//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Recollection // Story: The Equestrian Revolution // by Synclair //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Recollection I found myself standing on gravel and surrounded by thick fog. Three little ice cubes slid along by my hooves and melted with each second, getting smaller and smaller. I felt numb to the world around me and simply observed the three little ice cubes. Then there was a sharp wind which blew me on my haunches.   “Glacey baby,” Mom’s voice echoed with the wind, “you’ve got your cutie mark!”   Another icy wind blew and this time Dad’s voice echoed along with it, “Ice cubes and an ice tray.” He sounded unimpressed. “Good Sun what is Equestria coming to?”   A stab of pain pierced my chest and I sunk lower into the ground, melting and melting like the already liquefied ice cubes.   “Come off it Mighty Hooves,” Mom reasoned, “there’s not a lot of stuff out here except death and destruction, feel blessed it isn’t a cutie mark like your thundering hoof or my sad mask.”   I took a step of faith and then another and another until I was walking. As the wind kept blowing, more memories hit me.   “We can’t stay in Gallapolopolis,” Mom said, “we have to leave. I’ve already talked to Mystic and she has already assembled a plan.   Dad took a deep breath and sighed. “And if Discord finds us, we’re all dead.” Dad emphasized the last word, making sure it slipped into Mom’s mind to induce fear, but Mom was strong.   “As long as Glace is safe, I don’t care if I die,” Mom said and with that, she stormed off.   “Oh Marjorie...” Dad sighed.   The fog wisped like smoke being sucked into a vacuum. Before me was a pile of dead ponies and at the top stood a zebra, laughing at me. I hid my face with my hooves and cowered. As I walked around it, the laughing lessened into the sound of Mom weeping and Dad yelling, they exchanged hurtful words and insults and the sound of a hoof smacking into a pony’s face crackled in the air around me, I cringed as Mom let out a cry.   The ominous sob continued and was joined by another, my sobs. I put my hooves to my mouth to see if it was moving but it wasn’t. It wasn’t me, I didn’t feel sad, only scared and lost. I tried to call for Silver-Lined and the others but the sobs turned into vociferous wails. Finally, two silhouettes of a stallion and mare were in the distance; my parents. And finally, I was just about to see their faces for the last time.   The pink cotton candy coat of my mother, her aquatic mane flowing like the seas of Equestria and her eyes as green as the Everfree Forest. The beige coat of my father, his gray mane bolting with the blowing wind like a vivacious flame. I ran up to them, calling them with tears streaming from my eyes.   “Mommy,” I sobbed, “Daddy!”   My parents tilted their heads before turning around. I shrieked a sound I never heard myself ever make as the ponies’ faces came into view. They had no eyes, no nose or mouth. They were like mannequins from a boutique. The ponies stepped towards me mechanically and they imitated the sounds of gunfire from within their bellies. The words ‘hate’ and ‘abandoned’ were carried along with the wind, along with the words ‘forgotten’, ‘despair’ and ‘death’.    Discord’s silhouette stained the sky again and chocolate rain fell, matting my mane into sticky patches. The bits that fell into my mouth tasted sour and made me gag and I started to run blindly into the darkness. The two previous ponies that I had sadly mistaken for my parents began to follow me. Their gallops were forced and unnatural and it was strange that they never fell head over hooves.   Discord laughed as the ponies tackled me to the ground. The barrage of words boomed like a million gunshots in my ears and the mannequin ponies scratched at my face as if they wanted to claim it as their own. It didn’t hurt, it was numb. Eventually they took out my eyeballs and I died.   * * *   Everypony seemed restless on the Fillydelphia bridge. We had all awoken from deep slumbers, whether the other ponies had nightmares or illusions too was a mystery to me. I didn’t want to bring it up; I couldn’t without trying hard to suppress a sob. Regal Dusting, Hunter and Treasure disappeared. I looked towards Fillydelphia which was now dotted with sniper nests of zebras. Why didn’t Discord just kill us?   