Past Lives and Forgotten Sins

by Alabenson

Chapter 2

Pain.

Pain was the only sensation the figure could remember, the only concept that it knew. Just constant, unending, nightmarish pain. Occasionally, it was able to focus itself sufficiently to realize that there had been a time, an existence before the pain, but such thoughts were soon swept away in a sea of agony.

Or at least, they had been. After several, long minutes, the figure slowly came to the realization that the pain, which had consumed its existence, had finally stopped. At first, the figure simply lay on the ground, savoring the lack of suffering as though it was the most pleasurable sensation imaginable. Eventually, for the first time in countless years, it began to register outside stimuli. The coolness of the cavern floor on which it lay, the sounds of water dripping echoing in the distance, simple sensations, but comforting, in their own way, vague reminders of a time before it had been condemned to unrelenting torment.

Time passed, and slowly, the figure began to rise from its resting place. An inexplicable urge told it that it needed to leave, despite not knowing where it was leaving. Gradually, it made its way across the cave floor, struggling the entire way. As the figure passed by a small pool of water, it curiously glanced down to check its reflection. Staring back at it was an equine creature, a unicorn stallion, its features completely obscured by a rusted iron mask aside from a single horn jutting from its forehead. It, or rather, he, was dressed in what appeared to be tattered canvas clothing, hung from which were several large, rusted chains. The sight of himself stirred memories buried deep within the nameless unicorn, fragmented bits of a long forgotten identity.

For several minutes, the stallion stood gazing at his reflection, trying in vain to remember who he was. Eventually, the deep-seated urge he felt to leave the cave compelled him to abandon his futile effort and continue onwards. Step by step, he slowly made his way out of the cavern and into the tunnels beneath the ruins. Without consciously knowing where he was going, the unicorn wandered through the underground maze of passages and chambers, guided by nothing more than a silent feeling that he was going in the right direction. The only clue he had as to where he was headed was the continuous incline of many of the passageways, taking him closer to the surface with every step he took. Finally, after ascending a long spiral ramp, the amnesiac stallion found himself in the same circular chamber from which the Cutie Mark Crusaders had fled earlier. Unbeknownst to the three fillies, the destruction of the statue of Discord had also resulted in the dissolution of the glowing blue barrier, opening access into the depths of the ruins.

As the unicorn entered the eerie chamber, his eyes were drawn to the grotesque carvings of chaos and mayhem covering the walls. One figure in particular caught his attention, a hideous amalgam of mismatched body parts, continuously depicted hovering over the devastation, laughing and applauding at the spectacle of suffering on display. While the stallion stood, transfixed by the sight of the patchwork abomination, the monstrous creature’s mocking laughter began to echo in his ears, along with the horrified screams of its victims. Frantically, the unicorn shook himself, as though he were trying to dislodge the sounds from his head, but the terrible din continued to play in his mind unabated. Desperate to escape the ghastly racket, he staggered out of the chamber as fast as his legs could carry him, heading further and further up towards the ruins on the surface. Despite his best efforts, however, nothing would silence the unholy noise, flowing from memories that had been buried in the distant past. By the time the nameless unicorn finally made his way to the surface, the constant mental commotion had driven his mind into a deep fog. Barely cognizant of his surroundings, the unicorn blindly stumbled out of the ruins, reduced to acting completely on instinct. Slowly, he wound his way across the fields of poison joke surrounding the ruins, deftly moving past the hazardous flowers and into the Everfree Forest. With no conscious awareness of where he was going, merely the knowledge that he needed to get away from the ruins and the horrible memories they conjured, the stallion lurched headfirst into the wild forest.

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The next morning, a pair of earth pony mares could be seen walking along the main path leading from nearby Ponyville into the Everfree Forest, chatting as they made their way towards the forest.

“Ah still can’t believe that Apple Bloom would do somethin’ like that! She should know better than to go off wanderin’ in the Everfree Forest!” Applejack, a sturdily built, yellow-haired orange pony, seethed as she trotted down the road. “Ah just hope Zecora can fix up some more of that poison joke remedy.”

Her companion, a bright pink, curly-haired pony named Pinkie Pie, cheerfully bounced alongside her as she responded. “Awww, poor Apple Bloom. I remember when we got poison joked and I couldn’t talk! I mean, I love talking and I couldn’t talk because my tongue was all blue and spotty and swollen and it was so awful!”

“Ah remember it fine, Pinkie!” Applejack exclaimed, quickly interrupting her friend before she could build any verbal momentum. As much as Applejack liked Pinkie Pie personally, she absolutely dreaded the eternally chipper pony’s ability to prattle unceasingly about virtually any topic that crossed her mind. In particular, Applejack didn’t want to be reminded of her past experience with poison joke. During her previous encounter with the unpredictable plant, Applejack had been reduced to the size of a chipmunk, and the last thing she wanted was to be reminded of it. “By the way, Pinkie,” Applejack began, hoping to change the subject, “why exactly are y’all headed to Zecora’s anyways?”

“Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Cake asked me to see if Zecora wanted to-“ Suddenly, Pinkie Pie let out a startled gasp as her eyes focused on something lying in the shrubbery, where the path skirted along the edge of the forest. Wordlessly, Pinkie Pie dashed past Applejack and dove into the bushes by the side of the path. A few moments later, Pinkie Pie surfaced from the undergrowth, her normally sunny expression uncharacteristically serious. “Applejack, come quick, there’s somepony here, and I think they’re hurt!” Applejack rushed to her friend’s side as quickly as she could. Pinkie Pie rarely dropped her normally bubbly demeanor, and her friends had learned to take her very seriously when she did so.

“What in tarnation…” as Applejack approached the area Pinkie Pie had emerged from, she was able to see what had her friend so upset. Sprawled out on the ground was an unconscious unicorn stallion, who was dressed in what appeared to be canvas restraints of some kind, his face hidden behind a rusted mask. Large iron chains, dark red from rust, trailed off from the restraints and led back into the Everfree Forest. Leaning in closer, Applejack could hear the faint sounds of shallow, labored breathing emanating from the unmoving pony. “Ah don’t know what’s goin’ on here, Pinkie, but we need to him to a doctor as fast as we can.” Applejack knelt down and hoisted the strange unicorn onto her back, struggling under the unexpected weight. “Ah could really use some help here, sugercube,” she groaned as she attempted to stand back up. “He’s a lot heavier than he looks, and these darn chains ain’t helpin’ any.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie” Pinkie Pie chirped, her customarily cheerful manner already returning. Moving beside Applejack, Pinkie Pie slipped underneath the unconscious stallion and helped her friend distribute his weight between them. “So, Applejack,” Pinkie Pie began as the two mares started the trek towards Ponyville General Hospital, “where do you think he’s from? I know he’s not from Ponyville because I’ve never seen anypony that looks like him before and I know just about everypony in Ponyville. Then again, maybe he’s somepony I know and I just can’t tell because of that mask he’s wearing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mask made of metal before, have you ever seen a mask like that, Applejack?”

“No, Pinkie, Ah can’t say Ah’ve ever seen a mask made out of metal before.” Applejack let out a resigned sigh as the pair continued onward. It would likely take the two of them at least an hour to reach the hospital, and Applejack had no doubts that Pinkie would continue prattling the entire way there.

**********************

The day was rapidly proving to be an especially frustrating one for Applejack. First, her younger sister Apple Bloom had woken up covered in long, fleecy fur, making her resemble an ambulatory cotton ball with eyes. After finally getting Apple Bloom to admit that her predicament was the result of an encounter with poison joke, Applejack had left to visit Zecora in the hopes that the reclusive zebra would be able to provide her with the remedy. Instead, while making her way to the Everfree Forest, Applejack had encountered Pinkie Pie, who in turn had discovered the anonymous unicorn whom Applejack now found herself discussing with her friends.

It hadn’t taken very long for word about the strange unicorn that Applejack and Pinkie Pie had carried to the hospital to spread throughout Ponyville, and the hospital’s waiting room was soon packed with curious ponyfolk. One of the first ponies to arrive had been one of Applejack and Pinkie Pie’s closest friends, a lavender unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. While most of the curious Ponyville citizens milling about the hospital were content with mere idle speculation, Twilight had been carefully questioning both Pinkie Pie and Applejack in an attempt to deduce some clue as to the mysterious stallion’s identity. Thus far, however, Twilight’s inquiries on the subject had left her with more questions than answers.

“You say the two of you found him just lying there on the ground near the Everfree Forest?” Twilight sighed as she brought a hoof to her forehead in exasperation. None of what Applejack and Pinkie Pie had told her made any sense; strange ponies didn’t simply appear at the border of one of the wildest portions of Equestria.

“That’s right. Ah don’t even wanna think about how long he might’ve been there if Pinkie Pie hadn’t noticed him.” While Applejack understood Twilight Sparkle’s mounting frustration with the bizarre situation, repeatedly explaining what had happened was beginning to test the farm pony’s patience. “Y’know, sugar cube, y’all might have better luck gettin’ some answers ‘bout where that stallion came from if y’just wait for the doctors t’ wake him up.” Twilight Sparkle took a moment to consider what Applejack had told her. As eager as the studious unicorn was for answers, she had to admit that Applejack was giving her sound advice. However, before Twilight had a chance to respond, the doors to the hospital waiting room flew open as Nurse Redheart walked into the room.

“Applejack, Pinkie Pie? The doctor asked me to let you know that the stallion that you brought in has regained consciousness.”

Comments

[Distrance]

872176
I hope you like getting banned cause first-posting is not allowed.

[TheWritingGuru]

Amazing¡ Oh and octavia says you need more dubstep in your lifes