//------------------------------// // Origins of the Species // Story: The Abundance // by defender2222 //------------------------------// “You are still you… this is just merely another part.” -The Metatron, Dogma It was a small miracle that The Abundance hadn’t descended into pure anarchy. Scootaloo's screams had brought not only Faith and Honesty but also Twilight and Trixie, who had been heading to talk with Faith and settle the differences that lay between the three of them. Their cries of alarm at finding not one but two more abstracts than they had been expecting brought Shining, Spike, Celestia, and Luna racing in. There had been shouts of surprise and fear, magic had filled the air, and like keg of dynamite sitting in a lighter factory, all it would take was one small spark to cause things to explode. "Everypony, I need you all to settle down," Faith had said calmly as the chaos swirled around him. Honesty was snapping at Luna after the lunar goddess had made a rather insulting remark, Shining and Spike looked ready to tie Scootaloo in chains and Twilight and Trixie were babbling out apologizes. "I understand that this is all confusing but you need to-" Faith didn't get to finish, as some pony (no one was ever able to discover who) threw a bolt of energy right past his nose. "Fine then... you will all shut up because I AM MONOLOUGING!" The bellow was enough to get them to all simmer down. Faith flared out his wings in annoyance, sending withering glances at all of them before he began to speak again. "Now then... obviously answers need to be given to the questions that are quite clearly bubbling up in your brains. If you will all be kind enough to sit down, we will handle this in a rational and sane manner. Of course, if you’d all rather babble on like chickens then you can go ahead and do so, but I have had a long, stressful day, which came on the heels of several move long, stressful days, so my patience is at its limits and I will be leaving if you do not all sit down and act like adults." All the ponies, even the princesses, wisely settled down on the floor. He whipped around and glared at Honesty, who, for his part, actually cringed. "I told you to stay in the cabin, didn't I?" "I was worried..." the older abstract said, only for his baby brother to roll his eyes and motion for him to shut his gob. "Now then... we will handle the issue of Scootaloo first." He held up his hoof when Shining opened his mouth, "It will be the quicker of the explanations and the young mare deserves to understand exactly what has happened to her. The questions about my brother can wait a few moments… but let me assure you, he will bring no harm to you.” Faith shot Honesty a dark look. “Because if he is planning something, I’ve already proven to be a heartless killer that can murder his own family.” Trixie and Twilight flinched at that but Faith paid no heed. “Now then... Luna, would you kindly wake the two?" The goddess of the night's eyes glowed briefly and with a yawn Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash slowly awoke. They looked about in confusion before gasping, their eyes staring down at Scootaloo's metallic coat. Celestia and Twilight, wisely, used their magic to gather up blankets for the two of them, wrapping them around the two shocked mares. Scootaloo burrowed into the blanket, trying to hide as much of herself as possible. Sweetie Belle joined the two on the ground, settling beside Scootaloo so she was flanked by her friend and her idol. "Scootaloo has been given the rarest of gifts... she has ascended and become the new Abstract of Loyalty." Faith turned and gently placed a hoof upon the orange pegasus' own. "It is ok... I know you are scared but I swear everything is fine... allow us to explain." Scootaloo bravely nodded, her shoulders becoming more firmly set when Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash pressed against her, affirming they were still with her. "Brother?" Honestly cleared his throat, ignoring some of the darker glances that were being sent his way. "Abstracts are the creation of life. When the first living creature willed itself to actually wiggle just a bit, an abstract was born. When prey felt fear of death... an abstract was born. This is the first way that abstracts were created. We gain strength through the beliefs ponies and griffins and all manner of creatures have. The stronger the connection, the more life we have. The less… the weaker we become. "When an abstract dies, either through a loss of belief or, in the rare cases such as Loyalty, killed by another, a new abstract MUST be brought forth. Our numbers never shrink, only grow. Most times, a new abstract is born to take its place. However, there are times when a creature, be they pony or manticore or