Eris, Princess of Chaos

Twilight Twinkle sat in her manor’s study, her face a stony mask as she scrawled out something on a scroll. Days had passed since she had petitioned the princess, the meeting still fresh in her mind. It was obvious to her that Celestia was being naive; something that could prove disastrous for Equestria. Twilight knew she had to take matters into her own hands. Her train of thought was interrupted as one of her maids stepped into the room.

“M’lady,” the maid started with a bow, “thy guests have arrived. They have been directed to the dining room as per thy instructions.”

“Thank you, Feather Duster.” Rising to her hooves, Twilight brushed her skirt off. She had elected to wear her best dress, designed by the royal tailor himself. “I’ll see to them right away. You are dismissed.” Walking past Feather Duster, she made her way down the hall.

Her staff bowed as she walked and she made sure to acknowledge them. Normally she’d take a moment to relish in the pride she felt for fostering such a loyal staff. She didn’t even pay any mind to the portraits that denoted prominent members of her family and their accomplishments that lined either side of the halls. She was focused only on the matters she wished to discuss with her guests. She labored over every point she had planned as she sped towards the dining hall.

Opening the doors, she put on a lovely smile. “Good evening, everypony. Thank you for joining me tonight. I hope I didst not keep ye waiting long.” Taking her seat at the head of the table, she gestured to her staff to begin to bring the food out. “We have much to discuss.”

An older green stallion nodded, unfolding the napkin holding his silverware and tucking it into his collar. “Indeed, Princess Celestia has gone mad, she imprisoned my son for rightly distrusting what that monster has done.”

“Thine son was jailed because he assaulted an innocent mare,” a mare at the far end spoke. Boasting an orange coat and purple mane, Flash Fire was very much her father’s daughter. “If he had a problem with what Eris did, he should have taken it up with her, not abused the ‘victim’.”

The green stallion bristled at her comment, shooting Flash Fire a glare and leaning on the table. “That ‘victim’ as thou call her is surely a pawn of Eris, unfortunately she is long past being saved.”

“And thou know this, how?” Flash Fire asked, leaning forward in her seat. “Didst Eris tell thee this? Didst thou find her journal, detailing her plans? If not, than thou art acting on mere prejudice.”

The green stallion let out a derisive laugh, shaking his head at her. “Why wouldst I trust a word that comes from her mouth. Nor do I think anypony could reach any journal she has without magic like hers.”

“So, thou place the sins of another on her head?” Flash asked, leveling her own glare at the stallion. “Is that how we treat ponies now? Blame them for something somepony related to them did?”

“Forest, Flash, please keep things civil,” Twilight urged, looking between the two. “Forest,” she turned her attention to the green stallion, “I know a parent should stand by their child, but thy son did act without evidence. Even if the maid in question does turn out to be an agent of Eris, he is a noble, not an agent of the justice system.” She carefully cut into her meal, stabbing a bite onto her fork. “Though, Eris transforming a pony without warning is worrying behavior. Imagine if she transformed the princesses and left them unable to move the sun or moon.”

“So now you wish to be tolerant of her?” Flash asked, eyeing Twilight critically. “Did thou not bring this to Celestia herself to demand she imprison Eris?”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “How quickly rumors spread. No, Flash Fire, I did not demand her imprisonment. I merely criticized letting Eris roam freely without escort. Wouldst thou not agree that such a privilege needs to be earned, considering her circumstances?”

“That she was born confused as to who she is?” Flash asked, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. “Somepony like that needs guidance, not restrictions. I trust in Celestia’s judgement, as should thee.”

Twilight chuckled, flashing the other mare a smile. “Leave it to the daughter of one of the great Pillars to have great faith in the situation.” She looked at her plate, her smile receding slightly. “I wouldst like to believe in Eris’s tale, truly I would, but her relation to Discord cannot be denied.” She looked back up at Flash, a determined look in her eyes. “Equestria has just regained its freedom from the mad tyrant, I do not wish to see his return so soon. So, for now we must regard Eris with suspicion.”

