Eagle Eye’s hoofsteps made quiet clatters as he trotted into the dark interior of what remained of Props’ uncle’s shop. Beams of morning light streamed through the multiple rifts overhead, raining across the brittle floor like platinum strings. In the corner, rummaging lethargically through a collapsed locker, stood Ebon Mane. His burgundy coat made him blend with the overall dimness of the shattered place.
Eagle Eye shuffled to a stop, his sword and shield rattling slightly. He gulped and murmured, “Ebon…”
“Props used to let me use this locker to keep stuff in,” Ebon said. “Whenever I visited to cook her and her uncle food, she practically shared this place with me like I lived here. It meant a lot to me. She’s always been so very kind. Almost too kind.” He sighed as he glanced across the decrepit wall and its burn marks before him. “I hate to leave her like this, with so much loss. She didn’t deserve it. Neither did her uncle.”
“We’ll find out how this happened, Ebon,” Eagle Eye said. “Rainbow Dash doesn’t quit for anything.” He smiled. “Nor do her friends.”
“Oh, I know that. And I hope they find some answers from the ponies on the street.” Ebon gulped as he turned about with a fragile smile. “But, it doesn’t change how terrible this is.”
“You really care a lot about Props, don’t you?”
“I care about all of you--” Ebon’s face grimaced at the end of that. He tried smiling, but it only came as an even greater wince. “I’m… going to really miss having you guys around. Even when some of you are super annoying.”
“Hey, if I got used to Josho, anypony could.”
“How did you know I was talking about the old stallion?” Ebon smirked. “Are you a mind reader, EE?”
“No…” Eagle Eye shook his head. “I’m not. As a matter of fact…” He lingered. He turned and gazed out the smashed front of the creaking structure, as if searching for a living piece of the blue sky. At last, he groaned and muttered, “Ebon…?”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
Eagle Eye gazed calmly at him. “Is there something that you’re not telling us?”
Ebon simply blinked. “I… I don’t get it.”
“Is there something you have to share?” Eagle Eye asked, taking a pensive step forward. “Something that’s weight on your mind? Or your heart? Or… heh… any of the squishy stuff in between?”
“Wh-what?” Ebon chuckled breathily. “Are you serious?”
Eagle Eye bit his lip.
Ebon gestured towards the bent walls of the place. “Props’ home is blown to crap, her uncle is missing, and you’re worried about me?”
“I’m not so much worried about you as I am about Rainbow Dash.”
“What does Rainbow Dash have to do with this?”
“She… that is… uhm…”
Ebon smirked. “Now who’s got something to get off his mind?”
Eagle Eye fiddled with his purple locks as he cleared his throat and murmured, “Rainbow Dash asked m-me to keep an eye on you.”
“Why? She was afraid I might slip and fall off one of Gray Smoke’s platforms? I’ve got soot on me, EE. I know my way around here, even if I don’t have wings.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then what is it?”
“She… she said that she knew that you were hiding something.”
“Hiding something?”
Eagle Eye gulped. “That’s right.”
“What on earth gave her that idea?”
“Not what,” Eagle Eye muttered. “Who.” Slowly, his head raised to meet his gaze. “Her immortal ruler, Princess Luna, told her that she sensed you were withholding something from the group.”
Ebon Mane’s smirk left him.
Eagle shifted uncomfortably, not sure what would happen next.
Slowly, Ebon pivoted towards the corner.
The place silent, save for the groaning of collapsed metal beams and the distant engines of zeppelins.
At last, Ebon murmured, “Did the Princess tell you yourself or something?”
Eagle Eye shook his head. “No. Rainbow Dash told me.”
“Rainbow Dash told you to tell me?”
“No. I… er… she just told me.”
“But she couldn’t come to me and ask me?”
“Well, it’s just that--”
“She doesn’t trust me.”
Eagle Eye’s face jerked. “I didn’t say that!”
“But it’s true,” Ebon droned. “And, quite frankly, I don’t blame her.”
Eagle Eye was silent.
“She’s gone through so much length to take care of her friends. She wants what’s best for them. If there was something that she didn’t understand--she’d have every right to be cautious about it, especially if it dealt with her friends. I guess Princess Luna shares in that caution.”
“Is… there something for her to be cautious about?” Eagle Eye asked.
