The storm began to close around the three tribes, their mistrust growing with every gale. Harmony looked upon this and wept. She sent her foals to find a new land in the shadow of a great mountain. Thus, the Exodus began.
--- The Book of Harmony, Chapter 16, Verses 35-40
Paper Clip stared at his cubicle wall. He had been staring at his cubicle wall for the past eighteen years.
He never liked it. Never liked his surroundings. Never liked his job. He never liked the people he worked with. This was strange, yesterday he thought he was perfectly happy. Today however was different. Today his wife and son didn't make up for any annoyances at work. Today it didn't matter how hard the boss was trying to be nice to the employees, even if he lost his temper sometimes. Today he wasn't happy with all of the organizing he got to do, even if this was the perfect position for a stickler for detail. Today he never loved his job. Today he never loved his family.
Today he didn't care.
This was concerning. The morning started out perfectly decently. His wife made him a very nice breakfast. His son had wished him a happy birthday and gave him a card. And, despite a slight unseasonable chill in the air, it was a perfectly decent summer day.
But in the cab ride over to work he had done some deep thinking. This was not normal for Paper Clip.
Six million ponies live in Manehattan, he thought. You are one of them. You eat. You sleep. You go to work. If you are very lucky, you might have sex. You do this day in and day out. Your only reward is the means to keep doing it. Over and over. A constant cycle of futility ultimately leading to nothing.
This wasn't like him. In fact, it didn't SOUND like him at all.
And this is the funny part, he kept thinking. One day, we are all going to die. We live. We die. We are forgotten. That is the way of the world and that is how it's going to remain. No matter what we do, we all end up in the ground. The same destination. All roads lead back to Tartarus. But we have these things... Inhibitions. They stop us from doing what we want when we want it, and for what? So ponies won't think poorly of us? So we don't get yelled at? Screw'em! This is your life, and you should be aloud to enjoy it.
He started to listen to the voice in his head. By then he was about halfway to work.
We're going to change that, the voice continued. Screw your work. Screw the risks. Screw all of it. You entered this world bloody and screaming. You're going to leave the same way. Why not have some fun in the in between?
When the cab had pulled up the thoughts had turned darker. The voice had started saying much more cruel things.
I've got some ideas... it continued with sick glee. You could get some use out of that letter opener your wife got you for Hearth's Warming on somepony's neck... Maybe the brat back home...
Paper Clip stopped dead in the doorway. Did he just wish death on his own son? No. This was wrong. Something was wrong. Even during the worst of times, even when Chip was being an absolute horror he never, ever wanted that. He loved his son. Loved his family. Whoever this voice was, was lying.
Okay! Sorry! the voice said quickly. I get it. Baby steps... Let's start with your boss...
"Who are you?" Paper Clip whispered to the voice.
Well... I'm you. The voice answered. To be fair, I'm everyone. At least partially.
"You're not any part of me," Paper whispered harshly. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
Yeah you do, the voice said frankly. But like I said, baby steps. Now make your way to the elevator. The receptionist is giving you a weird look.
Paper Clip hurried across the lobby and made it into the elevator. Much to his chagrin, he made it to the elevator alone. It was just him and the voice now. And the more it talked, the more tempting it sounded.
Every day he walks in with some new assignment with that same grin on his smug, preening, face, the voice continued. And every time he does, you can feel yourself clenching. Well, today I want you to unclench. Use every ounce of that resentment you have in those brief few seconds and make sure none of it is wasted.
Because trust me, this is going to be a bad week.
And now he was here. Staring at the gray felt covered wall. Feeling nothing. Accomplishing nothing. Hating everything.
That's when Mr. Novella walked in.
"Hey," he said. "You okay, Paper? You seem out of it?"
Paper Clip hesitated for a moment. "I...," he started. "Yeah... Sorry Mr. Novella, it's just... been a weird morning."
"I understand," the boss smiled. "And we've discussed this before, you can call me Paperback."
Paper Clip didn't respond. He just kept staring at the wall.
"Listen," Novella continued. "I know I've kind of been loading you up with work lately, I'm sorry about that. With the merger coming up, I've been really trying to make sure you all kept your jobs, and it's been a nightmare. The good news is, it worked! Not a single layoff in this department! But I know you've had a busy week... But I also know something else..."
There was a huge noise behind him as the rest of this department came with a large cake with great big letters reading "Happy Birthdsy, Paper Clip!" There was a round of applause as Paper turned around to see them. He was stunned.