“Suspicion that she has done nothing to earn,” Flash shot back. “I will not lay the sins of Discord at her hooves. She has done nothing to deserve it, just like that mare did nothing to deserve the beating Forest’s son gave her.”

“Flash Fire, I understand thy position,” Twilight replied, adjusting herself in her chair, “but the possibility remains that Eris could be some form of ploy by Discord. While, like thee, I hope that Eris turns out to be an innocent, we cannot deny that there is a possibility that she could turn against us.”

“Ay, but we shouldn’t give her a reason to.” Flash crossed her arms, her frown deepening. “Which is what thou wilt do if thou keeps pushing to treat her like a monster.”

Twilight nodded, folding her hands in her lap as she looked down at her plate. “Thou hast made fair arguments, Flash Fire. Knee jerk reactions and pitchfork mentality have been the bane to pony society since the days of the three pony nations. The princesses are many things, but fools are not among them. Forgive my paranoia, my lands were among the first to be ravaged by Discord.”

Flash rose up, pushing her plate away. “Thank thee for the fine meal, but I shall be taking my leave.” Bowing her head slightly, Flash Fire turned on her hooves, quickly removing herself from the situation.

“I would ask thee to return the favor, but I do not think I could keep my footing in thy manor!” Twilight called after her, motioning for a butler to help escort the pegasus to the exit. Clearing her throat, she turned to the remainder of her guests. “Well, as we can see, Flash has made her stance on the matter quite apparent.”

Forest rested his arms on the table, a cross sneer on his muzzle. “Abundantly. She is naive to think we should do nothing to see if Eris is plotting against Equestria. If we were to do as Flash wishes, then Equestria could suffer fatal blows before we could even retaliate.”

“That is a worry to be sure,” Twilight agreed, resting her arms on the table. “But the fact of the matter is, the only defense Equestria has against her art the elements at this time. And only the princesses are able to wield them properly.” She tapped her fingers against the table. “But perhaps study could yield us another means to fend off a being like Eris should the need ever arise? I shall look into the possibility.”

“That sounds like a decent proposal,” a new voice chimed in. Twilight turned her head to see a dark blue unicorn with a silverish mane. “Such knowledge could also be used to defend against other threats.” Twilight nodded as she tried to recall the stallion’s name. Her eyes flickered in realization as the name, Hexer Lulamoon stuck out to her. “I wish thee luck in thy studies.”

Twilight bowed her head and flashed the stallion a proud look. “I shall not need luck, the Twilight family pride ourselves as scholars.”

The meal continued on with Twilight trying to convince others to her side. A giddy thrill ran through her as she gently planted the seeds of doubt into each of her guests.

“Come on, Celly!” Eris whined, hovering by the castle doors. “I wanna go explore the woods! It’s full of chaos! It makes me itchy!”

“Very well,” Celestia sighed, rising from her throne. “We can explore the Everfree.” Confetti started to explode around the draconequus and Celestia held her hand up before a full blown celebration broke out. “However, we shall be taking a squad of guards with us and our time will be brief.”

“Aw...” Eris deflated a little, pouting like a child. “If you say so, Celly.”

Celestia smiled a bit, giggling at Eris’s reaction. “Do not fret, we can always make more trips into the forest at a later date.” Brushing her dress off, she cleared her throat. “On the subject of guards, this is a good time to talk with thee. Thou shalt have a pair of guards stay with thee at all times.”

“Why’s that?” Eris inquired tilting her head as a question mark appeared above her. “With my magic there’s not much that can actually hurt me.”

“We realize that, but We are a princess, and it is our job to make the ponies of Equestria safe and happy. Many are still afraid of thee, something We cannot ignore. Captain Stalwart suggested We post guards to thy side, and We agreed.”

