I slept deep underneath the covers in the small bed, in a little room, far to the left in Zecora’s hut…

I didn’t realize how big this place actually was!

This isn’t right… Nothing about my life makes sense anymore…

Wait, did it ever make sense to me? I can’t tell!

I open my eyes to see that I’m at the breakfast table, with Zecora across from me…

Wait! Is this meal breakfast? I don’t know!

She stares at me sternly in her azure gaze, “I can’t believe you would do such a thing, you rotten child! Now, I feel I should not be so mild! I never should’ve trusted you so! I believe it is time for you to go!”

I widen my eyes, “Wait, Zecora! I don’t understand? What did I do?”

She points towards the door to my right with her left hoof, “Leave now, so it’ll only be sad! You do not wish for me to get mad!”

I feel tears forming in my eyes as I say, “B-but Zecora! What’s wrong? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Suddenly, my eyes open, and I feel bubbles of sweat formed on my forehead as I snuggle the other pillow underneath the covers in the darkened room, with the left side of my face buried in soft comfort, “Golly! What was that about?”

I decide to get out of bed and trot to the living area, outside the little wooden door…

I seem to have my own little room in this hut now? I think to myself as I use my right hoof to push open the hard portal, and then I spy Zecora, on the other side of the living area, with a large glass cylinder, with another smaller glass cylinder poking out of it, diagonally to lead to a small bowl…

You know, it looked a lot like a bong!

I look at her and ask, “You don’t want me to leave, do you?”

She raises her snout to exhale a cloud of smoke, that lightly dances across towards the other side of the room, before turning her gaze right to me, “I don’t think so! Why do you believe for no… reason… “ before smiling, and giggling…

I blink, before thinking it must have been a nightmare? “I uh, I don’t know… What are you smoking Zecora?”

She continues grinning, “Well, if one pulls poison joke with rubber tongs, it becomes benign! But it also makes a very pleasant smoke, so sublime!”

“I uh, I see… “ Oh, golly! I wonder if smoking that stuff would turn me into a raging smart-ass? Wait, why would it do that? I smile, “I’ll uh, go for a walk outside! I need some air!”*

“Stray not far from the shack! It’s still dark outside, so watch your back!” She says, before putting her snout back into her bong and operating a hoof lighter with her right forehoof…

“Oh, golly!” I exclaim while trotting out towards the door, and eventually closing it behind me with my right hoof…

I stare out into the forest, underneath the blanket of darkness from overhead, laden with many bright and beautiful stars…

I look up to the heavens and wonder for a moment…

What happened to me? Why can’t I remember anything from my past? Why doesn’t anything seem real or normal to me anymore?

I lower my gaze to stare down the trail, leading into darkness further into the forest…

I sigh, I’m a freak! I just wish I could be normal…and blink…

I hear a soft voice from behind me rhyme, “The night sky sure is beautiful as it is! Truly, one must learn to appreciate this!”

I raise my gaze to the heavens and I see the tiny stars above, and think about how maybe all my problems really aren’t so humongous after all? I smile and, “I love you Zecora!” gets blurted out of my mouth suddenly, and unexpectedly!

My eyes widen, “I love you too, Ophelia! The smoke has given me less inertia! Would you care for an early morning stroll, as the sun rises, my child? It might aid you, and possibly even make you smile?”

Wait! Don’t I have wings? Why in Equestria would I actually walk anywhere? “Sure Zecora! That sounds swell!” I say, before lowering my gaze, to stare back down the darkened trail…

I smile, and I look back and think that maybe it doesn’t seem so scary?

<*****>

I hear the crunching and cracking of dried leaves underneath my hooves, while trotting next to this strange striped pony, down the dark forest trail, with Celestia knows what lurking in the darkness, on either side amidst the trees…

Well, she said she was a zebra? She turns right to me and says, “I understand you have little wings, so swift of flight! But I feel it is better to take your time, as we both trot into the night!”

I smile at her, when I think I get it? “You just wanna take it slow, huh?”

She nods, “Indeed, it would be good if you just learned to use your foot!”

I stare forward, into the darkened woods, and it’s so strange, but it doesn’t seem so terrifying with this wonderful zebra trotting next to me?

As I breathe the crisp morning air into my nostrils, I feel the coolness enter my lungs and I smile at this wonderful sensation!

