//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Now Reporting // Story: The Adventures of Fragment // by A Dark Reminder //------------------------------// I stomped my way back to my room as I thought about everything that Gezähnt had said. The Princesses wouldn't have lied to me! What would they even gain from that? Like I'm supposed to trust him because he's a changeling. If anything it means I should trust him less. He doesn't know a damn thing about them or me. Just because he called me 'Captain' doesn't mean he knows me. I probably don't even have a family either. I thought as I reached my room. As I walked into my room I slammed the door behind me with my magic. Him calling me Captain and mentioning my family were cruel taunts. Who does he think he is? To talk about the Princesses like they're the ones who did something wrong. Gezähnt's just lying to get in my head, and he's probably laughing about it right now. I took a minute to calm down, taking in deep breaths while staring out the window, but then there was a knock on my door. As I sighed lightly I turned around opened the door with my magic. "May I come in?" Princess Celestia asked from the doorway. "It's your castle, isn't it?" I said trying not to sound rude as she walked in and I looked back out the window. "But it's your room." Princess Celestia said as she walked up to my side and closed the door. "Are you alright, Fragment?" "I don't know. Some of the things Gezähnt said got to me." I said with another sigh. "Like how he said that all I know is whatever you've told me. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you or anyone's lied to me, but if they did I probably wouldn't know. The Pony side of the story is the only one I've heard." "We all want to know their side, but they had their chance to tell it and they didn't. Maybe the changelings can justify attacking Equestria and maybe they can't, but we know for a fact that they attacked us with no provocation. Until we know why they attacked, the public will make it's own assumptions. And it didn't help that the Changeling Queen herself said the changelings would become more powerful. But that's not the only thing bothering you, is it?" "No... What if I really do have a family? What if I'm leaving a whole family behind to wonder what happened to me? If Gezähnt is telling the truth, then that means I'm leaving a Wife without a Husband and two kids without a Father. I don't want to do that to them, no matter why we attacked. They shouldn't have to go through that just because I hit my head too hard." I said as she placed her hoof on my shoulder. "If you do have a family, you'll find them." Princess Celestia said with a soft smile. "Thank you, your Highness." I said as there was another knock on the door. We turned around and I opened the door, revealing Prince Blueblood waiting with a newspaper held to his side with his magic. "Auntie, the press is waiting for you outside." He said as Princess Celestia nodded. "Let's not keep them waiting. Fragment, I think you should come. It would be a good chance for you to see what my subjects are most concerned about." Princess Celestia said as she began walking away. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, if everypony freaks out then that kind of ruins the press conference, doesn't it?" I asked as I reluctantly followed. Once I was out of the room, I saw that Striker had been standing by the door. "I'm not asking you to just walk into view like nothing's out of place. Just observe." Princess Celestia told me as we began walking. Prince Blueblood then walked over to me and opened the newspaper to a certain page. "You should read this." He told me simply as I grabbed the paper with my own magic and began to read, but the moment I read the article name, my eyes widened. The article was called 'A Changeling Among Us?' I read it thinking I was exposed. 'With all that happened during the Secretariat comet's passing, there were a lot of stories that were reported to us, but one stuck out the most. Reported sightings of a changeling here in Canterlot fighting along side guards against the cockatrice. At first this report seemed ridiculous, but as more reports and a picture came in,' After that part is where they had placed the picture; it seemed to be from a roof or a high level floor. In it my hood was down so you could plainly see my head and one of my legs that at the time was being used to punch a cockatrice. 'It was time to investigate. Despite everything, gathering information was quick. No guards would confirm the rumor, but a mare who heard that we were investigating came forth saying they had a personal encounter with this changeling. The following is a statement by the mare who wishes to remain anonymous. 'Me and my son were running away from one of the cockatrice' The mare explained. 'We ran into somepony's house to try and hide, but the cockatrice was breaking through it to get to us, then we heard some kind of magic, and the cockatrice turned away from us and ran off to fight something, then we heard a voice ask if we were alright. When we looked to see who it was, we were shocked and scared to see a changeling but then the cockatrice returned to the building, trying to break through to us again. The changeling asked again and I told him we were okay, and in a flash of green light, we found ourselves in Canterlot Castle where two guards, a night guard, and Princess Luna met up with us. My son later asked the changeling why he helped us which he replied with 'Because I'm not like the other changelings.'’ The mare goes on to say that she and her son were taken to a safe room to wait. She asked the changeling for his name and that he said his name is Fragment. We asked her what her personal opinion of 'Fragment' was, to which she told us 'If he'd go out of his way to save two strangers from cockatrice, then maybe he's not evil like his Queen.' Is there truly a changeling in the castle with the Princesses, and what does this mean? We have yet to contact either Princess for confirmation, but we anticipate answers soon.' As I read the end of the article, I was stunned. I wasn't really surprised that I had been seen, and not really that a picture of me had been taken, but the fact that the mare I had helped not only informed the media, but she gave a positive opinion of me. Not that I expected her to call me a monster after saving her and her son, but to actually take what I did to the media was something I didn't anticipate. "Well at least it helps your public image, right?" Striker said as I looked over my shoulder. "I'm not sure about that... What if they freak out because I'm here?" I said as I looked over the article again. "I highly doubt they'll freak out, especially since the Princesses know you're here. If they're letting you stay here, then that means they trust you, and who are we to question the Princesses' judgment?" Striker reassured me. After a few minutes of walking, we came to a set of doors where Princess Celestia stopped. "Blueblood, please take them around to the back so they can watch." She said as we walked through the doors with me pulling my hood up faster than the reporters could start swarming Princess Celestia with questions. They were so focused on her I don't think they even noticed me and Striker as Prince Blueblood lead us to some kind of backstage while Princess Celestia walked up to the podium. "Princess Celestia, is there anything you can tell us about what these captured changelings have said?" One of the reporters asked. "The changelings we have captured are not cooperating with us, and I'm not sure if they will. All we have been able to get is that one of them is a Major and is named Gezähnt." Princess Celestia replied. "What is going to be done with the remains of the Marshmallow Pony that attacked Manehattan?" Another asked. "I'm having professional parasprite handlers bring in a swarm to dispose of it." Princess Celestia went on answering questions mostly about the damage that needed repair for about twenty minutes until she declared her time was up, but as she walked away one reporter asked "What about the rumors of a changeling in the castle?" But Princess Celestia didn't reply. As the reporters began to leave while talking among themselves, I walked up to Princess Celestia. "Why didn't you tell them about me?" I asked as the last of the reporters left and we began walking away with Prince Blueblood going a different way. "Because that should be up to you. You must choose to either remain in the shadows as a rumor or let yourself be known and let them judge you themselves," she told me as we made our way to what I think was the throne room. I thought about what she said. I knew it would be easier to stay out of sight, but at the same time I knew that honesty was working well for me so far, so it really came down to if I wanted to keep being honest, which would help prove I'm good, at the risk persecution, or start lying for my own sake. But if the truth ever came to light after that, it would send a message that I'm just going to lie for my own benefit. All lies die in time, and the longer they are told, the worse the outcome when the truth comes out. As I thought about it, something else that was pretty important came to mind, something that I needed to talk to Princess Celestia and Gezähnt about. "Princess Celestia?" "Yes, Fragment?" She replied. "You know how I've been having flashbacks every now and then?" "Yes. What about them?" "Well, I had one a few days ago where I was in an ally during the invasion and there was this mare with me, and she was trying to tell me something. She said that we were in danger and in a different flashback I was trying to warn the Queen about what I think was whatever I was told about. I don't know what she was talking about or who she was, but I'm worried about the 'danger' she was talking about." "What can you tell me about this mare?" She asked with a raised brow. "All I know is that her coat is white." "And why are you telling me this? I don't believe I can help you find this mare with little knowledge of what she looks like." "That's not why I'm bringing this up. I want to talk to Gezähnt about this and see if he knows anything about it, but I don't think he'll talk to me with guards nearby, so I want you to order the guards watching them to leave while I talk to him. Will you do this?" Princess Celestia thought about it for a minute as I took in a deep breath through my nostrils, sensing that her emotions were mostly concern. Finally she responded. "I