Never to be Finished

by Im a B O X

Chapter 2: His Life's Upbringing

A few days had passed since that dinner, it was a new breath in a while and to my somewhat optimistic surprise, the time from then and now has been a fairly eventful ride, so to speak. I had managed to come in contact with an old friend, well, more of a personal student, and to my surprise, it was a genuine experience to know where she had landed in life.

Starlight Glimmer... I had met my old student, and much to my dismay, she denounced my teachings openly. Well, I can’t say I blame her, apparently with her intellect in magic and the direction of my teachings, I think my sudden departure had caused her to “break” and used what I taught for something, shall we say, erm… risky, I think the stories surrounding her could already tell the rest, so what happened next was that I was held liable for “manipulating and exploiting” a pony into something heinous, apparently for the sole reason to cause as much chaos as possible. Just another thing to add to my recently growing criminal records, and although I could personally think of other better reasons as to different motives, that is a venture I’d like to try and distance myself from.

And that’s the thing, Equestrian nobility, officials, and the equivalent of other nations had been hard at work trying to make my sentence look as legally justified, seemingly pushing their luck to what is possible. And to their credit, although I couldn’t directly tell what the public opinion surrounding me is, they make it look like it’s working, which I find very concerning, even if that isn’t the case.

‘Well shit, isn’t that just great?’ I thought to myself, amongst the countless other things that roamed in my mind, that was the core of my current situation.

Before I could lament my degrading situation further, a knock came on the door.

“Who’s there?” I asked aloud.

Regardless if I heard a reply or not, I heard the door creak open to see a familiar young dragon entering my room. I was situated beside one of the windows of the room, just beside the doors that lead to the balcony. I put on a content smirk for the dragon as he drew closer, presumably to sit near to me to strike up a conversation.

“What brings you around here, oh ‘Spike the Brave and Glorious’?” I ask nonchalantly, just to tickle the dragon’s spin a bit.

To my surprise, he was a pleasant chap to speak with, and if it weren’t for his affiliation, I would have taught him in the same manner I had taught Starlight. Although that girl always had a nasty tendency when it came to perspective, even before she had set her plan in motion, I just can’t believe she forwent the basics of my teachings.

‘Tread the fine line of business and personal interest with care.’ I thought, one of the first and most important things I always teach to any of my students, or even rivals when it comes to my field.

“Oh nothing much, Twilight sent me to check on you, apparently you had a little falling-out with Starlight when you two had um... reacquainted with each other, care to tell me more?” He asked, sitting down on a chair at one side of the table, facing me with concern evident in his voice.

“Nah, don’t mention it, I understand her plight, I just wish I had taught her better,” I said, thinking of the things that I should and shouldn’t have taught her. Then again, she always had her heart in the right place, even if the means were dubious.

This was the core of the mutual hate that had been formed between officials, nobilities, myself, and the likes of others, a villainous lens of teachings that differed over tradition and offered something drastically different, one that has since shadowed over me and one I had accepted and adjusted towards accordingly.

“Speaking of which,” the dragon said as if he remembered and reached for something out of my field of view. “Although Twilight asked me to give it to you since she knew you would have preferred to write it down, I wanted to ask these questions aloud, to get a feel of the pony before me, you know?”

I stared on towards the dragon, and as I did so, I could already tell where the direction of this conversation was headed. ‘Here’s hoping nothing unexpected happens.’

“I see no reason why not to,” I remarked. “Go ahead, I’ve seen many forms of compassion before, this would be no different to a foal asking for candy.”

Bewildered by my statement, the dragon promptly took up my offer. “Well, I think it would be best if we start with how you are right now.” He said, preparing to write down my answers to the questions he asked.

“Hmm… in honesty, I am more or less tired with what I’m being put through,” I answered.

“How so? Please, tell me, no, show me the pony that is known as ‘Bold Ideals’, the pony who is associated with changing the very foundation of Equis literature and theoretical geopolitical structures... tell me how you became the pony that you came to be…”

I could see he was listening, waiting, and most importantly, eager to learn. I again weighed my words, I know for a fact whatever he writes and whatever I say would be heavily monitored, no doubt Shining Armor and the others would check up on facts to set them straight.

“Hmm… If I told you my story, do you promise to remember it?” I asked with a heavy tone.

