A Life Forgotten (Cancelled)by Wolfy HigeChaptersPrologue: The ArrivalChapter 1: A Royal SummonChapter 2: RacerChapter 3: Guilty TidingsNotice: CancelledPrologue: The ArrivalAuthor's Note: Big thanks to Luna Eclipse, Mark, and Izzy for Pre-reading and making all of my words more... fancy! And also for helping me organize my thoughts. Where am I? The boy thought to himself as he slowly gained consciousness. Beginning to regain his senses he started to touch the ground around him. *Grass… Wait, grass!?* He thought as he opened his eyes and began to look around. He was amazed to find himself in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. He tried to look deeper into the forest, the dense canopy overhead engulfed the ground in almost complete darkness preventing him from seeing any farther than the treeline. What the heck… he thought as he slowly forced his body upright to get a better look at his surroundings. How did I get here? There was a faint movement somewhere in the brush. He quickly jumped to his feet. “Who’s there!?” No response. He began to feel his heart slowly beat faster, sending a rush of adrenaline throughout his body. As he stood up and took a deep breath, time slowed down, sound faded away, and he closed his eyes. He quickly felt the feeling fade away, and in its place was a feeling of danger; his heart continued to race, but he was unable to hear it. Behind me… He thought. There was a sudden movement in the leaves, Turning on his heels, he saw the source of the sound and it was coming towards him fast. Unable to see it in great detail, all he could make out was a dark blur. He quickly slammed his hand against it and watched it slide a few feet away. With a closer look, he was able to see that the animal actually had a pair of wing, and one of them was hurt badly. “Who are yo-“ He was interrupted by another shift in the leaves, but this time there was more than one. Four!? he thought in a panic. Suddenly, a dim purple aura appears around him, he quickly felt his body paralyze. Try as he might, he could not will his limbs to move. He struggled fruitlessly as the dark figures slowly made their way towards him. He also heard another come out of the bush behind him. They all stopped a few paces away from immobile body, only one of them continuing to advance. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” It said in a familiar female voice. The figure had the same strange purple aura in front of her. That voice… It’s so familiar… He thought in stunned silence. “She asked you a question!” yelled another familiar voice behind him “Calm down Rainbow Dash… You’re hurt…” another familiar voice said, barely over a whisper Wait a second… Rainbow Dash!? “Twilight?” he asked. There was a moment of silence. “How do you know my name?” Twilight asked as the purple glow, originating from her horn, increased in intensity just enough to show her face. “Wait… What!? Who!? Where!? How did I end up here!?” He screamed with a mix of excitement and puzzlement. “That’s what we were sent to find out.” She said in a semi-hostile tone “Well I don’t have a clue… Wait a second, did I hurt someone?” He asked. “Ha! Hurt me!?” Rainbow Dash said in an arrogant tone, quickly flinching afterwards. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t know! I thought she was attacking me!” he said in a guilty tone. “I’m going to release the spell, but do anything rash…” she threatened as she released the spell. The sudden release of the spell caused him to collapse to the ground. He felt another similar force pulling his hand and helping him regain his balance. “Thank you.” he said with a smile as he brushed off the dirt of his clothes. “You’re welcome, um I’m sorry but I do not know your name.” Rarity asked. “The name’s Hige.” “Pleased to make your acquaintance” she said with a slight smile “Right back at ya. Would you mind telling me where I am?” He asked as he took a quick look around. “You don't know where you are?That’s rather strange… but your clothes...whoever designed them should be imprisoned for crimes against fashion!” she said shaking her head “But I digress, you are in the Everfree forest.” “Huh?” he said as he inspected his clothes one by one “Black Hoodie… Jeans… no shoes… shirt?” he said as he grasped the zipper of his hoodie. What the… “What the hell are these?” He cried out in shock as he looked down at his hands. His nails were slick black, much thicker, and sharpened to a point. “Those are claws…” Twilight said. “Don’t all of… whatever you are have them?” “No, we just have nails, they’re not supposed to be sharp… Wait…” Looking closely at his feet and saw that they had suffered the same fate. Tentatively, he slowly ran his tongue across his front teeth and found they were like his nails, sharp. “That explains the hostility,” he began. “I look like a freakin’ killing machine!” “How about the tail?” Twilight asked. He quickly took a glanced behind, “You know what, I’m actually okay with this I’ve always wanted a tail.” “You are very strange…” Twilight said “You should see me when I haven’t gotten any sleep, now THAT’S me being strange.” He said with a laugh. “Um… Twilight?” Fluttershy said in a low worried voice. The low voice caused the man to have an odd sensation on his head. He moved his hand to scratch it and was surprised to find an animal ear. ‘Nope… This is completely normal compared to everything else…’ he thought calmly. “Yes, Fluttershy?” Twilight said as she turned to face her. “We need to get Rainbow Dash to the cottage, her wing is broken and it needs to be set… she is in a lot of pain and I’m not sure if she can walk… I need help… If that okay with you… I mean I can take her by myself…” she finished shyly. “Okay, I’ll help” Twilight said. “I volunteer!” He said excitedly. He was met by a strange look, “What? It’s the least I can do to help… since I cause it…” he said with a tone of guilt. “Okay then… Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity will stay here and look for anything else out of the ordinary. Got that?” “Yes.” The three answered simultaneously “Okay, let’s go.” Twilight said to the man and Fluttershy. After some discussion, Twilight carefully levitated Rainbow Dash onto the man’s back. They quickly began making their way back to Fluttershy’s cottage. As they walked in silence, he was able to examine the changes to his features more carefully. Surprisingly, he soon came to realize, controlling his new tail didn’t take much effort at all. The new appendage swaying this way and that, instinctively keeping him in balance as he maneuvered the uneven terrain. Despite no obvious physical change to the nose, he found his sense of smell was definitely far beyond that of any normal human. The forest was thick with moisture, but underneath the dank masking smell, he was able to discern the exotic fragrance of flowers and plants unfamiliar to him. Straining his hearing, he could make out the faint trickling sound of a distant stream. The crackle of each leaves and twigs under his feet, clear and crisp. Among the trees, foliages and bushes rustled as small critters ran away from the sound of their approach. There is one however, that held its place. He could hear the creature stir, with each of its slow and throaty breath came the sound of soft creak. “There is something lurking in the woods, I can hear it.” In a hushed tone, he voiced his concern. “Really? What does it smell like?” It was Twilight that answered. He sniffed a few times, “Nothing, I can’t make it out at all.” “Then it’s a timberwolf. They are magical creatures made of wood, it helps them blend into the forest. It shouldn’t cause us any trouble as long as we leave it alone.” They made the rest of the journey without uttering a single word. Eventually, the forest cleared and a cottage came into view. ________________________________________ “Y-you can put her here,” she instructed the man. “Okay.” He said with a smile. “So... What exactly are you?” Twilight asked. “Huh?” The man asked in confusion. “I’m a pony, what are you?” she said. “Oh, I’m a human…” He looked at his hands, “at least, I was, but I’m not sure anymore…” “How about your name?” “Oh, I’m really not sure…” he said “You can call me Hige. I remember Hige being a nickname I used, but I’m not sure what my real name is…” He said as he went deep into thought. “Um… I’m done…” Fluttershy said with her head held down “So fast? It usually takes you longer.” Twilight responded “Well, um… She didn’t actually break that many bones, I barely had to do anything other than put some herbs on it and put the splint…” “Is she gonna be okay?” Hige asked with a grim tone. “Oh, yes. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine…” she said as she looked at the floor. He quickly let out a sigh of relief. “I put some numbing herbs on her wing and it made her really drowsy… she probably won’t be awake until tomorrow morning.” Fluttershy said to Twilight. “I guess it’s better for her to cool down after what happened. I need to go, I want to look up a few things.” Twilight said as she began to walk out the door. “So what am I supposed to do?” Hige asked “Stay here. I’m sure Applejack will let you sleep at her farm, it would be better if you don’t go anywhere near the town right now.” She said as she turned around to face him. “That’s awfully nice, how are you so confident I can be trusted?” He asked curiously “I’m not sure… are you saying that you are going to be a problem?” She raised an eyebrow. “Nope.” He responded. “Exactly. Good night, Fluttershy.” She said as she walked away “No goodbye for me? How rude…” Hige murmured under his breath. “W-what?” Fluttershy’s response was barely above a whisper. “Huh?” “Twilight isn’t rude, why would you think that?” “No, I'm just joking around with myself. That’s all” He said, awkwardly scratching his neck. “Oh… Can I ask you something? I mean… if it’s okay with you…” she asked shyly “Sure, go ahead.” “Y-you said you were a human… but you also said you weren’t one… What do you mean by that?” she asked as she took a closer look at Hige “Your traits look familiar… but I’m not sure…” “Well… I WAS of a species called ‘humans’, but right now I don’t look the part. These claws, teeth, tail, and ears aren’t mine… I don’t think I can be considered human anymore.” he said looking at his hands. “I’m not sure what I am…” “I’m sure Twilight will find out.” Suddenly she let out a big yawn. “ You really should get some sleep.” Hige said. “No, I can’t. I need to take care of Rainbow Dash…” she let out another yawn “I’ll make sure she’s fine, you should get some sleep.” “No, I can handle not sleeping.” She said shaking her head and beginning to look more awake “Okay then.” I’ll give her an hour… he thought with a mischievous grin. Hige and Fluttershy sit in different parts of the room. Fluttershy quickly fell asleep. Slowly reaching into his pockets, careful not to tear any holes, he began to feel around for anything that may give information as to who he really is. What’s this? he slowly pulled out the item and looked at it, an iPod? Why can I remember the names of these things, but have no idea who I am!? He asked himself, I wonder… He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a pair of headphones. “Let’s see what type of music I liked!” He said, plugging in the headphones. No battery, should have expected that… The treasure hunt must go on! he continued to look through his other pocket Empty. He looked in his back pockets Huh? he pulled out a blue wallet I wonder if it has an ID… NO!? God DAMMIT! he threw the wallet against the floor in frustration. Hige suddenly caught a familiar smell. “They’re back!” he got up and walked over to the door. He caught sight of the three ponies and began to wave at them, he only received a wave back from an excited Pinkie Pie. “Did you find anything?” Hige asked them as they got closer “Where’s Twilight?” Applejack quickly asked “At the library.” Hige responded “And Fluttershy?” “In there” he pointed at the inside of the cottage “She’s sleeping, she didn’t want to leave Rainbow Dash alone.” He said with a grin She let out a long sigh “Fluttershy always cares more about other ponies more than herself…” she said “So, did you find anything strange out there?” Hige asked curiously “Nope, we looked high and low, but we didn’t find anythin’” she said with a hint of frustration “You were the only thing we found… ” Hige’s ears began to twitch as he heard a shuffling noise, turning around to see Fluttershy walking toward the door. “H-hi Applejack” Fluttershy said with a big yawn. “You should really get some rest, sugarcube.” Applejack suggested in a soft tone “No… I just can’t leave her alone… I need to make sure she’s alright” she said barely being able to finish the sentence because of her drowsiness. “As I said, I can look over her. I usually stay awake during the night…” Hige mentioned. “No… no… I can… do… it…” she drifted, her eyes slowly closing. “C’mon Fluttershy, time for bed.” Applejack persisted. Fluttershy fell silent. “Did she fall asleep?” Hige asked as he waved a hand in front of Fluttershy “Yes… Ah reckon’ she did.” Applejack said taking a closer look at her. Hige’s ears twitched once again, and audible thump was heard. “Pinkie Pie fell asleep.” Rarity stated as she looked at the sleeping Pinkie Pie on the floor. “I still can’t get used to how she can just fall asleep like that…” Applejack let out a sigh “Ah’ll take her back to Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity you should get some rest too.” “Thank you, Applejack Dear.” She said as she turned to walk away “Goodbye, Applejack. Goodbye, Hige,” she said as she looked at Applejack and Hige. She then walked away with an audible yawn. “Pinkie’ll be fine in the morning. Ah am gonna put Fluttershy to bed,” Applejack said as she tucked her head under Fluttershy, slid her onto her back and then made her way inside. Hige walked over to Pinkie Pie and sat beside her. Feeling the wind against his back, he decided to put up his hood. It was a few minutes before Applejack reappeared, and Hige helped AJ place Pinkie Pie on her back. “Will ya’ be a darlin’ and make sure Rainbow Dash is okay for me sugarcube?” she said with a smile while carrying the snoring pink pony. Hige nodded and walked inside the cottage, making sure to quietly close the door behind him. He sat down beside Rainbow Dash, noticing his wallet on the seat opposite, He leaned over over and picked it up. No point in letting it go to waste…’He slouched comfortably into the chair, and slowly drifted off to sleep. ________________________________________ Hige was suddenly woken up by a harsh jab to the ribs. “You!” Rainbow Dash screeched as she got off the table. “You attacked me yesterday!” “Correction, you attacked me!” Hige said as he stood to mirror the fuming Rainbow Dash “I only attacked you out of self defence!” “So you did attack me!” she said as she began to pace around, encircling him. “Yes, but I didn’t-” Hige said in a rush, not taking the time to think about what he just said. Rainbow Dash stopped “You didn’t what!?” she asked in confusion. Run, Hige! He thought to himself. He saw an escape route: the door, and made a mad dash towards it, frantically grabbing the handle and yanking the door ajar. He was hurled off his feet by a blur of colours, leaving him laid on the ground outside, with Rainbow Dash towering over him, preparing for her next blow. “What’s going on here?” Twilight asked, appearing from what seemed thin air. “I’m not sure myself…” Hige said, without making any effort in getting up. “Did you do this Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked. “He attacked me, just look!” she said as she presented her broken wing “He defended himself against your unprovoked attack! We were there to OBSERVE him from afar! Not ambush him!” Dash’s ears fell. “But…” “No buts,” Twilight scorned. “I think it’s best if you went back to sleep, you still need your rest.” Rainbow Dash went back inside the cottage. Twilight turned to Hige as he got up and took out a book from her saddlebags. “I found a spell that could help this… situation.” “What does it do?” He asked. “It’s a spell that temporarily alters your morphogenic field to match that of ours through the application of Stardust Nexus’s Harmonic Resonance theorem. While covering up minor inconsistencies with a low level perception filter.” Hige stared. “It can make you look like a pony.” “oh.” Twilight took out the book and levitated it infront of her. She took a few looks at the book and back at Hige. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she took a deep breath. Her horn began to glow the usual purple color, but it was much brighter. There was a bright flash. When Twilight looked again, she found a dark brown stallion in the same spot that Hige had been standing. “Hige?” she asked “The one and only.” He said with a grin Her eyes widened “Well the spell didn’t take you’re smile away... or your ears…” She said with a smile “Huh?” he passed his tongue against his teeth and found them just as they were, he quickly realized his ears had also stayed the same “Is this going to be a problem?” Hige asked “Not if you can keep yourself from smiling” she said as she walked away and hinted for him to follow. Hige quickly followed her “That’s going to be hard…” he said. They quickly made their way to town “What are we doing here?” Hige asked as he looked around “We are going to the library; I need to make some observation.” She said “Oh, okay… How long does the spell last?” Hige asked as they reached the library. “… Sundown, give or take.” She said as she opened the door and walked in. “Twilight! You got a letter from Celestia, she want to know if you found anything!” screamed a voice in the upper section of the library “Well bring it down here.” Twilight replied. Hige entered and closed the door. “Here it- Who’s he?” Spike asked as he looked at Hige “That’s Hige, the ‘visitor’.” She said emphasizing the word visitor “Ohhh right, nice to meet you.” Spike said extending a hand “Right back at ya’” he placed a hoof on Spikes hand … how do I use these thing!? Hige thought. He felt Spike grab his hoof and move it up and down. “Wait… but you look like and average pony… except that your ears are kinda funny looking…” He mentioned “Are you sure about that?” Hige said with big smile “Woah! That’s creepy…” Spike responded after seeing Hige’s teeth “Oh right, I need to go! Rarity wanted help with a dress she was making!” Spike ran out of the library. After Spike left, Hige took a quick look around and found that the library was a mess. There were stacks of books everywhere and the library was in disarray.. Twilight was standing in front of a table with two small stacks of books on them “So… did you find out anything other than the spell?” Hige asked “No, nothing at all. From what I can tell, you seem to have some wolf-like abilities, but other than that I’m clueless.” She said as she magically moved another book into her line of sight. “Do you have any idea how you got here? Anything that I can use to understand you better?” “No sorry, I can’t think of a thing” “I wonder if there's anypony who can help” she says desperately Somepony who can help… And like that, he knew exactly what to do. “I need to look for… somepony. Can you do the observations later?” He asked “Oh right… You are kinda stuck like that until sundown, so I can't make any observations until then…” she mentioned with a hint of embarrassment. “No worries. I’ll be back before sundown.” Hige stated. “Wait, who are you going to look for?” she asked quickly A grin appeared on Hige’s face as he turned to face Twilight “I need to find The Doctor!” he exclaimed as he ran out the door. Chapter 1: A Royal SummonReally sorry for the wait, real life is messing with my brony life again .