Once he had calmed down Mayhem dropped his hands, his eyes still teary. “I fought my best friends, but I always knew from the beginning that I was going to lose.”

Plum’s eyebrow rose. “But how?”

“Because we’re his friends,” said Peppermint.

“He didn’t realize it at the time,” said Pumpkin, “but he made a real life version of our ceiling.”

That got questioning looks from everyone that didn’t know about it.

“Um… what?” said Chocolate. “Your ceiling?”

“Mayhem,” said Pumpkin, and he nodded.

He snapped, creating the image from her ceiling. “As a birthday gift Pound and Pumpkin’s parents allowed me to redecorate their rooms. Pumpkin requested a ceiling mural of all of us in superhero costumes. I made myself as the villain they were fighting as a symbol of my belief in my friends.

“I first realized I was my own person when Discord gave some of his power to Pound and Pumpkin to do some pranks. After a while they got greedy and took more of his magic. So much so that I was able to take over their bodies. I thought that I wanted things to go back to the chaotic ways of the past, and I didn’t want to lose my freedom, so I stripped Twilight and the rest of their magic and tried to attack them so they couldn’t get in my way.

“Even back then I lost to love and friendship. Even with so much of me inside them, when I tried to go after the people they loved the most they took back control until Twilight could summon Rainbow Power to force me out.

“Chaos magic isn’t for everyone. If it’s only little doses it’s fine, but while Discord and I can hold all this magic in our tiny bodies the twins had to grow to the size of a house just to stop the magic from being too much for them to handle. Realizing how much danger they put their loved ones in by stealing Discord’s magic, they even tried to sacrifice themselves so that I couldn’t use them to hurt others by shrinking themselves back to regular size.”

Chocolate squirmed. “So that’s what… Twilight said that taking in too much chaos magic almost destroyed them.”

“Just like Flurry after the superhero adventure, there was someone there to lead me in a better direction. Mommy heard me talking about feeling left out and she felt bad for me. That’s when I got my own body. She showed me affection and gave me a name, asking me to give friendship a try. I got to run around playing with Pound and Pumpkin, and I realized I didn’t need things to be crazy chaotic. I just wanted the freedom to make my own choices and have friends.

“And for months after that everything was good. I had a mother figure in Fluttershy and best friends to play with. The boredom incident really set me back though. I thought friendship and love had done all it could for me, so I had thought of going back to my original plans of creating a chaotic world. However, having already faced a big defeat by love once, I already knew I was going to fail.”

“You said that before,” said Flash, “but if you knew it was impossible to win then why do any of this in the first place?”

“I showed you the ceiling mural. I made myself their enemy because I had been defeated and tamed by love once. If I ever forgot who I was and turned against my loved ones I knew they would come after me to save me. I trusted my friends to be able to do that.”

Plum got a curious look on her face. “So you were trying to lose? But you said earlier you were trying your hardest to prove that love and friendship doesn’t matter.”

“I wasn’t trying to lose. I really did have bad plans. I couldn’t control myself. That’s why I needed my friends to bring me around.”

Sweet Pea sucked on her cheek. “But that doesn’t make sense. If you had decided to go back to being the bad you, and even erased their memories so that they forgot you, then it really doesn’t sound like you wanted to be saved.”

Twilight walked forward. “Let me explain it,” said Twilight, “since I think Mayhem won’t quite have the words to get his point across.

“At times we can have conflicting beliefs inside ourselves. Let’s use Spring as an example. After her brother was woken up she then had to deal with her ‘Sombra.’ While on the surface she wanted to improve to see her brother feel better, under the surface was all her dark thoughts. While on the outside she wanted to be positive, her inside was full of darkness that was trying to pull her back and trying to reject her new mindset.

“Mayhem was doing the same thing, but in reverse: on the outside he was trying to abandon everything and be evil, but on the inside his light and conscience were trying to pull him back. It was no mere coincidence that he decorated them in the costumes and gave them the superpowers they had in the ceiling mural. That was his inner light begging his friends to help.”

“Mayhem said it best,” said Tree Leaf. “Before he gave our memories back he explained about the mural, telling us that no matter how bad he got, so long as he was facing the six of us, he knew we’d be able to win.”

