Chapters I awoke in a field of grass one morning, surrounded by colorful ponies with strange markings on them. I didn’t initially understand what they were saying, it sounded like no language I had ever heard, but gradually words began to morph into something I had heard before. Something I recognized. With time, I began to understand each of them. The yellow one, the one with the pink mane and aquamarine eyes, was nearest to me, she seemed concerned with my health.
“Are you alright?” she asked gently, in a voice that might have been missed if the wind had been just right.
I thought to speak, then I realized I didn’t know the words to say. I shrugged and winced as I pulled myself together and stood. I realized quite quickly that I was, in fact, standing on 4 feet. No, hooves. Strange, I knew I wasn’t like this before. I looked down at my forehooves, quite bewildered. I think the yellow mare must have taken notice of this right away, she looked at me with concern.
“What’s your name?” she asked me, but words still failed to find their way to my mouth. I couldn’t figure out how to speak, I think. It was all coming to very slowly, I at least knew how to stand and I felt confident I could take a step forward if so pressed. I didn’t feel pressed.
Another mare, orange in color with a straw-colored mane, and green eyes gawked at me strangely. She adjusted a hat on her head, scratching her temple as she did so. It was curious to see. I noticed then that the yellow mare, the one who had been speaking to me, had wings where the orange mare did not. I didn’t understand that at all. I blinked and looked around myself and at my surroundings. I found nothing familiar.
“Ya gonna answer her or what?” the orange mare drawled slowly, pacing her speech carefully so that I shouldn’t miss a single word. I blinked and turned my gaze to the yellow mare, prompted as I was to speak. It wasn’t simple, but I gave it my best effort.
“...don’t know…,” I mumbled, and I felt my voice was rather coarse as I spoke. It was hushed, quiet, but it was a gentle as a gravel driveway you’d just fallen on. I knew that I must know other words, I stared at the yellow mare in hopes of a response that brought some enlightenment to me.
“...you don’t know your name…?” she asked, worriedly. She examined my head, gently moving my hair - mane - with her right forehoof as she examined parts of my scalp. She didn’t seem to find anything amiss, then stepped back and blushed a little.
“Oh… my… I’m sorry… My name is Fluttershy… I just… I want to help you, that’s all,” she spoke timidly. Had I known better, I might have understood she felt she had just somehow violated me. I felt no such way, personally, but I was mostly just confused at this point.
I shook my head and cleared my throat. Words felt more natural now, easier to come by. I chose them carefully.
“No… no that’s okay. Thank you… I’m… Well, I’ve no idea where I am… or what I’m called… or… um… what I am?” I offered weakly, wearing a wan smile as I did. My last memories were a little muddled, but not unclear. I’d had two feet, wore a khaki suit, and knew nothing but misery and greed in my environment.
“Oh, dear… We’d better get you to the hospital then… Rainbow?” she turned her gaze toward a cyan pegasus with a multi-colored mane and tail that smiled as she was cued up. Before I knew what was happening I was swept up in her grip and moving faster than I could recall ever moving before, toward a big building on the edge of a town. I was deposited in the lobby, and the brash mare spoke to the receptionist. She had a raspy voice, but it was eloquent. It squeaked at times, sort of peaking out when she didn’t want it to, but it betrayed no sign of weakness in her. I could find no fault in her other than what was clearly a competitive spirit. Even this was no real fault, it was probably how she got me to the hospital as quickly as she had.
A pony with a white coat, a pink mane, and a pink heart on her flank greeted me.
“Hello, dear… What’s the matter?”
“He can’t remember who he is!” shot the pegasus beside me. I blinked, stunned, but could not argue the point she had made.
The white mare nodded and looked at me gravely for a moment. She gestured, with her head and neck, that I should follow her to the back. I supposed I was going to be subject to some manner of examination.
I was right, she had gone through the ritual physical examination to determine precisely how my vitals reflected my current state. However, it was not entirely routine, well not to me. She had me lying on a table, and I’d been staring at the ceiling only to be called back to reality by her voice.
“Mister… I’m, I’m sorry… Sir, would you kindly move this weight?” she asked, directing my attention to a small stone that was probably not much more than one pound. I nodded, then realized I had no idea what she was asking of me. I shrugged and picked myself up, gravitating toward the object and deciding that my mouth was probably the most logical method to grip it. I found my way blocked by a foreleg, and the look I received was quite strange.
“...you really are lost, aren’t you?” she asked gently, but the tone suggested shew as talking to a child.
“I’m sorry?” I replied, bewildered.
“I meant for you to pick this up with your magic, dear…,” she replied gently. I stared at her for a moment, not comprehending.
A white foreleg pointed toward my forehead, and my eyes followed obediently. So I found I had a dark grey horn growing from my forehead, and this brought me no end of confusion.
“Sir… Can’t you use your magic…?”
“...magic? What?”I asked, confusion soaking my every word.
The white mare simply nodded, and picked up a quill in her mouth and began to write on some paper she had placed on a table. I didn’t know what she was writing, but I thought perhaps I had made a mistake and was about to be outed to the local population. She brought the note to me, carefully folded, and asked that I find the time to stop at the library and speak to the proprietress, Twilight Sparkle.
“Yes, I will,” I replied with a nod, “Am I free to go, then?”
The mare looked confused, even a little hurt. She nodded.
“Of course you are, you’re no prisoner here…” she replied. This shook me to my core. I nodded and settled onto my hooves, and made my way back to the lobby with the letter in my mouth. The cyan pegasus was now accompanied by the orange mare and the yellow mare both. I trotted up to them and nodded.
“Fank you,” I began, then frowned and spit the letter onto the floor.
Fluttershy nodded at me and smiled. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve got thi-” I stopped as I looked down at the letter. I had no idea what it said, I didn’t recognize a single piece of the script written there. It was incomprehensible to me.
Fluttershy tilted her head, causing her mane to ripple as she did so.
“What’s wrong?”
“...I…,” I stared at the paper for a moment, then looked up at Fluttershy, “I can’t read this…”
Fluttershy looked down at the paper and frowned. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked as she read it upside down, she blinked and squinted, as though that might shed some light on the matter.
“I don’t… What is that…? I didn’t recognize any of the… the um… the letters?”
The cyan pegasus snickered and received a heated glare from the orange mare in turn. She blinked and the snickering ended abruptly.
“Ya don’t know how to read?” asked the orange mare.
“...I don’t know how to read this…,” I replied, gesturing at the paper, “...whatever this is…”
Fluttershy blinked and nodded. “Well… Twilight can help with that too then… That’s what this says, by the way… It’s addressed to her, and it’s about you and… well… Nurse Tenderheart is asking Twilight to help you re-learn to use your magic.”
“You… can’t read and you can’t use your magic? What are you, a foal?” asked the cyan pegasus. It was Fluttershy that glared at her this time, but she didn’t seem to take any notice.
“I don’t know,” I replied, and I felt suddenly very tired.
Fluttershy smiled warmly and then turned to the other mares.
“I’ll help him to find the library, thank you for your help, both of you,” she said with immense gratitude poured into her every word. The other mares nodded, smiling back at her then took their leave. I watched them go, and couldn’t help but feel confused.
“Oh! What’s your name?”
“I still don’t know it, I’m sorry,” I replied.
Fluttershy smiled still warmly, with perhaps a little sympathy laced into that and her voice. I’m sorry about Rainbow… She’s not usually so insensitive… especially when it comes to reading…”
“Oh… um… That’s okay, I didn’t take offense,” I said as I started for the door.
The yellow pegasus squeaked as she caught up to me, she fell into step beside me and I noticed then that I was slightly taller than she. Not by terribly much, perhaps half a head difference in our heights. She seemed to me to be very peaceful, very calm. I noticed too that she had an air of anxiety about her, as though being out in public was a fear she was constantly coping with.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Oh! Um… Yes, I’m fine. Just a little nervous, that’s all,” she answered.
I knew the feeling well, and I nodded my understanding.
“So, Where are we going?” I asked.