-. Hige ran out the library and started to gallop in a general direction until his thoughts forced him to stop. How can I find The Doctor? he thought as he began to walk at a slow pace. He could be anywhere… where shouldI start? He turned his head and looked over at Sugar Cube Corner. I could ask if anybody has seen him… He walked over to the bakery, and was quickly greeted by a familiar pink mare. “Hi! Do I know you, I usually remember a face, but I’m not sure if I’ve met you before… I think I did!” Pinkie Pie said in a single breath. “Hmm... It’s a mystery…”Hige responded with a grin. “Ohhh! I remember you now, Hige! Wait, Twilight told me not to talk about it… Hige? I’ve never heard of him”, she said trying to avoid ‘suspicion’. “Don’t worry. It’s me, Hige”, he began to chuckle. “Why are ya’ laughing? Did you think of a funny joke! I wanna hear it!!!” she began to jump in place. “Not really, I’m laughing ‘cause you’re funny.” Wait… Did I just insult her!? She stopped jumping, and grew an immense smile. “Thanks, I get that a lot!!! So, whatcha doing in the bakery, do you want a cupcake?” Cupcake!? I hope that story isn’t real… I REALLY hope it isn’t real…“No… I’m actually looking for a stallion. He has a brown coat, a dark brown mane, and an hourglass cutie mark. Have you seen him?” “Umm… Oh yeah! He comes to the bakery a few times a day to buy tea, he should be here in a little while. You wanna eat something while you wait?” “No thanks. I’m just gonna wait for him to get here.” “Okei dokei lokey… Well seeya later, I have some things to do.” “Okay, seeya later”, Hige said and then began to make his way to one of the small tables inside the bakery. Hige sat down and began to wait. I wonder how long it’ll be until he gets here… Hige suddenly let out a big yawn. Oh god, didn’t get enough sleep… Hige fought the sleepiness, but was quickly overwhelmed. He fell into a deep sleep. “But why can’t we buy more muffins!?” A mare exclaimed, causing Hige to regain some consciousness. “We are running out!” she added. “No we aren’t, we’ve only run out of the blueberry muffins, and the banana nut muffins…” The stallion said in a somewhat familiar British accent. “B-b-b-but…” the same mare said in a sad tone. The stallion made a long sigh, “Fine… I’ll be over by the table, tell me when the tea is ready.” “EEEEEEPP!!!” the mare squealed in excitement. Hige began to hear the hoofsteps of the stallion getting closer and closer to him. When they stopped, Hige was greeted by the stallion’s voice addressing him. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” the stallion asked as he placed a hoof on the other chair that was next to the table. Please let it be him! Hige raised his head and was overcome with relief when he saw the brown stallion he was looking for. “You...” Hige mumured to himself. “Yes... it’s me...” the stallion said in a fun tone. “Now that that’s out of the way, is this seat taken?” “Be my guest.” Hige responded. “Thank you”, he replied with a grin as he sat down. “Can I ask you a strange question?” Hige asked. “Well… sure”, he answered with a puzzled look. “Are you a doctor?” Hige asked. “Who are you?” he asked with a strange look. “That’s what I'm hoping to find out. I’m human, and I don't know who I am or how i got here.” Hige explained. The stallion grinned. “The Doctor”, he introduced himself as he extended his hoof. “Hige.” He introduced as he tapped The Doctor’s hoof. “Muffins!” the grey pegasus he recognized as Ditsy Doo exclaimed as she placed a tray of muffins on the table. “And tea”, she said imitating a British accent as she placed the tea cup on the table. “Ditsy, meet Hige”, The Doctor introduced. “Hello!” Ditsy said in a happy tone. “Hi!” Hige responded, matching her happiness. “Allyson-Y!” The Doctor exclaimed as he grasped the tea cup and began to walk out the door. The trio quickly made their way into the forest. The Doctor began to slow his pace and he walked up to one of the trees. He took out a strange metallic, cylindrical object and pointed it at the trees. A strange blue light flashed out of the object, the image of the tree began to fade away and in its place was a blue telephone booth with the words ‘Police in a Box’ on the upper portion of it. “Welcome to the TARDIS”, The Doctor said as he walked into the blue box. “Now, who are you?” he asked Hige. “Human... that's all I know... ” Hige answered in a grim tone. “You don’t know who you are?” he responded, rather surprised by what he heard. “I know I’m human, I can remember this world being part of a TV show, and I know the name of human objects… but I have absolutely no idea who I am…” Hige said. “That’s weird…” said Ditsy Doo. “My worlds exactly… but you don’t look human”, The Doctor said. “It’s actually a spell that Twilight Sparkle added...” Hige said as he looked at his body. He took on a shocked expression. “Wait… what time is it!?” Hige asked nervously. “Noon, why do you ask?” The Doctor asked. Hige took a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god... This spell wears off near sundown.” “One more question, how did you know who I was?” The Doctor asked in a curious tone. “I have no idea...” Hige said, deep in thought. “Ever since i got here, I feel like I’ve been here before...” Hige began. “Well, not exactly BEEN here, more like being a spectator. There were some ponies who had found me after I appeared here, and I felt like I knew them, and I did. I knew their names and personality, and I remembered you being human...” “That is very strange... Plus, I can’t use my sonic screwdriver since magic usually messes with the readings... You’re going to need to find a way to get here in your human form for it to work. Also, you can’t tell anybody about me being a Time Lord.” The Doctor responded. “Oh...” Hige responded “Well... is there anything you can do?” Hige asked. “No...” The Doctor answered in a sad tone. “There is one thing...” Ditsy mentioned. “And what is that?” The Doctor asked curiously. “We can eat muffins!” she exclaimed as she pointed at the tray of muffins that she had bought moments ago. “You know what? That sounds like a great idea”, The Doctor agreed as he walked over to get a muffin. “I don’t want to be rude, but I should really get to the library”, Hige replied. “I understand”, The Doctor said with and approving nod and a wave of his hoof. “Wait, take this!” Ditsy said as as she tossed a muffin towards Hige. Hige extended a hoof to catch the muffin, it landed directly on his hoof, but instantly bounced off. The Doctor and Ditsy began to laugh. “What?” Hige asked in embarrassed tone. “You just reminded me of myself when i first got here, I had no idea how to use hooves”, he said with a big smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn quickly.” “Oh, okay...” Hige responded. “I’ll take my leave now”, Hige said as he picked up the muffin with his mouth. “Goodbye”, said The Doctor and Ditsy in unison as Hige walked out of the TARDIS. Hige quickly made his way to the library. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a tired-looking Spike, and Twilight. “Oh, you’re back!” Twilight exclaimed as she turned her head to look at Hige. “It was getting near sundown...” Hige replied. “Oh, right! The spell should wear off soon. Once it does, I can run some tests on you”, Twilight mentioned. “Define soon”, Hige said. “Maybe a few minutes”, Twilight responded. “Okay then”, Hige said as he walked over to a corner of the room and lay down. About seven minutes passed before Hige began to glow. The room was the engulfed with light as Hige reverted back to his human form. “I have a feeling that I’m not going to get used to that any time soon...” Hige murmured to himself as he got up. “Perfect, now we run the tests!” Twilight said excitedly. “Are the test going to hurt?” Hige asked as he began to follow Twilight to a door in the opposite corner of the room. She opened the door that gave way to a series of stairs that took them under the library. At the end of the stairs, there was a second door. This door lead to a room filled with a variety of machines. The machines seemed to be inactive, but once Twilight flipped the switch that was next to the doorway, the room sprang to life. The surreal glow of the machines began to fill the room. Twilight lead Hige to the center of the room and told him to wait. Once she walked back towards Hige, she told him to look over at one of the machines, once Hige turned his head, he was taken by surprise when Twilight used her magical hold to jab a needle in Hige’s arm. Hige did his best not to move. Once she extracted the amount of blood she needed, she took out the needle and walked away. Seconds later, a small band-aid floated up to Hige. Twilight returned with a stethoscope and listened to Hige’s heartbeat. After a few seconds of listening, she placed the stethoscope on his back and told him to breathe. She walked away once more. “Give it to me straight, doc, am i gonna make it?” Hige said jokingly after a along period of time when Twilight hadn't made him undergo another test. “You have a month to live...” Twilight said in a grim tone. “What!?” Hige responded, horrified. “Yes, you have a horrible, degenerative case of gullible”, she replied with a grin. “How unprofessional of you...” Hige said as he tried to calm himself down. “What? I can’t be funny too?” she asked as she walked over to him with a clipboard in her magical grasp. “I guess... So, did you find anything interesting?” Hige asked. “Not yet, I have a general analysis of your blood, but the machine will need more time for the test to be complete”, she responded. “From the information I have, you are actually very similar to ponies, except for the obvious differences in anatomy...” she explained. “What now?” Hige asked. “Nothing. I need to wait for the blood sample to be processed, it’ll probably take a week...” she replied. “Well... can you do the pony spell again? I want to see the town”, Hige asked. “Sure”, she said as her horn began to glow. “It should last until sunrise this time.” She added as Hige began to glow. There was a flash, and Hige was turned into his pony form. “Thanks, I’ll be back by then”, Hige replied. “Okay, I’m going to go to sleep if you need me”, Twilight said as she began to walk out of the doorway. Hige was right behind her. Once they reached the library, they separated. Hige walked out, and Twilight went upstairs to sleep. Time for an adventure! Hige thought to himself as he walked into town.I wonder what there is to do around here an night... He walked around town to see if he could find anything interesting to do. Nothing!? This town should be more night friendly... There isn’t a single pony out here... which is weird, its not THAT late... Boring... So very boring... Wait, the library? Hige thought as he found himself right where he started. I must be a special kind of stupid... He walked back inside the library and found it to be dead quiet. Hige walked silently to avoid waking up anybody. He found himself with nothing to do, so he lay down in a corner of the room. That corner was quickly engulfed by hellish flames and disappeared into another realm. Reality soon began to collapse around the missing corner, until everything was distorted beyond recognition. Discord soon escaped, feeding off of the pure elemental chaos that flowed throughout. As the sight of Discord was seen by the ponies, the chaos escalated to a new level, causing Discord’s power to do the same. Soon enough, the elements of harmony surrounded him, all wearing their designated amulets. With a simple snap of his fingers, the wielders of the elements went gray and began to fight each other. Fluttershy was the first to go, as everyone hated her. Rarity followed, being too distracted by a rock to dodge Rainbow Dash’s attack. Twilight couldn’t use magic anymore and was bucked so hard by Applejack that her spine broke. Finally, Rainbow Dash attempted to use her Sonic Rainboom to tackle Applejack, but at the last split second of the impact, Applejack gathered every iota of strength remaining to buck her out of the way. The force of the buck broke Rainbow Dash’s face, and the momentum of the Sonic Rainboom caused Applejack’s legs to be forced back into her body. Discord was pleased. Only Pinkie Pie remained, Discord now had an ally. Hige’s eyes suddenly shot open from the shock of the dream, he looked around to make sure none of it had come true. What the hell did I dream? I must be going insane... As Hige took a better look, he noticed that he had already reverted back to his human form. Hige could hear strange steps approaching the top of the stairs, and was surprised to see Spike, half-asleep, and walking towards the kitchen. He seemed to be in some sort of zombie state by the look on his face and the fact that he didn’t acknowledge Hige’s presence. Spike walked over to a rolled up parchment that was on a table. He picked it up, he cleared his throat and patted his chest, and blew a small cloud of fire that consumed the the parchment. The cloud of smoke that the burning parchment created blew out the window in an abrupt and unnatural turn. Once he finished, he shook his head to try to wake himself up. “AHH!” Spike exclaimed in shock as he got a good look at Hige. “Oh, sorry... Didn't see you there...” he said in a embarrassed tone. “Don’t worry”, Hige said as he got up. “You look dead tired”, Hige mentioned. “I was helping Rarity... It was worth it”, Spike responded as he walked towards the kitchen. “I’m cooking breakfast, do you want anything?” he asked. “No, I’m fine, thanks”, Hige responded. “So, what exactly did you do that made you so tired?” “I was digging up diamonds. She tells me where they are, I dig them up”, Spike explained. “Sounds hard...” Hige said as he began to feel drowsy once more. “Anything is worth helping Rarity”, Spike repeated. “If you say... so...” Hige responded as he took a seat. He then rested his head on his crossed arms and soon fell asleep. “Get up!” A voice screamed behind Hige, quickly waking him up. Hige turned to meet a royal unicorn guard pointing a spear at him. “You’re coming with me”, he ordered. “Who’s gonna make me?” Hige saked in a smug voice. “I was hoping you’d say that.” The guard slammed the side of the spear against Hige’s shoulder. “What’s going on here!?” screamed an angry Twilight. “I was ordered to bring this traitor in”, the guard responded as he turned his head to see Twilight. “I’m sorry for waking you”, he said in an apologetic tone. “Who gave you these orders?” Hige asked, now standing behind the guard. “How did you get back there!?” the guard screamed in anger. “Stop!” Hige said as he grabbed onto the spear and ripped it out of the unicorn’s magical grasp. “I don’t answer to you!” the gaurd said as he tried to grasp his spear once more. Hige was pulled toward the unicorn. “Stop it, both of you!” Twilight screamed in anger. “Drop the spear”, she said in an admonishing tone. “But-” Hige and the unicorn both said in unison. “Drop. The. Spear.” Hige and the guard gave each other a serious look. The spear fell to the floor. “Now then, what are you doing here?” she asked the guard. “I was sent to bring the specimen to the castle. I’m sorry, but you cannot interfere”, the guard said in a professional tone. “W-why did does she want to see him?” she asked in a surprised tone. “He has been considered a possible enemy”, he answered. “What!?” Hige asked in surprise. “Yes. I’m sorry, but it’s protocol”, the guard said slowly warming up to Hige. “Well then... Do I have a choice?” Hige asked. “No, if you run, they’ll consider you an enemy and kill you on sight”, Twilight answered. “By where you are now, I doubt you can get far without the Royal Pegasus Guards catching you...” she added. “Well then... take me away...” Hige said in a sad tone. Hige’s hand were bound my magic and he was soon stuffed into a small kart with two more guards. His arms and legs were chained to the wall. The guards kept their eyes on him at all times, and never spoke. The kart was being pulled by two other pegasus guards; it took about half an hour before they reached their destination. Once there, the chains were unbound and the guard forced Hige out. The four guards made a square around Hige and began to lead him somewhere inside the massive castle. They soon lead him into a large room with two thrones. As they got closer, Hige could make out the image of two alicorns, one white and the other bluish dark, who he recognized as Celestia and Luna. The guards stopped around him, and forced Hige to stop as well. “You must be Hige”, Celestia said. “Am I? I thought I was a threat”, Hige joked. “Do not joke, this is a serious matter. Now, what are you doing here?” Celestia asked. “I don’t know…” Hige answered as his ears fell. “How did you get to Ponyville?” “I don’t know…” Hige repeated. “Who are you!?” she said, her voice filled with frustration. “I don’t know!!!” Hige screamed. “I have no clue what I’m doing here. I’m a human, and somehow I ended up here. What am I supposed to say to make you believe me? I have no memory of who I was! All I know is that I am not an enemy!” Hige began to breathe deeply. “And why should I believe you!?” Celestia asked in a harrowing voice. Hige spread his arms wide. “Because I could have escaped whenever I wanted to. I came here because I thought I could find out why I’m here, I though you could help me.” Hige said looking at Celestia eye-to-eye. “Bind his hands”, she said calmly. Hige moved his hands behind his back and waited for the familiar binding spell to connect his arms. “You don’t believe me?” “No, we’ve had reports of key information being shared with the enemy. You have to be him… but we’ve been losing information long before you appeared…” She began to think deeply. Hige’s ears perked up. He began to hear a strange sound, like very faint hoofsteps inside the room even though nobody was moving. He began to sniff the air and noticed that there was a smell that didn’t belong to anybody in the room. Hige looked over to the guard that he had met in the library. He looked at the spear the gaurd had at his side. I hope my nose and ears are right… Hige pulled his arms apart and broke the bind. He quickly grabbed the spear and tossed it in the direction he thought the invisible visitor was. The spear began to spin like a fan though the air. The guard soon began so turn around to face Hige. Hige closed his eyes and hoped to hear the sound that could possibly save his life. *Boink* Hige was filled with relief as he heard the sound of metal hitting an object. The guards turned around to find a mysterious mare pegasus on the floor where the spear was. In a second, she pressed a talisman on her suit and turned invisible once more. “What was that?” a guard asked. “Was it a spy!?” the other asked. “Find her!” Celestia ordered. The guards quickly separated and began to search. Hige grinned “I smell blood…” he said right before he ran into Luna. Luna gained a look of fear while Celestia grew a look of panic. The guards turned to try and stop Hige, but they were too far away. Luna’s horn began to glow, but Hige had already swung his hand. To her surprise, the swipe didn’t hit her, but it hit the invisible mare that was next to her. The mare quickly got up after the hit and tried to press the talisman again, but found that the portion of her suit that contained the talisman has torn off and was currently in the hands of Hige. The mare was a deep shade of purple with a black mane; she held a dagger in her mouth that she was about to use to assassinate Luna. Hige dropped the talisman and jumped in direction of the mare. She galloped towards him, swinging the dagger in every direction. She was taken by surprise when Hige kicked her in-between her slashes. The dagger was sent flying to a corner of the room and the mare as sent a few feet away from Hige. He walked over to the mare and pulled her by her collar. He placed his hands on her neck and began to squeeze. She was breathless, and scared. Hige looked deep into her eyes, his ears fell once more and suddenly let go of the mare. The mare dropped to the floor gasping for breath. He walked over to the group of guards that were watching the action and threw himself to his knees. The mare was suddenly forced into the air by a powerful magical grip. “You shall receive no mercy for what you have done!” Celestia exclaimed as she threw the mare towards the guards. “Send her to the dungeon, torture every last bit of information she has out of her!” she ordered with anger. She turned to Hige “It seems maybe you weren’t the spy… I apologize. Times are very dangerous, and we need to be on high alert”, Celestia said in an apologetic tone. “What now?” Hige asked still looking at the floor. “We still need to be sure you aren’t a threat, you shall stay in the palace barracks for now”, she said. “I’ll take my leave…” he said as he got up and began to walk towards the door. “Of course, ask the guards for directions”, she said as she walked to her throne. Hige walked out of the room and was greeted by a mare wearing a strange looking armor, it was thinner and darker than the average guard armor and also covered her entire body. “Nice job.” Hige ignored the comment and kept walking “Wait, I understand you not trusting us after what happened, but...” Hige continued to ignore her. The mare gave a sigh. “I understand… at least let me show you to your room.” At this point, Hige stopped and waited for the guard to take the lead. The mare quickly led him to the doors of one of the rooms in the barracks. