//------------------------------// // Reminiscence // Story: How my Little Brother Became an Alicorn // by WiseFireCracker //------------------------------// I realized it before my senses were back. I was a pony. Still a pony… Still a pony… it’s not a bad dream… ha… haha… hahahaha… PONY! Wings folded over me, heat radiating from my chest, weight added by a couple bed sheets. My eyes were closed, letting filtering nothing but darkness. A bitter laugh built up in my throat. Listen to me… I’m living the brony dream. I’m an alicorn, a prince, on somewhat friendly terms with the Mane Six and the Princesses. And I want nothing more than to throw it all away… Hey, that’s not a bad idea… trade place with someone? How? Anyone interested? Slowly, I lifted my eyelids, fighting a fatigue that dragged my limbs down. My teeth were grinded together, jaw clenched. A numbness born from pain had taken a hold of my face’s muscles. “S-Sam?” Well, I’d recognize that voice anywhere… I forced my eyes open. It allowed me to see the face of a young colt, inches away from me. His own eyes were red and puffy. “Hey, Buddy…” I whispered, voice raspy. His eyebrows lowered, a grimace on his mouth. Next thing I knew, a hoof in my chest cut my breath. “You big idiot!” I could not help it. I just chuckled. “Sorry, Tom.” “Don’t laugh!” He scowled, very nearly pouting. His eyes held unshed tears. “Aw, don’t be like that.” I sighed. “Come here.” I lifted one hoof in the air, enough to make some space for him to occupy. With a dash, he did just that, jumping over me and almost strangling me with his legs. I had to strain my ears to hear his next words… they were so small… they made him seem so… vulnerable. “You scared me…” You never admit that stuff, Tom. The realization just made my weakness weight heavily against my heart. It sickened me that I could be so fragile as to worry him. So much for strong big bro… “I’m sorry for that, Squirt,” I muttered, stroking his mane. He only squeezed me harder, not willing to forgive me yet. He’d done that a few times before, rarely. Nothing to do in times like this, water under the bridge, that was pretty much the only way to get him to forgive me on that. I let the silence take its rightful place. It had a… calming quality. Listening to my brother’s quiet breathing, I took the opportunity to glance at the room we were in. Certainly, the place lacked modesty. Fitting for one dubbed a prince for no reason. The room was… decadent. It just instantly brought Blueblood to mind, which was an unpleasant thought in itself. Too many richly decorated pieces of furniture, too many silky curtains, too much ‘froufrou-ey’ stuff... it just made me feel vaguely uneasy. Still, that was nothing. With nothing but the reassuring presence of Tom at my side, my mind was free to wander. And wander it did. Stuck here… The thought made my mouth dry out. It was just too much to take at once. What next? What am I supposed to do? It might not be long until I just forget what I am. Wouldn’t be surprising after getting a dozen brainsplosion due to unwanted memories… My eyes widened as I was struck by a dangerous thought. “Hey Dad!” That’s what Tom said… That… I could not leave that alone. I had to… to get to the bottom of it. Taking a deep breath to call back what I had left of my courage, I distanced myself from my little brother, making sure I could see his face. He looked a little surprised to be honest. “D-do you remember home?” “What d’you mean?” He tilted his head, not understanding. “Do you remember what it’s like back home?” I locked my gaze with his. “Don’t you remember Mom and Dad?” “I…” A slight frown started to appear on his face. “Yeah, I do. Why’d you ask?” “Tell me about them… please…” I was pleading. I knew I was. Even if I did my best not to sound vulnerable, t-that… I couldn’t fake about. His eyes flared up, as if indignant that I could imply he would forget them. Except… “Started to miss you, y’know?” You said those words, Tom. To an alicorn… My heartbeat picked up the pace when Tom suddenly froze. “They’re… hum…” I stopped breathing. Dread was clawing away at my brain. I couldn’t think anymore… “Huh…” Tom looked away, biting his lips. His whole body screamed of uncertainty. “Sam… I’m not… sure…” I fought the urge to be sick. “H-how come, Buddy?” How my tone was still kind and calming, I’d never know. “It’s weird…” Tom stood on his hind legs, his front legs resting on my shoulders. “I… it’s like I remember more than one dad… and more than one mom…” Hesitantly, I gave a little nod. T-that… that’s good…. Still salvageable… Not too late… Maybe if I ask something else… to trigger something…? “What was your room like, back home?” “Hum… it was messy,” Tom said very seriously, which made it all the more hard for me. I stared. Then started laughing. “HEY!” He shouted, indignant. “Don’t laugh at me!” “N-no, don’t worry…” Oh dear, it was not easy to speak between snorts. “It’s… just t-the nerves…” And the incredible amount of truth in your words. Man, you make a mess of your things. He harrumphed, glaring. It seemed like I had thoroughly failed to be convincing. “Now, just listen, okay, Tom?” He turned away, a little pout on his face. “I don’t want to.” “Come on,” I urged, grabbing him close with my wings. “I was just surprised. It wasn’t at you, promise.” “Pinkie Promise.” He freed himself from my grip, still frowning. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stuck a cupcake in my eye.” With the eye closed, thank you, Twilight. “Hum… okay…” My little colt of a brother seemed mollified by the gesture. Slightly. “But really, Tom, you’ve got to try a bit harder.” Come on, bro. I really don’t think I can take that kind of crap from you too… We’re NOT ponies. “Don’t you remember how Mom and Dad look?” “Dad’s like you… Mom’s like me. Sorta.” He scratched the back of his head, eyes narrowed as if he was trying to remember and couldn’t quite… “Yes, they are.” I nodded, encouraging him to go on with a little smile. “And huh… we’ve got a… really big piano in the living room, Mom’s always playing it…” A wave of relief came crashing down on me. “The backyard’s too small to play baseball… we tried… there’s a… ticket for your… favorite band’s concert, on top of my drawer…” I blinked. “Wait, what?” “I… huh…” Did the little squirt shift his gaze to avoid meeting mine? “It’s really hard…” He looked up at me, his mouth twisted into a grimace, a small quiver going through his lips. “I know…” I sighed, forcing him into a stronger hug. “It’s okay. We’ll try again later.” It was just lucky he couldn’t see my face in the position I had forced him into. I was fairly sure I was the picture of tormented. My eyes stung and I felt my mane was being messy, spiky and all around epic bed hair. Something doesn’t want us to leave. Whoever those Elders bastards are, they will pay for that. Of course, reality would crash down on me soon enough. Except I have no idea how to do any of that, again. It's the disappearance all over again. It was enough to get another sigh out of me. Just then though, a small hit to the wings surprised me. Tom had hit them with his owns, for reasons I could not quite discern. I got signals about my fur being brushed, repeatedly, up and down… He was sobbing, shaking like a leaf in the wind. When he spoke, his voice was even quieter than before. “We’re not going back, are we?” I felt my mask crack. His words had struck me right past my white lies and into my heart. It made my throat tighten painfully. “I…” For fuck’s sake, Sam! Just lie! Say it! It’s not that hard and it’s what he needs to hear! “I don’t know…” He just buried his head deeper into my chest. Without a word, he just hugged the last remnant of his old life. I had no comforting lie for him. It felt as if my bones had turned into solid ice. It stole away all the heat within my body, leaving me feeling like a empty husk, a failure of a brother and a pathetic thing… How I loathed myself for this. I hung my head low, mane obscuring my eyes. I wanted this to end. -- Somewhere beyond the borders of Equestria, at an altitude rarely reached by even the most intrepid of griffons and the mightiest dragons, something stirred. The celestial body of the pony princess shone over the snow, that white blanket covering the highest of mountains, but never melted it away. It never did. The cold cloak of the rocky formation would remain frozen, a reminder of the darker times most civilizations had started to forget. And, over the sound of the devastating winds slamming into the mountainside, at the height of the highest of them all echoed an ethereal neigh. -- Her sleep was tormented with the past. Had she been awake and conscious, she might have rolled her eyes at the irony. As it stood however, the dark mare’s expression remained that of a troubled pony. Blood chilling cold. Shrieks of horrors from those that got close enough to witness the events. The shining light of the sun in the sky, bloated out by dark clouds. The smell of blood, its taste in her mouth. Shadows that hide nothing and everything in an endless blizzard. Howling in the wood. The images flashed in her mind, before coming to a standstill. There, encased in ice, a white mare with a pink mane. Mere inches away, a dark figure, clad in golden clothing. A small moan of sadness escaped the sleeping figure’s lips. If one had observed her at the moment, they would have seen the trail of tears going down her cheeks. “Ah, my dark love,” he said with a chuckle. His voice, usually so suave, had a strange hollow tone to it. “It is good to see you.” Why was her heart still beating fast at the sight of his smile? “I was hoping you would come to your senses. Can’t you see how unworthy they are?” Her hooves seemed stuck to the ground. “War, again. They are preparing for it. Again!” She became agitated. Her subconscious knew what would happen next. No