> Equus Mortis: Malevolence
>  by Eskerata
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Maero
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The evil that is in the world almost always comes from ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.” —Albert Camus




Equus Mortis: Malevolence


Chapter One


Maero




The ghost was staring at me through the ice. At least, that’s what the grey pegasus looked like, locked in the frozen river. Within the murky water, the corpse screamed silently. Cloudy eyes half-shut, lips curled back in a toothy rictus. His black mane was spread out like spilled ink. 


I had seen frozen bodies many times before back in Manehattan. As one of the many coroners working in the city, it was inevitable that I would have to deal with corpse-cicles popping up every winter. Some were drunks that stumbled into the bay. Others were suicides or mob hits. 


In my new home of Ponyville, however, it was very unusual to find such things. One of the reasons why I moved to this quiet town was because of the low crime rate. 


Trouble is never too far away from me, it seems. I thought I had left the trauma and drama of the city behind me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The body in the ice was proof of that. 


My morgue assistant Flashbulb was taking pictures of the body. He shivered the snow off of his red body as he snapped away. My white fur and black mane and tail made me look almost as spooky as our icy companion, especially with my pony-skull cutie mark.


“Hey, Equus?” a voice inquired behind me.


I turned to see who spoke. It was Big Mac. He had several ponies behind him, all armed with saws, hammers and chisels.


“Yes?”


“Th’ boys are ready. Ah got some unicorns, too.”


I nodded. “Excellent. Let’s get started.” 


“How’re yer legs doin’?”


“I’m almost done with the therapy, thank goodness.” Four months ago, I had fought my father, Ivory Mortis, whom Nightmare Moon brought back from the dead. One of the first things he did in his new life was kick me in the head and break two of my legs. After I and the rest of the Mane Six sent him and Nightmare Moon back to the moon, I had to be carried out. 


Four months of casts, bedpans and living on a bed. The nurses called the process of getting back on my hooves P.T.. Officially, that stands for Physical Therapy. Unofficially, it’s known as Pain and Torture. The casts were off, but the biting cold made it hard to walk. I felt like an old, brittle mare some days. 


Big Mac smiled. “Glad t’ hear it. So what do yew wanna do here?”


“Well, let’s see.” I walked around the body. He was about two hooves from the surface. I looked at the saws Big Mac’s crew had brought. They were crude, large-toothed tools, more suitable for clearing the woods than cutting ice. 


“Gentlemen,” I said. “I am Equus Mortis. I’ll be examining this body at the local morgue, so you guys have to cut about three hooves all around the body.”


Several of the ponies moaned. 


“I know, I know. Ice is a pain in the neck to cut through any day, but I need to make sure the body doesn’t get any saw-damage from you guys. That, and I don’t want any… bits falling off.”


“Eww!” said one pony, sticking his tongue out. 


I keep forgetting that not everypony in town has a cast-iron stomach like mine. The further they dug into the ice, the uglier the body would look. I felt sorry for them.


“Once the body’s been pulled out, you unicorns will load the body onto the wagon by the river.” 


The ponies started sawing, trying to not look too much at the corpse.


Big Mac waved me over as he walked away from the others. When we were away from prying ears, he lowered his head towards me.


“Can ah ask a favor?” Mac said.


I shrugged. “Sure. What’s up?”


“It’s Applejack. She’s just not herself no more.”


“I had heard she was really depressed.” Why wouldn’t she be? Her lover, Rainbow Dash, was murdered four months ago. I did Dash’s autopsy. I even attended her funeral, on a hospital bed, no less. 


“Depression ah kin deal with. But she’s spendin’ more an’ more time in the graveyard than at home. AJ says she likes you. Mebbe you kin talk to her.”


I almost said that I wasn’t a grief counselor, which is what she really needed. But then I began to hear the desperate tremble in the stallion’s voice. He had just about reached his limit.


“Okay, I’ll have a chat with her. Flashbulb will take over. He’ll show your men where to take the body.”


Big Mac smiled. “Thanks. Ah sure do 'preciate it.”


I nodded and walked towards the graveyard.


While I was healing in the hospital, I would hear about ponies leaving bundles of Forget-me-nots at Rainbow Dash’s grave. Small, five-leaf flowers with petals as blue as the sky. Sometimes white Carnations, symbolizing remembrance, would be placed on her tombstone. 


In the winter, neither of these flowers would be available, of course, but a few mourners placed plastic flowers in the snow. Leaving nothing seemed disrespectful to some, I guess.


As I walked through the cemetery gates, I spotted her at the top of the hill. A tiny brown speck amongst snow-capped trees. 


When I got closer, my ears flicked. Applejack was talking to herself. 


No. She was talking to Rainbow Dash.


I didn’t want to interrupt her at this intimate time, so I kept my distance among the nearby trees.


“Hey, darlin’.” AJ said. “It’s been a while since ah was able to git up here. Can’t help but notice that yer still gettin’ flowers. When spring comes, yer gonna get a big bushel of 'em from me. Ah… ah know you’d like to see that.”


Applejack was brushing the snow off of Dashie’s tombstone with care. “Everywhere ah go, somethin’ or somepony reminds me of you. If ah go to enough places that we’ve been to, it’s almost as if yer still right beside me. Ah guess memories are always at their strongest when yer hurtin’.”


She was right about that. The idea of going back to Manehattan repelled me. Too many streets reminded me of too many bodies in dumpsters and gutters. My father’s corpse, lying in a puddle of his own blood in his apartment, flickered in my mind. I shook that grim memory away. 


“It’s a colder world without yew, sugarcube. Ah wake up to an empty bed. Ah sit next to an empty chair in the kitchen. Some days ah find m’self cryin’ and don’t even know it.” 


My healed legs were protesting again, so I flexed them a few times. A leg joint popped. AJ’s ears swiveled behind her.


“Is that you, Equus?”


I blushed. “Uh…yeah. Listen, I wasn’t snooping or anything…”


She sighed and gestured me over. “It’s all right. Ah could use the company.”


“How did you know it was me?” 


“Only Granny Smith’s bones creak like yers. She came up here with me once, before the snows came. Not no more, though. She hates the cold.”


I sat down next to Applejack. We both read the inscriptions on the tombstone.


Rainbow Dash 

Always In Flight


She sighed. “When ah sit here long enough, it’s like the world’s in a freeze-frame, y’know? There’s just me and her. Nothin’ else.”


“Big Mac sent me here.”


She looked at me, a brow raised. “Seriously? Did he visit you in the morgue or somethin’?


“I…uh…hate to tell you this, but Apple Bloom found a body in the Sweet Apple Acres river.”


Her eyes widened. “What? When did this happen?”


“A few hours ago. Big Mac and a few volunteers are cutting the body out of the river now.”


She shook her head. “Oh, mah poor sister. Bet she needs some company.”


I thought for a moment. “How long have you been out here?”


“Since dawn, ah guess.”


“He’s really worried about you, you know.”


She studied Rainbow’s tombstone again, as if looking for clues. “Uh-huh.”


“I’m worried about you, too. I know Dashie’s death is hard for you, but…”


“You know why she’s dead?”


“Uh… because Nightmare Moon mind-controlled Pinkie Pie and made her kill Dash?”


AJ shook her head, a circle of snow drifted from the brim of her hat. “It’s because ah wasn’t there.” 


I could only stare at her. “What?”


“Ah was supposed to meet Dash in town for dinner. She had been plannin’ a date for us for weeks. Problem is, ah had been workin’ extra hard that day. About an hour before ah was supposed to meet her, ah dozed off in mah bedroom. If ah hadn’t done that… ah…”


She sniffed, wiping away tears. Her eyes were squeezed shut. “Ah shoulda been there!”


I put one arm around her. “There’s no way you could have known what would happen. You can’t…”


“Lovers are supposed t’protect each other! Rainbow Dash meant as much to me as any member of mah family!” She was stamping her hooves, kicking up bursts of snow.


“You can’t torture yourself like this,” I said, rubbing her shoulders.


She glared at me. It was then I noticed her eyes were bloodshot. When was the last time she slept? “Yeah, ah can! My little nap cost me mah girl!” Applejack calmed a little. “Maybe ah deserve to be alone. Ah screwed up…”


AJ looked at the tombstone. “An’ now she’s gone.”


When I lifted my other hoof, she saw what I was doing and beat me to the hug. I could feel her shiver, her tears on my neck.


“Babe, ah’m sorry. Ah’m so sorry.” She whispered.


When she started sobbing, she hugged me even tighter. Those substantial farmer’s muscles made my ribs creak, but I didn’t mind. She had all the grief in the world bottled up and the cork was finally pulled off.


“Death is our life” was my family’s old motto. But death couldn’t stay a part of AJ’s life. Or anyone’s, for that matter. My job as a mortician was to help the living walk away from the graveyard. But how in the world was I going to get Applejack to walk away from her lover’s grave?


When we finally broke off the hug, she sat down in the snow.


“Did you know ah see her in mah dreams?”


“Really?”


She nodded. “Only sometimes it ain’t her. Ah sometimes see that… thing we saw in front of the castle. The one that only looked kinda like Rainbow.”


I try to not think of that ghastly murder-puppet that Nightmare Moon sent out to frighten and demoralize us. The specter sounded like Rainbow Dash (albeit with a glob of phlegm in her throat) and sort of looked like her after her murder.


Skinned head, glistening, bloody nubs where her wings used to be and a hollowed-out gut that she displayed to all of us as if she were showing off a new dress. For the first month of my hospital stay, I had to take sleep-meds in order to keep that ghost from visiting my dreams. 


Clearly, Applejack didn’t have that pharmaceutical luxury.


“Oh, the not-Dash.”


Applejack looked at me quizzically. “Not-Dash? Is that what yew call it? Appro, ah guess.”


The subject of ghosts brought back one of my most private memories, one that I never shared with anyone. When I and the rest of the Mane Six got past the not-Dash, I met my father in Nightmare Moon’s castle. When Dad kicked me in the head, I almost died. 


Rainbow Dash met me in the outskirts of the afterlife, however. Before she sent me back to the living, she asked me to not tell the rest of the Mane Six that I talked to her. They needed to move on, she reasoned.


After four months, telling Applejack about Dash running interference for me might make things worse. AJ would ask me why I didn’t tell her this ages ago. What would I say to that?


“There’s somethin’ ah’v been meanin’ to ask you, Equus.”


“What’s that?”


“Since we’re talkin’ about the best pony, ah was thinkin’ of somethin’ ah heard after yer daddy popped you in the head.”


“O-kay. And that would be?”


“Yew mentioned Rainbow Dash’s name. And that yew had to… what was it… to tell her something?”


The muscles in my neck clamped as I tried to not swallow, making myself look guilty. Oh, crud. How much, of what was supposed to be the most private conversation anyone could ever have, was heard?


Think fast, Equus. But not too fast. Applejack could sniff out a lie faster than any cop I ever knew. Remember to look her in the eyes when you tell her… anything but the truth.


“I almost died, Applejack. Should have been dead, in fact. Ten percent of my… er… clientele consists of fatal head injuries. I must have had my brains scrambled. It had to have been just crazy talk.”


I blinked. 


She blinked. 


And then looked away. “All right. If you say so.”


I felt like a dirt-clod for lying to her, regardless of the reason.


The snow began to fall even harder now. She shivered, her teeth rattling. AJ got up and placed a hoof on the tombstone. “Ah’ll see you later, babe.”


We walked out of the graveyard. But only she would be returning.


I don’t visit the graves of anyone anymore. My father’s grave is a distant country, much like my memories of him. I used to love him, or at least respect him. But then he sacrificed himself to Nightmare Moon, leaving me alone. Then, when the dark goddess of the night returned him to Equestria, he tried to kill me.


After he was banished to the moon, I would sometimes look at the now-furious Mare in the moon and wonder if he could see me staring back at him.


I chose to fight my father, to avenge Rainbow Dash’s murder. He chose to fight for a monster who promised to bring my mother back from the grave. He fought for the past. I fought for the future. 


We are not defined by what we choose to leave behind, but by what we choose to keep.


As we walked in silence, I could tell that Applejack was returning to that awful night her lover was killed. She chose to keep those memories close to her, to punish herself for a crime she  didn’t commit. 


And I didn’t know how to snap her out of it. 


We parted ways soon afterward. I had to get to the morgue, and she had to go home. She didn’t say goodbye. All of her goodbyes were used up at Dash’s grave. I left AJ alone in her grey misery and I went to go examine another dead pony. Death was on both our minds.



*    *    *




Some ponies believe that you can just leave a frozen body in living room temperatures to thaw like a tub of ice cream. Well, no. My latest case had to be dealt with in a very specific way. The pegasus that Big Mac and company delivered was placed in a refrigeration unit recently installed in the morgue.


The body was stored in a constant thirty-eight degrees. It would take about a week for the body to thaw. If the thawing process is done too quickly, the outside of the corpse will start to decompose while the innards are still frozen. Any evidence the body might be hiding will be destroyed. 


Six days later, Flashbulb and I hauled the now-thawed pegasus out of the fridge. I noticed the grey pony had a flask with a lightning bolt for a cutie mark. He might have been a scientist. 


When Flashy took X-rays of the body, we found something lodged in the back of the pony’s brain. It looked a bit like an arrow-head. That alone made this a homicide investigation. There was a solid mass of foreign material in his stomach. Since the X-rays couldn’t penetrate it, I had to assume it wasn’t food. Did this guy swallow a lead ball?


After taking his hoof-prints for the records, we hauled him up onto the autopsy table. We turned him over onto his back. After putting on our masks and gloves, I turned on the tape recorder. After giving the time, date and our names, we got started.


“Subject name: Unknown. Sex: Male. Age: unknown, presumed to be middle-aged due to bodily features. Marital status: unknown. Race: Pegasus.”


Was it just me, or were pegasi dying a lot more often on my watch?


“Fur color: Grey. Wing and feather color: Grey. Cutie Mark is that of a triangular flask with a lightning bolt in it. Mane and tail color: Black. Weight: One hundred twenty pounds. Height: Five feet.”


Flashy took a few more pictures. 


“Occupation: Unknown, cutie mark signifying possible scientific occupation. External examination: subject was discovered frozen solid in river ice. Currently body is thawed, but time of death remains undetermined. Bloating of the body suggests subject had been submerged for a week or more.”


I studied round bite-marks around his hooves. Did fish nibble on him? There were carnivorous fish in the Equestrian Ocean that could make these kinds of wounds. It would take about a week for him to float from the ocean to Sweet Apple Acre river, however. 


“X-rays indicate a foreign object in the subject’s brain,” I said as I propped up the pegasus’s head with a large block of wood. 


I picked up a scalpel and cut a line behind one ear, around the forehead to the other ear. I divided the incision over the top and peeled the skin away from the skull. The front flap drooped over the pegasus’s face; the rear flap went over his neck. His skull was now exposed. 


