Harmonics

by ezra09


A Bucket Full of Crazy

Scootaloo was missing. Thistleroot had held out hope for as long as he could, but after a day and a half with no word from her, he had to accept it. At the very least, they hadn’t found her body, so there was a good chance the enemy still needed something from her and had captured her.

The first day after the attack, Thistleroot had been given the entire story in bits and pieces as Celestia went about her other duties. The chaos from the attack quickly turned to a surreally calm aftermath. Once guards were organized and the injured transported, she made rounds to visit them in the hospitals, met with Shining Armor to discuss increased security both at the castle and the city limits, and even held court as usual.

As they moved between each, she told Thistleroot about the Elements of Disharmony, a set of magical artifacts Discord created to counter the Elements of Harmony. Since the elements were Equestria’s strongest magic, it would make sense for an attacking force to search for a way to nullify them.

“Still,” Celestia said as a young clockmaker whose shop had been damaged in the attack left the throne room and the guards waved for the next petition to enter, “I didn’t expect something like this. To look into the mind of Discord? I shudder to consider what that would do to a pony.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when you use magic to look into somepony’s mind, you see a bit of what they are. Discord is so old and so powerful, the image would be burnt into your mind forever, and what he is could drive somepony mad.”

They fell silent as the next pony came to a stop before the throne.

*****

“Princess,” Thistleroot said as they left the castle to check on the relief station at the center of town, “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Why shouldn’t I? You are the one who helped us learn what they were after.”

“Well, with everything else going on, you’ve got a lot on your mind. And I really didn’t do anything special. Star Shine gave me the idea and I just rolled with it. I don’t know how much help I can really be, so the time you’re using to fill me in could be used doing something more important.”

“Don’t count yourself out just yet,” Celestia said. “You’d be surprised at how much one pony can do.”

“Said the immortal god pony with phenomenal cosmic powers,” Thistleroot shot back without thinking. He slammed his mouth shut, giving the princess a worried glance, but she only chuckled.

“And yet, when Nightmare Moon tried to take over, when Discord broke free and began spreading chaos for the first time in a thousand years, and when King Sombra tried to reclaim the Crystal Empire, it was a dressmaker, farmer, weather pony, party planner, animal caretaker, and a student who put a stop to them, not the immortal god pony.”

“Oh come on, they hardly count,” Thistleroot said. “They’re the Elements of Harmony.”

Celestia chuckled again. “Well, agree or disagree, you have my answer. You’ve already helped us, and if you wish to continue to do so, I see no reason to stop you.”

*****

The next afternoon, Thistleroot had left the princess’s side to see if he could find anything on his own to help with. Most of the mess from the attack had been cleaned up, and the more essential shops were opening for business, some selling their produce in stands outside the ruined shops.

He could help with the efforts to repair the ruined buildings. With a grin he found a group of ponies carrying lumber and tools. They were happy to accept his help, and he eagerly started on his part to help the community.

He was asked to leave the third time he lost his grip on the hammer by an angry earth pony with a large lump on the side of his head.

He eventually found his way to Canterlot General Hospital. He’d visited with the princess the day before, and was glad to see it was already beginning to clear as the ponies with more superficial injuries were sent home. Apple Bloom had been there the previous evening, and after waiting several hours as more serious cases were taken care of, had her leg examined. They confirmed that it had been a sprain and suggested rest.

With fewer patients, there was also less need for volunteers, and despite his promises to be very careful, nopony seemed keen on letting him assist in surgery. He finally gave up and found the elevator. He read the directory next to it, wondering if any of his friends from the school were there.

The burn center on the third floor had seen the most action from the changeling attack. Other floors had been relatively unchanged, such as the cancer and psychiatric centers.

Thistleroot blinked. After a moment he hit the call button, entered the elevator, and carefully depressed the 3 button with his horn. A short elevator ride later, and he was in yet another sterile white hall. On the wall across from him was a sign pointing to the right and the words “Psychiatric Unit”.

He stepped up nervously to the front desk. “Uh, hello?”

“Hello,” the receptionist answered. “Visiting?”

“Yes. Well, I’m looking for somepony. I’m not sure he’d be here.”

“Visiting is for family only.”

“Oh, he is family,” Thistleroot back peddled. “My uh, my grandfather. He went missing during the changeling attack. The attack ten years ago traumatized him, and he’s never really been right in the head. We were worried that the attack two days ago set him off.”

“I see. What’s his name?”

Thistleroot glanced around the room desperately. “S... uh, Sa... Sparkle? Sparkle Spell.”

The receptionist flipped through a list and shook her head. “Sorry, no Sparkle here. Oh, there was a John Doe brought in yesterday after somepony saw him lose a fight to a garbage can.”

“A baker?”

“No, John Doe means nopony knows his real name. Is your grandfather an orange unicorn, tall with green eyes and a cloud shaped cutie mark?”

Thistleroot’s face lit up. “Yeah, that’s Papa Sparkle.”

“Uh, mid to late thirties?”

The smile froze. “He’s a lot older than he looks. Spends a lot of the time at the spa.”

“I see,” the receptionist said. “Well, we’ll need some paperwork before we can release him to you.”

“Of course. Uh, can I go say hi first? Make sure he’s okay?”

“Go ahead. End of the hall, around the corner, second door on the right.”

Thistleroot made his way to the door and eased it open. “Papa Sparkle? You in here?” He entered and shut the door.

“Click,” somepony said behind him as the door closed. He turned to see a gangly unicorn sitting on the bed. On his flank was a cloud, like the nurse had said, but with several smaller clouds underneath it. Thistleroot was reminded of a thought bubble from a comic book.