The pegasus gestured ahead of me, towards a tree that stood proud and unique toward the center of the town. I saw just a faint aura of energy surrounding it, but I wasn’t sure if I was simply seeing things or if it was real. I continued to trot in that direction, Fluttershy at my side.
“Um… So, do you know where you’re from?” she asked.
“New York,” I replied.
“...where?”
“I’m from New Yori… well, I’m from Long Island, so not quite on the mainland but it is still a part of New York…,” I looked at her and my voice trailed off as I saw only incomprehension in the mare’s eyes. She nodded, just to be polite, but she didn’t know what I was talking about.
“I’ve never heard of any of that, I’m sorry,” she said quietly, and I could feel the guilt in her voice washing over me. I had to extinguish it.
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry for… There’s a lot that I don’t know, that I guess I’m going to have to learn? And you haven’t yet made me feel bad about that. Why, then, should you be sorry for not knowing something about me?” I asked.
She nodded, it was weak but conveyed at least a little understanding. She decided to pursue the conversation a little further.
“So, um, what’s it like… where you’re from?”
“Miserable… Folks are greedy, self-centered, arrogant, rude… Kindness and understanding run in short supply… It just seems like everyone wants to just hurt everyone else, no one wants to take the time to understand someone else’s sorrow or pain,” I answered.
She looked sad, in fact, the tears glistening at the lower rims of her eyes emphasized that point quite well. I hated to have brought tears to her eyes, so I continued, trying to bring a little light and life back to the conversation which I had just turned dreary.
“I suppose it isn’t all bad. Some people are quite nice, there are still some tight-knit communities to be found. Family can be good, but some family… well…”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, and I blinked.
“Yes… I understand some family can be very difficult to get along with.”
“Right,” I replied as I continued my pace towards the tree.
“I need to check on my animal friends back home, will you be alright on your own? Twilight is a very nice pony, she can help you… She’s in that tree there,” she said quietly.
“Yes, I’ll be alright. Thank you, again, Ms. Fluttershy,” I replied.
“Oh… just Fluttershy will do, thank you,” she said happily, flapping her wings and taking to the air. I watched her lift-off in wonder, and as soon as she was out of sight as I continued on my way to the tree. As I approached it, I noticed the aura danced and shimmered. It was a mixture of pastel coloring with some rich purple and blue thrown in almost as an afterthought, it was faint and I could have missed it if I weren’t so focused.
I approached the door on this tree and took a deep breath. The letter was tucked into my mane, and my goal was now set before me. I was nervous.
So there I stood, staring at a wooden door set into a tree trunk at the top of three steps. It was a simple construction, but I appreciated that. It was where my mind had gone that had given me pause, for a moment I had a glimpse of a thick steel door with a large heavy lock that a large heavy key could engage or disengage. I found the thought to be unsettling, but after a moment I snapped from my reverie.
It was not my own doing, but rather that of the maroon colored mare that had opened the door and stepped into my field of vision. Through green eyes, she stared at me for a moment before breaking into a winning smile and greeting me wholeheartedly.
“Hello there! You must be new in town! I’m Cheerilee, what’s your name?” she asked, and the lilt of her voice suggested wisdom and happiness both. I blinked a few times to bring myself back to the present and looked up at her. I remained silent for only a moment.
“I, um… I don’t really know my name,” I answered.
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow and her smile began to slip, then lowered it again resuming her smile as she let out a soft chuckle.
“Well, we can’t have that, now can we? No, it won’t do. There's simply got to be a way to call out to you, you know? Say if somepony saw you on the streets and wanted a word with you? Why don’t we just choose a name for you now, at least until you remember yours?”
I stared blankly at her, almost uncomprehending as I nodded to her.
“Let’s see… Dark grey coat… Brown mane and tail… Mane’s pretty long too… No cutie mark? How very interesting! You know what? I think the name Tempest might just fit you… Hehe… That’s the name of a protagonist from a series of books called “Hidden Storm” that I’m particularly fond of. Not many ponies have read them though, so you should be okay!”
“Tempest?” I said, testing the name out on my own lips. I nodded, deciding that I liked it, “Um, what is a cutie mark?”
The maroon mare sat on her haunches and stared at me, she sized me up, I thought, then smiled warmly and spoke once more.
“Well, each pony is given to a magical mark upon their flank to be received at the time they realize which talents are truly theirs, that make them who they are, that bring them real joy… You see mine?” she gestured at her own flank, and I found myself hesitant to look, and she giggled at my visible hesitation, “It represents the students that I teach, and how I enjoy helping them to bloom into the ponies that they will one day become.”
I nodded, although I didn’t truly understand what I’d just been told. She smiled, then stood up and descended the three steps until she was level with me, though she still had to look up slightly to make eye contact properly.
“Ponyville is a nice place, full of extraordinary and wonderful ponies… You’ll be okay here, and trust me, you’ll be taken care of,” she said with an air of finality as she walked past me and continued down the road. My gaze followed her momentarily before I came back to the door, and took a deep breath. I couldn’t avoid this forever.
I trotted up to the door and gently pounded a hoof against its wooden surface. It gave easily, swinging inside and revealing a purple dragon standing atop a ladder and shelving a book. I was absolutely astonished at the sight of this little dragon and shook my head to be sure I hadn’t knocked something loose and was seeing things. But no, the dragon insisted on existing there before me.
“Hello?” a bright voice called out from somewhere outside of my vision but clearly still in the large room.
I turned to see a purple mare with a horn jutting from her forehead, she had deep purple eyes and a deep indigo mane, I stared at her for a moment, there was certainly no shortage of color in this town.
“Can I help you, Mister…?”
I blinked, realizing I was being cued to answer an unspoken question, and I nodded at her.
“Oh, yes. I’m Tempest, and I’ve just come from the hospital. I was directed here by them, uh, with this note here…” I said as I gestured to the note tucked into my mane. She smiled and stood there, clearly waiting for something. I wasn’t absolutely sure what that something was though, so I stood there and grew nervous as I waited for something to click into place.
“Well, do you think you could let me see it?” she asked patiently.
“Oh! Of course, um… Here,” I said as I trotted up to her and leaned so she could more easily reach the letter. I couldn’t see her face, but after a moment of nothing happening I looked up to see her looking confused.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I uh… I was just bringing the letter closer to you, that’s all,” I answered.
“Well, why don’t you just pass it to me?” she asked.
“I, uh,” I began, but then sighed and reached up with a hoof to knock the letter free from my mane. It sailed to the floor gently, and I picked it up with my mouth and offered it to her. She looked confused again but shrugged. Suddenly her horn lit with purple light and I felt the letter in my mouth being tugged away from me. She carefully unfolded it and read it, I think a few times before she refolded it and looked up at me.
“Oh, I”m sorry. I had no idea that’s why you were acting so um… strange,” she said sheepishly.
“Strange? Was I? I’m sorry, I didn’t know that I was.”
“Well, it’s just fairly basic unicorn etiquette for one unicorn to hand another any item via magical grip… That you were so intent on avoiding the use of magic, or well, that you couldn’t… I found myself very confused by that, but now it makes much more sense. Well, no, it doesn’t make that much more sense. I mean, it makes sense that you weren’t using magic, but why wouldn’t you know about that etiquette? Why wouldn’t you think to explain your problem?” she spoke quickly, cheerfully, then quizzically but ultimately she was not rebuking me or judging me at all. She was simply taken with a curiosity which led her to ask me the questions she’d been asking.
“I don’t really remember much,” I replied.
“Oh, you’re an amnesiac… Fascinating! Perhaps I can help with that, or maybe Zecora could brew up some sort of tonic to refocus your mind…,” she trailed off into thought, and I found myself just a little intimidated by the vastness of her intellect and her obvious drive to pursue knowledge.
“No, I have memories. Just none of this place, or anyone like you or, I guess, myself?” I said.
“Oh? Interesting!” she chimed, refusing to be the slightest bit disappointed in that revelation, “Well, come on… I can at least help you to remember how to use magic, at your age that shouldn’t take very long.”
