Chaos Shiftby BlindTellerChaptersAn ordinary dayA not so ordinary dream!Poor CabaggesMark of ChaosAn ordinary dayChapter 1: An Ordinary Day Shift, a young grey colt with a strange tangled mess of a moss colored mane and strange light blue eyes that seemed to have a spiral pattern, sat at his desk in the small noise filled classroom. It was currently five minutes before class would start and today's lesson was going to be on Legends and Myths of Equestria. Stifling a yawn Shift looked around at the other young colts and fillies, all of which were in groups talking about random subjects, the only thing each of there conversations had in common were that they were based on a peaceful life with no drama, hardships, or chaos of any sort. Although he didn't wish anypony ill he found everything they spoke about to be to boring and wished something dramatic would happen that he could find some entertainment in. He turned his attention to the windows which had a clear view of Ponyville and more specifically the markets. He could see ponies bartering away their bits over things like fruits and vegetables . One apple cart in particular was getting a large amount of attention from the shopping ponies. 'BORING!' Shift shouted in his mind, the town was way to peaceful recently, it seemed the only times he found excitement recently was when he heard news of what had happened at a royal wedding in Canterlot a few months ago. However that was long ago and any feelings of content were long gone. Shifts thoughts were interrupted when he heard the familiar voice of his teacher call out in the class room. "Alright students it's time for class, lets all take a seat and get ready to learn!" Mrs Cherilee had always tried to sound energetic and happy around the students and today was no exception. Shift remembered when he had first come to school, and met miss Cherilee. She was no different then as she was now, and that was nearly two years ago now. "Today we are going to study ancient Myths and Legends, and before you ask Applebloom, No there are no myths or legends about getting a cutiemark". Shift noticed the yellow filly at the front of the class room let out and audible sigh before Mrs Cherilee moved on. "First let's review a previous legend that we had learned about, Discord" at the mention of discords name Shift was instantly at attention, he always had had a fascination with the strange embodiment of chaos but he kept that to himself knowing full well that others would find him strange for it. "Discord, as you might well remember, was once a ruler of Equestria and controlled all things in terms of chaos and disharmony". Cherilee brought out a painting of what the lands of Equestria once looked like under Discords rule. "As you can see, the world never made any sense and everyday was a struggle for all of pony kind just to survive, However that all changed when the sisters of day and night, they would be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, sealed him away in a statue of stone, never to rise again!". The rest of the day Shift hardly paid attention to the lesson, he had more or less read all of this stuff out of the collection of history books his dad owned. Once class ended Shift was quick to stand up and leave through the open window. This was normal for him and he knew the ponies all thought him odd for doing it, but never did they say anything about it, at least not with him around. On his way home Shift met up with his favorite pony in town Pinkie Pie. Unlike everypony else she always had something entertaining to tell him. "Hi Pinkie!" Shift called out to the bouncing pink pony who gasped when she saw him before dashing off in one of her gravity defying stunts. This confused Shift, normally Pinkie would say something interesting to him or tell him one of her wacky stories from when she was a filly. Frowning Shift continued on until he reached his home. It was small unassuming house in a quiet corner of town, a normal pony would be quite happy with the location but he himself hated it, there was never any commotion or out bursts in the area and thus it was very boring to him. Shift walked up the small path to the front door and opened it to be greeted by darkness. He blinked a few times and stepped inside the door closing behind him. "SURPRISE!" A loud shout was given as the lights turned on. The ponies who had gathered looked at the front door with confusion, where Shift should have been standing there was nothing but his school saddle bags. A few moments of confusion later and light laughter could be hear behind them. Shift had figured something like this would happen when he saw pinkie gasp and run away earlier but the results of him 'disappearing' were even better then he had though they would be. He watched still laughing when he saw all the ponies in the small living room do a double take between the front door and where he was standing behind them. They all joined in his laughter realizing he had just pulled one over on them. Soon enough the laughter died down as the music started to play, ponies were talking with each other and dancing, while others were eating some of the cupcakes and other confectionery treats that had been put out. Shift had made his way over to Pinkie Pie who was also busy eating a cupcake. "Hey Shifty!" Pinkie said happily over the music "Happy Birthday!" she pulled from seemingly nowhere a bottle of chocolate milk "This is for you, it's left over from the Discord incident that happened last year, I just know how much you like to study about Discord, and to be honest he was pretty funny, I meant he turned me Grey! can you believe it, ha ha!" Pinkie started to laugh and go into random ramblings, but Shift was more interested in the chocolate milk, and what she had just said about an incident from last year. He could remember everything that had happened to him since his birth but, he could not remember any incidents from the previous year, especially none that had anything to do with Discord. Before Shift could ask Pinkie what she was talking about he realized she had disappeared into the crowd of ponies. "Happy birthday Shift!" another voice rang out behind him and Shift turned to talk with the new pony that had talked to him. Later that evening after the party Shift looked around the now empty house. It had been cleaned by Pinkie Pie and the only proof of the party remaining was the small pile of gifts he had received. Shift sighed as he went through his gifts. He was all alone in Ponyville, His parents both worked in foreign politics, and he had no brothers or sisters. None of his class mates were friends with him, and even though Pinkie was nice, he would never really consider