In Remembrance of Me

by Kalameet

Chapter 4: New Light

A/N: Caution! The following chapter is a bit gruesome in comparison to what has gone on in the story so far. If you wish to skip the gore, you can skip the flashback and go directly to the present events of the story in section 2, however, you will miss some important information to the plot in the next chapter if you do so.

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Chapter 4: New Light

Icarus stepped out of the janitor closet at the bottom of the stairs. He turned towards the exit door and put his ear against it. Nothing. He opened the door slowly and looked into the hall.

The unnatural darkness obscured Icarus' vision. He couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of him. He walked through the door and tried to focus his vision. It didn't help. He couldn't tell if he had entered a room or hallway.

The deep silence that surrounded him almost disturbed him. He started to walk forward cautiously. The darkness swallowed Icarus as he continued onward. The sound of his steps was his only accompaniment. That, and the sound of a slow dripping noise out in the distance. The sound was quiet, but it still reverberated throughout the room.

Fear suddenly gripped Icarus. He couldn't stand it. His surroundings were unnerving him. He wanted his room back. He wanted to sleep in his bed again. He didn't want to escape. Why did he ever want to? Icarus turned around and headed back from where he came.

Drip, drip. Something wasn't right. He should have reached the door by now. Icarus began a swift trot. Drip, drip. His hunger pains diminished as he quickened his pace. Never again. Icarus would sooner jump out the window of his room than come here again. Drip, drip. Icarus broke out into a sprint. The door. All he wanted was to see the door. Any door. Anything. He just wanted release from this godforsaken room. Drip, drip.

Icarus stopped running. He inhaled quickly to let out a scream, but the silhouette of someone caught his attention amid the darkness. He approached the figure with mixed emotions. He felt scared, but relieved. Excited, but suspicious.

"H... hello?"

The figure turned around and approached Icarus casually. He was taken aback at who he saw. It was the nurse. The one who had given him the note. She stopped a couple feet in front of him.

"Hello," she replied. She eyed him for a moment, and then spoke again. "Why do you seek to return from whence you came? Does freedom not entice you?"

Icarus was shaking. "I just... Please help me back to the stairs. I'm fine here, really." His words were chopped up.

"Ah, Icarus, I can't say I'm not disappointing to hear you say that. But you can't go back, not anymore."

Icarus' eyes widened. His expression became almost frantic. "But... The door..."

"...Is right over there," she motioned to the right with her head.

Icarus glanced at the door, then back at the pony in front of him. He turned to run towards the door, towards his safety, towards his old life. An invisible force froze Icarus in place before he could take his first step. He looked back at the nurse and saw a faint glow of light that was centered on her head. He hadn't noticed her horn before.

"You can't go back!" she demanded. "After what happened tonight, nothing will be the same for you. You must trust me and leave this building before dawn."

Icarus felt the restraining force diminish. He turned back towards her. "What do you mean? What happened?"

She began to retreat into the shadows behind her.

"Wait!" pleaded Icarus. "What is your name?"

The only response he received was a steady dripping noise, until he heard her voice reverberate from the very shadows themselves.

"Eve."

Eve. The name rang through Icarus' head. It almost sounded familiar. He had more questions for her. He wanted to know his role in all this. Why did she want him? He was a feeble, pathetic pony who had suffered from amnesia. He was worthless.

His thinking was abruptly interrupted when the room's lights burst into life. Icarus shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the blinding light. He looked forward. The sight appalled him.

In front of him lay dozens of mangled doctor corpses. Their countless bodies littered the floor. Their white uniforms were now stained red from blood. Icarus stumbled backwards. The pools of blood covering the floor before him were still wet.

Now he understood. He couldn't go back even if he wanted to. A long pole protruding from the ground caught his attention. Icarus' head doctor had been impaled on it and lay suspended above the other carcasses. His limp head hung towards the floor. A steady red stream gathered itself at the end of his snout. Mortified, Icarus watched the drops of blood fall to the floor. Drip, drip.

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The sun had begun to set as Icarus entered an opening in the Everfree Forest. He held the small box tightly to his chest. After leaving Discord, Icarus had ventured directly to the forest. He needed seclusion, and besides, his first target was there too.

Icarus set the box on the ground and opened the lid. He admired the shimmering colors on it in the dying light. He almost felt bad about having to crush something so beautiful. He picked up the orb and held it firmly between his two front hooves.

This was the moment. The moment he had been waiting for for so long. In an instant, he would be able to unleash power simply by wanting it to happen. Icarus braced himself and thrust his front hooves together.

The sphere crumbled under the force and released a hissing noise. Black sludge oozed out from the crushed remains of the sphere and slithered onto Icarus' front hooves. Icarus began to panic. He tried to wipe it off, but it refused to let go of his skin as it crept more and more over his body.

Icarus tripped over a rock and sprawled out on the ground. The slime had covered his hind legs and began to surround his face. It slithered over his eyes and reconnected with itself at Icarus' chin.

A surge of energy suddenly burst through Icarus. This feeling was more wonderful than anything he had felt before! He felt like he could do anything! He was invincible! He...

A splitting headache interrupted Icarus' excitement. Its sudden appearance caught him off guard. This extreme pain made the energy he just experienced seem so meager. His forehead felt like it was going to burst. The pain became unbearable. Icarus blacked out.

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When he came to, Icarus' body was aching all over. The sludge was gone, but he was still sticky, almost as if he had absorbed the slime and all that remained was the residue. He rolled onto his hooves and took a moment to evaluate the situation.

Icarus stood in the middle of a small crater. He noticed his shadow and looked into the sky. The sun was high in the sky. He had been unconscious for the entire evening and night. He turned around and accidentally hit the tip of his head against a nearby tree. He cringed and gripped the top of his head, but he felt something new instead. He glanced around and spotted a nearby stream and hurried over to look at his reflection.

Atop Icarus' forehead sat a horn. It was about average length and had the same charcoal grey color to it that covered Icarus' body. He stepped into the stream to clean the residue off his body. During the cleaning, he noticed something on his front left upper foreleg. Icarus looked at it more closely. It was a symbol of the chaos orb Icarus had absorbed. He admired it for a moment, then he returned to the crater.

Icarus paused for a moment, then he looked at a nearby flower. A sudden impulse came over him. He wanted it to burn. He lifted his leg with the orb symbol on it and directed it towards the flower. Icarus felt a powerful force rush out of his hoof and strike the flower. It erupted into flames and burned up in mere seconds before him.

He then directed his attention to a tree. It had a narrow hole that went all the way through it. Icarus closed his eyes and focused on the tree. When he opened his eyes, the tree had been warped. It looked as if its sides had been stretched apart, causing the hole in it to spread as well. Icarus stepped through the hole in the tree, then returned the tree to normal.

Icarus smiled a deep, broad grin. He knew what he had acquired wasn't much, but it was something, and something was all he needed.