A small electric saw was used to cut a groove around the skull. I carefully pried the skull cap off with a small tile chisel. It may seem odd to some that I was using house-building tools for this, but medical examiners are often forced to work on a budget. 


After severing the spinal cord, I pulled the dull grey brain from the skull. I carefully sliced around the brain’s wound. Prying apart the wrinkled hemispheres revealed a shiny aluminum arrow-head. Some of the arrow’s wood remained in splinters. 


“An inch-long arrow-head was fired into the rear of the subject’s skull. Water damage to the arrow’s wood suggest that the arrow had broken off in the water.” 


Why would anyone shoot this pony and not retrieve the body? Well, my line of work largely consisted of bodies made from crimes of passion. Everypony imagines winning any fight they get into, but no one ponders how long it takes to hide the corpse they made. Much of the time, the body is simply left to rot where it fell.


The wooden block that propped up the head was placed under the body to make the next procedure easier to do. After cutting a large Y-shaped incision that went from the shoulders to the pubic bone, I peeled back the pegasus’s skin. I then grabbed a large pair of pruning shears and cut through the ribs.


I said, “Internal examination: organs are intact with no visible damage.”


The last time I examined a pegasus in Ponyville, it was Rainbow Dash. Her internal organs were yanked out by her killer. This time, I had to do the removal. Once the larynx, esophagus, arteries and ligaments were severed, the organs were trimmed away from the spinal cord and the other organs. After that, it was a simple matter to remove all of the organs at once. 


This part of the autopsy always reminded me of those “invisible ponies” fillies get when their parents want them to play with something educational that’s not too disgusting. The plastic organs always end up everywhere except back in the clear plastic body. 


“Examining stomach contents.” 


I carefully trimmed along the stomach’s side, wary of the gas that had built up from weeks of internal decaying. 


What had spilled out stunned me.


After Flashy snapped a picture of what was oozing out like putty, he asked, “Equus, that’s not stomach acid, is it?”


“Nope.” I grabbed a nearby sample jar and filled it up with the stomach’s contents.


“That’s definitely not river or sea water either.”


“I think that’s a safe conclusion,” I replied as I screwed the jar’s cap on.


“Why does that stuff look like liquid rainbow?”


I held the bizarre fluid up to the ceiling lights. It almost seemed to glow. Like magic.


“I have no idea.” I smiled. “But I know someone who might.”

I turned to my assistant. “Twilight Sparkle. I think we need to bring her down here.”

> Magus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Two


Magus




Twilight Sparkle had never been in my morgue before. As she pulled off her snow-capped shawl with her magic and stuffed it into her saddlebag, she looked at everything with wide, clear eyes. She studied everything, even the mundane details. The cutting tools, the freezers, the protective gear. All of it. 


I knew that she was the queen of the book-worms, having the great fortune of living in a library. Her boundless curiosity was a pleasure to watch. I have had to deal with reporters who got green-cheeked just looking at the equipment I used to cut open a body with. Twilight was a pleasant change of pace.


“I’m glad you were able to come on such short notice,” I said. “I hope that what I’m going to show you won’t gross you out too badly.”


She shook her head with a smile as she replied, “Oh, that’s not a problem. I’m always interested in what makes ponies tick.”


“This is my assistant, Flashbulb.”


“Hello,” he said cheerfully. Flashy cocked his head at her as he asked me, “So this your team leader, eh?”


Twilight chuckled. “Yes, I coordinate the Mane Six. Oh, I almost forgot to ask: how are your legs doing, Equus?”


“They are still a little sore, but at least I can wave the bed-pans goodbye.”


Wincing sympathetically, she replied, “Eeesh, I can’t imagine being in a hospital bed that long. I’m glad to see you back on your hooves.”


“Thanks. Well, shall we pay our friend a visit?”


“Oh, yes. Do I have to wear a mask or anything?”


Flashy pulled out the pegasus’s body-drawer. “Oh, that’s not necessary. He’s not that messy.”


When Twilight walked towards the body, her eyes bulged. Oh, crud, was she going to get sick? 


She approached the pegasus slowly, as if afraid to wake him. “Oh, this is awful.”


“Well, he was shot in the head with an arrow,” I replied. “That’s an ugly way to die.” 


“What? No, that’s not it. I know this pony.”


I double-taked. “Huh? Who is he?”


“He’s a famous scientist. Bunsen Flask, I believe. I was at one of his lectures a few years ago. He had some pretty fantastic ideas about quantum metaphysics. Bunsen felt there were other realities that could be explored. He even had a theory that Discord was from another reality.”


“Discord?” Flashbulb asked. “You mean that freaky-looking… what do you call him… Draconequus? Wasn’t his stone body stolen from Princess Celestia’s garden last month?” 


“Yes,” replied Twilight. “I’ve been trying to figure out why anyone would want to abduct Discord. The only things that could break him out of his stone prison are the Elements of Harmony. They are still locked up tight in Princess Celestia’s vault,” replied Twilight. “I think Flask might have been onto something.”


She looked at the body with sympathy. “I can’t understand why anyone would want to murder him, though. Equus, you said you found something in his belly?”


I held up the sample jar that was filled with liquid rainbow. “About three cups of this stuff.”


She stared at it, as if it were singing a glorious sonnet to her. Her eyes dilated, then returned to normal. Finally, she said, “That stuff feels weird to me.”


“What do you mean?” I asked.


“I’m sorry, I forget that you’re an earth pony. Unicorns are more highly attuned to the magical auras of the world than the other pony races. I know this is going to sound very strange, but this stuff feels… alive.”


“Alive? Is it like blood?”


Twilight shook her head. “I don’t mean alive in a purely organic sense.” She sighed. “It’s like trying to describe the color red to someone who’s been blind from birth. This liquid has a strong aura. A glow, if you will. Like in you or me.”


“What confuses me is why Bunsen Flask felt the need to drink this and then take off for parts unknown,” I said.


“That’s a mystery, isn’t it?” Twilight mused as she rubbed her chin. “Maybe he drank it to provide evidence for someone. That would mean that this liquid rainbow is an illegal substance.”


I looked at the colors slide past each other in the jar. “I realize that the pegasi in Cloudsdale make Equestria’s weather, but rainbows occur naturally by refraction through water droplets, right?”


She nodded. “Exactly.”


I continued. “Well, if water-refraction couldn’t form rainbows, then light itself couldn’t work. If that were the case, we’d be bumping around in the dark all the time. So why would anyone make liquid rainbows?”


Twilight said, “An even better question would be, why would anyone be murdered because of this stuff?”


She looked at the body again, her brow wrinkling. “Listen, can I take this sample back to my lab? Maybe if I can figure out what it’s made of, we can get some answers.”


“I was hoping you’d say that. Go on, take it.” 


“Thanks.” She looked down, frowning for a moment. “Equus? Where did you find his body?”


“He was discovered frozen in the Sweet Apple Acres river. Why?”


“Bunsen Flask lived in Manehattan. That’s almost a hundred miles away. How did his body get from there to a Ponyville river?”


“Well, there’s evidence that he’d been in the water for nearly a week before the hard freeze hit. Maybe he was killed in the ocean and was pulled by the currents here.”


“If someone put in the effort to assassinate him, why didn’t they retrieve his body?” Twilight asked.


I shrugged. “Well, this fluid is pretty heavy. He was found a few hooves under the ice. Maybe he dropped below the water’s surface and couldn’t be spotted.”


“I suppose. I guess it doesn’t matter.”


She levitated the sample jar into her saddle-bag. 


Her ears flattened as she looked at Bunsen Flask. “Why would anyone kill you?” she asked quietly to herself. She bit her lower lip as she looked away. 


She nodded to me and Flashy politely and left quickly.


“Flashy, could you get those files on the guards that were killed when Discord was stolen?”


“Sure, Morty. Why?”


“I’m working on a hunch. Those guards were also shot in the head with arrows.”


Flashbulb grinned. “Ah. Gotcha.”


The next morning, I was walking to work when Twilight’s assistant Spike stopped me. He was rooting around in his satchel.


“Hey, Morty,” the little dragon said. How did a supposedly cold-blooded being like him handle the snow? My question was answered when he pulled a thermos from his satchel, popped open the lid and chugged steaming-hot coffee. 


“Oh, hello, Spike. How’s Twilight treating you?”


He rolled his slitted eyes with a weary groan. “Little Miss Starbutt’s being nutty as a pecan sandy again. I don’t know what you gave her yesterday, but it’s made her really loopy.”


“What do you mean? I gave her a sample of something we…” I caught myself in time, recalling that Spike was a child. I tried to not discuss my job around his impressionable ears. 


“Look. I don’t care where you got that weird-looking goop. I’ve just been told to bring you to her lab. Twi’s got some kind of breakthrough she wants to tell you about.”


“That’s fine. I have some news for her, too,” I replied as I walked with him to Twilight’s tree-house library. 


Spike shot me a worried glance. “Please don’t tell Twi that I called her Starbutt.” 


“My lips are zipped.”


He breathed a relieved sigh. “How’re your legs doing?”


“Fine. Just fine.”


“Good. You’ll need to be fast on your hooves to keep up with her.”


When we got to the library, I could hear thumping inside and giggling. When we walked inside, Spike said “Welcome to the madhouse." He then went to the kitchen. Probably for shelter. 

I fell in love with this place when I first moved to Ponyville. Book-collecting was one of my hobbies, so Twilight and I hit it off fairly quickly. Twilight had one of the sharpest, most analytical minds I had ever witnessed. There never seemed to be a book out of place. Spike undoubtedly helped keep this place in full working order, but Twilight was the main driving force in the library.


Which is why it was disturbing to see a large pile of books in the middle of the floor. 


“I am the queen of everything,” sang Twilight from the other side of the book-pile, “and so I dance. And so I sing.” 


“Uhh… Twilight?”


Her head popped around the edge of the pile. The unicorn’s hair was frizzed out and her pupils were pinpoints. The last time I saw a smile that big and toothy was when Pinkie Pie hosted a birthday party for some wall-eyed pegasus. 


“Oooh, good! You’re here!” She boinged over a few history books and landed in front of me. 


“Uhm… yes. I am here,” I replied nervously. “Where are you?” Downtown loony-land, from the looks of things. 


“I know I must look like a mess, but I’ve been up all night doing research…”


“And keeping me up since yesterday!” hollered Spike from the kitchen.


“But I might not have discovered anything if it wasn’t for a mistake I did. It’s weird how many times a little clumsiness can lead to great things. It’s just like when penicillin was discovered because a petri dish wasn’t cleaned soon enough. Isn’t that funny?”


“Perhaps if you told me what you did, I might find a reason to laugh.”


Her ears shot up like an alerted rabbit. “Oh! Oh, yes. Well, I was going over some medical history books, trying to see if there were any references to liquid rainbows. Funny thing is, I had opened the sample jar and placed it next to my tea cup. I like to use my magic to handle donuts while reading. I thought I had dunked my donut in the tea…”


I groaned. 


“But I soaked my reading-donut in the sample jar instead! When I took a bite, I thought that I had soaked my snack in hot sauce, because that stuff burned my tongue.”


“You probably tasted Bunsen Flask’s stomach acids.”


She winced, but shook off the nausea in a blink. “Don’t ruin the experience for me. Anyway, after I realized my mistake, I put the lid on the jar. It was then that my eyesight changed. I began to see the magic in everything!”


“Uh, Twilight? Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”


Spike walked over to me, fresh cup of coffee in his hands, and said, “I asked her that I don’t know how many times.”


“Five, Spike. The answer was ‘no’ all five times. Oh, Equus, I am so glad you’re here to see this. I have officially named this mystery substance… Spectrum!” She waved her hooves over her head, as if she were announcing her marriage. “Nice, huh? It has to be some kind of medical breakthrough.”


I asked, “Twilight? You said that you could see the magic in everything. I thought you could do that already. Your cutie mark signifies magic, after all.”


“Yes, yes, I know that. But did you know that if I stare at you long enough, I can see the earth-magic your race possesses run through your body like water in a stream? I don’t think even Celestia can do that.”


“What a frightening thought,” I replied. In the future, I thought to myself, I’m going to get my own chemical-analysis lab in the morgue. At least any accidental ingestions can be handled in the hospital above my workplace.


Twilight began to canter cheerfully around me. “This Spectrum is liquid magic! I have no idea yet as to how it is made, but I bet it could make your aching leg-bones feel better.”


I rolled my eyes. “You are assuming an awful lot. My legs aren’t hurting me.” Much, I mentally added.


She stared at my legs as if they were about to explode. “Really? I can see the healed sections of your leg bones. Your right front leg hurts worse than the rear left one, I bet.”


“What?”


“Sometimes leg-bones don’t set exactly right. The resulting nerve damage can make a walk on a warm spring day tedious. It can’t be easy walking around in all that ice and snow out there.”


Sighing, I replied, “All right. Yes, they do hurt a bit, but I’m not going to drink any of that stuff to test your theory.” 


She lowered her head and pouted a little. I hated to hurt her feelings like this, but she needed to come back to Equestria sooner or later. 


“Oh. Okay. I… I’m sorry.” Her pupils were returning to their original size. She yawned and shook her head. “How long have I been up, Spike?”


“Finally, she asks me,” the dragon muttered into his now-empty coffee cup. In a louder voice, he said, “Since yesterday morning.” 


“Wait a minute,” I said. “Just one accidental dose of that liquid rainbow made you stay up all night?” 


She pawed the floor, not looking at me. “Uh… it was… two doses, actually. I began to wobble around four in the morning, so I took a tiny little sip.”


“Oh, brother. Twilight, that’s incredibly dangerous. You don’t know what’s in that stuff, do you? Apart from liquid magic?”


“No. I put that fluid through every analyzer in my lab. You know as much as I do now.”


I nodded. “I’m beginning to see why Bunsen Flask wanted to show this fluid off to someone. It can’t possibly be legal. Look what a small amount did to you. Imagine if this was sold as a drug in Manehattan.”


Bags formed under Twilight’s eyes as she lied down, slumped against the pile of books. She blinked away her drowsiness as she looked around at the embarrassing mess she made. “We have to get to Manehattan. Bunsen Flask would never willingly be involved with narcotics. Maybe we can find clues from his journals or his associates.”


“You need to get some serious sleep before you go anywhere, Twilight,” said Spike. “Look at yourself. You can’t even get up, can you?”


She struggled to rise. Her knees began to buckle as she yawned. She dropped with a thud against the book-pile.


“Look, I found out that Bunsen Flask and those guards that guarded Discord’s statue were killed by identical arrows. They’re hunting arrows, often used by griffins during big-game hunts.”