I nodded and followed her as she made her way to the other side of the room, her horn lit up and I noticed a book slide out from high on a shelf and find its way to her. She had opened it and began reading it before she reached her destination, but she made it there so effortlessly I wondered if she didn’t have the layout of this place entirely memorized.
“Right, so Mr. Tempest… The simplest way to explain this is what you are, in fact, endeavoring to utilize another appendage. First, you look inside of yourself, find that swirling mass of colorful light that represents your magic and draw from it. Let that fill your own then…,” she trailed off, looking around the room for a moment before settling on something I couldn’t see, and soon a candlestick floated into my field of vision and settled on the table, “Wrap that magical energy you draw on around this and lift it. Start slowly, first get the hang of drawing that magic in. It shouldn’t be hard, foals start learning young and telekinesis is among the most basic spells taught.”
I blinked and followed her instructions. I looked inside of myself, and I found a darkness surrounded by a bright green light. I poked at it tentatively and found it did not resist me at all. I carefully examined it, then thought of the horn on my forehead and instructed the magic to go there. I could feel the warmth of it fill my horn as I opened my eyes, though it wasn’t much and I wasn’t sure I could hold on to it.
I tried a few more times, meeting with mixed results but ultimately success. The next step was the candlestick, and so I instructed the magic to find and embrace the candlestick, and it did. I noticed nothing at first, but as I focused on moving the candlestick up, the mare and I both noticed that the stick was withering. It was very nearly gone before I let go of it, and she caught it in her own magic and set it on the table. She examined it more closely, tilted her head and screwing up her face in thought.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know, Mr. Tempest… But that isn’t a good sign. Please don’t use your magic until I know for sure, alright? It’s just safer that way, do you understand?”
I did understand, and I nodded to affirm that. If the candlestick was any indication, I wanted nothing to do with touching anything else.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I went on about etiquette and never even told you my name! I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Tempest.”
“Thank you, I think. I’m… feeling a bit famished, is there any place I can go to eat?”
“Yes, of course. What’s today? Wednesday? You could find my friend Applejack’s stall at the market, or if you like you could go to Sugarcube Corner, the treats there are delightful. Either way, do you have any money?”
“I don’t think I do,” I answered.
“Well, if you’ll pay me back when you can, I can loan you a few bits for something to eat. Just please don’t use your magic, okay?”
I stood there, baffled by the kindness and generosity to which I’d been thus far exposed and found I had no rationale for it. It was nice, and I was certainly grateful, but I was unaccustomed to it just the same. She levitated a small satchel with some golden coins in it around my neck and smiled warmly.
“I was new here too, once, and I hadn’t made any friends… Truthfully, my friends made me, but what I’m saying is you should try to talk to some ponies and make some friends. I’m going to write to the Princesses and ask what it might mean that your magic is acting as it is because I don’t think you had it in mind to do what you did.”
“I… Princesses?” I asked.
She looked positively stunned and stared at me with a distinct lack of humor.
“Celestia and Luna, Governesses of the Sun and the Moon, Rulers over all Equestria, Goddesses? How can you not know the Princesses?”
“I’m sorry, I meant no offense.”
“No, I’m not offended, just… concerned. I really would like to know how you don’t know them.”
“I honestly couldn’t tell you.”
“Okay, well, you can’t miss Applejack’s stand, her little sister is probably out there making a lot of noise even now. Sugarcube Corner, well, the sign should give it away I think?”
I began to nod before I remembered the other reason I had come here, and I stopped myself.
“Actually, now that you mention it… I can’t read, either. I don’t recognize any of the characters on the letter I was given, nor the spine of that book that you pulled out or any of the other ones around here. I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you what any sign around here says,” I said with a frown.
“Oh. Well, Sugarcube Corner has a large sign with a muffin and a cupcake that look like they’d be dancing if they had any legs or visible sentience… and Applejack’s stand, well, has Applejack. She’s an orange mare with a straw-colored mane and tail, wears a hat, has green eyes.”
“Oh, yes, I have met her. Along with Fluttershy and Rainbow.”
“Okay, will you be okay around town then?”
“I have felt nothing but kindness and friendliness since I awoke, I cannot see how a town like this might cause me any harm. I think I’ll be okay, thank you.”
“Alright, I’ll be here… If you stop by later, I might have an answer for you. I’m sorry that you can’t read, but maybe Cheerilee could help you with that?”
“The one who just left here?”
“Yes, her! So you two met then, I’m glad. She lives on the west side of town, nearest the Whitetail Woods. Perhaps you’ll find her later on and explain to her what you have so far explained to me. I’m sure she’ll be glad to help.”
I nodded and turned away. I had nothing else to say and I was prepared to leave. She didn’t try to stop me, so I exited the tree by way of the door and started my way towards the main town. The market wasn’t too far away, perhaps that Applejack would be pleasant to talk to?
I had not made it four strides before I was bowled over by a blur of grey and yellow. Together we rolled three times until the blur was unceremoniously launched into the air and landed with an unpleasant thud a short distance from where I lay. I picked myself up in haste, then cast a glance at the blur that had knocked me prone. She lay there grumbling, a mound of feathers and fur, grey with a yellow mane.
I approached her and made to help her up.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Aw nuts! I almost had that one too! Why can’t I ever get it right?” she whined, accepting my hoof and coming to her hooves, “Um, Thanks!”
“Almost had what?” I asked.
“Oh, that landing… I’m not so good at landings, but I think I was going to make that one… I was so sure!” she cried.
“To be fair, if I had not gotten in your way, I think you would have as well. I’m sorry about that.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay. You didn’t know, did you? Nope, I’ll bet you didn’t. I’m Ditzy Do! Who’re you?”
“I am called Tempest, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Do”
I noticed her eyes, brilliant yellow but misaligned. I worried that the crash had upset her vision, but she didn’t seem to take any notice so I didn’t pry.
“Ditzy, please! You’re new here, huh? Welcome to Ponyville~! Are you going to be here for a while?”
I blinked and stared at her for a moment. She was quiet and started to look self-conscious as I stared. She averted her eyes and closed them. I blinked again and finally found my voice.
“I’m sorry, have I offended you?”
“What? Oh, um, no. Well, I don’t think so? You’re just… you’re staring at me awful hard and I know my eyes are kinda odd but-”
“Forgive me, it was impolite of me to stare… but it was not your eyes which drew my attention. It was your question, I hadn’t considered it before.”
She tentatively opened her eyes and looked up at me, blinking and waiting for me to continue. Or I assumed she was.
“I don’t really know how I came to be here, but I have not yet met anyone unpleasant since I arrived. I am glad to have met you, Ditzy, and perhaps we can meet again sometime?”
She nodded, and a smile drew across her face and lit up her eyes. She extended a hoof, and I looked at it a moment before I realized it was a gesture of friendship, and I shook her hoof.
“That sounds great! Maybe we can be friends, too! You’ll make lots of them around here, I promise!” she said with a comforting level of cheer in her voice.
“Thank you, Ditzy. You’ve made me feel very welcome here,” I replied.
She smiled brightly, then stepped back.
“Okay, I’ve got to get back to work now! It was nice meeting you, don’t be a stranger!” she said as she gave her wings an experimental flap and hovered into the air. She gradually gained altitude and left me behind. I watched her fly off, and despite the awkwardness of her landing, her take-off was quite graceful.
I took a deep breath and refocused on the path that lay ahead of me. The market seemed to be the closest to me, and so I chose to go there first. It took not more than five minutes' walk to arrive at the assortment of kiosks and tents set up around the square. I recognized the orange mare in little time and approached her stall quietly. Before I could address her, I found myself accosted by a much younger pony, yellow in color with a red mane held up by a pink bow.
“Howdy Mister! You want an apple dontcha? I know ya do! You can’t resist a Sweet Apple Acres Apple! No sir!” she announced. I retreated a single step, and heard the orange mare snort and then giggle.
“Land sakes AB! Yer gonna scare away the customers ‘fore they ever get to buyin’ anything that way!” the orange mare said through a chuckle.
The little yellow pony folded her ears back and nodded, and I looked down at her.
“Miss, I would like one of your Sweet Apple Acres Apples, please,” I said.