will." She said with a small smile. "Thank you, Princess." I said with an appreciative smile. With that settled, Princess Celestia lead me and Striker to the dungeon where the changelings, and therefore Gezähnt, were being held. Once we reached the doors to the dungeon, Princess Celestia nodded to the two guards at the door, who bowed and opened the doors. I saw three guards in the room, one for each changeling I guess, and I saw that the cells were pretty basic; stone floor and walls, iron bars made the cells' doors, there was a single bed with a pillow and a blanket, there was a single sink, faucet, and toilet, but what really got my attention was seeing Gezähnt doing push-ups in his cell… while standing on the ceiling. So would that be a pull up? He was faced the other way so he didn't know we were here. "I spy something… grey!" I looked to the cell adjacent to Gezähnt's and saw one of the changelings from before, and from his voice I knew this was the one who wouldn't shut up, and in the cell next to him was the third changeling. "The wall?" The other replied with an annoyed tone. I guess he can talk after all. "Yes!" The other said as he looked over his shoulder and saw us, but didn't really react then looked back to the other. "Your turn, Jäger!" He said in a cheery tone that reminded me of Pinkie Pie. "Grrr," Jäger growled as he spoke. "I spy someone… stupid!" Jäger said with his right eye twitching. "The guard?" "No." "Gezähnt?" "NO!" He looked back to us and then back to Jäger. "The Captain?" "N― Wait, what?" Jäger said as he looked over to the door and saw us. "Major Gezähnt, we have company," Jäger said as Gezähnt let out a groan and slowly started walking down the wall. "Any 'company' we have better be the executioner to kill Hofnarr," he said as he reached the floor and looked forward seeing us. "Well look who came for a visit," he said as I walked up to his cell and he walked closer to me. We ended up being only about a foot away from each other. "Hello, Gezähnt." I said as we glared at each other. "How cute of you to see how we're doing. And you even brought our immortal enemy with you. What an insult." Gezähnt said as I growled lightly. "I came here because I want to talk to you," I said as he raised a brow at that then he walked away from the front of his cell and started doing push ups on the floor. "And the Major's reaction… The Silent Treatment!" "Shut up, Hofnarr," Jäger scowled. "Yeah, I anticipated that. Princess Celestia, will you and the guards please excuse us?" I said as the guards looked at her with a surprised look. "Come, let them talk in private." Princess Celestia said as they left. As the doors closed, Gezähnt stood back up and walked over to me again. "I see you learned from before," he said as he stared at me and stood up against the bars. "I came here to talk, so let's not waste time." I replied seriously. "Is it about your family? You want to know if I'm lying about it." "No. That's not why I'm here." "So you truly don't care then? Shame, I had expected more from you." He was obviously trying to provoke me or something, so I tried to keep my cool and continued. "I want to talk about a flashback I had." I said as he narrowed his eyes on me. "I'm listening." "A few days ago I had flashback that I was talking to a pony in Canterlot during the attack, she was trying to warn me about something saying that we were in danger. I don't know what she was talking about, but I think it must have been bad if she wanted to warn us about it. Do you have any idea what she might have been talking about?" "No, this is the first I'm hearing of any danger to us. Could she have been referring to the spell that repelled us?" Gezähnt asked while Jäger and Hofnarr watched and listened from their cells. "I doubt it. That spell wasn't really lethal, was it?" "No. A few changelings were injured like you, but no deaths were reported." "Maybe she was mistaken?" Jäger suggested. "Was there anything out of the ordinary before or after the attack? Anything that might mean something was wrong?" I asked as Gezähnt tapped his chin in thought. "Before the attack there was a reported sighting of ponies near our Canterlot base camp which we later learned were indeed soldiers, but they weren't any normal guards and that was all we saw of them. Nothing odd happened after the attack either." "What about the sixty plus M.I.A. changelings? That doesn't raise any suspicion?" Hofnarr asked causing Gezähnt to glare at him "What's he talking about?" I asked. Hofnarr opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Gezähnt. "That information is need to know, and you don't need to know." Gezähnt said to me as he continued to glare at Hofnarr. "But what if this is connected? Isn't it worth looking into?" Hofnarr asked as Jäger facehoofed. "And who's going to 'look into' it Hofnarr? We're stuck in a cell, and he probably couldn't care less about the hive," Jäger said as he pointed at me. "I have a name you know," I said as Gezähnt looked at me with an odd look. "And what is your name now that you've lost your memory?" Gezähnt asked. "I go by Fragment." I said simply as I looked back to Hofnarr. "What M.I.A changelings are you talking about?" Hofnarr looked at Gezähnt, who sighed and nodded to him. "After the