He was thinking about it, and as if he had nothing to lose, he gave me his answer. “I Pinkie Promise to try and remember, but I can’t be certain of it.”

“Good enough for me,” I said, not bothering him as he did the Pinkie Promise chant, all the while I tried to recall my life story, a story that soon enough, won’t even matter. “Well, I don’t know where a good start is, so I guess I should start at a time before my infamy grew... It all started when I met a certain aspiring unicorn…”

---

In a distant past…

A tower once stood tall and proud, overshadowing and providing a view like no other. Located at the far west of what was the small developing town of Ponyville, a great vantage point to not only look over the town and the overhead view of the rail transports that came and went, most prominently those that shared the tracks of the Canterlot Rail Network. The tower itself stood silently, with plenty of myths surrounding it, of course, the truth couldn’t be much further than that, fiction and reality often influence the other after all.

“Enjoying the view, Starlight?” I asked the unicorn who peered out one of the many windows that the tower provided. Still fairly young and impressionable, she proved to be the little cunning one.

“Yep!” She exclaimed, with one of my books being levitated and held in her magic as she took in the view. Just as if it had been presented to her, Canterlot seemed to be much closer than it ever was in her whole life.

“Won’t your parents be worried about you little one?” I asked, concerned for the wellbeing of this still fairly impressionable filly, I, myself having lived a fairly isolated life in this tower, being older than this filly by maybe 5 years or so, who I presumed to live a bit far out, considering the bruises and apparent malnourished state she was in, despite her admirable perseverance amidst that all.

‘She’s probably searching for a friend,’ I thought, levitating a cup of chocolate milk to her as I drank tea from a fairly modest mug. ‘Worst case is that she’s a runaway, oh god, I really don’t want to run into legal issues.’

“Dad… dad said I should do something I wanted, and so I did!” She said, her mirthful expression reminding me of a lot of colts and fillies, and even some older folk that would often come by and wander around these parts to try and search for adventure or something of the like. Usually, it was a dare to test their bravery or something along those lines. Always thought those ponies were lucky they had a destiny that they could live with.

“And what would that be?” I asked, completely oblivious to the reasons as to why she would go to such extents that might place her entire life on the line.

“I wanted to meet Sunburst again!” She explained, jumping up and nearly off the window ledge. Thankfully, I had plenty of other wondering ponies jump so close to the windows that I practically had to catch them by instinct, so a faint hue of my magic encapsulated her and levitated her back to safety.

“You don’t say now,” I tell her, downing the remaining tea in my mug as I levitated the dishes we used back to the sink for me to wash later.

As a young mind might expect, she took my disinterest personally. “This isn’t some small crusade either. I know what I’m doing and you won’t be able to tell me to stop now!” She said, her point being clear as day to me.

“I understand, and I won’t try stopping you,” I replied, seeing her joy come to a new level, probably at finally having an older pony tell her something different than just her idea of being childish or something along those lines. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t leave you alone, I’m sure you are cunning enough to understand what I mean by that, you, yourself being sly enough to escape your parent’s grasp just for the opportunity to meet this friend.”

And just like that, I saw her face drop, clearly frustrated by what I said, so I try to explain it to her. “Listen, it isn’t anything personal on my part, it’s just that you’re too young that you don’t even know your limitations.”

For a moment a thought to myself and decided to keep her company for a bit as I tried to figure out what to do next. Legal issues still apply pressure to the back of my head.

“Tell you what, you tell me more about yourself and this friend of yours and I might just help you in arranging a meeting with him and even give you a train ride back home, we got a deal?”

I saw her think and weigh the options, but it was all too clear that I just made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. “Deal!” She said, clearly overjoyed that someone older, and she probably presumed, much more experience was willing to help her in her endeavor.

---

“Wait, wait, you’re older by like… 5 years? That would mean I’m at least 9, maybe 10, years younger than you!” Spike said.

I only stared at him for the interruption but didn’t speak as I allowed him to process what he had just done.

“Right, right, sorry, please continue.” He said a bit sheepishly.

“So anyway, as I said…”

---

I levitated her to one of the beanbags I used as a couch, she sunk into it as she made herself comfortable. I, myself lying on the extra sofa I had lying around that I used as my bed. I planned to make her rest unknowingly until she was good enough to carry her weight on the journey she wanted to take.

