//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Atypical Day // Story: Dirge of Harmony // by Stalin the Stallion //------------------------------// White. Everything was white. It was not the white of a clean floor, nor was it the white of a fluffy cloud. No. This was the kind of white that makes one think of death. It was the kind of antiseptic, unusually clean white that possessed some horrific semblance to a hospice ward, a place where only the dying go for their final hours. And it was all lit by a white light in the ceiling. The windows were closed out by a heavy black curtain, the sunlight utterly rejected from the room. In stark contrast to the color of the room were the furnishings, all an onyx black. At the center of the room was a table, a large, horrid thing the color of richest coal. Resting upon the table as though it had found the perfect spot in the world on which to sleep was a strange mechanism. The mechanism consisted of six gemstones, each representing something, each representing the Elements of Harmony. These gems were hooked together via a wire that linked them with a gray box off to the side. The almost sickly light reflected into the crystalline gems, creating a spectrum of shifting colors just beneath their polished surfaces. Cauterium sighed as he paced around the room, threatening to put a groove into the floor as his lab coat swayed in his own idle haste, occasionally taking furtive glances at the mountains of paperwork he had metaphorically walled himself in with. The lab coat jostled his light brown fur as he adjusted his black rimmed glasses, the ones hanging over his golden eyes – eyes that rendered him half-blind, but to him it was a bearable price for the cause of science. His mind was a swirling vortex, his thoughts raged like a hurricane, but there was one thought that stood clear. It was a single word that summed up all his questions in a single piece of poetry: when? “When will it be ready?” he mumbled to his lonesome, trying his best not to grind his teeth. He continued pacing in aimless circles around the table. “Why isn’t it ready? All the processes are stable. All the calculations are correct. They could not be incorrect, he couldn't afford them to be – he had spent half of his life, for what that was worth, on this experiment. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead as he contemplated the reality of failure being a possibility. His heart rate only continued to alternate between beating in his stomach and throat as he continued to pace, his speed getting ever faster with each passing, agonizing minute. Cauterium bit his lip, steeling himself for possible action. Cauterium’s horn lit up, glowing a sharp emerald green. A newspaper, now surrounded by the same aura, rose up from a nearby table and floated to his eyes. With a ridiculous amount of care, his pulse elevating as he did so, he turned to a very, very specific page. The page began with an article – the article displayed six mares. “Discord, threat to Equestria, defeated by Elements of Harmony. Order restored!” read the article's title. “And you, my dears, live in Ponville,” he murmured as if keeping his own words a secret from himself. His lips curled into a nigh sadistic grin. “You time, ladies, is nigh over. You don’t have what it takes to save this nation. Though I think it's high time to take a vacation to the countryside.” He made a move towards the small back table in one corner of the room, setting the paper aside. Upon the table was a small pink vial, its contents shimmering with an ethereal light. He picked the vial up, holding it before his eyes, examining it as though he were a jeweler and it a diamond. “Well, Narcissus,” he mumbled to the liquid, “it's time to see your little ‘gift’ in action.” ***** "Remind me again why we’re doing this, Twilight?" Spike groaned, running a purple hand through his green frills. "Because Derpy asked us to help her collect the letters she lost, Spike," a mare replied. Her mane was a moderate sapphire blue, twin streaks of moderate violet and brilliant rose ran down the center of it, splitting in half along her horn. Horn glowing, she picked up another lost letter. Twilight cast her eyes onto the dragon. “Over there, Spike.” She pointed to a nearby building, on its roof was a letter. A very lonely and hard-to-reach letter. “And why isn’t Derpy helping us?” Spike groused, scurrying his way up the drainpipe. Something cracked. Without warning, Spike found the ground rushing to greet him with open arms, nevermind that he was still clutched to the pipe. “Ow...” “Don’t you remember the last time she helped us?” She shook her head. “I don't want to have to repair the town’s roofs again, Spike.” Twilight sighed, plucking the envelope from its lofty perch with her magic. “I probably should have done that from the get go,” she mumbled to the letter, stashing it in a saddlebag. Spike made a face. “I still don’t get how she could be so clumsy,” he griped, rolling his eyes. “This is her special talent?” He got up, dusting his scales of loose dust particles. “Spike, don’t be so critical. Everypony has their flaws.” Her