“I see, you enjoy your time here! Would you like to go back to Ponyville, as it is so near?”

I turn back towards her and say, “Um, maybe later Zecora? I like just trotting out here, with it being just me and you!”

She nods, “Very well, young one! There’s porridge for breakfast, and we shall watch the sun!”

I turn back to the blackness and think… Oh, golly! That sure sounds yummy!

<*****>

I gripped the big wooden bowl in my forehooves and bring it to my snout, so I can taste the porridge with all the yummy butter and sugar in it!

Gee, this sure is good!

Zecora sits on her side of the outside pick-nick table, and smiles, “I see you enjoy your breakfast and food! I trust it is quite good? Although I would like to know! You have amnesia, but what do you really recall so?”

I lower the bowl and raise my snout to her, and I actually seem to be smiling? “Oh, golly! There’s not much to tell! Um, “ I blink, “I can only barely remember my mother, before uh…” and frown, “B-before she,” and blink,” she went away… My dad was never really around, and I didn’t see him much… After all that, I remember I was alone… I used to sleep in a bunk room and I ate in a cafeteria… But…” and I blink again… “But that was all so long ago, and it doesn’t seem real anymore? I don’t know why I was in that courtyard?”

She frowns, “Wait? When you were in a courtyard, and when was that so late?”

I sigh and stare at her, “Well, I kinda uh… “ and blink, before processing how I’m going to say this? “I well… I came to and opened my eyes there in a courtyard, somewhere to the south of here… Um, yesterday I did, I mean… Um, “I blink, “at least, I think it’s to the south? Anyway, I didn’t really see anypony there, so I flew here into the forest, and well, that’s when I met you… “ I sigh… “Well, the poison joke incident, anyway… “

Her mouth straightens, “Well, you’re still young! It wouldn’t be right to not help you and leave you as you was! You have needs, just like anybody else does!”

I smile, “Thank you so much, Zecora!”

She smiles back, “You’re very welcome, little filly! But now that I’ve exercised, I believe I shall smoke another bowl, willy nilly! Do you have need of me for mean, or are you fine for the time being?”

I briefly consider smoking dope from her bong again, before deciding against it, and smiling, “No, that’s okay Zecora! Go smoke up! I’ll just uh, sit here and soak up the atmosphere some more! I like all this nature stuff, right now… “

She smiles wider and nods, “Very well! Enjoy your nature sit, young Ophelia! I’ll be back to check on you, in a bit!”

I grin widely at this wonderful zebra! “I’ll see you later!”

<*****>

I’m not sure how much time passed?

I stared out into the forest floor…

The dirt on the ground, laden with clumps of grass, here and there…

The sound of birds chirping in the distance…

The various rocks and twigs, strewn about the forest floor…

And the crisp fresh morning air, entering and exiting my nostrils…

I felt at peace…

For the first time, in a long time, I felt like I was home…

I can’t help but smile at the serene scene, and comforting noises I heard, there in the Everfree…

I suddenly hear coughing, coming from the hut, just 12 short feet away from the worn wooden table…

A thought suddenly strikes my mind like a thunderbolt, Maybe I should find a mirror? It might be helpful to know what I look like?

Well, I’m obviously a pegasus pony, and very young…

I think my bluish-white mane and tail were curled yesterday? You know, I didn’t even bother doing them last night!

Wait, that would imply that I normally curl them, right?

Maybe if I did curl them, that might help my memory?

Uh, maybe later?

Oh, golly! It’s getting hard to think now! **

Suddenly, I hear a cheerful feminine voice yell with an accent, “Come back inside to eat! I made pizza, and it’s quite the feast!”

Gee, pizza sure sounds yummy! She’s being really nice to me. Why do I keep thinking that means I shouldn’t trust her?

Well, what could she be planning? I’m a lone filly, who legitimately can’t remember her past! There’s nothing to gain from that, r-right?

Think Ophelia! Why is she being so nice to me?

Wait, my name is Ophelia, now?

I eventually hear the same voice from earlier, “Ophelia, come hither! Your pizza no longer simmers!”

I blink and think maybe I should just go back into the hut now?

(To be continued… )

Author's Note

*Twinkle Shine lives!

**If I try to think back to my lost memories for too long, my mind will kind of freeze and lock up…