Most sane people think twice about making a deal with an imprisoned god. I know I did, so I thought I knew what I was getting into when Arceus sent me to Equestria as a Mew. I was wrong, but at least not all of it is bad, and the friends are better.
Until recently, I thought I was a fairly typical young adult, but unlike all of my classmates from High School I skipped higher education and student loans in favor of a stable income. Things could have been better, but I was making my way through the day to day. Then my parents die in an accident, and when I'm finally able to start moving on I'm contacted by the God Pokemon Arceus with an offer to go to Equestria because Discord apparently did something to a bunch of other people that turned them into Pokemon, and he says he needs someone to keep an eye on things for him. I've got nothing really holding me to my life here anymore, so I agree.
Having to become a Mew and not being able to return to Earth isn't all that bad a price to pay, even if catnip makes my head go all funny now.
The priest was giving them their last rites, but I could only stare unhearing at the two coffins suspended next to eachother over where their final resting place would be, and the granite headstone behind them.
Daniel and Edith Keyes
Loving Mother and Father
You were taken too soon.
It was two weeks ago, and the worst of the grief had already passed, but I'd still cried when the service started. These renewed tears had long since stopped, their salty trails frozen as they ran down my face. Now I just felt a dull numbness creeping over me as the cold finally started to sink in through my jacket.
"Elsa," Someone to my left said, "It's time."
I nodded, and they began to lower the caskets.
It was a small service, just my parents' friends and the Priest. My grandparents had all passed before I'd been born and I had no siblings, aunts or uncles. Once they were lowered all the way the others all took a small handful of soil and tossed it down before leaving for the warmth of their cars. I was the last to do so, the thin coating of snow crunching beneath my boots as I trod the path out of the cemetery.
It was going to be a long drive home.
-o-o-o-o-o-
It was well into the night by the time I pulled into my apartment's assigned parking spot with a sigh. I just sat there for a while, letting the engine idle as I did my best to simply not think, just glad the mammoth blizzard hitting the country hadn't decided to travel this far south yet as that would have made the funeral and my trip both significantly more complicated. I'd almost managed it, my nearly cleared mind giving me an almost surreal awareness of everything outside my car, but my efforts to push that state further were interrupted by my phone starting to vibrate inside the center-console's storage compartment. I ignored it, trying to get back to that almost Zen state I'd nearly gotten to, but the low buzzing persisted long after it should have automatically sent the caller to voicemail. Slightly curious but more annoyed I opened the compartment to turn it off, but before I could I notice the Caller ID and that rather than a call they're requesting Facetime.
"Arceus?" I mutterer, confused. I don't really have any friends outside of the internet or my co-workers, and I'm not close enough to any of them to warrant them changing their ID-Name or image to the God-Pokémon on my phone as a prank. Still, I slide the answer dial to deny the request. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment.
My phone keeps vibrating in my hand and the slider shoots back to its initial position as soon as I take my thumb off the screen.
Great, my phone's been hacked, I think. More annoyed than I was before I try a few more times with the same results before simply opting to hold down the power button and cut whoever this was off that way but nothing happens.
Come to think of it, I remember turning this off before the service.
Even more confused now I just set it on the dash and let it vibrate, not really sure what to do before the illusion of choice is taken from me by the slider moving to "Answer" on its own.
[Hello Elsa Keyes. I apologize for the intrusion and understand that this isn't the best of times, however my window of opportunity is limited.]
I gulped, wide eyed, as Arceus stared out of the screen at me. He blinked in return. I could make out the fine fur covering his face and subtle motion of breathing. I knew that CG had gotten to the point where the hyper-realistic image could have been a prank, except for one thing.
I'd felt, rather than heard, when he spoke.
"Wha... What do you mean?" I asked after the moment passed a little too long and started becoming uncomfortable.
[I know that you are aware of and understand the basics of Multiverse Theory, and that you are a fan of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic franchise. What you don't know is that one of the many versions of Discord decided some time ago that to relieve boredom during his imprisonment he would drop into my own prison from time to time to pester me. During one such time, he 'requested permission' to use the forms of my creations as part of a scheme should he escape only to be re-imprisoned]
"That was polite of him..." I say, still slightly disbelieving at the conversation I'm having.
[Indeed, it was.] Arceus projected, narrowing his eyes. I wince at the decidedly un-happy feel to the message, [I gave permission on the condition that none of my own creations were actually involved, however that does not mean that I do not feel compassion for their fate. The ones he's chosen are unknowing of his machinations, and innocent of the crimes committed against myself and my creations.]
I stay quiet, as I feel he's collecting his thoughts to continue. [Discord's presence in my prison has weakened my bonds. Not enough where I am able to escape, but enough where I am able with effort to stretch my mind across other worlds, but not my own. Through this I have been searching for a candidate to... keep an eye on things in his world for me once he makes his move. That time has come, and the reverberations of his escape across the connection to my prison have temporarily weakened it enough where I can send my chosen to Equestria. However, even as we speak those ripples are fading, and my power to act weakens. You are my ideal candidate, though there are others I can contact should you refuse.]
"Why Me." I ask with a gulp, my heart starting to pound in my chest.
[Many reasons, but most important is that the structure of your mind is ideal to take the form of my preferred choice of guardian Pokémon to watch over Equestria in this instance: Mew]
Only slightly weirded out that he had apparently been rifling through my mind, I already see a problem. "That would make me psychic, right? Like, a really Powerful Psychic, without any prior experience?"
[Yes, you would be psychic] he replied, and I could feel the amusement in his voice. [Though you need not worry about what you are, as it has been taken into account. Should you agree there will be no time for you to ease into your new powers, so instead I will put locks on them to start, and gift you the understanding and ability to control them so that you are not overwhelmed by the minds of everything around you when you release them on your own. It will still take a period for you to adjust fully however.]
There's silence in my head as I mull that over before asking my next question. "What's the catch?"
[Only that once in Equestria, you will never be able to return,] Arceus closes his eyes.
"Can I sleep on this?" I finally ask when the silence starts dragging into uncomfortable territory again.
[Certainly,] I feel his approval, [This is literally a life-changing decision, and I would not expect you to make it lightly. However, remember that my power is limited, and my window of opportunity grows shorter by the minute. Should you not have decided by this time tomorrow, I will be forced to contact my next candidate.]
"Thank you." I say before the call cuts. I stare blankly at the now black screen for a minute and realize in the back of my mind that it was actually off this entire time, but that as much as what I just experienced was a hallucination, it was also very much real. I should have been freaked out by that. I should be panicking about schizophrenia or any number of other mental disorders, but I wasn't. If anything, I was more freaked out that I wasn't freaked out, and even that was easily brushed off as an overreaction.
Maybe that had something to do with what he meant about my mind being compatible with suddenly turning into one of the most powerful Psychic type Pokémon in the Pokémon Universe...?
I sigh and turn the key off, pulling it out of the ignition before stepping out of my car into the cold air of nighttime in January outside and heading into my apartment building.
I'd had a long, trying day following a long, trying week of finalizing my parents' funeral arrangements, only to have Psychic Facetime Calls added on top of all of it. Right now, I just want to go to bed...
-o-o-o-o-o-
I can't sleep...
Why can't I sleep?
I've been lying in my bed for the last three hours, tossing and turning, but sleep has thus far escaped me in spite of how exhausted I am.
My thoughts keep going back to Arceus and the offer he made me.
Would it be worth it? Go to Equestria? Simply drop everything about my life here on Earth and start over fresh in a new world, essentially reborn as a new species entirely? Sure, I didn't have much holding me here. My parents are gone and I don't have any other family to speak of. I haven't had any friends, or even a boyfriend, since Highschool and everyone else went off to college while I tried to make it on my own in the private sector, but I also hate my boss and I'm pretty sure she equally hates me...
Was that really enough to just give up everything instead of keeping on pushing forward and making the best of my life, though...?
My thoughts kept chasing themselves around my head even as I tried clearing them so that I could finally rest, but they refused, and rest eluded me.
