Stay calm.
Lieutenant Dachs and I walked silently for a moment after I left the Berthing, but I guess he didn’t like the silence, because he broke it by asking, “So who were you talking to, Asher?”
I kept walking along side him silently, waiting for either Asher to answer, or strangely, for him to say the right name.
“Asher?” He prodded.
“Oh, you’re talking to me?” I asked.
“Well yeah, you’re the only other living thing in this passageway.” He explained.
“Oh... Right...” I said, looking back and seeing the empty corridor. “My name’s Twilight though.” I corrected, as if by reflex.
And then it sunk in.
Apparently for all three of us because as soon as I said that, both Ashers were suddenly freaking out in my head... It sounded a little like this.
“Wait, what?”
“Oh my gosh.”
“I knew this was coming!”
“Why didn’t I see this coming?”
“Do me a favor and-”
“Twilight, remember to-”
“stay calm.”
“We don’t need an-”
“Things could get hairy if-”
“Will you two stop thinking for a moment?! You’re giving me a headache!” I thought to them, cutting them both off. I let them sit in silence for a few seconds before I thought, “Thank you. Now please go over that one at a time so that I’m not only catching bits and pieces.”
I have no idea why I could tell their thoughts apart, since their thoughts sounded exactly alike. The only explanation I could give would be something Baba Yaga did. It kind of makes me feel bad for thinking she might have eaten me.
“What happened?” Asher thought.
“I don’t know!” I thought back.
“Twilight?” Lieutenant Dachs asked.
“I-I can explain!” I stated. “See, I used this spell that Princess Celestia had l-”
“No need, I understand.”
“-eft sitting in her quarters because... What?” I asked, caught off guard by his ungrounded understanding.
“I’d tell you, but I think it’d be easier on you if I just let you see for yourself.” He told me.
“The heck does he mean by that?” Asher thought to me.
“Do you think there’s another pony on board?” The other Asher thought.
“Another pony?” I thought to them.
“Well, it’s possible.” Asher thought.
I started thinking about the workers on board the ship, and everypony I know, trying to think of what they have in common. The workers on the ship seem to be of some kind of military. Who do I know that’s in a military service?
“Wait... Shining?” I said quietly to myself as I starting to smile. “Do you mean my brother’s on board?” I asked excitedly.
“Uh, maybe?” The man said with a light shrug. “I never watched the show.”
“Show?” I asked...
“Yeah, My Little Pony.” He said.
I gave him a confused stare as we continued walking.
“Awwwkward~!” I heard Asher think after a minute or two.
“You know what he’s talking about?” I thought to him.
“Yeah... it’s just... you know plays, right?”
“Of course.”
“It’s like that... it’s just... ah geez, how do I say this? It’s a bit more... like illusions? No no... Take a really weird dream, and then give it a form... Frick! Sorry, I’ve never been any good at explaining things.”
“It’s okay, you’re trying at least.”
“True... Anyways, it’s like a dream, turned into a play, that’s possible because it’s done using illusions, I guess.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.”
“I kinda figured you wouldn’t... I’ll just, show you when we get to shore.”
“Okay...”
“The other tray isn’t for me, I’ve got a pony with me.” Lt. Dachs said, pulling me from my inner conversation. “Don’t give me that look she... he’s right here.” He said, gesturing toward me.
“Look, she’s right here.” He said, bending over and picking me up.
“Wai- HEY!” I yelled in protest.
“See?” He said, holding me up in display. Needless to say, I wasn’t very impressed with being held up like that. I just shot the man on the other side of the warming cart an irritated stare, forelegs crossed, and a frown on my face.
“It’s not moody, is it?” He said.
“Nowhere near as moody as your wife, if that’s what’s worrying you.” Lt. Dachs said.
“Go to hell, John!” The man from the kitchen said.
“Right behind you, Olliver.”
“Could you set me down now?” I ask, a little irritated.
“Oh, right sorry.” Lt. Dachs said as he put me back on the ground.
“Thank you.” I said, happy that I wasn’t completely dropped this time, unlike when Pinkie had gotten a group of ponies to toss me. How she got them to do that on a moment’s notice is still beyond me, but I guess that’s Pinkie for you.
“Can it fly as well?” The man on the other side of the serving window said.
“She... he, doesn’t have wings, so I wouldn’t think so.” The lieutenant said.
“I’m a she.”
“I thought you said you were a boy.”
“That wasn’t me.”
“Oh, right, the whole thing with two of you.” He said as he took both out trays and started walking toward a table.
“You know, why don’t you just tell me who the other pony is?” I asked, keeping pace with the lieutenant.
“You could look over here.” A new voice cut in.
“Wha- wait...” I started, looking over to where the voice came from.
Across the table there was a pegasus stallion in the armor of the solar guard. I couldn’t see his cutie mark, like any other soldier from Canterlot. I think it’s an illusion spell on their armor, but Celestia won’t give me a direct answer when I ask about that.
That aside though, I couldn’t help but feel like I knew him from somewhere. I squinted my eyes to try and focus in on anything I was overlooking, but I just couldn’t put my hoof on why it was I felt like I knew him.
