Placeboby SepulcherChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter Seven (Or What's Written Of It)Chapter OneI awoke with a pounding headache. I barely had enough energy to open my eyes, but I persisted. Eventually, I got the little buggers to cooperate. I opened my eyes and beheld a truly amazing sight: darkness. Great. Who else but me wakes up in the middle of the night? Wait... who else but me? Who is me? Where am I?! I bolted up and landed on my four wobbly legs. I tried to recall where I was, but to no avail. The questions burned in my mind. Who am I? What am I doing here? What is here? I was on some sort of path, in between a grove of apple trees. I decided that staying still would be my most ineffective plan of action, so I decided to try and find someone who could help me. Whoever me is. As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I noticed a faint light coming from further down the path. I galloped as fast as I could. Unconsciously, my wings began to unfurl and help propel me along, parallel to the ground. Wings?! I have wings?! As this piece of information was processing, I arrived at the house. Or rather, barn. This is ridiculous. It's nearing pitch black, I don't know my own name, and I'm about to knock on a stranger's door on the off-chance they will be able to help me. Well, better get it over with. I approached to door and knocked gently on it. Five seconds later and with no response, I started to head back into the night and wait for daylight, when the door opened. The opener of the door was a tan-orange color pony wearing a farmer's hat. A hat on during the night? Ridiculous. The pony, who I realized to be female, said slightly agitatedly,"If ya'll gonna knock on my door, at least stay around long enough until you know for sure that somepony ain't home!" I stood there dumbfounded, unable to make an intelligent response. "Ya'll okay there sugarcube? Are you lost?" she asked with a hint of sympathy in her voice. "N-no!" I stammered. "I-I'm just..." I regained my composure for a few seconds before finishing my sentence. "I'm more than lost. I don't remember anything at all,” I said wearily. “I don't even remember my own name.” "Oh you poor thing! C'mon in and have a seat. You can stay here until 'morning if you like. There's plenty a room,” she said with a faint smile. "Thank you... ma’am" I said, not sure if proper language was the way to go. "Aww shucks,” she said, "ya'll don't need to use pleasantries here." I cringed inwardly and replied, "Sorry, ma'am, but you never told me your name and I couldn't think of what to call you". She smiled. "Ya'll can call me Applejack, or AJ for short." "I'll stick with Applejack," I replied, slightly unsure of the tone in her voice. Did she blush? Hard to tell on an orange pony. Wait, speaking of colours, what colour am I? I checked myself. My body was a dark, deep blue. Almost black. My wings were slightly darker, almost the colour of night. My mane was purple. I was wearing pitch black boots. Why was everything getting foggy? I looked around, but the fog persisted. I then realized I was wearing what appeared to be goggles. Of course. Wind rushing in your face from flying could hurt my eyes. Wait, how did I know that? I carefully pulled the goggles off and let them hang off my neck. As I was pondering my predicament, the orange pony—Applejack, I reminded myself—went upstairs, presumably to her room. She probably went back to her room to sleep. I looked around and took an account of my surroundings. I was in the living room. Nicely furnished, comfy, cozy. I guess this is where I'm staying tonight. I laid down on the rug. Comfy enough. Time to put this day—night—behind me and make a plan. First off, thank Applejack for her hospitality. Next, get somepony to point me in the direction of somepony who can help discover why I have no memory, or, if possible, fix my ailment. If I can't find a cure, I need to find somewhere to stay. Sounds good enough. I closed my eyes in a vain attempt at sleeping. Surprisingly enough, I drifted off into a welcoming abyss. My last waking thought was that somepony was going to pay for what they did to me. Author's Note Every time I read this, I die a little inside. Chapter TwoI woke up to the sound of hooves. Many hooves. I glanced up wearily, and then face hoofed myself for wearing my flying gear while sleeping. My boots were creased and my goggles were slightly bent. Oh well. Will make do. I glanced upwards and right into the eyes of Applejack. "'Bout time you woke up, sugarcube. Was just about to wake yah myself. It's already past noon, but I figured you needed your sleep. I also took the liberty of giving my friends a call to see if they could help you with your predicament," she stated. There goes step two. "You have my humble thanks for letting me stay the night. Waking up in the middle of nowhere not knowing who you are... it’s disturbing, to say the least," I replied. She nodded and motioned for me to follow. The first thing I noticed was the complete contrast of the ponies assembled in front of me. The rainbow hue started to give me a headache. Purple, pink, orange, blue, yellow, and white. Strangely enough, they all had different looks on their faces. The blue one with the rainbow tail was looking at me quite curiously, while the purple one seemed to be trying to read me, like a book. The white one seemed put off by my appearance (and I could hardly blame her). The yellow one seemed to be shy, and hid her face behind her hair. The pink one seemed to be the only one not caring, for she was bouncing happily in place, with a look complete ignorance and bliss on her face. As I entered the room they all stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I began to feel slightly uneasy, and had to stop myself from yelling at them to stop staring at me. Play it cool and controlled, man. Cool and controlled. I cleared my throat and said, "Ladies, I assume you're waiting for me to introduce myself, but..." I trailed off. Applejack then said, "Girls, this poor Pegasus has lost his memory, and he doesn't even know who he is. Let's show him a proper Ponyville welcome and—" she was abruptly cut off my the pink one, who started bouncing even faster, who said, "OH BOY, OH BOY, OH BOY! A welcoming party! Ooo what type of decorations should we put up? What type of cake should I make? What—" and she was cut off by the purple one who said, "Pinkie! He's obviously had some sort of trauma! We should try and help him with his problem first, before running off and having a party." I started to like the purple one already. The white one piped up, "Before we do anything, we need to get him out of that ghastly attire." Great. A party-pony and a fashionista. Just what I need. The yellow one then peeked out from her hair. She then said, in a very quiet voice, "Oh, but, shouldn't we, um, help the Pegasus with his memory? I agree with Twilight in that, um, regard." Before I could do or say anything, the pink one started bouncing up and down like a jackhammer. I flew up in the air, turned and slammed my hooves down. That got their attention. "Please, ladies, can you point me in the direction of someone who can heal me, by magic or remedy?" I asked exhaustedly. The purple one sheepishly raised her front hoof and said, "I can do some basic magic, but I don't have my books with me. If you come to the library with me I might be able to help you..." she said. Finally, someone who understands priorities. "That would be lovely," I said, "and while we're going there, you could each tell me your names. It's rather confusing." They all nodded their assent. I beamed inwardly and said, "Well then, thank you Applejack, for your hospitality, and I hope I can make it up to you someday." "No worries, sugarcube," she said, with that slight red colour coming back to her cheeks, "you girls be nice to him. He's had a rough night." And with that, the six of us, excluding Applejack who had a farm to run, accompanied me to their town of Ponyville. Author's Note Apparently, I didn't know that a new speaker constituted a new paragraph when I wrote this. Herp derp. Chapter Three"So...” I said, "Can you introduce yourselves?" "I'm Twilight Sparkle," the purple unicorn said. "Ooh ooh ooh! I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the pink pony. "And that's Rar-" and she was cut off by Twilight, who said, "Pinkie! I'm sure everyone here is capable of saying their own name." Except