The Return of Disharmony

Chapter 2

Quest for Knowledge

A few weeks had passed since the event that was now just called „The Discord-Incident“. Ponies have been digging through the earth like moles, mothers were turned into chickens while their daughters turned into worms, the whole land itself had been a domain of pure anarchy and chaos. Within the blink of an eye, all the laws of Equestria, all moral standards and rules, even the ones of logic, were invalid. And within another blink, it stopped. Discord had been defeated once again by the so called Elements of Harmony, and just one huge Rainbow later, everything turned back to normal. Ponies found themselves confused, which was no wonder, considering they were either buried alive or were noshing their relatives. The whole affair didn't even last one day, and yet...Mandrel had been surprised by how fast the people of Equestria seemed to forget about the one day that turned Equestria upside down and sideways. Just a few hours of general disorientation, a huge distinction to the six ponies that wielded the elements to stop Discord, and just like that, the whole kingdom continued with it's usual dull, boring routine. Mandrel was both disgusted and fascinated by how stuck these ponies were without even noticing it themselves. It seems like nopony had really seen the beauty that came with Discords rampage. Nopony but him.

'And thus, the reign of Discord ended, and the two brave ones, that stood up for us all, ruled Equestria from then on until this day.'

Mandrel layed down the book he just finished reading, 'A brief History of the Equestrian Kingdom and its Rulers,' and sighed in frustration. No matter how many books about the Equestrian history he got from the Canterlot-Library – which was, conveniently, also the schools Library – he didn't get as close to as much informations as he needed. While they all contained some informations about how Discord was defeated, none of them picked up the topic he was really interested in: What exactly is Discord? Are there more of him? What is the source of his power? Is it his unique gift, or can such chaos-based magic be learned by anypony who was just willing enough to do so?

He gazed over the pile of books that almost covered a quarter of his room already. 'The reign of the royal sisters', 'The former rulers of Equestria' and 'The time before Celestia' were only a few of the titles he borrowed from the library. He's read them all and memorized almost every single word, and if he ever happened to have to write a test on the history of Equestria, he would, without a doubt, nail it. But all of this knowledge did not get him one single step closer to his goal: To either bring back Discord, or to become the master of Chaos himself. He had his doubt about this goal. He knew that it wouldn't be easy, far from it, and that he was planning to, pretty much, rule all of Equestria. A little Pony like him, which hasn't even finished school, wanted to become an all powerful creature? Everybody would call him insane, unrealistic or even megalomaniac. If he had told anybody about his crucial experience near Ponyville. But, due to obvious reasons, he didn't. A blot of brown colour covered his new Cutie-Mark, and no one even knew that he was absent during Discords rampage. They were busy chasing trees.

He sighed again and stood up, grabbing the books with his magic and buckling them into backpacks without care. Even his magic was brown. A boring, dull colour, equal to so many other ponies out there. He allowed his doubts to run wild in his brain for one more second before setting off to the library.

*

„You don't happen to exhibit some books about, uhm...special kinds of magic, do you?“

The one he was speaking to was the assistant of this library, a mare with a bone-white coat and a mane as gray as the dust which covered most of the books. It was tied to a tight knot, which made it easy to get an accurate first impression of her: She was just another one of those elitist individuals who didn't even deserve to be called that. She was one of those who would look down at ponies like Mandrel, ponies who wanted to be different, who refused to join the routine they all participated in. Mandrel would've liked to throw down the bookshelves, just to see her going crazy about how he ruined her precious, orderly arranged books. She looked at Mandrel in confusion while rearranging the books she just got back.

„Special? What do you mean by that, exactly? We do have books about all sort of magic, Alteration, Restoration, I do believe we even have some books about dark magic lieing around here somewhere-“

Mandrel could've slapped himself right now. For several days, he has been looking for informations about Discord himself or chaos-based magic, but never once did he consider one thing: That the magic used by an enemy of Equestria would be displayed as dark magic, no matter how complex it really was. Mandrel himself set a difference between evil and chaotic, but does the rest of the world think the same way?

„The latest, yes, that's what I meaned. I just felt uncomfortable saying it. So, well, do you think you have any books about dark magic I could borrow?“

Mandrel smiled nervously, but the cold glance of the assistant revealed to him that he needed an explanation for his request. Well, he couldn't blame here. He understood that such knowledge couldn't just be given to anyone.

„You know, just in case something similiar to the Discord-Incident happens. I would just like to have some more informations about it, so next time, I would be able help like those six heroines did. I'm not a princess' student, and I don't wield a magical artefact either, but...maybe if I just know what I'm up to against, I...could...“

An helpless, sad sight, the head slightly turned down, and-

„I am sorry, dear,“ she said with a much softer voice, „but I am afraid we don't have any books which are concerned with that kind of black magic in particular. The Princess herself has made sure that such knowledge is not available to everypony. I do not doubt your motives, Mandrel,“ she quickly added after Mandrel looked at her with a shocked gaze, „but only the Princesses and their students have access to that kind of high-ranked magic. I am sorry, but unless you somehow convice the Princesses themselves to share this knowledge with you, the best you will get your hooves on are going to be standard self-defense spells.“

After 'we don't have any books', Mandrel stopped listening to her. Her words just seemed to fly across his mind without leaving the least of an impression, except for one sentence that sticked out of her blabbering. 'the Princesses and their students'? Of course. Mandrel again had to fight the urge to slap his forehead. Why in the name of Tartarus didn't he think of that earlier? Why wasn't he thinking about the most obvious choice? The most obvious next step? How could he ever seriously expect to find any crucial informations in an ordinary library? He would've laughed if that would've happened to anypony else, but in this situation, he was just glad that nopony here could read his mind.

*

A few minutes later, Mandrel stood at the gaping abyss that marked the end of Canterlot, his back weighted with some books about self-defense spells the assistant insisted on borrowing him. He didn't need to read these to know what this bubble of pink magic, which covered all of Canterlot, was supposed to effectuate. He heard of the threat that has been made against the capital of Equestria, and he knew that, until this bubble bursted, nopony would get in- or outside of Canterlot without the permission of the Princess. But that was only a minor obstacle, a petty nuisance that kept him from doing the next step towards his destination. He could already see the small city of Ponyville from here. And in this city, he would finally find at least some of the informations he needed to accomplish his goal. Or at least find out how to get it. One way or another: At the end, he would get what he want, no matter how long it would take, no matter how tiring it would become, no matter who would stand in his path. A maniacal smile crept on his face.

„I can't wait to meet you, Twilight Sparkle.“