//------------------------------// // More To Me // Story: An Imperfect Paradise // by Ximer //------------------------------// “Again.” Lean Streak barked, as sweat glistened off my coat. “He wasn’t joking when he said you were getting the once over.” Mike laughed. “Shut up Mike.” I grumbled, which only made him laugh louder. I had been all but dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn by Ike and his currently hysterical brother. I found the experience far less amusing than Scootaloo had. Stormwalker was with Flitter, since I knew I would start up training again today, and Cloudchaser would be out of town. This worked out for the better when dealing with Mike and Ike's shenanigans. I pushed this morning from my mind and started another lap, the burden of the weights at my side becoming more pronounced the longer I carried them. I found this type of exercise to be more of a mind game than physical. If I concentrated too long on the weight, which was actually much lighter than it felt now, I would tire much quicker than if I shrugged it off. The track here was relatively shorter than the ones I was used to in the other major cities, which meant I had to circle it multiple times in order to get the full effect. Lean Streak had already done the busy work of figuring out how many times I would need to circle it, among other things. "Foals making you soft on me?" Lean Streak taunted, after blowing the whistle for me to stop. "If anything they should be keeping him active." Ike commented. "You're more than welcome to take a walk in my shoes." I quipped, slinging the weighted vest off. "I'll stick to watching, thanks." Ike grinned. "Ike, what's his average time look like?" Lean Streak asked in his usual gruff voice. "You've shaved two seconds off." Ike replied nonchalantly. Lean Streak looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I groaned, knowing what that look meant as I scooped up the vest and wiggled my way into it once more. I soon heard the whistle blow, triggering my now deeply ingrained reaction to take off at the ear splitting sound. I was certain that dropping two seconds off my time during a week would have been pretty impressive. Lean Streak was pretty hard ball when it came to his job, however. If you thought two seconds was good enough, he wanted five. While unrealistic, it was his excuse to get a few more minutes of training out of you. Hope Scootaloo's having a better day than I am. I thought to myself. Training seemed to drag on even after I was no longer airborne. Oddly enough, I had come to find the exercises that were a bit closer to the ground to be more rewarding. It probably had something to do with it involving more overall body strength than wings alone. I was tired all the same, regardless of how favorable I found one set of exercises over the other. The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was shower, since being covered in sweat wasn't the greatest feeling in the world. I need to go get Stormwalker afterwards. I thought to myself as I pushed open the door. Then I need to make sure Scoot- "DAD!" shouted the familiar voice of my hyper active filly. Before I could respond, I was nearly tackled to the floor by a small orange blur. I quickly realized how exhausted I was after enduring Lean Streak's trials. My own daughter, bless the fuzz ball, had nearly put me out on the floor. "Hey Scoots," I said shrugging it off as I received a hug. "You seem to be in a good mood today." "Bet you can't guess why." Scootaloo grinned. Good grades? No, she was pretty content there. A new friend? Nah, that wouldn't warrant a hug-tackle. Oh god, Star Sprint asked her to be his mare friend, didn't he? No, no, you know Scootaloo better than that...besides, you don't own a shotgun, yet. I tossed the answer to her question about in my mind, until I noticed something on her flank. I assumed it was from a party of some kind, but that only left me with more questions. It wasn't until I leaned my head slightly that I noticed it seemed to blend in with her coat, and didn't have the usual appearance of paint or ink. My eyes widened as I realized what I was looking at; this was the real deal this time. "You got your cutie mark!" I exclaimed, feeling the exhaustion evaporating from my body. Scootaloo nodded her head vigorously, squeezing my leg tighter. In that moment, I forgot about everything else, I didn't even care what it meant, I was proud of her as I scooped her up and into a tighter hug. I heard her wings buzz for joy, until I eventually felt a tiny hoof press against my barrel. "You're kind of sweaty." Scootaloo said. "Way to ruin the moment kid," I chuckled, ruffling her mane a bit before releasing her. "Give me a few minutes and you can tell me all about it, okay?" Scootaloo gave me a small salute before running off to her room. After all the nonsense that had occurred in Canterlot, this was a welcome break amidst the chaos. --- Zero's eyes continued to scan over the latest