Chapter 02 - Common Chaos of the Mind

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“̶A͜r̴̸e͘ ͠y͞o̵u ̡r̴̀e̡ą̀l͟͡l̨̡y͞ p̴̧҉l͏́a̧͠ń̡ǹin̵͝g̶ ̢a̕͜͡ ̢̀pr̛a͟n͜k̨͞ ̵l̢̧͝ì͟k̵͜e͞ ͜t̷͠h̵̕҉a̵t?̴”̢

̕“M̢͠҉a͟͝g̢̀ic ͠í͡s̷͢ ͞q̛͏u̕͠i̴͏t̕͡e ̸͝p͏o͜w̨͜è͘r̷̛f̛̕҉u̶҉́l͘͜͡ ͞҉i̧͟ś̢n̴͞'̧t̢ ͏̷ìt̢͝?͢͡”̢

͏̕͟“S̴̀̀o ́͝t̵̛hìs͏̛ ́̕is͞ ̴y̵͡our̀ ̀͞a̧͏pp̸̴r̷̨e̸̢ń̨͟t̴iç̛ȩ,̵͡͏ ̨C̴l̴͟o͠v̨͟e҉̀r ́w͘a̶̴̵s͏͜͠ ̕i͠t?̴̀”

‘What?’

“҉͠Ẃ̧͠e̕’̷͞r̢e̕̕ ̡n̕͢o̵͢t ̀͜m̵̢á̷͡d̵̨e҉̵ ̶͢t̀o̵͏ ̡lì͡v͞͠e͡ t̷h̵at̛͠͞ ̶͡l̶̛o̕ǹg̴.̢”́

͡“̧́̀S̕pe̴͡l҉l̡̨ ̶m̴a͘͏̡s̵t҉͞ę̡̧r̛͝, ́I̕ ҉͠ĺ͡͝i̴̢͟k͞e͡ ͢t̶h́a͡t̛́!̵͘҉”̀

҉“́S̶͡o̵҉̧,̢͢͡ ͘h͘o̡͝w̛͝ ̶d͝o͢҉ w̷e̕ ̸͢ś́͏a͟v͏̷e̷͠ ̴̢̀t͠͠h̀͟em̷̵͢?͠”͠

̨“̢̡I̵ ҉́p̨̀͠r͢om̸͟͢i̵͡s̸̀͘è̡̕.̷́͞”́͘

‘Chaos.’

'We know someone that's good at that.'

“͏͠Ì̀͟'́͘͟m̸̧ ̀̕q̡͢ư̶̢i҉̧̡t̷e̶͘ ͝͏͡r̷҉e̛à̡l̵̶͟;̧ ̢͠I ̶͜͝j̨͡u̵̧s͏̸͠ţ́ ͡t̡́hi͜n̵͟͢k̶ ҉i̷̧t̴͢͠'̢͞s ͏b̵̵e͘҉s͏t̀ ̕ţ͜͝o͢҉ ̸k͞e͘e̕p͠ ̶m̷̴͠y̷s͝͡e͠͠lf̕ ̷h̴̀i͜d́d̨̨e̵n̴ ąt͘ ̛̀ţ͘͢h҉e̸ ͡m̧ơ͝m̸ę̧͢n̨t̴.”͏̸

“͘͠I̴̢͡t̵͘’s͏̵̡ ̴à̢m͠a̛͟z̵͝i̕͞n̷̸g̴͜ ͢t͜h̢͢a͢t ̸so̴ ̨͟f͜͢ew͞ ́͘͠r̵̡͢eąl̴̛i̸̷͟ź̸͜é͠ ̶͢͞t̛ḩà̴͠t̢ ̵į҉̢t̢̀͢'̧́͠s̵̢ ͝i̢n̡͠ ̸́èv̸̶͞éry͢t̛h͏i̵͜n͘͟g̡.̵̕”̷͠

̡“́I̡͞͡'̶͏̡m̕͠ ̧̡͠nòt ̧͘͝b̴ęi̷҉ng̴̕ ̧a̷ ̡́fơ͜͠a҉̀l,̷ ̨̡t̛͘͜h҉̡a͢͞t̶ ̧r̡eall̴ỳ̕͠ ̛͞h́͡͠u̴͜r͞t̸.̵͘”̡

‘So much chaos.’