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later…” “What’s your name?” Hige asked. “Oh, its Shadow Step”, she said in a happier tone. “Hige”, he said as he walked in the room... Also... Thanks for all the positive feedback! Chapter 2: RacerHige sat on the bed, thinking of what had happened. ‘What the hell happened! I threw the spear, saw the mare, and then I tried to see if I could catch her scent…’ Hige began to think ‘Who was that mare… and what the hell made me want to choke her!? By the way Celestia treated her, she must have done something horrible… I hope I did what’s right…’ He got of the bed and began to pace around the room. A loud roar sounded from Hige’s stomach. ‘Haven’t eaten anything…’ Hige thought, as he walked to the door and opened it. ‘I wonder if I can get something to eat here.’ Hige began to walk around the halls of the palace until he finally found a royal guard. The guard gave him directions to the dining room, and told him that there was food available at all times. Hige made his way to the dining room door and opened it, surprised to find Shadow Step eating with Princess Luna. What surprised Hige the most however, was the fact that the part of the armor which normally covered her head was undone, and was lying on the back of her neck in some sort of hood; she had a blood red coat and a black mane. Hige walked over to the kitchen and asked the chef for food, the chef told him that he would have to eat the meal already on the table. Not wanting to start an argument, Hige decided to get an apple to calm his stomach. The chef handed him the apple he’d asked for, after which Hige walked out the kitchen. Instinctively Hige took a bite of the apple, the crunch resonated throughout the entire room causing both Luna and Shadow Step to look over at him. ‘You are some sort of genius aren’t you!? Hige thought to himself, as he picked up his pace and ran out of the room. ‘Congratulation, now you’re stupid and rude!’ Hige continued his walk towards the room he had been assigned. Once there, he took another bite of the apple and looked at it. ‘What the… Oh right, I have weird teeth…’ Hige thought, as he looked at the strange bite pattern on the apple. ‘This isn’t so bad, is it? I have a tail, sharp teeth and animal ears… I’ve always wanted them… But I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong…’ Hige quickly lost himself in thought. Only a bit later he was sent back to reality by the sound of the door opening. Hige was surprised to see the mare Shadow Step walking inside, she looked at him with a curious look. “You’re still awake?” she asked. “Yes… I’m sorry for ignoring you outside the throne room… and for not saying hi in the dining room. I have a lot on my mind right now…” Hige said in an apologetic tone with his ears folded back. “Don’t worry about it, I understand.” She said as she began to unzip her suit. “T-this is your room?” Hige asked with a blush. ‘Is it wrong to look!?’ He thought as he shifted his view to the ceiling. “Yep. All rooms are made for two guards.” She said as she slipped out of the suit and threw it on a hook that was on the wall. “Good night.” “Good night.” Hige said, as he slowly closed his eyes and faded into sleep. “Hige, get up.” A voice said, forcing Hige to wake. “Oh god… It’s too early for this!!!” Hige exclaimed as he forced his body upright and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He turned to see the royal guard who had woken him. “What is it?” “We need to get a few things straightened out before you can leave.” The guard responded. “Follow me.” “Fine…” Hige said. It was morning, Hige had barely gotten any sleep and he was not happy about it. The guard led him to a room where there was a massive amount of machinery, the ponies present were mostly unicorns, and seemed to be well educated judging by how they handled the machinery. One of the unicorns looked over at Hige and began to walk over to him. “Excuse me, you must be Hige.” He said as he extended a hoof “I’m Smarty Pants, but my friends call me Emerald.” He was a bright green color with a dark green mane, which didn’t seem to have been combed or cleaned in a long time. He wore a pair of glasses, as well as a lab coat that read ‘Emerald’. “Why Emerald?” Hige asked curiously. “Oh, funny story.” He said “There was a freak accident with an experiment where I tried to see if I could fix my eyes, so I could stop using glasses. The spell I used ended up making my eyes glow a strange green color and everypony kept saying that they looked like emerald, hence Emerald. The spell wore off soon enough, but the name remained.” He redirected his attention to the guard. “You can leave him to me.” The guard gave a nod and left. “What am I doing here?” Hige asked, letting out a big yawn. “We are going to try some experiments.” he said as he looked into his lab coat pocket. “Take this and swallow it.” He said as he showed Hige a small tablet. Hige did as he was told. His eyes suddenly shot open “I feel… awake?” “You swallowed it with no hesitation… you either trust me, or you are very stupid.” Emerald said with a smile. “A little bit of both probably.” Hige said as he returned the smile. “Yes... Well that tablet was an energy pill, it makes you feel like you’ve slept for eight hours. I usually use them to catch up on work.” He explained “Follow me.” He began to walk towards a machine. “Alright, I’m going to run some tests. Just place-” “I should tell you, I’m scared of needles.” Hige interrupted with his ears folded down. Emerald paused for a moment. “Onto the next machine!” Emerald exclaimed as he walked over to another machine. Once they reached it, Emerald turned around “Okay, just lay down on this bed. Once you are inside the machine, you may feel a slight tingly feeling all over your body.” Hige quickly laid in the bed, which promptly retracted into the machine, and sealed Hige in. Moments passed before the sides inside of the machine began to glow, sending a surge of energy through Hige. Shortly after the machine opened up, the bed moved out, and Hige got up on his feet again. He turned to find Emerald fiddling with the many knobs and buttons on the machine. Emerald stopped, moments later a glowing stone popped out of the contraption. Emerald picked it up and walked over to another machine. He placed the glowing stone into it and closed the door; the machine began to make many noises until a bracelet popped out on the other side. Emerald picked up the bracelet and put it on. His body began to glow until his entire body was the same bright green color. There was a bright light green flash. Once Hige looked back, he found himself looking at what he thought was the human version of the doctor. He was wearing the same clothes as Hige, had the same eye color, and the same hair color and style as Emerald. “Damn, I always forget to remove the clothes from the transformation matrix…” Emerald murmured to himself. “What do you mean? You seem very fashionable.” Hige said with a smile. “What? Why aren’t you surprised? I just became a copy of your species!” he asked in a unbelieving tone. “Considering I’m in a world where magic is a reality, it’ll take more than that to impress me...” Hige answered “So, how long will you stay like that?” He asked. “Well this was just an experiment, so the talisman I used isn’t that powerful. I’ll turn back to normal either when the talisman runs out of energy, or when I take off the bracelet.” He said as he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and showed the bracelet that had come out of the machine. “Why don’t you have these?” Hige questioned as he pulled on his animal ears. “Wait, what!?” he started as he placed his hands on his head “Dammit! I hate that machine…” he said “Oh, before I forget, the machine showed that you had something strange in your pocket.” “This?” Hige asked as he reached in his pocket and took out his IPod. “Yes, that matches the shape that I saw… may I run some tests on it?” Emerald inquired. “No… sorry, but this is one of the only things that I have that can remind me of who I was…” Hige responded. “I understand.” He said. Emerald put Hige back into the talisman machine a few more times, before he decided to continue perfecting the process another day. The machine could turn a pony into their equivalent human form, but their motor skills, and most of their senses were lowered in the process. The entire line of tests lasted until sundown. Emerald decided to stay and catch up on some work. Hige decided to walk back to his room, and was promptly met with a door to the face as Shadow Step had opened it to leave, hitting him squarely in the nose. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She said in an apologetic tone. “Ahh god… Don’t worry.” He said as he covered his bleeding nose. “I’m really really sorry.” Shadow Step said as she extended a hoof. “I said not to worry, it doesn’t hurt that bad.” Hige admitted. “Do you want me to lead you to the infirmary?” Shadow Step asked. “Yes please...” Hige said with his ears folded down, waiting for her to take the lead. Shadow Step quickly started trotting away with Hige at her side, leading him to the infirmary. Once there, the nurse looked at Hige and gave him some rolled up tissue to stuff in his nose. She said that the bleeding would stop on its own, and that the tissues were there so that he wouldn’t make a mess. “Now what?” Hige asked as they walked out of the infirmary. “We could get some breakfast.” Shadow Step mentioned. “Okay.” Hige agreed. Shadow Step took a few steps and then stopped “Wait, can we make a small detour? I need to pick up a file for a new mission.” Shadow Step asked. “Sure, let’s go.” Hige said as he waited for Shadow Step to take the lead once more. It didn’t take very long for them to reach their destination. The room in question had a double door, one side had the symbol of the moon engraved in it, and the other had the symbol of the sun. As Shadow Step opened the door, Hige was able to see a table in the middle of the room with a map that covered the entire surface, various pins of different colors and shapes adorned the map. “You wanted to see me, sir?” Shadow Step said in a happy tone. “Yes, take a seat.” The voice answered. Shadow Step and Hige walked inside the room. The owner of the voice was a gray stallion. He wore the average royal armor. “Who’s your friend?” The stallion asked in curiosity. “Hige, this is Shining Armor. Shining Armor, this is Hige.” She said as she introduced them to each other. “Hello, Shining Armor.” Hige said as he extended his hand. “Hello, Hige.” He said with a grin as he extended his hoof and began to shake Hige’s hand. He took back his hoof and grew a serious expression. “Shadow Step, I have a new mission for you…” he said as he placed himself in front of Shadow Step “It’s him…” Shining Armor said in a grim tone. “Racer?” she asked in a nervous tone. “Yes. They believe he’s still alive.” he said, his tone apologetic and guilty. “How much time until I get sent out?” She asked in a serious tone. “Two weeks.” He said as he walked over to the desk in the corner of the room. “You can bring companions, but they have to meet the qualifications that are specified here.” He said as he took out a file from a drawer and placed it on the top of the desk. Shadow Step walked over to the desk “Taskforce qualification?” she asked. “Yes.” He replied in the same grim voice. “Okay.” she said “I’ll take my leave then…” she said as she grabbed the file and walked out, Hige following her closely. They both remained quiet until they reached the door to a strange room. The door to the room was bigger than any of the other doors, and it was engraved with the symbol of the moon. Shadow Step tapped a hoof on the door, and waited for an answer. Hige was surprised when the door began to glow a dark shade of blue and suddenly opened. He was even more surprised to see that it was Princess Luna waiting on the other side. “Hello, Sha-” Luna began, but stopped once she took a look at Shadow Step’s face. “You seem happy...” She stepped aside and let Shadow Step walk inside, closing the door shortly after. ‘Awkward… I should leave…’Hige thought as he began to leave, he stopped once he heard a murmur though. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate on his hearing. “They gave me the mission.” A voice Hige recognized as Shadow Step said, she seemed to be excited. “When?” A voice he recognized as Luna asked. “Two weeks from now.” Shadow Step answered. “What will you do?” Luna asked. “If there’s a chance Racer is alive, I’ll take it.” She answered. “But it’s suicide!” Luna exclaimed in anger “You wouldn’t understand...” Shadow Step replied in a strange tone. “You should be more worried about yourself…” Luna said, worry plain in her voice. “Worried? Yes I’m worried... But Racer means much more to me than that... ” She responded in a grim tone. ‘What the... whatever it is that they’re talking about, it’s none if my business...’ Not knowing where exacly he was inside the castle, Hige tried to retrace his steps, hoping to find some other area which he would be more familiar with. As he walked by the room where he had met Shining Armor, he noticed that he had forgotten to close the door when they had left. As he reached his hand inside the room to grab the door, Hige took a quick look around and saw Shining Armor resting his head against the desk. “Are you okay?” Hige asked in a worried tone. “Not in the mood…” Shining Armor answered in rather irritated voice. “Why?” Hige asked as he stepped inside the room. Shining Armor took a deep breath and raised his head off the desk, but made no effort to look at Hige. “Shadow Step... she’s going to get herself killed.” “W-what?” Hige asked in shock ‘Wait... What are you doing!? You heard THAT when you were eavesdropping!’ “Racer was part of the Night Guards and a very good ‘friend’ with Shadow Step... He was taken captive a few months back. We all thought he was dead, but the army commanders still thought he was alive. He was one of our best guards, and they would risk anything to get him back...” He turned his head to lock eyes with Hige “... They’d even sacrifice Shadow Step if it meant that they’d have a chance to get him back...” This chapter was pre-read by... Salacar. Also... I'm really sorry for the delay. Chapter 3: Guilty Tidings‘No... No... NO!’ Hige thought to himself as he ran to his room. After hearing what Shining Armor had to say, he simply bolted out of the room. ‘Why do I feel so guilty? I only just met her... Why do I feel like I owe her? Why do I feel so sad...? She... She’s nothing to me, she’s just another pony.’ He kept thinking to himself. He reached his room, but didn't open the door. He rested his back against the door, slid down onto the floor, and slammed his head against the door a few times. “What’s wrong with me...?” he said with his ears folded back. Moments later Hige’s ears perked up as he heard hoofsteps walking towards him. Hige stood up and tried his best to look normal. He looked as the sounds he heard began to round the nearest corner in the hall: it was Emerald. “Hige! Just the bipedal monstrosity I wanted to see”, he said with a smile. “I’m going to Ponyville to pick up the results of the test Twilight took. I talked to Celestia, and seeing as how you were compliant today, she agreed on me taking you”, he said as he finally reached Hige. “Ponyville?” Hige asked. “The town where Twilight lives in”, he answered in a surprised tone. “Thought you would be familiar with that town....” “Oh...” “So, you wanna tag along? It’s better than walking around the castle all day.” ‘I need to get my mind off Shadow Step...’ “Sure, I’ll tag along”, Hige said with a small smile. “Great! But first, an experiment...” he said with a mischievous smile. “Put this on...” he said as he reached into his lab coat and took out a bracelet. “Okay”, Hige said as he grabbed the bracelet. “No questions? This is why I like you”, he said with a smile. Hige put on the bracelet and began to feel the same strange surge of energy he got from when he was in the strange talisman machine, but it was much stronger this time. As he looked at his hands, he saw that they began to glow a strange bright green color. His vision began to blur as the color intensified. Once he regained his vision and looked around, he noticed that his point of view has changed. “Perfect! I think... We’ll find out”, Emerald said as Hige looked around. “You turned me into a pony, didn't you?” Hige said as he remembered how he felt right after Twilight had turned him into a pony. He felt the same. “Indeed I have. Now let’s go!” Emerald said as he walked along the hall. They walked in silence. Emerald lead Hige to the same place where the Royal Guards had dropped Hige off right before they took him to the Royal Throne room. Emerald exchanged a few words with some of the guards that were surrounding a carriage. The guards let Emerald in the carriage and then signaled Hige to walk inside. Minutes passed before the silence was broken. “Something on your mind?” Emerald asked. “What? No...” Hige answered. “You sure? Considering your dilemma, it’s understandable.” “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it”, Hige said with a fake smile. “If you say so... You know you don’t have to come to the library with me. You can walk around if you want.” “Good to know”, Hige said as he began to think. The rest of the trip passed by in a few minutes. Once they reached Ponyville they went their separate ways. Emerald went to the library and Hige went to find a very special doctor. Hige followed the same trail that The Doctor took the first time they went to the great blue box. He walked to what he thought was the spot where the blue box was. ‘This should be it...’ Hige thought and almost on cue, the image of the tree behind him began to disrupt. Two brown limbs reached out and dragged Hige in. Once Hige looked around, he found himself in the blue box. “I thought I told you to come back when you were human. I’m guessing the spell will wear off soon?” The Doctor asked. “No.” Hige said as he reached to the bracelet, “It’s a different spell.” He took the bracelet off. There was a bright flash and Hige was turned to his normal ‘human’ form. “Brilliant! Let’s get started”, he said as he searched through a box. Seconds later his head popped up, he was wearing a pair of 3-D glasses. He got closer to Hige and began to look at him. “Hmm... I’m guessing the claws, the tail, and the ears are what you ment by ‘almost human’?” “Yes. What are you doing with those glasses?” Hige asked curiously. “I’m using them to see Void Stuff...” he answered. “Void Stuff?” Hige asked curiously. “Yes.” The Doctor flipped his head and threw the glasses into the air. They landed on Hige’s head. “Take a look.” “Okay...” Hige placed the glasses in front of his eyes and looked at himself. “I don’t see anything...” “Precisely! Now look at me.” Hige looked over at The Doctor. “You’re glowing?” Hige asked as he saw that The Doctor had a strange glowing aura around him. “That’s ‘Void Stuff’. You can see it on matter that has traveled through parallel dimensions. Strange thing is, you don’t have a trace... As if you aren’t from another dimension, which is even stranger considering your memories.” The Doctor explained. “Then why are you smiling?” Hige asked. The Doctor had maintained a strange smile ever since he’d put on the 3-D glasses. “Because I have no idea what’s going on!” He said excitedly. “But I promise you, I’m going to find out...” He looked at a screen that was connected on the control panel in the middle of the TARDIS. “If you do belong here, maybe you aren’t the first.” He began to type. “If there were more, wouldn’t they have remembered?” Hige asked. “People would forget, and the story would fade back into legend.” he answered. “But there's always someone that remembers the legend, even if they believe it or not. If what you’re saying is true, then that means that information about that legend was wiped clean.” Hige questioned. “Very clever, but that doesn't matter.” He said with a grin. “Do you know what TARDIS stands for?” he asked. “Not sure...” “Time And Relative Dimensions In Space”, he said with a grin. “It can travel through space AND time.” “So what are you planning on doing?” Hige asked. “I remember reading that in one point in Equestria’s history, various libraries were being burned down. If I’m right, that’s the point where the legend was wiped from history.” He explained, “That’s a fixed point in time, so we can’t alter it. We’re going to go there on the day it burned, and we’re retrieving the book.” He began to mess around with various knobs, buttons, and dials that were on the control panel. “Which book?” “Equestrian Folklore.” “Then what are we waiting for?” “For Ditsy to get back”, he said as he stopped messing around with the control panel. “Where is she?” “Sleeping.” “No I’m not!” Ditsy said as she popped out of the lower area of the TARDIS. “Since when were you up?” “Since I heard my name”, she said with a smile. “Well we’re going to a burning library to save a really important book. It’s called Equestrian Folklore.” “Adventure!” she exclaimed in a happy tone. “Are you ready?” The Doctor asked Hige. “I gues-” Hige tried to say. “ALLONS-Y!” The Doctor exclaimed as he pulled a lever causing the TARDIS to shake. Hige was taken by surprise, but was able to keep his balance while the TARDIS violently shook. Moments later, it finally stopped. The Doctor looked into his box again and took out three small spray canisters. “Both of you take one”, he said as he threw Ditsy and Hige a cannister. “It’s like a mini-fire extinguisher. Should help with any fire that comes along. Now let’s get that book.” The three parted from the TARDIS and split up. The Doctor continued to go forward, Ditsy flew up to the upper left levels, and Hige went right. The fire was just starting, so most of the books were safe, and the structure was still stable. ‘What the...’ Hige thought as he rested his weight against the wall. ‘I can’t... Think straight.’ Hige’s vision began to blur. ‘Dammit, Hige, concentrate!’ he screamed in his head. He forced himself to walk, his vision returning to normal. ‘That’s better. Now to find that book.’ Hige looked around and found himself surrounded by books. ‘I have no idea what I’m doing...’ Hige thought. He was lost and had no clue what to do. He looked at one of the halls and it read Fiction. ‘Must be there...’ He ran towards the hall and looked at both of the walls of books. There were hundreds on each side. ‘This place is going to burn down anyways, no need to be gentle.’ Hige looked at the books, if it wasn't the one he was looking for he would simply throw it to the ground to avoid any further confusion if that same book caught his eye again. -five minutes later- “AHHHHHH!” Hige screamed in frustration as he took down the last few books on the shelves. “Dammit” He said as he pushed the shelf to the ground “Never going to find that book! The only chance I get, and I’m wasting it!”. “Who goes there!?” A voice said. Hige popped his head out of the hall to find a unicorn mare floating a lantern was looking at him. “Trespasser!” she screamed as she levitated handcuffs and ran towards Hige. “Not in the-” Hige screamed when a sudden pain in his head forced him to his knees. “A-are you okay? Can you speak?” The mare asked worriedly after Hige fell to his knees. “I-I mean, you’re under arrest.” She floated the cuffs behind Hige. “Leave me ALONE!” Hige yelled at the top of his lungs. The mare was taken by surprise, the cuffs fell to the ground. “W-What are you!?” she screamed in fear. “Shut up!” Hige screamed in anger. He took quick, shallow breaths for a few short moments. “No no no no! What the hell is happening to me?!” Hige couldn’t think straight, his mind was clouded with anger. “Need to get out of here...” Hige murmured. “N-No... You need to come with me...” The mare said trying to reassert herself. “I’m not-” Hige ears perked up as her heard a strange noise coming from the book next to him. He grabbed the book and opened it. “You need to-” she said, but stopped as she saw a strange red glow coming out of the book. “What is that-” Hige tossed the book far away. A high pitched shriek caused Hige to cover his ears as a series of fiery explosion ignited the library. “No! Not yet!” Hige said in reaction. “Forget it... You, we need to go”, Hige said to the mare. The newfound adrenaline made it easy to ignore the dizziness. He got up and walked to the TARDIS. “What is happening!?” She said as she followed Hige. “Who are you?” “No time, just run!” As they reached a large doorway the sound of creaking wood caused Hige to stop in his tracks. “Stop!” Hige said, but was unable to warn the mare fast enough before a pile of flaming rubble broke off from the ceiling and killed the mare in her tracks. Hige looked at the doorway, which now had a pile of flaming rubble at the bottom. Hige threw the can at the fire. He stepped back and waited. The moment he heard the pressure building up in the can and saw it was forcing some of the liquid out through the nozzle, he ran. As he reached the flaming pile, the can exploded, but barely made a difference in the fire. Hige was going too fast to stop. He leaped into the air and dug his nails into top of the frame and used it to keep himself away from the fire. He made the jump and landed a safe distance from the fire. He looked forward and saw that Ditsy and The Doctor were both making their way to the TARDIS. They were going to reach it at the same time. Hige ran as fast as he could. The Doctor threw the keys into the air and caught it in his mouth by the time he got close to the doors. He quickly opened the TARDIS. Hige and Ditsy quickly ran inside. Hige closed the door. “What happened?!” Hige heard Ditsy in a scared tone. As he turned, he saw that half of The Doctor’s body was severely burned. “Don’t worry...” He said forcefully “I just need.” The Doctor pulled out a strange jar with cables connected to the control panel of the TARDIS. Inside was what seemed to be a severed pony limb that seemed to match The Doctor’s coat. With one pained grunt, The Doctor exploded into a cloud of yellow dots that seemed to be reaching out to the jar. As the cloud diminished, there was a bright flash from where The Doctor used to stand. Once Hige looked back, he saw The Doctor. Not a single scratch on him. “Allons-Y!” The Doctor said as he pulled a lever causing the the familiar shaking as before. The shaking didn't take Hige by surprise, but as the adrenaline left his body, he began to feel dizzy. He lost his balance and was smashed against the door of the TARDIS. Luckly he was able to hang on to the doorway. Once the shaking stopped, the dizziness began to fade. It only took a few seconds for Hige to feel comfortable enough to stand up. “What happened!?” Hige asked in shock referring to when The Doctor exploded. “He regenerated!” Ditsy answered in a happy tone. “What? Regenerated?” “Yes. It’s a way us Timelords cheat death”, The Doctor explained. “Then why were you burned?” “I found the book and was making my way to the TARDIS when suddenly the shelf beside be burst into flames. I was carrying the book on my back, so part of it got burned... I knew there was something odd...” he said with regret. “The books”, Hige said. “What?” “The books. That’s what caused the explosion. I was talking-” Hige stopped as he remembered the mare that had died. He clenched his fist. “What’s wrong?” Ditsy asked with a worried look. “There... There was a mare... She was guarding the library.” “What happened?” she asked. “She died. Part of the roof broke off and killed her...” Hige explained. “It would have been worse if she would have made it here...” The Doctor murmured. “And what the hell does that mean!?” Hige screamed in anger. “She was better off dying back there...” The Doctor said deep in thought. “You... You...” Hige said as he tried to think of something, his anger slowly growing. “Forget it.” Hige put his hand in his pocket and took out the bracelet. He walked to the doors of the TARDIS, put on the bracelet, and walked out the door. Neither of them said a word. Ditsy looked at The Doctor and Hige who’d walked out the door. She flew out the door and looked for Hige. He was was barely a few feet away of fromTARDIS. “Hige!” She said trying to get his attention. “What...” Hige said. He didn't look back and he didn't stop. Ditsy was hovering over him. “Stop! Please...” She said in a worried tone. Hige stopped. Ditsy landed right in front of him and looked at him straight in the eyes. Hige’s eyes were red and he seemed to be fighting back tears. “I’m sorry... He didn't mean to say that... It’s just that he has to follow a set of rules. He couldn’t have saved her even if he wanted to”, she tried to explain. “Why?” Hige asked. “Because she was supposed to die. If you would have brought her back, we would have had to leave her... He only said it was best because if she would have had reached the TARDIS...” “We would have had to kill her on purpose...” Hige finished. “Yes. Imagine how that would have bad us feel.” “I’m guessing that’s happened before.” “Yes... It has... Don’t take it too seriously when he acts like it’s nothing. He has to deal with many burdens. “Well... Tell him I’m sorry. Don’t take it personally, but I really don’t want to be in the TARDIS after what happened.” Hige said. “I understand. Guess I’ll see you later...” she said as she walked back to the TARDIS. “Good luck”, she said as she passed by his side. ‘Shadow Step...’ Hige though as he walked to the library. ‘... She’s... She was the first to smile. Ever since I got here everyone has been weary of me. Maybe Twilight warmed up to me, but I could still see she was nervous around me... But Shadow Step. The second she saw me walking out of the throne room, she smiled... I almost killed a mare, and she smiled. I walked out of the throne room thinking that, after that, nobody was going to get close to me, but she... She made me believe. Her, Emerald, and Shining Armor... They made me feel normal...’ Hige reached the library and placed a hoof on the door. ‘I guess that’s why I feel so guilty... I owe her.’ Hige opened the door and walked inside. The room was empty. Spike walked by with a handful of books and placed them in front of a shelf. He said that they were in the basement. Hige asked if he needed any help organizing. Spike accepted the offer. He was just about done, but there were two stack of books that needed to be reshelved. One of the stacks was on the table and the other was next to Spike. Spike explained where to shelve them, and they both began to reshelve. Once done, Hige walked to the basement. He walked down the stairs, but tripped on a broken step. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked in a worried tone as she used her magic to help him up. “Fine... I think.” He said with a smile as he got on his hooves. He looked around “What happened here?” The room looked like it had been raided. The machines were tipped, the papers were shredded, and the machines that weren't tipped seemed like they were beaten to death by a rock. “I’m not sure. I went to sleep, and it was like this when I came here. Didn’t hear a thing”, she answered. “Couldn’t even get the results...” “Hige, show her the bracelet”, Emerald said quickly changing the subject. “Oh right.” Hige said as he raised his hoof. Once Twilight saw the bracelet, he took it off. There was a flash, and Hige turned back to his human form. Emerald and Twilight began to talk about the bracelet. Hige placed his hands in his hoodie and walked around the room waiting for them to finish. As he looked around, he saw a scratch on the wall that caught his attention. ‘That’s weird...’ Hige thought as he looked at his hand. There were five claw marks on the wall. ‘It can’t be...’ Hige placed his hand on the wall. His claws matched with the claw marks. Hige took a few steps back as he let what he just learned sink in. He tripped over one of the tipped machines. Hige smashing against the hull of the machine caused Twilight and Emerald to end their conversation. “You okay back there?” Emerald asked as he walked over. “Yeah, fine. I’m still a wee bit tipsy I guess”, Hige said in an embarrassed tone. “Indeed you are. We should get going, there’s nothing more to do here”, Emerald said as he and Twilight walked upstairs, Hige catching up. Once they all got to the library, Emerald remembered he left something downstairs, and went back down, leaving Hige and Twilight alone. “Good to see that you’re okay”, she said with a smile. “I was surprised too. Thought they’d seal me in a dungeon or something.” Hige replied with a smile. “So what did you do to get on Celestia’s good side?” she asked curiously. “Nothing... Just happened I guess...” “Oh... Well at least I can tell everyone you’re all right, I’m tired of saying I don’t know.” “Who do you mean by ‘they’?” “Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack mostly”, she answered. “Oh...” “They were really curious about how you turned out after that strange introduction you gave us.” “And how’s Rainbow Dash?” “She’s fine. She’s just a little grumpy since she’s grounded for the next few days.” “So nothing permanent?” “No, nothing at all”, Twilight answered. Emerald walk up the stairs and signaled for Hige to follow him out the door. After a short goodbye, Hige and Emerald departed. Hige put on his bracelet, and walked over to the carriage. It was a silent trip to the castle. Emerald seemed like he was deep in thought, so Hige made no attempt to interrupt him. Once they reached the castle, Emerald quickly made his way to the lab and Hige walked over to his room. ‘I should get something to eat...’ Hige thought as he changed his trajectory. When he entered the dining room, he found the dining table already had food on it. The chef looked over at Hige with a strange look. “Who are you?” The chef asked. Hige realized that he hadn’t taken off the bracelet yet. Once he took it off and he reverted to his human form, the chef smiled. “Oh, sorry about that. I know everypony in the castle, you took me by surprise.” “No worries”, Hige said with a smile. “Well, feel free to eat what’s on the table. I made it for Shadow Step and Luna, but I doubt they’ll eat it all and I bet they won’t mind.” “I’d rather wait for them to get here first...” Hige replied. “That must be them”, the chef said as the sound of the dining room’s door opening reached their ears. “It was nice talking to you...” Hige said waiting for the chef to say his name. “Gustaf”, he answered. “Well see you later, Gustaf.” Hige walked into the dining room. “Hige! Funny seeing you here”, Shadow Step said in surprise with Luna behind her. “Yeah. I was thinking of getting a bite to eat before I went to sleep”, Hige replied. “Sleeping? At this hour?” Luna asked in surprise. “Yes. I’m more of a night person”, Hige answered with a smile. “Well feel free to join us”, Shadow Step said as she walked to the table. “Don’t mind if I do.” The three of them walked down the table, Hige sat opposite from Luna and Shadow Step. ‘This is a weird feeling... Talking to someone that you know is going to die.’ Hige thought. There was an eerie silence in the room. ‘Luna... She keeps looking at Shadow Step... Doesn't say anything, but looks at her with a strange face... Worried? Scared? Angry? Dammit, I can’t let her die!’ Hige thought, pushing his chair away from the table. “I just remembered I had to go talk to Emerald”, Hige said. “Don’t let us keep you”, Shadow Step said. “Okay. Guess I’ll see you two around.” “It’s been a pleasure meeting you”, Luna said as Hige walked away. Hige gave a nod in reply. Hige walked out of the dining room with new-found hope. ‘Okay, how do I help Shadow Step?’ Hige thought as he slowly began to lower his pace. ‘Wait...’ Hige thought as he stopped walking. ‘I have no idea what I’m doing...’ Author’s note: And with this, A Life Forgotten goes on a short Hiatus while I finish Lost In the Dark. Sorry -_-” Can’t handle too many stories at a time, and I just want to get one of them out of the way... Notice: CancelledI've come to realize that the 3rd person perspective I've been using for this story will, in the end, ruin the story since many of the concepts I'm using are dependent on the mane (heh) characters emotions, thoughts and feeling. I'm cancelling this story to start a new version. New title and maybe a new name for the main character and work off some of the feedback I got. I'm really sorry, but considering how long it's been since I even updated this story I'd imagine most have forgotten most of the details, if not all, of the older chapters... I know I have... Well that's is. If you have any ideas on how I can improve the story I'd be happy to hear them!
