‘Discord. How ironic that the god of Chaos has become so predictable.’
The words echoed in Discord’s head long after the monster that had spoken them, an ancient being that claimed to be one true source of evil, was defeated. He was Discord, the god, the very embodiment of chaos, and yet the being dared to call him predictable.
He was not predictable. He was as fickle as the tides. He would serve a kingdom for years only to betray it the next day for no other reason than his own entertainment. He had torn the world apart just to see if he could. He had granted near infinite power to ponies just to see what would happen. Even the princesses had only become alicorns because of his boredom, which was still one of his most successful pranks he might add.
Was it true?
He sipped his tea, tasting the silky blueberry flavor. That was to bad, he wasn’t particularly fond of blueberry. But that was the thing with his magic, he could wish for tea, but his magic never followed exactly his wish. It was as much the embodiment of chaos as him; You never really knew what you would get with it, all you could hope to do is point it in the general direction. It was chaos, in the truest sense of the word, without mind or motivation.
Around him ponies moved, struggling to repair the half of Canterlot Castle that was, well, no longer on the castle. He could help, he supposed. A wave of his claw and the castle would be repaired, in some form at least, but he did not. Instead, he stared out into the void, grappling with his thoughts.
Motivation. Motivation led to action, predictable action. Grow attached to a pony and you will work to save it. Live for your entertainment and you will always choose the more entertaining option. It was why he had never allowed himself to care for those around him. If he became connected, he would gain motivation, and if he gained motivation, he would become predictable. Until… Fluttershy.
One little pony and a game that had been started for nothing but boredom. Ally himself with the elements of harmony, for no other reason but his own entertainment. But… He come to view Fluttershy as his friends. He had acted time and again to protect her. Motivation creates predictability.
“You would think disaster would be unexpected,” Celestia mused as Discord hung above her from the ceiling like a bat, “In the thousand years of my sister’s banishment I barely faced as much disaster as what has happened in the last month, let alone everything that has happened since Twilight moved to Ponyville. But now I almost expect it, to wake up to be greated with some great disaster.”
“Has it become predictable?” Discord asked, causing Celestia to startle in a way very unbecoming of a royal princess. Once she regained her composure, she turned to look at him.
“Hello Discord. I… didn’t see you there,” she sighed, giving him a look that was almost a glare, something that rarely appeared on the royal princess’s face. “But I suppose yes. If not predictable, expected, at least. Though why I don’t know.”
Chaos had become predictable. The unexpected had become expected… Perhaps the creature’s words held truth. Discord considered that has he hung in his personal void, surrounded by the chaos of his magic. He entertained himself by counting the ponies and objects that flew by. A Pegasi, a potted plant, an alicorn, the entirety of Canterlot castle, or a similar castle if it was entirely green and covered in spikes. Next would be a … a shadow pony pony flue by. He had predicted the chaos. He had predicted what could not be predicted.
A meeting of ponies, over a new catastrophe. It was expected at this point. A new disaster, something that should not be so predictable. The end of the world should not be routine, but it was. Some disaster would come and then Twilight and her friends would solve it, as they always did. Perhaps any one event was unexpected, but taken over a period of time… Trends formed; patterns become known. Every month seemed to bring a new episode.
Another evil defeated. Another disaster soon to come. The trend continued. The pattern remained unchallenged. Nothing would change. Nothing could change. He was the catalyst for chaos, the one who broke the pattern. Chaos followed him, and If the god of chaos was predictable, then chaos would follow.
It was true. He had become predictable.
Maybe not with any particular action, but on the general trend the god of chaos had become predictable. The very idea horrified him. He was predictable. Chaos itself could not be predictable, and yet he was. A paradox, and while he loved paradoxes in general, this one grated on him, seemed to challenge his very existence.
He was predictable. No, no, no, no, No, nO, NO. IT COULD NOT HAPPEN. He could not be driven by motivation or emotion. HE COULD NOT BE PREDICTABLE. But… what could he do about it? The question baffled him. He could no more betray Flutershy as he could betray his own self.
That thought only made him more certain. He had grown too attached. His reformation could not last. Perhaps this was not even the first time he had realized that. He paused, considering that as he scratched his beard, which had annoyingly frozen solid. Tirek. He had allied with Tirek because even then he had realized, even if only subconsciously, that his connections were growing too strong.
Time passed. An uncountable time. For time did not exist in his void. The chaos surged around him. Seemingly taunting him, though he knew that true chaos had no mind, completely unpredictable. And inside that void he thought. If he had realized then, then why had his connections only grown stronger? Because he had let them.
He would let them no longer. It was time for chaos become unpredictable once again. Around him the void surged and roared, turning calmer as it grew stronger, and chaos laughed. Discord laughed.
