In Pursuit of Chaos

Chapters

Day 56
Night 78
Night 96
Night 120
Day 15

Day 56

Dear Arch-Cleric,

The soap road had led me into a ghost town. Just south of the Canterlot mountains I find a small village under the name given to me by an old worn sign as "Ponyville." An impossibility I know but it is exactly as it was described to me, by you. A stream comes down from the mountains with two bridges from the south and west. The buildings were so beautiful arch-cleric, so full of colour and it seemed to exude an aura of boundless joy, willing an endless smile on my face. For hours in seemed I wondered the empty streets, searching through the buildings for any sign of life. I passed the fabled Sugarcube corner, the grand library tree, saint Rarity's carousel boutique... to think that the demon mare lived here with saint Rarity as her friend, and princess Twilight as well! How times had fallen I thought. Good friends turned on each other, corrupted and warped by violence. Saint Rarity forgive if I was implying your purity be warped or corrupted. But without this war you would not have risen to your station, dare I hazard the thought that the war had birthed a good thing? Nay, I feel I am rambling. In fact I was delaying from something, a certain... revelation.

Coming upon what seemed like the market square in this ghost town, in the distance I saw her, arch-cleric, I saw her! Pinkie Pie was surrounded by blacked robed cultists brandishing knives, fully ready to kill her then and there. She was so different from the stories, her mane was straight and drooped down low across her face. There was sadness in her eyes, and a tiny spark of madness in them, bathed in that was an all encompassing sorrow. I played with the thought of just watching and witnessing my work is done for me, but my heart couldn't bear it. In all the madness and sorrow I saw there was innocence in those eyes. I swear to you sir, I think Pinkie Pie could be saved.

And so I intervened, shooting off shots from my crossbow I had fully intended to fell score upon score of cultists so that Pinkie Pie may yet live and someday be saved. I fully intended to sacrifice myself, so that the one I intended to kill would survive. My apologies if this offends you arch-cleric. I cannot say anything more than that. But of the truth of the matter was, my shots had phased straight through phantoms. I shouted and screamed at Pinkie Pie to run away, for the cultists to leave her alone or die by my bow... they ignored me. Not a one reacted to me. The scene before me played out as it would have, until the earth began to shake, snapping my eyes back to reality. Like mist, the illusion faded before my own eyes and all around me ponies of the day and night were charging and I was on their warpath.

I, I had to pick a side or I would just die. In times like that, I oft wished your number were by my side. Your authority alone has the power to force a truce in these a situation, to investigate chaos. But I guess you sent me out in the world to learn humility and resourcefulness. I do understand that our power is but only a formal courtesy of the nations. Abuse of our power would endanger us.

I fought sir, I fought against innocents bucking and shoving against the throng and somehow had found myself alongside imperial ponies that called me their brother. I don't think I killed anypony, every blow I landed were fully intended to merely leave a pony unconscious or incapacitated. But the way they recounted my encounter after the battle, made me out to be some sort of hero, slaying wave after wave of lunarian ponies, saving numerous imperial guards from certain death.

I can honestly say with a large degree of certainty that I couldn't tell you if any of this were true. I merely fought to survive and I'm certain no pony died by my hoof. But whether I did or not, I ask you to spare a prayer to these foalish ponies that continue to die for this idiotic war.

I now find myself at the border of the Solar empire. Now having run low on supplies and my bag of bits stolen somewhere along the way, I have, to my shame, hired out my skills as a pony of war. I have applied at the local military border patrol and am putting my crossbow into good use slaying stray monsters and beasts. To my fortune, I have not encountered the need to use it on any ponies. However I am fully aware that the eventuality will come. I fully intend to leave before then, if the fates are willing. I would never speak so proudly of committing murder upon the innocents of this land. I know, this is a profession you do not approve of but needs and wants, I have found, are sometimes beyond one's control when you want to survive. However, this occupation does hold the benefit of me seeing much of the surrounding landscape, giving me ample opportunity to find a fresh trail.

As of yet however I fail to find it. I sincerely pray that I do soon. I want no innocent to be behind my sights, if I can avoid it. Mayhaps it was not the best choice to take this path I took. I feel that this is some machination of the demon mare. She has given onto me a prank with a cruel twist of fate for me to suffer, I fear. But I will have faith in my fellow pony to do good by me.

-Piety

Night 78

Dear Arch-Cleric

I now write to you with the grim acknowledgement of this being likely my last letter. I am cold and hungry and in so much pain, but I will endure. I will tell my story.