The little pony brightened quickly and marched over to the stall. She stuck her tongue out at the older mare, who rolled her eyes and smiled at me. I approached the stall proper and eyed the various treats she had on display. Pies, tarts, crisps, and crumbles all attacked my olfactory senses without mercy and I found my appetite was broken open.
“You have a fine selection here, Miss.”
“Applejack,” she said, tipping her hat and nodding at me.
“Miss Applejack, then. Thank you for your help earlier, I appreciate it.”
“Just Applejack, if ya please. Ain’t much fer formalizin’”
I nodded my understanding and amended myself accordingly. After that, a bright red apple was placed on the stall before me and the young pony spoke up again.
“That’ll be 1 bit!”
“Ah, um… Right,” I replied, digging my snout into the pouch around my neck and pulling out one of the gold coins. I hoped that this was a bit as I placed it on the wooden counter of the stall, and the little pony smiled proudly.
“See! Ah made a sale!”
“Sure shootin’ ya did, Sugarcube!”
“Thank you, Miss…?”
“Ah’m Applebloom.”
“Thank you, Applebloom.”
“Yer welcome! Come again anytime!”
I nodded and took the apple in my mouth. I raised a hoof to it and gently held it in place as I took a bite of it. It was truly tender and sweet, a wonderful apple the likes of which I cannot say I had ever tasted before that moment.
“So, stranger, you ain’t told us yer name yet!”
“Oh, Forgive me, that was rude. I am called Tempest.”
“Well, Tempest… You rememberin’ anything yet?”
“I remember nothing about my arrival here, nor how to read. I tried some magic with Ms. Sparkle, but I found that it was dangerous.”
Applejack blinked and stared at me.
“Ah, that is… I have been asked to avoid practicing magic until she can figure out what went wrong,” I amended.
Applejack simply shrugged and nodded at me, then elected for a slight change of subject.
“So, what’s yer plans for the day?”
“I was thinking to head to Sugarcube Corner, thought perhaps I could enjoy one of their treats,” I replied.
The orange mare took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth before she spoke again.
“Reminds me… Reckon I owe Pinkie an apology…,” she said quietly.
I stared for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.
“Ah… A.B.!,” she called, and the younger pony turned her head in response, “Keep an eye on the Apple stand, would ya? I’m gonna go with this feller to Sugarcube Corner n’see Pinkie Pie.”
Applebloom nodded and smiled, trotting up to the stall itself and taking up a position behind the counter as Applejack trotted around and up to me.
“Uh, Ah hope ya don’t mind?” she said by way of an apology.
“Not at all,” I replied, “But you had best lead the way since I don’t actually know where Sugarcube Corner is.”
Applejack nodded and turned on the spot, electing to head east along the cobblestone and out of the market.
We walked along in silence for only a short while before Applejack sighed and began to speak to me.
“You sure ain’t a nosey fella, are ya?” she asked.
“I… what?” I replied.
“It’s just that… Just about any other pony would be asking why Ah needed to apologize to Pinkie Pie er what happened between us er somesuch… You ain’t asked no such thing. Been dang respectful.”
“Respectful is uncommon?”
“Nah, that’s not what Ah mean. Hm. It’s just that Ah’m bein’ disrespectful just barging into yer day like Ah am and ya aren’t tryin’ to pry into mah business. I think I was wantin’ that, honest truth.”
“You were wanting me to pry?” I asked slowly.
“Somepony to talk to about it, yeah?” she replied casually, looking up at me. I nodded my understanding.
“Very well, What happened between you and Ms. Pie?”
Applejack chuckled at first, then shook her head and smiled, looking straight ahead again as she spoke. “had a bit of a spat… See this here time ‘o year’s not the best fer me. Next month we’ll be celebratin’ my baby sister’s birthday and the day mama died all at once, again… and in three days, the day that daddy was gone.”
“I reckon Pinkie Pie had it in her head a party would help me to feel better, and Ah know she didn’t mean no harm by it. I lost mah temper and I had a good yell at her, said some things Ah shouldn’ta never said. I’m hopin’ she can forgive me, but then this is Pinkie Pie we’re talkin’ about. She don’t hold grudges, Ah don’t think she knows what a grudge even is.
I listened and nodded where appropriate. I stared ahead, walking side by side with Applejack as we spoke.
“Losing parents is very difficult, I know. Burying them is never easy to do, and saying goodbye seems almost impossible,” the words tasted off coming out, clumsy and disorganized, “I, ah, that is, I’m sorry for your losses.”
“Ain’t gotta get awkward around it,” she retorted quietly.
“I am… trying to relate, actually. I have buried many, I have had to say goodbye more times than I care to remember. I know the pain of it, and wanted you to know you weren’t alone.”
Applejack nodded in reply, closing her eyes for a moment and taking in a deep, shuddering breathing before she spoke again.
“Ah’m sorry too, that you’ve hurt like that…,” she said, quietly.
“It is no longer relevant,” I replied before thinking and pinched my eyes shut as soon as I realized how cold it sounded.
Either Applejack didn’t notice or she didn’t care, but when she spoke next it was about me.
“S’pose that’s why ya never smile?” she asked, approaching the topic with care.
“I never smile?” I replied, somewhat incredulous. It wasn’t untrue, though, was it? I couldn’t recall a moment since I had awoken when I had actually smiled, even if good things had happened and I had met some very nice individuals in that time. A smile is something that had remained stubbornly absent from my features.
“Jus’ sayin’... We’re headin’ on over ta see Pinkie Pie, and if’n ya think you’ll get away without smilin’ for that mare then you are sorely mistaken,” she said with no small amount of mirth. I blinked, unsure of her meaning but a little concerned nevertheless.
“So, what did you say to her?” I asked, cutting through the distracted talk and off-topic banter, but mostly just distracting from the topic of myself.
“Ah told her she didn’t have a lick of sense… What’d she know about this sorta pain? This kinda loss? Told her she was a dang foal and to keep her parties to herself,” she replied, looking down at the ground and closing her eyes. The look on her face spoke of the pain she felt inside for the words she had said to her friend, it was no small amount of guilt.
“All said while you are, yourself, in pain. While the words themselves aren’t excusable, they are understandable. I doubt this Pinkie Pie took much offense.”
Applejack shook her head and chuckled at the thought. I didn’t feel sure of what she found amusing, but a chuckle was a pleasant response and I was glad for it.
“Nah, yer right there… She prolly didn’t take much offense at mah foalish outburst, but that don’t mean it didn’t sting, right?”
“True, you are right.”
“Heh, sure am,” she said with a soft giggle that broke the tension very swiftly. Our continued pace brought us into the commercial district of Ponyville in minutes, and a tall pink building stood above the rest and seemed to glow and vibrate with a pent up and inexhaustible energy that invited everyone to join the fun. I was fascinated by this building.
“Come on then, it’s just there,” Applejack stated as she moved towards that very building I had first taken notice of. I followed her, the two of us breaking into a gallop and covering the small distance in little time at all. I found myself ahead of Applejack, and at the door before she was. I shrugged to myself and held the door open for it.
Applejack smiled at me and nodded her thanks as she trotted through into the building proper and I entered the building after her. The first thing I noticed upon entering was the heavy scent of sugary things permeating the air and threatening to chokehold anything unpleasant into non-existence. The second thing was the clean counters and display cases filled with cakes, pies, tarts, crumbles, or other confectioneries besides that all clambered for attention from tastebuds. A tall, lanky, yellow stallion with a message of orange mane under a paper hat stood behind a counter with a register and glared at the sight of Applejack.
Applejack, for her part, was tentative but determined as she approached the counter.
“Is Pinkie Pie here, Mr. Cake?”
The stallion looked down at her, frowning. He didn’t chase her out, which was good. He didn’t get a chance to reply before a blue mare with a pink mane came out of a door that led to a back room, kissed him on the cheek, and smiled at Applejack. Just like that his glare was gone, replaced by a small smile and no anger.
“Hello, Applejack,” said the mare, quiet and firm.
