//------------------------------// // Snowball // Story: How my Little Brother Became an Alicorn // by WiseFireCracker //------------------------------// The few next minutes went by in a haze. Nothing could be defined quite clearly. I knew that, at some point, I had been led out of the throne room, as court was adjourned and some nobleponies retired for the night. A significantly smaller number of them arrived specifically for the beginning of the night court. I walked past them without a care in the world, if only a vague recognition that they existed. I was much too deep into my thoughts and my fears. What can I say now? Can I just run away and pretend that ‘The Wind is Free’ or some crap like that if they catch up? They’ll call me irresponsible. That I hate the pressure? They’ll tell me I’m as whiny as Tom, which, to be fair, is both true and sad. That I’m not worthy? No, it will make others shill my character and that’s just one more quick trip to the Stu bin. “Excuse me, good sirs.” I asked two guards patrolling, distantly noticing their surprise at being addressed by an unknown alicorn. “Could you point the direction of the infirmary to me, please?” The biggest of the two, a bright orange stallion, turned to the other with a small hesitation. Obviously, neither were thrilled with my interruptions, but that was their jobs, right? The small light brown stallion – a pegasus – seemingly mulled it over, biting his lips. They had a silent exchange of glances and meaningful tics, none I could make out well, the orange one turned back to me. “It is a little complicated, Sir.” I’m getting used to that sort of thing, now, please. For sole response, I nodded and tried to look politely eager. I somehow pulled that off. “My little brother has just been taken there, I would like to see him as soon as possible, gentlecolts.” The guard relented. “Look, Storm Lance, I can show him the way, just go talk to the captain by yourself.” At the suggestion, the bigger stallion darkened. Visibly, it was an unwelcomed solution, but one nonetheless. He agreed, grumbling and mumbling quite a bit. My gaze followed the orange stallion as he left us both alone. “So, huh…” The second guard hesitated, not very good at keeping the surprise out of his face at the sight of me. “You want to go to the infirmary, Sir?” Oh for freak’s sake… Did I stutter, you idiot? “Yes, please.” “This way,” he said, trotting toward a stone staircase. With a small insincere and annoyed thanks, I let my legs carry me in the same direction. -- He was… disheartened. Not just… schoolyard breakup or dashed expectations about book disheartened… There was a giant hole in his chest. They had made the official announcement in class the day before. The school had received a notification from the police and the teacher had said it. Cassandra had broken into tears on the spot. He had gone into denial. That… that’s not real… Sam’s… missing? Unfortunately, it was dreadfully real and, according to some, likely. There were whispers to be shared, that he had gone crazy after his brother had disappeared. He was seeing a psychologist after all… Some had even wondered if Sam himself had not been responsible outright, then ran off at the first occasion. A pair of girls who had dared say that out loud around Cassandra had been slapped so hard one of them had lost a tooth. He had cheered mentally, even as he had run up to her to restrain her. It did not end well. Now Cassandra had been suspended too. There were rumors that her parents had decided to move away, seeing as this couldn’t be a healthy environment for her to study. So Eric had been left alone. All alone, sitting at their usual table, without a soul daring to approach him, as if he carried some sort of curse. Words were said around him now, most objectives or even compassionates though, as he was slowly losing his friends one by one. Between Sam and Cassandra, he had yet to spend more than a few hours without a black eye. Both for the same triggers too. Both had just lost someone extremely important to them and he had done something to piss them off. He wasn’t quite sure what in both case too… Sitting at home, he had started moving in a slow daze. His life had started to head into a downward spiral. Forces of habit oblige, he had gone into the right folders to check out on pony news. He had looked over the standard issues quickly, skimming contents he would have usually read avidly. Not anymore. It felt pointless. Somehow that didn’t stop him from logging into his pony roleplaying chat. Two other members of their groups were already in heated discussion about today’s episode. He had yet to see it. Hadn’t had the heart. Hadn’t felt the usual excited spark. Being punched in the face by your best friend for bringing it up at the wrong time had left a truly bitter taste in his mouth. Now that Sam was gone too… it had started to make him vaguely ill. “-istening to yourself? No seriously, Dude. That rant hardly makes him less than a quick attempt by the writers to ‘fix’ their previous blunder. He’s another alicorn out of nowhere!” That made Eric blink. So there were still new alicorns being suddenly introduced? Gee, the writers