The Return of Disharmony
Chapter 1
Beauty
Mandrel sat at his usual place in the Canterlot School for gifted Unicorns. The words of the teacher flew through his mind without leaving the least bit of an impression on him. Instead, he was busy twirling his brown mane, which ended up in some of his hairs falling down on his equally brown coat. It was a day like every other day in his life. Incredibly boring and predictable. Waking up, going to school, not listening to the teachers, somehow still passing the exams and trying not to end up being a brain-dead zombie. If it wasn't too late for that already. He looked around in the classroom. In all those years he spend here, nothing had ever really changed, except for his classmates' heights. The one bit that was glued to his desk was still there, like it has been when he first entered this room. He bet that it would still be there even when there was nothing more than dust left of the rest of this school.
'Wouldn't that be funny?' he asked himself. 'The whole world has gone to ashes, and in these fields of dust and dirt, one single table and one single bit would still stand there, like nothing had changed.'
Somehow, the idea made him grin a bit. He wouldn't even be surprised if some of his ideas came true. But until then, a lot of days would pass. A lot of days that would all be like the former ones. Boring. Unenteraining. Predictable.
„Mandrel? Mandrel, are you even listening?“
The teacher's voice interrupted his daydreams. Mandrel squinted his eyes, silently praying for the patience to stay calm and polite while listening to the 1000-th revision of „Why you should pay attention and listen to what I'm trying to teach you“. He failed.
„No, I am not listening, Miss. And neither did I listen to your boring blabber yesterday, or that day before, and I'm certain that I will not be listening tomorrow either. If you would use the few parts of your brain you're still using, you would probably have noticed that by now.“ He said while gnashing his teeth.
And even while saying it, he knew he should have been silent.. He could basically feel the eyes of his classmates peeping at him, both shocked and curious about what would happen next.
„Excuse me?“ Miss Doce said while raising an eyebrow. Her voice was colder than even the highest spot of Yakyakistan. And those were really cold.
Mandrel shrinked under her stare and quickly found his patience and courtesy again.
„I...I am sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to be rude. It won't happen again, I promise.“
He wasn't sorry, but it wouldn't hurt to make Miss Doce think said. He didn't want anymore trouble. After a short silence, Miss Doce said, in a tone that didn't leave room for any protests:
„You will stay for a few minutes after the lesson is over.“
„Yes, Miss.“ Mandrel mumbled, pretending to be daunted, but she continued class and didn't pay attention to him anymore.
The rest of the class quickly turned their heads back to her, most of them disappointed that it didn't end up in an argument between Mandrel and Miss Doce.
'Great', he thought to himself, 'so I will have to sit through all of this talking again.' The sad thing about it was that he was kinda looking forward to it. It was at least a little bit of variety in his life, where nothing changed, and the days were all like one another.
*
„So,“ Miss Doce started shortly after the class left and Mandrel was standing in front of her desk.
„Why did you say these things to me, Mandrel?“
Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. That's exactly how most of the other sermons started. Well, at least that would make it possible for him to end this conversation fast since he already knew what his teacher wanted to hear.
„I was just angry at myself and didn't control it. I am sorry for directing that anger at you, and I assure you that it won't happen again.“
The same argument, the same answer. Over and over again.
„I'm not buying it.“
Mandrel blinked over this unexpected response. Did he speak too fast? Wasn't he paying attention? Did she notice that he just wanted to end this as fast as possible?
„What...what do you mean, you are not 'buying it'?“
„Mandrel, there is something else behind your anger. It's not because you're 'angry at yourself', stop telling me that nonsense all the time. Do you really think I'm that stupid?“
Yes.
„No...no, of course not, Miss.“
'Stop stuttering', he said to himself. Damn it, what happened here?
„Then please explain to me why are not paying any attention in my class and why you are acting like this! Is it because you don't have your Cutie Mark yet?“
Mandrel squinted his eyes again, trying again not to lose his self-control. No, it was not because of that stupid thing he was lacking. It seemed like he was the only one who didn't care about this.