A large leather-bound book lay splayed across a desk, over which a purple unicorn leaned as she scanned the pages and flipped through them in quick succession. Nearby a quill in the grip of a purple aura scribbled furiously on parchment as she muttered things under her breath. She’d lost track of time, but it couldn’t have been that long since she started this quest for information.
Twilight’s gaze hesitantly left the book and found the candlestick which Tempest had earlier embraced in his magic, and once again examined the as yet unexplained side effects. She scratched her chin with a hoof and sighed, then turned back to the book and continued to read. Only one more paragraph was read before she called out for her dragon assistant.
“Spike!”
The unicorn’s eyes hadn’t left the book as she cried out, and no attention was paid to the door of her study as she scanned more paragraphs and found this section of magical effects tied to emotions fascinating and relevant both.
“Sp-”
“Agh! I’m here, Twilight. What’s up?” he cringed as she had begun shouting again while he stood at her desk.
“Oh, Spike, I’m sorry,” she looked up from the book to meet his green eyes, “Will you take a letter for me, please?”
Spike nodded and collected a quill and parchment from her desk, and prepared to write.
“Dear Princess Celestia, I have come into contact today with a unicorn stallion who seems uncertain of how to use his own magic. In fact, he seems to have little memory at all of himself and I believe the name he provided me was something out of a foal’s story book. While these things cause me concern, it is the effects of his magic that I am most curious and worried about. I instructed him in the basics of object manipulation using magical telekinesis, and while he was able to embrace the object, a candlestick, without difficulty, an unintended and frightening side effect occurred. Princess, the candlestick appeared to have eroded and decayed into almost nothing, it is only a fraction of what it was before he picked it up. I could see no malice or hate in him, nor any intention towards this particular effect. Please write back to me if you have any ideas what this might be. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.”
Spike added the final touch and set the parchment down for Twilight to sign. The quill in his claw was wrapped in a purple aura and found its way to the parchment, she signed it hastily then magically rolled up the parchment and sealed it. She held it aloft and Spike smirked at her, he could tell already that she was curious and worried at the same time. He opened his mouth and took a deep breath, washing the scroll away into nothingness.
********
The round blue mare with the pink mane directed Applejack to a small living room. A couch and a chair were set around a table that sat on an ovular rug in front of a fireplace, on the adjacent wall there stood a window that looked out over Ponyville. Applejack admired the coziness of the arrangement and smiled in a brief bit of comfort as she took a seat on the couch and waited for Mrs. Cake to sit down beside her.
“Tea?” asked Mrs. Cake coming from another room. Applejack hadn’t noticed her leave.
“Uh, sure,” she answered. After a few minutes of waiting, Mrs. Cake returned holding a tray with a kettle, two cups, and a bowl of sugar which she set onto the table before she took her seat beside Applejack.
“Alright, dear, tell me what happened between you and Pinkie,” she said with infinite patience. Applejack did not detect any anger from the older mare, instead, it was curiosity and concern. Buoyed by this observation, she spoke a bit more comfortably.
“We had a lil’ spat… Ain’t long ‘til the day mama passed on, and Pinkie was wantin’ to throw a party fer me ‘n Applebloom ‘n Big Mac… It weren’t a bad idea, and I know she didn’t mean no harm… but I yelled at her jus’ the same, told her she was a dern foal if’n she thought a party was right for that sort of occasion. Told her she didn’t understand nothin’ about loss, and to just leave me be,” said Applejack.
Mrs. Cake nodded, pouring hot water into each cup as she listened to Applejack. Steam rose in curls above each cup, the water turning a rich dark brown before their eyes.
“How many lumps, dear?”
“Huh? Oh, two please,” Applejack nodded her appreciation.
Mrs. Cake nodded and placed two lumps of sugar into Applejack’s tea, and a single lump into her own.
“Right, so why do you say that Pinkie Pie doesn’t understand loss?”
Applejack blinked and tilted her head. She could not begin to answer that question, because thinking back on it there was never any rationale behind the outburst and no reason for the assumption into Pinkie’s past.
“Um… I dunno…,” she said quietly, suddenly very fascinated by her cup of tea.
Cup Cake smiled sadly at Applejack and took a sip of her tea.
“Tell me, has she ever spoken about her parents or her sisters much to you or your friends?”
“Uh… Reckon the only time she ever did was when she was talkin’ to my lil’ sister and her friends about how she got her cutie mark.”
Cup Cake nodded and took another sip of her tea, seeming to think about her next words carefully. Deciding best how to say what she wanted to say, and what exactly was okay for her to say.
“For what it’s worth, as far as I am concerned… Mr. Cake and I are her parents and have been since we took her in. She’s special to us, and I hope that she knows that. We never met her parents or sisters, it was too late by the time we’d met her.”
Applejack blinked, the information didn’t process immediately and she had to take a moment to think about exactly what the older mare had just said. She swallowed, and stared at her tea again, she had yet to actually take a sip of it.
“Housefires aren’t uncommon in the farm life, but you know that better than most…,” Mrs. Cake said quietly, Applejack cringed at these words, and a tear sprang into her eye and refused to budge past that.
“I know I haven’t forgotten that terrible night… Well, Pinkie lost more than her father in the fire that took her home… She lost her whole family…”
Applejack felt a knot in her throat, a stubborn thick ball of regret and sadness that wedged itself there and threatened to strangle her with sorrow. She closed her eyes, and a tear fell into her cup of tea. She took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to speak.
“Ah had no idea… She never said…”
Mrs. Cake shook her head in a small way, closing her eyes and taking another sip of tea.
“She’s upstairs if you’d like to talk to her yourself, I know she wants to talk to you,” said Mrs. Cake, interrupting Applejack’s train of thought and causing her to brighten just a little. Applejack nodded, and thanked Cup Cake for the tea she never touched, and made her way to the stairs that would lead up to the loft apartment that Pinkie Pie resided in.
********
“So, what do you recommend?” I asked the lanky yellow stallion. He came to as though he’d just woken from a dream, and stared at me for a moment before registering the question. It seemed to me that he’d been far away in his head, and only realized where he was when spoken to. I waited for a response.
“Oh, um, the Blueberrynana Muffins are especially good today. Would you like one?”
“Yes, please,” I said as I began to fish some coins from the pouch about my neck. I could hear him rustling about behind the counter, carefully wrapped the treat in paper and twine for me to carry out. I set the coins on the counter and nodded my appreciation. He simply took what he was owed, and left the rest. I returned the remaining coins to my pouch and added the treat to it as well.
“You must be new around here, I’m Carrot Cake, part-owner of Sugarcube Corner. You saw my wife, she’s the other owner. Welcome to Ponyville, sir!”
I nodded and cleared my throat. I felt lost, what was I supposed to say? Perhaps an introduction was in order.
“Thank you, I am called Tempest. Yes, I am new here, I appreciate the warmth and compassion I have received from everyone I’ve met since I arrived here. It is… refreshing,” I concluded, not at all hesitant to use that particular word but feeling a little embarrassed at the admission just the same.
“Oh? Where are you from then?” he asked.
“I would rather not think on it too much, but where I am from there is no one so nice as any of the residents of this fair town,” I replied.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m glad that you’re enjoying your stay here, heh, perhaps you’ll consider staying longer?”
I stared past him, at the door behind him. My mind wandered to the orange mare that had gone through that door with Mrs. Cake, and I wondered how she was doing. My ears heard a muffled sound that I was certain must have been Mr. Cake speaking to me, but I had no idea what he said.
********
Applejack gently knocked on the simple wooden door that was set in the wall between the outer corridor and the room where Pinkie Pie waited.
“Come on in!” came a squealing voice full of mirth, and Applejack smiled to herself as she opened the door. The pink pony was sat facing away from the door, looking out the window with a baby alligator at rest atop her head. A frizzy pink tail swayed from side to side behind her, evidence of her enormous pool of energy and her restless nature. She was humming tunelessly and seemed to be observing something.
Applejack stepped into the room and closed the door, then sat on her haunches and stared at Pinkie Pie for a moment before speaking.
