Family of Chaos (9) (Patreon)

Hurricane was surrounded by Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony—not just the most important ponies in Equestria, but also the ones who had returned Discord to stone not long ago. Gathered together like this, they could just as easily do the same thing to her, if they wanted.

Part of Hurricane remained tense, a spring stretched and ready to snap. If they attacked her, she could probably make it to a window and escape, fly far away from here. It wouldn't be the first time she ran away to start a new life somewhere else.

She saw no sign of danger so far, though. The ponies watched with a kind of exhausted sympathy. She felt no magic, chaotic or otherwise. Most importantly, they hadn't come to her wearing the Elements of Harmony. Even if they had them close, they'd still have to put them on. That should be plenty of time to get away.

"Those things you described—they were certainly chaos-magic," Twilight Sparkle continued. "The reason my sensor failed the first time—it was working perfectly."

They eased Hurricane into a library sofa. The others took seats nearby. Rainbow refused to sit, and instead fluttered back and forth by the window. 

"I don't know what the princesses will say when I write to them. But before I did that, I wanted to have a plan. We've talked about it, and we have some ideas. But since this is your life... it has to be your choice."

Hurricane nodded. "Whatever you can do to help me. I just want things to go back to the way they were."

"That's... one possibility," Twilight said. She turned over a pad of paper in front of her, one covered with dense text. This was unicorn magic, so it meant very little to her. She could get the general intention behind it, but not more. The spell was a transformation of some kind and would focus on a single subject. With so many runes, it must be quite powerful. Or meant to hold someone who was.

"That's this, here. I drafted something, but I would need a few more days to tinker with it before I felt confident. Would need the power of the Elements—nothing I have alone will last for very long against all that chaos."

Hurricane nudged the pad with one wing. "You're saying you can cure me? Cast that, and I get to just be a pony again? No chance of hurting anypony else?"

"Weeeeeell." Twilight turned the pad around, tucking it behind her. "For a while, yeah. But it wouldn't be free. What happened to you—losing your memories? That's the only way to make the spell last. We'd have to do it again. You'd forget everything. Not just your old life, but your new one too. You'd be a brand-new pony."

"Feels kinda like dying to me," Applejack muttered, from her place near the sofa. The earth pony never took her eyes off Hurricane, far more suspicious than any of the others. "I wouldn't be the same pony if I couldn't remember nothin'. Who I am, what I've done. It ain't right."

Hurricane swallowed. That was more than simple anxiety, acid burned at her throat. No wonder Twilight didn't want to bring it up, that sounded awful. "You can't just... turn off the chaos magic? Suppress it? Like those rings they make for bad unicorns, only..."

Pinkie giggled. "Where would you wear a horn ring, silly? You don't have a horn!"

Hurricane rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Why would it have to hit my memory?"

Twilight settled onto her haunches directly before Hurricane, where she could rest a hoof on her shoulder. At least if she got close it meant the unicorn wasn't afraid of her. She was lucky to have a pony so friendly and accepting, instead of the princesses again.

"Chaos magic is... unpredictable. But knowing it's there—it would unravel any spell we used. Might break before you even left Ponyville. And because of the way Chaos works—it would be weaker each time we used it. Even if it lasted a few months, it would still break."

"That's probably why they turned Discord to stone," Rarity said. "He's not exactly the cooperative sort. But he can't plot to overthrow Equestria while he's adorning a garden, can he?"

"Doesn't sound very fun though," Pinkie said. She bounced out of her seat, spinning past Hurricane. "If I was trapped in stone, I'd get sooooo bored! I'd go crazy!"

"Have to be sane first, Pinkie," Rainbow said.

The pink earth pony only giggled in reply.

"Not a great first option," Hurricane eventually said. "I assume the second one wasn't getting turned to stone. Because that's even worse." Her heart picked up speed as she said it, and she began shifting nervously in her seat. If it was, it would be exactly the same choice she faced back when Discord tried to take over the first time. 

Not a choice at all, really. Better to run away and take her chances on the fringe, if that were the case.

"We did have another plan," Twilight said. "Assuming you like it, and we get permission from the princess. Something a little more..."

"Experimental," Rarity said. 

"Kind," Fluttershy offered. "It seems so... mean, to leave a creature trapped in rock, or to erase their memories. Even if it's not forever, it's not fair. And it doesn't fix anything. When it wears off, you're back to the same place you started."

Right. Even if she let them repeat the spell the Alicorns used all those years ago, it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, a future version of her would be sending chaos magic all over and not understand why. Then she would have the same decision to make, all over.

"There was a time before Discord got turned to stone," Twilight said. "Records from that time are... scarce. Chaos ruined most of it and rewrote most of the rest so it's all contradictory. But there was a time when you coexisted with ponies. You're not so dangerous that you destroy everything around you. It's the lack of control that put ponies at risk."

