SL-5: Love, Fluff, and Thunder

by RadBunny

Chapter Nine: Limelight

“Are you sure you’re up to this, Arcane?” Sassi asked, the unicorn letting out a soft chuckle.

“Not really. But I told Twilight that I’d give interviews after a few months. You guys being here makes it okay. And you handled yourself nicely.”

“Well thank you, I’ve had a bit of practice,” Sassi said, the two of them sitting off to the side of the stage as Astral sat in the hot seat. “I originally worried how Astral would feel during this, but he handles it like a pro.”

“I mean, the questions are pre-screened, so nothing too crazy?”

Sassi nodded in agreement, her special somepony describing what some of the creepy, mutated plant life was.

“Yep. Not much about feelings or struggles, or killing. Just the overall experience for now.”

“Smart.”

The interviewer, a pale purple earth pony named Flash Bulb, looked over at a scrolling display as Astral concluded. Even though it was a simple recounting of the alien flora, the two hundred ponies attending as the studio audience didn’t have to be told to be attentive; they were latched onto every word.

“If I may, Astral. There have been a few questions about things, from viewers. You’ve touched on them, but I don’t want to hit a sore spot.”

“Oh boy.”

Astral’s amused tone made Sassi snicker. The news studio was a fairly large one, and the cast was, well, a bit big for their own hats at times.

Judging from the annoyed look at the Director, a unicorn mare named Tune Fiddle; this wasn’t in the script. Tune looked over at Sassi with a slightly panicked expression. The Thestral simply waved at her, nodding once.

It wasn’t the first time an interview had gone off script. Sometimes they were fishing for a reaction, other times it was a genuine interest.

“Well, we can go off script for a bit. That’s alright,” Astral said with a wave, preparing himself for the worst. There was only so much they could demand from studios, especially when multiple interviews and reports had already been conducted.

“In Equestria, death is…well, it’s a morbid thing,” Flash said. “A common question that comes up for ponies who don’t know the whole story, is wondering why you had to kill the owner of the Stairway Company Silo?”

The studio was dead quiet at the question. The majority of the population knew the basics, but fewer had the stomach to learn the true horrors of what had gone on. Astral and Sassi didn’t blame them; the details would be upsetting to the average pony, to say the least.

It was known Split Tie was one of the leaders within the Silo. The details of the encounter hadn’t been published, not in full, as the majority of the related material was classified.

It was technically a valid question. However, in this case, it was clearly fishing for an emotional response. Both Astral and Sassi had been very clear that certain topics were to be off-limits as much as possible.

Killing Split Tie, and the events surrounding it, had been one such very clear red line.

Astral let out a soft hum, leaning back on the sofa. His expression was rather blank.
“So. Just to make sure I understand the question,” the Thestral said slowly. “Why did I kill Split Tie, a psychopathic pony who was the leader of a facility that experimented on children, killed tens of thousands, tried to kill me, and was mind-controlling the mare I love?”

Flask Bulb’s face immediately flushed; the stallion was only able to say one word.
“Yes?”

There was an audible “CLOP” as Tune Fiddle smacked her face with a hoof, muffling a frustrated scream.

Astral could only shrug, unable to suppress a rather snarky smirk.
“That’s a tough one. I’d have to say I killed him because Split Tie was a psychopathic pony whose facility experimented on children, killed tens of thousands, tried to kill me, and was mind-controlling the mare I love.”

“AAAAAAND that’s all the time we have!” One of the other staff said as the camera cut away from the embarrassed interviewer, the audience desperately trying to not snicker. “When we return, we have a special, chaotic guest! And I don’t mean Discord!”

“CUT!”

Astral abruptly burst out laughing, the Thestral holding his sides as he walked off the stage without a second thought. He gave the interviewer a simple, good-natured pat on the shoulder in passing. The poor stallion looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

“FLASH! YOU. OFFICE. NOW!” Tune snarled, the stage clearing briefly as Sassi trotted up to her stallion.

“That. Was. Awesome,” she said with a grin, concern flickering in her eyes. “You alright though?”

“Yep. That was an easy one. But I couldn’t resist making a point,” Astral sighed, giving her a brief kiss. He then turned to look at Arcane, the unicorn awkwardly sitting a short distance away and watching the stage. “Hey, you going to be alright?”

“I…maybe?” Arcane admitted, clearly preoccupied. “Do you all have to leave right away?”

“Huh? No. We were planning on waiting for you.”

