Icarus

When Icarus awoke the next morning, he felt confident, but nervous still. His mother's comforting words from the previous night had helped significantly, but not enough to fully comfort him. The thought of him going to prison, or being taken away from home still lingered in his mind unpleasantly. With a nervous sigh, he sat up.

The morning sunlight filled the room with a cozy warmness, making him wish he could just stay in bed and sleep the day away. Sadly, the day wouldn't allow it.

"Icarus!" Diamond called from downstairs. "Come on, you don't want to be late!"

"Coming, mom!" Icarus called back down tiredly. He groggily stepped down from his bed and walked toward the door, and into the bathroom. He took a fast shower, brushed his teeth, and combed his mane the best he could.

"There, close enough," he grumbled tiredly.

"Icarus, put some gel in your mane to slick it back!" Diamond's voice rang back up.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!"

Icarus groaned and opened the medicine cabinet. 'Equestria's Finest Mane Gel.' It'll do. He stuck his hoof into the gooey substance and it made an unnatural squelching sound. He ran it through his mane and shaped it back.

The result was... Oh, Celestia...

Icarus facehoof'd. He thought he looked like an old stallion. "Yeah, this'll make a great impression," he muttered grumpily, staring at his mane in the mirror and poking at it. He sighed and left the bathroom to go downstairs. The delicious smell of fried eggs and hay-sausages swam up into his nostrils and invoked his salivary glands to make his mouth water. His stomach was churning from the nervousness, but he was still hungry.

His parents were seated at the table.

Icarus sat in the seat across from his father, Oak. Oak had also not aged very much over the years. Now fifty-two years old, he had a few wrinkles, and his green mane had streaks of grey in it, but he otherwise looked youthful and full of life. He gave his son an uncertain stare.

Icarus returned the stare and grunted. "What?"

"What's with your mane?" Oak inquired tentatively. Icarus sighed and put his head down on the table.

Diamond walked in, carrying two plates in her mouth. Two sunny-side-up eggs and five sausages on each plate. She placed them down in front of the two of them, and turned to Icarus.

"Eat. You need the energy," she said sternly.

Icarus didn't protest. He starting chowing down right away. Diamond took her seat next to him.

"The hearing is scheduled in twenty minutes. We'll eat and get going," she said calmly.

Icarus nodded, but he felt his stomach take a dangerous lurch and stopped eating. He sighed.

"I'm not hungry..." he lied, and pushed his plate aside.

"Come on, you can't skip breakfast." Oak said disappointedly.

"I ate a bit. Can we just go? I need some fresh air." Icarus snapped grumpily, and walked out of the dining room.  "I'll be waiting downtown, by the courthouse. Meet you there." Icarus called to them, and left the house.

Oak and Diamond exchanged worried glances.

Icarus trotted through the city streets, a look of grumpiness plastered on his face. He growled and tousled his mane until it was back to normal and the gel was out.

Main street was as busy as it usually was in the morning. The towering skyscrapers reflected the morning sunlight from their glass windows, and ponies everywhere looked tired and half asleep as they made their ways to work and school. The roads stretched ahead with dozens upon dozens of ponies in wagons and carriages, and not too far in the distance, the Equestria Needle could be seen. Icarus had always wanted to go inside, but never got around to it. And right now, he didn't care.

"Oy, Icky!"

Icarus turned his head unenthusiastically toward the one who called his name. Running up to him was his best friend, Pink Sprinkle (Who just preferred to be called Sprinkle), a tall mare, seventeen, with a soft-pink mane and bright-pink coat, and shiny grey eyes. Instead of her usual white headband, she had a black one rested atop her head, holding her mane in place. She was one of the most gorgeous mares Icarus had ever laid eyes on, but he only liked her as a friend. This time, however, she looked worried and upset.

"Icky, why are you not wearing a suit?" Sprinkle asked in her usual high voice, prodding him with a hood. She stood at least half a foot taller than him.

"Suit?" Icarus said, raising an eyebrow. He only just noticed that Sprinkle was wearing a black satin dress. "I was supposed to wear a suit?"

"Well, no," squeaked Sprinkle, shifting uncomfortably. "But it would look much better to the judge."

Sprinkle, too, had been involved in the street brawl, and had hit a student from the other school over the head with a rock. They had gotten a concussion.

Icarus shrugged. "If the judge doesn't like it, he can stuff it. Not like I'm walking in there with a big sign that says 'BUCK YOU!' glued to my face."