horn set itself alight with magical energy. "Spike, over there!” She pointed to a flagpole, a letter stuck to its pommel. “And I’m going to reach that how?” he deadpanned. Twilight blinked. “Right, right, sorry,” she chuckled, levitating the letter from up high into her bag. “Twilight, why do you even need me here if you can fetch all these letters with magic?” he pointed out, his expression also a deadpan. “Well, I certainly can’t get them all by myself.” “Of course you can – you’re the best magician ever!” Spike's gave his friend a large, desperate smile. Twilight’s expression became downright nefarious. “What’s wrong, ‘number one assistant’? Want me to call Owloysius to get that letter from under the bench?” His eyes bulged as he quickly ‘complied’ with her. “That’s cheating and you know it,” he mumbled, handing her the letter. “Just kidding, Spike,” she chuckled. “Two heads are better than one, you know. Try looking for some yourself. It’s not difficult.” “And by that logic, the hydra is the wisest of all,” Spike pointed out under his breath. Glancing about, he noticed a creamy-white, vaguely manila thing in a nearby bush. “Ello, ello, what ‘ave we ‘ere. Oi, methinks me sees a clues, that's wot I thinks me sees, eh, Trotson? Let’s go catch Jaque the Cottawn-Canday Eatah, eh?” Twilight rolled her eyes at Spike’s sudden urge to be a certain famous detective, no matter that he butchered the accent. He stuck a claw into the thicket. “EEK!” yelped a mare. “What do you think you’re doing?!” “Nothin’, sorry, Rose! I didn’t-uh, sorry!” Spike let the mare free of his claws. She backed away from him, a suspicious look on her muzzle. Twilight laughed. “Excuse me, Miss,” said a male voice to Twilight’s right. He was middle-aged, his coat a light brown, and his mane the color of straw. On his nose sat black-rimmed glasses, through which gentle, smiling, golden eyes watched. A thin, stylish beard hung from his chin. “Might you be Twilight Sparkle, young lady?" he asked, pausing his walk within a few feet of Twilight. "Yes, that's-” She paused, her nose twitching as she inhaled something. Without warning a warm feeling crept its way down her breast and into her stomach, hatching into butterflies. “Me,” she replied, her voice shaking with the tendrils of timid excitement. Spike cocked a brow at her sudden change in demeanor. She took a deep breath as she tried to wrest control of herself, only to worsen the effect. The stallion smiled gently as he waited for her to collect herself. But he only had so much patience. “And hi. I’m Spike, a dragon.” The stallion nodded to Spike before refocusing on Twilight. “Please forgive me if I'm wasting your time. My name is Microscope.” He demonstrated his cutie mark, which bore vague semblance to his namesake device. “I’m a... I’m a scientist from a little place called ‘Upper Fields’. As you can probably tell,” he chuckled, “I’m new here, though just I’m staying for a brief sojourn.” He took a step towards her. “I was actually, well, I don’t mean to jump the crossbow or anything, but I was looking for you specifically. “H-how do you know me?” Twilight, her legs threatening to abandon her to fend for herself. There was something off about the stranger, at least that’s how Spike saw it. Though he couldn’t put exact reason to it, just being near Microscope that made Spike want to bite him, something he would never ever do. Despite the stranger’s pleasant disposition, he made the skin beneath Spike’s scales crawl. Microscope smiled a warm, charming grin. “How could I not know who you are, Twilight Sparkle? You and your friends have saved Equestria twice. I would have thought that anonymity would’ve been in short supply for you, madam.” At his words, she felt her cheeks flush, a stupid smirk on her face. And breathing in only made it worse. Twilight couldn’t shake off the feeling that this stallion was dangerous, yet her thought seemed unwilling to contemplate that possibility. In fact, her thoughts were a disarrayed mess unto themselves – something Twilight would never let stand, though she was struggling to stand as it was. “I-is that so? Can I help you th-then?” Twilight stammered. “You see, dear Twilight, we – or more accurately, I – have been studying the Elements of Harmony, and I’d like to seek your assistance.” Microscope added a subdued wink to his final syllable. “Elements of Harmony? And what exactly do you want to know about them? I’d be happy to-to tell you whatever you’re after,” Twilight replied, shifting hoof to hoof, only to be vaguely startled by her own sense of forthcoming. “All I want to know is how you connect to your Element, Miss Twilight. How is it that you can wield a force such as the Sixth Element? The more details the better.” Spike sniffed at the air, detecting an acrid yet faint aroma from the stallion. He took a furtive glance at Twilight and, with alarm, noticed she was blushing, her expression a stupid, girlish smile. Moreover, it seemed like with each passing second the smell became stronger. As Spike tasted the scent he began to find Microscope both more and less tolerable. “I wish I had that cologne,” he