The Chaos Within

Chapters

A new mission
Wash...
Tangles
Rinse...
Resting
Chaotic thoughts
...Repeat
Chaos
Whole
Harmony and Chaos
Death
A False Front
The Sky Darkens
History Repeats
Epilogue: Goodbye Stone
Meeting Discord
Triquel

A new mission

"Yah!"

"Rraah!"

Cling!

With that last move, Stone parried my blow and my sword went flying. I fell back and let the ground catch me while I panted for breath. Stone's grey chest was heaving while his red mane and tail hung with sweat. He stabbed his sword into the ground and walked up to me.

"Hah....hah... you're... getting better... hah... boy..." He took a few more breaths and helped me up. "But you're still thinking with that head of yours! How many times do I have to tell you to feel the battle?"

"I can't... hah... help it. I was born to think."

"Thinking won't do you any good if you're dead!" Just then, one of the castle stewards trotted up to us.

"Sir Dex, Her Majesty, Princess Celestia, would like to speak with you in her study."

"Phew... Okay... Tell her I'll be along shortly." I finally managed to catch my breath. With his message delivered, the messenger headed back inside. "Stone. We'll talk more later, alright?"

"I know, I know. Run off to Celestia, boy."

"Right." I brushed myself off, collected my sword, and headed to Celestia's study.

Heh, six months of training and Stone can still beat me. I guess that old earth pony is onto something after all. I still can't believe I'm here. And a knight of Celestia's Guard no less! Well, might as well find out what she wants.

I knocked upon the door of Celestia's study and let myself in. After all this time, I've grown to relax around the royalty in the castle.

"Hey, Celestia. What's up?" She looked up from some papers and raised an eyebrow.

"Dex, it is a good thing we have known each other for so long. You are supposed to wait for me to call you in."

"Eh, I know you don't care about protocol now. Besides, if you lived stiff forever, you'd go insane, if I got your words right."

"Not quite, but close." She grew serious. "I called you here because there is a problem in one of the towns you recently visited. I need you to go there and find out what happened."

Serious face equals serious reaction. I knelt before her. "As you wish, Your Majesty. I am yours to command."

"Go to Slade, investigate, and report back to me when you are done. Here are the reports."

"Very well," I stood and grabbed the papers from her telekinetic grasp. I looked over them for a few moments. It was a unique assignment; ponies were hearing things and disappearing in the night, only to show up different. "Who can I bring with me?"

"We do not want to cause panic; only bring a few ponies with you. Did you have somepony in mind?"

"I wish to bring Stone and Panacea. Stone, for his battle experience, and Panacea, for her medical expertise. Will that be acceptable?"

"Of course. I will send the orders."

"And I will meet them. Stay safe, Your Majesty." I bowed and exited. My first stop would be the Canterlot hospital.

Panacea works as a nurse in the hospital when I don't whisk her away on odd jobs. She's a unicorn, which I didn't find out until I caught her without her nurse's cap on, with a peach colored coat and white mane and tail. We grew close during my two extended stays there and every time I hurt myself in practice since. She's got an easy going attitude, but I wouldn't want to get on her bad side. The things she can do with her medical knowledge truly frightens me.

By now, the hospital's employees were used to me coming in. The nurse at the front desk immediately called for Pan when she saw me.

"Panacea! Your boyfriend is here!"

"Honesty hun, stop saying that. You know we aren't together." Pan walked out of a patient's room and looked me over. "Huh, you're not hurt. Guess that means you need me for another mission?"

"Sure do, the order should be here shortly. We're going to Slade with Stone."

She sighed. "I don't know why I let you rope me into these things. Come on then, I just finished with my last patient." We said our farewells and started towards the castle. "You owe me something for all this. I was hoping to relax this weekend."

"I thought you loved being whisked away to new locations." There was a smile on my face. "I'm sure I can think of something. Maybe a fancy dress?" She glared at me. "Haha, I know. Don't worry, I'll get you something you like."

We reached the castle and headed to the guard's training grounds to get Stone. He was an interesting character; loud and carefree one minute, and stoic the next. I managed to catch him at a bar one time and all hell broke loose. We ended up drinking the night away and pulling in the whole bar for a song and dance number. Stone made me swear to never mention that night again.

He was waiting for us when we entered the central building. "You got me going on another of your missions, boy! You know I'll always be there for ya, but you could at least ask!" Despite the accusing tone, a smirk was playing at his muzzle.

"And give you a chance to decline? Never. If you're all set to go, we should get going. It's a long ride to Slade."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go. You can tell me all about this mission of yours on the way."

Sometimes, it's good to be a knight. The three of us had a flying chariot arranged. Even with the faster mode of transportation, we wouldn't be there til nightfall. I managed to find time to think after discussing the assignment.

Yet another job. At least it pays well; I wouldn't have been able to pay Twilight back so quickly. Seven months ago, when I first arrived in Equestria, Twilight had helped me get clothes and glasses. A couple weeks later, Discord was released. Apparently, I emitted chaos energy, which helped him break out of stone; I was forced into a fight for survival when he sent me into a forest as, 'insurance,' he said.

After being rescued and going crazy, Twilight had used a spell that was supposed to return me to Earth. It didn't work, but I was freed of the voices in my head. I learned that I was in a coma induced by Discord's magic. The voices I heard were my family's. When Twilight used her spell, I came to realize I wanted to stay in Equestria and the link between our worlds was severed. Although I still miss my family on occasion, I've never been happier.

I was broken out of my reverie by Panacea. She pointed towards the distance and I saw the town I had visited a few times in my travels. We had reached Slade.

Wash...

We landed on the outskirts of town. It was more quiet than I was used to for Slade. I knew the townsfolk would take caution, but this was too much.

"Something isn't right here. Slade's normally a little more active than this at night," I said.

"Keep your wits about you, boy. What do you see?"

I saw boarded up windows. Every streetlight was on and anypony I saw hurried to his destination. They weren't panicking yet, but tensions were high. I told our drivers to rest at the inn while we looked around.

"What do you think Stone? Panacea?"

"Whatever is going on, we'd better keep an eye out. I'm thinking some creature is up to something here." Stone always thought it was something to fight; it didn't help that he was normally right.

"There's something sweet in the air. Most likely, weaker willed ponies are drawn to it. That's probably when they come back acting different." On the other side of the coin, Pan wouldn't fail to mention some plant or poison.

"Hmm, what if it's both?" I was trying to lighten the mood a bit. Pan just rolled her eyes and Stone gave me a bored look.

"You always say that, boy. Not one time has it ever been both. Come on, we'd better go rest." Pan and I followed him to the inn.

Slade's inn and tavern was the standard affair. With beds upstairs and a bar on the main floor, patrons didn't have to worry about what would happen after too much drink. I spotted our transporters at a table and waved my friends to join them. Hope y'all have fun tonight.

"What'll ya have?" An old mare was running the check-in counter. I secured three rooms and meals for five. As I headed towards the stairs, Stone stopped me from across the room.

"Dex! Where ya going boy!"

"You enjoy yourselves. I'm going headed to the room early." I tossed the other two room keys towards him. "Y'all figure out sleeping arrangements." At that, I headed upstairs, found my room, and flopped on the leftmost bed. Two beds per room, five people. I wonder how they'll figure this one out. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" A young golden filly came in with a tray on her back. Hmm. "Hey, I have a question for you." She slid the platter on a small table near the door and looked at me.

"Yes?" Her voice was quiet, but it had bite to it. Whoa... Bad day?

"Can you tell me anything about the past few weeks?" Information is information no matter the source they say.

She groaned and sat down with her silver tail wrapped around her. "I can tell you a lot of things. Be more specific."

"Having a bad day, Riches?" I still gotta use her nickname to get her to open up.

"Only too many questions being thrown my way. You're curious about the disappearances right?" She hopped on the bed with me and laid down. "I don't know much. The way everypony's talking, it sounds like a living shadow." A living shadow?

"That's all you know?"

"Yeah, sorry Numbers." She yawned. "Can I sleep here?"

Riches and I met when I first came to Slade. Since I had to stay at the inn, she would always be around and I started to enjoy her company. I eventually started calling her Riches, and she, in mock revenge, started calling me Numbers. Now, it was like we were siblings that only got to see each other on rare occasions. "Yeah, Riches, I'm going to eat."

Another yawn and she spoke. "Okay, it's carrot soup though. Night," and then she was off to dreamland. The soup had cooled by this point, so I quickly drank it and laid down with Riches after blowing out the candle.

So some sort of shadow is tormenting these ponies. What is this, Alan Wake? Ugh, what are we supposed to do, make a bonfire or something? Whatever, we'll kill it and be on our way soon enough.

I woke up with a peach in my face. Or rather, it looked like a peach. When I shuffled back, I saw Pan glaring at me.

"So what's this, hmm? Is there something you forgot to tell me, Dex?" The way she said my name was an instant warning flag. I looked down and saw Riches curled up next to me. I knew what Pan was getting at even in my half asleep state.

"Really Panacea? Really?" I just stared at her. It didn't take long for her to start squirming.

"Well, I thought..."

"Ahuh. So Stone didn't say anything to you?"

"I haven't seen him since he went to sleep in the third room." I did a double-take.

"Wait, what? How did you guys decide the sleeping arrangements?"

"....I lost a bet...." She started blushing.

"So... you had to sleep here... while Stone got his own room..."

"Um... yeah... " Blushing reaching maximum levels!

"And you didn't wake me up then because..."

"Would you two just kiss good morning already?!" Apparently, Riches was up the whole time. The question also caused Pan to seize up.

"We aren't like that Riches. Since you're up, would you care to explain why you were under the covers with me? I seem to recall you didn't like sheets."

"No. Have fun with your girlfriend, I have to get ready for work." Riches then hoped out of bed and left. I got up and stretched; as I got to the door, I looked back at Pan.

"Yo, Pan, I'm heading down," I said and left. Silly Pan. It's funny how easy it is to mess with these ponies.

Thirty minutes later, Stone and I were discussing various avenues of investigation when Pan came down the stairs. She didn't say a word as she shot me a glare, ate, and headed towards the door. A look was shared between Stone and me, then we hurried after her.

We spent the morning and afternoon gathering what little information we could. Other than points towards where the missing ponies appeared from, we had no luck. Panacea was quiet the entire time. Stone spoke up as we walked towards our last stop, the other side of town where the ponies reappeared.

"Oy, Panacea, what happened? Did the boy come onto you last night?" I know you're working for a laugh Stone, but it's not helping.

I sighed and preceded to explain. "...And that's what happened. Now, are you going to continue to grump up the place or are you going to help us figure this out?"

"I'm not being grumpy! I'm just... tired, that's all."

"Tired? You should have told me before we left! I wouldn't have made you go." I felt bad then; I didn't want my friends thinking they had to join me on command.

"Not that kind of tired." There was a pause. "Us. I'm tired of the jokes about us, Dex." Oh...

"Well, um... I got nothing. Stone?"

"Don't look at me, boy! This is your problem not mine." I didn't get a chance to respond. A large shadow blanketed us. When we looked up, I saw a ..thing. There was nothing to describe it. It's form never stayed as one shape and was solid black. Panacea jumped back as Stone and I prepared for battle.

We split up, Stone going left and me going right. I drew my sword, he drew his. We came back together and sliced at the thing. It roared in pain and swiped at Stone. He dodged and jumped on it's exposed arm. I ran around and attacked from behind. The thing's form shifted. I heard a cry of pain and ran back. Stone was down.

"Stone!" I ran in front of the beast and sheathed my weapon. Alright, don't think. Feel. I felt my anger build and my mind slip. Once I couldn't add any more anger, I let myself go. Release.

I rushed forward. Sidestepped left. Slashed up and to the right as I drew. Its form changed and swung. I parried the blow to the right. I followed through with it. One appendage lost. Another swing and I held my sword out. It's other arm split down the middle. When it fell, I ran forwards. I stabbed my sword through it's head. The beast grew still.

I left my sword embedded in the beast and ran back to the others. "STONE!" I dropped to my knees and looked him over.

Blood trickled out of Stone's mouth as he looked up to me. "Don't worry about me, boy. Right, Panacea?" When I looked up to her, I saw her horn glowing.

"A cracked rib and some internal bleeding, but he'll be alright. It would be best if we hurried back to Canterlot. Slade's medical supplies aren't very useful here." Right.

I nodded and got up to retrieve my sword. The monster was missing and my sword laid on the ground. What...the...? Shaking it off as nothing, I reached for the katana. There was a slight jolt when I grabbed it, like I was hit with a static discharge. What happened? Did the monster turn to particles like in a game or something? I need to tell Celestia. My weapon was sheathed, our ride arrived, and Pan placed Stone in with her telekinesis.

"Be careful, stallions. Stone is injured and too much rough flying can make him worse," she warned. We boarded and we were on our way once more. "Dex, are you alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah, thinking." The more I think about it, it was like a video game...

Tangles

We made it back to Canterlot without hurting Stone further. The stallions flying us brought us right to the hospital doors. I wasn't in much of a state for talking and waved them off.

Panacea quietly lifted Stone onto a stretcher one of the other nurses brought out. While Pan headed in and gave her report of injuries, I stayed behind. I knew he'd be fine, but my mind was restless.

What the hell? How did I let Stone get hurt fighting that thing? Dammit, am I really so useless until I let my anger consume me? And what of that thing anyway? I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Celestia. Ugh, I just want to forget meeting her, but my damnable oath... Bah, she can wait until I check on Stone and Pan.

My thoughts took longer than I thought; Pan met me outside the doors and the sun was coming up. She looked tired, but unworried. "Dex? Why are you out here still?"

"Hmm... Nothing, Pan. How's Stone?" I stared out at the sky.

"He'll be fine after a week or two. Cracked ribs are a lot better than broken and the bleeding was stopped."

"Ah... That's good. ... You going to keep an eye on him?"

"I will, after I sleep anyway."

"Okay." I pushed myself off the wall and started towards the castle.

"Dex... Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine."

Very rarely, did my mood show on my face. That morning, everypony saw it. Guards would open doors before I got there and stewards steered clear. I wanted to get the report over with. With the sun coming up, she must be on her balcony. Might be able to mess with her by walking in on her. The guards at her bedroom doors were fidgeting under my glare.

"S-sir Dex! Th-the princess is b-busy. W-wait for the s-sun to rise, please." Well since he said please...

"No." I pushed my way past them and casually pushed her doors open. "Celestia, I have my report."

I hadn't affected her at all, she finished raising the sun and turned to me. Her mood was not pleasant. "Dex, even a knight of your standing cannot enter a princess's room unannounced. Leave before I decide to do something about it." Psh, I'm tired of your games Celestia.

I walked to the center of her room, my tone just as strict as her own. "No. I've come to give my report and then I will go."

"Then do so. The guards are waiting." Empty threats.

"Slade was being terrorized by a living shadow. It's form always changed but we managed to defeat it. Stone is in the hospital receiving treatment for wounds sustained in battle."

Celestia's eyes widened a bit. "You are lucky the situation has changed, Dex. Follow me to my study, we will discuss this further." She strolled past me and stopped at her doorway. Her head turned back to me with a grin. "Do not get arrogant; next time I will call the guards." At that, she exited for her study as I followed.