me, I thought dryly. "Well then," said the white unicorn, with a look of exasperation. "I'm Rarity, owner and proprietor of Carousel Boutique." "Hi. I'm Fluttershy and I'm and animal caretaker," said the shy yellow coloured Pegasus. "And I'm... Rainbow Dash!!" said the light blue Pegasus with a rainbow coloured mane (which I figured was an apt name, all things considered). She flew straight up, did several looping barrel rolls, and then flew straight down, landing perfectly, with the outline of a rainbow following behind her. Greaaat. Just what I need, a clothing store owner, a timid and incredibly shy pony, a nutcase, and a show-off. I hope Twilight can help me. She's my only hope. "Fantastic," I said wearily. "Look, we're almost at your town." As we neared the entrance into Ponyville, all the ponies besides Twilight went their separate ways. Something here doesn't make sense. If Twilight was the only pony who could help me, why did all the others come with? "Hey Twilight?" I asked. "Yes? If you're asking where the library is, it's in a giant tree house in the center of town. Or did you want to ask something else?" she said. "I was just wondering," I began. "Why did all your friends come with you if Applejack called for help regarding my memory problem? It seems rather odd that all of your friends would just show up for no apparent reason." "T-that's quite observant of you," she stammered. "Applejack wasn't very descriptive of what you needed help with. All she said was 'There's a Pegasus pony that stumbled into my house last night that needs help.' I can only guess why my other friends came along. Rainbow Dash probably came to find somepony to race against and Pinkie came to throw a party. Like she always does." I wondered why Twilight was acting so nervous. Was she hiding something? Were they all hiding something? What have I got myself into? "Well, we're here," said Twilight with a sigh. She led the way into the library, which was nicely kept. She led me into what I assumed to be the main room. Twilight then started leafing through books, which I thought strange since she seemed to be so organized. "Do you need a hand finding a book?" I asked. "No, I know I have it here somewh—AHA!" she exclaimed. "Alright," she said. "The book says that you need to remove all outer attire and sit with your head down. I then need to recite a quick spell, and your memory should be good as new. Or old. Not sure." I followed her instructions and waited for the spell to begin. After several seconds of nothing I lifted my head and almost head butted Twilight. She was staring at my flank intently. "Is something wrong?" I asked. "N-no, everything’s fine. Just dandy. I'm just going to try the spell now..." said Twilight nervously. "What's wrong with me?!" I demanded. "You’re...cutie mark. It's...gone," she said in a quiet voice. I didn't understand. "I don't understand. What's a cutie mark?" I asked. Twilight closed her eyes and began to recite, "Cutie marks are a design or image on your flank that represents who you are, what you can do, or what you're good at. The fact that you don't have one means that... you haven't discovered who you are yet." I let the facts sink in. Fantastic. Now I have no memory, no friends, no life, and I’m an outcast. Maybe her spell can change all that. "Twilight, can you still attempt the spell on me? If there's any chance I can get out of this mess, this is it," I declared. Twilight closed her eyes and nodded. Her horn began to glow magenta, and gave off a surprising amount of heat. Then, suddenly, a great flash of light blinded me. I heard Twilight panicking, saying things like, “No, no this can’t be happening!” The last thing I heard before passing out was, “It’s okay Twilight. I’ll take it from here.” A feeling of warmth spread throughout my body, before I passed into oblivion. Author's Note Man... I didn't know any synonyms for said. Seems I couldn't be bothered to write a chapter longer than 1000 words, either. Chapter FourPrincess Celestia stood over her most faithful student. She looked over at the crumpled heap of the Pegasus on the floor. Oh my, she thought. This day just got interesting. Twilight was astounded at how quick the princess appeared. She asked her, “Princess Celestia. Of what occasion do I owe this visit?” “Twilight Sparkle,” said Celestia, “I felt your magic from all the way in Canterlot. I'd be surprised if other unicorns didn't feel it too. A memory spell is one of the most energy intensive spells—one of the most complex too. I'm surprised you didn't melt him.” “I'm sorry princess,”respondedTwilight. “I was just trying to help him…” she finished sheepishly. Celestia sighed. She knew her student wouldn’t purposefully cause harm to anypony. She concentrated with all her might on a complex and intricate spell, one that would help the neurons in the memory center of the brain fire accordingly. She released the energy to the spell and was surprised to see the dark blue Pegasus floating five feet off the ground, encased in a sphere of black aura magic, his black and red mane floating ominously. The Pegasus' body began to change colours, flitting through one end of the spectrum to the other. Just as suddenly as the magic attack started, it vanished, dropping the Pegasus into a crumpled heap again, which elicited a moan from the Pegasus. “That wasn't supposed to happen,” said Celestia. As she finished her sentence, the Pegasus' head whipped up, and stared straight at Celestia. "What have you done to me?!” he shouted at her. Celestia was struck at the force of his words. She then began to see fleeting images and feel scraps of emotions, which no doubt came from the pony in front of her. Regret, despair, and sorrow were themain emotions she felt. She looked into his eyes… …and became entranced by them. They were red, yellow, blue, green, and every other colour in the rainbow. “I said, what did you do to me?” he said again, in a much more subdued voice. Celestia cleared her throat and said, “Twilight Sparkle, please let me and your friend here commune. Alone.“ “Y-yes princess,” said Twilight, managing to bow as she ran down the stairs to the main foyer. Princess Celestia sealed the area with magic. When she was satisfied, she spoke to the silently fuming pony. "I cast a memory spell on you, but it didn't seem to take effect,” said Celestia. “I know that,” growled the Pegasus. “What I don't know, is why I can see the connections of everything. You have few connections. Twilight, who I understand is your student. Someone named Luna, whom I guess is a close family member. And to me. Why do you have a connection to me?” Celestia was awestruck. This Pegasus, whom she had known for less than a minute, had viewed her entire life's connections in an instant. Celestia felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Fear. "I don't know why this has happened to you, but I will do everything in my power to help you,” said Celestia. “You’re afraid of me, aren't you?” said the Pegasus with his multi-coloured eyes. You don't understand, therefore you wish to destroy.” Celestia heart skipped a beat. She then steeled herself for what she was about to do.She reached deep inside herself for the most powerful spell she had at her disposal: an undoing spell. A spell which would erase all magical changes that have ever been casted on a particular pony. She held the magic as long as she could to build up the power, then let the energy into the Pegasus. The spell did nothing. Celestia sat down on her haunches, in exhaustion. “Was that all?” said the Pegasus. “Why am I here?What purpose could I possibly have in this world if even someone as majestic as you cannot help me,” he said drearily. Celestia’s mind raced. If only she could convince him out of his depression. “You are perhaps the most special pony in equestrian, my dear Pegasus,” said Princess Celestia. “You have several unique abilities at your disposal. From what you’ve said, you can see the connections between people, even ones those ponies didn’t know they had. Secondly, you seem to be impervious to magic, and therefore corruption, meaning I can trust you. Third… you have no memory, no previous ties to anypony, and no purpose. I hope to rectify that.” The pony looked up at Celestia, his jeweled eyes brimming with tears. “I would like you, and I understand if you say no, to study the elements of harmony, and the ponies who have the element inside of them,” said Celestia, her fluttering