Sentencing
Admittedly the moment had caused me to maybe act out a bit rash. I mean I hadn't seen a future where the Princess was getting stabbed by me or anything when I had tried to remove her head from her body so for me to even bother getting out of bed was a little pointless to begin with.
Being able to see my own future would have been nice though, it would mean that I wouldn't be strapped down to this hospital bed and that I wouldn't have this numb pain down my torso, well I suppose it could be worse.
Somepony, either the Princess or one of her top magic wielders had healed my ribs, at least to the point they were not broken, they still felt stiff and painful but then that's the nature of the beast I supposed, oh the glories of magical medicine of this age "If only they had them 300 years ago…" well actually they had but Eugenic didn't really believe in pain relief as a medication… then again 300 years ago I was not a patient, just an experiment and oh there's me going on about myself again.
I sighed as I stared up at the ceiling, a much lower one than the ward I had been in. I was likely transferred to an isolated disease ward as it was a very small, bubble wrapped room with an observation window where I was likely being monitored by at least two guards and maybe the Princess, I couldn't tell as it was blackened out on this side.
I lay for about an hour, listening to the hum of all the machines I was hooked up to and sighed, a little bored admittedly and waiting for somepony to pop out sometime. I decided that with nothing better to do I would try to clear my mind and see if any lucky fortune telling came my way, something to give me an insight into what was about to happen, though usually it required proximity or at least for me to eyeball the object I once saw (although many years ago) the future of some kind of foreign Prince in a far away land as he got ready for bed and tripped over his satin sheets, knocking himself out on the end table was given to me.
Quite a bizarre future but I didn't pretend to know the science, heck I don't think Eugenic really knew what he was doing either, just taking wild stabs in the dark and if it failed there were always more test subjects.
It wouldn't surprise me if Celestia hadn't got more ponies like me hooked up in some tiny room, staring out a window, predicting futures and catastrophes or whatever. I mean I had predicted at points global crises just not very clearly, I could always tell however when something was coming for Canterlot, be it a shadow army or a stray dragon it usually made some clue to me.
Only with bad stuff though and I never knew how far in the future it was, I remembered when the worm went in, I felt it all, I can't remember it now, the information would likely be too much to process but I remember predicting the futures of everypony, every thing and every object ever for a split second and it was to say a feeling that would sit atop that of a God.
Of course that changed as the worm settled and my future forecasts dimmed slightly, maybe all the head trauma helping as well. I figured emotions had much to do with it as naturally ponies are good a remembering the bad and forgetting the good, with predictions it was similar and bad predictions were easier to read than good predictions in all cases.
I rarely predicted ponies getting married or ponies winning the lottery when they passed me by in the park but when a pony passed who was about to lose his job I would see him getting fired and shunned by his co-workers, when another was about to propose I would see him get turned down by the mare who was actually operating on double standards at the time with his best friend.
Quite depressing stuff but that's why I preferred the park, it was a much nicer place to spend time than in an alley where the negativity of the city could at times make me want to give up on it all there and then. Though I stuck to the park there aren't any liquor stores there so expeditions are sometimes needed.
I guess that's something else to think about, drinking helped like it or not. Drinking helps me forget it all, helps me to numb my predictions and focus on the important things in life… of which I had none really but hey the feeling of euphoria was basically a drug and it was my chosen drug.
I looked up as I heard some clatter in the distance and after closing my eyes I saw what was a member of what must have been the medical staff fumbling over some dropped utensils that he'd been pushing on the tray, he was about to cut himself on a sharp syringe I could clearly see.
I coughed and was back in the room just in time to hear a yelp of pain followed by a small silence. That was a small one, but then time never really functioned the same when I was predicting the future.
I would close my eyes unwillingly sometimes and see the future but when I opened them it was pretty much as if I had blinked, as had been the case with the kid I'd stupidly saved on the bridge… I didn't know how long it had been though they'd likely had me under magical suspended animation for a few days as they studied me.
Which brought me to my latest and most troublesome thoughts which were to put it straight "Why am I not being operated on or poked and prodded right now? Or is this more sick joke that we can all laugh over after?"
I was unsure of a lot of things now, a lot had changed in the span of time that it had taken me to rant to Celestia and attempt to kill her. Her reactions puzzled me though I could not confirm if they were genuine or the perfection of 1000 years of bluffing, lying, cheating and generally being a ruler.
