Chapter 3 The Unveiling

Chapter 3

The Unveiling

When Wake woke she again had no clue as to where she was. Instead of a run down, dingy room, this room was well, magnificent. The ceiling was enormously high, the walls made of a dark, smooth stone, dusty, yet grand tapestries hung from the walls depicting scenes of battles, coronations, regal ponies. She was aware that she lay in a large bed with a dusty, moth eaten canopy hanging from the posts of the bed. Scanning the room Wake found a single large, wooden door as the only exit, so, on sore hooves, she made her way to the door. Focusing her magic for the first time since her initial awakening Wake attempted to open the large door quietly. The door was enveloped in a blue and green swirling mist of Wake’s magical energy, and as she focused on the picture of the door’s silent opening, the door did exactly as she pictured and was soon standing ajar. Giddiness consumed Wake and she smiled widely at her accomplishment, allowing herself a small victory dance before quickly composing herself. She cautiously left the sanctity of her room and trotted out into an even larger and grander corridor. Her hoofsteps echoed as she trotted on, exploring the unknown vicinity.

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A castle. Wake soon realized she was in a once grand castle that belonged to two unusual ponies. After venturing far enough into the castle, she had found herself in a throne room. It held two thrones, one bright and shining gold with a large sun adorning it, the other a dark and translucent onyx stone that shone like night itself with a crescent moon adorning it. What really had caught her eye was a tapestry that hung on the wall behind the thrones depicting two regal looking winged unicorns. One was a beautiful ivory mare with flowing pastel spectrum ranging hair and a golden crown atop her head, the other a smaller gorgeous midnight blue mare with a flowing mane that looked a clear night sky with a black onyx crown atop her head. Both were magnificent and ethereal beings that enraptured Wake. Her eyes grew hazy and for a moment Wake’s mind was black before a fuzzy picture played through her head like a TV screen with poor signal. The two mares from the tapestry were walking through a parted crowd, they walked with an air of grace as everypony stared with awe. As the mares walked passed, a small filly fell from the crowd into their pathway. Instead of reprimanding the small filly as many ponies expected, the smaller darker mare helped the filly to her hooves and kissed her forehead lightly.

The picture began to fade from Wake’s mind, and she could faintly make out the words the beautiful mare told the filly, “Fear not child, for one day you shall do more extraordinary things than even us.” Wake felt herself smile at the words, a warm glow in her heart, and Wake knew. The filly from the vision- no not a vision, a memory, her memory, that filly had been Wake. But that was it, no flood of memories, no sudden remembrance of who she was, just a single snippet of a memory, but for Wake, it was enough. She looked up at the darker mare in the tapestry and uttered a near silent thank you.

“Do yah know who they are?” a southern accented voice broke the silence of the hall, spooking Wake into whirling around.

“Sugarcube,” Wake breathed lightly, noticing the distinct cutiemark of three sugar cubes. She was a taller earth mare with a thicker build, she was a dusty tan color with a long straight sunny mane. In her own way, she was a pretty mare, her deep emerald eyes with purple glasses enlarging them ever so slightly, a lightly freckled nose, and a dirty cowpony hat sat atop her head. Sugarcube nodded her head at Wake’s assumption of who she was.

“Ya know mah name, but do ya know who ah am?” Sugarcube asked almost desperately, as if willing Wake to say of course and laugh with her. Her ears fell back when Wake shook her head, showing the earth mare’s sadness at the answer. She sighed and turned without a word, heading back the way she had come, knowing Wake would follow.

Sugarcube led her back to what looked like a camp of sorts. Three sleeping bags surrounded a stone fireplace that had been lit and was fueled by the books taken from the shelves on the walls around them. Saddlebags lay empty on a long wooden table, their contents strewn over the expanse of the rest of the table. Sugarcube went to the table and chose three shiny green apples from the stash, grabbing the stems between her teeth she trotted to the sleeping bags and lay one on a ruby red one, another on a light grey one, and finally settled onto a dark emerald one with the last apple. Wake watched from the doorway unsure of where to go until another voice startled her from behind.

