“You think he's alive? What if he doesn't wake up?”
“Will you relax. I checked his pulse, and he's fine.” Those were the first two things I heard before opening my eyes. The first two things I saw were two ponies. One of them is a purple unicorn with pink and purple stripes in her mane and tail. The other one was all pink, and her mane and tail looked like something out of a cotton candy machine.
I didn't know where I was, nor how I got here, but all of a sudden, the pink pony noticed that I opened my eyes and told the purple unicorn, “oh, he's waking up!”
“Pinkie, calm down. You don't want to scare him. We don't know what he went through to get here.” I slowly started to sit up, and everything about me was aching. My head, back, flank, legs, wings, you name it. “Hello,” the purple unicorn said to me. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. My friend, Pinkie Pie, found you after she was talking to herself.”
“I was not talking to myself, I was talking to our audience watching at home.” Wait, am I on some sort of show? I couldn't be. It all seems too real.
“Pinkie,” Twilight said through her teeth. “You might want to stay quiet for now.”
“But how can I stay quiet after what just happened?”
“What did just happen?” I managed to say after my vision became clear. Seems like I was in the outskirts of a town, and behind me was something of a forest, although it felt like it's constantly dark and scary. Probably would be best if I avoided going in it.
“Oh,” Twilight started, “you haven't heard?”
“Princess Celestia once had to banish her own sister to the moon for 1000 years for being something of a demon, but then Nightmare Moon broke free and almost tried to bring eternal night time all over Equestria, but Twilight, me, and some of our other friends stopped her with the powers of the Elements of Harmony that Princess Celestia discovered with Nightmare Moon before she went loco in the coco, but now-” All I saw was Pinkie's mouth zipped shut, literally. Good thing, because she was going too fast for me to understand anyways.
Twilight cleared her throat before saying, “To make it shorter, Princess Celestia had a sister, Princess Luna, that she needed to banish for a long time for refusing to lower the moon. A thousand years later, Princess Luna, who was called Nightmare Moon, came back to try again, but was stopped and now she's Princess Luna again, and Princess Celestia welcomed her back to Equestria as her sister.” I liked the shorter version.
“Oh,” I said. “So we don't have to worry about the sun not coming up again?” Both ponies shook their heads no, which got a sigh of relief out of me.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Twilight said. “What's your name?”
“Uh...,” okay, I should know what my own name is, but I'm drawing a blank. Like, it's not on the tip of my tongue, I'm not over thinking it, it's just not coming to me. I soon noticed that the longer I don't answer, the more awkward this conversation became.
“You do know your own name, right?” Twilight asked to break the silence. I truthfully forgot my own name. I shook my head in embarrassment. Next thing I hear is a muffled talk coming from Pinkie. The zipper unzipped and disappear, most likely by Twilight.
“What about that?” Pinkie asked. “Your necklace seems like it has words on it. Maybe it has your name.” I didn't even know I was wearing a necklace. Twilight then took a closer look at my necklace.
“Those aren't just ordinary necklaces,” she said. “Those are guard tags. I know somepony that wears them often. You're not the Royal Guard, are you?”
“I don't think so,” I said. I don't think that I'm the type of guy that would be guarding anypony, especially royalty. I see my tags getting pulled by some magic aura as Twilight was reading what's on it.
“I see a few names,” she said. “Although, it doesn't seem like – oh, wait.” She seems like she's concentrating on whatever it is on my tags. “Varas, Moises?” That name rings a bell, but I don't know from where I heard it. “Your name is Moises?”
“I guess,” I said. I honestly don't know, but I could have had worse names.
“Really?” Pinkie asked. “He doesn't look like a Moises-es-es-es to me.” Pinkie started to do a full on inspection of me, which I didn't know how to react, so I just let her. “Ooh! How about Guitar Pick!?”
“Isn't there already a pony with that name?” Twilight asked.
“Oh,” Pinkie responded, “you're right, and GP does not look like a tan pegasus with black and green mane and tail combo, and GP's cutie mark is just the guitar and editing cursor, no quill. So, this one is not a Guitar Pick.” Great, I'm now “this one.”
“How about we stick with Moises, for now,” Twilight said. “At least until he decides on a different name.”
“I'm down with that,” I just blurt out of nowhere.
“Ok,” Pinkie said, “but I will find a name that suits you, Moisesssssss!” Of all the ponies to mess with my name, it has to be the one that doesn't show a sense of sanity. “But for now, I need to go back in helping the Cakes with an order. Bye!” She was hopping away as she was saying that last bit.
“Does she even know the definition of 'calm'?” I asked Twilight. For some reason, Twilight strikes me as intelligent enough to answer almost any question.
“I haven't figured her out myself,” she responded. “So far, that pony is about as calm as a hurricane.” I liked the irony there. “Anyways, how about we come to my place? I'm pretty sure you'll need a place to stay until your amnesia subsides.”
“I would really appreciate that,” I told her, “thank you.” Come to think of it, I need to rest, period.
“Just follow me,” she told me. I started to follow her into the town. For some reason, I feel like I should know a little more on who I'm walking with.
“Twilight, right?” I started asking.
“Yeah,” she responded. At least I got the name right.
“Quick question: where am I?”
“We're entering Ponyville. A small town in the land of Equestria. Small, but everypony here is really nice. Behind us was the Everfree Forest. My friends and I had to go in there to get something called the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon.” Elements of Harmony? I think Pinkie was saying something about it.
“What are the Elements?” I feel stupid for asking, but I truly don't know. It sounds self-explanatory, but I need to make sure.
