Family of Chaos (12) (Patreon)

Few ponies had traveled as widely as Hurricane. But few had as many lifetimes to do it, venturing broadly as her life took her in different directions. She'd seen tiny villages in the mountains, floating cities in freshwater lakes, and vast metropolises clustered into castles. 

But no matter how many times she traveled, there was always something new to experience. Ponies might be predictable creatures, but they were also endlessly creative.

Hurricane Force found a comfortable spot in the viewing car where she could watch Equestria blur by. She looked without ever really seeing any of it, grass and rivers and fields blending past each other with every kilometer.

It must've been early afternoon at least before someone took the seat next to her, depositing a large notebook under one leg. "Mind if I sit here?"

She shrugged. "You saved my life."

The unicorn said nothing at first, staring out in the same direction. When she did finally speak, it was in a whisper. "As old as you are—you must have been to all these places. Everywhere in Equestria."

She shrugged. "Most places. That's the charm of the private weather factory I used to run. Flew it all over, and usually had some free time to stay and see the sights."

"What about Hollow Shades? Ever been there?"

She shook her head once. "Never heard of a weather factory that far south. Theirs is wild. Last time I was that close to the border was..." The memory was still fresh, despite the intervening centuries. She heard horns, felt the heat through armor and the crash of lightning under her hooves.

"Visited some of those villages, during the..." She dropped her voice as low as Twilight, whispering quietly. "Second Minotaur Incursion. At least, I think that's what they call it in the textbooks these days. We didn't name it then, just... protecting Equestria from invasion."

The unicorn gaped. Of all the ponies she knew, this was one of the few Hurricane expected to actually know anything about obscure history. Equestria was a happier place than it used to be, a friendlier one. But some remembered.

"Seven hundred years ago," the unicorn said. "I can't imagine much survived in all that time."

"Nope," she agreed. "Roads are covered by sediment. Villages crumble. New ones get built. Graves erode. But I still remember—" She remembered where the important ponies were buried. She remembered the last time she said goodbye. One day too soon, she'd probably be back in Wingapore to do the same for Frostline.

Twilight settled back in her seat, looking thoughtful. "I've wondered about immortality before. The ones who take it seem like they would all end up lonely. All the ponies you loved leaving, all your friends, your parents."

The unicorn seemed like her mind wandered for a time. Her eyes settled on her hooves, glazing over. Her thoughts drifted down some strange, magical road, not one that Hurricane could follow.

"It's a lot like that," she agreed. "Only... I don't remember if I ever had parents, or a family. If I did, it was so long ago... longer than Equestria has existed." Probably longer than the star had been burning, too. But getting into numbers like that would not help the unicorn's sympathy. She needed to be a normal pony. Let all the rest be buried. "Maybe some of that is the spell Celestia and Luna used to trap me. There are so many holes."

"We'll find out soon," Twilight said. "Now that you know it's there, your magic should be focused on unraveling it. It might take days, or maybe weeks, but the whole thing should collapse. After that..."

I'll look like I used to. Ponies wouldn't see her as one of them anymore. "Do you think Hollow Shades will tolerate me after that happens? I'll look like a monster to them, not a pony. The one they think just attacked Equestria."

Twilight shrugged. "Ponyville had trouble accepting a zebra for the first time. But they did, and now Zecora is a beloved member of the community. You might have to work your way uphill for a while. But the mayor will know, along with the town's royal guard. Meeting them will be one of our first assignments."

"Great." She lowered her head to the window, pressing her hoof against the glass. From the first second she arrived in Hollow Shades, they would see her as an outsider. Whoever that mayor was, they would have the power to make her transition smooth or turn her into an outcast before the first hints of her true self even appeared. "What about the magic? How do we control that?"

Twilight didn't answer her then. Instead, she urged Hurricane back to their private car. Only when the door was firmly shut behind her did she lay out the pages of her notebook. "I have studied the subject extensively over the last few weeks—ever since Discord first appeared."

She spread several pages out from the notebook, until most of the floor was covered with it. Some were excerpts of other books, copied in Twilight's neat hoof writing. Others were spells, each one half-finished and surrounded with notes.

"As you can probably imagine, Chaos is... rather unwilling to be controlled. Suppressing it is practically impossible, it can only be slowed. While you're conscious, there isn't anything we can do to force the magic to stop."

The nearby bedroom door squeaked open a short distance, and Rarity's face appeared. The mare had a silk mask, and no longer looked so overwhelmed. She yawned, then took a single step inside. "Please, continue. I'm... awake."

"Well. Magic can't be suppressed, but it can be channeled. The best way to keep your powers from going out of control is to make sure you're actively using them. Otherwise, it's going to do what it was already doing so far—building up until the concentration gets overwhelming and it explodes."