Sprinkle, out of character from her usual hyperactive and happy nature, and joyful expression, was calm, serious, and looked very worried. "I-I guess..."

"Where's your dad?" Icarus asked, not making eye contact.

"He's inside. He's been pissed at me for the past two weeks." Sprinkle answered, staring at the giant wooden doors of the courthouse.

It was huge. Made of grey marble, it shone against the morning sunlight. The four pillars, two on either side of the doors, all four about five meters from the wall, all running horizontally. On top sat a giant bronze statue of Princesses Celestia and Luna. It looked aged, obviously made many years ago. Multiple ponies in business suits went in and out, the giant doors swinging open and closed every time.

"Lovely. Lemme guess, warning you to stay away from me again?" Icarus said bitterly, scoffing.

Sprinkle blushed, and nodded. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Icarus said softly.

"You're gonna get it the worst, Icarus," drawled a cold voice from behind the two ponies.

Icarus and Sprinkle both spun around simultaneously to be met with the bony and mean face of Cloud. A student from the rival school who has had run ins with Icarus in the past. He had a pure white coat and blonde hair which was well groomed and combed into a fancy curve over his forehead. He had a pointed snout, something that was a good insult point for Icarus. Being the son of one of the richest families in Equestria, his black suit didn't even make a dent in his fortune.

Icarus scoffed. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Ah, well, 'twould make my day, to be honest with you." Cloud chuckled rudely. His accent made it obvious he was from Coltford. Icarus shrugged.

"Not like you're entirely innocent, either, though," he said casually. "If my memory serves me, you tried to ram me through a window, did you not?"

The blush was very visible through Cloud's white coat, and he said nothing.

"Are you done trying to piss me off? Can we go now?" Icarus asked impatiently. Cloud smirked.

"As you wish. I just hope mommy and daddy could afford a good lawyer for you. Celestia knows you'll need it," he laughed.

"Don't talk about my parents." Icarus said shortly, turning around and walking away. Sprinkle cast a glare at Cloud.

"Now now, Icky-poo, there's no need to be ashamed," laughed Cloud harshly. "I know they're terrible parents for raising a buffoon such as yourself, but I'm sure somewhere, deep down, rests their common sense."

Icarus spun around, glaring. "Shut your mouth," he snapped gravelly. A few students from both schools stopped to watch, casting nervous glances at Icarus.

"Going to resort to violence again, are you? Typical." Cloud giggled meanly. "Did mommy and daddy teach you to deal with you problems this way?"

Sprinkle put a hoof on Icarus' shoulder. "Ignore him..."

"I'm warning you, Cloud..." Icarus muttered venomously, tensing up significantly. Cloud wasn't intimidated. Instead, him and the students from his school were taking great amusement from this.

"Oh well. SOME ponies don't know how to raise a child. Some are just much less intelligent, I suppose. I think it's best that your late brother is gone, now that I think about ti.. Spare him a life of stupidity. Though, he was stupid enough to get himself killed the way he did."

Cloud had done it. Both groups of students gasped. He had gone WAY too far.

Icarus let out a terrifying growl of anger, and lurched forward at an ungodly speed, straight to Cloud's face. An inch before impact, a bright red magical aura stopped him mid air and pulled him back. Sprinkle had restrained him. He was still trying to fight the aura and have at Cloud, who looked disturbed and stepped back. The students from the other school formed a horizontal line in front of Icarus and Sprinkle as an attempt to defend Cloud.

Cloud chuckled at the wrong time. His father approached from behind and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Enough," he growled grumpily, and took his son by the side. "Come on."

Once Cloud and the other students were gone, Sprinkle released Icarus, who was glaring in the direction they went.

"Good thing you stopped me, Sprinkle, because I think I would've killed him this time," he murmured darkly.

"Icarus!" Oak, from a distance, called over to his son. Diamond was beside him. They too, were dressed up.

Icarus took a glance back and sighed. "Come on, let's go," he muttered to Sprinkle, who frowned. They made their ways into the courthouse for the hearing.

The cold mornings of Domus were usually and unpleasant. Especially if one didn't wear the proper clothing to keep themselves warm. It didn't help, either, that Domus was cold year round, with it being the coldest at night and in the morning. Few were accustomed to it; everypony would try to avoid being outside as much as possible during those times.