“Oh, uh, hello. I hope it’s okay for me to come in and talk to you?” Thistleroot said. The pony just grinned. “Right, okay. So, uh, how’s it going?”

The orange pony threw his head back and began howling with laughter. Thistleroot jumped back, ears falling flat. After almost a full minute, the laughter subsided.

“Well, aren’t you a bucket full of loose screws?” The orange pony’s grin widened at the joke.

“So, uh, I guess I should cut to the chase. Uh, do you know anything about Discord?”

The orange pony’s eyes bulged and the smile turned into a pained grimace, but a second later he threw his head back and laughed.

“So, is that a yes?” The pony answered with a girlish giggle. “No then?” Another giggle. “What about the changeling queen? Can you even understand me?” For a second he thought the pony was nodding, but the pony’s head bounced up and down faster and faster and his entire body started swaying with the motion.

“Uh, are you okay?” The rocking stopped. “Look, if you can understand anything I’m saying, I just need help finding my friend Scootaloo.”

The pony just stared at him. Finally, he shrugged. “Sorry for wasting your time. Uh, get well soon, I guess.” He turned to open the door.

“Scootaloo’s in danger.”

Thistleroot whipped back around. The pony was staring at him with huge eyes and a lopsided grin. “And we don’t care, do we?”

“Huh?”

“Scootaloo’s in danger, and we care a great deal. But she betrayed us. She did. We made her a traitor. Doesn’t matter. It does.”

“I’m sorry? What was that about Scootaloo?”

“Queenie came and snatched her up. Gonna be gobbled up by the lies. And we don’t care. Yes we do.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“Where she is? Where she is. We know where she is,” the pony said, leaning closer. Thistleroot leaned in, barely daring to breath.

“Scootaloo... Scootaloo is in... in... trouble!” The pony howled with laughter again and Thistleroot flinched back. “Scootaloo is in so much trouble.”

“Please, I need to help her.”

“Help her? Help her. Why help? She did this. We made her.” The mad pony fell back onto his haunches, Thistleroot seemingly forgotten. “Do we worry about her? We don’t worry. We don’t care. Are we scared? We’re never scared. We are. We aren’t. We’re scared. Scared of stone. Scared of boredom. Scared of time. We aren’t. We are. Help us. No.”

“Is she with the changeling queen?” Thistleroot interrupted. “What do they need her for? What are Lirean and her partner Rose planning?”

The mad pony laughed again. “Not partners, never never never never. Rosie plans, and Liri plans, and even Chrysie plans, but Chrysie is gone, and Rosie is dead, and Liri never plans never plans. But Rosie is gone and her plans are gone, and she’s bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad...”

Thistleroot watched in concern as the pony kept on until he was out of breath, gasped for air, and continued. After a full minute he finally seemed to tire of saying bad and trailed off.

“What about the Element’s of Disharmony?”

The pony fell over, clutching his sides shaking. He managed through the laughter, “Liri plans and Liri plans, but she never really plans. She’ll take them and use them, and no more elements, but Celi beats her anyway. And Rosie gave her another plan, but it’s a lie, and Liri doesn’t know doesn’t know. Rosie wants her gone gone gone gone gone. She wants Celi and Luni gone. She wants them all gone. She wants the first rulers to rule, and the royals gone.”

“The first rulers? What, like Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane? Like, from the play?”

The pony howled with laughter again.

“You mean ponies? The ponies were here years before the Alicorns. Rose wants to get rid of the changelings and the princesses?” The pony only kept laughing. “How is she going to get rid of the alicorns? Is that what she needs Scootaloo for?”

“She needs Scootaloo because she needs us but not us. And Scootaloo knows us, so she knows us but not us.”

“You? Why would she need...” Thistleroot trailed off, a horrible thought occurred to him as ice settled in his gut. Celestia had told him, the bit of what Discord was would be burned into a pony’s mind forever, but even she probably hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

“Why does she need Scootaloo? She already got to you.”

“Not us! Us but not us! We hid it there, and she wants it and she can’t get it and Scoots can. Scootaloo. Scoots. No.”

“What does she want?”

“It.”

“What is it?”

“If Liri wins, Changelings get Canterlot. If Rosie wins, no one gets Canterlot.”

Thistleroot swallowed. “What do you mean by that?”

The mad pony leaned in again, all traces of laughter gone. “Boom.”

“Boom?”

“BOOM!” The pony threw his arms into the air for emphasis. “But not a fun boom. An old boom. Old old old old old and bad bad bad bad bad.”

“An old boom?” Thistleroot asked. “That doesn’t even make sen...” he trailed off, realizing how dumb that comment was.

“Old,” the pony answered, nodding seriously. “Old.”

“How old?”

“Older.”

“Older than what?”

“Yes.”

A knock came at the door and the receptionist opened it. “Excuse me, sir? Visiting hours are over.”

Thistleroot frowned, but decided it was a good time to go to the princess anyway. She’d probably be able to get more out of him, and maybe even help him a little. “Alright.” He made it to the door, but turned back to the pony grinning at him from the bed. The pony’s contradictions through the conversation had confused him, but they all seemed to be about Scootaloo. Given what he knew now about her, it started to make sense, and he had one last question. One that he was sure Scootaloo must have asked herself.

“Do you hate Scootaloo?”

The mad pony cocked his head. “Do we?”

“Uh, sir?” The receptionist said.

“Just a second.”

“We did. She did this to us. She betrayed us. We made her a traitor. She betrayed us. We betrayed her first.” The pony fell silent for a long moment. “She’s sorry.”

“I don’t,” the mad pony said.

“I don’t either,” he agreed with himself.