The Fractured - Farcture-verse

I stared at Luna, my shield wavering in strength as my mind shifted focus. I sucked in a deep breath to steady my words. “My name is Monochrome.”

Luna cocked her head to the side and blinked at me several times. She raised her head to tower regally over me.

“We guess,” she said, scrunching her snooter, “it is a serviceable name, just from the sake of appearances. However, it was not the one thou were gifted upon thine birth.”

“G-Gifted on bir-th?” I panted, doing my best to follow the conversation. The ring on my horn had other ideas in drawing my attention as it continued to suck my magic into the shield. My body trembled as I tried to brace myself. I only succeeded at gasping in small breaths. “What a-are—”

Celestia must have noticed my physical struggle as she interjected. “Young one, please, lower your shield if you feel it strains you so.”

“Why?” I said, unintentionally snapping at her. I tried to nod at the purple Alicorn. “Th-That one will…”

I blinked hard several times. “Attack m-my friend…”
Even though I had more to say, I watched Celestia startle in surprise at my words. She glanced back at the purple one who opened her mouth and took a breath to speak, but stopped herself as she recoiled in a guilty cringe.

Celestia sighed and turned her head back to face me and my companions. “You have my word, neither of you will come to harm. You are all safe here.”

Even with the promise, I eyed the purple Alicorn warily before daring to focus on the energy passing through my horn. The ring erupted in sparks. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth, bracing against the pain as the sparks lashed at my face and mane.

I heard a gasp nearby but did my best to ignore it. I needed to concentrate and the strikes from each spark were already distracting enough. All I wanted to do was stop the flow of magic so I began a mental chant of ‘STOP! STOP! STOP!’.

It took several minutes of constantly thinking the same word before the shield began to weaken. By then, my mental chant was beginning to give me a headache. Keeping my eyes firmly shut, I didn’t notice anyone approach until I felt another horn touch the tip of mine. The instant our horns connected, my magic flow ceased. My muscles were so clenched against the flow that, when it suddenly stopped, I jolted forward.

“Easy now.” Again, the voice of Celestia graced my ears.

I opened my eye and found her smiling as she stood before me in place of Luna who had taken a step aside, her face gripped with concern.

Ignoring them both, I simply tried to steady myself. My head felt oh so very woozy and my body swayed in place.

With my barrier no longer distorting things, both groups could clearly see each other. Everyone grew quiet as each group studied the other from across the small divide. Unsurprisingly, my companions and I warily watched, waiting to be charged at like earlier. No one stepped to close the gap. Instead, it was Luna, who had been examining Aria and Pyrus from afar, who broke the silence.

“Thine companions are…” Luna paused as she looked over at Aria and Pyrus. “Interesting. It hath been many centuries since We have stood in the presence of both Siren and Nightterror.”

She closed her eyes and let out a breath. Her expression softened before she set her gaze on me again. A faint smile graced the corners of her mouth. “To see thou once more.”

Luna cocked her head as she appraised the side of my body facing her; my relatively undamaged side. “A grown mare by non-Alicorn standards…”

She shook her head as regret gripped her expression and breath. “We are greatly pained to have missed thy growth.”

I remained still, my mouth agape and snooter crinkled as I stared at this taller Alicorn in confusion. My left eyelid twitched as I tried to process what was happening, why this Luna was apparently familiar with me and why she was talking in what, even back on my home world, would have been considered an archaic dialect.

Unfortunately, my little moment of mental disconnection dragged on for longer than I intended and, when I noticed the rest of the room again, I found it with a thick air of expectation and silence. Everyone other than my companions were staring at me. Not that I could see Aria or Pyrus beside and behind me as my gaze flittered between the faces of the other ponies before returning to Luna. The dark blue Alicorn had an eager gleam in her eyes and—

My head darted back. Our noses were almost touching. When did she get so close? Glancing at the other ponies on Luna’s side of the room and quickly back, I sucked in a breath and said, “I’m sorry. Am I supposed to know you?”

Even as I continued to speak, I was witness to the soul crushing moment as what joy Luna had displayed slipped away into confusion. The glint in her eyes turned wary before vanishing altogether. The corners of her mouth drooped in question.

“I’ve only been in this world for at most a week,” I said. “If that is even a measure of time here. So, sevenish nights. We lost count when we were captured.”

This brought gasps from the other ponies. Luna’s eyes in particular grew wide.

I flicked my head back to Pyrus. “That’s where we met our Nightterror friend, Pyrus.”

Unfortunately, that movement of my head also brushed my fringe out of my face eliciting another gasp from my non-companions. They could now clearly see the condition of my right eye. To me, it still throbbed but there was next to nothing I could see with it.