“Well, where should I begin…” she asked aloud.

“The beginning probably,” I remarked.

“Right, right! So when we were kids…” And so Starlight explained her entire youth. With me listening in tow, mentally noting questions for when she finished and points to remember. As she continued to speak, I can tell that she did miss her friend, the worse part was that he was enrolled at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, which is nearly impossible to get far enough near campus grounds before you get intercepted by royal guards. But at the same time as I was listening, I could tell she was getting tired as it was getting pretty late.

Deciding this could go on for tomorrow, I interrupt her little life story. “Listen, tell you what, I’ll let you sleep in tonight and we could continue this tomorrow.”

“But I’m not tired,” she protested, displaying a yawn in the process. “Ok, maybe a little bit... but not by that much!” she retorted sheepishly.

‘Riiighhht...’ I thought to myself, clearly skeptical but still understanding of her plight.

And so, my night came and went as uneventfully as it could get, and a decent seven hours of sleep to boot. Of course, a slept in a different room from the filly, I had the decency to give her her private room for the night. Although again, I couldn’t complain as I had a reason to sleep for a good seven hours.

...

And the next thing I knew, my conscious mind was finally starting to catch up and realize what I had gotten myself into. I realized I had woken up and listened to this entire filly’s life story as she just finished reading a book levitated in her magic.

“By the way, what about you mister? I hadn’t known your name or your story!” She said, clearly now as interested in me as she finished up reading one of my books.

‘Oh blasted, it’s one of those unfinished philosophical ones about rulership…’ I thought. ‘Why couldn’t she just be the naïve one and picked one of my many other failures of fictional books I had lying around, at least those were complete.’

“I... didn’t get to introduce myself yesterday?” I asked, more to myself than her.

“Nope!”

“Well, I guess I could tell you that my name is Bold Ideals, and I’m currently... trying to find a decent job, and the book you just read, that’s just a book I wrote during my free time, ‘the ideal of communism’, still unfinished and ludicrous,” I explained, seeing a glitter of... something, which reflected the filly’s trance-like state of wide-open eyes.

“Well, I can tell you this for certain Mr. Ideals, these works are really good, and you should continue working on them!”

---

Back at the present...

“And the rest would be history,” I said, wrapping up this little session of ours as I noticed the sun beginning to set. “After that, I kept to my promise of bringing her to Canterlot, although we never found the young Sunburst, which shook her to the core, I asked where she lived and promptly took her home to her parents. After a while, say another year or so, she came back into contact with me asking if I was willing to teach her about my books, and of course, she wouldn’t be where she is if I said no.”

“Wow...” Spike remarked until he looked down onto the notepad and discovered he had another question to ask, but I mumbled something aloud before he could say that.

“Hmm...” I thought to myself, “I do owe it all to Starlight, that little rascal gave me the courage to continue.”

“Which brings me to my second point, what about your early life, like the times when you were a colt... or even as a young adolescent or the myths and stories that surround your name!” The dragon exclaimed.

In truth, I found the dragon charming, he shared many quirks with his... “sister”, per se. One that by coincidence also shared traits with the Starlight I met that day, just something that tugged my heartstrings a bit.

“Well... I can tell you some part of my young life, but a pony can keep his secrets.” I said, and just as I did so, I saw the dragon pout at my remark.

‘Adorkable...’ I thought as he reminded me of old, simpler times.

“Very well then... Young colt hood, hmm... let’s see what I could tell...” I began once again.

---

In another distant past…

In the large prominent city of Manehatten, a certain pair of friends spend their afternoon together on what was still a busy day at the park. Their surroundings were muted to the two of them as they shared the moment with some snacks and drinks.

“So, what do you want to be when you get your cutie mark?” one of the colts asked.

“Oh I don’t know, I wanted to study at Trottingham and then become a figurehead in one of the parties in Stalliongrad or Marelin...” The young colt who would become Bold Ideals said.

The colt to his side merely looked at him blankly, waiting for him to continue as he listened on. He, himself thinking of his future thus far.

“I just want to leave this... stale life, go somewhere, be... something, I know you’re smarter than what you let on Solemn Vow, hard not to when both of us are playing the fools game.”

Finally, a change in his emotions signaled that I had hit home, and that, I was still right on my mark.