“Oh, so it’s to make me seem more approachable!” Eris said, striking her paw gently with her clenched talon. “Okay, if you think it’ll help.” Her eyes lit up and she put her hands on her cheeks. “Am I allowed to play card games with my guards?! That’d be so much fun!”

“Not while they are on duty.” Celestia shook her head. “Thou must keep thine enthusiasm in check, thou can be overwhelming sometimes.”

Eris saluted, brimming with enthusiasm. “Can do, Celly.” She giggled and rubbed her hands together. “I can’t wait to make friends with my guards.” Floating on her back, Eris couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“We wish thee luck in thy endeavors.” Bowing her head, she turned to her assistant. “Please send a summons to Captain Stalwart and tell her to bring a squad with her.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Crow scribbled a note out and passed it to one of the servants. “Shall I send for Princess Luna as well, or are thou taking Eris thyself?”

“Yes, We shall accompany her,” Celestia informed her. “Which means Luna will be tending to the throne for a spell.” Scrunching her muzzle up, she motioned for her assistant to start writing again. “Inform her that We shall owe her a favor for interrupting her slumber.”

“Oooh, I bet she’ll make you dress like a vampire, or make you take the night shift!” Eris suggested, putting her hands on Celestia’s shoulders. “I bet you’d look good as a bat-pony!”

“A bat pony?” Celestia questioned, quirking a brow at her friend. “What in Faust’s name would that look like?”

Eris stopped blinking for a few moments before bursting into laughter. “I’m sorry, Celly, I forgot that Discord knew stuff that you didn’t. The bat ponies live in a mountain to the north, they look like pegasi but with bat stuff!”

Glancing at her assistant, Celestia said, “Crow, please make a note that We should undergo a diplomatic meeting to the north.” After a moment she added. “And leave a reminder to tease more of this knowledge out of Eris.”

Crow looked up from her scroll, fluffing her wings. “I have already made a note, Your Highness. The only matter would be clearing several days of thy schedule for such an undertaking.” Bowing her head, she continued. “I shall deliver thy message to Princess Luna myself. By you leave?”

“Yes, thou may go, Crow,” Celestia replied, nodding to the pegasus. “Thank thee for thy services.” Turning back to Eris, she had to stifle a giggle at the silly faces Eris put up. “Are We boring thee, Eris?”

“Too much formality,” Eris replied, puffing her cheeks up. “Makes me antsy for some reason. Pretty sure it has to do with my chaos magic; it doesn’t like being around too much order.” Eris coiled herself around Celestia, holding her hands up. “Too much of either and you get nothing. Gotta have the right mix, I think.”

Celestia nodded in understanding. “We think that maintaining healthy balances in life is important. If thou desire help keeping the balance between chaos and order, thou only need to ask Us.”

Eris stared for a moment. “Am I supposed to do that?” Her eyes focusing on a lock of Celestia’s mane. “Discord didn’t do that, he just did whatever he wanted... Is that why I was made?”

Putting her hand on Eris’s chin, Celestia tilted her head up so she could look into the chaos spirit’s eyes. “Eris, thou art not Discord. The life thou shalt live now is entirely thy own. We know that thou do not wish harm to others. And a desire such as that requires temperance and restraint given thine abilities.”

Eris reached up, putting her paw on Celestia’s hand. “But, I don’t have either of those things.”

“And that is what We shall help thee learn,” Celestia replied with a giggle. “Whatever thou need, We shall help thee get it.”

A loud cough cut into the moment, the pair turning to find Captain Stalwart and a trio of guards standing behind them. “Princess, we are prepared, by thy request.”

Blushing, Celestia pulled herself away from the draconequus. “Yes, thank thee very much, Captain. Eris wishes to explore the Everfree due to her sensing chaotic essence from it. We thought it was prudent to let her, at least for a little while.”

Captain Stalwart frowned. “Dost thou think that's wise, Your Highness?” She bit back any comments about Eris, though the way she glanced at the draconequus in question, it was clear what she was getting at.