We decided to walk back to Appleloosa for a spirit boost; I guess everypony did have a nightmare. Brass Tacks carried me on his back this time as Silver-Lined let out a groan every time he touched his back. There was a dark purple spot where Discord had struck him and I frowned. Silver-Lined caught my gaze and grinned.   Kiara and Silver-Lined spoke in hushed whispers and Elven Spices stopped to smell the roses that we came across. The mountain was easily traversed over and Appleloosa was in the distance. From here I could see worker ponies rebuilding and other ponies tending to the apple orchard. Buffalos seemed to be doing a circuit around Appleloosa with Little Strongheart leading them.   “That’s one of Discord’s tricks,” Brass Tacks finally said.   “T- The nightmares?” I asked.   Brass Tacks gave a slow nod.   “He plays things that are hidden deep within your memory, things you want to hide and forget or things that make you sad... it usually takes more than a nightmare to break me down but shit... pardon my fancy... that nightmare was just too much,” Brass Tacks shivered.   I patted his head. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”   “Mother Tacks always told me that keeping things bottled up was a self-hazard... so...”   * * *   Brass Tacks was a little colt and was wandering the empty carnival grounds. Brass Tacks was always a sucker for adventure and always believed the Mares Tales he was told by his peers. Apparently the Trottingham Carnival Grounds were haunted by a particular clown pony who had massacred his audience in twisted ways such as using his pet Manticore to rip them to shreds or performing his ‘magic’ tricks. The tale made Brass Tacks’ heart and soul crave for investigation.   The candy-colored carnival tents betrayed their eerie presence. It was strange that they hadn’t taken the place down but I guess they left it there for novelty; the Mares Tale was pretty well-known. Brass Tacks strapped a camera around his neck and had taken his father’s pocket knife which he now carried in his mouth, you know, just in case.   Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Brass Tacks, Father Tacks was following him. Father Tacks specifically told Brass Tacks not to enter the carnival under any circumstance. Of course that only made Brass Tacks want to check it out more! Father Tacks approached his son and pressed a hoof on his mane without seeing the knife that was in his own son’s mouth.   Brass Tacks, though adventurous and rebellious was still a young foal who was easily frightened by loud noises or sudden movements and touches. He constantly told people to never approach him from behind or else he’d lash out in fright... poor Father Tacks.   A hoof was pressed against Brass Tack’s butterscotch mane and he gave a threatening neigh before turning around and slicing the stranger across the chest. Brass Tacks jumped back and gasped, he struck his own father. Father Tacks looked at his son with sad, scared eyes and gave a groan before falling on his haunches and then toppling on his back. The large stallion didn’t move.   Red liquid pooled around his father and Brass Tacks began to laugh. Oh Father Tacks, always pulling Brass’ leg. But deep down, Brass Tacks knew this wasn’t a joke and he began to gallop away into broad daylight.   Years passed and Mother Tacks was now in a near catatonic state and Brass Tacks was taken care of by a young mare. The adventures took a slow down for Brass Tacks as he suffered from depression. His father was found dead but Brass Tacks was never convicted as a suspect and eventually the case was stumped and closed.   His lifetime ordeal forever changed him; he was never his adventurous self and would never take charge of anything, rather follow anypony that led. He hoped that following anypony would lead him to his destiny and all the time the little bug gnawing at his brain would test him to turn himself in... fat chance.   Silver-Lined Cloud was his only friend, they met each other during a bar brawl between earth ponies and Pegasi. Since both of them were the last two standing, they declared each other the strongest ponies in all of Equestria (Yes, they were drunk) and became the adventuring, crime-fighting duo. Brass Tacks had told Silver-Lined and things went bad, leaving Brass Tacks in a depressing state again.   Suicide was a recurring option but he was too strong to let the world bring him down. Silver-Lined eventually accepted him and consoled him as his only best friend. During the war they stuck with each other, protested with everypony about how stupid the war was and were beaten together by the riot pony squad. When Discord ruled, they were still together and vowed for a revolution.   * * *   Feeling like I was about to cry, I wrapped my hooves around Brass Tacks’ neck, “I still love you lots, Brassy!”   For the first time, I saw Brass Tacks give a genuine, heart-felt grin and I couldn’t help but return his smile.   Eventually we reached Appleloosa. Silver-Lined and Brass Tacks had gone to the Town Hall to speak to Braeburn who was now running the small town. It was great to know that there were fewer pony casualties than zebras and it was even more reassuring to know that the zebras hadn’t called for back-up.   “So Brass Tacks and you both had those nightmares?” Elven Spices asked, rubbing my back.   I nodded.   “Oh, wow, you guys too?” Kiara asked.   Kiara told us about the many arguments and fights both her and Silver-Lined had during their relationship. Kiara sided with Princess Luna while Silver-Lined remained neutral. During those fights they both said horrible things and hurt each other. Kiara would hit him; he would hold her back, sometimes hurting her by accident.   “It was a real mess,” she said, “eventually he walked out on me. It’s really not that big of a deal now, clearly Discord is the bigger problem. We set aside our differences and banded together.”   Kiara cocked her head to the side in thought and told us that the dream made their fights more vivid and scarier. “What I mean is that it’s not a big deal now. But in those dreams... they really bought back some terrifying feelings. I can still feel my hoof smashing into his face and...”   Elven Spices placed a hoof on Kiara’s and they smiled at each other.   Elven Spices told us about her nightmare. It was her very first medical procedure after leaving medical school and got a job as a nurse at the Fillydelphian Emergency Center. It was a heart transplant and the unicorn mare surgeon was busying focusing on her magic to keep the heart in place while Elven Spices gathered the equipment the unicorn was asking for. Meanwhile, all of Elven’s superiors watched from above as she clumsily trotted around the operation room.   Elven Spices was so clumsy that she bumped the unicorn, knocking her out of concentration and sending the heart into the air and giving a meaty slap as it hit the floor. The unicorn screamed, Elven’s superiors gasped and she simply ran away, leaving her medical studies and knowledge behind to study magical methods using spices and brews. She used to study from a zebra recipe book, but ever since the war she left those methods behind.   “It’s... daunting to think about,” Elven Spices said, “but I’ve helped so many other ponies and... I don’t know... that nightmare was just utterly horrible... I can’t believe Discord,”   “It’s Discord being Discord,” Kiara said bluntly.   Elven Spices sighed.   “Do you know anything about Silver-Lined?” I asked.   Elven Spices turned her attention away and Kiara just looked at me. Her anger and hatred for me before had disappeared as quickly as it arrived and she gave me a smile.   She spoke, “He lost his parents when Discord took control of Equestria. Both of his parents joined this huge group to fight against Discord, before he had any zebras to back him up. Of course they were walking into a slaughter, and almost everypony ran for their lives. Silver-Lined’s parents were the only ones that stayed and fought. Discord gave them a... he gave them a slow and painful death while Silver-Lined watched from his hiding place... I’m surprised he’s still himself. I think that’s why he has taken a personal liking to you, your parents died to zebras, his parents died to Discord. He can relate and he wants you to have the safety he never had during the reign.”   “How many years has it been since his reign?” Elven Spices asked.   “Two years and a bit,” Kiara said then looked at me, “Were you born before or after Discord’s reign?”   “Before,” I said, “but I hardly remember my life back then...”   * * *   Everypony left for the conference at the town hall. I was told to stay outside as it was a ‘grown-ups’ thing. Silver-Lined didn’t feel comfortable about leaving me outside by myself, I assured him I wasn’t and he just looked at me with a puzzled expression before entering the building. I wasn’t alone; I had the black-coated unicorn.   