We met Luna on her way to bed. Celestia had her join us and the rest of the walk was quiet and uneventful. When we got to the study, Celestia immediately went to her bookshelf. Luna sat next to the desk while I stood at the front.

"Where is Panacea and what did you find of the citizens at Slade?" Celestia continued to browse the spines of her books.

"Pan stayed with Stone. She is resting at the moment though. As for the citizens, they didn't act too differently from before. Some spoke in broken sentences and couldn't keep a conversation together though."

Luna spoke up. "So the reports were false?"

"Not false, just not as serious as they claimed. I'm sure they will be fine now. We believed the monster warped them."

"What happened after you defeated it?" Celestia grabbed a book and set it on the desk. She started flipping through it slowly.

"It disappeared."

She found the page she was looking for and started reciting from it. "'Chaos is an odd form of energy. With large amounts, it can take a form unlike anything in existence. Witnesses speak of a dark shadow that changed shape at random.'" She looked up. "This is what you found?"

"Sounds like it, yes."

Both princesses looked to each-other and sighed. When they looked back at me, Celestia spoke. "Discord commonly used these beings as forward soldiers. I am not sure what this means, but it is a serious problem."

The princess of the night cut in. "Sister, what of Dex's own chaos?" Hmm...

"Good point my sister. I will call for Twilight Sparkle."

"Why Twilight?" I was curious; if I was causing this, couldn't the princesses find out?

"Twilight has felt your energies before. She will know if something has changed about the chaos you emit."

"Fine, but I have stuff I want to do. When she gets here, tell her to meet me on the grounds or in my room." This conversation is over.

"Very well. Go. My sister and I have much to discuss."

I didn't bother to bow as I left. My head was still clouded from the fight. Once again, guards and stewards gave me a wide berth; the training grounds felt empty when I entered.

Dammit Stone. You'll be fine soon enough but you shouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place. You were always the better fighter. I drew my blade and started swinging at a practice dummy. "Why." The sword bounced off. "Did" I brought the sword upward and it was reflected again. "You." A stab and it pierced. "Get." A two handed horizontal swing dug in. "HURT!" I brought the katana down vertically and the dummy split in half.

"Woah!"

I spun to meet the speaker. A few guards were looking between me and the dummy. "What."

"Nothing! Just surprised you split a dummy!" Ugh, I won't get anything done here.

The sword was re-sheathed and I pushed past the onlookers. Only thing left is to tinker. I walked through the castle in a blur. Things didn't go like they should have and I was to blame for it.

I was in my room, messing with some wire and magnets. It was fun telling the blacksmith I wanted copper wire and even funnier to explain to a geologist that I was looking for magnets. One of the things I was trying, to find my calling, was engineering. A while back I managed to make a little electricity and now I was attempting to increase the power. It helped take my mind of Stone. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." I had calmed down considerably since the grounds. When the door opened, I saw Twililght with Celestia. "Ah, Twilight, Celestia, hello. Time for some tests?"

"I will not stay. Twilight will handle things from here. When you two are done, here are the next orders. I expect you to take Twilight with you; her research will require it." Already?

"Stone and Pan are not ready."

"You handled yourself well enough and Twilight knows battle magic. You two will be fine." Gotta be all logical, huh Celestia?

The door closed behind her and I was left alone with Twilight. She was looking around at my creations with wonder. I bet if I gave her free reign, she'd be lost there for days. I didn't want that to happen.

"Twilight!"

She shook herself out of whatever thought she was having and turned to me. "Dex, did you build everything in here?"

"Except for the furniture, yes." If you go on a tangent...

"How did you do it? What does this stuff even do?" She looked closely at a Tesla coil.

"Later, Twilight. I want to get these tests over with." I will tell you Twilight, but I'm pretty irritated right now.

"But...b-but...Alright, fine." Her head drooped before looking at me studiously. "Just stay still." The horn on her head began to glow and I felt a tingling throughout my body. After a few minutes, it stopped. "That's strange. Dex, you are releasing more chaotic energy than before."

Well ain't that dandy! "Don't look at me for answers to this." What could cause that though? Oh! "Hey, Twilight, check this too." I reached to the side of my work table and grabbed the sword Discord had given me so long ago. "Discord gave this to me in the forest."

She was livid. "And you're just now telling me?! Dex, what could possibly have made you keep this a secret?!"

I set it down on the ground. "Well, it's a really nice sword..." Don't you dare take it away from me!

"Ugh, you're impossible sometimes. Fine, let me look." Once again, her horn lit up and I saw the katana do the same. Twilight's spell washed over it longer than it did with me. Her magic stopped and she looked even more confused than before. "Dex, I don't understand. This sword doesn't have any chaos magic in it at all."

"Well, what does it have? You looked for a long time, after all." I picked it back up and looked it over. It was the same as it always was, both the sheath and hilt were black with a perfect edge to the blade.

"It has an enchantment to keep it from dulling, which is hard to create." I had relief written on my face. "There's something else too. It seems it can absorb magic. Chaotic, Harmonic, Neutral, it doesn't matter. Luckily, it doesn't do it unless you swing it."

"Where does the magic go though?"

"That's another thing. I can't know for sure, but it might just go towards powering the enchantment. Every time I try to probe deeper, I get blocked."

"So....can I keep using it?" I really don't want to fight something without a weapon, or one unsuited to me. It will take to long to make another like this.

"Dex, I don't like it."

"It's also the best way to defeat these shadow monsters."

"They're called Chaotic Shades."

"Whatever, the sword is the best way to defeat them though, correct?"

"There's a spell that can harm them too. We don't need it, Dex."

"And if you get hurt or are indisposed? I can't do magic, Twilight."

"Agh, fine! Bring it with us. I will be observing anyway."

"Alright then." Haha, I won against Twilight! "I'm going to rest some; I've been up for over twenty four hours."

"Don't forget, Dex, that you are going to show me all this." She waved across the room. I rolled my eyes.

"Later, Twilight. You know, when we aren't having problems with chaos?" Twilight grumbled and walked to my door.

She spoke without turning around. "Mean it?"

"Yes, Twilight, I will show you later. Good night. Day. Whatever."

"Okay, I'm going to tell the princess what I've learned. Sleep well, Dex," and then she left, closing the door behind her.

Jeez, about time. Finally, I can sleep. Just... gotta....dammit, Stone! I walked over and flopped on the bed. I was tired, but my restless mind didn't let me have an easy time sleeping. Tomorrow, I was going to another town without Stone and Panacea.

Rinse...

I woke up feeling well rested, even with thoughts of failure constantly assaulting my mind. Dawn had just begun so I set about getting changed. It took me until I opened my door to remember the orders Celestia left me.

Alright, what do I have to do this time? I lifted the paper and scanned it multiple times. Rockton? That's on the edge of Equestria. Looks like I'm stuck with a train this time. As I walked through the castle, thoughts surfaced of my time at the small trading town. To think I have to go there again. I hate dealing with politics and Rockton is in the perfect position to be full of it. It seems like every time I go there, I have to deal with a random trade dispute or cultural issue. Ugh, well, if Celestia isn't going then I shouldn't have to worry. And, hey, I get to go to that bar again! Bumping into Twilight reminded me of where I was.

"Ack!" Twilight stumbled back and brightened when she saw who walked into her. "Ah, Dex! Good morning. I have everything ready for our trip." Our?

Oh yeah! ...Shit... "That's... good. How did Celestia take the news?" Apparently, I wasn't completely awake yet.

She shook her head slowly. "She doesn't like it either, but it's all we have. I've been told to separate you and your sword if anything seems off." Joy...

"Alright, well, we have a long trip. I'm going to get a bite to eat and stop by the hospital."

"Don't take too long. We'll need to take the nine o'clock train and ride it for a few days."

"Yes, Twilight, I'm aware of how far Rockton is. See you shortly." Why am I being snippy to Twilight? I strode past her and headed to the kitchen for food.

Thirty minutes later, I exited the castle to find Twilight waiting for me. She looked at me with a gentle smile.

"I hope you don't mind the company. Stone is a good friend of mine."

"No problem, I can't dictate who he sees." As I walked past her, she followed. Her voice was shaky, as if she was unsure of what she was about to ask.

"Dex, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You aren't acting like you usually do. It's almost like you've become annoyed at my presence."

"No, just want to get this done." Or maybe this is how I always was and I was acting in front of you the whole time.

"Alright, if that's all, I won't push it."

"Good to know." We arrived shortly after the conversation ended. After speaking with the nurse at the counter, she was the same one as before, we headed back to Stone's room. I spotted Panacea checking him over.

"Pan, Stone, how are you two?"

"Morning you two, we just came to check up on Stone." Yeah, that. Thanks Twilight.

Pan turned to face us as Stone opened his eyes. If it wasn't for the wrapping on him, I could've sworn he was fit for duty. His breathing was normal and his eyes had a fire in them.

"Boy! Twilight! Good to see you!"

"Good morning Dex. Good morning Twilight." Pan didn't sound like she had gotten much sleep. I walked over to her and held her head up so I could see her better.

"You alright Pan? I thought you were going to rest?"

"I was, but then I got worried about everything. I'll be fine though, don't worry."

"If you say so." I let go of her gently and turned to Stone. "How about you Stone? You look great."

"Ah, I am. Sadly, these hospital types don't want to release me til my ribs heal."

"We also want to make sure your internal bleeding won't come back." Pan got back to work checking his vitals. "In any case, he'll be fine. Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, Celestia has me going to a border town this time. I'm going with Twilight here so everything should be okay."

"Ah, Twilight, you haven't spoken a word! Tell me, how has everything been?"

We talked for a few more minutes until Twilight reminded me we had to go. As we said our goodbyes, I heard Pan speak up.

"Dex, be careful. Something is troubling you, and I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'm worried."

"I'll be fine, Pan. We'll be back before you know it."

Twilight and I left the hospital and headed straight for the train. It was easy enough to board and find a seat, so we chose an area we could talk privately if we had to. The first hour of the trip was unusually silent, however. Hmm, strange. Normally she'd talk about what she learned or try to get me to talk about something. Not that I'm complaining though. Just when I thought we'd make it to our destination in silence, she spoke up, albeit quietly.

"So.... Panacea, huh?" Huh?

"...What about her?"

"Are you two not together?" Her too?

"Jeez, everyone thinks we're together. I didn't think you would too."

"It just seems like you two are... together..."

"Well, we aren't."

"Do you love her though?"

Beeeee.... Please stand by while your party is reached. Chk, ah, yes, hello? Good, we're back online. Begin love analysis... I thought of many things. Did I love her? Was it right to? What about society? Or my own twisted logic of it? Sure, ponies have generally accepted me by now, but what about inter-species relationships? The closest thing I thought of was interracial and even then it didn't come close. Am I sick to think of inter-species at all? Is it right or wrong? Error, incomplete data. Answer not found. Request further study.

"Dex?" Twilight was looking at me worriedly.

"...Maybe." I shook the blank look off my face and switched to a more neutral one. "Sorry, you kinda through me off for a bit there. I'm not sure and I won't know for some time. She's definitely a friend though."

"Oh... okay..." We rode in silence for a few more hours before getting some sleep. The train would take another two days to reach Rockton so I was content to relax.

"Dex, you awake yet?"

"Ugh, dammit Twilight, what is it?"

"It's the third day of the trip and we haven't discussed your changes at all."

"Mmmgh, what changes?"

"You know, increased chaos energy and changes in mood."

"We already talked about this before we left. The first is odd and the second I don't want to talk about."

"I know I said I wouldn't push it, but I believe the two are related. It's a matter of Equestrian safety now."

"Dammit... Fine." I sat up and glared at Twilight. "Ask and I shall answer."

"What's wrong?"

"Too vague, with what?"

"Dex! You know what I mean. Why are you acting like this? You weren't like this before and you were always kind when you came to Ponyville."

"Stone got hurt, it's my fault." I looked away and stared out the window. Grass, rocks, grass, more rocks... It didn't matter what I saw, I just wanted to watch the scenery go by.

"You know that's not true. Chaotic Shades will change form to confuse their attackers, that is how he got hurt. He's fine too, so what is really wrong?"

"Logic isn't the same as emotions, Twilight. I know what happened, but I feel like it was my fault anyway. Besides, I'm tired of doing this." Oh look, another rock.

Her voice grew concerned. "What? Dex, you told me just last month you loved working with the princess."

"Meh, it doesn't matter now, we're here."

I didn't truly feel that way, I just didn't want to talk about it. Twilight thankfully dropped the subject as the train stopped into the station. Together, we silently grabbed our stuff and stepped out on the platform.

Rockton started as a small rock quarry inside a canyon on the edge of Equestrian land. It soon became a trade depot between ponies and griffons. It wasn't as large as other trade points, but it was the only one within a few hundred miles. The ponies here built their houses into the rock as they dug so it looked like a large quarry eel nest instead. Occasionally, a griffon or a caravan would stay a few nights before either returning home or heading into Equestria. It just so happened that the first person we met was a griffon.

"Sup, griff?" Surprisingly, most of the griffons I came across weren't like Gilda at all. With their mix of species, I'd have thought them violent and aggressive, but what did I know?

"Griff? Ah, the human. What brings you here?"

Twilight was scanning the area with her magic, so I figured I'd do all the talking. "Royal business. You staying here or just visiting?"

"Eh, I've been here for a few weeks, why?

"I'm investigating the strange happenings around here. Any leads?"

"Yeah, I do."

I sighed and handed him a few coins. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the royal business... "So?"

The information he supplied was identical to Slade, only this time, griffons would disappear as well. He pointed me towards where they appeared and I decided to head straight there.

"Dex, aren't you going to investigate further? He could have only part of the truth or lied."

"Twilight, everything he said is the same as Slade." We stayed on the canyon floor, as the reappearances were on the other side. "I'm willing to bet that once it gets dark, the thing will show up right where he said ponies and griffons were appearing."

"But the data isn't complete. What if it's different this time?"

"We have time. If it doesn't appear, we'll continue the investigation. Now, since it will be awhile, any tips on defeating a CS?"

"The Chaotic Shade? Hmm..."

It took us an hour to get to where the canyon opened up into the plains denoting griffon territory. In that time, Twilight shared all she knew about Chaotic Shades and their weaknesses. The problem was, they had no real weaknesses. Every time their form changed, the head or heart could be in a different position and the fight could extend until the one fighting it would tire. Twilight's spell would also need to hit in a certain spot for it to work, so that was out unless I could distract it.

We stood there as the sun went down. The stars came out to keep us company as the last rays of sunlight bled away to darkness. A few times, Twilight looked like she wanted to say something, but the look on my face must have kept her silent. Just as I was about to turn around, the unsightly thing appeared.

"And that, Twilight, is your Chaotic Shade." I looked to her with a smirk on my face. "Is it everything you thought it was?"

She was shaking, but had a determined look in her eyes. "Are you going to talk or attack? This thing needs to go down."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to it." The thing actually stood there and let us talk. I thought it was hilarious. Just like the villain in a show! As I strolled forward and calmly drew my blade, it shifted into something like a tiger and pounced. A blast from Twilight sent it flying before it could reach me.