“Yes Captain, We do,” Celestia replied, giving the captain a reassuring smile. “Our visit will be brief and the instant thou sense danger we will make our departure. We are ready to leave when thou art.”

Bowing her head, Stalwart ordered her guards to take up a formation around Celestia and Eris and led them through the castle doors. It didn’t take long for them to enter into the forest, the sounds of animals rushing over them. Eris floated a bit away from the group, taking in the experience.

Dropping to her feet, Eris laid down, putting her ear against the ground. Listening to something only she could hear, a frown was sent towards the rather confused ponies.

“Is something wrong, Eris?” Celestia asked, motioning for the guards to keep their hands on their weapons.

“The forest is talking,” Eris replied, twitching her ear. “It doesn’t seem to like ponies very much.”

Frowning, Celestia looked around at the surrounding trees. “Did we do something to displease the forest?”

A second Eris appeared, this one dressed in leaves, sticks and other various forest items. “How would you feel if someone came to you and tried to force you to do things their way?”

The gathered ponies looked between the two draconequui, confusion evident on their faces. “Eris, is this the effect of thy magic?” Celestia questioned, settling her gaze on the original Eris.

“She can’t talk, she’s listening to the forest,” the second Eris said, shaking her head. “I’m here to explain it all!” She grinned, suddenly holding a very long scroll. “I can start wherever you’d like!”

“Very well then,” Celestia relented, focusing on the second Eris. “Art thou an effect of Eris’s magic?”

“Well of course I am!” The second Eris rolled her eyes. “I mean really, did you think another Eris suddenly appeared for the sake of a bit?”

Celestia gave the other Eris a flat look. “Could we truly put that past Eris given her previous behavior?” Her look turned into a frown, noting the tense stances of the guards. “Captain? What dost thou make of this?”

“If Eris speaks truly, then she might provide us insight on how to better live in this forest,” Stalwart admitted, her hand drifting to her weapon. “I will not lie, I have always had the sense that this place is… alive in some way.”

“Well, you could start by not trying to make weather here anymore,” the second Eris suggested, sitting on a cloud. “That’s a big peev of the place. If it wants to rain, it’s going to rain.” The cloud unleashed a boom of thunder, raining on a small patch of dirt. “Isn’t that right, Eris?”

Eris’s only reply was a thumbs up as she continued to listen to the forest as it were.

Celestia glanced around the trees around them again, blinking; for a moment, it was if they were...breathing? The sensation went away as quickly as it had come and she returned her focus to the second Eris. “Very well, no more trying to control the weather. Is there anything else we can do to make the forest more comfortable with us?”

The second Eris pursed her lips, counting on her talon. “Okay, we covered the weather... um... oh yeah! Don’t try to tame the animals and no farming!” Reaching into a bush, she dragged out a wolf made out of sticks. “The animals are just fine on their own, they’re strong independent creatures and they don’t need no ponies!”

“We believe that we can make those concessions,” Celestia replied, walking over to the nearest tree and putting her hand on its trunk. “If the Everfree is going to be the seat of our kingdom, than we must respect it. Otherwise, We get the feeling that it will react accordingly to our lack of couth towards it.”

Captain Stalwart stepped closer, glancing between the Erises and the princess. “Your Majesty, even if Eris is telling us the truth, I do not think other ponies would believe her. I’m not even sure I do myself. There must be some way of verifying her claims.”

The captain had a point, Celestia admitted to herself. She might believe Eris, but that didn’t mean her ponies would. “Captain Stalwart has a point, Eris. As much as we would like to, We cannot act on thy words alone. If thou wish to have thy claims accepted, thou must present proof.”

“I got it!” Eris shot up, making her copy faceplant off her cloud. “The forest said there’s a race that lives deep in the trees! It’ll show us the way, just don’t go wandering off the path, got it?”

Stalwart nodded to her men, forming a square around the princess. “Dost thou wish to proceed, Your Highness? I would advise against taking so few guards into the depths of the forest.”

