//------------------------------//
// A Study On The Equestrian Mind. 
// Story: Of Sound Mind. 
// by Debonair 
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I watched Skye as she perused the shelves, each time she found a book she wanted to read I noticed a blue glow that carried it to the table and stacked in a neat pile. Unicorns call this magic, but how does it work? How can they call upon this psychokinesis. "How are you capable of telekinesis?" She broke her concentration to stare at me with questionable eyes before smiling.

"It's an inherent trait all unicorns share, in fact any 'pony' with a horn can use magic if trained, or gifted." 

"You say it in a fashion of Ersatz,"

"I do, Changelings are capable, but we haven't had one to study up close until now." She quickly returned her attention to the shelves, stacking more tomes side by side. Could I, If this was all true, I am in part one of these Changeling creatures, holding a horn in my hands.

"What is magic?"

"Well, it's a controversial topic, some say it's a manifestation of an inner wants and desires, causing a spell to do exactly what you want, on the science side it's more complicated. The horn acts as a catalyst, like a reactor supercharging neurological impulses, giving us the ability and heightened senses needed to manipulate the outside world. Training and talent are key in gauging the effectiveness,"

"Would this allow me to harness magic?"

"It seems implausible The neuropaths have been severed considering it isn't yours, and that it's not connected to your brain."

"Before she passed she said that it would grant me power beyond imagination,"

"Being a Changeling horn it may be able to react with your neuropaths, due to their suspected ability to move it throughout their body. But we haven't been able to study their kind, as the field ejected all of them from Canterlot." A flash of pink light overrode my senses. 

"I know,"

"How?"

"I can remember bits and peices, of past lives..." As if a hive mind social structure, bonded past and present leaders.

"A hive mind! I was right, without a Leader, they would fall into disarray, if she was injured in the fall, her first priority would be to find a suitable heir, but why waste the energy to cross the boundaries of reality?"

"I have some ideas, but none seem logical,"

"Well shoot."

"She mentioned a lack of emotion,"

"But you seem so normal."

"She said she wanted me to learn from her mistakes."

"Do you think you can hack your way into her memories? It would prove my Hive Mind Theory. Just think, a culmination of information on the survival of one of Equestria's oldest species, how they evolved, this could change the entire outlook on Changelings, We'd be famous." OCD and slight ADD, could be due to a military upbringing, noted from her stance. "What are you thinking about?"

"Your Diagnosis,"

"What?"

"I am an intellectual man, and as such I make my living making psychological profiles of all the people I come in contact with, but sometimes it is not enough to write down their mannerisms, or predicting their next move. I need to be three steps ahead, and in order to do that I have to speculate, and reiterate."

"Can't you just ask?"    

"I would, if they weren't running from me."

"But why, you're not that scary, are you?" An innocent question, but how would I word the answer, if I tell her that I've killed my fair share of madmen, with the firearm on my belt. Wait where is my gun? My hand found it's way to an empty holster. It was by my side through this whole ordeal, I don't remember putting it down. I clearly remember keeping it intact during the change. 

"Looking for this, Your excellency?"  As I turned I found two large glowing eyes, at home in the skull of a glorified lizard. His scales shimmered in the amber light. "I am Veil, the penultimate power, second only to you, In the event a new leader is chosen, I am to help you go through the monotonous metabasis to multanimous," His tone of voice was much different than I expected. It seemed he had a lack of motivation.

"Wow, you have Dragons too?"

"We are a collective, a menagerie of metaphysical connections. some of us a more akin to one form over another, just like two ponies of the same coat wear different clothing, It is more a personal preference, but we take, Personal, personally."

"How so?"

"Each of your kind has a set destiny, a talent which you all excel. Even when born you have personality, a mind to call your own, but we are a collective, Only after years of collecting we learn to feel, to see with our own eyes."

"Is that why she invaded?"

"We need emotion, not for nourishment, but to break the chains, to become ourselves. Naturally the Queen had a conscious," 

"The lack of companionship, must have driven her to insanity. she was alone, no one to talk to that talked back, I've seen it before, lots of times."  I reached for my gun, and placed it back in its holster. "A test was administered where one was placed alone in a room with nothing but noise cancelling headphones playing white noise, gloved hands and fogged goggles, to test the effects of isolation. The test was supposed to last forty two days."

"How long did it last?"

"Barely four,"

"Why?"

"Without constant contact with another, friends, family, or even complete strangers, you lose sanity," I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did,even with the comfort of forced contact. "I believe this new insight could prove to be most beneficial in patching relations with the ones we have wronged." She chose me, I chose her, we must have our reasons subconscious or not.