“Yours is the red one,” Sigma appeared behind Wake and watched as she jumped at his sudden reappearance. “Sorry,” he added as an afterthought.

“It’s alright,” she said quietly, “and thank you.” She trotted over to the red sleeping bag and sank down onto its plushy surface, taking a small bite of the apple that lay there already. Sigma followed doing the same, except sinking his teeth into his apple with more fervor, showing his blatant hunger. The trio sat in complete silence, except the small sounds of the ponies eating. Finally it was Sugarcube that cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the others.

“So, Sigma has explained ta me your current… ailment. So ah can get a grip on this for mahself, Wake, just how much do ya not remember?” Sugarcube asked trying to be gentle with her friend.

“Nothing,” Wake whispered, “except… back in the throne room, I saw a fragment of a memory, from when I was little I think.” Sigma looked at her incredulously.

“You remembered something?” he asked excitedly. “Nothing big, just something about when I was younger, about the darker mare on the tapestry above the thrones,” Wake sighed, wishing she could she it once again.

“Princess Luna,” Sugarcube informed her, “one of tha rulers of Equestria next ta her sister Princess Celestia. When we were fillies they visited our home city and ya couldn’ see, so ah tried ta give ya a boost, but ya fell and Luna nearly stepped on ya.” Wake knew then that even though she didn’t know Sugarcube, Sugarcube definitely knew her.

“Please,” Wake pleaded, “Tell me everything you know about me.”

And, she did.

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A few hours passed, and Wake was able to get a general summary of her life. She lived in a world called Equestria, ruled by two princesses, Celestia of the Sun, and Luna of the Moon. This world was shattered though, when a virus plagued their world, reanimating pony corpses and giving them a single driving thought; to devour living flesh. Wake- born Scribble Wake to a bartender earth pony named Woodford from Manehattan, and a unicorn named Silver Lining from the Crystal Empire- grew up in the Crystal Empire where her father and Sugarcube’s father owned a high end bar together, thus having the two fillies grow up best friends. Wake grew up and became a writer (though Sugarcube wouldn’t elaborate on the types of novels Wake wrote) and lived in a two bedroom apartment with Sugarcube who made sweet treats as a living. Sigma was Wake’s cousin from Ponyville who went to Canterlot in hopes of joining the Royal Guard. He (very embarrassingly admitted) was turned away because of his petite stature, and moved to the Crystal Empire to stay with Wake until he could find an alternative career. Weeks later was the initial outbreak of the virus, which spread Equestria-wide within weeks, causing Wake, Sigma, and Sugarcube to evacuate the empire to head to the Crystal Mountains with other civilians in hopes of protection in the wilderness. Their group had quickly been separated when the hordes of living dead ponies hunted them into the forests. Wake and Sugarcube’s families were separated from them, and are still in unknown status.

This was where Wake was left now, knowing the basic story, but still unable to match memories to these facts. Sugarcube had gotten up once more and came back with a picture of Wake when she was a small filly with her mother and father. The photograph had brought large tears to Wake’s eyes and when they spilled down her cheeks her friends were quick to comfort her. They mistakenly thought Wake was upset about having lost her parents, but that wasn’t it at all. As Wake cried over the family picture all she could feel was the anguish at not being able to remember ever posing for this photo, not being able to remember anything about these two ponies, not even the feelings she should hold for them as their daughter.

“Don’t worry Wake, we’re going to help you remember,” Sigma reassured his cousin. She smiled at him and nodded.

“Thank you Siggy,” Wake said quietly, not catching the astonished look Sigma was quick to give her at the nickname. The nickname only she used. The nickname she had dubbed on him years ago.

Author's Note

Sorry for the none zombie chapter guys, had to get some of this out, and I promise the trotters will make their reappearance next chapter which should be out within a week. On the plus side memory leaks from Wake! When is that dam going to break?

Also thanks for following guys, I really appreciate it! Please review, I love your guys' reviews!