Chaos Theory
- Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Andy Price
All of Ponyville is gathering to watch the rare alignment of several celestial bodies, including the Mane Six, along with Starlight Glimmer. As they are preparing for the event, Discord appears and tries to get everypony to watch him instead, but the ponies get annoyed by his antics and he disappears. As the alignment begins, a glowing spot appears on the ground nearby before a giant egg-like object crashes into it. It turns out to be Discord — at first, but it is clearly a version of Discord affected by the alignment in the heavens. He is much more calm and dressed in finery, and reveals that he is effectively the opposite of Discord, wanting to bring order rather than chaos. The group decide to name him Accord to reflect this change.
The next day, they take Accord around Ponyville, where he proves very willing to help fix minor things that go wrong. Mayor Mare asks him to help resolve an issue between two bickering architects that has left a hotel in an unfinished state. Accord first uses magic to make the ponies agree to the same style, but Mayor quickly scolds him for misunderstanding her intention, and he undoes that while transforming the hotel to a completed version. Starlight is suspicious of this, and later expresses her concern to Twilight, as Accord's actions reminded her of her own actions prior in taking ponies' cutie marks to equalize them. Twilight passes off her concerns.
Accord has made arrangements to invite the group to dinner with the Princesses in Canterlot. There, the Princesses are also impressed with Accord's change, but as discussion turns to what his magic can now do for Equestria, Starlight becomes concerned when Accord speaks of conforming all ponies to think and act the same. Accord refutes her, but shows exactly what he means, by using his magic to mind-control the various castle staff to all think and act alike, and quickly promising to do the same to the rest of Equestria, as the other ponies look on in fear.
As Accord and his brainwashed slaves surround them, Twilight decides the only way to fight him is from within. While Celestia and the others move to evacuate Canterlot, protecting others from Accord, Twilight and Luna combine their magic and enter Accord's mind. Within, they find themselves atop a gigantic gray cube. As they wonder if something or someone caused Discord to become Accord, Luna falls down a hole that opens at her hooves, and Twilight follows. They find themselves in an office space, with countless Accords working in the cubicles.
Meanwhile, as Celestia, Starlight and the rest of the Mane Six race through Canterlot, they find that Accord's mind control is spreading. They are confronted by more brainwashed ponies, whom Accord projects his face upon. The ponies attempt to reason with him, but he continues to believe he is making Equestria a better place. The ponies are forced to flee to the edge of the city, dodging more of Accord's victims.
Inside Accord's mind, Twilight and Luna become lost, with none of the Accords being willing to help them. In one cubicle, Twilight discovers a snowglobe with a familar sight inside. She smashes it open, releasing the sole remaining shred of Discord's old self. Twilight asks Discord what changed him into Accord, and Discord tells her he changed himself. After being rejected on the night of the Cosmic Convergence Conjunction, he decided to transform himself into Accord, believing he would be better that way. Feeling guilty, Twilight apologizes to Discord for what happened, and asks if he can change back. Discord tells her that he is only a small part of Accord now, but that Accord could change back if he chose to do so willingly. At that moment, the Accord copies, angered by Discord's release, surround them.
Meanwhile, Celestia and the others reach the edge of Accord's hypnosis field, but find that it is slowly expanding. They gather those who have not been affected and take them to the train station for evacuation. Soon after, Twilight and Luna appear before them - under Accord's control. Celestia, Starlight Glimmer and the other Mane 5 escape with the rest of the untouched population and make for Ponyville, where Celestia believe's Twilight's castle can help shelter them from Accord's effects. En route, Starlight tries to comfort Celestia, since she had been in Accord's place once. Celestia tells her of her counterpart in the alternate universe (from "Reflections"), which gets Starlight to recall that the other times that her friends have been turned by magic in the past, they still have done what they always wanted to do in the hearts if not by more malicious means, and wonders if the same applies to Accord.
Once in Ponyville, the Mane 5 gather the town into the castle while Celestia recovers the Elements of Harmony from the Tree. They have little time to prepare as Accord suddenly appears, easily surpassing any protection the castle may have had and having put most of the other ponies under his control. Celestia and the other Mane 5 use the Elements, but they have the opposite effect - because they were tools for bringing order to Equestria, they only help to serve Accord, and the six become part of Accord's pawns. Only Starlight Glimmer's magic spell protects her from Accord's magic.
Accord taunts her that he's won, since with his order, everypony is his friend, but Starlight challenges him that he really doesn't have any friends. She goes on to explain how friendship is not based on order, but discourse and randomness, and points out several points in Discord's past where his chaotic nature helped to nuture his friendships. Accord realizes that Starlight is right, and agrees that she's won, and voluntarily releases himself from Discord. Discord reappears, with the spell controlling all the ponies having dissipated and returned them to normal, and everypony celebrates Discord's return.
