Unpredictable Beauty

by Jarvy Jared

Rating: everyone
Tags: Discord, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 5441

How can Chaos explain itself to a being who knows only Harmony?

This time, Twilight sits in a room. Well, kind of a room. Sort of a room. A room that can be morphed into various other rooms at one's own leisure. And who else is there but Discord, here to teach Twilight another lesson, this time concerning the concept of Chaos itself?

With the Spirit of Disharmony as her teacher, she can at least guarantee that things will get interesting.

While this is the sequel to Oh The Choices, reading that story is not necessary to understand this one. Though, I do encourage you all to give it a read.

Published 2015-09-04 00:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-09-04 00:50:01 UTC

Lessons in Chaos

Twilight Sparkle had seen some rather strange things in her time as the Princess of Friendship.

First were her wings. Though she had grown used to them, she still remembered feeling utterly confused in their appearance. She, a unicorn, growing wings spontaneously? Her old self would have laughed at such a possibility. It seemed unlikely to ever happen, and was just as plausible as Discord becoming reformed.

The irony was not lost on her, as shortly before her ascension into alicornhood, the draconequus had been reformed.

She mentally went over her list of all the strange occurrences during her reign of friendship. The Elements of Harmony were given up, and their power had been directly transferred to herself and her friends; a centaur showed up and drained Equestria of its magic; then her library was blown up, replaced with a crystal castle; then she and her friends became the Spreaders of Friendship.

Of course, she couldn’t forget her first endeavors in the spreading of the concept. That strange village and that Starlight Glimmer character still made her wary. While she knew that the town was in good hooves, she couldn’t help but feel that perhaps the reign of Glimmer had still not fully been overthrown.

Still, though, most of that paled in comparison to her recent activities with a certain draconequus. That test with the glass of water and golden hammer a few weeks ago still took up the better part of her mind. She knew Discord to be shrewd; but she hardly expected him to be a teacher. And the fact that he not only taught Twilight, but also Princess Celestia, was perhaps a testament to his educator skills.

She smiled as she sat in her crystal library. Say what you wanted about the crazy draconequus of Chaos; if he wanted to teach you a lesson, he would.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock that resounded throughout the castle. She sighed. She would probably never get used to the aching loneliness that the huge castle gave her; any company was welcome in her eyes. She got up and walked towards the door.

The knocking became more furious, and by the time she had reached the door, it seemed ready to fall. “Alright, alright,” she huffed. “I’m here.”

She grabbed the knob with her magic and twisted, pulling the door aside.

“Well, speak of the devil,” she murmured as she gazed at her guest.

“You know, you could have just teleported in,” Twilight reminded her draconequus friend as they made their way back to the library section.

Discord snorted. “I could have; but the polite and friendly thing to do was to knock.”

“Yes, but not that furiously,” she responded.

He grinned. “I was getting bored waiting, and decided to knock out a beat. Can you blame me?”

She sighed. “That kind of sounds like something Pinkie Pie would do.”

“Oh, yes. That rambunctious party mare.” He sniffed. “Honestly, it is a bit odd that you have her as a friend, crazy as she is.”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah; but then again, I’m friends with you, aren’t I?”

A short while later, they reached Twilight’s library. While Twilight put away some of her books, Discord snapped his fingers and summoned two sofa chairs to sit on. Seeing Twilight’s questioning look, he gestured to one of them while he flew over and sat in the other. The alicorn understood the gesture, and walked over to the one he had pointed at and sat herself in it.

“So!” Twilight began. “What brings you to my castle, Discord?”

“Oh, nothing much,” the draconequus replied. “Just wanted to catch up with my favorite alicorn princess!”

She blushed. “I thought Celestia is your favorite?”

“Indeed? Then who was I talking about?” With a snap of his finger, a large mirror was held up in front of her, reflecting her features. “Could I be talking about this little mare?”

Twilight giggled at the draconequus’s usual playfulness. His antics, no matter how crazy, had always been entertaining. Though, she supposed it could be because he was on their side now, and she could feel somewhat comfortable around him.

“But there’s more to your visit than just small talk, right?” she asked.