matter how many time she tried to forget, she couldn’t. Her mind wouldn’t let her forget. Completely vulnerable. Chains weighting down on her. Cold wind brushing against her fur every so often. His words echoing again and again in that icy cave. Ethereal creatures, parody of her fellow brethren, floated up to her. Every time they got closer, her heart seemed to grow cold as their touch. The chains had grown bigger with time. They covered her almost entirely. Her horn, frozen as were her wings, could not produce even a spark to save her. He loomed over her, enjoying what little he could get out of her. At some point, she knew, her own life had been turned into nothing more than a trophy to him, nothing more than a possession. That twisted sentiment made her sick, every single time it seeped through his voice. “Almost done. Almost… then it’s only us, my love.” The mare’s body jolted back to consciousness, shocked out of her dreams by his voice whispering to her. Her chest inflating and deflating rapidly, she stood shocked, eyes wide, staring at empty space while her dream still remained fresh in her mind. After a few seconds however, her panic faded away and she took notice of her real situation. She was in her room. It seemed as if her bed sheet were damp and heavy with sweat. The darkness surrounding her, usually so inviting and proper for her sleep now only made otherworldly voices ring in her ears. With a yank of her magic, her curtains were drawn open, revealing the midday sun. “Ugh, it is too early for me to be awake…” The mare sighed, trotting calmly to her boudoir. She needed to freshen up, for the night promised to be long with so little sleep in her body. But she could not be quite at ease with their guest staying in the castle. Not when her instincts were screaming at her that something was amiss with the young alicorn. Luna’s eyes narrowed at the reflection in her mirror. This time, she would not allow it. This time, there would be no Lord of Windigos. Her mirror cracked. -- We… eventually, we left the suite. We had to. A servant had come by to check up on us – me – apparently. The news of my… fainting had spread like wildfire in the castle, if the brown stallion had to be believed. Which was why he was carrying a fruit basket and a get-well card. No, not kidding. He was. Said something to the effect of a well-deserved reward for putting a certain somepony in his place. …Not going to complain here. But anyway, this was not important. What was important was the fact that the princesses had asked for news of my recovery. They had been scared for my health and ashamed not to have noticed anything sooner. …Haha, yeah, total Stu. The thought had crossed my mind. Then I decided to hell with that and just play along. Still, that meant we had to make a public appearance of sort to squash any rumors that might leave the castle’s ground. What-freaking-ever. Beside me, Tom walked without any energy. He was moving slowly, the zest of life gone from his usually cheerful demeanor. God, I just wanted to slump down and tell him it would be FINE, that we’d be back in no time and all that… but… the lie just wouldn’t roll off my tongue. It just gripped at my insides and refused to move. I just didn’t have it in me to lie to him on that… This doesn’t look good. Seriously, what can I do to ju-? “Excuse me,” a feminine voice cut my train of thoughts. I glanced at my left, where the voice had originated from. There were two mares, one pink and the other lavender. I seriously hadn’t expected this. It probably showed really easily on my face. I just blinked without understanding. “H-how did you…?” “Oh, that was me, silly.” Of course. “I… see…” I replied, pretending to be confused. Twilight sent me a compassionate look. I could imagine the memories of her trying to understand her eccentric friend were still fresh enough in her memory. “We came because I got a chill followed by three sneeze and that usually means someone really needs cheering up.” My gaze went to the blue little form at my side. "Sounds like somepony really could use one of your parties, Pinkie." Twilight remarked with a slight cringe. “Oh, that’s a great idea, we shou-” She abruptly stopped, deciding to look at me all of a sudden. “Did you apologize?” “I’m sorry?” My eyebrows furrowed. So did hers. “For yelling at him like that! It was mean!” I felt a sting of pain, as if an old wound had been reopened. I sounded a bit defeated when I replied. “Yes…” “Great!” She piped up, looking very happy with this development. “Then everything is fine. Oh, except for this.” Before I had the time to say anything, she popped out from behind me, head respectively lowered. “I’m really sorry I yelled at you. The others have explained to me about it and I get that you weren’t trying to be mean about it. Do you forgive me?” That’s… that actually felt nice. I grinned, warmth spreading in my chest. “It would not be very gracious of