//------------------------------// // Chapter XI // Story: What I've Done // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter XI         I was running through the forest, the branches around me looking more like grasping claws than the limbs of actual trees.  Every turn I made let me catch glimpses of the creature that was hunting me, but I never got to see very much of it before it faded back into the shadows.         I didn't have much time before it caught me, but somehow I knew that if I could just reach the edge of the forest that the creature wouldn't follow me, that I would somehow be safe if I could just get beyond these trees.         However, as I dodged and wove through the forest, I became aware of something else moving through the forest. I caught hints of a blue coat here, what looked like a wing there, but that only caused me to redouble my efforts to get away.         Then, without warning, the beast jumped out of the bushes, chasing me in earnest. I broke into an all out sprint, but I could still hear it behind me, closing the distance with every passing second.         As I ran, however, I slowly became aware of something else. I'm not even sure when it happened, but there she was, running next to me, effortlessly keeping pace despite how fast I was moving.         “Alex, I want to help, but you have to let me!” she shouted at me as the beast drew closer.         “What the heck are you talking about?” I asked. However, the momentary distraction she provided turned out to be my downfall, as the beast caught me in its sharp claws, pulling me into the bushes as I screamed for my life.         I glanced back at her briefly, only to see her shaking her head, her horn glowing with a pale blue aura as I was dragged to my doom. *        *        *         I sat bolt upright, sweat pouring down my face while my heart tried its best to burst out of my chest. “What the heck?” I asked my darkened room.         If the room held any answers, though, then it certainly didn't share them with me. Why... why does she keep showing up in my nightmares? I thought to myself as I laid back down. And why does she keep asking me to let her help? What does that even mean?         As I laid there, trying to come up with answers, I felt myself drift off again. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep. *        *        *         Princess Celestia smiled at her sister as she entered the room. “Good morning Lulu!” she said as she poured herself a cup of tea.         “Good morning, Sister,” Princess Luna said with a yawn.         “Any luck tonight?” Celestia asked as she sat down opposite to her sister.         “No,” Luna said with a shake of her head. “~Alex~ continues to resist every effort I make to aid him. He has surprisingly strong mental defenses, despite how damaged his psyche is.”         Celestia hummed at that, a curious expression on her face. “This is... odd. By his own admission, he has thought that magic was a myth up to this point, so he would have no reason to be so resilient. You said you had no trouble with him initially, right?”         “That is correct, but I believe that his near death experience may have had something to do with that,” Luna said with a shrug. “His body was concentrating on survival, and couldn't be bothered to defend itself from my intrusions. Since then, I have had no trouble entering, but actually manipulating his dreamscape? No, each construct is more solid than the hardest concrete, and I find myself powerless to do anything other than wake him if his nightmares grow too... unruly.”         Celestia frowned at this. “We may have a problem, then. If any of his nightmares should escape...”         “Do not worry about that, Tia. Several have already escaped, and I have found that their resilience disappears as soon as they leave the ~humans'~ dreamscape,” Luna reassured her. “They become as difficult as any other free nightmare roaming the aether, and are easily subdued.”         Celestia let out a sigh of relief at that. “That is good to hear. Do you have any theories as to why he has such a high mental fortitude?”         Luna frowned at that, then looked down at her cup. “Just one, but you are not going to like it.”         “Try me,” Celestia said with a smile.         Luna shifted uneasily. “Do you remember our magical training?” she asked her sister.         Celestia shuddered at that. “How could I forget? Training to be an Aeon was barbaric. Especially the initial trials.”         “'Tis true, but it still instilled a mental fortitude and discipline that is unmatched by many of our modern day mages,” Luna pointed out.         Celestia just shook her head at that. “It isn't worth the cost, however. Too many mages would crack under the strain, and you would have rogue Aeons roaming the countryside, unraveling the fabric of creation in an effort to sate the voices in their heads. Indeed, it is the reason Discord got loose the first time.”         “I know. I'm not condoning the brutality of the mages of the past, nor am I criticizing our modern day methods. I am, however, pointing out how similar those methods were to ~Alex's~ experience while enslaved,” Luna said with a meaningful look.         “How do you mean? He wasn't under constant mental assault,” Celestia said as she raised an eyebrow at her sister.         “Yes, but everything else fits,” Luna said, setting down her cup. “Forced to do physically demanding, mind numbing tasks while his mind was constantly active, trying to fight against the force controlling his body. He even had an unexplained phenomena setting him free!”         Celestia's eyes widened at that. “I believe you are right, sister. That does fit. The aliens may not have been aware of what they were doing, but many of their methods mirror the initial training of an Aeon.”         Luna nodded at that. “It would certainly explain how he was able to break free and take control of the golem controlling the ship. It would also explain why his dreamscape is so... immutable.”         “Yes, but wouldn't he start showing other powers as well? He has been here for six months, surely he would start experiencing some magical bleed by now,” Celestia asked curiously.         Luna looked thoughtful at that. “Maybe he has, but hasn't recognized it.  After all, he has been running through the woods for a while, now, and has probably performed many feats that he ascribed to the... augmentation from his alien captors,” Luna pointed out.  “It could be entirely possible that he has been using magic this whole time, but has not noticed it.”         Celestia nodded at that.  “It would certainly explain why his magical field is so… normal.  If your theory is true, but he hasn’t used any magic, he should be bursting at the seems by now, and our scans would have detected that.”         “And if my theory is false, he should have a very weak magical field, since he has yet to use any portion of his magical potential,” Luna said with a smile.         Celestia thought about this for a while, then took a bite out of her pastry.  “So, what do we do, then?”         Luna thought about this for a bit.  “It seems to me that we should test him in some way, figure out how his magical power is exerting itself, and see if he is a danger to himself or others,” Luna said slowly.  “Also, since his initial power seems to be control over golems, or whatever a ‘calculation device’ is, I think we should let him take a look at some of the artifacts from the ship.”         “Agreed.  At the very least, he may be able to tell us what some of those things do.  We may even be able to unlock some of its secrets before the next alien attack,” Celestia said with a nod.         “Maybe even incorporate some of their tech into our own defense plans?” Luna asked as she perked up a little.         “We can only hope at this point,” Celestia said grimly. *        *        *         Carrot Top and Written Script traipsed through White Tail Woods, another bundle of goodies in their bags as they made their way to where they had first met with Defender.  “Look, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t help the poor thing, but we haven’t seen him since the party incident,” Written Script pointed out.  “For all we know, he might have been taken up to the castle by now to keep him out of trouble with the freaked out ponies of the village.”         Carrot Top shook her head at that.  “I know, but on the off chance that he isn’t up in Canterlot, he still might need a few things.  At the very least, I’m sure he could use some company.”         Written Script sighed at that, then wrapped a hoof over his wife’s withers.  “You’re a pain, you know that?”         “Yes, but I’m your pain,” she said with a smile.         Written Script looked down, shaking his head at that, but stopped when he spotted something strange in the dirt.  “Honey, what do you make of this?” he asked, pointing at the oddly shaped hole in the ground.         “Hmmm…” Carrot Top said as she rubbed a hoof under her chin.  “I’m not really sure about that.”         “And look, here’s another!  And another!”  Written Script said as he pointed out a few more.         “You’re right.  They almost look like tracks, but what on earth would make tracks like these?” Carrot Top asked as she examined the holes closer.         “Well, on a guess, they kind of look like scorpio tracks, but why on earth would a constellation beast be way out here in Whitetail Woods?  This place doesn’t have the ecosystem to support it,” Written Script answered thoughtfully.         Carrot shook her head at that.  “Well, if it is a constellation beast, then I don’t want to be anywhere near it.  You remember what happened when an Ursa came to town, and that thing was just a baby!”         