“Ah, as perceptive as ever!” he joked, smiling at her. “Do you remember that little lesson I taught you and dear Celly a few weeks back?”

“How could I forget?”

Discord smirked. “Yes, I certainly can leave a long-lasting impression when I choose to.” To emphasize his point, he abruptly stood and imitated Princess Celestia, even transforming his beard into a similar style as her mane. “What’s that? An evil pegasus is attacking from the north? Send in the Elements of Harmony; the Fate of Equestria is in their hands—I mean, I wish for them to do their best!”

Despite the obvious mocking, Twilight still couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Discord, you’re so—”

“Charming? Devious?” he suggested.

“I was going for chaotic,” she said with her own smirk.

He snapped his fingers. “Ah! Yes, chaos. That’s what I came here for.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I can’t give you chaos, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You? Give me chaos?” he mocked. “Please, Twilight. Let the professional chaotic being here take care of ‘giving chaos.’” His eyes twinkled. “Nay, I think it is high-time that I teach you another lesson!”

She frowned. “Another lesson?”

He settled back down on his sofa chair with a sigh. “I must admit, teaching you and Celly that day was quite enjoyable. It never occurred to me that it would be fun to let off a bit of knowledge now and then.” He chuckled. “Who knew that lessons in friendship would ever come about through my actions?”

“Certainly not me,” Twilight said with a small smile.

“But now, the same yearning to teach eager young minds returns. And who better to teach but the smartest person I know?”

Twilight blushed. “That’s very nice of you, Discord—”

“Where is Spike?” he interrupted. “Surely he wishes to indulge in the merits of education!” Seeing Twilight’s face fall, he added, “Just joking with you, Princess. I wouldn’t miss teaching you for the world!”

“And what exactly are you going to teach me, Discord?”

“Why, lessons in chaos, of course!”

Before Twilight could get another word in, Discord suddenly opened up a portal leading to his home dimension. He plucked Twilight from where she stood and flew her in, smiling as she yelped in surprise.

Discord’s realm was unlike any Twilight had ever seen. Outside the cottage was a vast space, purple and sapphire energy flowing around without limitations. Several chunks of land floated in the space, carrying with them various landscapes from all across Equestria. She could see a forest biome near a wintery one, the snow billowing off into the infinite abyss. She shuddered, wondering if there was even a bottom to this plane of existence.

She turned back from the window, facing Discord. The draconequus was busy dusting up the place, the particles rising up from the furniture. He summoned a vacuum cleaner and efficiently sucked them up, all while humming a tune that sounded like the song the ponies sang during Winter Wrap Up. Twilight took a tentative step forward, still slightly worried about the nature of Discord’s “lesson.”

When the Chaos Spirit had finished, he snapped his fingers, summoning two, large sofa chairs. “Please! Have a seat! I promise they won’t bite,” he said, with a slight smile. Twilight nodded and sat down in one of the chairs, Discord taking the others. The chair began massaging the draconequus’s back, and he groaned. “Oof. It’s been awhile since I had the old joints cared for.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at Discord’s usual shenanigans, but her smile quickly fell as she remembered why she was here. “Er, Discord? If you don’t mind, could you tell me exactly what you want to teach me about Chaos?” she asked.

Discord looked at her with one eye. “Everything, of course.”

She blinked. “Everything?”

“Well, mostly everything,” he amended with a wave of his hand. “I mean, there are still some secrets that I doubt even you can hope to comprehend.”

Twilight didn’t say anything, unoffended. She eagerly looked forward to the lesson, however; it wasn’t everyday that the Lord of Chaos taught you about his element!

He snapped his fingers, and the sofa stopped massaging his back. He stretched and groaned. “Ah, much better! Tell me, Twilight, do you ever get your back massaged?”

“Sometimes, at the spa.”

“Indeed! I tell you, massages are the closest thing to harmony that I’ll ever truly feel.” He looked at her. “Well, aside from the friendship you and the girls give to me.”

She frowned. “You make friendship seem obligatory.”

“Well, it sort of is,” he said, eliciting a deeper frown and furrowed brow from her. “But Chaos? Chaos is not as obligated as those other concepts.”