„No, Miss, it's not because of my Cutie Mark. I assure you that I am completely fine with not having discovered my special talent yet.“
Again, this was the usual answer he gave everyone who asked for his Cutie Mark. The same argument, the same answer. Hopefully, it would work this time and finally end this horribly dull and boring conversation.
„Then what is it, Mandrel? I have seen your potential, the magic skills that dwell within you, and yet, you decide to do nothing with this potential! You just sit around during my lessons, you don't even try to listen to me and learn something! Is it too boring to you?“
She hit the nail on the head, and like this, Mandrels patience came to an end.
“It is exactly boredom Miss. Doce.” He spoke the 'Miss' like it was an insult.
„Boring lessons in a boring school, surrounded by boring classmates, lead by an even more boring teacher. We're learning the same things the ponies before us learned, we're listening to the same lessons, doing the same exams and doing the same jobs. It's like this country is frozen, like nothing will ever change! Like nothing is allowed to change! Even if I master every single exam, even if I become the greatest student in the world, what is there to accomplish for me? What is there to achieve? None of us will ever be a person to be remembered, none of us will ever be really important!“
Miss Doce looked at him, shocked by how her silent student suddenly opened up in front of her. After a few seconds, she tried a response.
„This is not true. We are not nameless ponies. My former student, Twilight Sparkle, has even become the only student of Princess Celestia herse-“
„Oh, yes, I know about the great and perfect Twilight Sparkle. Perfectly organized, always on time, respectful towards everypony around her. The greatest student a teacher could have. I have found a word to describe this perfectly: "Boring", Miss Doce. Even though Twilight Sparkle has become the Princess' student, what is she actually doing there? She's just learning what the Princess already knows, she's just absorbing her knowledge. She is not being taught anything that's really new, she's not going to be remembered, Doce! The Princess had more than one student, but doesn't anybody remember them? Hell, I bet that most people don't even know her actual student.“
„But these ponies are learning under the Princess' personal supervision! This is something only a few ponies could ever say of themselves, and those can be really proud of it. You could achieve this too, Mandrel, I know it! You have the potential, you have the magic, you could be one of those who-“
„You don't understand, Miss. None of you seems to understand.“
He turned around to his teacher, an determined glimmer in his eyes.
„I don't want to be one of a million. I want to be one in a million. I want to break the never ending circle that is our daily routine. I want the days to be different, to be entertaining! I want this life to be unpredictable!“
Miss Doce wanted to reply, but was interrupted again when her student looked out of the window behind her and asked:
„Wait...am I going insane, or have the clouds always been pink?“
*
Luckily for him, Mandrel wasn't going insane. Unfortunately for everypony else, the whole land of Equestia was.
According to the Pegasi, the clouds were not simply pink, they were also made of cotton candy. Mandrel didn't hold himself up with asking how this was possible – it wasn't. Also, he was too busy finding out what changed to find any time to find a logical explanation for these phenmenons. It started to rain, but it wasn't water that got his coat wet. Out of cotton candy-clouds, it rained chocolate milk. Most of the ponies in Canterlot were raising their eyebrows, others were talking, trying to find a solution for this problem, and a few were fainting while their brains failed to understand what they were seeing. Mandrel, however, found himself smiling. Those clouds, this rain, the ponies' reactions, the whole situation itself was so abstruse that he couldn't stop himself from making the widest grin of his life! He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't really care to find out. The important thing was that it was indeed happening, that it was real, and that it was different. He felt it rushing through the blood under his skin. The perception that this was the day his life would change forever. This day has turned from a day like any other to a special day, to a day that was worth remembering. His special day.
The other ponies were fainting, crying for help, running around in panic. They didn't see what he saw. They only saw that their world, their daily routine, was in danger. They saw change, and they feared it. Mandrel didn't see any of these things. Mandrel saw nothing but pure beauty.
He ran towards the place where the clouds seemed to come from. While he was running, his environment changed even more. Cakes were flying upside-down to the sky, bunnies with ridiculously long legs ran through the fields, bison were dancing while wearing tutus.