her more than a friendly neighbor. Shift looked at the bottle she had given him earlier. He had forgotten to ask her about the Discord incident that he had no recollection of, and now that he was left alone it was too late. Sighing one last time Shift walked passed the kitchen and went up the small staircase that led to the bed room upstairs. He jumped onto his bed and sat there for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep. First chapter done, I hope you guys enjoy it. I know I probably have a lot to improve on and I hope that as I continue to write I will be able to improve. Please let me know how what you guys think so far, I'm looking forward to reading any reviews I get, and I cant wait to finish the next chapter! A not so ordinary dream!Chapter 2: A not so ordinary dream! Shift looked around the strange world he had woke up in. The land scape seemed to be randomly sculpted, many hills and mountains were dotting the foreign landscape. The strangest part about this world was the materials it was made out of. The ground seemed to be made from a type of cloth that had a strange checkerboard pattern and the trees and fauna all seemed to be made of different food and other materials. In the sky there were clouds that looked to be made of cotton candy and every so often Shift would see a strange looking creature roaming about. At first this land fascinated him, everything seemed to have a nice fun feel to it. Shift ran off in a random direction where he thought he could hear the sound of running water. A few minutes later Shift peeked over one of the odd hills and saw a flowing river unlike any he had seen previously. It was a solid light brown that looked somewhat familiar. Curiosity getting the better of him, Shift ran over the hill and down to the river and took a sip. "Chocolate Milk!" the river was made of chocolate milk, he couldn't believe it. A few gulps of chocolate milk and a few bites of taffy trees later Shift felt satisfied. This world was awesome but he knew he wouldn't like it here very long. There was nopony there but him and he was starting to feel the effects of loneliness. "Ah, well if it isn't little Shifty!" a voice called out startling Shift from his relaxation. looking around wildly he called out. "Who's there, how do you know me!" As soon as the words left his mouth a figure appeared, leaving Shift unable to believe his eyes. In front of him stood Discord, The Discord. "But wait, you're supposed to be..." "Dead? Trapped? Sealed away as a forgotten statue in the Royal gardens, yes I suppose so but then again that would only make sense wouldn't it?" Discord let out a laugh that could be seen as dark. "You see the truth is, I am still sealed away and the only reason were talking right now is because your asleep, and a little something of mine happened into your possession today!". Shift blinked a few times trying to understand what it was Discord was telling him. The thought suddenly hit him, Discord was talking about the bottle of chocolate milk rain he had received from Pinkie. "But why me, why not Pinkie when she had it?" these words had already left Shifts mouth before he even realized what he was doing. He didn't mean to speak then but something about Discord made him feel the need to. "What, you mean the pink one, the Element of Laughter right? Although she was great fun to talk to in her dreams she wasn't what I was looking for, and finally I have found it!" Discord disappeared and reappeared besides Shift "And boy am I glad to see it!" Discord drew Shift into a hug the he couldn't get out of. Shift had trouble breathing in Discords strange arms "But" Shift gasped for air in between words "why?". Shift felt a strange power flow through him as he wanted nothing more than to break free of Discords hug. After blinking he realized he was now back on the ground in front of Discord, who looked just as confused as himself. Discords look of confusion switched to one of pride. "That's why my boy!" He had leaned down and put his face right in front of shifts "I mean look at yourself, You have the power to affect dreams, your mane is very off putting compared to other ponies, and you even have my eyes!". Discord stood up straight and laughed "Your definitely a result of my Chaos a few years back!" Shift blinked and started laughing "No no, you see my parents are ponies" he began to look back at the memories of his parents, come to think of it what were their names, no more importantly what did their faces look like? Shift began to freeze up as he realized a large portions of his memories seemed hazy. The only ones that were clear were the one from when he started school in Ponyville and everything after that. Nothing before was clear, and most of the memories had flaws. "But, but, no I'm not like you though, I'm a pony!" Discord snorted in disbelief "Oh please, you cant possibly tell me you've been satisfied with your dull life?" he smiled and he pat Shifts head "It doesn't matter at this point though after all, it's the truth!". Discord snapped his fingers, a book that seemed to be made from patch work appeared. "You see, there is nothing you can do about it anyways" Discord shoved the book into a saddlebag and put it on Shifts back. Shift didn't pay any attention to what Discord was doing, he was grasping randomly at his 'memories' trying to find at least one that would prove he was a pony. "you, your wrong!". Tears started to flow from his spiral blue eyes, "It can't be true, why do I have a home and why are bits sent to me each month to live on!". Shift felt a jarring pain in his heart as he realized if it was all true he would be alone in the world. "You have a house and bits because I wished for it to be so" Discord said matter of fact like, "After all I cant have one of my Children living off the street right?" Shifts ear perked up at this "one of your children, then are their others?" Maybe he wasn't alone, at least not completely, maybe he had a brother or a sister, he would like that since the only life he knew was that of an only child. Discord smiled and slowly started to fade "If it's Brother and Sisters that you seek, look for common features that seem offbeat!" and with that discord was gone leaving shift with more questions than answers. Shift woke up in his bed and looked around wildly. His room looked the same, save for an extra book that was now on his desk. It was a Tome of some sort, its cover seemed to be made of different patches of leather. It was the same book that Discord had summoned in his dream, apparently it came back with him to the real world. Shift thought back to the riddle Discord had given him before disappearing. 