“‘Other concepts?’”

“Come now, Twilight. Chaos and Harmony aren’t just terms for magic.” He winked at her. “Besides, you’ve already seen a few concepts that took on magical form, haven’t you?”

She placed a hoof on her chin pensively. She had seen some magic that took its power from other concepts. “You mean, like Love and Friendship?”

He nodded. “That I do. But, as you’ve seen, that magic is crafted and used by ponies.” He turned away, snapping his fingers and summoning a chalkboard. “Love, Harmony, and Friendship magic are, what I call, ‘obligatory magic.’ In that, the users are naturally obligated to use them.” He drew a crude picture of Princess Cadence. “In your sister-in-law’s case, she used the magic of Love to save her husband. And, as you and your friends have constantly demonstrated, you use the magic of Friendship to thwart ‘evil.’” He said the last part with air quotes.

“But that doesn’t imply that magic has its own mind?”

He turned and grinned at her. “Right-o, Twilight! Now you’re asking the right questions!” He erased the drawing, and created a diagram of the four magics he had spoken of: Chaos, Harmony, Love, and Friendship. He drew a line separating Chaos from the other three.

“Harmony, Love, and Friendship magic are more easily wielded than Chaos magic,” he explained. “They are also easier to control, and are easier to be used beneficially. Basically, they are naturally ‘good’ magic—though good is so subjective, it’s near revolting.” He mimicked gagging, before continuing. “But Chaos? Chaos is… well… chaotic. It neither has good nor bad in it. It does what it does, and cannot be predicted.” He looked back at Twilight. “Tell me, Twilight, do you know what Murphy’s Law is?”

Twilight eagerly nodded. “Yes. It’s the idea that, if anything can go wrong, it will.”

He nodded. “That right there can be considered an aspect of Chaos.” He frowned. “But can you tell me why that’s weird?”

She thought about it for a few seconds. “Well, if Chaos is inherently unpredictable…” Her eyes lit up in realization. “Wait! Murphy’s Law makes Chaos predictable!”

He laughed. “Well, only somewhat. After all, there’s no guarantee that what will go wrong, will go wrong. But it is as you say. That Law makes Chaos unchaotic.”

He turned back to the board, drawing a picture of a butterfly. “Now, could you tell me what the Butterfly Effect is?”

“Well, it basically states that small events can affect the probability of larger calamities happening. Like, could the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Ponyville cause a tornado in Griffonstone.”

He nodded. “Hm. You certainly know a lot about these chaotic subjects.”

She blushed. “Well, I read a lot…” She frowned. “Wait, the Butterfly Effect essentially predicts larger events from smaller events. What does that have to do with Chaos, if its whole deal is to be unpredictable?”

“Why, everything, of course.” He began writing on the board. “Lesson Number One In Chaos: Chaos, while inherently unpredictable, can, by the usage of ‘laws,’ become predictable. This, of course, creates what I call the Chaos Paradox: in which things chaotic are not truly chaotic, to an extent.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up at the new revelation. “That actually explains a lot about you.”

“Oh? And how so?”

“Well, in some of the texts I read about you, they described you with oxymorons.”

“Oh, do go on,” he said, excited to hear how he had been portrayed.

“They mostly said you were a youthful elder, or an elderly youth. Some went so far as to call you a mortal god. Even an imperfect perfection.” She frowned. “That one didn’t make much sense to me.”

He cackled. “Oh, how I do so love history. Especially when they get it wrong and right at the same time!”

He began pacing around, his clawed hand resting on his chin. If it weren’t the fact that he was Discord, Twilight could have easily pictured him in a professor’s outfit and them sitting in a classroom—

Her mouth hung open when Discord suddenly summoned a white lab coat and put it around him. With a snap of his fingers, the house was morphed into a school classroom, complete with desks and a huge blackboard up front. “Ah, that’s better,” he murmured. “Now, where was I?”

He walked over to the board and lifted a piece of chalk. He drew one arrow arcing downward, then drew another arrow arcing upward from underneath, pointing towards the tail of the first drawing. On the first arrow, he wrote “HARMONY” on top, and on the second arrow, he wrote “CHAOS.”

