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// Chapter 11: Dire Decision 
// Story: In Remembrance of Me 
// by Kalameet 
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Chapter 11: A Dire Decision

Icarus took a moment to relax, become visible again, and evaluate the throne room. It was incredibly tall, with stained windows that lined the walls. It was also very long. From the entrance, it was around one hundred paces forward to reach the throne.

Icarus feasted his eyes upon the princess with the flowing rainbow mane who sat upon the throne. Her face calm, her stature unchanging. She gracefully stepped down from her throne and approached him. Each click of one of her hooves against the tile floor echoed inside the massive room.

Celestia stopped a couple paces from Icarus. Her face was straight while she stared at him with unblinking eyes.

"Hello Icarus." Her voice was soft.

"I... I have finally found you. What seemed like only an unreachable dream only a couple weeks ago has become a reality. Tell me Celestia, were you expecting me?"

"I have been for quite some time. After you fled from Eden it only made sense that you would seek out why you ended up there, and I, being the one responsible for it, thought you would find your way here."

Icarus narrowed his eyes. If Celestia had been waiting for him, then she must have known about the powers he acquired during his journey. He didn't have any secrets or surprises that he could use to his advantage.

"Since you know why I am here, will you answer my questions willingly and with the utmost truth?"

"I will"

Icarus gathered his thoughts. His first question was the most obvious.

"Who am I, and why did I end up in Eden Hospital?"

Celestia nodded. "A couple decades ago an abandoned Pegasus was found on the outskirts of Equestria. Nopony knew who he was or who left him there, but he was taken in and cared for in an isolated town on the coast of the land. His charcoal grey body and jet black mane made him a distinct individual there. As he grew up, he became quite clever, using his wits and tongue to avoid too much trouble and to manipulate others. His name was Icarus."

Celestia paused for a moment so Icarus could take it in, then continued.

"As a colt, Icarus was constantly struggling with the thought of abandonment. He never knew either of his parents, and this disturbed him until he couldn't deal with the pain anymore. One day Icarus snapped. He simply couldn't cope with it. He had persuaded a mare by the name of Eve to join him in a crusade for revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Icarus interjected. "Why would he want to hurt anyone just because he didn't know his parents?"

"He didn't think it was fair for him to live with this pain while others went on with happier lives because of opportunities he never had. He wanted others to know what he felt."

Celestia turned away from Icarus. "From there, things turned for the worst. Icarus and Eve somehow acquired magic, although I'm still not sure how. Anyways, the pair began attacking and destroying cities. They killed hundreds of the citizens that lived on the outskirts of Equestria. I tried to keep the news to a minimum to keep anyone from getting anxious, but eventually I knew I needed to stop them myself. I managed to intercept Icarus and Eve before one of their attacks. They didn't know it, but I had brought the Elements of Harmony with me, which allowed me to capture Eve with relative ease. Icarus fled, abandoning his companion."

"I suppose that's when you sent Eve to Eden, right?" questioned Icarus. "I read in a report that she arrived and escaped before I ended up there."

"Yes," Celestia soothingly responded. Her demeanor had remained unchanging during her explanation of the story. "The doctors I had assigned to deal with her were incompetent, which give Eve a chance to escape. After you were captured shortly after, the doctors took better care not to mess up again."

From there Icarus knew the rest such as his surgery and escape.

"So, Icarus, that is who you are."

"No," Icarus responded coldly. "Not anymore. That was who I used to be. Those matters no longer concern me."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then who have you become?"

Icarus took a moment to formulate his response. After leaving his past he didn't know what to think or how to feel. He had murdered hundreds of innocent citizens in his jealousy. How could he redeem himself from that?

"I used to be motivated by my self-righteous hatred. That isn't me anymore. In fact, I resent the thought of doing that to innocents. I don't want to hurt anypony ever again without good reason. No, until now I only wanted to discover the truth and have my revenge on who put me in Eden, but I've finally found something else I want."