‘So bring order.'

“̡I̕'̷̧͜m̵ ͢nót͘ ̡̢g͢͢͡oin̷͏g to ҉̧̕sèe̶̢ ̀͠͠y͠o̢u ́a̴͞g͏̡͘ą̀͘ì͝ń͟͟,͝ ͏̴a͢m̢ ͠I?͘͡”̕͟

“Wh͟e҉̛r͜͠e͝͡ ͘a̵͠m̸̵͞ ̕͟Í͢?̡̢”̵̸͘

͢͝“͢͝H̵͜͠e ͏̡r͜eą̵l̶͟ly͟ ͏d̀͘į̛d͏͢ ̧̀͡a͘͜l̵l̛ ̧̨t̀ḩa̡t̛͜?”̛

̶͠“W̨͝h̕͞à͘t̵̛̛ ̢͞I̛͜ ͝͏g̡̧i̷͜͡v́̕e ̛͜hí̶m̢̨ ̧w͘i͢͢ļl ͞b͡e͏ ̧͞à͞͡ ̡g̸̢̕i͠ft̢̕͝ ́a̷͘͟n̴͝d̸ ̷͞ą̸ ͡͠c̵ư̶͜rs̢e̸.̢͜”

‘How?’

‘Focus on a point and find those closest to it. What you're hearing is just what you've said before anyway.’

“So ͜the҉y're ͘i̢ń a ͡p͜o͟si̸t̨i͠o̢n͜ of power̨ ͘now҉?”

͜“̕I͢'̨m͠ ҉so̕r̕ry for͘ w̡h̛at ͝y̵o͝u ͞have͟ ̡t͡o̕ ̵dó.͜”

͘“̕S͠he̕’̶s ̛qui͜te the s̵martf҉lan̕k͝ ̢įsn't̡ ̛she?̨”

‘There!’

“Yes I said smartflank; I'm starting to get the language difference down.”

"..."

“She is though.”

"..."

“She should have a nickname, especially if she's going to be your apprentice.”

"..."

“I think, 'Clover The Clever'.”

"..."

“Yes I'm making fun of her but to others it'll sound good, like your nickname beardie.”

"..."

“Oh come on, its win-win.”

"..."

“Well I'm gonna start calling her that anyway and I’ll make it stick.”

‘That made it easier.’

‘I know.’

‘How?’

‘I’ve had a long time to think about this, and it's a freebie this time.’

“So this is where I'm going to be staying now?”

"..."

“It'll take a bit, but I can make this look pretty nice.”

"..."

“I still think it's funny that I'm living right under their noses.”

"..."

“I’ll try, at least the entire place has enough preservation spells on it that even when I come back it'll still be home.”

"..."

“Yeah I know, I shouldn't be thinking about that yet.”

"..."

“You have an idea for some fun? Well that's certainly a surprise.”

"..."

“Seriously, you're gonna use that on her? If she ever finds out she'll be pissed. Though it will be funny to see how long it takes her to realize it’s not natural.”

‘So much is empty.’

‘Not empty, just hard to see.’

‘What should I do?’

‘Be patient. A good portion will come back eventually and some things will even trigger memories.’

‘Why not all?’

‘Nobody remembers everything and you always had a bad memory.’

“Despite what everypony else says they make surprisingly good pets.”

"..."

“I suppose. I have always felt pretty in tune with my instincts.”

"..."

“At least I don’t have to worry about her dying before me.”

"..."

“Oh you know me, always look on the bright side of life and all that jazz.”