What if it isn't about pros and cons, though? I ask myself after a while.
Well, Then I guess it's more about what I want, than about what I'd be leaving behind.
That just sounds selfish, though, right?
If I go, and Can't come back, none of this would even matter anymore. I'd just be one more missing persons case...
It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'll literally never have this chance again.
I sigh again as I sit up in my bed, rubbing the heals of my palms against my eyes before staring at the wall of my bedroom as the first smile I'd had in two weeks started stretching across my face.
I knew what I wanted to do.
Concentrating in a way I hadn't known how to yesterday, I clear my mind of all other distractions and project.
[Arceus, I've decided. I'll do it.]
[Thank you, Elsa Keyes] I felt in reply as the world fell away, and then I knew no more.
I know I am asleep, and the images, experiences and feelings flashing in front of me are memories, but they are not my own. They are of other Mew, across space and time. As they pass I automatically compartmentalize them as they integrate with my mind, and fragments of their collective experience become my own. It is not everything, but I know it will be enough. As my experience grows, I become aware of the barriers within my mind Arceus promised to place to keep me from being overwhelmed by my new powers and start to break them down.
As they do I become more... aware...
More... More.
It is somewhat hard to adequately describe, even if just to myself; like I have been living all my life with blinders and earmuffs and suddenly they are taken away and for the first time I can see and hear the world around me. Even as I dream, I am aware of the world beyond me. I am curled up on top of something hard, but I am not overly uncomfortable. I feel a myriad of other minds around me through the ambient Psychic Field. Most are simple; insects appearing to my mind's eye as tiny spots of light radiating outward, sending ripples across the surface of the vast lake of latent psychic potential surrounding me. The minds of larger animals glow softly to my senses, their ripples telling me they are just shy of full sapience, and two particularly strong minds below and in front of me seem intent on waking me for some reason or another, becoming more agitated the longer I ignore them. The near sapience of the animals is odd, going off of my gifted experience, but not totally unexpected given that I am in Equestria now...
That thought draws me up short.
I'm in Equestria.
I blink my eyes open and push the psychic impressions of Past Mew fully to my subconscious and take my first good look around. Manicured trees, fresh cut grass, expertly tended flowerbeds, bushes and shrubbery threaded through with brick pathways greet me. There are various statuary scattered about the space as well, but before I can get a better look my appraisal is interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn, stretching my forepaws over my head to shake off some my prolonged inactivity.
"Ok, that's cute as Tartarus, but you still need to get down from there you silly cat." I hear one of the Guard-ponies below me say. "We just got this statue back and the Princess doesn't want to risk anything else happing to it."
I blink a few times again, tilting my head curiously at the guard and his partner, both Earth Ponies, then notice that the stone horns on either side of me are oddly mismatched. Looking further I realize Arceus apparently dropped me off on top of Discord's petrified head.
Well played, Arceus. Well played.
"Come on now. Get off of there." The second guard says, making shoeing motions at me like I'm some sort of animal.
Well, I suppose to them I do look like one
Feeling somewhat mischievous, and seeing no reason to stay perched on the petrified Chaos Spirit, I jump down onto the head of the first guard. He lets out a startled "Hey!" as I begin climbing around on my new perch so I can get a better look at the crest on the helmet. I can feel his frustration mounting, and his partner is less than pleased too, but I ignore it as I run my pink paws through the blue strands.
Pink Paws.
It's not unexpected, but it's still a little unbelievable all things considered.
I giggle to myself and absently hop off of the guardspony when I sense the second making to grab me. I land on his head instead, and apply a slight layer of psychic force to make his back slick so I can slide the rest of the way.
I'm still giggling, rolling around in the grass as they collect themselves. From what I can sense of their surface thoughts, they're annoyed, but resigned. They aren't allowed to interfere with the ecology of the Gardens unless the creatures that inhabit it start to get out of hand, and so far I'm just playing around.
I stop my rolling when they start to loom over me with far too serious expressions for such a glorious day to be alive. So I jump up and boop them on their noses before running off a ways. Looking behind me, I wave my tail at them teasingly, to which they roll their eyes, but give chase. I can sense their trepidation still. I'm going to have to remedy that if this is going to be any fun so I "Mew" at them as I dart a couple more feet forward. I didn't really say anything, but the noise gets their attention more than me wagging my tail did, and they pick up the pace a bit.
The next while is spent in this way, with them chasing me as I run around and explore the Royal Gardens, climbing over and under everything I can easily jump to or squeeze through in our game of keep-away. Sometimes I'll double back and boop one or both of them again only to dart off before they can return the favor. Eventually I even sense that they're starting to enjoy the chase, but before I can turn things up another notch we're interrupted by a most melodious giggle as I'm scampering across a retaining wall.
"While I'm glad you two seem to be having fun, I think Captain Shining Armor might have a few things to say unless you return to your posts soon." Says the Sun like presence I can sense a ways off to my left, causing me to pause, stand on my hind legs and turn to face it. I hadn't given it any mind earlier since, while powerful, the being was giving off less mental noise than even the colony of Ants tucked under the rose bush next to me, which, in hindsight should have been a clue.
There in a clear sunny patch is the Big Princess herself, Celestia, in all her pale pink glory. I do the first thing that comes to mind.
[Hi Hi!] I call with an accompanying "ME~W!", waiving one of my paws in greeting to Equestria's nominal Ruler. Both guards give off startled yelps of surprise and shake out of their sudden rigor at their Princess's admonishment. Mission accomplished.
With a smile that stretches my whole face I float off of the wall, earning even more shock from the guards and a raised eyebrow from the Princess.
[I know who you are, but you don't know me. I am Elsa Keyes. It's nice to make your acquaintance Princess Celestia.] I call with an airborne bow, completely forgoing verbal communication this time and simply projecting my thoughts to wash outwards from me into the Psychic Field.
"Indeed, it is nice to make your, Acquaintance, Elsa Keyes." The princess returns with a slight nod, never breaking eye-contact. Trying to get a mental read on her is impossible for some reason. What I would normally sense as her surface thoughts is completely blank meaning any deeper understanding of her words beyond audio and visual queues is entirely hidden from me. My smile dims slightly as my confusion mounts, considering such occlusion should have, according to my gifted experience, prevented her from picking up my own projection.
"Forgive me if this question seems insensitive, but what manner of creature might you be?" she asks, sounding genuinely curious.
[I'm a Mew,] I project, flipping over and curling my tail down so it's between us as I mull over what I should tell at mental speeds that would have been astonishing to the old me. Finally, and in hardly any time at all, I settle on part of the truth so quickly even I hardly register the pause, [a Guardian Being, sent here in response to the machinations of Discord in another world during his brief period of Freedom.]
Celestia and the guards all tense at my remark, but I quickly shake my head and flip back upright, my tail now hanging limply below me and ears lying flat. [I'm only to keep an eye on things, look for others from beyond this world and offer aid if I believe it necessary.]
They relax, but only slightly, and the guards take up position on either side of the clearing to our sides. Smart, but unnecessary. I still settle to the ground, curling my tail around to hold its tip in my paws to convey that I'm non-threatening. Princess Celestia says nothing for a moment, but her horn lights with a golden glow, floating a second cup from the tea service next to her.
"Cream or sugar?" She asks as she lifts the pot and pours a cup.
[It would depend on the blend] I answer, tilting my head in curiosity, [and even then, some are better with neither but rather a squeeze of lemon. Though to tell the truth I prefer Coffee.]
The princess grins in response, taking a lemon slice from the service and giving it a slight squeeze into the cup before floating it over to me. Before it crosses half way I gently reach out with my own Psychic Telekinesis and bring it the rest of the way myself, idly floating upward again as I take in the aroma. The guards tense when I drift closer to the Princess, but apparently something in my answer reassured her enough to accept the olive branch in my words.
Celestia continues the conversation as I take my first sip, "And what will you do should you find anyone else from beyond Gaia? Would you try to return them to their home?"
