It wouldn’t be good to appear in front of my mentor, crying over forbidden Friendships. ~Twilight > Epilogue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight stepped into the office, leaving her bags outside in the hall. With luck, a palace assistant would take them to her room. Or some room. Or not. Any which way, she didn’t care. The interior of the office, such as it was, could only be described as schizophrenic. The pulsing surfaces of a tesseract swapped or changed themes and colors constantly, random objects either came to life or melded into furniture, bizarre animals galloped in nonsensical antigravity constructs. And sitting king over it all in a swivel chair mounted to one of the ceilings, blowing melted plastic bubbles from a panpipe, was Discord. Suddenly feeling very plainly, nakedly normal in the midst of such unbridled, almost incomprehensible Chaos, Twilight cleared her throat. “Um…. Your Highness?” The dragonequus glanced from his perch at her. “Ah, Twilight!” he exclaimed. His voice sounded excited, but his attention was obviously more engaged by a novelty toy that had replaced the panpipe. “I was wondering when you’d be arriving.” “You… you wanted to… see me?” Twilight’s mouth had difficulty forming the words. “As a matter of fact, yes,” Discord said, casually snapping his fingers. The pan-dimensional walls collapsed inward, animals stampeded to points of infinity, and the entire room reverted into a simple, tastefully designed, well-organized office. Twilight gasped. The shocking difference threw her completely off guard; such mundane normalcy was never found in the presence of the Emperor. It took every once of her self control to keep from hyperventilating in panic. “Please, sit.” Discord motioned from behind a large engraved oak desk to a simple leather chair opposite his own. Twilight, still reeling, did as instructed. “Your Highness, I—” She stopped as a clawed paw raise to silence her. “I know you want to explain, to defend yourself,” Discord stated calmly. “However, there is no need. “You see, Twilight, as I mentioned in my letter, I knew this would be a challenge, a crucible of sorts for you. You’ve always been fighting against your nature, becoming an Agent of Chaos. I can see it in everything you do. You’re innately organized, neat. You’ve been secretly making schedules and lists since you were a filly. And yet you couldn’t bring yourself to stand out or be singled from the thousands of others who accept their situation. I’d be willing to bet you chose this path not because you’re really in love with Chaos, but rather because you’re too scared to accept your own nature.” Discord sat back and twirled his beard absently. Twilight started trembling and sweating. “I know you crave acceptance. Despite your efforts to hide it, you want nothing more than to be loved and told that you’re fine the way you are. You know that can’t happen, so you try instead to change yourself, to be the best, but not break the mold, because then they’ll reject you and leave you alone. “That’s why I sent you to Ponyville. I wanted to see if you’d truly given yourself to entropy, or if you still harbored that desire to be yourself and be loved for it. Those five mares and their oh-so-boring Friendship gave you that. They accepted you for who you were, or at least who they thought you were. And when that happened, you started to think that maybe you could be Twilight Sparkle the Organized, instead of the Agent of Chaos you pretend to be, because you knew they’d love you either way.” Twilight felt tears pricking her eyes. In spite of herself, she was cowering before her mentor like a scolded filly. His words opened door after door she’d thought long-hidden and locked. She swallowed and tried to speak past the tightness in her throat. “So I... failed?” Discord nodded coldly. “And if it were up to me, you’d be banished to some distant corner of the continent, to a place where Harmonizers like you might still remember to call it ‘Equestria’.” Twilight shrank in her seat, her forehooves going numb. But a logical thinking part of her mind grasped at the tiniest straw in Discord’s words. “Is… is it not up to you?” The dragonequus sighed heavily, as if the question should be rhetorical. “If it was, I wouldn’t be any better than you or the rest of them. I live by entropy, Twilight Sparkle...” A small golden coin appeared on the desk. “...And I’m asking you to prove you do, too. You can accept my decision and cut your ties with Chaos forever, or we can trust it to chance.” He motioned to the coin. “Heads, you stay an Agent of Chaos, as my student. Tails, you’re banished.” Twilight began panting as the words crushed into her. Reject Chaos, be herself, and be banished, cast out like trash, rejected. Trust Chaos, forsake herself completely… and forever become something she wasn’t, or possibly be banished anyway with the knowledge she’d willingly betrayed her true nature. There was no pre-planned malice behind Discord’s torturous game; she knew him too well for that. He was ruled by the moment, just as likely to cause joy as suffering, and yet he’d managed to pick the ultimate, soul-destroying trap that would either make Twilight a perfect hollowed shell to do his bidding, or a broken outcast without an ounce of self-worth. She stared at the coin for a long time. Finally, standing at the peak of the shattered Friendships she’d destroyed, she looked desperately at the only being she knew that offered her acceptance. Even as a shadow of herself, it was better to have a chance at belonging. She pointed a hoof at the coin. “...chaos…” A clawed paw snatched the coin and snapped it into the air. It spun, dropped, bounced twice on the surface of the desk, and came to rest. “Heads!” Discord’s voice was back to its cheery, devil-may-care babble. “Congrats, Twilight Sparkle! You’ll remain an Agent of Chaos!” He bounded over the desk and shook her limp hoof enthusiastically. “All is forgiven and forgotten! Go unpack somewhere, and tomorrow we’ll get back to learning chaos! Woohoo!” The listless empty husk of Twilight Sparkle shambled toward the door of the office. Yes... unpack… “Oh Twilight! One more teensie, tiny thing before you go!” She turned to see Discord playing hacky sack with a small canvas bag. With a kick, he sent it flying toward her. Reflexively, she caught it in her magic and opened the drawstring. Inside was a loose bundle of black, shiny… seeds? Twilight’s brain refused to work for a few moments. “I… don’t…” “Remember how you wrote me that the Tree of Harmony needed to be destroyed?” Twilight nodded. That did seem to be an appropriate name for it, although she’d never heard the term before. “Well, the Tree of Harmony is elemental. It can’t be destroyed, or I would have done it myself a thousand years ago. It can, however, be neutralized for a time.” Discord strode over to Twilight and pointed into the bag. “These are the Seeds of Discord, pure distilled Chaos magic of the highest order. I cultivate them in my personal garden, but they take forever to grow, and I obviously didn’t use enough last time.” He placed a paw under Twilight’s chin and lifted her eyes to his. “These must be spread around the Tree of Harmony, where they will fester and grow, choking the ever-living normalcy out of it, until there’s nothing left but a tiny withered stem, bound for ten thousand years in endless, circling tendrils of glorious Chaos...” Twilight’s heart was practically exploding as Discord’s face came within inches of her own. “...and you’re going to plant them.” TO BE CONTINUED