My Life Thus Far, Book 1: The Outcast.

January 21, 999 C.E.

5:47 P.M. Ponyville.

"Happy Birthday to you!" Star's family sang as he blew out the candle's to an enormous cake, courtesy of one Pinkimina Diane Pie. Star leaned over and gave Pinky a hug.

"Thank's Pink's. Wouldn't be a party without ya." Star said as he began to cut the cake up and serve it to the guests. He returned the hug.

"Well, they don't call them pinky pie party's for nothing!" Pinky said as she hopped about the party making sure everything was in tip top shape. His dad Sky came over and grinned.

"So squirt." He said grabbing Star around the shoulders and giving him a nuggie making his already untidy mane even messier looking. Star took in stride as he tried to shove his dad off.

"Oh, you know the usual." He said as he relented. He gave pinky a small smile and a wave as he was dragged off by his father. She grinned and nodded as she went to go mingle with the other partygoers. His mother came to his rescue and with a flick of her head Sky was hauled off their son and seated in a chair next to his wife. He gave her a wry grin which she returned before giving him a soft peck on the lips. Then she turned her attention to her son.

"So dear any pony you know here?" She asked as she looked around. Her son laughed as he lead them through sugar cube corner to a table next to a window.

"Beside's pinky I have a few more friend's coming by later on." He said as he sat down and looked at the menu. Once he made up his mind he looked to his parents.

"So how's canterlot?" He asked the two. They smiled at his curiosity.

"Oh, it's just wonderful." His mother said. His father nodded his head.

"Yes, it's a nice city. Plenty of work up there at the factory." He said as he to looked at the menu. His some chuckled.

"Wow. It sure has changed a lot since I was last there." He said as he looked at his parent's. They gave him soft looks of concern.

"Are you feeling better after all of." His mother hesitated. "That?" She asked, rubbing his head with a hoof. He gave her hoof a nuzzle as he closed his eye's.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine." He said giving them both a smile. They returned it a little while later. They continued to make small talk until a gray winged Pegasus made his presence known.

"Hey, there roomie!" He said as he made his way over to Star. Star got out of his seat.

"Hey there Swift." He said as the two gave each other a hug. Star swung Swift around and cleared his throat.

"Mom, Dad, this is my roommate, Swift Wing. Swift Wing these are my parent's, Ruby Rose and Sky Diver." He said as the group introduced themselves to one another. Swift was a big bundle of excitement.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to finally meet you two. Star go's on and on about you two like you wouldn't believe." Swift said waving a hoof about at he talked. Star's parents were a little caught off guard by Swift's feminine way's but they shook it off and soon they were all chatting like old friends.

"So Swift were do you work?" Sky asked. Swift chuckled.

"Well, I work for the Royal Guard. Right now I'm on vacation for the month. After word's it's back to Canterlot for five month's for active duty." He said as he raised a mug of cider to his lip's. Ruby, Sky, and Swift started talking about anything and everything. Star didn't mind. As his friend's and family got acquainted with one another he zoned out. "Wonder what sis is up to?" He thought as he brought his mug up to take another drink. As he lowered his cup he saw his reflection in the little bit of cider left.

"Just who are you?" He didn't recognize the voice but he heard somepony behind him. As he turned around he noticed an eery silence had overtaken the shop. He looked around and gasped at what he saw.

"What's going on here?" He asked as he looked at the frozen expressions of all the party goer's. He quickly backed away from the table, knocking his chair over in the process. His breathing quickened as he began to try and focus on his training.

"This isn't real." He said, his eye's forced shut as he stood still.

"What is real anymore?" The voice mocked as it circled him. "What is truth? What is life?" Star concentrated on his breathing and began his mantra anew.

"This is not real!" He said as he began to feel light headed. Star jumped as a pair of hand's gripped his shoulder's, "Who are you!?" The voice shouted. Star opened his eye's to see a hooded figure cloaked in darkness staring right back at him. Star flailed at his assailant and stumbled back tripping over his own chair and colliding with the hard wooden floor. As darkness took him, Star saw the figure kneel down next to him.

"Who are you Shooting Star?" It said as his vision faded to black.

Ruby and Sky stood over their son as he stopped flailing about on the wooden floor of the shop. They gave each other concerned looks as the other partygoers began to stop and watch, some with mild shock on their face's, some with curiosity.

