Author's Note

=WARNING!= This chapter contains some graphic/gore content.

This will probably be updated sporadically, so bear with me. I could also use some feedback. I can't believe it, my very first mlp fanfic!

~MisterRogue

Reminiscence

Reminiscence

Beyond rain-slicked bars, dark, angry clouds filled the sky, staining the soft, rolling hills a pale gray. Mist began to dampen the fur on his face, which was also gray, not unlike his surroundings. The rumbling of the carriage and the chill of the rain made him tremble. He placed his forelegs on the sill and rested his chin on them, eyes half closed as he gazed between the wooden poles at the hills running by. The worn cobblestone below betrayed a road frequently traveled. Why, he had no idea, for the very thought of going where he was to go made him more cross. A bright flash split the sky, and for one brief second, the world filled with color. His eyes snapped wide open as the delayed scream of thunder slammed into him, forcing his conciousness into memory.

He recalled vividly a recent event, so recent, in fact, that it still caused him to awake in the night, tears rolling down his face and landing silently on the sheets below. His mother had called him into her room, and told him that she would be leaving for a conference, and he was to go with her. Jumping with joy at the prospect of leaving the house, he ran to his room and threw together all the things he would need. A creak of the door did not disturb his work, and he scrambled around the room, gathering this and that. His mother smiled softly at his eagerness, and strode into the room.

"We will only be gone for a few days, are you sure you want to lug around all that stuff?" she questioned.

He looked up at her, his sole parent. She had a stark white coat and a plush, styled, brown mane and tail. She was a rather plain pony, but he supposed she was pretty, the earth pony that she was. The black hairpin cutie mark on her flank stared him in the face. He had always wondered where she had gotten it from, but he wasn't to talk unless spoken to, so he had no idea.

"Uh, you think it's too much?" His voice trembled.

"Certainly. Please remove some of your toys. You won't need them," She replied sternly.

"OK, Mother. Would you like me to take any garments in particular?"

"Bring at least one good suit, Richard, this isn't a vacation. You need to be presentable."

"Yes, Mother." He hung his head and walked over to the suitcase. Looking through the toys in the case, he began to remove them, one by one. She was right, it did seem silly to be taking all of these with him. When she turned, however, he retrieved his most favourite action figure, 'Octavia's Symphony' with real music, and snuck it in between shirts. He was never comfortable leaving the house without it. Gently, he patted the clothes above sitting on top of it, and zipped the suitcase.

"Are we-"

She cleared her throat loudly and raised her eyebrows.

He released a silent sigh, so she would not hear it. "Mother?"

"Yes, Richard?" She nodded.

"Are we to leave soon?"

"Yes, as soon as the carriage pulls up." She turned to leave the room, and he followed her, gently closing the door with a pulse of magic.

They walked with refinement out to the front yard, and stood waiting for their transportation to arrive. It did not take long, however, and they boarded quietly, moving up the steps in practiced tandem. She sat down on the far left, and he next to her. The stallions in front were ambivilent about their very existence, and they began to pull the carriage down the path. He looked through the opening in the side at the scenery going by, and didn't recognize the way they were going.

"Mother?" he asked, looked concernedly out the window.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Where are we heading? The direction we are going is unfamiliar to me."

"Richard, dear, don't you worry now. We are going to Canterlot."

"Canterlot?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Correct. If you pay attention, they may make you a refined pony yet."

'Refined' was always something he was told to strive for. A refined pony was often equated with a perfect one in his household, so naturally, his excitement took over.

"Am I to become refined? Truly, Mother?"

"Indeed, but we must first arrive."

"Isn't Canterlot, you know, up?" he asked.

She looked at him once more before turning away.

After a few minutes of letting his thoughts simmer, the carriage lurched. He looked directly at the armoured stallions, who snapped their wings open in sync and began to soar into the air, taking the passengers with them. He stared in amazement as the ground fell away, and they were pulled into the sky. He sat upright and marvelled at this new feeling. So far, he had only ever seen pegasi fly, and never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would fall among their ranks.

