Chapter five: Avenge the dead.

It’s just about everypony’s dream to meet the Mane Six. Rainbow Dash was always my favorite. Since I’m the alone-in-a-crowd type, I always admired her ability to have a gaggle of friends and fans any place she touched down at. She wore her heart on her sleeve and always spoke her mind.

Me? In my job, I put hearts in specimen jars and keep my head down.

Rainbow Dash could fly faster than any pegasus I had ever seen. Clouds spun at her command. Rain stopped and started on her whims.

I jog a mile and I need to take a nap. When it’s raining, and I have to be at a funeral, all I can do is put on a raincoat and watch the final farewells in the most melodramatic setting available.

And now she was gone.

I was getting off the train from Manehatten. The two pegasus guards that flew me from the castle were waiting for me. No surprise there.

When I rode their sky-chariot a half-mile into the sky again, I tried to not shut my eyes this time. That vivid dream-visit from Nightmare Moon still burned in my eyes. I could almost feel her sitting next to me. I just kept studying the sunny skies and the bright summer colors of the mountains, as if they could warm the chill in my bones.

As soon as my hooves touched the castle courtyard, I was whisked to Princess Celestia’s throne room. Just like the last time. I hoped that eventually I could take a simple stroll down these ancient halls.

This time Celestia had the remaining members of the Mane Six and that small purple and green dragon I saw once or twice. Only the princess smiled as I approached.

Applejack looked at me with suspicion. Fluttershy only glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes. Twilight Sparkle gave me one of those forced bank-teller smiles. Rarity tilted her head as she saw my pony skull cutie mark. I felt like I had just stumbled into the mares restroom.

“Wow,” said the dragon. “so you’re the pony that examined Rainbow Dash, huh?”

“Yes. I am very sorry for your loss....Spike, isn’t it? I know that she was a great friend to you all.”

“Is that what they teach y’all to say at funeral school or wherever yer from?” asked Applejack.

“That’s right. But I’m serious. I...”

“How’s Pinkie Pie?” inquired Twilight. “How are they treating her?”

“They’ll be treating her better than they have been after I dropped Celestia’s name. She’ll be all right, given her circumstances.”

The princess raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Rarity asked, “Is it true, then? She really murdered Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes, but it’s not as simple as that. Believe me. I’ve found out a lot in the last few hours.”

“Tell us everything, Equus,” Celestia requested. She leaned down and added, “And I mean every single detail.”

I sighed. I was about to tell the heroes of this country everything I had been trained my whole like to never reveal to anyone. But my parents are dead. Which means no more family obli-gations. So why did I have such a hard time opening my mouth?

“There’s something you have to understand about my family. A thousand years ago, during the war between Nightmare Moon and Celestia, my family fought alongside the mare of the night. We swore an oath of loyalty to her by killing the friends of her followers. Depending on whether they were earth ponies, pegasi or unicorns, they were sacrificed in a certain way to maximize their bloodshed and agony. Not just physical agony, but the betrayal of being killed by a friend.”

Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered. Applejack looked like she was going to kick my teeth into my ears. Oh, this is why I was reluctant to spill this. In spite of my looks and profession, I really don’t like upsetting people.

Twilight shook her head. “Why? What was the point behind this slaughter?”

“Well, my dad explained to me that blood is life. When that blood is spilled to honor Nightmare Moon, it gives her power. Pain does the same thing.”

“Princess, you know I’ve studied Equestrian history,” said Twilight. “I have never read about these hideous rituals.”

Celestia replied, “That’s right. You haven’t. It’s no accident that you haven’t. After I exiled my sister, I made sure that all records of the rituals were destroyed. And that all known followers of Nightmare Moon were either jailed or, if they killed, executed.”

The mares all turned to Celestia, bug-eyed.

“Are you kiddin’ me?” said Applejack.

“I don’t understand!” Twilight cried. “Why would you wipe out our history? Shouldn’t people know how terrible the past was?”

“Normally, I’d say yes, Twilight,” replied the Alicorn. “However, Equus is right. Blood and pain, if...procured in just the right way, can generate magic that my sister could use to get back to Equestria much sooner than she could on her own. I can’t allow knowledge that dangerous to be known by anypony.”

Applejack asked, “So, Mortis, yer sayin’ that yer family fought against Celestia, but then went underground, right?”

“That’s true. If my father told me the truth, no more sacrifices were made ever since. The skills my family learned from torturing ponies to death served us well in the mortuary and coroner fields. We know where all the bones and body parts are, after all.”

