Chapter 32: Diligent Study

Flash looked up from the book he was reading on human military tactics as he heard the library door open. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Chrysalis?"

Chrys frowned ever so slightly as she entered the library, likewise surprised to see the guard. She didn't answer right away, instead coming over to the front desk slowly. "I was expecting to see Twilight Sparkle here."

"She's still gone," Flash said, a little frustration in his voice. "She and Spike."

"You sound worried."

Flash stared at her for a long time. Worried? That was understatement of the year. "I've been getting reports of Equestrian women and children vanishing for the past two weeks, and Twilight has been gone for a month."

Chrys blinked. From what she knew of the relationship between Flash and Twilight, there would be no reason for the studious woman to not contact her boyfriend. "She has not called or anything?"

"No, she hasn't. And I know if she's deep in study, she won't notice, but leaving for a whole month without telling anyone? Even Celestia hasn't heard from her."

Chrys frowned. "Even from what I know of Twilight, I do not see this as normal behavior."

"It would be different if I knew where she was. I don't even know where this library she went to is." He sighed, and closed his book. "But there's not much I can do about it right now. Did you need something, Chrys?"

"I was looking for a book… on children."

Flash raised an eyebrow. "…children?"

"Oh how to care for them, and the like." She glanced away.

"…You're worried you won't be able to help with Tyr and Luna's kids."

"I've never dealt with children," Chrys complained. "And the first ones I'll be dealing with are those of my Master and his lover…"

"Didn't you take care of the Changelings?"

"Changelings were always fully born. They were able to walk and talk from birth."

"I see." Flash thought for a moment. "I believe there may be something…"

He was cut off by the door opening. Both of them turned and froze as the woman of the hour came rushing in, followed by her faithful assistant. "I need a table!" Twilight said, rushing to one of the nearby tables. In her arms was clutched a large, wrapped object, no doubt a book. She carried it to a nearby table and set it down, unwrapping it as eagerly as a child at Christmas. She had completely ignored the two staring at her from the front desk. The book was huge, more akin to a tome, and had a massive eight pointed star on the cover. As the librarian began to open the book and rifle through the information inside, Flash finally spoke up.

"Twi!" He said, loudly.

She glanced over. "Oh, hey Flash. Sorry, I really need to get to work on going through this—"

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

The sudden yell caught everyone of guard. Twilight turned slowly, coming face to face with an incensed Flash. She blinked several times, not understanding. "F-Flash? What is it?"

"What is it?" Flash was furious. "You've been gone for almost a month and a half, and all I get when I see you is: 'Oh hey Flash'!?"

"Flash, I'm sorry, I just—" She paused, horror creeping into her face. "…A month?"

"You don't understand, do you?" He came from behind the desk, brushing past Chrys. "Equestrians have been going missing for the last two weeks, and I was afraid you had been taken or worse! I've been losing sleep because of you!"

"Yo, dude, calm down," Spike began, but a sharp glare from Flash shut him up.

"You could have called, send a message, or something. Something to let me know you were okay, but no! You had to keep your damn nose shoved in a book instead!"

"I was doing what Princess Celestia told me to do," Twilight shot back, trying to defend herself. She gestured to the book on the table. "This book talks about—"

"I DON'T CARE!" Flash roared, going to the table and slamming the book shut. "You are what I care about, Twilight, but apparently you don't care enough about me to at least tell me you were okay!"

Twilight shrunk back from her boyfriend's anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. She began crying soundlessly, tears streaming from her eyes. "…Oh my," Chrys said softly. At the sight of his girlfriend crying like that, Flash felt his anger drain away rapidly.

"Twi—" He began, but Twilight broke into sobs as she pushed past him, running back out the door. "Twilight!"

"Oh, well done," Chrys said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Chrys."

"Spend more time going after her than taking out your anger on me," Chrys replied sharply, eyes narrowing. "I will not take it silently."

Flash opened his mouth to reply, but decided against it. He darted out of the door after his girlfriend. It didn't take him long to catch up to her, since Twilight had never been the athletic type. He spotted her running just a few yards ahead. "Twilight!"

She glanced back, seeing him chasing her. She opened her violet wings to take to the sky. Flash bit his lip. Twilight was still bad at flying, so he didn't have much faith in her out flying her. But suddenly, right as she lifted off, her entire body froze up and she fell to the ground, sliding to a complete halt. "What the… Twi!"