stomach finally calming down. “The six elements of harmony…” said the pony, suddenly thoughtful. He blinked as a flash of inspiration hit him. “Would the elements happen to be inside the six ponies that I met?” he asked incredulously. “It would be rather ironic, wouldn’t you think, that the first ponies I met…” he trailed off, knowing Celestia would know what he was asking. “I had nothing to do with it, if that’s what you’re asking,” said Celestia. “Your… condition… is unique. I hope you will accept my offer of studying the elements of harmony and their bearers. It is a noble prospect. Perhaps you will even find your true self—and earn your cutie mark.” Celestia could see the sharp young Pegasus’ mind racing. “I… agree to your terms… my Princess,” said the Pegasus. “I guess that means I need a name then, don’t I?” He grinned mischievously. “Wouldn’t want anypony to get ideas that our dearest princess is associating herself with a no-name, no-life, blank-flank, now would we?” Celestia smiled. He’s clever, she thought. I hope not to make an enemy out of him. “It just so happens,” said the princess, “that when your eyes were changed, I received a flashback of yours. Somepony was whispering your name. And that name was…” Author's Note NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. So much NOPE. Chapter Five“...and your name was Ryder,” said Celestia. Ryder. A good enough name… for now. Hopefully I can make a new name for myself, one I earned myself. “If that’s my name, that’s my name,” I said. “I, Ryder, am yours to command, your majesty.” I could see Celestia’s connection to me grow, albeit slightly. “Very well Ryder,” said Celestia.“Your first assignment is to learn about the element of magic. I’ll let you pick which elements after, but for now Twilight’s level-headedness will help you adjust,” said Celestia. “How long will I study with each pony for?” I asked. “And where am I going to stay?” Celestia smiled a little. “Two days should be enough for someone like you to get to know somepony intimately. As for sleeping arrangements, there is an empty house in Canterlot I’d like you to have. It hasn’t been used in several years, and it’s in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Of course, if you find an alternative place to stay, here in Ponyville, you may stay there instead.” I bowed deeply, the remainder of my anger dissipating under Celestia’s generosity. “I shall get started at once, your majesty,” I said. Celestia smiled and shook her head. “I couldn’t ask you to start today, my little Pegasus. Besides, I think some of your friends have a surprise waiting for you downstairs.” I bowed even deeper. “One last thing. How will I send you the reports of the information I gather?” “Ask Twilight,” she said. “She has a way of sending her own friendship reports through her surrogate child, Spike.” “Thank you again, Celestia, for all that you’ve done for me. I hope that I can repay you for everything,” I said, looking forward to a new tomorrow. Celestia winked at me and unfurled her wings in preparation for flight. “You already have,” she said cryptically before flying away. I trotted back down the stairs whilst thinking about what Celestia said. What did she mean by that? Those thoughts occupied my mind, therefore I ran straight into a bookcase. Why was it so dark in here, I thought to myself as I hit the ground with books piling atop of me. It’s still midday, isn’t it? As if to answer my thoughts, all the lights came on at the same time, blinding me, while the six hidden ponies appeared and yelled, “Surprise!” As my eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, I saw the whole main foyer of the library decorated with banners, ribbons, and just about every other party-related decoration. I could feel the other pony’s anticipation in how I would react. I could break any chance of friendship with ease, I thought. First impressions are everything. I stood up and shook the book that perched upon my head. “Well?” I asked. “What are you standing around for? Let’s party!” The feeling of pent up anxiety of how I would react melted away into the warm, fuzzy feeling of companionship. The party lasted until sundown and having described what Celestia had planned for me to the ponies, I felt that my day was pretty much over. I wish I could describe the party in detail, but with the collection of aches and pains, scrapes and bruises from the whole magical business upstairs, the party sort of passed me by. By the time everypony said their goodbyes, I was exhausted, so I decided to retire for the night. I was just about to fly to Canterlot, when I was startled by Twilight. “Hey Ryder, I was thinking about what Celestia said, and I was wondering if you… y’know…” I cocked my head at her quizzically. “I was wondering if you wanted to stay the night with me. I-I mean with me and Spike.” I didn’t miss her fumble of words. I decided to ignore it for now. “But my studies don’t start until tomorrow, and I don’t want to burden you with anything else,” I said. “Oh it’s fine!” said Twilight enthusiastically. “I already talked to Spike and he doesn’t mind. It would be just like a sleepover!” Her enthusiasm was infectious. “If you’re offering out of friendship and not concern, then… sure. I have to warn you though: I don’t know what the proper social conventions are regarding sleepovers. You’ll have to help me.” Twilight was practically jumping with joy. Wait, she WAS jumping with joy. “Yay!” she cried. She then realized what she was doing and stopped abruptly. “Oh... I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me. I haven’t acted like this since Princess Celestia named me her protégé." “There’s no need to apologize,” I said, feeling slightly amused. “If something makes you happy, you might as well show it any way that you can.” It turned out that Twilight had only had one sleepover previously, and it had nearly been ruined by a storm. Only Applejack’s quick thinking and Rarity’s magic stopped Twilight’s first sleepover from being ruined. Whilst Twilight told me that story, the sun sank beneath the horizon and the moon rose to take its place. “Looks like the sleepover can officially begin, Twilight. You’re the expert—what do we do first?” Author's Note AND THEN THEY FUCKED THE END. Chapter SixTwilight pulled out a book, seemingly out of nowhere, entitled '101 Things You Wanted To Know About Sleepovers But Were Afraid To Ask'. Rather apt title, I thought. She started hoofing through the pages with interest. After several minutes of this and no response from Twilight, I decided to think about my future, and more importantly, about the cryptic remark Princess Celestia made. How could I have already repaid my debts to Celestia? I wondered. I've just met her and her student and they were acting like they've known me for much longer. Do they treat everyone this way, or am I a special case? Looking back to Twilight and seeing her still engrossed in her book, I zoned off in my abstract thoughts. Of course I'm a special case, I appeared out of nowhere, dressed in flying gear with no memory of anything related directly to me. I still knew what I was and how to speak, and now I've been enchanted somehow to resist any magic directed at me, and a by-product of that changed my very eyes and enabled me to see the connections of life. My thoughts turned to darker questions. How bad of a pony was I that someone made me forget everything about myself? What could I have possibly done to deserve such a punishment? Am I just a pawn in the grander scheme of things? No, I'm sure Princess Celestia would have noticed any evil taint about me, not to even mention the fact that she's letting me observe unfettered her most faithful student and her closest friends. So engrossed in my thoughts, I didn't hear Twilight until she cleared her throat. "Sorry Twilight, I was thinking, what did you say?" "I said that I found a game that I wanted to try. I was going to do it with Rarity and Applejack, but never had the time. It's a game called '20 Questions'. Want to try?" "Sure," I said, glad to put my dark thoughts behind me. "How do you play?" "Oh it's really simple," Twilight assured me. "One of us thinks of a person, place, or thing and the other pony can ask twenty questions about the thing in question, with the goal being to figure out what thing the pony is thinking of. Do you want to guess or shall I?" I grinned and said, "It's your sleepover Twi. I'd be happy with