From Mars With Love
5 Remembering
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The meal brought to me was quite delicious. I do not know exactly what it was, it had to be a cooked food though. It blew my mind that I was given a cooked meal, why ponies treated prisoners like royalty was beyond me. Whomever cooked the meal cared a great deal about their craft, while it wasn't a filling amount the meal had just enough love in it to get my belly to stop rumbling.
The energy the wonderful meal provided was more then enough to give me more energy than I had had in several decacycles. I couldn’t just keep still in the pen. I had energy. There was interesting things all around me. I needed to explore. I was sure none of the ponies would mind. So I had phased through my pen’s bars and then the dungeon chamber door. This brought me face to face with a massively tall white pony.
She had a mane which seemed to be composed of magic and swished as if there were some wind in the room even though it was still. She possessed wings, as well as a horn, her flanks were decorated with a yellow sun marking, and she had lavender eyes which seemed kind even though they were spread wide in surprise. Looking up at her face I waved with one hoof,
I think my response amused her, she chuckled and lowered her head. “You are quite the friendly little Changeling aren't you?” Her eyes narrowed as she gave me a dangerous look, “I trust you haven't hurt anypony on your little walk just now?”
My face fell, why did everyone think I would hurt ponies?
This seemed to satisfy the large pony. “I am Princess Celestia, this is my castle and my kingdom. Do you understand?”
I nodded, dipping my forelegs and spreading my wings in a greeting to royalty.
“It’s alright little one. Jaesa tells me you are honest, I believe you did not harm anypony and given what I have seen you do I doubt anypony could make you stay anywhere you did not want to.” She paused for a moment looking thoughtful, “Would you like me to interrogate you elsewhere? I think my sister would find you amusing.”
I thought for a while. The pen was very boring. Every rock was so perfectly square, and the cubic pen didn't even have any interesting designs in it. Surely somewhere in this castle had to be someplace nice. I nodded.
She dipped her head towards her side, “Follow me. Don’t run off.”
I trotted along side Celestia as she left the hallway pausing only to ask a guard to get someone named Luna and Jaesa to meet her in her private chambers immediately. A few ponies gave me suspicious looks as she led me through the castle. The walk took us up a tower which had far to many steps to not be some form of torture for grounded creatures. She seemed amused when I started to fly up it’s spiraling stairs a quarter of the way to the top.
Soon after the ‘countless-stairs-of-hoof-ache-doom’ we came to a pair of large wooden doors carved with the image of a sun, it matched the marking on Celestia’s flanks. “Here we are.” She announced as she opened the doors with her magic.
The chamber inside was filled with many things I recognized, but was sure I had not seen before. There were bookcases, couches, rugs, paintings, and cloth wall hangings. I had no idea why I knew what they were. Or how I knew they were all arranged nicely promoting a comfortable place to talk. Seated on a couch was Jaesa, and next to her was another large pony like Celestia, except blue, with a darkblue mane which…
“Sister, why is this Changeling not in the dungeons?” The mare with the hair made of night asked.
“Don’t worry Luna, it’s harmless. I am sure you are aware that a single Changeling is no Sombra or Discord. I could have handled any problems this little one created.” Celestia answered before looking at me, “Would you please sit somewhere?”
I informed, frowning slightly. I wish I could get people to call me the right gender. I also wish I knew why female was correct for me.
“True, but this is against the established rules of interrogation. What if other prisoners demand special treatment over this?” Luna asked.
“This one is a special case. She can walk through walls, that’s not normal for Changelings as far as I could learn.” Jaesa pointed out, making Luna nod in concession.
I sat down on the couch across from the blue mare designated Luna. Celestia took a seat on the room’s third couch where she could comfortably see everyone in the room. “I know it is unusual, but it was quite refreshing to find a polite and cheerful Changeling. I decided she deserved at least a small measure of kindness. Now then little one, we need to begin. Can you tell me your name, where you lived, and what you did for your hive?”
I nodded,
Celestia nodded, “Why did your hive kidnap my ponies? For food?”
Celestia’s eyes grew sad. “I see… Luna, it seems we have made a mistake. I am sorry little one, I had believed your hive to be the same one which attacked my kingdom years ago whom we are still technically at war with. If I had known you were not the same Changelings I would have attempted a peaceful solution first. Are all Changeling hives facing starvation?”
Luna frowned, “Why are the Changelings starving? Can you not feed of your love for each other?”
The ponies in the room looked at each other thoughtfully for a moment. I wondered if they had a hive mind of their own. “I see…” Celestia sighed, “We can no longer demonize and attack a people who are only hungry.”
Luna shook her head, “No we cannot. Thank you, One of Four was it? This is the first time we have spoken with a Changeling. Our sister briefly spoke to a queen but it was during combat. We will… attempt to bring aid to our neighbors. Assuming we can approve any hives we find without being attacked.”