He boosted himself forward with one flap of his wings, coming up to his girlfriend's side in a second. He lifted her into his arms, immediately seeing that she was out cold. "What the hell…?"

"Flash!" Chrys's voice rang out. "Spike has passed out!"

"Twilight did too," Flash said, glancing over as the Changeling flew over to him. "What the hell happened?"

"More than likely exhaustion," Chrys said. She knelt beside Flash. "It seems to have caught up to her in an instant."

"It will pass," A soft voice said. Both of them looked over to find Mercy striding towards them. They both blinked in surprise.

"Mercy?" Flash said, remembering the raven haired woman's name. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on them," Mercy said, folding her arms. "They left so abruptly. I'm surprised they got so far before crashing."

"Will they be okay?"

"Of course. Just give them some time to rest." She turned to go, not before glancing over her shoulder at Flash. "And… give her the benefit of the doubt. She wanted to help you."

"…Help me?" Flash frowned.

"If you want to fight your enemy, you must know him first," Mercy quoted. "Not exactly Sun Tzu, but close."

She left, her job done. Flash looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. "Hey, Chrys?"

"Yes?" The Changeling looked down at him.

"I'm sorry for earlier. Can you go get Spike so we can take them home?"

"…Of course, Flash. I'd be happy to help."

-x-

Twilight's eyes fluttered open. To her confusion, she found herself home, tucked into bed. She was also changed into sleeping clothes, her favorite t-shirt and star decorated fuzzy pants. When had she gotten changed? She only remembered passing out after running from Flash… The memory of her boyfriend yelling at her came rushing back, and she almost found herself crying again. Not because of him yelling at her, because of how hurt he had looked. He had really worried about her, and she hadn't thought of him at all. She rubbed at her eyes. If anything, she should go talk to Princess Celestia about it and what she had found out at the library. A sweet smell wafted up from downstairs. "Spike must be making breakfast," She murmured softly to herself. Maybe she'd feel better on a full stomach.

She made her way downstairs, almost literally drawn by the smell of food. "That smells really good, Spike," She murmured, drinking in the smell. Pancakes would be really good… She stopped as she entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Twi," Flash said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Finally up, I see."

She stared at him in confusion. "…Flash?"

"Yeah, that's my name. You okay with scrambled eggs?"

She frowned, but slowly made her way to sit at the kitchen table. "Um… yes, that's okay. That's what Spike usually makes anyway…"

"Great. Cause I already made them." He came over to her, a plate of pancakes and eggs in his hand. He set it in front of her and sat down across from her. Twilight frowned.

"…You cooked?"

"I always cook." Flash frowned. "I live alone, remember?"

"…Right." She poked at her food for a minute, suddenly without an appetite. "Hey… Flash?"

"Yes?"

"Are you still angry at me?"

To her surprise, he sighed. "Yes and no."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense." He fixed her with a dark look. "I'm still upset you never contacted me, but I was also to blame for not simply going with you. On top of that, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"…So…you're not mad?"

Flash chuckled. "No, I'm not. I was scared, Twi. Scared something had happened to you and there was nothing I could do."

"Flash… I'm so sorry. I didn't know. And you said I was gone for a month and a half?"

"Yeah."

"To me it felt like only a couple days…" She frowned. "I guess I was really into what I was reading… oh wait, Spike!"

"He's asleep in bed," Flash said before she started panicking. "He's fine."

Twilight sighed. "I should have thought about your feelings on the whole thing, Flash. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, love. Really. Now, eat your food before it gets cold."

Twilight wasn't about to argue with that. She began eagerly eating, savoring the well-made food her boyfriend had made her. Considering how good this was, she would have to have him making breakfast for her more often. She was so focused on eating that she failed to notice the small box Flash had slipped onto the table on top of a book. It wasn't until she was almost done eating that she noticed them. The title of the book caught her attention first.

Marriage for Dummies.

She looked from the book to Flash, and then back again. When her eyes met his again, he was smiling. "…Flash?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"I know how much you like to read up on subjects you don't know," Flash said quietly. "So this is a book I'd figure you'd go looking to read… and thought maybe we should read it together."

"I… Flash… this is… are you serious?" Twilight was beginning to have trouble forming coherent sentences. "But… I don't…"

"We learn together, Twi." Flash reached over and opened the small box. Twilight's breath caught as she saw the ring, a twisted gold band with an amethyst stone set in a clasp. He took it out and moved around the table so that he could kneel at her side. "Twilight Sparkle… will you marry me?"