book he had found of interest among Impulse's rather impressive collection. It was a book on dreams, a topic he had come to find interesting as he continued to have the same recurring dream each night, if they could be called that. Logically, he shouldn't be able to, lacking what normal, living beings possessed, but perhaps calling them dreams was inaccurate as they almost appeared to be memories. Before this husk he now found himself confined to, he could remember the warmth of the sun that shown through the window. It was a feeling that he knew he should register, but metal could only grow hot or cold depending on its environment, and possessed no nerves to experience pain, pleasure, or basic contact. Zero glanced out the window briefly to see a few ponies of various tribes walking, and sometimes flying, through the busy streets of Las Pegasus. He saw different age groups as well; foals, elderly, young couples a plenty. Eventually Zero returned to his book, or tried to anyways. The relative peace of the room was disturbed by two stallions, one being his 'father' while the other...he recognized, but only by appearance. "Are you sure this isn't some elaborate hoax, Impulse?" the other stallion asked. "I assure you this is no hoax, it's as I told you," Impulse replied. "Perfection realized." "Perfection certainly seems a bit...quaint. I'll admit, I was expecting something a bit more, oh I don't know, intimidating?" the other stallion offered. "He doesn't quite seem like a master piece yet." "And what is a master piece to you?" Zero spoke up, startling both ponies. To Zero, his own voice sounded strange and was taking some getting used to, as it sounded as if a pony was speaking softly through a megaphone, but with two overlapping voices instead of just one. He hadn't used it often, but he cared enough about Impulse to not let this other stallion try and talk down to him. "Is not beauty in the eye of the beholder?" Zero stood up, closing the book he had been reading, the cover reading "Mysteries of the Mind." "You can talk..." the new comer mouthed. "I can do more than talk." Zero said as he sized the odd stallion up. "Impressed yet?" Impulse turned to the other stallion. "Okay, you have my attention now." he nodded. "Zero, this is Flicker, he's the stallion responsible for your core." the unicorn gestured towards the still stunned pegasus. Zero looked Flicker over; he knew that wasn't the case. There was more to the artificial lifeblood that danced through his body than some cowardly stallion. He couldn't physically roll his eyes, but if he could he would have. "No he's not." Zero said flatly. "What?" both Impulse and Flicker said in unison. "Someone else is," the artificial pony huffed. "Someone different...like me." "Someone?" Flicker asked, unfamiliar with the expression. "He prefers that over anypony for some reason." Impulse said. "Do you really think he can beat Daniel? He only managed second against a group of new comers." Flicker turned to the unicorn. "Daniel, what makes him so special?" Zero asked. "He's different from other ponies. In fact, calling him one is an insult to our kind. He's human, or was rather." Flicker replied. Zero stared blankly at Flicker. "Am I an insult to your kind as well?" "What? No, that's not what I meant!" Flicker exclaimed. "What did you mean? Clearly I'm not a pony, but I'm not some inanimate object either." Zero said. "I'd drop it Flicker, he's much smarter than you think." Impulse said proudly. "Smarter doesn't even begin to cover it." Zero's mechanical voice added. "Think I've seen enough of your toy for one day." Flicker commented, turning for the door. Zero said nothing as the two stallions left him. The difference between the two of them now was the grin that seemed glued to Impulse's muzzle. As far as Zero was concerned, as long as he was happy, he somehow knew things would be okay. Still, he longed for outside interaction with those he watched from his window. He knew he could easily walk out of the building and onto the busy streets, but that would only result in screams of panic. That would only set him back, and Impulse kept insisting that he wasn't ready yet. He felt like he was ready, but Impulse insisted he wait. Zero's eyes happened to scan over two colts playing, a tantalizing red ball bouncing between them. He watched as one colt would flick his foreleg at the airborne object to send it back to his friend, only for the process to repeat itself. Zero felt the growing urge to do so himself, and wondered what it would be like to play such a simple game. "None of this makes sense." Zero mumbled as he turned away. He wasn't alive, or living by the conventional definition of the word, but he was functioning. His mind was developing and growing, which he shouldn't have one to begin with. His entire existence was confusing to him. He knew he was supposed to race, but what then? Would he become nothing more than a memory? Then there was Daniel, the puzzle piece