At this point, Mandrel didn't even care if he'd gone insane or not. His whole world had been gray and prosy, but now, it seemed to be colorful and entertaining. Whenever he thought that he had already seen everything this day could offer him, something completely unexpected just ran around the next corner. It was completely out of place, it was completely unpredictable, it was just perfect!
Mandrel laughed in ecstasy while watching at all these unlikely and impossible things that happened around him and probably happened all around the world. If only he had this power himself, he could've created such a perfect world long ago, he could've left his daily routine before it even started. His life would've never been gray and repetetive, and from this point on, it would never be again.
He continued his travel to the center of chaos, to a point where he felt such an incredibly strong and twisted presence that he almost froze in fear. But then he remembered that this presence was probably the center he was looking for, the one that started these events that turned his life around for the better. He had to thank him. 'Ponyville', he read on a sign that pointed towards the city. As he got closer, he heard a mischievous laugh. He ran towards it. He knew it deep inside – this laughter was the one of his savior. No, not only his savior. The one of his master.
He recognized him as soon as he saw him. It was him, it could only be this creature. Nopony else could be the center of chaos, nopony else could possibly make such beautiful things happen. The head of a pony, the tail of a snake, a lion's paw, a griffon's talon, a goat hoof, and the claw of a saurian. That was him. That had to be him. The one Mandrel could truly call his teacher, his master. But as soon as he noticed him, he also noticed six ponies standing in front of him. Two Unicorns, two Pegasi and even two Earth Ponies.
„What in the world...?“ Mandrel mumbled while looking at this strange scenery. He even recognized one of the ponies: The Unicorn Twilight Sparkle. He saw her only a few times, but out of all the ponies he knew, she was kinda worth being remembered. The master tried to grab the orange Earth Pony, but somehow, Twilight was able to fight him off. She created a small bubble, surrounding herself and her friends, and flew a few meters back. The point where she landed was somehow freed from the master's magic and turned into normal, green grass again.
„What is happening down there...what are you up to, Twilight Sparkle?“
The master seemed to be an immortal, a ancient, almighty god who held the fate of all of Equestria in his paw and talon, and yet, the simple Unicorn Twilight Sparkle was able to stand up to him? How was this possible?
From the next second on, he knew something terrible was going to happen. The second great twist of this day. But this time, it wouldn't be in his favor. Mandrel felt a cold shiver running down his back. This was not good. He didn't knew what was about to happen, but he knew it wasn't good. It was bad. Horribly bad. Another second later, he knew what was happening. His savior, his master, was about to lose.
The six ponies were flying into the air again, not protected by a bubble this time, and yet, it seemed much more dangerous and more of a threat than before. Mandrel could do nothing but to stand there, frozen in terror and fear, while a rainbow-beam of incalculable strength hit his master, who stopped moving seconds later. His skin turned gray, and he fell down without moving. They turned him into stone. Cold, gray stone. Mandrel watched it in disbelief. He was just saved from this boring, repetitive life, from this routine that wouldn't allow any changes, and now, after just a few hours of happiness, they snatched it from him again...?
A few moments later, everything changed back to normal. The grass turned green, the clouds white, and the rain blue. But to Mandrel, everything just looked as gray as his master did. Everything was gray...stripped from any color and life. A single tear was running down his face.
'No...no, this can't be...' he thought to himself while grinding his teeth in anger.
'This can't be...and it won't be. I won't let his happen. I don't allow this to happen!'
He looked at his master. The one who almost brought him a perfect life. An unpredictable life full of surprises, a life without any boredom. But this life wasn't gone yet. He understood it now. The master did not only show him a perfect world, he gifted him with a quick glance into his future.
'I can't just leave my hopes on others', Mandrel thought.
'This dream of a perfect world, of the world I saw today...it will not remain a dream. It will become reality. I will make it an absolute, inescapable reality.'
A mischievous, victorious grin adorned his face.
'This is not over yet. Far from it. This is just the beginning. My beginning. I will be one in a million.'
His body glowed in a bright light, and within this moment of destination, a sign appeared on his flank. It was a cotton candy-cloud from which rained chocolate milk.
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.“