All were speechless. I did my best to close my right eye but, as in previous attempts, I couldn’t exactly be sure I’d achieved it.

“Well, if that shocks you, then maybe you shouldn’t see the rest,” I said before turning to show the crowd the rest of my right side. More gasps and I witnessed the yellow pegasus and white unicorn faint away. The orange one removed her hat and pressed it to her chest as she hung her head.

The first to speak wasn’t Luna. She was too busy staring at my injuries in abject horror. Instead, it was Celestia whose voice graced the air with a mix of compassion and regret. “Oh, my little pony. How did you come to be in such a state?”

I explained how Aria and I had suddenly awoken in this world after setting foot on the grounds of Canterlot High School and the simple reason for us to be there; the search for Aria’s two sisters. This was followed by a brief explanation of the events which followed. As I reached the end of my tale, I only hoped it painted Aria, Pyrus and Sickle in such a good light that the purple Alicorn wouldn’t try to charge at anyone again.

Other than the purple one, the smaller ponies appeared somewhat bewildered by my story. Celestia, on the other hoof, cast a smile upon me and my companions laced in a motherly warmth with tinges of remorse.

Luna stood frozen; her eyes wide with horror. She seemed to stare through me in a manner I could only assume I took when processing my thoughts.

It didn’t last long.

The horror in her gaze quickly burned away. She lowered her head and an eruption of rage twisted her face, filling her voice with such strength that her words thundered through the hospital room. “How dare they! We shall make these vile beasts regret ever raising weapon and maw upon mine daughter!”

“Sister,” Celestia said, her voice strong, yet soothing. “Calm yourself.”

I stared at Luna whose head snapped to face Celestia; her teeth viciously bared and eyes alight with an infernal fire. Whatever she said next didn’t register in my ears no matter how loudly she bellowed. My mind was too fixated on another thing she had raged. Daughter? This pony, now the embodiment of wildly raging ferocity, actually thought I was… her daughter?

I blinked and shook my head. My mind quickly ran over the possibility and found nothing. I had never been here in all my years… until right now, of course. I’d travelled alone for as long as I could remember, never once did I recall encountering a place like this.

I chuckled to myself. The entire idea was absurd. I shook my head and said, “You think I’m your daughter?”

Luna’s rage instantly vanished at the sound of my voice. She looked at me, hesitating before giving a small nod of her head.

“Impossible,” I scoffed. “I’m a human.”

This brought a confused look from almost everyone else.

“Well, before I came here,” I clarified.

“It is far from impossible, dear niece.” It was the maternal voice of Celestia again.

I chuckled again. Now she was doing it. “How can you believe her? It’s crazy.”

Celestia, however, shook her head then settled her gaze upon me. It felt like her huge knowing eyes could peer directly into my soul. “It is not so crazy when you take account for the events leading to the disappearance of Princess Selene just over a thousand years ago.”

My chuckles kept coming. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that, not only was I born a female pony when I’ve lived my entire life as a human, but that I’ve also been alive for over a millennium?”

Not even the tiniest pinch of mirth entered Celestia’s words as she began her story. “Part of what I have to say has been embraced by historians in only the past few years as it is wrapped up in the banishment of the being called Nightmare Moon.”

I glimpsed Luna shudder and cringe at the name. Okay, there was clearly some history here. Apparently, Celestia had noticed her reaction as well. The motherly Alicorn approached Luna and tried to ease her thoughts using a rub of her head against Luna’s cheek.

“There is an easier way,” Celestia said, her voice incredibly soothing. She looked to me with a curious, hopeful gaze. “If the young one is willing, of course.”

Luna said nothing. She cautiously raised her head to peer across at me, her eyes reflecting deep pools of sorrow.

I scrunched my snooter warily.

“It would help us to understand many things and may shed light on your origins, dear niece,” Celestia explained, her eyes and smile were big and full of warmth. “We will accompany you and all we will see are your memories. Nothing more. Would you be willing to let us in?”

It was a difficult question to answer. I assumed they would perform magic in order to do it. But allowing access to my memories? I know no one can remember every second from their life, but some of the things I could recall I didn’t exactly want to share. They weren’t bad per-se, just personal.

On the other hoof, it would bring to light things I couldn’t remember. It should also make it clear to these ponies that I was just a human male stuck in a situation beyond my control. Those were some very big positives to the proposal. Ones I found incredibly difficult to overlook. Looking to Celestia again I gave my consent. This brought an incredibly grateful smile from Luna. And I was soon standing with both Alicorns.