attack failed, sixty three changelings were reported missing in action, you being one of them by the way. We searched for them while the Queen planned our next move, but It was later decided that those changelings had either been killed by predators or deserted and therefore didn’t need to be found, because of that the number of our search parties was halved. I personally don't think they deserted because of one failure in more than six-hundred years." Hofnarr said as Jäger raised a brow at him. "I never took you for a thinker, Hofnarr." "I keep that hidden, and it keeps my work load small," he said with a smile. "So what does this mean if the danger and the missing changelings are related?" I asked as they looked at me. "The only thing I could recommend would be going to the Queen with this information, but I hardly believe that will happen. And even if you would go to the hive, they wouldn't let some random changeling who doesn't know his own name speak to the Queen." "Then tell me who I am." Gezähnt raised a brow at that. "Believe it or not, I will talk to Princess Celestia about letting me go to the hive and bringing this to the Queen. I don't know what might be going on, or if it's even an issue anymore, but I don't want something bad to happen knowing I could have done something to stop it. And at the very least it will prove that you're not all bad." All three of them seemed surprised by my offer, but Gezähnt didn't look too pleased with this. "You're asking for a lot of trust, you know. How can I know you're not just trying to get your name and other potentially security harming information and use it against us?" Gezähnt asked as the others looked between us like it was an epic battle. "Okay, what do you want me to do to prove I'll follow through with the deal?" "One of the guards who's stationed to watch us has a locket, a locket that reeks with emotion, leading me to believe it's some kind of family heirloom or something of the like... I want you to steal it and bring it to me." "What? Why?" I was caught completely off guard with this request. "Because I want to break it. I want him to watch as his oh so precious locket is shattered into hundreds of pieces." Even Jäger and Hofnarr seemed shocked by Gezähnt's request. "That's not the real reason, is it?" I asked as my eyes narrowed. "The real reason is I want to know that I can trust you, and by bringing me an object of sentimental value, something irreplaceable for me to destroy, I will know that you will keep to our deal." "No," I said as our eyes glared daggers at the other. "And why not?" Gezähnt said baring his teeth as he growled lightly. "Because I've been trying too hard to prove to them I can be trusted to do something like that. I won't betray their trust for this. I'm done here," I said as I started walking away. "Fine, continue being the Princesses' puppet." That was the last straw with him. I spun back around and slammed my forehooves on his cell. "Don't talk about them like that! You don't know a damn thing about them!" Gezähnt responded by reaching his right hoof through the bars, hooking my horn with a hoof hole and slamming my head into the bars causing me to grunt in pain. "And neither do you! Do not think for even a moment that just because they've been 'helping' you for a week, means you know them any better than I do," he said as he held my head to the bars. He was a lot stronger than me, and no matter how hard I pulled back, I couldn't break free. "Right, like you even know me. I don't know what I was thinking when I came here; you're just an instigator who likes driving others crazy!" After that he pushed my head away, then slammed it back into the bars harder than before, then he unhooked my horn, letting me fall to the floor as I tried to fight the dizziness and stand. "No, I am a loyal soldier of Queen Chrysalis and her changeling hive," Gezähnt said as I stood back up. "This is why I'm refusing to tell you who you are; because any information I give you has the potential to endanger the hive. If you know your name, then you could use it to infiltrate the hive and leak any information you obtain to the ponies. And the truth is that we were friends and it pains me to have to keep these things from you, but I must put the needs of the hive before myself and my friends." He told me as he slowly looked to the floor, no longer showing teeth or anything. Just letting his vision drift. Either he's a good liar or… "You're telling the truth, aren't you?" I asked as he looked at me again. "Does it really matter to you? Without your memories your past seems to be devoid of meaning," he said as he walked away from the bars. I wasn't sure how to feel about this, I was starting to believe him, but I couldn't shake the idea that he was lying to get me on his side. "I guess we're done," I said as I started walking away. "And by the way…” I stopped and looked back at Gezähnt as he spoke. "Your wife's name is Saphir." With that, I opened the door with my magic and left. I saw the faces of the whole group of three guards, Striker and Princess Celestia herself had mixed expressions on them, which told me they had been eavesdropping on the conversation. But I didn't pay them much mind as I began walking to my room. I had a lot to think about…