Mancala

by Schismatism

Forced Perspective

"Look," began Scarlet as the three heads of the Wild Guard moved towards the nearest town - that, I realized, would be Ponyville - with me in tow. In a way, it was almost kind of cute. In another... um.

"I, um. Okay, look, but, obviously you're conscious, you're sapient, you're sentient, you're just as intelligent as a pony, the--"

"There's a laugh," muttered Shamrock, sotto voce. Yeah, if she kept doing that, I was going to take a hint from a certain American restaurant and mix up a Shamrock Shake. And I almost felt like she was just waiting for me to lash out...

"The question for which you're searching, I think, is what am I?, right?" I replied as archly as my exhausted tongue could muster.

"... yes. Roughly." answered Scarlet.

"An abomination," I chirped happily.

Sometimes, the sight of mental fuses blowing out is well worth the fallout. Sometimes it's just not. I couldn't help it, I snickered for a bare instant before I wound up in the tangle of legs, wings, and the occasional horn which my little snark had produced. All three had somehow managed to get entangled - a rather trickier proposition to escape with four hooved limbs - and I wound up right in the middle.

I think if there were anything more disorienting than slamming into three other folks who were hitherto walking in the same direction, it's suddenly feeling a plain, simple, and mind-zapping shock. Up until now, I hadn't quite parsed the fact that all of a sudden, I was an empath. Resultantly, it took us a bit longer than might have otherwise been the case to get untangled. Thankfully, the three core members of the Wild Guard were wearing their gear, so it was somewhat less awkward than it might have been. Me, I took a moment to lie on the cool grass, catching my breath.

Why did I get the feeling this was going to be a common occurrence from here on?

---

Five minutes later, once we'd all caught our breath, taken a few moments to relax upon the fine grass, and generally done nothing else, and once it was generally agreed that we were in suitably good health to make the remainder of the journey, my esteemed and well-regarded new friends from the local Inquisition rounded upon me.

I'll spare you the specifics, but the general refrain was a very loud and very bombastic 'EXPLAIN' in six different keys.

After dealing with a very imprecise assault on my ears, one which managed to take my hammer, anvil and stirrup and beat them against each other with a furor rarely seen outside any but the best blacksmith shoppes, I eventually raised a hand... er, hoof... which, amazingly, brought the three to silence. I took in a deep breath, preparing to bullshit them all into whatever I wanted them to think, and...

I couldn't.

I couldn't say it, and this isn't some sort of magic spell or anything. I honestly could not at this point look at them and say, 'just your average Changeling.' See, there are lies and there are lies. The kind of harmless ones are the ones we tell ourselves and each other every day, and... some part of me knew that this wasn't going to be one of them. So I told them at least a piece of the truth.

"Guys," I began, "you've got no reason to trust me on this, but... I honestly don't know what I am."

---

"And the dietary thing?" Shamrock was giving me the third degree as the three brought me into the local village, a small hamlet named -- oh, you know what it's named anyway.

"Actually, that was entirely true. Honey makes for a very well-preserved simple sugar. Simple sugars as opposed to more complex carbohydrates make up a significant part of our diets. They're easily handled so long as you keep them away from contaminants. That's why they've been a part of major trade routes for ages upon ages."

Cobalt started to chuckle at that, and I gave him a look. It must have been more than I intended, because he immediately shied backwards. "Sorry," I had to counter, closing my eyes, and he chuckled. "No, it's not that. It's just that ... a lot more of Pegasus history suddenly makes sense, pre-Unification. Pegasi need a lot of quick sugars, and..." Here, he cut off, looking more than a bit embarrassed, and I took a moment to grok exactly why.

Oh.

Oh.

For more than a few moments, I was trying to parse some manner of understanding... but thankfully, I was given the sight of my savior just beyond the next bush.

"Hey, isn't that Ponyville?"