"But magic is a skill," Rainbow Dash said. "Like flying, or weather. Something you can work on. If you've got good friends who can help."

Good friends. Hurricane had friends before—but never very many. They were always so fleeting, gone almost as soon as they entered. "I don't think anyone in Wingapore would want me to go back there. Especially if they knew the factory was my fault."

Twilight released her hoof. "I don't think that would be safe, either way. You need ponies with chaos magic experience. There aren't exactly a lot of those to pick from." She gestured around the room, grinning weakly. "If you were willing to take the chance. Instead of putting up a new spell, we would let that one break, deliberately. Then help you remember how to control your powers. After that..." She stood up, then shrugged. "We would need permission from the princess, obviously."

"You don't..." Hurricane sniffed, fighting back tears. "You don't even know me. Why would you put yourselves in danger? After what just happened with Discord."

"Maybe that's the reason," Applejack said. "Maybe because it's just the right neighborly thing to do. Maybe because there ain't nopony else in Equestria who could."

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed. "You don't seem very much like Discord at all. He wanted ponies to be unhappy, wanted to hurt. But you're the opposite."

Rainbow made her way over from the window. "I don't wanna take credit for being selfless and kind or whatever—that's Fluttershy. But I'd rather be on the same side than fight for no reason. One day Discord gets out again. But if you're on our side..."

Hearing Rainbow Dash say it like that—maybe it should make her more skeptical and unhappy with their words. Instead, it did the opposite. If they had a reason to be nice to her, maybe she could believe they really meant it.

"I don't want to forget," she said, wiping away tears. "I don't want to turn to stone. I guess that means your plan is the best one. If... if the princess allows it."

The dream was fresh in her mind even now—Alicorns closing in, ready to do to her what they did to Discord. Now that she knew the truth, what if they didn't want to give her the choice? Maybe she was too dangerous to live.

"I'll be the one to ask," Twilight said. "And in the meantime... that's why my friends are here. Celestia can't be upset when we have the Elements of Harmony here to make sure everypony is safe. If that's your decision."

Hurricane Force stood on her hooves, then nodded. "I don't want to die. But I don't want anypony else to be hurt, either. If this works... it sounds like the best plan for everypony."

"Then I'll talk to her. I know you have awful memories of her. But Princess Celestia isn't the same pony she used to be."

"And she's not the one with the Elements," Rainbow said, grinning weakly. "So even if she does hate you, you'll probably be okay."

Hurricane Force could certainly imagine these ponies able to offer her more reassurance. But considering the chaos she had brought to Wingapore, she knew this was an uphill battle. 

I don't really want to be a spirit of chaos. I want to be a pony. She tried to get the words out, no matter what she believed, there was another presence underneath, one with red eyes and a high, laughing voice. Almost her, but not. 

You know something? Talk to me!

There was no answer.

Twilight said her farewells, leaving with a final promise to Hurricane of her success. 

"Spike will host you here until I return. If you need anything else, ask anypony here. I'm sure they can help."

Hurricane took her hoof to shake. "Good luck! Are you sure I shouldn't go with you? It's me you're talking to her about, and..."

"No," Twilight answered, without even a split-second's hesitation. "The more safe and casual this looks, the more likely we get the answer we want." 

Twilight waved, then emerged into Ponyville's early evening. The other Elements slipped out one by one, until it was just Hurricane and Spike left in the library. The dragon waved to them all, then locked the door. He flicked the sign around to the other side, finally looking up at her.

"I kinda stopped paying attention halfway through all that. I'm gonna set up the guestroom for you and make sure you're comfortable until Twi gets back. Why is she going to Canterlot again—you got some weird disease?"

"Wish it was that simple," Hurricane Force muttered, ears folding and tail falling limp. "Not a disease. I guess I'm not really a pony. Just look like one on the outside, because the princesses hit me with a curse a long time ago."

Spike grinned up at her, exposing his sharp, dragon teeth. "Woah. That's way cooler than I thought." He waved vaguely towards the library. "You like books? Still not done with dinner."

She didn't, at least not more than anypony else. Their history, the ponies who wrote them—but Hurricane was much happier doing something than just reading about somepony else who already had. The best way to find out whether the world worked a certain way was to try and see what happened.

But she didn't have the heart to refuse him, or the energy to go back out into Ponyville. This library was her cave now, where she sheltered from the wrath of the Alicorns. 

Even without most of her memory, one truth remained, as grim and frustrated as all those years ago. Hurricane was furious with Discord. Why did he have to try and take over? All he had to do was accept their kindness, respect the rules of their reality, and none of this would've happened.

Maybe some part of her was happier not remembering.