“After all,” said Pumpkin, “we were useless in his plans. I asked him what he was trying to accomplish by kidnapping six kindergartners when it wouldn’t help his plans of world domination. As much as it became buried he really didn’t want to do what he did. That’s why he took us to another world to play. He could have easily just started attacking and going after the real Ponyville, but he chose to start with us so that we’d stop him.”

“As hard as he tried to deny it,” said Peppermint, “you can’t just get rid of friendships like that. And losing made him see that friendship is the most powerful magic of all.”

“After he brought us home there was nothing stopping him from continuing on with his plans,” said Masky, ‘but he lost his pride and accepted his defeat.”

“I forgave Mayhem because I didn’t believe he was really evil,” said Flurry. “He just let his power go to his head. Aunt Starlight did some really bad things when she was younger. Having been defeated by Aunt Twilight once she tried to get revenge. When Aunt Twilight learned about her past she understood why she was acting so bad, and she put Aunt Starlight back on the right track.

“The reason we’re all here now is basically because of her. She told me about her past because she was afraid that it might someday get out. Of course all the adults in my life knew about her, but I didn’t. She wanted to tell me directly so that it didn’t take me by surprise.

“It did bother me quite a bit for a while, but I knew my family wouldn’t put her in charge of me if they didn’t believe that she had truly changed.

“I look up to Aunt Twilight, and she had proven that showing someone love could turn a villain into a good person, and I wanted to give Mayhem the same chance. He hasn’t gone back to that part of him once since then, and he finally felt like he was ready to tell you about his past so it didn’t take you by surprise if you heard it from someone else.”

Plum’s mother tapped her hoof on the floor. “Well… that’s…” She broke off, sucking on her cheek. “I don’t even know where to begin, because there’s so much going through my mind.”

“And that’s why we’re all here,” said Mayhem. “So you can ask questions and get answers.”

“Well, I guess I can appreciate your being willing to be honest, but what exactly are you expecting us to say? For us all to just shrug and say, ‘Whatever? It’s fine?’ ”

“I’m not expecting anything from you. This meeting was simply to make you informed. That’s it. You’re free to react as you will.”

“It’s a little late for that,” said Chocolate’s mother with an edge in her voice. “For the past few months this has just seemed like a chance to make new friends and experience new things. Sure, our kids told us that you looked different, but just looking different shouldn’t be a reason to look down on someone or be afraid of them.

“This is something else entirely. There’s a dangerous element to you that I don’t like.

“It’s obvious you think and act like a child, so I can’t expect that your temper tantrums are going to be any less risky with your kind of power. However, that’s just it. You’re a child. So it’s not you I’m truly angry at.”

She turned to Twilight with a glare. “You knew about this the whole time, and chose to conceal this from us.”

Mayhem’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t even go there!” he said angrily, making her turn back to him.

They could feel Mayhem’s willpower as he stared into her eyes. “It’s fine if you want to get mad at me. I know I went a little crazy and lost myself. So if you have any issues you should be directing them at me, not her.”

“I find I can’t quite agree with that,” said Flash’s dad. “You went ballistic and turned against your friends to relieve your boredom. That, I can certainly blame on you and you alone. You made bad choices, and we must be held accountable for those choices.”

“Exactly what I wanted to say,” said Chocolate’s mother. “Everyone should be held accountable for the choices they make, and our princess is no different. She was the one who chose to hide this from us, so I certainly feel justified in questioning the danger she put all our children in.

“I certainly wouldn’t have so readily allowed my child to play with you if I had known your history.”

“Twilight’s not an idiot," Mayhem said strongly. "She never once took the lives of your children lightly. She wanted to reform me, but she never made me more important than your children. She’s been there to observe for every session, ready to intervene if I started to go off course like before.”

“Forgive me,” said Sweet Pea’s mom. “I mean no disrespect to Princess Twilight, but what exactly would she be able to do if it came to that? She told us that your power isn’t just mere illusions, but everything you create is actually real. And if you can create entire worlds and summon the worst villains in the world whenever you want then I don’t see how she could overcome you if it came down to it.”

“Chaos magic is sharable with others. Before every wish-granting session Daddy would give her some of his power, giving her the same abilities as him and me. If it came down to a battle she could easily match pace with me.

“So, as I said before, don’t direct any anger at Twilight. She always had the safety of your children in mind.”