Her head began to wobble like a rag doll. “That’s… really weird, Equus. Are you suggesting that Discord’s abduction and Flask’s assassination are related somehow?”


“Well, stranger things have happened.”  


“If Discord is involved in this mess, we had better go talk to Princess Celestia about all this.” She shook away her drowsiness. “She and Luna defeated Discord over a thousand years ago, after all. Celestia might have some insight that would help us.”


“That will have to wait until you at least take a nap,” I said. “I need you wide awake for this.”


I walked over to a nearby table where the sample jar was. “I’m taking this with me, too.”


Half-expecting bargaining from Twilight, I turned to look at her. She was already dozing.


Spike said, “Let me get you a bag for that, Morty.”


“Thanks.”


“No, thank YOU for getting that stuff out of here. I swear, I haven’t seen her this wound up since she ate a dozen of Pinkie Pie’s cupcakes. I always wondered what Pinkie put in those things.”


I nodded politely. Ponies around town didn’t like to talk about Pinkie very much. Most of the populace believed the official story that stated she was mind-controlled by Nightmare Moon when she tortured and killed Rainbow Dash. Others, however, vowed to kill Pinkie on sight if she ever came back to Ponyville. 


Looking at the slumbering unicorn, I wondered how the town would react to seeing Twilight acting as loopy as Pinkie when she was still kite-high on Spectrum. How many shocks can a small town take?


As I walked back to the morgue, I began to think about Discord’s possible connection with the liquid magic. 


According to the forbidden knowledge that my family’s history book contained, Discord’s designs were not borne of mere malevolence. My dad only briefly touched on the subject when he was raising me, but he hinted that Discord originally had nothing to fear from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. 


Luna became Nightmare Moon for a reason, however. 

It was time to do some research. Unofficial research.

> Malum
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Three


Malum




A thousand years ago, there was a war between Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia. Officially, Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon when she grew jealous of the attention and praise her sister got. No one appreciates the night, after all. 


When the war ended with Nightmare Moon being sent to the moon and Celestia being the triumphant hero, she made certain that only her side of the war was well-documented. Any records of what Nightmare Moon did was either destroyed or altered. History belongs to the victors, after all.


After I helped the Mane Six exile Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia let me keep my family history book as a gesture of trust. This ancient book, bound in thousand-year old leather, contained forbidden knowledge. Only my family, of which I am the single surviving member, knew of the ways our once-worshiped goddess of the night gained power during the war. 


Nightmare Moon wanted Equestria to be a land of eternal night where the dead never leave. Everyone is equal when they are dead, my father once told me. 


In order for her to gain enough magic to win the war, ponies from all three races had to be tortured to death in specific ways to ensure the most amount of pain and bloodshed was bestowed upon our goddess. 


“It may seem horrible to some that so many ponies had to die in those seemingly sadistic ways,” my dad once told me. “But it was love that drove Nightmare Moon’s ambitions.”


“Love? Do you mean the love she felt for her followers?”


Ivory chuckled at my naive question. He pulled out the family book and flipped through the worn pages. “No, little Equus. It was for a love that burned even brighter. Even all-powerful beings can become smitten. Just look at this passage from the scripture of Quietus Mortis.”


I marveled at the elegant old-world cursive writing and began to read. 


“The multi-beasted one doth bestow upon our goddess of the night limitless pleasures. He whispers in her ears secrets that none but her shall know. He is not of our world, but he is a part of hers.”


There was a wood-carving under the passage. Nightmare moon was hugging what looked like a huge horned snake with mismatched animal legs and horns. Even with the clumsy art-style and awkward perspective, it was obvious that Nightmare Moon was rubbing uglies with Discord. 


This book was (supposedly) the one remaining copy of the Mortis family history book. Princess Celestia had all the other copies destroyed to keep their secrets from corrupting future generations. She had to have known about Nightmare Moon’s affair with…


Wait a minute. Nightmare Moon wasn’t wearing her armor. The kludgy art was difficult to squint at, but it seemed like her pupils were round, as if she were still Princess Luna. How long did they know each other?


That’s one of many details that were scrubbed clean from Equestria's history, my dad explained. “Long before she ascended into beauty, she was in love with the creature now known as Discord. That was a name Celestia gave him after he was turned into stone. His true name is lost to history, for not even Nightmare Moon told her followers.”


“Why not?” I asked.


“Once you know someone’s true name, you begin to control them. Only our goddess was granted that liberty. Nightmare Moon still loved Discord even after his imprisonment. Her love caused her to rebel against her sister. That’s what love can do, my son. It can change history.”


“But Nightmare Moon needed the Elements of Harmony to get him turned back to normal, right?”


Ivory smiled at me. It was rare to get one of those from him. Most of the time, he just looked past me as if I were a ghost. 


“Exactly. That’s not found in any history book, Equus. Not any official ones, anyway.”


“Why keep that a secret?”


He shrugged. “Fear, I suppose. Fear that someone might still revive Discord. One truth that is in the official history books is that Discord severely damaged the fabric of reality in Equestria. Have you ever wondered why Celestia and Luna didn’t send Discord to the moon?”


“I… never thought of that. Well, I suppose Discord would simply fly back here and wreak havoc again.”


“Not exactly. According to the writings of Macero Mortis, Celestia wanted Discord silenced so that she could reunite with her sister. He would eventually come back from the moon, so the statue option was used. The goddess of the sun was jealous of Luna’s happiness, you see.”


I raised a brow. “Jealous?”


“Oh, yes. All of reality was twisted and warped like warm clay, for that was Discord’s way of making Luna happy. He was a peculiar creature, but his heart was in the right place. He made towns float and pigs fly. Chocolate milk rained from the sky along with countless other wonders because he wanted to impress her.”


“And Celestia wanted everything back to the way things were before he showed up.”


Dad smiled. “Just like any other despot you care to name, Princess Celestia, the oh-so-sacred goddess of the sun, has always wanted everything her way. She never cared for her sister’s happiness. Once Luna realized that harsh truth, she began to rebel.”


“Didn’t both Celestia and Luna use the Elements on Discord?”


“Another lie, designed to make her sister look like a tragic figure, fallen from grace because of temptations from a ‘diabolical otherworldly monster.’”


He snorted in contempt. “Quite a bit of history reads like some tacky pony-dreadful magazine, doesn’t it, son? Celestia changed Discord into a statue after making sure that her sister was asleep. Once our goddess found out about Celestia’s betrayal, the war officially began.” 


“I bet Celestia felt as lonely as her sister after she was exiled to the moon.”


“Small consolation for our goddess. Especially since Celestia had to share her power with the other pony races, something she loathed to do. Tyrants do not willingly give up their power, after all.”


“I was never told that the Princess controlled the weather.”


Ivory frowned impatiently. “I’m telling you Equestria’s unofficial history, remember?” 


“So the pegasi city of Cloudsdale was able to exist only because Celestia couldn't fix the weather damage Discord left behind.”


“Not without her sister’s help, no. Typical shortsightedness of a selfish ruler.”


“The earth ponies help keep the soil healthy and help make the seasons change. I was told they could always do that.”


He gave me a knowing smile. “Are you beginning to see why I and others don’t hold Celestia in as high a regard as millions of other ponies?”


“Haven’t unicorns always been magic users?”


“True, but Celestia needed a race that could harness the loose, wayward magic for daily use. Otherwise it would coalesce and possibly wreak havoc.”  


I don’t know why I held onto this memory of our talk so close to my heart. Maybe it was because talking about history was one of the few times I could get my father excited enough to talk to me. He seemed much happier when I was a child.



*    *    *



When I was recovering in the hospital after our fight in the castle, I tried to not even think of my dad. Between walking in on his self-sacrificed corpse in his apartment and later breaking his neck after he smashed two of my legs, Ivory Mortis was somepony I tried to push as far away from my thoughts as possible, especially since the next four months of recovery were demoral-izing, boring and painful, thanks to him.


But I couldn’t help but wonder…


Did Ivory always have the will to kill me? He wrote a lot in his journals, which were still in his Manehattan apartment. Well, legally speaking, my Manehattan apartment, since I was his sole heir.


Perhaps reading his private memoirs would help me figure out where my father went wrong, if he was ever right in the head to begin with. 


Maybe then I’d finally understand why he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) walk away from the graveyard and remarry. In that one small way we were both alike. The past holds comfort. Even pain has a familiarity that can comfort.


There’s an old saying which claimed that any action done out of love goes beyond good or evil. 


What my father did in order to bring his beloved wife back from the dead resulted in his ritualized suicide, Rainbow Dash’s murder, Pinkie Pie’s imprisonment and two of my legs getting broken. 


What Nightmare Moon did in order to get her beloved Discord back from his statue-state ensured her exile, and the world never being the same again. 


It’s frightening how much evil is committed in the name of love. I have lost count as to how many ponies I have examined and then buried that were murdered in a lover’s rage. 


Or in a fit of jealousy. 


I never imagined Princess Celestia, the most powerful being in the world, being jealous of anypony. Even her sister. Even while contemplating my family’s bias towards Nightmare Moon, I had to wonder if Celestia had the right to turn Discord into stone, even considering the damage he caused. 


Maybe that was the problem. When someone says “I have no choice,” that can rationalize any number of catastrophic decisions. 


I flipped through the family book’s pages until I found the scripture of Macero Mortis.


“One of the many delights the many-beasted one procured, apart from the carnal, was a drink that no wine or milk could compare to. This miraculous beverage, which flowed with all the colors of nature, brought vim and vigor to all who consumed it. Luna and Celestia were unable to resist the stranger’s licentious attentions once they drank his concoction.”


I tried to shake those images out and kept reading. 


“This would lead to his downfall, however, as the fluid made Celestia’s magic and her jealousy burn like the sun she commands. Once he was made as stone, the secret behind the drink was lost forever. This loss only helped drive the chasm between the two sisters ever wider, for once this miraculous liquid is consumed, one can never escape its insidious grip. The yearning for the colorful liquor can drive one to maddening distraction.”


Now I was imagining Celestia and Luna being crashed out of their eternal minds on this stuff. Nightmare Moon was only slightly less terrifying. 


I had a feeling that the princess would be less than thrilled to be reminded of those dark days of addiction, but I had to report this to her. 


Someone stole Discord’s statue for a reason. Someone was making Discord’s addictive liquor again for a reason. A scientist with a gut-full of that drink was murdered for a reason. 


If someone out there already knew how to make Discord’s formula, why did they even need him? It’s not as if they could just pour it down his open mouth and…


Oh, no.

Revive him.

> Metus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Four



Metus



Twilight Sparkle had an ice bag on her head and bloodshot eyes. Her hooves and brow twitched as she nursed her hot cup of tea. She took her time reading my family book, struggling to regain control of her old reading disciplines.



Spike was dozing in his bed. Since he had cleared out the pile of books from the center of the library by himself while his master slept, he had earned the rest.



“Wow,” she said in a scratchy voice. “It’s hard to imagine Celestia and Luna being as loopy as I was yesterday. I only had a few sips of Spectrum, but they must have had gallons of the stuff.”



“Are you sure you’re ready to see Celestia today? You still look a little wobbly.”



She frowned, but not at me. “I lost control of myself. It was stupid of me to have accidentally drunk that stuff and twice as stupid to deliberately drink it again.”



“It’s easy to see why you did that, though. You told me yesterday that you could see my earth-pony magic flow through me. That had to have been addictive.”



“That’s what Spectrum does. It makes you more of what you are. Unfortunately, it enhances everything, even the not-so-good parts of you. As you may have already guessed, I can be pretty… manic. Not even cute-adorkable-manic.”



We both snickered at that term.



“I have to get back on my hooves and do my job, however. This book will help convince Celestia that we need to get to Manehattan as soon as possible. If Bunsen Flask knew anything about this formula, or even somehow made it, he was involved in pretty serious business.”



“Such as reviving Discord.”



Twilight shivered and sipped her tea. “Yeah, that ended in tears. She never told me that Discord slept with Luna. Every politician has their secrets, I guess. The only difference is that Celestia’s are older than any pony alive. This makes putting Discord’s statue in her garden seem weird, though.”


I shrugged. “Perhaps she regrets what she did, especially since turning Discord into stone made Luna become Nightmare Moon. Losing your sister that way can mess with your head. Regrets help you remember your faults. It’s possibly why she had Discord’s statue on display.”



“Huh. You might want to keep that searing insight to yourself.” She yawned. “As soon as Spike wakes up, I’ll have him send off a request for two sky-chariots. Can you gather up the Mane Six and have them meet out front at one o’clock?”



“Not a problem.”



As I left the library, I could hear Twilight moan as she sipped her tea. She was taking her withdrawal from that liquid rainbow fairly well, all things considered.





*  *  *



A few hours later, every Element bearer was present at the library.



I was wearing my grey parka and scarf. The Spectrum sample and my Element of Loyalty were in my saddle-bag.



Fluttershy was showing off her trained hawks to me. When I told her we were all going to Manehattan on what was essentially a hunting expedition, she figured bringing trained predators that report to her alone might speed up the search. Who was I to argue?



Rarity was wearing her battle armor that looked like a thick white leather jumpsuit. Upon closer examination, you could see the segmented plates in the back and sides. She didn’t have suits for the rest of us as her outfit was experimental, she explained.



Applejack sat alone under a tree. I wondered if she slept more than a few hours a night, because she looked about as lively as a clump of mud.



Spike had his Element of Laughter remolded into a set of brass knuckles for his right hand. Combined with the black pants and jacket he thought made him look tough, he looked like a circus bouncer.



Rarity looked at Spike with a raised brow. “Spikey, are you sure that’s a good look for you? I’m not sure if those clothes will help you stay limber in combat.”



“Oh, I’ve been training. I’ll be fine.”



“Training?” I asked. “In what?”



“Twilight’s got a bunch of books on self-defense. I got a few moves down pretty well. You notice that my Element’s been reshaped? Twilight taught me a way to control its magic so that every punch I give is as strong as a griffin’s."



He walked over to a boulder that was as big as him on the side of the road, hauled back and punched it. With a ear-flattening bang, the rock shattered as if smashed with a sledgehammer. Spike chuckled at the carnage and skipped over the rubble with a grin.



“I’ve also been practicing on my fire-breathing. Watch this!”



Spike looked up between two trees, pursed his lips as if readying for a kiss and spit out an incandescent wad of green flame thirty feet into the air. It arced down and burnt out with a sizzle in a snow-bank.



Even Applejack was impressed, in spite of her somber mood. “That’s amazin’ Spike! Good shootin’, too.”



He held up a finger. “You’ll love this.” He hissed out a thin stream of green flame, leaving a streak of fire on the ground.



Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she said “Oh, my. I didn’t know dragons could even do that.”



“One more,” said the dragon as he took in a deep breath. As he held it in, he wheezed, “This one is called Spray and Pray.”