'look for common features that seem offbeat, what the heck does that even mean?'. Shift sighed as he looked out the window, he wished he could drink a cup of milk. A clang rang out behind him, and when he turned around on his desk sat a cup a freshly poured milk. Poor CabaggesChapter 3: Questions Shift looked at the glass of milk that had appeared on his desk. "Hello?" he called out thinking somepony must have put ti there and ran off when he wasn't looking. Unsurprisingly he didn't get a response, which caused him to move nervously towards the stairs that led downstairs to call out again. "Is somepony there?" again no answer. Shift blinked a few times his spiral blue eyes displaying fear and confusion. Looking back to his desk Shift began to examine the glass of milk. The sides of the glass where starting to fog up a little showing that the milk was cold. He walked over to it and sniffed it a few times discovering that it wasn't expired but was instead, at the most, still fresh. Shift decided it wasn't worth the risk, anypony could have put anything in the mile that wouldn't change it's color or appearance. Despite coming to this conclusion he subconsciously picked up the milk and started to chug it. A few gulps later he realized he wasn't drinking the milk at all, he was drinking the glass the milk was in! surprisingly it wasn't that bad it sort of tasted like a fruit punch that had been 'enhanced' with soda water. When he finished drinking the glass he found himself holding a solid block of milk "This can't be real, no no this must be a dream, yeah a dream" he threw the solid block of milk back flinging it out the window. A few seconds later he heard an explosion and somepony yelling "No not my cabbages!". Shift quickly looked out the window he had thrown the milk to see a street vendor's cart that had been previously loaded with cabbages was now a pile of planks and heavily tenderized cabbage chunks. The vendor, who was wearing a green bandana and a green tunic of sorts, was weeping over the pile of cabbages "They were too young!" he cried out in between sobs. Pony that walked by gave him sympathetic looks but nothing could really be done. Shift couldn't stop himself from laughing, so he did the next best thing, he slammed his window shut and began howling with laughter hoping no one would be able to hear him. This was the best thing he had seen in so long, the unrealistic nature of the situation, the unexpectedness of such a thing happening in such a village, not to mention the great drama the street vendor put on for him. This was the stuff of dreams, and that could only mean two things. Either Discord really was his creator and he held a small part of his power, or that he was dreaming one of the best dreams he had had in years. Shift decided there was at least one way to figure out weather or not it was a dream, he would slap himself....hard. Shift readied his hoof, and with all his might he smacked himself across the muzzle only to feel an incredible pain surge from the nerves of his cheeks through his spine and into his brain which told him, 'what are you doing you stupid idiot that hurts us'. Shift gave out a yelp and felt his mouth, luckily he wasn't to strong with his front legs, else he would be sporting a new toothless son of discord look. Shift got back up and blinked realizing that he really was a Colt of Discord, The Discord, as in the one who once ruled over Equestria before being sealed away by the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony, yeah that Discord. At this revelation he realized where the milk had now come from. It was put there by none other than Shift himself, using the powers of chaos that flowed through his body. A small flash lit up the room and he looked around wondering where it had come from. Not seeing anything new in the room, Shift shrugged it off as nothing and went downstairs getting ready to go to the Library. If he was the son of Chaos then he had some more reading up to do about the past, and he also needed to see if there were any other recorded cases of Ponies born of Chaos before him. The walk from his house to the Library was rather uneventful as he had decided against trying to use his power again, instead he would stick to simple unicorn magic unless it was an emergency. Wait if I have powers of Chaos could I use it to increase my magic abilities? he thought about it for a few seconds before realizing he had stopping in the middle of the road and other ponies were starting to give him strange looks. He continued on towards the Library, and after a few more random stops with random thoughts having to do with Chaos, Discord, and a stray bit that he pocketed, he had finally reached his destination. The large tree that was Ponyville's library towered over the young colt. He was always impressed with the library when ever he saw it, he never understood what kind of pony would look at this tree and think 'I could fit a library in that ol' thing just give me and axe 3 days and a whole lot of cider and it's good as done'. Ok so maybe whoever built it hadn't thought along those exact lines but they must have been on something when they conceived the idea. Shift blinked a few times trying to get back on subject, he wasn't hear to make baseless assumptions about the fool who built the library he was here to study in it. He picked up his hoof and knocked on the door putting on a smile for when someone answered it. Okay so I know what a few of you guys are thinking 'why didn't you update yesterday?' and honestly I'm not sure. Anyways I realize this chapter is a little shorter compared to the previous 2 but that's only because I was in a hurry to finish this one as it is currently 1 in the morning and I don't function well without sleep. Also I would really appreciate any comments on what you guys think of the story, good, bad, average, boring, funny, anything, I don't care if your scared of being to mean harsh or cruel I want to know, how I'm doing. Also I'm still rather new at writing Fanfics, and writing stories in general so let me know if there's anything I can do to improve how I'm writing. Thanks for reading, and I should have a new chapter up every day or every other day from now on. Mark of ChaosChapter 4: Mark of Chaos Shift looked around the Library he was now standing in. Spike had answered the door and upon seeing his familiar face, after all Shift visited the library quite often, let him inside. Spike had the gone off to fetch Twilight who was in her basement experimenting on possible ways to create power that wasn't magic based. She had called it Electricity or something along those lines. Shift walked closer to one of the book selves that he knew had the book he was