“Is... there an issue?” He asked, assumably uncomfortable with my scrutinizing gaze running across him.
“Er, Twilight... it’s not exactly nice to look over people like that.” Asher thought to me.
“Do I... know you?” I asked the stallion.
“Well, you’ve probably heard of me, maybe seen me in a picture, or seen me around when you were visiting your brother while we were in training.” He said.
“You know Shining?”
“Yeah, me and him were great friends in training. Only ever trained with one another for some of the physical and group exercises though.”
“I thought that pegasus and unicorns had different training regimens.”
“We do, but we have some exercises designed to help us learn how to coordinate with the others; You can’t have a military force if it doesn't have teamwork, can you?”
"I suppose not." I admitted.
"Call me Knightly Vigil." He said, introducing himself. "I figured since I'm a pony, I should have a name that sounds like it, even if I am human."
"Asher and I should probably work on something like that..." I said.
"Nice to see you two getting along." Lt. Dachs said. "Now are you going to eat or let your food get cold?”
“John, it’s an herbivore’s meal.” Knightly said. “It would be a good thing if it were to get colder."
"Right, right." Lt. Dachs said. "Thinking of what everyone else is eating."
I hopped up onto the seat at the table to start eating.
"Since you're going to be sleeping in our berthing, we figured we should get to know you.” Lt. Dachs said. “ As you should know, I'm Johnathan Dachs, and the, uh... pegasus, is Lt. Knightly.” He motioned toward the only other pony at the table.
"He says call him Knightly Vigil, but his actual name is Carter Knightly. Started calling himself Knightly Vigil yesterday afternoon after some kind of nervous breakdown.”
“I was scared, and rightfully so.” Knightly defended. “Myself, as both Vigil and Carter, thought we were losing ourselves. What would you do in a situation like that?”
“Not piss myself on the landing deck, that’s certain.” Lt. Dachs said.
“Amen to that!” Said the other man at the table. “Allow me to introduce myself as well. I’m Richard Hensley, an O2 lieutenant.”
“Yeah, lieutenant J.G.” Knightly cut in with a laugh.
“Oh shut up!”
“He’s got a point you know.” Lt. Dachs interjected with a laugh of his own.
“Yeah well at least my wife’s still with me!” Richard threw at Dachs.
“What?! She just now divorced him?” Knightly asked.
“When did you even hear about that?” Dachs interjected.
I just sat off to the side feeling awkward in the situation as the sailors went on talking about this and that, knocking one another down a notch. What I didn’t understand was how they could be laughing the whole time they were talking.
“Sometimes, people become friends because they can pick on each other.” Asher popped into my mind thinking. “Some for the fun on shooting others down, others because they feel they need to be put down for something. I really don’t understand it much myself, to be honest.”
“How can a relationship like that exist?” I thought back, a little confused.
“Honestly, I’ve never been in a relationship like that. They’ve been a mystery to me as well.”
"How are you able to tell me about it then?"
"I've... done a bit if looking into psychology..."
"I... guess that makes... a little sense."
"Uh, Ms. Sparkle?” Someone says, cutting into my thoughts.
“Huh?” I responded absently.
“You kinda zoned out there for a moment.” Knightly said, hovering over the table.
“I did?”
Everyone at the table, in exception to me, started laughing. “Er, yeah. Ya-*snrk* ya kinda did.” Knightly said through his own chuckles.
“Really... Huh, that’s strange, usually I can focus on multiple things at once easily, but now it seems as though I’m having problems focusing on even one thing.” I said, making the mental note aloud.
“Well, I had asked you if you knew much about the person whose mind is now part of yours.” Knightly said, drifting back over to where he was initially seated.
“I know bits and pieces, but I think he’s trying to keep me out.” I said, thinking back on everything I could remember of being human. It wasn’t a lot, but they weren’t really my memories, as much as they are mine.
“Such as?” Dachs asked, prying. Not that I minded, of course.
“A few books he’s read, something about building a speaker out of a styrofoam cup, and a few other things like him running around a yard hitting a ball with some stick with a large end.” I said, reciting some of the more prominent ones.
“Okay, memories, good, now can you tell us what he’s like?” Knightly inquired.
“Well, is it normal that there’s two of you humans per mind, or is that an abnormality?”
“Wait, could you explain that?”
“So it’s not normal for humans to have two conscious thoughts?”
“Do you mean he has some kind of alter ego?”
“Well, an alter ego usually means that there’s another name, even if it’s as uncreative as just spelling your name in reverse...”
“So you’re admitting you lacked creativity when you were younger?” Asher’s thoughts cut in.
“I was a foal!”
“Wait, you serious? She did something like that?” The other Asher asked.
“You can’t access that memory?” Asher asked the other.
“... I would say no, not an alter ego, but... something more like an alternate self?” I said, questioning the phrasing of it as it left my tongue. “Uhm... There’s two Ashers is the best way I can explain it; I’ve never really had any experience prior to now with those that have two personalities.”
“So he has a split personality?” Dachs asked.
“I believe so.” I said.
“So can you tell us what’s so different between them?”