"Happy Birthday!" Novella smiled. "You have really helped me save everyone in this department, you have worked so hard, nd I don't want you to think it's unappreciated. For Twi's sake, take the rest of the week off, you've earned it."
The applause continued. Paper Clip stared at the cake for what seemed like an eternity. And then...
It would be wrong to say it happened all at once, because to Paper Clip it didn't happen at all. It was like a needle skipped on the record and everything had jumped forward. He didn't know why his hand and throat were suddenly sore. He didn't know why the cake was on the ground. He didn't know why all his co-workers looked shocked and horrified. More than anything else, he didn't know why Mr. Novella was on the ground with a broken nose.
Wow... the voice spoke up one last time. I just wanted you to tell him off... Nice work!
"Luckily," Applejack said looking right at Twilight. "The boss seems to be one of the most understanding ponies on the planet. so he ain't pressin' charges. But that's not the issue..."
Twilight closed her eyes and took in the information. If this had happened once she would think that a Pony lost his temper due to severe stress. But this wasn't the first time a pony had turned violent for seemingly no reason. Twice in Fillydelphia, once in Canterlot, and now once in Manehattan. Something was at work. And she had to figure out what.
She looked around the table at her friends. They were always there for her, ever since Celestia and Luna... took their leave, and left the throne to Twilight and Cadence. Fluttershy was always there with the right thing to say to calm her down. Applejack was always there to cut through the politics and give it to her in the frankest way possible. Rainbow Dash would put her body between Twilight and the armies of Tartarus if she felt it would help the kingdom. Pinkie Pie could pull her out of the deepest depression, and most of the measurable improvements to Equestria's lifestyle could be attributed to Rarity's sense of style and generous nature.
They were her High Lunar Council. It was still stressful, there were things they couldn't know, but without them there would be no kingdom.
She let out a deep sigh. "Ponies are turning violent without explanation." She turned to Applejack. "Has anyone been killed?"
"Not yet," AJ responded. "But maybe soon. It's happenin' more and more often, and it's gettin' worse and worse each time. If we don't do somethin'..."
"I know..." Twilight said heavily. "I know that... but at this moment I'm not sure if we can do anything. This could all still be coincidence."
"Darling," Rarity said. "Do you really believe that's still a possibility?"
"No," Twilight said frankly. "But at this point it's the only concrete thing we can call these incidents. Until I do a little more research, we're in the dark. For now, I think we should move on to other business."
Applejack sat back. "You're right... I mean... unless anypony's got a solution..."
"Oh! Oh! I know!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly. "One night out of every year we can get rid of all the laws! Once a year there are no laws and everyone can go out and work off their needless aggression and ponies wouldn't hurt ponies the rest of the year!"
The rest of the table looked at Pinkie with looks of confusion and bewilderment.
"No wait, that's stupid," Pinkie said frankly. "Why would giving in to the worst of you make the worst of you go away? And for that matter why would all violence just suddenly stop? Anger doesn't wait for a specific day, and if it did do that, that would make it like A KAJILLION times worse!! You know what... Forget I said anything." Pinkie sat back...
"Any... other... business?" said Twilight, still confused as to where that came from.
"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash eager to change the subject. "The weather."
"I've been meaning to ask," Twilight straightened up. "What's the problem? Why haven't you guys managed to push it to summer heat yet? We're a month and a half in at this point!"
"That's the thing," Dash sighed. "We don't know..."
"We're doing everything we can," Fluttershy said softly. "But we can't fight back the cold... It's getting to the point where the animals won't move back up north..."
"It's not the weather," Dash said frankly. "If it was, we'd be able to get a handle on it... If you ask me, I'd say something magical was going on..."
"Well of course not!" Rarity scoffed. "If that was the case Twilight would have already known about it, right? Perhaps there is some sort of industrial pollution making it harder to warm us up for summer?"
"Don't think so," Applejack said. "Normally that has the opposite effect, and so far we've kept a good lid on it. Rainbow, you're sure the other Pegasi have tried everythin'?"
"Yes," Dash rolled her eyes. "You know, I really can do my job, Applejack."
"I ain't sayin' you can't!" Applejack said defensively. "I'm just..."
There was a casual laugh that seemed to echo all around the room. Twilight recognized it, and she shuddered.