looking for. He had read a few of them before but now that he had actual reason to read the seriously he had to look over them again to see if he could find anything out about himself or Discord that he didn't already know. As he was looking through the book trying to find one in particular he heard the Familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle, the resident librarian. "Hello again Shift, here to read up on some more Equestrian History?" She asked smiling before seeming to notice something that made her hesitate. "Hi Twilight" said looking at Twilight with his own strange grin, "No history today, I'm looking for something a bit more specific". Shift finally noticed that Twilight was looking at him strangely, more specifically she was staring at his flank. He turned and saw what it was that she found so strange. He had gotten his Cutie Mark, and even though he hated it's name he was pretty happy to finally have one. The only problem was that he didn't really know what it was, it looked like 8 arrows spreading out from a central point. Twilight suddenly began to move still in a trance like state from seeing his cutie mark. She was now, much to Shift's confusion, scanning the same shelf as he was mumbling something about ancient symbols. A few moments later she levitated a book away from the shelf and opened it skimming through the pages seemingly worried at what she might find. "Um Twilight?" he asked the joy from finding out he had received his cutie mark was now starting to fade as he nervously watched the anxious librarians face. "Is something the matter?" he finally asked. Twilight let out a gasp as she stopped at a certain page in the book she was looking through, upon closer inspection Shift recognized the book as 'Ancient Equestria: Volume III: Legends and Symbols' he had looked at the book himself before but found it to be quite boring. Twilight on the other hand looked to be very interested in the book in a seemingly bad way. "Shift, wait here I have a letter to write" and with that Twilight transported a quill, a bottle of ink, and some parchment from one of her desks. Shift looked at the page to book was opened to. What he saw made the blood rush out of his face and a pit form in his stomach. The page was opened to one of the 'Stories of Chaos' that were featured in the book, and on the page was the same symbol that was his cutie mark. Without thinking shift took the book and ran towards the door. Twilight let out a shout of protest but Shift didn't hear it as he was already out the door, and with a teleportation spell that was stronger than he had ever before cast he found himself in his room the book at his feet. "But...how did?" he was confused, never had he been able to warp such a distance with the spell, but he shook his head and looked down at the book knowing full well that the information in the chapter would tell him more than Discord ever would. Shift quickly turned the pages of the book, looking for the page that held the same symbol that was his cutie mark. Shift found the page and started to read it from the beginning. Ponies born of Chaos Those born of Chaos are believed to be the bringers of our doom. They look and act like ponies but each of them have powers way beyond those of even the strongest, smartest, or bravest of ponies. Research has proven that there are always four and only four children of chaos at any given time. As to why they are limited at four no one knows. Each of the four children wield a different power. The first, Gaia, wields the power of the Earth. Gaia can manipulate the world around them, meaning he/she can control physics, and matter in any way they wish. Records show that Gaia is an earth pony with a cutie mark that usually retains a sphere of some sort. The second, named Tartarus after the god of the dead, has the ability to manipulate the living and the dead. Contact with Tartarus is nearly fatal in all instances, if one was to recognize Tartarus from this books description avoid all eye contact with him/her for it is believed that he/she can gain control over your body by looking through your eyes. Tartarus has been describe over the centuries as a Pegasus usually adorned in a dark robe that keeps his face hidden from view. Of each of the Children Tartarus has been the one whose appearance has always been more or less the same. The reasons behind this are unknown. Nyx, named for the Night, is the third Child. Not much is known about Nyx other than her strong connection to the Night. Research has found no clues to her appearance or powers she may or may not poses. Last is Eros the being of Desire. Eros is believed to have the power to bend the hearts of ponies to his/her will. Eros is always described as a pony of great beauty that remains unrivaled among other ponies. The cutie mark most commonly seen with Eros is of a heart pierced by an arrow. The symbol most commonly connected to these four is the Mark of Chaos shown below. Theories around the mark are wide spread and diverse, some claim that the Mark is another child while others claim it to be the source of their power. None of these theories have been proved although evidence has been gathered showing many of them to be possible. Shift smiled as he finished the chapter. He couldn't have been happier, he had discovered he had four brothers and sisters, and that he wasn't alone. He also had some hints as to what they each looked like, except for Nyx. Looking back at the Paragraph about Nyx shift let out a sigh. Then he realized something odd about the paragraph. Looking at the other paragraphs he smirked, sire enough there was a clue about Nyx she was a she. The other three children seemed to either switch gender occasionally or their gender was unknown, Nyx however was clearly labeled a she in the paragraph about her. Shift also noted the book mentioned her connection to the night, instantly he thought of Princess Luna but he laughed the thought away. There was no way that one of the rulers of Equestria would be one of the four born from chaos right? Shift laughed at the thought and quickly put the book away. Giving a light chuckle he headed downstairs and to the kitchen to grab a snack. Looking outside he could see that it was already evening and soon the moon would be rising over the horizon. Shift continued into the kitchen and started to prepare a daffodil sandwich when he heard a loud banging at his door. Sorry im so bad at keeping my promises about update time, in the end it might take me a few days to properly motivate myself on writing the next chapter. This one I wrote about 600 words of yesterday and then i wrote the rest in about an hour. Hopefully Ill be able to get the next chapter out faster than I did with this one.