either." Twilight ended up guessing first. I picked an apple pie, hoping she would think I picked something abstract and difficult to find. "Is it a person place or thing?" "Thing." "Is it a type of plant? "...Not anymore." "Is it a material?" "No." "Is it edible?" "Yes." "Can it be eaten alone or with other foods?" "Either." Twilight thought intensely. "When would you eat it?" "Dessert." "Is it made with apples?" "Yes," I replied with a sigh. "Is it apple pie?" I was thoroughly confused how easily she got it. "Yep. Your turn to guess." We played '20 Questions' throughout the night, without either of us ever using up all allotted questions. By the time I finally called it quits, the score was 13-13. Twilight begged me for one more tie-breaking game. "C'mon, one more game! It'll only take a few minutes..." I shook my head in exhaustion. "I'm sorry Twilight, but I can barely keep myself from falling asleep." My statement was punctuated by a yawn. "There's always tomorrow." Twilight gave in. "Alright, but you owe me a tie-breaker tomorrow. We shall see who the better 20 Questions pony really is..." I snuggled into my sleeping bag, looking forward to the next day. Just as fell asleep, I heard Twilight whisper, "You awake Ryder?" "I am now," I replied sleepily. "Why'd you ask? I thought in a 'sleepover' we were supposed to sleep after the fun and games..." I could hear Twilight twist in her bed. "I was curious about something and I can't sleep when I'm curious." Oh well, I thought. I guess it can't be helped. "What are you curious about, Twilight?" "I was just wondering," she said quietly. "Do you have any family, or... anypony special that you remember?" I debated calling her out on her shyness, but thought better of it. "As far as I know, I have no family. As for anypony special, the only people that I know and have met are you, your friends, and Princess Celestia. Does that answer your question?" Twilight sighed. "Yes, I suppose it does." I could sense that something was still bothering her, so I decided to ask. "Is there something wrong Twilight? If it's something I did or said, I'm sorry. If it isn't, can I help?" Twilight sighed again. "No, it's nothing you did. It's just...I always felt a little distant from my other friends. I know they love me, and I love them too, it's just..." I swore I heard a sob come from her. "I never considered them my intellectual equals. I thought the only pony I could relate to was Princess Celestia, but since I've come to know you..." Through my eyes, I could see the bonds between us grow even stronger. I had no idea what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. "I wish I could see you every day. Talk to you, discuss things with you, have you all to myself. And I feel awful about it, because I know Celestia gave you an assignment to spend time with everypony and my jealousy shouldn't change that." I had to say something, so I picked the safest option I could. "Twilight, don't feel bad. I have an assignment to do, but that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. And for the record, I barely know you, but I feel like I can talk to you about anything. Know this Twilight Sparkle: no matter what, we will always be friends." My statement seemed to do the trick. Hearing a contented sigh from Twilight followed by a adorable sounding snore, I laid my weary head to rest. I drifted off to sleep thinking how event-filled tomorrow would be, if tonight was anything to compare it with. In the mind of Twilight Sparkle, sometime during the night Twilight had a dream. In her dream, she was in a massive tower, with no windows or doors. The tower was filled with books, scrolls, letters, notes, and everything else she enjoyed reading. The only light source was a line of candles, each a differing colour, which brightened the tower. Twilight was content to stay in that tower forever, soaking up the information like a sponge, letting the light warm her. Some small part of her knew she was in a prison, but the rest of her ignored that small part and continued to read. She read until she could barely focus on the words in front of her. Only until she couldn't read any further did she focus on her surroundings rather than the books. She saw she was chained, rooted to the very spot, unable to move farther than her never-ending pile of books. She consigned herself to her fate, knowing nopony was coming to save her. As these dream thoughts coalesced, the flames of the multi-coloured candles twisted and morphed into a dark blue pegasus with rainbow coloured eyes. The pegasus smiled and broke her chains, freeing her. Twilight tried to express her gratitude, but he was gone, melting back into the candle lights, without so much as a goodbye. The dream Twilight cried softly, wishing she could have thanked her liberator for freeing her from her prison. That particular dream ended and the dark embrace of deep sleep took her. Author's Note Thank the deities above and below that there's only one more chapter. Chapter Seven (Or What's Written Of It)I woke up to the sound of quiet sobbing coming from Twilight's bed. I quietly got up from my bedding on the floor and slowly walked over to her bedside. "Are you alright, Twilight?" I said quietly, hoping not to startle her. Twilight pulled her head of her pillow and looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "I just had a bad dream," she said drearily. I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to ask, but I did anyway. "Do you want to talk about it?" She looked away and shook her head. "Okay Twilight, but if you ever need someone to talk too, I'm here." Twilight got out of bed, her mane flattened on one side. "Thank you for the offer Ryder. I'll be sure to keep it in mind." I looked outside and into the morning sun. "Well, today's the day I start my report. So tell me: what constitutes an average day for you?" Twilight visibly brightened. "Well," she said while combing her hair with magic, "I normally have a checklist made the day before for the next day's tasks. Spike probably has it. SPIKE!" A sleepy purple and green dragon came into the room rubbing his eyes with one claw and holding a piece of parchment in the other. "Good morning to you too, Twilight," said Spike as he gave her the list. "I'm going to go make breakfast." "What's on the agenda for today?" I asked. "Hmm..." said Twilight as she studied the list. "It looks like first we have to go to Fluttershy's. Something about a large creature scaring off her little animal friends. After that, apparently Rainbow Dash needs some viewers to tell her how her tricks are coming along. The third thing..." Twilight stared at her list as if it contained a ciphered message. "The third thing is to... relax? I don't remember writing that down... SPIKE!" Spike's voice was heard down the stairs. "What? I'm busy cooking!" "Did you write 'relax' on my list of things to do today?" yelled Twilight. There was a pause before Spike answered. "No, I don't change anything on your lists, not after last time." Twilight looked at me next. "Don't look at me, I didn't even know you had a checklist," I said. Twilight stared intently at it for another thirty seconds before sighing and saying, "Oh well. I guess we'll have to... relax." The breakfast Spike made was surprisingly delicious. The fact that I hadn't eaten since the party last night helped my appetite. After breakfast, Twilight and I went over to Fluttershy's cottage at the edge of the Evertree forest. Twilight knocked on the door and it opened a crack to show a very frightened Fluttershy. "W-who is it?" she asked in a very tiny voice. "It's Twilight and Ryder, here to fix your pest problem," stated Twilight. "Oh, good. I don't know what's been driving the animals away, but please be careful. I'd hate to see anypony get hurt from helping me," said Fluttershy, hiding behind her hair. "Nonsense. I'm going to help you, no matter what you say," I said. "I agree," said Twilight. "That's what friends do. Don't you remember when Applejack almost worked herself to death?" Fluttershy hid even further under her hair. "I-I suppose. Oh, please be careful, okay?" "Of course. We'll have your animal problem fixed in no time, Fluttershy." We left Fluttershy to tend to her animal friends while we tracked the animal. The footprints were huge, bigger than my head. We followed the tracks for several minutes, but we stopped when we heard the growling. Author's Note That's it. That's the story. Yep.