"Dex! Would you take this seriously?!"

I looked back at her. "Hmm? Oh, sure." She can defeat it and I can defeat it. As long as she-

My thoughts were cut off as a black sphere rolled into me. The softness of it confused me, but complaining would have been stupid. Alright, fine, I'll deal with you. I got up and set my feet. The Shade's form changed into a large bear. Let's do this!

I let the bear charge me and jumped right. My blade was extended where I was, but it saw this and stopped. A paw swiped across my chest. Pain seared through me as I felt air rush past me. A blast shot over me when I met the ground and it hit the Shade. Alright, I should probably stop playing around. I hate anger so much, but if it kills it... I thought of Stone and past failures. Dammit! I stood for round two.

Its form changed again. Release. My mind switched to a reactionary state. The Shade charged again. I ran and it turned to follow me. Another blast of energy hit. It stumbled and I swung. I hit a leg as it morphed. A rear leg kicked out and hit my shin. I fell to my knees. With the sword still buried in its leg, I forced it through until I hit it's chest. It let out an unearthly roar and leapt away. I threw my sword after it. The blade met skull and the Shade fell limp. It dissolved before my eyes.

Panting, I stood and winced at the pain in my chest and leg. I limped over and picked up my sword. Another shock ran through me and I felt good, like I never got hurt. Twilight was using her magic to study what happened and waved me over. Oh! Is it, 'I know what's going on time?'

"Are you alright?" She was panting from magic strain.

"Yeah, fine. You?" Getting healed after a battle... More video game references!

"Tired, but," Twilight looked up and smiled, "I know what's going on."

Resting

Twilight and I arrived at the local tavern. She didn't say much after her declaration, but I figured we'd talk once we had settled in. As soon as we entered, memories of my time bubbled up to the surface.

Rockton's tavern, The Rocky Mane, was the greatest little bar I'd been to. Sure, it wasn't luxurious and orderly, but there was always an excitement in the air. The fact that the patrons were friendly, and yet kept to themselves, was another check mark for 'the greatest bar' title. Where a pony like Rarity would scoff at the atmosphere, I reveled in it. Rowdy ponies would dance and sing and your conversations weren't very well overheard.

We decided to check in for a room to relax before joining in any festivities. Twilight didn't seem to care too much for the noise, however, and had her ears pinned to her head as we ascended the stairs. As soon as we entered our room and I closed the door, Twilight spun to face me. There was a mix of delight and fear on her face. Oh, what an interesting expression you have!

"Dex, let's review." I shrugged and walked over to my bed. She waited for me to flop over it before continuing. "You are releasing more chaotic magic than ever before and your sword, given to you by Discord, has an unknown property to it. There also seems to be a connection between the chaotic energy and your emotions."

The ceiling wasn't too interesting as I stared at it. "Yeah, I'm aware. So what did you learn?"

"I used a few spells both before and after the fight with the Chaotic Shade. When you defeated it, the amount of energy in the area disappeared; whereas before, the air was filled with it. The signature I felt was also the same as yours."

"Wait." As I sat up, I saw Twilight's face flash with nervousness. I wasn't sure if my expression could have been considered a scowl or intrigue." So you think I have something to do with this?"

"Yes, but not intentionally." Well that's good. "It seems that wherever you go, the energy you release starts to build up." That's bad. "I haven't felt anything in Canterlot or Ponyville, so I can only guess that those two towns are impervious somehow." That's good.

"Well, any theories, Dr. Sparkle?" She blushed for a moment before continuing.

"The princesses and my friends and I have a lot of Harmony magic. I believe we are cancelling out any magic you release, but I'm not sure."

"Ah..." The springs of the bed creaked in protest as I laid back down.

"Are you sure you're alright, Dex?"

Hmm, sleep... "Yeah, probably as tired as you."

"Alright, I think I'm going to bed as well. Goodnight, Dex." I heard her own bed creak and then saw the backs of my eyelids turn black when she put out the candle.

"Mmm, night... Twi... light." Sleep hit me as soon as the last syllable was spoken.

"Well, well" ... "sleep" ... "FIRE!" ... "chaos" ... ... ... ... ... ... "GOTCHA!"

I gasped awake. Nightmares were few and far between for me, but when I had one, I had a GOOD one. Twilight had woken up as well, but she looked rested and happy.

"Morning, Dex!"

"What's got you cheery?"

"Hmm? Oh, I had a dream. A good dream."

"Well, that's nice. Mine was horrible, but I can't seem to recall it." I lazily climbed out of bed and walked towards door. "It seems the sun has come up though. Breakfast calls." A glow surrounded the door as it opened.

"Good idea, we missed dinner after all." I heard a shuffling of bed sheets and hooves hitting the floor. "I'll be right behind you."

"Hmm." After that wonderful response, I made my way to food.

Another good thing about The Rocky Mane, breakfast was just as good as their dinner. Twilight had come down the stairs a few minutes behind me with her mane and tail brushed. I must have looked funny without doing the same; but since I was the only human, it wasn't like anyone would know I shouldn't look like I did. As we were enjoying a delightful meal of toast, eggs, and other assorted breakfast goods, Twilight started a conversation.

"I forgot to ask you, was this Shade harder to beat than the last one?"

I finished what I had in my mouth before answering. "Yeah, it was. Got an idea for that too?"

"It might be that the more often you visit an area, the stronger the Shade is, but I'd like to confirm that first."

"Sounds like a good theory to me. What are we going to do now though? Head back to Canterlot?"

A scroll appeared in a swirling vortex of green fire and landed on the table. It formed closer to Twilight, so I didn't make a grab for it. Twilight picked it up and broke the seal before reading. I watched her face change multiple times: curiosity, shock, dread, and relief all had a chance upon her features.

"Dex, I have some good news and some bad news."

"I saw. Bad news first I guess." What now?

"The seal around Discord is weakening."

"Oh joy... anything else?"

"Princess Celestia recommends you not return to Canterlot for the foreseeable future." Wonderful...

"I don't see any good news that could make this better."

"There's another bit of bad news, there's another town you need to visit and I need to return to Ponyville for research."

"Mostly so you Bearers are in one place if you're needed, too."

"Yes, but here's the good news. Stone and Panacea will be joining you."

"Stone can't be healed already."

"He's not completely healed, no; he will be in a few days. They'll be taking the train soon and he'll be ready when they get here." Twilight put down the scroll and looked at me for a moment. "I think it would be best for you to rest for awhile before running off to Providence."

"Sounds good. I could use some R and R." And a lot of drinking and partying too.

"I should return immediately. If the situation gets worse..."

"I know, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Twilight floated another page to me that I hadn't seen and raised to her hooves. It was just the premise, and reports from Providence, for my mission. "I'm going to get my things. Sorry about running off so quickly."

"Like I said, it's fine." By now, we had finished our meal so I walked with her. We talked of small things but headed to the train station in silence. As Twilight boarded, she apologized again and told me to be careful. Careful, cause that's worked so well so far. I simply waved her off as the train departed.

Finally, some time to myself. What will I do? Ice cream! Without watching where I was going, I dashed out of the station and towards the tavern. I don't know where this place gets it's food from, but I know they have ice cream. To the wonders of frozen milk fat!

The following two days passed in fun. Drinking, partying with the bar goers, ice cream, and even training was had. Somehow, training had become more fun than ever. It was like everything I did had a bit more chaos in it that just brought the fun out.

On the fourth day in Rockton, the train whistle blew. It was telling me my friends had arrived. Both Stone and Pan looked a lot better than I had last seen them, but it didn't look like they could say the same for me. They eyed me up and down with looks of shock. Pan was the first to speak up.

"Dex, what happened to you? Why are you wearing a party hat?" Oh, maybe I should have cleaned myself up some before meeting them.

"Uh.." I was trying desperately for an excuse that didn't sound like I was drinking the whole time.

"You look like you've been drinking and partying too much, boy!" ....perceptive, Stone.... perceptive...

"Um... Yeah, no I wasn't..." C'mon brain! Think better!

Panacea sighed and sashayed over. "I'm thinking you've partied enough, dear." Well, she seems better. The casual swagger is back.

"Never! Drinking and hanging with ponies is a great pastime!" ....And now I sound like some drunkard or something.

"At least you loosed up, boy. Last I saw you, it looked like you were going to pop!"

"Yeah, I was a bit stressed out, but now you two are here and everything is awesome again!"

"As I recall, the princess has us going to yet another town, though." Yes, Pan, thanks for reminding me.

My shoulders slumped. "Yeah..."

"Well come on boy! Show us this town's tavern! We'll have a good night before tomorrow!" Yes!

"Great idea!" I grabbed the two ponies hooves and started dragging them to The Rocky Mane.

It felt like old times, drinking with Stone. Panacea would have a sip here and there, but she still joined in the festivities occasionally. This time, Stone and I took it easy on the drinks to avoid another 'night that shall not be named.' At a lull, I wandered over to where Pan was watching us make a fool of ourselves in arm wrestling.

"Hey, Pan." Other than the slur in my speech, I could hold a conversation while drunk.

"Hello, Dex." She looked a little sad, but I wasn't sure over my wobbly vision.

"Something wrong?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

"You really want to know?"

"Only if you want me to know. Like I said before, I don't want to push you into answering."

"Ah, I'll tell you. I like you and know you won't tell anyone." Of course, the alcohol still completely shattered my inhibitions. "But not here, follow me."

The trip to my room was an adventure in pain and coordination. I must have tripped up the stairs at least a dozen times and ran into a few walls down the hall. Pan would ask if I was okay or if I needed help the whole time though. I was determined to get there on my own, however, and we finally made it as I fell through the door.

"Dex, maybe you should rest. We can talk later."

Crawling my way to a bed, I managed to hoist myself into it and sit. "No, no. Drinking makes me talk and I know I'll never talk about this any other time. Sit, we talk."

I began my tale of woe as soon as she sat on the other bed. Beginning with stress, I slowly worked my way through a conversation I wanted to avoid for silly reasons. We talked first about me being a knight and how I had starting worrying about forcing her into things. She quickly debunked this, saying if she didn't want to come, she didn't have to. Then, we worked over my problems with causing potential harm just by being here. Again, she refuted my logic by saying Celestia wouldn't have let me move freely if she thought I was a threat. When I brought up Celestia's letter, Pan reminded me that worrying wouldn't help. Finally, we entered relationship territory.

That conversation was more about society and physiology than our actual relationship. I found that inter-species relationships aren't common but weren't frowned upon too often either. Over time, my worries felt lessened and our feelings were the same. We decided to stay friends until we could be sure of what we felt. The entire conversation took up the remainder of the night we had planned to enjoy. Pan had me drink some water that I knew I'd need and I promptly passed out.

I didn't dream that night. Whatever was plaguing me seemed to have the good sense to leave me alone. Waking up to Panacea's sleeping face in the other bed confused me. Alright, she definitely didn't lose a bet this time. Oh well, Twilight didn't care about mixed sleeping arrangements and neither shall I!

Quietly slipping out of the room, I turned to see Stone staring at me in complete seriousness. Silence hung in the air for longer than I had expected it to. Well, alright then. Attempting to shuffle away from him caused him to follow me. He never broke eye contact and I could see redness in his eyes.

"Umm, Stone? You okay?"

"Okay?! You left me to drink alone last night!" I could tell he was pretty irritated at me.

"Oh, shit, sorry."

"Sorry? You're going to have to do better than that, boy!"

"And what, pray tell, do I have to do to get you to stop being pissy with me?" Yet another 'don't mess with me when I first wake up' moment, brought to you by caffeine! You don't need it, but it sure helps.

Stone's cold sneer changed to a smirk. "Tell me what you two did..." FFfffff'in seriously?!

"Dear God, you too Stone?! We. Are. Not. Together!"

"Did I say you was?" ...touche...

"No, but you thought it."

"Nah, I know you two well. I wanted to know what you two talked about."

"Eh, issues. They've been dealt with. Can I go eat something now?"

He threw his front hooves in the air. "Bah! I don't know how you talk to Panacea but not your best bud about things." Oh...shit...

"It's... not like that. A lot of what we talked about was between us and, um... The next emotional breakdown I have is yours?"

"Bah! Be sure to remember that then." He walked off and entered his own room. I wasn't sure what to think of what just happened, but I needed to eat something.

I was up a little early for breakfast, so I lounged around until the sun began to rise. For some odd reason, I not only didn't have a hangover, but I wasn't tired from the little sleep I had. Things were really starting to confuse me and I didn't want to raise any suspicions and get my sword taken away.

The morning was spent in uneasy silence. Stone and Panacea came down a few hours later when I was eating. None of us spoke and yet all of us seemed to have questions on our minds. My own was swimming in a sea of 'what ifs.' Someone finally spoke up as we were exiting the tavern.

"Dex, what will we find at Providence?"

"Most likely the same thing from the last two towns, Pan. Chaotic Shades. If Twilight is right, it will be extremely strong from how many times I've been there."

"Well I'm ready for it. I have a bone to pick with one of these Shades for getting the jump on me."

"I'll need your help Stone, don't go getting hurt just because it changed forms."

"You lecturing me now, boy? So you got two of them, I still have more experience with battle. Tell me, have you learned to feel the battle yet?"

I sighed. "No, all I can do is let my anger control me. The last battle had me wounded."

"Wounded?! Dex, why didn't you tell us you were hurt!"

"Pan, it's fine, I was healed afterwards somehow."

Panacea wouldn't relent and checked me over anyway. Her magic didn't have the familiar feel it used to have. First, my mind starts jumping through emotions, and now magic feels different? I hope I can figure this out soon. With those thoughts on my mind, we boarded the train to Providence. It was a long ride, but I had time to figure things out.

Chaotic thoughts

We found a cart to ourselves near the back of the train. With four bunk beds, we had plenty of room to plan and lay out supplies. I was sure my silence was worrying Stone and Pan, but I needed a day to my thoughts. Laying on a randomly chosen bed, I told them to relax and let me think.

Alright, let's see if I can figure this out. Doughnut. What? Ugh, my mind doesn't want to cooperate. Just ignore random things. Gotta start with energy.

Three forces make up Equestria: Harmonic, Neutral, and Chaotic. Chaos! Harmonic magic is any energy that keeps the world in order or 'normal.' Neutral magic is stuff like telekinesis and such. Hah! What? Dammit. Okay, where was I. Chaotic magic lets the world do what it wants and is entirely random. But is it?

Discord brought me here; the idea that he meant it to happen means it isn't truly random. Then he gave me this sword. So it's safe to say that we aren't sure how chaotic magic works. Now, how about food? Gah!

I release chaotic energy due to my human nature and it's increasing. My sword absorbs magic and we don't know what it does with it. If I were to assume that it is being transferred to me.... Shit. No, no! That's good! You can do magic! Bullshit. ....And now I'm talking to myself.

Healing magic is closer related to Harmony than Neutral magic, if what Celestia told me is true. If Pan's magic felt different, then the chaos I'm emitting is getting really bad. Which is cool! No, it's not. I swore to uphold peace and now I'm doing the exact opposite. Oh come on, what's a little peace without the fun of chaos? Hmm, technically, the peace will still be around as long as I destroy the Chaotic Shades.

