Chapter 10 - Root Memory and the Trip: Cutting Room Floor

A friend of mine thought that this was good content, but my proofreader thought I should cut it because it repeats some things. So I decided I'll leave it here for all of you to make of it what you will.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7bvMlfmTm4

“So I told Fear, I don't think there's an end.” Faith spoke to her three squadmates as they approached the Maneami city limits, nearing a bombed out residence full of dead tropical-ish and banyan trees scattered about. They were getting closer to the harbor, and were around the area of the Bitmore Hotel among other famous landmarks. Their hooves weren't exactly weary, but Acrid couldn't wait to get on a ship and relax. Gentler recalled the ships worked last time he was there.

“I mean it makes sense,” Acrid murmured. “Everything in life is constantly spinning. The root of life, space, everything around us is revolution and gravity, orbits however forced, and attraction. Things don't push away unless there's a force repelling it, or if they're zooming by.”

The others weren't quite sure what to make of that. But Fear spoke next.

“Nah. I think life is a spiral. Saying it's cyclical means that the future will eventually connect back to the past and we do it all over again. But as a spiral it means it's constantly changing a little bit at a time, either progressing or regressing.”

Faith hummed. “But that means there'll eventually be an end point, just like there's a beginning point.

Fear shook his head. “I mean maybe there was a beginning but there doesn't have to be an end unless you run out of room on the page, y'know?” He threw out a hoof to emphasize.

Gentler joined in next. “Apparently the start of creation was the collision of two fundamental building blocks, and some physicians in Abyssinia say that it will one day... reset.”

Fear huffed. “Well I mean, I've talked to Minuette and she's threatened to reset timelines before. Maybe that has something to do with it. But if Faith's right and entropy isn't as fundamental as we all assume it is, perhaps things will just constantly be reborn according to that.” Fear pointed over toward the cat.

“What, you mean like more collisions?” Gentler inquired.

“Yeah exactly! More of those. If those can release enough energy to give host to new life than maybe it can keep happening.”

Faith rubbed her chin with a hoof. “But wouldn't the resulting explosion destroy everything and reset it anyway? What would come of it? How do you possibly salvage the past and make sure the future will be different?” There was a curious tone to her voice.

The lot weren't really worried about raiders. Fear would sense them before they became a problem and even if, the group could easily take them without much difficulty. It was very rare a rather potent foe showed up, and even then their teamwork was enough to manage it. They'd already gone through multiple raider battles by now, and Acrid could be considered a veteran at this point.

“There is no way to make sure,” Acrid piped up, raising a hoof to the sky and arcing it. “For all we know these resets are leading into themselves pre-determinedly and there is no way to get off the main track. For all we know we're just stuck on loop for eternity, and what we think is free will is just an illusion.” He looked toward the younger stallion. “Fear, you said that Fate maintains free will right? So is free will just a fleeting figment at most?”

“Huh,” Fear uttered. “I don't know to be honest. I like to think I'm creating new iterations whenever we use something like the Seer's Eye to make new timelines, because otherwise we'd just be doing what the past dictates we should do.” Fear stomped a hoof as they walked. “But maybe it all is merely pre-planned and we're just going through the motions?”

Faith frowned slightly. “What? So the gods are just watching a show on loop? Now that I think of it like that... that's not pleasant. Unless maybe we're just building up a mark with the repetition, like when you wear an indentation into the floor from constant meditation.” She poked her hoof out questioningly, sweeping to the others around her.

“Wait, Fear,” Gentler started, “didn't your sister mention that you've surprised Fate on a few occasions? I mean unless these gods,” he made air quotes with his fingers,” are constantly resetting their memories, there's absolutely no reason someone who maintains free will would be shocked by an outcome.”

Acrid scoffed. “The guy's probably just keeping a veil over certain things so that he can be surprised. I remember Fear saying his sister told him that Fate doesn't know what goes on in every single timeline down to the tiniest details.”

Faith decided to play Devil's Advocate. “But that could just be because... hm. Because he doesn't have the time to be paying attention to literally everything. Got bigger fish to fry and all that, right?”

Fear nodded emphatically. “Yeah, that's what I always assumed it to mean. Wouldn't Fate have said something about it otherwise? That's very troubling...”

Gentler held his hands out on either side from him. “Yeah but what's the one word we've heard to describe this guy? Smarmy. That means he's insincere right? We can't trust his word for anything, because he might just be having a good time watching us debate this right now!”

Acrid laughed. “That'd be so fucking cruel. Why can't he just give us a straight answer?”

Fear sighed. “I suppose at the end of the day all we can do is have faith.” He shot his eponymous friend a grin and a wink. “Believe what we want, focus less on the greater aspects of life, and concentrate on the present.”

Something else popped in Gentler's head. “By the way, this whole conversation reminds me - I know what your cutiemark means Acrid.” There was a pause. “I think I do at least.”

Acrid's ears perked up, and he ran to trot alongside the cat. “Wait? What do you mean? How could you possibly know?”

Acrid's ears perked up, and he ran to trot alongside the cat. “Wait? What do you mean? How could you possibly know?” He looked back at his flank tattoo, a set of brown roots growing up toward asphalt gray soil, and branching off into six inky, spade-shaped trees.

Acrid's ears perked up and he ran up to trot alongside the cat. “Wait? What do you mean? How could you possibly know?”

Gentler crossed his arms over his chest and basked in thought. “Well, I remember my parents were huge into numerology, but that's not all they dabbled in for fun. They also played with other aspects of symbology; they knew the history about it and everything. I remember them explaining the meaning of each suit and number when I was a kitten.” Gentler brought a paw up to his chin and caressed it, face becoming crooked as he looked up and to the side. “I seem to recall the six of spades represented... cause and effect?”

Acrid cocked his head to the side and narrowed his vision. “That's... strange. And while I don't think it relates to this discussion, I think it makes sense. My parents were starting over with me because they didn't exactly have happy pasts, so they were trying to start fresh. I suppose I am the result of that.”

Fear barked out laughter. “Then I guess you'll just have to evolve past that like a changeling.”

Faith hummed. “Come to think of it, isn't it strange how we just happened to settle on four suits as basic instead of more?”

“What are you, high?” Gentler threw Faith's way. “It was due to game design.”

Faith chuckled. “Only sometimes, Gent.”

“I won't lie, it is strange,” Fear added. “I remember Dad telling me one time that there was a fifth suit not many knew about – stars.”

Acrid rolled his eyes. “Next you're going to tell me there was a seventh element of harmony.”

Fear shook his head wildly. “No way! But it is strange there were only six? That there's no freedom for more. I'm hoping in the next iteration of everything, we get something a little more complex.”

“Complexity is not better than simplicity as a rule, Fear,” Gentler stated. “There's a reason there are only four main suits.”

“That's even assuming the next iteration of all of us is any different from this current one,” Acrid added. “Didn't we just get done discussing that wasn't possible?”

Fear huffed. “I'm guessing everything evolves. It's a law of our world that we're constantly becoming... different with each new iteration, both in our next lives and in every new generation.”

Acrid balked. “Yeah but that doesn't mean it's naturally a better change. You of all ponies should know there's negative and positive. That's not even touching upon the fact that evolution is a law of our current multiverse.”

“Acrid's right,” Gentler murmured.

“He's got you there,” Faith added.

“Well yeah, I know. But I'm thinking...” Fear began. “That maybe that's like this multiverse too. Each new iteration is not necessarily better, it's just different in order to learn different things with different laws.”