In Remembrance of Me

by Kalameet

Chapter 8: A Brutal Brawl

Chapter 8: A Brutal Brawl

Icarus closed the last page of the folder and set it back into the suitcase he had taken it from. His eyes were sore from all the reading, but the information he had learned from it was priceless.

It had mainly contained letters from this princess, Celestia was her name. Why did that name sound so familiar? Whatever. He recounted the news he had discovered.

Apparently, the land he was in was known as Equestria. It contained many magical creatures and elements that helped it thrive. This pleased Icarus. It meant there was more opportunity for him.

He had taken mental notes about the most powerful ones, such as the Alicorn Amulet that was left in the care of Zecora. She was a zebra that lived in the Everfree forest off the edge of Ponyville, which was a well-known town in Equestria. It was well-known mainly because of the adventures of six mares that had saved the day on many occasions. Every single one of their major challenges had been described in great detail, along with a couple pictures of what each one looked like.

Icarus had also learned about a crafty chaos god known as Discord. According to the letters, he had been reformed by the six heroic mares, but Icarus thought otherwise. One does not simply change his ways and give up his dreams for something as miniscule as a friendship. Icarus thought he could try to tell Discord that he could provide a solution if he was given some power as a starting point. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

After that, he knew that he would need a more substantial power source. The two best options that stood out to him were the Alicorn Amulet and the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Heart would provide him with much more power than the other, but not only did it sustain the entire crystal pony race, it also was being held in the Crystal Empire, which was an incredibly great distance away from the hospital.

It would take months to reach the empire, let alone manage to steal the heart. Icarus also didn't like the idea of an entire race suffering just because of his selfishness. Because of their dependence on the heart, the Crystal Ponies couldn't live in peace without the power from it.

After discarding that option, he turned his attention to the Alicorn Amulet. It was very powerful, but was infected with a distorted evil essence that would corrupt any who wore it. Dealing with that would be an issue he needed to solve later.

He also needed a way to obtain the magic from the leader of the six mares. Her name was Twilight Sparkle, and because her special talent derived from the element of magic itself, she would house the strongest power over other ponies in Equestria.

The elements of Harmony would be the capstone to his achievements. After obtaining the Alicorn Amulet plus the magic from Twilight, Icarus thought that he would have the strength to steal their power. Together, they had been used to save Equestria several times, so they were definitely something special.

That was his plan. To remain undetected as he got stronger and stronger until he could force his way to Celestia. He knew that if he was found out he wouldn't be able to surprise Celestia, which would keep him from getting the upper hoof.

Unfortunately, Icarus was still unsure about his starting point. He couldn't figure out where or how to find Discord. He then thought back about how Twilight and the others had reformed him. Perhaps they could provide him with the lead he needed. Icarus nodded to himself, satisfied.

He returned the cases to their spot on the floor, then made his way to the office door. As he reached for the doorknob, his stomach turned and cramped painfully. Icarus clutched his belly and fell to the ground. He needed food. Trying to travel the dozens of miles to Ponyville in a state like this would be suicide.

He looked at the hospital diagram that was attached to the wall next to the door. He scanned it, looking for a cafeteria or some other source of where food could be found. He noticed a room labeled as the kitchen that was conveniently located on the same floor. Icarus memorized the location and slipped out of the office, back into the dim hallways of the hospital.

As he made his way to the kitchen, he heard the muffled voices of what he believed to be guards from downstairs.

"Listen captain, something is off tonight. First, Preston is missing from his post, and he never goes AWOL. Next, we have been having power surges throughout the hospital. Some of the guards swear that they have seen somepony else in the halls as well. They're all anxious and would like to be paired up for safety."

Icarus could hear a gruff-voiced pony respond. "Listen, unless we have any solid evidence that any of the patients have gotten loose or somepony dangerous is on the premises, I don't want to hear it. Tell the guards to get over it. Just because they think a ghost is stalking them doesn't mean that one actually is. Now leave me be unless you have a real problem to report."

"Y... yes sir."

Good. They hadn't discovered the mess in the lobby... yet. Hopefully he could escape before the guards found it, but it wasn't likely. He quickened his pace towards the kitchen at the thought of a security lockdown. He needed to get out soon.

---

Rainbow was the first to attack. She rushed Icarus to hit him with the same uppercut she had landed earlier. He sidestepped the punch, missing the strike by inches. Icarus smirked, then quickly ducked under a strong buck from Applejack.

Their assault was ferocious. Icarus was dodging them, but he was not given a window to retaliate. He stumbled on a rock as he jumped back from one of Rainbow's jabs, giving her the chance to smack Icarus in the head a couple times before withdrawing.

He shook his head to clear his mind and focus, but was suddenly bucked hard in his side by Applejack. Icarus was sent into the air. He heard Rainbow rush in to capitalize on his vulnerable state. At the last second, he managed to twist out of her way and grab her wing. Using his momentum from the mid-air spin, Icarus hurled Rainbow into the ground below.

Before he hit the ground, an apple was pelted into his face. He landed on his back, disoriented. His upper lip had been busted by the apple, filling his mouth with the familiar taste of blood. As he rolled onto his hooves, he noticed Applejack help Rainbow Dash up, both glaring at him angrily.

This time it was Icarus who attacked. As he approached Applejack, she made a sudden swipe for his legs to trip him over. He jumped over her counter and rammed into her using the full weight of his body. She was propelled into a building behind her with a solid thud.

Without warning, Icarus was snatched into the air and, before he knew it, was being rushed towards the ground at dangerously high speeds by Rainbow Dash. She released him and leveled out safely, but Icarus wasn't quite as lucky. He tucked his head into his chest and covered the back of his head with his front legs. The hard earth met his body without yield. As he pummeled into it, he felt a sharp pain snap in his front left hoof, followed by a sickening crunching noise.