“The Elements of Harmony are like the source to life here on Equestria. The Elements are Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and Honesty. There's another Element that would only appear with the other five are present: the Element of Magic. Before all this, they were just rocks without magic, but then I noticed something about the Elements. We are the embodiment of each of the Elements. Pinkie's is Laughter. Mine's Magic.”
“What about the other four? Your other friends have them?”
“You'll meet them soon, so I'll let you know then and-”
“LOOK OUT BELOW!” I hear out of nowhere. Twilight immediately ducked, but I got caught and crashed with a pony who was flying too fast.
“Heh, heh,” the Cyan Pegasus said to me, “sorry about that. I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?” I'm aching worse now than before.
“Just my everything.” I said.
“Rainbow Dash!” I hear along with trots rushing towards us. “He's been through a lot as is.”
“Hey,” the cyan pegasus said, “how I was supposed to know that your coltfriend has been through so much trouble?” Wait, coltfriend?
“Whoa,” I start, “we are not dating.”
“Rainbow,” Twilight start, “this is Moises. Pinkie and I found him on the edge of the Everfree Forest.”
“Wait,” the pegasus interrupted, “the Everfree Forest? What the hay were you doing there?” She asked me.
“I wish I knew myself,” was my answer. Next thing I see, Twilight whispered something in the pegasus' ear. I couldn't tell what she said, but the pegasus seemed less stuck-up after hearing it. Twilight was probably telling her about how I just appeared there with amnesia.
“Sorry about that,” Twilight told me. “Anyways, this is Rainbow Dash. She's the Element of Loyalty.”
“And hey,” Rainbow Dash said, “any friend of Twilight is a friend of mine.”
“Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash,” I told her. For some reason, calling her Dash would be a lot easier for me. “Mind if I just call you Dash?” She took some time to think about it.
“I don't see why not,” Dash told me. “It actually sounds cool.” Glad to hear that she likes it. “So, Twi, taking him to your place?”
“Why not,” Twilight responded. “I've opened my home to him like you opened Ponyville to me.”
“As much as I would like to take all the credit, you and I know that I'm not the only one that opened Ponyville to you.” I'm guess she's referring to Pinkie and the other friends that I haven't met yet.
“Yeah, I know,” Twilight said. “I thought it was a good idea.”
“Hey, Egghead,” Dash said, “it's a step in the right direction. Keep at it. I gotta go, now. Catch you guys later.” She flew away in a hurry. I see why her name is Rainbow Dash, considering at that speed I saw a rainbow trail following her.
“You need to be careful with her,” Twilight tells me. “She's loyal to all her friends, but sometimes, her remarks are a little uncalled for.”
“Like what?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Let's just say that if you call me an Egghead, good luck finding your own house.” Yikes.
“Fair enough.” We then continued walking to Twilight's place. When we got there, I wasn't expecting to stay at a library. I guess there could be worse homes, I thought to myself.
“Well,” Twilight starts, “here we are. I know I live in a library and you're probably judging me for it, but this is home to me.”
“I'm not judging at all,” I tell her. “I'm just surprised because I didn't think a library could be a home.” I see Twilight open the door for me, and motioning me to come in. I feel out of character that she's holding the door open, but at the same time, she's the one inviting.
I go in, and the place was bigger than I imagined. The walls are almost entirely out of book shelves, on top of having it seem like she has every book that ever existed and then some. Not to mention every book of every genre. I see a section on Equestrian History, a section of Romance Novels, a section of Magic 101, you name it.
“It's only a library,” Twilight said, snapping me back to reality. “It's nothing special, other than I live here, literally.”
“For some reason,” I started, “it feels like I haven't been to a library in a while, as opposed to not going to one at all.” She gave me a soft smile, as if she's glad that I'm starting to remember some things.
“Oh,” she then said, “there's someone I want you to meet, first.” She started walking to the stairs, and when she was at the foot of them, she yelled, “Spike! Come down here! We have a guest!” I'm guessing that she's not the only one that lives here. I look up the stairs to see a pair of purple and green claws rush down. Wait, claws? The body come into full view, and apparently Spike was a dragon. He seems like a baby, but I don't know what to think of him. “Moises, this is Spike. He's my number one assistant. Spike, this is Moises. He'll be staying with us for a while.”
Spike started approaching me, and gave me a look as if he was inspecting me. It felt somewhat uncomfortable, but I feel rude to stop him. He then looks at me with keen eyes for a while before he backs off and tells me, “Moises?” I simply nodded. “Heh, welcome to Ponyville.” At least I got a welcome. “Although, I'm not sure you look like a Moises.”
“Spike,” Twilight says, “we're only calling him that because that's what his tags say. When he's ready, he'll chose his own name.”
“Oh,” Spike says, “but you might want to be careful around him.” That seemed to have struck a nerve on Twilight.
“Spike!” Twilight said, “You know better.”
“What? I'm just saying, jeesh. Plus, I was only joking around.” After saying that, he started to walk away as if he had things to do.
“I'm so sorry about that,” Twilight tells me. “I don't know where he got his sense of humor.”
“It's fine,” I tell Twilight. “Something tells me that I'm used to that sense of humor.” That seemed to have gotten a small smile out of her. I have to admit that she has a cute smi- wait a minute! I am not falling for someone on the first day that I met her.
“Well,” Twilight said, breaking an awkward silence that I didn't even know took place, “I don't think we have a guest room, per se, but I think I can set up a bed in my room. Unless you want the couch in the reading room.” Wait, did she just ask that? I mean, I don't feel comfortable at all being surrounded by books, but we've only just met.
“Your room would be fine,” did I really just say that? Regardless, Twilight just tossed another smile, and went straight to where I would assume her room is.
