//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Comparing Notes // Story: Improbable Truth // by Charon the Chronicler //------------------------------// Val slept in my bed when we came back from the run. She was so exhausted that she just stumbled over to it and collapsed, still completely dressed, and dead to the world. I didn’t have a couch, and I did not want to make it awkward with a woman who may or may not have been real, so I improvised. Using spare sheets I had pilfered in case of a cold night, I constructed a hammock attached to the roof’s support beams. Steel Fang looked up to me, and I couldn’t help but feel as if he should be sleeping more comfortably; He had been sleeping in my bed with me, after all. I brought out a bunch of my extra Bui-Bui leaves and left them in a pile below my hammock. Steel wagged his tail and turned in circles a few times before getting comfortable. Smiling at the sight, I flew up to my hammock and fell asleep. I was asleep, but I wasn’t unaware. Every night had been like this. I had learned to ‘feel’ whenever a presence was near me, and I simply willed us to be apart. I didn’t want to think about it. One night, I would be able to. But not that night. Until then, I would recreate settings from the various stories I’ve read, seen, or listened to. A vast countryside filled with foreign beasts. A massive stalactite reaching down from a gargantuan cavern with settlements hanging off the edges of the massive stone pillar. A cozy camp by the sea, smelling of strawberries, cabins in the shape of a ‘U’. A city consumed by nature flying high in the sky, metal golems flying around it. Odd, but beautiful. I continued changing settings until it was time to wake up. Breakfast was what I had for breakfast every day. Eggs, hash browns, and a bit of fish. I had managed to double the amount of energy I could store simply by having fish for every meal and ‘pulling’ the more from it every time. It didn’t help that I couldn’t fly for another couple weeks, maybe days if Zecora’s salve worked wonders. But much of the energy went to waste, and now I had another mouth to feed. Maybe. I could be serving food to nobody. Better safe than sorry. “Do you not get tired of fish and potatoes?” Val walked over, rubbing the sleep out of her hidden eyes. “It’s what we’ve had for both lunch and dinner.” She grabbed a fork and the egg I had prepared for her began to disappear into the darkness of her cowl. “I don’t see why I should. It fulfills all of our dietary needs, not counting what we get from the occasional salad. As for the lack of diversity in meat, let’s just say that there are potentially many degrees of sapience in animals. Watch.” I turned to Steel Fang, who was yawning as he stretched. “Steel, you want some fish?” Steel nodded in response, and Val’s eyes widened. I placed a plate on the table with three sizable fish as Steel came to the table. Val watched him eat and I continued talking. “That’s why you should never touch him.” “Because there’s a chance I’d push the sapience out of him? How do you know it’s based on magic?” “Would you like to test my hypothesis?” Val stared at the direwolf, who stood taller than her on all fours than she was standing up. “I’m sure your hypothesis is legit.” “Thank you.” I took another few bites of my breakfast before turning to Val once more. “Now that you’re actually awake, a bit early I might add, do you have anything else you’re unsure about?” “Yeah. You mentioned different universes. Could you explain that a bit more?” “Okay then.” I said. “Have you ever heard of multiverse theory?” Val’s eyes squinted in a frown. “Isn’t that the idea that every time you make a decision, another reality is formed?” “No, that’s stupid.” “Wait a tick, wh ̶ ” “Think about it.” I interrupted. “If there were two versions of you that lived the exact same lives, in the exact same conditions, would you choose the same cereal in the morning?” “I guess.” She fidgeted. “I’m not saying predestination is a thing, what I’m saying you are the way you are because of the environment around you. Nature and nurture both come into play here. But say everything was the same for two versions of you, except one smelled your neighbor making some hot chocolate, a stray current of air having brought that odor to your nostrils. One of you is now craving chocolate, even though both versions of the neighbor have made hot cocoa.” “But you said everything was the same.” “It was when you started making your decision. Then something changed. A slight wind current, either a result of the butterfly effect of a stray photon or quantum teleportation or whatever other tiny thing that is reliant on probability. Probability is what makes the multiverse infinite. I could go into layered universes and unstable zones, but that’s somewhat out of my understanding. Either way, probability reaching back to how the Big Bang makes a massive divergence in universes, from conceivable to inconceivable. And that’s only counting the universes that started the same way.” “That seems like a really incomplete