Prologue - Something's Coming...
Memories Forgotten
By: Ephraim Blue
Prologue - Something's Coming...
???
It's behind me, I can tell. I don't need to look back to know that it's there. It's been following me ever since I found out about it.
I need to get away. I need to find a way to defeat it. Actually, I found out how to do that, but I cannot do it. But I know who can. I need to find her. She is Equestria's only hope.
This is all my fault. All of it. If I have to take the blame for all of this, I will. This evil that's following me; it's my fault that it's free. Mine, and mine alone.
I don't know this evil, but I know it's purpose. I learned that the hard way. This evil, it seeks out those who know about it. It will not rest until those who know about it are nothing but a blank slate. And that's why I have to run; because it is ultimately after me.
It's getting stronger, that's for certain. It gets stronger by turning ponies into nothing. They are no longer who they seem to be after it gets them. They lose themselves, it seems to be. They become a part of the evil, and they do it's bidding.
I shouldn't have done this. I regret every decision I've made up to this point. Leaving my comforting home of Ponyville for adventure, finding it, and releasing this evil.
I'm probably not remembered at all back in Ponyville. After all, who would remember a stallion like me? I've been gone for about two years now, so it would be highly unlikely that any of them remember me.
And now, our only hope resides in that small town. That's why I'm going back today. I should be there by the time the sun rises tomorrow, if not sooner.
I know that she can help us all. Even if I haven't been heard from in two years, she certainly has. Everywhere I went, there was some kind of news about her.
Two years ago, she inspired me to go and do something with my life. She taught me- no. She taught us not to sit around and hope that some of the royal guard will take care if it.
This is all my fault. My fault that the rest of them fell to the evil. I never adventured alone, that was a fact before all of this happened. We were a crew of five that went on adventures together.
The first one of us was Angel Wings; a pegasus mare with a long mane that curled at the tip with a matching tail. Her coat was an orange and her mane and tail were red. She was the one who got us all together and wanted us to go adventuring with her. She was always finding some way to get something more out of her life. After that night two years ago, she got us all together.
Then there was Pitch Black; a blue pegasus stallion with a black and white mane and tail that split at the end. He was my best friend for the longest time. When Angel Wings got us together, he was at first against the idea of us leaving the comfort of his home just to experience some adventuring. But after some time, he eventually gave in and came with us all.
The third member was my older sister, Clouded Hooves. Her mane an tail were a black color, and her coat was a bright white. She got her name for having her coat around her hooves a slight shade of gray mixed in. She and I were both earth ponies that had peaceful and quiet lives before this happened.
The fourth was a unicorn stallion by the name of Dust Storm. He had a green coat and an orange mane. He was good at creating some wind currents that blew some clouds and dust around him. He had sometimes worked with the pegasi in Ponyville whenever they needed some help with moving the clouds around. But after a pegasus by the name of Rainbow Dash moved into Ponyville, they no longer needed his help. That's when he decided to join our group in case we needed his help.
Then there was me. My name is Swift Hoof. My coat green, and my mane and tail were a dark shade of blue. I joined because my sister and friend did, and I didn't want to leave then to an adventure while I stayed back in Ponyville.
We all traveled by hoof from town to town, occasionally grabbing new supplies, and always finding something new to explore. We always got some news about something happening in Ponyville. If it weren't for that news, I wouldn't be heading back.
Anyway, we found this temple one day. We all went in, but eventually became separated. I may not know what the others went through, but I know what happened with me.
I found a book full of ancient text. All of it was translated on another page that someone wrote down. The page was covered in big, red letters that read: DO NOT READ! Of course, being the adventurer I was, I didn't pay attention to them.
I learned about the evil that slept whilst none knew about it. That's what caused it to awake. I moved away from the book, laughing a bit at the 'fantasy' I thought it was. Not long passed before I heard something following me. I turned around and saw a shadowy version of myself following me.
I freaked out when it showed no sign of slowing. I ran down the hallway, hoping to get away. It continued to follow me as I ran through the temple. I eventually found my friends and told them about what I read and that it was chasing me. That was my biggest mistake, but I didn't realize it then.
