I awoke in a daze, slowly opening my eyes as the surrounding blurriness faded. I found myself lying face down on the floor of a forest, not knowing how I came to be there. Sitting up, I noticed a light through the trees, and the distant sound of happy voices and music. Slowly climbing to my feet, I started to shamble towards the laughter as I tried to figure out where I was.
Once I reached the tree line, I stood in shock at the small medieval village below me. I also noticed that the people I was looking for weren’t people at all, but half human and half equine in nature. I immediately looked down at my hands and found that they were dark, covered in blue fur. “What in the name of all that is holy happened to me?”
Looking at the rest of me, I found that I was wearing a faded tan tunic and plain black waistband with a black and white streaked tail poking out the back of it, my face was now elongated, and my feet were now hooved. Thankfully, I kept my hands, because I doubt I’d be able to worm my way out of here on four legs I wouldn’t be able to use. Still, I was fascinated by the creature I had become. What am I?
While I took in my new form, I took note of a tattoo on my right arm. It was a blank scroll with a quill, that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there before I woke up. “Hmm… it’s not exactly a tattoo. It seems to be part of the fur, dying the individual hairs. How is that possible?” I contemplated.
“Why dost thou converse with thyself?” A voice asked.
I stood frozen as I slowly turned to where the voice had come from. I saw a Unicorn. At least what I thought was a Unicorn, sitting against a tree only a few feet away from me. As I stood there, staring, she got to her feet…uh hooves, and dusted off her dress. “Fancy yourself a midnight’s jaunt?” She asked. “I, myself, find tis to be a relaxing evening.”
“Well, I do like the night. And the stars are beautiful.” I stammered. I placed my hand on my head and touched something hard and bony, spiraled with grooves, and about a foot long. “Woah. I have a horn— Why do I have a horn on my head?”
The unicorn merely giggled at my apparent freakout. “Perchance thou art a Unicorn. Hath thee never noticed?”
I just stood there and stared at her with my hand still on my horn. “Nooo. I’ve never had a horn before. So, this is very confusing. Where am I anyway?”
I looked down at the village, with torches lit, and listened to the music and laughter that floated up from the center of it. When I turned back to the woman, I noticed that she hadn’t taken her eyes off of me. She was kind of attractive, in a weird way. Short lavender hair—or was it a mane?—, piercing baby blue eyes, purple coat, nice figure, and a few inches shorter than I was. Her blue dress was about knee length, and I noticed a tattoo like mine over her left breast. But hers was of a starburst surrounded by a rainbow aura, much like a light glare on a camera. She had an inquisitive look on her face as I looked over to her.
“Thou art in Starshine Village. Where dost thee hail from?” She asked.
I stared down at the lights and shadows of the small town. “I’m not exactly sure. I woke up a little while ago in the forest. I have no idea how I got there or what I was turned into.”
She simply sat back down, leaning on the tree again, with a relaxed expression on her face. “I believe that thee art experiencing a crisis. I cannot help when I do not know the problem. Come, sit with me and tell of thy tale.”
I was extremely hesitant on sitting next to this stranger, but I reasoned she might be able to help with my displacement crisis. I mustered up the courage to walk over and lean against an adjacent tree, watching the village. “What exactly are they celebrating anyway?”
“Oh, merely the signing of a treaty with the Pegasi colonies,” she responded. “Now, we art capable of having better weather than trying to manipulate it ourselves.”
I was skeptical about that. Controlling weather? But, I accepted the existence of Pegasi since I’m having a chat with a Unicorn. “You know? I don’t believe I caught your name.”
“Perhaps because I hath not given it. My name is Shimmering Aura. Might I hath the pleasure of knowing yours?” The Unicorn asked as she looked over to me, a smile on her lips.
I faltered under her smile. I blushed as I responded. “Uh, I don’t have a name from here. What are you, anyway?”
“Oh? Well, I am a pony. A Unicorn to be precise,” she said, with a raised eyebrow. “If thee are not a pony, what are you?”
So, she was a Unicorn. “A pony? I guess it could’ve been weirder. I was human. Kinda like you, minus the fur and hooves. And, since I don’t have a proper name, I need a new one.”
“A new name? Maybe thou can figure a name from thy cutie mark.”
“My what now?”
“Thy cutie mark, upon thy arm. It tells of a pony’s talent. Though, the mark upon thee is unique and I cannot find purpose in it. What is thy talent, ‘Human’?” She asked, confused.
I didn’t really have a talent. “Uh, well, I did like to write stories—” I managed to stammer.
“Oh, so thou art a storyteller? Mayhaps you could grace me with a story,” Aura interrupted. “I find myself lacking a good tale as of late.”
“Huh? Oh, I suppose I could tell you a story. But, maybe later?”
“Of course. A name based on storytelling? ‘Enchanting Tale’ perchance? Maybe ‘Alluring Story’?”
I laughed a bit, before seeing that she looked quite serious. I blushed. “Not to sound offensive. But, those sound like female names. How about something simple, like the description of the ‘cutie mark’? Um, what about ‘Blank Scroll’?”
She looked thoughtful as she gazed at my arm. “Blank Scroll? Maybe tis the start of a new tale. The next part of thy life? I quite fancy it.”
I was glad that I had a name for wherever I was, but I still wanted to know more about the land and those that inhabited it. “Hey Aura? I was wondering if you would show me around your village. I’d like to know more about this place.”
Her ears perked up when I said her name. That’s adorable. “Why, sure. It is of no consequence. Follow me.”