A Life Forgotten (Cancelled)

Author'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.