They laughed until they saw it for themselves. I backed away while they tried to face off the shadow version of me. Nothing worked on it; magic, flying, nothing. As soon as something made contact, it was absorbed. Nothing worked on it.
And then the screaming came from the monster. As it did, a black fluid flowed from the floor around it and engulfed my friends. All flying did in the confined corridors was slow it down. The fluid flowed across the walls and dripped from the ceiling onto Angel Wings and Pitch Black.
Once they were engulfed in the fluid, they changed. They didn't seem to care about anything anymore. Instead, they trudged forward like the creature, emotionless. I fled from them too, trying to get away from it all.
I fled from town to town, trying to get them off my trail. But no matter where I went, they followed and did the same to all the townsfolk there. They all became emotionless and began to chase me as well.
Ponyville is my last hope now. I've tired myself out all over the west side of Equestria, and I can't run for too much longer. She has to be able to help, or all of Equestria is doomed.
Maybe I should have given in long ago. If I'm the only one who knows about it now, then it should stop after I give in to it.
No! No, I can't. I can't take that chance. Besides, half of Equestria is under its influence. If what the book said was true, then the only way to defeat it is to-
*SMACK*
Chapter 1 - Lost
Ponyville Castle
A loud thud echoed through Twilight's castle, making her ears perk up at the sound. She looked behind her, expecting it to be close. Nothing was behind her.
"Spike?" she called through the hallways. "Spike, did you drop something?"
"Spike?" her voice echoed back. "Spike, did you drop something?" That was the annoying part of her castle; the echoes. They always talked back to her, even when she didn't want them to.
No reply came, which either meant the echoing halls never reached Spike, or he wasn't listening. Or sleeping. He was usually sleeping. Or maybe he just wasn't answering. Or maybe-
"Twilight?" Spike's voice echoed through the halls. "Twilight, did you hear that?"
Twilight shook her head at her assistant's voice. He hadn't heard her, but he heard the same sound she did. She stepped out into the halls, hoping to find any of two things.
Spike ran through the halls and bumped into Twilight as she calmly walked through the halls. Well, Twilight thought, that's one thing I was looking for...
"Twilight!" Spike called from the floor he sat on after falling from the sudden collision. He got up and dusted off his scales, though is seemed a bit unnecessary. "Did you hear that weird sound earlier?"
"Yes, I did," Twilight answered. "Did you drop something?"
Spike shook his head. "No, I heard the noise and called out to you to see if you heard it."
"I did hear it," Twilight said, "but do you know what caused it?" Again, Spike shook his head. Twilight sighed. "It's fine," she said. "I don't know what caused it either."
Suddenly, several sounds echoed through the halls of Twilight's castle, coming from their left. Twilight and Spike turned in its direction, only for it to stop.
"I wasn't imagining that, right?" Spike asked.
"No..." Twilight said. "I heard it too."
The sound came again, more rapid this time. Although, that's not all that was heard.
"Twilight, open up!" a quiet voice called, as if it were muffled by something.
Although Spike had turned his head in confusion at the sound, Twilight realized what was going on. The sound was knocking, and someone was at Twilight's doorstep. She ran through the halls.
All the halls looked the same, but Twilight knew her way around. She spent two weeks memorizing the layout of the castle and where all the rooms were. It was difficult, but if she could memorize the location of every book in the Golden Oaks Library, she could memorize the way around her new home.
She eventually found the front door to her massive castle and heard one of her friend's voices behind them.
"Twilight, open up!" It was Rainbow Dash behind the door... And she sounded worried.
Twilight opened the door nada saw her friend's face. A sense of worry flowed through her when she saw the worry implanted on her friend's face. "Rainbow, what's wrong?"
"That's what's wrong Twilight!" she almost yelled back, pointing a hoof behind her, just outside of Twilight's vision. Twilight stepped outside and looked behind her friend. What she saw made her gasp.
A stallion lied on the ground, almost directly in front of her castle's door. His coat was green, while his mane was a dark blue; both were hideously filthy, as if they hadn't been washed in several days. Rarity would have a fit if she saw this! Twilight thought. But... who was this stallion?