“Yeah, I know it’s futile and all, but how long do you think we’ll last? We can’t exactly fool Canterlot until we enter our adult lives.” He said, true to his namesake, he spoke, whether unintentionally or not, in a solemn tone.

I thought about it for a moment, until I spoke to him in the tone of finality.

“I don’t know with you, but since you got your cutie mark yesterday, best you choose wisely. Although honestly, you won’t be expecting me to attend Celestia’s school or even any university up there”

“What about after the fact?” he asked me, distress building up as he dreaded the next things I would say.

“For me?” I thought about it, leaving the silence of our conversation despite the busy noises surrounding us hanging for a moment. “I’ll run, run to Marelin, run to Stalliongrad... I’ll run till Celestia will forget my very existence. I’ll live with false names and I’ll build up the courage to face her down when the time comes. I want to change this world.” I said with determination.

“So you’re leaving me?” he asked, knowing full well of my answer.

“Yes, I will, I didn’t ask to be a unicorn, I didn’t ask to be the colt related to some scholar, and most certainly I didn’t ask for a life defined by service.”

Truthfully, I was in Manehatten as a student of one of its universities. And as quickly as I had grown accustomed to city life there, I also found it stale and empty. Near lifeless despite what shining opportunity it presents, much like how I imagined Canterlot would be.

I saw Solemn coming closer to me, patting my back as a show of respect and one I appreciated to some extent. “Well, if I can’t change your mind now, I could only hope the best for your wellbeing.”

“You won’t stop me?” I asked, baffled, but still grateful for his actions.

“Ah, don’t mention it, old pal,” He said, giving me a heartfelt nudge. “This is where we part ways, and so may you live long and prosper!”

I looked at him, a smile across my face. “Thank you so much.”

We shared a moment until we eventually had to go our separate ways. I would never see him eye to eye again since that day, I only know about him from hearsay and I expect him to keep his distance from me. Eventually, I would send him letters on occasion, nothing major, just some small favors and some string-pulling.

But even then, I still greatly appreciated him, as a friend I could trust back then. He respected my decision and didn’t try to talk me out of it, I wish I could do the same for him back then, but what’s done is done.

...

Just a few years before I would meet a young Starlight and after I left the city life of Manhatten, I somehow found a place of work, in the form of being an informant for one of the parties in Stalliongrad, and it wasn’t a particularly easy life in that cold city. Every day was a challenge for young me, I manipulated most stallions and the occasional mare to show me sympathy and the information I needed for the party. I played a dirty game, but the city itself wasn’t the cleanest of the bunch anyway.

I played an invaluable role for them and in turn, they provided me with all the necessities I asked for, from books to food to a haven. Nearly everything was within reach as I grew and lead part of the party. It was almost like I loved and grew up with the party itself, despite some bad blood, we all got along fairly well. Or at least, well enough for the most part, but it all changed when I took up the job of being an informant and partner for one of the party’s officers who would go to Canterlot for a summit meeting. I would pose as their adoptive child and while they were at the meeting, I would have roamed around the city to collect “information”, the usual schemes they placed me on with a new layering of challenge, a change of pace as they saw it.

And it was a dangerous game that I had loved since the beginning, and it was a plan I joined in, but the unfortunate truth of the matter was that it was a risky job that comes with infamy, things that would take a turn for the worse when unexpected circumstances arose.

...

“W-what do you mean!?” I exclaimed, pacing in what was supposed to be the shared room for me and my would-be accomplice.

‘I had a big day, a turning point even, and today was the day they decided to make some last-minute changes!?’

“You heard me right, he can’t attend the summit. He had to go and sort of business, for the time being, and until further notice, the party leaders decided you should stall for time or just take his place.” The mare said, another informant for the same party I was in, who was stationed at Marelin. A personal associate that I had worked with previously and would make great progress within a different field outside of the party itself.

At this point in life, I had already gained some infamy in the underlying political parties in Equestria, known as the ‘Blank Mask’, mostly because of my empty flank and unprecedented, and apparent talent, for acting, which coupled with the use of effective illusion magic to give different cutie marks and facial structure, made me a terrifying informant, hence why I was able to hide with many identities to my name and make it convincing.