Fluttershy was impressed. Twilight had told her that Mayhem had changed, but seeing him looking so strong made her feel joy in her heart.

Discord felt much the same. His little chaos spawn was standing tall.

“Okay,” said Plum’s dad, “but even if she was prepared for you to go rogue again, she still chose to put you in the same situation that caused you to go rogue in the first place.”

Mayhem shook his head. “Not at all. She was planning for my future. When Discord first came back he was defeated and turned to stone, but Celestia eventually asked her to unseal him to see if he could be reformed and use his powers for good. I think it goes without saying that having our kind of power on the side of good is a huge advantage.”

Chocolate’s dad shook his head. “If you ignore the possibility of returning back to the bad side,” he said snidely.

He crossed his front legs. “But go on.”

“Thank you.

“Twilight isn’t a fan of locking people up. She’d rather help them turn their lives around. He’s not perfect, and at times he has become selfish and self-serving, but he’s also proved helpful in overcoming things she couldn’t have without him. He was the one who figured out the keys to activating the Rainbow Power chest, and while he was a part of the problem, he was the one who ultimately gave them the final key to unlock it and defeat Tirek.”

A tear came down Mayhem’s eye as he put his claw to his heart. “Twilight puts her trust in others, and while at times we don’t always live up to her expectations, everyone that Twilight has redeemed has done great things for Equestria.

“Because she agreed with Flurry’s decision to forgive me it gave me the opportunity to help Spring’s brother. He had been in a coma for three months, getting hurt saving her life from a fall.

“If it hadn’t been for Twilight giving me another chance their whole family would still be suffering. Not just Spring’s, but Sweet Pea’s as well. Their families had grown up next to each other, and they’re family in everything but blood.”

He took in a slow breath. “I understand that you’re upset that Twilight didn’t tell you about this earlier, but again I’m asking you not to take this out on her. She got to see all our memories of that incident, and she knew I was genuinely remorseful.

“As I said earlier she had to plan for my future if she wasn’t going to have me locked up. Considering I had physically and emotionally hurt my friends she was forced to inform all of their parents of what I did, and for three months they weren’t willing to give me a chance.

“So then what was there to do with me? If I couldn’t see my friends I’d constantly be stuck at home with Fluttershy, the exact situation that caused me to go crazy in the first place. She needed a way to keep me under control, and she saw three major benefits to having these weekly sessions.

“The first was that it gave me an opportunity to cause chaos in a safe way. Having guaranteed chaos every week was intended to stop my boredom from building up to the point I lost control.

“The second was that it gave me some new friends to play with. She wanted me to forge new connections with others and make new bonds to strengthen my heart.

“And the final benefit was for them. By gathering some random strangers together to play games it would give them an opportunity to make new friends too.”

Mayhem took a few steps forward. “I understand that you don’t like not being in the loop, but Twilight acted in what she felt was the safest way for everyone and to spread joy. If she told the truth then, and couldn’t get anyone to agree, then it wouldn’t have been safer for anyone. It would only have caused my boredom to build up again, and who knows what I would have done this time.

“That’s why I’m asking you not to take things out on her. As I said before she never put my growth and reformation above the safety of your children. She was always right there watching us, ready to intervene if she needed to.”

It grew quiet for a little bit.

Plum’s mother was the first to speak up. “And… we’re just supposed to accept this?”

“As I’ve been saying,” said Mayhem, “I’m not expecting anything of you. They’re your children, and you should do what you feel you have to for their safety.”

“Mmm…” She stared at him for a bit. “That wasn’t quite what I meant. I’m asking if once a week is really enough to keep you tame.”

“Not at all.”

Her eyebrow went up. “So…”

“Don’t be concerned. I’ve been learning a lot since the last time. I was able to be honest with my feelings, and tell Twilight that having one chaos filled day wasn’t enough for me.

“And, as she always does, she came up with a plan for that too. Basically, she told me that my magic was boring and it made me spoiled.”

“Boring?” said Flash. “Fighting pirates and sailing the seas, going on a ‘real-life’ adventure with Daring Do… that’s what you consider boring?”

Mayhem shook his head. “Oh, no. That’s tons of fun. What she meant is that I never had to work for this power. I was created with it.”

