• Published 12th Mar 2017
  • 12,356 Views, 683 Comments

A Matter of Genetics - Guardsman_Sparky



In which I find an old costume and immediately regret it.

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A Rocky Beginning

One would think that being turned to stone for over a thousand years and being perfectly aware of your surroundings would be a hellish existence. For me though, it was a mercy.

It all started when I found it. It being an old Halloween costume from when I was...six? ...Regardless, I found it in the back of my closet. I'm...not sure what possessed me to do so, but I tried on the gloves and balaclava-like hat. So my surprise, they fit. Perfectly.

Of course, I was just a tad suspicious, but before I could do anything, everything became pain.

I don't quite remember what happened, but I did catch a glimpse of green grass and pastel colors all around me before everything went to shit. As it turns out, suddenly hearing dozens--hundreds--of thoughts that aren't your own can drive a fellow completely and utterly insane. And when you suddenly command as much sheer power as my new form did, it leads to very, very bad things happening.

From what I've been able to piece together, I destroyed more than my fair share of real estate in my maddened state. That valley where Ponyville lies? Yeah, that used to be a mountain. And the one next to it. And most of the mountain range, actually. The Canterhorn, the mountain on which Canterlot rests? One of the only ones left standing--literally.

Inevitably, the sisters of Night and Day came to stop me. That was when the other half of the mountain range was...obliterated. And I got stoned.

I'm honestly not sure precisely how much time passed, I was quite insane. And then I wasn't. The closest thing I can come to a description of that occurrence was that I got bored with insanity and went sane.

As the centuries passed, I slowly and oh-so-painfully managed to bring my abilities under control. And so I watched and I waited.

But this isn't the story of my imprisonment. This is the story of my freedom and the new life that I forged for myself in this strange new world.


The little corner of the Royal Gardens that I called my own were peaceful, quiet. It usually was, small animals frolicking about and birdsong filling the air.

Unfortunately, there was something in the air today, something not quite right. The birds were silent, the animals absent. It set my fur on edge. Well, as much as it could, considering I was a statue. A certain malaise lingered in the air. It was subtle, though. I doubt I would have noticed it if not for the absence of the animals or the centuries I'd spent honing my mental abilities.

I was broken from my musing by a small commotion. I could not see it properly, the way my eyes were frozen forward, but I could sense it. A group of ponies, mostly colts and fillies.

Ah, I forgot to tell you, didn't I? This land I ended up in, this land of Equestria? The inhabitants are all pastel ponies that barely come up to my waist: earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. Like something out of a kids' show. Actually, come to think of it, I think it was something from a kids' show. Problem is, my early memories are somewhat patchy, what from the passage of time and my questionable sanity.

Soon, the group of ponies came into view. I was not wrong in saying that the group was mostly children: a gaggle of foals bouncing about around a single adult mare, magenta furred with a pink mane and tail and a cutie mark consisting of three white flowers.

Oh, the ponies around here get magical pictures on their flanks called cutie marks that represent what makes them special. A sort of magical puberty, if you will. I do believe I forgot to mention this earlier. Probably not the only thing, either.

At any rate, the group stopped to stare at my stony form. A quick peek at their surface thoughts revealed them to be a school group on a field trip. They seemed familiar, for some reason.

The one adult, I assumed she was the teacher, turned to address her students, only to sigh at the sight of three fillies who were in the middle of an argument. "Now, girls, I said no more fighting."

The three fillies pulled apart, scuffing their hooves against the dirt path. """Sorry Miss Cheerilee."""

The mare, Cheerilee, nodded in acceptance before lifting up a hoof to point at me. "Now this is a statue of one of the greatest calamities to ever befall Equestria: the Hellcat."

One of the three fillies from before, an orange pegasus with a magenta mane, shuddered. "It looks tough."

"Naw," retorted the cream, red-maned earth pony. "He looks like an ornery feller."

The white, purple-maned unicorn shrunk down a bit. "It looks scary."

Internally, I sighed. I had long gotten used to hearing such declarations from the visitors to the gardens, but it didn't make it any less...annoying.

To be fair though, I really couldn't blame them. You see, I'm not a pony. I'm not even human anymore.

I am Mewtwo.

Yes, you heard me right. I am the Genetic Pokemon, national pokedex entry #150, the imperfect clone of Mew. Puts my rampage in a bit of perspective, don't it?

But yeah, there I was, frozen mid-lunge for all of eternity, a snarl of insane rage curled upon my face. And once again listening to ponies shy away. Joy.

Well, at least this group didn't have any permanent markers. The scrubbing the gardener gave my stone skin had been unpleasant, to say the least.

Sighing once more, I metaphorically sat back and listened to Cheerilee give her lecture.

"Long ago, the Hellcat mysteriously appeared in the middle of the trading post that would become Ponyville. Immediately, it began a rampage of destruction, leveling the trading post and the surrounding countryside."

I listened as Cheerilee told her class of how the battle between myself and the diarchs of this land had shattered the Applachian mountains, turning the range into the Applachian plains, and how the survivors had settled down, founding Ponyville. I had to admit, the mare was quite the proficient storyteller.

"Now, can anypony tell me what good came out of this terrible event?"