[No.] I sigh as I take another sip. It was very good tea. [When I accepted this calling, it was made clear that my journey here would be very much one-way, and I lack the ability to provide the same for others on my own. Instead my vigilance must be put towards helping them should I believe they need it. Otherwise I'll leave them to their own devices as they make their own way in their new lives here.]
"I'm sorry," she says, looking and sounding genuinely sympathetic, but I wave away her concern with a smile.
[Que sera, sera, Princess.] I project the meaning of the words along with the words themselves, earning my own sunny smile from the Sun Princess. We sip at our tea in silence for a while longer, simply enjoying the day pass. I catch from the Guards thoughts that today is one of her rare days off, and that they're glad she seems to be relaxing.
Celestia eventually breaks the silence with another question, "And what of yourself, in the here and now? Where will you stay? What will you do for yourself?"
The silence is suddenly awkward as I contemplate the dregs at the bottom of my cup. A million options fly through my head in seconds, many drawing on the gifted experiences of my Mew forebearers, but they each have their drawbacks and some are more unlikely than others. Finally, I settle on working through the most likely and most beneficial to my needs.
[I believe it would be best if I found somewhere in or around Canterlot to stay. My kind are largely nomadic, and adults such as myself can use our powers to easily survive in a wide range of environments and ecosystems, but the nature of my task means it would be beneficial to have a central location to return to when not searching -]
I feel two powerful presences approaching from a distance. One is frustrated, but his thoughts are tightly controlled, likely thanks to the cotton candy like presence next to him trying to calm him down. She's more powerful than him, but less so than Celestia. I casually sip down the last of my tea as I project, [Look alive gentlemen. Your Captain approaches.]
The two guards snap to attention and Celestia raises an eyebrow questioningly at me as Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza round the corner behind me. I wink in return and she turns to address the newcomers.
"Captain Armor. Cadance. How kind of you to join me today." She says, drawing the approaching pair up short.
Cadance is the first to recover and reply, "Hello Auntie. We weren't expecting to find you here."
Celestia laughs lightly as Shining Armor shakes off his surprise. "If I'm not mistaken, you were looking for Private Blue Shield and Sargant Red Hoof when my niece joined you, Captain Armor?"
"Yes Princess." Shining snaps to attention, but eyes the guards in question.
"No worries then." Celestia continues, pouring herself another cup of tea, "They encountered my guest and I in the gardens and took it upon themselves to ensure we would not be otherwise disturbed."
A blatant lie, but I'm not about to call the Princess out on it. Instead I float around and give the pair a short bow.
[Greetings Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Captain Shining Armor. My name is Elsa Keyes.] They hide their surprise well, but I feel them mentally flinch at my projection anyway.
"Miss. Keyes will be staying as a guest in the palace for the time being." Princess Celestia picks up after my introduction, and I carefully school my reaction to seem as though this isn't news to me. "She is a long way from home, and as she has explained to me the nature of her mission to our lands, our hospitality would be most beneficial to her."
"And what might that be?" Shining asks suspiciously, his eyes narrowing at me. I flip upside down and blow a raspberry at him in reply, earning a giggle from both princesses.
"She is here looking for others from her land brought here by Discord." Celestia answers, "Wherever they may be, they will be unable to return home thanks to him, so she was sent here to ensure they are able to adjust to life here in Equestria."
"And how long will you be staying in Equestria?" Cadance asks with a smile, lightly raising a hoof up to me. She's offering to shake in greeting, but being in a mischievous mood, I sniff it a couple times before butting my head under her fetlock like the cat I now am.
[Indefinitely.] I reply, startling myself when I start to purr as Cadance starts scratching her hoof behind my ears, but otherwise maintaining control of my reaction to the absolutely divine sensation. [My own means of coming to Equestria has left me equally stranded. The only practical distinction is that I volunteered, while anyone else likely doesn't know why or how they have come here.]
Cadance frowns and withdraws her hoof, causing me to let out a plaintive mew and look up at her. "That's so sad."
[It is what it is, Princess Cadenza,] I say with a smile. [and it is my honor to be here.]
"Cadance, please." Her smile is strained, and her thoughts are turning over what I and Celestia have told her. Shining Armor is still frowning suspiciously at me, but willing to give me the benefit of the doubt if Cadance is.
[As you wish, Princess Cadenza.] I return with a cheeky grin, getting an eye roll from her for my trouble and a chuckle out of Celestia.
Finishing her tea before teleporting the service and all the scattered cups... somewhere... I still can't get a read on her, but it isn't as disturbing as it was before, Celestia cuts in. "Well, as lovely as it has been and would be to sit out here for the rest of the day, I need to stretch my legs."
"Auntie?" Cadance says. Celestia stands, shaking out her legs and unfurling her wings, giving them a few short flaps before folding them back against her sides.
"Captain Armor, You and your Stallions may return to your posts." Shining Armor, Red Hoof and Blue Shield snap to attention with a crisp "yes ma'am" before marching off at the dismissal. The two Junior guards are relieved to be getting off without reprisal and Shining Armor is resigned to letting me stay despite his suspicions.
"Would you like me to help with anything Princess Celestia?" Cadance asks. She's trying to hide the surreptitious glances she's shooting at the retreating Captain, and her scattered surface thoughts are firmly on... I quickly try to block out my reading on her and suppress my blush as best I can, thankful that my pink fur naturally does most of the work for me. I'm going to have to get a handle on that aspect of my powers. Things could quickly get awkward otherwise. Thankfully, Celestia picking up the conversation offers a suitable distraction.
"Go be with your beau Cadance." She says with a chuckle, "I was just going to show Miss. Keyes around the palace and arrange a room for her to stay."
Cadance grins, and I have to work harder to block out her surface thoughts, before she scampers off in the direction the Guardsponies left in.
"Is something the matter?" Celestia asks me after Cadance rounds a hedge corner out of sight. For the first time since we met I'm grateful that I can't read her surface thoughts.
[Full disclosure.] I start. I can tell my projection is somewhat flat and lacking inflection, but I don't really care at the moment since I'm still trying to beat my blush down. [I'm very, Very powerfully psychic.]
"Oh?" Her tone is guarded, and I see the serene mask snap firmly into place.
[It's considered extremely rude to go actively rifling through the thoughts and memories of others without due cause, and while attacking other beings psychically to defend myself is allowed in the event of clear and present violent conflict, irreversibly screwing with the minds of others is forbidden] It isn't, strictly speaking, but I still find the thought of doing so repulsive, [however I am still able to pick up unguarded surface thoughts without trying to unless the individual is trained, has taught themselves, or is naturally predisposed to guarding their thoughts from others.]
Her guarded mask is still in place, but I can see her body language subtly starting to relax. Good. [Think of it like sitting in a noisy dining hall. You can try blocking out the conversations going on around you, but unless the other tables are being deliberately quiet, you're still going to pick up on things without trying.]
"Have you been able to... sense, anything from me, or Cadance?" she asks. Her tone is casual, but her mask is still guarded.
[You're a total blank.] I tell her, turning and floating further upward to look the Princess in the eye. [I can sense that you're phenomenally powerful, but you're very... quiet, otherwise.]
She nods. "And Cadance?"
My blush comes back full force. I know it must be visible through my fur, and I start twisting my tail in circles below me as I avert my eyes.
[Let's just say that Shining Armor is a very lucky stallion, and if she has her way, he's about to get even luckier...]
Celestia laughs. Not a giggle. Not a chuckle, or the polite laughter you give for a particularly bad joke that you can't call the teller out on.
No, The Big Princess lets out a full-bore belly laugh, and after a few moments of continued embarrassment I can't help but join her.
"Down this hallway and to the left are the kitchens, and up those stairs further down is the private quarters of the palace, including my own."
