//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Freedom to Respond // Story: Eternal Requiem // by Apocryphal Frost //------------------------------// 'This is the most boring train ride I have ever been on.' He decided with a mental sigh. Mental because such an action would require him to put effort into it. Which would require motion. And breathing. Breathing which required lungs. And while he was pretty sure he still had lungs, his working theory behind his stone prison being that it was merely a magical shell that paused time itself for him on everything but his waking mind, which he honestly hoped was an oversight, he did not have the necessary ability to draw in air. Which reminded him, he had constructed a few choice words to say in his time since the final battle between the now sovereign ruler of Equestria and his dark mistress. Quite a few words in fact. He had nothing else to do but think during his imprisonment. Except that first twenty years. He mainly spent those relatively short decades screaming inside of his own mind. He mostly thought about how the Day Princess was going to die a slow and painful death. Freezing, he determined, was the best option for such a task. The wonder that is Homo Sapiens Sapiens, the human species every modern human is part of, had come up with such downright great ways to keep the body alive under incredibly painful circumstances. Cut someone open, introduce enough of a drop in temperature, and let them watch as their organs stopped one by one. The logical side of his brain that he was getting increasingly annoyed at informed him that he didn't know nearly enough about the human body, or what his species had accomplished, to know if such a thing was even possible. He briefly wondered if this is what created someone like Discord, logic getting in the way of everything they found fun. Now he added yet another thing to add to his ever-growing list. 'Why was I conscious?' It was one of the cruelest things he had ever experienced. Dear goddess, did the pink one ever shut up? He was surprised his latest tirade about nothing had lasted as long as it did. He had gotten used to such ramblings going on for years straight, simply as a way not to go completely mad. But this mare just didn't stop talking. He wasn't even listening anymore, but he could still hear every word she said right next to him. Not once had she paused to take a breath in the whole train ride. Another troubling thought, why did he know what a train was? He hadn't remembered seeing a train before his imprisonment, but he distinctly remembered them. And he also remembered being inside of one quite a few times. 'Must be the millennium I spent completely awake for nothing but silence.' He decided, with no attempt to hide the bitterness that leaked into his thoughts. Not like he could hide it anyway. Must have been why such ordinary looking mares had been able to take on a force like Discord and win. Discord must have been driven mad, madder than he used to be at least, with no outlet for his chaotic nature. If he were able to, he would have let a bitter smile form across his face. The Elements of Harmony were still in use, even after a thousand years of peace, relatively speaking, until Discord's return. The Day Princess couldn't have used them all by herself, so that would make these two mares the ”-and then Mrs. Cake let me eat as many strawberry flavored cream-covered totally delicious and scrumptious tarts as I could!” How is she still talking!? With a sigh, he decided to put his internal ramblings on hold for a moment, and turned his attention to the two mares sitting across from him. He had been placed across multiple seats laying down, though it wasn't enough, with his legs from the knees down hanging out in the middle of the train car they were in. He only barely registered that they were entering some kind of tunnel as he did so, and the scenery was lower when they came out than it was when they entered. “And that's when I found out I had a totally awesome, super duper power to eat over three times my body mass in less than ten seconds!” And he immediately regretted his decision to do so, grateful the story she was telling was at it's end. And then the purple one, Twilight, started speaking. Her voice and manner of speech a striking contrast compared to the hyper pink mare, Pinkie, whom was less calm and tended to string on sentences into one big mess, as he had noticed in the increasingly long train ride. “Pinkie, we need to focus.” She berated the pink one, though not as harsh as he would have. “Now are you absolutely sure everpony left for Canterlot while I was in the Everfree Forest? The princess was very specific on when we were to bring it.” Canterlot huh? Did that even exist back before his imprisonment? It sounded vaguely familiar. And it sounded pompous as all hell for whatever reason...Probably the new location of the royal castle as well. As they wouldn't store the Elements of Harmony, which he still dreaded they were only traveling to use on him, anywhere else but near the princesses. Now princess, singular, he supposed. “Sheesh Twilight, do you really think I'm that irresponsible?” She asked with a huge grin, to which the lavender mare only rolled her eyes. “Of course they did! I saw them get on the train with my own eyes!” That seemed to satisfy the lavender mare named Twilight, who turned her attention away from the pink mare named Pinkie, who was now staring out the window making funny faces at what they passed, and began to write on a blank scroll. Muttering to herself all the while. “I shall