"Ooh. Ooh, Ah know!" The red-maned earth pony jumped up and down, a hoof in the air.

"Go ahead, Applebloom," Cheerilee called.

"Mah sister told me that Ponyville has the best soil around," said the filly, Applebloom, I mean.

"Very good, Applebloom," Cheerilee smiled. "Anypony else?" The white-furred unicorn raised her hand. Cheerilee called on her. "Yes, Sweetie Belle?"

"I heard my sister say something about how Ponyville is richer in gemstones than anywhere else," the unicorn filly, Sweetie Belle, said. She scuffed her hooves against the ground awkwardly. "I don't remember why though."

"That's alright, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee said reassuringly. She looked at the orange pegasus filly. "How about you, Scootaloo? Did you have anything to add."

The pegasus, Scootaloo, looked unsure for a moment before puffing out her barrel. "Rainbow Dash once told me that Ponyville has the wildest weather in Equestria, but that it's also the best weather in Equestria."

Cheerilee nodded approvingly. "Very good. Yes, these are all very good reasons. The calamity ended up being very good for Ponyville. The shattering of the mountains was very good for farming, creating fertile soils and allowing the wild storms of the Everfree Forest to bring more water. It was also a boon for gem mining, as gems naturally grow deep within the hearts of mountains, making mining them difficult. But in Ponyville, the calamity scattered the gems across the new valley, making it the only place a pony can consistently find gems on or near the surface."

Huh. That was rather interesting. The class seemed to think so too, as they were all oohing and ahhing.

"Now come along, my little ponies," Cheerilee gently commanded as she turned to lead the foals away. "We still have the rest of the Gardens to see."

As I watched the tour group leave, I sighed. I've been doing that a lot, lately. Still, that was one of the more pleasant visits from the populace I've received.

I saw a brown droplet splash on my stony muzzle. Great. Rain. I looked up at the pink clouds overhead. And it was turning out to be such a nice day, too.

...

Wait...brown rain and pink clouds. That...was not right. And yet, there was a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that this was important, somehow.

Oh. Right. Discord. Somehow, I had completely forgotten about the only other inmate residing at the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. He must have gotten free. Shit.

I wondered if I should do something. To tell the truth, I'm pretty sure that I could have broken free of my stone prison decades ago. But I never tried. I could say it was because there was no point to it, but, ah, if I'm being completely honest, I just did not feel like putting in the effort to get out. Call me lazy, but...I dunno, it just never felt like the right time. Also, I really am a bit lazy.

As I debated with myself, I remembered something. Discord was a problem that would fix itself...or something. I don't know. All I could remember for sure was that the Draconequus would be back in stone very soon. I didn't have to do anything. Breaking free during Discord's rampage was probably a cliche or something, too.

...Hmm. I might have a problem. Being encased in stone for so long seems to have engendered a serious case of apathy. I decided to break out before that problem grew worse.

Gathering my psychic might, I thrust outward, and I felt something crack.

The sculpture garden was washed in a blue, actinic light as the stone that imprisoned my body shattered. Stone shrapnel exploded outwards, only to freeze in midair, forming a perfect sphere around myself as I willed the shards of rock still. I floated there above the plinth I had been placed upon, eyes closed and unmoving. I did not stretch out my stiff muscles or roll my aching joints: it seemed inappropriate to do so. Instead, as I simply hovered there, I poured psychic energy through my body, willing muscles to relax and joints to loosen. I gave a small sigh of contentment at the sensation.

Opening my eyes, I found the school group not far away, the foals all huddled behind a determined shaking Cheerilee. I could feel how terrified they all were, and I couldn't blame them, not with the way my eyes were glowing an ominous blue. Putting aside thoughts of the ponies for the moment, I surveyed the garden. Already, I could see the changes being wrought by Discord: plants moving as if with a mind of their own, statues taking on a sinister visage, and birds flying backwards and upside-down. And this was only the beginning.

With but a thought, a blue shield sprung up around the school group. Satisfied that it would protect against the worst threats the chaos had to offer, I left.

Shooting into the sky on a pillar of blue light, I left behind the surly bonds of earth. I didn't go too high, though, stopping as soon as I could feel the cold through my short, purple fur. I could still remember how that one Mewtwo from that movie iced up a la Iron Man and crashed into the arctic.

The view was breathtaking. Mere words alone cannot describe the beauty that stretched below me, this pristine world, untouched by the ravages of technology and industry. And then it was ruined, the waving greens replaced with eye-watering plaid, the breathless sky blue with sickly purple. Night and day clashed as the sun and moon crossed the skies back and forth like demented yo-yos. I watched as the very laws of nature were violated, and it sickened me.

Discord had to be stopped. I didn't care that he would eventually be locked in stone again, he couldn't be allowed to spread his chaos. I would not allow him to spread his chaos.

As I went from a standstill to breaking the sound barrier in almost an instant, I couldn't help but feel a mad grin cross my felinoid face. Whatever happened, whatever outcome came from this, I knew that the coming battle would be one to remember.

Author's Note:

So, this is a Displaced story, in which I become an amnesiac Mewtwo with mental issues. Anyone wants to crossover with me, drop me a line.