Alright, got a plan. I'll kill this last Shade and go somewhere without towns. Whenever a Shade appears, I can just destroy it and there won't be any problems. But where's the fun in being alone? If I can protect these ponies, I'll settle for being alone. I'm sure they'll still visit me.

You said earlier that the sword is giving you the chaotic magic, what happens when you have too much? I'll get rid of the sword. NO YOU WON'T! Huh? Wait.

I finally realized that that second voice wasn't really mine. Sure, it used the same sound, but when I argue with myself, it isn't that drastic. Something was definitely wrong with my thoughts.

"Dex? You want something to eat? The sun is setting." I heard Pan close the cabin door and walk over to my bunk.

"No, I'm fine." Did I really spend that much time thinking? What am I missing?

"If you're sure.."

"Yeah, I'm going to try to sleep, Pan."

"Okay..." She trotted to her own bunk and continued. "I'll leave you alone then."

I laid there for another hour or two before falling asleep. If I couldn't trust my own thoughts, I was going to play everything by ear.

"We need to talk, boy." Stone's gruff voice woke me from my slumber. As drowsy as I was, I waved for him to continue. "You're not acting like yourself anymore. Panacea and I are worried there's something going on you aren't telling us."

What is with these ponies and serious conversations first thing in the morning?! "Grrmphle."

Pan's voice drifted over to me. "If you want to survive the next battle, we need you to be of sound mind."

"Fine, I'll let you in on my ideas." I sat up and reached for my katana. "I may be wrong, so don't overreact or anything." Sliding the blade out of its sheath, I admired it for a time. "What do you know of the situation so far?"

Stone answered for the two. "You're releasing more chaotic energy and that sword of yours is from Discord."

"Hmm, we have a lot to cover then." Noting nothing different, I re-sheathed and began explaining everything.

"-and that's what Twilight has figured out. Now, for my own assumptions." I smacked my lips and felt my stomach complain. "Okay, maybe breakfast first."

After a mediocre meal, as expected from train rides, I continued. "The sword is returning the magic from the Chaotic Shades to me. Because I'm slowly releasing energy, getting all of it back at once is starting to affect my mind and emotions. I feel like I should get rid of the sword after the next battle, but something is preventing me from thinking it's a good idea. I don't like it.

"If something happens at Providence, and you two can't stop me, hide." Stone started reaching for my sword. "No, Stone. Just taking it away won't work either. I'll attack you if you do."

"Dex, this is serious. If you are right, you shouldn't fight this Shade," Pan said worriedly.

"I'm the only one that can defeat it. Sure, Stone can harm it, but it won't die unless I use this sword."

We spent the rest of the day discussing my apparent insanity or lack thereof. Eventually, we decided to continue with the original plan.

The third day of travel had us talking about paying attention, specifically me not doing it.

“Boy, it's about time you started watching your surroundings.”

“What? I pay attention just fine.”

“Do you now? Tell me, what did the air smell like in Rockton? Or Slade?”

“Um... fresh?”

Stone hounded me the entire day. We'd go into a different cabin and he would make me point out everything I saw. Even then, he would always mention a few things I missed. I understood where he was coming from, but at the same time, I had issues with why it was important.

“Ugh, Stone, we've been at this for hours. What's the point?” We were sitting at a table to the side of our room and had just finished eating lunch.

“You may be able to fight well, but you need to learn how to use the environment. Not only that, but clues could be anywhere.”

“So I'm not a detective and I fight head on, it has worked so far.”

“If what you say is true, this Shade will need more than straight forward tactics.”

“Fine. I'll see if I can do better.”

“Be sure that you do, boy. Death is the last thing you want.”

So now I have to study paying attention. Maybe it will keep me from going insane. Hah! Insanity isn't the same as chaos! …shut...up.

Taking Stone's advice to heart, I made sure to slow down. I heard the train's engine chugging along and the wheels thumping against the tracks. Conversations could be heard in the other carts. Our cabin had burgundy carpet and window dressings. Wood made up the frames of the beds while the metal walls and ceiling were painted white. Smells of coal burning mixed with the occasional scent of food assaulted my nose.

Okay, so I know where I am, but how does that help me?

I started running scenarios in my head. They were all 'if this were to happen, what would I do' types. After reaching a point where the scenarios became extremely unlikely, I spoke up.

“Alright, Stone. I think I get it, but I'm starting to come up with silly scenarios.”

“You need to think faster, boy. You've spent over an hour thinking.”

“I come up with a lot of stuff. How do I know what I should and should not come up with a solution for?”

“On a train? Bandits. When we get to Providence? Everything. The Shade could show up anywhere after dark and there is a lot of ground to cover.”

I knew that. All I need to do is pay attention to my surroundings so I can change a jump into an advantage.

Stone and I continued my perceptive training throughout the journey. Pan seemed to be practicing healing and other spells and I hoped she had an offensive spell in her repertoire. On the fourth day, I spent most of my time thinking again.

I need to learn to think. If I keep getting interrupted, I won't get anywhere. Indeed! Ugh, so if I'm going crazy- Chaotic! ...Fine, chaotic, I need to think chaotic. My thoughts will need to jump from subject to subject while still maintaining a central theme.

It wasn't easy. Completely rewriting how I thought was an exercise in futility. Every attempt to think with chaos was met with a chaotic comeback. Only when I accepted my other half, did I get even close to having a clear head. Even then, my mind was still a playground for a five year old.

The final day of the train ride was used to design battle tactics. An enemy that changes forms and an area we didn't know was difficult to plan for. Pan would hang back and keep us alive or give support while Stone and I would attack. The idea we had was to continually hold back. Stone was exceptional at thinking on the fly and feeling the battle, so he would only attack when an opening was made. I would rush the Shade and then jump away during any attack. In theory, the plan was acceptable.

We were coming up on the station when we had one final conversation about my chaotic nature.

"Dex, are you ready?" Pan was looking at me in concern.

"I could say the same to you two."

"We are ready, but what of you, boy?" Stone was being stoic at this point. Whatever was going to happen, he sounded ready for it.

"No and yes. I don't know what will happen, but I'm ready for the fight itself."

"We have planned all we could, all that's left is you."

"Pan. Stone." I looked each in their eyes before continuing. "Remember what I said. If something happens, run."

The train pulled into the station as it's whistle blew. Between us, the air was tense, but the town looked as it always had. It was time to fight another Chaotic Shade.

...Repeat

Providence was a city much like Manehatten, but with less skyscrapers. For the most part, no building was more than four or five stories tall. We had exited Providence Station to the main thoroughfare; just like any city, ponies were more crowded and less likely to greet you. Sidewalks and cobblestone road separated pedestrians from carriages. Everything even had the grayness to it like Manehatten or Fillydelphia, but splashes of color helped denote places of interest for standard tourists.

"Any idea where to start looking?" I had a sneaking suspicion that we'd be stuck in an alleyway. It was the last place I was hoping to fight the Shade.

"Any local police constable I'd say." Stone's suggestion was easily used when one such individual met us on the street.

"Sir Dex, how wonderful to see you again!" I turned to meet an officer I'd known for some time. His white coat and blue mane was easily recognizable.

"Clear, how you been?"

"If it wasn't for these disappearances, I'd be great. I believe you are here to take that off my hooves?"

"Indeed I have. By the way, Clear Streets, I'd like you to meet my friends." I held out a hand to point at each pony. "This here is Lt. Stone, of Canterlot guard, and Panacea, head nurse of Canterlot Medical."

"Ah, Lieutenant, sorry I didn't notice you earlier!" Clear gave a quick salute, which Stone returned.

"No trouble, I'm sure Dex is quite the eye catcher," Stone jokingly said.

We stood outside the station for a few more minutes, just catching up and enjoying the day. It would have gone on longer, but Pan spoke up.

"Pardon me, boys, but weren't we supposed to..." Clear, Stone, and I quieted down.

"Ah, yes, I'm sure you're looking for information."

"The only information we need is the location of where the ponies have reappeared, Clear." Stone and Pan raised an eyebrow at me. "It was the same in Rockton." They nodded in understanding.

"Hmm, I'd love to help you, but nopony has returned."

"What?!"

"Yes, ponies have disappeared, but none have returned."

It didn't make any sense. Chaotic Shades would warp ponies minds and then release them to spread chaos. "You're sure about that?" After getting an affirmative, we bid Clear Streets farewell and started down the thoroughfare.

"I don't like this. Shades shouldn't do what is happening here."

"Looks like you'll have to play detective after all, boy."

"What about where they disappeared? The two locations didn't seem that off in Slade."

"It's something, Pan, but I didn't check Rockton for the location of the disappearances. It might not be the usual."

"Doesn't hurt to try, boy."

"Ugh, it doesn't make sense!" What fun is that? ....I will stab you.... Hah! Good luck! "Let's do it."

We headed to a nearby store and picked up a map. With it, we could mark any locations the locals told us about. The problem we ended up with, was the marks not being consistent. After investigating multiple leads, we sat down at a local cafe for lunch.

"Alright, here's what we got so far." I laid the map across our table. "We have over twenty different points of disappearance, but they look to be concentrated in three areas."

There were seven X's in the area known as the shopping district and ten in the residences. Only three were marked in the business sector, but they were much closer together.

"We shouldn't split up, in case the Shade appears." Our food arrived and we ate in silence. As we were enjoying some shakes, Pan spoke up.

"It may be best to try the residential district first, then head over shopping, and finally business."

"Sounds good to me. Stone?" He was studying the map more than Pan and I were.

"The thing appears in a different location from the disappearances, correct?"

"That is the running theory," Pan said

"Would it not make more sense to check the center of the three areas?"

"You mean like triangulating?" I took a closer look. "Hmm... Well, if there are more markings in the other areas, the Shade could be closer to those." I picked up the pencil and started writing.

Making three lines from the center of each district, I had a starting reference point. Then, I made a number of evenly placed lines outward on the previous ones. The line from center to residential had ten, to shopping had seven, and to business had three. Finally, I drew a triangle from the furthest markings.

"It's not a perfect representation, but this is the area I think we should cover." There were multiple buildings in the new search.

"We should bring this to Clear, or any police constable, so they can tell us of anything odd in the area." Stone leaned back and started looking for any police.

"Abandoned buildings should also be noted," Pan said as she finished her drink.

"Okay, Stone, Pan, let's get going."

We didn't find Clear, but an associate of his marked two buildings and a hotspot for odd occurrences on our map. One of the buildings were on the far end, near the business sector, so we left it alone. The hotspot was right in the middle of all three, which we thought was too perfect, and the last building sat right between the residential and shopping districts. It was our first choice.

Arriving just after dark, the four story structure wasn't very inviting. Half of its windows were either cracked or shattered and the double door entrance was swinging open and closed. From where we stood, the lobby beyond was pitch black with not a sound meeting our ears. It wasn't an alleyway, but I didn't feel like fighting the Shade in such a cramped location.

"Well... Shall we?"

"Did you miss anything, boy?"

"What? No, it's cramped and it will be hard to fight in there. What else do I need to look for?"

"Maybe the fact that we should light the area first? Or that smell Pan noticed in Slade is here?" Dammit.

"Okay, so I didn't notice the smell, but I can't really tell anyway. I also saw it was dark, but it's not like we have anything to light the place up with."

"Bah, I've got just the thing." Stone reached behind him and pulled out some torches. How have I not noticed he's wearing a pouch on his armor? Because you suck! ...

"Stone, I don't think it's a good idea to carry torches and fight at the same time."

"We don't! We light them and toss them in."

"Like glow sticks..."

"Like what?"

"Nothing..."

Stone managed to light up six torches and toss them through the open doorway. Pan had used a fire spell, so at least I knew she could defend herself. Why would she need that spell if she's a nurse?

As we approached the, now lit, lobby, I saw a check-in counter and some lounging chairs. With everything coated in dust, I couldn't make out the color of anything. Frayed carpet lined the floor and a few old chandeliers hung from the ceiling. An excessively wide staircase led to the second floor on the other side of the room.

I could feel an oppressive atmosphere in the building, almost like we didn't belong. We spread out but found nothing of interest, so we collected five of the torches and headed to the next floor. Once more, there was nothing, and we headed up the next set of stairs. Nothing, stairs. Nothing, stairs. Wait.

"Guys... Wasn't this a four story building?"

"...yeah." Stone was as unnerved as I was. Pan brought the last two torches with her and threw them into the room.

The mysterious fifth floor was unlike anything I had ever seen. All the interior walls were knocked away to leave the whole floor open. Blackness oozed from the debris against the exterior walls of the room and I could see bodies hanging from the ceiling. They were in some kind of dark cocoon, but were alive. Occasionally, we'd hear a moan or see one shake. Whatever this Shade was doing, I wanted it stopped immediately.

There was no Shade in the room, however.

"I don't like this." One of us said it, but I couldn't tell who.

"Pan, stay here. I think it's the safest part," I spoke quietly and started onto the floor. Stone followed behind me just as carefully.

Oh what beauty! No, it's not. Oh, let me repeat that.

"Oh, what beauty!" .....

My chaotic thoughts... had just spoken... through the bodies.

"Stone! Cut them down!" I ran towards the nearest cocoon and cut through the slime holding it up. I didn't like that my thoughts could talk and really didn't like that it was using ponies' bodies. As soon as the pony hit the ground, the ooze from the walls began forming in the center. "Hurry up, Stone!"

We managed to get every pony off the ceiling and over to Pan, when the blob finished congregating.

"Oh, why would you do that? It would have been such fun to play with them."

"What are you?!"

"I'm you! I'm just borrowing this Shade. It's quite powerful you know."

"Dex, boy, who are you talking to?"

"You don't hear it?"

"Oh ho ho! If your friends didn't need more proof you've gone... chaotic... they have plenty now."

"Nothing, Stone. Let's just kill it."

"I think I'll let you. Come on then, let's see what will happen." Hello again. The ooze began moving.

"This is bullshit!" I couldn't take it anymore and rushed the liquid Shade. "Chaotic Shades shouldn't be a liquid!" I wasn't sure what I was saying or doing, but I wanted the thing dead. "And they shouldn't transfer my thoughts!" I stabbed straight through it.

The slime melted back to the floor. Oh, looks like you won. Everything was quiet. Stone relaxed while Pan looked over the ponies.

Just kidding. A spire of black rushed out of the ground under Stone. He was impaled and slammed into the ceiling. No... Yes! "NO!"

My vision turned red. I ran over and sliced through the spire. It collapsed. Stone fell. Pan rushed over to save him. A tendril of the Shade whipped her back. Again, I cut it.

My sword would slice, but there was no internal organs to damage. I would continually attack what appeared, but nothing changed. Stone was bleeding out and I had no way to stop the Shade!

Something caught my eye. A red orb sat where the shade first appeared. It moved before I could reach it. So you found the heart! Every time I tried to reach it, either the Shade would block me or it would move. Would you like some help? Another cut and yet another missed chance at the heart. You aren't listening to me are you? Again. Fine, I'll be free anyway. The heart stopped moving.