He snapped, creating an intricately engraved dresser. “See that? With no effort at all I can instantly make whatever I desire. A normal pony might have to spend hours making something as fine as this.”

He floated up, sitting on top of the dresser. “Twilight tasked me to try living life without snapping whenever I want something. It may sound silly, but I felt really self-conscious when I was first trying to learn new hobbies.

“After spending a day with Twilight and her mom I started to get into it. Having something new to do during the week made the days pass by quickly, to the point that I was surprised when it was back to wish-granting day.

“Of course, I do still love the thrill of granting wishes and seeing what they’re going to come up with from week to week, but when it comes to my home life I don’t really care about my magic. I’m happier not using it and just trying it out on my own.

“Since the day she got me into hobbies I haven’t felt even an inkling of boredom, and I’ve been happier than I’ve ever been. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of hobbies and talents to learn and perfect, and I can feel proud of myself for doing it all on my own and not using my magic as a shortcut.

“I’ve come so far from where I started, to the point that I eventually won over the parents. It started with Pound and Pumpkin, then Flurry, quickly followed by the other three. I finally earned the right to see my friends again, because they saw I was putting in the effort to change myself.”

Fluttershy grinned at the warm smile on his face.

Sweet Pea’s mother looked around awkwardly before focusing on Mayhem. “Spring Meadow has been a part of our lives since she was born. Princess Twilight’s decision to focus on your reformation has led to so much good. Forest woke up, and Spring has slowly been healing over the past couple of months.

“I can’t say I regret the opportunity she gave you, considering the results, but whatever your opinion on it I still feel that Princess Twilight should account for herself.

“There’s no denying that the results of her decision have been favorable, and her plan was successful. But regardless of how successful it turned out it doesn’t change the fact that you were basically rewarded for losing control of yourself and causing so much pain by being told to do it again in a safer environment. So it seems like you received no actual consequences for your behavior aside from just not being able to see your friends for a while.”

That was met with nods and voiced agreements.

“I don’t have a problem with explaining myself,” said Twilight. “After all, I’m no snob that tells my subjects not to question my decisions.

“I’ve always felt that being an alicorn or a ruler doesn’t make me any less accountable for my behaviors and actions than before my ascension. I’m aware that many people feel differently, but personally I feel that all that’s changed about who I am is that I have more responsibility and leadership now.

“I want all of you to be honest about your feelings in regards to me. You can even yell at me without repercussion if you so choose, though I would prefer to keep things civil, not the least of which because we have all the children here.”

“I guess the obvious place to start is your handling of Mayhem,” said Flash’s dad. “From Mayhem’s own story he nearly caused the deaths of a large group of ponies in two separate situations. Did it not bother you that he almost took your life, let alone the lives of your friends?”

“I think Cup, Pound and Pumpkin’s mother, described it best. She said the only reason she was giving him another chance with her kids was because of his mental age. From a technical standpoint Mayhem is as old as Discord, meaning thousands of years old. However, he, himself, has only separated from him and become his own individual within the past year.

“Mayhem is technically a baby. The only reason he seems older is because he has Discord’s memories. However, even with those memories he still considers himself a separate individual, and thus he doesn’t quite identify with them.

“To expand on what Mayhem said about his first time getting his own body, he was initially furious with Fluttershy, telling her she ruined everything by making Discord good since he didn’t have the chaos he needed.

“He didn’t consider friendship and its lessons important. In his own words, ‘They’re boring. I want fun, and I want it all the time.’

“He didn’t understand what caused Discord to change until he got to experience it for himself. Receiving his first gesture of affection, being graced with a name, and being talked to with a sympathetic heart all had a major effect on his views.

“Being able to just run around and play with the twins and have control over himself was all he needed.”

She looked over at Mayhem, then back to the parents. “There’s a difference between being evil and being misguided. You have to be able to separate an evil act from who they are as a person.

“Mayhem certainly came close to wiping me out, but as Fluttershy talked to him it quickly became apparent he wasn’t evil. His bad actions were just a result of feeling cooped up and finally having an opportunity to change his circumstances. He tried to attack us mainly because he just didn't want to be stuck inside anymore.

“Once he wasn’t constantly stuck inside Discord and was able to have freedom he quickly found himself uninterested in turning Equestria into a land of endless chaos, and showed himself willing to give friendship a try. As the Element of Kindness I trusted my friend to help him in his reformation, and it has been a largely successful venture outside of his one time of losing control.

