Lost

Lost.

   I sometimes think about the day I met him, that lonely lost soul. It's been so long I can barely remember anymore, of course that's still better than the shape I found him. He didn't remember anything.

    It was a bright day outside, not that I was getting to enjoy it. It was just another day in the mines, like so many others and yet so different in the end. For it was the day that I found it, or more correctly found him. The boss had just finished chewing me out for once again not filling my quota of crystals. Why the unicorns needed so many I never knew.

   I was on my way back out of the caves when I heard it.

   “Hey you there!"

   Stopping and glancing around I didn't see anypony. "Um hello?"

   "Down here."

   Looking down I still didn't see anyone.

   "Still can't see you"

   "Well of course not! You're standing on me"

    Hastily taking a step back I saw..... What appeared to be a small gemstone, not unlike the ones I mined everyday

    "The crystal?"

   "Yes the crystal, now that we have that out of the way. What are you doing here?"

   "I work here." I managed to stammer out, still not believing that I was talking to a crystal.

    Looking back I must have looked crazy, standing there talking to a rock. Heck I thought I was crazy. Hello brain, anyone one home? Nope logic has checked out for the day.

   "I see and where exactly are we?"

   "Under Canterlot"

    "Canterlot?"

    ".......the city above us"

   "Fascinating, there wasn't a city up there when I got here"

   "And how long have you been here?"

    "... I .... I don't know anymore."

    "You don't know?"

    "It's been so long I've lost track"

   "Well it's been nice talking to you but I gotta go."

    And with that I started to beat a hasty retreat, I was still unsure of whether it was safe talking to it. Just as I was about to slip away it called out.

   "Wait! Take me with you!"

   "And why should I do that?"

    "Because I haven't seen the outside in so long and I want to see this ‘Canterlot’ you speak of. Besides it won't take much effort to take me with you, I'm not exactly large you know"

    Now I'm not a cruel or mean pony. No I was a very caring pony but the fact that a rock was telling what to do was to much to take in at the minute. And so I ran, I ran out of the caves like they were the gates of Tartarus.

    That night was torture. I lay in my bed at home tossing and turning. It was all I could think about. The crystal danced upon my dreams. Ran through my mind when I woke up and occupied my every thought. What was it? How can it talk? How long has it been down there?

    Well at least I could answer how long it had been down there, at least a little bit. The city of Canterlot was thousands of years old, and the town that had been there before that for longer than anypony could remember. They said that it was there before the two sisters were born and their age has long since been lost.

   Had it been there all along? Alone?

   How could anypony be there that long? How was it still sane? How did it get there?

    I don't know when I decided, but before the sun had risen it's rays and the moon had laid down it's burden. I had made up my mind to find the crystal again.

    For better or worse.

    The day passed by faster than I ever thought possible. For once I did my shift and filled my quota without complaints, my boss remarking that if I worked like this every day he would be able get me better hours. I didn't care, I just needed to get finished so I could search for it.

     Dashing up the side tunnels, I started my search. I must have walked by it 3 times without noticing it.

    Why was it not calling out to me? Was it angry that I had left it there the day before?

    I was just about to give up for the day when it spoke.

    "Well while it was certainly amusing watching you scurry around looking, I do believe that you walked past me a few times already."

   "Why didn't you say something then?"  I huffed  angrily.

   "Well you did leave me down here. For the first pony I can remember you weren't very nice at all."

   "Forgive me but a rock was talking to me, well it's still talking to me but that's besides the point."

   "The fact that you are still talking does makes it a very valid point indeed."

   "Look I came to get you if you still want to get out of this mine."

   ".... Why didn't you say so?"

    At this point I had almost decided to leave and try again the next day. As I was turning to leave, it called out.

   "Wait!! Please take me with you."

   "Why didn't you say so." I repeated back its earlier question.

(Chuckles)

   Tucking it into my saddlebag I started back up towards the entrance to the mines.

   Suddenly I remembered that I never got its name, if it had one.

   "So what's your name by the way?"

   "My name?"

   "Yes your name. You do have one don't you?"

   "Why.... I can't remember. I know I have one but... I just can't seem to remember it."

   "WAIT WHAT?!" How can you not remember your own name?

    "It's been so long since I've used it that I think that I just forgot about it and just moved on."

     How long had he been down here? I mean how could somepony forget their very own name? It was beyond belief.  I found that I had stopped in my shock.

    "Excuse me but I do believe that we were leaving if I’m not mistaken."

    "HUH? Oh right yes we were leaving."

   A little while later we had reached the exit. The sun was streaming in from the exit, a sure sign that the day was almost over.

  "So this is sunlight."

   Once again he had surprised me with his lack of knowledge of the outside world. I mean how could somepony forget about the sun? Again I found myself drawn back to the question of just how long he had been down in these  mines. Nevertheless it was a beautiful day outside even if I had missed most of my time to enjoy it, seeing as I had been busy searching for the crystal.

I didn't waste any time and headed straight home that day, which was odd because I normally never missed an opportunity to enjoy the day. But really who can blame me, I had just taken a talking rock home and was planning on showing it the city.

It was then that everything started to unravel.