"Here you go." In my anger, I didn't think about it and stabbed the heart. A large blast of air rushed past me and electricity coursed through my nervous system. Everything went dark.

In the darkness, I saw myself. I looked gray, but happy. "Hello, Dexter. Welcome to your mind."

Chaos

I attempted to look around, but there was only darkness. Occasionally, a streak of colored light would zip by, but it would disappear as I tracked it. When I turned to look at the other me, there were many beams of luminescence curving and coagulating around him. Did he say my mind? Who is he?

"-is he?" My thoughts echoed in the void.

"Do keep your thoughts to a minimum won't you? They tend to echo." The calmness he radiated unnerved me.

"Who are you?"

"Take away your vocal thoughts and you come up with the simplest questions don't you? I am you." He snapped his right hand and a high-backed throne appeared behind him, which he sat upon. His slouching posture and head-in-hand-on-armrest position showed his boredom. "Well, the other you. Since you are so fond of being right, call me Sinister."

"Sinister..." As long as I didn't think with words, I could avoid the reverberation. "Like the left side of a shield?"

"Indeed! I see you learned how to think without speaking too. Marvelous." Sinister's snobbish tone had started to irritate me.

"Care to explain yourself?"

"Ugh, I am you if you accepted chaos. What else is there to know?"

"So how did this happen?"

"Really? Is your intellect buried under pony? You should know all this by now." He conjured up a cigarette and took a puff. The smoke dissipated into the emptiness. "The latest influx of chaotic energy caused your mind to finally split."

"...and now I must choose how to continue."

"Indubitably! Now, I would love to stay and chat more, but I really must get going. Chaos won't create itself!" His next smoke cloud formed into a television remote.

"Hold on, we haven't even discussed anything."

Sinister rolled his eyes. "Alright, will you accept chaos into your life?"

"No!"

"Then all I have to say is, 'we could be so much more if you just accept chaos.'"

"What? No I wouldn't! I'd become a monster that didn't think about my friends!"

He sighed. "It's time to change the channel, Dexter. Good day."

I pressed the channel down button and watched as my Harmonic self faded away. It really was such a shame that he didn't join me, but he would have to learn later. As I pressed the power button, the darkness of my mind faded away...

..And the fifth floor took it's place. After Dexter defeated the Shade, the slime was absorbed into the sword. I now stood in a room with debris lining the walls and bodies huddled near the stairs. Pan was sitting next to a still Stone with tears in her eyes. It didn't take a genius to know Stone was dead.

I took a large breath of air and let it out slowly. "Ahhh... It's good to breathe."

Panacea looked up at me, attempting to hold back her sniffles. "Dex! Stone is... S-stone is..."

I really didn't care about what was happening. "Yes, yes, he's dead. If you don't mind, I'm going to go celebrate my freedom. Not that I care if you do mind."

As I was heading to a window, I heard her speak up, but I didn't pay attention. I let myself trip into the outside air and enjoyed the feeling of falling. Oh, how I will love this! After a forty-five foot fall, I landed on my feet with no issue. It was good to know my power extended outside of my mind.

I looked back up at the 'mysterious' fifth floor. Apparently, they had only seen the front side of the building, as it was clearly visible from the back. Dexter should have joined me, we could have saved Stone. Not my problem, but without him I can only affect myself. What to do? Letting my feet lead me, I randomly found myself outside of a dance club. Hehehehe...

The bouncers let me through without issue and the large multicolored dance floor shone with a welcoming brilliance. Of all things, a disco ball hung from the ceiling in the center of the pad. Lasers swept through the club, moving and pulsing to the beat. As I scanned the room, I located the bar and a lot of ponies.

I filled my lungs with air and screamed, "Drinks on me!" Everyone turned to me and, as soon as they recognized who I was, rushed to the bar. Heheh. A pony trotted over to me with a drink in his telekinetic hold. With all the lights, it was hard to catch his true colors, but they looked familiar.

"Dex! Odd place to see you! Here, have a drink. I'll get another." He had to speak up for me to hear him. After a moment I realized it was Clear Streets. Pff, this should be fun.

I picked the glass out of his magic and took a sip. "Ahh, rum. What are you doing here Clear? Hiding from your wife?"

His face grew worried. "What? No... Why would you say that?"

"Or maybe you're looking for a spare?" Laughing, I walked away and threw the glass behind me. An 'oww' could be heard from my drink hitting someone. My laughter intensified as I reached the dance floor.

The music was perfect for partying. I shared Dexter's ineptitude for dance, however, and just decided to cause havoc. At every bass hit, I would run into someone and force them into a group of others. Bouncers started towards me after the end of the song. I was hoping for a fight when the one on the left spoke.

"We're gonna have to ask you to leave." Even with their bulk, the two barely reached my chin.

"Haha! And how are you going to make me?"

"Leave, or we will be forced to throw you out physically."

"Ahh.. Good one, didn't know you blockheads knew them big words." I said the last bit mockingly. "Go ahead and try!"

When the one on the right, I called him Chunky, attempted to ram me, I didn't move. Even as he struck, my body stood completely still, as if he hit a brink wall. I set my hands on my waist.

"I'm superman!" I cried. As Chunky shook himself out of his daze, the one on the left, I named him Slinky, tried a buck. His too rear hooves met my face and I decided to humor him. My head bent back as I stumbled away from the blow. Then, when I looked back at his smug face, I brought a foot into his own.

"How's it feel to get a foot in the face?" My jovial mood continued as I jumped on the back of Chunky and did a Russian dance. I wasn't sure what it was called, but one leg went straight out as the other bent til my butt was nearly hitting my foot. With crossed arms, I would continue to switch legs and yell 'oye!'

Apparently, Chunky didn't like that and reared up. Not expecting it so soon, I fell on my ass, but started laughing. At this point, the club goers thought I was crazy and gave me a wide berth.

"Ahaha... That was fun boys, but I think it's time I did something else." I jumped up and grabbed the disco ball. Yanking it off it's cord, I dropped to the ground and went bowling with it. As it rolled away from me, it would hit unsuspecting ponies and make them go flying. "Woo! Strike!" After my little cheer, I left the club. Hehe, I wonder who will pay for those drinks?

Wandering the streets continued to bore me. A pony down on his luck stopped me at one point to ask for a bit or two. Deciding to have fun with the old stallion, I told him that if he caught the moon, I'd give him one thousand bits. I laughed as he tried to jump to it or climb a building to reach it. Leaving him to his task, I came across a carriage down the road.

I stood there, staring, as I watched a young mare try to fix a broken yoke. Eventually, I got impatient and told her to hop in. When she finally allowed me to help her home, I gave her a hand into the carriage. Once she was comfortable, I walked behind it and kicked. Guffawing, I saw the cart go flying down the road, hit a small pothole, and steer blindly into a building.

Oh, this is so much fun. Sure I can only affect my own body, but I can still wreak chaos! Oh, what's this? Green fire filled my vision and, as it dissipated, a letter took its place. I unfurled it and read:

Dex,

I hope you haven't reached the last Shade. Something horrible will happen and I need to speak with you immediately. If you are already in Providence, meet me at the station. Princess Celestia will be with me.

-Twilight Sparkle

"Screw that jazz!" I had no desire to meet two of the most powerful Harmony users. If I could find Discord I'd be set.

"You rang?" My sword vibrated as Discord's voice spoke in my mind.

Discord, how are ya buddy?

"Wonderful! I really must thank you for releasing me"

Oh, it wasn't me, it was Dex. I'm Sinis, his chaotic side.

"How intriguing! Spreading chaos, I imagine?"

Indeed! It's slow going, however.

"Bring me to me and chaos will be."

Where?

"In the wood opposite white, as becoming of a knight."

You and your rhymes.

"..."

"...Alrighty, then."

Whole

"Ugh, my... everything..." I woke up feeling like a bear played beach-ball with my body. The cold stone floor didn't help either.

Something wasn't right. The last thing I remembered was exiting the Everfree Forest. Now, I found myself laying on smooth rock. As I sat up, walls and ceiling of even more stone met my vision. One wall was a translucent pink with iron bars behind it.

"I see. I'm in a cell. Well, might as well get out." Walking over to the pinkness, I gave it a test flick. Waves rippled across it. "Ah, a force-field. Well, that was dumb of them." Another flick, this one more purposeful, forced the shield to shatter. "AAUGH!" Pulse upon pulse of pain assaulted my mind, causing me to stumble back and trip over a chamberpot. I fell into a pile of hay, thankfully more fresh than I would assume of a dungeon.

"You are awake." Celestia's voice. It had to be Celestia didn't it?

"What gave it away? My shattering your weak shield or my screams of pain?" Disdain filled my voice as I crawled my way out of the itchy, dead grass. "Do tell."

"While I am surprised you broke that spell so easily, I am more curious as to who you are."

I resigned myself to lay upon the floor, the continuous pounding in my head doing nothing for my mood. "Do you not recognize your own knight?"

"You surely look like Dex, but your actions prove otherwise. Tell me, who are you?"

"Stop releasing that horrid Harmonic energy and maybe I'll tell you."

"You let on more than you think. The fact that it harms you is proof enough of what you are."

"Sinis," I said, still clutching my head. "Now stop that."

"So you can escape or prevent Dex from returning?"

I scowled, at both the name and the implications. "...Twilight."

"Sister, it is time." A voice came from elsewhere in the dungeon as I heard hoofsteps getting closer to my cell. "What happened to thine shield? Is it awake?"

Of course, Luna. Ugh... They are trying to kill me. I struggled to my feet and reached for my sword, finding it missing. "You took my sword!"

Celestia never once turned away from me as her sister entered my vision. "Of course, it is too dangerous to leave with you."

"Sister, it is my turn to watch. Nothing has changed."

"Very well, keep an eye on him. He calls himself Sinis, by the way." Celestia stood and began trotting back the way Luna came.

"I have no interest in knowing its name, but should ye not replace thine shield?"

"It is fine, Luna. Twilight will trade with you in a few hours."

As Celestia exited the dungeon, the amount of Harmony I felt lessened. Luna never spoke, only watching me for sudden movements. Her energy was weaker, but still kept me from doing anything as my headache continued to cripple me. I will... I... will...

I could stand no longer, collapsing upon the hard stone floor. "I... will... be..." Luna just stared as I glared back. "I..."

Darkness took me.

"Hello, Sinis. Welcome to my mind." Dexter. "Well isn't that interesting. You can think but there is no echo." Grrr...

I opened my eyes to see, not blackness as before, but scenery. With Dexter's free reign, he had managed to create a small world. He sat cross-legged, calm with closed eyes, upon pale green tatami mats inside a olden style Japanese room. The walls and ceiling were pure white with thin, wooden crossbeams. Surrounding the room was a wooden deck raised off of the ground. A cloudless, blue sky shone light, but cast no shadows. I found myself standing in a sand garden as the sound of a bamboo water fountain tapped against a rock. Smells of a nearby cherry blossom tree caught in my nose.

"Ugh, really, Dexter? How much more cliche can you get?"

"I really should thank you for taking control. I have calmed and become one with Harmony here."

"And I bet you haven't thought of what I said. Doesn't matter, your princesses will kill me if you don't take over."

"Kill you?" Dexter opened his eyes, shining bluer than ever before. "You don't seem to understand your own purpose. You do not have a body to kill."

"I am you! I can die just as you can if I am in control!"

"Do you not remember what I said moments ago? Welcome to MY mind."

"It is ours, not yours."

"You are a manifestation of chaos within me. My body and mind were always mine."

"So you will just cast me out?"

"No, I have learned what you did and how you are. Accepting chaos is not as I once thought."

"Don't think I don't know what chaos is!"

"What do you think it is?"

"The opposite of Harmony, pure randomness."

Dexter sighed. "Return to me, and we will be one again. I cast you out once; I will not do so again."

"As if. I can be free and gain control again."

"You don't have a choice."

Chaos and Harmony. Humanity cannot be one without the other. I have learned that during my stay in the void. When one grows too strong, the mind fractures, distorting the truth. As I realized this, I knew what had to be done. I know not why I talked to Sinis, only that I enjoyed the chat.

He lost form just as I did in that moment. Dark and light clouds of energy swirled and mixed, becoming that which we were, a gray whole. As I returned to my human self, the void of my mind changed.

The sky turned to stars, millions and millions of stars and galaxies. Blue, purple, and black formed the backdrop for them to shine on. Lights, like those I saw the first time I met Sinis, danced across the portrait, providing a contrast between calm infinity and chaotic endlessness. It was beautiful in its complexity and simplicity. As much as I wanted to stay, I had to wake up.

"Goodbye Dexter. Goodbye Sinister."

Chaos is the theory of everything and nothing. If one were to think charity is good, another would think it is bad. All of reality is true, and yet untrue. Harmony is the theory of serenity and order. Regardless of right and wrong, true and untrue, all reality follows a path. The people of Equestia did not know this at the beginning of things and, through their own misunderstandings, the forces of this world were named Chaos and Harmony. When I learned of these two forces and joined them, I found truth, and it led to power.

The power I possessed did not come without limitations. Chaos and Harmony needed to be in sync, in harmony. Like two weights on a scale, one would get stronger while the other weakened. A large amount of Harmony allowed me to see order, with no way to control it. On the other side, too much Chaos created unlimited choices, but I could not see the truth. Sinis was proof of Chaotic overflow and when I brought him into myself, I was not in equilibrium.

"Ah! He's awake!" Twilight's voice reached my ears. "Who are you now?"

Who? Heh. The migraine Sinis dealt with was gone, allowing me to stand and look out the bars to Twilight. "Hello, Twilight. I'm whole."

She looked back at me with joyful shock. "Really? Oh thank Celestia, I didn't know if it would work. Are you okay, Dex?"

"Hmm, for the sake of simplicity, yes. I am Dex the Shield."

Harmony and Chaos

"Dex, the Shield?"

"Indeed. I have become whole and, as Dexter and Sinister are the right and left sides of a shield, I am." I studied the gate to my cell for a time. "How did you catch Sinis? I did not get any information from the time since he left the forest."

"We, meaning Celestia and I, followed you, er Sinis, after you did not answer my letter. When we found him in the city and saw what he was doing, we learned of your change. It was a simple matter to catch him off guard when he exited Everfree Forest."

"So you know he met with Discord?" I reached my hand through the bars and pinched the lock.

"Yes, we-"

With a crunch of metal, the locking pin was exposed and fell to the ground. "Hmm?"

"Dex! How did you just do that?"

I looked up to her as I opened the door, it's hinges screeching. "Do what?"

"Break the lock!"

"Oh, that? I thought you followed Sinis. Did you not see him perform similar feats?"

"Yes, but I thought only he could do it because he was a manifestation of Chaos!"

Sighing, I started walking in the direction Sinis saw Luna enter and Celestia leave. Twilight's hoofsteps followed behind me. "Did I not say I was whole?"

"Agh, you need to explain that. And I don't think the princesses will like you escaping."

I passed by similar cells, not one was occupied. It was not surprising considering the relative peace of Equestria. "And that is why I am headed to them now, to explain."

We reached some stairs leading to a doorway. At this point, I realized there were a lack of guards. "Twilight, where are the guards?"

