Stone and Secrets

After some five days of reading through the Canterlot Archives as only she could, Twilight understood little more about Chaos magic than she already had. It seemed that no pony could control it predictably, which made sense, and worse yet, it was hard to find or manipulate at all to begin with. Methods of trying to harness it for its raw power all failed miserably, and those involved with it ended up either dead or mad if they did not give up their pursuits.

It had been almost entirely abandoned many centuries ago, once would-be practitioners decided that the many incredible one-off effects were not worth the risk.

Aside from some barren histories, though, one fact caught her eye: it seemed to posses the one constant feature of moving inexorably toward its own creation, self replication being its ultimate result. It did not matter who was using it or to what end; Chaos magic had only one rule that always worked, the solitary law which stated that Chaos would always make more Chaos, at every opportunity.

Other than these things, though, there was nothing known.

Frustrated, Twilight decided to take a walk through the Canterlot Gardens. On her way through, she found herself drawn once again to the statue of Discord.

He had entered her thoughts many times over the past week. It would be easy to explain it as being the result of her recent study of Chaos magic, but there seemed to be some other purpose to all these intrusions. It had become very clear to her that Discord was an important piece in the puzzle.

And the puzzle was an important piece in helping Celestia.

But why the statue itself?

She found herself pondering for a long moment.

How can I learn about him, even if I want to?

For the small number of books about Chaos magic, there were even fewer on the topic of Discord himself. Information was scarce, and as with Chaos magic, that which there was related bare facts that were in the public eye, not personal stories.

Giving in to her less rational side, she approached the statue, placing her hoof upon it. "What are you?"

Oh, you know what I am.

Twilight screamed, jumping backward. She could have sworn she had heard the silky, twisted voice of the being within resounding in her mind. "But that's impossible. Right?"

After a few moments' hesitation, she approached once again, once more placing her hoof upon him.

Impossible? No, dear Twilight. Fun? Oh, absolutely. I don't get many visitors these days. Rather boring in here.

This time, she managed to find the restraint not to retreat, but kept it open as an option, should Discord do anything suspicious.

"I need information, Discord. I need to know about-"

About the distant past, and Celestia, and all of that, yes, yes, I know why you're here. Oh, it is a tale of misery and woe, Hahahaha! But I don't think I could fill you in very well. Luna might know some things though, perhaps you should go and ask her.

Twilight had already been considering this option, but suddenly, given her previous experience with Discord, she became suspicious, particularly since it was such a straightforward piece of advice. "How do I know this isn't some trickery?"

Oh, you don't! That's the fun part! But I think you should be able to trust her, if not dear old me. Run along now, there's investigating to do!

She removed her hoof from the statue, not entirely sure what to think. He had no reason to lie to her. But this is Discord. He doesn't need a reason.

Then again, he simply directed her to another source, and she knew firsthoof that Luna was indeed trustworthy.

Once again, the investigation begins.