“As the Element of Magic, I strive to do things that will spread our greatest magic and increase its power. If I see an opportunity to create new friendships and relationships then I will take that opportunity. Mayhem agreed to try out friendship and change, so I gave him that chance.”

“That’s great and all,” said Chocolate’s mom, “but it doesn’t address the question you were asked. Quite the opposite.

“Mayhem learned to embrace love and it kept him calm until the boredom incident, but it’s exactly the same scenario as before. He may have made improvements afterward, but he was still willing to kill for the sake of having a good time. His successful growth doesn’t negate the fact that he got away with everything even back then.”

“I concur,” said Chocolate’s dad. “The first time he nearly killed a group of ponies he was shown love, and got to play with the very ponies he almost wound up killing. And the second time he got to start granting wishes.

“Whether you want to consider him thousands of years old or as a newborn, his literal age isn’t indicative of his mental age. Development-wise he’s roughly around the age of our son. He said you told him that his magic made him spoiled, but a lack of accountability is no less harmful to a child’s growth and well-being.

“I’d hold Chocolate accountable for stealing or hitting another child, so when I hear that Mayhem nearly killed the heroes who keep Equestria safe it feels like he’s never received come-uppance for his bad behavior.”

“A fair assessment,” said Twilight, “but it’s not that simple. Mayhem was an unknown element. No one, not even Discord, was aware of his existence. Even Mayhem himself didn’t know he existed until Discord gave a bit of his power to the twins and he suddenly experienced new memories.

“At the time I couldn’t really hold Mayhem accountable because he didn’t truly have an understanding of right and wrong. When Fluttershy spoke of morality to him he seemed genuinely confused, unable to put the pieces together. As he started living with Fluttershy, and learning about love and friendship, he developed a protectiveness of her, and learned about empathy.

“In regards to after the whole boredom incident, at times the weight of one’s crimes is more devastating than any punishment. When Mayhem had some sense knocked into him by the Fire of Friendship he was left with the knowledge of how badly he lost control of himself and the way he treated his friends.

“He didn’t try to justify or defend his behavior in any way. Quite the opposite. He was so horrified at his own actions that, even though his friends forgave him, he was ready to punish himself by returning to Discord and never coming out again. He wanted to give up his free will so that he could never hurt his friends like that again.

“He was clearly remorseful and he sat with that guilt for quite a while. When it came to his wish-granting he showed that he learned from that incident by implementing a whole bunch of safety rules. Physically, his creations were unable to cause any harm. And from an emotional standpoint he gave them all a phrase which would instantly teleport them to me if things were getting too intense and they needed a break from how real things seemed.

“I don’t want to say that I always make perfect decisions, but as my years of experience grow I find my insights and intuition usually steer me in the right direction. If someone shows themselves remorseful and are willing to turn away from their evil acts then I want to give them a second chance. I want to give them the chance to make that change and see them do better rather than locking them up where they can’t make any progress towards becoming a better individual.

“You may say that I should have gone along with what he wanted and let him be stuck inside Discord for a while, but locking someone up, in itself, doesn’t guarantee reformation. If someone is only holding themselves back from doing bad things out of the fear of punishment then it makes it easier to commit those actions if they believe they can get away with it.

"Rather than a fear of retribution I’d rather see somehow improve their conduct for the joy of being praised. Positive reinforcement that makes them want to behave better rather than negative reinforcement that only makes one behave reluctantly.”

Chocolate raised a hoof. “I have a question.”

“Yes, Chocolate?”

“Even if you locked Mayhem up it wouldn’t do anything, right?”

“What do you mean?” asked Flash.

“Well, I know Mayhem felt bad, but being stuck inside Discord without having any freedom is what caused him to go so crazy when he first came out, right? If he was stuck inside for a few months then wouldn’t he have gone crazy again as soon as he was released?”

Mayhem bit his lip.

Twilight got a thoughtful look on her face. “Well, it’s certainly a possibility.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Spring, a downcast look on her face. “If all he can do is think things when he’s inside Discord then I think he would have turned out like me, just spending all his time beating himself up for what he caused.”