Prologue: The ArrivalAuthor's Note: Big thanks to Luna Eclipse, Mark, and Izzy for Pre-reading and making all of my words more... fancy! And also for helping me organize my thoughts. Where am I? The boy thought to himself as he slowly gained consciousness. Beginning to regain his senses he started to touch the ground around him. *Grass… Wait, grass!?* He thought as he opened his eyes and began to look around. He was amazed to find himself in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. He tried to look deeper into the forest, the dense canopy overhead engulfed the ground in almost complete darkness preventing him from seeing any farther than the treeline. What the heck… he thought as he slowly forced his body upright to get a better look at his surroundings. How did I get here? There was a faint movement somewhere in the brush. He quickly jumped to his feet. “Who’s there!?” No response. He began to feel his heart slowly beat faster, sending a rush of adrenaline throughout his body. As he stood up and took a deep breath, time slowed down, sound faded away, and he closed his eyes. He quickly felt the feeling fade away, and in its place was a feeling of danger; his heart continued to race, but he was unable to hear it. Behind me… He thought. There was a sudden movement in the leaves, Turning on his heels, he saw the source of the sound and it was coming towards him fast. Unable to see it in great detail, all he could make out was a dark blur. He quickly slammed his hand against it and watched it slide a few feet away. With a closer look, he was able to see that the animal actually had a pair of wing, and one of them was hurt badly. “Who are yo-“ He was interrupted by another shift in the leaves, but this time there was more than one. Four!? he thought in a panic. Suddenly, a dim purple aura appears around him, he quickly felt his body paralyze. Try as he might, he could not will his limbs to move. He struggled fruitlessly as the dark figures slowly made their way towards him. He also heard another come out of the bush behind him. They all stopped a few paces away from immobile body, only one of them continuing to advance. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” It said in a familiar female voice. The figure had the same strange purple aura in front of her. That voice… It’s so familiar… He thought in stunned silence. “She asked you a question!” yelled another familiar voice behind him “Calm down Rainbow Dash… You’re hurt…” another familiar voice said, barely over a whisper Wait a second… Rainbow Dash!? “Twilight?” he asked. There was a moment of silence. “How do you know my name?” Twilight asked as the purple glow, originating from her horn, increased in intensity just enough to show her face. “Wait… What!? Who!? Where!? How did I end up here!?” He screamed with a mix of excitement and puzzlement. “That’s what we were sent to find out.” She said in a semi-hostile tone “Well I don’t have a clue… Wait a second, did I hurt someone?” He asked. “Ha! Hurt me!?” Rainbow Dash said in an arrogant tone, quickly flinching afterwards. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t know! I thought she was attacking me!” he said in a guilty tone. “I’m going to release the spell, but do anything rash…” she threatened as she released the spell. The sudden release of the spell caused him to collapse to the ground. He felt another similar force pulling his hand and helping him regain his balance. “Thank you.” he said with a smile as he brushed off the dirt of his clothes. “You’re welcome, um I’m sorry but I do not know your name.” Rarity asked. “The name’s Hige.” “Pleased to make your acquaintance” she said with a slight smile “Right back at ya. Would you mind telling me where I am?” He asked as he took a quick look around. “You don't know where you are?That’s rather strange… but your clothes...whoever designed them should be imprisoned for crimes against fashion!” she said shaking her head “But I digress, you are in the Everfree forest.” “Huh?” he said as he inspected his clothes one by one “Black Hoodie… Jeans… no shoes… shirt?” he said as he grasped the zipper of his hoodie. What the… “What the hell are these?” He cried out in shock as he looked down at his hands. His nails were slick black, much thicker, and sharpened to a point. “Those are claws…” Twilight said. “Don’t all of… whatever you are have them?” “No, we just have nails, they’re not supposed to be sharp… Wait…” Looking closely at his feet and saw that they had suffered the same fate. Tentatively, he slowly ran his tongue across his front teeth and found they were like his nails, sharp. “That explains the hostility,” he began. “I look like a freakin’ killing machine!” “How about the tail?” Twilight asked. He quickly took a glanced behind, “You know what, I’m actually okay with this I’ve always wanted a tail.” “You are very strange…” Twilight said “You should see me when I haven’t gotten any sleep, now THAT’S me being strange.” He said with a laugh. “Um… Twilight?” Fluttershy said in a low worried voice. The low voice caused the man to have an odd sensation on his head. He moved his hand to scratch it and was surprised to find an animal ear. ‘Nope… This is completely normal compared to everything else…’ he thought calmly. “Yes, Fluttershy?” Twilight said as she turned to face her. “We need to get Rainbow Dash to the cottage, her wing is broken and it needs to be set… she is in a lot of pain and I’m not sure if she can walk… I need help… If that okay with you… I mean I can take her by myself…” she finished shyly. “Okay, I’ll help” Twilight said. “I volunteer!” He said excitedly. He was met by a strange look, “What? It’s the least I can do to help… since I cause it…” he said with a tone of guilt. “Okay then… Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity will stay here and look for anything else out of the ordinary. Got that?” “Yes.” The three answered simultaneously “Okay, let’s go.” Twilight said to the man and Fluttershy. After some discussion, Twilight carefully levitated Rainbow Dash onto the man’s back. They quickly began making their way back to Fluttershy’s cottage. As they walked in silence, he was able to examine the changes to his features more carefully. Surprisingly, he soon came to realize, controlling his new tail didn’t take much effort at all. The new appendage swaying this way and that, instinctively keeping him in balance as he maneuvered the uneven terrain. Despite no obvious physical change to the nose, he found his sense of smell was definitely far beyond that of any normal human. The forest was thick with moisture, but underneath the dank masking smell, he was able to discern the exotic fragrance of flowers and plants unfamiliar to him. Straining his hearing, he could make out the faint trickling sound of a distant stream. The crackle of each leaves and twigs under his feet, clear and crisp. Among the trees, foliages and bushes rustled as small critters ran away from the sound of their approach. There is one however, that held its place. He could hear the creature stir, with each of its slow and throaty breath came the sound of soft creak. “There is something lurking in the woods, I can hear it.” In a hushed tone, he voiced his concern. “Really? What does it smell like?” It was Twilight that answered. He sniffed a few times, “Nothing, I can’t make it out at all.” “Then it’s a timberwolf. They are magical creatures made of wood, it helps them blend into the forest. It shouldn’t cause us any trouble as long as we leave it alone.” They made the rest of the journey without uttering a single word. Eventually, the forest cleared and a cottage came into view. ________________________________________ “Y-you can put her here,” she instructed the man. “Okay.” He said with a smile. “So... What exactly are you?” Twilight asked. “Huh?” The man asked in confusion. “I’m a pony, what are you?” she said. “Oh, I’m a human…” He looked at his hands, “at least, I was, but I’m not sure anymore…” “How about your name?” “Oh, I’m really not sure…” he said “You can call me Hige. I remember Hige being a nickname I used, but I’m not sure what my real name is…” He said as he went deep into thought. “Um… I’m done…” Fluttershy said with her head held down “So fast? It usually takes you longer.” Twilight responded “Well, um… She didn’t actually break that many bones, I barely had to do anything other than put some herbs on it and put the splint…” “Is she gonna be okay?” Hige asked with a grim tone. “Oh, yes. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine…” she said as she looked at the floor. He quickly let out a sigh of relief. “I put some numbing herbs on her wing and it made her really drowsy… she probably won’t be awake until tomorrow morning.” Fluttershy said to Twilight. “I guess it’s better for her to cool down after what happened. I need to go, I want to look up a few things.” Twilight said as she began to walk out the door. “So what am I supposed to do?” Hige asked “Stay here. I’m sure Applejack will let you sleep at her farm, it would be better if you don’t go anywhere near the town right now.” She said as she turned around to face him. “That’s awfully nice, how are you so confident I can be trusted?” He asked curiously “I’m not sure… are you saying that you are going to be a problem?” She raised an eyebrow. “Nope.” He responded. “Exactly. Good night, Fluttershy.” She said as she walked away “No goodbye for me? How rude…” Hige murmured under his breath. “W-what?” Fluttershy’s response was barely above a whisper. “Huh?” “Twilight isn’t rude, why would you think that?” “No, I'm just joking around with myself. That’s all” He said, awkwardly scratching his neck. “Oh… Can I ask you something? I mean… if it’s okay with you…” she asked shyly “Sure, go ahead.” “Y-you said you were a human… but you also said you weren’t one… What do you mean by that?” she asked as she took a closer look at Hige “Your traits look familiar… but I’m not sure…” “Well… I WAS of a species called ‘humans’, but right now I don’t look the part. These claws, teeth, tail, and ears aren’t mine… I don’t think I can be considered human anymore.” he said looking at his hands. “I’m not sure what I am…” “I’m sure Twilight will find out.” Suddenly she let out a big yawn. “ You really should get some sleep.” Hige said. “No, I can’t. I need to take care of Rainbow Dash…” she let out another yawn “I’ll make sure she’s fine, you should get some sleep.” “No, I can handle not sleeping.” She said shaking her head and beginning to look more awake “Okay then.” I’ll give her an hour… he thought with a mischievous grin. Hige and Fluttershy sit in different parts of the room. Fluttershy quickly fell asleep. Slowly reaching into his pockets, careful not to tear any holes, he began to feel around for anything that may give information as to who he really is. What’s this? he slowly pulled out the item and looked at it, an iPod? Why can I remember the names of these things, but have no idea who I am!? He asked himself, I wonder… He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a pair of headphones. “Let’s see what type of music I liked!” He said, plugging in the headphones. No battery, should have expected that… The treasure hunt must go on! he continued to look through his other pocket Empty. He looked in his back pockets Huh? he pulled out a blue wallet I wonder if it has an ID… NO!? God DAMMIT! he threw the wallet against the floor in frustration. Hige suddenly caught a familiar smell. “They’re back!” he got up and walked over to the door. He caught sight of the three ponies and began to wave at them, he only received a wave back from an excited Pinkie Pie. “Did you find anything?” Hige asked them as they got closer “Where’s Twilight?” Applejack quickly asked “At the library.” Hige responded “And Fluttershy?” “In there” he pointed at the inside of the cottage “She’s sleeping, she didn’t want to leave Rainbow Dash alone.” He said with a grin She let out a long sigh “Fluttershy always cares more about other ponies more than herself…” she said “So, did you find anything strange out there?” Hige asked curiously “Nope, we looked high and low, but we didn’t find anythin’” she said with a hint of frustration “You were the only thing we found… ” Hige’s ears began to twitch as he heard a shuffling noise, turning around to see Fluttershy walking toward the door. “H-hi Applejack” Fluttershy said with a big yawn. “You should really get some rest, sugarcube.” Applejack suggested in a soft tone “No… I just can’t leave her alone… I need to make sure she’s alright” she said barely being able to finish the sentence because of her drowsiness. “As I said, I can look over her. I usually stay awake during the night…” Hige mentioned. “No… no… I can… do… it…” she drifted, her eyes slowly closing. “C’mon Fluttershy, time for bed.” Applejack persisted. Fluttershy fell silent. “Did she fall asleep?” Hige asked as he waved a hand in front of Fluttershy “Yes… Ah reckon’ she did.” Applejack said taking a closer look at her. Hige’s ears twitched once again, and audible thump was heard. “Pinkie Pie fell asleep.” Rarity stated as she looked at the sleeping Pinkie Pie on the floor. “I still can’t get used to how she can just fall asleep like that…” Applejack let out a sigh “Ah’ll take her back to Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity you should get some rest too.” “Thank you, Applejack Dear.” She said as she turned to walk away “Goodbye, Applejack. Goodbye, Hige,” she said as she looked at Applejack and Hige. She then walked away with an audible yawn. “Pinkie’ll be fine in the morning. Ah am gonna put Fluttershy to bed,” Applejack said as she tucked her head under Fluttershy, slid her onto her back and then made her way inside. Hige walked over to Pinkie Pie and sat beside her. Feeling the wind against his back, he decided to put up his hood. It was a few minutes before Applejack reappeared, and Hige helped AJ place Pinkie Pie on her back. “Will ya’ be a darlin’ and make sure Rainbow Dash is okay for me sugarcube?” she said with a smile while carrying the snoring pink pony. Hige nodded and walked inside the cottage, making sure to quietly close the door behind him. He sat down beside Rainbow Dash, noticing his wallet on the seat opposite, He leaned over over and picked it up. No point in letting it go to waste…’He slouched comfortably into the chair, and slowly drifted off to sleep. ________________________________________ Hige was suddenly woken up by a harsh jab to the ribs. “You!” Rainbow Dash screeched as she got off the table. “You attacked me yesterday!” “Correction, you attacked me!” Hige said as he stood to mirror the fuming Rainbow Dash “I only attacked you out of self defence!” “So you did attack me!” she said as she began to pace around, encircling him. “Yes, but I didn’t-” Hige said in a rush, not taking the time to think about what he just said. Rainbow Dash stopped “You didn’t what!?” she asked in confusion. Run, Hige! He thought to himself. He saw an escape route: the door, and made a mad dash towards it, frantically grabbing the handle and yanking the door ajar. He was hurled off his feet by a blur of colours, leaving him laid on the ground outside, with Rainbow Dash towering over him, preparing for her next blow. “What’s going on here?” Twilight asked, appearing from what seemed thin air. “I’m not sure myself…” Hige said, without making any effort in getting up. “Did you do this Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked. “He attacked me, just look!” she said as she presented her broken wing “He defended himself against your unprovoked attack! We were there to OBSERVE him from afar! Not ambush him!” Dash’s ears fell. “But…” “No buts,” Twilight scorned. “I think it’s best if you went back to sleep, you still need your rest.” Rainbow Dash went back inside the cottage. Twilight turned to Hige as he got up and took out a book from her saddlebags. “I found a spell that could help this… situation.” “What does it do?” He asked. “It’s a spell that temporarily alters your morphogenic field to match that of ours through the application of Stardust Nexus’s Harmonic Resonance theorem. While covering up minor inconsistencies with a low level perception filter.” Hige stared. “It can make you look like a pony.” “oh.” Twilight took out the book and levitated it infront of her. She took a few looks at the book and back at Hige. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she took a deep breath. Her horn began to glow the usual purple color, but it was much brighter. There was a bright flash. When Twilight looked again, she found a dark brown stallion in the same spot that Hige had been standing. “Hige?” she asked “The one and only.” He said with a grin Her eyes widened “Well the spell didn’t take you’re smile away... or your ears…” She said with a smile “Huh?” he passed his tongue against his teeth and found them just as they were, he quickly realized his ears had also stayed the same “Is this going to be a problem?” Hige asked “Not if you can keep yourself from smiling” she said as she walked away and hinted for him to follow. Hige quickly followed her “That’s going to be hard…” he said. They quickly made their way to town “What are we doing here?” Hige asked as he looked around “We are going to the library; I need to make some observation.” She said “Oh, okay… How long does the spell last?” Hige asked as they reached the library. “… Sundown, give or take.” She said as she opened the door and walked in. “Twilight! You got a letter from Celestia, she want to know if you found anything!” screamed a voice in the upper section of the library “Well bring it down here.” Twilight replied. Hige entered and closed the door. “Here it- Who’s he?” Spike asked as he looked at Hige “That’s Hige, the ‘visitor’.” She said emphasizing the word visitor “Ohhh right, nice to meet you.” Spike said extending a hand “Right back at ya’” he placed a hoof on Spikes hand … how do I use these thing!? Hige thought. He felt Spike grab his hoof and move it up and down. “Wait… but you look like and average pony… except that your ears are kinda funny looking…” He mentioned “Are you sure about that?” Hige said with big smile “Woah! That’s creepy…” Spike responded after seeing Hige’s teeth “Oh right, I need to go! Rarity wanted help with a dress she was making!” Spike ran out of the library. After Spike left, Hige took a quick look around and found that the library was a mess. There were stacks of books everywhere and the library was in disarray.. Twilight was standing in front of a table with two small stacks of books on them “So… did you find out anything other than the spell?” Hige asked “No, nothing at all. From what I can tell, you seem to have some wolf-like abilities, but other than that I’m clueless.” She said as she magically moved another book into her line of sight. “Do you have any idea how you got here? Anything that I can use to understand you better?” “No sorry, I can’t think of a thing” “I wonder if there's anypony who can help” she says desperately Somepony who can help… And like that, he knew exactly what to do. “I need to look for… somepony. Can you do the observations later?” He asked “Oh right… You are kinda stuck like that until sundown, so I can't make any observations until then…” she mentioned with a hint of embarrassment. “No worries. I’ll be back before sundown.” Hige stated. “Wait, who are you going to look for?” she asked quickly A grin appeared on Hige’s face as he turned to face Twilight “I need to find The Doctor!” he exclaimed as he ran out the door.