"You are, or were, the only prisoner here. There is no need to guard an empty dungeon. With that door the only way out, we have a few stationed there."

"Hmm, so I wasn't much of a threat or they were too busy with Discord. Either way," I reached the door and opened it to the sight of four armor-wearing stallions.

They spoke as one. "He's escaped! Hold, prisoner!"

"Ahhaha! Do that again. Twilight, I didn't know synchronized orders were part of their training!"

Twilight chuckled along with me. "It's not." She walked around me to speak to the guards. "It's okay sirs. He's back to normal."

Normal in a relative sense, but certainly not the same as before. I kept my thoughts to myself to avoid increasing their suspicion. "As much as I'd love to stick around and catch up, I need to speak with the princesses."

"Their Majesties are busy in the throne room, we will escort you there." This time, only one spoke. He prompty opened the opposing door with a key and led us out. The last three stayed behind Twilight and me.

"Not too busy to welcome back Celestia's knight I hope. How has the castle been since I left?" We made small talk throughout the castle dungeons and into the main hallway. Occasionally, another guard would join our procession, but if it was for security or wariness of me, I couldn't be certain.

"We are nearing the throne room. Have you noticed anything, Dex?"

"Well, Twilight, I've noticed quite a few things, but I think you meant to reference the lack of Discord's influence here."

"Yes, he's been avoiding Canterlot."

"Hmm, how odd. Well, that's fine, gives us a chance to talk." We reached the grand doors I was so familiar with by now. Ahead of me were four guards and behind me were six more.

Two unicorn stallions magicked open the doorway and I spied both Celestia and Luna at their thrones. Ponies were scattered about, but a clear line went down the center rug. Upon seeing ten of her guards, Twilight, and me, Celestia spoke over the crowd.

"Please make way my ponies, something more urgent has come up." As her subjects cleared away to the sides of the room, I couldn't help but call back.

"No, no, Celestia. Finish talking with your delegates and noblemen, I can wait!" The sound of my playful voice brought a smile to her face.

"Dex, it is so good to see you are yourself again." She looked to left and right to her ponies. "If you do not wish to wait for Sir Dex, bring your grievances to me now. Otherwise, rest in the dining hall."

At the sound of my title, the majority of the mares and stallions shuffled out of the room. My entourage entered and spread out to allow passage. Those that felt they were bold, all two of them, quickly approached the throne. Leaving political matters to be, I turned to Twilight.

"Just two, huh? Am I really so important that the noblemen of Equestria duck away from my name?"

"You are a knight, Dex. Very few ponies want to challenge you, even if you don't mind waiting."

"I'm sure your own presence helped."

"Oh no, I'm just a student of the princess. I don't carry that much weight."

"You sell yourself short. Remember when you were given access to Starswirl the Bearded's wing of the library without question?"

"That was just a fluke. I'm sure the guard on duty was just being nice." She grew confused. "Wait, how did you-"

"Sir Dex, Knight of the Solar Guard, please step forward." Luna's voice thankfully cut Twilight off. My slip of the tongue was not something I wanted to go into detail about just yet.

I strode towards the thrones as the two ponies walked by. Upon reaching the steps up, I knelt and addressed Luna.

"I know I don't speak with you often, Luna, but must you use my full title?"

"For the sake of etiquette, yes."

"Then next time, I ask that you use my complete name."

"Your complete name?" Celestia said.

I rose to meet their gazes. "Yes, I am Dex the Shield."

The two rulers of Equestria looked to one another for a moment before turning back to me. "The Shield, Sir Dex?"

"Yes, Celestia. I am whole and therefore a shield." Twilight trotted up beside me and gave a quick bow of her own.

"Princesses, Dex told me the same. I think it is time for him to explain."

"Very well, Twilight. Dex, tell me what you know."

"Just as I did a long time ago, I may repeat what you are already aware of. Is this acceptable?"

"Of course."

I began with what was happening to the towns. My Chaotic energy was being released and, instead of it dissipating, collected to form Chaotic Shades. Because they were not formed intentionally, they had no objective, becoming mindless beasts of chaos. Using the sword from Discord, I absorbed that energy and started losing my balance. The more Chaotic energy I gained, the less Harmonic energy I had, throwing my mind into confusion.

Twilight had summoned a quill and parchment, as well as her own notes, and compared them.

"Hmm, Twilight. The word 'chaotic' should be 'Chaotic.'"

"It is."

"No, no, with a capital 'C.'"

"Why?"

"I'm getting to it."

Continuing where I left off, I told them that upon defeating the last Chaotic Shade, I had very little Harmonic energy and was cast into my own mind. Because I was under the belief that chaos equals evil, I split myself, giving all the Chaotic energy to the same void I give negative emotions. This, in turn, created Sinis and he became the controller.

During the stay in my mind, I observed Sinis and questioned what the truth was. Through introspection, I learned of the two forces in nature, Harmony and Chaos, and that neither were more good or bad than the other. Thus, when Sinis was weakened enough to lose control, I confronted him and accepted chaos into my being.

"But he was a separate entity; how could you.. do that?"

"Twilight, Sinis was never another person. He was always me and I was always him. Like I said, I cast the energy away and it mixed with my negative sides. When I accepted everything I am, I became whole."

"An interesting tale, Sir Dex, but how does it change your name or self?" Luna said

"I was called Dexter in my world."

"I see, dexter is the right side of a shield. Yes, I can understand how you came to that conclusion. Very well, Sir Dex the Shield, Knight of the Solar Guard, welcome back."

"Good to be back. Now, I have to know, how did you all weaken Sinis? Without the sword, I cannot absorb energy."

"It was Twilight's plan," Celestia said, giving Twilight a proud look. "Between the three of us, we forced our Harmonic energy into your body. She was not sure if it would harm you or not, but told me not to stop until you changed. A very risky move."

"And one that forces me out of balance. I will reach equilibrium in time; however, Twilight, scan me as you did before. I want to make certain of something."

Twilight gave me a confused look before accepting and powering up her horn. After a few moments, its glow faded and she spoke up. "I can't feel any energy being released." She was even more confused than before.

"Good." We stared at each other until I relented. "Fine, if you must know, I'm recycling any energy I release now."

"Dex, how are you doing all this?" More explaining...

I had to go into detail on what Harmony and Chaos truly were. Simply put, if I believed I could do something, I could. Of course, I was restricted due to Harmony, which stated all things had to be ordered and serene. I gave them an example that I could teleport, but only if I had enough chaotic energy to do so and only in Equestria, since it was proven possible in that universe.

"So Discord can do anything because he has no Harmony?"

"Ugh, yes, Twilight. The reason he doesn't is either because he doesn't have the energy for it or he can't think of it. I shudder to think what he could do if he visited my universe." Though the way he talks to me, he could very well have...

"Discord is the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. He is proof of what happens when you have only Chaotic magic."

"Very true, Celestia, and pure Harmony creates stagnation. I assume you already knew the Harmony and Chaos thing?"

"Yes." Of course...

"And I had to explain it... why?"

"So you could teach Twilight."

"I get the feeling you have been avoiding the topic with her."

"Maybe."

"......troll."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing!"

"As much fun as it is watching you two, I believe we have something else to discuss before dealing with Discord."

"Of course, Twilight." Celestia turned to me with sympathy. "Providence." The name shook me to the core.

Death

The building. The Shade. The battle. Stone. Images and memories flashed through my mind at the sound of the city's name. Though Sinis was in control, I saw everything. The blood. His still body. Pan's tears.

I turned pale, falling to my knees in defeat. My fault. It's my fault.

"DEX!"

The scream pierced through the fog; it sounded like Pan, but I couldn't be sure. My fault.

"DEX! Listen to me! It's not your fault!"

I was unaware of mumbling my thoughts as she spoke. It didn't matter. The truth was, it was my fault. If I hadn't been brought to Equestria, if I hadn't been releasing chaotic energy, the Shades would have never existed. Then, Stone would-

Pain erupted on my left cheek, forcing my head to the side. The sudden attack drew me away from Stone. When I looked towards the assailant, I saw Panacea staring at me with tears in her eyes.

"Dex... stop it." She reached towards me and brought me into a hug. The scent of spring rain wafted from her mane, calming me enough to respond.

“He... he’s truly dead?”

“Y-Yes. I’m sorry. I c-couldn’t save h-him.”

Celestia’s voice reached our huddled forms. “None could save Stone at that stage. Do not blame yourselves.”

The sounds of silent mourning filled the hall, none wanting to disturb us. Thoughts of Stone filled my mind. Training, drinking, and relaxing after it all. His life couldn’t have been taken so easily, without meaning. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I spoke quietly to Pan.

“Tell me it was worth it. Tell me what happened to the citizens.” My voice shook, barely hiding my sorrowful anger. Tell me I didn’t sacrifice my best friend for nothing.

“They are safe. You and Stone got to them in time.”

She continued to embrace me in silence. Occasionally, a tear would fall from Panacea’s face, known only because I could feel them on my back. “And you?”

“I-I’m fine.”

“It’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not. You did what you could.”

“If I had-”

“Stop. It will never be your fault. Stone knew the risks.”

“Dex, thine blame is misguided. If ye truly wish fault, giveth to Discord.” Luna’s voice was calm and sympathetic.

I admit, I wasn’t the best at dealing with death. Throughout my life, I would play hopscotch with the stages of grief and dwell on anger, only to jump back to grief and play with blame. At that moment, I was furious.

“Discord.” My anger was unfounded, he had done nothing to cause Stone’s death, but he was an outlet and that was all I needed. “I’ll destroy him.”

“Do you think you can? Dex, I don’t want to lose you too,” Pan said. Her face filled with worry as I broke away from the hug and stood, my own set in a scowl.

“He’s a scourge. There’s no place in this world for his pure Chaos.”

“I can not allow you to go, Dex. You are dealing with a hard time right now. Rest and be with friends.”

“Celes-”

“I will not hear another word. I order you to rest.”

My emotions were a blur of self-hate, anger, and sadness. The very idea of resting irritated me, but I was sworn to her command and I would follow it. With Celestia’s order, I spun around to leave, finding the entryway free of obstacles. Pan followed after me, but there was nothing to say. A small part of me remembered that she had never seen my room and that is exactly where I was headed. It wasn't until I had entered and laid on my bed, when Pan finally spoke up.

"You made all this?" I knew she was trying to take my mind off Stone.

"Yeah." I propped myself up on my elbows to look at her. "Anything you want to know about?"

She looked over my inventions for some time, most likely trying to find something to talk about. It seemed she wanted to avoid the elephant in the room as well. "What is this?" she said, pointing to the Tesla Coil.

"It's a small tower of coiled wire. The energy added at the bottom is increased exponentially as it reaches the top, which then spreads out in the air. It was called a Tesla Coil."

Pan continued to look it over. "Was?"

"I'm not sure if there's an equivalent in this world or not, but a man named Nikola Tesla invented it." As much as I enjoyed explaining something I had fun making, I didn't have the energy in my voice.

"Oh..." She started to scan my room again.

"Pan, neither of us really want to talk about this stuff right now. You don't have to keep trying." I let myself drop back to the bed, mind awash in thoughts and memories. My eyes drooped of their own accord, telling me to sleep after so long. I heard Pan trot over to the bed. "It's big enough for the both of us."

The bed sank as she hopped on. "What will you do now?"

"Celestia told me to rest, and so I will." For today.

"That's good. You need it, Dex."

"You can stay here, if you want."

"Of course."

"Thanks."

Stone stood in front of me with an indifferent frown. He looked down and I followed his gaze, finding a window showing another me. I was in another town with Twilight. A Shade appeared and killed her. Then, I was in a bar with Riches. I watched as she was murdered for associating with me. Finally, I saw Panacea and I, being brought to Discord, the look on his face was one of hatred. As he forced Pan into all sorts of torture, I could watch no longer. Stone met my gaze and everything bled to white.

"Dex..." My eyes cracked open to see Pan inches away from my face. "Could you let go?" I noticed I had grabbed her in my sleep, forcing her to cuddle.

"Ah. Sorry." My arms were pulled away as I rolled to get out of bed. "Could you imagine what Stone would say?" Oh...

In my half awake state, I didn't remember what I had learned the previous day. My slip up instantly set the morning off on a somber tone.

"Yeah..." She hopped out of bed on the other side. Stretching each leg, she looked over to see my saddened expression. "Think of the good times, Dex. Please."

I joined her in limbering up before responding. "I know, I've dealt with a few deaths before..."

"I'm sorry," she said, then smirked at me. "Did you at least sleep well, cuddling with me?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't. I think grabbing you was a response to my dream actually." A knock came upon my bedroom door. "Come in."

Between Discord and myself, I was sure the princesses weren't sleeping as much as they used to, so it came as no surprise to see Luna entering. The fact that she was visiting me in my chambers was what bewildered me.

"Sir Dex, Panacea." She sounded like she was hiding or suspicious of being caught.

"Can I help you, Luna?"

A familiar weapon emerged from her mane, surrounded in her magic aura. "I have brought Discord's sword. Take it and go."

"What? Your Highness, Princess Celestia ordered Dex to relax."

"My sister told him to rest. He has rested." Exactly what I was thinking.

"Right. Thanks, Luna." I walked over and pulled the katana from her telekinesis, checking it over for problems.

"Dex! No, you need to rest more."

Turning to look at Pan, my expression grew determined. "I'm fine."

"If you won't listen to reason, I'm going with you."

"No. You have to stay here, Panacea. The last thing I need is getting you in danger."

"If I may?" Luna said. We quieted down and turned to her. "He won't be gone long, Panacea. Sir Dex, I want you to lure Discord here, where we will be waiting."

"Does Celestia know of this?"

"Not as of yet, no. After you leave, I will wait for half a cycle, then tell my sister. At that point, she will have to listen to me and gather the Elements."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I don't like this, Dex."

"I'll be safe, don't worry. I'm stronger than ever." At that, I strolled out of my room with my sword. I will fix this.

Guards positioned in key locations allowed me through without trouble. I assumed that Celestia had not told them I was forbidden from visiting Canterlot. Not wanting to see anyone, I took back hallways as much as possible. As I exited the castle, I avoided the entrance to the training grounds and Celestia’s personal tower.

Canterlot hadn’t woken up for the day, so it was easy to make my way through the streets. At one moment, I met an apple cart opening early and purchased a small pie for breakfast. It wasn’t better than Applejack’s, but the energy was necessary if I wanted to lure Discord. First, I had to call him, so I made sure the city was well away from me before using the sword.

Discord.

"Oh, hello brony! Where have you been, hmm?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Super ultra rare author's note, guys.

In case you missed my blog post, N64Fan has created a crossover with Dex and his character, Inventor, from Pistons and Ponies. He said it's a collab so I guess that means I'm kinda like a co-author, even though all I did was clean it up, add Dex's dialogue, and approve of it. Anyway, here's the link!

Chaos in the Gears

A False Front

Discord had only interacted with Sinis, so I hoped I could imitate my mind under Chaos. I wasn’t sure how perceptive he could be. Recalling the actions of Sinis, I mimicked his mannerisms as well as possible.