"I… I… I would make a terrible wife…"

"You're just saying that."

"I don't know how to cook."

"I do."

"I can't sew or anything like that very well…"

"I fix my own clothes pretty often. Mother taught me how."

"I'm…um…"

Flash found himself laughing softly. "Twilight. Just answer me this: Do you love me?"

"…Yes." She said it with certainty. "Yes I do. I love you, Flash."

"Then will you marry me?"

Twilight sniffed, tears gathering in her eyes. "…Yes…!" She held out her hand, and Flash gently slipped the ring onto her finger. "Oh Flash, it's beautiful…"

"Only the best for you, love."

"I… I've got to tell all the girls…!"

"You know…" Flash said thoughtfully. "Besides Spike, there's someone we should tell before them."

Twilight thought for a moment. "...Oh. Right."

"I can't believe we're in the same situation as last time," Flash muttered as he and his new fiancé sat across from Princess Celestia once more, cups of tea in front of them all.

"Well, you haven't been by in a while, and when Twilight called she said she wanted to talk about something important," Celestia pointed out.

"I suppose that is fair."

"So, I'm guessing it is about the research Twilight went to do?" The Princess of the Sun looked over at her former student. "What did you discover?"

"Ah, right." Twilight pulled the book out of her bag. She had picked it up from the library on the way there, since they had intended to speak to Celestia about it anyway. She set it on the table and opened it. "From what this book tells me, the Conclave of the Zodiac is an ancient group that apparently is aligned with Order."

"Aligned with order?"

"Yes. Apparently, according to the book, there are two major magical factions: Order, and Chaos. They've been at odds for eternity."

"That sounds almost like a story my parents would tell me when I was young," Celestia said thoughtfully. "Two intertwined powers that could not truly exist without one another."

"Wasn't Discord a spirit of Chaos?" Flash asked, frowning.

"Yes, although from the look on Twilight's face, things are different in this world."

Flash and Celestia looked to Twilight. She was indeed frowning, though more out of confusion than anger. "It's not just that, Princess. It's… well, this book presents an idea I do not think I have ever considered."

"What is it?"

"That there are different planes—almost like other worlds," Twilight said. "That Equus and this world are simply connected via a Gate of some kind."

"A Gate?" Celestia seemed perplexed. "So that means… somewhere, there is a place that will allow us to go home?"

"Unfortunately no. The Merge brought us here, not a Gate. And this book doesn't explain what the Merge was or what these Gates are or would look like. The rest of the book details more about the different kinds of planes, but I haven't had a chance to read it." She frowned. "Most of it is in a language I can't read."

Celestia gentle took the book from her and turned it right-side up. Indeed, the words on the page were more glyphs than anything else, and even with her knowledge of ancient languages, could make no sense of them. "Indeed they are…"

"Perhaps they're human in origin?"

"That is a thought." She sighed. "Well, all in due time. Anything on your end, Flash?"

"Some, although I wish there was more." Flash sighed. "As it stands, only women and children are being taken, although there are a few men that have been taken."

"And do you know where they are being taken to?"

"Unfortunately, no. I've got everyone I can working on it."

"Just be careful, Flash."

"As you wish, Princess."

They sat in companionable silence for a bit, each drinking their tea. Celestia was next to speak, and when she did, it was with a small smile. "So, you two are not going to say anything?

Twilight looked up from her tea. "Huh? What?"

"Twilight. I know you, my dear. You hardly ever wear jewelry."

The shocked librarian looked down to her hand, where her engagement ring was. "Oh… right. I…"

"So I am correct in assuming Flash has proposed?" Her smile grew as the two of them nodded. She clapped her hands together. "Oh, how wonderful! And, if I may say so, about time!"

"What?" Flash blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, everyone could see you two wanted to be married. We were all waiting for it."

"Really?" Twilight asked, surprised. "Everyone was?"

"Yes. I do believe Rarity was the most vocal about it."

"That… That does sound like her."

"But I myself wished you two to finally decide on getting married. It was… something I hoped I would be able to see."

"What?" Twilight looked over at Celestia. The Princess smiled.

"For the girl I see as dear to me as family, and the man I watched grow up to finally declare their love for one another… it is almost like a fairy tale!" She giggled.

"Princess…"

"Well, it's happening now," Flash said, smiling and taking one of Twilight's hands. "And to be honest Princess… I wanted to ask for your blessing."