me to refuse an apology from such a nice mare.” “Yes!” Her body rippled, stretching into the air in an amazingly disturbing motion, before turning back to normal. Color me nauseous. A body should not twist that way. My eye twitched. She did not notice, instead, Pinkie took one look at Tom and appeared next to him. Holy crap teleportation without magic was a heck of a pain in the neck. I’ll have to watch out for whiplash around her… “I’m willing to bet you were the cause for my Pinkie Sense going off!” “I dunno… Maybe…” Tom said quietly, not feeling up to it. “Come on, Bladey! We have to turn that frown upside down!” The pink mare picked his front hooves in hers and tried to get him to look my way. He sent me a pleading look. Clearly, he had no intention of humoring his best pony. I, on the other hand…hoof… whatever, thought letting her have her way with my little brother seemed a good idea. I certainly wasn’t in the state of mind needed to cheer him up, but her… I made a little motion with my head, pushing him to accept. At that, he pouted, not impressed. Nonetheless, Tom let his shoulder slouch, no longer fighting her. “Hum… ‘kay, Pinkie…” He muttered, letting himself be carried away by Pinkie. Losing no time, she brought out the big guns, in the form of a couple of streamers and a song. Amazingly though, it seemed to cheer him up just a little, with him repeating a few words from the lyrics. Longingly, I let my eyes trailed after the two of them. If she could bring some smile back so easily, then I wanted to know her secret. Or hire her as a babysitter. Eh, I’d prepare a couple of bags of flour, just in case. Won’t work, but, damn, it would be hilarious if Tom came back completely white. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Twilight was still by my side, her gaze also turned toward the two shrinking figures in the hallway. “Intriguing, isn’t she?” She said, apparently holding back a desire to laugh, if her slight trembling was any indication. “That’s our Pinkie Pie.” I know, Twi. I know. “I haven’t met anypony quite… like her…” She took the polite assessment at face value, or so I thought. Her lips were curled into a little smile. A pleasant silence took place between us. It did not stop my thoughts from running wild with the proximity of the show’s debatable main character. I wanted a distraction… I got it… Eh, what the hell? Why not? It can only get worse… At least, I won’t have to think about it much… Let’s see how easily the mask slips on… Clearing my throat, I summoned the voice of a restrained, calm, regal-like stallion. “I suppose you have many questions, Princess Sparkle.” Apparently, pretty damn well easy. “W-what makes you say that?” The lavender alicorn blinked, a bit taken aback. I chuckled, tilting my head toward the quill and scroll sticking out of her saddlebag. “Just an intuition.” “Oh.” Twilight blushed, telekinetically pushing the two items back into her bag. “That was just something I… well, I had planned to ask you a few clarifications about you story and your culture, but after hearing you had fainted earlier today, I had decided to just check up on you.” My lips quirked upward. Typical Twilight. “You need not be ashamed, Princess Sparkle. Curiosity is only natural, especially coming from an ascended pony. Frankly, I would have expected you to have asked your teacher, however.” “I did,” she replied, as if that had been a stupid question. “Is that so?” I asked, feeling my interest flaring. That could be an… opportunity. “Was your wish to compare notes? Or different points of view, perhaps?” She bit her lips. “Would you? I know this might feel very intrusive, but the documented knowledge of alicorns is so very scarce. Princess Celestia told me it is because of the rarity of your ki-” “Our,” I corrected gently. The poor mare stopped her movements. Pausing and looking slightly confused, Twilight shifted on her hooves with unease. Her eyes went to her back and her wings twitched a few times. A brief surge of compassion went through me, as I waited for her to focus her attention back to me. Sounds like I’m not the only one being hit by the species change… Happy thoughts! “Yes, ‘our’ kind… but now that you and your brother are here, that’s six alicorns in Equestria at the same time! More than has ever been reported in our history.” The question flared in my mind, but I squashed it, knowing I – Ventus Vinco – should have known the answer myself. “And you wish to exchange information?” I guessed. She nodded. “I do not object, Princess Sparkle, but I might require your assistance myself for a… different dilemma.” My heart was beating really fast. I was fighting not to blurt out a plea for her to help us do some dimensional travel. “Should I tell you everything you want to know, will you aid me in a quest I must accomplish?” “What… kind of quest?” Twilight frowned, looking more than a little cautious. “My own knowledge of it is limited, though