While she was gone, I decided to look around. Overall, she keeps the library very clean. Books seems to be alphabetized and organized by genre, there's a statue in the middle of a horse head, though I'm not sure what or who that is, and the last thing I manage to see is a reflection of myself. Not to toot my own horn, but I don't think I look half bad. I have a light green fur color, hazel eyes. Seems like I have a black mane and matching tail. I have to admit, the green in my mane is a nice touch. My tail seems a little too long and bushy for my liking, but I'm pretty sure I'll get used to it. Lastly, I seem to have an image on my flank. I'm guessing it's my cutie mark. It looks like a guitar of some sort, a quill, and a …... a …... actually, I don't know what that last part of my cutie mark is.
“Don't even think about it,” I heard a voice say behind me. I jumped when I saw Spike in the reflection. Didn't even realize that I was checking myself out that long.
“Think about what?” I asked. I honestly don't know what Spike is talking about.
“I think you know what,” he says to me with a stern voice.
“I honestly don't,” I tried telling him. Looks like he doesn't believe me.
“Listen, just stay in your bed, and we won't have any problems,” Spike tells me as he gets up in my face. Took me a while, but I finally understood what he meant, and he doesn't sound like he's joking around.
“Oh,” I said at first. “Then we shouldn't have a problem because I'm only going to be here for a few nights then I'm getting my own house or apartment.” He didn't back down.
“I'm watching you.”
“Spike!” I hear a familiar, almost life-saving, voice calling from upstairs. “I hope you're not trying to scare off our guest.”
“What?” Spike starts, and he backs off, giving me room to breathe, literally. “I was just telling him the ground rules.” Twilight didn't seem amused by his response.
"You mean ground rules that you just came up with from being worried about me?" Just by the way Twilight worded that statement told me this has happened before. I think it's because Spike is just a baby dragon, he considers Twilight a mother, so he gets jealous easily. Whatever the case, Spike seemed like he was caught red-hoofed, or clawed, whatever his case may be. "How about you double-check to make sure all of my books from Canterlot arrived?" At least Twilight asked him in a calmer voice.
"Sure!" Spike excitedly said as he zipped out of the library.
"I'm so sorry about that," Twilight then tells me. "It's been a while since I've brought anyone home with me. I expected something like that coming out of my father." Her attempt at humor was cute to say the least. That's an understatement, she got me to chuckle, which is something I haven't done since I arrived.
"That protective feeling isn't new to me," I tell her. "Probably one of the few things I remember about family." Feels nice to remember something. Then again, there was something else I remembered, "So, you came from Canterlot? Isn't that one of the richest places in Equestria?"
"Yeah," she started, "I was supposed to go back tonight, but I didn't want to lose the friends I've made here in Ponyville. Luckily, Princess Celestia gave me an assignment to study the magic of friendship and put Ponyville as my permanent place of residence."
"Congrats, and something tells me I was a good student myself, so if you need help, I'll be around." She was opening her home to me, and I offer help with her homework.
"I really would appreciate that, thank you." There was a little awkward silence, but that was broken when Twilight offered to introduce to the rest of her friends, to which I accepted and we were one our way.
First stop was to Sweet Apple Acres. Looks like a pretty big place. There's a smallish house, with a barn house behind it, and the rest of the property was miles upon miles of apple trees. Then again, I see why it's called Sweet Apple Acres.
"You'll like Applejack," Twilight tells me after we go through the gates. "She's the Element of Honesty." Guessing that means she never lies. Good to know. "She should be around here somewhere."
"Well howdy, Twilight," I hear a southern accented voice call out. I look to the source, and sure enough, an orange pony with blonde mane and tail approaches us. I do admit, I like how she's rocking the cowboy hat and the ribbons in her mane and tail. "Aren't ya gonna introduce me to your new friend?"
"I was just getting to that," Twilight responded with a smile. "Applejack, this is Moises. Moises," she turns to me, "this is Applejack. Her family owns Sweet Apple Acres." Damn, that's a lot of land to maintain.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Moises," wow, Applejack got my name right with that accent. We shook hooves, then Applejack tells me, "I would like to introduce you to my family, but you just miss most of them."
"How come you weren't this calm when you and I first met?" Twilight asked. I'm guessing her first expression was a bit different than mine.
"I was so excited for the Summer Sun Celebration that I couldn't contain it. That and the whole saving Equestria thing wore me out a bit."
"Twilight was telling me on how you're the Element of Honesty," I say what feels like out of nowhere, but it works, I guess.
"Yup," Applejack responded, "my Granny always did say 'Honesty is the best policy.'" Sounds like a good policy to have.
"Who, from your family, are still around?" Twilight asks. Sparked my curiosity, as a matter of fact.
"Just Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom," damn, that sounds like a small family. "Granny Smith looks out for us and taught us everything we know about apple products. Big Macintosh is my older brother, and he helps with the apple bucking, and Apple Bloom is the youngest of us. She helps around the house, for now." Sounds like a close-knit family. One that I vaguely remember.
"Think they have time to meet Moises?" Twilight asks. I wouldn't mind if they have a lot of clean-up work to do that they can't meet new ponies.
"If you give me a couple of seconds, I can see who's available," Applejack responds to my surprise. "Be back in a jiff." With that, Applejack trotted off to her house. I'm personally amazed as to how she's willing to put aside time for friends and family.
"Remember anything?" Twilight asks me.
"Just one thing," I respond, "she talks about her family as if they're that close to each other. I remember something from my family that's like that."
"Remembering something about family is a start. What about your friends?"
"Nothing," saying that, does not make me feel good at all. I don't know why fully, but it sickens me to think that I never had friends. "I know it sounds bad, but I don't remember anything about my friends. Not even sure if I had friends."
"Well," Twilight started in a voice that sounded like she was going to be understanding, "I didn't even expect for you to remember something about your family. Just that is an improvement in my book."