donkey, displays an abundance of the needed emotions or concept... and they become an abstract. Their form is lost and they take on a higher calling. This is what has happened to Scootaloo… she displayed an abundance of loyalty and thus whatever power sees us abstracts come into being chose her to join our ranks." Rainbow wrapped a wing around Scootaloo. "No way... no way is the kid having her body taken away!" Faith smiled. "If that was going to happen it would have already occurred. No... Scootaloo has kept her body because Loyalty died with a physical form... thus to continue on, she must have one as well." Scootaloo held up her shiny foreleg. "So... I am still me?" Honesty nodded. "Correct, my dear mare. Do not be concerned that you will become our lost brother or that your mind will decay like him. You are your own mare with your own thoughts and opinions. How you handle these powers is up to you. All that you are is still there. This is merely... another piece of you." "Most likely," Faith said, "had Loyalty died without a body you would have never been chosen and a new abstract would have been created. That is how it happened with me." Twilight frowned, glancing over at red alicorn. "What are you doing?" Honesty blinked. "Me?" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Yes, you. You just made the same face Applejack does when she tells a lie." "I... well..." Honestly's face twisted and contorted, the words unable to pass through his lips. Rainbow's eyebrows shot into her maneline. "You did it again! You can't lie so you do AJ's funny face!" "Yes... yes I do," Honesty said quickly, hoping they would let the subject drop. "What are you not telling us?" Twilight asked. Honesty squirmed and she leaned in close. "What are you keeping from us! Tell us now! Tell-" "We weren't born abstracts!" Honesty blurted out. The cabin grew quiet. "... what?" Faith whispered. "We... we were not born abstracts." Honesty gestured towards Scootaloo. "We ascended just like her." Faith looked at if someone had just told him the sky was pink. "No... no we are abstracts! We have always been abstracts..." "Have you never wondered why you were so drawn to ponies?" Honesty asked gently. "You have always stayed with them. There were so many other creatures and places to explore but you have stayed here, in Equestria. Your friends are all ponies, save for the baby dragon and the minotaur. Why, when you took physical form, did you end up like you are? Because he felt it natural... like you had been in it before. You took the form of an alicorn because you view it as the definition of strength in the pony race… our race. Have you not thought about why you are so different from others like Doubt? It is because you are.” Faith rose up, stumbling over his own feet. "I... I would remember..." "You called him a baby," Celestia said, remembering how Faith had spoken of his family. "Faith, you said your brothers and sisters saw you as a baby... but if abstracts have no forms, how could you be a baby?" "Abstracts, natural ones, are fully formed, aren't they?" Luna pressed. Honesty nodded. "You were barely a month old when we ascended…. what being would better express faith than a child? Especially in those dark times, when Discord raged across the lands and so many abstracts withered and died because of the madness he inflicted. So helpless and needed... you believed in those around you and depending on them. Myself, Kindness and you… the last three of our family. Genorosity, Loyalty and Laughter found us and brought us into their family. They became our brother and sisters but… but they were not your blood kin. Kindness is… and so am I.” Faith was trembling. "This... this isn't true..." "He can't lie," Shining stated softly. "Honesty, remember?" "I... I need..." Celestia nodded to Twilight and Trixie. "Get him so fresh air." The two nodded, standing up and guiding the hyperventilating Faith out of the cabin. The solar princess glared at Honesty, the fury of the sun hidden within the depths of her eyes. "So far you have done little to suggest I should allow you to live." Honesty shut his eyes. " Believe me, I know. My only defense is that, if I am allowed to live, I will do all I can to help you all... especially you, Scootaloo. Just as my sisters and brother did with me, I would bring you into my family, call you sister and protect and aid you." The orange mare swallowed. She didn't understand it, but her heart felt like it had broke into a thousand shards when Faith had begun to panic. She had turned towards Honesty, wanting to scream at him for his actions, but she suddenly felt the urge to comfort him, knowing that it had been painful for him to so bluntly reveal Faith's past. "You sense it, don't you?" Honesty said with a soft