Attempting to spread chaos, not that I can. That sword technique you taught me doesn’t help much.

“Oh-hohoho? And you wanted me to do what, exactly?”

Where is your chaos? Here I am, near Canterlot, and I don’t see your influence.

“That’s because I’m not bothering with them. I’m enjoying my free time before I attempt an attack again. Unless you have a plan?”

I do.

“....” My sword continued to vibrate, relaying Discord’s silence. “Come to Everfree Forest.”

The undulation of metal stopped abruptly. Between his lack of riddles and blunt speech, I feared that he was onto me for not sounding chaotic enough. My destination in mind, I headed further from Canterlot, doubt and contained anger clouding my thoughts.

A few minutes into my journey, I started to dwell on previous experiences. How did I fight better when I was angry? Why did I need to win if all it does is cause me to lose my fo...cus.... A simple question turned into an epiphany. If I lose focus during battle, I can ignore the finer details of my enemy; doing so allows me to follow their movements. In that case, wouldn’t removing my glasses give an equal result?

My thoughts led me to the border of the Everfree Forest and under its canopy. Celestia’s noon-time sun bled through in miniscule amounts, forcing my eyes to adjust to the dark path. Despite this being my second time in the forest, and a different entrance, my feet carried me in the direction of the old castle ruins.

To keep my wits about me in the dark, foreboding forest, I tested my energies. My Chaotic energy had leveled out with my Harmonic energy during the short rest at the castle and the following journey to my current location, allowing me to affect more and act like Sinis with greater ease. It would be useful in the upcoming fight I was sure to have.

The castle of the Royal Pony Sisters slowly came into view, its great, yawning moat halting my approach. Unlike with Twilight and her friends, and the first time I visited the area, I was facing no straight entryway into the dilapidated building. I crouched and collected energy beneath my feet. As I jumped, the built up forces extended my thrust, easily sending me across the chasm and above the castle.

Discord sat upon a conjured throne with an eyebrow raised as I fell back to earth. My perfectly timed entrance did not seem to change his demeanor at all. Landing on my feet with a barely noticed bend to my knees, I looked upon him with as neutral an expression as I could muster.

“Three points,” Discord said, placing his head on his lions paw.

“Outta five?”

“Twenty.”

“Psh, everyone’s a critic.” I rolled my eyes.

“You were late, the dismount was horrible, not a single stunt was performed mid-flight, and you got dirt in my drink.

“I think you got drink on my dirt,” I said, just noticing the chocolate milk in Discord’s talons.

He drank the rest of the liquid before setting the glass down on the throne’s armrest. A smirk flickered across his face for a moment at my disappointed expression. “Tastes like cinnamon.”

No exploding? Aww. “You ate my dirt...”

“It will be my dirt soon enough.”

“Not without my help, it won’t be.”

“And without me, you’ll never cause enough chaos to matter. Now tell me your plan.”

Discord’s bored expression didn’t change when I told him of my role in his release, but warped to excited glee at my role in the dethroning of the princesses. I would be his front man, using the sword to deflect and distract the Elements of Harmony while he dealt with Celestia and Luna. After disposing of the bearers, I would take Luna off his hands.

“The best part? Heh... They are all gathered at the castle as we speak! We could defeat them in one fell swoop and rain chaos for all time!”

“How will you defeat six ponies where I could not?” His voice threatened to destroy me if I spoke against him on his failure.

“I will attack them physically, now that I cannot fall.”

Discord snapped his talons, causing a boulder to appear above me. I stood my ground as it fell, tons of rock spelling my doom. It met my skull, only to crack and fall away in two halves. As they crashed to the ground, I raised an eyebrow to Discord’s amused smile.

“Happy now?”

“Oh, what else can you do?” He paused to contemplate my perceived torture. “Ah, lava!”

A river of lava flowed from around his throne at another snap. Again, I stood and allowed it to wash over me. The heat bore down on me, causing sweat to pool above my brow, as I continued to keep my body hardened. Soon enough, the lava ceased.

“Really, Discord. You can have your fun after we destroy the diarchy of Equestria.”

Discord’s laughter rang throughout the castle, rebounding off the moss covered walls again and again. “This is too entertaining.” Yet another snap and yet another obstacle.

Water formed a sphere around my head, cutting off my air supply. This time, I walked towards him, holding my breath for the sake of image. I got right in his face and inhaled the water until it my lungs were full and the sphere was gone. Then, I proceeded to shoot every bit of it into his face. The liquid sprayed him for a second before he put his paw in the way, forcing the stream to fan out and away.

“Enjoy the water, Discord?” A smirk played at my lips as revenge.

He lowered his paw to glower at me. Seconds slowly ticked by, as I learned from a walking clock that wandered into the room. “Touche.” With one last snap of his fingers, a bright light surrounded us as we were warped away.

Either warping was different from teleporting, or I had gotten used to spatial displacement, as I had no ill effects from the transfer. We appeared within Canterlot Castle to the mild shock of maids and guards. The servants ran immediately as the sentries set themselves for a fight. Hope Luna told them I’m an enemy.

“Halt! In the name of Her Majesties, Princes-”

“Oh hush and step aside. I’ve got a date with Celestia,” Discord said as his talons clicked together.

The great protectors of Equestria were warped into shadows of their former selves as Discord released a wave of Chaotic magic. Just as Twilight and her friends were turned into opposites, the guards started to act like children or cowards, running in terror.

“New spell? I seem to recall you had to do that one at a time,” I said.

“The Element bearers were different.” He strolled by me, making it easy to keep up.

Soon enough, we were at the doors to the castle throne room. Odd, where are the guards? I pushed the great doors open and allowed Discord entry first. Stepping in after him, I stood at his side and scanned the room. Princess Celestia and Luna, Twilight and her friends, and Panacea all stood to face us with a few guards lined against the walls. Why is Pan here?

“Celestia! So good to see you,” Discord said, sarcasm dripping from his voice and a smile on his face.

“Discord!”

“That’s me! I must say, Celestia, you were quite foolish. Allowing this human to roam free after I specifically said he was my key.”

With a quick draw of my sword, I brought it up and across his exposed side. In a howl of pain, Discord jumped away, clutching the wound and glaring at me. I saw the mares look towards me in shock. Sorry, Pan.

The Sky Darkens

“Dex!” Pan’s voice echoed within the halls of Canterlot Castle. Guards stood alert for any order by their rulers.

I pushed off the ground, rushing towards Discord’s scowling figure, my own set in a determined glare. Sword met talon as I reached him. “Treachery,” he growled as I fought to overpower him. With a swipe of his lions paw, I flew to the opposing wall, crashing into it and crumpling in a heap on the floor. “Did you honestly believe me weak, human?”

Very well, time to test this. I stood and brushed the marble dust away. Giving no return statement, I brought my glasses away from my eyes and tossed them away. Don’t break on me. Discord’s form blurred and the world fell away in swirls of displaced color. I leapt towards him, hoping to use the angle of descent to my advantage.

Discord laughed and formed a cloud in my way. I sliced through it, only to meet a pie in the face. The momentary blindness forced me to miss him and feel his talons on my skull. The air rushed around me, I had been flung through the air. I hardened once more, ignoring the coming impact to wipe away pie crust and Boston creme.

The wall never came as I was enveloped in a bluish glow. Telekinesis. I swiveled my head to see Luna controlling the magical energies, setting me down and transferring pure magic into my body. “This is all I can do,” her voice resounded within my mind. Good enough.

“Getting help from the princesses, human? It won’t be enough to save you,” Discord growled.

Belief: Space dilation is possible. My body imploded to nothing, only to reform behind Discord, allowing another strike against his hide. I jumped above him as he howled in pain once more. Letting gravity take over, I adjusted the sword to pierce his skull between the horns.

He saw me coming and jumped to the side, leaving a pit of acid behind. Belief: Acid is water. Just as quickly as it formed, the toxic substance turned to clear liquid. I splashed down within it, allowing its cool temperature to refresh me. Enough of this. Belief: Chaos does not exist. I slammed my fist into the marble floor of the room, causing a shockwave to spread my belief to the walls.

In my crouched position, I looked up at Discord’s sudden change in attitude. He was snapping his talons, attempting to conjure anything in his normal manner. “You’re done,” I snarled. Harmonic energy swirled around me, free from its counterpart.

Standing, I brought my sword into a two-handed grip and ran towards him. When I came within striking distance, he was still stunned, giving me a free shot at his neck. A jump and upward strike split his skin from chest to chin. He stumbled back and I dropped back to the floor.

His visage changed from shock to confidence. “So you learned a few tricks.” A click of his talons healed him. “Not enough to matter.”

I’m still getting Chaotic magic just from cutting him. How much does he have? Until I gained enough Chaos from Discord, I had to use Harmony as much as possible. “Order: Height is directly proportional to gravity.”

“Dex, no!” Celestia’s voice rang out, just as my own completed the rule. The castle groaned under the increased stress from its own size and being on a mountain. The blurs of ponies fell against the strain and Discord was brought to his own hands and knees.

I faltered for a moment, adding a minor belief that allowed the rule to ignore me. Before Discord could do the same, I brought my sword down across his face. The cut went skin deep as he reinforced his own body, but it was enough to transfer more Chaos to me. He jumped away, launching a sphere of concentrated magic at me.

Bringing my sword to bear, I collected the energy. Neutral. Unnecessary. The forces spun around the blade as I learned its nature and repurposed it as sharpened air. A swing pointed towards Discord released the magic as a thin crescent of hardened wind. As he was distracted from my attack, I rescinded my Harmonic order.

The quick change to normal gravity brought a grunt of relief to the ponies while Discord floated in the air for a moment. Slipping as he fell, he launched another cotton candy cloud towards me. I cut through it, expecting it to split away, but as I walked between the halves, they clamped shut.

With my head in the clouds, he had the advantage again. Instead of his usual antics, I felt his paw and talons both pierce my body and begin to pull away from each other. Still too low on Chaos to heal, I blindly swung, feeling nicks and cuts into his arms and torso. In another scream of pain, Discord pulled his talons out of me.

I knocked the fluffy sugar away to find his paw severed and still embedded in my stomach. Falling to my knees, blood poured from my wounds and I pulled the lion paw out. As I tossed it away, Discord glared at me as if I would die from the look alone. Blood loss caused me to stumble when I stood up to face him again.

“Dex!” A pink glow formed around me, slowly stitching my wounds closed. I looked at my audience to see a Pan-colored blob with a similarly colored luminescence to that of the spell. Thanks Pan. My injuries were sealed, but the spell didn’t end. I felt my strength increase as it continued. “Adrenaline. For the bloodloss,” the blur said at my confused expression.

A low growl echoed within the chamber, not unlike that of a dragon woken from slumber. “You will die,” the draconequus said in a deep voice. All manner of playfulness had left his countenance.

Blood dripped from the stump his paw used to be and cuts adorned his hide. Sweat beaded upon me as adrenaline coursed through my veins. Time to end this.

“Order: All things must die. Order: All things must be harmed. Order: All things must cease to exist.” Belief: My mind calculates all odds. Belief: My muscles work at full capacity.

The princesses gasped at my rules, for not only did it make Discord mortal, but so did it make them as well. Furthermore, it forced all beings to be harmed, allowing death to occur by injury. Because Discord had no Harmony, he could not refute the order. Neither of us could strengthen our bodies against harm.

Discord crouched low, preparing himself for an attack. I did the same, only to trick him as I warped behind him and sliced through his tail. More chaos flooded my mind and the sudden deluge left me open for him to buck me against the wall.

I recovered quickly. Belief: I weigh four thousand pounds. My steps sank into the marble as I ran towards Discord. He summoned spears to pierce the floor upwards. As I dodged around them, he brought more boulders into existence. The final attack he used was a large beam of energy coming from his hand straight at me.

If I stayed still, I’d get all three; if I moved, I’d get two out of three; if I warped away, I’d get hit by the energy blast when he redirects it. Choosing the last option, I warped a yard away from him and caught the blast with my katana. Chaos.

The battle was nearly over, so I redirected the energy back to Discord instead of absorbing it. The magic flung towards him in a half circle of fire and light. When it struck him, I jumped through it to embed my sword in his skull. To ensure his destruction, I pulled down on the sword until his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Chaotic energy swirled from the gap I caused. The sword absorbed the Chaos as fast as it could. My Harmonic magic ran out, but there was still more Chaos to collect. I will fix this.

The man leaned against his sword embedded in his kill, absorbing every last ounce of its essence. The strength of a god filled his mind and soul, bleeding the color out of him until he was nothing but black. The ponies in the room looked onward in shock, for a mortal man had done the impossible.

Silence filled the chamber. No one spoke a word or moved a muscle, all waiting to see what would happen next. A cutting laugh split the quiet, slowly increasing into mad hysterics. He turned to view his audience with deep blue fire burning in his eye sockets, but never stopped laughing.

“I TOLD him I’d be back!” The undulating, unworldly voice of the man spelled the end to the knight known as Dex. Sinis had returned, and he was too strong to stop this time.

History Repeats

As Sinis’s laughter died down, darkness swirled around him, enveloping everything within a yard in a haze. His blue fire eyes scanned between the ponies, as if counting them.

“Looks like the gang’s all here!” the man said, drawing his sword from Discord’s corpse. “But wait! Someone seems to be missing!”

The mares looked between themselves confusedly for a few moments. Panacea’s eyes lit up in realization first.

“No! Dex, don’t!” Her response brought fear upon Celestia’s face as the former knight twitched.

“I AM SINIS! DO NOT CALL ME BY THAT NAME!” The man’s bellowing voice shattered windows and forced everypony’s ears to lay flat on their skulls. Luna’s voice followed his own.

“WE SHAN’T CALL THEE ANYTHING BUT DEX!” Whether she was provoking him, or believed Dex to still exist, was uncertain, but her decree only irritated Sinis further.

His seething anger was shown on his black face. The Element bearers cowered beneath his glare as the princesses stood tall against him.

“Keep calling for Dex, but he is gone.” Sinis breathed in deeply, and slowly released the breath and anger. “As a token of respect, I shall grant his final wish.”

Celestia’s determined facade dropped into fear. “Do not do it.” She turned to Twilight and her friends, still shaking as a group behind her. “Prepare the Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle.”

“You have no power over me, Celestia. Belief-”

The elements shone with power, levitating the mares as white light filled Twilight’s eyes.

“Death-”

A separate color from each pony collected above them. As they coagulated, a rainbow formed.

“-is not-”

The full might of the Elements of Harmony descended upon Sinis. He brought his sword to block the energy and everyone watched as the colors of light were absorbed into it.

“-permanent!”

The sword swung as Sinis snapped his fingers. Stone’s lifeless body appeared in front of the released energy from the sword. When the two objects met, the body was wrapped in the full spectrum of Harmonic light.

“NO!” both princesses screamed.

“You know not what you have done!” Celestia said, her horn alighting as well as her sister’s.

The world shook. Dust fell from the ceiling as the sky turned red beyond the windows. Clouds as dark as a moonless night formed and began to rain neon-green liquid. Red cracks began to form, not on the walls, but in the air itself.

“Thou hast doomed us all!” Luna said, forcing as much power from her body as she could. “Rescind thine belief or all shall perish!”