“Considering your condition, might I recommend you lay upon the bed?” Celestia suggested.

I didn’t consider the request for long before turning to approach the bed. A strange weightlessness came over me and I found my hooves flailing for purchase on a floor which was getting further away beneath me. That was when I noticed the deep blue aura around my body. I landed on the bed then shot an accusatory glare back at the other ponies with horns. Luna, in particular, looked incredibly sheepish; her horn was aglow with magic.

Snorting my displeasure, I rearranged myself before laying on the bed facing the two Princesses and said, “Ready when you are.”

With that, Celestia and Luna approached me, lit their horns with magic then touched them to my own. The world was instantly washed away. I found myself standing in a dimly lit space. No one else was there until Celestia and Luna first spoke. When they did, they appeared in front of me and explained the truth of where we were.

To my understanding, it was some kind of dreamscape. Normally the home of dreams and nightmares, over which Luna claimed to hold dominion, this one was designed to help sift through the myriad memories lodged within my mind, no matter how deeply they were concealed.

I sucked in a deep breath at that but repeated my agreement to continue the process. The two taller Alicorns moved to stand either side of me, Celestia on my left, Luna to my right, in order to watch what was uncovered with me.

The world before us rippled before bringing a scene into existence. I soon found myself looking into an open stone room devoid of ponies. Thick layers of dust on every surface hinted at how long it had been since any hoof had stepped on the stone flooring. At the centre of the room stood a strange pedestal with five crystal orbs of differing colours on each of its circular platforms. Unlike the rest of the room, the orbs were untouched by the growing dust.

The creak of old hinges made my ears swivel and I turned to see a door partially open. What I saw next left me staring in confusion. An Alicorn filly with coat, mane and tail identical in colour to my own crept into the room. She took a moment to peer nervously back through the open doorway as if checking to see if anyone was following her.

I could hear Celestia and Luna making comment either side of me. I caught a regretful sigh from Luna of her name for me but pushed it all aside. The sight of a much younger version of my current form was too captivating. The filly, Selene, whipped her head around as if she had heard Luna’s voice. Not that she could have. This was just a memory according to Celestia. We had no agency here.

Selene’s huge eyes brimmed with tears. Her chest was heaving and she warily looked about again. She let out a gasp at the sight of the orbs. She spread her leathery wings and threw herself forward in a series of short gliding hops. It was only a few breaths before she skidded to a halt, almost crashing into the base of the pedestal.

Still clearly worried about anyone following her, Selene used her wings to hurl herself onto the top of the pedestal’s central pillar. There she perched herself as she warily eyed each of the entrances. Letting out a shuddering sigh, she plonked her rear heavily onto the top of the pillar then turned her teary gaze to the ceiling.

“Momma?” Selene whimpered. “Momma, we hope thy hear us.”

I tried to be annoyed by her use of archaic speech but little Selene somehow made it endearing. Maybe it was that she wasn’t belting it out like Luna? Maybe it was her fragile pleading voice and form? In a pinch, I’d say it was the latter.

“W-We miss thee, Momma,” Selene continued, her head hanging as the tears dripped from her cheeks onto the floor. “The Castle feels wrong with thee gone. Aunty, sh-she told us why thou went away. We… think we understand.”

Selene shook her head. “Nights are not the same though. We-we try—”

She squeezed her eyes shut and whimper-sobbed a few times. Her voice cracked when she could finally speak again. Her archaic speech fell away as sorrow gripped her tiny form. “I can’t. Momma, I need you!”

I heard a choked sob to my right, where Luna stood, then felt a feathery wing settle on my back. I bristled at the touch but let the wing stay.

“The face on the moon, I can’t look at it,” Selene said. “It hurts so much, Momma. Knowing you are there but can’t come back. The day still tires me, but the night… it isn’t your beautiful night, Momma. It isn’t as bright; the blanket of the sky is no longer warm.”

Selene buried her face beneath her hooves and sobbed. Her voice escaped her throat as a strained whimper. “Momma? Momma? I can’t stay here. Not without you. Please. Please, let me go where I can’t see Momma bound to the moon. It hurts so much.”

A tear slipped free of her cheek and fell, striking the top of one of the coloured orbs. “Momma? I miss you. Please, make it hurt less.”

With a second tear, the orb began to glow. While Selene continued to cry, the other orbs joined the first in releasing their glow. The light of the orbs grew brighter and brighter until they let out a flash of light. Just as soon as the light had appeared, it vanished. The orbs, their magic unleashed, grew cold, losing their colour as they became akin to stone.

