A/N: Similarly to the last chapter, the flashback in this chapter is a bit morbid as well. You have been warned.
Chapter 5: Inspiration
There he stood. The shock at what he was witnessing didn't allow him to move, to speak, to do anything, but stare. Stare at the massacre before him. The world seemed to stop, and Icarus felt so small sitting in the middle of the floor.
He looked at the nurse body closest to him. Millie was her name. She was the first nurse Icarus had met at the hospital. Millie had welcomed him there and was the friendliest mare he had ever met.
He turned away and saw the nurse who would bring him his daily meals. She never spoke to him, which made Icarus think she disliked him. Most of the time she was his only company.
Finally, he looked at the doctor that had been stabbed through the pole in the ground. His name was Dr. Adams. He had visited Icarus a couple times to tell him how his treatments had been doing.
Icarus shook his head. Everything seemed so futile. Escape, remembering, answers, they all seemed out of his grasp. Disappointment was inevitable. What was the purpose of this game of life other than to create dreams that would only be smashed by crushing realizations?
In that moment, something clicked inside Icarus. Why should he become part of this life-death cycle? Why couldn't he shape his own destiny into something bigger?
An idea presented itself to him. An idea that would grant him everything he ever wanted. His depression melted as this epiphany grew inside him.
Icarus needed to know where to start. He had no idea where he was or where to go, but he was going to figure it out. Determination enveloped Icarus like a flood filling a city.
He looked forward and approached Dr. Adams' corpse. The icy blood on the floor chilled Icarus' hooves, but that wouldn't stop him. Nothing would. He reached the doctor and looked up at him one last time.
Dr. Adams' eyes were missing. The empty sockets were leaking blood. A piece of bloodstained paper was attached to his uniform. Icarus plucked it off and read it.
"And let those who are deceived by their foolishness be blinded to show them the errors in their ways."
Icarus released the slip of paper. He grabbed Dr. Adams and pulled him down the pole. The sliding body caused an awful squishing noise to resonate from the impalement. It didn't faze Icarus. He was too focused on his digging through Dr. Adams' pockets.
At last, he felt the jagged edges of a key. He pulled it out and looked at the room number on the key. It was room 211. He stuck the key in his wing and turned to the stairs door.
This place was full of secrets. What better place to start his searching than the head doctor's office? It was sure to give him some leads as to where to go and what he could use to help him.
As Icarus reached the door, he took one final look at the room behind him. A trail of bloody hoof prints led to where he stood, but he didn't care. He was too centered on his goal to care about anything else. He opened the door and preceded to go up the stairs.
As the door closed behind him, Eve stepped out from behind the slaughter. She looked at the bloody hoof prints and let out a sigh.
"I didn't want to do this Icarus, but you forced my hoof. Going back to your old life isn't an option in my plan, but I think you will follow the guidelines from here on out."
She turned back to face the remains of the hospital staff. "Oh, how they have broken you so. At least my actions tonight have quenched my thirst for revenge. I can only hope that you can find the same satisfaction in completing your goal before you."
She then turned and walked out the front doors and into the cold night's embrace.
Icarus peered at the lone hut through the bush in the Everfree Forest. It seemed that the owner wasn't home due to the lack of smoke from the chimney.
He emerged from his hiding spot and quietly approached an open window. He sat there for a couple minutes to listen if it was empty. The only noticeable noise was the sound of something bubbling.
He peeked inside. The first thing he noticed were all the masks on the wall. Some other odd trinkets were scattered among the antiques. A cauldron full of green liquid boiled in the middle of the room.
Icarus hopped through the window onto the floor. He wished he had the time to admire the contents of the hut, but that wasn't why he was here. He closed his eyes and focused.
Using his chaos powers, he felt around the room with his mind for any source of outstanding power. As he neared the end of his search, he sensed a strong, dark vigor behind one of the cupboards. Good, it was still here.
Icarus walked over and opened the cupboard. It was empty. However, he noticed a slight discoloration in the wood. It was in the back wall and was shaped like a small door. Icarus reached forward.
The light reflecting off a small, clear wire caught his eye. He froze. Then, following the string with his eyes, he noticed where it vanished in a hole on the right wall of the cupboard. Perhaps a sleeping dart would be triggered if he displaced the string. He didn't want to find out.
Icarus looked around to see if he could notice any more traps. He noticed several more strings, but nothing else. He knew what to do. Gathering up power within him, he channeled it towards the space where the strings were.
They wobbled for a moment, then bent upwards, exposing the trap door behind them. Icarus was always fascinated by being able to bend space to his will. He reached forward again and opened the door. A small chest rested inside. He snagged it and closed the trap door. He then returned the strings to normal and closed the cupboard door.