“Oh, but that does look a tad drab,” he commented. Leaning forward, he drew two dots and a curved line in the center of the drawing, making the figure look like a smiley face. “Ah, much better!”

He suddenly turned, his voice becoming distinctly high-pitched. “Eyes up here, everypony! I would like all of you to listen carefully while I exposition the stuffing out of you on Chaos!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Was that your Miss Cheerilee impression?”

“What, was it bad?” Twilight’s deadpan look made him chuckle. “I suppose voice imitation has never been one of my best talents.”

With a snap of his fingers, he moved Twilight up front, plopping her down in one of the seats. She was thrown a bit off by the sudden action, but resolutely looked at the board as the draconequus began his lecture.

“The nature of Chaos and Harmony is as such: they are part of a greater cycle. Allow me to ask you all a question: is too much Harmony a good thing?”

Twilight was about to speak up, but Discord snapped his fingers, removing her mouth. He nodded, satisfied. “See how you immediately protest against such an idea. It is because you do not fully grasp either of the concepts.”

He snapped his fingers once more, and Twilight’s lips returned. She glared temporarily at the draconequus, before falling back into a curious silence.

“Harmony,” Discord continued, “is achieved through two main means: Order and Freedom. Both of those, however, must be considered with great care.”

He waved an arm, and brought over a stack of history books. He opened a few, skimming through the pages. “If we look at our history, for example, we can see rulers utilizing these means in various ways.”

He held up one of the books, the pages opened to a section about King Sombra. “Rulers need to establish order in order to maintain a stable nation, but sometimes they put too much Order. These rulers, like old Somber here, become tyrants, dictating with an iron fist. They “protect” their nation by smothering it.”

“Isn’t that what you did?” Twilight asked. Discord, however, ignored her, moving on with the lecture.

“This is where Freedom comes into play, Sparkle. Freedom ensures that the ruler is not in total power.” To emphasize his point, he snapped his fingers, causing the picture of Sombra to suddenly vaporize. As the tyrant on paper vanished, he was replaced by younger versions of Celestia and Luna, back when they had banished the dark tyrant. Behind them was a cheering populous of ponies. “Freedom allows ponies to make their own decisions, and lets them do what they wish. However, with too much freedom comes a price.”

He flipped a few pages, stopping at one that detailed the Crom Uprising. “Vector Crom was a prime example of this. He and a few others wanted more freedom in their lives, so they wanted to usurp Celestia from ruling Equestria. Called her a tyrant.” He chuckled. “Of course, his little uprising didn’t do much other than annoy her.

“He may have considered her actions as the supreme ruler as extreme, but I think he was the more sinister of the two.”

“What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“Celestia may have reigned in total power in the absence of her sister, but she still managed to keep things relatively peaceful. I can’t tell you how many times I saw ponies enter the palace with disgruntled expressions—and leave looking rather pleased.” He noticed Twilight’s questioning look. “I may have been turned to stone and had been unable to move, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t see or hear what transpired.”

He continued the lecture, “When Crom was trying to usurp the Princess, he committed some rather… interesting actions. Burning down houses of those who supported Celestia, razing farmland, shouting obscenities about Her Highness’s behind…” He looked at Twilight with an amused expression. “Back then, times were much more interesting than now.”

“You call meeting a magic-absorbing centaur boring?” Twilight retorted.

“Either way,” Discord continued, “the point is that Crom committed unspeakable acts that not even a supposed ‘tyrant’ like Celestia could condone—all in the zeal of ‘true freedom.’” He said the last bit with a roll of his yellow eyes.

“If led by the misguided, the ignorant, and the angry, those who wish to be freed will become bringers of anarchy to those around them. Freedom, then, can become a harbinger of discord.” He chuckled at his own joke.

He moved back to the board, writing above HARMONY the words, Order and Freedom. “Harmony, therefore, is built on the balance between Order and Freedom. It is such a precarious balance that even the slightest tip of the scales could bring disharmony on us. Hence, Harmony is not so much a good thing, as much as it is a balancing act on the tightrope of life.”

