Fabrication

by Bomber

Chapter 10: Uprising

Beams of sunlight poured in through the window. Lyra’s eyes slowly creaked open, and she saw that she was back inside her room instead of Blake’s memories. Just another piece of the puzzle, Lyra thought to herself.

She slid off the bed, letting her stiff legs fall onto the recently polished floor. Although her dream last night had been shorter than the others she had recently, she was grateful that she had not been exposed to any more violence. Even though at times it was hard to bear, her dreams were the only way to piece together Blake’s recent events as it was explaining his trauma and the effects of his PTSD.

But what had befallen him last night? Why did he sound like he was about to go on a psychotic rampage? If anything, she figured that the princesses may have had something to do with this. She didn’t want to blame the princesses for anything at all, but chances were that they were most likely the cause of his dilemma.

Feeling the need to relax, she cantered to a bathroom that was connected to her guest room. She hopped into the bathtub and turned the water on as hot as it allowed her. She cleaned her coat and her mane for fifteen minutes using the soap and shampoo that had been provided for her. Once she was finished, she lay in the tub, trying to clear her mind of any and all thoughts. The recent excitement of the past few days was beginning to take a toll on the young, mint-green unicorn. She took a few minutes to collect herself, letting the warm water soothe her muscles.

Once she had enough, she opened the drain to let the water sink inside of it as if it were a vacuum. She slowly got out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel to dry off. She stared at herself in the mirror that lay above the sink. She had heavy bags under her eyes, her main and tail were still wet and dripping with water, and for the first time she noticed a small burn mark on her side. At first, she couldn’t remember where it came from, but she quickly recalled her first encounter with Blake and how he struck her with the metal rod. That event seemed like it had occurred eons ago, but the truth was it had only been a few days.

She finished drying off and placed the towel to its original resting place. Her mane had now dried and was in its natural position. Feeling satisfied, she left the bathroom, letting out an enormous yawn. As much as she desired to hop straight back into the cozy bed, she knew that she had other things to do. Her stomach rumbled as loud as a lion’s roar. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to do much on an empty stomach, she made her way out of the guest room and through the grand hallways of Castle Canterlot.

Thankful that she had a decent memory, she found her way back to the main dining hall, where she saw that many ponies were already munching on a delicious morning breakfast. And that was the problem: All ponies and no humans.

Lyra seated herself in the same chair as she had the previous night. The empty seat next to her bothered her to an extent. She prayed that Blake was simply still asleep and had not been woken up by any of the servants. This seemed like this was the most logical solution, but considering current events, anything was possible.

A waiter pushed his way through the dining hall, dodging any oncoming passersby with skill and precision. He laid a dish in front of Lyra, taking off the metal top to reveal the contents it was concealing: Scrambled eggs, hash browns, and various fruits. Lyra thanked the waiter and he nodded in acknowledgement. He left the room as quickly and as gracefully as he had before.

Lyra nibbled on her breakfast with too much going on her mind, feeling as if an elephant was crushing the top of her head. The food for some reason seemed very bland, as it had not many spices or herbs to flavor things up a notch. But Lyra wasn’t complaining, knowing that she couldn’t cook to save her life. That’s why she had Bon-Bon as a roommate, as she was an excellent chef. Well, that wasn’t the only reason, but it was still a big and important one.

Both of the princesses then arrived, marching side by side with their every step in sync with another, as if it were a steady rhythm. Lyra wondered if this was something that the two co-rulers had to practice, or if it just simply came naturally. The two set themselves in the front of table, on top of two beautifully crafted chairs embodied with a plethora of gemstones. Why didn’t Lyra notice these the night before? They had a certain majesty to them that would make almost anypony drool with awe.

Once Luna seated herself, her eyes immediately shot to where Blake was supposed to be sitting. She let out a faint gasp that caught the attention of her sister. The two whispered with each other, engaging in a quick conversation.

After a few moments, Celestia raised her voice and asked in a gentle tone, “Will somepony please summon Professor Day Break?”

Why in Equestria did the two most powerful ponies on the planet not know where the human’s whereabouts were? A sudden urge came to Lyra to just slam her head on the table as hard as possible, possibly knocking everything on the table onto the floor. She suppressed the urge but didn’t know if she would be able to stop this feeling again if it happened to come by a second time. However, she allowed herself a small facehoof.

Blake, just where the hell are you? she thought. She startled herself by using one Blake’s “curse words”. Where did she learn and how to use that word anyway?

Blake woke up parched and starving. His head felt dizzy, and close to the point where he may collapse again. He pushed himself too hard and way past his limitations the day before, and he was now paying the price. He scolded himself for being such a gullible idiot.