I had hoped to see my day to day life pass by uneventfully in my role as a border patrol guardsman. However I now see that that was a naive presumption. It was almost everyday the borderlands were under attack by the forces of the night. They groped about, testing our defences and exhausting our morale with relentless wave after wave. Sleep was as much ration as food then. The raids came without seeming to have rhyme or rhythm. The prospect of attack was a constant thought in our minds, the fear leeching the will to sleep and our weariness draining our desire to function. Even out in the light, the soldiers of the night are as elusive as the shadows they live in.

I will say to you with confidence that no innocents have died by my hand. However due to my lack of intervention, I have cost the lives of many a pony close to me. Do you know how it feels like living everyday with the regret of not saving lives you could have? It's horrible, torturous in fact and I endured. The consequence of this however has contempt cover me in it's dark shadow. Those that use to call me brother accused me of treachery, of insubordination and espionage. They were harmless rumours, hearsays and suppositions. But with each passing day. They began to be facts in the minds of those ponies, as more and more of their number fell and I as ever did nothing but live.

By the time reinforcements came, to their eyes I was as much the enemy as the ponies that haunt them. And so I fled west, hiding my fleeing under the cover of the chaos of battle. Now as a deserter I fear I may never see the empire again. No doubt, I will be hunted like the dog I am. I wish you to acknowledge my apology to the souls I failed.

My complaints of my early days were nothing compared to this. Sure, ponies shunned me, barring doors and listening ears. But in this cold and dark land. Ponies were trying to kill me. I once complained in my youth of how my blue eyes revealed unto the world the lunarian blood in my veins. For so long I've held such contempt to myself for it, wishing upon the goddess to emblazon my eyes much like my coat and mane. Now however I wish the complete opposite.

My solaris body is not engineered to live out in this darkness. In this darkness, the goddess gave no blessing. No energy from the sun to regenerate my wounds nor invigorate my blood. Here my body drained of energy by simply being here, shivering madly as if something were terribly wrong with me. My reactions are sluggish and my breathing is painfully ragged. I know that if I do not get help soon, I will die.

But that is not the worse of it. The border patrol on this side is so much more thorough. Ponies here do not muddle about in rank and file squads of which ponies could stalk past in between the gaps of patrols. They prefer to act as a small loosely formed unit, stalking the darkness and remaining just out of my sight. But you could most certainly hear them. Constantly I hear the dull thud of their hooves or the rustle of bushes and grass, their whispers in the wind and that deep, hallow breathing. They seem to be everywhere at once and I don't know what to do.

I encountered them once and it was one of scariest times of my life. First entering the kingdom I was no where near as cautious, thinking myself safe now that I had come beyond the reach of the empire. Naturally this cost me, within my first hour I had been spotted and instantly the land surrounding me had puffed into an inky black smoke. I complain now about this darkness, but when those smoke bombs they used went off, you are enveloped in utter pitch darkness. And there I was coughing and hacking at the obviously noxious smoke, while these soldiers began to encroach on my location. My first instinct was to flee, however all sides barred my way. Eastward was back to the kingdom that now saw me as a criminal and everywhere else was death by the hands of the other side.

I had to fight.

To my fortune, a single soldier had found me and it seemed that the others were still reasonably far away from what I could hear. I took down the soldier with a good buck to the back of the head, after a long struggle. My original plan was disguise myself as one of the soldiers and escape, however there was no time as the struggle with the soldier had taken too long. The soldier's comrades were near at this point, I could sense it and in my panicked state I found myself running low on reserves of air. Looking at the soldier for something useful I desperately put on the soldier's gas mask.

I regretted it immediately.

It was like breathing in a sub-zero drought of frozen air, draining my body instantly to my currently weakened state. Fumbling for anything to use, I stole the soldier's glowing goggles.and ran. To my surprise, these goggles could let you see heat! Through them I was amazed how easily I stood out in the darkness, my burning solaris blood giving away my position. Further unfortunately for me, the lunarians' blood were too cold to see through the goggles. I was about to take them off and stamp on the useless things until I saw a flash in the darkness, then another and another. Within instants, it followed with cacophony of loud bangs and the whistling of objects narrowly missing me. I took off the goggles and looked out. I found that the lunarian rifle shots were just about invisible to the naked eye, especially with that smoke.

I fled.

With only the flashes to guide me of danger. Thanks to my reflexes, this marvel of lunarian technology and the impractical reloading time it took for the rifles to ready. I quickly gained distance and got away. I feel fortunate that all I got was harpoon to the back leg from those rifles. But as of yet I cannot work out how to remove it due to the barbs they sculpted into them. I fear very soon I will die from several causes. And so I beseech hasty aid to me. I will be heading towards a local border town directly west of Canterlot.

