Equestria: 2112

by TLAKE7

Chapter 2. Discovery

As I am scolded by my supervisor, the world around me floods back. All day that case occupied my thoughts, the lines of text from that book of old won't leave me be.

"This is shoddy work!" he says sliding the wheel off the table in frustration. I sanded it too far, an obvious groove was the result. "Fifteen lashes!" he shouted before the overseers grab me

After the first time they lash you, you realize there's no arguing. Even as the drag me to the post, the treasures from behind my waterfall come to mind. "Wait, my? As in possession? Everything belongs to the temples, why have I deemed those treasures mine-" my thoughts are cut off by my own scream, the nine tailed whip hits hard, blood seeps from the cut in seconds. Before the next his, almost over top the original. It's only been two hits, yet I'm praying for it to stop. I grit my teeth as the next blow comes, followed by another, and another. Ten blows later I feel the sting of rubbing alcohol douse my back.

"Now get out of our factory!" my supervisor says before the overseers throw me out into the street. I lay there, waiting for the pain to fade enough to move. I slowly climb to my hooves, tears well up in my eyes as I trudge down the path I took yesterday. As I trot down the familiar slope, I think once again of what life might have once been like. I make my way through the woods, eventually making my way through the bushes. The whip marks have finally started to stop hurting. I see my waterfall, my sanctuary. I walk across the stones. The water is cool, I sit with my back to the waterfall and scootch back.

"Ahh!" wince and bite my lip before the initial sting passes. It was replaced with the cool, soothing water. I sit there for a a hour, letting the nice refreshing water calm my scarred back. All the while I'm inspecting my cove. After my back no longer hurts I stand up, and walk back to the case. I take a deep breath and say a quiet prayer

"Please Syrin-" I stop myself and sit in silence for what feels like hours of inner conflict before starting over "Please, solar and lunar goddesses... keep me safe" I say before opening the case. I am met with an odd object. I brush away the dust from a better vanished time, in my hooves I hold a object, I know not it's purpose. Yet I know it's beautiful. I take out the object and see a patch inside the case. Apparently this is a "Guitar case". I smile for a reason I don't know and hold the guitar in my hooves. As I lay my hooves across the wires, the result is beauty... It has wires that vibrate, which gives forth sound. It sounded so different than the music of the temples. I struck the wires again and made my own music! I smiled and turned a key at the end of the long neck, It made the strings sound different. Truly, this was a miracle long forgotten. Why, It's sounds can build as high as a mountain, or fade gently like rain. For the next few weeks I snuck to my cove, my new home. I would practice on my instrument, always cautious and gentle though. After about a month I begin to remember how to make the same sounds, as I was playing I realized I was also humming. This joyously infectious sound gave purpose and fulfillment to me, it gave me a reason to carry on. I felt a new way to express myself, surely the priests would love this! A way for the ponies to bring joy to themselves! So I started practicing, I spent over a month perfecting my song. Then one day, as I finished a song it happened... With a small flash a picture of a guitar appeared on my flank. At first I was scared, I sought knowledge in the books. I realized it was a Cutie mark, a mark that represents my talent and purpose. I knew I found my calling in life. So I kept working on the song, once I knew it was perfect I carefully packed my instrument in its case and stood up. Before taking a breath of confidence I left my cove. "Priests, please praise my name this day" I say before walking away from my sanctuary.

Author's Note:

(This chapter was again inspired by the song "Discovery" by the Canadian rock band Rush. I don't own the rights to any of Rush's albums or songs, below is a link to the song i based this chapter on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzCNz8d6l6U ))