Rarity snorted. “It must be so wonderful to have inherited such intricate knowledge.”

“What the heck does any of this have to do with Pinkie Pie?” asked Spike.

Oh, crud. I really dreaded this part. For a brief flash, I saw my father in a pool of his own blood. And then I thought about how that might have been me.

“My father figured that if he sacrificed himself to Nightmare Moon, then his bloodshed would give Nightmare Moon the power to do what she wanted. In this case, it was to mind-control Pinkie Pie.”

I raised a hoof at Twilight as she opened her mouth to protest. “This is based on what Pinkie told me, okay? Just let me finish. With Pinkie in her thrall, she tracked down Rainbow Dash, knocked her out, dragged her away to the cellar in Sugar Cube Corner and well...did what my family did thousands of times a thousand years ago.”

Fluttershy began to sob. Rarity ran over to comfort her. Applejack looked even more furious.

“Then Nightmare Moon made Pinkie dump Dash’s body in the middle of town to make sure it was found. After that, Pinkie tried to regain control, but Moon was too strong, especially with
Rainbow’s blood and pain giving her even more power. Pinkie ran out of town and jumped off a bridge, to end Moon’s grip on her.”

Twilight added, “But she didn’t die. Is it true that Pinkie’s back is broken?”

“I suspect that it is. She was in a wheelchair with a back-brace. Pinkie’s not possessed by Nightmare Moon anymore. She doesn’t need to be. The Mane Six is down two members, so now there’s nothing to stop her from trying to take over Equestria again.”

“You are far too cynical, Equus,” said Princess Celestia. “It was the Mane Six that ended Nightmare Moon’s reign. There has always been a Mane Six in every era, hand-picked by me, to defeat any threat to Equestria.”

Spike smiled. “Wait a second. That’s why you wanted me here. Well, I suppose I can wield the Element of Loyalty.”

“Actually, no.” Celestia countered. “Equus is doing that.”

I flinched even before Applejack hollered, “Say WHAT?”

Rarity stammered, “Celestia, I have never doubted your decisions before, but haven’t you taken a giant leap from your senses?”

“That’s like trustin’ a rattlesnake to take care of yer chickens!”

Twilight stared at me, as if I had just suddenly phased into the room. Then she looked very thoughtful for a moment.

“Girls?” Twilight said.

Applejack and Rarity stopped spitting venom at me the instant Twilight chimed in.

“Princess Celestia knows what she’s doing. It’s true that Equus Mortis’s ancestors did a lot of terrible things, but that doesn’t guarantee he will. After all, he could have just run off into the Evergreen Forest right after Rainbow Dash’s murder, but he didn’t. Equus might have hidden in Manehatten instead of talking to Pinkie Pie, but he instead did what Celestia asked.”

Twilight looked at me with pity. “I’m sorry about your father. It must be hard for you.”

“Not as hard as it might have been. Dad was originally going to sacrifice me instead, but Nightmare Moon told him not to.”

“How do yew know this?” asked Applejack. “Did your daddy leave a suicide note or somethin’?”

“No. I was sleeping on my trip back here and Nightmare Moon paid me a little visit. She told me what my father was going to do to me.”

I sat on the floor, suddenly feeling very tired. Going over dad’s initial plans for me once more finally made them hit home. When a father plots to kill his own son...

“My father was a five star flankhole. Him and Nightmare Moon deserve each other. I’m looking forward to sending them both to the moon.”

I sniffed. Had I been crying? “I’ve dedicated my life to cleaning up the mess the world leaves behind. I guess it’s now time to clean up the mess my dad left behind. He once told me that we Mortis family members don’t personally seek those that kill others. I am not my family. Not any more.”

Even Applejack softened up. Rarity looked down at her hooves.

“I’ve been beastly to you, Equus,” said Rarity. “I’m sorry.”

“One thing I’m a little curious about,” pondered Twilight. “Why did your father wait until recently before serving Nightmare Moon?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Why did he wait this long? Nightmare Moon was going to come back in a few more years under her own power. Why did he feel the need to shed his blood for her now? Why not stay alive?

If all of her followers were coming back with her, I guess I’ll get a chance to ask him.

“Family’s a big issue with me,” replied Applejack. “Yer not the only one here that lost their parents. Guess that element of Loyalty is meant for yew, after all.”

“I’ll try to not let you folks down,” I said.

Celestia’s horn glowed as she unrolled a large map of Equestria in front of her. “My sister will likely be at the place she was banished. She always was sentimental. It’s our old castle about two miles inside the Everfree Forest.”