Then, all at once, something went wrong. The leftmost stallion's wings collapsed, and he fell out of line with the on on the right. The whole carriage tipped sideways as the first stallion struggled to hold the weight of both the carriage and the stallion, who was dangling limp in his harness. Richard shook in fear as all four ponies started to plummet to the swiftly approaching ground. He felt sick. Not once through the entire ordeal did his mother make any move to comfort him as he shook, rooted to the spot. Instead, she merely fainted, leaving him to take in everything. With a loud snap, the still flying pony's spine cracked in two from the weight of the vessel, his eyes rolled back in his head, and there was no longer anything stopping them from hurtling toward the earth. There was nothing he could do.

Then, in a stroke of insanity, he thought it would be a great idea to jump out the door. He kicked it down and braced for the leap, straining his hind legs. With one push, he was out, and the force of the jump was enough to slow his trajectory to a stationary peak. In that one moment of transcendent stillness, he looked down at the carriage, which he watched smash into the ground and practically explode on impact. A wave of sickness gripped him as he realized that his mother was in that very carriage. He was shaken awake by another terror, the fright of being high up yet again with nothing to keep him from falling this time. There was nothing to do but close his eyes and fall in submission to his inevitable fate as the height of his trajectory ended and the wind rushed through his mane.

He expected the impact to, number one, have happened already, and second, to be death-inflicting. Yet, neither of those things had happened. He opened his eyes to meet those of another pony, who was carrying him with her front legs. Her electric blue eyes shot right through him, and her green, windswept mane was tantalizingly soft. She smiled at him, and he looked down towards the ground. They were so high up, and he was not used to it. He gasped, threw his hooves around her neck, and closed his eyes forcefully. Him, a perfectly mature, adolescent pony clinging for dear life? It was so unrefined...

They landed softly, and she set him on the ground. He still stood upright, gripping her. She chuckled.

"Hey, Steely, you gonna let go?"

He opened his eyes, and, upon seeing his location, blushed wildly and released her from his lock. He fell onto all fours again, and looked down.

"I apologize, I only reacted the way I did on account of my never having been up as high as we were."

"Nah, it's fine, I was just surprised," she said, blushing, "y'know, that you grabbed as tight as you did."

The sound of pony chatter came from nearby, drawing his attention away from the light green mare. His eyes were drawn to a large crowd, and in the center, a large pile of rubble. Paramedic ponies swarmed the area, forcing the crowd away from the wreckage. He galloped towards them, clearing the distance in just a few seconds. He slowed to a stop and pushed his way between ponies, and slowly walked up the mass. The meds saw the look of sorrow in his eyes, and realizing what must have happened, stepped aside. The entire thing lay on its side. He looked down, and recognized the doorway he had jumped through. The door itself had been ripped from its hinges, and sat a few feet away. He crawled through the collapsed entrance, only to find a more horrifying scene.

A white mare with her eyes closed rested against the door, a sharp bar from the top of the carriage piercing her side. His eyes widened with concern, releasing a tear. He jumped down from the first door and landed on the second next to her. Red splashes soaked her coat around the gaping wound.

"Mother!" he sobbed loudly. There was nothing he could do to stop the volley of tears from flowing down his face and mixing with her blood as he shook her. She didn't move.

"Mom! Awaken, please!" When there was no reponse, he nuzzled his face in her still warm neck, collapsing to the ground. He let his tears of agony flow between his eyelids and wet her fur. Onlookers found their way to the door, and looked in on the heart-wrenching scene with misty eyes. Some pulled out handkercheifs and dabbed away the dampness as they watched the heaving sides of the young stallion slow to a near stop. They called out for the help of the paramedics tending to the carriage pullers. A few dispatched to the inside of the vehicle and patched the place where the mare lay. They slowly removed the bar, making sure to close up the wound as best they could.

They attempted to pull him away, but he clung tightly to her. Whispering that they needed to move her in order to heal her, they slowly lifted him away, and moved the mother out. He fell into a shuddering pile of tears and confusion before falling into dreamless sleep.