I knew she had an excellent poker face but she genuinely reminded me of a pony who was confused, shocked and afraid all at once and the fact some other random pony had saved her, a filly for that matter was just a cherry on the cake at this point.
I mean did she actually forget about me and the others? About Project Foretell? Did she have any inkling of what Eugenic and her guards were doing or were Eugenics taunts really lies and she never signed off on such an operation. Then again how come she never checked up on us or anything of the sort?
I sighed for the 50th time and wondered how I'd gotten back into this fucking joke. Stalliongrad was cold, Stalliongrad was hard and best of all it was isolated and nopony walked in it's gloomy streets. Nopony at all so surprisingly a city where life was brutal and cold was a city where I found a lot of peace.
It was a fledgling city when I exiled myself to it all those years ago, I hid there for a long time and drank heavily in those years to dull my mind but eventually after a century and after I established with myself that I would be around for a little while yet I opted to return to Canterlot, albeit as an old hobo with bad breath and lack of hygiene, unlike the young go-getter I had been when I was a citizen of it.
I had stuff to take care of as well when I returned, I had my family who had all died of natural causes, all my cousins, my older sisters, my younger brother and my parents were all buried and still are to this day in the catacombs below the city, I regretted never contacting them but after the torment I had received I was afraid Eugenic would find me and "Come back to finish me" as he had last told me.
I had family still, nieces and nephews and grand nieces and whatever but they were not really family at least not in the sense I had known. I would cry but I had shed my tears and mourned them long ago, they're just more baggage to carry now as their memories fade into Twilight.
The first 10 years or so I had been high strung after returning to the city but I eventually relaxed, let my guard down for a century or so and now I was paying the price for it, strapped to a hospital bed and awaiting either some torture or a stern talk from somepony important, I didn't know what I feared most but I hoped that either would be over quickly.
I coughed a little and decided that I was done with all of this silent treatment, heck the most entertaining thing that I'd seen was some intern prick his hoof and I didn't think that anything else was about to happen so I demanded "Hey come on can we get this over with? Really I'd rather watch paint dry."
Silence permeated the air for a long time but I knew I had been heard at least by somepony important, likely a lieutenant of something who would report either to his Captain or the Princess directly and either one of them would now come through the door to the right that I could not perceive thanks to the large strap holding my head in place and tell me how everything was going to work.
Any minute now that was… any minute in the next 5 minutes they would enter through that door and they would begin talking with me…
I counted to about 4329 seconds before anything actually happened and it wasn't what I expected, it wasn't the Princess that came through those doors, it wasn't the Captain of the Royal Guard, it wasn't some Doctor who had come to check up on me but an older filly just in her teens most likely with fur of lavender and and hair of many interesting hues and colours.
I blinked and as I closed my eyes I began to see something interesting, it was vague and patchy but I could tell that this was not going to be a bad future.
I saw towers, not just Canterlots rising from the ground, I saw the sun and the moon spinning from side to side as if they couldn't decide if they should shine or set in the day and night and I saw this filly, her eyes gleaming and other ponies around her, encased in an aura of magic more powerful than anything I'd ever seen in all my predictions, I saw mountains and forests and oceans and Empires and all centred around her.
The vision ended and I shook my head in a daze as I looked up at the filly, realising that it was the very same filly whose magic had grasped me and sent me spiralling across the ward. "By the divines" I murmured, temporarily forgetting everything about myself and my predicament and simply staring in what might have been awe at this one.
She took a seat just after the foot of my bed, staring at me quizzically and with some fear it seemed, well only natural I guess she was in a room with a psycho she had foiled from killing her beloved ruler.
There was that small silence for a few moments, the only noise to be heard being that of an extractor fan and the medical machines but after a while she decided to break it by introducing herself. "Hello there sir, my name is Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé to Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. I believe your name is Renovare Faithe?"
She was polite and very timid but I judged that was her natural character and after taking a second to clear my throat I decided to give her the same courtesy, even if she was under the tutelage of the witch Celestia I could tell her future was going to be epic. "Indeed that is my name young one, may I myself ask why it is that you come before me?"
It was a legitimate question, she was young and confronting me was surely not a solution that was primarily chosen but then again she impressed me when she replied "I was the one who hurt you after I saved Princess Celeste, I argued that I should have a chance to speak to you before Celestia so that I can understand why you would want… why you would w-want to kill her."
