A New Lord of Chaos

In some ways I had been right in others rather wrong. Yes Fluttershy was a screamer, but no it wasn’t loud. Apparently if scare her badly enough she screams, it just wasn’t anywhere near my normal hearing range judging by how the rabbit at the foot of the throne was trying to cover her ears. I rolled my eyes and kicked the ground like I was trying to adjust my shoe. In my arms the mare slumped, her eyes snapped shut, and a faint whispering snore began to emanate from her.

When the hyper sonic screaming ended the rabbit uncovered her ears and gave me a dirty look.

“Sorry about that.” The rabbit regarded me then seemed to shrug off the issue and returned to what she had been doing.

Luna gives me a look then says. “You did not answer our question.”

“Fair enough, after you fell asleep Fluttershy here finally made up her mind about which door to take. She balked at the first challenge.” I just stated the facts of the matter in a rather mundane fashion.

“How?”

I sighed and settled down on the sofa throne putting Fluttershy across my lap. Reaching into my jacket I pulled out the remote for my cameras again. I looked at Luna then patted the space next to me. She grumpily retook her seat and I rewound the footage for about an hour then made the screen depicting the path of kindness larger.

Luna watched in silence as the illusion tricked Fluttershy into quitting. Finally after the trapdoor opened she asked me a question. “What would have happened if she did not quit?”

I gave her a wry smile. “Had she tried slow down either of the walls the glamor would have failed and she could have gone down either path further into the long route or back to the hall to pick a different door. The trapdoor without having quit would have dumped her down a level in my little trial and she would only have the long route available to her.”

Luna seemed off put by this, and gave me a questioning look.

“Oh, don't give me that look.” I began to pet the yellow pegasus in my lap. “She was the only one I decided could have a pass on my little crucible. The path of kindness was anything but.”

Luna asked me another question with her eyes.

“After meeting her I knew she would never be able to pass the trials along that labyrinth. Kindness was one of the few elements I could turn against the barer easily and completely. That is why I sent the rabbit to bring her here without facing the darker nature of kindness.”

That finally got a vocal response from the princess of the night. “Darker nature of kindness? What could you have possibly planned to illustrate such a thing?”

I gave her an evil little chuckle with a predatory smile. “Kindness and generosity share a synonym. Mercy. Are you familiar with the concept of final mercy?”

She nodded and began speaking it seemed without thinking. “An old custom to help another end their suffering or to grant them an escape before they were captured by an enemy….”

She trailed off as her mind caught up with her mouth. The look on her face was one of pure horror as she realized what Fluttershy and or Rarity would face.

“Oh, don't worry Rarity won't be facing that ordeal. No Rarity might face something much worse depending on the path she chooses.”

“Worse?” The look of dread on her face was giving me some level of sadistic pleasure.

“How can Rarity be generous if it causes the being she gives to, to be harmed or die?”

She gives me a look of disgust. “Why, would you do such a thing?”

“Do you even know the purpose of the Elements of Harmony? Why it would trap a being like me in stone temporarily? Why you were cleansed of your insanity?”

She nodded. “They bring the subject exposed to them to harmony.”

“And another word for harmony is balance.” She gives me an odd look but I just go on. “By their nature the elements are neither good nor evil.”

The look on her face was confused. “What do you mean? We used them to overthrow Discord.”

“When he revealed in his power embracing insanity and anarchy. Chaos is not random acts of petty destruction or bending the world to your whims.”

This really seemed to catch her flat footed clearly not expecting me to have a different opinion about my station then my predecessor. “It’s not?”

“Are you really as old as your sister claims, because this is basic knowledge amongst my race’s youth.”
She blushes embarrassed from the look on her face.

I shook my head and answered her question. “Chaos by it nature is just as good as light, darkness, or law. It embodies probability, freedom, creativity, and change. As well as insanity, and anarchy. Just as law can embody reason, logic, and perfection; it must also empower oppression and conformity.”

Luna seems a bit shocked at what I said.

“And therein lies the reason for your corruption. You and your sister already are the avatars of light and darkness respectively adding to your roles by taking on law was foolish.”

She was speechless I watched as the pieces seemed to click in her mind. “So you’re saying that...”

I cut her off. “It was inevitable that one of you would seek to cast your influence over those you governed in such a way. Had one of you attempted to take up the mantle of chaos instead of sharing law..” I shrugged and let her ponder that line of thought.

“But back to the elements, they were never intended to be a force for good. It is in their nature to bring the subject to equilibrium. I mean didn’t either of you ever wonder why you found the elements on a tree? Nature outside of the influence of your little ponies is a perfect balance of the physical and metaphysical elements that make up all things.”

“How do you know of the tree? If what you say about replacing Discord is true how did you even learn of its existence.”

I had to hide a wince. I had let my tongue slip.

“Fair enough question. Either Discord or some force that selected me to be the new avatar of chaos left me some rather detailed dossiers concerning the elements, their current bearers, this world, and the alicorns.”

Luna looked nervous. “How detailed?”

I looked Luna up and down. “Concerning you and your sister well...” I smiled, leaned in, and whispered one word in her ear.

“”HOwCoUldThoukNoWsUCHathinG.” Luna spoke in a rush that would have made Pinkie proud. A deep blush was creeping down her neck to her wings.

‘Well if that one was correct I kind of want to see if I can lure Celestia with cake.’ As soon as I said it an image flashed across my mind. My throne turned into a deep sea fighting chair. Myself strapped in my cane turned into a fishing rod and reel wearing some bizarre cross between a pastry chefs hat and a fishing cap. Opening a tackle box that looked more like a bakery box to pick a cake to cast into the courtyard. I broke out laughing.
Luna gave me a confused look at my sudden outburst of laughter. I just tapped my cane and projected my thoughts onto the screen.

The scene played out. For her the illusionary me picking a cake that looked like it should have been at a wedding reception and tieing it to the line. Casting the cake out into the world. It landing on a bank of clouds around Canterlot.

She turned to me. “What did you find so humorous about this delusion?”

“Wait for it.”

She turned back to the screen in time to see a white horn start parting the clouds and start baring down on the confectionery delight. The horn disappeared. Then a minute later Celestia broke cover darting up from below the cake breaching the surface like a great white shark and the cake was some seal.

We watched as the battle began between Celestia and the me with the fishing rod. Celestia had latched on with her magic and was furiously pulling the cake back towards her throne room. The fight went on as slowly but surely the me on the screen drew her back into my manor. The little movie ended with me posing in front of front of Celestia tied to a fish rack by her rear hooves like in those old fishing photos contentedly munching of a slice of cake.

Luna broke out laughing harder than I had. Tears streaming down her face she rolled off the sofa and began pounding one of her hooves on the floor as she kept laughing.

I let her laugh herself out. I think she really needed that after what I had told her and it was a good sign that she could laugh like that.