He moved his finger down to where CHAOS resided. “Chaos is the antithesis of Harmony. It is the destruction, the ‘evil,’ as you describe it. And, certainly, it has it’s fair share of unlikeable moments. But,” he added, turning around and facing Twilight with a grin, “in all my years I have been alive, I have found something truly remarkable about it’s nature.

“Chaos is necessary.”

Twilight gaped at him as if he had three heads (which, admittedly, was not so far-fetched as it sounded). Her tongue rolled out of her mouth, and her eyes widened, pupils shrunk to microscopic levels. Her left eyelid began twitching as her mind struggled to comprehend what the spirit of Chaos had just said.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, it really isn’t that hard to understand, Twilight. There’s no need for such a dramatic reaction.”

She shook her head, managing to regain some of her sanity. “Er, sorry. It’s just—” She took a deep breath, before continuing, “How exactly is Chaos necessary?”

“It’s quite simple, I assure you,” he answered, turning away from the mare, a slight smirk on his lips. “I’ve described to you the dangers of Harmony, ranging from oppression to anarchy. Think of Chaos this way: it’s the Yin to Harmony’s Yang. It’s something used to keep Harmony in reason.”

Quickly he drew up a scale, with Harmony on one end, and Chaos on the other. He made sure that the scales were parallel to each other. “Harmony and Chaos exist in a sort of ‘checks and balances’ system. One is made sure to counteract the other, should the other grow far too powerful.” He tapped on the Chaos end, and the scales tilted towards the word. In response, Harmony suddenly grew physically bigger, until it managed to match the weight of Chaos.

“But that’s when Chaos gets out of hand,” Twilight said. “How exactly can Harmony get out of hand?”

“Well, by the ignorant, of course! Simply remember back to the examples I gave you!”

Twilight did so, thinking carefully. She had to concede that Crom’s failed rebellion, as well as Sombra’s oppression, were made with the various components of Harmony. In a sense, then, perhaps the root of Harmony could also be the route of Chaos.

She remembered something else, something more recent. “Starlight Glimmer,” she said, looking at Discord. “She wanted to create Harmony.”

“But?”

“But to do so, she removed ponies’ Cutie Marks and made them all ‘equal.’ But by doing that, she created a false Harmony, making herself the only one who had any power.”

Discord nodded. “And what did you and your friends do?”

“We freed the ponies from Starlight’s rule, giving them back their Cutie Marks.”

He clapped his hands. “Very good, Twilight Sparkle! If I may be so bold as to suggest something?” She nodded at his prompt. “Perhaps it can be said that you and your friends were the Chaos to Starlight’s ‘Harmony.’”

She cocked her head. “How so?”

“You disrupted her ‘Order,’ and destroyed her ‘Freedom,’” he explained with a smile. “And, as I have shown, Chaos does just that. By your actions, you restored a balance between Chaos and Harmony in that quaint, little town, didn’t you?”

He spread his arms wide. “Chaos is necessary for Harmony, and Harmony is necessary for Chaos. Lesson Number Two, then, is that both are needed to keep things out of constant entropy.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at her draconequus friend’s enthusiasm. No matter how eccentric he made himself out to be, he could still teach an enjoyable lesson.

“Oh, look at the time!” He summoned a large, golden watch, sparing it a glance. “Just enough for one final lesson!”

He began pacing around the room, hand on his chin. “But what to cover? Why cotton candy clouds are more fun than chocolate clouds? Why only a few of us can use Chaos magic?” He mumbled something incomprehensible, before snapping his fingers. “Ah, of course! The best topic!”

He wheeled around, snapping his fingers once more. The room morphed at the usage of Chaos magic, settling into a smaller cube.

Twilight glanced around. The classroom setting had been replaced with grey walls and a grey, marble floor. The ceiling was a similar shade, sporting a subdued color scheme. A pale, stone slab table sat in the middle of the room, with two seats at the front and back sides. She walked forward and settled on the front chair, while Discord took the other.

