//------------------------------// // 28. Ascension // Story: Never Alone // by JeSuisLaPorte //------------------------------// The others were all eating downstairs, but not her. Not right now. Olive stood before the bathroom’s mirror, staring at her reflection. Standing atop a stool, the filly was able to get a good look at her body, her bandaged side most importantly. Ever since her presentation, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Two opposing thoughts clashed one another, battling for her final decision.  She stayed in that bathroom for at least ten minutes, which was long enough to spark some worry from her foster mother who came knocking.  “Olive? Is everythin’ alright in there?”  The pink filly kept staring at her reflection, not moving an inch before she decided to respond. “Yeah. I just need some time, please.”  “O-Oh, okay. Well, if somethin’s wrong, don’t be afraid to tell us.”  Olive listened to the hoofsteps of her foster mother gradually fading away until she was alone again. With nopony to disrupt her train of thoughts, the filly slid her hoof down to her bandage, fiddling with it. The more she played with it, the more it lost its grip on her body. Eventually, a small piece pulled away, inviting her to pull it.  The pink unicorn was tempted to go for it, but an opposing thought made her reconsider this rash decision. What’s underneath is not pretty, far from it, it’s an ugly stain on her otherwise perfectly normal pony body. At the same time, it’s a part of her, a mark of the past, an imperfection and that’s what makes her special.   Hesitant, she reached with her mouth and pulled on the peeling part. She pulled and pulled harder until the whole bandage came off. Now free from its limiting grasp, her naked body felt the cold breeze of the wind again. It felt really good, freeing even. Olive tilted herself to the side to get a good look at the scar.  Resting on her side was the leftover of an especially large gash. She’d forever remember the face of the one responsible for it. A pony whose brutality and sadism could only be matched by one, the bigger fish in the sea. His scarlet eyes were forever burned into her soul, his large, bloodied teeth took out parts of her being and his mighty hooves mangled her petite frame. The others pecked where they could, smashed what little room the big one left. Olive could only pray he would never come back into her life, but a part of her fears they would inevitably meet again. As long as she lived, he would return to finish the job. It was only a matter of time until they figure out the truth.  Every day, every night the same thoughts and fears returned. The same visions of that fateful chase clouded her thoughts. It was the closest she had ever gotten to dying and despite acting as if she moved on from this event, it still haunted her deep inside. The filly couldn’t stop thinking about what ifs. What if Applejack never found her, what if he finished the job as intended, it kept her up at night.  She can’t hide it anymore; she must let her know. How else can they help her if she’s not even helping herself?  Olive left the bathroom, rubbing her scar with one hoof as she joined the others downstairs. Upon noticing her arrival, Applejack quickly came to greet her daughter. “Howdy sugar cube. For breakfast, Ah made ya some oatmeal. It’s delicious, very nutritious and somethin’ ya definitely won’t be allergic to.”  Olive’s tail twirled around uncomfortably. Before she could even say something, the orange mare lowered her head.  “Hey, did yer bandage come off?” She put her back on and trotted past the filly. “Come on now; Ah’ll get ya fresh one.” To the mare’s surprise, the filly pulled on her tail, shaking her head in the process.  “Mommy... I want to talk to you.” she croaked. The tone of her voice put Applejack on edge.  “Y-Yes? What is it, sugar cube?”  Olive looked back on the rest of her family. “Can we go somewhere else?”  “Sure thin’.” The orange mare quietly answered.  The two moved upstairs to the fillies’ bedroom and shut the door. Olive sat on her bed, her eyes overflowing with emotions. After seconds of painful silence, she finally opened her mouth. “Mommy, I-I-I'm scared.”  Applejack jerked back. “Huh?! Scared? Scared of what?” she gingerly asked, leaning closer to the filly.  Olive scratched her scar. “I’m scared of this! I’m scared to think about that day! I can’t stop thinking about it!” She lashed out, gripping her foster mother’s shoulder. “I’m afraid of dying!”  “O-Olive, Ah...”  “I can’t stop thinking about what would happen if you didn’t save me! I always have nightmares about him! I’m scared he’ll come back for me!”  