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.”

Author's Note

Latin Lesson #4 Metus (fear, anxiety)
Soundtrack for this chapter: "From The Heart Of Darkness" by Michael Stearns