Written Script nodded at that, then glanced around uneasily.  “You’re right.  Plus, these tracks look pretty fresh, so whatever it is is probably close by,” Written Script said as he slowly backed away.  “Let’s get out of here before it decides to-”         Before he was able to finish that thought, however, he was interrupted by the sound of rustling bushes, followed closely by something small and round being rolled into the clearing.         “What in the-” Carrot Top started to say, but was interrupted when the small metallic object beeped loudly, then shone with an intensely bright light for a brief second.         Both of them blinked furiously to relieve the afterimages that the flash had left in their eyes, but stopped when they spotted what was coming out of the woods.         It was large, insect-like, and terrifying.  Four spindly, segmented legs held it up, while two of its four arms carried some kind of rod or staff in its grip.  In its lower arms, Written Script could see some kind of thin, rectangular black box that seemed to be glowing, while on its head was an elongated helmet that completely covered its face and muzzle.  Its torso was covered in a strange, gray armor, and Written could see some kind of insignia on its right breast. “Carrot!  Run!  I’ll hold it off!”  Written Script shouted right before he charged the thing.  However, just before he reached it, he ran headlong into something hard, dazing him and causing him to stumble backwards. “Written, are you okay?”  Carrot exclaimed as she rushed to her downed husband.         “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” he said as he shakily wiped the blood from his nose.  “What happened?”         “I… I don’t know.  It looks like some kind of force field, to be honest,” Carrot Top said uneasily as she glanced at the field that surrounded them. However, her attention immediately snapped back to the monster that had trapped them as it started to approach. However, as the thing stopped right at the edge of the field, all it did was gently placed the box on the ground, then take a step back. “What do you want from us?”  Written demanded as the creature backed away.         Almost as if to answer his question, the box began to hum, then glow brighter.  Written’s jaw dropped when he saw a little image of himself being handed the box by the creature in front of him.  He then saw himself run back to town, where he gave the box to what looked like a Night Sentinel.         “What… I don’t understand…” Written said blankly.         “I think it wants us to give this to the guard, or even to Celestia,” Carrot said after a couple of seconds.         “Do you think that’s a good idea?  It might be a trap,” Written asked uneasily.         “Well, I don’t see any other option here for us,” Carrot whispered as she kept her eyes on the abomination in front of her.         Written Script nodded at this, then looked up at the beast.  “O-Okay, we’ll get this to the guard,” he said with a nervous nod.         The beast just nodded once, then backed up until it disappeared into the forest entirely.  A few seconds later, the device at Written’s feet let off another beep, then began to smoke as the faintly visible field around them disappeared.         As fast as lightning, the two turned and bolted, but not before Written Script scooped up the small black box and shoved it roughly into one of his saddlebags. *        *        *         “So, remind me again, why are we going alone to the scary monster’s room?” Spike asked as he followed closely behind Rarity.         “Spike,” Rarity said, giving the small dragon a disapproving glare.         “Fine, why are we going to ~Alex’s~ room?” Spike asked grudgingly.         “We are here to take measurements,” Rarity said as she shoved a pad of paper into the young dragon’s claws.  “You are to assist until you lose your ridiculously unfounded fear of the poor dear.”         “But why do we need to take measurements?” Spike asked curiously.         “Ever since he recovered his strength, ~Alex~ has shown an almost religious need to be clothed.  After what he has gone through, I feel that it is my duty to make sure he is as fabulous as possible!”  Rarity said as she struck a pose.  “Besides, I simply cannot allow him to continue to wear those… disgusting trousers he has made for himself a moment longer!”         Spike just shrugged at that.  “Whatever you say, Rarity, though I still think we should probably get someone in there to help us… Translate!  that was totally what I was going to say!” Spike said as Rarity gave him another stink eye.         She just sighed at that, and shook her head.  “Spike, he’s really not such a bad guy.  You should try talking to him,” she said.         Spike just shivered at that.  “I don’t know, those hands of his still give me the creeps,” he said with a shiver.  “And is it just me, or have his pupils been getting larger?”         “Spike, he can hardly help that,” Rarity reproved him.         “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Spike said as Rarity gently knocked on the ~human’s~ door.  They heard the ~human~ say something on the other side, to which Rarity quickly opened the door, letting herself in.         “~Alex,~ darling!  How are you doing today?” she asked as she made her way over to the ~human.~  He had been busy drawing at the desk that Celestia had provided for him, though he stopped the instant he had heard a knock on the door.         He said something in his language, but whatever it was was lost upon the two of them.  Rarity just smiled at that, then held up a picture for him.  “I noticed that you prefer to wear something over going au naturale, so I thought I would make you a wonderful ensemble for any occasion!”         It was just a concept drawing, but Rarity thought it would be enough to get the point across. The ~human~ gingerly took the drawing, then looked back at her, specifically at the measuring tape that she wore around her neck.  He then pointed at the measuring tape, then at the artwork, saying something as he did so. She nodded at that, then was surprised when the ~human~ fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into a hug.         “It’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity said as she patted him awkwardly on the shoulder.  “I quite understand the feeling.”         The ~human~ then lept up, holding out its arms while looking at the white pony expectantly.  “Eager to get started, huh?” she giggled as she began to measure the human, humming to herself as she did so.         As she worked, however, she was interrupted by another knock on the door.  Quickly, she looked up, only to fall into a bow when she saw Princess Luna enter the room, followed closely by a scientist wheeling in a tray covered in a white cloth.  “Princess Luna, it is an honor to see you here,” Rarity said.         “Please, no need to be so formal,” Princess Luna said with a wave of her hoof.  “We’ve actually come here to ask  the ~human~ a few things, as well as to run a few tests.”         “Of course, your highness, just let me finish up here, I’m ‘in the zone’ and cannot stop until I have the measurements I require,” Rarity said as she got back to measuring ~Alex.~         “That should not be a problem,” The Princess said with a nod.  “We will simply hold off on the tests until after you are finished.  However, I hope you don’t mind if we ask him a few things while you work?”         “Why, not at all, Your Highness,” Rarity answered with a wave.  “If anything, it will help me with my work if I could tell him what I needed while I measured.”         “Then I shall cast the translation spell on you as well to help with the process,” Luna said as she charged her horn. *        *        *         I wasn’t sure what was on the cart that the scientist-looking pony wheeled in, but whatever it was, it was making a really weird sound.  It almost sounded like whispering, though why anything they wheeled in was whispering was anyone’s guess.         “Alex, we things show, things from crash.  Hope you tell if thing bad, or what thing do,” Moon said after a brief glow of her horn.         I was a little bit nervous at that, but still nodded my head.  “Yeah, anything to help you fight off those evil bug things,” I said with a nervous smile.         Moon Goddess smiled at that, then nodded to her assistant.  The gray unicorn nodded once, then pulled off the sheet covering the cart.         The assortment of object they had brought me was… interesting, to say the least.  I recognized a couple of things that looked like PDA’s, a few round, spherical devices that looked like grenades, as well as a pistol-shaped device.  Most of the objects looked busted or burnt, but one of the PDA’s looked intact, as well as the small, pistol-like device.         Moon levitated the PDA off of the tray, then held it up for my inspection.  I didn’t take it, as my arms were still being measured by the wonderful, clothes-providing pony, but I still looked at it pretty closely.  “I’d say that is probably a handheld computer of some kind.”         Moon nearly dropped the thing in her haste to put it back.  “Like thing controlling you?” she asked in a worried tone.         I just laughed at that.  “Not quite.  Not all computers can do the same things.  Their main purpose, however, is to store information.  A device like that back home could hold thousands of books.”         Her jaw dropped as she examined the device a little closer.  “Thousands?” she asked uncertainly.  “In thing small like this?”         I just nodded at that, but couldn’t help but notice Thorn’s eyes grow large when he heard what I had said.  “No let Evening Twinkle hear you, she go crazy,” the small purple dragon warned me.         I smiled at Thorn, then nodded my head.  “Understood, I’ll keep my mouth shut,” I said.  I then looked back at the PDA on the desk, a thoughtful expression on my face.  “However, the aliens were far more advanced than my people, so one of their devices could probably store millions of books, and could conceivably be used to do a great number of other things as well.  Think of it as a multitool, but instead of a knife being its main tool, it instead processes information.”         Moon smiled at that, then looked at the device again.  “How would work?” she asked, turning it this way and that.  “If could get work, could learn about enemy more.”         I reached out my hand at that, since Wonder had apparently finished with it.  “Here, let me see it for a moment,” I said with a smile.         She immediately handed me the device, which I promptly dropped when the whispering I heard got louder.  “Sleeping… Sleeping…” the voice whispered in my head.         “Ghah! what the devil?”  I asked as Moon deftly caught the device in her aura.         “What wrong?  What happen?”  Moon asked, her voice worried.         “I… I heard something when I touched it,” I said with a shiver.  “It was a voice, it said it was sleeping.”         Moon looked at me carefully, then looked back at the device.  “Well, guess that lead into next thing talk about,” she said with a shrug as she put the device back on the table.         “Wait, what does me hearing voices have to do with anything?” I asked, my voice getting a little hysterical.  “Am I going nuts?  Are you going to put me into some sort of mental hospital?”         She just shook her head at that, her smooth, bell like laughter filling the room at my reaction.  “No, nothing of sort.  Need talk about dreams,” she said.         Instantly I tensed up.  wait, no way… I thought uneasily as I looked at her with a guarded expression.  “W-what do you mean dreams?” I stuttered.         Moon sighed at this, then rubbed her forehead, just below her horn.  “I am Goddess of Night, and my duty is to ponies, to protect them while sleep and watch over dreams,” she said as my jaw opened progressively wider at her admission.  “I see into your dreams, and you have nightmares almost every night.”         “You… you were inside my head?"  I asked.  Suddenly, I wasn’t sure of myself anymore.  I knew what Professor Xavier could do, how he could twist people to his will with nothing but a thought.         But wait, If she had done that, she wouldn’t have needed to ask you about your past, a tiny voice said in my head.  She could also have easily told that griffon everything he needed to know after sucking my mind out through a straw.         Moon, however, simply nodded at this.  “I go in, try help, try ease nightmares, but isn’t easy.  You fight me, will not let see inner demons.  Will not let see trouble behind trouble.  Mind strong, too strong.” Strangely enough, I believed her.  After all, if she could change what I’m thinking, then she would have had no reason to come and talk to me about it.  I thought as I let out an explosive sigh.  However, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s been poking around in my head. “Why were you in there?  Why would you even try to look at my dreams?  Why is it your duty to patrol other’s dreams?”  I asked, my voice taking on a more accusatory tone. She just smiled sadly at that.  “Because there are nightmares,” she said.  Her horn then began to glow, and I saw a dark apparition, all tooth and claw, appear in the space between us.  “Not know how work on your planet, but here, where magic strong, nightmares very real.  Nightmares escape from dreams, flee into the world between, and feed off of the hopes and dreams of ponies.  When strong enough, escape this world, to kill, feed on ponies while awake.” I swallowed at that.  If all of that was true, then it was possible that my nightmares could… “Find best stop nightmare source.  Easier stop nightmares from forming, rather wait until get real world.  I talk ponies in sleep, help them work nightmares, help them become strong enough not have nightmares anymore,” she said as the apparition between us disappeared. I nodded at that.  Her reasoning made sense, though it didn’t make me feel any better that she could muck around in other people’s heads like that.  “So… why bring this up, precisely?  And what does this have to do with me hearing voices when I picked up that computer?” I asked her carefully. She just smiled at that.  “Because, think know why hear voice,” she said with a nod of her head.  “Also, think know why able fight my help, or why able tell golem from ship, free you and others.” I immediately perked up at this, my eyes riveted onto the Moon Goddess in front of me.  “Why is that?”  I asked her. “You use magic,” she told me simply.