“We believe that it should be fine,” Celestia replied, smiling at her captain. “Contrary to what thou might think, We are not made of glass. Besides, We have our best protecting Us, that should be more than sufficient.”

“I’ll lead the way!” Eris swam through the air, getting to the front of the group. Her clone appeared to have vanished, leaving not a trace. “Right this way!” The forest itself moved, trees shifting, bushes moving, vines retreating; leaving a pristine path through the foliage.

Stalwart wasn’t convinced that the moving of the forest wasn’t one of Eris’s tricks, but followed after her regardless. She barked a quick order to her guards, reminding them not to step a single hoof off the new path.

Eris floated on ahead, swaying to an unheard tune. Turning so she was floating on her back, she waved at Celestia. “Nice day for a nature walk isn’t it? Did you remember to bring the trail mix?”

“Trail mix?” Celestia replied, tilting her head at her friend. “What is that? A snack of some kind perhaps?”

“Well yeah!” Eris responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You can’t go on a hike without trail mix! That’s like peanut butter without jelly or cheese without crackers! Purple dogs without their kind, elderly owner!” Throwing her hands up, Eris put on quite the dramatic display.

“And what is peanut butter?” one of the guards asked, scratching the side of his head.

“I dunno.” Eris shrugged, her theatrics forgotten. “Sometimes I say things that I don’t really understand.”

“Interesting,” Stalwart said dismissively, adjusting her chestplate. “Must be an odd feeling having words leave thy mouth that thou hast no idea where they came from.” Her attention snapped the right, noting a manticore passing by. “Art thou keeping the animals away, Eris?”

“Nope, the forest is!” Eris chimed, not paying the manticore any mind. “It’s giving you a chance to show you want to respect its ways! That means, predators like Manny over there aren’t going to try anything right now.”

“Very well,” Stalwart replied, keeping an eye on the manticore regardless of the assurance it was docile. Her hand drifted to her weapon, but the beast disappeared into the treeline without so much as growling at them. This eased Stalwart’s mind, but she kept on guard, her duty too important to allow anything catch her unaware.

“You should get that stick outta your butt, Stalwart,” Eris teased, popping up behind the captain and holding up a large stick. “There we go, much better!” Tossing it over her shoulder, Eris floated ahead. “Huh... I think we’re getting close.”

“Is that what the forest is telling you?” Celestia questioned, stifling a giggle as she snuck a glance at her huffy captain. “Or can you sense some kind of magic?”

“No, cause I can see a deer hiding behind those bushes!” Striking a pose, she pointed to a piece of foliage off the trial. “I can see you! You can come out now!”

“Thou art sharper than I gave thee credit for,” a reedy voice replied, a deer slipping out of the bushes. The antlers gave away his masculinity and he had little for coverings aside from a thin brown tunic and short pants that matched it in hue. His frame was lithe, though there was tone to his limbs and chest that showed some form of dedication to physical activity. His fur was a snowy white with patches of light brown spattered across his form.

Stalwart put her hand on her sword, eyeing the deer closely. “Who art thou? Why hast thou taken to spying upon her royal Majesty?”

“I am called Evergreen,” the buck answered, bowing his head respectfully. “And I am observing thy party to ensure thou art respecting this forest. ’Tis rare to see ponies not attempt to control the nature here for thy needs.”

“We had no idea that anypony lived in this forest,” Celestia responded, giving Evergreen a smile. “We art Princess Celestia, lady of the sun. Our friend Eris suggested that We should meet thy people.”

“My people are reclusive by nature,” Evergreen explained. “But I could perhaps arrange a meeting if thou art lucky. Thou could start by talking to me and I shall see if I wish to put in a good word for thee.”

Eris appeared between them, pulling them both together. “Now, the two of you get to chatting. Talk things out, ask about the kids. That sort of thing.” Appearing as a school marm, she beamed. “Keep it friendly, alright?”