Of course, one has to wonder why I didn’t gain a cutie mark for acting or something of the like at that point in life. That wasn’t even something I excelled at, at least with what fate would give me. Working for the party certainly broadened my view, and even inspired me, but the parties of these city-states were very basic in structure and idea, at least compared to the magnum opus that I would one day write.

“Hmm…” I thought about the idea, internally groaning at the new arrangements I found myself in. “Fine, I’ll do it, but make no mistake, I am not at fault for anything from this point on, got it?”

“Sure, sure.” The mare said, about to take her leave from my room.

But before she could exit, I told her one last thing.

“And tell Stalliongrad I’m considering their proposal.”

She didn’t respond, but I knew she heard me. So after that, I decided to prepare for the summit with what little time I had, internally hoping that someone would take my steed, but I knew all too well that it was a pain to even find, let alone send, a replacement in such short notice.

...

I dreaded every single moment that has lead me to his very moment. I could see and feel the gaze of dozens upon dozens of eyes staring in my direction. I was about to make the speech of a lifetime, but nobilities, royalties, and every single commoner in the room looked upon me and the podium. One would think that I would have remembered what happened next, but because of its ending, I chose to bury this memory deep down in the darkest pits of my mind to forget.

The speech itself was a blur to me, the exact contents having long been forgotten. Yet despite that, I could still vividly remember its results, I heard voices of protest, I heard voices of praise, and I heard the mixed reception of these many voices, coupled with the uncertain applause of the many at that time. I knew then that the sole monarch of Equestria, Princess Celestia, and who used to be her prized student, Sunset Shimmer, was watching me from somewhere.

I remember those moments when I spoke with a passion, I remember that dread moment I began to float off the ground. I didn’t know it at the time, but at such a late age, I thought I would have never attained a cutie mark, and the backlash of it all was intense, considering the time.

And sooner rather than later, I had Royal Guards escort me to a private room in one of the towers that accompanied the palace, completely separate from the main building. When I asked them where we were going, they merely shrugged me off and said that they were there just to escort and protect me from harassment. The young me at the time completely believed that part since I could see the distress of my entire audience build and boil up, no doubt from just realizing that they had seemingly been following and tricked by a pony who was supposed to have no talent, no destiny.

Back then, I knew I was seen as a fraud, if not by my view, then clearly by the view that the ponies I fooled would impose on me.

Soon enough, when I arrived at the towers, I took the moment to marvel at their design, which would serve as an inspiration for the tower that I would isolate myself in.

And before I could knock on the door, I saw the iconic bacon hair of Celestia’s student, but before I could respond, she dragged me into her room with her magic and sealed it shut so that the two of us could have a moment. One that, amongst many others, I would vividly remember.

“What’s all of this about!?” I asked, growing apprehension as I looked over myself around to make sure I was fine while also the room I was suddenly dragged into.

“Oh nothing much,” she said, before eyeing the saddlebag that I had brought with me. “Say, whatcha got in there?” she asked, pointing a hoof of genuine curiosity.

“Oh, this?” I asked, lifting said bag off my back to rummage through its contents. “It’s nothing special, it’s just unfinished books and paperwork.”

“May I?” she asked.

“S-sure,” I said, unable to say no to a pony the likes of her, especially with what she could do. “But please, there is nothing of interest in there-”

“How much for this book?” she suddenly asked, levitating an unfinished book relating to some theoretical structuring and methods for different systems, the specifics were unimportant to me back then.

Baffled at that, I clarified something for her. “That book’s unfinished, I can’t just sell something so worthless-”

Again, she did not hesitate to push her advances. “Tell you what, you get to keep this student’s entire bank of bits if you just shut up and just give me the book.”

Of course, it was an offer I can’t refuse, the book was an unfinished book outlying potential improvements on the educational system and its curriculums. Later on, I would find out through an informant that the book also went missing with her when she “vanished”. Although I knew a thing or two that wasn’t within public news, I just didn’t think she was insane enough to go through with her plans about the mirror in that tower, although in the end, I guess I figured out why she needed a book in theoretical education...

---

Back at the present...

“On the very same day that I earned my cutie mark and made a deal with one of Celestia’s students, I fled on that same night, having planned to vanish until the party thought I was dead. I wanted to think about my future, and I knew it was my chance, I knew I had a talent and I knew I could figure something out, so, like any good pony, I tried to capitalize on that...” I said, wrapping up this little discussion as I saw the moon begin to rise to the center of the sky.