Jaesa turned to Celestia, “I think the entire conflict between your species has stemmed from… It’s like the book Ender’s Game. The ‘Buggers’ attacked a few people, killed them, and dissected them to see what this new species was like. They were a hive minded species, so to them the death of a few individuals for the sake of knowledge was quite literally acceptable. With no concept of individuality aside from a few queens, they never imagined a race might be composed only of sentient members. Unfortunately they realized their mistake too late and they were destroyed entirely out of fear.
“If what One says is true, then in a way there are only four Changelings in Equestria. They simply might not understand why killing, kidnapping, or feeding off ponies against their will is wrong, because they would not think anything if we did the same to a drone. They might think we are just like them, mostly mindless drones with a few queens.”
Luna nodded, “So it appears.”
“This may be true, however it raises another question. If a Changeling hive is one creature, how does this Changeling have a personality?” Celestia asked as the three ponies turned to look at me curiously.
“I have listened to Jaesa’s report on you One of Four, and I believe what she has concluded is quite reasonable. But i want to be sure before I come to any decision of my own. I need you to think as hard as you can, what is your oldest memory?” Celestia asked, her lavender eyes piercing into my own.
I didn’t know. I closed my eyes in thought, navigating the corridors of my own mind. I don't think i had ever done that before. It was a very messy place, tangled, broken, many dead ends, and dark places with nothing in them. I don’t know how long it took me but eventually I replied.
“What are they?”
<... I can’t… No… Yes I can. Hold on.> I concentrated as hard as I could, the words becoming clear to me,
I opened my eyes to see Jaesa and Luna staring at each other with looks of total incredulity, “What?” They asked each other in unison.
“Those words mean something to you two?” Celestia asked them.
Jaesa nodded, “The rest of the last verse is ‘beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!’ It’s the oath of a fictional group of heroes from human comic books.”
Luna nodded, “We watched the movie the made of it a few nights ago. It was terrible…”
“So this Changeling knows of things from another world… I believe you are correct Jaesa. She can not have always been a Changeling.” Celestia stated bluntly.
Celestia gently set a hoof on my shoulder. “It’s ok little one, we are going to help you. If I put you to sleep Luna can enter your dreams and try to help you learn about yourself.”
I protested.
“We will see.” Celestia said as her horn flashed gold and I felt myself fall instantly into a deep sleep.
~~
I stood atop a brown rock within an endless sea of rusty red sand. Overhead countless stars shown in the inky black sky as orange-pink clouds glowed on the horizon. Lit by sunlight as the firey globe set. There were others like me here. I could not see them, but I could hear them in my thoughts. A million voices in my head, but each distinct, each an individuals. Not a hive but rather a city of minds.
I could not see what I looked like, my body was just a blank fog. But I could move. I sailed across the red sand, I was restless, I was unwelcome even though this was my home. I knew that there was a place nearby where I would be welcomed, where I could use the abilities I possessed to become a beloved person by protecting the week from the strong and cruel. A place of adventure and possibility, not like this desert of sand. Here there was only thankless work.
I moved across the desert towards something. I couldn't see it, I didn’t know what it was. But I knew it could take me where I wanted to go which was so far away only special things like this could take you there. Suddenly the world shattered as if everything was a reflection in a mirror which had just been smashed. Everything was black. I saw nothing. I felt nothing. All I knew was one thing. I had come here to find love.
~~
I awoke to Jaesa and Luna quietly discussing something… my dream. I had had a dream? What was it? I never had a dream before! I remembered… I remembered… nothing.
No, not nothing. I remembered one thing. I said sitting up.
Everypony stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Luna spoke first, “One, do you remember your dream?”
“Tia… One’s dream told me a lot. Not enough to tell what she is, but we know one thing. Whatever she used to be is basically dead. Her mind is a mess, she truly believes she is a Changeling-”
I said frowning.
“No one, you are not. Or at least, you weren't always.” Jaesa said in what I think was meant to be a soothing tone.
“Be still One,” Celestia gently wrapped her left foreleg around my shoulders, “It is ok. You are safe.”
“As I was saying, One’s mind is injured. The wounds are very old, too old to heal on their own and I doubt magic would even repair the damage completely. I believe, and Jaesa agrees, that she is… was once a member of a species of shape changers from a plane which is neither ours, nor Jaesa’s home. The wounds in her mind are nearly two years old, this would mean she likely arrived in Equestria around the same time Jaesa originally did.”
Celestia nodded, “I understand. The walls between worlds were thin that year… It stands to reason that many worlds exchanged many things. One, would you object if I attempted to heal you? I know you believe you are well, but from our point of view you are injured. But I will only attempt to help you if you wish me to.”