“We art not opposed to talking to thee, Evergreen,” Celestia stated, flashing him another smile. “Thou hath piqued our interest. It is very rare for somepony to be able to elude Our captain’s detection.”

Evergreen gave Eris a long look before returning his gaze to Celestia. “Thy friend is certainly unique. Thou said her name was ‘Eris’?”

“Yes, she calls herself a Draconequus and she is the only one of her kind, as far as she and We can tell,” Celestia explained, waving a hand to Eris who nodded in agreement. Only to make a trio of herself a moment later.

“The wonderful thing about draconequui is that I’m the only one!” the Eris trio huddled together, giving a grin. “Well, except when I’m not. Sometimes, I just can’t keep myself together.”

“She is what one would call a free spirit,” Evergreen noted, taking a moment to glance at her shenanigans. “It is rather... fetching.”

“We have found Eris to be a fine friend as well,” Celestia agreed, nodding at Evergreen. “We have only known her for a few days, but We have yet to be bored around her.”

Evergreen continued to stare at Eris, watching her two clones merge back into her original body. Scrutinizing her for a moment, he nodded. “There is certainly an air around her. It is like she is at home amongst this forest.”

Grinning, Eris put an arm around one of the trees. “Oh yeah, this forest and I get each other. She just wants to do her own thing. She don’t need no ponies to tell her how she should grow or what weather happens. She can take care of herself!”

“Well said,” Evergreen replied, a smile on his face. “This forest is deserving of our respect, just like any other living creature.”

“That is why We are here,” Celestia answered, looking around at the trees. She tried to picture them with some sort of higher intelligence like that of a pony. It was hard to wrap her head around it, but if Eris had been telling the truth about not exerting her magic on the forest, then it became easier to believe. “Our castle is built in this forest. If we are to call it home, then we wish to go about it correctly.”

“My people are well versed in the ways of the forest.” Evergreen grabbed a vial from his belt, pouring the contents on a flower. Said flower shuddered, growing three times its original size. “I’m sure we can teach you to be the same.”

“We would appreciate that greatly,” Celestia told him, kneeling down to tentatively touch the petals of the enlarged flower. “This is most fascinating.”

“I believe this is all that I needed to hear,” the stag stated, turning towards the brush. “I shall attempt to speak with my own king about your desires to live peacefully with this forest.” In a split second, he disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Eris floated up to Celestia’s side, staring out at the woods. “That went well.” Wrapping herself around Celestia, she rested her head on her shoulder. “Don’t you think so?”

“If Evergreen’s king agrees to an audience, then yes, this went very well,” Celestia agreed, patting the side of Eris’s neck. “We have heard of worse first contact stories.”

Eris started to giggle, poking Celestia’s nose. “You make it sound like they’re aliens.” She burst into giggles at Celestia’s look. “You know, aliens! The guys who live up there!” she pointed up at the sky.

“Pegasi and griffins?” Celestia questioned, tilting her head at her friend.

This only caused Eris to giggle more. “It’s hard to explain now. I’ll do it in a few centuries.”

Sighing, Celestia shook her head. “Thou art truly vexing at times, Eris. But, with Evergreen’s people potentially helping us live peacefully with the forest, I believe we have accomplished our task today.”

Stalwart’s ears flicked, the color draining from her face as she noticed something. All the incidental sounds of the forest had suddenly stopped. Raising her shield, she put herself in front of Celestia. “Princess, I believe we are being watched.”

“Watched?” Celestia stepped back, looking around. “By whom? What dost thou suspect, Captain?”

“Something or someone dangerous enough to scare away all of the nearby birds,” Stalwart answered, keeping her weapons at the ready. Her eyes scanned the treeline, catching movement to her left.

Springing into action, she pushed Princess Celestia out of the way as a massive snake burst forth. Like lightning, it struck her, piercing her breast plate like it was paper. “Drive it back!” Stalwart commanded, digging her spear into its hide. Blazing pain erupted in her side and her vision blurred. The last thing she could clearly see was Eris flying at the serpent.