"So... The Pegasi are blaming the unicorns, the Unicorns are blaming the Earth Ponies, and the Earth Ponies are blaming the Pegasi. All the while, it's getting colder, and ponies across the nation are acting violent. Call me crazy, but I think I've heard this before."
It was stressful. There were things they couldn't know. Scratch was all of them.
Twilight only found out about the Warden of Tartarus about a year before she took charge of the Moon. Every month he would come to Canterlot Palace, give a brief, but scarily detailed report on how things were going in what he called his "Wheelhouse." He would then play Twilight in a game of chess. When Celestia passed, the only clear instruction she gave Twilight was that she had to play chess with Scratch. No matter what else was going on, no matter how dire the situation, she had to play chess with Scratch. And, what's more, she had to get to a point, quickly as possible, where she was consistently winning against him.
"Seriously," Scratch continued as he stepped out of the darkness. "This doesn't sound familiar to anypony else? Random spurts of bitter hatred and mistrust... Unseasonable cold... Not ringing any bells for anypony?"
Twilight always assumed that Scratch could look like whatever he chose to look like, but when she broached the subject at one of their monthly games, (in a futile attempt to distract him) Scratch bitterly informed her that this was the form he was stuck with. His coat was a deep reddish brown, a lot like rust on an iron chain. His mane was bright yellow and shaved very close to his head, almost to the level of being peach fuzz. He normally appeared in a very dapper suit. Black jacket, white shirt, bright red tie. He often topped it off with a black Derby that cast a shadow over his eyes.
This was a good thing. Because his eyes were the most terrifying thing about him.
His eyes were pitch black. Every so often there would be a faint orange glimmer, as if a fire was burning just beneath Scratch's skin and this was the only way to catch a glimpse of it. Twilight didn't like to look Scratch in the eye for very long. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and it was terrible to look through that window only to find the room vacant.
"See... I thought you guys had pattern recognition," Scratch laughed. "Damn, was I wrong. Then again, if anypony had any pattern recognition the world wouldn't exist as it does today, would it?"
"Who the hoof is this guy?" Rainbow snorted.
"Aw, she hasn't told you about me?" Scratch said sadly. "I guess that's fair, I am a fairly awkward topic of conversation, aren't I?"
"Who are you?" Rarity insisted.
"I'm... no, hold on." Scratch turned to Twilight. "Say my name. Please."
"Our chess game isn't until next week, Scratch," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "Now get out of my castle."
"That's not the name I was thinking of...," Scratch smiled. "But it'll do for now. Yes, you girls can call me Scratch. I am the humble prison warden for the rotting stinking pit you throw most of your equine refuse into."
"Your the guy in charge of Tartarus," Rainbow Dash reasoned.
"Wow, you six are pretty smart!" Scratch said brightly. "I could have easily been talking about Cloudsdale."
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and made straight to bury a hoof in Scratch's jaw, but Twilight raised a hoof to stop her.
"Don't," she said frankly. "That's what he wants."
"Too true," Scratch sighed. "And I could get it whenever I need to from you six, trust me. But no... today I'm here for a different reason. Today, I'm here to help."
"What could you possibly help us with?" Rarity spat at Scratch.
"You think you have two problems," Scratch smiled. "Actually, you have one. That's both good news, and bad news, The good news is that there is one less problem to solve, the bad news is that that problem... hoo... It's a whopper, let me tell you."
"What are you talking about?" Fluttershy asked cautiously.
"Pony's start to hate and mistrust each other... And then everything starts to get colder," Scratch sighed. "Please tell me the six of you aren't so stupid that I have to spell it out for you?"
A horrible realization dawned on Twilight. "Windigos."
An evil grin split across Scratch's face. "Give the mare a cigar."
"But we haven't seen the Windigos in over a thousand years!" Applejack protested. "Why would they bother to come runnin' back now?"
"It's the incidents...," Twilight said slowly. "The hate that keeps revealing itself in the hearts of the ponies tat live here... It's drawing them back... It's letting them find us..."
"And boy oh boy, how they've missed you," Scratch laughed. "Back in the good old days there was a good amount of hate and fear for them to suck on. But then this whole 'friendship' fad started..."
"But why?" Applejack asked. "Why is this happening? I mean, all the ponies here were nice before... Why are they all--"
"Oh I have an idea..." Twilight said through gritted teeth. "You see Scratch has a way with words. He likes to talk to ponies. Console them about their problems. And in return..."