now give a physical description of the human while it is in it's stone prison.” Ah, good. He would finally be able to remember what he looked like it seemed. It was still worrying that he couldn't recall anything other than his gender and his species, while still retaining all of his memories...Or what he thought were all of his memories. He wouldn't really be able to remember if anything were missing. “The human has a mane on the top of it's head, and no hair can be seen anywhere else, though it is nearly covered in a kind of clothing, so such an assumption should not be made at this time. It's limbs are thinner than a pony's, closer to the kind the more slender ponies like Princess Celestia have. And it does not appear to be overweight given it's visible build and height. Though such an assumption must not be taken for granted until more is learned of it's kind.” So he wasn't overweight. Not something he had thought about, but good to know, he supposed. “It is reportedly male based on the legends spoken of in such books as 'The Mare in the Moon' and other writings detailing Nightmare Moon. Again, assumptions should not be made until confirmation on gender is established.” At this, she paused to look over her notes, before nodding in satisfaction. “It's forelimbs end in what resemble claws, though they do not have sharp points like is found on normal claws. This combined with it's lack of anything resembling a natural weapon, gives one the impression that it's species is peaceful in nature. Most likely herbivorous. All in all, it is physically similar to an ape. Though nothing like any of the currently known kinds of apes. Perhaps an offshoot of some of the smaller types?” It physically pained him just how much she was getting wrong about his species. And it honestly angered him. Humans were complex. They were scavengers, hunters, omnivores, and much more than what they appeared at a first glance. They were the apex predator, for crying out loud! They were at the top of the food chain, with no natural predators of their own. Or at least he assumed so, it had been so long since he had seen another human that such things were starting to become fuzzy. He didn't even notice that she hadn't described his features in a way that would matter to him, nothing on how he, specifically a unique human looked like. “It is clad in clothing of some kind, color and material indeterminable while in it's prison. The clothing extends from it's torso to the not-claws. With an entirely separate piece extending down it's hind limbs. What these hind limbs end in is indeterminable at this time, as it is covered in a final piece of clothing, similar to what some ponies wear during special occasions. But not exactly enough that I am hesitant to give them the same name. Color and material indeterminable like the rest.” It went without saying that he didn't quite remember what he had been wearing when he was imprisoned, and such a vague description didn't help matters. The purple mare finally stopped speaking what she wrote out loud, wrote a few more lines before putting the quill and scroll she was writing with away in her saddlebag, and turned to watch the bright pink one interacting with some of the other passengers. A dark green pegasus mare with a paintbrush for a cutie mark, a light yellow unicorn stallion with a cookie for a cutie mark, and a light green unicorn colt, barely old enough to speak, with no cutie mark present. He was still getting the odd look every once in a while by the other passengers, but he paid them no mind. Something far more important had his attention at the moment. The train was slowing down. Out of the corner of his never-blinking eye he could see buildings. They were at this “Canterlot” at last. 'That was the most boring train ride I have ever been on.' He repeated his words from earlier. And he felt more than ever the need to stretch his limbs. But he didn't. Stone prison and all. Did he mention he was still incredibly bitter about the whole thing? He dimly noticed the purple glow signifying the mare known as Twilight's magic at the edge of his vision, before he was lifted up out of his seat and out the door of the train. His head smacked against the top doorway again. They had been walking for several long minutes, through the streets of what appeared to be a very high-class city. The kind that always looked too clean, and filled with buildings that looked too expensive, and the ponies they were passing weren't much better. Very rich looking ponies, with very neat and stylish hair, adorning many kinds of jewels, were literally everywhere. And they mostly seemed to be unicorns. He unconsciously suppressed a growl of anger, until he realized he didn't need to. These ponies reminded him way too much of the ones that had called for the execution of his mistress when their daily lives had been disrupted because of the lack of, well, a day. They had been thoroughly punished of course, even he had to admit the Day Princess wasn't quite that evil, but they had remained resolute in their decision. He turned his attention to the pink mare trotting beside the lavender one, her constant bouncing and hyper behavior enough of a distraction for him to force his anger down. Such a thing would be saved only for his meeting with the now sovereign ruler of Equestria. If there was a meeting, he realized with a mental groan. The possibility of them just reinforcing his prison still weighing heavily on his mind. He was probably considered a monster, both figuratively and literally, in the minds of these ponies. Especially in the eyes of