He slowly shuffled onto his feet, arching his back with a satisfying pop coming from his spine. After his eyes took a moment to adjust to the daytime, he scanned his surroundings as he had dozens of times before. At first, he panicked as he couldn’t remember where he was, but the memories of the day before came to him in time. He clenched his hands into fists. His blood began to churn faster. He felt as if he was going to explode like a volcano.

He turned his head to the sky and began to shout. “Do you think this is come kind of cruel joke?!” He knew that he would go to hell for this, but he didn’t care.

“Well, you have a gay ass sense of humor! Now I’ve busted my ass this past week, but it seems like every time I solve a problem, you have to find another one for me! And each time it’s worse than the one before! I mean a world full of multicolored ponies? Are you fucking kidding me? Is that seriously the best you could come up with? It couldn’t have been a world with flying two-headed man-eating octopi? I’m done with life. If you love me, you’ll kill me now! Smite me!” Blake waited for a lightning bolt to strike him, but nothing happened. “Nothing, huh? Am I some sick puppet that’s only purpose for life is to be toyed with?” He waited for an answer, but the world stayed silent. He shot a middle finger towards the sky, and walked away.

Letting out all of his anger felt good. He felt calm but he knew his face was probably a bright cherry-red, as it was still swelling with anger and frustration. Small trickles of sweat beaded down his forehead, and he brought up a sleeve to wipe them off. For no reason, he punched a hedge with all of his might. It was as solid as a brick wall and he yelped in pain. A small amount of blood began to pour down his knuckles, and he licked it off, tasting the saltiness of the red liquid.

As he left the clearing, a song came to his mind. It was Uprising by Muse, and it was one of his favorites. He had never thought deeply of its meaning before. The situation seemed suitable, so in a raspy voice, he began to sing.

He coughed several times but continued forward with the song.

<What an interesting song.>

Blake jumped at the sudden voice. He recognized it as Lyra’s. Had she been listening the whole time? He felt somewhat embarrassed as he didn’t have the greatest singing voice in the world.

<Could you keep going if that’s not the entire song? I’m kind of curious now.>

Blake shrugged and cleared his throat.

.

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and then continued to finish the rest of the lyrics.

He repeated the chorus once more and brought the song to an end.

<Well, I really don’t know what to say.>

What do you mean by that?

<It seems like there’s something missing.>

Of course. Without music in the background it seems rather dull.

<I suppose so… but I’m wondering where you are. It seems like the princesses don’t know where you’re at either.>

I’m in a goddamned maze, that’s where.

<You’re where?>

You heard me and understood me completely fine, I know that.

<But why in Equestria are you in the castle labyrinth? It doesn’t make any sense.>

Go ask Professor Day Break. He played me like I was damn toy. He told me this was going to be a simple exercise of speed and endurance or whatnot. So it turns out I’m stuck in this maze with no clue how to escape and I’m sure I’m getting on the verge of insanity.

<I guess that explains why the princess summoned for him… Look, I’m coming for you right now. Do you need anything?>

Something to eat and something to drink would be nice.

<Okay, stay where you are. You’ll be easier to track that way. I’ll get there as soon as I can, I promise.>

Thanks, bro.

Their conversation came to an end. A small grin formed on Blake’s lips. He made his way back to the clearing, and sat against the pedestal with his back resting against it. He popped his knuckles one by one, and began to sing Shadow of the Day.

“I know where he is!” Lyra announced. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned towards her with curiosity, looking for an answer. “He’s in the castle labyrinth! I’m going to get him, but Rainbow Dash, I’ll need your help.”

The rainbow-maned pegasus’ ears stood up at the sound of her name being called. “What do ya need help with, boss?” she asked, eager to be finally doing something rather than sitting in a stuffy, old castle.

“I’m going to need you to fly over the labyrinth looking for him. Once you find him, I want you to lead me to where he is. And we’ll also need you to lead us out,” Lyra explained.

“Why can’t you just teleport him out? It would be waaaay easier,” Rainbow Dash wondered, stretching out the “way” as long as she could.

“Because magic is ineffective on him,” Luna replied. “And what is this about him being in the labyrinth? Has he gone mad?”

“I’m afraid that I’m the reason that the human is in there,” a new voice said. Everypony turned their attention to the newcomer. It was a bright yellow stallion dressed in a pale white lab coat. He had a heavy accent that Lyra didn’t know the origin of.

“All I have is one simple question, Professor Day Break,” Celestia said. “Why?”

“It’s just a simple test of his emotional and physical capabilities. Nothing more, nothing less,” the scientist replied with a wry smile planted on his lips. The room was dead silent. Lyra even thought that she heard a cricket chirping the background. Things have been taken to the next level.