I pray that you find me before I make it.

-Piety

Night 96

Dear Arch-Cleric

I am alive, though I fear my lungs may never function properly again. I had been in that smoke for far too long and the noxious gasses have done their work. Every so often now I cough up black phlegm, damaging my vocal chords into the rasping gravel it is now. I have found that I have privy to being short of breath also. However, I did discover something to my benefit. These blue eyes of mine are a blessing in this kingdom. After a few days in this darkness I have found my eyes for the first time has awoken to their purpose and developed an amazing night vision. Pretty soon, the goggles I carried had ran out of power and become utterly useless and so I relied on my eyes to guide my way. I now understand that if I were of pure solaris breeding, I would be dead at this point. For this I am glad of my birth right. However, hungry, tired and sleep derived from the night's relentless pursuit. I found myself to the darkness of unconsciousness, for all intents and purposes, I was a corpse in the middle of nowhere. And the border down of Dusky hill was just in the distant horizon.

Next thing I knew, I am listening to the rustling of leaves, the snapping of dry twigs and a soft thud of hoofs on dirt. I could hear my own ragged breathing as I was carried on what felt like a stretcher. It went on for what felt like days. By the time I opened my eyes the endless fields had gone, giving way to a dark enchanted forest. The Everfree forest was a glow with life, with tiny lights dancing about in the trees, with a variety of flora and fauna that danced in the shadows just out of my sight. The ponies carrying me were to my great relief, the Mare-do-Wells, the order's night kingdom branch. Knowing this I let the fear evaporate from me as I welcomed the darkness once more, safe in the knowledge that I was in good hoofs.

When I woke up, I found myself in a mysterious forest city. Ponies of every kind lived there, in harmony with the forest. Lunarians, Solaris and ponies of kinds I've never seen before lived out their lives toiling the land quietly. The order seemed to exist outside of this society as mere guests, as I found myself staying in the isolated temple of harmony. The legendary temple of harmony, the place where our order originated. The way these ponies breathed new life into the old capital was a marvel. To see such tranquillity exist in this wretched war-torn world sir, I dare say I had found utopia in Equestria.

In my days of unconsciousness it seemed my body had developed a need for a little rehabilitation. My limbs felt heavy, my strength was wan and my muscles ached like cold fire. But despite myself I was excited. I wanted to go out to talk to everypony, however no pony in the temple lodges gave me permission to leave my room. Bed rest, they were right, I didn't need to over extend myself, I needed bed rest. I after all, had a job to do.

I often had many visitors, mostly fellow clergy ponies asking me questions of details that seemed, in your haste to contact them, were withdrawn. I told them that I was merely on an important mission with you, the arch-cleric, and apparently that was enough. The fact that they were mobilised by you personally did wonders to my story I'm sure. I must say now before I ramble on that I would wish to thank you for saving my life. My arrogance had nearly cost me.

There was one visitor that stood out the most, sir, a colt that seems to hold an air of reverence to the ponies of the temple. On the day of the announcement of my full recovery I had been given the honorary Mare-do-Well uniform. And the one to deliver it was a small colt named, Gala snaps. A curious stetson wearing pony, wearing a strange rainbow coloured fruit I've never seen before as his cutie mark. When I tried to grab the uniform from him, he refused to give it to me and instead dropped it to the floor. Awkwardly I tried to shake his hoof to meet his acquaintance but he refused to let me get anywhere near him. Have I done something to offend him, sir? He then merely left the room to let me change. I didn't do anything wrong right?

The Mare-do-well uniform was a marvel of pony technology sir. It was equipped with everything those night soldiers had with a few modifications to suit my... differing biology. Now I had a mask to hide my face and regulated my breathing, a pair of night vision goggles that could switch to heat vision. And a heat regulator to keep out the cold air of the night. And I also received a utility belt! Never in my days have I found something so cool. To my relief also I have found my crossbow was in the ensemble holstered to my back.

When I came into the town, the treatment I received was in stark contrast to what I had before. Everypony was so talkative and friendly. There was no fear in them at the mention of Pinkie Pie, they hold the same attitude as our Order, this quiet determination and opposing attitude to be rid of the cult of Discord. This desire to cleanse their taint from the world. I had not for so long been with a kindred spirit, it felt so rejuvenating to speak with ponies on the same page as I. I think these past few days had been the greatest of my life. However, no such information about the location of the demon mare was apparent in my many talks with the town's folk.