“Ah’m so-”
“Applejack!” she chirped as she spun around, the alligator gripped her mane to avoid being thrown out the window, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to make you mad or hurt you! Can you forgive me?”
Applejack sat stunned, she took a moment to gather her thoughts and a deep breath before replying.
“Only if’n ya can forgive me fer bein’ a hothead ‘n sayin’ some hurtful things to you. Ah’m right sorry about that, you deserved none of it,” she said at length.
Pinkie Pie bounced over to the orange mare and wrapped her forelegs around the farm mare’s neck and squeezed her in a hug. Applejack closed her eyes and nuzzled Pinkie’s neck fur before wrapping her own forelegs around the pink mare’s neck and squeezing back. A sigh of relief escaped her as she felt the tension melt away from her body.
“Let’s not ever fight again, okey-dokey? It’s not fun and nopony gets to be happy from it, just mopey and sad and mad, right?”
“Right you are, sugar cube,” Applejack replied quietly.
Pinkie Pie pulled back, staring at Applejack for a moment before breaking into a huge toothy grin and vibrating on the spot.
“Oooh! There’s a new pony here! I get to make a new friend!” she said before bouncing past Applejack and out the door, moving down the stairs as speeds Applejack felt certain were terribly unsafe.
********
As I stared at the door behind Mr. Cake it exploded outward and admitted a vibrant pink pony that was in my face in the time it would have taken me to blink in response. I stared at her, and she at me. This was made more awkward by the fact that she was standing on my back and looking down at me by bending her head and neck down while I looked up at her.
“...Um,” I began.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville! You’re new here! Oh I just have to throw you a party to welcome you to town but you have to forget I said that so it can be a surprise party for you! We’re going to be bestest friends, I know it! I can feel it!” she spoke at such speeds it was miraculous I could follow her speech at all.
“Would you mind please getting off of me?” I asked, although in truth I hadn’t felt the weight of her at all while she stood here. She nodded and was suddenly standing in front of me instead, she stared at me intensely for what began to feel like an eternity after the first second.
“Er… I something the matter?”
“You aren’t smiling… Why aren’t you smiling?” she asked, though it sounded more like an accusation and she sounded just a little unhinged.
“I’m sorry?” I replied in confusion.
She eyed me up and down, sizing me up I felt. I stared blankly at the mare as she did this, not sure what was going on. After a moment she nodded to herself and darted past me and out the door to the Sugarcube Corner. Mr. Cake seemed unsurprised at this, even a little amused.
I looked at him and asked the first question to come to mind.
“Is she okay?”
He nodded and chuckled, “I’d say so, she seems to be in a better mood now. But I think you’re about to find out how determined she is to make ponies smile.”
I shuddered, although I did not know why, and nodded at him.
“Thank you,” I said as I stepped back from the counter.
Applejack returned, and together we left the building.
We trotted back through town, and found our way to the market and finally back to the Sweet Apple Acres stall. Applebloom had been busy with a customer when we approached, so Applejack stopped and waited for the business to conclude before she finally reunited with her sister and smiled.
“Yer doin’ good, A.B.!” she said merrily.
“Isn’t she though?” chimed an elegant voice from behind us, and I turned to meet the eyes of a stunning white mare with a carefully groomed purple mane and deep sapphire eyes.
“Heya, Rarity! Ya need somethin’ from me?”
Rarity nodded and smiled.
“Oh yes, I could use some apples, in fact. I thought I’d try my hoof at making something special for Sweetie Belle,” the white unicorn replied.
“Sure thing! A.B., get her a basket ready, would ya?” Applejack called out to her sister.
“Yup!” replied the younger.
“So, Who is this gentlecolt you’re traveling with Applejack? Hm? A hopeful suitor, perhaps?” Rarity teased.
Applejack frowned and shook her head, turning to look at Rarity.
“This here’s Tempest, fella just came outta the hospital and can’t remember too much. He’s new here, but I dunno if he’s stayin’”
“Oh, I think I will,” I said without thinking.
Applejack paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
“Right, then he’ll be stayin’ here in town, but no, he ain’t no suiter!” she said to Rarity. I couldn’t tell if she was angry or simply joking back, but I supposed that Rarity would be able to tell. After a moment a basket of apples was set down on the stand, and Rarity deposited a bag of coins and then levitated the basket up in a blue aura.
“Thank you, darlings, I’ll see you later!” she chimed before she trotted off.
“Right,” said Applejack, “It’s gettin’ late, time to wrap this up. Come on A.B.”
“Excuse me,” I said.
“Yeah?” said Applejack.
“Would you care for some help?”
“Why sure!” said Applejack, nodding.
Together we packed up her cart and properly fastened the harness to Applejack. She began walking south from the market, treading over the cobblestone roads until she hit a dirt road and followed it. I followed her without thinking, and Applebloom ran circles around both of us.
“Y’know, yer alright there stranger,” said Applejack.
“I am?” I asked.
“Shoot, not everypony volunteers to help me out at market like that. It’s hard work and not everypony can handle it, so, yeah,” she said.
“But you’re still hauling it back,” I remarked.
“Keeps my back good and strong, my legs good and sturdy, and reminds me I’m alive. Ah don’t reckon Ah’d give it up too easy, heh,” she said with a chuckle.
I nodded in understanding, and we walked the remaining distance to her destination in silence. Along the way, Applebloom ran herself out of energy and found her way onto my back where she fell asleep. Applejack made sure the filly wasn’t going to fall off, but otherwise, let her sleep. The sun was halfway to the horizon when we came upon sprawling farmland surrounded by a wooden fence for quite a distance.
I was in awe of the land, it was breathtaking to me. We found our way up to a barn house, a huge red structure into which Applejack hauled the cart and carefully unhitched herself from it, she came out and took Applebloom from my back and nodded to me.
“Thank ya kindly, Tempest. I sure do appreciate ya carryin’ A.B. back here for me,” she said.
“You’re Welcome,” I replied.
Applejack carried her little sister up to a two-story house painted red, but this appeared to be a residence. As she approached the door, it swung up and a yellow pony stepped out without watching where they were going. A flank bumped into Applejack, who stumbled back and took another step to stabilize Applebloom on her back.
“Whoa nelly!” cried Applejack.
“Oh… my!” cried a very soft voice, turning to meet Applejack’s gaze.
“Shah,” said Applejack.
An enormous red stallion stepped out of the house. He had a mop of orange hair on his head, and his tail was cropped. He stared at me through green eyes. He towered above me, positively dwarfing the present mares. He looked king, though, I could see no anger in his expression at all.
“Oh! Hi AJ!” said Fluttershy, sounding nervous as anything. She glanced at the big red stallion, and I noticed a faint blush cross her features before she began to seek cover beneath her own mane. Applejack raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Evenin’ Jackie,” said the red stallion in a quiet, but deep, voice.
Applejack nodded at the red stallion and smiled.
“Evenin’ Mac, what’re you up to?” she asked.
“Was jus’ spendin’ time with Fluttershy,” he replied. The yellow mare seemed to shrink at this, carefully concealing her face behind her mane. It looked to me as though her face were as red as his coat by this time.
“That’s great,” said Applejack, looking over at Fluttershy, “Uh… Are you okay, Shah?”
The yellow mare squeaked, then muttered something unintelligible in response.
“Pardon?” asked Applejack.
The red stallion cleared his throat and this drew Applejack’s attention.
“Reckon she’d like to head home now,” said the stallion.
The mare nodded and began to back away from the house, Applejack looked confused before a slow look of dawning took over her features and set her to smiling. She said not another word and trotted into the house with her little sister. The red stallion remained outside, smiling.
“Y’alright, Shah?” he asked.
Fluttershy nodded and took a deep breath. After a moment she stopped hiding behind her mane and looked up at the red stallion.
“Y-Yes, I’m fine, Macintosh,” she said quietly.
The red stallion stepped forward and nosed her gently on the top of her head. She blushed intensely at the contact but didn’t resist it. Instead, she gently twisted her head until she was looking up, and they exchanged a small kiss before she backed away.
“Walk ya home?”