answer.” “And we’re very small in comparison. It would be like a colony of ants trying to make a census of the human world population. Except more than that.” I swallowed a huge piece of fish before continuing. “Okay, my turn.” “Shoot.” “How tall are you?” Val cocked her head and looked to Steel Fang. Steel just stared back and cocked his own head. “I ask you a question about something as big as the multiverse and you give me that whole spiel, but you ask me as something as boring as my height?” Val shook her head and shrugged. “Fine, whatever. Five nine. And I guess that makes Steel here a solid six foot tall wolf. Not scary in slightest.” Val faced me once more. “Why would you want something like that?” “Which makes me three and a half feet tall at the ears.” I muttered as I rubbed my chin. “Crap!” I struck my hoof onto the table. “I messed up on the measurements!” “What?” “When I built this house!” I groaned. “It was supposed to be one hundred square meters, not one hundred and forty-four!” “You’re upset…because your house is bigger?” Val deadpanned. “Yes! It’s the principle of the matter.” Val rolled her glowing eyes. “Before you go nuts, can I ask my question?” “Fine,” I waved a hoof. “Go ahead.” “Why are you a pony?” “No clue. But if you’re real and indeed a human as you were before, my best guess would be that I died.” Val reared back, shocked. “Either it was so traumatic that I forgot it, which I doubt, or my body did not survive the journey here. It may be my body, alongside a very close approximation of my brain, was reconfigured for this reality. It can’t be my original brain, since I’ve got an extra set of limbs my brain can control. So either I think I was the human once named Windell, and I am gifted with his pathetic life’s memories, or I am the prime evidence for the existence of souls.” “Yeesh, no wonder you’re not sure what’s real.” “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Val.” Val leaned back somewhat on her stool, eyes shifting from side to side before settling on me. “How could you be so…” “Nonchalant? I’ve had these thoughts before, in my first psychotic break. I was far more accepting of what was real then. To me, it felt like two years had passed. In reality, I was only ‘gone’ for six months. Amazing what false memories can do.” “What’s keeping you going? You know, why don’t you just give up?” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “People often think that the first emotions to come about were love and hatred. But when cells first gained their flagellum, two archaic forms of emotion were born. These two drive us in more ways than you know. Fear is the first. Avoid danger, and you’ll be fine. One would think that bravery would be the second, but bravery is rooted in something for more ancient. Hope. Hope that you’ll get food, hope that you’ll reproduce, hope that your kind will prosper. All living things hope in some way. That is why they don’t simply lay down and die. I know about the long journey of life, from simple cyanobacteria to the wide variety of flora and fauna we see today. As long as there is life, there is hope. And that is the one thing I am sure of. I am alive. Therefore, I hope.” “Wow…” “My turn for a question right?” I interrupted Val’s bafflement. “Oh, um, sure.” “Have you been rejecting any of the food?” “What? As in…no, I haven’t puked.” “Good to know both the food and the atmosphere are compatible with the human body.” “There was a chance that the food you gave me could have killed me?!” Val screeched as she stood up and her eyes thinned into slits. “Yes.” Val continued to stare venomously at me. “Or I could have told you about it and you would have either stressed yourself unnecessarily, suffered a placebo rejection, or starved yourself to death." “I still don’t like that you went behind my back on this.” “I’m not sorry in the slightest. This was the best possible outcome. But if it makes you feel better, I won’t do it again.” I stared directly into her eyes and maintained a stoic composure. Her eyes narrowed. “Swear on it.” She’s either very cautious, or very good. “Fine.” I stuck my foreleg in the air in oath. “I swear on my life and all that moves in the universe, that I, Windell Green, will never willingly put Val into danger without her permission.” Val relaxed a bit and sat back down, Steel looked at the both of them curiously. “That was a bit wordy for a promise.” “That was a vow.” I answered. “I take those seriously.” “Fine.” The cloaked woman grunted. “Your turn.” “Where are you from originally?” “Small town in Alabama. Left for Manhattan ‘cause I thought it would be better there. It wasn’t.” Val leaned forwards. “You’ve been here for quite some time. What should I look out for?” “Aside from the various creatures in the forest to the south, there are several natives you should avoid even in disguise. Obviously you’d want to stay away from guards and any government officials.” “Why?” “You’re an alien.” I deadpanned. “How do you think they’d react?” “Good point.” “Just don’t be too obvious, okay? If they ask