“I… d-don’t know…” Ebon’s voice wavered. “I wish I could say I did, but I don’t know.”
“Then tell me all you do know, and then maybe we can figure it out together!” the ex-mercenary insisted.
Ebon’s shoulders shook, then went still.
Eagle Eye leaned forward. “Ebon…?”
With a sigh, the stallion turned around and gazed lonesomely at the unicorn. A tear rolled down his cheek. “I… don’t have a home, EE.”
Eagle simply stared at him.
Ebon sniffled and shrugged. “I… never really have, to tell the truth. I’ve hopped from kitchen to kitchen here in Gray Smoke, surviving off of one job or another. Cooking appears to be my specialty. I don’t know why.”
“It’s not your special talent?”
The stallion pointed at the sailboat on his flank. “Do I look like I know what my talent is?!” he briefly snapped, but then shuddered with another tear rolling down his cheek. “Truth is, I’m lost. I’m a bum, through and through. I’ve wondered the streets of this city with no hope for so long. It was Props who gave me the light of day. If I hadn’t met her…” He quivered, gnashing his teeth for a few seconds. At last, his voice squeaked, “I don’t know where I would be. Really, I don’t.”
Eagle swallowed a lump down his throat and quietly asked, “Does she… does she know?”
“She knows as much as I tell her.” Ebon sniffed, then suffered through a brief chuckle as he dried his cheeks with a forelimb. “The mare kind of has tunnel vision, you know. I could easily hang out with her without having to expose too much about myself.”
“And what would you be exposing, exactly?”
Ebon’s lips quivered. He gave Eagle a helpless look. “That… I-I don’t know what’s there to share? I… I don’t… have memories, Eagle Eye.”
“Memories?” Eagle leaned his head aside. “Memories of what?”
Ebon fought back a sob. “Everything.” He avoided Eagle’s gaze. “My family. My home. Where I was born.”
“You… seriously don’t remember any of that about yourself?” Ebon asked.
“You h-have to understand…” Ebon sighed as he held a forelimb over his moist face. “I’ve… never told anypony this… th-this much. I never wanted to come across as helpless. But you guys have been so… so warm and welcoming and inviting and… I-I felt like I fitted in, y’know? I felt like I paid my dues. Because, seriously, as bad as it was that Jasper and Props got kidnapped by Nightshade’s cronies, being imprisoned in Blue Nova was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Eagle Eye raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah. I had a place to sleep, ponies to feed, and friends to talk to on a regular basis. What’s more, everypony was too busy worrying about the situation to bother asking about me or where I came from…”
“Props trusts you,” Eagle Eye said. “Tunnel vision or not, I don’t think she would place her faith in you unless she felt it was deserved.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” Ebon murmured as he looked up at him. “Deserve it. Only, I didn’t want to come across like I was trying too hard. I just…” He fought back another sob. “You guys have some really, really serious stuff to get done in this world. I would only be a burden if I… if I…”
“What, tagged along?”
Ebon Mane clamped his mouth shut.
Eagle Eye smiled. “Ebon, you wouldn’t be a burden! Are you kidding? You think any of us can cook nearly as awesomely as you? There are times when everypony on board the Jury is either bored out of their skulls or wants to murder the others. You and your culinary voodoo is what keeps the whole darn ship afloat!”
“But think about it!” Ebon frowned. “Would you really want my hooves digging around in the kitchen, preparing your food?”
“Why not?”
“I’m a pony who doesn’t remember his past!” Ebon stamped his hoof for emphasis. “Doesn’t that freak you out in the least?”
Eagle Eye blinked. “Floydien’s a space elk with a telekinetic squirrel. Josho’s hunted down Xonans and Franzington rogues in cold blood. Roarke’s a flipping bounty hunter. Rainbow Dash has to carry a necklace around her head that keeps her from going into a terminal chaos state. You really think you’re that much scarier than the rest of them?”
Ebon merely hung his head.
Eagle Eye fidgeted before taking a pensive step forward. “You… uh… really don’t remember anything?”
“No,” Ebon said bitterly. “I don’t.”
Eagle winced slightly at that.
But then Ebon spoke, “No.” He sighed. “That’s a lie. I remember one thing.”
“Oh?” Eagle Eye looked at him. “What’s that?”