Chapter OneI awoke with a pounding headache. I barely had enough energy to open my eyes, but I persisted. Eventually, I got the little buggers to cooperate. I opened my eyes and beheld a truly amazing sight: darkness. Great. Who else but me wakes up in the middle of the night? Wait... who else but me? Who is me? Where am I?! I bolted up and landed on my four wobbly legs. I tried to recall where I was, but to no avail. The questions burned in my mind. Who am I? What am I doing here? What is here? I was on some sort of path, in between a grove of apple trees. I decided that staying still would be my most ineffective plan of action, so I decided to try and find someone who could help me. Whoever me is. As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I noticed a faint light coming from further down the path. I galloped as fast as I could. Unconsciously, my wings began to unfurl and help propel me along, parallel to the ground. Wings?! I have wings?! As this piece of information was processing, I arrived at the house. Or rather, barn. This is ridiculous. It's nearing pitch black, I don't know my own name, and I'm about to knock on a stranger's door on the off-chance they will be able to help me. Well, better get it over with. I approached to door and knocked gently on it. Five seconds later and with no response, I started to head back into the night and wait for daylight, when the door opened. The opener of the door was a tan-orange color pony wearing a farmer's hat. A hat on during the night? Ridiculous. The pony, who I realized to be female, said slightly agitatedly,"If ya'll gonna knock on my door, at least stay around long enough until you know for sure that somepony ain't home!" I stood there dumbfounded, unable to make an intelligent response. "Ya'll okay there sugarcube? Are you lost?" she asked with a hint of sympathy in her voice. "N-no!" I stammered. "I-I'm just..." I regained my composure for a few seconds before finishing my sentence. "I'm more than lost. I don't remember anything at all,” I said wearily. “I don't even remember my own name.” "Oh you poor thing! C'mon in and have a seat. You can stay here until 'morning if you like. There's plenty a room,” she said with a faint smile. "Thank you... ma’am" I said, not sure if proper language was the way to go. "Aww shucks,” she said, "ya'll don't need to use pleasantries here." I cringed inwardly and replied, "Sorry, ma'am, but you never told me your name and I couldn't think of what to call you". She smiled. "Ya'll can call me Applejack, or AJ for short." "I'll stick with Applejack," I replied, slightly unsure of the tone in her voice. Did she blush? Hard to tell on an orange pony. Wait, speaking of colours, what colour am I? I checked myself. My body was a dark, deep blue. Almost black. My wings were slightly darker, almost the colour of night. My mane was purple. I was wearing pitch black boots. Why was everything getting foggy? I looked around, but the fog persisted. I then realized I was wearing what appeared to be goggles. Of course. Wind rushing in your face from flying could hurt my eyes. Wait, how did I know that? I carefully pulled the goggles off and let them hang off my neck. As I was pondering my predicament, the orange pony—Applejack, I reminded myself—went upstairs, presumably to her room. She probably went back to her room to sleep. I looked around and took an account of my surroundings. I was in the living room. Nicely furnished, comfy, cozy. I guess this is where I'm staying tonight. I laid down on the rug. Comfy enough. Time to put this day—night—behind me and make a plan. First off, thank Applejack for her hospitality. Next, get somepony to point me in the direction of somepony who can help discover why I have no memory, or, if possible, fix my ailment. If I can't find a cure, I need to find somewhere to stay. Sounds good enough. I closed my eyes in a vain attempt at sleeping. Surprisingly enough, I drifted off into a welcoming abyss. My last waking thought was that somepony was going to pay for what they did to me. Author's Note Every time I read this, I die a little inside.
Chapter TwoI woke up to the sound of hooves. Many hooves. I glanced up wearily, and then face hoofed myself for wearing my flying gear while sleeping. My boots were creased and my goggles were slightly bent. Oh well. Will make do. I glanced upwards and right into the eyes of Applejack. "'Bout time you woke up, sugarcube. Was just about to wake yah myself. It's already past noon, but I figured you needed your sleep. I also took the liberty of giving my friends a call to see if they could help you with your predicament," she stated. There goes step two. "You have my humble thanks for letting me stay the night. Waking up in the middle of nowhere not knowing who you are... it’s disturbing, to say the least," I replied. She nodded and motioned for me to follow. The first thing I noticed was the complete contrast of the ponies assembled in front of me. The rainbow hue started to give me a headache. Purple, pink, orange, blue, yellow, and white. Strangely enough, they all had different looks on their faces. The blue one with the rainbow tail was looking at me quite curiously, while the purple one seemed to be trying to read me, like a book. The white one seemed put off by my appearance (and I could hardly blame her). The yellow one seemed to be shy, and hid her face behind her hair. The pink one seemed to be the only one not caring, for she was bouncing happily in place, with a look complete ignorance and bliss on her face. As I entered the room they all stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I began to feel slightly uneasy, and had to stop myself from yelling at them to stop staring at me. Play it cool and controlled, man. Cool and controlled. I cleared my throat and said, "Ladies, I assume you're waiting for me to introduce myself, but..." I trailed off. Applejack then said, "Girls, this poor Pegasus has lost his memory, and he doesn't even know who he is. Let's show him a proper Ponyville welcome and—" she was abruptly cut off my the pink one, who started bouncing even faster, who said, "OH BOY, OH BOY, OH BOY! A welcoming party! Ooo what type of decorations should we put up? What type of cake should I make? What—" and she was cut off by the purple one who said, "Pinkie! He's obviously had some sort of trauma! We should try and help him with his problem first, before running off and having a party." I started to like the purple one already. The white one piped up, "Before we do anything, we need to get him out of that ghastly attire." Great. A party-pony and a fashionista. Just what I need. The yellow one then peeked out from her hair. She then said, in a very quiet voice, "Oh, but, shouldn't we, um, help the Pegasus with his memory? I agree with Twilight in that, um, regard." Before I could do or say anything, the pink one started bouncing up and down like a jackhammer. I flew up in the air, turned and slammed my hooves down. That got their attention. "Please, ladies, can you point me in the direction of someone who can heal me, by magic or remedy?" I asked exhaustedly. The purple one sheepishly raised her front hoof and said, "I can do some basic magic, but I don't have my books with me. If you come to the library with me I might be able to help you..." she said. Finally, someone who understands priorities. "That would be lovely," I said, "and while we're going there, you could each tell me your names. It's rather confusing." They all nodded their assent. I beamed inwardly and said, "Well then, thank you Applejack, for your hospitality, and I hope I can make it up to you someday." "No worries, sugarcube," she said, with that slight red colour coming back to her cheeks, "you girls be nice to him. He's had a rough night." And with that, the six of us, excluding Applejack who had a farm to run, accompanied me to their town of Ponyville. Author's Note Apparently, I didn't know that a new speaker constituted a new paragraph when I wrote this. Herp derp.