Celestia paused. "My… my blessing?"

"Yes, Princess." Twilight said with a smile. "We wanted to know you supported us."

"Why… of course I support you! Why on earth wouldn't I?" Celestia smiled warmly. "I am happier than you can imagine knowing that you two are going to tie the knot, so they say."

"Well, I have to get planning!" Twilight said, standing up. Flash had a look of horror on his face as his new fiancé went out the door, already pulling out a notepad and pen. The only thing he dreaded more than Twilight studying was Twilight planning. He sighed and followed her out.

"Stay strong, young Flash Sentry," Celestia thought with a chuckle. She got up and went into the living room, sitting on the couch as she began to process this new information. Chaos and Order… she had learned at a young age that both forces were in play in everything, from life to magic and to emotions. But they were actively trying to affect her lives now? She frowned. From what she could see now, Order was actively trying to kill her and those she cared about while Chaos was helping her. It almost made no sense. The majority of her life was dedicated to maintaining Order… There was one person she knew could help clear any confusion she had.

"Jehu Striate," She said softly.

There was a violet burst of light behind her, and next thing she knew, he had hopped over the back of the couch to sit beside her, that usual smile on his face. "You called, Princess?"

"You heard me?"

"I have good hearing," Jehu said with a small chuckle.

"Honest answer, Jehu."

"My daughter sees all, remember?"

"Isabel," Celestia said, remembering the silver haired girl. "Sounds like quite the blessing."

"Both a blessing and a curse," Jehu said softly. "As is the case with anything related to Chaos."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"If Isabel uses Tsukiyomi's powers too much and too often, she will go blind."

"What?"

"Mmhm. Such is the price she pays for the All-Seeing Eyes."

"I see," Celestia murmured. "I was curious about that. What are Chaos Spirits?"

"They are embodiments of the very Chaotic powers we wield," Jehu explained. "We bind to them and gain their powers, along with the resultant downsides. Isabel's is blindness, Passion is that overuse of her power will kill her, Ana's is that she can't feel pain…"

"Wait. Hold on one moment. Little Passion's powers will kill her?"

"Only if she overdoes it, and that's why I always send Willow or Isabel with her when she's fighting. Plus, Susano'o will revive her once a month."

"I… see," Celestia said, frowning. It was still a bit confusing to her, but that was what happened when you didn't have all the information. "And your downside?"

"Overuse of Chaos magic will make me go insane," Jehu said. "Although I went through that already."

"What?"

"Long story. Let's just put it out there I killed a self-proclaimed god while amidst the throes of ensuing madness." He grinned. "Got back to the lovable maniac you see now through sheer determination and rage. Oh, and love."

"You are… quite the strange individual, Jehu Striate."

"Such is the nature of Chaos."

"I suppose that is true."

"So, Princess of the Sun. What did you want to ask?" Jehu smiled and leaned back on the couch.

"…Do you know what caused the merge?"

"Yes, yes I do." Jehu answered matter-of-factly.

Celestia stared at him in shock. "You… you know? Then why have you not told us?"

"Because you never asked."

"So you know what caused it?"

"Yeah, I thought I said that." Jehu's smile lessened a bit, since it was almost certain what Celestia's next question would be.

"Who—or what—caused it?"

Jehu sat silently for a long time. Celestia was afraid he was going to vanish or simply say he would not answer the question. Instead, she got a long sigh and the man's smile vanished from his face. His next words were tinged with regret. "…I did. I caused the Merge."

Horror. That was the first thing that ran through Celestia's mind. Then confusion. "You… how did you…?"

"Believe me when I say that I had good intentions," Jehu said quietly. He chuckled. "But I of all people should know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what an exchange program is?"

"Yes."

"That was the intent. To bring someone from Equestria here, to see how they would fit in in a human society. Ironically, that person was to be you."

Celestia blinked. "…Me?"

"I believed you to be the best candidate for an ambassador between the two planes."

"Why?"

Jehu sighed. "I'm from a place called Nexus. You heard about Gates from Twilight, correct?"

"I did. Were you watching that as well?"

"Oh, heavens no." Celestia was a bit relieved to see some of Jehu's happy disposition return. The man chuckled. "I led your faithful student to the book. It was quite entertaining to watch her face when she reads new information."

"I know that look well. It was quite adorable when she was younger."