could really use a new twist… “He didn’t come out of nowhere! He came running after a member of his family that had gone missing! Any intelligent person would have realized that a little kid showing out of nowhere without anyone to accompany him would have a guardian not far away.” “Still an asspull!” “No, he’s not! He was mentioned by mini-stu in the previous episode! (Oh, and hi NightServant!)” Eric was tempted to just ignore the greetings and closed the tabs… but he decided against it. He could use some company, even if it was about… well, it was about My Little Pony. He hadn’t felt very comfortable logging back in about. “Hi guys.” He typed, sighing. “I take it you’re talking about the show.” “(So, how are you doing? Oh, and is ScatteredWind okay? You said he was acting weird last time?) Yeah, and I was telling LoveCupcakes that this is all a load of crap!” For a moment, Eric truly was at a loss as to what to answer. Sam had really not acted like himself. “(You’re lucky you weren’t there… man, he was nuts. It was something about his family, right? Tell me it’s gotten better. If he blows a casket like that last one at me again, I might try to hack his writer’s account and troll him…) Come on, Dude! He even explained that mini-stu was boosted. Now he won’t be able to show up the Mane Six out of nowhere!” Somehow, a conversation that should have been at the front of his mind at the present moment had been relegated to completely stupid and pointless rambling. He didn’t want to think about Sam anymore. Just thinking about it made his eye hurt. “(I… think he’s fine).” “(Good) I like that part! It’s just that I hate they had to use a new freaking ALICORN to do it! Why not just bring him to Celestia and have her do that herself! Heck, she mostly did it already!” “Oh come on! That new guy helps explain the backstory behind the Princess! You can’t tell me you don’t want that! You always complain about the lack of it.” “He’s got a point, BestDerp.” Eric jumped in, momentarily taken by the argument. “Wait, they did that?” “Yes.” “Sorta.” He stared at his computer screen. “Hu-uh…” “Okay, here’s the thing. I didn’t want someone telling me about Celestia’s backstory, I wanted them to SHOW US!” There was a moment during which the log didn’t update. Eric held the conviction his penpal had been baffled by the point. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, LoveCupcakes replied. “…Touché.” “What about you, NightServant? Tell me you’re part of the enlightened one and you know what kind of franchise killing crap this is, right?” He had told something like that to Sam… then… The pain in his eye seemed to intensify. “I have no clue. I don’t even know who you’re talking about.” “Wait, you haven’t seen it yet?” Without much conviction, he still typed out an answer. “Judging by your description… yeah, I don’t think I’ll be watching an episode soon.” -- I pushed the door open, relieved to finally be here. That other guard… had been one tedious companion. He had tried to be helpful, obviously, but there was no way I would not notice the dozens of looks he sent my way in wonder. I could understand the sentiment. Heck, if the equivalent of a previously unheard of pony angel just asked me directions out of nowhere, I would be rather curious as to his origins and such too. But really, I had other things on my mind and the staring had gotten old fast. Still, I had tried projecting the image of a reasonable figure before and I could not break character now. Who knew who could be watching my… every… move…? I suppressed a shiver. Knowing that this world was part of a TV show made it all so much worse. Heck, I already had to watch my every word just not to alter reality. And while each episode only lasted about twenty minutes, it still could cover the most crucial moments. No rest, no time to let go of this mask. I had to slip it on and glue it to my face. It did not slip when I put a hoof into the infirmary, glancing around and trying to spot my little brother. That much was frustratingly hard to do, as the room seemed filled with beds and curtains, for privacy’s sake, no doubt. Well, at least, it might come in handy when I would need to draw those symbols again. For the sake of my sanity and your safety, Tom, I sure hope we can do this. I pressed forward, walking between the beds, peeking through the curtains a few times with the hope of seeing Tom. So far, my researches had ended with a boot to the face by an indignant mare and a few gasps at my indiscretion. Clearly, I was going at this the wrong way. Shaking my head, I went for the sensible solution. Where’s the nurse? “Sir?” A curious and definitely female voice took me by surprise, making me flinch. It was a mare alright and not a bad looking one at that. Her coat was a softer shade of pink than the Element of Laugher, but her mane was a very fiery red. The soft curves of her face made her expression kind, while the bright blue of her eyes added an alluring quality to her gaze. And man, those were nice flanks, I’d- SHUT UP, HORMONES! “Madam?” I replied, already putting that sudden spike of adrenaline behind me. “May I help you?” She asked, frowning slightly at my earlier