Twilight’s expression turned grim. “I… think that is an even more likely possibility.”

Flash’s dad took in a slow breath. “Your explanation makes sense to me, Princess Twilight, but at the same time I’m uncomfortable because of the all or nothing aspect.”

“All or nothing?” said Twilight.

“If Chocolate is right, then unless you’re actually willing to lock him up forever then Mayhem can never be punished because there’s always going to be a possibility that having privileges taken away will render him unstable.

“Mayhem accepted his wrongdoing this time, but what happens when he gets stubborn and doesn’t take responsibility? Not every situation is going to be as big as what happened with his friends, but things have a chance of snowballing into something larger. A disagreement over something turns into a full blown argument, both sides yelling. Then, in the heat of the moment, he snaps his claw in anger, and who knows what the result of that snap will be.”

“I understand where you’re coming from, but after the incident Mayhem is always being watched over by me and Fluttershy. Never in all of eternity would Mayhem be able to bring himself to attack Fluttershy.”

That made Mayhem smile.

“He views her as his mother and his greatest source of love. She watches over him when he’s at home or when they’re out around Ponyville.

“I keep watch over him the rest of the time, like the wish-granting sessions or when he’s visiting his friends. While his feelings aren’t quite as strong for me as they are for her, he’s told me that if he didn’t already have Fluttershy as a mother he’d easily let me take that spot.

“I can understand the idea of escalation leading to him acting out in anger, but I’m there at all times to keep things from reaching the boiling point. That was even the condition that Pound and Pumpkin’s mother had before agreeing to test the waters and let him back into her children’s lives.

“As I’ve already stated, I’m no snob who is convinced I’m always right. I don’t mind you questioning my decisions, but I think the results speak for themselves. Mayhem has certainly come far from the individual he was during the superhero incident. And since we found and took care of the root cause that sparked his boredom in the first place he’s been a perfect angel even since then.

“Although I don’t have any kids myself I consider all the children of Ponyville like my children, and thus I care about their safety. To the best of my ability I would never allow harm to come to them. So in the end it comes down to whether you trust in me to continue doing my job, and that’s a question all of you will have to consider going forward.”

It was quiet for the next minute, the parents thinking about her statements.

Sweet Pea’s mom was the first to speak. “Princess, I do trust you, and it certainly does seem like everything has worked out as you intended, but… well… what if it does come down to that?

“Even if you could bring yourself to fight Mayhem I just can’t help but think of how much devastation can be caused with a single snap.”

“It’s a valid concern,” said Twilight, “and that’s why I’m going to such lengths to keep him on the right path. It’s true that both times he was out of control it nearly had deadly consequences, but it’s not really in the nature of a draconequus to kill.”

“It doesn’t seem that way,” said Flash’s mom.

“He went after me and my friends precisely because we were a threat to his enjoyment with our Rainbow Power. When it came to his friends it was about pure stubbornness of repeatedly not getting what he wanted out of them.

“But those are exceptions rather than the norm. The draconequus is naturally mischievous and enjoys causing chaos. And, as Flurry said, the thing about chaos is that it can only be experienced by someone who’s conscious. A dead pony can’t react to the chaos brought about. It runs contrary to their nature to take out their audience when it’s the thing that gives them that burst of excitement.

“It’s certainly true that a lot can happen after a draconequus snap, but outside of death it can be fixed just as easily.”

Once more things lapsed into silence.

This time Plum’s mom was the one to break it. “So why all this now? It feels like there’s something more to all this.

“Mayhem claims that he wanted it out in the open in case we were to learn this in the future, but it doesn’t seem like anyone who knew the whole story was ever going to make us aware.”

Mayhem nodded. “There certainly is more to the story. It’s about what happened during the wish adventure today. And it’s because of what happened there that I felt confident enough to face my actions.”

“And what happened?” asked Plum’s dad.

“I’ll be glad to tell you the good news, but for that we’re going to need the rest of the parents. I want all of them to share in my triumph.”

Twilight's horn lit up, lifting Mayhem onto her back. "Ordinarily I would have just told you to wait for me, but with your confession I think it's best for you to stay with me right now."

"No complaints there," said Mayhem. "Even if Mommy is there I think they'll be more relaxed if I'm with you."

"We'll be back soon," said Twilight, and with a flash they disappeared.