I've been following Princess Celestia for most of the afternoon as she gave me what could only be the most comprehensive tour of Canterlot Palace in its history, as well as an impromptu briefing on recent events, including Princess Luna's return and Discord's escape and subsequent re-imprisonment. I technically didn't need either event explained to me but the information on events in Canterlot would be useful, and in that time the sun has gotten low on the horizon. I've also been introduced to Celestia's primary administrative staff, Kibitz and Raven Inkwell, as well as a plethora of other auxiliary personnel. In fact, the only pony we encountered while wandering the halls that Celestia hadn't introduced me to was a rather gaunt, pale grey stallion with a slick dark mane and a goatee she told me was named Neighsay once we had passed out of earshot of him.
Her reason for doing so was no mystery to me, as I'd been able to glean an abundance of other information from the surface thoughts of every encounter. The Chancellor of the EEA's distain for anything non-pony was blared across the Psychic waters the instant he laid eyes on me, but he only muttered a polite "Princess" as he walked past, his thoughts betraying his assumption that I was some exotic new pet the Princess had picked up somewhere.
I did the perfectly mature thing and stuck my tongue out at the back of his head the moment I was no longer in danger of being seen by him.
The encounter with the maid Pine Fresh shortly after was much more enjoyable, and I'd been able to subtly inform the princess that she should be expecting an application for maternal leave from the mare in about nine moons, but that she didn't yet know she was expecting twins. The smile on the Princess' face at that news would have outshone her own sun were its brightness a manifestation.
Between meeting and greeting the staff and dignitaries wandering the halls, or brief explanations on the history of the locations and artworks I was being shown or recent events, we chatted more casually and I came to know a great deal about the Princess that had never been covered in the show while she learned more about me without giving away that before today I'd been a completely different species or that I knew a great deal more about the goings on in Ponyville over the last year than I should have. As time wore on, however, the strain of being connected to so many other minds began to wear on me, and my gifted experience could only do so much to help me alleviate the strain.
"Is something the matter? You've been rather quiet for the last hour." Princess Celestia asks me, shaking me out of my thoughts. There's a subtle hint of concern in her voice, but she betrays no other hint of worry.
[Sorry,] I weakly project, rubbing my temples slowly with the pads of my paws to ward off the headache I was trying to distract myself from. [I'm still unused to the full breadth of my powers while around so many sophonts. The 'noise' has given me a headache, and I can only reduce my sensory range so far without cutting myself off from the rest of my powers.] To emphasize my point, I flip upside down and swing a long loop around her head, earning me a chuckle.
"My apologies then," she smiles apologetically to me, the expression reaching her eyes. We make our way to the kitchens and my stomach growls like a wounded animal as soon as the smell of sugar and dough hits my nose through the doors. Celestia chuckles as she opens them but stops as soon as she looks inside, her expression morphing into a calm mask. I float over her shoulder and peer in to see what put her guard up.
The kitchens are a long room with cupboards and counters lining all the walls and an island stretching through the middle. There are four large ovens set into the far walls and no less than six range tops spread around the space. This late in the evening the room is moderately staffed with various chefs and assistants, their thoughts centered around preparing dinner for the denizens of the palace. Celestia's attention isn't directed to any of them though. Instead she's looking at the large dark blue mare sitting at the island with an entire pot of coffee and several thick texts next to her. It takes me a moment to recognize Princess Luna, more through the power radiating off of her than her appearance, as her mane hasn't quite become the full starry mass it is in the show. After a moment of study, I see a few wispy tresses starting to develop even as I watch.
Her thoughts are just as guarded as her Sister's, but even without pressing on them I can sense a fragility to her mental barriers, like obsidian spiderwebbed with cracks. The feel of her aura is also odd, seemingly comprised of two parts blending together. The core of her aura I sense is like a Super Wolf Moon, powerful and dominating as it watches the world from above, but spreading outward, mingling and mixing more fully with the Psychic Field than any pony I've encountered before now are tendrils of power that I can only describe as "Dream".
It's decidedly curious. The auras of Ponies in general are alien to my gifted memories, like little islands of light and power entirely independent of the psychic plain. I can only assume that this represents their "Magic", and its effect on the ebb and flow of the psychic waters that surround them is minimal compared to their unguarded thoughts. I can tell that the "Dream" of Luna's aura isn't a psychic or aura manifestation or projection like my own powers, but I know instinctively that if she decided to she could use those tendrils to interact with the Psychic Plain to bypass many of the upper layers of thought entirely and dive straight into the realms of the unconscious and subconscious. It only takes me a moment to realize that this must be how she is able to monitor dreams and assist people with fighting their nightmares.
"Hello Luna." Celestia says quietly. Luna looks up from her study, startled at being addressed. Small smiles come to both sisters as they make eye contact, but the Night Princess quickly notices me, as I've drifted over to one of the dream tendrils and am examining it more closely without actually touching it.
"Good Evening, Sister. Pray tell, what manner of creature is this? It is not one we have seen before in the gardens."
[Good evening to you too, Princess Luna.] I project. To my disappointment, all this earns me is a raised eyebrow, though her critical gaze sharpens significantly.
Celestia nods at me as I turn to face Luna and perform a midair curtsey. "This is Elsa Keyes. She is a Mew; a Guardian Being, come to our world from another. Apparently, some creatures from her world found their way to ours thanks to Discord, and she was tasked to locate and watch over them as they adjust to their new lives here, as none of them have the means to return to their home. While she says her needs are minimal, I have nonetheless offered her a place here at The Palace to rest and set out on her search from."
"And what manner of powers are these of hers, that We can sense the presence of her Dreams yet sleep she does not?" Luna asks. I turn more focus on her, startled, and put a bit more power into my passive scans. This earns me further narrowing of her eyes and sure enough, though I haven't directly interacted with the tendril next to me, I can now feel the subtle sensory 'ping' coming from it that's rebounding off of my own psychic radiance.
"She is powerfully psychic, and unbound by any contract or agency." Celestia says simply, and if it were possible, I would swear the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. The cooks and assistants who were bustling about preparing for the evening meals all pause for a moment and shoot Luna worried looks reflecting their thoughts before quickly turning back to their tasks and desperately hoping Celestia is able to de escalate the situation. I'm not particularly worried, though getting along with Luna would be preferable to the alternative.
Celestia continues. "She has also explained her code of ethics regarding using her abilities to my satisfaction, and I do not believe her to be a threat to our little ponies while she is here unless she is provoked."
Luna's gaze turns more evaluating as she glances between me and her sister. Apparently coming to a decision, she nods. "Very well, We shall simply have to trust Your judgement on this matter, Sister." She focuses on me again, narrowing her eyes once more, "But be warned, Elsa Keyes, 'Guardian' or no, should you give us reason to Doubt our sister's judgement We will not hesitate to end you."
I'm still not worried by the threat, my gifted memories letting me know I have at least a dozen methods to get away unscathed, and every Ability, Move and Power ever known by a Mew ever to fall back on even if I can't. I'm still confident it won't come to that, though, and instead of making these thoughts known I favor the Night Princess with an equally serious look and project, [Understood.] and like a switch being flipped, the tension leaves the room as Princess Luna sighs and turns her gaze back upon her books.
Celestia joins her, sitting across from her at the central island and quietly placing an order for her and myself with one of the assistants. I lick my lips in anticipation of the apple pie as it's brought to me, the smell alone making my mouth water, but I resist the urge to simply shove my face in and scarf it down like Celestia is doing with her Cake. Instead I use a slight pressure of psychic force to slice it into sixteen pieces, startling the unicorn cook who was about to do the same with her knife, and happily bite into the first piece as I lift it firmly in my psychic grasp. My actions garner some interested attention from the Staff, and a curious glance from Luna, but a moment later she returns her gaze to the text before her.
I'm starting on my third piece when she grumbles, "Fie upon this infernal studying. As fascinating as the modern world is, We would much prefer to experience it for ourselves."
"That may be so, however given your reaction to a vacuum cleaner, this is still for the best, at least until you have a better understanding of what to expect in general." Celestia returns, somehow not a speck of cake having gotten stuck on her coat despite the devastation left on the plate in front of her.
"An Understanding we feel We have already gained, yet still you insist there is more to learn." Luna complained.