An ordinary dayChapter 1: An Ordinary Day Shift, a young grey colt with a strange tangled mess of a moss colored mane and strange light blue eyes that seemed to have a spiral pattern, sat at his desk in the small noise filled classroom. It was currently five minutes before class would start and today's lesson was going to be on Legends and Myths of Equestria. Stifling a yawn Shift looked around at the other young colts and fillies, all of which were in groups talking about random subjects, the only thing each of there conversations had in common were that they were based on a peaceful life with no drama, hardships, or chaos of any sort. Although he didn't wish anypony ill he found everything they spoke about to be to boring and wished something dramatic would happen that he could find some entertainment in. He turned his attention to the windows which had a clear view of Ponyville and more specifically the markets. He could see ponies bartering away their bits over things like fruits and vegetables . One apple cart in particular was getting a large amount of attention from the shopping ponies. 'BORING!' Shift shouted in his mind, the town was way to peaceful recently, it seemed the only times he found excitement recently was when he heard news of what had happened at a royal wedding in Canterlot a few months ago. However that was long ago and any feelings of content were long gone. Shifts thoughts were interrupted when he heard the familiar voice of his teacher call out in the class room. "Alright students it's time for class, lets all take a seat and get ready to learn!" Mrs Cherilee had always tried to sound energetic and happy around the students and today was no exception. Shift remembered when he had first come to school, and met miss Cherilee. She was no different then as she was now, and that was nearly two years ago now. "Today we are going to study ancient Myths and Legends, and before you ask Applebloom, No there are no myths or legends about getting a cutiemark". Shift noticed the yellow filly at the front of the class room let out and audible sigh before Mrs Cherilee moved on. "First let's review a previous legend that we had learned about, Discord" at the mention of discords name Shift was instantly at attention, he always had had a fascination with the strange embodiment of chaos but he kept that to himself knowing full well that others would find him strange for it. "Discord, as you might well remember, was once a ruler of Equestria and controlled all things in terms of chaos and disharmony". Cherilee brought out a painting of what the lands of Equestria once looked like under Discords rule. "As you can see, the world never made any sense and everyday was a struggle for all of pony kind just to survive, However that all changed when the sisters of day and night, they would be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, sealed him away in a statue of stone, never to rise again!". The rest of the day Shift hardly paid attention to the lesson, he had more or less read all of this stuff out of the collection of history books his dad owned. Once class ended Shift was quick to stand up and leave through the open window. This was normal for him and he knew the ponies all thought him odd for doing it, but never did they say anything about it, at least not with him around. On his way home Shift met up with his favorite pony in town Pinkie Pie. Unlike everypony else she always had something entertaining to tell him. "Hi Pinkie!" Shift called out to the bouncing pink pony who gasped when she saw him before dashing off in one of her gravity defying stunts. This confused Shift, normally Pinkie would say something interesting to him or tell him one of her wacky stories from when she was a filly. Frowning Shift continued on until he reached his home. It was small unassuming house in a quiet corner of town, a normal pony would be quite happy with the location but he himself hated it, there was never any commotion or out bursts in the area and thus it was very boring to him. Shift walked up the small path to the front door and opened it to be greeted by darkness. He blinked a few times and stepped inside the door closing behind him. "SURPRISE!" A loud shout was given as the lights turned on. The ponies who had gathered looked at the front door with confusion, where Shift should have been standing there was nothing but his school saddle bags. A few moments of confusion later and light laughter could be hear behind them. Shift had figured something like this would happen when he saw pinkie gasp and run away earlier but the results of him 'disappearing' were even better then he had though they would be. He watched still laughing when he saw all the ponies in the small living room do a double take between the front door and where he was standing behind them. They all joined in his laughter realizing he had just pulled one over on them. Soon enough the laughter died down as the music started to play, ponies were talking with each other and dancing, while others were eating some of the cupcakes and other confectionery treats that had been put out. Shift had made his way over to Pinkie Pie who was also busy eating a cupcake. "Hey Shifty!" Pinkie said happily over the music "Happy Birthday!" she pulled from seemingly nowhere a bottle of chocolate milk "This is for you, it's left over from the Discord incident that happened last year, I just know how much you like to study about Discord, and to be honest he was pretty funny, I meant he turned me Grey! can you believe it, ha ha!" Pinkie started to laugh and go into random ramblings, but Shift was more interested in the chocolate milk, and what she had just said about an incident from last year. He could remember everything that had happened to him since his birth but, he could not remember any incidents from the previous year, especially none that had anything to do with Discord. Before Shift could ask Pinkie what she was talking about he realized she had disappeared into the crowd of ponies. "Happy birthday Shift!" another voice rang out behind him and Shift turned to talk with the new pony that had talked to him. Later that evening after the party Shift looked around the now empty house. It had been cleaned by Pinkie Pie and the only proof of the party remaining was the small pile of gifts he had received. Shift sighed as he went through his gifts. He was all alone in Ponyville, His parents both worked in foreign politics, and he had no brothers or sisters. None of his class mates were friends with him, and even though Pinkie was nice, he would never really consider her more than a friendly neighbor. Shift looked at the bottle she had given him earlier. He had forgotten to ask her about the Discord incident that he had no recollection of, and now that he was left alone it was too late. Sighing one last time Shift walked passed the kitchen and went up the small staircase that led to the bed room upstairs. He jumped onto his bed and sat there for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep. First chapter done, I hope you guys enjoy it. I know I probably have a lot to improve on and I hope that as I continue to write I will be able to improve. Please let me know how what you guys think so far, I'm looking forward to reading any reviews I get, and I cant wait to finish the next chapter!