mumbled under his breath. “Connection...” Twilight strained, trying to recall events through the pink haze of obscure thoughts. A pregnant pause. “It's just when I realized how everypony received their Elements – that is, when I truly, truly understood the value of friendship – there was a.. a...” Twilight gritted her teeth. “There’s nothing more to say, really. The feelings is nigh indescribable. I don’t think language can even begin to do it justice.” Twilight offered him a sheepish smile. There was something about his tone, honest and curious though it was, that made her skin crawl – her mind flat out refused to dwell upon the subject, as if it were under some external effect. Yet something about his eyes and body language gave the impression that he wasn’t learning anything. “Your Element.” He paused for effect. “Is the hardest to understand, Miss Twilight: Magic. It cannot appear without the other five. Yet it is by far the most important; without which neither could function, and yet they need to be united to activate the Sixth. A very, very curious procedure.” “Your tone make it sound like love poetry,” Spike opined, opening his mouth and gesturing a finger down it. The stallion chuckled. “I’m passionate about my work. Just think about it: five Elements – Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness and Honesty – when mixed together via friendship allow the manifestation of Magic. But more specifically, the concept of the ideal friendship. What do we mean by ordinary friendship? A combination of several Elements, but the ideal friendship consists of all five, thus combining the five Elements into a mysterious sixth. Friendship is, quite literally, Magic, huh?” “I'm sorry I couldn’t help you, Mister Microscope,” Twilight replied, looking down as she fidgeted her forehooves. “Do not worry, dear Twilight. You have given me enough information to continue my investigation,” answered Microscope softly. “I did?” “Yes, my dear. And now do allow me to leave.” He bowed his head. “I appreciate your help. I’ll continue my investigation here in Ponyville.” With his piece said he walked off. Spike gave Twilight a very dry expression, though inwardly he was smiling that the stallion had left, his cologne going with him. “What’s gotten into you, Twilight? What was with that whole staring at him like a kitten in love, huh?” “I don’t know, Spike.. He’s just so... There was just something nice about him..” “Was not.” Twilight's eyes narrowed in a jocular way. “Are you jealous, Spike?” “No,” he groaned. “Oh, hey, look. A letter. A real one this time,” he continued, his tone so dry it made Twilight thirsty. “Let’s get on with it – we’ve already wasted too much time. We’re making Derpy and the ‘consignees’ wait, and that is such a shame. Woe unto us for that. Woe is me.” Twilight’s nose involuntary crinkled, forcing large gulps of air down her throat. The mental image of Microscope suddenly got a lot less dreamy and a lot more creepy. ***** The world of the nocturnal awoke for another night as Twilight and Spike ambled through the empty streets of Ponyville. Or perhaps it was not so empty. “Hi girls. What are you talking about?” Twilight inquired, cantering up next to a small selection of her closest friends as they stood under a streetlight, conversing amongst themselves as they were. The three mares turned their heads to Twilight. “Howdy, Twilight!” welcomed Applejack, an orange mare with a blonde mane. She tipped her Stetson to accentuate the greeting. “We are just talking about some guy we all meet today!” chirped a bubbly mare with pale pink coat and a dark pink mane – Pinkie Pie “Y-yes, a-a stallion,” added Fluttershy, her long light pink mane half-hiding her face as she spoke. Twilight shot them each a puzzled expression “Did he just so happen to have a light brown mane and black-rimmed glasses?” They all blinked. “Oh, have you met him too?” Pinkie tweeted. “He’s awesome, isn’t he?” “I still don’t get what’s so ‘awesome’ about him, Pinkie. He seemed like an ordinary stallion to me,” said Applejack. “To be honest, he was more than just a lil’ creepy.” “There certainly was something off about him, Pinkie,” Twilight picked up. “Oh, come on! It’s his cologne that makes you all crazy about him,” Spike groaned, throwing his hands into the air. Everyone accosted Spike with the same curious expression “What cologne?” asked Twilight. Spike rolled his eyes, dryly sighing, “What? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice that scent. It nearly drove me mad. Gave me the strangest craving for his kneecaps.” Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “I don’t remember any cologne.” Applejack glanced at her hooves. “I think I remember some sweet swell in the air,” she said. “I think it smelt like… a Narcissus Flower’s scent, maybe?” Spike nodded, his expression a tacit concurrence with her. “Wait a minute, how do you know what narcissus flower smells like?” Twilight asked, arching a brow at Applejack. “I thought you weren't into flowers, AJ.” “Well, you see...,” Applejack mumbled, scratching back of her head. “I was helping Rose and Lily with their garden yesterday, a-and I... Look, that kinda flower ain’t just something you can forget. Now can we just leave it at that?” Twilight closed her eyes, exhaling a large breath as she tried to best her to remember. “You know, I was about to say that magical charming colognes don't exist, but” – she looked at Pinkie Pie – “I’ve learned enough not to disbelieve something simply because it doesn’t have a base in facts – at least not yet.” Spike rolled his eyes. “So, you agree that he’s awesome?” Pinkie inquired, a devious smirk plastered across her muzzle. “You’re missin’ a point here, sugar cube,” Applejack intoned. Fluttershy took a step forward. “I… I had, um, the same reaction; the same feeling,” she said in at a volume barely above a whisper, blushing. “But then I saw reaction of my animals.” She licked her lips. “They were… afraid. Then I realized something… his eyes” – a slight shiver shook her knees – “for a second his pupils narrowed and-” She opened her mouth by a hair’s breadth, shuffling her bottom jaw side-to-side before saying anything further. “They became like, well, like a cat’s.” Nopony spoke for what felt like a minute. The silence was ear-splitting. “Sugar cube, now you’re just imagining things,” Applejack replied, her tone vaguely dry. “No, I didn’t. When his pupils became like that-” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “He turned tail and galloped off – he didn’t even say a goodbye.” The long silence was broken by Pinkie Pie. “I wish I could do that with my eyes! It’d be AWESOME!” The others shook their heads at her little outburst. “Anyway,” said Twilight, “I think we all are worrying about trifles. Though I am curious, what did he ask you about?” “The Elements of Harmony,” the three mares answered simultaneously. “He asked us all how we got our Elements!” Pinkie chittered. “You too?” Twilight muttered. “Well, I guess he did tell me he was going to ‘continue his investigation’, so that would make sense. Did he ask you anything in particular?” “Just about the Elements, nothin’ other than that. He hardly pursued any line of questions after that,” Applejack replied. “I see.” “Hey, Twilight? Can we please go. I’m sure it was nothing and I’m tired,” Spike whined. Twilight sighed. “Spike’s got a point. We’ve been working all day long. Look, we can talk about this later, deal?” “Deal,” they all replied. ***** The moon stood guard over the world below; her dance music the singing of cicadas, the chirps of bats, and the croak of frogs. A lonesome hill stood watch over the hamlet of Ponyville, and on this hill stood a stallion. His coat the color of newborn grass; his tightly worn mane a shade of dark green, decorated with a respectably sized and pink narcissus flower. His equally pink eyes positively glistened as they bathed in the pale moonlight. The standing stallion turned around, his ears perking to the approaching sound of another. This newcomer was a slender stallion with glasses. His expression was less-than a smile. “How eez it all came through, beau?” singsonged the standing stallion. “Better than I expected,” remarked Cauterium, walking up next to the one who had been standing. “But my worst fears may well have been confirmed.” His voice changed, becoming sharp, his words marred by a tinge of double-meaning. “By the way, Narcissus, your perfume worked well.” Narcissus chuckled, his tone wry. “Of course eet eez, godiche! Mon perfumes always works! Dzis is my specialty, after all!” Cauterium smiled. “Too good, to be exact. Some of those stupid girls couldn’t even mumble a word to me. You need to develop better doses.” “My dozes are perfect, godiche!” Narcissus exclaimed, wrinkling his nose for effect. “Eet eez just your natural charm, beau, that caught dzeir attencion!” “’Natural Charm’ my flank! I was hardly holding myself back from insulting those bumbling – literally! – morons. Plus, I almost – no, actually – revealed my true eyes, no doubt scaring the Element of Kindness.” “Heh, good ol’ Cauterium. You are always able to hold dzat mask of yours, n'est-il pas? But looks like you learned something interesting from dzis pegasus? Your true eyes showing only in anger and excitement, do they not?” Cauterium gritted his teeth as he glared at Narcissus. “How many times do I have to tell you to not call me by that name, Narcissus?” “Oh, beau, don’t get angry over trifles. Old habits are difficult to eradicate,” Narcissus cooed. “So, you said dzat your worst fears been confirmed, beau? What do you mean by dzat?” Cauterium glanced at the virgin moon. “That the you-know-what cannot activate unless we find suitable hosts for the Elements we have. Even my tech’s no good unless we get that little matter settled. Moreover, the Elements themselves must choose their wielders.” Narcissus slumped his head to the ground, holding a hoof over his eyes as his head shook. “That ees, we must find dze five wielders to coax dze last Element to appear? And dze Elements must choose wielders themselves?” Cauterium licked his lips as he leered at the town below, his mouth soon curling into a devious smirk. “No one said we couldn’t help them choose. So why don’t we?”