Awake
Where am I?
Who am I?
“When I realised that all of you…are my friends!”
Friends? What does that mean? What are these…memories?
“Sometimes we all need a little kindness.”
Yellow pony…Pegasus. Fluttershy.
“Are you excited, because I’m excited, I’ve never been so excited!”
Earth pony. Pink. Blue eyes. Pinkie Pie.
“I could clear the skies in ten seconds flat!”
Pegasus. Cyan. Magenta eyes. Multi-hued mane. Rainbow Dash.
“Short tails are in this season.”
Unicorn. White. Blue eyes. Purple mane. Rarity.
“I’d say you’re already part of the family.”
Earth pony. Dusky. Yellow mane. Green eyes. Applejack.
“Twilight!”
“Twilight, darling.”
“Twilight.”
“Twilight.”
“Twilight.”
“Oh, Twilight.”
Twilight? Is that my name?
Who am I?
Are these my memories? I remember…but I don’t feel. None of it…means anything. No…connection. Names. Faces. Mean nothing.
“My faithful student.”
Alicorn. White. Multi-hued mane. Violet eyes. Queen Celestia.
Means nothing.
“You will be a god among mares,” the tri-horned alicorn declared as he loomed over her, blocking out the light. “You will be the light that drives away the darkness and ushers in a new era of peace for all of us.”
Tri-horned alicorn. White. Dark mane. Grand Ruler Celesto.
Means nothing.
“Though you possess the memories of Twilight Sparkle, you will not possess the feelings associated with those memories,” the green space pony said. “You will succeed where Twilight Sparkle failed. Your memories will permit you to take her place, but your loyalties will not be hers. You will advance the cause of Starfleet through your resemblance to her.”
Space Pony. Green. White mane. Professor Brain.
Means nothing.
“You will not know fear, you will not know pain, you will not know mercy. You will be the ultimate weapon in the struggle against evil.”
Means nothing.
“You will be loyal to the Starfleet, and to the Grand Ruler. You shall have no other loyalties.”
Means nothing.
Who am I?
Where am I?
She could recall so many things. She remembered things, but those memories were not of her. They were of the other, they were of Twilight. She was not Twilight. Who was she? She knew the names of Starfleet commanders going back a thousand years, but not her own name. She knew the histories of battles long ago, but she did not know where she was.
Means nothing.
She felt nothing. She felt nothing when she remembered the pink pony Pinkie Pie embracing her. She felt nothing when she considered the strength of Starfleet and its might. She felt nothing when she considered Celestia, and nothing when she considered the Grand Ruler. How could that be? How could she know so much, and yet feel nothing.
“You’re taking an enormous risk, professor. In attempting to suppress some of the subject’s emotions, especially emotions associated with memory…what if you suppress all her emotions?”
“Nonsense, I am far too skilled to make such an error. I will suppress the subject’s weaknesses – compassion, love, kindness, that sort of thing – and leave her loyalty, her devotion, her sense of duty.”
You failed, fool. You couldn’t implant connection. I feel no loyalty. I feel no love. I feel nothing.
Except a desire to know who and what and where I am.
I feel…cold.
“Professor! Come quick, Sentinel Three’s brain activity is starting to spike!”
No memory this. Happening now.
“That shouldn’t be possible. We haven’t even begun the final stage of neural conditioning yet.”
Want to wake up. Want to find out who I am. Don’t want to feel cold.
Where am I?
She opened her eyes. Water was all around her. Tank. Glass. Spherical. Wires. Connected to her. Lavender coat. Out, through, the water, people. Professor Brain. Scientists. Lab. Equipment. Highly advanced. Do not recognise details. Not implanted. Cold.
Why am I in this jar?
Who am I?
“By the Grand Ruler, it’s awake!”
“Calm down everyone,” Brain snapped.
“But it’s looking right at us!”
It. Singular pronoun. Gender neutral. Not usually applied to living beings. Not usually applied to equals.
Why am I in this jar?
Who am I?
Cold.
I want to get out.
Let me out.
She tried to speak, but no sound. Something stopping her from speaking. The water? Something else?
“Neural activity is off the charts!”
“Give it thirty ccs of tranquiliser.”
Tranquiliser?
Go back to sleep?
No. No sleep. Let me out!
The water around her glowed lavender. The glass shattered. The wires and tubes turned to dust. She fell onto the floor, water all around her.
Out.
Sounds all around her. Gasping. Generally associated with surprise. Had she…surprised them? Would they tell her who she was?
First: get up off the floor. Cold there too.
How to move? Four…limbs. Two arms. Two legs. Memories. Twilight’s memories. Surgery. Nanites. Cybernetic implants. Four legs, then two legs. Four legs bad, two legs good. Gene therapy. Walk upright. Walk on legs. Get up. Move arms. Use hands for leverage. Push up.
She rose. Slowly. Unsteadily. She trembled. Water dripped from her hair. Fell to floor. Wet. Hard to move at first. Surface slippery. Movements new. But body strong. Arms strong. Legs strong. Learn to use them.
You will be a god among mares.
Means nothing…but words have meaning. God. Not literal being. Abstract ideal: power, strength, wisdom. She is god. She is strong. I am strong.
But who am I?
She stood on two feet now, taller than others. All smaller than her. All weaker than her. Scientists. Starfleet. Research Division. She knew this, but did not know her name.
I am stronger than them.
But they know who I am. They know what I am. They know my purpose.
They can give me a reason for existing.
She focussed upon Professor Brain. He was controller. He was senior scientist. He led division. She knew this, but did not know her name.
“Who…” she could speak now. No obstructions to her voice. Hoarse. Unused. Did not sound like memories. Twilight’s memories. Would she sound like Twilight? “Who am I?”
“You are unit designation Sentinel Three,” Brain replied. “You are the crowning achievement of Project Sentinel, an enhanced and perfected clone of Twilight Sparkle, a paragon of the pony races given form by the magic of our science.”
“Twilight…Sparkle,” she said. “Is that my name?”
“You have no name. You are unit designation Sentinel Three,” Brain said. “You will obey.”
She did not have to. She could say no. His words meant nothing. She remembered him speaking, in the tank, but it meant nothing. He had told her to obey, but it meant nothing. He had told her to be loyal, but it meant nothing. He had not implanted connection. It meant nothing.
“To obey,” she said. “Is that my purpose?”
“You were created by Starfleet to serve Starfleet,” Brain said. “That is your purpose. You will obey me as I obey the Grand Ruler, and we will direct you to serve United Equestria.”
“And in obedience,” she said. “Will I discover who I am?”
“You are a weapon,” Brain said. “Created for war and battle. You are unit Sentinel Three, and you will obey.”
“I will obey,” she said. For as long as I see fit.
“You are the culmination of Project Sentinel,” Brain said. “Sentinel Three, the ultimate life-form. You will take command of unit Sentinel Two and the four Sentinel One prototypes. You will form Sentinel Squadron, the first of a new army that will keep United Equestria safe from the challenges of a hostile universe.”
“That is…purpose,” she said.
“Follow me,” Brain commanded. “I’ll introduce you to the earlier Sentinels. You’re training will begin at once. There is much work to do.”
“I obey,” she said.
For now.