smile. "Focus... focus on those thoughts." Scootaloo did as he asked and the rest of the group gasped as fine orange lines appeared throughout the room. They ran from Scootaloo to all of them, some of them thick as rope, others as delicate as gossamer. Scootaloo reached out and touched one and suddenly saw an image of Spike, all the great moments between the two of them flashing through her mind. When she followed the string she saw that it ended right in Spike's heart, joining other ropes that led to Celestia, Rainbow Dash, Shining, Sweetie Belle, Faith, and Twilight (that one being the thickest of them all). "You are Loyalty now," Honesty said. "You inspire loyalty in others and you can see how loyalty connects us all. It is a wondrous gift and a terrible burden. In time... if I am allowed... I will show you the wonders of your new abilities." Rainbow pulled Scootaloo closer and the lines faded away, though all of them sensed that they were not gone at all, only hidden till needed. "It's nice that you know this stuff about Scoots, but that doesn't explain what you are doing here right now. Last I knew, you were telling Applejack to depower the Princesses and to round up ponies and convert them into our drones." Honestly grimaced. "I admit it was a foolish plan. I see that now. We were blinded by our goal and it cost all... you, this land, and us... greatly." "What exactly changed your mind?" Luna pressed. Honesty smiled. "It is as I told my brother... Applejack was my savior." Honesty tilted his head back. "It all began a month ago..." ~MC~MC~MC~ As Honesty began his story, Faith was looking out over the night sky, his eyes glassy and tears having dried upon his cheeks. Twilight and Trixie stood next to him, wanting to tell him so many things but wisely knowing that now was not the right time to do so. Faith had been dragged through the emotional wringer and he needed to work out his issues before the mares tried to make their apologies. Both thought of it as their penance for their foolish acts. "Why didn't he tell me?" Faith asked finally. "I'm sure he had his reasons," Twilight reasoned. Trixie nodded. "Besides, from the sounds of it you were still a baby when you six fought Discord and you were lost. Do you remember a lot before that battle." Faith grimaced. "No," he admitted. That had been a bitter little pill to swallow; when Twilight had reminded him who he was, Faith had been startled to find that his memories before his abandonment on Equestria were few and far between. He remembered his brothers and sisters and he remembered spending time, helping them spread harmony... but he had always assumed there would be thousands of years of history that he would gain back with the return of his memories. Instead... he had maybe a few months. Nothing about a time before being an abstract. 2000 years bitching and whining... for nothing. Faith loved pie, but found humble pie was the worst Twilight draped her wing over him. "Does this change anything, really? I mean, knowing that you were born a pony doesn't really alter who you are now. It’s not like you were 50 years old... Honesty said you were a month old when you became an abstract, so being a pony really didn't shape you." “And maybe it did… but this just answers all your questions,” Trixie said. “And hey, now you have an excuse for when ponies call you out on stuff! ‘Can’t blame me, I use to be a pony!’” "This... it is all..." Trixie got a determined look on her face. "Does Scootaloo being an abstract change who she is? Does Twilight now having wings change her? No! I don't know Scootaloo at all but from what I've seen from you guys she isn't acting any different! And Twilight is still a pony that can't handle me being so amazing and powerful..." "Thanks, Trixie," Twilight grumped as the showmare played with her white mane. "And clearly being a prisoner has change Trixie from being a egotistical-" "Ok, ok, I understand," Faith said. "Unless you are going to wrestle for my amusement, please stop fighting." The two shot him twin glares and Faith's smile withered. "Don’t blame me, I use to be a pony.” Twilight 'hurmpfed'. "Now... are you ready to head back in and hear what Honesty has to say?" Trixie nodded. "I want to know why we aren't killing him outright. He is responsible for all of this..." Faith sighed. "Please, just hear him out. I have heard the story and once you do I wager you will be more willing to allow him to give council." The three of them headed back below deck, discussing Honesty and the wisdom of allowing him to remain on the ship. Had any of them looked up, they would have seen a pair of eyes and a floating set of teeth wearing an unnatural smile floating above them, watching all of the proceeding before letting out a laugh and disappearing from sight.