"Which one?" I ask jokingly. "You have a library full of books." That got Twilight to laugh a bit.
"Okay," she says, "I guess I set myself up for that one." Nice to know I have a sense of humor. I look towards the house just to find Applejack returning with her family, I assume. A young yellow filly with a pinkish bow on her red mane. A red stallion with short dirty blonde mane and tail, a plow harness around his neck, and a build that says "I can crush you without even trying." Lastly, there's an older green mare, emphasis on "old."
"Ok, Moi," Applejack said, "wait, can I call you Moi?" I didn't mind, so I gave her my approval. "Thanks. Anyways, from left to right is my sister, Apple Bloom, my brother, Big Macintosh, and our granny, Granny Smith."
"Well hello there, young'n," Granny Smith said. "Glad to see another set of strong legs helping around the house." I don't know what to think about that.
"Uh, Granny," Applejack started, "he's just visiting, he's not helping." What a relief. "Sorry about that. We just have so much cleaning up to do that it's getting into her head."
"Eyup," Big Mac says. His deep voice makes it seem so much more likely that he means business most of the time.
"Well," Apple Bloom started, "Granny ain't the only one. I was kinda hoping we get additional help with the cousins away." Now I feel bad. That and it's very difficult to refuse to help with Apple Bloom's cute voice, begging eyes, puppy frown, and before I know it, I'm being dragged out by Twilight.
"Well, thanks for letting me introduce you to him, now we have so much to do and so little time to do it in, bye!" Twilight was saying a little fast as we were walking out the property.
"Well that was rude," I tell Twilight. I felt bad before, but now I feel worse.
"Trust me," she responds, "if you give in, you won't feel right for a while. You'll thank me later." Regardless, it still felt wrong to just up and leave. Looking back, all I see through the gates was Apple Bloom with a confused look on her face. She eventually shrugged it off and went back inside like nothing happened.
Next place we went to was a castle-like place. It didn't really look like a castle, but it was almost as tall as one, and had a lot of characteristic of one, like pillars, white and purple colors, and a flag on the roof. Through the window, I see a few designer dresses on mannequins, so my only guess is that we're at a clothes shop. Something tells me this isn't my first pick, nor will it ever be.
"This is the Carousel Boutique," Twilight tells me as we approach the front doors. "My friend, Rarity, is a designer, and the Element of Generosity. Just an advice, though, she can get so worked up with using you as a model that the outside world is almost non-existent."
"She's a workaholic?" I asked. Seemed like a valid question.
"Basically," Twilight responds. She then opens the door, and it looks more like a shop on the inside. A bell rang as the door opened.
"Coming," I hear a singing voice say. I looked over to the source to find a white unicorn with purple, curled, mane and tail. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique. Where everything's chique, unique, and magnifique," she says in a normal and very well rehearsed tone. "Oh, Twilight. Fancy seeing you here." She's probably Rarity. "Who's your new friend?"
"Rarity, this is Moises. Moises, this is Rarity. He's new," Twilight tells Rarity. That seem to spark some interest in Rarity. Shortly after mentioning that I'm new, Rarity started to inspect me. If she wasn't a designer, I would probably feel slightly more uncomfortable. It's not everyday where I get checked out by a beautiful mare. Not that I'm falling for her or anything.
"Where are you from, darling?" Rarity asks me. "Are you from Cloudsdale?" I don't even know what that is.
"Not sure," I said. "All I know is that I woke up at the edge of the Everfree Forest being greeted by Twilight and Pinkie Pie."
"The Everfree Forest?" It seemed to have surprised and scared her at the mention of it. "I hope we didn't pass you on our trip back from there."
"Most likely not, but then again, I don't remember anything from before I woke up."
"Amnesia? How bad is it? As in, do you still remember your family, past friends, teachers, etc.?"
"No, no, no, and no," my case might be worse than I thought. "I don't remember who they were, but I do remember how it felt to have them around."
"Oh dear, I hope you remember them in due time." Thinking about it, it would be nice to remember who my family and friends were. "Anyways, feel free to look around. I just need to have a chat with Twilight for a little bit. I do have a selection for stallions in the back room. You can take one set on the house." Did she say "on the house"? Kinda feels like I can easily take advantage of that. Best not.
"Uh, you don't have to, I can always come another time if I need one." Didn't seem like she bought it, but it was worth a shot.
"Nonsense, I always try to be generous when I can." Right, Element of Generosity. I forgot. Well, best not make a habit out of it.
"Well, thank you, I'll go take a look." Off I went to the stallion's selection.
As soon as I got there, I got impressed on how many themes she had in stock for stallions. At first glance, this seemed like a store for mares, considering all the dress being displayed, but no, she makes for both. After a quick glance, there was one thing that caught my eye. A red, button-down shirt with a black tie that has some sort of red swirls that fade into the tie itself. I took a closer look into it, and then I tried to see if I would wear it for any special occasion. I didn't know which occasion yet, but I think I would wear it. I ended up trying it on, which was very difficult to do without magic, but I got it, and when I looked in a mirror, I actually looked pretty good in it. Granted, it doesn't go well with the green in my mane, but I think I can pull it off.
On second thought, maybe not. However, I did catch a black shirt with a similar tie style, except it's green fading to black. After a not-so-quick swap, I like the new pairing better by a lot. However, part of me wants opinions that aren't mine. So I just went out and showed myself to Twilight and Rarity in the new apparel.
"My, my, darling," Rarity started, "you look sharp in that."
"Thanks," I responded. "Originally, I was thinking of another combo, but this one worked out better."
"Well, like I said, that one is on the house, so enjoy." Rarity tells me that as Twilight and I head out.