The unicorn watched me as I trotted happily towards him, bouncing on all fours with a huge grin on my muzzle. His eyes narrowed and he started to get up and move away but I called out to him, freezing him in place.   “Hey you!” I yelled, “stop!”   The unicorn sat down slowly as I took my seat in front of him. Pieces of paper were scattered across the wooden table and with his unicorn magic, he was levitating the pen across each page. Scrawling words I couldn’t read because of all the fancy writing... because of all the fancy writing. I pulled out the two pieces of paper from Trotten and put them in front of me.   It took me two seconds to match it, yeah! I was that fast! And I hopped on the table and sat there, smiling at him. His eyes hadn’t lifted up from the pages. A stack of books were stacked one on top of the other by his side and I looked at them. One of them was labelled, ‘The Land Beyond Nightmares’.   “Hey!” I said, “my...”   All the cheeriness left my face and soul and he slumped down.   “My mommy used to read that book...” I finished.   The unicorn’s eyes finally lifted towards the horizon; he donned the same teal colored eyes as mine. He glanced at the pages I pulled out of my saddlebags and began to inspect.   “My name is Inkwell,” he said quietly before nodding over to me, “your mom has good taste.”   “Glace,” I said, “just Glace.”   “Where are your parents, Glace?” Inkwell asked, still quiet and avoiding eye contact.   Puddles began to form in the corners of my eyes and Inkwell’s eyes widened before apologizing.   “I... I guess we’re in the same boat,” Inkwell said, finally connecting our gaze.   Inkwell's face froze for a second, then he face-hoofed 'What the hay am I talking about?! You're situation is a million times worse! Losing your parents this young, in an Equestria like this?! I mean, that deplorable brothel alone is bad enough, what kind of a time is this for self-pity?!" Inkwell ranted, berating himself for a crime I might never understand   “We put an end to the brothel,” I said, “you didn't hear about it?”   “What?,” Inkwell asked, as if I'd said that I'd just destroyed Discord with my bare hooves.   “Well yeah, the Wonderbolts actually did it and I helped! It was so fun, you know? There was no soup but then I was told that a brothel is a naughty place for promiscuity! You know what that means? It means-”   “I get the point,” Inkwell gave a nervous chuckle, “continue?”   I blushed. Why was I being such a blabberpants?!   “The Wonderbolts and everypony else brought every promiscuous pony to Trotten,”   Inkwell’s eyes widened again, flickering with so many emotions I couldn't begin to guess them all. Hope? Fear? Determination? Guilt?   “Oh right! I almost forgot,” I used my magic to levitate the pieces of paper from Trotten in front of him, “what’s that say?”   “It’s a poem; it’s not that good...” Inkwell said.   “Read it!”   “A devil stood in stone Sun and Moon had lost their grasp and the devil left his home suffering and chaos abound, with Equestria in the clasp of the devil now unbound unnatural clouds filled the sky and chocolate pain rained down the docile animals then refused to comply weary hearts aching all around with the devil there unbound But the dark age wasn't yet due for at the princess’ request six destined mares of virtue were sent to best the devil unbound Twists and turns the devil's gambit the mares' virtues undermined took days to win through friendship's magic but all the same, in stone confined The devil now is bound”   I found myself staring at Inkwell intently, engrossed and entranced. There was a way with his wording that sent chills down my spine, the same way Sweetie Belle’s mane, eyes and voice did to me.   “That was written after his second imprisonment in stone. I hope to write another soon. Listen, are you going to Trotten?” Inkwell asked.   I shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t know. You can come with us if you want! That’d be so cool! A famous writer travelling with us!”   I bounced on all fours and Inkwell smiled. “Well actually I’m not really that famous. In fact, I’m not famous at all, really,” Inkwell said. “Pish posh! Modesty can kill!” I said. Inkwell furrowed his brows. “Right, we have a deal then?”   With that, Inkwell stood up and marched into the Town Hall. I sat there by myself, brooding over a new family, a new beginning and life after Discord. Images of the faceless ponies that were sadly my parents flashed before my eyes and I knew where I had to go next, Gallapolopolis.