"..."

“Yes, I can have a positive outlook on things and still make that same choice.”

‘Did I really plan on doing that?’

‘Yes, though you did have your reasons. The question is will you still go through with it?’

‘I'll remember more when the time comes and I'll make my decision then.’

‘Smart. I’ll throw in my answer then too’

“So I need to find the reader?”

"..."

“Yeah it’ll probably be longer than usual since we’re restricting so much knowledge. Hopefully she won’t be as old as you look now, those
spells were necessary but I still don’t like the side effects.”

"..."

“I just hope it’s a reasonable number, I’d like to see my niece before she gets too old, and I have another promise to keep after all.”

‘I'm getting a good bit back but it still feels like so little.’

‘Think of your memory as a canvas, the more memories you accumulate through life the bigger your canvas gets. You've had more time than the average person or pony, so your canvas is bigger than average and it’ll take longer to fill it back in.’

“Congratulations your majesty!”

"..."

“I know but I love messing with you, so how's it feel to be a father?”

"..."

“She looks so beautiful, so what's her name?”

"..."

“I like it; she'll make a fine mare when she grows up.”

"..."

“Really!? Honorary uncle.”

"..."

“You should make a message for her and leave it with my stuff in the vault. I'll make sure she gets it when I get back.”

"..."

“It'll be good for her to know who you really are and what you're really like. Everypony’s going to have a pretty bad opinion of you after it all, especially with the coronation you've got planned for her, she’ll need it to make up for the memories we take from her when the time comes.”

"..."

“You know I hate it just as much as you do but we can't avoid it, so we might as well plan for it.”

"..."

“For now let’s just forget about it for as long as we can and enjoy this moment.”

‘I’m an uncle’

‘You're many things.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You'll figure it out, we're smart like that.’

“So it's time.”

"..."

“I'm going to be alone aren't I?”

"..."

“I'm going to miss you both.”

"..."

“How long do you think you've got left?”

"..."

“Let’s hope a few centuries is long enough for you, and that the tree decides to keep helping me.”

"..."

“I know, but the fact that they still haven't given the elements back is worrying.”

"..."

“They're as old as you and yet there is so much to the world that they don't understand.”

"..."

“I suppose it doesn't help that some of those things we purposely hid from them.”

"..."

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll find her when I wake up and I’ll teach her as best as I can, I’ll follow the plan.”

"..."

“I’ll remember, he has what I’ll need up there.”

"..."

“Goodbye, old friend.”

‘I'm alone.’

‘For now, yes but I doubt for too long. I think you've pieced enough together now to be stable.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘So slow. I mean that with some help you could wake up now. There's a mind in range that's compatible with ours so all you have to do is reach out, you should be able to handle things from there.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Don't thank me; I’ll help from time to time simply because if you die, I die and right now I want to wake up. I won’t be helping most of the time though and if the situation strikes me, I will have my say.’

‘Well that's a little disconcerting. Something tastes good...’

‘That would be whoever found us; quite a good cook.’

‘I’ll have to remember to thank them.

‘I should probably let you know that I had a little fun while I was alone. I gave out a few gifts; I'll give you some of the memories that I've gathered from time to time. I can feel that we’re close to at least one pony that I’ve gifted, so you’ll have the memory when you see her, for now let’s focus on contacting that mind which happens to belong to an old friend, it’ll be good to see her again. And don't forget how our magic works, we'll need a top up to remain stable, you'll understand what I mean when you see our body.’

'So before I go, who are you?'

'That's rather simple, I started out as you.'

‘Do we have a name?’

‘Kain.’

‘Well, I guess I’ve got enough pieced together to make a start, now where is that mind...’

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait, I've been stuck on a section of chapter 2 for a while but I had an idea and changed it to chapter 3 and quickly wrote this as chapter 2 instead, I hope you like it and hopefully I can finish the bit I'm stuck on soon.