After heading back to the library to drop off my shirt and tie, Twilight wanted to introduce me to the last of her immediate friends, Fluttershy. The sun is just about to set, but Twilight insisted for a visit to Fluttershy's cottage. Judging by where we're going, it seems like Fluttershy lives near the Everfree Forest. Every time I look at it, I get a strange feeling like I should go in but I shouldn't at the same time; it's annoying.
"Hey," I hear Twilight say to me. "Everything ok back there?" I guess I must have stopped to stare into space, because Twilight seems to have gain some distance. Wasn't much, though. I was able to catch up.
"Sorry," I say as I catch up, "saw the Everfree and I got a strange feeling."
"What were you feeling?" She asks.
"Best way I can describe it," at this point, we're walking again, "is I feel like I should go in to figure out how I ended up here, but at the same time, I shouldn't because I don't know if I'll like what I see."
"Maybe one day, you'll get your chance. I would recommend to not rush it, though. You just got here, and if you have amnesia, I could only assume you've been through a lot already." Glad to see that she's encouraging me to go but not too soon. Only thing I can't confirm nor deny is what I've been through before ending up just outside of the Everfree Forest.
"Thanks for the boost in assurance," I tell her.
"Anytime."
"On a different note, are you sure you want me to meet Fluttershy now?"
"Well....," Twilight started. She took a moment to look around, which meant that we were walking in something of an awkward silence. After a while, she looked defeated and we stopped walking. "Your right. I just got so excited because honestly, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy are the first friends I've ever made. I got carried away in wanting you to meet them, that I guess I forgot to slow things down. Let's go back. I'll introduce you to her later." That look of defeat just now, looks more like she's disappointed.
"Want to tell me what's on your mind?" I'd figure that if she helped me with my feelings with the Forest, I could help her with her feelings.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She says that, but she looks down by it.
"You should know that I respect privacy, but in this case, it seems like whatever it is you were thinking, is going to make this a long and awkward trip back." All I got was a sigh. She started walking back; I followed shortly after. After a little bit, the silence became unbearable, so I just spoke my mind. "I get it, you know." That seemed to have gotten her attention. "Something tells me that before all of this, you didn't really get out much. It could just be me, because I remember feeling something like that as well."
"You mean to tell me that you remember growing up a freak?" was her response. Sounded harsh, but I was on thin ice the moment I brought it up.
"That and more," which is true. "It affected me even after I finished studying something, because I always thought that I wouldn't get support. If support is what you were looking for, then let's turn around and see Fluttershy." Twilight stopped walking and turned to me. I can't tell whether she's offended or trying to hide another emotion.
"You don't need to worry about me," she finally said. "You and I have a common ground, but you don't know me. We just met, so answer me this: how are you so sure that 'support' is what's missing in my life?" Again, I can't tell whether that was her being offended by what I said or something else.
"Call it a hunch," was my answer. "If I'm wrong and I have offended you, I'm sorry. Just know that even if we hadn't met, I'd still care about you." That felt like a load has been lifted off of my chest, regardless the response I would get. Which, as of now, seems like I had given the right answer somewhere.
"I'm sorry," Twilight said, "I'm just-" It seems like she wants to get something off of her chest as well, but is still in doubt. "Ever since Princess Celestia made me her protégé, things have been going downhill." She took a seat, and so did I. I have a feeling we'll be here for a while. "At first, it was a great experience. I get to go to the School for Gifted Unicorns. It was something I've been preparing for since my first Summer Sun Celebration. My entry exam was anything but the best, yet somehow, the Princess wanted me to be her protégé. Since then, I was really focused on my studies. I always thought that I was going to be tested and I was afraid that if I failed, I would get kicked out, so I thought having a social life would be a distraction. When I was sent here to check the preparations for yesterday's Celebration, Princess Celestia also told me to make some friends, but I chose to ignore that bit because I was worried about Nightmare Moon coming to bring eternal night. I didn't know what I was missing until we discovered that the elements were a part of us; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and myself. I thought it was a simple 'Come here, do the job, go home,' but at the thought of going home, I knew it meant that I would leave my friends behind." She started crying a bit. I remember feeling like I was alone, but she had it more severe than I did.
"Is that why you stayed?" I asked. She nodded.
"Now my studies are towards learning about the magic of friendship, which I think I just failed."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said. "Arguments happen. The best thing at that point would be to make up and put it behind you. You haven't failed." That seemed to have lightened her spirits.
"Thank you," she tells me right before she gives me a small hug. I returned the hug simply because it felt right. "Let's go home before it gets real dark. Fluttershy could wait until morning." We both got up and continued our walk.
Later that night, I was in my bed that Twilight and Spike had set up for me, but I couldn't fall asleep. Twilight was out the minute she got into her bed, and Spike was already asleep when we arrived. All Twilight had to do was remove the broom from his claw and put him to bed. Me, so many questions about my past popped into my mind that it's keeping me up.
Eventually, I got up, and quietly started to walked to the balcony without trying to wake anypony up. Once I was out, I closed the doors behind me. I went to the end of the balcony and just sat and looked at the stars. There's something about just looking at them that comforts me. To me, it feels like somepony is watching me. Could be the Princess, could be my family, my friends, but it feels like somepony is looking out for me. Even if I don't remember them.
After a while, I realized that my past doesn't matter as much as what I've taken from it, and just today alone, I think I've taken a lot of my past feelings and put them into good use. After the realization, I went back inside and quietly snuck back into my bed. Luckily, no pony has woken up. At least this time, I was able to sleep the rest of the night away.