The other thing she took note of was his cutie mark. Though his coat was dirty, she could still see it. To her, it looked as if it were a checkered flag. Why would a stallion have a checkered flag as a cutie mark? Was he a referee of some sort?
"I found him slumped against your door Twilight," Rainbow said. "I heard a thud and came flying down. He's unconscious, and I didn't know who else to talk to!"
"What about the hospital?" Twilight asked.
"They're not open this late Twilight." Only now did Twilight take the opportunity to look around at Luna's night sky. Rainbow was right. The hospital closes at 9:00, and it was clearly past then. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't take this stallion there. "Also, he's only unconscious."
"Right..." Twilight said. "Well, help me bring him inside. We can't leave him out here all night." Rainbow obliged and hoisted the stallion onto her, and the two of them brought him into Twilight's huge castle.
They(After a long series of getting lost and a bit of arguing about where to go) eventually found one of the bedrooms of the castle and set the stallion down on the bed. "Well," Rainbow began, "what now?"
"We wait," Twilight said. Rainbow gave her a confused look before she continued. "This stallion is unconscious, and we don't know when he'll wake up. He doesn't appear to have any physical injuries, and he needs rest. When he wakes up, then we can ask why he was on my front door."
"Oh," Rainbow said, nodding. "So, is there anything you might need Twilight?"
She smiled. "Not tonight, no," she answered. "I think I'll be fine, and our guest here probably won't be needing anything. And don't worry about wondering who this stallion is. If I find out anything, I'll let you and the girls know."
Rainbow nodded. "Gotcha Twi!" she said excitedly. She turned to leave, but stopped mid-turn. She looked back at Twilight with an embarrassing smile on her face. "Umm, which way is out?"
Carrot Family Farm
Carrot Top made her way back to her carrot farm, even though she should have been back hours ago. Her family was almost certainly worried about her. If not, then they were asleep.
She took a quick glance at the sky before she entered her home. Dark clouds filed the sky, and seemed to fly ever closer to her location. Though, they were still pretty far away, and moved very slowly.
"That's strange," she said for none to her. "I don't recall the pegasi planning a thunderstorm this week." She shrugged and looked quickly at the ground. "I guess it must be some malfunction in Cloudsdale. Even though, I should prepare for the worst."
She began to look at the sky once again, but something fought her eye. She glanced in its direction.
Faintly, on the horizon, she could see the familiar shape of a pony. She squinted her eyes, but found it impossible to make out who it was. "Hello?" she called as loud as she could to the figure.
Nothing happened.
"Carrot Top?" That voice caused her to turn in the direction of her front door, which opened not soon after. "What are you doing out this late at night?"
"Sorry mom," she replied. "Busy day at work again."
"Who were you calling to?" her mom asked.
She pointed a hoof to the hill where she saw the figure of a pony. "I saw somepony on the horizon over there."
Her mom stepped outside of the house and looked in the direction her hoof was pointed. "Carrot, there's nopony there."
"Of course there is!" she objected. "Do you think I would... make... this... up?" She had turned her head in the direction she was pointing.
Surprisingly, there was nopony there.
"But... I'm certain I saw someone there!"
"You're just tired dear," he mother explained. "'Rough day at work', remember?"
She blushed slightly at her mom's statement. "Right..." Maybe I did make it up... she thought.
"Come inside dear. You need some rest." Carrot Top nodded at her mother's words, and followed her into the house. But not before sneaking another look at the hill she once saw the figure.
Nothing was there.
???
He awoke with a huge gasp. His eyes shot open and looked around the space he occupied.
Darkness all around.
He didn't know why, but he freaked out. He was on a soft and slightly fuzzy surface, and that prevented his struggles.
"W- Where am I?" he asked. "What is this around me?"
One final question struck his mind before he hit the floor hard.
"Who am I?"
Author's Note
Lost is a word with several meanings. It could mean that you've lost something important to you, or it could mean that you haven't the slightest clue to where you are. It works for both cases in this chapter. The stallion is both lost, and has lost something important.
