"So you weren't a pony before you came here right?"
"Yes."
"And you weren't a mare either?"
"Yes again."
"Doesn't that make things weird for you?"
"Only when somepony brings it up!" I shouted at her. During the entire trip to Sweet Apple Acres, Lyra was trying to make certain that I hadn’t seen anything like a human, by giving me a thorough description. After saying no multiple times to the mare, I was about to scream her head off till I noticed that Twilight was averting her eyes for some strange reason. That made me wonder if there was such a thing as humans, though I would pity them if they ever had to meet Lyra.
"Okay... sorry... So, did you have hands before you became a pony?" Lyra asked, her grin widening as my ears folded back due to the potential fallout my answer could bring. I was tempted to lie to her, but considering how much of a psycho this mare is already, I really don't want to see how she would react if she found out the truth.
As I was about to answer, somepony else spoke out instead as I heard, "There you guys are!" Turning my head to the direction of the voice, I smiled as I saw Spike running over to us, a scroll in his claw. "I got a letter from Princess Celestia!"
"Oh? I wonder what it's about," Twilight said as she grabbed the scroll with her magic, only for Spike to not let go of it.
"Sorry Twilight, but the scroll is addressed to Aether," Spike said, walking to me as he handed me the scroll. While I was opening the scroll, I saw that Twilight was a bit confused by the situation. It seemed like all mail that Spike had ever mentioned goes to her, so somepony else getting it may have been out of the norm for her.
Opening the letter, I spotted everypony looking at me like they were... oh. "You all want me to read the letter aloud, don't you?" Receiving sheepish grins and a couple nods, I sighed before humoring them, as I read the letter aloud.
Dear Aether,
After much deliberation with the nobles and my personal advisers, I was able to establish the necessities for a team of ponies for you to train. As we receive volunteers for this team of yours, I have sent a pony who will lead in the construction of the barracks needed for your recruits. I have informed the pony to listen to any suggestions that you feel will be proper for the housing. Furthermore I have prepared the monthly funding that you may need for your training purposes.
In light of the recent assault and the possibilities of future interaction between you and the nobility, I am granting you the title of a Dame of Equestria. Hopefully this title will help further smooth over any future grievances ponies may hold towards you upon learning of your origins. Furthermore, having a title will aid you in any future endeavors you have that requires the support of the nobility.
Currently, due to no discussed requirements for recruitment beyond being a young recruit, we are drawing volunteers from any pony, regardless of their background. Please inform me of when you are able to start training the recruits, as well as any objections you may have about the method of selection for them.
Yours Truly,
Princess Celestia
P.S. Luna has been trying to contact you in your dreams, but you seem to have a mysterious lack of them. Hence, tonight she will construct a dream for you, so do not be alarmed of what you may see.
After I finished reading the letter, I oddly heard some clapping. Looking up, I saw that everypony was smiling at me and clapping. As Twilight was about to open her mouth to say something, I asked, "Why is everypony clapping?"
They all looked at me in confusion until Twilight said, "What do you mean? Celestia made you a dame. We were clapping to congratulate you."
"Twilight, did you forgot that I haven't mastered Equestrian yet? Do you really think I would know what a dame is?" I deadpanned. "I only partly understood the letter."
"Oh... this may take a while then."
After half an hour, Twilight was able to explain every single word in the letter that Celestia wrote to me. While it sounded like good news to me, somehow it felt like Celestia was messing with me as well since she should have noticed that my limited vocabulary during our short time together.
"Aether, I don't think Princess Celestia has anything against you. She's kind to everypony in Equestria."
"Technically I'm not really a pony, since I was an alien."
"I don't think that really matters, and why would Celestia even had a grudge against you?"
"Well, there's the chair that I tried to smashed to pieces with her face, and then the fact that I wanted Princess Luna to drop a statue on her."
Staring at me, Twilight's right eye twitched before she brought a hoof to her chest. Taking a deep breathe, she released it as she straightened her foreleg. "Aether, it sounds like you're the one with the grudge, not Celestia."
Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Twilight, damaging a world's natural dimensional barriers is not something to be taken lightly. On some worlds, the punishment for that is... rather extreme. I just want to make sure that Celestia really learned her lesson. Otherwise she may just end up as another one of those uncaring rulers that just do things on a whim."
"You're still being too harsh on her, Princess Celestia will never become that kind of pony. Princess Luna told me that this started some time after her banishment, so Celestia was in pain during that time. It would be natural for her to find a way to relieve that pain she bore for so long. Besides, didn't the weakening of the barriers lead to you coming here and having a happier life?"