Chapter 1: A Royal SummonReally sorry for the wait, real life is messing with my brony life again .-. Hige ran out the library and started to gallop in a general direction until his thoughts forced him to stop. How can I find The Doctor? he thought as he began to walk at a slow pace. He could be anywhere… where shouldI start? He turned his head and looked over at Sugar Cube Corner. I could ask if anybody has seen him… He walked over to the bakery, and was quickly greeted by a familiar pink mare. “Hi! Do I know you, I usually remember a face, but I’m not sure if I’ve met you before… I think I did!” Pinkie Pie said in a single breath. “Hmm... It’s a mystery…”Hige responded with a grin. “Ohhh! I remember you now, Hige! Wait, Twilight told me not to talk about it… Hige? I’ve never heard of him”, she said trying to avoid ‘suspicion’. “Don’t worry. It’s me, Hige”, he began to chuckle. “Why are ya’ laughing? Did you think of a funny joke! I wanna hear it!!!” she began to jump in place. “Not really, I’m laughing ‘cause you’re funny.” Wait… Did I just insult her!? She stopped jumping, and grew an immense smile. “Thanks, I get that a lot!!! So, whatcha doing in the bakery, do you want a cupcake?” Cupcake!? I hope that story isn’t real… I REALLY hope it isn’t real…“No… I’m actually looking for a stallion. He has a brown coat, a dark brown mane, and an hourglass cutie mark. Have you seen him?” “Umm… Oh yeah! He comes to the bakery a few times a day to buy tea, he should be here in a little while. You wanna eat something while you wait?” “No thanks. I’m just gonna wait for him to get here.” “Okei dokei lokey… Well seeya later, I have some things to do.” “Okay, seeya later”, Hige said and then began to make his way to one of the small tables inside the bakery. Hige sat down and began to wait. I wonder how long it’ll be until he gets here… Hige suddenly let out a big yawn. Oh god, didn’t get enough sleep… Hige fought the sleepiness, but was quickly overwhelmed. He fell into a deep sleep. “But why can’t we buy more muffins!?” A mare exclaimed, causing Hige to regain some consciousness. “We are running out!” she added. “No we aren’t, we’ve only run out of the blueberry muffins, and the banana nut muffins…” The stallion said in a somewhat familiar British accent. “B-b-b-but…” the same mare said in a sad tone. The stallion made a long sigh, “Fine… I’ll be over by the table, tell me when the tea is ready.” “EEEEEEPP!!!” the mare squealed in excitement. Hige began to hear the hoofsteps of the stallion getting closer and closer to him. When they stopped, Hige was greeted by the stallion’s voice addressing him. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” the stallion asked as he placed a hoof on the other chair that was next to the table. Please let it be him! Hige raised his head and was overcome with relief when he saw the brown stallion he was looking for. “You...” Hige mumured to himself. “Yes... it’s me...” the stallion said in a fun tone. “Now that that’s out of the way, is this seat taken?” “Be my guest.” Hige responded. “Thank you”, he replied with a grin as he sat down. “Can I ask you a strange question?” Hige asked. “Well… sure”, he answered with a puzzled look. “Are you a doctor?” Hige asked. “Who are you?” he asked with a strange look. “That’s what I'm hoping to find out. I’m human, and I don't know who I am or how i got here.” Hige explained. The stallion grinned. “The Doctor”, he introduced himself as he extended his hoof. “Hige.” He introduced as he tapped The Doctor’s hoof. “Muffins!” the grey pegasus he recognized as Ditsy Doo exclaimed as she placed a tray of muffins on the table. “And tea”, she said imitating a British accent as she placed the tea cup on the table. “Ditsy, meet Hige”, The Doctor introduced. “Hello!” Ditsy said in a happy tone. “Hi!” Hige responded, matching her happiness. “Allyson-Y!” The Doctor exclaimed as he grasped the tea cup and began to walk out the door. The trio quickly made their way into the forest. The Doctor began to slow his pace and he walked up to one of the trees. He took out a strange metallic, cylindrical object and pointed it at the trees. A strange blue light flashed out of the object, the image of the tree began to fade away and in its place was a blue telephone booth with the words ‘Police in a Box’ on the upper portion of it. “Welcome to the TARDIS”, The Doctor said as he walked into the blue box. “Now, who are you?” he asked Hige. “Human... that's all I know... ” Hige answered in a grim tone. “You don’t know who you are?” he responded, rather surprised by what he heard. “I know I’m human, I can remember this world being part of a TV show, and I know the name of human objects… but I have absolutely no idea who I am…” Hige said. “That’s weird…” said Ditsy Doo. “My worlds exactly… but you don’t look human”, The Doctor said. “It’s actually a spell that Twilight Sparkle added...” Hige said as he looked at his body. He took on a shocked expression. “Wait… what time is it!?” Hige asked nervously. “Noon, why do you ask?” The Doctor asked. Hige took a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god... This spell wears off near sundown.” “One more question, how did you know who I was?” The Doctor asked in a curious tone. “I have no idea...” Hige said, deep in thought. “Ever since i got here, I feel like I’ve been here before...” Hige began. “Well, not exactly BEEN here, more like being a spectator. There were some ponies who had found me after I appeared here, and I felt like I knew them, and I did. I knew their names and personality, and I remembered you being human...” “That is very strange... Plus, I can’t use my sonic screwdriver since magic usually messes with the readings... You’re going to need to find a way to get here in your human form for it to work. Also, you can’t tell anybody about me being a Time Lord.” The Doctor responded. “Oh...” Hige responded “Well... is there anything you can do?” Hige asked. “No...” The Doctor answered in a sad tone. “There is one thing...” Ditsy mentioned. “And what is that?” The Doctor asked curiously. “We can eat muffins!” she exclaimed as she pointed at the tray of muffins that she had bought moments ago. “You know what? That sounds like a great idea”, The Doctor agreed as he walked over to get a muffin. “I don’t want to be rude, but I should really get to the library”, Hige replied. “I understand”, The Doctor said with and approving nod and a wave of his hoof. “Wait, take this!” Ditsy said as as she tossed a muffin towards Hige. Hige extended a hoof to catch the muffin, it landed directly on his hoof, but instantly bounced off. The Doctor and Ditsy began to laugh. “What?” Hige asked in embarrassed tone. “You just reminded me of myself when i first got here, I had no idea how to use hooves”, he said with a big smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn quickly.” “Oh, okay...” Hige responded. “I’ll take my leave now”, Hige said as he picked up the muffin with his mouth. “Goodbye”, said The Doctor and Ditsy in unison as Hige walked out of the TARDIS. Hige quickly made his way to the library. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a tired-looking Spike, and Twilight. “Oh, you’re back!” Twilight exclaimed as she turned her head to look at Hige. “It was getting near sundown...” Hige replied. “Oh, right! The spell should wear off soon. Once it does, I can run some tests on you”, Twilight mentioned. “Define soon”, Hige said. “Maybe a few minutes”, Twilight responded. “Okay then”, Hige said as he walked over to a corner of the room and lay down. About seven minutes passed before Hige began to glow. The room was the engulfed with light as Hige reverted back to his human form. “I have a feeling that I’m not going to get used to that any time soon...” Hige murmured to himself as he got up. “Perfect, now we run the tests!” Twilight said excitedly. “Are the test going to hurt?” Hige asked as he began to follow Twilight to a door in the opposite corner of the room. She opened the door that gave way to a series of stairs that took them under the library. At the end of the stairs, there was a second door. This door lead to a room filled with a variety of machines. The machines seemed to be inactive, but once Twilight flipped the switch that was next to the doorway, the room sprang to life. The surreal glow of the machines began to fill the room. Twilight lead Hige to the center of the room and told him to wait. Once she walked back towards Hige, she told him to look over at one of the machines, once Hige turned his head, he was taken by surprise when Twilight used her magical hold to jab a needle in Hige’s arm. Hige did his best not to move. Once she extracted the amount of blood she needed, she took out the needle and walked away. Seconds later, a small band-aid floated up to Hige. Twilight returned with a stethoscope and listened to Hige’s heartbeat. After a few seconds of listening, she placed the stethoscope on his back and told him to breathe. She walked away once more. “Give it to me straight, doc, am i gonna make it?” Hige said jokingly after a along period of time when Twilight hadn't made him undergo another test. “You have a month to live...” Twilight said in a grim tone. “What!?” Hige responded, horrified. “Yes, you have a horrible, degenerative case of gullible”, she replied with a grin. “How unprofessional of you...” Hige said as he tried to calm himself down. “What? I can’t be funny too?” she asked as she walked over to him with a clipboard in her magical grasp. “I guess... So, did you find anything interesting?” Hige asked. “Not yet, I have a general analysis of your blood, but the machine will need more time for the test to be complete”, she responded. “From the information I have, you are actually very similar to ponies, except for the obvious differences in anatomy...” she explained. “What now?” Hige asked. “Nothing. I need to wait for the blood sample to be processed, it’ll probably take a week...” she replied. “Well... can you do the pony spell again? I want to see the town”, Hige asked. “Sure”, she said as her horn began to glow. “It should last until sunrise this time.” She added as Hige began to glow. There was a flash, and Hige was turned into his pony form. “Thanks, I’ll be back by then”, Hige replied. “Okay, I’m going to go to sleep if you need me”, Twilight said as she began to walk out of the doorway. Hige was right behind her. Once they reached the library, they separated. Hige walked out, and Twilight went upstairs to sleep. Time for an adventure! Hige thought to himself as he walked into town.I wonder what there is to do around here an night... He walked around town to see if he could find anything interesting to do. Nothing!? This town should be more night friendly... There isn’t a single pony out here... which is weird, its not THAT late... Boring... So very boring... Wait, the library? Hige thought as he found himself right where he started. I must be a special kind of stupid... He walked back inside the library and found it to be dead quiet. Hige walked silently to avoid waking up anybody. He found himself with nothing to do, so he lay down in a corner of the room. That corner was quickly engulfed by hellish flames and disappeared into another realm. Reality soon began to collapse around the missing corner, until everything was distorted beyond recognition. Discord soon escaped, feeding off of the pure elemental chaos that flowed throughout. As the sight of Discord was seen by the ponies, the chaos escalated to a new level, causing Discord’s power to do the same. Soon enough, the elements of harmony surrounded him, all wearing their designated amulets. With a simple snap of his fingers, the wielders of the elements went gray and began to fight each other. Fluttershy was the first to go, as everyone hated her. Rarity followed, being too distracted by a rock to dodge Rainbow Dash’s attack. Twilight couldn’t use magic anymore and was bucked so hard by Applejack that her spine broke. Finally, Rainbow Dash attempted to use her Sonic Rainboom to tackle Applejack, but at the last split second of the impact, Applejack gathered every iota of strength remaining to buck her out of the way. The force of the buck broke Rainbow Dash’s face, and the momentum of the Sonic Rainboom caused Applejack’s legs to be forced back into her body. Discord was pleased. Only Pinkie Pie remained, Discord now had an ally. Hige’s eyes suddenly shot open from the shock of the dream, he looked around to make sure none of it had come true. What the hell did I dream? I must be going insane... As Hige took a better look, he noticed that he had already reverted back to his human form. Hige could hear strange steps approaching the top of the stairs, and was surprised to see Spike, half-asleep, and walking towards the kitchen. He seemed to be in some sort of zombie state by the look on his face and the fact that he didn’t acknowledge Hige’s presence. Spike walked over to a rolled up parchment that was on a table. He picked it up, he cleared his throat and patted his chest, and blew a small cloud of fire that consumed the the parchment. The cloud of smoke that the burning parchment created blew out the window in an abrupt and unnatural turn. Once he finished, he shook his head to try to wake himself up. “AHH!” Spike exclaimed in shock as he got a good look at Hige. “Oh, sorry... Didn't see you there...” he said in a embarrassed tone. “Don’t worry”, Hige said as he got up. “You look dead tired”, Hige mentioned. “I was helping Rarity... It was worth it”, Spike responded as he walked towards the kitchen. “I’m cooking breakfast, do you want anything?” he asked. “No, I’m fine, thanks”, Hige responded. “So, what exactly did you do that made you so tired?” “I was digging up diamonds. She tells me where they are, I dig them up”, Spike explained. “Sounds hard...” Hige said as he began to feel drowsy once more. “Anything is worth helping Rarity”, Spike repeated. “If you say... so...” Hige responded as he took a seat. He then rested his head on his crossed arms and soon fell asleep. “Get up!” A voice screamed behind Hige, quickly waking him up. Hige turned to meet a royal unicorn guard pointing a spear at him. “You’re coming with me”, he ordered. “Who’s gonna make me?” Hige saked in a smug voice. “I was hoping you’d say that.” The guard slammed the side of the spear against Hige’s shoulder. “What’s going on here!?” screamed an angry Twilight. “I was ordered to bring this traitor in”, the guard responded as he turned his head to see Twilight. “I’m sorry for waking you”, he said in an apologetic tone. “Who gave you these orders?” Hige asked, now standing behind the guard. “How did you get back there!?” the guard screamed in anger. “Stop!” Hige said as he grabbed onto the spear and ripped it out of the unicorn’s magical grasp. “I don’t answer to you!” the gaurd said as he tried to grasp his spear once more. Hige was pulled toward the unicorn. “Stop it, both of you!” Twilight screamed in anger. “Drop the spear”, she said in an admonishing tone. “But-” Hige and the unicorn both said in unison. “Drop. The. Spear.” Hige and the guard gave each other a serious look. The spear fell to the floor. “Now then, what are you doing here?” she asked the guard. “I was sent to bring the specimen to the castle. I’m sorry, but you cannot interfere”, the guard said in a professional tone. “W-why did does she want to see him?” she asked in a surprised tone. “He has been considered a possible enemy”, he answered. “What!?” Hige asked in surprise. “Yes. I’m sorry, but it’s protocol”, the guard said slowly warming up to Hige. “Well then... Do I have a choice?” Hige asked. “No, if you run, they’ll consider you an enemy and kill you on sight”, Twilight answered. “By where you are now, I doubt you can get far without the Royal Pegasus Guards catching you...” she added. “Well then... take me away...” Hige said in a sad tone. Hige’s hand were bound my magic and he was soon stuffed into a small kart with two more guards. His arms and legs were chained to the wall. The guards kept their eyes on him at all times, and never spoke. The kart was being pulled by two other pegasus guards; it took about half an hour before they reached their destination. Once there, the chains were unbound and the guard forced Hige out. The four guards made a square around Hige and began to lead him somewhere inside the massive castle. They soon lead him into a large room with two thrones. As they got closer, Hige could make out the image of two alicorns, one white and the other bluish dark, who he recognized as Celestia and Luna. The guards stopped around him, and forced Hige to stop as well. “You must be Hige”, Celestia said. “Am I? I thought I was a threat”, Hige joked. “Do not joke, this is a serious matter. Now, what are you doing here?” Celestia asked. “I don’t know…” Hige answered as his ears fell. “How did you get to Ponyville?” “I don’t know…” Hige repeated. “Who are you!?” she said, her voice filled with frustration. “I don’t know!!!” Hige screamed. “I have no clue what I’m doing here. I’m a human, and somehow I ended up here. What am I supposed to say to make you believe me? I have no memory of who I was! All I know is that I am not an enemy!” Hige began to breathe deeply. “And why should I believe you!?” Celestia asked in a harrowing voice. Hige spread his arms wide. “Because I could have escaped whenever I wanted to. I came here because I thought I could find out why I’m here, I though you could help me.” Hige said looking at Celestia eye-to-eye. “Bind his hands”, she said calmly. Hige moved his hands behind his back and waited for the familiar binding spell to connect his arms. “You don’t believe me?” “No, we’ve had reports of key information being shared with the enemy. You have to be him… but we’ve been losing information long before you appeared…” She began to think deeply. Hige’s ears perked up. He began to hear a strange sound, like very faint hoofsteps inside the room even though nobody was moving. He began to sniff the air and noticed that there was a smell that didn’t belong to anybody in the room. Hige looked over to the guard that he had met in the library. He looked at the spear the gaurd had at his side. I hope my nose and ears are right… Hige pulled his arms apart and broke the bind. He quickly grabbed the spear and tossed it in the direction he thought the invisible visitor was. The spear began to spin like a fan though the air. The guard soon began so turn around to face Hige. Hige closed his eyes and hoped to hear the sound that could possibly save his life. *Boink* Hige was filled with relief as he heard the sound of metal hitting an object. The guards turned around to find a mysterious mare pegasus on the floor where the spear was. In a second, she pressed a talisman on her suit and turned invisible once more. “What was that?” a guard asked. “Was it a spy!?” the other asked. “Find her!” Celestia ordered. The guards quickly separated and began to search. Hige grinned “I smell blood…” he said right before he ran into Luna. Luna gained a look of fear while Celestia grew a look of panic. The guards turned to try and stop Hige, but they were too far away. Luna’s horn began to glow, but Hige had already swung his hand. To her surprise, the swipe didn’t hit her, but it hit the invisible mare that was next to her. The mare quickly got up after the hit and tried to press the talisman again, but found that the portion of her suit that contained the talisman has torn off and was currently in the hands of Hige. The mare was a deep shade of purple with a black mane; she held a dagger in her mouth that she was about to use to assassinate Luna. Hige dropped the talisman and jumped in direction of the mare. She galloped towards him, swinging the dagger in every direction. She was taken by surprise when Hige kicked her in-between her slashes. The dagger was sent flying to a corner of the room and the mare as sent a few feet away from Hige. He walked over to the mare and pulled her by her collar. He placed his hands on her neck and began to squeeze. She was breathless, and scared. Hige looked deep into her eyes, his ears fell once more and suddenly let go of the mare. The mare dropped to the floor gasping for breath. He walked over to the group of guards that were watching the action and threw himself to his knees. The mare was suddenly forced into the air by a powerful magical grip. “You shall receive no mercy for what you have done!” Celestia exclaimed as she threw the mare towards the guards. “Send her to the dungeon, torture every last bit of information she has out of her!” she ordered with anger. She turned to Hige “It seems maybe you weren’t the spy… I apologize. Times are very dangerous, and we need to be on high alert”, Celestia said in an apologetic tone. “What now?” Hige asked still looking at the floor. “We still need to be sure you aren’t a threat, you shall stay in the palace barracks for now”, she said. “I’ll take my leave…” he said as he got up and began to walk towards the door. “Of course, ask the guards for directions”, she said as she walked to her throne. Hige walked out of the room and was greeted by a mare wearing a strange looking armor, it was thinner and darker than the average guard armor and also covered her entire body. “Nice job.” Hige ignored the comment and kept walking “Wait, I understand you not trusting us after what happened, but...” Hige continued to ignore her. The mare gave a sigh. “I understand… at least let me show you to your room.” At this point, Hige stopped and waited for the guard to take the lead. The mare quickly led him to the doors of one of the rooms in the barracks. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later…” “What’s your name?” Hige asked. “Oh, its Shadow Step”, she said in a happier tone. “Hige”, he said as he walked in the room... Also... Thanks for all the positive feedback!