Chapter Three"So...” I said, "Can you introduce yourselves?" "I'm Twilight Sparkle," the purple unicorn said. "Ooh ooh ooh! I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the pink pony. "And that's Rar-" and she was cut off by Twilight, who said, "Pinkie! I'm sure everyone here is capable of saying their own name." Except me, I thought dryly. "Well then," said the white unicorn, with a look of exasperation. "I'm Rarity, owner and proprietor of Carousel Boutique." "Hi. I'm Fluttershy and I'm and animal caretaker," said the shy yellow coloured Pegasus. "And I'm... Rainbow Dash!!" said the light blue Pegasus with a rainbow coloured mane (which I figured was an apt name, all things considered). She flew straight up, did several looping barrel rolls, and then flew straight down, landing perfectly, with the outline of a rainbow following behind her. Greaaat. Just what I need, a clothing store owner, a timid and incredibly shy pony, a nutcase, and a show-off. I hope Twilight can help me. She's my only hope. "Fantastic," I said wearily. "Look, we're almost at your town." As we neared the entrance into Ponyville, all the ponies besides Twilight went their separate ways. Something here doesn't make sense. If Twilight was the only pony who could help me, why did all the others come with? "Hey Twilight?" I asked. "Yes? If you're asking where the library is, it's in a giant tree house in the center of town. Or did you want to ask something else?" she said. "I was just wondering," I began. "Why did all your friends come with you if Applejack called for help regarding my memory problem? It seems rather odd that all of your friends would just show up for no apparent reason." "T-that's quite observant of you," she stammered. "Applejack wasn't very descriptive of what you needed help with. All she said was 'There's a Pegasus pony that stumbled into my house last night that needs help.' I can only guess why my other friends came along. Rainbow Dash probably came to find somepony to race against and Pinkie came to throw a party. Like she always does." I wondered why Twilight was acting so nervous. Was she hiding something? Were they all hiding something? What have I got myself into? "Well, we're here," said Twilight with a sigh. She led the way into the library, which was nicely kept. She led me into what I assumed to be the main room. Twilight then started leafing through books, which I thought strange since she seemed to be so organized. "Do you need a hand finding a book?" I asked. "No, I know I have it here somewh—AHA!" she exclaimed. "Alright," she said. "The book says that you need to remove all outer attire and sit with your head down. I then need to recite a quick spell, and your memory should be good as new. Or old. Not sure." I followed her instructions and waited for the spell to begin. After several seconds of nothing I lifted my head and almost head butted Twilight. She was staring at my flank intently. "Is something wrong?" I asked. "N-no, everything’s fine. Just dandy. I'm just going to try the spell now..." said Twilight nervously. "What's wrong with me?!" I demanded. "You’re...cutie mark. It's...gone," she said in a quiet voice. I didn't understand. "I don't understand. What's a cutie mark?" I asked. Twilight closed her eyes and began to recite, "Cutie marks are a design or image on your flank that represents who you are, what you can do, or what you're good at. The fact that you don't have one means that... you haven't discovered who you are yet." I let the facts sink in. Fantastic. Now I have no memory, no friends, no life, and I’m an outcast. Maybe her spell can change all that. "Twilight, can you still attempt the spell on me? If there's any chance I can get out of this mess, this is it," I declared. Twilight closed her eyes and nodded. Her horn began to glow magenta, and gave off a surprising amount of heat. Then, suddenly, a great flash of light blinded me. I heard Twilight panicking, saying things like, “No, no this can’t be happening!” The last thing I heard before passing out was, “It’s okay Twilight. I’ll take it from here.” A feeling of warmth spread throughout my body, before I passed into oblivion. Author's Note Man... I didn't know any synonyms for said. Seems I couldn't be bothered to write a chapter longer than 1000 words, either.
Chapter FourPrincess Celestia stood over her most faithful student. She looked over at the crumpled heap of the Pegasus on the floor. Oh my, she thought. This day just got interesting. Twilight was astounded at how quick the princess appeared. She asked her, “Princess Celestia. Of what occasion do I owe this visit?” “Twilight Sparkle,” said Celestia, “I felt your magic from all the way in Canterlot. I'd be surprised if other unicorns didn't feel it too. A memory spell is one of the most energy intensive spells—one of the most complex too. I'm surprised you didn't melt him.” “I'm sorry princess,”respondedTwilight. “I was just trying to help him…” she finished sheepishly. Celestia sighed. She knew her student wouldn’t purposefully cause harm to anypony. She concentrated with all her might on a complex and intricate spell, one that would help the neurons in the memory center of the brain fire accordingly. She released the energy to the spell and was surprised to see the dark blue Pegasus floating five feet off the ground, encased in a sphere of black aura magic, his black and red mane floating ominously. The Pegasus' body began to change colours, flitting through one end of the spectrum to the other. Just as suddenly as the magic attack started, it vanished, dropping the Pegasus into a crumpled heap again, which elicited a moan from the Pegasus. “That wasn't supposed to happen,” said Celestia. As she finished her sentence, the Pegasus' head whipped up, and stared straight at Celestia. "What have you done to me?!” he shouted at her. Celestia was struck at the force of his words. She then began to see fleeting images and feel scraps of emotions, which no doubt came from the pony in front of her. Regret, despair, and sorrow were themain emotions she felt. She looked into his eyes… …and became entranced by them. They were red, yellow, blue, green, and every other colour in the rainbow. “I said, what did you do to me?” he said again, in a much more subdued voice. Celestia cleared her throat and said, “Twilight Sparkle, please let me and your friend here commune. Alone.“ “Y-yes princess,” said Twilight, managing to bow as she ran down the stairs to the main foyer. Princess Celestia sealed the area with magic. When she was satisfied, she spoke to the silently fuming pony. "I cast a memory spell on you, but it didn't seem to take effect,” said Celestia. “I know that,” growled the Pegasus. “What I don't know, is why I can see the connections of everything. You have few connections. Twilight, who I understand is your student. Someone named Luna, whom I guess is a close family member. And to me. Why do you have a connection to me?” Celestia was awestruck. This Pegasus, whom she had known for less than a minute, had viewed her entire life's connections in an instant. Celestia felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Fear. "I don't know why this has happened to you, but I will do everything in my power to help you,” said Celestia. “You’re afraid of me, aren't you?” said the Pegasus with his multi-coloured eyes. You don't understand, therefore you wish to destroy.” Celestia heart skipped a beat. She then steeled herself for what she was about to do.She reached deep inside herself for the most powerful spell she had at her disposal: an undoing spell. A spell which would erase all magical changes that have ever been casted on a particular pony. She held the magic as long as she could to build up the power, then let the energy into the Pegasus. The spell did nothing. Celestia sat down on her haunches, in exhaustion. “Was that all?” said the Pegasus. “Why am I here?What purpose could I possibly have in this world if even someone as majestic as you cannot help me,” he said drearily. Celestia’s mind raced. If only she could convince him out of his depression. “You are perhaps the most special pony in equestrian, my dear Pegasus,” said Princess Celestia. “You have several unique abilities at your disposal. From what you’ve said, you can see the connections between people, even ones those ponies didn’t know they had. Secondly, you seem to be impervious to magic, and therefore corruption, meaning I can trust you. Third… you have no memory, no previous ties to anypony, and no purpose. I hope to rectify that.” The pony looked up at Celestia, his jeweled eyes brimming with tears. “I would like you, and I understand if you say no, to study the elements of harmony, and the ponies who have the element inside of them,” said Celestia, her fluttering stomach finally calming down. “The six elements of harmony…” said the pony, suddenly thoughtful. He blinked as a flash of inspiration hit him. “Would the elements happen to be inside the six ponies that I met?” he asked incredulously. “It would be rather ironic, wouldn’t you think, that the first ponies I met…” he trailed off, knowing Celestia would know what he was asking. “I had nothing to do with it, if that’s what you’re asking,” said Celestia. “Your… condition… is unique. I hope you will accept my offer of studying the elements of harmony and their bearers. It is a noble prospect. Perhaps you will even find your true self—and earn your cutie mark.” Celestia could see the sharp young Pegasus’ mind racing. “I… agree to your terms… my Princess,” said the Pegasus. “I guess that means I need a name then, don’t I?” He grinned mischievously. “Wouldn’t want anypony to get ideas that our dearest princess is associating herself with a no-name, no-life, blank-flank, now would we?” Celestia smiled. He’s clever, she thought. I hope not to make an enemy out of him. “It just so happens,” said the princess, “that when your eyes were changed, I received a flashback of yours. Somepony was whispering your name. And that name was…” Author's Note NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. So much NOPE.