"I-I-I thought these were over," Ruby said as she shook her head trying to rouse her son from his hallucination. Sky sat there comforting his wife as she gave up and began to cry into his chest. He stroked her mane.

"Sh-Sh- It'll be ok dear. Our son is strong. He beat this once before. He'll do so again." He said as he took Star's hoof in his grip and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Excuse me?" Swift asked. He backed up a little when Ruby's gaze settled on him. He got his voice back however and he looked down at Star.

"What is this?" He asked. Sky sighed. "This," He said waving a hoof to Star's now calm body. "Was something we thought we had gotten rid of a long time ago." He said as he gave his son a quick nuzzle. Swift gave them all a curious look.

"What is it?" He asked. Sky shook his head.

"If you want to know that you'll have to ask him yourself." He said as his wife got to her hoove's. She lit up her horn and with a thought, her son was lifted into the air by a rosy hue enveloping his body. She had gotten a few feet off the ground when the door to the bakery opened.

"Hello everypony! Sorry, I'm late!" Came the voice of a male Pegasus who stood in the doorway soaking up the small amount of attention he was getting. That was until he saw a friend splayed out and suspended in the air.

"Wow Star?" He said trotting up to his friend. He gave his parent's a grim look.

"It's happening again isn't it?" He said his face lowering with sadness. Sky shook his head.

"I'm afraid so." He said shaking his head. Hot Shot gave out a sigh.

"Well isn't that just swell." He said in a sarcastic tone as he came up to them and gave them both a hug. They accepted his kind jester and he huffed in anger.

"I'll go and let the hospital know." He said as he bolted out the door. Sky, Rose, and Swift all looked over to Star. He was calm now. Soon Rose's magic was in full swing and she teleported them to the hospital. The denizen's of the bakery all sat there murmuring amongst themselves. Meanwhile Pinky stood there behind the counter looking sad and alone.

"No. Not again." She said as her hair drooped until it was long and straight.

6:00 P.M.

The group had arrived at the hospital and they were immediately greeted by a trauma unit.

"Star! Star! Can you hear me?" Nurse Red Heart said as she and a group medical personnel wheeled him through the trauma word on a streature. Sky, Rose, and Swift followed close behind until they were stopped by a group of double doors.

"I'm sorry you three but only medical staff are allowed beyond this point." Red Heart said as she gave her friend's a soft smile.

"But...this.. our..." Ruby stuttered but was soon calmed by the embrace of her husband. He shook his head.

"We understand Red." He said using her nickname. she gave a nod. "I'll keep you posted on everything that happens." She said as she turned to the trauma ward and went to go aid her friend. Meanwhile, Sky consoled his wife.

"Don't worry honey our son will pull through this." He said as he remembered the first time this had happened. "He always does." He said barely believing his own words.

??/??/????

Star stood there, in complete darkness as he looked around his surrounding's.

"Hello?" He called out. He listened but still could hear nothing. "Hello?" He called out again only to be met with silence. He heaved out a sigh and trotted forward. He eventually got tired of trotting through an endless black miasma and sat down.

"WHERE AM I !?" He screamed at the top of his lung's. He sat there panting and just as he was about to keep trotting he got an answer.

"You still don't know who you are." He stood there as the voice got closer. He stood his ground and heard the voice once more.

"You still don't know who you are." He stood there now hearing those same word's from before.

"Who am I them?" He asked as anger boiled within him. 7 years ago he thought he had buried these memories. Seem's he was wrong.  Now they had come to haunt him once again and he was tired of it.

"Who are you?" The voice repeated once more. Then in a flash of light Star was thrown into the sky above and as he adjusted himself he saw a field of star's streaking past him. As he looked around his vision was obscured by a what looked like picture frames. As he got closer to these frame's he saw random images begin to fly through them. Soon he gave one on his left his full attention. As soon as his eye's locked onto the blank canvas his vision was whisked away and replaced by a sight he thought he had long put behind him.

"So this is what my mind want's me to see?" He said as he trotted through a spacious living room, making his way over to a small individual unwrapping a Christmas gift.

"A Human?" He said as he sat down next to the human boy he had come to know well. "Hello, Joseph. How have you been?" He asked as the boy looked through him with a smile on his face.