Twilight appeared at the library doorway and said “Spike! Don’t waste your fire on demonstrations.” She adjusted the strap on her saddlebag. “It takes a while for you to charge up, remember?”



Spike struggled to carefully exhale through gritted teeth. When he was able to regain his breath, he looked at Twilight and grumbled, “It doesn’t take that long to recharge, Twilight.”



When he walked past me, he noticed his Element was glowing. “Hey, what gives?” he asked as the balloon-shaped gem began to flare.



Acting on a hunch, I pulled out the jar of Spectrum. When the jar and the jewel touched, it lit up like the sun.



Spike yelped in surprise and leapt away from me. The Element dimmed to its old self quickly.



“What was that all about?” he asked, staring at the jewel.



I put the jar on the ground. “Well, I might as well tell you. This is what was found in a murder victim’s stomach. It’s liquid magic. Possibly the same stuff that Discord used to drink. Or maybe is still drinking.”



Spike winced. “You mean Twilight drank another pony’s stomach-fluids? Ew!”



Applejack said, “Are you sayin’ Discord’s stompin’ around again?”



Rarity shook her head. “Doubtful, darling. If he was turned back to flesh, Ponyville would have been ripped apart. Just like what he did a thousand years ago.”



Twilight lifted the Spectrum sample up with her magic so everyone could get a good look.



“That’s right, Rarity. But we can’t be sure when he’ll be back. Somepony stole Discord, and the best lead we have is in Manehattan. If we can find out where this formula is being made, we’re bound to find Discord.”



“Who would be nuts enough to try to do that?” asked Spike. “How could they control him?”



Twilight shrugged. “Hopefully we can get Discord back before that happens.”



“Manehattan’s a huge city, Twilight,” said Fluttershy. “It’s bound to take more than a day to find him, even with my hunting hawks. Where will we be staying?”



I chimed in. “My apartment. It’s paid for, so the landlord can’t grumble about visitors.”



Twilight looked at me curiously. “Isn’t that where your father… um...”



I nodded. “Yes. It’s all right. The apartment’s been cleaned. Besides, I have some private stuff to do there, anyway.”



She handed the sample jar back to me and shrugged. “All right. If you’re sure.”



Two sky-chariots from the castle had landed nearby. As we gathered up our belongings, I noticed that Applejack hadn’t brought anything with her. Not even a shirt. Manehattan gets chin-deep snow this time of year, so I sidled up to her and pulled my scarf off.



“Here,” I said through a mouth full of cotton wool. “Take thiff.”



It took a moment for her to even look at me. She finally pulled the scarf out of my mouth and wrapped it around her neck.



“Thanks,” she said, looking at the ground again as we boarded a sky-chariot.



Twilight was on the other side of Applejack as we lifted off. She regarded the bags around AJ’s eyes with concern.



“How are you holding up, Applejack?” she asked.



AJ gave a polite smile. “Fine. Ah’m...doin’ okay, ah guess.”



Twilight sighed. “We both know that’s not true.” She put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “I miss Rainbow Dash, too. Every day.”





“Yeah? How often do you visit her grave, huh?” A moment later, Applejack shook her head. “Ah’m sorry. Didn’t mean that.”



I said, “I know some grief counselors. Good people. They can help you.”



“Don’t need 'em.”



Twilight frowned. “Applejack, you are the most stubborn pony I know. But you are also the most honest one I know. How honest are you being with yourself? Maybe Equus has the right idea.”



Applejack stomped a hoof on the metal floor with a loud clang. “Will you both lay off! Dang it! Maybe gettin’ outta Ponyville will do me some good.” She shrugged. “Hey, maybe whoever killed that scientist will have minions ah kin kick around. Ah could use the work-out.”



I swear, you could bend iron bars around her stubbornness. Applejack had a fairly valid point, however. She had been walking in a smaller and smaller parcel of land ever since her lover was murdered. A change of scenery would do her some good.



We touched down in the castle courtyard. I could drink in the ancient grandeur of the place at a slower pace this time. The last time I was here, I was rushed in and out like a harried postal worker.



The castle guards escorted us to Celestia’s throne room. One of the stained glass windows was redesigned to show Rainbow Dash flying through a cloud. We all stopped to admire the new addition.



Her wings were spread wide and so was her smile. Not a care in the world. Just the clouds and the winds to glide on. Whereever she was now, I hoped it looked half as nice as this.



The colors were exactly like Rainbow’s. With the window between us and the sun, we were bathed in blue light. It reminded me of the last time I talked to her. Her ghost had an inner glow that I never forgot.



Someone sniffed. I turned to see Applejack wiping a tear from her muzzle. Her ears were flat as she got up and walked down the hallway.



“Whoever made that window earned his bits,” I said.



“Yep,” replied Applejack in a quiet voice. “Sure did.”



Princess Celestia was sitting at her throne. She smiled as she said, “I’m glad you liked the new window.”



“It’s marvelous!” said Rarity enthusiastically. “I’m sure Rainbow Dash’s parents were honored.”



“We must always remember our heroes, Rarity. I’m also having a commemorative statue built for Ponyville.”



“I look forward to seeing that, Princess,” I said. “Speaking of statues, Twilight and I have some news about Discord’s statue.”



“Oh? Please, tell me everything. By the way, Equus, I’m sensing something in your saddlebag. Would you show me what it is, please?”



I reached into my bag and pulled out the sample jar. After I put it on the rug, I looked up at Celestia.



Her smile faltered.



Celestia’s pupils shrank.



She licked her lips, as if she was served a banquet.



Her horn glowed.



The jar was lifted with the alicorn’s magic, then dropped.



Turning her head away, she said, “Put that away. Right now.”



I picked up the jar and hastily crammed it into my saddlebag.



“So it’s true,” said Twilight. “You have drunk this stuff before.”



Princess Celestia drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. I could almost hear her racing heart slow to a manageable speed. It couldn’t have been easy being reacquainted with an addictive drug like Spectrum. No one ever stops being an addict.



“Yes, Twilight. My sister and I drank barrel-loads of that drink. Discord never told us what he called it or even how he made it, but it doesn’t matter.”



“Say what?” said Spike.



“All right, I am now officially confused,” said Rarity. “I and every other pony in Equestria was taught that you and Night… Princess Luna fought tooth and nail with Discord. Now you’re telling us you drank with him?”



Princess Celestia looked over us all, her brow furrowed in thought.



She got off her throne and paced around us.



“What I am about to tell you does not leave this room. Understood?”



We all nodded in agreement.



“There are always two versions to every story. One is the official version, the other tells the truth. More often than even I care to admit, the official version is used to maintain order.”



Celestia gazed at the stained glass window that featured Luna and Celestia defeating Discord.



“When Discord first came to this world, he was charming, witty and silver-tongued. He had this way of getting under your skin and making you like it. That liquid rainbow he brewed only helped make him even more… irresistible.”



I said, “But Discord preferred Luna over you.”



Celestia scowled at me with flattened ears, making me flinch.



“I’m just semi-quoting what my family history book said,” I added quickly.



“History isn’t just written by the victors, it seems. Even with a belly-full of his drink, I could tell he was a bad influence on my sister. No matter how much damage he caused to the fabric of reality, she didn’t seem to mind, just as long as he kept seducing her.”



Her hoof traced the outline of her sister’s glass image. She swallowed the lump in her throat.



“I tried to tell her to come with me, to leave Discord and his addictive beverage behind, but she wouldn’t listen to my pleas.”



She hung her head. “That’s when I made the biggest mistake of my life: an error in judgment that would lead to more death and tragedy that we are all still experiencing to this day.”



Twilight said, “You turned him to stone. Just you and no one else.”



“Yes. When my sister found out, she was furious. She demanded that I change him back, but I refused. I just wanted to get Luna back. I needed her magic to help me repair all the damage Discord had inflicted on this world.”



Celestia hung her head, frowning at the painful memories.



“Instead, Luna changed into something far worse than Discord.”



“That’s what the war between you two was really about. She wasn’t jealous of all the attention you were getting as the goddess of the sun,” I said. “She became Nightmare Moon because she wanted her lover back.”



Celestia nodded. “That’s right. I had to send her to the moon in order to keep her from doing what someone is now trying to do.”



Applejack walked past me, gritting her teeth. “So yer bad decision led to Luna becomin’ Nightmare Moon.” Her voice grew steadily louder. “A monster that made Pinkie Pie kill Rainbow!”



Twilight stepped in front of Applejack, stopping her with her magic. “AJ! Please! Yelling at Celestia isn’t going to help.”



I rubbed my chin as I thought of something. “One thing bothers me, Celestia. How did Discord make this liquid rainbow in the first place? Didn’t he leave behind any clues or equipment?”



“The only thing he brought with him was a small silver box. He never let us see how he used it, but he said that the box was his invention. He teasingly called it “The Draconequus Device.”



Twilight asked, “Where is this box?”



“It’s in the castle vault. I’ve had just about every scientist and wizard in Equestria try to figure how Discord built or used the thing, but to no avail.”



“Did a scientist named Bunsen Flask examine the device recently?” inquired Twilight.



Celestia’s ears shot up and her eyes widened. “Yes! Why?”



I said, “Because he was found in a nearby river with a gut-full of liquid rainbow.” 



Her jaw dropped. “Oh, that’s awful! Perhaps he figured out how the box worked, and he was killed for that knowledge.”



Twilight paced in front of the princess. “Something’s been bothering me, apart from Bunsen’s murder. Someone was willing to commit murder and treason to abduct Discord. Who would profit from such an act?”



Spike raised a hand.



Celestia replied, “Yes, Spike?”



“It’s gotta be another scientist, right?”



“What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “Scientists aren’t generally violent.”



Spike nodded in consent. “Maybe not. But greed can do funny things to your head. If some egghead can figure out a way to maybe control Discord, they could alter reality itself, right? Maybe that’s what Bunsen Flask was trying to do.”



“That doesn’t explain who killed him,” I replied. “Who else examined the device recently?”



Celestia tapped a hoof, thinking. “Hmm. Well, there was this one blue unicorn that claimed to be a highly rated magician. My guards caught her trying to steal the box. She left it behind and evaded capture, unfortunately.”



“Oh, wait,” Twilight asked. “Did she talk in a third-person perspective?”



“Yes. I thought she was merely eccentric, not corrupt.”



I looked at Celestia and then at Twilight. Finally I asked, “Could you tell me who you two are talking about?”



Twilight looked at me with chagrin. “She’s some silly idiot with delusions of adequacy. She’s probably still calling herself ‘The Great And Powerful Trixie’.”



Rarity gasped. “That cretin tried to take over Ponyville! If she can figure out how to put Discord on a leash...”


Celestia finished her sentence. “Then the world will be in deep trouble.”

> Malus Pieor Pessimus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five


Malus Peior Pessimus




I could barely believe my ears. “The Great And Powerful Trixie is our top suspect? I saw her magic show in Manehattan a few years ago. She was passable, but more flash than substance. Why would she show any interest in controlling Discord?”


Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed. “She wanted to show everypony in town that she was better than I was at magic, even going so far as to bet that if I lost the magic duel, I had to leave Ponyville forever.”


“What year is this?” I asked, bewildered. “Magician duels for land titles? That sort of thing went out of fashion centuries ago. She must have had a monster ego to pull a stunt like that. You obviously beat her.”


“Fairly easily, too,” she replied, blowing imaginary dust off her hoof. “I didn’t even mention it to Celestia, since I assumed Trixie was just another silly wanna-be magic-user. I never thought Trixie would be so bold as to try to steal Discord’s box. Or Discord himself.” 


“Maybe she wants to use Discord’s powers and pass them off as her own?” suggested Spike.


Princess Celestia shook her head. “Whether Trixie is to blame or not, whoever is behind Discord’s abduction must also be brought to justice for the deaths of Bunsen Flask and two of my guards.”


Twilight nodded. “We’ll be on the next train to Manehattan. We’ll bring Discord back and arrest whoever stole him as soon as we can.”


Celestia smiled. “I know you will. Good luck.”


Within an hour, we were on our way to Manehattan.


Fluttershy was communing with her hunting hawks.


Spike was staring out the window in eager anticipation. He had never been to the city before, he explained.


Twilight was reading a book, to no one’s surprise.  


Rarity had put an eye-mask on and was soon dozing. 


Applejack was looking up at Cloudsdale. That gigantic pegasus city was cranking out more snow-drifts. Looking at her a little closer, I noticed a far-away look in her eyes.


“Ain’t exactly polite starin’ at folks, Equus,” she muttered.


“I’m sorry. How are you holding up?”


“Fine. Ah’m just thinkin’ about the time Rainbow took me on a tour of Cloudsdale. Ah told her that since ah was an earth pony, ah couldn’t set down in the city. You know what she said?”


“Nope.”


“She said, ‘Ah’ll be holdin’ you the whole time.’” Ah asked if she was worried that we’d look like...you know… filly-foolers.”


“What did she say to that?”


“‘Let ‘em stare. Ah love you too much to care. Because yer my mare.’”


I smiled. “I didn’t realize she was a poet.”


Applejack grinned as she said, “That’s what ah said. She just shook her head, smirked at me and said 'Tell anypony ah’m a poet and ah’ll deny it.’ Ah never knew anyone who was that shy and bold at the same time. She’s one of a kind.”


Her grin slipped away as she turned from the window. “Was one of a kind.” She looked at me and asked, “Yew’ve been a mortician for a while, right?”


“That’s right. Why?” 


“Well, yew help folks with their grief and loss. Does it get easier? The pain of death, ah mean.” 


“All pain fades, Applejack. Trust me on this. It’s hard to say goodbye, but it’ll get better.”


“Ah just can’t believe ah yelled at Celestia about Nightmare Moon. There’s no way she could have known what would happen a thousand years down the road. Ah swear, Equus, ah think ah’m losin’ mah mind sometimes.”


“Grief can be a beast to deal with. My father couldn’t overcome the grief of losing my mother, even after twenty-five years.”


“Look what he turned into.” She shuddered.  “Do you think ah’d ever turn into somethin’ like him?”


“I doubt it. While we’re staying at my apartment, I’ll be looking through his journals. There has to be more than just grief that made him want his wife back after so long.”


“Did yer daddy have any friends? Maybe you can ask ‘em what he was really like.”


“The Mortis family kept a really low profile after the war, Applejack. There’s not much future in being social outcasts, after all, so we stayed away from the public eye. If there was ever a problem, we dealt with it and kept ourselves to ourselves.”


Applejack pondered this for a moment. Then she said, “Can ah ask you a personal question?” 


“Sure.”


“How many friends do you have?”


“Huh? Well, there’s you and the rest of the Mane Six...”


She waved that away, annoyed. “Ah don’t mean us, Equus. And ah don’t mean anyone at yer job, either. Ah’m talkin’ about everyday-life friends.”