the Day Princess. As he had been one of the ones to encourage her sister's rebellion. One of the few to still exist to this day in all likelihood. Of course he had only encouraged her after she had started calling herself Nightmare Moon, so anything done on his part probably didn't do much to her decision. But the Day Princess probably wasn't going to see things that way, and in all likelihood, would push a considerable amount of her grief onto him. Which was very, very bad. As much as he hated her, he couldn't deny that she had truly cared about his mistress. He briefly considered going into another rant to pass the time, when he was blinded by a great flash of light, and then violently shoved into the side of a building. He didn't feel any of it of course, and he heard the lavender mare, Twilight, yelp in surprise. Followed by a thud. “C'mon Twilight! Stop playing in the dirt, I know it can be fun sometimes but sheesh. You said we needed to get to the castle ASAP.” He couldn't tell if the pink one was mocking the lavender one, or if she was being completely honest. After listening to her for as long as he had been, he was sure he didn't want to know the answer to that question. Feeling thoroughly annoyed at being shoved into a wall, albeit painlessly, he felt the distinct feeling of magic envelop him, and he was soon lifted off the ground and being carried through the air again. This time facing away from the two mares in front of him. Now behind him, he supposed. He heard two sets of hoofsteps, so he assumed the one called Twilight was alright. And as he was being carried away, he noticed some of the ponies who had been giving him strange looks earlier look downright shocked, probably at the way he had been slammed into a building. Add another item to the list of things the Day Princess and those affiliated with them were going to pay for, if he ever got out. The two mares suddenly stopped, and so did he within moments as well. As he wasn't facing forwards, he couldn't see why. But soon realized what was going on as soon as they were on the move again. They were entering a structure. A large structure. A large structure with an incredibly fancy and intricate interior. A large structure that was most definitely a castle. The royal castle. They had finally arrived. He could feel his nonexistent heartbeat quicken with each door they passed. Both the lavender mare and the pink one were silent as they walked. Occasionally they passed a group of two or so guards, guards which looked the same as how he remembered. It had to be a spell, he reasoned. Though he tried not to pay too much mind to it. The number of guards increased as they continued on their way to the throne room. Or the dungeon, his pessimistic side supplied. Best place to reinforce his prison and then leave for another couple millennia. Finally after what seemed like hours, though was probably no more than a few minutes, they entered through yet another doorway. This time was different. The ponies taking him stopped in what he would guess to be the center of the room. Himself being placed down directly behind them. Still facing away from them. And that's when he heard it. “Ah, Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student. I see you have returned from your assignment.” It was a melodious voice. Almost beautiful even. The kind of voice that could inspire fear, devotion, and loyalty. This was the voice of a leader, of a ruler. This was the voice of the Day Princess, Celestia herself. Elder sister to his dark mistress. This was the voice of the one he held nothing but contempt for. “Yes princess, I have brought the human as you requested. Am I right in guessing my friends arrived before I did?” This was it, the moment had finally come. “You would be correct my student, all but one of them have already arrived. And I can see she arrived with you.” A millennium of waiting. “Yep! Heya princess!” A millennium of nothing but silence. “And I see she is just as enthusiastic as ever.” Princess Celestia said with the faintest chuckle. A millennium of nothing but his own thoughts to keep himself sane. “So now that you have it, can you tell me what you needed it for?” There were no words. “I shall explain when your friends arrive. For now we shall head to the throne room.” She called for a guard to escort the other Element Bearers. And with naut a salute, he went off to do as he was ordered. No words to adequately express what he was feeling at that exact moment. He barely registered that he was moving again, he barely even registered that they were speaking as they went. All he could focus on was what he so desperately wanted to say. Oh how he wished he could move his mouth, and force his vocal cords to make the necessary sounds to what he so desired to say. Soon they arrived in a room larger than the rest, he was placed back onto the floor of what was the throne room. There were many voices in this room, all speaking seemingly at once. This went on for a few moments before the Day Princess interjected. “Enough.” Instantly the entire room was bathed in silence. He heard hoofsteps, louder than the rest approach him. Coming from something larger than a normal pony. Making a slight metallic clink with every step. He saw the glow of magic at the edge of his vision again, not the purple he had become used to, but a light yellow. He felt his heartbeat quicken, or he would if he had a working heart at the moment, as he was being slowly turned. Soon, he was face to face with the last pony he had ever wanted to see again. Princess Celestia, ruler of the sun. Queen of the