I licked my lips as this innocent filly stared at me and I stared back and suddenly I shut my eyes and felt it, it came with such terrible force that it was hard to comprehend at first. I saw power, like before but raw and brutal. It came down like a fiery mist and tore at Equestria's soil, it poisoned that land and salted it's crops. I saw lines of ponies clad in metal, slaves forced to submission before a dark figure, a figure of dark lavender with eyes of glowing green and a height that towered over Celestia and a smile sicker than anything Eugenic could ever pull off and then screaming, such terrible sounds of pain and torture and the…
I threw up, the bile spewing down my hospital gown and covering me as tears rose to my eyes and I began to hyperventilate, staring at Twilight with fear as she similarly stared back at me in the same fashion, confusedly looking to me and the observation window, trying not to cringe as two guards entered into the room and tried to take her out.
"No! I'm alright" she protested and readjusted her position, I myself was feeling a bit woozy but somehow I don't think they care much for how I felt. "I'm s-s-sorry" I apologised to her as I tried to get my mind back in order. "It's just I saw something… something that was very terrible and dark and that had you in it."
Twilight and the guards paused and after a moment of stares between one another that spoke more than words they contented themselves and Twilight by standing behind her and eyeing me stoically as if their eyes were about to pop out of their skulls and beat me to death.
Twilight composed herself and ignoring her old question she asked "What do you mean you saw something Mr Renovare?"
I shifted a little uncomfortably as she gazed at me with those innocent eyes. I never liked telling other ponies futures, I had never let many ponies know my secret for security reasons since Celestia might be out to get me but on the few times I had ponies usually reacted badly to them so I explained "As you may know from your tutor young Twilight I can see certain things, futures if you will, usually negative but occasionally positive and the more grand the more vivid I see them.
I have just peered into what I believe to be your Future… well I peered into two futures and may I say it looks like no matter what happens you are going to be in for the ride of your tiny life."
I could tell Twilight was interested and wanted to ask questions, but then who wouldn't be when you had a pony who could tell the future in front of you. I could see she wasn't a bad pony and at this point I was willing to bet Celestia wasn't bad either and had nothing to do with Eugenics experiments but still… she was responsible in my mind for having a stallion such as him on her board and I wanted explanations… If I wasn't locked away for the rest of my life for trying to stab her with a medical saw.
Twilight I could tell was about to ask about her future but after a moment to again compose herself she kept all her bubbly energy down and instead asked "The Princess has told me some things about you, that you believe you were mistreated or hurt by one of her former Physicians from a long time ago, longer than anypony can possibly live… is it true that you can indeed tell the Future? I mean we have indeed found that there is a parasitic worm in your brain but… well it's a little bit hard to believe is all I'm saying."
She was skeptical, it was natural but I wasn't really sure how else I could really explain it so after some thought I sighed and said "Believe me I would like to say I couldn't see the future but that would be a lie. I would like to say nopony can live that long but that would also be a lie. I would like to say that I didn't try to kill Princess Celestia but once more that would be quite a huge lie little Twilight. Believe me I don't want any trouble, I don't want anything really I'm just really tired and to put it plain I guess I got some things wrong, made mistakes but then again they were justifiable at the time.
I've lived for many years ignoring my feelings and forgetting the past but when Celestia visited me, a supposed hero I let it all spill out because I believed I was about to die, or at least experience something worse than death itself and my attempt on her life was simply a last ditch attempt of a pony who had nothing left to lose at that point.'
Twilight listened intently as I explained this and I had no doubt that parts of her mind were trying to see what I was saying and that they were failing to comprehend it. "You seem like you're telling the truth but then I don't know who you really are and this could all be some kind of elaborate lie that you've fabricated to get close to the Princess and now that you've failed you could be trying to take another shot at your evil mission."
She was smart I'd give her that much and I smiled, it feeling weird without my beard and asked "What would you like from me to prove myself Twilight?" quite a direct demand to ask upon a filly who was playing in the big leagues, Celestia must have some faith in her though so I wasn't going to go easy on her.
She sat back and thought for a while with a hoof to her chin as she contemplated what could help me to tell the truth. "There are a few truth serums and spells out there but with careful practice they can be cheated and overcome… I could always ask you to tell the future or something that would be otherwise impossible" she said but I shook my head.