"Well, the Gates connect different planes together, allowing residents of both to cross over easily. I've made Gates before, some not on purpose, but that's not the issue. But bringing someone from one plane to another without a gate? Never done that before."

"So how does this coincide with the Merge?"

"The spell my family and I assembled to bring you to this world… didn't go according to plan. We lost control of the spell matrix after bringing you through, and… well you've more than likely heard of the results."

"Your mistake cost the lives of many of my subjects," Celestia said harshly.

"We were actually poised to stop it once the second Equestrian came through, and were in the middle of it when the third came through… halfway." He shivered. "But then Zodiac showed up to interfere."

"Why?"

"Because they don't want us to connect the planes. Says it wasn't how the Planar Existence began, and it should stay as it is." Jehu stood up, going to one of the windows. Celestia watched him, her previous shock gone and replaced with curiosity. "We screwed up royally, fought a fight for no reason, and it ended with a lot of people—sorry, ponies—dying. And I apologize to you for that."

"…So why did you do it in the first place?"

"I want to open up all of the planes, building gateways between every universe, letting people and creatures of all species to come together in a giant melting pot style place. That's probably the best way to spark widespread change, right?"

"Change?" Celestia blinked. "That's what you want?"

"Chaos is change, Celestia. Order is stagnancy." He frowned. "Something I tried to convince the Zodiac of. But they're too set in their ways to accept it."

"All my life I believed Chaos was an evil that needed to be contained, and that I should do my best to uplift Order," Celestia said thoughtfully. "And in most cases, I was right. But hearing you talk of Chaos this way…"

"Some take it too far," Jehu admitted, moving back over to the couch. "We're constantly going from destruction or total control, and that's what causes conflict."

"I see. Sounds like a delicate balance."

"You have no idea." Celestia used her magic to bring him a glass of water. He glanced down into the cup, and then back up at her. "Just water?"

"Knowing you, you'd make it whatever you wanted."

Jehu chuckled. He tapped the lip of the glass and turned the cup of water into hot chocolate. He sipped at it. "Ah, you're right I suppose."

Celestia held back an amused giggle. "Please, continue."

"Ah right. I've been trying to fix what damage we did but… opening a gate now would be disastrous. So I'm hoping it'll work out, or I'll come up with something eventually."

"So you meant it when you said you meant us no harm?"

"Precisely. If I had done things the way I wanted, you would have been the only Equestrian here."

"…I see. Well, I hold no anger towards you, Jehu. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Mine cost your people their lives," Jehu said quietly. "But I will make up for it; I promise you that."

She reached out and touched the man's shoulder comfortingly. "You are trying to fix it, correct? That is all I could ask you to do."

"Thanks Celestia."

"Besides," She smiled. "Your dream—it is quite admirable. Perhaps one day… you could show me Nexus?"

"I'd love to." Jehu glanced at his watch and sighed. "Well, It's been fun having this chat, Celestia."

"You have to leave?"

"Yes, I can't stay forever. I have a wife and kids you know."

Celestia chuckled softly. "Ah, if only you were single."

Jehu grinned at that. "Flattering. But my wife's the jealous sort, so I'll just say I appreciate the compliment."

"Give Mercy my regards," Celestia said with a small laugh.

"I'll… pass it along. One last thing—please keep what I've told you to yourself."

"…Why?"

Jehu smirked. "Chaos is a fickle thing. I'd rather those who are trained to delve in it handle it."

Celestia sighed. "Very well, Jehu. I will keep my silence. But do I have your permission to tell Twilight about the Gates?"

"Twilight and Twilight alone. And make sure you keep her from trying to open a Gate of her own."

"As inquisitive as my former student is, I would expect no less. I will warn her of the dangers."

Thank you. Be well, Celestia."

"Tia," Celestia replied. "Call me Tia."

Jehu grinned. "Very well, Tia. Goodbye."

A doorway like opening materialized in front of the man, and he stepped through, the door closing behind him and winking out of existence. With the newfound silence, Celestia sighed and poured herself a cup of water. Processing everything Jehu had told her would take a little time—damn that man. He turned that entire pitcher of water into chocolate milk.

Yes, I'm quite aware of the shortness of these chapters. But I gave you two! It makes up for it!

But in all honesty, these chapters are just to "kill time" as it were. They do contribute to the story, but I wanted to give the other characters some time. Besides, who wants to read a bunch of chapters detailing a hormonal Luna?

As usual, Read, review, and comment, and don't forget, the Library Accepts All!

Farvel!