A familiar white and pale blue phoenix flew into the room. She squawked and fluttered her wings when she didn’t find Selene. Sickle surveyed the room several times before perching herself on one of the stone orbs and lowering her beak in sorrow.

Luna was whimpering next to me. Mumbling how it was all her fault under her breath. Not knowing the background to her claim, I tried to calm her by moving to press my side against hers, letting her wing curl about my barrel. She may have been strange many times over, but it was beyond my nature to not lend comfort to one who was clearly hurting.

I looked back to the scene in front of us. It hadn’t ended with Selene’s magical disappearance. Instead, we joined her in the light which had otherwise ripped her from existence. Streaks of colour began to encircle the filly, wrapping her in a veritable rainbow of light.

The world slowly came into view while Selene remained cocooned in magic. It wasn’t until we found ourselves in the long grasses of a prairie that the light of the magic began to subside. From it, a young teenage boy emerged, laying amongst the grasses. His skin and hair matched those of my human form. The biggest surprise came in the fact he was dressed in nothing but a hide loincloth.

My mouth dropped open at the sight of the boy. That was a form I knew very well. I felt the breath catch in my throat. I glanced either side to Celestia and Luna. Neither was looking at me. My snooter scrunched with thought. So long as what I was seeing wasn’t being altered in any way, it was now going to be very difficult to argue against anyone who claimed I was Selene.

The scene changed as the boy awoke to his surroundings, bringing forth near countless others. Each scene showed the progress of the world as the boy slowly aged. The coming of others to claim the lands. Never staying in a single place for longer than a decade, the boy witnessed many wars upon the lands on which he found himself. That revelation struck both Luna and Celestia while I watched on.

To me, it was more the memory of the instinct which pushed me to move on, always urging me to seek a new place whenever others would feel more comfortable settling down and growing old. Maybe the near agelessness of my form, which I was now seeing, was a reason for it? Perhaps, on some level, I knew I was better off not watching others age while I would appear to not? It was definitely something to ponder later.

Most of the time the scenes were soundless, just giving us an overview of events. The ones with sound stood out from their importance. Most prominent was the topic the young Monochrome was most asked; how was he so good at the things he did, like crafting things from random junk. I, of course, knew the answer well. I mumbled it even as I heard my human-self utter, “I can’t remember. It just comes to me.”

The truth, however, was what we were watching. I had learned everything over many, many years, none of which I could now remember. That is, except for the most recent moments, culminating in the sight I had witnessed when I encountered Aria for the first time. The man I had confronted and fought to drag from her beaten form. I felt the strength grow within me, a sensation I now equated with the welling of my magic. The man was far bigger than me. His strikes with elbow and fist upon me were wild, even as he continued to kick for Aria’s fallen body—

The scene vanished with the wave of a wing from Celestia, replaced with the moment I fell into Equestria with Aria. It was soon followed by our efforts to traverse the floating islands. Even the moment I had accidentally sent Aria sprawling from my first landing attempt.

Celestia’s horn began to glow and the images faded from sight as the dragon dived towards Sickle, Aria and myself. The last images were when my wing and leg were struck and frozen solid by the dragon’s breath then shattering as I struck the ground after falling. Celestia stood before me, her head bowed in thought. I felt Luna close by, her wing still protectively draped across my back.

The imagery may have dissipated, but we remained within the strange world at the edge of my mind. Luna stood beside me mumbling apologies almost continuously.

For her part, Celestia appeared contemplative. I, on the other hoof, found myself mentally swamped by having had so much information and emotion dumped on me from my past.

It was Celestia who let the first clear words slip. “Be it human or pony, you are a very kind soul. With all you have been through and witnessed in such a long life, it speaks volumes of you personally to stand before us as you are. It truly accounts for your scepticism regarding all you have encountered since arriving in Equestria and I commend you for taking such events in stride, no matter the injuries you have incurred.”

I blinked several times, still struggling to process everything I had just witnessed. My mouth began to move before my mind had a chance to catch up. “That… Did all of that really happen?”

Celestia gave a short nod. “As you have witnessed. I do not envy what you must now consider. If you wish it, we will grant you time to decide what you want to do with this new-found information.”

Still not fully aware of my surroundings, my mind was awash with so many memories. I bowed my head to Celestia and stammered, “I-I think I’ll need it.”

I felt Luna’s wing pull me firmly against her side. My body stiffened at the gesture. Luna leaned her head down and rubbed her cheek against mine. I felt a dampness to her fur and assumed she had been crying.

“We shall also give thee time,” Luna whispered, her normally bombastic voice now quavering with emotion. “All the time ye shalt need.”

Luna stood against my side until the empty dreamscape disappeared and we returned to the waking world.