Chapter 2: RacerHige sat on the bed, thinking of what had happened. ‘What the hell happened! I threw the spear, saw the mare, and then I tried to see if I could catch her scent…’ Hige began to think ‘Who was that mare… and what the hell made me want to choke her!? By the way Celestia treated her, she must have done something horrible… I hope I did what’s right…’ He got of the bed and began to pace around the room. A loud roar sounded from Hige’s stomach. ‘Haven’t eaten anything…’ Hige thought, as he walked to the door and opened it. ‘I wonder if I can get something to eat here.’ Hige began to walk around the halls of the palace until he finally found a royal guard. The guard gave him directions to the dining room, and told him that there was food available at all times. Hige made his way to the dining room door and opened it, surprised to find Shadow Step eating with Princess Luna. What surprised Hige the most however, was the fact that the part of the armor which normally covered her head was undone, and was lying on the back of her neck in some sort of hood; she had a blood red coat and a black mane. Hige walked over to the kitchen and asked the chef for food, the chef told him that he would have to eat the meal already on the table. Not wanting to start an argument, Hige decided to get an apple to calm his stomach. The chef handed him the apple he’d asked for, after which Hige walked out the kitchen. Instinctively Hige took a bite of the apple, the crunch resonated throughout the entire room causing both Luna and Shadow Step to look over at him. ‘You are some sort of genius aren’t you!? Hige thought to himself, as he picked up his pace and ran out of the room. ‘Congratulation, now you’re stupid and rude!’ Hige continued his walk towards the room he had been assigned. Once there, he took another bite of the apple and looked at it. ‘What the… Oh right, I have weird teeth…’ Hige thought, as he looked at the strange bite pattern on the apple. ‘This isn’t so bad, is it? I have a tail, sharp teeth and animal ears… I’ve always wanted them… But I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong…’ Hige quickly lost himself in thought. Only a bit later he was sent back to reality by the sound of the door opening. Hige was surprised to see the mare Shadow Step walking inside, she looked at him with a curious look. “You’re still awake?” she asked. “Yes… I’m sorry for ignoring you outside the throne room… and for not saying hi in the dining room. I have a lot on my mind right now…” Hige said in an apologetic tone with his ears folded back. “Don’t worry about it, I understand.” She said as she began to unzip her suit. “T-this is your room?” Hige asked with a blush. ‘Is it wrong to look!?’ He thought as he shifted his view to the ceiling. “Yep. All rooms are made for two guards.” She said as she slipped out of the suit and threw it on a hook that was on the wall. “Good night.” “Good night.” Hige said, as he slowly closed his eyes and faded into sleep. “Hige, get up.” A voice said, forcing Hige to wake. “Oh god… It’s too early for this!!!” Hige exclaimed as he forced his body upright and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He turned to see the royal guard who had woken him. “What is it?” “We need to get a few things straightened out before you can leave.” The guard responded. “Follow me.” “Fine…” Hige said. It was morning, Hige had barely gotten any sleep and he was not happy about it. The guard led him to a room where there was a massive amount of machinery, the ponies present were mostly unicorns, and seemed to be well educated judging by how they handled the machinery. One of the unicorns looked over at Hige and began to walk over to him. “Excuse me, you must be Hige.” He said as he extended a hoof “I’m Smarty Pants, but my friends call me Emerald.” He was a bright green color with a dark green mane, which didn’t seem to have been combed or cleaned in a long time. He wore a pair of glasses, as well as a lab coat that read ‘Emerald’. “Why Emerald?” Hige asked curiously. “Oh, funny story.” He said “There was a freak accident with an experiment where I tried to see if I could fix my eyes, so I could stop using glasses. The spell I used ended up making my eyes glow a strange green color and everypony kept saying that they looked like emerald, hence Emerald. The spell wore off soon enough, but the name remained.” He redirected his attention to the guard. “You can leave him to me.” The guard gave a nod and left. “What am I doing here?” Hige asked, letting out a big yawn. “We are going to try some experiments.” he said as he looked into his lab coat pocket. “Take this and swallow it.” He said as he showed Hige a small tablet. Hige did as he was told. His eyes suddenly shot open “I feel… awake?” “You swallowed it with no hesitation… you either trust me, or you are very stupid.” Emerald said with a smile. “A little bit of both probably.” Hige said as he returned the smile. “Yes... Well that tablet was an energy pill, it makes you feel like you’ve slept for eight hours. I usually use them to catch up on work.” He explained “Follow me.” He began to walk towards a machine. “Alright, I’m going to run some tests. Just place-” “I should tell you, I’m scared of needles.” Hige interrupted with his ears folded down. Emerald paused for a moment. “Onto the next machine!” Emerald exclaimed as he walked over to another machine. Once they reached it, Emerald turned around “Okay, just lay down on this bed. Once you are inside the machine, you may feel a slight tingly feeling all over your body.” Hige quickly laid in the bed, which promptly retracted into the machine, and sealed Hige in. Moments passed before the sides inside of the machine began to glow, sending a surge of energy through Hige. Shortly after the machine opened up, the bed moved out, and Hige got up on his feet again. He turned to find Emerald fiddling with the many knobs and buttons on the machine. Emerald stopped, moments later a glowing stone popped out of the contraption. Emerald picked it up and walked over to another machine. He placed the glowing stone into it and closed the door; the machine began to make many noises until a bracelet popped out on the other side. Emerald picked up the bracelet and put it on. His body began to glow until his entire body was the same bright green color. There was a bright light green flash. Once Hige looked back, he found himself looking at what he thought was the human version of the doctor. He was wearing the same clothes as Hige, had the same eye color, and the same hair color and style as Emerald. “Damn, I always forget to remove the clothes from the transformation matrix…” Emerald murmured to himself. “What do you mean? You seem very fashionable.” Hige said with a smile. “What? Why aren’t you surprised? I just became a copy of your species!” he asked in a unbelieving tone. “Considering I’m in a world where magic is a reality, it’ll take more than that to impress me...” Hige answered “So, how long will you stay like that?” He asked. “Well this was just an experiment, so the talisman I used isn’t that powerful. I’ll turn back to normal either when the talisman runs out of energy, or when I take off the bracelet.” He said as he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and showed the bracelet that had come out of the machine. “Why don’t you have these?” Hige questioned as he pulled on his animal ears. “Wait, what!?” he started as he placed his hands on his head “Dammit! I hate that machine…” he said “Oh, before I forget, the machine showed that you had something strange in your pocket.” “This?” Hige asked as he reached in his pocket and took out his IPod. “Yes, that matches the shape that I saw… may I run some tests on it?” Emerald inquired. “No… sorry, but this is one of the only things that I have that can remind me of who I was…” Hige responded. “I understand.” He said. Emerald put Hige back into the talisman machine a few more times, before he decided to continue perfecting the process another day. The machine could turn a pony into their equivalent human form, but their motor skills, and most of their senses were lowered in the process. The entire line of tests lasted until sundown. Emerald decided to stay and catch up on some work. Hige decided to walk back to his room, and was promptly met with a door to the face as Shadow Step had opened it to leave, hitting him squarely in the nose. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She said in an apologetic tone. “Ahh god… Don’t worry.” He said as he covered his bleeding nose. “I’m really really sorry.” Shadow Step said as she extended a hoof. “I said not to worry, it doesn’t hurt that bad.” Hige admitted. “Do you want me to lead you to the infirmary?” Shadow Step asked. “Yes please...” Hige said with his ears folded down, waiting for her to take the lead. Shadow Step quickly started trotting away with Hige at her side, leading him to the infirmary. Once there, the nurse looked at Hige and gave him some rolled up tissue to stuff in his nose. She said that the bleeding would stop on its own, and that the tissues were there so that he wouldn’t make a mess. “Now what?” Hige asked as they walked out of the infirmary. “We could get some breakfast.” Shadow Step mentioned. “Okay.” Hige agreed. Shadow Step took a few steps and then stopped “Wait, can we make a small detour? I need to pick up a file for a new mission.” Shadow Step asked. “Sure, let’s go.” Hige said as he waited for Shadow Step to take the lead once more. It didn’t take very long for them to reach their destination. The room in question had a double door, one side had the symbol of the moon engraved in it, and the other had the symbol of the sun. As Shadow Step opened the door, Hige was able to see a table in the middle of the room with a map that covered the entire surface, various pins of different colors and shapes adorned the map. “You wanted to see me, sir?” Shadow Step said in a happy tone. “Yes, take a seat.” The voice answered. Shadow Step and Hige walked inside the room. The owner of the voice was a gray stallion. He wore the average royal armor. “Who’s your friend?” The stallion asked in curiosity. “Hige, this is Shining Armor. Shining Armor, this is Hige.” She said as she introduced them to each other. “Hello, Shining Armor.” Hige said as he extended his hand. “Hello, Hige.” He said with a grin as he extended his hoof and began to shake Hige’s hand. He took back his hoof and grew a serious expression. “Shadow Step, I have a new mission for you…” he said as he placed himself in front of Shadow Step “It’s him…” Shining Armor said in a grim tone. “Racer?” she asked in a nervous tone. “Yes. They believe he’s still alive.” he said, his tone apologetic and guilty. “How much time until I get sent out?” She asked in a serious tone. “Two weeks.” He said as he walked over to the desk in the corner of the room. “You can bring companions, but they have to meet the qualifications that are specified here.” He said as he took out a file from a drawer and placed it on the top of the desk. Shadow Step walked over to the desk “Taskforce qualification?” she asked. “Yes.” He replied in the same grim voice. “Okay.” she said “I’ll take my leave then…” she said as she grabbed the file and walked out, Hige following her closely. They both remained quiet until they reached the door to a strange room. The door to the room was bigger than any of the other doors, and it was engraved with the symbol of the moon. Shadow Step tapped a hoof on the door, and waited for an answer. Hige was surprised when the door began to glow a dark shade of blue and suddenly opened. He was even more surprised to see that it was Princess Luna waiting on the other side. “Hello, Sha-” Luna began, but stopped once she took a look at Shadow Step’s face. “You seem happy...” She stepped aside and let Shadow Step walk inside, closing the door shortly after. ‘Awkward… I should leave…’Hige thought as he began to leave, he stopped once he heard a murmur though. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate on his hearing. “They gave me the mission.” A voice Hige recognized as Shadow Step said, she seemed to be excited. “When?” A voice he recognized as Luna asked. “Two weeks from now.” Shadow Step answered. “What will you do?” Luna asked. “If there’s a chance Racer is alive, I’ll take it.” She answered. “But it’s suicide!” Luna exclaimed in anger “You wouldn’t understand...” Shadow Step replied in a strange tone. “You should be more worried about yourself…” Luna said, worry plain in her voice. “Worried? Yes I’m worried... But Racer means much more to me than that... ” She responded in a grim tone. ‘What the... whatever it is that they’re talking about, it’s none if my business...’ Not knowing where exacly he was inside the castle, Hige tried to retrace his steps, hoping to find some other area which he would be more familiar with. As he walked by the room where he had met Shining Armor, he noticed that he had forgotten to close the door when they had left. As he reached his hand inside the room to grab the door, Hige took a quick look around and saw Shining Armor resting his head against the desk. “Are you okay?” Hige asked in a worried tone. “Not in the mood…” Shining Armor answered in rather irritated voice. “Why?” Hige asked as he stepped inside the room. Shining Armor took a deep breath and raised his head off the desk, but made no effort to look at Hige. “Shadow Step... she’s going to get herself killed.” “W-what?” Hige asked in shock ‘Wait... What are you doing!? You heard THAT when you were eavesdropping!’ “Racer was part of the Night Guards and a very good ‘friend’ with Shadow Step... He was taken captive a few months back. We all thought he was dead, but the army commanders still thought he was alive. He was one of our best guards, and they would risk anything to get him back...” He turned his head to lock eyes with Hige “... They’d even sacrifice Shadow Step if it meant that they’d have a chance to get him back...” This chapter was pre-read by... Salacar. Also... I'm really sorry for the delay.
Chapter 3: Guilty Tidings‘No... No... NO!’ Hige thought to himself as he ran to his room. After hearing what Shining Armor had to say, he simply bolted out of the room. ‘Why do I feel so guilty? I only just met her... Why do I feel like I owe her? Why do I feel so sad...? She... She’s nothing to me, she’s just another pony.’ He kept thinking to himself. He reached his room, but didn't open the door. He rested his back against the door, slid down onto the floor, and slammed his head against the door a few times. “What’s wrong with me...?” he said with his ears folded back. Moments later Hige’s ears perked up as he heard hoofsteps walking towards him. Hige stood up and tried his best to look normal. He looked as the sounds he heard began to round the nearest corner in the hall: it was Emerald. “Hige! Just the bipedal monstrosity I wanted to see”, he said with a smile. “I’m going to Ponyville to pick up the results of the test Twilight took. I talked to Celestia, and seeing as how you were compliant today, she agreed on me taking you”, he said as he finally reached Hige. “Ponyville?” Hige asked. “The town where Twilight lives in”, he answered in a surprised tone. “Thought you would be familiar with that town....” “Oh...” “So, you wanna tag along? It’s better than walking around the castle all day.” ‘I need to get my mind off Shadow Step...’ “Sure, I’ll tag along”, Hige said with a small smile. “Great! But first, an experiment...” he said with a mischievous smile. “Put this on...” he said as he reached into his lab coat and took out a bracelet. “Okay”, Hige said as he grabbed the bracelet. “No questions? This is why I like you”, he said with a smile. Hige put on the bracelet and began to feel the same strange surge of energy he got from when he was in the strange talisman machine, but it was much stronger this time. As he looked at his hands, he saw that they began to glow a strange bright green color. His vision began to blur as the color intensified. Once he regained his vision and looked around, he noticed that his point of view has changed. “Perfect! I think... We’ll find out”, Emerald said as Hige looked around. “You turned me into a pony, didn't you?” Hige said as he remembered how he felt right after Twilight had turned him into a pony. He felt the same. “Indeed I have. Now let’s go!” Emerald said as he walked along the hall. They walked in silence. Emerald lead Hige to the same place where the Royal Guards had dropped Hige off right before they took him to the Royal Throne room. Emerald exchanged a few words with some of the guards that were surrounding a carriage. The guards let Emerald in the carriage and then signaled Hige to walk inside. Minutes passed before the silence was broken. “Something on your mind?” Emerald asked. “What? No...” Hige answered. “You sure? Considering your dilemma, it’s understandable.” “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it”, Hige said with a fake smile. “If you say so... You know you don’t have to come to the library with me. You can walk around if you want.” “Good to know”, Hige said as he began to think. The rest of the trip passed by in a few minutes. Once they reached Ponyville they went their separate ways. Emerald went to the library and Hige went to find a very special doctor. Hige followed the same trail that The Doctor took the first time they went to the great blue box. He walked to what he thought was the spot where the blue box was. ‘This should be it...’ Hige thought and almost on cue, the image of the tree behind him began to disrupt. Two brown limbs reached out and dragged Hige in. Once Hige looked around, he found himself in the blue box. “I thought I told you to come back when you were human. I’m guessing the spell will wear off soon?” The Doctor asked. “No.” Hige said as he reached to the bracelet, “It’s a different spell.” He took the bracelet off. There was a bright flash and Hige was turned to his normal ‘human’ form. “Brilliant! Let’s get started”, he said as he searched through a box. Seconds later his head popped up, he was wearing a pair of 3-D glasses. He got closer to Hige and began to look at him. “Hmm... I’m guessing the claws, the tail, and the ears are what you ment by ‘almost human’?” “Yes. What are you doing with those glasses?” Hige asked curiously. “I’m using them to see Void Stuff...” he answered. “Void Stuff?” Hige asked curiously. “Yes.” The Doctor flipped his head and threw the glasses into the air. They landed on Hige’s head. “Take a look.” “Okay...” Hige placed the glasses in front of his eyes and looked at himself. “I don’t see anything...” “Precisely! Now look at me.” Hige looked over at The Doctor. “You’re glowing?” Hige asked as he saw that The Doctor had a strange glowing aura around him. “That’s ‘Void Stuff’. You can see it on matter that has traveled through parallel dimensions. Strange thing is, you don’t have a trace... As if you aren’t from another dimension, which is even stranger considering your memories.” The Doctor explained. “Then why are you smiling?” Hige asked. The Doctor had maintained a strange smile ever since he’d put on the 3-D glasses. “Because I have no idea what’s going on!” He said excitedly. “But I promise you, I’m going to find out...” He looked at a screen that was connected on the control panel in the middle of the TARDIS. “If you do belong here, maybe you aren’t the first.” He began to type. “If there were more, wouldn’t they have remembered?” Hige asked. “People would forget, and the story would fade back into legend.” he answered. “But there's always someone that remembers the legend, even if they believe it or not. If what you’re saying is true, then that means that information about that legend was wiped clean.” Hige questioned. “Very clever, but that doesn't matter.” He said with a grin. “Do you know what TARDIS stands for?” he asked. “Not sure...” “Time And Relative Dimensions In Space”, he said with a grin. “It can travel through space AND time.” “So what are you planning on doing?” Hige asked. “I remember reading that in one point in Equestria’s history, various libraries were being burned down. If I’m right, that’s the point where the legend was wiped from history.” He explained, “That’s a fixed point in time, so we can’t alter it. We’re going to go there on the day it burned, and we’re retrieving the book.” He began to mess around with various knobs, buttons, and dials that were on the control panel. “Which book?” “Equestrian Folklore.” “Then what are we waiting for?” “For Ditsy to get back”, he said as he stopped messing around with the control panel. “Where is she?” “Sleeping.” “No I’m not!” Ditsy said as she popped out of the lower area of the TARDIS. “Since when were you up?” “Since I heard my name”, she said with a smile. “Well we’re going to a burning library to save a really important book. It’s called Equestrian Folklore.” “Adventure!” she exclaimed in a happy tone. “Are you ready?” The Doctor asked Hige. “I gues-” Hige tried to say. “ALLONS-Y!” The Doctor exclaimed as he pulled a lever causing the TARDIS to shake. Hige was taken by surprise, but was able to keep his balance while the TARDIS violently shook. Moments later, it finally stopped. The Doctor looked into his box again and took out three small spray canisters. “Both of you take one”, he said as he threw Ditsy and Hige a cannister. “It’s like a mini-fire extinguisher. Should help with any fire that comes along. Now let’s get that book.” The three parted from the TARDIS and split up. The Doctor continued to go forward, Ditsy flew up to the upper left levels, and Hige went right. The fire was just starting, so most of the books were safe, and the structure was still stable. ‘What the...’ Hige thought as he rested his weight against the wall. ‘I can’t... Think straight.’ Hige’s vision began to blur. ‘Dammit, Hige, concentrate!’ he screamed in his head. He forced himself to walk, his vision returning to normal. ‘That’s better. Now to find that book.’ Hige looked around and found himself surrounded by books. ‘I have no idea what I’m doing...’ Hige thought. He was lost and had no clue what to do. He looked at one of the halls and it read Fiction. ‘Must be there...’ He ran towards the hall and looked at both of the walls of books. There were hundreds on each side. ‘This place is going to burn down anyways, no need to be gentle.’ Hige looked at the books, if it wasn't the one he was looking for he would simply throw it to the ground to avoid any further confusion if that same book caught his eye again. -five minutes later- “AHHHHHH!” Hige screamed in frustration as he took down the last few books on the shelves. “Dammit” He said as he pushed the shelf to the ground “Never going to find that book! The only chance I get, and I’m wasting it!”. “Who goes there!?” A voice said. Hige popped his head out of the hall to find a unicorn mare floating a lantern was looking at him. “Trespasser!” she screamed as she levitated handcuffs and ran towards Hige. “Not in the-” Hige screamed when a sudden pain in his head forced him to his knees. “A-are you okay? Can you speak?” The mare asked worriedly after Hige fell to his knees. “I-I mean, you’re under arrest.” She floated the cuffs behind Hige. “Leave me ALONE!” Hige yelled at the top of his lungs. The mare was taken by surprise, the cuffs fell to the ground. “W-What are you!?” she screamed in fear. “Shut up!” Hige screamed in anger. He took quick, shallow breaths for a few short moments. “No no no no! What the hell is happening to me?!” Hige couldn’t think straight, his mind was clouded with anger. “Need to get out of here...” Hige murmured. “N-No... You need to come with me...” The mare said trying to reassert herself. “I’m not-” Hige ears perked up as her heard a strange noise coming from the book next to him. He grabbed the book and opened it. “You need to-” she said, but stopped as she saw a strange red glow coming out of the book. “What is that-” Hige tossed the book far away. A high pitched shriek caused Hige to cover his ears as a series of fiery explosion ignited the library. “No! Not yet!” Hige said in reaction. “Forget it... You, we need to go”, Hige said to the mare. The newfound adrenaline made it easy to ignore the dizziness. He got up and walked to the TARDIS. “What is happening!?” She said as she followed Hige. “Who are you?” “No time, just run!” As they reached a large doorway the sound of creaking wood caused Hige to stop in his tracks. “Stop!” Hige said, but was unable to warn the mare fast enough before a pile of flaming rubble broke off from the ceiling and killed the mare in her tracks. Hige looked at the doorway, which now had a pile of flaming rubble at the bottom. Hige threw the can at the fire. He stepped back and waited. The moment he heard the pressure building up in the can and saw it was forcing some of the liquid out through the nozzle, he ran. As he reached the flaming pile, the can exploded, but barely made a difference in the fire. Hige was going too fast to stop. He leaped into the air and dug his nails into top of the frame and used it to keep himself away from the fire. He made the jump and landed a safe distance from the fire. He looked forward and saw that Ditsy and The Doctor were both making their way to the TARDIS. They were going to reach it at the same time. Hige ran as fast as he could. The Doctor threw the keys into the air and caught it in his mouth by the time he got close to the doors. He quickly opened the TARDIS. Hige and Ditsy quickly ran inside. Hige closed the door. “What happened?!” Hige heard Ditsy in a scared tone. As he turned, he saw that half of The Doctor’s body was severely burned. “Don’t worry...” He said forcefully “I just need.” The Doctor pulled out a strange jar with cables connected to the control panel of the TARDIS. Inside was what seemed to be a severed pony limb that seemed to match The Doctor’s coat. With one pained grunt, The Doctor exploded into a cloud of yellow dots that seemed to be reaching out to the jar. As the cloud diminished, there was a bright flash from where The Doctor used to stand. Once Hige looked back, he saw The Doctor. Not a single scratch on him. “Allons-Y!” The Doctor said as he pulled a lever causing the the familiar shaking as before. The shaking didn't take Hige by surprise, but as the adrenaline left his body, he began to feel dizzy. He lost his balance and was smashed against the door of the TARDIS. Luckly he was able to hang on to the doorway. Once the shaking stopped, the dizziness began to fade. It only took a few seconds for Hige to feel comfortable enough to stand up. “What happened!?” Hige asked in shock referring to when The Doctor exploded. “He regenerated!” Ditsy answered in a happy tone. “What? Regenerated?” “Yes. It’s a way us Timelords cheat death”, The Doctor explained. “Then why were you burned?” “I found the book and was making my way to the TARDIS when suddenly the shelf beside be burst into flames. I was carrying the book on my back, so part of it got burned... I knew there was something odd...” he said with regret. “The books”, Hige said. “What?” “The books. That’s what caused the explosion. I was talking-” Hige stopped as he remembered the mare that had died. He clenched his fist. “What’s wrong?” Ditsy asked with a worried look. “There... There was a mare... She was guarding the library.” “What happened?” she asked. “She died. Part of the roof broke off and killed her...” Hige explained. “It would have been worse if she would have made it here...” The Doctor murmured. “And what the hell does that mean!?” Hige screamed in anger. “She was better off dying back there...” The Doctor said deep in thought. “You... You...” Hige said as he tried to think of something, his anger slowly growing. “Forget it.” Hige put his hand in his pocket and took out the bracelet. He walked to the doors of the TARDIS, put on the bracelet, and walked out the door. Neither of them said a word. Ditsy looked at The Doctor and Hige who’d walked out the door. She flew out the door and looked for Hige. He was was barely a few feet away of fromTARDIS. “Hige!” She said trying to get his attention. “What...” Hige said. He didn't look back and he didn't stop. Ditsy was hovering over him. “Stop! Please...” She said in a worried tone. Hige stopped. Ditsy landed right in front of him and looked at him straight in the eyes. Hige’s eyes were red and he seemed to be fighting back tears. “I’m sorry... He didn't mean to say that... It’s just that he has to follow a set of rules. He couldn’t have saved her even if he wanted to”, she tried to explain. “Why?” Hige asked. “Because she was supposed to die. If you would have brought her back, we would have had to leave her... He only said it was best because if she would have had reached the TARDIS...” “We would have had to kill her on purpose...” Hige finished. “Yes. Imagine how that would have bad us feel.” “I’m guessing that’s happened before.” “Yes... It has... Don’t take it too seriously when he acts like it’s nothing. He has to deal with many burdens. “Well... Tell him I’m sorry. Don’t take it personally, but I really don’t want to be in the TARDIS after what happened.” Hige said. “I understand. Guess I’ll see you later...” she said as she walked back to the TARDIS. “Good luck”, she said as she passed by his side. ‘Shadow Step...’ Hige though as he walked to the library. ‘... She’s... She was the first to smile. Ever since I got here everyone has been weary of me. Maybe Twilight warmed up to me, but I could still see she was nervous around me... But Shadow Step. The second she saw me walking out of the throne room, she smiled... I almost killed a mare, and she smiled. I walked out of the throne room thinking that, after that, nobody was going to get close to me, but she... She made me believe. Her, Emerald, and Shining Armor... They made me feel normal...’ Hige reached the library and placed a hoof on the door. ‘I guess that’s why I feel so guilty... I owe her.’ Hige opened the door and walked inside. The room was empty. Spike walked by with a handful of books and placed them in front of a shelf. He said that they were in the basement. Hige asked if he needed any help organizing. Spike accepted the offer. He was just about done, but there were two stack of books that needed to be reshelved. One of the stacks was on the table and the other was next to Spike. Spike explained where to shelve them, and they both began to reshelve. Once done, Hige walked to the basement. He walked down the stairs, but tripped on a broken step. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked in a worried tone as she used her magic to help him up. “Fine... I think.” He said with a smile as he got on his hooves. He looked around “What happened here?” The room looked like it had been raided. The machines were tipped, the papers were shredded, and the machines that weren't tipped seemed like they were beaten to death by a rock. “I’m not sure. I went to sleep, and it was like this when I came here. Didn’t hear a thing”, she answered. “Couldn’t even get the results...” “Hige, show her the bracelet”, Emerald said quickly changing the subject. “Oh right.” Hige said as he raised his hoof. Once Twilight saw the bracelet, he took it off. There was a flash, and Hige turned back to his human form. Emerald and Twilight began to talk about the bracelet. Hige placed his hands in his hoodie and walked around the room waiting for them to finish. As he looked around, he saw a scratch on the wall that caught his attention. ‘That’s weird...’ Hige thought as he looked at his hand. There were five claw marks on the wall. ‘It can’t be...’ Hige placed his hand on the wall. His claws matched with the claw marks. Hige took a few steps back as he let what he just learned sink in. He tripped over one of the tipped machines. Hige smashing against the hull of the machine caused Twilight and Emerald to end their conversation. “You okay back there?” Emerald asked as he walked over. “Yeah, fine. I’m still a wee bit tipsy I guess”, Hige said in an embarrassed tone. “Indeed you are. We should get going, there’s nothing more to do here”, Emerald said as he and Twilight walked upstairs, Hige catching up. Once they all got to the library, Emerald remembered he left something downstairs, and went back down, leaving Hige and Twilight alone. “Good to see that you’re okay”, she said with a smile. “I was surprised too. Thought they’d seal me in a dungeon or something.” Hige replied with a smile. “So what did you do to get on Celestia’s good side?” she asked curiously. “Nothing... Just happened I guess...” “Oh... Well at least I can tell everyone you’re all right, I’m tired of saying I don’t know.” “Who do you mean by ‘they’?” “Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack mostly”, she answered. “Oh...” “They were really curious about how you turned out after that strange introduction you gave us.” “And how’s Rainbow Dash?” “She’s fine. She’s just a little grumpy since she’s grounded for the next few days.” “So nothing permanent?” “No, nothing at all”, Twilight answered. Emerald walk up the stairs and signaled for Hige to follow him out the door. After a short goodbye, Hige and Emerald departed. Hige put on his bracelet, and walked over to the carriage. It was a silent trip to the castle. Emerald seemed like he was deep in thought, so Hige made no attempt to interrupt him. Once they reached the castle, Emerald quickly made his way to the lab and Hige walked over to his room. ‘I should get something to eat...’ Hige thought as he changed his trajectory. When he entered the dining room, he found the dining table already had food on it. The chef looked over at Hige with a strange look. “Who are you?” The chef asked. Hige realized that he hadn’t taken off the bracelet yet. Once he took it off and he reverted to his human form, the chef smiled. “Oh, sorry about that. I know everypony in the castle, you took me by surprise.” “No worries”, Hige said with a smile. “Well, feel free to eat what’s on the table. I made it for Shadow Step and Luna, but I doubt they’ll eat it all and I bet they won’t mind.” “I’d rather wait for them to get here first...” Hige replied. “That must be them”, the chef said as the sound of the dining room’s door opening reached their ears. “It was nice talking to you...” Hige said waiting for the chef to say his name. “Gustaf”, he answered. “Well see you later, Gustaf.” Hige walked into the dining room. “Hige! Funny seeing you here”, Shadow Step said in surprise with Luna behind her. “Yeah. I was thinking of getting a bite to eat before I went to sleep”, Hige replied. “Sleeping? At this hour?” Luna asked in surprise. “Yes. I’m more of a night person”, Hige answered with a smile. “Well feel free to join us”, Shadow Step said as she walked to the table. “Don’t mind if I do.” The three of them walked down the table, Hige sat opposite from Luna and Shadow Step. ‘This is a weird feeling... Talking to someone that you know is going to die.’ Hige thought. There was an eerie silence in the room. ‘Luna... She keeps looking at Shadow Step... Doesn't say anything, but looks at her with a strange face... Worried? Scared? Angry? Dammit, I can’t let her die!’ Hige thought, pushing his chair away from the table. “I just remembered I had to go talk to Emerald”, Hige said. “Don’t let us keep you”, Shadow Step said. “Okay. Guess I’ll see you two around.” “It’s been a pleasure meeting you”, Luna said as Hige walked away. Hige gave a nod in reply. Hige walked out of the dining room with new-found hope. ‘Okay, how do I help Shadow Step?’ Hige thought as he slowly began to lower his pace. ‘Wait...’ Hige thought as he stopped walking. ‘I have no idea what I’m doing...’ Author’s note: And with this, A Life Forgotten goes on a short Hiatus while I finish Lost In the Dark. Sorry -_-” Can’t handle too many stories at a time, and I just want to get one of them out of the way...
Notice: CancelledI've come to realize that the 3rd person perspective I've been using for this story will, in the end, ruin the story since many of the concepts I'm using are dependent on the mane (heh) characters emotions, thoughts and feeling. I'm cancelling this story to start a new version. New title and maybe a new name for the main character and work off some of the feedback I got. I'm really sorry, but considering how long it's been since I even updated this story I'd imagine most have forgotten most of the details, if not all, of the older chapters... I know I have... Well that's is. If you have any ideas on how I can improve the story I'd be happy to hear them!