The genuine relief in Arcane’s eyes and posture made the hearts of the two Thestral’s melt. Clearly, the poor guy was going through more than he let on.

“Sorry about that, Astral,” Tune said with a roll of her eyes. “I had a feeling he’d do something stupid. Serves me right for not listening to my gut. Is…everything good?”

It was moments like this where Astral had to remind himself a few things.
First, he was an augmented super-soldier.
Second, he had ties to some of the most powerful creatures in Equestria.
Third, the above two facts terrified most creatures if something went even slightly wrong.

It was both a bit humbling and rather amusing.

“We’re good. I’ve been asked worse. Just don’t go off-script for Arcane, yeah?”

The serious tone of the Thestral’s voice made the Director nod firmly.

“Powder Pane is one of my best. If she goes off-script, it’s only with the approved topics. This is a short, general interview, after all.” She then turned towards Arcane. “Everything good? The audience only knows it’ll be a charitable pony, as I mentioned. I don’t think many have even seen you outside of the news. We didn’t want to skew their perceptions in any way by packing the crowd or anything. You’re just a surprise guest.”

He took a deep breath and nodded.
“Quite frankly, it’ll be nice to maybe not scare as many ponies. That’s the goal. Even if they’re terrified to see me, at least I can show them I’m not just what they see in the news.”

“We’ll see what we can do. You can either just be sitting in the chair, or have a bit of a chaotic entrance,” Tune said. “We interviewed Discord a few years ago during a slow spell. He conducted half of the entire meeting speaking as the chair, mouth and all.”

Arcane’s mouth opened, the pony about to speak. He then paused, brow furrowing.

What do I want my first impression to be? A normal pony sitting in a chair?

But I’m not.

That final thought was a hammer blow to Arcane’s chest, the unicorn shaking his head. He couldn’t be what creatures thought was “normal” if he tried.

I just don’t want to scare anyone. I have to show them chaos isn’t scary.

“I have just the idea. It’ll be a simple portal. I don’t think cutting to me just sitting in a chair works,” Arcane chuckled softly. “That’s way too normal. And I’m not.”

The cautious looks from Astral and Sassi were comforting. They weren’t worried about him doing something crazy or harmful; they were only concerned about him.

A smile slid onto Arcane’s face as the stage lit up again. “I can see why you guys wear armor, by the way.”

A matching set of grins immediately dawned on the Thestral’s face as Arcane vanished.
“He’s going to ham it up, isn’t he?” Astral asked, Sassi giggling softly.

“Oh, I think so. He loves being a dramatic ham, but he’d never admit it though.”

“Of course not.”

Sassi then nudged Astral’s side, pointing off to the side. “We’re not the only ones interested in making sure he’s ok,” she whispered.

Unseen by everyone else, a pair of yellow, chaotic eyes peered out from an exit sign. A clawed hand reached up and made a “shhh” gesture, a familiar, snaggle-toothed grin showing for a brief moment.

---

“Welcome back to Equestria Unplugged; my name is Powder Pane,” the dark blue Pegasus mare said, blowing some white bangs out of her eyes. “Today we’ve got a special guest, to say the least. You’ve seen him on the news, but until today, there haven’t been any formal interviews allowed. So, please welcome, Arcane Flare!”

As the audience clopped their hooves respectfully, a portal ignited, a vertical, sparkling seam unzipping. Instead of the usual, bland background of swirling energy, a thousand stars spun across the surface- prompting a few excited whispers in the crowd.

Stepping out from the portal, Arcane’s appearance made the two Thestrals off to the side grin. He hadn’t changed from a few moments ago save a singular accessory. A bright silver breastplate was wrapped around his frame, the golden star of Chaos and red heart glowing in the center. Multicolored streaks spread across the surface, pulsing gently as if with a heartbeat.

The crowd was silent for a split second, the applause faltering. The studio then erupted into cheers, Powder Pane nearly jumping out of her seat at the volume as the ponies went wild. The pony behind the teleprompter shrugged, as it was still blank, but one of the shouts from a pony in the crowd immediately made the reason clear.

“You…you saved my kid!”

Arcane appeared utterly shell-shocked for a few seconds, the stallion not able to process the positive reception. He managed to wave, multicolored eyes watering as he trotted over to shake Powder Pane’s hoof before sitting down. The applause finally drifted off, and Powder couldn’t help but shake her head with a slight grin.

“It has been a long time since anyone has had that kind of reception here. But I’d say it’s deserved,” she admitted. “So, Arcane. Thank you for being willing to come. Safe to say, a few creatures know who you are.”