A not so ordinary dream!Chapter 2: A not so ordinary dream! Shift looked around the strange world he had woke up in. The land scape seemed to be randomly sculpted, many hills and mountains were dotting the foreign landscape. The strangest part about this world was the materials it was made out of. The ground seemed to be made from a type of cloth that had a strange checkerboard pattern and the trees and fauna all seemed to be made of different food and other materials. In the sky there were clouds that looked to be made of cotton candy and every so often Shift would see a strange looking creature roaming about. At first this land fascinated him, everything seemed to have a nice fun feel to it. Shift ran off in a random direction where he thought he could hear the sound of running water. A few minutes later Shift peeked over one of the odd hills and saw a flowing river unlike any he had seen previously. It was a solid light brown that looked somewhat familiar. Curiosity getting the better of him, Shift ran over the hill and down to the river and took a sip. "Chocolate Milk!" the river was made of chocolate milk, he couldn't believe it. A few gulps of chocolate milk and a few bites of taffy trees later Shift felt satisfied. This world was awesome but he knew he wouldn't like it here very long. There was nopony there but him and he was starting to feel the effects of loneliness. "Ah, well if it isn't little Shifty!" a voice called out startling Shift from his relaxation. looking around wildly he called out. "Who's there, how do you know me!" As soon as the words left his mouth a figure appeared, leaving Shift unable to believe his eyes. In front of him stood Discord, The Discord. "But wait, you're supposed to be..." "Dead? Trapped? Sealed away as a forgotten statue in the Royal gardens, yes I suppose so but then again that would only make sense wouldn't it?" Discord let out a laugh that could be seen as dark. "You see the truth is, I am still sealed away and the only reason were talking right now is because your asleep, and a little something of mine happened into your possession today!". Shift blinked a few times trying to understand what it was Discord was telling him. The thought suddenly hit him, Discord was talking about the bottle of chocolate milk rain he had received from Pinkie. "But why me, why not Pinkie when she had it?" these words had already left Shifts mouth before he even realized what he was doing. He didn't mean to speak then but something about Discord made him feel the need to. "What, you mean the pink one, the Element of Laughter right? Although she was great fun to talk to in her dreams she wasn't what I was looking for, and finally I have found it!" Discord disappeared and reappeared besides Shift "And boy am I glad to see it!" Discord drew Shift into a hug the he couldn't get out of. Shift had trouble breathing in Discords strange arms "But" Shift gasped for air in between words "why?". Shift felt a strange power flow through him as he wanted nothing more than to break free of Discords hug. After blinking he realized he was now back on the ground in front of Discord, who looked just as confused as himself. Discords look of confusion switched to one of pride. "That's why my boy!" He had leaned down and put his face right in front of shifts "I mean look at yourself, You have the power to affect dreams, your mane is very off putting compared to other ponies, and you even have my eyes!". Discord stood up straight and laughed "Your definitely a result of my Chaos a few years back!" Shift blinked and started laughing "No no, you see my parents are ponies" he began to look back at the memories of his parents, come to think of it what were their names, no more importantly what did their faces look like? Shift began to freeze up as he realized a large portions of his memories seemed hazy. The only ones that were clear were the one from when he started school in Ponyville and everything after that. Nothing before was clear, and most of the memories had flaws. "But, but, no I'm not like you though, I'm a pony!" Discord snorted in disbelief "Oh please, you cant possibly tell me you've been satisfied with your dull life?" he smiled and he pat Shifts head "It doesn't matter at this point though after all, it's the truth!". Discord snapped his fingers, a book that seemed to be made from patch work appeared. "You see, there is nothing you can do about it anyways" Discord shoved the book into a saddlebag and put it on Shifts back. Shift didn't pay any attention to what Discord was doing, he was grasping randomly at his 'memories' trying to find at least one that would prove he was a pony. "you, your wrong!". Tears started to flow from his spiral blue eyes, "It can't be true, why do I have a home and why are bits sent to me each month to live on!". Shift felt a jarring pain in his heart as he realized if it was all true he would be alone in the world. "You have a house and bits because I wished for it to be so" Discord said matter of fact like, "After all I cant have one of my Children living off the street right?" Shifts ear perked up at this "one of your children, then are their others?" Maybe he wasn't alone, at least not completely, maybe he had a brother or a sister, he would like that since the only life he knew was that of an only child. Discord smiled and slowly started to fade "If it's Brother and Sisters that you seek, look for common features that seem offbeat!" and with that discord was gone leaving shift with more questions than answers. Shift woke up in his bed and looked around wildly. His room looked the same, save for an extra book that was now on his desk. It was a Tome of some sort, its cover seemed to be made of different patches of leather. It was the same book that Discord had summoned in his dream, apparently it came back with him to the real world. Shift thought back to the riddle Discord had given him before disappearing. 'look for common features that seem offbeat, what the heck does that even mean?'. Shift sighed as he looked out the window, he wished he could drink a cup of milk. A clang rang out behind him, and when he turned around on his desk sat a cup a freshly poured milk.