“I…” Ebon’s brow furrowed as he navigated the clouds of confusion. “I remember my mother. At least… I remember her kindness… and her love for me.” He gulped. “I know that she’s still alive somewhere. I don’t know how and I don’t know where, but something happened that separated us. She’s far away, and I’m here. I’m alone. But… but I get this sense that some way, some how, I’m going to return to her…”
Eagle Eye smiled. “I think we’re all looking for our families in some way or another, Ebon.”
Ebon squinted at him. “Even those of us who are flying away from them?”
Eagle twitched slightly. He cleared his throat and glanced down. “Yes, well…”
“I try not to think too hard about it,” Ebon remarked. “Because when I do, I get scared. And I don’t want to share that fear with others. If I share my feelings too much, I’m afraid that--” He froze, his eyes briefly widening in terror.
Eagle Eye saw it. “What? Afraid of what, Ebon?”
Ebon shuddered. “You’re all good ponies. I just don’t want to c-complicate things with you guys, is all.”
“Ebon…”
“I can find a place to live here. I’m sure of it. The rest of you can go searching for Prowse and some home east of here--”
Eagle closed the distance and placed two hooves on the stallion’s shoulders. “You’re coming with us, ya hear? You need a home and we don’t need to starve.”
“But… but…” Ebon sniffled. “Rainbow Dash! She doesn’t trust me…”
“Something tells me that she’s about to,” Eagle Eye said with a friendly wink. “You let me worry about Rainbow Dash and the others. In the meantime, just concern yourself with… well… yourself.”
“H-how do you mean?”
“I think the most important pony whose trust you have to earn is your own.” Eagle’s gaze hardened as he spoke firmly. “You’ve been alone for far too long, punishing yourself for stuff you can’t be blamed for.”
“But… that’s just the thing! What if I did deserve what happened to me?” Ebon’s eyes teared again. “What if this is for something I did and I don’t even know about it?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“But Eagle--”
“You’re a good pony, Ebon,” Eagle Eye said with a bright smile. “That’s what matters. And a good pony is what we need on board the Jury.”
Ebon blinked, then smiled back. The tears had become overwhelming at this point and his legs buckled. Eagle leaned in and gave him a shoulder to lean over. He gently patted his back as the stallion let loose a few shuddering breaths, followed by a quiet murmur.
“Thank you…”
“Hey… Thank yourself…” Eagle Eye chuckled. “Once a Jurist, always a Jurist, right?”
“Heh… sure…”
“We work best when we’re unanimous, y’know.”
“Heheheh… yeah… yeah okay…”
Go go EE!
Well, truth comes out... maybe...
So, now we have Dashie, Belle, Pilate, Roarke, Josho, EE, and Ebon as permanent party. Hmm....
Twenty close-hand pushups, ):(. Knock 'em out!
So, Ebon's homeless? Good thing he ended up on the Jury, then.
Mysterious past, missing mother... Memory-wiped Changeling?
~bass
Get yourself to Mars... (This reminds me a bit of total recall)
Could Ebon be lying? Maybe he's a snake in the grass from those hooded fellows.
Yay!
Now kiss...
Oh you
I knew you could do it, EE! But I still think Ebon is lying. I don't trust that sneaky son of a gun, even if I would really love to try his cooking.
Why would his CM be a sailboat if he lived in the sky?
3244114
Why would his cutie mark be a skyboat if he lived in the sail?
Why would his cutie boat be a sailsky if he lived in the mark?
Why would his boat sky be a sailmark if he lived in the cutie?
Why would his sail boat be a cutiesky if he lived in the mark?
Why would his cutie sail be a sky mark if he lived in the boat?
So, Ebon doesn't remember his mother...
"Ebon Mane, son of Queen Ledo, Prince of the Seas, Conqueror of Hearts"
Anyway, it's nice to see that he finally got that off his chest and harmony can return to the members of the party.
Nah, I trust Ebon now. that's not something any halfway decent soul would lie about. Unless he's so totally corrupted that he doesn't care, But, from what we've seen, that seems highly unlikely. even actors add some of their own personality into the character they're playing, especially if they're playing that character 24/7.
This is Australia...
Well, that went better than expected. I like that even though Ebon's told his secret, there's a secret within that secret. Mysteries for everyone!
And now his cutie mark makes total sense! At least it falls in line with what we know about him.