Stone continued to be contained in the rainbow, blocking anyone from seeing his revival. More splits ran through the air as the storm outside formed a torrent of icy wind. Above the howling monsoon and the ponies frightened cries, Sinis laughed.

“Pure Chaos! Why would I stop this?!”

“This is not Chaos you fool! This is the end of the world! You broke one of the foundations of Order!” Celestia’s voice rang throughout the ruined chamber, attempting to stop Sinis and hold back the end at the same time.

“Tsh, and why should I believe you?”

“Damn it all to Tartarus! Stop trying to revive Stone or we will DIE! The world will CEASE TO EXIST!” The very idea of Celestia's voice sullied by the swear spoke volumes of the coming plight.

The howling winds and quiet whimpers of mortal ponies could be heard as Sinis thought it over. His persistent glare continued as he snapped his fingers and allowed Stone’s body to return to the castle morgue. Celestia and Luna sighed in relief even as the storm didn’t relent. Their horns glowed brighter than before and the cracks slowly faded away from the air.

As soon as the whipping gusts died down, Sinis created a ball of energy and swung his sword through it. The katana quickly absorbed and released the magical forces in a blade of darkness towards the princesses. Distracted as Celestia and Luna were, the guards ran in to protect their charges.

Three sentries blocked the attack with their swords, but the hardened energy was too much to handle. They were slowly pushed back until Sinis commanded the dark wave to explode, tossing the stallions through the air and over the princesses.

A fourth guard timed his attack just as his partners were flung away. He ran up behind the dark man and lunged for the katana in Sinis’ right hand. With exceeding luck, the stallion managed to wrest the weapon away, but was caught by four metallic walls summoned around him.. Using all of his strength, the guard threw the sword over the barriers of his cage and prayed for it to stay out of reach.

Sinis brought a fifth plate of steel on top of the makeshift prison and willed two opposing walls to creep towards each other. A scream pierced the air as Twilight noticed the events occurring. As the man turned to look, he saw another rainbow headed towards him.

He brought his hand up and concentrated all of his will upon it. When the light struck him, it gathered along his hand and formed a ball at the palm. Sweeping the lit appendage across the room, a wide arc of monotone rainbow was released. The princesses had enough time to recover by then and created a shield of swirling pink and midnight blue to block the attack. Although it failed, the blast from the Elements of Harmony was enough to distract Sinis from crushing the guard.

There was a lull in the battle, as Sinis scanned the room and the mares spoke. Redness still shone from the sky as a single large cloud continued to cover most of it. Small debris littered the chamber and the stallions were indisposed. He only had to watch the princesses, as the Element bearers only had the rainbow of Harmony, which he already proved useless. Luna’s horn shone a brilliant dark blue as the shield collapsed around the ponies.

As soon as the sphere of energy dissipated completely, Celestia and her sister trotted to either side of Sinis, leaving the Elements exposed. Since the man was still being affected by the beliefs Dex used, he calculated the odds of the situation and determined the bearers to be no threat. The two princesses charged him with horns alight.

Pulling a card from Discord, Sinis formed two masses of energy in either hand and pointed them to his foes. As he turned the power into massive, heat-emitting lasers, he saw the Elements power up once more. Sinis could not stop the attack on the royal sisters or they would get to him, but if he didn’t the Elements of Harmony would be used on him with no restrictions.

In a last ditch effort, the Chaotic man slammed his palms to the marble floor, changing his attack from lasers to a shockwave of pure force. As if Celestia and Luna planned it, the darker alicorn threw all of her magic around the bearers of Harmony while the white one transferred her power into the Elements. The princesses ignored the energy being slammed into them and focused only on protecting or empowering Twilight and her friends.

Sinis was still crouched as he looked up to see the full might of Harmony, strengthened by Celestia’s own power, bearing down on him. As quickly as he could, he stood up to face the magical rainbow, but the lack of shockwaves freed Luna to add her own power. With the combined power of friendship and two alicorns, Sinis was unable to reflect it.

The multi-colored beam of light forced itself to surround the Chaotic man, slowly drawing into him. His legs began to change to stone and crept up to his waist. Sinis willed it to slow down as he planned to make his final stand. With all he had, he released Chaotic energy into the world, hoping to repeat what freed Discord. The last push of Harmony came and sped up his body till only his head was free.

“History repeats itself,” Sinis stated simply before being swallowed up in stone.

Just as it had when sealing Discord, the Elements of Harmony created a bubble and spread out from the point of impact. As it stretched further, it returned the sky to normal and cleansed all traces of Chaos from the area. With Harmony restored, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Celestia, Luna, and the four guards breathed a sigh of relief. Panacea, however, looked on in sadness.

Epilogue: Goodbye Stone

Birds chirped quietly in the Canterlot gardens as the sun began its slow descent into evening. The clouds cast shadows along the ground more often than the light touched it. Autumn winds played at the mane of a young mare, sitting before a statue of the only human Equestria had ever known with tears threatening to fall unbidden down her face.

“Dex.” Her voice shook slightly as she tried to hide her pain. “Why?”

No answer would come to her, no matter how long she waited. The stone visage of Dex looked back at her, unmoving, for when the Elements of Harmony were used against Sinis, the darkness that embodied his form was removed. A rustling of leaves could be heard nearby.

“Panacea? Are you coming dear?” Celestia’s voice reached the mare’s ears and shook her out of her contemplation for a moment.

“Of course, Princess.” The mare stood and, with one final look towards the human, Panacea walked away, head down.

She turned a corner and found Celestia there, looking off in the direction they had placed Dex’s statue, with a small, reserved smile to hide her own sadness. When the princess caught Panacea’s eye, she turned towards her and nodded in silence. Together, the two mares headed towards a small congregation on the other side of the gardens.

A casket lay upon a table surrounded in flowers and draped in tapestries of the Solar Guard, a simple red cloth with a yellow sun crossed over with two spears emblazoned on the center. Cushions sat on the ground a few paces away, some occupied with friends and family of the recently deceased. Guards either stood along the edges of the gathering, or took a few seats of their own. As Celestia and Panacea drew close, a somber melody could be heard from a nearby grey mare playing the cello.

Panacea sat in the front row, normally reserved for family, while the princess of the sun strolled behind the casket to face the crowd. The loved ones of the departed, parents and two siblings, did not mind the peach colored mare’s presence and nodded sadly in greeting, they would talk after the service. Celestia allowed some time for stragglers to find a seat before beginning.

“I thank you all for coming here today, to lay to rest a fine stallion cut down before his time. I have seen many soldiers, both on the battlefield and off, losing their lives due to life’s hardships and old age, but not many have been cast down as this one has been. For Stone did not simply fight bravely in a battle, or fade away in his sleep, but continued to hold meaning behind his actions throughout his life.

“Stone upheld all the virtues of the Solar Guard and passed his experiences along to his fellows. His continued efforts in eradicating threats to his country, and his passion for helping all those in need, is all that we expect from a protector of Equestria, but he would expand upon these values to greater heights than any before.

“It is with these accomplishments and traits in mind, that I present him with an honorary increase in rank. Let it be known that Lieutenant Stone, from this day forth, be known as Captain Stone, and all recompense be sent to his surviving family in respect for this great stallion. Stone’s epitaph shall forever show his new rank and bravery. If anypony wishes to speak, they may do so now.”

With those words, Celestia stepped back and left it open for any to speak. In the silence that followed, Panacea stood and walked behind the casket as well. As she scanned the audience, she spotted fellow nurses and friends of her own. Emboldened by their presence, she spoke with as calm a voice as she could muster.

“I’ve had many travels with Stone, all because of a knight’s constant persistence. In those journeys, I have learned a lot from Stone and Dex, one of which is to never back down from something you feel is right. So, to everypony gathered here today, I just wanted to say, don’t hold back in what you believe in.

“I will miss Stone’s quick wit and jokes whenever the situation called for them, but I will carry on, just as he would have wanted me to, as Dex would have wanted me to...” Between the two losses, Panacea could continue no longer, and she walked back to her seat. Stone’s mother placed a hoof on Panacea’s shoulder as she sat down, grateful that someone had spoken for her son.

Celestia looked on, waiting for another to speak before approaching the casket once more. “Although you must grieve, do not let it consume you. All will fade from this mortal realm and meet again in the ever after. This concludes the ceremony and I wish you all well.”

Time passed as ponies approached Stone’s coffin and said a few quiet words before leaving or mingling with the others. Celestia had stayed nearby to speak with the family and friends of the departed, while Panacea only sent the family her sympathies before heading back to the statue garden.

Seasons changed and life moved on, but occasionally, a peach colored mare with a white mane and tail would continue to visit the stone prison of Dex, hoping, or maybe just praying, that he would return.

Meeting Discord

Discord's riddle was stupidly easy. It felt like he made it for a seven year old and only did it to mock my intelligence. 'Wood opposite white,' meaning Whitetail Woods' opposite, was the Everfree. 'As befitting of a knight' obviously meant to meet him at the old castle. With an easily discerned location, I began my journey.

Celestia and Twilight were at the station, so I had to find another way. Suffice to say, I was not going to actually walk the entire way. I skipped. Using the chaotic magic on myself allowed me to propel myself much further that a normal hop. One 'skip' was about ten feet and I was at the edge of town in no time.

As the buildings thinned out around me, great rolling plains of grass filled the space. The sky was overcast and the sun's morning rays could not penetrate the cloud cover. Far along the horizon, mountains rose to the clouds and forests blocked my view. After five minutes of 'power skipping,' I had gotten bored and switched to cartwheels. This lasted for only thirty seconds before I reached a tree, which sat alone next to the road.

It looked to be an olive tree and I had a wonderful idea as I saw someone walking down the road. Grabbing a particularly large branch, I began to pull. As the plant slowly bent towards me, I twisted my body to force the branch to the ground. At this point, the traveler had gotten close enough to talk to.

"Oye! Could you give me a hand here?" I yelled.

"A hand? What's that?" It was convenient that he wasn't very bright.

"Help me hold this branch down, won't you?" He got closer and a puzzled expression could be seen on his face. The green coat on green mane design he had just made this even more fun.

"Why are you holding the tree anyway?"

"I need to get something that I got stuck in this branch here. I can't get it if I'm holding the branch, can I?"

"I guess not." His confusion switched to a helpful smile. "Let me hold that for you."

I let him come over and grab the branch before speaking. "Do you have a good hold of it?" After getting an affirmative, I let go.

Oh, you should have been there. He didn't think about how it's generally impossible to bend a tree like that or how much strength it would require. As my hands left the branch, the tree started to straighten up. The shocked look on his face as he slowly accelerated was priceless. About halfway to its original position, the stallion was in so much shock, he let go! This allowed him to be flung through the air, back the way he came! His scream slowly faded away as he became a speck on the horizon.

Oh, Sinis, I kill me! I was laughing up a storm for a good five minutes. Wherever that pony was going, I hoped it was a village. Getting to see the looks on the villager's faces when a random colt falls from the sky would be a huge bonus. The little stunt did help me think up a faster way to move though.

Once again, I forced the tree against its intended design. When branch and earth met, released my hold on the ground. Halfway vertical, I let go and zoomed across the sky.

The wind whipping through my hair and across my face was a wonderful feeling. Turning my body lighter and more aerodynamic allowed me to fly farther. As I reached the arc of my flight, I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Twisting and tumbling, I hardened moments before I hit the ground.

I got up and dusted myself off. Looking toward my starting point, I couldn't see the olive tree. Who knew those things could make you fly so far? Because I had bent the tree at a different angle, I did not fall where the pony would have. Instead, I found myself about a mile from a town. Wow, I hope he did land there! I could not see anyone's face too well, but thought better of investigating.

I have a meeting to get to, best not waste time. A wooden cart sat nearby. It had four wheels, instead of the usual two, and had arms used to steer the front. Oh, a car! I strolled over to it and hopped into its spacious bed. Boards cracked and shattered as I punched two holes into the floorboards. Slipping my legs through, I pumped my feet against the ground, allowing the vehicle to move forward. Hey mah, look! Flintstones!

I continued to pedal against the dirt until everything began to blur by. It was at this point that I forgot about steering. The cart bumped and shook as I forced it through fields of grass. I pulled my legs back and reached for the reins. Without a horse to use them on, they sat against a corner. Using all my skill as a rodeo champion, meaning none, I attempted to use the rope as a lasso. After four tries, I finally got hooked on the left steering arm.

With a way to change heading, I jumped back and put my feet through the holes again. The excitement of trying to steer with a rope and not run into anything kept me entertained til I reached the next town.

By this point, I realized it was taking much too long to reach Discord. The sun was beginning to set, even. Ponyville and the neighboring woods were at least three days out if I continued as I was. So, with nothing better to do, I began to float. I may not be able to affect anything but myself, but that doesn't mean I can't fly! Using my arms as imaginary wings, I pushed downward. I continued to do this until I was high enough to avoid trees, then pitched to lay horizontal. Finally, I forced my body to move through the air.

It didn't take too much to keep going at a reasonable pace. I wasn't just trying to get to Discord, but avoid the princesses and Elements too. If they catch me, I'm done for. Hope Discord has a plan for them.

The Everfree Forest appeared on the horizon just as the sun started peeking over the nearby mountains. The lack of sleep didn't bother me at all; chaos had no time to rest. A few minutes later, the forest was directly below me. So, without further ado, I swooped down and entered at a clearing.

I was quite surprised when the opening I chose held the Royal Sisters castle. Walls of stone were covered in vines and moss, while the roof had caved it a long time ago. Entryways, that may have once held wooden doors, were clear and windows had only fragments of glass in them. As I took a step inside, my sword vibrated with Discord's voice once more.

"Took you long enough."

I was having fun with chaos, what's your excuse?

"My excuse?"

I don't see you.

With a quick flash of white light, the draconequus known as Discord greeted me. The smirk on his face was exactly as I remembered last time. "Well, excuu~se me, brony."

"Uh-huh. What now?"

"Now, we spread chaos. I have a gift for you and then you can run off."

Discord wasn't one for companionship; neither was I, for that matter. Our mutual interest in chaos allowed us to have a tenuous relationship at best. Because I had helped him escape, more like Dex did what he does and the sword did all the work as Discord put it, he told me how to use the katana.

It wasn't all that special. I had already learned most of it's abilities from Twilight. Other than some of my energy being channeled to Discord, the only thing I didn't know was that I could release energy through it. At first, I thought of an anime, but apparently I can only use it when an attack is thrown at me. After a quick demonstration, Discord brought in the chocolate rain and cotton candy clouds.

"If you keep using the same thing, I don't think it's chaos."

"Poor Sinis, you don't know the first thing about chaos. Now run along and let the big boys have their fun." At that, he vanished in another flash of light.

For the spirit of chaos, he wasn't all that hard to deal with. Oh well, thanks to him I can have fun without worrying about unicorns. I didn't stay in the castle much longer and began my trek through the forest.

Triquel

Ready for the finale? Here ya go! Equestrian Ending

Also, don't forget about Days of our Dex: A slice of life fiction detailing what Dex did after getting knighted and before being thrown into Chaos.