//------------------------------// // A flashback with Ilaris // Story: FoE shorts // by RandomBlank //------------------------------// This is a short entry from my Ask RedEye blog. If you want to know more about Ilaris, see this blog entry. For a short description... Ilaris was the closest thing to a friend I had in the last days of my rule. Ilaris was special. The Goddess was ashamed of her, and wanted to remove her from my service once I discovered the clutz and began paying special attention to her - but I placated her by telling how I care about all ponies, even the least of her children… First of all, Ilaris’ magic link to the goddess was dodgy at best. This combined with Goddess definitely avoiding to speak through an avatar with googly eyes (and look through them - Ilaris admitted her eyesight was rather bad) gave us a chance to know each other better. Allow me to share a small secret memory before it is forgotten. A completely insignificant event maybe twenty seconds long, so minor it could have gone entirely unnoticed, and with no consequence whatsoever. It’s surprising how much I enjoy recalling it in detail. It was one of the times troops had arrived with a wagon of assorted loot. It’s been pre-sorted already, ammo and weapons for the Military, valuables for Treasury, foodstuffs to storage, utterly worthless junk disposed of, what was left was various assorted stuff that might or might not be utter junk. Sometimes I’d sift through that along with others, more often I stood back and watched for somepony turning up something of significance, telling them to bring it closer, or somepony bringing something to my attention. It wasn’t Ilaris’ duty but she seemed to like to dig through all this “junk or treasure” so I’d let her set a box aside and “make herself useful”. She discarded some waterlogged magazines, damaged family photos, old lingerie… and came up with a ball gag. Apparently without a clue what this does and what purpose might it serve. She asked me. Without going into details, I explained the basic function: “It’s to keep ponies from speaking. The ball goes in mouth, the strap around the neck…” I didn’t expect her to follow this like instructions, but she did, she put the dusty ball in her mouth, latched the strap at the back of her head, then looked in her usual, curious, slightly confused manner around… I was almost sure to see her try to say “What now?” and then a flash of confusion (at being unable to speak), a spark of realization followed by joy. Instead, I saw the normally meek Ilaris’ body tense to attention, face grave, eyes drawn in a sort of focus, about to Rise Regally, feathers unfurl as the wings will spring out in a moment! Then a gallery of expressions: First, of surprise at the foreign object in mouth, futile attempt to spit it out. Next, of creeping wave of disbelief as she realizes the nature of the object. And then the utter shock, the absolute indignity, then a moment of PANIC, eyes shooting wildly around. Then as apparently nopony seemed to notice (I managed to steel my face emotionless and seem to look past her), the surprised and confused googly eyes of Ilaris returned. She paused for a while as if listening, lowered her head sadly, then with a quiet sigh removed the ball gag and put it down with the rest of the junk, returning meekly to sorting through the rest of the box. Later that afternoon the Goddess came to make some demands. I’m not sure, it might have been just my impression, but I think she seemed slightly more polite.