The next morning, I woke up with the sun in my eye. Not a pleasant thing to be blinded when you wake, but I guess I could fix that. I looked around the room to find that I'm still at the library in Twilight's room. Only thing different was that Twilight and Spike got up before me. So I guess that means that I need to get up and start my day, which is what I did.
After making my bed, I went downstairs to see if Twilight was still in the library. Surely enough, she was. She's shelving and re-shelving. Seems like a new box of books arrived. After a little bit, she noticed me walking down.
"Good morning," she says with a smile. "How'd you sleep?"
"Almost didn't," I said. "Once I did, though, it was nice." I couldn't tell whether or not she was listening because she seemed to be too focused on her shelving.
"As long you had a nice sleep in the end, I'm glad," was her response. There was a brief moment of silence.
"I take it you got new books?" I asked, hoping to start a conversation.
"Actually, these are books from my old home in Canterlot. Last box just arrived." Reading is probably her favorite hobby considering all the books she has, and the fact that she lives in a library. Literally.
Shortly after she said that, I heard my stomach growl. To me, it sounded like a monster in me woke, but I don't think Twilight heard it.
"Once I'm done here, we can go out for breakfast." She heard it. Now I feel embarrassed. “I know the best place to go,” she tells me with a smile on her face. I’m pretty sure she looked at me to give me a wink, too.
The place that we went for breakfast was pretty nice. Feels a lot like a diner, though. Twilight and I decided to eat on one of the outside tables, and why not? Today is a beautiful day, after all. No clouds in the sky, sun's shining bright. Feels like a nice day to be out. As far as what we ate, I had hay bacon and eggs and Twilight had some pancakes, and a muffin, with a bowl of cereal and milk.
Twilight and I talked mainly about how Ponyville is in general. Basically, like most of Equestria, Princess Celestia raises the sun each day and Princess Luna raises the moon each night, the pegasus from Cloudsdale are the ones in charge of the weather, so I guess I should thank them for this beautiful day, and the community here is probably one of the better ones. Granted, this is only my second day here, so I would have to take her word for it.
After our breakfast at the diner, I couldn't help but notice one pony walking by in particular. He had a maroonish coat, is a pegasus, has navy blue mane with some red going out the back, and a similar tail, except the red is in a stripe format. An interesting thing about this pegasus is that he's wearing a dark green vest and a cowpony hat. He's also talking to another pony who's similar to him, except in a different color scheme. A more "brown"-ish color scheme.
"Hey," I say to get Twilight's attention, "who's that cowpony?"
"That's Guitar Pick," Pinkie, coming out of complete nowhere, tells me. "He's in a band with his friends called MLRB. You should pick up one of their albums." I feel like I should know about MLRB, but for some reason, I don't.
"If you want, you should at least introduce yourself," Twilight tells me. I agree with her, in the sense of introducing myself, but I also feel like I shouldn't. A lot of the reasons why I shouldn’t could be stupid stuff that my mind is making up, but for some reason it's enough for me to go with not introducing myself. In the end, I got up and started heading my way.
By the time I reached him, his friend had left and he noticed me coming. I feel more nervous than I should. "Hey," I said.
"Hey," he replied. Super awkward start.
"So I hear that you're a pretty good guitarist?" I asked to see what he thinks.
"Yeah," he answered. "At least that's what's going around."
"How long have you've been playing?"
"As long as I remember. My friend actually thought it was a good idea for me to try. Never played before, but I ended up being recorded and for a first try, it sounded pretty good. Although, she might be exaggerating a little bit." We both laughed a little to that. I liked how modest he can be and still have a small sense of humor. "What about you?"
"Oh," it took me a while to think, but I can't remember if I played or not, "um, I don't play guitar; or any instrument, in that matter."
"Eh, not really a big deal. Anyways, I need to go to band practice, so hopefully, I'll see you later." With that, he left.
"Congratulations," I hear from behind me, making me jump a little, "you made a friend with a local guitarist." Turned out to be Twilight.
"I guess," I tell her, "however, I do feel like I know him from somewhere. Can't put my hoof on it, though."
"Add that to the list of things you somewhat remember."
"You're keeping track?" After spending about a day with her, she seems like the kind of pony that has a list for everything, and a list of lists for everything.
"No," she says as she walks by me, "but I might start if you really want me to." That last part sounded like she was teasing me a little bit.
"Eh, your call," I tell her. I honestly couldn't care less if she does decide to make a list of things I somewhat remember.
"Maybe after everything settled down," she sounds serious this time. "After all, it's good to keep track until you remember all that you can." I have to agree with her on that logic. "Anyways, let's see if we can catch Fluttershy."
"On you," and with that, we were on our way. Again.
We arrived at a cottage that was pretty close to the Everfree Forrest, and overall, it looks nice. Very down to earth, very rejuvenating, I think is the term I want. Really no complaints aside from its near one of the scariest places on Equestria.
"A little warning," Twilight says as we approach the door, "don't take it personal if Fluttershy is afraid of you at first. She is super shy."
"Alright," was my response. With that, she knocked on the door, and we played the waiting game. Wasn't too long of a wait. A yellow pegasus did respond to the knock. My first impression: she is very cute, I like how her pink mane compliments her yellow coat, and her overall shy expression is really adorable to the "I can never get mad at you" degree. What snapped me back to reality was her looking very blushed and scared.
"Calm your buddies, buddy," Twilight whispers at me through her teeth. It took me a while to figure out what she was talking about, until I looked at her to ask and out of the corner of my eye, I see my wings extended.
"Oh," I say as I back away, " I-I-I'm so sorry about that." I definitely feel my face turn red from this embarrassment. I also couldn't keep eye-contact for a bit. This is definitely an awkward moment, if there ever was one.