As Icarus turned to leave, he heard a voice outside that was approaching the hut. He quickly channeled his focus on the light in the room, warping it so that the light would not hit his body. This rendered him invisible.
He was just in time. The door swung open and in walked a zebra. She was humming to herself and carried a basket filled with various plants. If she sensed Icarus' presence, she didn't show it.
Icarus guessed that she was Zecora. She was the only known zebra in these parts and, considering he had searched for her hut specifically, it only made sense that it was her.
She dropped a couple items into the simmering pot while muttering to herself.
"A failsafe plan is what she asked, and I told her I was up to the task. She kept the specifics hidden and I can understand, however if this is as important as she has bidden then she better have a master plan."
A puff of smoke popped out of the cauldron as Zecora added the final ingredients. The smell of decaying roses filled Icarus' nostrils.
"One more flower is all I need to finish the brew and then proceed."
She opened the door and returned outside.
Icarus allowed himself to breathe as he became visible again. The spell had drained a large sum of energy from him. He wanted to collapse on the floor and sleep, but he had to escape first before Zecora came back.
He slipped through the open window and jogged back towards where he came from, cradling the chest all the while.
~1 Hour Later~
As Icarus returned to the opening, he set the chest in the crater and went to the stream for a drink. He needed rest. Between performing numerous spells and the run back to camp, Icarus was exhausted. He returned to the crater and fell to the ground. The chest could wait for tomorrow.
~The Next Morning~
When Icarus opened his eyes, he could hear the cheerful chirping of birds around him. The sun had already risen. The warming rays made Icarus want to snuggle up in a bed and sleep forever. Wait, wasn't there something he needed to do? The chest popped back into Icarus' head and he sprang to life.
He picked it up. It appeared locked. Icarus tried to force it open using his chaos powers, but the chest resisted his attempts. He gave up trying to pry it open and thought of another idea.
He grabbed a nearby twig and shoved it into the chest's keyhole. Focusing on the stick, he molded it to match the locking mechanism inside the chest. After a simple twist of the stick, the chest lid clicked open.
Icarus marveled at the treasure inside. The reflection of the sun shimmered against the red gem in the center of the amulet. The Alicorn amulet was the most beautiful piece of jewelry he had ever seen. It also contained unimaginable power that he desired, but he knew not to wear it because of the side effects it would have on him.
He picked it up and shoved the chest away. If he wore it, he knew it would corrupt him, which would lead to the destruction of Equestria. Icarus didn't want that; He only wanted the power contained within it.
He set the Alicorn amulet in the middle of the crater. Soon, it would no longer possess any power. Icarus channeled his power into the tip of his horn and touched it against the red gem in the center of the amulet.
The rush of emotions concealed inside caught him off guard. They swirled around his thoughts and attacked his mind. He felt them all: pain, anger, despair, hate, frustration, revenge, rage, fear, depression, mourning, death. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he dropped the amulet on the ground.
All the feelings vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Icarus opened his eyes and stomped on the ground with one of his front hooves. He wasn't about to give up. He couldn't press on until he finished. He picked up the amulet again and braced himself as he touched it with his horn again.
This assault was just as strong as the initial one. Icarus resisted it for a couple seconds, but it started to overwhelm him. He began to feel his own emotions falter. Angry. He was very angry and he had no reason for it. No, wait, was it sadness? No, fear? He couldn't tell.
Icarus was failing. At this rate, the strength of the Alicorn amulet would crush his willpower, rendering him insane.
No. That wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let it happen. He had traveled so far, pushed through so many obstacles, and he was about to be trumped by a necklace? Determination welled up within him. Icarus unleashed this sudden energy on the oppressing force.
The dark emotions split from the strength they were rooted in. Icarus seized the moment and pushed away the dark feelings back into the amulet. He then turned his attention to what remained. The sheer presence of the lingering power left him in awe. It put his acquired chaos powers to shame in comparison. It surrounded his consciousness and began to flow through his being like the blood in his body.
Icarus opened his eyes and looked down at the Alicorn amulet. The gem was no longer was red, rather, it was now deep purple. He set it back into the chest and took a couple minutes to bury it in the crater.
When he finished, he noticed something new about the symbol he had received from the chaos orb. It now had a red, diamond-shaped gem in the center of it. He was finished. Icarus let out a sigh and sat on the ground.
His thoughts began to wander about where he should go next. After a couple minutes of thinking, he decided that he needed to be able to disguise himself. This would be most useful in the near future.
Icarus focused on the destination he wished to travel to. The new power he obtained began to take effect. He felt the world spinning beneath his hooves and, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.