Bonus Story: "For the Pony Who Has Everything"It is Princess Celestia's birthday, and everypony is invited - including Discord. However, he realizes he never got her a gift, and Fluttershy suggests he watch Celestia during the party so that he might thing of something. Celestia tends to all her subjects and soon the party comes to an end. She collapses exhausted back in her chambers to find a gift - a music box with a figure of herself on it. But when she plays it, a gas sprays her in the face and knocks her out.
When she wakes, she realizes this was Discord's doing, but he's already there, and prompts her to look in the mirror. Celestia sees that Discord has changed her outward appearance to that of a normal pegasus, as well as taken away her magic, if only for the day, as his present for her; he's also arranged for Celestia's absence from her royal duties. Celestia is initially distressed but decides to travel to Ponyville for her day off; Discord, after also changing himself into a pony form, follows. They met all of Twilight's friends: Pinkie gives her a big party, AJ teaches her how to buck apples, and Rarity offers to make her a sleek black dress. As she and Discord devour a giant ice cream cake at the end of the day, Celestia thanks Discord for the gift, though warns him to not pull that type of stunt again without warning.
Tropes appearing in this issue:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: The celestial alignment shown in the first issue is called the Cosmic Convergence Conjunction.
- Affably Evil: Accord is creepy and ruthless, but still genuinely polite. It helps that he's ultimately a Graceful Loser too.
- Attention Whore: Discord tries to steal the ponies' focus from the Conjunction by putting on an impromptu juggling act.
- Assimilation Plot: Accord basically intends to do this to bring harmony and order to all of Equestria.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Discord does this several times; He reads from scripts, holds up a sign for the reader, and even "peels back" the final page, speaking directly to the reader.
- The Cameo: Shining Armor, Princess Cadance and Flurry Heart (in her comics debut) appear in the final page of the arc.
- Call-Back: Starlight's time at Equal Town is brought up again, and central to her plot here.
- Chaos Is Evil: Both subverted and inverted during the story.
- Inverted: Discord is at least an Anti-Hero now, while his Order focused persona Accord is the main antagonist. This showcases just how terrifying "True Order" can be, as Accord begins removing all individual thoughts and personalities from the ponies around him, so that everyone becomes just part of a single, homogeneous collective.
- Subverted: During her speech to Accord, Starlight tells him that friendship is more about disorder than order.
Starlight Glimmer: Harmony is many different notes, all coming together...to make something greater. We need those dfferent notes...that wild and unpredictable music...to make something beautiful. - Continuity Nod:
- There is a picture of the Golden Oaks Library in the castle.
- The second issue of the arc starts off with a plan based on two of the Friends Forever comics: Luna and Discord where she has seen the inside of his mind through dreams, and the Twilight Sparkle and Big MacIntosh one, where Twilight knows of a spell to enter someone's mind. Luna even mentions that Accord's mind is far different than Discord's.
- The events of "Reflections" and "The Ponies of Dark Water" arcs are mentioned by Celestia and Starlight, as are the events of "Inspiration Manifestation".
- While pointing out the things Discord did to make friends, Starlight mentions the time he faked being sick, and when he traveled through time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
- A photo of Sunset Shimmer is briefly shown in the final issue.
- In the bonus story, Discord once again disguises himself as a pony (albeit a Pegasus, rather than a Unicorn).
- This isn't the first time the Elements of Harmony were attempted to be used with a substitute for one of the absent Mane Six (though it has far worse consequences).
- Clueless Aesop: The entire story arc builds up the idea that Accord's absolute order is just as disharmonic as Discord's absolute chaos because harmony is a mixture of chaos and order and thus an absolute of either is just as bad. But according Accord the Elements of Harmony don't work on him because he's absolute order, meaning that absolute order is harmony as far as the Elements, portrayed throughout the series as the ultimate deciders of harmony, are concerned. Anything that can explain the discrepancy (flaws in the Elements workings, Accord being biased and wrong in his claim) is never addressed.
- A Day in the Spotlight: Naturally this is a story arc for Discord. Though he lampshades he wasn't really in it.Discord: I finally get my own story arc—But it's about a character that wasn't even me. Sixty pages and I'm on a measly nine? I've got to renegotiate my contract.
- Diabolus ex Machina: The remaining Mane Six plus Celestia use the Elements of Harmony in Accord...and not only does it not work, it completely backfires and leaves Starlight the only one not brainwashed by Accord. Not only does this come completely out of nowhere, everything else discussed about Harmony in the entire comic directly contradicts it by saying too much order and too much chaos are equally disharmonic and harmony is truly a mixture of both.
- Flat "What": Celestia's reaction when Accord claims he and her aren't so different.
- Graceful Loser: After Starlight convinces him of the error of his ways, Accord reverts back to Discord willingly, adding that he hopes she won't be seeing him again.
- Heroic BSoD: Celestia falls into this after Twilight and Luna are brainwashed by Accord. She even briefly considers the idea that Accord's path to order may in fact be the right way.