"Telling the future isn't like simple magic, I can't just turn it on and off Twilight it requires conditions to be met, namely I need proximity to a pony to tell their future and I can only tell it if it's particularly bad or particularly good. I'm sure the Princess told you about how I saved a little colt the other day?
Well I saw him die Twilight, saw as he fell into that stream and watched as his little lungs filled with water. Now I thought that was his future but I saw another future where somepony saved him and so I decided to save him and now I'm here so you can see that this whimsical power is not in aid of me it is a curse and it was one given to me by one of Celestia's top brass and as I told Celestia the things he did were worse than death Twilight, worse than death."
Twilight had wide eyes and looked a little out of her depth as she stuttered and tried to think of something to say to me. At that exact moment however the door to the right opened again and that same warm, motherly voice called out and ordered "Twilight I would like to speak to him now, you've done very well but I'm afraid I must have words now."
Twilight seemed tempted to say no but she closed her eyes and seemed to nod, getting up off her haunches and trotting slowly away, giving me one last look before she disappeared. There was a moments pause before Celestia walked in, her form towering over the guards who saluted immediately and seemed to stand taller than they had in the presence of Twilight.
The Princess didn't sit, she stood before the foot of my bed and seemed to examine me as she had before in the ward. I in turn examined her, her soft and flowing hair as she always had, her bright white coat, her golden eyes that spoke ages of wisdom and her cutie mark bearing the sun upon it.
After a while of us simply staring each other over she began to speak, asking "Do you want that vomit removed?" a question I had not personally anticipated and seemed almost comical. "No, I'm all good thanks your majesty" I retorted though it was actually very uncomfortable as it had soaked through the hospital gown and into my fur and was beginning to itch.
The silence carried over for a moment longer before I finally found the will to speak up. "I apologise Princess for trying to murder you, it was likely based on false information and I promise I won't do it again."
It was a weak apology that could come from the mouth of a pony in kindergarten but I didn't care, I wasn't 100% feeling this apology and I could tell that the Princess saw this. "Still it was nice of you to send a filly in to scout for you first, very brave" I murmured with sarcasm, unable to help myself.
"This situation is very bizarre I'm sure you'll understand, we have done many tests and found that your blood has a strikingly close resemblance to mine something that is near impossible, we've also found that worm you were… talking about is in your brain, hooked into every possible part of you and personally between you and me I do remember hosting a small dinner with my Lead Researcher and 15 other test subjects over Project Foretell, an ultimately failed project which I was told saw no fruition over 300 years ago" she said all the whilst her eyes looked directly into mine.
I shuffled a little in my restraints and sighed as I closed my eyes and began to see a future. I saw the Princess standing over a grave of somepony, weeping as it began to rain, there were beautiful white lilies everywhere and thunder sounded off in the distance.
It changed and suddenly there she was again ruling in her court, ponies all around her but suddenly as if by magic they all fell where they stood, collapsing as something terrible happened to them, something ungodly. Finally to end my sight on a plus not I saw great armies of darkness surrounding the Princess and consuming her and with that I opened my eyes and tried not to throw up.
It was obvious that the Princess had detected something was up in that short span of time that I had, had my eyes shut for but she refrained from asking what it was and relented herself to wait for me to talk to her.
"Yes to answer your question I saw a vision of you and yes it seemed fairly morbid. If you don't mind Princess I would feel a little better if we could possibly talk more in private…" I motioned with a crane of my head to the guards and added "Also the observation window counts."
The Princess paused a moment as she considered this and then after peering behind her at her guards which seemed steadfast about not leaving with a wave she had them sent off, leaving the room with heavy frowns directed towards me.
After the door closed the Princesses horn lit up with a golden hue and after a brief moment she confirmed "The room is now silenced, nopony in the observation room can hear us or see us, what was it you wanted to discuss Mr Renovare."
I sighed and wondered if what I was about to say was too direct, but I went ahead with it anyway and asked "Did you know of the horrors and atrocities that went on in Project Foretell? Did you know Eugenic was a murderous stallion who would stop at nothing to achieve results and did you know that a large portion of your guard were implemented in these atrocities?"
Celestia wasn't taken aback by my directness as she had in the ward and actually after some silence she answered in a rather controlled way "I have never had any knowledge of any wrong doing during project Fortell, I signed off on all the experiments and drugs that were being issued to the subjects and issued them all safe and friendly.