“Oh, um,” she said quietly, then took a look at me before shaking her head, “Um, actually… I wanted to talk to him, he’s sort of a patient…,” she said as she turned her gaze back to the stallion. He nodded to her and smiled.
“Alright then,” he said quietly, then turned and went into the house. The door shut quietly, and this left Fluttershy and me alone. I blinked, looking at her in confusion.
Fluttershy smiled at me, then began to trot to the west. I followed her, pacing so I walked beside her. She remained quiet for what I believe was half of the trip, her blushing fading slowly all the while.
“So, um… How are you doing?”
“I think I’m okay. I don’t remember much, but I have been given a name. I’m Tempest,” I said.
“Oh, um, okay Tempest. Have you learned to use magic yet?” she asked quietly.
“I did, but… Well. I was asked not to perform any further magic until some answers could be found. I believe Ms. Sparkle was alarmed at the results of my magic.”
Fluttershy looked up at me, curiosity written across her face. She remained mute if she had any question about it.
I decided to answer the unspoken question.
“I destroyed what I picked up, though I did not mean to,” I said. She gasped and looked away. I wasn’t sure what the reaction meant.
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
“It doesn’t matter, I can function without. But, Thank you. I appreciate your concern,” I said.
Fluttershy giggled quietly, shrugging. I changed the topic of conversation.
“So, the large red stallion…”
“Big Macintosh?” she said in nearly a whisper.
“Yes, you and he…?”
I noticed her face turn a deep shade of red before she averted her gaze. She mumbled something I couldn’t understand, and I decided I had figured it out. After a minute she cleared her throat and returned to looking ahead with a calm smile on her face.
“We’re… special,” she said.
I nodded, noticing a cottage as we crested a hill. A small wooden bridge rose over a small brook before this quaint structure. It was surrounded by animals of sorts, and I noticed that they seemed eager for the yellow mare’s return. After another moment we were crossing the bridge, and making our way up to the door of her cottage.
A strange voice, hushed and like a whisper, echoed through the air.
“You have returned…,” it spoke. I looked to Fluttershy, but she didn’t seem to have noticed the voice at all. My gaze was drawn to a wall of the forest to the west of her cottage, it stretched for as far as I could see and it seemed ominous. I felt drawn to it, too, a strange urging to gallop as fast as I could and be in the forest. I shuddered and steadied myself.
“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. I looked at her and saw a strange black aura swirling around her like tendrils of smoke. I narrowed my eyes, but the aura faded from view as I did and I shook my head.
“Mr. Tempest?” she asked. Strangely her voice echoed, sounding as though she’d spoken from the far end of a cave. I struggled to maintain my stance, feeling a heavy weight drag my eyelids down. After a moment, my world had become darkness.
********
I awoke to find myself lying in a bed, surrounded by a yellow pegasus, a purple unicorn, and a very tall white pony with wings and a horn both. I didn’t know how to designate such a creature, but she seemed to cast an aura of tranquility all around. It was she who noticed me first, and she smiled warmly. When she spoke, I didn’t understand the words she spoke. It sounded entirely alien to me, like no language I had ever heard before. I looked at her in confusion.
She looked at the purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, and spoke to her instead. Once again I didn’t understand anything that was being said, words that didn’t make any sense to me poured from their mouths. After a moment the purple mare nodded, and the white mare’s horn began to glow. I felt a warmth wash over me, as though all the worries of an entire lifetime had been lifted and deposited elsewhere to be resumed at another time, but for now, gone.
“Tempest…?” said her elegant voice. I finally understood her, I blinked and for a moment I was speechless. When I spoke, she looked confused. She didn’t seem to understand what I was saying, though I tried to answer her. It continued like this for several minutes, until at last a look of recognition graced her features.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Ah, Mr. Tempest… I am Celestia. I understand that you don’t remember anything about yourself?”
I looked at her, for a moment I was silent. I gathered my thoughts and took a deep breath through my nostrils.
“I… do have memories,” I confessed.
“You belong to us!” a voice hissed, and I looked to find the source. I pushed myself up in the bed, looking in every direction. Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy looked confused, while Celestia merely waited for me to calm down.
“Us! Ours! You are one of us! Remember!” the voice hissed again, and again my world was darkness. I felt a surge of something overwhelming split my head, my whole body rising from the bed as voices began to grow louder as they faded away.
********
I awoke to find myself looking into the eyes of Celestia, who stood over me. I was lying on the ground, it was hard and unforgiving, the area around us was dark. I saw the canopy of the forest above us. Celestia looked relieved, sighing quietly as she saw my eyes open. I stared at her, noticing the state she was in. She was covered in bruises and scuff marks, some cuts and scratches were drawn across her coat and a gash on her face. I sat up abruptly and looked around.
A short distance from us lay Twilight Sparkle, unconscious and bleeding from her snout and a thick cut across her face, as well as from another across her barrel. She looked to be breathing shallow, hurting. I noticed then that her right foreleg was twisted awkwardly at an unnatural angle, and a gash in the ground suggested that she’d first slid or rolled across the ground before arriving in that position.
Celestia followed my gaze and sighed. She looked back down at me and smiled sadly.
“Please, don’t blame yourself…,” she said quietly before her horn lit a brilliant gold and my world became white.
The words echoed in my head, her elegant voice the only sound in my entire world for a very long time.
The sky was blue and only that. There remained no clouds at all, what I could see through the canopy of a pair of trees glistened in the evening sunlight. A warm muggy summer breeze passed over me as I stared at the sky, after a moment my gaze turned to see a building stood three stories high and made of red brick, it looked lonesome and intimidating. I took a deep breath, and everything became blurry and indistinct. My world became darkness.
My world was flooded with light as I opened my eyes. I was in pain, sore, and found my responses quite sluggish. I examined first the wall immediately in front of me. It was white, clean and sterile in appearance, a hospital wall. The chime and beep of machines connected to me brought together the last moments I could recall. I stared in the eyes of Celestia, and she asked that I not blame myself. Then there was nothing but white.
I came to in a room of white, four walls, a ceiling, and a floor awaited me. The strange, yet somehow familiar, beeping of machines dedicated to regulation my body’s many functions the only company I had. Then my gaze turned to the door, which was closed. In front of it stood a tall white mare, scuffed and bruised, bandaged but smiling just the same. She gazed at me, and I could see relief visible on her features. I did not know what to make of that.
“Tempest… You are awake,” she said quietly. I could not decide if she’d meant to address me or merely spoke to herself.
“What of Twilight Sparkle?” I asked, my voice sounded coarse to my own ears and I found that they folded back against my skull in response.
“She will be alright, in time…,” she said gently.
I pushed myself up and rolled out of the bed I was in. I carelessly removed the IV tube from my neck and grunted at the slight pain that caused, then resumed my original course toward the door. Celestia made no effort to move out of my way, and I stopped before her.
“What happened?” I asked.
Celestia closed her eyes and took a breath in through her nostrils, it was graceful and intimidating at the same time. I stood, awaiting her reply. She extended her wings briefly, then settled them back down on her sides and rolled her neck. At length she came to gaze upon me again, her eyes spoke volumes more to me than her words. In them, I could see fear, but a reluctance to obey it.
“You were lost to us… Something overcame you, you were violent… and strong… you attacked Twilight first, and she fought back bravely but she scarcely scratched you with all of her power… then I became involved, and the fight took a decidedly different turn. You were still strong, and I did not get out of it unscathed, but at last, you collapsed and I could breathe and focus long enough to cast out the Shadows that had claimed you…”
I stared at her for a moment before my gaze found the tile floor beneath my hooves, and I closed my eyes. I felt a terrible weight in my lungs, the air became uncomfortable to take in, but I still managed.
“I’m sorry… I am so sorry,” I said slowly and deliberately. Measuring into each word all of the guilt that I felt for my actions. Celestia responded with a light chuckle, and I felt a pair of wings surround me and embrace me. For a moment the world was warmth and safety, then I recovered myself and knew it was nothing of the sort.
“Everything will be alright… But it is for you to make amends with your new friends, and with Twilight herself. I think she will not hold it against you, I think she understood even as she was overwhelmed by you,” she replied.