Icarus moaned and tried to get up, but his broken leg was too stiff to stand properly. He grimaced at the pain, but forced himself to stand. He couldn't give in. Not yet. Not ever. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were approaching him with snug expressions on their faces. At this rate, Icarus would be beaten to a pulp. He couldn't fend off them both in his current state, but also couldn't admit defeat.

Icarus instantly became flooded with passion. Rage. These two mares could not even begin to understand what he had been through to be here, and they thought they could take all that away? They were humiliating him, hurting him. Why did he have to take all this punishment? Icarus felt the pull of revenge overtake him. This thirst for vengeance boiled over until he could not contain it any longer. The energy contained inside Icarus burst forth, surrounding him with its deep red aura. He could feel his magic strengthen him. The pain in his leg was nullified from this adrenaline-like state.

He lunged at Rainbow, who was taken by surprise with this newly acquired swiftness. Icarus smashed the top of her head with his good leg, then opened his mouth. He channeled his newfound strength into the back of his throat, then unleashed a blinding red beam of power on Rainbow Dash from his mouth. It swallowed her instantly, and engulfed anything nearby due to its massive size. The only sound that could be heard over the sheer force of Icarus' wrath was the screaming of Rainbow Dash.

The force of the blast had knocked Applejack off her hooves. She squirmed on the ground while it pushed her further and further back until she was shoved up against one of the buildings.

The immense power began to fade from Icarus. He ended his radiant beam and looked with astonishment at the destruction before him. Any buildings that had been in the path of his magic had been completely obliterated. What lay before him was the charred wasteland of what used to be Ponyville square.

Amidst the destruction, a crumpled Pegasus lay stifled on the ground. Her breathing was in quick short bursts. Her once beautiful sky blue coat was now a grotesque gray, scorched from head to hoof. Her mane no longer existed. It had been utterly blown away by Icarus, and what remained of her tail was a darker shade of gray than her body.

Applejack was dumbstruck. Her jaw dropped as she gawked at what remained of her friend. She could not bring herself to understand what happened. Her friend was barely clinging to life and the shock Applejack was seized by wouldn't allow her to move. So there she stood, staring.

The adrenaline fading from him, Icarus felt the pain in his broken leg throb. He knew his work here was done. The Everfree Forest was his last stop before Celestia, but he needed his leg healed. It felt broken in many spots, so it would take longer to heal than his jaw did. He cast a complex spell to start mending his leg, then hobbled off towards the Everfree Forest.

~Meanwhile~

The earth shook below Rarity as she navigated her way through the Everfree. It felt as if it was coming from Ponyville. What in Equestria was going on there? She was curious, but she needed to find the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight had told her to find it, so find it she would, and besides, Rarity felt like she was getting close.

She walked into a clearing that had drawn her there. The clearing was made up of a small crater in the middle and a stream that ran past it. Rarity steered clear of the crater to keep her hooves from getting dirty, but it appeared that what she sensed was coming from it.

Deciding to wash her hooves after this whole ordeal was over, Rarity reluctantly walked into the center of the crater. The dirt there was loose, so Rarity pawed it with her hoof to see if anything had been beneath. She struck something firm, so she quickly excavated what she had found. It was a small wooden chest covered in dirt. She opened it and gasped at the sight of the Alicorn Amulet that rested at the bottom.

It was no longer red, rather, the gem had become a deep purple hue. The purple would go perfectly with her mane and tail...

"No!" Rarity emphasized to herself. "I won't wear it, no matter how beautiful I would look! But still, it is a shame to put away such a magnificent piece of jewelry..."

Rarity stared at the amulet hungrily. It almost seemed meant for her. She could appreciate it for its elegance, not for the energy it contained. Maybe it would be ok if she only wore it until she reached Ponyville. She snatched it from the box and lifted it to her neck.

An abrupt rustling in the bushes stopped Rarity only inches before equipping the Alicorn Amulet. A stallion limped into the clearing, his head looking at the ground. He took a couple steps before he noticed Rarity, freezing in his tracks. He examined Rarity, and she, him. He was a charcoal grey pony with wings and a horn. His mane and tail were both jet black and his eyes were blue. He also had a peculiar mark on his front leg. He was also having trouble walking as if he had been injured in one of his front legs.

Before Rarity could ask who he was or what he was doing there, he spoke up.

"Don't wear that."

He then continued on his way towards the heart of the Everfree Forest. Rarity watched him go without saying anything. She didn't want to bother him. She had also found what she was looking for, so she started back toward Ponyville. She began to think about the amulet again. What foolishness! Was she really about to wear the Alicorn Amulet, even after she knew what it did to the wearer? She couldn't figure out why she thought that was a good idea as she neared the opening between the Everfree Forest and Ponyville.

---

Eve watched Rarity and Icarus go their separate ways. She sat in a tree that was overhanging the opening that Icarus had used as his refuge. After all these weeks of his traveling, Icarus was almost done with his journey. She had been following him for the past few days, aiding him without his knowledge. She thought about back in Zecora's hut when she shifted the light in the room to make the trip wires visible to Icarus, allowing him to steal the Alicorn Amulet safely, and also when she helped him overcome the oppressive emotions that plagued the Alicorn Amulet.

She also chuckled to herself when she thought about how she had come back to the hut a couple days later, activating all the traps and leaving the door open. Icarus had done well to remain undetected, but she wanted to test him to see how sharp he was. After watching his fight between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, she decided that he was ready. She watched him advance toward the heart of the Everfree Forest and toward the Tree of Harmony, ready to finish what he had started.