Hmmm, seems I was only partially right in that his mother is not there, but not necessarily dead, just unknown. I DO wonder though if this is indeed what he's hiding. Guess we'll see. I hope this IS what he's been keeping from the others because I DO like Ebon and would hate to find out there are intentions with him that are not good.
This story has so many unexpected twists and turns, if Pinkie tried licking it, her tongue would come out her ear.
3244168
I've got the feeling that you're trying to make a point, but I can't work out for the life of me what it is.
Also, if you were confused about my cutie mark thing, I meant 'Of course he didn't live there, so obvious!' not 'amagee he's lying about living here' Because he just said he didn't know.
I may be missing a huge chunk of the story that happens to be about sailboats and Manes, but yeah. the only thing I can think of is that his cutie mark is about hi be cast 'adrift' or whatever, but you don't get a cutie mark for being good at losing your memory.
I don't trust Ebon Mane for one minute. He's already shown he has a way with words by being able to cook at Nightshade Industries and get on the guards' good sides, even when they treated Clark and Props with less dignity. Not to mention Eagle Eye is a fragile character and probably very easy to manipulate, especially with emotions. Let's also not forget he's "a Sooter," meaning he knows how to survive this city's streets. I'm now also heavily suspecting he removed Props' uncle's leg from his corpse and hid the body, making up that story to convince the party all is well. I don't know whether or not to believe that life story of his, but he certainly does have a way with words.
If anything, this chapter just makes me think he's even shadier.
I've got this nagging feeling that Ebon is bullshitting EE right now, and he's just a really good actor.
I really want to believe that what he said is the truth, but something's fishy about how simple it was to handle his problems.
I don't know if I should be relieved that Ebon's secret is not something that puts himself or others in danger, or if I should be really worried 'cause he might still be hiding something and that was just to distract EE from what he's really hiding.
I kind of agree that Ebon may not be on the up and up, but I believe his memory is gone. I'm leaning toward a "Manchurian Candidate" scenario; he's a brainwashed plant, waiting for the code word to go postal on Ledo's enemies. Too bad he's got friends now.
Situation resolved in one chapter? I call horse poop! Maybe his memory really is gone, but I'm willing to bet something's important in there.
A protagonist who has no recollection of his past life? See, it's totally D&D. It's the Planescape: Torment campaign.
Now EE, roll a spot check for the hooded dudes that are about to ambush you! OH NO LOOK OUT
3244444 The point I was trying to make? None. Sometimes I do weird things on impulse. Having fun with words is the most usual one.
He obviously did live there for a bit, but he's most likely originally from somewhere else. Anyway, the whole deal smells of a story arc. I hope it will be epic.
I get the feeling we're not hearing the full story here.
Yeah, Ebon's totally a changeling. That is totally going to backfire on the group one day when they get to a part of the world that has changelings in it, or people who know of changelings. Gotta watch out for those 'rabid anti-changeling templar' types as well after all.
I don't think he's a bad guy..I believe him.
Muahaha! Let the shipping commence!
I trust Ebon. There ain't no drama masks on his flank, so clearly his talent isn't in acting, and he'd have to be pretty damn good at it to fake his little sob-fest into Eagle's mane (squee!). Unless the boat means he's a master of disguise. Because he's secretly a boat wearing pony's clothing. Or something.
Not to say his mommy issues won't come up again. That's a given. Oh! What if the boat is actually just a tattoo used to cover up his actual Cutie Mark? Which is...Eh. I'mma stop speculating now, its too late for my brain gears to actually attempt coherent thought.
Until tomorrow!
Okay, that actually explains a lot (I'd never given his cutie mark a second thought, for some reason). I agree with a lot of you guys that something doesn't feel right. But despite that, I can't help but get a good vibe off Ebon. Whatever his secrets are, and whether he's aware of those secrets or not, I honestly think he has a good heart.
And now, we wait for IC to make a liar out of me. Wouldn't be the first time.
I SHIP IT.I LUXURY CRUISE THAT SHIT.
I totally knew he was a bum!
That being said... there's definitely more he's not telling.
Perfect setup. Romantic undertones. Drama and tension... any second now... any second now...