"Um," Fluttershy started after a short moment of silence, "m-m-my name is...." Couldn't hear her name, but I kinda figured that she's Fluttershy because A) that's who we were visiting, and B) her personality says it all.
"Moises," I responded. "That's my name. I think." Still not fully sure if that's my name or not, but until I can come up with a better one, that'll do.
"Think?" Fluttershy asked.
"Pinkie and I found him lying unconscious by the edge of the Everfree Forrest," Twilight explained. "When he woke up, he had amnesia. He's staying at my library for now, until he can get his own house."
"Oh," Fluttershy responded to Twilight. I shortly tuned them out when they started to go into a conversation. When I looked down, I see a bunny taking a whiff of me. Startled me for a moment.
"Hey there," I say quietly to the bunny. He looked up at me and saluted, for some weird reason.
"That's my bunny, Angel," Fluttershy then tells me. "He's one of the many critters that I take care of in my home."
"How many kinds of critters do you have?" I ask out of curiosity.
"Almost every kind," she says with a smile that quickly went away. "Except for the scary ones like dragons and cockatrice." Now she seems terrified. My hunch is proven right when she hides behind Twilight.
"Yet you've confronted a manticore when it attacked all of us over a thorn in its paw," Twilight told Fluttershy.
"Yes, because I could tell it was pain, and it was a baby manticore. Similar to a kitten."
"Wait," I said, "manticore?"
"Lion body, shark-like teeth, scorpion tail, and bat wings," Twilight said.
"And lots of scary when they're fully grown," Fluttershy says behind Twilight. Honestly, Fluttershy makes anything scary sound sweet with her voice. I quickly checked my wings after thinking that. All good.
"Okay," I said, "so anything cute and adorable, you have. Got'cha."
“Well, I bring them in because most of them get injured. So I treat them.”
“Is this also an adoption center?” I ask mainly because it sounds like it could be one. Fluttershy nodding confirmed it.
“Well, it’s similar to one. Yes, it is my home, and some ponies do come over to look for pets, but I don’t exactly use my house as an adoption center. I just care for the critters that I help.”
“So a shelter,” Twilight says. Sounds like the right term.
“I guess,” Fluttershy replies, “if that’s the most appropriate word.” Probably is, for all I know.
Next thing I see out of the corner of my eye is Spike rushing to us. By the time he gets here, he’s short on breath.
“Spike?” Twilight asks.
“Twilight,” Spike replies as he’s catching his breath. “Princess…...important……”
“Oh,” Twilight says. Seems like she knows what Spike meant. “Uh, Fluttershy, mind if Moises stays with you for a bit?”
“Wait,” Spike says before handing a letter to Twilight. Twilight used magic to grab and read the letter. Then she looks somewhat worried or confused as she looks at me.
“Am I needed?” I ask. Better be sure if it’s from the Princess.
“I think this is about you,” Twilight tells me. “Princess Celestia may have an idea on how you came here and where you’re from.”
“Oh,” I am legitimately shocked that someone may know my origins. “Then I guess I’m coming with.”
“Yup, sorry about this, Fluttershy.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy responds, “it’s no problem. This does sound important.” With that, Twilight, Spike, and I were off.
We arrive at Princess Celestia’s castle, or at least I assume it’s Princess Celestia because I remember Pinkie mentioning a Princess Luna, after what felt like an hour or two.
“Princess Celestia is my teacher,” Twilight was telling me, “so I have some access to the castle. As long as you stay with me, the guards shouldn’t be giving you any hassle.”
“Okay,” I tell Twilight. We approach the castle doors, and as they open, it seems like Princess Celestia was waiting for us on the other side.
“Princess Cele-,” Twilight started before Princess Celestia motioned to stay quiet.
“Follow me,” the Princess said. Twilight and I followed her into the castle, mostly in silence, until the three of us went into what appears to be the castle’s library. Only thing that threw me off was that the door of this library was guarded and gated, which to me didn’t make sense because I thought all libraries were public. “Moises, do you remember where you’re from?” I almost froze as I tried to remember.
“Uh, no, your majesty,” I said. “I don’t remember anything before Twilight and Pinkie Pie found me.” Now I feel really nervous and anxious to what the Princess will tell me next.
“Well,” Princess Celestia said, “I believe it has something to do with how you got here. Shortly after the celebration in Ponyville yesterday, I returned here with my sister, and one of the guards picked up a strange anomaly. One that brought something to Equestria. When I received Twilight’s letter last night, I could only assume you came from the anomaly.”
“Where did this anomaly come from?” Twilight asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.
“I had my best scientists work on that,” Princess Celestia responded as she looked into the sky. “This morning, one of them said that it traced back to a planet called ‘Earth.’” Earth? “Moises, does that mean anything to you?”
“Not really,” I said. “Think that ‘Earth’ is where I came from?”
“It would only make sense that way. I did some research myself and found that Earth was inhabited by homosapiens. However, they refer to themselves as ‘Humans.’ Over 7 billion humans populated the planet and have a vast variety of cultures and traditions. It seems like the anomaly that happened here also took place there, and you were caught.”
“How was I caught? Did I have a family? What was my life li-,” Princess Celestia motioned for me to be quiet, so I did.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the means to look up anyone from Earth. Even if we did, those humans believe that they are on the only planet in the galaxy that can sustain life. I’m afraid you’re stuck here with us.” Well I feel like I just received the worst news of all time. “I assume you have found a place to stay.”
“Actually, Princess,” Twilight spoke in, “he’s staying with me for the time being.”
“Good,” Princess Celestia responded. “That’s all I have to say for the time being.” Twilight and I both bowed, I followed Twilight’s suit, before we left back to Ponyville. However, on the train ride back, I felt exhausted all of a sudden, and I don’t know why.