Gala snaps had met with me one last time, he was task to escort me, or so he told me, to meet with the forest spirit Fluttershy. I hesitated to comply at first but at the mention of information on Pinkie Pie, I knew had to talk to this... what would be the correct term to refer to an, I don't know what? Donning my uniform, fully armed and equipped as per Gala snap's decision I followed him to the heart of the forest. For hours it seemed, we traversed a huge expanse. Occasionally Gala snaps would stop me in my tracks, as he scouted ahead and returned to give me the all clear to continue. I struggled to keep up with the agile colt. He seemed so sure hoofed with such fleeting speed that I swear to you he almost flowed through the forest, as if riding an invisible current. One thing was for certain, there was something magical about the ponies of this forest.

The forest spirit was a rather unexpected pleasure to meet. Here was me thinking I would meet upon some ancient talking tree or some elder beast like a dragon or something... and yet I was looking upon the most beautiful pony I had ever seen. She seemed so gentle, so kind and meek as she at first shyly avoided my gaze and fluttered her wings nervously. The soft shades of her yellow coat and to my horror the long flowing pink mane calmed my fears. I looked to Gala snaps to confirm my doubts but upon meeting with her he was gone. With my guide gone and my means of return now impossible. I exchanged words with the forest spirit. I will never forget the exchange for the rest of my days.

"I umm... I am Fluttershy, queen of this forest. My little ponies have told me that you had been asking about Pinkie Pie." There was a long silence as her lips quivered with such delicacy, I dared not speak lest I anger the forest by offending her. At the time, I was doubting whether I should have been talking about her to the town's ponies. But now I know I had made no mistake.

"What do you intend to do with her?" Stamping a hoof upon the earth the yellow pegasus gained some confidence in herself. All the timidness vanished from her. I knew from that stare of hers, I would have to choose my words wisely.

"I am on a mission to slay the demon of laughter." But under that stare I couldn't help but speak with the frank truth. And with those words I could feel the earth rumble with anger.

"However, I have some doubts whether I should or not." Despite the power of her stare I was regaining some of my composure. "In my pursuit I have come upon a vision of her which have given way for my doubt."

At those words Fluttershy's stare had significantly diminished in power. "What vision?" Staring suspiciously at her pink mane, I wondered if I should talk further of it. After all pink was a colour of Discord. However past the intensity of this stare was an innocence and purity I couldn't deny. A genuine concern for a good friend. It seemed so reminiscent of what I saw in Pinkie Pie, in the least incriminating way possible.

Arch-Cleric, could the spirit of the Everfree forest be one of the lost names of the elements of harmony?

Anyway continuing on, I recounted my experience of my vision onto Fluttershy. And although she had seemed so calm before, a relief had come over her when I explained my revelation. A tension I had not noticed before dissipated as a calming smile welcomed my vision.

"I am glad that my friend isn't truly lost. She was a good pony, spreading smiles and laughter wherever she went. I truly hope that what you say is true. That truly, she could be saved. If only I hadn't left. If only I had stayed maybe I could have... maybe..." The way the old and wise forest spirit admonished and doubted herself was something I would never expected to see. A being that lead such a beautiful utopian domain, possibly making mistakes was an unfounded concept to me. But I now see that even great and wise immortals make mistakes too. Feeling my resolve build and with Fluttershy on the brink of tears, I embraced the spirit of the forest. Thinking my initial thought of Fluttershy's pink mane as a sign of her evil was folly. I was wrong, oh so wrong.

"I must see for myself whether Pinkie Pie could be saved. I hope I'm right, but I have to make sure. I make no promises that I can save her. But I will say that I will give it a try. However, if that is beyond my ability, I will have to kill her so that she may never hurt another life again."

And then before I knew it, I had awoken to a new morning within the temple chambers, as if everything I had experienced was a dream. Now, every night I close my eyes to sleep sir. I see her. I will admit, that I am enthralled by this mare, like an obsession she plagues my mind with the beauty of everything that she and what she represents. When this is all over I will be returning to that forest. To see that face once more and mayhaps see that smile again.

On a more serious note I have learned much about the order here. The temple of harmony and the Mare-do-Wells function so differently to the order in the empire. Everypony wore the uniform of the Mare-do-wells to disguise themselves, freeing themselves from discrimination. And unlike the empire, the republic's military aids the order in any investigation that requires their forces. Outposts are also few and far between as the order's agents on this side function primarily on their own, recruiting the help of the government. No hundreds of branches and churches and chapels sir, only the temple functions as any kind of HQ.