Chapter Five“...and your name was Ryder,” said Celestia. Ryder. A good enough name… for now. Hopefully I can make a new name for myself, one I earned myself. “If that’s my name, that’s my name,” I said. “I, Ryder, am yours to command, your majesty.” I could see Celestia’s connection to me grow, albeit slightly. “Very well Ryder,” said Celestia.“Your first assignment is to learn about the element of magic. I’ll let you pick which elements after, but for now Twilight’s level-headedness will help you adjust,” said Celestia. “How long will I study with each pony for?” I asked. “And where am I going to stay?” Celestia smiled a little. “Two days should be enough for someone like you to get to know somepony intimately. As for sleeping arrangements, there is an empty house in Canterlot I’d like you to have. It hasn’t been used in several years, and it’s in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Of course, if you find an alternative place to stay, here in Ponyville, you may stay there instead.” I bowed deeply, the remainder of my anger dissipating under Celestia’s generosity. “I shall get started at once, your majesty,” I said. Celestia smiled and shook her head. “I couldn’t ask you to start today, my little Pegasus. Besides, I think some of your friends have a surprise waiting for you downstairs.” I bowed even deeper. “One last thing. How will I send you the reports of the information I gather?” “Ask Twilight,” she said. “She has a way of sending her own friendship reports through her surrogate child, Spike.” “Thank you again, Celestia, for all that you’ve done for me. I hope that I can repay you for everything,” I said, looking forward to a new tomorrow. Celestia winked at me and unfurled her wings in preparation for flight. “You already have,” she said cryptically before flying away. I trotted back down the stairs whilst thinking about what Celestia said. What did she mean by that? Those thoughts occupied my mind, therefore I ran straight into a bookcase. Why was it so dark in here, I thought to myself as I hit the ground with books piling atop of me. It’s still midday, isn’t it? As if to answer my thoughts, all the lights came on at the same time, blinding me, while the six hidden ponies appeared and yelled, “Surprise!” As my eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, I saw the whole main foyer of the library decorated with banners, ribbons, and just about every other party-related decoration. I could feel the other pony’s anticipation in how I would react. I could break any chance of friendship with ease, I thought. First impressions are everything. I stood up and shook the book that perched upon my head. “Well?” I asked. “What are you standing around for? Let’s party!” The feeling of pent up anxiety of how I would react melted away into the warm, fuzzy feeling of companionship. The party lasted until sundown and having described what Celestia had planned for me to the ponies, I felt that my day was pretty much over. I wish I could describe the party in detail, but with the collection of aches and pains, scrapes and bruises from the whole magical business upstairs, the party sort of passed me by. By the time everypony said their goodbyes, I was exhausted, so I decided to retire for the night. I was just about to fly to Canterlot, when I was startled by Twilight. “Hey Ryder, I was thinking about what Celestia said, and I was wondering if you… y’know…” I cocked my head at her quizzically. “I was wondering if you wanted to stay the night with me. I-I mean with me and Spike.” I didn’t miss her fumble of words. I decided to ignore it for now. “But my studies don’t start until tomorrow, and I don’t want to burden you with anything else,” I said. “Oh it’s fine!” said Twilight enthusiastically. “I already talked to Spike and he doesn’t mind. It would be just like a sleepover!” Her enthusiasm was infectious. “If you’re offering out of friendship and not concern, then… sure. I have to warn you though: I don’t know what the proper social conventions are regarding sleepovers. You’ll have to help me.” Twilight was practically jumping with joy. Wait, she WAS jumping with joy. “Yay!” she cried. She then realized what she was doing and stopped abruptly. “Oh... I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me. I haven’t acted like this since Princess Celestia named me her protégé." “There’s no need to apologize,” I said, feeling slightly amused. “If something makes you happy, you might as well show it any way that you can.” It turned out that Twilight had only had one sleepover previously, and it had nearly been ruined by a storm. Only Applejack’s quick thinking and Rarity’s magic stopped Twilight’s first sleepover from being ruined. Whilst Twilight told me that story, the sun sank beneath the horizon and the moon rose to take its place. “Looks like the sleepover can officially begin, Twilight. You’re the expert—what do we do first?” Author's Note AND THEN THEY FUCKED THE END.