A quill was levitated by the Princess. It floated over to the map and tapped a small drawing of ruins. “It’ll be nightfall soon. I can feel Lun...Nightmare Moon’s power growing from here. When the moon rises, she’ll be able to leave it. It’s best if you six are at the castle to greet her.”

Applejack gave a venomous grin. “And beat her.”

The map was whisked away. A jeweled case was floated over, the lid swinging open. There they were, the Elements of Harmony. I never thought I’d be this close to these magic items. I had done autopsies on ponies killed by magic, but I had never fired a weapon in my life, magic or otherwise.

Twilight used her magic to plant her star-crown on her head. The others pulled their respective elements out and put them on.

The dragon put his new Element of Laughter around his waist, since it kept slipping off his head. Resting on his scaly gut, the thing looked like a clown wrestler’s champion belt. It was perfect for him.

I peered inside at the remaining Element. That red rainbow bolt-jewel looked so beautiful. It felt wrong for me to even look at it too long. And yet, oddly enough, I began to realize that if I was going to avenge Rainbow Dash, I might as well use her weapon against her killer.

With a smile, I put on the Element of Loyalty. I could feel a slight electric charge running through my body, making my muscles twitch for a moment. The metal felt warm on my chest.

I looked at the others all decked out in their glamorous war-gear. I’ve dodged bullies at school with my tombstone stare, but I’ve never been in an actual fight in my life.

“Princess Celestia?” I asked. “How...er...how do I use this thing?”

Celestia explained, “The Elements of Harmony are unique in that they have different effects for different foes. Some get turned into stone, a few get their powers removed. My sister is too powerful for that to happen to her, so the elements use their combined power to banish her to the moon, while draining her magic to fuel the trip there.”

Twilight said, “I figure we have to be at least thirty hooves from her in a tight-knit group for the elements to fire all at once.”

“Oh,” I said, in a small voice. Thirty hooves? Dad used to tell me Nightmare Moon could vaporize ponies with her alicorn magic from five times that distance. Now I really felt like a dorky fanpony with Rainbow Dash’s Element of Loyalty around my neck. What chance did I have against her? What...

“Hey, partner,” said Applejack. “Yew look a little jelly-legged there. Don’t worry, Ah’ll watch yer back.”

Rarity said, “We look out for each other in our missions, Mortis. You’ll be all right.”

“So it’s just point and shoot?” I asked. “Well, what could go wrong? A-heh. Let’s do this.”

To my surprise, Applejack gave me a friendly nudge. “That’s the spirit. Yer gonna do fine.”

Celestia said, “I’ll summon some sky-chariots to get you to the edge of the Everfree Forest. There are too many trees around the castle itself to land any closer.”

Fluttershy piped up. “I’ll help guide us through. I’ve been in the forest many times, so I know where most of the paths are.”

“Great!” replied Twilight. “Well, everypony, it’s time to go.”

I followed them, suddenly feeling lightheaded. Here we go, tiddly-pom, off to the war. Fortune favors the bold, the old saying goes. But how brave have I been, really? All I’ve done so far is be true to my word with Celestia. I also have had strange conversations with a pony that had a broken back and spirit and an ancient sociopathic despot. But none of that made me a hero.

If I really wanted to avenge Rainbow Dash, I had to dig much deeper into myself than I ever had. Being with the Mane Six, I didn’t feel like a champion, I felt like a paper cut-out. A stand-in for someone much more qualified for this job.

Yet Celestia believed in me. I had to hang onto that. All my life, I’ve creeped ponies out without even trying. Apart from my work-partner, Flashbulb, I have no real regular contacts in my meager little life. With no regular friends, how often did anyone ever really place much value on me?

That belief the princess had in me wasn’t just given, I realized as I climbed into one of the sky-chariots. It was earned by what I had done so far. But I had to be steady if I wanted to keep on earning that belief.

The Everfree Forest was getting closer as we all set out to war. I wasn’t the new Rainbow Dash. I wasn’t the new anything. I was just me. Problem is, I had to become far more than that if I was going to survive this night.

I just hoped that death, which was my family’s life, wouldn’t follow me too closely.

Author's Note

It's time for me to live up to my family name and face full life consequences!
And the pants were dead.
I hope I'm no venturing that far into Morty Stu territory. (See what I did there?) What happens to Mortis next will hopefully
put those fears to rest. Hold onto your dookie, it's about to get spooky!
Oh, yeah. The soundtrack to this chapter is Aghast Manor-Midnight poison