behavior. “Yes. The Elements of Harmony were ordered to carry my little brother here. I would like to see him now, if you would.” You better… “Of course.” She nodded instantly. “Who is your brother?” Urgh, right. “His coat is of the darkest blue while his body carries the strengths of all three pony tribes.” Was that too sueish? Or just a simple truth? I gritted my teeth. This was so complicated. Where did I draw a line in all this? WHERE?! “Ah, yes, I remember him. We gave him sleeping medicine almost right away. It should both make him comfortable for the night and allow his body to fight off the illness without him noticing.” That sounded like a nice change of pace, for once, though the words jogged up some memories… “Ah, I see.” The corners of my lips twisted into a pained grimace. “He wasn’t too difficult about it, was he?” Instantly, as soon as the words had flown through the air and reached her ears, the mare had diverted her gaze, refusing to make eye contact. “Well…” The urge to hit my face with my own hoof grew within me. “Typical…” I muttered. “I’ll show him to you right away,” the mare said, using a delicate tone to pander up to me. It wasn’t working, but the thought could be appreciated for once. She was even quick and efficient about her task. Now we were getting somewhere. “If there is anything you need, you can simply call me,” she declared, walking away. “Thank you.” I nodded and looked back to the curtain. They had been drawn close, offering some privacy to Tom, not that he cared much about that. Usually, he was the kind of kid to just go somewhere to drop down and sleep. Even more suspicious, the curtains were stretched slightly on one side of the bed, by a form I doubted no belonged to another pony. I felt the need to rush inside, and my hooves moved faster than my brain could register. The pieces of silk slapped my face, then my shoulders and my wings. Quickly, my eyes registered a yellow pegasus, standing close, and a blue foal resting under the bed sheet. Said pegasus jumped a few feet in the air at my sudden entrance. Her wings spread protectively over my little brother, only for her eyes to widen in recognition. “Oh, I… I thought it might be… hum…” She lowered her head, looking miserable. “Sorry…” “It’s fine.” I shrugged, squashing the dark thoughts that had been born when she had tried to place herself between me and him. “How is he?” “He just fell asleep… he was calling for you…” My heart almost exploded. Why couldn’t have I gone with him in the first place?! All it did was make the whole situation completely unbearable! Damn it… Fighting the urge to growl and scream, I forced my mouth into a thin line. Silently, I stalked closer to him, eyes stuck on his peaceful body. His breathing lifted the sheets periodically, a reassuring sight to me. My hind legs folded as I sat down, beaten by the emotional rollercoaster this world had unleashed on me. I hadn’t been here for a day, yet it seemed like a year already. I reached forward, placing my muzzle against the side of his head. Subconsciously, he leaned into it. The gentle contact almost broke a dam in me. It was getting harder and harder to keep that mask on my face. I didn’t want to be that strong. I just wanted to go back and be carefree again. Just me and Tom, back home, so we could go back to our lives before all went to hell. “I… ” The word was so quiet I almost missed it. Eyes shifting back to my unexpected companion, I gave her a very tired look. “Yes?” My voice was hoarse, raspy even. I could not keep up for long. Not for long… “I’m sorry…” Her gaze avoided mine. Her pink mane fell over her face. “I shouldn’t have said that earlier…” “It’s… fine… I understand.” “I… I’ll leave you two alone now…” The poor mare almost fled, eyes filling with tears. Of what? I couldn’t tell. Yet, as I watched her leave, I wondered… why? Giving forgiveness should have been a blessing, right? Why did nothing change then? Why wasn’t I able to give a damn about her apologies? There was still this burning fury in me, this lack of sympathy, a black pitch darkness… That wasn’t me… I heard a groan and my attention changed focused so quickly I gave myself whiplash. His eyes were clenched shut, but Tom was stirring in his sleep. The rustling of the sheets were like screams in my ears. I leaned over the edge of the bed, spreading my wings and my feather into a blanket, one that would hopefully reach out to him. They covered him, forming a shield for him to rest under. We were close. Close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body, the rebellious knots in his unkempt fur, the pain in his tensed muscles, wet trails that started form on his face… “I’m here, Tom…” I whispered into his ears. “Mom…” “Shhhh, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll see her soon.” Please, let that be the truth. “I promise.” -- At first, he hadn’t been able to formulate what had possessed him to get out of bed at this ungodly time of the day. Darkness still covered the land like a cool blanket and one pony could not pierce through that same darkness with his eyes alone. Normally. Tonight, he could. He didn’t say a thing. He rarely did. But tonight Big Macintosh