“Everything ok?” Twilight asked me as I was staring out the window. I wanted to say that I’m ok, but I know that’s not true at all.
“I don’t know,” I say. “It feels like I know where home is, but I can’t go back to it. Not to mention the amount of unanswered questions in the back of my head.”
“Would it be better if you ask me? Just so they don’t clutter your mind?”
“I don’t think so. A lot of them are kind of personal.” Shortly afterwards, I felt Twilight lean against me. I felt like I needed my space, but for some reason, this feels so much better, so I didn’t complain.
“Maybe you just need to rest,” Twilight says. “When we get home, you can nap.”
“First thing I need to do here, though, is find a job.”
“I’d say that will be the least of your worries. If anything, I’ll hire you.”
“I think that would be asking too much from you. You’ve already let me sleep in your house, pay for my food, shown me around. I don’t want to take too much advantage from you.”
“Sounds fair, but first, rest. Last thing I want is for you to crash because you’re still taking all of this in.”
“I should be fine, but if you insist.” Something tells me that I wasn’t going to win arguments with Twilight, so I just agreed. The rest of the train trip was in silence and Twilight almost resting on me. Again, I didn’t mind because I needed the feeling of somepony being there for me. It reached the point where I used my wing as a blanket for Twilight. We basically seem like a couple, except we’re not.
When we got to Twilight’s library, I went to my bed, but I didn’t fall asleep. I couldn’t. I tossed and turned, and even laying down with my eyes closed, but nothing was working. I feel like I need to figure out who I am, and soon. An idea did pop to mind, but I’m not sure if I should go with it or not. I think I should write down the questions I have in the back of my mind just to reflect on and as a way of controlling my thoughts so I’m not thinking all over the place. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything to write with or on. Then I notice a desk, which I forgot was even there to begin with. I got up, walked over, and there was paper and a quill. I hope Twilight doesn’t mind, but this is something I need to do. I grabbed a blank sheet of paper, grabbed the quill, and started writing. Not sure what, but I’m starting with all the questions that Princess Celestia couldn’t answer.
I’m finally done re-organizing my main shelves. Now, I can officially be open for business tomorrow. I wanted to be open today, but after everything that Princess Celestia told us, I’d figure it wouldn’t be possible. I looked out the window only to confirm what I already know.
“Spike,” I called out. Shortly afterwards, I see him coming towards me.
“Yes, Twilight?” He asks.
“I think that about does it for tonight. Tomorrow, we can open up as a library business.”
“Sounds awesome,” Spike sure sounds like he still has energy. “I guess the only thing left is the letter to Princess Celestia.” I had completely forgot about that. Luckily, Moises has taught me a few things about friendship just last night, so not all is lost.
“Sure, Spike,” I tell him, “I’ll get to work on that. In the meantime, can you go to Sugar Cube Corner to pick up a few cupcakes? One for each of us?”
“’Each of us’?” Spike sounded confused, but then it seems like he’s trying to figure out who else I’m including.
“Moises, Spike,” I tell him after he took too long figuring out himself. Spike looks dumbfounded.
“I knew that,” he says. Shortly afterwards, though, Spike left, and I headed to my room to work on my letter.
As I enter my room, first thing I notice is that Moises wasn’t in his bed. I look around only to find him asleep on my desk. I’m a little bit confused as to how he got from his bed to my desk, but nonetheless, I used my magic to pick him up and tuck him in. Seeing him asleep, though, he does look cute. I couldn’t help but smile at him.
However, now I’m curious as to what he was doing on my desk. I walked over and looked, and I see a couple of papers with questions on them. They weren’t mine or from anypony I know, so my only assumption is that they were the questions Moises had on the train ride. I probably shouldn’t, but I read a few of his questions. Seems like Moises is really passionate about finding out who he is. This is concerning to me, and I don’t know what to do. All I can think of doing is writing a copy of his questions to show Princess Celestia. Maybe she can help better than I can. I performed a spell that made copies of the paper with the questions in his writing. Then, I pulled out a blank sheet, and prepared my letter. Normally, I talk as I write, but in this case, I’ll just think as I’m writing.
“Dear Princess Celestia,
I’ve learned a couple of things being with Moises. For instance, when it comes to who your friends are, it comes down to if they’re willing to listen to a certain side of you that you may not want to be public. Last night, I opened up some deep feelings of mine to Moises. I had hoped that he could be trusted enough to allow me to be myself. Fortunately, I was right. We had an argument that I had originally thought would have been the end of our friendship, but he proved me wrong.
However, I feel it is my turn to try and return the favor. Right before writing this letter, I’ve noticed that Moises have done some writing of his own. I made a copy for you to see. I haven’t read all of what he wrote, but it seems like he’s writing to try to understand who he was. Given what you told us, and what I know from being with him, I’m afraid that I don’t have all the answers. I’m hoping that he decides to open up his feelings because I want to help him through his journey. When he does decide, I can promise that I’ll be there supporting him. For better or worse.
In regards to arguments, at first I had thought that arguments always lead to break ups, whether as a friend or significant other. Moises tells me that arguments are a common occurrence in relationships. Both romantically and generally. I did some research, and learned that arguments happen when ponies disagree and debate over what each of them thinks is true. At first, I took it as just that, but Moises taught me that arguments strengthen a relationship because it gives both sides of the topic. I both look forward and hope to avoid arguments. Look forward because it may teach me something else about friendship, and hope to avoid because too much arguments are bad for any relationship.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”
I rolled up the letter and waited for Spike to come back. I was hoping that Moises would be up, but he seems out, so I’ll just let him sleep. As I waited, I grabbed a book with my magic, went to my own bed, and started reading. Tomorrow will be a new day for all of us.