“Having pony skull cutie-marks kind of messed up my chances of being popular or even liked that much, at least in school. I guess I got used to being adrift at sea.”


“But you like helpin’ people with yer mortuary work. Makin’ the dead look good for funerals, that kinda thing.”


“That’s right. I guess I never had that many friendly people in my life. Being a mortician and coroner was my way to help people without… being chummy with them, I guess.”


“Doesn’t that get lonely?” 


“I suppose. But I was raised by a solitary pony that loved only one mare. I never saw him bring anyone to our apartment when I was a child. Experience dictates nature, AJ. I was raised by my father to be like this.”


“How far from the family tree did you really fall, Equus?”


I tilted my head at her. “What do you mean?”


“Look at what he did to himself. At what he then did to you. Could you ever do that kinda damage to anypony else?”


She may have been grieving, but she was as blunt as ever. At least she was talking to someone. “I’ve used my tombstone stare before. That’s how I got the chief of security at KirkBridle Mental Institute to relocate Pinky Pie to a safer section of the asylum. As far as hurting someone? No, I was raised to never fight back.”


“You just let other ponies beat the stuffin’ outta you?”


I looked at the floor, rubbing the back of my head. The memories of all the bloody noses and black eyes the school bullies gave me were as vivid as if they happened last month. Pain is harder to forget than pleasure. I nodded.


She snorted. “Ah’d never put up with that crap. Ah may have been homeschooled, but Granny Smith told me to never let a bully get the better of you. She taught me a few tricks to keep the mean ponies from gettin’ the upper hoof.”


“Like hitting the knees?” I offered. “Or kicking the ankle or fetlock?” 


“So you do know a few moves.” She chuckled. “Ah guess since you know where all th’ bones, nerve centers and stuff like that are, you know how to cause damage to someone.”


“Well, having to examine over three hundred murder patients would give anypony an education in murder-methods, yes.”


Applejack whistled in admiration. “That’s a lot of graves to fill. Ah guess it’s kinda hard to have an optimistic view of Equestria in yer line of work.”


“It can make you bitter.” I smiled at her. “If you don’t have friends to help keep a positive outlook.” 


“You know somethin? Ah bet you and Rainbow Dash would’ve gotten along like cats 'n cream.”


Once again I had to bite my tongue. I could still hear Rainbow Dash’s request; Don’t tell the others you talked to me. They need to move on. Sometimes I wish it was her that visited my dreams rather than her grotesque doppelganger.


I smiled and said nothing. 


A few hours later, the train arrived in Manehattan. Clouds of snow swirled over the bridge as Spike gawped at the approaching canyons of buildings. 


“Wow, some of these skyscrapers are bigger than Princess Celestia’s castle!” He exclaimed. 


“Wait until nightfall, Spike.” I said. “The city looks almost completely different then.”


The murder rate triples at night, for one thing. It’s also when the drug dealers, thieves and prostitutes begin their shifts, but I would save those tidbits for when Spike was a little older. I didn’t want him getting cynical before his time. 


He looked at me, grinning. “And you lived here your whole life? I bet you were never bored.”


I smiled politely. “You could say that. My line of work usually involves people who partied a little too hard, though.”


Spike flinched a little. “Oh. Yeah. Almost forgot.” The dragon gazed at the walls of glass, concrete and steel. “It still looks awesome, though. How many people live here?”


Twilight answered. “Two million, give or take a few thousand.” 


Fluttershy shook her head. “I didn’t realize the city was this huge. I should have brought more hawks.”


“I’ve been thinking about that, Fluttershy,” replied Twilight. “If Discord is being rejuvenated with Spectrum, your hawks can hunt that magic down. All they need is a little sample of the liquid rainbow to give them something to track with.”


“Oh. I… I don’t know, Twilight. What if it hurts them?”


Twilight rubbed her chin. “Maybe if one drop of the stuff was diluted with one part Spectrum to five parts water. That should make it safe for your hawks to get a taste.”


Fluttershy fidgeted a bit, casting a worried glance at her birds. “I… suppose. If it’ll help them track Discord down.”


The train pulled into the downtown station. My apartment was a few blocks away, so I led the way. The streets were as busy as I remembered. We all kept an eye on each other to make sure we didn’t get separated. To make sure Spike didn’t get swept away in the constant, pressing tide of Manehattanites, he rode on Twilight’s back. 


There were mounds of snow on the sidewalks, pushed there by the snow-plows. After having to climb over the snow-piles a few times, Applejack grumbled, “Ah shoulda b-brought a jacket.” 


“We’re almost there, AJ,” I said. “I’ll dig something out of my closet for you.”


“T-thanks.”


A few more blocks of crowds and snow-drifts led us to my old home. Concord Apartments was thirty stories of middle-class comfort, which meant the lobby gave us all some much needed warmth. We spent a few minutes in there, shivering and wiping the snow off of us.


I looked around, letting all the old memories come back to me. White ceramic decorative tiles, huge paintings of the city and red carpeting. My whole life was spent in this place. I had to give dad credit for one thing: he made sure I didn’t grow up poor. 


After we were sure we could feel our hooves again, we went to the elevator and got off at the fifth floor. I recognized every pock-mark and scratch on the walls. I sometimes saw this hallway in my sleep. 


Three doors down, white door with silver door-knob. Apartment 217. A piece of crime scene tape was still stuck to the door-trim. It almost felt as if I never left Manehattan at all. 


I just hope the apartment was as clean as the landlord said it was. 


After opening the door, I flicked the light on. 


Clean floor. No blood. Not even the coppery scent remained. 


As I walked over the spot where my father sacrificed himself, I said, “It’s not a palace, but we hopefully won’t be staying here long. The kitchen’s empty, naturally, but I’ll order take-out.” 


I gestured to my left. “The bathroom’s over there. I’ll scrounge up some blankets for tonight.”


Rarity gestured to the couch by the window. “Doesn’t that fold out into a bed?”


“We never had anypony stay the night with us. Sorry.”


She tsked. “Never? That’s a shame.”


No argument here. As my guests settled in, I went down the hall past the bathroom. All the old memories were sneaking back. There were no pictures of me, or my father and I together. 


Tobacco-stain-colored photos of family members that died fifty years before I was born still hung in their decades-old spots. 


There were two rooms facing each other at the hall’s end. I had cleared out my room on the left before I moved out, so I opened dad’s door. The bed-sheets were tousled, which made me think for a split-second that dad was coming in here soon. Ivory never left the bed unkempt.


Hung near the bed was a large framed photo of a white mare with dark grey hair. Her ice-blue eyes were a sharp contrast to the otherwise pallid colors of the picture. She had a cheerful smile and a quiet confidence in her eyes. 


There was a gold plaque on the frame. “Marrow Mortis. Born 950 ANM Died 975 ANM.” 


A table sat next to a bookshelf filled with books on the mortuary and medical examiner professions, history books and journals. 


His journals were all dated, so I plucked out the last one he wrote in. Glancing through the dates, I noticed that the last entry was made the day before he died. I was about to read it when Twilight walked in. 


She studied the photograph’s plaque. “What does ANM stand for?” she inquired. 


“After Nightmare Moon. My family had it’s own chronology.”


“That’s a lovely looking mare.”


I smiled. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll get to meet her in these notebooks dad kept.”


“It’s getting a bit late in the day. We’ll start our search in the morning.”


“Good idea. I need to order some food for us. After dinner, I’ll catch up on my reading.”


“I hope you find what you’re looking for in those books,” said Twilight as she walked out of the room.  


To help scratch my curious itch, I flipped through the journal to a random page and began to read.


1/12/995 ANM


There is a new coroner in the morgue. Cherry Flower, a nice-looking mare with blood-red fur and a white mane and tail. Her emerald eyes are hard to ignore. 


She sounds a little like my Marrow. I’ve only seen her a few times in the day, but Cherry’s on my mind all the time. 


Interesting, I thought as I put the book down and left the room. Dad never mentioned Cherry Flower to me. 

I wonder what happened to her?

> Mortis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Six


Mortis




After everyone had eaten Manehattan’s finest boxed dinners, I managed to scrounge up enough blankets to keep my friends warm for the night. 


My friends. Applejack asked me if I had any friends outside the job or the Mane Six. It was a question that I never really gave much thought to. Living with a hermit my whole life conditioned me to a solitary existence. 


Yet there was an entry in dad’s last journal that suggested he tried to break out of his shell. Now that I was the only one awake in the apartment, I could soak my aching limbs in the bathtub. The steam cleared my sinuses, and the hot water helped me relax. 


I could now be alone with all that remained of my father. Flipping to the back of his journal, I began to read.


2/1/995 ANM


Cherry Flower seems to really like me. Perhaps it’s because my shyness is a challenge to her. I have always been painfully shy. When I told her that my wife Marrow died giving birth to my son Equus, she almost cried. It’s strange how one can contribute feeling to somepony you don’t know. (I have seldom been able to do that.) 


My son had left for his own apartment a month ago. Now that my home was mercifully quiet, my thoughts turned even more to Marrow.


But my beloved wife hasn’t occupied my time as much lately. Marrow was never far from my heart, but Cherry seemed closer to me every day.


I’ll have to think about this. The Mortis family keeps itself to itself unto death.


But death does not frighten me. An inadequate life does.


*  *  *


2/4/995 ANM


She’s my morgue assistant now. Cherry is very skilled in cutting the flesh and bones of our subjects. Her lovely green eyes are sharp, catching evidence in wounds before even I do.


Marrow was once in this line of work. I still recall what she said the day before my son ended her life,“I hope Equus will join you in your career.”


My son doesn’t even work in the same district that I do anymore. He didn’t even apply to be my assistant. But Cherry did. 


What would Nightmare Moon think of Cherry?


*  *  *

2/7/995 ANM


We talked so much, we lost track of time during our lunch-break.  


“I have never been so late for work,” I scolded myself.


She nuzzled me and said, “I doubt it makes much difference to the dead.”


My father would have swatted my ear if I talked to him that way. Cherry never seems wanting for words. She says what she thinks. That’s so unlike me, as I was raised to never raise a fuss, to keep my beliefs hidden.


Is it her boldness that attracts me?


Would Marrow understand this mare better than I can?


*  *  *

2/14/995


She wanted to come back to my apartment. I had to refuse her as certain paraphernalia might arouse suspicion. A Nightmare Moon statuette here, the family history book there. 


I need to seek counsel before I let anypony get this close to me again. I want her. But family comes first. 


It will be five years before the goddess of the night is strong enough to reclaim the throne of Equestria. Nightmare Moon might have enough power to heed my plea for an audience with her. 


May I see her in my dreams tonight. 


*  *  *  

2/15/995


May the faithful be ever as rewarded as I have been! Nightmare Moon deemed me worthy of her attention! She actually let me enter her dream-world, which looked as glorious as the castle she once shared with her sister.


I bowed before her and asked, “Is Cherry Flower the right mare for me?”


She looked me over with curious eyes. Finally, she replied, “Would she understand your connection with me the way your wife Marrow does?”


“I don’t dare ask her. If I do, she might report my affiliation with you to the authorities.”


“The dead will always know the secrets the living keep. When I return to Equestria, bringing with me all of my followers, do you think Marrow will let you near her again if your heart belongs to someone else?”


I was struck silent. I had never considered that, lonely fool that I was. 


A moment later, I asked,“Why do I have to choose between the living or the dead? Shouldn’t I let the dead rest in peace?”


She laughed, but it was without merriment. She flashed her fangs at me as she asked, “Are you so foolish as to believe the dead are ever at peace? Marrow misses you as much as you miss her. When my sister takes my place on the moon, you will be by your wife’s side forever in the eternal night.”


“But what about Cherry?”


She looked away from me as she pondered. Her eyes gleamed as she smiled. “Bring her to your apartment. I will teach you how to bring both of you before me. If I deem her worthy, I will permit you to be with her.”


I was so happy to hear this. Until I thought of Marrow’s heart breaking because of me, choosing her over someone new.


My heart cannot belong to two mares. It isn’t natural. 


I hope Nightmare Moon can find a way to help me.


*  *  *


2/16/995


Nightmare Moon told me what I needed to know, so I was confident that tonight would put an end to my problems. 


I had everything I needed laid out before me: a nice three-course dinner and a special brew of Nightmare Moon’s own design. This date was going to be perfect. 


All the more obvious goddess decorations were hidden in my son’s empty room. I couldn’t afford to scare Cherry Flower off before I had a chance to explain my true self to her. 


I made sure that my glass of what I called wine was diluted with water. As she ate, drank her wine and made small talk, I could tell that I had made the mixture right. Within five minutes, she collapsed. 


Now that she was asleep, I could join her. 


After I finished what remained in her glass, I grabbed what I needed from the table and laid down beside Cherry. 


A few moments later, I found her screaming as Nightmare Moon held her up like a new doll. 


I cried out to her, “Cherry! It’s all right! She just wants to see if you are suitable!”


She stared at me. “For who? You or her?”


“Both, actually,” said Nightmare Moon as she studied Cherry.


“Ivory, how could you do this to me?” Cherry sobbed. “Why would you have anything to do with this… this monster!”


I held up a hoof. “Don’t insult her. You don’t understand what she might be able to do for us.”


She squirmed in Nightmare’s grip. “She fought Princess Celestia! Nightmare Moon killed thousands of ponies during the war! Don’t you know that?”


“Just give her a chance. She has always known what’s best for me and my family.”


“Are you insane? Can’t you make up your own mind about that?”


Nightmare Moon snorted and frowned. Dropping her to the floor, she shook her head and said, “She isn’t worthy. If you are truly devoted to me, you know what you must do.”


I winced. “Are you certain? Perhaps if I talked to her for a while, I can...”


She slammed her front hooves, making her domain shiver. Her slitted eyes dilated as she stared at me. “Do you want Marrow to know what you just said? Cherry will never accept me as her goddess, and Marrow will leave you for your betrayal! You will be forever alone! Is that what you want?”


My ears were pinned back as I hugged the floor in submission. I had never been so ashamed. My own desires were never more important than Nightmare Moon’s. In my selfish lapse, I had forgotten that. 


I wouldn’t make that mistake again. 


“No, I do not.”


She grinned at Cherry, who cowered and shivered in fear. “Then I shall send you back so that you can perform your sacred duty, as your ancestors once did for me.”


As I faded from Nightmare’s world, I saw Cherry chase after me as she screamed, “No! Don’t leave me with her! What did she mean, sacred duty?”


I woke with the knife in my hoof. It was wise for Nightmare Moon to keep Cherry in her realm of dreams. Nightmare needed my help to keep her there, however. 


I dragged Cherry to the bathroom. 