"But I don't know how," she protested. "Sure, I can't let the magic build up until it overflows. But how can I let it out? That sounds like telling an earth pony to just fly more so they don't lift off the ground."

Twilight settled onto her haunches, scratching thoughtfully at her chin with a hoof. "I wish I could give you advice. But nopony has ever wielded chaos magic before. Or if they did, there aren't any records to go on."

"Except Pinkie," Rarity said. "Everypony knows she's something strange."

They talked for a little while after. Ultimately, there was no more advice than what she already got. If she wanted to keep from accidentally hurting anypony, she would need to use up the magic—without ever understanding how.

Twilight promised she would do additional research, but didn't seem too optimistic. "This is an emerging field—that's why we hoped you would write about your experiences. The details you share might help us solidify study into its own magical discipline."

She reiterated her promise to write, then went back to the observation car to watch. Not just the countryside—but for danger too.

None came for the train during their several-day journey across Equestria. Towns big and small passed by in their turn. The landscape became dry and parched, then green again as desert gave way to jungle. 

Stops and villages were rarer out here, which meant the train could travel faster. They circled around one mountain, then plunged through another in a long, straight tunnel.

Finally, they began to slow. "Hollow Shades!" called the conductor, walking up and down the train. He banged on little bits of metal as he went, waking up anypony who might be sleeping.

Hurricane was already alert, though. The sun had only just set, and her anticipation was still far too powerful to rest. Her new home was waiting for her—her last, and final chance.

She stood up, helping her travel companions gather up their possessions. She had nothing, at least nothing that wouldn't fit into her saddlebags. 

They descended onto the platform, barely visible through a dense cluster of huge trees.

“Big” didn’t even began to describe the jungle here—even the light of a full moon couldn’t touch the ground. Instead, the modest road into town was lit with little chunks of glowing crystal, a single cobblestone path barely wide enough for most carts.

Without her unicorn magic, Rarity never could have brought so much into town. Twilight traveled as light as Hurricane, with only the belongings she could fit into a pair of saddlebags.

"Next train in five days," said the conductor, once they were out. They were the last ponies to leave. The others were all gone now, vanished into the air and out of sight. "Don't be late. We don't wait here long."

Twilight nodded appreciatively to him. "Thanks for the comfortable ride, Porter. I'll see you when you get back."

"Good, good." He lowered his voice, glancing furtively to either side. "Normal ponies ought not linger with folk like these for too long. You'll see." He straightened, then backed into the open door. "Thanks for traveling with us!" 

The wooden door clattered closed behind him, the engine rumbled, and the train accelerated away from the station again, looping once through the trees before ending up back on the same track—going the opposite direction.

Hurricane watched it go, its faint windows vanishing into the darkness of night.

"What did he mean by that, do you think?" Rarity asked. The large crates sagged in her grip just a little. “It does seem a tad... remote. Perhaps more than I imagined."

Twilight shrugged. "The princess picked this town specifically. She seemed to think it was among the best potential new homes for Hurricane Force. Its ponies were some of the most welcoming in Equestria."

Its ponies were nowhere to be seen. The little train station had no staff, just a boarded-up ticket booth and a few benches covered with moss and lichen. At least the road up to town was clear.

But Hurricane didn't have to look, she already knew. "Bats."

Rarity tilted her head to the side. "Pardon?"

"They're Thestrals," Hurricane said. "After the Lunar Rebellion, a large number of bat ponies migrated down here. Their descendants are still living in Hollow Shades today."

"A mare of history, this one," said a voice Hurricane didn't know. Something emerged from the trees beside the path—a dark green stallion, with flecks of gray in his mane. As with all older bats, his wings turned slightly wrinkly, sagging in the middle where they folded against his back. "She speaks the truth about our town."

He held out a hoof, smiling politely. "Mayor Nightlong. I'm guessing one of you must be Twilight Sparkle?"

"That would be me." She took the offered hoof, then stepped aside so each of them could in turn. 

"Welcome to Hollow Shades," Nightlong said. "I assume you knew where you were visiting? You aren't troubled by thestrals, are you?"

"Of course not!" Twilight said, maybe a little too quickly. "We're just happy you welcomed us on such short notice. Our friend here, Hurricane Force—she needed a place to stay. A place where ponies were as friendly as they are discreet."

Nightlong chuckled. "Yes, well. We have ample experience with both. What does the pegasus think of bats? If most of her neighbors are bats, will that keep her awake at night?"

Hurricane shook her head. "I'm too old to care what kind of wings a pony has, Nightlong. If you'll give me the same courtesy, that's all I ask."

"Too old," he repeated, stifling a laugh. "I think we can make this arrangement work. Come with me—the market will just be opening for the night. Let me show you our town."