Not the most eye-catching of places, but it will do,” commented Discord. He snapped his fingers, summoning a chart with the three types of moral alignments: Good, Neutral, and Evil. Under each alignment, going horizontally, were three more types of each. Twilight quickly identified them.

“Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good… Lawful Neutral, True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral… Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil…” she read aloud.

“Good to see that your eyes are still working,” he said, chucking. “Allow me to ask you something, Twilight. Am I evil?”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Am I evil?” he repeated.

She blinked again. “Well… I…” She paused, considering her answer. She glanced up at Discord, a bit of apprehension in her eyes.

He sighed. “You can say what you want. I can take it. I’m a big boy!”

She managed a small smile, before answering, “Well… now? You’re not really evil.”

“Really? Go on.”

“I mean, you’re chaotic, of course, but I’d say,” she glanced up, remembering the chart of alignment, “you’re more of a Chaotic Neutral nowadays.”

He snorted, amused. “Yes, I suppose I am. You ponies are making me soft!”

“Is that really a bad thing?”

He sighed. “I suppose not.” He looked at her intensely. “Now, how about the old me? Before I was reformed, as it were? Back when I was trying to make you become the opposite of your true selves?” To himself he muttered, “And I would have gotten away with it to, if it weren’t for a certain Sun Butt…”

She didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, you were Chaotic Evil. I mean, you were the literal definition of the term!”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I suppose I was.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on his chin, a small grin crossing his lips. “And what about Celestia?

With no hesitation, she answered, “Lawful Good.”

He squinted his eyes. “Are you suuuuuure?”

“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, if I was evil, did that make my Chaos evil?”

“I—”

“And, since I’m neutral now, is my Chaos magic neutral in nature?”

“It-well—”

“Need I remind you of the past lesson?” He narrowed his eyes. “Of how Chaos is necessary?”

“That doesn’t make it good!” she blurted.

“But that doesn’t make it evil either,” he said. “And, as we’ve also established, Harmony isn’t always a good thing, is it?”

Twilight sighed. “No, it isn’t.”

“No, because thanks to things such as a mad quest for power, anarchy, oppression, and so forth,” he reiterated, leaning back with a smirk, “we can safely say that Harmony isn’t all it’s made up to be.

“Here’s the thing, Twilight. You ponies’ concepts of good and evil?” He waved his paw dismissively. “Completely pointless with Chaos and Harmony.”

She cocked her head. “I’m sorry?”

“The problem with defining things as good and evil is that it is entirely subjective. There is no true right, nor is there a true wrong. So long as opinions and ideas and ideals and argument exists, there is no real way to get a universal right and wrong.” He smiled. “I suppose, then, that Glimmer was on the right track, trying to remove individuality in favor of comradery.”

“But her Harmony wasn’t true Harmony. True Harmony comes from diversity and acceptance,” Twilight said.

“Indeed. But that does not make Harmony a good thing. Can you guess why?”

“Aren’t you supposed to tell me why?”

“I could. But you’re smart. You can try to figure out.”

And try she did. Twilight thought back to the previous lessons, remembering the paradox of Chaos, and the fact that both Chaos and Harmony were necessary to keeping some sort of balance in the universe. She thought about all the times in history when Chaos and Harmony clashed. She remembered overthrowing Glimmer’s Harmony.

And then, she finally had an answer. She looked at Discord, carefully organizing her thoughts. “Harmony is not good, but neither is Chaos. That is because good and evil are subjective terms, differentiating between ponies. While Harmony thrives on this diversity, ultimately it is left untouched by the terms.”

“And tell me, why is that?”

“Because in the end,” Twilight explained, “the ponies themselves decide what is right and wrong. Based on their beliefs, then, they can choose to advance towards Harmony or Chaos.”

“Right, right. Go on.”

“The fact that you sided with Tirek made you bad, yes, but your Chaos was not.” She frowned. “The fact that Celestia used the Elements of Harmony against her sister made her a pony willing to do the right thing and banish her, but did not make Harmony itself an instrument of punishment.”

Discord smiled as he saw Twilight slowly beginning to realize the truth.