“Thank you for having me,” Arcane said, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “And yes, my recent activities haven’t been exactly low-key.”

“To say the least, but if I may be so bold, I think that’s a very good thing indeed,” Powder said, a few cheers from the crowd making the experienced interviewer smirk. “So, for those who haven’t kept up on things, can you tell us a bit about you?”

Astral and Sassi watched attentively, and rather proudly, off from the side. They had given him a few interviewing tips; all three of them having taken a few brief classes together to prepare after escaping. Arcane might not have noticed, but as he began to speak, he began to relax.

“He might be hurt, but he’s not a pony who wants to hide away. Sure, he’s an extreme introvert, but you wouldn’t know what he went through just by looking at him. That’s an accomplishment in and of itself.”

Sassi nodded to Astral’s silent words. True indeed.

“Well, I’m in my mid-thirties, and grew up…well, in a few different places,” Arcane said calmly. “I was adopted by an amazing gryphoness, and she’s currently living in the Last Light Island chain. So, she raised me before the whole thing with the Stairway Company happened,” he then gestured to his eyes. “And to put any guesses to rest, yes. I can use chaos magic. I always have been able to. The difference is, that I’m not a Draconequus, just a unique unicorn. Discord and Fluttershy have been helping me adjust and I can’t really express my thanks in words. Same with Astral and Sassi.”

A few unprompted claps echoed out from the crowd, Powder nodding slowly.
“Sounds like you’ve got quite the support system. What do you do in your spare time? I think some may assume you fly around solving disasters all day.”

Arcane managed a smile at that.
“Well, I enjoy cooking quite a bit, so I’ve tried to get back into that.”

“Couldn’t you just create it?”

The unicorn nodded, posture brightening up a bit.
“Indeed. I could create a banquet if I wanted to. But it wouldn’t taste right. I can’t explain it, but conjured food just lacks a depth to it. Chaos magic is also finicky, so I might want to create a hayburger, but instead may just get a whole tomato with some buns. Or worse, it might start talking to me. I prefer to have my ingredients not questions my methods of cooking them. It’s…weird.”

There were a few chuckles at that.

“I’m an omnivore, so my diet is more like gryphons,” Arcane gestured to his fangs, “if these weren’t a clue. So, the bonus of that, is I can try the diets of pretty much every land! Gryphon, hippogriff, pony, kirin, and so forth. Maybe not dragons because, well, gems are still rocks.”

Powder laughed softly, nodding in agreement.
“And, apparently you decide to intervene in various disasters between your cooking experiments?”

“Something like that,” Arcane said.

“May I ask why?”

The stallion nodded, surprising himself at how his emotions didn’t surge.

Maybe I am making a bit of progress. Healing. Just a bit.

“I’ve always liked the idea of helping others. My mom is part of the Last Light Organization. So that played into it a bit,” he said. “Fluttershy says, and I agree, that part of my efforts now is a method of coping. Of healing.”

He shrugged, pushing back the ball of emotion in his throat.
“If saving creatures from disasters is how I can start to cope and heal from a decade of torture, I’d say that’s not the worst mechanism.”

Smiling gently, Powder nodded. “I agree. I know there are countless creatures already grateful for your efforts.”

There was a brief pause, and a sincere, but somewhat sober expression slid onto Arcane’s face.
“I know there’s a big question many creatures have had. I’ve heard it in bars, coffee shops, everywhere,” he admitted. “And I’m pretty sure it’s on that prompt sheet of yours. Mainly, if I’m helping, why don’t I stop all of the bad things out there? I’d rather get that question out of the way.”

Powder held up the sheet, nodding.
“It’s on there, but I wasn’t going to press. It’s a bit of a touchy subject.”

A soft sigh left Arcane’s mouth, the stallion shaking his head.
“First off, I want to say that it’s not just a matter of rules or something. It’s a lot more complicated than that. Some entities who don’t like me interfering. I am upsetting a balance, but I’ve told them to…” he cut off his own words, the stallion grinning sheepishly. “I’ve told them to go away, in broadcast-friendly terms. I’m not going to stop helping creatures. But there are some rules apparently. There’s also this.” He held up a bandaged hoof- a concealment spell having dropped.

“I’m not like Discord. I’m not as experienced with chaos magic. If I push myself, the chaos magic can damage my body. But as you can see, I don’t let that stop me.”

An abrupt ball of emotion stopped any words in Arcane’s throat. He had rehearsed what he’d say a few times. He should have been able to get through it.