Poor CabaggesChapter 3: Questions Shift looked at the glass of milk that had appeared on his desk. "Hello?" he called out thinking somepony must have put ti there and ran off when he wasn't looking. Unsurprisingly he didn't get a response, which caused him to move nervously towards the stairs that led downstairs to call out again. "Is somepony there?" again no answer. Shift blinked a few times his spiral blue eyes displaying fear and confusion. Looking back to his desk Shift began to examine the glass of milk. The sides of the glass where starting to fog up a little showing that the milk was cold. He walked over to it and sniffed it a few times discovering that it wasn't expired but was instead, at the most, still fresh. Shift decided it wasn't worth the risk, anypony could have put anything in the mile that wouldn't change it's color or appearance. Despite coming to this conclusion he subconsciously picked up the milk and started to chug it. A few gulps later he realized he wasn't drinking the milk at all, he was drinking the glass the milk was in! surprisingly it wasn't that bad it sort of tasted like a fruit punch that had been 'enhanced' with soda water. When he finished drinking the glass he found himself holding a solid block of milk "This can't be real, no no this must be a dream, yeah a dream" he threw the solid block of milk back flinging it out the window. A few seconds later he heard an explosion and somepony yelling "No not my cabbages!". Shift quickly looked out the window he had thrown the milk to see a street vendor's cart that had been previously loaded with cabbages was now a pile of planks and heavily tenderized cabbage chunks. The vendor, who was wearing a green bandana and a green tunic of sorts, was weeping over the pile of cabbages "They were too young!" he cried out in between sobs. Pony that walked by gave him sympathetic looks but nothing could really be done. Shift couldn't stop himself from laughing, so he did the next best thing, he slammed his window shut and began howling with laughter hoping no one would be able to hear him. This was the best thing he had seen in so long, the unrealistic nature of the situation, the unexpectedness of such a thing happening in such a village, not to mention the great drama the street vendor put on for him. This was the stuff of dreams, and that could only mean two things. Either Discord really was his creator and he held a small part of his power, or that he was dreaming one of the best dreams he had had in years. Shift decided there was at least one way to figure out weather or not it was a dream, he would slap himself....hard. Shift readied his hoof, and with all his might he smacked himself across the muzzle only to feel an incredible pain surge from the nerves of his cheeks through his spine and into his brain which told him, 'what are you doing you stupid idiot that hurts us'. Shift gave out a yelp and felt his mouth, luckily he wasn't to strong with his front legs, else he would be sporting a new toothless son of discord look. Shift got back up and blinked realizing that he really was a Colt of Discord, The Discord, as in the one who once ruled over Equestria before being sealed away by the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony, yeah that Discord. At this revelation he realized where the milk had now come from. It was put there by none other than Shift himself, using the powers of chaos that flowed through his body. A small flash lit up the room and he looked around wondering where it had come from. Not seeing anything new in the room, Shift shrugged it off as nothing and went downstairs getting ready to go to the Library. If he was the son of Chaos then he had some more reading up to do about the past, and he also needed to see if there were any other recorded cases of Ponies born of Chaos before him. The walk from his house to the Library was rather uneventful as he had decided against trying to use his power again, instead he would stick to simple unicorn magic unless it was an emergency. Wait if I have powers of Chaos could I use it to increase my magic abilities? he thought about it for a few seconds before realizing he had stopping in the middle of the road and other ponies were starting to give him strange looks. He continued on towards the Library, and after a few more random stops with random thoughts having to do with Chaos, Discord, and a stray bit that he pocketed, he had finally reached his destination. The large tree that was Ponyville's library towered over the young colt. He was always impressed with the library when ever he saw it, he never understood what kind of pony would look at this tree and think 'I could fit a library in that ol' thing just give me and axe 3 days and a whole lot of cider and it's good as done'. Ok so maybe whoever built it hadn't thought along those exact lines but they must have been on something when they conceived the idea. Shift blinked a few times trying to get back on subject, he wasn't hear to make baseless assumptions about the fool who built the library he was here to study in it. He picked up his hoof and knocked on the door putting on a smile for when someone answered it. Okay so I know what a few of you guys are thinking 'why didn't you update yesterday?' and honestly I'm not sure. Anyways I realize this chapter is a little shorter compared to the previous 2 but that's only because I was in a hurry to finish this one as it is currently 1 in the morning and I don't function well without sleep. Also I would really appreciate any comments on what you guys think of the story, good, bad, average, boring, funny, anything, I don't care if your scared of being to mean harsh or cruel I want to know, how I'm doing. Also I'm still rather new at writing Fanfics, and writing stories in general so let me know if there's anything I can do to improve how I'm writing. Thanks for reading, and I should have a new chapter up every day or every other day from now on.