Looking back now, one might say I was insane. Well, what I think is the only insane part would be is the fact that, in more ways than one, I had done so much over the years than what I ever expected, be it just running or even simply writing.

“I had gained a fortune, but I was quick to hide it, regardless of that fact, I had come a long way since the beginning, earned many things, and lost just as many. Time hasn’t been too kind to me for the last couple of years. Continually, I saw the world around me change, yet ironically, the general attitude and unwillingness of many creatures never cease to amaze me, with just how adamantly they stay unchanged, ponies although compassionate to a certain extent held some contempt deep down, griffons crave glory and gold, and many other habits die hard. Simply put, the creatures who understand my works are also the ones who understand its effects, thus, the greater majority could never truly, and fully, appreciate its ideals...”

“Damn, so that’s how Sunset’s entire background vanished, she had you hide it, didn’t she? So what is your point?” Spike asked. Although not as smart as the pony he had grown to call a ‘mother/sister’ of sorts, he was still smart enough to understand the general premise of my story.

“The point is that... Time is money, make no mistake of that, Spike.”

He started to question it. “I mean, I understand that sentiment, but-”

“-but it also erodes gratitude, faster than it does beauty. We don’t realize that until old faces would come back around in our lives. I know I learned it the hard way.” I said, knowing that he was able to understand my point to some extent.

“There are plenty of things we take for granted, I know you took for granted being a naïve drake when you moved in as a child to Ponyville with Twilight.”

I saw his reaction to my remark, but I did not allow him the opportunity to respond, so I press on.

“Listen, Spike, promise me this, that even if I may not seem like it, that you remember what I said, time is unforgiving, and it is with that little time that we have, that we are allowed to define our lives.”

But before I could hear his response, I finally felt the strain of the magic dampeners on me and I suddenly passed out. The last thing I saw was Spike seemingly in a sudden frenzy as the sound of dozens of hoof steps seemed to echo in my hearing.

...

The next thing I knew, I was in the same room, but I knew things had been tampered with. The slight changes in décor are a telltale sign of that. Then again, it wouldn’t surprise me if they placed something new or just took away something else.

“Well shit,” I said aloud, but instead of sullying in what is comparatively the same old situation, dulling out any sense of the word.

I immediately looked at the far right corner of the room where the door would be if it was opened. There, I saw a book and a small crystal. Smiling as my eyes hovered over it, my magic, now with a bit less effort needed, levitated the book and crystal, this time with much more ease thanks to, what I assumed, to be newer and much more lenient magic dampeners, likely still exported from the Crystal Empire. I levitated it to the table where the lamp that lit this room, for now, sat undisturbed. And soon, I opened it and began to read its contents.

“They still do it despite the risk and inevitability of it all,” I said in a low whisper, truly thankful for these small acts of compassion by some of my informants that I find appalling.

Although I never was an outstanding soul in this greater world, I always sought to face my consequences head-on, and this was just another one of them.

‘Time... a constant in anyone’s life, it trickles consistently to the point that we don’t realize its value until it isn’t there. It erodes the soul, always reminding us of how early or late we were, and that’s the beauty of it, it forces us to take risks. Risks that define not only our lives but also dictate its eventual path.’ I thought as I read through each spell that the book provided, soon finding myself staring at the spell I was looking for.

And soon, my thoughts grew silent as I began to focus, beginning to practice this specific spell to counter the creatures that roam the dream realm, although heavily suppressed and with much more strain thanks to its complexity. I continued, persevering as I tried to remember the spell word-for-word, action-for-action, letting myself silently put to rest the memories of how I had come to define my life and my upbringing.

I smirked, knowing that I still remembered some of the offensive spells I had learned long ago, forbidden knowledge if you will.

Although, I had a bit of final thought as I focused more and more. ‘It isn’t over yet, there is still a bit more to come.’

Author's Note:

Nearly forgot to post this chapter...
Sorry!

Also, do leave a like if you enjoyed the stor!y (and maybe share it around, I put alot of effort into proofreading and writing it, so it would mean alot to me, thanks! And see you around )

Comments

[Rawislon03]

Interesting story so far.