Celestia opens her mouth to reply, but rather than rebuff her sister again she pauses, rubbing a hoof under her chin in apparent thought. "Perhaps you are right." Luna looks up sharply and Celestia continues. "I am still not entirely convinced that you are ready, but in two and a half weeks' time will be Nightmare night. Perhaps it would be in your interest to attend the celebration in Ponyville, and if you feel comfortable with the experience afterward and are able to relate to the Ponies there, I will allow you to retake some of your more public duties."
"Only some?" Luna questioned irritatedly, "and what, pray tell is Nightmare Night? We are unfamiliar with this event, but it sounds an affront to our duty as guardian of Ponies Dreams."
Celestia answered, "For the first, you are still recovering your strength. Better acclimated or not, I won't have you exhausting yourself by taking on more than you are ready for. To the second..."
Here, she hesitated, contemplating the glass of milk tea set before her with the rest of her meal before heaving a sigh. "Nightmare night Began as a... 'celebration'... of Nightmare Moon's banishment." Luna's face twisted in anger, and was about to retort, but Celestia cut her off, talking quickly. "When I first learned of it I tried everything I could to stamp it out. Unfortunately, it has proven as difficult to eradicate as convincing Our Little Ponies that we are not Goddesses was in the olden days." Luna still didn't look happy, but rolled her eyes and nodded in understanding at the analogy before Celestia continued.
"Originally, Ponies would burn effigies of the Nightmare or other offerings at a communal bonfire, thinking it would somehow protect them from the gaze of the Mare in the Moon, which was said to be cursed, along with other, worse, practices and superstitions, before and after the primary offering. For better or worse, while I have been unable to completely eradicate the holiday, I Have managed to tone it down so that today most cities host some sort of carnival featuring night time games and performances, while foals dress in costumes and go from door to door in their neighborhoods requesting candy, half of which is usually left as an offering with an effigy or statue of Nightmare Moon so that she won't 'gobble them up'."
"Still a most appalling tradition" Luna grumbled. "We will have to see about changing it when we visit Ponyville."
Celestia smiled as she stood and said, "I wish you the best of luck doing so. Now, I still have to show Elsa where she will be sleeping before lowering the sun and turning in myself. Good night, little sister "
"Good Night, Celestia. Elsa Keyes" Luna acknowledges as she turns back to her text.
I blink at the abrupt end to the conversation and then blink again when I realize my pie is gone, the taste of apple and cream still lingering on my tongue. I yawn as I float upward to follow Celestia, but on a split-second decision turn to Luna instead and rub my back affectionately under her chin, much to her surprise. [Good night, Moon Princess] I project as I drift to follow the bigger alicorn out the door.
Celestia gives me a sly look and a pleased smile as the doors close behind us, to which I affect an innocent stare. She chuckles before turning towards the access stairway she had shown me earlier and trotting off. I follow at a leisurely glide, and a comfortable silence settles between us as we ascend.
The hallway up the stairs is just as elegantly appointed as the rest of the palace, with alabaster walls and red and gold carpeting; clear testament to Celestia's longtime occupancy of the building. I'd seen subtle signs of Luna's influence starting to creep into other areas, and it was no different here with the drapery cutting the motif with tasteful splashes of blue and silver shades that didn't clash with the rest of the décor. Heavy, dark stained doors line one side of the hall while windows let in the light of the evening on the other, but other than the occasional tapestry or painting there was very little in the way of ornamentation.
Halfway down the hall and across from a door leading outside Celestia stops. "These shall be your rooms." She said, opening the door on the interior wall we were in front of. "Should you need anything, or should they not be to your satisfaction, please let any of the servants know, and if your requests are reasonable, I will see what can be done."
The bedroom was more lavish than anything I'd ever seen in my life, so the chances of me complaining about it were nonexistent. Rust red carpets covered the floor and the walls were covered in white silk with gold leaf patterns embossed on it in real gold. A massive four poster bed made of a white wood and gilded in gold, with crimson curtains lined with gold tassels dominated the wall to the right and to either side of it sat two end tables made of the same wood and gold leaf. Along the opposite wall sat a vanity and a door that exploration showed lead to a private bath. Equally spaced along the far wall from the hall door were three tall windows with the same blue and silver curtains as the hall outside, and under the middle one sat a writing desk with parchment, quills and ink at the ready for the room's occupant should they need them.
Hovering in the middle of the room, I turn to my hostess and bow. [Thank you, Princess.] I project my gratitude along with the statement, earning me a smile.
"I must go set the Sun, now, but I hope you have a pleasant night, Elsa Keyes." She nods and turns to leave the room.
[Good night, Princess Celestia] I reply as she closes the door behind her.
I flitted from tree to tree along Canterlot's main boulevard, observing the city and ponies around me. I could count the number of the ponies below who even gave me a second glance on my paws, and those that did were more curious than genuinely startled. All of them just assumed I was an escaped experiment from Celestia's School, or something called "The Summoner's Circle", but I dedicated their names and the feeling of their minds to memory anyway.
After all, it wasn't just anyone who could ignore a meme-based notice-me-not psionic projection without even realizing what they were doing, even if it was a weak one. Interestingly, the idea to conceal myself with one was borne from my life as a human, rather than what Arcius gave me. The SCP Foundation website had been an on-again off-again wiki-walk-sink of mine, and the concepts behind memetic and cognito hazards were always particularly fascinating. It had been fairly easy to combine my new psychic powers with my human knowledge, and while the overall results could still use some refining, I was still happy with what I had accomplished. I was actually more worried about any ponies who could see me that I hadn't noticed, but not enough to allow paranoia to settle in today.
I'd woken up with the dawn, and set out to explore almost immediately. If Canterlot was going to be my home for the foreseeable future, I wanted to get the lay of the land. I'd already guessed that the city was much larger than anything we'd seen in the My Little Pony TV show, and Celestia had given me a brief verbal rundown of the city's districts yesterday, but there is a difference between knowing something and seeing it for yourself.
It turns out, Canterlot is a metropolis just as grand and sprawling as Manhattan or San Francisco. It just tended to spread its building footprint vertically, rather than horizontally, and it was impossible to see the whole city unless you flew a few miles away from the Canterhorn. The bulk of the city was built atop a series of platforms constructed along the side of the mountain, and due to the mountain's curve, it was impossible to see from one end of the city to the other. Beyond those, there were also several districts built directly into the side of the mountain connected to the rest of the City through a series of tunnels and covered walkways, as well as a cloud district that was originally for Pegasus inhabitants. 'Originally', because according to Celestia, the clouds themselves had been permanently enchanted less than a century ago by an industrious student of her School to allow for cloud-walking of non-winged species. Cloudsdale had obstinately refused similar enchantment due to their proud heritage as a Pegasus-only city.
The building styles of the city also varied greatly as you went from district to district, sometimes with a single platform being home to two or three different styles. The Palatial District was the main face of the city, and by far the largest, with its iconic tall white spires, sweeping curves and colorful domed roofs that were so familiar from the show taking up half a dozen of the large bowl-like platforms by themselves. Contrary to what I had thought, though, most of the district was actually located on the southern face of the mountain, rather than the western, in order to allow Celestia and Luna to better see the Sun and Moon rise and set. The illusion that it was on the west was created by a combination of the Palace itself being positioned so far away from the mountain on the very edge of its platform, and the plateau leading up to the main gate that provided access for where all of the external road and rail connections linked the city to the nation's network of ground transportation. The plateau led around the peak of a shorter mountain called The Pommel Horn, and the first section of the district was situated in the small valley between it and The Canterhorn.
That was the district everyone was familiar with from TV, and was home to not only the Palace, Celestia's School, and the Canterlot University, but also the bulk of Equestria's auxiliary governmental offices that couldn't fit within the Palace itself. Further on in the city, though, the districts ran the full gamut from classical far-east-Asian, medieval European, Colonial US and even a decidedly modern looking district with glass, steel and concrete construction springing up on the far tip of the city. Multiple dockyards for zeppelins and other airships lined the edges of the city, creating a hub of commerce that made Canterlot not only the cultural center of Equestria, but an economic power at least as influential as Manehatten or San Fransiscolt, according to Princess Celestia.