"In return," Scratch smiled. "I offer them a bit of release. They get a sense of who they really are. And it should be noted, most ponies are horrible horrible equines. It's really amazing. But I'm afraid all the evidence points to you barking up the wrong tree. You know what I want, Twily."
"Don't. Call me that," Twilight hissed through gritted teeth. Scratch always managed to find a way to get under her skin.
"What do you want?" Fluttershy asked.
"Out," Scratch said shortly, his calm vernier cracking under the weight of his desire. "I have been stuck in a hot hole in the ground filled with monsters and the worst ponies imaginable for I have lost count at this point. To be honest, it's cramped, and loud, and to be perfectly honest, dull. I would like to move. But I can't do that, because there is a huge wrought iron gate magically sealed to keep me in.
"If you think that I'm going to let you out if you help us with the Windigos, you can forget it!" Twilight shouted. "You were put down there for a reason, Scratch."
"And you can live out your immortality until the Universe collapses and you will never understand exactly what that reason is," Scratch spat. "But I hadn't considered asking you an option. That being said, only an Alicorn can open the gate. There are only three left in Equestria, so if something were to happen to them, like say... All of them freezing to death, I would be in quite the predicament."
"So how do we stop it?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Only one way you can stop it," Scratch shrugged. "The Elements of Harmony. I doubt they'll burn like they did last time though. You may have to stow them somewhere."
Twilight looked down at the ground after Scratch mentioned the Elements. Her heart sank when Applejack finally spoke up.
"What're we waitin' for? Let's saddle up and get out there!"
Scratch let out another slimy, evil grin. "Twily?" he said sweetly. "Do you want to tell them why that won't work, or should I?"
A bolt of hate passed through Twilight Sparkle before she calmed herself down, and said what she needed to say for months. "We're not the Element Bearers anymore." she said heavily. "They've passed on."
The reaction from her friends was not what she was expecting. She was expecting shock, a sense of abandonment, confusion, anger. What she got were a lot of crushed looks, and closed eyes. Like they had heard a truth that they had known for ages, but never ever wanted to admit to themselves. A few silent tears were shed, but no voice raised, no questions, no denial. It was over.
Their job as the spirits of the Elements was at long last over.
After quite a long pause, Rarity spoke up. "So what are we supposed to do? I mean we can't just sit here."
"Sure you can," Scratch said happily. "It's not your problem anymore. Just sit back, relax, and let the new Element bearers take the job on. Of course... You'll need to find out who they are... That might be a problem. But then again. who knows? Twily may know where to start."
Something clicked in Twilight Sparkle's head. All the sorrow quickly turned to rage as the fog around the situation began to lift. ALl at once she understood everything. Everything except his endgame.
She marched right up to Scratch and looked him straight in the dead, burning eyes. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?!" Twilight shouted. "Do you honestly think I wouldn't guess that you're behind this?! And more than anything, do you honestly think that I am letting you anywhere near my family?!"
Scratch stood silently for a moment, honestly shocked at Twilight's brazenness. Then his smile came back to his face, this time more twisted and evil than Twilight had ever seen it. "The following things are true. The Windigos are coming back to find you. Unless you get your hands on the new Element Bearers, they won't be stopped. If they aren't stopped there's no where you can run anymore. The world is mapped. They follow you. Finally, you know how to find the next Element Bearers. What you need to do, and who you need to send. If you don't everypony in Equestria is going to freeze to death. I wasn't lying when I said I don't want that to happen.
"So the question isn't 'Am I behind it?' or 'What is he planning?' The question you need to ask yourself is, 'With a scenario this dire, what other choice do I have?"
Then Scratch started to laugh. This laugh wasn't maniacal, but casual. Normal. Like he had remembered something funny that someone had told him a few weeks ago. You could hear that laugh from anyone, and the fact that it was coming from someone like him made it bonechilling.
In a blink of an eye, Scratch was gone. But that laugh would stay with Twilight and her friends for the rest of their lives.
The coach landed in Canterlot with a procession waiting outside. She rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time she had come to visit. As a matter of fact she had been coming here every week fot the past month. So why did she have to suffer the loud trumpeting of fanfare every time she arrived in the city.
She took a full blast of it from both sides as she stepped out of the buggy.
"Jeez! Will you guys stow it!" Flurry Heart said, her ears recovering. "I know, alright? I'm here.