---

Of course, that wasn't the end of it. There was still a ways to walk, glide, buzz, whatever. Not that much buzzing was involved - I still wasn't going to be trying to learn to fly in public. Amidst other things, I imagine that if the sound of a mosquito buzzing in your ear was bad for a human, imagine what it'd be like for ponies and the sort. Second, if there were any changelings in Ponyville, I'd much rather not wind up giving myself away quite so readily, visual cues aside. Finally, I'd gotten the impression that Cobalt was more of a backup pony... and I certainly wasn't going to be seen trying to escape in broad daylight.

Accordingly, I surreptitiously waved a hoof to guide Cobalt down to ear level, or close enough. Here, I did my best to provide an inconsequential murmur on the grounds that he was right there, and that the ponies around us would be happier knowing that a guardsman would be keeping a close eye on me.

"Listen," I started. "It was your great-great-great-however-many grandparents who did that back then, right?"

"...Yes...?" the pegasus responded in his characteristically shaky voice, practically hidden in his ever present cloud. Well... there are worse ways to get started, right?

"And, in turn," I continued, "it was ostensibly my great-great-great-however-many grandparents who retaliated, right?"

Sounding like he was, ironically, on much more solid ground, Cobalt replied, with a slightly less wavery voice, "And what, then, did you have in mind?"

My evil, twisted, vile plan coming close to fruition, I had to respond with a chuckle which sent the pegasus' wings in all directions. I think the other two gave us an odd look, but for the strangest reason, when I responded with an innocent smile, they averted their eyes in shock.

Weird ponies.

"Here's my idea..."

---

Ponyville, so that you know, is a very quiet little suburb of Canterlot. It's one of those small towns, where people know their neighbors and most of the folks around them, and it's generally far enough from the hustle and bustle of the big city that you can actually have a life for yourself, while still being a sensibly big part of the community in a number of ways. The monkeysphere, as several human researchers have put it, seems more prevalent in smaller communities than larger ones.

If you want a real example of what this is like, ask an empath. From the moment I walked into Ponyville, there was this sense of... I'm not sure how to put it, exactly. Interconnectedness? That could work. Empathy, of course, is right there. Love? Anyone who's read Gaiman and Pratchett's Good Omens knows how much love can be fostered in a community like this. It's not stifling - but it's everywhere.

Imagine if you been invited to a restaurant - one of the finest in the country - and all that they served were foods you... really didn't particularly want. I'd jokingly told the Wild Guard that I was an abomination, and I hadn't recognized how literal I was being. Here was a town filled with love, and I was choking on it in exactly the same manner that someone would choke on raw soy.

Cobalt, bless him, recognized exactly what was going on there, and he gently worked to steer us towards the local library. While the hostile emotions of the ponies around us clouded one sense of sight, I was still able to stumble my way towards the tree which practically defined the township -

And the very moment I stumbled in, and tasted the grey, drained strands that were once curiosity itself, I passed out.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

What's a Mancala?

[Schismatism]

7823926
Mancala, in this regard, is a series of 'sowing' and 'tilling' games played throughout much of the world, but especially Africa, wherein one draws 'seeds' from certain areas of the board, and places them into consecutive 'fields'. The name won't come into play for a few chapters yet, but it will before too long.

[tkepner]

Pegasi need a lot of quick sugars, and..." Here, he cut off, looking more than a bit embarrassed, and I took a moment to grok exactly why.

Oh.

Oh.

you might grok... i don't.

explain, please what she groks.

[Schismatism]

8957325
Pegasi were, hitherto, a rather militaristic set of tribes, hinted at in the Greek- and Roman-themed architecture of Cloudsdale (and the physical contests found therein), as well as the history provided by the Hearths-Warming Eve tales. In past, before unification, some likely found themselves hard up on food supplies, especially the high-energy varieties which are so beneficial for them. It would not be surprising if there were raiding parties who took to trade routes to survive, particularly if they were less effective as soldiers or those on the weather team.