“I want to help everyone,” he managed to say, not able to meet Powder’s gaze. “But I can’t.”

“Because of the physical stuff and the rules?”

Shaking his head, Arcane set his jaw.
“More than that,” he said, turning to look at Powder, and then the cameras (and the audience sitting behind them.) “I was locked up by the Stairway company for more than a decade. The ability to choose was taken from me. I had no agency. For…” he took a few deep breaths, the stallion composing himself.

“I have the magical power to technically solve huge, massive issues across the world. Just like Discord does. Just like the Alicorns do, but easier. I can snap away problems with just a thought. But I can’t fix the underlying issues, not without taking away the agency of other creatures.”

The stallion felt tears well up in his eyes. “And I won’t do that. It’s too easy to keep going. Where do I stop? Feeding creatures? Ok. What about housing them? What about then paying off every sliver of debt? Removing corrupt officials? Entire governments? Forcing criminals to act lawfully? Making sure everyone acts nicely?”

He shook his head. “It’s so easy for me to just keep going, I can’t do that. I won’t. But what I can do is support those who are solving the problems of this world. And I will. If anyone is wondering why I didn’t save someone, why I didn’t help…it’s not because I didn’t want to.” He couldn’t look at the cameras and audience anymore, eyes drifting to his hooves.

“I’m still only one pony. And while Chaos magic is limitless, I wouldn’t be able to stop if I tried to solve everything. I have a system where it’s random, so I don’t make the choice between one life or another. That would...” he had to pause to collect himself. “I have the power to make a world without pain. No money troubles, no sorrow, no crime. But a world like that would mean I have to force creatures to be good. And I’d never take away someone’s ability to choose. And even if somehow I did make a world like that, a world without pain is a world without knowing joy. It’d be false.”

A bit of magic sparked in Arcane’s eyes, the unicorn’s fangs showing in a snarl.
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t help. I’ll help as much as I can. And while I won’t force creatures to be good, I can make the consequences really nasty for those wanting to hurt others.”

Powder stared, Arcane’s face abruptly lighting up with a blush.
“That was-sorry,” he stammered. “If you don’t shut me up, I’ll monologue. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. Thinking on a big scale is hard to describe.”

The mare took a look at her notes and promptly tossed them over her shoulder, shaking her head.
“No, that was great, actually,” she admitted. “Rather beautiful in a way.”

“T-thanks.”

“Anything else you’d like to add? That was probably the biggest question looming over everything.”

The background of the room abruptly swirled as if turned into a massive green screen. A white and gold city spread out behind them, innumerable stars shining in a purple sky.

“I want to give creatures hope,” Arcane said, his tone a bit shaky. “This is what I’m working on. I can’t be everywhere at once. But I can do more. This is Entropy. A city in my chaos dimension. In time, I hope to open it to everyone. If you don’t have anywhere to go, you’ll always be welcome here.”

He shrugged, the stallion looking at his hooves.
“Just because I got abandoned by the world doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon everyone. I’m not going anywhere. I think I’ve taken up a bit more than my time, so I appreciate you all willing to listen.”

A smattering bit of clapping made Arcane lift his head, the sound quickly turning into a loud thunder of applause.

It took everything he had to not look utterly confused.

I can’t save them all. I may have saved that pony’s kid, but there were so many I wasn’t able to.
But I want to.

As he shook Powder’s hoof, trotting through a newly created portal, a single thought made the stallion smile.

Maybe wanting to help is enough. After all I can do.

Author's Note:

Ah, the joys of media...

Comments

[Noble Cause]

This chapter was, to be blunt... Beautiful.

A great encapsulation of both just how far Arcane's come, and how much those around him, Astral and Sassi included, are willing to do and how far to go, protecting and defending each other. They may have escaped the Silo, but some lessons are deeply ingrained... and still useful.

[MathBrony173]

Love how Astral handled Flash Bulb's question.

Good thing that Flash wasn't the one handling Arcane's interview and I can see why Powder Pane was one of Tune's top ponies. While this interview allowed Equestrian to learn more about Arcane, this experience definitely was beneficial to Arcane. I'm sure he was worried about what ponies would think about him not saving everyone, so seeing that a small sample size both understood and appreciated his efforts must be a relief.

[RadBunny]

11934494

It was definitely a learning experience for both parties.

11934468
Glad you enjoyed it!

[Armored_Shadow]

*slow clapping* this chapter was amazing!!!!