But now, the sun was nearing the horizon. I had been able to glide (mostly) unnoticed through nearly all of the city, identifying important landmarks, figuring out where the seedier neighborhoods were located, and occasionally rough-housing with some wild orange glowing racoon golems made of rusty bits of metal and discarded wire that reminded me of timberwolves when I ran into them in the alleyways. They were actually sort of cute, in a weird way, and more afraid of the ponies than the animated wood wolves. Honestly I think the only reason the first group I ran into were so aggressive towards me was because I was flying over a dumpster in their territory and they thought I was encroaching.
I had spent the last hour or so simply pony watching at the main gate. The impressions left behind in the Psychic Field by days long gone mingled with possibilities of the future overlapped by the True-Hearts of the beings going past was truly breathtaking in a way that's indescribable to those who can't see it too. It was also great practice for getting my psychic powers under more control while steadily opening myself up more to the world around me. I was still acclimatizing, but while still a strain to block out the minds of so many sapient beings and the impressions they left behind, I was confident I wouldn't go to bed with a migraine tonight like I had yesterday.
The Castle Gate came into view ahead of me as I rounded a corner, and I left the trees to fly just above the heads of the ponies below. The Castle itself was warded by a subtle alarm spell that would alert the guards if anything crossed the boundary above the perimeter walls, and would send them into lockdown if the intruder wasn't authorized. Keeping my memetic camouflage up, I glided unnoticed through the gates and hung a right across the grounds rather than entering the main doors straight ahead. The psychic impressions here were much more ingrained than those at the gates, with the lives of the staff and dignitaries that inhabited it marking this place with their presence day after day. Occasionally I would catch glimpses of an impression of Celestia, but much like her psychic presence in the field, these seemed to be impressions left by the ponies who surrounded her rather than the mare herself. Having lived here for a thousand years, though, a few were obviously personal experiences of the princess that had had major personal impacts on her, and I tried to leave them alone. It did let me know that there were occasions where she dropped her guard, however, which was reassuring and worrying at the same time given the intensity of the memories.
Flying through the trees of the garden, I simply meandered, trying to keep my thoughts from what I had been trying to distract myself from all day. I briefly helped a family of squirrels collect acorns for the winter, and they thanked me by offering to share some of their stash, but I declined and flew off again. Going up now, I tried to escape my thoughts with altitude.
I let my meme drop as I flew up. Higher and higher I went until the air was cold and thin and it would have been difficult to breath if I hadn't been substituting my muscles' and brain's needs for oxygen with pure psychic power. Reaching the altitude limit, I simply stopped, hovering at the crown of the world with the planet stretched out below me.
From all the way up here, I could see the entirety of Equestria from coast to coast, the great Frozen North past where the Crystal Empire would be, and all the way to the sprawling jungles to the south. Spinning in place I took it all in, a part of me in total awe at the sight before me before I closed my eyes and concentrated.
Even were I in total control of my powers, sending my mind out across the entirety of the world was impossible. I was powerful, but even Arceus would struggle with that sort of omniscience, and I was nowhere near his level.
But I could send out a Ping.
Like radar, my emission would ripple across the psychic field of the world where it would impact with other minds. Other impressions. And reflect back and return to me. Even then, though, if I didn't have some way to filter out "Garbage Data", all that would return to me would be the signals of every mind on the planet below me all jumbled together. My afternoon of pony-watching had been spent getting a feel for the types of minds I wanted to filter out of this Ping. Each sapient species had a certain "Feel" to it that subtly distinguished it from the others, and I had crossed paths with quite a few of the natives of this world. Enough where I also now knew that, when compared to the minds in my gifted memories, they also had certain similarities that I could use to distinguish them from anything that "shouldn't be" in this world.
I sent out my Ping and waited at the top of the world. Slowly, it returned. In its raw form, it was a torrent of jumbled, confusing information, but I was able to filter through that to find what I was looking for.
There were... a lot more alien minds than I had expected. Pinpointing them was also difficult to impossible through the rest of the noise around them and most of them seemed to be in close proximity to and held a strong enough attachment for a native mind nearby for the information to be returned in my Ping. Strangely, there seemed to be a large concentration of such minds directly below me in Canterlot. I would have to investigate that later, but more curiously were the pockets scattered across the world that I could swear were the collective gestalt consciousness of large concentrations of UnOwN if my memories weren't playing tricks on me. Their exact locations were hidden and muddled behind the sort of obscuring fields which were typical of UnOwN, but most of them seemed to be located either under or in the vicinity of most of the major cities on the continent below me.
It was a mystery. One I was sure had something to do with the real reasons I suspected Arceus had for sending me here. All he'd explicitly told me to do was "Keep an Eye on Things". I had told Celestia that I was here to keep an eye out for others, which I included in keeping an eye on things, because Arceus had mentioned that Discord had brought others here, but he hadn't actually told me to help them. That had all been my invention, and while if I ran across others I would help them if they needed it, I was sure that wasn't the real purpose behind my being here. I was too much of a free agent for things to be that simple, and the presence of UnOwN in the world and too many alien minds to effectively track sufficiently complicated things to make that all but a certainty...
With a shake of my head, I cleared my mind of these revelations. I let go of my flight and dropped, returning to Canterlot below with the wind whooshing past me as I gained velocity.
I could worry about all of this later. For now, I just wanted to watch the sunset with a nice cup of hot chocolate from the kitchens.
I sip my hot cocoa as I sit, watching the sunset. I see Luna exit onto a balcony on a tower across from me, watching it set as well until it is just a thin red line on the horizon. She turns and blinks as she looks my way. After the moment passes she gives me a hoofwave as her horn lights up, which I return halfheartedly with a forepaw before reorienting myself to watch the moon rise in its turn.
The mystery of what UnOwN are doing on Gaia still churns at the back of my mind, but isn't enough to distract me from the thoughts I have been trying to avoid for most of the day. I'd managed to hold it together so far, but now that I didn't have any excuses to do something else, I had found a comfortable spot on one of the Palace's towers and pulled my powers in and let the tears that had threatened for a while now flow in the solitude.
Or so I had thought, until the soft clack of heavy hooves on the roof behind me startles me enough to jump and release my grip on my powers, sending my cup of cocoa flying from my paws. I drifted upward uncontrollably, slowly twisting through the air as sensation and information flood my mind in a confusing, disorienting torrent before I manage to get it under control and rein it back in to just the area of the roof. Physically reorienting myself takes longer, and I already know who had interrupted my brooding by their sunny presence.
Though I was glad to see my cup of cocoa floating next to her in a golden aura.
[Hello Princess Celestia. Thanks for saving my cocoa. What brings you here?] I project as cheerily as I can manage when I finally steady myself, floating around the conical roof's peak in an almost painfully forced playfulness.
Celestia just looks at me for a long moment with a frown and concern in her eyes. I still can't get any readings on her. Not even a guess at her True-Heart slips through whatever she's using to so completely conceal her thoughts.
[Princess?] I ask, tilting my head to the side as I start to feel concern myself.
Her neutral mask snaps into place. "Are you alright Elsa?" she asks.
[I'm perfectly fine, Princess,] I say as nonchalantly as I can manage, [why wouldn't I be?]
She gives me another long look, and my tail starts to fidget beneath me from the scrutiny before I make a conscious effort to still it. "I see," she finally says. "It's just that this tower is where my rooms are, and while I was setting The Sun I thought I heard someone crying above me..."
I wince, not even trying to hide my reaction. My ears lie flat as I scrub my paws against the tear matted fur on my face.
"I would understand if you don't want to talk about it," she says.
I sigh and turn away, my entire demeanor drooping, even descending a couple feet in my hover. [It's nothing, Princess Celestia. Just homesickness... mostly...]
"Mostly?" she asks. I hear the quiet clack of her hooves on the roof tiles as she carefully picks her way closer.