- Hive Mind: This is what ponies brainwashed by Accord are basically turned into. They no longer have will or consciousness of their own and become the mere extensions of Accord's mind, either repeating single words spoken earlier by him like echo or talking in unison as if they were a single being.
- I Hate Past Me: Accord shows a level of disdain for his former self, even scornfully referring to him as "the Trickster".
- Knight Templar: Accord is essentially a Reality Warper version of pre-Heel–Face Turn Starlight, wanting everyone to think in unison.
- My God, What Have I Done?: This is Twilight's reaction when she learns Discord chose to become Accord because he believed he'd never be accepted by the ponies as he currently was.
- This also happened to Accord. Once Starlight explains that his actions with brainwashing the Royal Sisters, the Mane Six, Spike, and all of Equestria to his will renders them unable to be friends with him anymore, Accord becomes guilt-ridden over his actions, admits defeat, and restores everyone's free will as he returns to being Discord again.
- Never Trust a Trailer: The solicit for the arcs first issue call it "A storyline that will lead to major changes in MLP comics!" Nothing that happens in the arc suggests that.
- No-Sell: Luna is unable to break Accord's brainwashing on anypony. Though Celestia manages to block one of his blasts before it can take effect.
- The magic of the Elements of Harmony has no effect against Accord. Actually, it only makes him stronger. This is because the power of the Elements works by restoring harmony and order — and Accord is order personified.
- "Not So Different" Remark:
- Accord believes he is doing the same thing as Celestia; working to instill harmony upon Equestria.
- In #50, Starlight points out that order is a goal that can be pursued by both good and evil. She also realizes that Accord wants the same thing as Discord: Friends.
- Order Is Not Good: Accord claims to be a Spirit of Order in contrast to Discord being a Spirit of Chaos, but turns out to be as villainous as Discord was, attempting to fight The Evils of Free Will in pursuit of "perfect order".
- Plot Hole:
- Apparently the Elements of Harmony can be retrieved from the Tree of Harmony if need be. As for why they didn't do this when Lord Tirek was rampaging (which was treated as an equally drastic situation) and allied with Discord (whom the Elements were the only known counter against)... For that matter, what about the Rainbow Power from the same episode that's supposed to be a replacement?
- Accord is able to No-Sell and hijack the Elements of Harmony since, as a being of perfect order, the Elements consider him as perfect harmony. But the source of the Elements treated Starlight's Equal Town, which is directly compared to Accord, as Order Is Not Good such it sent the heroes to deal with it, so why didn't it treat Accord as such? Also the Elements are fueled by The Power of Friendship and their sources morality was defined by fixing friendships so Accord's intended use of them, which he himself comes to realize would make friendship impossible, should have prevented him from using their power in the first place.
- Red Herring: The first issue builds up the Cosmic Convergence as a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the Mane 6 initially suspect that it played a role in Discord's transformation. It turns out that, no, Discord chose to change himself on his own free will and the Convergence's energies had nothing to do with his change.
- Ship Tease:
- When Applejack admits the ponies love him the way he is, Discord holds up a sign saying "Applejack just said she loves me! My life is now complete. Don't cry now..."
- In the bonus story, Celestia walks to the train station with Discord as the sun sets, and admits she always thought trains were "romantic". Not to mention they spent the whole day goofing off together.
- Shout-Out:
- When Discord rushes off to the Conjunction, he does so in a car reminiscient of the classic CARtoons. As a bonus, the car he drives resembles Christine.
- A signpost includes one location as "Bob's Country Bunker".
- Accord's cane topper is taken from the classic monster film The Wolf Man (1941).
- One of the buildings they pass by in Ponyville is the Cheers bar.
- Spike at one point is dreaming of eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Crystals.
- Inside the snowglobe is a sled with the name "Rosebud".
- When Twilight and Luna return, a pony with an orange mane and freckles says "Look, up in the sky!"
- A suitcase of one pony on the train bears the letters UFP.
- Stepford Smiler: Ponies brainwashed by Accord turn into those. And it's really creepy.
- Talking the Monster to Death: Starlight convinces Accord to revert back to Discord by pointing out that friendship through order isn't true friendship at all.
- That's No Moon: Played for Laughs. At the end of 'For the Pony Who Has Everything', Discord claims the 'sun' he rose in Celestia's place is actually a giant balloon filled with 'angry lava monsters.' It's unclear whether or not Discord was being honest or just screwing with Celestia.
- Title Drop: The Mane 6 end the issue comtemplating the power of friendship and that "FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!".Discord: (To the reader) Come on, it's the fiftieth issue, we had to end on that line.
- We Want Our Jerk Back!: The story only came about because Twilight wound up chiding Discord at the start and making him feel like he needed to change. Once he becomes Accord and show that his order isn't really any better (and in fact much more dangerous), do they realize that he was better off as he was.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Accord truly believes he is bringing order to Equestria with Mind Control plot.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Celestia is built up at finally using her Element of Harmony again to stop Accord...and it backfires, getting herself and the mane six corrupted by him.