Mark of ChaosChapter 4: Mark of Chaos Shift looked around the Library he was now standing in. Spike had answered the door and upon seeing his familiar face, after all Shift visited the library quite often, let him inside. Spike had the gone off to fetch Twilight who was in her basement experimenting on possible ways to create power that wasn't magic based. She had called it Electricity or something along those lines. Shift walked closer to one of the book selves that he knew had the book he was looking for. He had read a few of them before but now that he had actual reason to read the seriously he had to look over them again to see if he could find anything out about himself or Discord that he didn't already know. As he was looking through the book trying to find one in particular he heard the Familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle, the resident librarian. "Hello again Shift, here to read up on some more Equestrian History?" She asked smiling before seeming to notice something that made her hesitate. "Hi Twilight" said looking at Twilight with his own strange grin, "No history today, I'm looking for something a bit more specific". Shift finally noticed that Twilight was looking at him strangely, more specifically she was staring at his flank. He turned and saw what it was that she found so strange. He had gotten his Cutie Mark, and even though he hated it's name he was pretty happy to finally have one. The only problem was that he didn't really know what it was, it looked like 8 arrows spreading out from a central point. Twilight suddenly began to move still in a trance like state from seeing his cutie mark. She was now, much to Shift's confusion, scanning the same shelf as he was mumbling something about ancient symbols. A few moments later she levitated a book away from the shelf and opened it skimming through the pages seemingly worried at what she might find. "Um Twilight?" he asked the joy from finding out he had received his cutie mark was now starting to fade as he nervously watched the anxious librarians face. "Is something the matter?" he finally asked. Twilight let out a gasp as she stopped at a certain page in the book she was looking through, upon closer inspection Shift recognized the book as 'Ancient Equestria: Volume III: Legends and Symbols' he had looked at the book himself before but found it to be quite boring. Twilight on the other hand looked to be very interested in the book in a seemingly bad way. "Shift, wait here I have a letter to write" and with that Twilight transported a quill, a bottle of ink, and some parchment from one of her desks. Shift looked at the page to book was opened to. What he saw made the blood rush out of his face and a pit form in his stomach. The page was opened to one of the 'Stories of Chaos' that were featured in the book, and on the page was the same symbol that was his cutie mark. Without thinking shift took the book and ran towards the door. Twilight let out a shout of protest but Shift didn't hear it as he was already out the door, and with a teleportation spell that was stronger than he had ever before cast he found himself in his room the book at his feet. "But...how did?" he was confused, never had he been able to warp such a distance with the spell, but he shook his head and looked down at the book knowing full well that the information in the chapter would tell him more than Discord ever would. Shift quickly turned the pages of the book, looking for the page that held the same symbol that was his cutie mark. Shift found the page and started to read it from the beginning. Ponies born of Chaos Those born of Chaos are believed to be the bringers of our doom. They look and act like ponies but each of them have powers way beyond those of even the strongest, smartest, or bravest of ponies. Research has proven that there are always four and only four children of chaos at any given time. As to why they are limited at four no one knows. Each of the four children wield a different power. The first, Gaia, wields the power of the Earth. Gaia can manipulate the world around them, meaning he/she can control physics, and matter in any way they wish. Records show that Gaia is an earth pony with a cutie mark that usually retains a sphere of some sort. The second, named Tartarus after the god of the dead, has the ability to manipulate the living and the dead. Contact with Tartarus is nearly fatal in all instances, if one was to recognize Tartarus from this books description avoid all eye contact with him/her for it is believed that he/she can gain control over your body by looking through your eyes. Tartarus has been describe over the centuries as a Pegasus usually adorned in a dark robe that keeps his face hidden from view. Of each of the Children Tartarus has been the one whose appearance has always been more or less the same. The reasons behind this are unknown. Nyx, named for the Night, is the third Child. Not much is known about Nyx other than her strong connection to the Night. Research has found no clues to her appearance or powers she may or may not poses. Last is Eros the being of Desire. Eros is believed to have the power to bend the hearts of ponies to his/her will. Eros is always described as a pony of great beauty that remains unrivaled among other ponies. The cutie mark most commonly seen with Eros is of a heart pierced by an arrow. The symbol most commonly connected to these four is the Mark of Chaos shown below. Theories around the mark are wide spread and diverse, some claim that the Mark is another child while others claim it to be the source of their power. None of these theories have been proved although evidence has been gathered showing many of them to be possible. Shift smiled as he finished the chapter. He couldn't have been happier, he had discovered he had four brothers and sisters, and that he wasn't alone. He also had some hints as to what they each looked like, except for Nyx. Looking back at the Paragraph about Nyx shift let out a sigh. Then he realized something odd about the paragraph. Looking at the other paragraphs he smirked, sire enough there was a clue about Nyx she was a she. The other three children seemed to either switch gender occasionally or their gender was unknown, Nyx however was clearly labeled a she in the paragraph about her. Shift also noted the book mentioned her connection to the night, instantly he thought of Princess Luna but he laughed the thought away. There was no way that one of the rulers of Equestria would be one of the four born from chaos right? Shift laughed at the thought and quickly put the book away. Giving a light chuckle he headed downstairs and to the kitchen to grab a snack. Looking outside he could see that it was already evening and soon the moon would be rising over the horizon. Shift continued into the kitchen and started to prepare a daffodil sandwich when he heard a loud banging at his door. Sorry im so bad at keeping my promises about update time, in the end it might take me a few days to properly motivate myself on writing the next chapter. This one I wrote about 600 words of yesterday and then i wrote the rest in about an hour. Hopefully Ill be able to get the next chapter out faster than I did with this one.