you to come in for questioning, politely ask if you can keep your cloak for religious or medical reasons. If they refuse or lie, and you’ll know when they do, I suggest running. Don’t use your ability unless absolutely necessary. And if they ask where you come from, just say that you’re a nomad from southwest of the Badlands. Use your head, think on your feet. Now for individual people.” “Individual? You mean I have to avoid more than just the government?” “Pretty much. As a general rule, avoid diamond dogs. I know from personal experience that they’re a tricky bunch. There’s a cyan pegasus with the rainbow hair would be a bit jumpy around you, so don’t antagonize her.” “And what’s her name?” “Not going to tell you. If you’re going to learn it, it’s not going to be from me. If you are real, then we shouldn’t be too connected. That could end badly for the other if one of us gets caught.” “I guess.” Val conceded. “Moving on, we’ve got the orange farmer, who is actually the most well-mannered of the bunch, just as long as you don’t mess with her family. Then we’ve got the white unicorn; she’s a bit dramatic, but a very good businesswoman. The shy yellow pegasus. She’s interested in exotic animals, no matter how sapient they are. The purple unicorn librarian, may be a bit interested in your story, but I don’t think she’d go insane over you. Finally, the pink menace. She’s nice, if a bit…kooky, but she will say things that will destroy your mind.” “Ummm…okay.” Val inched away slowly. “Why should I avoid these girls?” “Unlike the average guard, they are directly connected to royalty. I’m pretty sure you don’t want two demi-gods on your ass.” "That's...okay..." Val sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Anything else?" "Yeah." I leaned in closer. "What are your measurements?" <><><> “I just can’t believe you’re a fan of Maretallica.” “There’s a lot you don’t know, Shining.” Cadence giggled. “Isn’t it fun to discover it? It’s like an adventure!” The stallion snorted, but smiled as he leaned closer to Cadence. The two of them trotted through the Manehatten music festival, moving from genre to genre as the hours passed. Shining was quite surprised to see the effeminate pink alicorn go crazy at the metal bands playing, shaking up the other darker toned ponies there. A bunch of batponies even laughed and held her up so she could get a better view. When they passed the classical section, Cadence teased Shining about missing Hawk Eye, which the unicorn denied. Cadence could tell he was lying, and remedied his worries with a peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry about Hawk.” Cadence rubbed the bottom of his chin softly before nuzzling his neck. “You know he could take care of himself. Didn’t he take care of the both of you while you were cadets?” “Hey!” Shining exclaimed. “That’s not true!” “Relax, Shining.” Cadence smiled. “You’re just adorable when you’re agitated.” Shining Armor blushed, and tried to redirect the conversation. “Hey, we’re at the Electronic section! That wasn’t around when we were in high school.” The crowd had shifted from the prim and proper to the flashy and jumpy. It wasn’t gradual either, so the few ‘higher class’ ponies that had stumbled into the electronic wilderness frequently thought they had been teleported into an evil cultist’s dungeon as a sacrifice in the name of Nightmare Moon rather than simply walking into the midst of these rambunctious appreciators of the night. Despite a few ponies fainting every year due to the proximity of the two sections, the organizers chose to continue keeping the sections close together. Probably because they got a laugh out of their reactions. The two lovers watched as a white unicorn mare with a wild blue mane and purple glasses to match began her set, enamoring the audience with her music. The ponies in the crowd hollered, danced, and the unicorns even shot flares from their horns to accompany the light show. “The Knight once told me that the most interesting things are those we haven’t experienced yet.” “He seemed like a wise stallion.” Shining cocked an eyebrow. “Speaking of which, why don’t you know his name? He seems like the type of pony you’d remember a lot about.” “He never told us.” Cadence shook her head. “He told us it didn’t matter. So we called him The Knight. It was The Knight who came to us when we needed him. It was The Knight that planned our offences against Sombra. It was The Knight that sung me lullabies when I cried at night, no matter how gruff he seemed to be to the others. Some of the others in the rebellion didn’t like him, but he didn’t care. He didn’t do what he did for glory or riches like so many other knights at the time. I don’t even think he would have wanted to be mentioned in history.” The white mare began egging on the crowd, revving the music up for the drop. “But no matter what, I will not forget him.” Cadence said, looking onto the crowd. “And I will not forget what he taught me about life, about ponies, and about love.” “Wai-What!?” Shining choked. “Hmm? Oh you thought ̶ ” Cadence let out a very unladylike snort, followed by peals of laughter. “Don’t worry Shining, you’re the only stallion for me.” Cadence regained her breath and wiped a few tears away. “See, when I was a filly, I could start sensing love ponies felt for one another.” “That doesn’t sound too bad, but how does that relate to The Knight teaching you about love?” Shining asked. “Because I felt all types of love. Platonic love, true love, puppy love, old love, dying love…false love. It was bit confusing muddling about through the love ponies felt for one another, and I couldn’t seem to identify which was which for…reasons. So The Knight talked to me and told me about the different types of love ponies could feel. It…opened my eyes to a lot of things.” “Like friendship?” “Among other things, yes.” The white mare finished her set and trotted off stage, signaling the end of the Electronic performance. Cadence began walking towards the backstage while Shining, confused, followed her. The bouncer stepped in front of Cadence to block the way, but with a flash of her horn, Cadence’s alicorn status was revealed. The bouncer fumbled a bit before remembering the pecking order and stepped aside. Shining scurried after the pink mare into the star’s room. The sign on the door said ‘DJ-PON3’, but there were four ponies inside. Two of which were obviously agents, whereas the other two most likely artists. “Oooh, sweet!” The white mare grinned. “A princess!” She turned to the agents. “I told you guys that I got this. Boom! Princess fan.” The agents rolled their eyes, while the dull green stallion beside her simply chortled. The mare trotted over to Cadence and extended a hoof. “DJ-PON3, but you can call me Vinyl Scratch.” “Nice to meet you, Vinyl.” Cadence smiled and reciprocated the hoof bump. “I’m Princess Cadenza Mi Amore, but you can call me Cadence. This is my special somepony, Shining Armor.” “Hello.” Shining nodded in her direction. “Neat.” Vinyl said, before pointing towards the stallion with the messy mane and the shades. “This is MC-W1SH, or Neon Lights, my...special somepony?” The last part of her statement was directed towards the two agents, who nodded nearly imperceptibly. "While I was in charge of sound, he was in charge of the special effects, and we both worked on the music. These two ponies are our agents, Right Word and Firm Letter. How can we help you, Princess?” “I was just dropping by to see if there was a way to contact you to play at a venue. You know, in the near future.” Cadence answered. “Sure!” Vinyl beamed. “Playing for a Princess would be awesome. I’m not sure both of us can play though. We’ve got busy schedules. What’ll we be playing at?” “Oh, I don’t know.” Cadence stared innocently at the ceiling. “I’m sure something will come up." “Oh…okay! We’ll keep in touch.” “Thank you Vinyl.” Cadence smiled gratefully before leaving. Shining followed, generally confused. But then he saw the signs. Amethyst eyes looking down, ears folded slightly back, and a tiny downward bend in her smile. Cadence may have been trained to retain a royal persona, but Shining could always spot the cracks. “Cadence? What’s wrong?” “Remember how I can sense different types of love? The Knight warned me about this, and it doesn’t stop hurting no matter how many times I see it.” Shining leaned closer to the mare, sharing his warmth to the mare he loved. “What’s that?” “False love.” Cadence sighed. “I can tell when a couple aren’t really in love. It’s rare, but it happens. Either a couple forms because both of them are lonely or because they’re forced together by circumstance. And they give up searching for real love. Sure they may be friends, but they aren’t meant for each other. And those agents…!” Cadence stomped a hoof. “It’s obvious they set the two up together to increase revenue. Maybe even for drama.” She shook her head. “A pony’s emotions shouldn’t be used like that.” Shining took Cadence into his embrace and locked his lips with hers. They melted into each other, enjoying the feeling of oneness with their partner. Finally, they separated, Shining blushing ever so slightly. “Better?” He asked. “Much.” "So…uh…what was that request for?” “I’m not sure.” Cadence took an innocent air once more. “I just have a feeling that there’s going to be a white dress involved.” Shining made a fine impression of a fish before he could finally find his words. “Cadence…I have something important to ask you.” The alicorn’s heart started beating faster as she tried to keep her composure. “What’s that, Shining?” “…I can only ask you after I win the Canterlot chess tournament. To prove myself.” Cadence calmed down. Shining and his pride. Although it would feel so much better now Cadence knew of Shining’s need to prove himself. She beamed. If it would make him more comfortable, so be it. She could wait a bit longer, and she always did like the idea of a perfect moment to remember. But still… “Cadence? Where are you going?” “Canterlot.” “But…the music festival isn’t finished yet!” “Don’t care!” The princess proclaimed. “Let’s go!”