On top of a tall chapel turret, a tall, slender mare stood, looking down on the city below, her jet black mane moving in the gentle breeze of the early morning. She focused on the ponies passing by below, zeroing in on their faces, making sure she wouldn't target the wrong one. She had been standing up on the turret for hours, waiting for the one she was supposed to meet, but with no luck. She was getting impatient. She tapped her hooves, hummed, whistled, anything to relieve her boredom, but to no avail. Getting impatient was not a good thing for her. It eventually transitioned into anger.

Down below, Ares was walking down the street, casting nervous glances at everypony whom he passed, and vice-versa. Callias was trotting alongside him, looking clean, unlike the day prior, and stuck close to Ares' side.

The mare up top smirked and stepped forward. She had spotted her target. She jumped down onto the side roof of the chapel with a soft 'Thunk', completely out of sight, and punted a small shard of debris over the edge.

It sailed past Ares' face, who shrieked and jumped back, almost knocking Callias over, and drawing some curious and suspicious eyes. Ares felt his face grow hot and chuckled nervously. He peered toward the source and saw a head poking out from the lowest roof of the chapel. He felt the muscles in his jaw tighten.

"Cally, wait here, I will only be a few moments," he said distractedly, his eyes glue upwards. Callias looked the same way, puzzled.

"Why? What are you--"

"I'll be right back, I promise." Ares said quickly, backing away and running into the alley beside the chapel.

After sure he was out of site, he jumped up onto the roof, to be met with a white mare with a jet black mane, both of which had a shine. Her eyes were as hazy grey as a cloudy sky, and had a coldness to them. She was tall, at least a foot taller than Ares, but looked dangerously beautiful. Ares sighed and frowned.

"Hello, Fenix," he said flatly. Fenix gave a throat laugh.

"Not happy to see me?" she asked sedately, turning around and walking toward the wall that attached the lower roof to the higher one.

"If 'Not happy' means dreading, then yes." Ares said, rolling his eyes and following her.

Fenix hummed and leaned against the wall. Ares watched her suspiciously.

"So... What do you want?" he asked ardently.

"Father told me about something you'll be doing in the next few days." Fenix said casually, outstretching her right foreleg and looking at her hoof.

Ares frowned. "What did he tell you?"

"Oh," hummed Fenix, clopping her hooves together. "Nothing much. Just about a bit of traveling you'll be doing."

"Traveling? To where?" Ares inquired irritably, taking a step forward. His wings unfurled slightly.

"Father asked me not to tell." Fenix said coolly. "I wouldn't want to betray his trust, would I?"

Ares scoffed. "The sly Fenix Artemis is afraid of someone for once, huh?"

Fenix's smirk disappeared. She pushed off of the wall and back onto her hooves.

"Not fear," she grunted coldly. "It's respect. Our father is a powerful sorcerer."

Ares chuckled coldly. "'Powerful,'" he said, curling his hooves as emphasis. "All he is right now is a helpless little bony excuse for a pony. Nothing more."

Fenix stepped forward so that her face was only a head away from her brother's. "And all you are are a helpless little coward excuse for a pony who can't even defend the one he loves."

Ares scowled. "I defen--"

"Not in FRONT of father, as far as I was told." Fenix interrupted quickly, staring coldly, before turning around.

Ares felt a pulse of anger in his chest, and opened his mouth to speak before Fenix cut him off.

"Just so you know, there is another artifact the the neighboring city, a few miles north," she said , stepping close to the ledge. She peered down at an auburn mare. Callias. "Pretty girl you have there," she said loud enough for Ares to hear. She turned to look at him. "Would be a shame if anything happened to her."

Ares tensed up and growled lowly. He glared, his icy-blue eyes radiating bitterness.

"You touch her, Fenix, and I swear I'll--"

"You'll what?" Fenix giggled harshly. "What makes you think you stand any kind of chance against me?"

Ares stepped forward. "Hurt her, and you'll find out," he growled menacingly, inciting another laugh from his sister.

"Whatever you say, brother," she said jumping off the chapel and onto another building. "Father is expecting two artifacts," she called once more, and disappeared from sight, leaving Ares upset and scared for Callias.

"Bitch..." he muttered.

He jumped down back into the alley and walked out, cursing his sister under his breath. He still wore the scowl. Callias immediately trotted toward him.

"What's the matter?" she asked concernedly. Ares looked her in her hazel eyes wistfully and shook his head.

"N-Nothing... Just...stubbed my hoof, is all," he chuckled nervously. "Come on, let's get going."

Callias cast him a worried look, and followed along.

By Kerry Leventis, AKA Minimoog Voyager