Dr Eugenic was a well respected stallion from the University of Canterlot who made several breakthroughs in his life and has been honoured to have several Hospitals and wings named after him. Finally my guards would never take part in the active supposed beating, torture, rape and murder of innocent ponies and I find that although your story might be in part true that, that part is highly false I can safely say.
I raised an eyebrow in complete disbelief as she said this and began to get angry, I had pretty much accepted her ignorance to Project Foretells events but for her to deny that her guards had anything to do with it and to pretty much say that Eugenic couldn't possibly have had anything to do with it was too much.
"They were your guards, it was your Doctor! He might have been able to cover all this up since everypony supposedly died I bet he just issued that all his research was a load of codswallop and you accepted it, to be fair I thought for years that you were after me and that I would be brought back but I see after all this time that maybe you do have a heart but how could you never investigate this? How did history ever sweep this under the rug? How could you allow this to happen to us? Your people!?"
Tears came to my eyes again and I sniffed, not wanting to show weakness, a feeling of injustice having been served. My friends forgotten, Eugenic a hero with honours and everypony implemented in this case had died so long ago and now I remained, a broken vessel who might still be swept under the rug yet.
Celestia looked truly stuck, she was obviously thinking deeply on a lot of things but she seemed still unconvinced about my entire story. "I believe you" she eventually said, something that made my eyes widen until she followed through with "I believe that you have a point to all this but I cannot confirm without evidence."
I was about to angrily protest again but before I could Celestia raised a hoof to silence me and said "You are a mystery that needs to be solved, you shouldn't exist and yet you do and if your words have merit then… I and Dr Eugenic and whoever else implemented in your story all deserve punishment for what was done but I cannot simply believe you.
I… I would offer you two choices… the first is that I shall release you and that you would be let free to go back to your days on the street and no authority of mine shall pursue you, no record of this shall be recorded and history shall forget you again."
She paused for breath as I listened intently, to go back to my old life would be nice, at least it would be quieter I'd only been awake a few hours and already I'd predicted like four futures, most of them horrible and to get over this and forget again would only take a few weeks of non stop liquor.
"However if you would accept it I would have you investigate Project Foretell, I would release a special declaration giving you access to everything, the archives, the military and warrants too all Equestrian Institutes and premises. If you can bring some proof of what you say happened back to me then I will launch a full scale investigation and if proved guilty I would see Eugenic's name scrubbed from history and would honour all those ponies including you who were subjected to such evil."
I blinked as her words hit me like a steam train and I tried to comprehend the resources that would mean. "Unrestricted access" I thought to myself. I could avenge them, grant them justice, even if Eugenic had lived a good life I could kill his name and shame all those who hurt us, turn them into the monsters they were and let the world know of them.
But then… did it matter? Eugenic was a smart pony and if he'd pulled the wool over Celestia's eyes then how did I know there would be anything left? It was all ancient history really and history was written by the victors of whom were Eugenic and those stallions.
"I… I would" I tried to say something but I was really having trouble in finding words to put into a sentence. I had spent years hiding in the dark from Celestia who I'd thought nothing more of than an evil tyrant who shone herself as a kind and decent ruler but then I'd spent years from hiding from the reality that I had done nothing to bring Eugenic down all because I was scared… well today that would end.
"Buck it, I'll do it Princess, give me all the access I can get and I'll show you and all of Equestria. I'll prove that Eugenic was a foul pony and when it happened I want everything you promised and a public apology from the crown!"
I was hyped up for the first time in years, the feeling of anger and vengeance burning away the feelings of hopelessness and despair that had lingered in my soul for years. I would have my revenge on the real instigator and I would have my friends remembered with honours.
Celestia's magic once more lit up as the room emanated with it as she cancelled the spell and suddenly my straps flew off me, releasing me from the bed. I got up and flapped my wings which I and been lying on a little uncomfortably and stretched painfully.
I turned to Celestia with my hoof held out. "Deal" was all I said and all I received from Celestia in return was the exact same… "Deal" she echoed and clasped my hoof tightly as we met each others eyes.
I still didn't trust her, how could I after all these years? Still I trusted she wasn't going to kill me or torture me and if she granted me this access then even if I was silenced by the end of this I would have tried to avenge my friends and myself.
"So it begins…" I cracked a smile, my young face probably showing the insanity that was in my eyes.
*Writers Note*
Please review and make seen any large errors, mistakes and continuation problems and maybe I'll fix them... maybe I won't who knows.