This is what leader, Octavius explained to me at least as he tried to brief me on a situation on the capital. In hindsight perhaps I shouldn't have interrupted him so many times in his briefing. In anycase, with cultist activity rife in the capital city of the Lunar republic. There might be some sort of clue to my next step in finding Pinkie Pie. With my fellow Mare-do-wells, I now set off westward, leaving the loving, nurturing embrace of the Everfree forest for the harsh cold climates of the night fields and to the even further extremes of the land of Tartarus.

-Piety

Night 120

Dear Arch-cleric,

Westward, ever westward I head towards the frozen hell that is the land of Tartarus. It seems with each passing day I miss the warmth of the Everfree forest, as the climate continues to grow harsher and harsher. My suit had done wonders to increase my survivability in this kingdom but it's gotten ever so difficult to endure the cold as the warming effects of the Mare-do-well uniform dim in effectiveness. I simply do not know how I can continue on, but spurred on my fellow clergy, I somehow do. The warmth of their hearts sparking a tiny flame in me.

The Everfree by this point is beyond the horizon I leave behind and yet I still find myself looking back every night, in some vain hope to see the glimpses of it's trees. But I now walk a frozen wasteland of grey stones and dirt, there was no way the Fluttershy's touch could extend to all the way out here. How the Lunar ponies survive out here is an impossibility I hope to be enlightened on soon when I see the city.

This journey had been full of stops and starts, and I regret to say that it was primarily on my own weakness. Suffering from the cold with stiff limbs and frost bitten flesh, I find myself being nothing more than nuisance to my fellow ponies. The offer was made for me to be carried for the rest of the journey, however I refused the offer on the principle that I wished to prove my worth and pull my own weight. This proved to be a fatal error as my weakness has had me pass out and walk so slowly that the rest of the group's usually rapid gallop has slowed to a canter.

I can see their patience of me wearing thing with each new moon.

However, we are here now before the gates of Tartarus. Given the importance of the land beyond to the republic, Cerberus alone has been deemed insufficient security for "the capital." Now a retinue of windigo familiars and a small group of dark unicorns were stationed at the gates at any given time and added occassionally by a small garrison of Night guards and pony rifles to complete the defence.

Knowing my imperial origins they first treated me with distrust as we Mare-do-wells opt to stay a night with the guard ponies, to while aware their hours with exchanges of stories and news. But mostly to help my weak body recover from the windigo magic. I told a few tales myself, though naturally I avoid divulging any real details regarding my mission. After hearing my story of me as a pacifist border patrol soldier, the ponies of the Tartarus gate had me become fast friend with them. Teaching me a few tricks with the Mare-do-well suits that I never knew about.

The ponies here certainly have a gift to tinker and soon enough, I had found that I could have saved myself alot of trouble if I had just adjusted the heat settings on my suit. Although it might have sacrificed much of the energy. I surmised the other solaris mare-do-wells avoided using such a feature because they wished to conserve the energy just in case of an emergency.

The night's stay did me a lot of good. I learned of trust that I had thought was impossible between our two races and friendship that I knew I could rely on. Plus given my knew knowledge of just the scale of the technological marvel I wore around me, I can be of better use to my fellow clergy.

I will be arriving into the outskirts of the city by the time you receive this. The chances of finding Pinkie pie here is uncertain, but I know I can do a lot of good here in the meanwhile.

-Piety

Day 15

Dear Arch-Cleric,

I have only left the Church of Saint Rarity a mere fortnight ago and already I have found my first lead. Though mayhaps I shouldn't be all to happy about this, seeing as the only way to find the cursed demon mare is through the destruction she leaves in her wake. I dread to think what horrors await me on this soapy dirt road. However I endeavour to serve. For the ponies and Equestria I shall not falter. But I feel at ease knowing that my confessions and doubts are purged with your understanding ear, arch-cleric.

I miss home already, seeing the happy faces of the orphans and the peaceful tranquillity I sense in all of you clergy ponies. These past few days, I've only been met with horror filled faces, shunning barricaded doors and accusations of ill-intention upon the homes I find shelter in at the very mention of that mare's name. I know I am no stranger to the wilds but knowing that I sleep mere hoof steps away from a warm fire and a solid roof over my head. It breaks my heart to witness how the fear evil has sown has broken many a pony.

I write to you with great motivation, I will make haste on this lead and I pray to Equestria that it leads me to that monstrosity. With her gone, Discord will be without a sadistic mind to run it. With only the randomness of chaos at the forefront, I dare hope our final goal will be as much more tangible as you projected it would.

-Piety