The bathtub made a fine sacrificial altar. Her spilt blood gave my goddess just enough strength to hold her close until Cherry’s heart stopped beating. 


Marrow will eventually know what I had done. She’ll understand that no sacrifice is too great for Nightmare Moon. It’s only natural for my heart to belong to my first love. That undying love made the rest of the night so much easier to soldier through. 


It was times like this that it was good to be a coroner. I knew just how to properly cut up a body into easily disposable bags. 


I had never carved up such a cadaver so fresh before. It was surprisingly easy. But then again, the flesh always gives way if the blade is sharp enough. It’s too bad that I couldn’t savor her body in any other way.   


This experience reminded me that my life may seem inadequate, but my goddess will provide all that I need soon enough. 


I just need to have faith. 


Whatever Nightmare Moon decides what I should do next, it will be for her greater glory. 


I can’t wait to see what happens next.


*  *  *


I couldn’t climb out of the tub fast enough. As I toweled myself dry, I tried to not even look at where Cherry Flower died. As soon as Discord was sent home, I’d show this journal to the Manehattan police.


It’s truly frightening how much evil can be committed in the name of love.    


Dad. 


Oh, dad.


You unbelievably stupid, jelly-spined fool. 

I hope that I fell real far from your tree.

> Macellarius
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Seven


Macellarius




I dreamt of white fur sopping wet with blood. Knives and smiles. It would be a very long time before I stepped into a bathtub again.


As soon as everyone was awake, I grabbed Dad’s old green leather Wonderbolts Show jacket. When Applejack slipped it on, her lower lip trembled. Rainbow Dash would have been tickled to see AJ show off the winged lightning bolt emblem. It was a little big for her, but she didn’t care. Applejack rolled up the sleeves, popped up the wool-covered lapels and stuck out her chest as if she were the Wonderbolts captain.


Spike remarked, “Hey, you look a little like Commander Easy-glider.” 


“That ought to warm you up,” I said.


“At least yer daddy had good taste in clothes, if nothin’ else.” Before I could react, I was gripped in a tight hug. “Thanks, Equus. This means more than you know.” 


After hurrying everyone out the door, I took us out to the nearest Equestrian House of Pancakes. I insisted that Fluttershy bring her hunting hawks with her as I never wanted to go back to my apartment ever again. She asked her birds to wait outside, not wanting to cause a scene.


As I picked at my breakfast, Twilight looked at my bloodshot eyes. “You look like me yesterday morning.”


“I suspect I feel even worse than you did.”


Her ears turned down. “Oh, dear. Were your father’s journals that bad?”


“Oh, yeah. I’ll tell you about it later.”


Rarity sipped at her tea and asked, “What exactly are we going to do today, Twilight?”


“Equus and I will be visiting Bunsen Flask’s apartment. I got the address from a thesis he wrote. Fluttershy? I hope you’re ready to dose your hunting hawks with the diluted Spectrum.”


Fluttershy was reading a local paper. Her ears flicked as she looked up. “Hm? Oh! I’m sorry. I was just reading this strange article.”


“What’s got yer attention, Flutters?” inquired Applejack.


“Uhm, well, it says here that nearly five hundred homeless ponies have disappeared over the last month. I hope they’re okay.”


Hoo, boy, I thought. How do I break it to her?


I said, “Fluttershy, I would imagine that some of them wound up in a shelter. It’s impossible to sleep outside in a Manehatten winter. A few others might have hitched a ride to warmer climates, but most of the homeless… don’t fare so well.”


She stopped reading and put aside the paper. Her ears were flat as she looked away. “I know what winters can do. I’ve had to deal with frozen animals, you know.”


I blushed, realizing that I should have known that. I forgot that Fluttershy was no stranger to sad endings of lives. Shy doesn’t always mean sheltered. 


“You’re right, Fluttershy. I’m sorry.”


Twilight munched on a waffle, deep in thought. “Isn’t five hundred missing ponies in a month a bit steep, Equus? Even for this city?”


I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. Until someone important gets snatched, the police won’t be all that motivated to help.”


Everypony stared at me as I had declared myself King Mortis of Equestria. 


“That’s just the way it is in the big city, guys,” I said, holding up my hooves apologetically.


“Good grief, Equus,” Rarity commented. “How do you keep from becoming too cynical?” 


Twilight added, “Especially in your line of work.”


“There’s comfort in cynicism. If you expect nothing good from people, nothing is all you get. Looking on the bright side of life takes effort, but it’s worth it. I just try to be a better pony than my dad. That’s what keeps me going.”


“How did yer daddy find comfort?” asked Applejack.


I shook my head, my bloody dream flitting in my mind’s eye for a moment. “You don’t want to know.”


Fluttershy raised a hoof. “Um, Twilight? Once my hawks and I are in the air, how do I get in touch with you if we find anything?”


“I’m glad you asked,” said Twilight. “Each of us will get city maps. I’ll mark where Equus and I will be. If you find Discord, you mark the place on your map and come back to us. Knock on the window, and we’ll all meet in the building’s lobby.”


Spike smiled. “Huh. Sounds simple enough. Discord’s probably stashed in an abandoned warehouse.”


Rarity chuckled and gave Spike a playful nudge. “Just like what those silly-looking villains in one of your comic books would do?”


“That’s not a bad place to start looking, actually,” I said. 


“Thanks!” said Spike, beaming.


Twilight pointed a fork at Spike. “It would take a lot of effort for even the strongest pegasi to carry Discord over a hundred miles. I’m willing to bet that whoever did that job is juiced up on Spectrum. If that’s the case, we’ll be facing ponies that are stronger and faster than us.”


“But Spectrum also made you loopy, Twilight.” I reminded her. “Even if the bad guys are, shall we say, augmented, we have the advantage of self-control.”


Rarity chimed in. “And we also have the Elements of Harmony. If just being near Spectrum can make Spike’s Element flare up, what will happen if we are surrounded by that liquid?”


Spike rubbed his hands in anticipation as he grinned. “Oooh, man. This is gonna be good.”


Ten minutes later, we were done with breakfast. We each got city maps from a nearby newsvendor. 


I pulled a jar of the diluted spectrum from my saddlebag. After I popped open the lid, I yanked out a spoon from my apartment. “Are you ready, Fluttershy?” 


She took a deep calming breath and called her hawks over. When they stood at attention like feathered soldiers, she said, “I’m going to give you two something. It will help you track down your quarry, okay? Just let me know if I’m giving you too much.”


She gave each of them a half-teaspoon of the mixture. A few seconds later, they started twitching and flapping frantically. 


“Oh! Oh, my goodness! Calm down! Please!”


They shrieked and jumped back when Fluttershy tried to pet them. The poor mare was getting almost as frazzled as they were when they suddenly shot up and flew down the street. She took off after them, yelling “I think I gave them too much!”


I rubbed the back of my head after I put the jar and spoon away in my saddlebag. “I hope this works.”


Twilight put a hoof on my shoulder. “Fluttershy will sort them out, don’t worry. Let’s get to Bunsen’s apartment.”



The Mareiott was in the upper class district. The rent there was double what dad could ever afford to pay. In that part of town, the carts were newer, the clothes had higher thread-counts and the roads were kept clear of pot-holes and garbage. Rarity’s eyes gleamed as she ogled the five-digit price-tag clothing stores. 


After Twilight showed her identification to the apartment manager, we were taken to the Bunsen’s residence. When Twilight walked in, she gasped with delight at all the science books, diagrams and charts lying around. 


“What exactly are we looking for, Twilight?” asked Rarity. 


“Well, it would be nice if we can find the formula for Spectrum,” replied Twilight. “A picture of Trixie smooching Bunsen would be good, too.”


“You have a serious mad-on about her, don’t you?”


Twilight sat on a chair, sighed and nodded. “I should have told Princess Celestia about Trixie. Then maybe she wouldn’t have gotten so close to Discord’s weird little box. Maybe Bunsen Flask would still be alive.”


Applejack walked over to her, patted her on the shoulder and said, “I know how yew feel, darlin’, believe me.”


“We all have regrets, dear,” Rarity commented. “Anypony that says otherwise is either a liar or a sociopath.”


Twilight said, “I know. Thanks, girls.”


Spike held up a framed photograph. “Hey, Equus? Is this the guy that died?”


Looking over the picture, I replied, “Yes, that’s him. Twilight? Is that Trixie next to Bunsen?”


“What? Let me see that.”


She lifted the picture out of Spike’s hands and squinted at it. “Oh, brother. I thought he had better taste than that.”


Rarity trotted over. “Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” She got a closer look at the photo. “Oh, my. That explains how Trixie got under his skin.”


I rolled my eyes. “By slipping into his marriage bed. She’s got to be half his age.”


Twilight read the plaque’s marriage date. “She must have married him after she escaped Celestia’s guards. I knew she had a silver tongue, but I didn’t think Bunsen Flask was gullible enough to fall for her lines.”


“The best way to control someone is to play to their expectations.” I replied. “Maybe she read the same thesis that you did, tracked him down and wooed him with promises of scientific breakthroughs. Among other things.”


Twilight frowned. “That sounds like her. All Trixie ever seemed to want was control.”


Spike scratched his head in confusion. “But why would she kill him or at least have someone else do the job? Wouldn’t she eventually get busted for that?”


Rarity added, “Perhaps she got all she ever wanted from him. Look at this.”


We turned to look at what she held in her magic grip. It was a blueprint of a six-sided box with holes in each side. The box was eighteen inches square. Diagrams showed the inner workings. Wires, tubes and valves criss-crossed over each other in a confusing mess. 


“That’s the Draconequus Device!” exclaimed Twilight. “I don’t know how, but he must have figured out how to open it. Nopony else was able to do that.”


Spike rubbed his eyes as he tried in vain to make sense of what we were staring at. “How accurate is all that, anyway? I thought no one was supposed to take that thing out of Celestia’s castle.”


“Bunsen Flask has… had a flawless memory,” said Twilight. 


“Ah’d say Trixie had all the luck in the world, marryin’ him. Check this out.” Applejack pointed at some paperwork on a nearby table.


There was a full-color photograph of a jar of Spectrum. In a corner were the words “Success! The model works! This sample was made from three chickens.”


“Chickens?” asked Applejack. “What do chickens have to do with all this?”


Twilight looked over the papers. “According to these research notes, the only way that Bunsen was able to get Spectrum without stealing the box was to memorize the contents, reverse-engineer it and… feed it live animals?”


I rubbed my chin. “I don’t recall my family history book saying anything about how Spectrum was made. If it was that easy to manufacture, I would think that Celestia would have figured that out ages ago.”


Spike shrugged. “Maybe Bunsen was doing it wrong. What if he just forced the machine to crank out the fluid that way because he couldn’t figure out everything about the box?”


Twilight smiled at him. “Interesting theory, Spike.”


He shrugged. “Eh, I have my moments.”


I began to think about how much Spectrum that jar in the picture held. Three chickens made what looked like a cup of liquid rainbow. Discord was almost twenty hooves tall. There weren’t that many farm animals in Manehatten that could release enough Spectrum to revive Discord.


What would Trixie and Bunsen Flask use instead?


I began to feel the same chill in my spine that I felt after my bath. 


“Hey, Equus?” asked Twilight. “What’s wrong? You look frightened.”


“Twilight, how ruthless would you say Trixie was?”


“She tried to take my position in Ponyville and then attempted theft of government property, so I’d say she was pretty determined to get her way. Why?”


I was just about to tell Twilight my theory, when we all jumped at a loud banging at the window. Fluttershy was pressing her city map against the glass. Her hunting hawks were wheeling around her, still loopy from the formula.


We all ran over and looked at the circle she drew over a bayside property. I recognized the area. I had to examine a few mob hits out there. No cart traffic, no prying eyes. Perfect for what I suspect Trixie and Bunsen were doing.


Twilight copied the location on her map and mouthed the word “lobby” to Fluttershy. She nodded and flew down. 


A few minutes later we all gathered together in the lobby. Fluttershy was gasping for breath. Her hawks were drinking out of a nearby decorative fountain, flapping and twitching.


Twilight nuzzled Fluttershy. “Are you all right? You look like you flew over half the city.”


“I… whew… almost did.” She wheezed, shaking off her sweat. “My hawks… huff… say warehouse number one zero one… hoo… is loaded with Spectrum. There’s a few pegasus guards and I think I saw… hahh… a griffin, but I’m not sure.”


“Well, what are we waiting for?” asked Spike, rubbing his brass knuckles. 


Fluttershy looked worried as she added, “There’s something else. A lot of carts… whoof... labeled ‘Homes for The Homeless’ are parked outside. I saw… huff… a few homeless ponies get escorted in, but I never saw anyone come out.”


I grimaced. “I doubt anyone not juiced up on Spectrum ever leaves, Fluttershy.”


“What makes you say that, Equus?” asked Fluttershy.


“Call it a hunch. We might want to hurry, Twilight.”


Twilight paced. “Well, we can’t just march in there. I’d rather take out the guards one section a time, not have them all pounce on us at once. Fluttershy, did you or the hawks spot any place we could sneak in?”


“We can’t fly in now without being spotted. We could wait until nightfall.”


Spike tapped Twilight on the shoulder. “Hey, Twilight? Why not just go though the sewers?”


“Hmm. Not bad. Is that what your comic book heroes do?” she asked with a growing smile.


“Heh. Yeah, they practically live in the city waterworks.”


Rarity tsked and shook her head. “I somehow knew my suit would get mucky at some point.”


“Celestia will buy you a new outfit, Rarity. Let’s go, everyone.”


When we were a quarter-mile from the warehouse, Twilight lifted a manhole cover with her magic, peered inside and nodded. “This will take us under the warehouse. I’ll go first.”


Twilight lit her horn so that the moldy brickwork glowed bright purple. 


The air grew colder as we got closer to the bay. I began to smell something other than salt water, though. Because the other odors of the sewer were blending with the ocean water, I couldn’t quite place it.


Spike sniffed around. His long forked tongue snaked out, tasting the air. “Uh, guys? I think I smell blood.”


“Darling, are your carnivore senses telling you this?” asked Rarity. “I can barely smell anything.”


Applejack snorted. “That’s ‘cause yer gettin’ stuffed up from the cold. Ah’m sniffin’ the same thing. Fluttershy, what’re yer hawks tellin’ yew?”


The hawks shivered and made a few peeping noises at Fluttershy. “They smell more than blood. There’s something up there they don’t recognize. Or like.”


“This manhole should open up inside the warehouse,” informed Twilight. “Everybody put their Elements on. Keep it quiet. We need to take out the guards inside the building first. Then we find Discord.”


Using just enough of her magic to slowly lift the cover, she slowly peered around. The cover was gently put aside. Twilight climbed out, whispering, “It’s okay. We’re in an empty room.”