he had yet to converse with, but knew he would eventually. If the princesses liked him, then he would get to race, at least that's what Impulse had told him. What he couldn't figure out was why some ponies seemed to despise him. Zero looked at the cut out news article that featured the stallion in question. He was beside a mare, with a colt wrapped snuggly in a blanket resting in her forelegs. He didn't seem evil, but perhaps there was more to him than what rested on the surface. "Daniel, what an odd name." Zero mumbled. --- “Your pet project seems to have taken on quite the personality,” Flicker said as he followed Impulse down the halls of his home. “Though it was a bit difficult to read him without a mouth, or facial expressions.” “Giving him a mouth didn’t seem practical, since he has no need to eat,” Impulse shrugged. “He had come a long way in a week’s time.” “What if he doesn’t want to race though?” Flicker asked. “I’ve told him about Daniel, bits and pieces anyways. He’s not quite ready for the big picture yet.” Impulse replied. “I trust you have a plan if he doesn’t take the “big picture” well?” Flicked looked down at Impulse. “I’ve already started working on a contingency plan. I really hope it doesn’t come to that though.” Impulse sighed. ---- I watched as Scootaloo and her two friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle retold the story of how they got their cutiemarks. I was a little jealous of them, since I hadn't actually done anything to earn mine, and was just blessed with it. Still, as odd as a chaos mark from a game was, it had grown on me. Pinkie Pie had managed to impress me yet again when she threw a party for the three crusaders. It definitely put a smile on Scootaloo's face when she heard about it. Rainbow Dash had already learned of Scootaloo's success, which she didn't hesitate to bring to my attention. "I bet you're pretty proud right about now." Twilight said, taking a seat next to me. "That's an understatement." I replied. "Why aren't you out there with her?" Twilight asked. "This is her moment, her day. She should get to enjoy it without me hovering around." I shrugged. "You're hardly one I would consider a hoverer," Twilight giggled. "I understand though, they've worked hard for this." "Yeah, she came close to giving up though. I'm glad that she didn't." I smiled. "I still remember when you told me your plan," Twilight said watching the three fondly. "Did you ever think it would lead here?" "No, I didn't, but that's life for you," I replied. "Scootaloo was my friend first. Things just kind of snowballed from there." "I'll say." Twilight laughed. I snorted and turned away from the princess, only to receive a playful swat from her wing. It had been a while since we had shared a moment like this. When I first arrived I was almost constantly around Twilight and her friends. Now, we only met briefly, and chatted when we had time. This wasn't the life or relationship with them that I had wanted. "Hey Twi-" "Dad!" I heard Scootaloo call. "Looks like you're up." Twilight said. I smiled halfheartedly as I left the princess' side. I had more on my mind, but the squirt had called me by my second name. I tilted slightly to the side, putting a bit more weight on my right side than my left as I stood up, which resulted in a popping sound. I looked back at Twilight who was now biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh. I had popped bones plenty of times before, why did it matter so much now that my parental status had changed? "I'm not old," I grumbled. "Jeez, what is you guy's obsession about that anyways?" I crossed the rather full room to where Scootaloo and her friends were. Spotting Applejack, and Rarity standing beside their little sisters. The tangerine filly motioned for me to come over, but I hesitated when I saw that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both had their sisters. I felt certain she would pick Rainbow Dash over me, but she actually called me over. I was a bit touched by this as I took my place beside Applejack and Rarity. It truly had been a story, but there was still some unfinished business, part of it being the small filly looking up at me. She wanted to know where she came from, I could only hope Isabella was finding the answers I couldn't in Ponyville. "Everypony say cheese!" ordered the mare behind the camera. --- Noctra slipped into the unlocked archives, courtesy of her commanding officer. It wasn't often that family records were used by military personnel. It was usually under less than pleasant circumstances that they were accessed, since it meant a solider with little surviving family had died while on duty. While no condolence letter was involved this time, the reason for her visit was no less tragic. Isabella's request to access the records had been denied. Even with her pull, she was still not castle personnel, yet anyways. Noctra had the strong hunch Blueblood would fix that in time, but for now she needed to focus