Chapter SixTwilight pulled out a book, seemingly out of nowhere, entitled '101 Things You Wanted To Know About Sleepovers But Were Afraid To Ask'. Rather apt title, I thought. She started hoofing through the pages with interest. After several minutes of this and no response from Twilight, I decided to think about my future, and more importantly, about the cryptic remark Princess Celestia made. How could I have already repaid my debts to Celestia? I wondered. I've just met her and her student and they were acting like they've known me for much longer. Do they treat everyone this way, or am I a special case? Looking back to Twilight and seeing her still engrossed in her book, I zoned off in my abstract thoughts. Of course I'm a special case, I appeared out of nowhere, dressed in flying gear with no memory of anything related directly to me. I still knew what I was and how to speak, and now I've been enchanted somehow to resist any magic directed at me, and a by-product of that changed my very eyes and enabled me to see the connections of life. My thoughts turned to darker questions. How bad of a pony was I that someone made me forget everything about myself? What could I have possibly done to deserve such a punishment? Am I just a pawn in the grander scheme of things? No, I'm sure Princess Celestia would have noticed any evil taint about me, not to even mention the fact that she's letting me observe unfettered her most faithful student and her closest friends. So engrossed in my thoughts, I didn't hear Twilight until she cleared her throat. "Sorry Twilight, I was thinking, what did you say?" "I said that I found a game that I wanted to try. I was going to do it with Rarity and Applejack, but never had the time. It's a game called '20 Questions'. Want to try?" "Sure," I said, glad to put my dark thoughts behind me. "How do you play?" "Oh it's really simple," Twilight assured me. "One of us thinks of a person, place, or thing and the other pony can ask twenty questions about the thing in question, with the goal being to figure out what thing the pony is thinking of. Do you want to guess or shall I?" I grinned and said, "It's your sleepover Twi. I'd be happy with either." Twilight ended up guessing first. I picked an apple pie, hoping she would think I picked something abstract and difficult to find. "Is it a person place or thing?" "Thing." "Is it a type of plant? "...Not anymore." "Is it a material?" "No." "Is it edible?" "Yes." "Can it be eaten alone or with other foods?" "Either." Twilight thought intensely. "When would you eat it?" "Dessert." "Is it made with apples?" "Yes," I replied with a sigh. "Is it apple pie?" I was thoroughly confused how easily she got it. "Yep. Your turn to guess." We played '20 Questions' throughout the night, without either of us ever using up all allotted questions. By the time I finally called it quits, the score was 13-13. Twilight begged me for one more tie-breaking game. "C'mon, one more game! It'll only take a few minutes..." I shook my head in exhaustion. "I'm sorry Twilight, but I can barely keep myself from falling asleep." My statement was punctuated by a yawn. "There's always tomorrow." Twilight gave in. "Alright, but you owe me a tie-breaker tomorrow. We shall see who the better 20 Questions pony really is..." I snuggled into my sleeping bag, looking forward to the next day. Just as fell asleep, I heard Twilight whisper, "You awake Ryder?" "I am now," I replied sleepily. "Why'd you ask? I thought in a 'sleepover' we were supposed to sleep after the fun and games..." I could hear Twilight twist in her bed. "I was curious about something and I can't sleep when I'm curious." Oh well, I thought. I guess it can't be helped. "What are you curious about, Twilight?" "I was just wondering," she said quietly. "Do you have any family, or... anypony special that you remember?" I debated calling her out on her shyness, but thought better of it. "As far as I know, I have no family. As for anypony special, the only people that I know and have met are you, your friends, and Princess Celestia. Does that answer your question?" Twilight sighed. "Yes, I suppose it does." I could sense that something was still bothering her, so I decided to ask. "Is there something wrong Twilight? If it's something I did or said, I'm sorry. If it isn't, can I help?" Twilight sighed again. "No, it's nothing you did. It's just...I always felt a little distant from my other friends. I know they love me, and I love them too, it's just..." I swore I heard a sob come from her. "I never considered them my intellectual equals. I thought the only pony I could relate to was Princess Celestia, but since I've come to know you..." Through my eyes, I could see the bonds between us grow even stronger. I had no idea what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. "I wish I could see you every day. Talk to you, discuss things with you, have you all to myself. And I feel awful about it, because I know Celestia gave you an assignment to spend time with everypony and my jealousy shouldn't change that." I had to say something, so I picked the safest option I could. "Twilight, don't feel bad. I have an assignment to do, but that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. And for the record, I barely know you, but I feel like I can talk to you about anything. Know this Twilight Sparkle: no matter what, we will always be friends." My statement seemed to do the trick. Hearing a contented sigh from Twilight followed by a adorable sounding snore, I laid my weary head to rest. I drifted off to sleep thinking how event-filled tomorrow would be, if tonight was anything to compare it with. In the mind of Twilight Sparkle, sometime during the night Twilight had a dream. In her dream, she was in a massive tower, with no windows or doors. The tower was filled with books, scrolls, letters, notes, and everything else she enjoyed reading. The only light source was a line of candles, each a differing colour, which brightened the tower. Twilight was content to stay in that tower forever, soaking up the information like a sponge, letting the light warm her. Some small part of her knew she was in a prison, but the rest of her ignored that small part and continued to read. She read until she could barely focus on the words in front of her. Only until she couldn't read any further did she focus on her surroundings rather than the books. She saw she was chained, rooted to the very spot, unable to move farther than her never-ending pile of books. She consigned herself to her fate, knowing nopony was coming to save her. As these dream thoughts coalesced, the flames of the multi-coloured candles twisted and morphed into a dark blue pegasus with rainbow coloured eyes. The pegasus smiled and broke her chains, freeing her. Twilight tried to express her gratitude, but he was gone, melting back into the candle lights, without so much as a goodbye. The dream Twilight cried softly, wishing she could have thanked her liberator for freeing her from her prison. That particular dream ended and the dark embrace of deep sleep took her. Author's Note Thank the deities above and below that there's only one more chapter.
Chapter Seven (Or What's Written Of It)I woke up to the sound of quiet sobbing coming from Twilight's bed. I quietly got up from my bedding on the floor and slowly walked over to her bedside. "Are you alright, Twilight?" I said quietly, hoping not to startle her. Twilight pulled her head of her pillow and looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "I just had a bad dream," she said drearily. I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to ask, but I did anyway. "Do you want to talk about it?" She looked away and shook her head. "Okay Twilight, but if you ever need someone to talk too, I'm here." Twilight got out of bed, her mane flattened on one side. "Thank you for the offer Ryder. I'll be sure to keep it in mind." I looked outside and into the morning sun. "Well, today's the day I start my report. So tell me: what constitutes an average day for you?" Twilight visibly brightened. "Well," she said while combing her hair with magic, "I normally have a checklist made the day before for the next day's tasks. Spike probably has it. SPIKE!" A sleepy purple and green dragon came into the room rubbing his eyes with one claw and holding a piece of parchment in the other. "Good morning to you too, Twilight," said Spike as he gave her the list. "I'm going to go make breakfast." "What's on the agenda for today?" I asked. "Hmm..." said Twilight as she studied the list. "It looks like first we have to go to Fluttershy's. Something about a large creature scaring off her little animal friends. After that, apparently Rainbow Dash needs some viewers to tell her how her tricks are coming along. The third thing..." Twilight stared at her list as if it contained a ciphered message. "The third thing is to... relax? I don't remember writing that down... SPIKE!" Spike's voice was heard down the stairs. "What? I'm busy cooking!" "Did you write 'relax' on my list of things to do today?" yelled Twilight. There was a pause before Spike answered. "No, I don't change anything on your lists, not after last time." Twilight looked at me next. "Don't look at me, I didn't even know you had a checklist," I said. Twilight stared intently at it for another thirty seconds before sighing and saying, "Oh well. I guess we'll have to... relax." The breakfast Spike made was surprisingly delicious. The fact that I hadn't eaten since the party last night helped my appetite. After breakfast, Twilight and I went over to Fluttershy's cottage at the edge of the Evertree forest. Twilight knocked on the door and it opened a crack to show a very frightened Fluttershy. "W-who is it?" she asked in a very tiny voice. "It's Twilight and Ryder, here to fix your pest problem," stated Twilight. "Oh, good. I don't know what's been driving the animals away, but please be careful. I'd hate to see anypony get hurt from helping me," said Fluttershy, hiding behind her hair. "Nonsense. I'm going to help you, no matter what you say," I said. "I agree," said Twilight. "That's what friends do. Don't you remember when Applejack almost worked herself to death?" Fluttershy hid even further under her hair. "I-I suppose. Oh, please be careful, okay?" "Of course. We'll have your animal problem fixed in no time, Fluttershy." We left Fluttershy to tend to her animal friends while we tracked the animal. The footprints were huge, bigger than my head. We followed the tracks for several minutes, but we stopped when we heard the growling. Author's Note That's it. That's the story. Yep.