was worried about those flickering lights dancing amongst the trees of his family’s farm. -- Morning would soon make itself visible in the night sky, signaling the end of her hours of reign. It was with a sigh of relief that she would welcome the moment she’d be freed of her duties for one more day. Ruling a kingdom was an endeavor that one could not simply be half-assed about and gaining her subjects’ admiration had proven to be a fight of every day. At times, Luna was almost jealous of her sister, but she knew better now. Celestia had had a thousand years of devotion and fair ruling to gain the near universal love of her subjects. For her darker, formerly bad, little sister to believe she could catch up to her so quickly would be a naivety without equal. Yet, every night, she could count a few more ponies willing to look at her with for something other than political power. The door of her office creaked open and inside entered a well-known figure in her life. “Tia, how good it is to see you.” Luna jumped to her hooves, smiling. “The Grapes’ family vendetta with the Prunes are slowly driving me back to madness!” Her sister chuckled at the complaints. “I see you still do not appreciate the subtlety of solving everypony’s problems for them everywhere all the time.” Luna stared at her flatly. “I am serious, Tia. I’ve been trying to figure out a way for the better part of an hour now and I still do not have a hint of an idea on how to begin this.” “Let me see.” Celestia moved, stepping next to her younger sister, peaking at the papers lying across the wooden desk. Gladly, Luna allowed her full access to the papers, with the hope she could finally be freed from this dilemma. Sometimes, being a princess wasn’t all that glamorous. For starters, she had yet to get the opportunity to visit her friend Pip in person again. Oh, she had seen him in his dreams many times already, but… she couldn’t neglect her duty, even for her favorite little colt. An endless, eternal supply of hard work and dedication, that had been her sister’s lot for more than a thousand years. It was a wonder she was still so loving and warm to their subjects. At some point, Luna knew she would have grown bitter. How? How had Celestia managed to rule for so long, without ever breaking? With a subdued feeling of admiration, Luna had to fight her eyes’ desire to stare at her sister. Very few were the moments Celestia had ever let go of her mask. With the exception of her students, Luna had not doubt she was the only pony her sister would voluntarily allow to see the sadness behind. You are much too stubborn, Tia. Just like me… The Princess of the Night thought. “You know how the Elders are,” she said, in passing. The careful composure of the supreme ruler of Equestria shattered at those casual words. For a grand total of a fraction of second. The emotionally devastated expression had not lingered on Celestia’s face, immediately replied by a careful hesitation and a skeptical frown. “I’m afraid I do not understand your words, Luna.” But it was far too late. The younger alicorn had had the confirmation she needed. “Tia, the Elders are generally much too duty driven to care about silly things like our feelings as individuals.” Luna rolled her eyes, failing to keep her tone light with her sarcasm. There had been too much dripping venom in the words. Luckily, they still brought a chuckle to her sister. “Ah yes, how did our Aunt go about it again? There is no greater honor…” “…Than devoting your whole soul into the well-being of others.” Luna completed the saying. The Royal Pony Sisters shared a biased, somewhat amused look. They could not quite smile at this typical behavior, but sometime ago, they had both accepted the… strong convictions of the Elders. “Our dear Auntie Lexia, Alicorn of Law and Devotion. It is lucky she has apparently not gotten her hooves on that little colt yet.” “Which one are we talking about here?” The younger sister shot back, waving her eyebrows with a mocking grin. “Oh Luna, that poor Ventus obviously has to put up with a lot of her teachings already. He forces himself so much to be official when he’s so skittish and dying to just loosen up. Have you heard him talk? There is no way that is not rehearsed.” “I was more concerned about his incredible fear at being submitted to a spell of Truth, Tia.” The Princess of the Night noted with a frown. All traces of humor left her voice then. “They are hiding something. At the very least, the older one is.” Celestia didn’t respond to the words this time, only closing her eyes, remembering an ancient pain. “I understand your hesitation, Sister, but do not let the past cloud your judgment.” Oh, she knew of her own foolishness. Her leniency might have been misplaced, but truly, she had not expected this sudden development. No, to refer to that as sudden would be inadequate. The bitter thought crossed her mind. It had been waiting to be revealed to her for more than four hundred years apparently. A simple notice would have been nice. After all, that young stallion was likely nothing less than the reincarnation of the previous Lord of Windigos, who was also, as very few beings knew, her past lover.