“Therefore… it is not Chaos or Harmony that is good or evil, but the users of the concepts that are the terms. We all have the potential to be good or evil; but Harmony and Chaos are simply, well, Harmony and Chaos. There is no good or evil side to them.”

There was the sound of party streamers being blown; Twilight looked around, expecting Pinkie Pie, but it was only Discord. “Bravo, Twilight, bravo! You’ve figured it out!” He smiled. “Lesson Number Three In Chaos: it is neither good nor bad; that is dependent on the user’s actions with Chaos.”

With a snap of his fingers, the grey room vanished, and they once again returned to Discord’s otherworldly cottage. Discord flew over and gave her a hug. “Oh, I’m so proud! It’s like a parent, finally teaching his foal how to speak and conquer the world, one word at a time!”

The strange analogy aside, Twilight couldn’t help but blush under Discord’s praise. “Uh, thanks, Discord, really.”

“No, thank you, Twilight, for being a great student!” He summoned a handkerchief and blew in it. “I actually tried teaching Celly similar lessons a long time ago; but she wasn’t as quick as you.” He frowned. “Or maybe I was just a bad teacher?”

Twilight giggled. “Well, I can honestly say that you’ve improved as a teacher, Discord.”

He looked at her, surprised. “You really think so?”

“Of course! Who else could teach me a lot about Chaos, than the Spirit of Disharmony himself?”

“Oh, you flatter me,” he said, wrapping her in a tight hug. all the while sniffling into his handkerchief.

They stayed that way for a little while, before Twilight said, “Um, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I should probably go now…”

After Twilight had been returned to her castle, Discord met with Celestia in Canterlot. The Sun Princess was initially not amused by Discord’s antics, but admitted that the draconequus had an effective method in teaching ponies.

“Though, I do ask that you refrain from dragging any of the ponies into otherworldly dimensions in the future,” she requested.

Discord bowed low. “Of course, Your Royal Sun Butt.”

She rolled her eyes at his jab. “I must admit, you can be quite the teacher, Discord.”

He smiled. “Yes, I suppose I can be. It’s funny; I found that teaching Sparkle was quite an enjoyable experience.”

She looked at him with surprise. “For Twilight?”

“For both of us.”

She nodded. They walked up to the throne, where Luna waited with a smile. “Sister,” the Lunar Princess said, “have you told Discord of what we wished?”

“I don’t do song requests,” he quipped, making Luna softly giggle. Celestia sighed at his statement, before sitting down at her throne. “But what do you wish of me, Celly?” he asked.

“It’s entirely up to you, of course,” she said, gesturing a hoof at him. “But… given how you’ve… well… taught both me and Twilight, the latter of which you have taught twice now, we thought that it would be nice if you… well… were to teach other ponies.”

He blinked. “Me? Teach ponies? Teach them what, exactly?”

Luna smiled. “Anything, so long as it doesn’t require world dominating. Otherwise we’d have to get Twilight and her friends to turn you back to stone; and I doubt that she would want to miss the potential of another lesson.”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Me, a teacher, eh?” After a moment, he smiled. “I’ll look into it.”

Celestia and Luna nodded at his response, and he made a small bow, before teleporting back to his home dimension. A moment later, a note popped up in front of Celestia.

Of course, it read, we’ll have to discuss my fees.

Celestia smiled. “This will be quite the interesting job for our favorite draconequus.”

Elsewhere, said draconequus was busy dirtying up his home again, thinking about the next lesson he would teach to the next lucky pony. Perhaps in time, that next lesson would come soon.

FIN

Author's Note

Well, that only took a month...:derpyderp1:

Either way, I wasn't planning on making a sequel to Oh The Choices, but after some consideration, I thought a follow-up story would be nice. I had a lot of fun writing this, though the bouts of writer's block and procrastination did present quite the challenges.

I'm finding that I enjoy writing Discord as a prankster god character. He's fun to write, and provides great moments of comedy, both in the show and in the fandom. As he is very old, I thought that he would be a great teacher for the ponies in various subjects. Sure, he may not know much about Friendship and Harmony, but he has knowledge about things that perhaps Celestia and Luna don't have.

Hopefully, you've enjoyed this story. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below!