“I... don’t know, they seem to keep swapping most of their traits as if something’s missing from them...” I said aloud. “I’m not even sure if it’s a little bit missing, or if it’s a great deal missing.” I continued, happy that I had shut them out from the waking world.
“I know I shouldn’t keep secrets, especially from them, but I don’t think I can trust him with this.” I thought to myself. “It may be that his mind that’s likely not complete, but I don’t want to know what knowing that could do to their psychological state. If he’s right about his own mind, a push in the wrong direction could be disastrous.”
“Has it ever occured to you how crazy that sounds?” Lt. J.G. Hensley asked.
“Well, yes. But then again, apparently the idea of a unicorn is pretty crazy too, isn’t it?” I asked, trying to take some light off Asher. He probably doesn’t need the stress.
“Are you going to eat that?” Knightly asked, pointing at my food.
“Oh, right.” I said, before leaning down and eating. It was rather odd feeling, but I couldn’t seem to levitate my food to my mouth, and I needed to eat somehow. The food was pretty good, at least.
The rest of the meal passed silently for me. Asher and himself seemed to be occupied with whatever thoughts they were going through, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Why did they never stop changing? The most defining features was one tried to stay serious all the time and the other was a psycho, but even that had minor fluctuations.
The serious one would be able to talk to Hensley, as he seems to be paranoid about people who are crazy for some reason, but Knightly and Dachs were rather aloof. It a was rather enjoyable experience, though, so I couldn’t complain.
-
After lunch, Lt. Vigil and Lt. Dachs escorted me back to the berthing that I was placed in. “Right, well, Lt. Knightly and I will be checking in on you every once in awhile for the rest of the day. We apparently dock tomorrow.”
“Thank god! I thought we’d never get off of this hellhole.” Knightly said in an elated tone.
“Right, well, we’ll be taking a picture with everyone on deck at sunrise. And yes, that includes you, Twilight.” Dachs said.
“But I-”
“Don’t worry about it! Technically, this ship isn’t even supposed to be floating.” Knightly said, cutting me off as he pulled me into a hug with his wing.
“Oh, okay...” I said sheepishly.
“Alright then, I’ll be off then.” Lt. Dachs said, heading down the corridor.
“As a heads up, don’t worry too much about the Merge, Twilight.” Lt. Vigil said as he messed my mane up with his hoof. “If what your brother’s said about you holds true, I worry more about the guy with the split personality.” He offered as comfort words.
“Y-yeah, s-sure thing.” I said, taking my gaze away from his eyes.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” He said as he started marching off.
“I won’t!” I called after him, paying attention to the way his tail swished while he walked.
“WHAT ON EARTH?” I heard myself think, finally drawing my attention to exactly what was happening.
I ran into the berthing and shut the door in a hurry. I hurried over to my bag and pulled my phone out of it, using the slight reflectiveness of the black screen to look at my face. Just as I had expected, I found a dark blush.
“No. No no no no no no NO!” I said, progressively getting louder until it was a flat out yell. “I don’t have time to be a hormonal teenaged girl!” I screamed at myself.
“Uhm, Asher?” Twilight thought to me. “I am a teenager.”
Gravity took hold of the situation as I finally caught up with one of the things I was not okay with. My other half might have been totally cool with suddenly being a girl, but I on the other hoof...
I broke down screaming at the realization that my constant focus on other things had kept me from noticing one little detail!
I’M A FREAKIN’ GIRL!
I believe I should note that I hate having ADHD.
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ADHD is a bitch, ain't it? I feel for you there, man.
Shipping yourself while on a ship?
Entertaining.
2074092
It's not shipping until someone acts like a complete idiot.
2072607
It really doesn't help when you have memory issues stemming from having two personalities. Things can go unnoticed for days, or in some cases, a month or so.
2077521 I see that we can expect that in the chapters to come.
2077540
As I am Tome, one should never expect anything.
That just leads to being surprised.
Reeally appealing fic but you really need to figure out a cohesive way to know who is talking at any given time. The constant switching perspective is fine but the fact you don't give them names other than I means it's almost impossible to follow the narrative. fix that and it'll be a great story.
2103029
My plan was to try and make it so that it you're trying to think like me to try and figure out who you are at any given moment. It's a little bit of an experiment I'm trying with immersion storytelling.
Given I can't tell you if I'm this side of me or that side of me, I figured I should try to leave only hints as to which side of me is present, to leave you, the reader, guessing which side of me is talking.
Although I did consider what you purposed here, I felt it took away from the constructive, not to mention personal, values of the story.
2103113 *Nods* Fair enough. As you can tell from my comment though, It really ruined my immersion. I don't entirely understand what you mean that you can't tell which side is talking. That feels inaccurate since If you can't tell which side is which then how can they sit internally an have a coherent conversation? How can they be having individual personalities if they have no sense on self?
I can understand how you feel identifying the characters would reduce the personal value but to say is takes away from the construction doesn't feel accurate. I feel if the story were clearer surely that would add to the construction?
2103162
Well, to answer all those questions, I would need to give a few spoilers. If you would like, I can P.M. you the answers, to avoid spoiling it for others.
2111415 It's okay, I don't mind waiting for it.
So she is a girl and she likes stallions... dang...