on why she had come here. "Scootaloo, let's find you." Noctra hummed to herself. The bat pony summarized that the pegasi guards list was as best a place as any to start, and pulled the files that began with the letter B. From what she had been told, Brave Banner was her biological father. She had never known him, but she started with the lower ranks to be safe. "Nope, nope, nope....ugh, at this rate the sun's going to come up!" Noctra huffed as she flipped over page after page of names that were beginning to make her feel depressed. While most of the names were left unblemished, there were quite a few that had been underlined in red, with the word KIA written in the blank beside their name. The red symbolized the blood that had been spilt to keep Equestria safe. She had never looked through these records before, since she was just a normal guards pony, but as she did so, a part of her heart sank. Whether she found what she was looking for or not, she felt she would leave the archives with a better appreciation for the ones who had come before her. Thankfully, she did find what she was after, though she nearly passed over it. She had been swept up looking at the names of fallen brothers and sisters that she almost missed her target. "Brave Banner, let's see...book one thirty four." Noctra said to herself before flying off to retrieve the book. The bat pony couldn't begin to fathom how the unicorns in charge of this mess kept their senses. To her, it seemed like a daunting task to update records, but every day they were supposedly making the necessary updating. Such a task truly had to be their calling in order keep everything organized. Noctra found the book easily enough and skipped to the page that held Brave Banner's family. This turned up little information she didn't already know, and so she slid the book back into place amongst the others. "That leaves you, Summer Stars." Noctra sighed. “You don’t look like one of the regulars.” said a barely audible voice. Noctra zoomed towards the ceiling, startled by the sudden presence of another voice in the room. She hung from one of the chandeliers, looking down at a rather feeble looking unicorn. He had on thick red reading glasses, and sported a slightly faded black mane that had a few silver stripes through it. His coat was stone grey, with the image of a book on his flanks. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Thankfully it’s been a while since any members of the guard have come through.” the unicorn said, sitting an impressively large book down on a nearby table next to a candle. “Who are you?” Noctra asked. “Moon Quill,” the unicorn replied. “I guess I’m what you’d call the night shift for this part of the castle.” “A unicorn up this late?” Noctra cast Moon Quill a questionable stare. “You get used to it, I sleep during the day. It took a while to adapt, but it’s not so bad now,” The stallion shrugged as he began to scribble in the book in front of him. “Please, don’t let me keep you from whatever it was you were doing.” “Oh, I was just trying to find out about a little filly’s parents is all.” Noctra confessed. “Ah, that can always be a sad trek through memory lane,” Moon Quill nodded. “I know it’s none of my business, but do you mind sharing their names? I know this place like the back of my hoof. I could probably help find them.” “Well I already found her father, her mother is Summer Stars.” Noctra replied. The mare didn’t see any harm in telling him, Moon Quill seemed harmless enough. “Summer Stars...shelf S, book two eighty one, page four eighty nine.” Moon Quill said after giving it some thought. Noctra was skeptical, but retrieved the book he had told her to. After turning to the correct page, she was surprised to find Summer Stars name. There was only one living relative, unsurprisingly. Written off to the side, was a lone name that Noctra had become familiar with; Scootaloo. A page number was written by her name in green ink, which she felt confident would lead to the book that held Daniel and Isabella’s names. “No living relatives, no nothing-what’s this?” Noctra scanned over Summer Star’s name again, noticing that a series of hardly legible numbers had been stricken from her name. “Moon Quill, what does this mean?” Noctra asked, flying over to the unicorn with the book. “Hmm? Oh, that,” Moon Quill pushed up his glasses as he leaned in to get a better look. “Summer Stars was betrothed at one point.” “Betrothed?” Noctra nearly gagged at the idea. “Yes, it’s still practiced in some parts of society,” Moon Quill explained. “The only reason those numbers would have been over written was if her husband to be died before they were married.” “Any way of telling who he was?” Noctra asked, reexamining the numbers. “I can barely read these now.” “That’s the idea,” Moon Quill chuckled. “But, it is possible. If you can get me the approval I can find out about your mystery stallion.” “I’ll see what I can do.” Noctra said, now intrigued herself.