Once everyone was out of the sewer, Twilight almost opened a nearby door when we all heard voices on the other side. She looked at us and tapped her lips with a hoof.


“Where’s my mom?” asked a filly.


A colt replied, “She’s upstairs, kid. I’m takin’ you to meet her.”


“Why did you take my hair and shoes?”


“Sheesh, stop asking questions, would you?”


We heard their hoofsteps go up some stairs and above the room.


A door closed.


The filly screamed, but was silenced instantly.


Then the mechanized growl of what sounded like a blender grinded for ten seconds before shutting off.


A door creaked open.


Only one pony came down and walked past our room.


We could only stare at each other with flattened ears and wide eyes.


Twilight opened the door a crack, peeked around and slowly walked out. We followed close behind. The walls were covered in half-peeled paint. Dust-caked papers were bunched in piles. This place hadn’t seen legal business take place since before I was born.


She looked up the stairway and saw a faded green door lit by a single bulb. “Wait a minute.”


When Twilight walked up the steps, Rarity whispered, “What are you doing?” 


“Trying to find Discord. We have to check every door, so keep an eye out for guards.”


I squinted up at her. Even in the thin, milky light I could tell her hoof was shaking a little as she struggled to turn the doorknob. She almost seemed relieved when it wouldn’t budge.


She came back down and led us down the hallway. Another door was opened carefully. The room beyond had large cardboard bins lined along one wall. A long, yellow fluorescent bulb lent a sickly tint to the room. 


I peeked over the edge of one bin. It was half-filled with children’s toys. 


Spike jumped up one bin, gripped the edge and peered at what looked like a deflated plush animal. “Equus, what am I looking at?” he asked.


Rarity lit her horn, her blue magic glowing brighter than the abysmal lamp. She looked inside and her ears flattened again. “That’s… tail hair, Spike. Lots of it.”


He let go of the bin-edge, shaking his head. “Why in the world would anyone keep that much hair? What would you do with it, re-string the world’s violins?”


“Ah’m seeing a lotta clothes in this bin,” said Applejack. “Don’t think they’re donations, though.”


“Let’s keep moving, everyone,” said Twilight as she cautiously opened another door. 


The only lighting here came from a nearby open door. The room was empty save for a large pile of what seemed to be scrap metal.


When Rarity approached the mound with her glowing horn, we could see familiar shapes.


Horseshoes. All shapes and sizes. 


At least five hundred ponies’ worth. 


Fluttershy cringed and shivered as she put two and two together. “Oh. Oh, my. T-this is… is…”


“Horrifying?” asked a deep voice from the next room.


She jumped at the voice. Twilight trotted over to the open door, gave a quick glance around and waved at us to follow her in.


We were probably in the middle of the warehouse as we were surrounded by catwalks on all sides. A long white plastic tube snaked down from the ceiling. The tube led to a nearby platform that held what appeared to be a large stump-grinder. The tube was fixed to the side of the grinder with the Draconequus Device replica that Bunsen Flask made. 


A thin drop of Spectrum slipped out of the tube’s mouth and splattered onto a tall, slender iron cage that was in the middle of a large iron vat. The cage had a thick iron pad-lock on one side. 


As we approached the vat, all of our Elements began to glow.


“Ghastly is another word for this place,” growled the cage’s resident. 


One of my ancient family members described him as “the many-beasted one.” He looked like what resulted from a zoo exploding and the staff members having to stitch together what they could pull from the rubble. 


He was wearing an iron collar that held in place an iron box at the back of his neck.


“Discord, I presume?” inquired Twilight.


“It’s the nose, isn’t it? Always gives me away.”


I asked, “Did Trixie bring you here?” 


“You mean the crack-brained blue unicorn? Yes, but she had lots of help.” He peered at my flanks. “Hey, you’re from the Mortis family, aren’t you?”


My mouth popped open. “How did you know that?”


Discord snorted disdainfully. “Being turned to stone made me immortal, but not senile. Princess Luna had a bunch of you spooky-looking ponies fawning over her, writing down how many times I dated her, how I warped the world, that sort of thing.”


“What’s with all this iron?” asked Spike. 


“It seems that Trixie is just smart enough to be dangerous. She somehow figured out that iron and magic aren’t bosom buddies. Since my powers are magic, I’m trapped like a rat in this cage until she lets me out.”


Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “What’s that thing around your neck?”


Discord sighed. “She’s dangerous enough to be psychotic. The box on my neck has an iron spike aimed at my brain. If I disobey my new master, she’ll remote-fire this thing and I get a new unicorn horn.”


I had to get up on my hind legs to peer over the vat’s edge. The liquid rainbow had reached Discord’s hips, but his skin was still stone-grey halfway up his body.


Discord snaked his head down to get a closer look at me. “Your family got even creepier when Luna lost her mind and became Nightmare Moon. Celestia told me all about how her sister got power from ritual sacrifices. For a race of herbivores, you ponies have an insatiable thirst for blood.”


Twilight gasped. “You lie! Why would Princess Celestia tell you anything?”


He waved a lion paw at her as if she were a bothersome mosquito. “Pssh! Princess Sun-butt spent centuries regaling me with her endless tales of woe about her sister.” His deep voice changed to a grating mocking falsetto. “Ohhh, Discord! Why did you drive my sister to madness? Why didn’t you leave her alone?”


Discord snorted in disgust as he crossed his arms and regained his natural voice. “What that rainbow-maned marshmallow never seemed to cop to was that her sister was koo-koo in the coconut before I ever showed up. I know politicians are often clueless, but come on!”


I scratched my head. “If she was that weird, why did you seduce her?”


“Heh. I have a weakness for loonies, I guess. Since I can warp reality to just about anything I can imagine, I wanted someone who was as slant-wise as I am.”


Rarity asked, “Is that why you gave Luna and Celestia this liquid rainbow you’re soaking in? To make them easier to control?” 


Discord shivered. “Believe me, I never made my formula this way. My original formula only made my playmates more fun to be around, that’s all. I never meant to hurt anyone.”


“Equestria’s jails are full of people who say that,” replied Twilight. “You deserve… wait, what did you mean, you never made it that way?” 


“It doesn’t matter how this fluid is made,” said a mare above us. “What matters is that Discord belongs to me.”


We all turned to the new voice. Standing next to the stump-grinder was a light blue unicorn. She wore a black cape and suit. She was smiling with malice as she spotted her old foe.


“Hello, Twilight Spackle. I mean, Sparkle.”


Twilight growled from the insult. “Trixie Lulamoon. I knew it had to be you behind all this.”


“Oh, I never could have accomplished so much by myself. I had some help from someone else who also left Ponyville in disgrace.”


A brown griffin with white head-feathers walked out onto a nearby catwalk, wielding a large crossbow. She wore a flack jacket that was layered with knives and arrows. 


“Oh, man, this is just rich!” said the griffin. “I never thought I would lay eyes on you dweebs again.”


“Gilda?” said everyone except me. 


She smiled and said, “The one and only.” Gilda squinted at me. “Hey, creepy-dude? Ain’t you the one that examined Rainbow Dash? Shame she got fragged. Dash was once a pal of mine.”


“Yeah,” I replied. “Are you the one that shot Bunsen Flask in the head?”


Gilda frowned. “How did… do you know?”


“His body was found in a Ponyville river with a gut full of liquid rainbow. And with one of your arrows in his brain.” I turned to Trixie who was just as appalled. “My guess is your now-ex-husband found out how you were making this fluid, chugged a few mouthfuls for evidence and tried to fly off to the authorities. But your heavy caught him in the act and hunted him down.”


Trixie stamped a hoof. “Blast it, Gilda! You told me you got rid of his body!” 


The griffin shrugged. “Hey, Bunsen died near the southern coast. His body sank out of sight. I though maybe the sharks would eat him. How was I supposed to know the rivers there flowed inland?”


“Everypony learns that in second grade, Gilda.” remarked Twilight. 


“Ooh, whoopy-doo,” Gilda retorted with crossed eyes and finger wiggles. “I ain’t a pony, dweeb.”


Trixie rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Once we get a little more of my formula into Discord’s vat, he’ll be back to normal.”


“Something’s been bugging me this entire time.” I said. “How did you know this stuff would work like the Elements of Harmony?”


She smirked at me. “You silly little death-pony. We Lulamoons also fought alongside the goddess of the night, but it wasn’t for her, it was so that we could get our hooves on Discord. Only magic can counter magic. I am the first member of my family to prove an old theory that Discord’s stone shell can be dissolved like a cracker. All that was needed was his formula.”


“My dad never mentioned any other families.”


“Of course he didn’t. Fanatics never get the big picture, do they? Scientists can be just as blind. Bunsen Flask was a genius, but he was also very lonely. And so desperate to please me.”


Twilight shuddered. “What are you going to do with Discord? Make him bring Nightmare Moon back to Equestria?”

Trixie snickered and began to laugh. “Oh, Twilight Trickle, you are just as clueless as Bunsen was! No, Nightmare Moon can rot on the moon for all I care. Especially since Discord is going to reset reality just for me.”

> Macto
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Eight


Macto




“Reset reality?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”


“The world was once far less complex than it is now,” Trixie explained. “In the glory days of old Equestria, we unicorns had all the magic for ourselves. Pegasi lived in treehouses, not cities in clouds. Mud, I mean, earth ponies had no powers at all. No magical weather or season control. Nature ran its course with just my race at the top of the mountain.”


She pointed a hoof at Discord. “But then this bizarre alien pest came along and ruined everything with his amorous attentions to Princess Luna. Discord damaged reality so badly, it began to unravel like a cheap sweater. Turning him to stone weakened Princess Celestia so much, she had to share her power with unicorns and the lesser races to keep this world from flying apart.”


Discord made a pfft noise and grumbled, “Keep this world from being more fun, you mean.” 


“Wait a minute,” asked Twilight. “You plan to make Discord take away the magic that makes Cloudsdale possible?”


“That’s right.”


“But if you do that, the city will crash to the ground!” Twilight cried. “Millions will die!”


Trixie shrugged. “Eh. Small price to pay for order. Perhaps Cloudsdale will land on Ponyville and smear that wretched place off the map. I can only hope.”


I heard the growling of an angry bear behind me. Turning to the sound, I saw Applejack trembling and grinding her teeth. 


“It’s interesting that your Elements seem more powerful here,” remarked Trixie. “I’ll remember to remove them before you’re all… processed.”


Her horn glowed as she switched on the stump grinder. The sound was suddenly familiar. 


“How many ponies have you murdered with that thing?” Rarity asked.


Discord groaned as he shook his head. “Five hundred and seventy-three. I should know. She made me watch.” 


Twilight gulped as she whispered, “And I actually drank this stuff.”


Twilight’s horn and Element flared.


Trixie held up a hoof. “Ah-ah! You’re not using those Elements on me. Oh, boys?”


The other ponies and I were suddenly gripped by magic. I looked around and saw five other unicorns surrounding us. They all had the same pin-pupiled mad gleam that I saw in Twilight’s eyes in the library. Their skins trembled in the warm air. 


Gravity seemed to fail as we were all lifted up to Trixie’s eye-level. Fluttershy squeaked as she flapped her wings, desperately trying to escape the unicorns’ magic. Her hunting hawks were trapped in the magic bubble with her. Applejack hollered in anger as she flailed her muscular legs around. 


Trixie licked her lips and studied us as if she were picking out a new hat. “Now, let’s see. Gilda? Who should go first?”


“I dunno. Star-butt, I guess.” 


Trixie grinned. “Ah, yes. Rear legs first, of course. Maybe I’ll stop half-way and make her beg for a quick death. Perhaps… wait.” She frantically looked around the room. “Where’s the dragon?”


A ball of green fire shot out from the shadows. It splashed across Trixie’s platform, making the unicorn jump back with a shout.


I was suddenly jerked up and over Discord’s cage. The unicorn nearest me must have been the one holding me as he scrambled away from the fire while his horn was still lit.


Twilight and Applejack were released when another fire-ball hit one of the unicorns in the head. As the smoking unicorn screamed, he ran blindly into his partner, knocking him over the rails. He landed with a crunch, the head pointing the wrong way. 


As Twilight scrambled to her feet, she hollered, “Spike! Get those other guards! Use your other attacks!”


Trixie hid behind the grinder and yelled, “Gilda! Shoot them! Kill them all!”


A livid green fire streamed beside me, hitting the unicorn that held me in the chest. Before I could blink, I fell on top of Discord’s cage. When I caught my breath, I looked up at the griffin. All I saw was the gleam of the aluminum arrow-tip as it was fired. 


I tried to dodge the shot, but the arrow went through the right side of my gut with a meaty thwup. The arrow was stuck, having lanced through my body like a cocktail olive. It didn’t hurt for one second, but every moment afterward made me scream. The analytical part of my mind guessed that Gilda pierced my right kidney. The rest of my mind was only aware that I was in agony and that I was falling off the cage.



And diving into the Spectrum procured from five hundred and seventy-three homeless ponies that thought they were getting shelter from the cold. 


After I bounced off the bottom of the vat and floated up through the sludgy goo, the pain of getting shot was instantly replaced with the sensation of being set on fire. Twilight told me that when she first tasted Spectrum, it burned her tongue as if it were hot sauce. 


My eyes were squeezed shut as I broke the surface, coughing and pawing around for the vat-walls. 


For some reason, my legs no longer ached. The stinging began to subside to a dull warmth. A few moments later, I found the wall and began to climb over the edge. My mane drooped over my left eye like a black curtain. My heart was pounding, and my blood felt like boiling oil. 


I opened my eyes.


And saw the world with otherworldly clarity. I saw Spike punch a unicorn with his Element so hard, the pony crashed into the rafters. Rarity used her Element to shoot another unicorn into a wall. Trixie and Twilight were firing magic beams at each other. Applejack was running up a stairwell. Fluttershy’s hunting hawks were tearing the ears off of another unicorn. 


I could smell the unicorn’s blood. Sweet Celestia, I could TASTE the blood. I grinned like a demon as I breathed in the intoxicating copper scent. 


And I wanted more. My body was suddenly stronger than an athletic stallion’s, so I pulled myself out of the vat and landed on the floor. The arrow was still in me, but I didn’t even feel it. 


I heard the flapping of wings. A large avian hand gripped my mane and lifted me up.


Time slowed for me as I saw every fiber of Gilda’s vest shine like silver coins. Her knives were so pretty, so I grabbed one. The edge was as sharp as any scalpel. And I was an expert at handling scalpels.


She didn’t even have time to react as I shoved the blade into her gut. I’ve had to examine griffins before, so I knew I just cut her liver in two. 


Gilda screeched as she let go of my mane. I held onto the blade as we crashed onto the floor. Her life belonged to me. And I wasn’t done with her yet. Gilda’s blood smelled so good as it sprayed hot on my fur.  