I float, staring at The Moon as it continues its ascent, now high enough to no longer need Luna's assistance, and the stars as they begin to peek out of the velvet sky. The silence drags on as I slowly drift downward until I'm sitting on the roof. I don't think the Princess would press if I asked her not to, but a larger part of me wanted someone to talk to.
[I lost my parents two weeks ago...] I project after a while. In terms of mental strength, it's barely above a whisper.
Celestia settles next to me. "I'm sorry for your loss," she says, and I can hear a sincerity in her voice that can't be faked. "Were you close?"
[The closest...] I say, the tears coming back to my eyes. [They were all I really had back home.]
"No other family? No friends?" she asks.
I shake my head. [Not really] I say. [No family besides them, anyway, and I sort of drifted away from all of my old friends when life took us in different directions. There were a few people I was friendly with, but they were all people I worked with so it was more professional than anything...
[I'd talk to Mom and Dad at least once a week... Mom and I would spend hours talking about everything and noting until Dad would butt in with one of his stupid jokes and then I'd talk with him for a while before it would get too late and we'd have to go...] I hear the rustling of feathers behind me, and a wing spreads to gently tuck me into the Princess's side.
The silence drags on for a long while like this, with me leaning into the hug and drawing what comfort from it I can. Eventually my tears stop, and a few minutes later the Princess breaks the silence. "Is that why you decided to come to Equestria?" she asks quietly.
[Partly,] I say. [It still hurts to think about them, but I'd already gotten through the worst of the grief by the time the opportunity came. Mostly I think I came here to find purpose. Even before the accident, I was starting to feel like I was just coasting through my life, so when the opportunity was presented to me, I took it since I didn't have anything holding me there anymore.] I snuggle into her side a bit more, curling my tail around my feet and basking in the warmth she gives off. The quiet of her mind is strangely comforting after spending all day surrounded by the noisy, open minds of others.
We stargaze for a while, Celestia pointing out constellations and explaining the history behind them. She seems tired, but happy to spend the time with me, and eventually the conversation turns to the upcoming Nightmare Night celebration.
[Yeah, I do want to go out on Nightmare Night,] I say. [I saw a shop earlier today where I could get most of the things I would need for a costume, but I'm not sure where I would get the money to pay for it] To myself I entertain the idea of tracking down loose change that's fallen into storm drains by the psychic impressions left behind on it, but the thought is interrupted by Celestia before I can start working out the details.
"I'm sure I could spare you something from my personal finances for the occasion," she says, rubbing a hoof under her chin before cracking a yawn wide enough where I hear her jaw pop. "Ow, oh, excuse me, it's later than I thought."
[That's alright, Princess, but are you sure?] I ask as we both get up. Celestia hops down to her balcony, using her wings to glide while I drift behind.
"Perfectly sure." She replies with a nod, sending me a sly smile before whispering conspiratorially. "I've been hedging investments for centuries. Don't tell anyone this, but at this point most of the funding for Equestria's day to day government expenses comes from what I pay into the treasury out of the interest I make, rather than taxes.
"Of course, larger projects and infrastructure improvements still require leveraging donations from the nobles and merchants, but I think I can spare a few bits to help a friend put together a Nightmare Night costume." I hang there in stunned silence as she opens the door and trots into her room with a giggle.
Shaking myself I float through the door. The room is a lot like the majority of fanart for it; circular with a fireplace to one side and a bean shaped mattress set into the center of the floor with a long, rolled pillow at one end of it. What the fanart didn't show was the shelves covering one side of the room with books and knick-knacks from across the ages. The impressions on the Psychic Field are strong here, and the memories associated with everything threaten to overwhelm and overlap each other. Fittingly so, I suppose; this was likely the one place Celestia felt comfortable completely dropping her guard, and she's likely been living in this room for nearly a thousand years. I did my best to block out everything, and ignore the impressions of various stallions, mares and other sapient beings of all genders that had... visited... this room over the years that I couldn't, as best I could...
[Thank you then, I suppose.] I say with a casualness I don't feel as I deliberately turn away from the bed to study the bookcase. [What about you, though? Do you have any plans to dress as anything?]
She sighs. "Not currently. Usually the Palace hosts a costume parry in one of the smaller ballrooms. It's nothing on the scale of The Grand Galloping Gala, but it gives the ponies in the Government an opportunity to rub elbows with the Nobles if they so wish. This month I've left most of the planning to Raven and Kibitz, given Luna's return and recovery. I'd be open to suggestions if you have any," she says, raising an eyebrow.
I curl my tail around me and hold my chin in thought as I turn to face her, absently drifting until I'm floating upside down past the fireplace. Nothing really comes to mind... except...
[Hmmmmm... do you like... bananas?] I ask, an impish smile curling my lips.
Celestia looks nonplussed, but intrigued, and my smile turns into a grin as I begin to explain what I have in mind.
The next morning I find myself staring incredulously at a sign.
Canterlot University Summoner's Circle,
College of Summoning Arts
Ponies unknowingly walk past me as I stare, several of them accompanied by Pokémon of all forms, and my incredulity grows. How had I missed this in my initial scouting of the city? How had I not noticed the beacons of projected thought and swirling eddies of potential energy rippling through the Psychic Field from this one location like a wellspring? Why did it take my ping for me to notice that anything was here at all even though I know I'd drifted over this area just yesterday?
Reinforcing my memetic obfuscation, I drift into the campus, my ears and tail drooping as my disbelief continued to grow. Tens. Dozens. Hundreds of Pokémon surround me, from all of which I can sense some sort of bond to the pony that accompanies them. Their thoughts all mix and mingle, the psychic types typically standing out more than the others. Curiously, when I 'listen', they all seem to be in honest to Arceus Nihongo. Thankfully being Psychic made language barriers effectively irrelevant, but I still found it curious, and subtly intermixed my thoughts into a conversation on the mechanics of teleportation between an Alakazam and a Gardevoir to learn it fully before moving on.
I drift through classrooms, labs and even a large amphitheater with a ring of silver set into the center where I witness a group of professors monitor a student summon an Onix into this world. I examine the minds of every Pokémon I come across for the telltale spark of "elsewhere", or "not right" that I would expect from someone brought here by Discord
Nothing stands out, other than the obvious that none of these Pokémon are from Gaia, but something at the back of my mind tells me that none of them are the ones Arceus brought me here to keep an eye out for. Almost all of them have a presence in this world that has been here for much longer than I have, and many of them even have great affection towards the ponies they appear to be bonded to.
I drift towards a pool that can only be described as gargantuan, containing a multitude of Water-Type Pokémon. Magikarp and Garydos, Laprases, Manaphys, Alomomolas, and many more swam over its surface and through the depths, while Staryus and mies, and various crab Pokémon scuttled and shuffled over the bottom. I noticed that some of the rarer Pokémon weren't present, but lost the thought when my gaze drifted over a Skitty peeking over a fence separating the pool from a forested enclosure, and my examination unconsciously drifted towards it.
My face heats up as soon as I realize its focus on the Wailord lazily floating near the edge of the pool. Nope. Nope. SO much Nope. I'll leave you to fantasize about your girlfriend in peace thank you very much. Slamming the gate down on that thought, I draw in my power to collect myself so I can move on, and in my distracted state I don't notice the pony sneaking up on me.
"Gotchya!"
Cream colored hooves close around me, and I squirm in surprise, letting out a shrill squeak.
"See! I told you there was something there!" The orange coated, orange maned unicorn that held me crowed in triumph.
"So you did, Sunburst." The other orange, but brown maned stallion said with wary disapproval as he fixed his gaze on me. Crap, I'd apparently dropped my memetic disguise when I'd been grabbed, not that it had worked on 'Sunburst' apparently. "Now, put whatever it is down and back away slowly. I don't recognize it and we don't know who its Summoner is. It could be dangerous for all we know."