Celestia's face softened. "Icarus, you need to listen to me. If you continue down this path it will only lead to your destruction. You need to-"

The wall Icarus had summoned behind him began to rumble, stopping Celestia's words. Icarus remained planted to where he stood. Should the wall fall towards him he could easily keep himself from being crushed. The bottom of the wall began to crack, causing it to lean towards Icarus and Celestia.

Icarus clicked his front hooves together. A spherical shield surrounded both him and Celestia from the descending wall. It smacked into the shield, crumbling into pieces. Debris from its remains filled the air, making it difficult to see the entrance.

Icarus lowered the shield. The dust in the air filled his lungs, which made him cough for a couple seconds to clear his throat. Celestia hadn't moved. She was scanning the entrance through the rubble.

Icarus then noticed the silhouette of a pony walking into the room. As the dust finally cleared, Icarus saw who it was: Eve. Her dark body was difficult to distinguish from her silhouette. Their resemblance was uncanny.

She walked up to Icarus and stood next to him. "Hello Icarus. Quite a bit has happened since you last saw me, but I have decided that now is the best time to return to you."

Icarus nodded his head. "Thank you."

They looked back at Celestia. Her face had hardened at the appearance of Eve.

"And hello to you, Celestia," Eve mocked.

Celestia's eyes narrowed. "I take it you're here to help Icarus eliminate me."

"That's right! Eve grinned wide as one of her eyes twitched. She turned to Icarus. "Icarus, together we can rule this land. Celestia can't even hope to defeat us."

Icarus let out a sigh. "Something has been on my mind since that night in Eden. Tell me, Eve, were you the one responsible for the carnage I witnessed there?"

"Carnage? Whatever are you talking about?"

"Hmph, never mind."

Celestia spoke up. "Icarus, before you do anything rash, just hear me out. Think about what I just told you. Think about what you just told me. You're not the same pony you were back then. I thought you told me you wanted something else, that you didn't want to hurt others anymore..."

"Go on," responded Icarus.

"If you join me in the Canterlot castle, we can make Equestria a better place. You can right your wrongs and be at peace with yourself."

"Wait just a minute," interrupted Eve. "Icarus, you aren't seriously thinking about abandoning your partner for some noble expedition, are you? That's not like you..."

Celestia had had enough. Her aura around her horn began to glow.

Eve was still ranting to Icarus when she was suddenly slathered with a sticky green substance. It pinned her to the ground and its scent wafted into the air. The smell of decaying roses filled Icarus' nostrils.

His eyes widened at the stench. He recognized it from when he was in Zecora's hut as she was working on her brew. So this was what she had been concocting...

"What have you done to me?!" Eve struggled to free herself from the sludge, but it clung to her like a tick.

"I had Zecora create this mixture for me in anticipation for something like this," said Celestia. "It won't hurt you, but it restricts the use of magic to whoever is touching it."

Icarus looked up. Above Eve and him was a balcony. Upon it rested a cauldron that was tipped over the edge in the direction of Eve.

"So that's where it fell from..." thought Icarus.

Eve was writhing on the floor. She desperately looked at Icarus for escape. "I need your help!" she exclaimed. "Please! Together we can take Equestria for ourselves, but we need each other!"

Before Icarus could respond, Celestia interrupted. "I thought you had changed, Icarus. If you truly believe that then you won't go back to your past ways with Eve."

Icarus closed his eyes and focused on his choices. He could either rescue Eve and purge Equestria of its current rulers, or he could side with Celestia, which would result in Eve's capture. He began to think about who he was, who he used to be, and what he had gone through.

But what did he want? He already had power and the information he wanted. Was he really so selfish to consider abandoning Eve, the one who had given him the opportunity to escape Eden?

Icarus then pondered Celestia's offer. Perhaps working with her to make Equestria a more peaceful place to live was his way of clearing his conscience.

Icarus opened his eyes. "I know what I need to do."



A/N: Don't you just love cliffhangers" There is a specific reason I ended the chapter here (other than to keep you on your toes), so I guess you'll just have to wait until next time to find out! ~Kalameet