As I pulled another knife from her vest, I began to hear the griffin’s heart pound. An acid stink of fear drifted from her. 


I climbed up her chest, my knife-tip pressing into her throat.


Her avian eyes widened as she realized what was happening. She whimpered and squirmed.


Yes… yes, be afraid of me. I am not some spooky little death-pony all alone in a school-yard, nose bloody, eyes blackened.  I know how to hurt you, how to make you beg for death. 


The flesh always gives way if the blade is sharp enough.


It will be easy to press this next blade all the way into her feathered throat. Look at her eyes, wide with terror. All I have to do is…


No.


No no no.


What was I doing?


Gilda stared at me as I shook the cobwebs out of my head. Finally she yelled, “Just kill me, you sadistic little shit! Don’t drag this out!”


“Huh?” 


“Aren’t you trying to cut my throat? You already stabbed me in the gut!”


My blood still churned hot, but my demon’s grin was gone. I felt as if someone changed the channel in my brain back to reality. 


I suddenly remembered something Twilight told me. “That’s what Spectrum does. It makes you more of what you are.”


For one minute, I was my father.


White fur sopping wet with blood. Knives and smiles.


I leapt off of her, my head spinning. Where did the clarity of the world go? My legs started to ache again.


“You have some serious issues, dweeb,” sneered Gilda.


Regaining my composure, I pointed my knife at her. “You have no idea. Stay put.”


Gilda gripped the knife in her gut, trying to slow the bleeding. “Yeah. No problem. Freak.”


I looked around, trying to take stock of who was fighting whom. The hawks were wheeling around above the vat, looking for more targets to shred. 


More ponies were charging down a hallway at the far end of the room. Twilight heard them coming. She looked at Spike, pointed at the approaching hoofbeats and hollered, “Spike! Spray and pray!”


Spike grinned as he ran to the doorway, took a deep breath and let a green sun escape his mouth. I had to shield my eyes and duck down as a livid wave of green flame flooded the hallway. 


After lime spots stopped spinning in my eyes, I peeked around the vat and saw Spike on his knees, gasping and shivering. 


I ran over to him. “Spike! Spike, are you okay?”


“Ooh, man. I should have eaten more pancakes. My tank’s officially running on fumes right now. Apart from that, yeah, I’m fine.” 


We looked up at Spike’s handiwork. There was a molten slab of glowing steel where a doorway once was. I hoped no one got caught in that.


I patted Spike on the back as he got on his feet. “Just think of what you’ll be able to do in a few years.” 


He turned to me. “Yeah, I’m looking… wow, dude. You look kinda freaked out.” His eyes widened as he looked down. “Cripes, don’t you know you got shot? Where’s the arrowhead?”


Feeling around behind me, I could only find a splintered nub. 


“I… I don’t know, Spike.”


Suddenly, I heard Trixie scream. 


Spike and I joined the others. Applejack was walking towards the stump grinder. She was on her hind legs, holding Trixie over her head. 


Trixie’s horn was snapped off. Both her eyes were blackened, and her bloodied muzzle was smashed in. Applejack’s front hooves dripped with blood.


I spotted the ramp that led to that platform and ran towards it. My guts were beginning to grind as the arrow-shaft slid around. I didn’t realize it until then, but I had been bleeding ever since I climbed out of the vat. 


My vision and sense of balance were going slantwise on me. 


After what felt like a mountain-climb, I reached the platform. 


I tried to ignore the building pain and dizziness as I cried out, “Applejack! Don’t do this!”


AJ turned her head towards me. Spectrum had soaked her hair. It must have hit her when I fell in the vat. Her pupils were tiny dots. She was becoming more of what she was. 


And Applejack had been angry and grief-struck for a long time. 


Taking a cautious step towards her, I said, “Just stop for a minute! What do you think you’re doing?”


“Ah already lost one pegasus. Trixie ain’t killin’ any more.”


“Do you think Rainbow Dash would ever condone murder?”


“Ain’t carin’, Equus.”


“You had better start, Applejack. The dead will always know the secrets the living keep.”


Applejack turned to look at me. Her muscles shivered, but Trixie was still held over her head. 


“What are you gettin’ at?”


“You once asked me if I talked to Rainbow Dash after I was knocked out by my dad, remember?”


“So what?”


Taking a deep breath, I answered, “I lied to you, AJ. Rainbow did talk to me. She asked me to not tell you or the others I spoke to her because everyone needed to move on.”


I took another step. “But you haven’t moved on! Look at what you’re about to do! If you kill Trixie, Dash will eventually know. She’ll find out that you committed murder. You will no longer be the mare she fell in love with. You will be forever alone! Is that what you want?”


Tears streaked down her cheeks. Her arms buckled.


“Dash… Ah’m sorry…”


Trixie was dropped like a sack of wheat. 


Applejack sat down and wailed like a wounded animal. 


I ran over to her. She held out a hoof, and I held her close. The Spectrum in her hair burned my cheeks, but I didn’t care.


“Ah’m so sorry.”


“Shh. It’s okay. She’ll forgive you.”


Before I knew it, Twilight and the others had huddled around her. 


A light blue hoof landed on my leg. I looked beside me. Trixie squinted through her bloody, puffed-out eyes. “Thank you,” she gurgled with broken teeth.


“Oh, shut up,” I said, scowling. “I didn’t do this for you.”


I looked back at Applejack as she wiped at her tears. 


“I did this for her.”


Someone coughed theatrically. “Ahem, I said. As heart-warming as this group-hug is, I have to get going.”


We all stared, bewildered, as Discord sat on top of his wide-open iron cage. His box-collar was gone. He had a large hammer in one hand and a chisel in the other as he chipped away the stone skin from his feet.


Twilight ran down the ramp. “How did you get out of your cage and collar? I thought you said that iron and magic don’t mix!”


“They don’t. But aluminum is easy to reshape into whatever I like,” he replied as he waved a shiny key.


“Who gave you that?” Twilight demanded. 


“Why, your graveyard-shift pal, Equus. Did you know that Gilda’s arrow-heads are made from aluminum? When the pale rider got skewered and fell into the vat, the head snapped off and drifted into my cage.”


Twilight planted a hoof on her face. “Very resourceful of you. We still have to take you back to Princess Celestia.”


“Pssh! Spike’s too tired to even breath fire. Applejack’s grieving, so she’s also out of the fight. Don’t worry your grape-colored head about me. I’m going home and never coming back.”


Rarity joined Twilight as she inquired, “What do you mean, going home?”


“I have get back. Someone needs to warn my world about you people. ‘Stay away from Equestria,’ I’m going to say. ‘These ponies are madder than mud flies.’”


“No, we aren’t!” protested Twilight.


“Really? I came here a thousand years ago to have a little boom-chikka-wow-wow with the local pony booty, and I get turned into stone. Then thousands of ponies get tortured to death to give my still-crazy girlfriend the power to fight her own sister. Luna then gets sent to the moon, which is also way out of line.”


“You almost tore the world apart,” Rarity reminded him. “Celestia had to stop you.”


“By keeping me in suspended animation for a millennium?” He stared at us, baffled. “Can you hear yourselves? I would have done anything Celestia wanted if she had let me out after a week! Such as tell her the secret method for making my formula.”


“It’s not really made from ponies, is it?” I inquired.


“Good grief, no! Every pony in Equestria could have had all the liquid rainbow they could drink if they had simply plugged my machine into the ground. The magic that naturally flows through the world is all I or Trixie ever needed.”


You could have heard a dust-speck hit the floor. We could only stare at him.  


Twilight asked, “I take it you told Trixie this?”


“Five times. And five times she called me a liar. Or maybe she just wanted an excuse for a blood-bath. Either way, I don’t care. I have a lot to catch up on back home, so I’m taking my original device, the copy and every drop of my drink back with me.”


“Wait a dang minute!” yelled Applejack. “What are we supposed to tell Celestia?”


He looked at Applejack, rubbing his chin, pondering. “You lost someone very close to you, didn’t you? That’s one of the many things Celestia informed me of these many years. I’m very sorry for your loss. I know how you feel.”


“Ah don’t need yer danged…” Applejack retorted, before she saw the genuine sorrow on Discord’s face. “What do you mean?”


“An average member of my race can live up to two hundred years. The problem is, I’ve been locked away in a stone prison for a thousand years. That means everyone I ever loved or known has been dead for at least eight centuries.” 


Discord sighed. “I will be a stranger in my own world. Don’t be a stranger in yours, Applejack. Stop clinging to the dead. Life is for the living. So live.”


He snapped his fingers. A white flash of light made us all flinch and blink our eyes. 


The vat was empty. The device was gone. So was Discord. 


No one said a word for a few moments.


“Say, Equus?” asked Spike.


“Yeah?”


“You need to get to a hospital. There’s a lot of blood on you.”


Suddenly feeling strung-out, I replied, “Not all of it’s mine, Spike.”


I only had the strength to hold onto Applejack. 


She said nothing, but I could tell AJ had a lot to think about.


Twilight cleared her throat. “Fluttershy?”


“Yes?”


“Would you please bring the police here? Spike, go with her. When you can, send Celestia this message. ‘Discord’s escaped to his world, but Trixie has been arrested.”


Spike looked at Twilight quizzically. “What’s the charge?”

“Treason.” Twilight looked at the stump grinder. The inner workings were caked with blood. Some of it still glistened. “And mass murder. At the very least.”

> Memor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Nine


Memor




The doctors said that my right kidney was shredded like a puppy’s chew toy and needed to be removed. Some muscle damage on top of that kept me in Manehattan Central Hospital for a while. 


After the operation, I called the police and told them what I found in my father’s journal. A detective came by and got all that I knew. It turns out that Cherry Flower was on the missing persons list for years. 


When Applejack came by for a visit, the detective had passed by her on the way out. When she asked me what we talked about, I told her what my dad did in the bathtub.


She sat in a nearby chair, dazed with surprise. “Dang, no wonder you wanted to leave yer apartment so fast.”


“I’m selling the place. Might as well. I found out all I wanted to know about my dad.”


“Yew didn’t fall too far from the tree, after all. Rarity told me you knifed Gilda in the gut and was ready to kill her. Course, she did shoot yew, so that would have been self-defense.”


I felt the stitches under the bandage. “I enjoyed stabbing her, though. I didn’t know I had it in me. Maybe I always did, but kept myself to myself.”


“Ah got my hooves dirty, too. Ah wanted to grind Trixie into mulch so bad, ah could taste it.”


“That was the Spectrum talking. You must have gotten splashed with it when I fell into the vat.”


Applejack shook her head. “It only got on mah hair, Equus. Twilight says it needs to at least touch skin before it affects yew. Ah got crazy all on mah own.”


“You really did a number on Trixie’s face. Not that I feel any pity for her.”


She scooted the chair next to me and looked me in the eyes. “Did Rainbow say anything about me?”


“No, but we only talked for about half a minute. I did tell her that you missed her.”


“Ah bet she was happy to hear that. Ah know ah would be.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Wish you told me the truth sooner, though.”


“I hope Dash won’t box my ears when I go where she is. I broke my vow of silence, after all.”


“If she raises a hoof to yew, she’ll answer to me,” Applejack replied, snickering. “Seriously, ah wouldn’t worry about it. She’s better than that.”


“I was almost as bad as my father.”


“Same here,” she said with a shudder. “But you chose not to kill. He didn’t. That makes you a better pony than him any day.”


“Dad chose to be lonely, to live what he knew was an inadequate life.”


“Yeah. Lot of that goin’ around. Listen, Equus? Yew and Twilight were right. Ah do need grief councelin’. How long are yew gonna be in here?”


My gut twinged again, making me moan. “It’ll be a few days before I can head on back to Ponyville.”


She got up from her chair and walked to the door. “Let me know when you get back. There’s somethin’ we need to do together.”


By the following week, I was riding a train back to Ponyville. The apartment was sold, and Dad’s journals were now police property. 


To pass the time, I picked up a copy of The Manehattan Post. It ran a front page article about Trixie killing all those homeless ponies and selling their hair and clothes on the black market. Both Trixie and Gilda got life in prison for mass murder. Neither Discord or liquid rainbows were mentioned. A much smaller article in the back of the paper stated that Discord’s statue was found smashed to pieces near a Canterlot college and was deemed a frat prank gone wrong. 


History is often a smooth and elusive liar, especially when it’s required to be.


Soon after I got home, I found myself sitting with Applejack in front of Rainbow Dash’s tombstone again. The surrounding snow was as thick and quiet as a cloud. 


AJ was dusting the powdery snow off the engraved letters as she said, “Hey, babe. It’s me again. Just dropped by to say that ah ain’t comin’ here to see you any more. Don’t need to.”


Applejack tapped her chest with a hoof. “You were in here the whole time. Ah was just too busy punishin’ myself for no reason to see that. Once ah thought that ah deserved to be alone. That ain’t true.”


She cast a sideways look at me. “No One who has friends deserves that.”


Applejack wiped a cake of snow away from the top of the tombstone. “Some good people are helpin’ me see that, Dash. Ah bet you know that already, bein’ a fast learner and all.” She kissed the tombstone. “Take care, sugar-bear.”


She turned and walked away. I followed her out of the graveyard. Neither of us would return. 


“That was a lovely speech, Applejack.”


“Thanks. Mah therapy group suggested it. Ah just wanted you to be a witness, since you helped me so much.”


“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”


“Same here. You seem to be healin’, too.”


“My gut’s still pretty sore, and I can’t lift anything heavy for a while, but yeah, I’m getting better. AJ?”


“Yeah?”


“I’ve been thinking about what you asked me on the train to Manehattan. About whether I have friends outside work? I think I’m ready for that now.”


Applejack smiled at me. “Yeah, we both have bad habits to leave behind. Ah hear that a music festival’s takin’ place in Canterlot soon. Good place to start.”


“Well, I am a Boards of Equestria fan. If they’re playing there, I’ll be in a front-row seat.”


“With a friend?”


I batted my eyes at her, innocently. “Oh, gee, am I supposed to bring somepony with me?”


A mischievous grin accompanied a chuckle. “Yes, yew frickin’ goof-ball!”


“Okay. Would you…”


“Ahem.”


“Maybe Twilight…”


“A-HEM!” She pressed her nose against mine, smirking.


I held up my front hooves in surrender, laughing. “I get it! New buddies only!”


It had been a long time since either of us had laughed about much of anything. It had warmed my heart to see Applejack happy again. There’s only so much grief one can have in one’s life before it turns into white noise. I’d rather have music. And friends.


Two things that my dad never allowed for himself. In a way, he was dead for years before he sacrificed himself. I swore I would never be like him. Again.


Discord was wrong about Equestria’s ponies all being insane, but he was right about one thing. Life is, indeed, for the living.


So we chose to live.



THE END