I tilt my head, trying to figure out how I am going to get away from this mess I'd found myself in. I wasn't really prepared to explain why I was snooping, and many of the idle thoughts of the ponies I'd come across today led me to believe I was in an area that should be restricted. I could force my way out, but many of the methods I could use could seriously hurt the pony holding me, or any ponies and summons that were sent to try tracking me down. With 'Sunburst' here they could easily find me even if I put up my obfuscation again, and I don't think Celestia would appreciate me hurting him, even accidentally...
Well, sometimes it's best to keep things simple. I thought as I charge up a teleport, aiming for a spot high in the trees on the other side of the path from where we were. With a static crackle of displacement, I disappear...
And reappear floating directly above the pool instead of where I was aiming...
All activity among the Pokémon below me stops in a rippling wave as they notice me, the crackle of my teleport drawing many of their attention. Thoughts of awe and wonder drift across the collective consciousness and new conversations spark as many of them recognize the Mew in their midst. My stomach drops as I started to panic. Frantically I try thinking of another place to teleport to get away, settling on my bedroom back in the Palace. Concentrating even harder on the teleport this time I once again displace myself...
Only to find myself face first on cold stone, coughing out dust in pitch darkness...
-o-o-o-o-o-
Long minutes passed in the dark as I contemplated what might have gone wrong with both of my teleports. I mentally reviewed all of the steps, from properly folding the Psychic Field around me to form a protective shell, entering it, and then folding the space between where I wanted to go and where I was before slipping through. By my gifted memories, I had done everything right, down to compensating for the wave flux variations to adjust my trajectory for stray thoughts and rogue ideas trying to throw me off course, but somehow, I had still ended up somewhere entirely different from my intended destination both times.
With a sigh I sit up, kicking up more dust. I have no idea where I am, but I don't want to risk teleporting again before figuring out what was going on, so that meant trying to find my way back from wherever I was. Stretching out my senses I feel the shape of the place I am in with sight unseeing. Corridor, slightly cool in temperature, consistent with being deep underground. Long and wide, with grooves and crevasses set into the walls in intricate and consistent patterns. Focusing a bit more, I freeze.
UnOwN Runes... Old ones from the long-faded feelings of their etching. The hieroglyphs described something about ley lines and focusing the resonance and something about a weaving pass-through, but I wasn't really paying attention to them anymore. Stretching and expanding my senses further, I have to hold back a wince. I was practically surrounded by the Gestalt. I could feel the UnOwN all around me.
[[[CURIOSITY]]]
I buckle as the projection hits me. The conceptualization of an idea condensed into a single word/thought as though spoken by a million individuals across a thousand different languages. Normal minds would not be able to understand it at all. Not even most psychics would comprehend it as more than a fleeting idea.
I barely held on to my mind as the concept's full force hit me like an ice cream headache the size of Canada. Collapsing to the floor again, I cry out in pain and quickly erect as many barriers between my mind and the Gestalt as I can, cursing my gifted memories for the first time since waking up in Equestria. They'd taught me how to safely open my mind, but in doing so and without the natural experience to understand my own limits, I had opened myself too much.
[APOLOGY] I received, much more muffled but still sending a lance of pain through my skull. In turn I weakly project out feelings of acceptance and assurance.
More time passes as I regain control of myself. I felt several UnOwN drones drift closer, their spindly forms floating along the eddies and currents in the Psychic Field. Eventually, still panting heavily, I am able to open my barriers a little further to more closely examine my host. Curiously, these UnOwN, unlike the Summons I had encountered earlier, were entirely of Gaia, and had been for a very, very long time if the impressions I was getting were accurate.
[QUERY] the Gestalt tried again. It wanted to know what I was doing here, and how I had reached this place. Twisting my thoughts around, I try to frame my answer in a manner that they would hopefully understand. From Arceus' boon, I knew that dealing with UnOwN was finicky at best and potentially disastrous at worst.
Their entire consciousness was based on them gathering in one giant gestalt. A single UnOwN by itself was less intelligent than an amoeba, but to make up for it their consciousness was vast, transcending distances and the fabric of reality alike. Not infinite, but a single UnOwN's passive sensory range could easily extend over the entire Canterhorn, while my own only extended about a couple city blocks when I was paying attention to them. Their real strength kicked in when they gathered in large numbers, expanding their ability to process information with each UnOwN added to the whole.
They didn't really understand how more cognizant, individualistic beings thought, and sapience could only be loosely applied to them, even in a very large gestalt. That did not, however, mean that they did not have their own goals and directives. It just made them more dangerous if you found yourself working at cross purposes to them, or caught in their web if they tried helping you but they misinterpreted your requests.
Finally, I settle on what I hope would be a format the Gestalt could understand.
[REPLY: PATRON; DIRECTIVE; UNCERTANTY]
[ANSWER: DISPLACEMENT; ERROR; DESIRE]
I couldn't fully conceptualize the thoughts down to a single word the same way the UnOwN could, but I tried my best, containing in them a projection of the ideas of my conversation with Arceus and what I was doing on this world, as well as my botched teleportation and that I just wanted to leave before anything unfortunate happened. Information swirled through the Psychic field around me as the Gestalt communicated and processed my reply. None of it made any sense to me, like watching raw binary scroll across a computer screen, only in unfiltered thought form.
My headache was coming back just thinking about it. I didn't even try to comprehend it.
Finally, the UnOwN settled down and returned their focus to me.
[REQUEST]
[OFFER]
I drew up short. The stronghold I found myself in was damaged. Badly. It was supposed to function as a hub for all of the UnOwN on Gaia, but something had gone wrong several thousand years ago, and now they were barely keeping its most basic functions from failing. They didn't remember what went wrong, their own records in the Gestalt mind patchy and incomplete thanks to its fracturing when the hub failed and data corruption over time. They also lacked the knowledge on how to fully repair things for the same reasons.
They were requesting I help them get the place back up and running. Requesting. Not demanding. It also wasn't particularly urgent to this Gestalt Fragment, though other Fragments might not agree. In return, they were offering to allow me to use the connection network through the UnOwN dimension once it was back up and running as an alternative to teleportation, as well as leading me back to the surface in the meantime regardless of my answer.
I briefly thought about it. It wasn't really much of a choice. If the network was as extensive as the conceptualization implied, then it would be too useful not to use, and having a guide out of this place would be much simpler and safer than trying to stumble my way out.
[ANSWER: ACCEPTANCE]
[REQUEST: EXIT]
The Gestalt Fragment's binary swirled around me in a way I could only think of as satisfaction, before a couple of the drones around me broke off.
[FOLLOW]
Not a command. A suggestion, but a very strongly insisted one.
I follow the drones through the darkness, psychic sight unseeing letting me make out the shape of the corridor so I wouldn't bump into anything. Occasionally I see a slight glow of light set into the stonework. Crystals glowing with power and elemental energy through the entire color spectrum, presumably for some use throughout the function of the ruin, but now defunct. The further we go, the larger and more common they become until I no longer needed to rely on my psychic senses alone to see where I am going.
And then we cross a threshold, and the sensations I was getting from the crystals slam into me like a freight train going Mach-10.
-o-o-o-o-o-
I come to with an "O" hovering over me. Its single eye blinking once before floating upward.
[FOLLOW] the Fragment suggested/insisted again, but I am still too busy just getting my breathing under control.
Power. Unfettered, unfiltered psychic power flows through me like never before, radiating from the pink crystals that practically surround me.
It was amazing.
It was terrifying.
It could be addicting if I wasn't careful.
Steadily reining myself in, I send out a PING. It takes no time at all to charge, more powerful by an order of magnitude than the one I'd released just a day before, but instead of expanding outward to blanket the entire world, and maybe even reflect off of the Moon above, it reflects and refracts off of the crystals that surround me, bouncing in and around and behind and giving me an almost perfect mental map of the entire ruin complex behind me, down to the detailed scrollwork etched around the runes inscribed along the wall, and barely, just barely, receiving a distant, muted echo of the foundation of Canterlot above. The details of the ping fade quickly as I make no effort to commit them to memory, too much information all at once to process, and one realization fills me with awe...