“I would use my magic to try and connect the broken pieces of your mind. I can not bring back any memories you have lost, but you seem to have pain when you attempt to remember things, your speech is odd, and Twilight’s report mentioned you seem to have trouble understanding things. My magic would allow you to live like any of my ponies do. I won’t remove your species, or your abilities. Whatever you where you are a Changeling now, but I can restore your mind to that of a true individuals.”
Luna shook her head, “My sister means she can give you the ability to think better. Right now you appear to be thinking like a foal does… Or should I say like a larva? She can give you the ability to think like an adult. Ah! No, the proper way to explain it, my sister can make you think like a queen.”
I thought about what she might mean for a while. Her words almost made sense, but I was still missing a piece of the puzzle…
“Perhaps you will understand if I say I can make you a hive of one?” Celestia asked me gently.
A hive of one? Oh. Ponies were each their own hive! That… that made perfect sense. Each seemed so different from the others there could be no other explanation. They were a hive on their own. If I accepted, that meant the only orders I would need to follow would come from me. That sounded nice.
Celestia nodded, “Hold still.”
Her horn blazed as her magic ran up it’s length, eyes glowing white after a few moments. A golden ray of light streaked for me, I flinched, almost jumping out of the way a sudden panic welling up inside me, it looked exactly like fire! But then instead of burning a hole through me like I had feared, the bolt gently flowed around me. It felt cool, like stepping into a stream. After a few moments I felt a fog lift from my mind, pieces I had not known were missing from the puzzle connected. I felt… whole. Singular.
I was… me. But who was I exactly? I was a changeling, sort of. More like a Super Changeling. The Changeling from Krypton! No nothing like that, my powers were not even close to a Kryptonian’s… What the hell was a Kryptonian anyways? All I could remember the word meant was ‘an overpowered ball of nonsense’. I frowned as I tried to recall everything I could about me. I had likes and dislikes… but I couldn't remember anything further back than two years ago, when I had when to collect lemon grass for the hive.
“Are you ok?” Celestia asked me in a concerned tone.
I jumped up as the vague memory of my misery flooded my mind. I had gone somewhere to find love and then I was picking lemon grass. I couldn't remember anything else aside from a few skills I knew I could do.
Luna looked at me worriedly, “Will you be alright?”
Luna nodded, a slight smile spreading across her cheeks, “I think you fixed her Tia.”
“Yes, she certainly seems to be well now… What do we do with her? I can't in good conscious return her to her hive as she is now. Or was before for that matter.” Celestia asked.
Jaesa shrugged, “The Crusaders could definitely use a shape shifter… Just saying.”
Celestia shook her head, “I wont ask a newcomer to my kingdom to defend it. However should you wish to help protect my kingdom one day One, you may certainly join my sister’s Crusader Corps. Is there any profession which you might like to try? It would be little trouble to find you a job within my lands and set you up with a life… I am certain you understand how my little ponies feel about your kind.”
I nodded, I exclaimed with a grin. Of course there was only one thing I needed to be happy! How had I even forgotten? The entire reason I had come here from wherever I had been!
“What is it?”
I gave the three ponies a shaky grin. Of course I couldn't do it looking like this. I looked frightening to ponies no matter how pretty black chitin was.
Celestia knew that as well, “I-I don't object to your wishes if the pony you are referring to shares your affections. But you will still need a job, and at least a less threatening-”
I softened my features, allowing them to become more rounded like a ponies was. My eye’s blue glow faded, pony like blue eyes forming in their stead. I sculpted my carapace to have more of a ‘soft’ look to it, added just a tinge of blue to it’s color and made sure it was shiny. I decided to sprout a long mane of straight hair the same blue as my eyes, and I altered my tail to match. Lastly I shrunk my fangs to be almost completely hidden. I still looked like a Changeling, just a more… approachable one.
“-appearance.” Celestia finished with a slight frown on her lips.
“Where does this Sandy live?” Luna asked.
“Pfff, she’s fine Celestia. Ponyville see’s weirder than that a lot.” Jaesa shook her head, “Like the giant flying iridescent purple ferret from two months ago.”
“True, Ponyville does seem to be a lightning rod of strange happenings. Well then One, you may live within Ponyville if you so desire. Try your luck at establishing a life for yourself. If you simply can’t as you are now, go and see Princess Twilight. I am sure she can help you come up with a pony identity.” Celestia stood up and walked to the door, I followed her.
She opened the door to her chamber, Luna and Jaesa left together mentioning something about needing to crush a dungeon. I was about to ask what they meant when Celestia asked a white pegasus guard something and he quickly touched my shoulder for attention.
“Remember Bronze Scabbard, be polite.” Celestia ordered.
Bronze nodded, “Yes your highness. Miss One, will you please follow me? I will set you up in a room for the night and get you a train ticket to Ponyville first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you.” I gave him a happy nod and followed him towards the spiraling countless-stairs-of-hoof-ache-doom unable to stop thinking about getting to see Sandy again. I hoped she wasn’t missing me too badly.
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