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDQvMDMvMjBfMjBfMjVfOTE1XzI4NzI5NV9fVU5PUFRfX3NhZmUuZ2lmIl1d/287295__safe_animated_scootaloo_apple-bloom_sweetie-belle_cutie-mark-crusaders_reaction-image_hearts-and-hooves-day.gif
*sudden total switch to Ebon and his bitter revelation*
images.wikia.com/victorious/images/a/af/22463_safe_scootaloo_animated_sweetie-belle_hearts-and-hooves-day_oh-come-on.gif
KISS ALREADY, YOU COWARDS!
So she couldn't sense him like the others because there was nothing there to be sensed by her sensing. It does make... sense I guess. Turns out Ebon Mane is actually a former secret agent and assassin, the son of Queen Ledo, the only person in all of Ledomare capable of creating a perfect eggplant soufflé and Jason Bourne. I am calling it.
Well, that was rather unexpected. I'm gonna take his story with a grain of salt, but if he is telling the truth, he really should come clean with the rest of the group.
I dunno, this just seems...too sudden and out of the blue to be resolved like this.
3244026
I like this idea.
Well, if we work best when unanimous, we're pretty unanimous in agreeing there is way more to Ebon than you are telling us.
Which is perfectly fine of course. Makes us all rowdy and tense. Like the Noble Jury itself, really.
And rather like certain members of it, we are definitely still regarding Ebon with suspicion and contempt. Expect us to twist the slightest incriminating twitch into an insane and incredibly insidious idea.
3246351
here's the only bourne pony I could find
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Alright, there are two ways that this can go from here. Either Ebon is lying or he's telling the truth. Now, if his story is believable. It would tie up the loose end with him, at least. However, I think that he's lying. First off, EE is an emotional fruit basket, and as such would be easily emotionally manipulated. Also, it's just that his story is too believable for me to buy it completely. Ebon Mane seems like a nice pony on the outside, but his explanation of amnesia is just too perfect. A pony whose past we know nothing about can't remember it either? Props had a backstory that she could tell us about, at least. It certainly doesn't seem like Ebon Mane is a bad pony, but I do believe that he is still hiding something from us. Whether he is for or against Dash, however, remains to be seen. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3284103 This is why I like your evaluations. You point out things that I wouldn't have thought about.
3284103
i honestly beleve he is telling the truth although i am compleatly gullible and i beleve everything i hear but hear me out.
luna felt like somthing was missing, like a part of his soul wasent there. if he truely dosent remember anything evan how he got his cuttie mark or what his specal talent is, that is a huge part of yourself especially in the pony world that determans who you are. that could very well be what luna was picking up.
and i realy like the letter to his mom.
P.S sorry my post is so porly writen. my consentration went out of the window about half way though, so sorry about that.
3244168 u wot m8
u m8 wot
wot u m8
wot m8 u
m8 u wot
m8 wot u
u w0t m7
Ebon is still hiding something...
-Spirit
My money is that his mom is that princess lady of Xona or something.
3284103 To argue your "perfect description of amnesia" claim, when you hear ponies talk about their past for as long as Ebon surely has, what they did as fillies and colts, what they did 5 years ago, you begin to wonder why you cant talk about anything like that. then you become aware that you have no memories like that. thats just my logic though.
Gah, almost too sappy. Was kind of hoping that EE would screw up the consolation process by saying the wrong thing. Kinda cute though, I guess.
At least the Ebon enigma deepens. No memories? Either lost them, had them taken away or had none in the first place. Robotic Super Chef? It's a possibility.
Ebon Mane, the changeling who doesn't remember he's a changeling
waht a tweest
5864050
I'm glad Rainbow Dash asked EE to watch Ebon. If Rainbow had tried to have this conversation, it could've easily gone wrong.
Also I get the feeling there's more to Ebon than just the not having memories.
5990744
Heh, it's like my profile picture.
Yeah, getting a changling feel out of this.
You've been sitting on this one ever since you named the ship, didn't you?
Whatever Ebon may or may not have done, he has paid for his mistakes. Let him be who he is now.
05/20/2017 17:45 UTC
I have a feeling Ebon is a changeling, he just doesn’t remember. Perhaps Chrysalis sent him off without memories for some unexplained reason, guess we’ll wait for an answer.
8555585
I think he's an expert lier and we'll see his true colors soon.
...although, depending on the date and season that this book was made in, changelings are a possibility too.
Since Cadence is a thing now, that means Chrysalis is too, and Faust only knows what her role is in this world.