“Are you a fool?!” Luna barked. The statement caused everpony’s jaws to immediately hit the floor, including her sisters.

The professor was completely taken aback, with his eyes wide and his knees buckling. It takes a lot to upset either of the two princesses, and when they begin to spit insults at anypony, they know that they messed up big time.

“B-but Princess Luna, I don’t understand why—” Day Break began before a spell was casted on him to zip his lips shut.

“I told you specifically that the human was emotionally unstable! I told you specifically that you were to do nothing out of the ordinary! And I specifically told you that if you were to do anything crazy, consequences would ensue! Do you remember that?” The professor nodded his head meekly. He tried to say something but all that came out was incomprehensible noises. “Well, you’re fired. Somepony take this worthless scumbag out of our castle, now!” Two guard ponies grabbed the professor by his hooves and dragged him out the dining hall.

Lyra rubbed her eyes. Did this just really happen?

“Luna, what has gotten into you?” Celestia asked, confused by the sudden outburst of her sister. “You’re behaving incredibly unladylike, and this is not a way a princess should rule. We need to do so out of love and compassion, not fear and anger.”

“I know Tia, but I told him exactly what he was supposed to do. I’m almost completely sure that our mission to get the alien to trust us has now failed miserably. Do you understand the emotional trauma is caused by being trapped in that forsaken place? We knew that if he made one slip-up, everything would collapse. I knew I should’ve overseen the tests that were going to be taken place on him, as I never would have allowed this to happen.” The Princess of the Night let out a long sigh. “It never would’ve happened…”

“I didn’t know you could be so bashful, sister,” Celestia said.

“Neither did I.” Complete and total silence followed.

“Well, I’m done sitting on my a—” Lyra began, but cut herself off when she realized what word she was about to say. Had Blake had really become that big of an influence on her? She would just have to find a way and control that… later. “I mean I’m done sitting around. You ready to go, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, trotting around the table to the pegasus’ side.

She saluted and was about to take off when Lyra caught her by the tail. “I also want you to bring some food and water with you. Give it to him when you find him and tell him to stay put where he is. After that I want you to come find me and we’ll continue forth with the plan. Got it?” Lyra asked.

“Got it,” Rainbow Dash repeated, exiting the room at super-sonic speed.

Before Lyra was about to leave, a hoof rested on her shoulder. She turned around to see Twilight behind her. “I think we’d all like to help,” Twilight said, motioning to her friends standing side by side. They were all grinning like maniacs.

“Yeah, Ah agree with Twi’. It’ll be hard t’ cover all that land with jus’ two ponies. Let us help ya out,” Applejack said.

“We should totally bring him some cupcakes! That’ll put a smile on his face for sure!” Pinkie jumped merrily.

“Thanks guys. This really means a lot to me. I mean it,” Lyra said, grateful for the help from all the six ponies.

“Of course, darling. What are friends for?” Rarity said.

Princess Celestia rose from her seat. “Good luck my little ponies. We’ll all be waiting for your return.”

It took several hours before Rainbow Dash finally found Blake. She had given him the food and water exactly like Lyra had commanded her earlier, and came back to gather all of the ponies together so that they formed a single party. It took another couple hours for Dash to lead them through all the twisting turns and tight corners that the labyrinth contained as if it was a game. The pegasus wasn’t the best leader in the world, as she accidently led them into dead ends at least several times.

The sun was beginning to set when they finally made it to the clearing where Blake was resting. The human uncapped the water bottle that he gripped in his hands and took a swig. He made a sigh of relief when he noticed the seven ponies converging on him.

“So I assume that you’re my rescue party?” Blake asked, standing up. He slapped the back of his pants several times, wiping off all of the dirt and dust.

“Yes, we’re your rescue party,” Lyra said with a smile.

“Good. I hope that this time you all don’t get shot in the face by a heavy caliber sniper bullet.”

Well, I’m finally back. I bet that half of you have completely forgotten about this story since I last updated a month ago. I’m sorry that this took so long, but I was busy with school and my laptop was acting up and I had to get it fixed. I’ll probably be back to my normal schedule of releasing updates and stuff every five days or so.

And if any of you were wondering why I put Uprising’s lyrics in the story, well I just heard while I was listening to Pandora. I liked the song… a lot, and I found the lyrics online. For some odd reason, I thought that it fit into this story pretty well, and it also let me create a new way for Blake to help himself with his trauma… and I guess that’s singing. Hopefully ear drums won’t shatter anytime soon.

If you clicked on the link, you should leave a comment saying that ponies sent you there, just because you can. We shall achieve world domination! (*wink* *wink*, *nudge* *nudge*)

Also, I'd like to thank Pyros for proofreading all my shit for me. You've been a big help.

Siege, out.