Day. She looked just as he remembered her. An alicorn. A pony with both a horn, and wings. She was incredibly powerful, and incredibly imposing. Time had done nothing to lessen this. Though he distinctly remembered her being much taller, if he was right about him standing at his full height in his prison, then it appeared he was taller than her. His eyes level with the tip of her horn. He barely gave such thoughts any mind, what truly caught his notice, were her eyes. Not full of malice, hatred, or even any anger. They merely looked into him, through him even, with pity and sorrow. “I must admit to never expecting to see you again.” She finally spoke after a long moment. “You look exactly as I remember you...you proud fool.” She had let her head droop just ever slightly as she uttered the last part. “You were full of so much life, so much curiosity. Such a desire to learn in a colt, excuse me, a boy, as young as you. A desire I have seldom seen matched. You could have used your thirst for knowledge for much more worthwhile endeavors.” Her eyes turned back up to meet his own. And he couldn't even bring himself to feel as angry as he knew he should have. “But instead you chose to follow in the hoofsteps of a fool and her cosmic temper tantrum.” He heard multiple gasps as the Day Princess continued her bitter ramblings. He thought he heard the pink one mutter something about faces, but paid it no mind. "And look where you are now, I can barely look at you, it pains me to see one of my subjects, no matter their allegiances, in such a sorry state.” She stared into him for a few more moments before seemingly snapping out of whatever she was in. She turned toward the now fully identified Twilight Sparkle, the protege of the Day Princess. “You girls may begin. We have to make sure.” They all seemingly nodded at once. And that was when he realized how many people were in the room with him. Seven. There were seven ponies in the room, not counting the guards. The Day Princess was now standing off to the side. Five of them were wearing necklaces with jewels of strange shapes, shapes matching their respective cutie marks. The lavender mare known as Twilight Sparkle had a crown, a crown with a glinting purple jewel shaped like her cutie mark. Ah, the Elements of Harmony. And they were going to use them. On him. He was sure that if he were able to, he would have been crying. A millennium alone, and in silence. His hope crushed, his mistress gone. Only to be taken out of that prison, have his prison of stone reinforced, and be moved to a new dungeon. He could feel the energy those mares were pumping out now, and it only served to terrify him even more. The one in the middle of their little group, the one who had found him, taken him out of his room for the last millennium, was channeling all of the Elements' powers into her. Slowly building, her eyes glazing over, becoming pure white. And then a blast of all the colors of the rainbow struck him, and he was blinded by an intense light. He could feel himself falling. And he caught himself. He stayed in his crouched position, on his knees, his hands supporting him, and kept his face down. A slight tremor rocked his body as he sucked in air, breathing for the first time in just over a millennium. Finally he raised his head, revealing to the ponies present piercing icy blue eyes, framed by a black mane. He was breathing heavily, but he never took his eyes off of a certain pony. Her own gaze staring impassively back at him. He took in another deep breath, before speaking in a raspy tone of voice. You...you...” He took in another breath, having the complete attention of every pony in the room. His eyes widened as he raised an arm. "You absolute bitch!” He was on his feet. His arm outstretched, glowing with an icy blue light. Ice exploded outward from his hand. Aimed straight at Princess Celestia. She merely broke through his attack with a blast of her horn, the blast continuing toward him until hitting him squarely in the forehead. The last thing he heard was panicked shouting. And the last thing he saw was the incredulous shocked stares of six young mares. And then the sweet embrace of darkness claimed him. The throne room burst into action, all six of the Elements of Harmony having no idea what to think of what transpired, but immediately took positions in front of Princess Celestia. Admittedly a useless gesture, she supposed. If something with the power to kill her presented itself, they would not be able to use the Elements of Harmony in time to stop them. Such a power was incredibly rare, and she had met none with such a power in some time. Save maybe Discord, but that wasn't his style. The human's actions had shocked her. Not the attack itself, no. She had expected such a thing to happen. No, she had anticipated such a thing, and had a carefully powered blast ready just in case. Just enough power to render a creature of his size and durability unconscious. What had shocked her was just how immediate she had been attacked. That was a bad sign. It meant one of two things, neither a pleasant thought. On one hoof, it could mean Nightmare Moon's servants had truly hated her and her sun that much. On the other, it could very well mean he was provoked by her words beforehand. Meaning he could have been awake the entire time. Such a thought brought chills to her. This brought something to mind she had heard long ago, something from the very human she just blasted, something he had said when he read about the Elements of Harmony. Something she never understood until now. “Hm. "Good is not nice" indeed.”