I doubt it could be dangerous.” That’s a nice lie. Why did I even bother with it? She’s a heroine, she already risked her life a few times now. “I… well, I do have duties as a princess now, but if I can help you, then I will gladly do so! Besides, I think you’re worth helping!” She smiled. I wanted to, I already had the reply on my lips. Just a humble ‘thank you’ to show how grateful I was. Instead, what came out was what I knew to be true. “I am not that good of a stallion, Princess.” My answer seemed to startle her. “You seemed like a nice stallion to me… temper aside.” She finished awkwardly. I let that one slide. Instead, I tried to focus on a way to steer the conversation in a way that would either benefit me outright or at least provided me with enough excuse to be coherent. This moment was key. “What knowledge do you have of astral alicorns?” My heart skipped a beat. No matter how much I tried, I could not control my gaze and avoid staring at her eyes. They were a little unfocused, not looking at me, as if a mist made a veil over them. That can’t be a coincidence! “Oh, well, our knowledge of astral alicorns is very limited. Frankly, I was not aware of them before your arrival. I had heard a rumor that the Princesses had first been sighted as fully grown adults already. I had thought nothing of it then, but now I have a feeling I know where they were before.” “A sound theory.” I nodded. And conveniently confirming everything I said… “They weren’t the first though,” she added as an afterthought. My ears perked up. Hopefully, she hadn’t noticed. I couldn’t quite tell however, Twilight went on with her train of thoughts without looking anymore confused or intrigued. “The very first mention of an alicorn in our history books date back to before the uniting of the three tribes. His name was Caelum Ourobos.” A sensation of horror started crawling under my skin. And I had no idea why. “W-what do they mention about… him…?”My voice had started shaking, beyond my control. A cold shiver was running down my spine. “He had taken the title of Alicorn of the Sky.” She glanced at me. There was something in her gaze that I couldn’t identify…“They say his time in our world was short, for one of his species, culminating at twenty-six years. He had appeared in times of conflict, when the three tribes were just starting to show true tension. His efforts unfortunately failed and, the year preceding the apparition of the windigos, he vanished.” I had long since been lost in memories beyond her words. Alicorns, a few more than usual, maybe a dozen or so of them, all looking at me with varied and slightly terrifying expression. I was small. It was a long time ago. My wings were not even fully developed. “Will he be just like him?” They asked. I remember being a little scared, but my father was there so I would be okay. I knew it. “No, he will not!” Magnus replied. “Ventus Vinco will not-” A lavender hoof was waved in front of my face. “Prince Ventus?” “O-oh, my apologies, Princess Sparkle.” I shrank back, then went on with a very uneasy tone. “You’ve… brought back memories, dare I say.” Luckily, she read the atmosphere and did not inquire further on that. “Oh… well… after that, the Princesses came, to purge the windigos with the help of the three tribes newborn unity. The struggle took a little time, but in the end, pony races were united into what is now Equestria, with the Princesses taking their role as our ruler. This was the last time an alicorn was heard from outside of them, until Cadence’s arrival a few decades ago. No other alicorn ever visited…” “HE CANNOT BE ALLOWED IN THE PONY’S WORLD!” I stumbled forward, breath suddenly cut short. Agony ripped through my mind, flames burning at my memories and hundred years of isolation suddenly crashing searing through what was left of my happiness. She was stunningly beautiful, with the most delicate shade of blue coloring her coat, a calming snow white ripple going through her silver mane. Mom just held me close, telling me nothing was wrong with me. My breathing was strenuous. This sudden set of memories had assaulted me more strongly than any other before. A cranky old mare screamed my ears off about proper decorum. I certainly wouldn’t be going anywhere with manners this atrocious. The mask suddenly dissolved over my face. It wasn’t quite one anymore, just a shade that went over my traits. It was more natural to act princely and aloof than casual, at least with mortal ponies around. Not that any of the ponies surrounding me were quite mortal at the moment. A human, I knew it was a human. He was calling me. The word just blurred before it reached my ears. Twilight was almost right in my face, concern written all over her features, but it was hard for me to process anything she said. My mind was succumbing to a terrible panic. Quickly, it became evident I had forgotten something. Something horribly important. WHAT’S MY NAME?!