Applejack’s mouth hung open. She didn’t know what to make of this, so she kept on listening until the filly got everything off her chest.  “I just want it to go away! I just wan... I just want.” The unicorn sniffled, struggling to keep her cries going. “I just want to be normal.” Olive buried her face in her mother’s coat, letting out all her tears. Her voice broke into pitiful sobs.  Applejack clutched her daughter harder than she had ever done before, her eyes watering too. “It’s gonna be okay now. Ah know how scary it is to look back on ta times ya’ve almost died. Ah know, for Ah’ve brushed with death many, many times.” She sat on the bed and lifted the filly up, letting her rest in her hooves. “There is no such thing as normal. Everypony is different in their own way, and all we can do is embrace our differences. Yer not ta only one going through some hardships. We Apples know it feels to be stuck in ta past, to struggle to move on. And if that pony ever comes back, we promise we won’t let ‘im hurt you again.”  Applejack looked her daughter in the eyes, a hopeful smile to give the filly strength. “Ya can only heal yer scars by showing them and for that, Ah am proud of ya, sugar cube. Mighty proud. Here... let's have five seconds of love, together.”  Many fall in the face of terror, but not this one. Not today...      In the streets of Canterlot, the ponies were restless. Word of the Crimson Mask’s return crept to the majestic city, scaring all the nobles into harassing Princess Celestia for help. To address their fears, the top detective Looking Glass would directly answer any question and concerns they have. "Did you get all that?”  “Yeah, yeah. Just slow down a little, will ya?”  A massive crowd formed in the center of the great city where many journalists waited in bathed breath for the dark blue unicorn to show his face. Most of them were accompanied by their hard-working assistant who transcribed their future article.  “Okay, now let’s continue.” The mare cleared her throat. “The great detective of the Canterlot’s Bureau of Investigation is searching into this matter to pin down the ghostly form of the Crimson Mas-”  “That’s just a pretender you’re talking about, Miss Scoop. There’s no such thing as an undead pony roaming around.“ Looking Glass corrected as he passed by her.  The mare’s eyes lit up. “Quick! Get ready to note down everything he says!”  “Yeah yeah, I’m working on it!”  Looking Glass stepped on stage, briefly gazing at the big crowd in front of him, displeased. Ugh, I hate giving speeches. What am I even supposed to say besides “I’m going to catch him no matter what?”.  He took a deep breath before raising his voice. “Fillies and gentlecolts, we have heard your concerns, have responded with this hasty press conference. Please, be civil and ask your questions one at a time, I cannot answer them all at once.” He scouted the crowd, awaiting their flurry of questions.  One of the more respected nobles spoke up. “If I may, I have heard rumors that this Crimson Mask might be the same one that terrorised Equestria long ago. Do you believe it is a possibility tha-”  “Impossible. I saw him die with my own eyes. He burnt to ashes and left only his mask behind. We’re dealing with an impostor.” Looking Glass firmly answered. “Next question.”  Fancy Pants stood out from the crowd, accompanied by the lovely Fleur-de-Lis. The duo trotted to the front line and all the other nobles waited impatiently to hear what these two could have to say. “My apology for shuffling you ponies around. Now mister Looking Glass, I fear that Canterlot is going to face a lot of trouble in the next few days considering we’re dealing with not only Anarchy, but also a new Crimson Mask. Miss Fleur-de-Lis and I are wondering who you believe is a bigger cause for concern between the two.”  Looking Glass stared the rich unicorn down. By closely examining his overall posture and facial expression, he could see some stress behind this calm façade. “Anarchy of course. He’s the one with an army hiding in every corner of Equestria. My priority is to put him behind bars, and I won’t stop until he’s no longer able to hurt anypony.”  Fancy Pants looked relieved by this answer, sparking some intrigue in the detective. Maybe I should look into this when it gets dark. I might find something interesting.  Time passed and the stallion was finally done with this irritating conference. This took a lot of his precious time, but thankfully the sun was still up. He could still swing by the castle’s library where he expected to discover where Anarchy could be hiding. Knowledge was power indeed, as both unicorns valued. If he can find where his enemy is hiding, then he can launch a full-scale assault with the support of the princesses, and hopefully kill this monster once and for all. The only problem was doing it under the noses of the two most powerful ponies in Equestria.  “Hey! If it ain’t Looking Glass snooping around the castle again!”  The detective winced. “Captain Mango. Are you here to importune me with apple cider again?”  The bat pony chuckled. “Come on, you should really drink some from time-to-time. You look tense as Tartarus.” He chugged down an entire bottle of cider before the disgruntled unicorn.   “Impressive.” Looking Glass commented behind a sarcastic voice. “Now leave me to my work.”  “Ah! There you are, sir Looking Glass! We have been looking for you ever since the conference ended.” A tall midnight blue mare approached the detective, passing by Captain Mango.   “Fancy seeing you during the day, Lu-Princess Luna.”  “Still working on formalities, we see.” Luna mused.  “I’m-”  “Working on it.” Mango finished. “Yeah, we hear that a lot.”  Looking Glass trotted past the two ponies, only giving Mango a small glare. “If you need me, I’ll be in the library.”  He was quickly stopped by a teleportation spell bringing him back to the alicorn. “Why in such a hurry? We did say we were looking for you.”  “Fine, speak up, princess.” Looking Glass said in his most polite voice.   Luna handed over a newspaper clipping. “We were terribly worried about your hospitalisation. We sought only to make sure everything was fine, and that we’re terribly sorry we weren’t there that night to assist you.”  The dark blue stallion respectfully bowed. “It’s fine. We walked right into that trap. Their blood lies sorely on me.” His voice had a slight, to which Luna quickly caught on to.  “Looking, We...”  “No need for pity. It’s par for the course with this job. You either learn to live with it, or you retire. I’ve still got some loose end to correct before I depart.” The unicorn trotted past them, heading for the library.  “Is it me, or is he getting grumpier by the day?” Mango said, chugging down another bottle of apple cider.  “It does seem that way.” Luna admitted. “Come, captain. Let us assist him.”  “Yeah, sure thing. Lemme finish my drink first.”  Canterlot’s library was one of the biggest libraries in all Equestria, and it also contained some rarities, though Looking Glass wasn’t interested in any of those. All he wanted, was a complete map of the entire city.  As an intellectual unicorn, he often visited the library which eased the process of finding the right book for the job. Knowing exactly where to look, he trotted towards the fabled book that’ll provide him with an answer. Where could Anarchy be?  “Looking Glass. Please let us help you on this investigation.” A familiar voice called out to him. “We are involved just as much as you are.”  “The word of the princess is gospel, mate. You oughta listen to her.” Followed by the voice of a familiar drunkard.  “Mango, please.” Luna scolded before trotting over to the dark blue stallion.  The detective grunted. “Do not mistake my hastiness as isolation, princess. I am merely trying my best to solve this case and prevent any further tragedies.”  “That we know, we’re just worried about your... rash behavior.” The tall mare said. “You seem to be obsessed with this case.”  The detective sat on a nearby table and opened his book. “I am looking for a possible base of operation for Anarchy. Knowing him, he probably thought to bring the whole party to Canterlot.”  Mango shot him a confused glance.   Princess Luna peeked over his shoulder. “I doubt he’d be as arrogant as to bring more than a hundred pony within our very walls. He’s probably dispersing them around the city.”  “Probably, but we should start by investigating the largest structures first. There’s still a chance that he did place everypony in one area.” Looking Glass continued.  “Damn son. That’ll be crazy if that theory turned outa be true.” Mango commented before chugging down another bottle of cider.  Luna thought about every sizeable building in Canterlot, scratching her chin. “If we start with the biggest buildings first, that’ll mean...”  “Nah, let’s scratch the castle. Ain’t no way there’s a hundred pony trotting around in there.” Mango quickly shut down.  “Naturally, the next one would be the track race. It’s a building suit for many spectators, but it is regularly checked and protected by guards.” Looking Glass said.  “Another one we can scratch off the list.” Luna sighed. “The more we think about it, the less your theory can stand. I suggest we think of something else.”  “Hm.” Suddenly, the detective’s eyes glazed over something peculiar. A chapter dedicated to old caverns below the city. Old caverns that were left to rot for hundreds of years after their usefulness were long overdue. Not widely known to the public, close but far enough from the city and massive enough to fit a whole army. This had to be it! However, he now had to think of how to proceed with this newfound information.  On one hoof, if he tells them now, they’ll probably plan out an assault on the caverns and bring Anarchy to justice. But what if he’s expecting them to come? Will this be a massacre? There’s no telling what he might be planning right now. He cannot forget their most powerful tool, their magic absorbing necklaces. If they have some for the strongest members of their army, then they’d stand no chance attacking head on, especially against Strong Hoof. Yeah, Strong Hoof, he’s not to be underestimated purely because he’s an earth pony.  The unicorn doesn’t believe anypony else but him knows of his existence and that’s really bad. If they jump into battle expecting Anarchy to be the only danger, then it’d be a massacre. Looking Glass knows of the indominable strength of the white stallion. Nopony comes even close to matching him in sheer physical prowess. With the necklace on, it’d take the full might of the alicorn sisters to even hope to bring him down.  “Before we continue our search, I must warn you of the other ponies within Anarchy’s circle.”  “Another pony we need to look out for?” Luna questioned.  “Indeed.” Looking Glass affirmed. “Perhaps just as much as Anarchy. His name is Strong Hoof, the strongest pony to have ever lived.”  “The strongest?” Mango took a quick sip from his bottle. “You got some statistic to back up this claim? Knowing you, you probably have a full presentation ready to prove it.”  “I don’t need an entire presentation to prove it.” Looking Glass trotted away, leaving the two to exchange curious glances. The dark blue unicorn returned with a newspaper dating back a few years ago. “Look at this headline.”  Luna lowered her head to read it clearly. “Train heading for Manehattan attacked an entire wagon has been stolen... What?”  “This happened before Twilight Sparkle and her friends cleansed your soul with the Elements. It’s logical you do not know of this.” Looking Glass reminded. “That said, what I want you to know is of the details of this robbery.”   He pointed at a paragraph with his hoof and read it out loud. “The train was stopped by a heavy blow caused by who many believe to be a powerful unicorn, but the local police is dumbfounded by the shape of the impact.” He look dead in the eyes of the princess. “It was shaped in the head of a stallion, a large stallion.”  Mango’s eyes widened, realising the implications. “Holy shit.”  “Indeed. I believe it was Anarchy at first, but after my unpleasant visit in his lair, I discovered a more likely culprit.”      A train rode to Manehattan, expecting to bring forth some passengers to the big city as well as some important merchandise. The train’s driver yawned, bored by this uneventful day. But then, a monkey wrench was thrown his way when a gigantic white stallion stepped on the rails. The train made a quick turn and the driver had barely any time to realise what just got on the rails. He freaked out, but his scream was cut short by a massive headbutt.   The white earth pony struck the train with unparalleled force, pushing the train back as his head engraved itself on the front of the locomotive. All the windows shattered and everypony inside were tossed around the carts.  The poor driver slumped into his seat, stars floating above his head as the beast made its way to his window. With one clean strike, he knocked the driver out of the train. Dozens of vile ponies trotted their way to the helpless locomotive, their eyes on the prize. A singular wagon containing many riches.  The big one separated it from the rest of the train and lifted it on his back before galloping away into the wilderness.        “There’s a pony strong enough to do that without magic?” Luna gasped.  “Indeed, a freakish giant he is. Focusing only on Anarchy would be unwise. Death waits for the slightest lap in concentration, he’ll be waiting for that moment should we ignore him.”  Mango didn’t even realise he already finished his bottle, his eyes locked on the article as he read it in its entirety. “Huh, good thing I told Princess Twilight about the necklaces. Just imagine if Strong Hoof was to wear one.”  Luna roused herself from this state of dread. “Twilight! If she still insists on helping with this case, we must warn her about Strong Hoof.”  “A Strong Hoof wearing protection, now that’s a scary thought.” Mango muttered.  “Sound idea, Princess Luna. We must proceed with upmost caution when dealing with these two. Strong Hoof may be a brute, but he’s no imbecile. Anarchy taught him the way of the criminal mastermind.” Looking Glass said, closing his book before leaving the table. “I’ll leave you two to it, I’ll go and deal with this new Crimson Mask in the meantime.”  Now left alone, Luna sighed, her determination waning just a bit. “It just seems to be getting worse and worse with each passing day.”  “Aye. We’ll get them eventually.”  “Naturally, but I fear it might get so much worse than we could ever imagine.”           The abyss returns even the boldest gaze.  “Ha ha ha ha hyah... Oh, i-i-it hurts. Hurts to even laugh.” Somewhere deep below the surface of Canterlot, in the darkest parts of its long-forgotten caverns, haunting screams of agony terrified all the denizens of the hidden underground town. “I can hear you clear as day! Or should I say night considering your hatred for the light? Ah, who cares anyway! You’re finally lending me more of your strength!”  Anarchy contorted, his body twisting and breaking under the nightmarish might of his one true master. Despite the agony he was going through, he felt ecstatic. Each shock of pain brought him only closer to the nightmares he sought after for years. For the first time, its voice was more than a whisper. It sounded old, wise and perfectly calm. A serene feeling slowly came to the dark unicorn. Despite all the obstacles still left in his way, its master sounded completely sure they would achieve their goal.  “I know you’re hurting me with this, but please; make it as long as possible. I love to work through pain!” He cackled, laughing through the pain as if it was nothing to him. His body was undergoing some important changes. Changes he didn’t have for a while now. He used to be stuck at just the freaky eyes and cutie mark but now, he was offered so much more.  The tip of his mane crystallised, hardening to become nigh indestructible. The deep, unpony-like part of his voice became louder, nearly overshadowing his real voice. His teeth shattered to millions of pieces and new ones grew in their place. Sharper, almost like fangs, they reflected his diet perfectly. His eyes pulled closer, eventually ripping into his skin until they merged into one. Skin grew over parts of his mouth, hanging from loose threads. Bloody tears of agony streamed down his face and through it all; he smiled.  “Oh yes! Yes.... YES! Keep it coming, lad! Keep this power coursing through my veins!” Then, everything stopped, much to Anarchy’s dismay. This was as far as it would go without the last ingredient. The one item that’ll link him to his master. “Oh whatever, I’m still more powerful than ever! With this, the next step is finally within my reach!”  Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.  Anarchy’s smile faltered. “Oh, I will never forget this of course. I’ve been careful all these years. I won’t throw everything down the drain. I have not come this far, to die now.” Touching his teeth, his eyes darted in the direction of his personal bathroom. Dying to know his new appearance, he dashed inside and locked himself in.  Gazing upon the mirror, he bellowed out his most powerful laugh yet. Nothing but pure joy and pride emanated from it. He was one step closer to victory, and nopony so far has succeeded in stopping him. “This calls for a celebration! How about I serenade myself for this occasion?”  As victories mount, so too will resistance.  “I know, I know. Let me have this moment.” His hooves clopped on the ground, building a catchy beat to which he used his stronger magic to transform several items into instruments.  Oh, I am the unicorn... prince, of crime.  And I had a hay, of a time.  You’re part of me, I’m part of you!  And now there’s little left to do.  I just can’t wait, ‘till we’re in control   Oh tell me, who’ll be laughing then?      We drove them around the bend and I’m laughing  I’m with you ‘till the end and I can’t stop laughing  We’ll kill alicorns and I won’t stop laughing  What else can we do?    Think I can taste, their, fear  Now that our time, is... near  You’re in my blood, you’re so alive!  Come on, let’s go for another dive  It won’t be long, ‘till we bring back the night.  Who’ll be laughing then?    Aurora’s dead and I'm laughing. Ha!  My lovely wife’s dead and I can’t stop laughing  My daughter’s dead and I can’t stop laughing  What else can we I do?  Now, you’re part of me...    A knock on the door quickly put an end to his impromptu musical number. “Patron? Is everything alright in there? You were howling in pain just a few seconds ago.” It was Dreamcatcher who came to ruin the fun.  “Am I alright?” Anarchy responded, giggling to himself. He opened the door and grinned at the startled reaction of the pegasus. “I’m so much more than alright, dear. I’ve never been better.”  “A-A-Am I to assume the ritual is coming to a-an end soon?” Dreamcatcher stammered, unable to take her eyes away from the pure evil emanating from her master’s gaze.  “Exactly. I’m surprised your brain is still functional after this shock! Oh yes, we just need the last ingredient. And our safest bet to retrieve it, is to wait for the storm.” Anarchy explained, parading around her with his newfound strength. His movement was quicker than before, more sporadic especially. “Now go. Spread the news to them. Let them know papa’s getting a new manecut.”  His tail whipped the air, springing the mare into action. Anarchy returned to his desk, now beginning to feel the growing pain of this transformation. His mouth hurt every time he moved it, his legs ached with each step he took, and his eyes burned.  With nothing to do, the dark stallion decided to reminisce on this long path he took eight years ago. He opened one of the drawers on his desk and pulled out a locket. Opening it, he was greeted by the image of a younger him holding a pink foal in his hooves.  An old relic created before he underwent his difficult journey. Back then, he had a shorter mane and normal eyes. It was funny to see him look this... normal after he had grown accustomed to the nightmarish changes.  “Oh, what a lovely mare. Could any one of us have predicted this turn of event? I certainly didn’t, and I don’t expect her to have seen it coming too. Too bad she couldn't have been here to watch little Olive grow. You know it’s quite funny that even to this day, I still sometimes wonder what would have happened had I not chosen this path. Who knows, I could have become something truly spectular, or maybe just have a nice family and a cozy home I could have spent the rest of my life in rather than an underground town.  Many paths opened to me, just as it did for you. I never knew if I made the best choice in the end, but hey, the same can be said for everypony. Now, I believe I have the answer to that lingering question. It was all worth it, not that I expect you to understand. You would have never appreciated my treatment of Olive, nor would you have liked my crazy idea to push her beyond the limits of a pony.  Sadly, it didn’t work out. Olive had to die after a little rugrat somehow convinced her that running away from a ten-hoof tall stallion was a good idea. I would have been alone in my quest now, but thankfully I evaded this rather grim fate thanks to a new friend. With him, I’ll achieve my dream and build myself an everlasting legacy. For now, this is where I get off.”  Anarchy closed the locket and hid it inside the drawer. To complete his nostalgic dive, he decided to open an old family album. He smiled as he let all the memories flow back to his mind, remembering both the good and the bad. He enjoyed looking at the earlier ones and seeing how much his family changed over time. At first, it was the two of them, all happy together then... his eyes changed. Still, the mother was never there for the filly, not even in the oldest pictures of the album.  Over time, Olive’s vibrant rose gold mane faded to white. Oh yeah, I always wondered why that happened. Reminds me of that one magazine I read where it said that stress can accelerate the aging process of an individual which include their mane turning to white. On younger ponies, only the mane really seems to age at an accelerated pace, but not the body. Not yet.  Anarchy flipped through more of the album, noticing the deteriorating condition of the filly. Seeing her go from happy and oblivious to the situation at hoof, to terrified and often hiding behind her father’s legs. Not photogenic, huh? It became quite hard to take a picture with her. He held a hoof to his chin. But for this next photo, it should go smoothly.  He eventually landed on the final pictures present in it, now with Olive completely gone, dead. The more I think about it, the more I realised just how bothersome that filly was in the long run. Why did I even keep her around after my experiment failed? Anarchy couldn’t find the answer, but its master did, and it was somewhat displeased.  A strong feeling of duty cannot be undone in mere seconds.  “Hm. I see I still have a long way to go, huh?”  He closed the album and put it away, his mind already moving on to more important projects. He has to make some noise in Canterlot, when the weather is right. The cost of preparedness – measured now in gold, later in blood.