I disentangled myself from her embrace and stepped around her, heading for the door. I stared at it for a moment, then spoke to the door though the words were for Celestia’s ears.
“You fear me,” I said simply.
“I fear you,” she replied without hesitation.
“I don’t want to be feared,” I said quietly, believing that only I could hear my words. I stepped out through the door and into the hall, some nurses traveled briskly on their rounds and ignored me. I looked up and down the hall and decided to head up, towards the large window at the end. I marched past several doors before one yielded a familiar purple form, and I stopped.
I cringed but turned my gaze toward her. It was a frightful sight, bandages wrapped around her barrel and three of her legs, where the last, her right foreleg, was held in a cast. Bandages were carefully wrapped around her head and horn both, but her snout poked out of these and allowed her to breathe comfortably. The look on her face suggested a fitful rest, and the red stains on some of the bandages told me she was still healing. I swallowed as I continued to watch her, the muted beeps of the machines keeping her stable barely registered in my mind as I noticed the red liquid delicately flowing into her body through a long plastic tube and a needle, then I noticed her liquids besides.
I closed my eyes and found my legs were too weak to continue standing, I settled for my haunches and took a deep breath. I noticed some stitching the bandages had not covered, and I slammed a hoof onto the floor as my mind caught up with what I had seen. A tear slipped from my eye and rolled down my cheek, but whether it made it to the floor wasn’t known to me. My world had become upside down, there was a sharp pain in my side and my jaw, and I found myself soon against the wall with a pair of rose eyes glaring into mine from mere inches away.
“What are you doing here?” she spat, her voice venomous, a forehoof raised in threat.
“I came to ap-” I grunted as the forehoof crashed into my jaw against, and I spat blood on the floor. I ignored it, turning my gaze back to Rainbow, then I noticed a pair of green eyes were also on me. I saw anger in them and hurt that I didn’t understand, but mostly a desire to protect. I felt then that if it weren’t for Rainbow upon me, it would have been her instead. I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry…,” I said weakly.
“Ain’t gonna make Twah any better now, is it? Ah appreciate the apology, but ya need to leave here now. We don’t trust ya, and don’t want ya around us,” she said calmly, though I could see her warring inside to release the true volume at which she wanted to speak it.
“Then… I’ll leave,” I said quietly. Rainbow hesitated for a moment, but I heard a flap of wings as I felt her weight lift off of me and move to the side. When I looked up, she wasn’t facing me but Twilight. Pinkie leaned against her, and she, in turn, leaned against Pinkie. There was affection there, something tender and fragile, and I turned away from it.
I made my way to the door, stopped only by the sound of Applejack clearing her throat. I turned to look at her, surprised at the anger I saw in her eyes when I shouldn’t have been surprised at all.
“Don’t come back,” she said quietly before turning to Twilight. I sighed and left the room, and nearly collided with a yellow mare who squeaked and shrank in response. I swallowed and turned away from her, paying her little mind as I continued on my way. A quiet voice, almost inaudible amidst the ambiance, spoke to me.
“Um… wait, please?”
I stopped and sightlessly looked at the ceiling through my eyelids, then turned to face her.
“Yes?” I said.
“Are you, um… Are you okay?” she asked, quietly.
“That is not important,” I replied.
“Oh, um… That isn’t true at all! Everypony matters! But um, I was wondering if um… If you had seen Twilight?”
I nodded, wincing at the mention of her name and fought to settle my breathing with the building anxiety.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, timidity mixed with resolve.
“I know only that I did not mean to hurt her… I was not even aware of myself when it happened,” I said quietly.
“And um… Have you seen Celestia?”
“Yes, she fairs well I think… At least she is awake and moving about,” I said in reflection.
“Oh, um… Okay, I’m glad she spoke to you then. She um… nopony has seen her since she brought you and Twilight here,” she said in a voice that threatened to taper off into nothing.
I blinked, staring at her for a moment before remembering myself and manners and turning my gaze away.
“Um… Please stay safe, okay? When Twilight wakes up, please come and apologize to her…,” she said even more quietly, I thought it miraculous that I could make out her words at all. I nodded to her, then turned and walked.
********
“Dashie… I know you’re maddy mad as can be, but you don’t have to hurt him… I don’t think Twilight wants that, either,” spoke the pink mare, nosing Dash’s mane as she did.
“Couldn’t help it… That bastard almost killed her, and why? What for? She tried to help him, and that’s how he paid her back? By attacking her?” she grunted.
The orange mare in the room remained quiet, just gazing at Twilight Sparkle, gently brushing her mane away from her eyes with a forehoof and sighing only after that. The machines continued to beep and whir, air was carefully fed into the purple mare while blood dripped and lazily found its way into her circulatory system.
“I know… I don’t understand it either, Dashie, but I don’t think he’s a bad pony,” she said, pulling her nose away from Rainbow Dash’s mane and carefully directing the blue mare’s gaze to her own eyes, “and I don’t want you to get hurt either. I couldn’t take it, Dashie, please?”
Rainbow grunted, then sighed. She pressed her snout gently to Pinkie’s and then wrapped her forelegs and wings around the pink mare, “Yes, okay… I promise, whatever.”
A yellow mare stepped quietly into the room and gasped when she saw Twilight. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen Twilight, and she’d been there when Tempest started attacking and the fight dragged into the Everfree Forest. She’d been too terrified to follow it, but Princess Celestia didn’t hesitate at all. She shook her head, her long elegant mane swaying from side to side as she did before she finally settled on speaking up as the next thing to do.
“Um… Hello everypony,” she said quietly.
Applejack turned and nodded at her, turning back to Twilight soon after. Rainbow and Pinkie smiled at her, Pinkie waving as she did.
“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Hiya Fluttershy!” said Pinkie with entirely too much mirth for the other ponies in the room.
Applejack winced and looked up at Pinkie.
“Gosh darnit, Pinkie, would ya hush up? Ya might disturb…,” her voice trailed off as she looked back at Twilight, then she shook her head and turned back to Pinkie.
“Ah’m sorry, Ah guess she ain’t gonna wake too soon… Ah went her too, wanna know she’s okay… How long’s it been, anyway?” she asked everypony in the room. Fluttershy spoke up.
“Three weeks,” she said quietly as she rustled through a cabinet and pulled out some bandaging, “now, please help me to change her bandages… They’re getting dirty again,” she said quietly as she approached Applejack. The farm mare nodded and proceeded to help Fluttershy.
Together they unraveled Twilight’s bandages, revealing the network of cuts and abrasions that opened along her coat. A lot had healed, and there wasn’t much bleeding anymore. It was painful to look at, downright terrifying to think of how it had happened, and sad that she wasn’t awake to reassure them she was okay.
Fluttershy filled a basin with water, then took a sponge in her mouth and dipped it in the water and began to carefully clean Twilight’s wounds. Applejack watched, frowning. The sight of the damage set her on edge, made her want to hunt Tempest down and beat him just as badly as he’d beat Twilight. No, she wanted to beat him worse. She had no idea where she’d found the control not to when Rainbow had him down, and secretly she was grateful Rainbow had hit him. He didn’t fight back, she couldn’t help noticing that.
A few minutes' time passed, and Twilight’s wounds were cleaned up. Fluttershy had applied some ointment from her own collection. Applejack and Fluttershy worked together to wrap her in fresh bandages, then sat down side by side and watched her chest as it began to work gently and rhythmically.
“Oh… Oh my… Rainbow! Get the doctor!” she yelped, and Rainbow didn’t hesitate to unwrap her wings and forelegs from Pinkie and rush out of the room in a blur.
Pinkie blinked and turned to look at Twilight. She didn’t notice anything amiss, so she asked.
“What’s up, Flutters?” she asked.
“She’s… She’s breathing on her own,” Fluttershy said quietly.
A tear slipped down Applejack’s cheek as a small smile played across her lips. She sighed with no small amount of relief, and her shoulders slumped down as tension washed out of them. Pinkie grinned in reply, she knew this to be good news and it was all she could do not to throw a party right then and there in response.