"My happiness isn't worth the risk of everypony suffering some horrible fate. Even more so with a world this peaceful. I would gladly return to eating paste if this world is left in peace from other dimensions for a thousand years," I answered, waving a hoof nonchalantly.
Twilight went silent after that, just blinking at me for a while before she actually was able to speak again. "That is... rather profound for you to say."
Shrugging, I said, "I may be mean at times, but that doesn't mean I'm completely self-centered."
Lyra suddenly leaned in between us, startling Twilight as I raised an eyebrow to that. "If you're not completely self-centered, mind telling me if you had hands?"
This caused one of my eyes to twitch, which was matched by Twilight before she lowered her head as she let out another sigh. Knowing that Lyra will probably figure out the truth and that Twilight was about to berate her for butting into our conversation, I steeled myself as I answered, "Yes."
This caused Twilight's jaw to drop as I saw such a wide grin normally only Pinkie could make on Lyra's face, her eyes widening to an impressive scale. For a while, there was only silence, to the point that I saw some weird yellow round plant rolling by behind the mares. Which was weird, since I never seen any plant like that around Ponyville. After more time passed, I was about to get up and head home when Lyra... screamed her head off. Not literally of course, but it looked like she was trying hard to accomplish that.
"Oh sweet Celestia I knew it! What was it like having hands? Can you describe to me what it felt like to have them? Do you miss having hands? Can you tell me what it is like to feel things with them? How many aliens have hands too?" Lyra shrieked off, with more questions following them in such a surge that it was impossible for me to keep track of them all. However, one question stood out when I heard it, one that was a bombshell to me.
"Can you tell me if there were any ways your parents used their hands to show you affection? How many fi—" Lyra continued before I rammed a hoof into her mouth. She was about to give me a look that expressed her displeasure when she saw my face, which stopped her cold in her tracks.
While I was capable of casting a Death Glare at things to freeze them in their tracks, the look I was giving Lyra was nothing compared to it. I was glaring at her with intense rage, my fury so evident on my face that I can even felt one of my veins twitching. "Do not, ever, mention my parents and their affection for me ever again," I coldly said, pulling my hoof out of Lyra's mouth as she looked at me in fear. Noticing that everypony else was looking at me with expressions that was a mixture of fear and concern, I closed my eyes as I took several deep breaths to calm myself down.
Opening my eyes, I saw that Lyra flinched since my glare downgraded to a hostile stare. "Having hands lets me hold things in ways that allow me to feel it better than what I can with my hooves. I don't really miss losing my hands 'cause I have magic to make due and the trade-off was worth it to me. There are many other species with hands as well, but I don't think it is a good idea if you want to try to make contact with them, for a large number of them are.... mean. I didn't catch the rest of the questions, so just write them down on something and mail it to me. I'll answer them the best I can when I'm in a better mood and send it back to you."
Lyra just replied with a nod before she hesitantly backed away from me, causing me to sigh and say, "Look, I'm just... upset. I won't hold what you said against you. There are just things I don't want to hear." Giving me a nod, Lyra began to head back to Ponyville as I felt a hoof being placed on my withers. Looking behind me, I saw Twilight bearing a solemn expression.
"Aether, I know you don't like to talk about certain aspects of your past and that you were an adult before you came to our world. However I think you need to talk about those aspects, it's not healthy for anypony to keep something that could upset them so greatly to themselves, especially since you're a foal now."
"Look, Twilight, I'll be fine. I may have lost control of my emotions there for a moment, but overtime, I'll get better. I kept it in for fourteen years, I can still keep it in now. Besides, we have more important matters than my well-being, like preparing for the inevitable true discovery of Equestria to the dimensional nations. Which we can get started on by sending a reply back to Celestia," I firmly said, keeping a calm expression on my face.
Sighing as she took her hoof off me, Twilight replied, "Alright Aether... just don't be afraid to talk to Pinkie or me. I'm sure the rest of the girls would be willing to lend you an ear if you need to get anything off your shoulders."
"Noted. Though, I have to admit something."
"What is it?" Twilight asked, her ears perking up a bit in curiosity.
"One of the reasons that I hold a grudge with Celestia is that her actions could led to Equus being discovered by the dimensional nations before it is ready. This could have led to all life on this world facing the same fate as my original species," I replied, my voice void of any emotion. "I don't know much of my species' past, but ponykind is too kind and naive to face such a cruel fate."
At the end of my little revelation, I saw both Twilight and Spike glancing at each other as they thought about that possibility while Silver tried to keep his composure. Turning around, I started heading back to Ponyville as I said, "I think it's time we get back to town and send that letter to Celestia. I need to tell her how soon I want the recruits to be here."