The Pony That Never Was

Chapters

Chapter 2 - Ghost of a Day
Chapter 3 - But I Remember...
Chapter 4 - Sleep Cycles
Chapter 5 - Cottontooth's True Colors
Chapter 6 - Just One Memory
Chapter 7 - Biting the Bullet
Chapter 8 - A Dark Day, After All
Chapter 9 - A Terrible Curse
Chapter 10 - The End of Existence
Prologue - Thief
Chapter 1 - Enigma Arrives

Chapter 2 - Ghost of a Day

"All right, everypony who's getting off at Ponyville, get ready! We arrive in 5 minutes!”

Enigma blinked her sleepiness away as the conductor's shout woke her. This was her stop. She slowly stirred herself awake, preparing to disembark from the train. Her train car was quite interestingly decorated. Pictures of assorted candy decorated the shutters that no longer covered the windows, but were pulled up to let bright sunlight beam through to the red carpeted floor. Her lethargy dissipated quickly, and she stood up, stretching contentedly as she prepared for what she would be doing today: Moving in to her new home in Ponyville.

As the train arrived in Ponyville Train Station, she trotted to the door and prepared to leave. Suddenly, a male pegasus with a muted brown coat and stale porridge-colored mane very rudely shoved her out of the way and sent her flying against the rail, where she picked herself up angrily and stood in the face of the other pony who had just been so incredibly rude to her. “HEY! What makes you think it's all right, shoving other ponies up against railings like that!?”

The stallion, for his part, was perfectly calm, as if he didn't notice the young lavender pony about ready to tear his head right off. His reaction only infuriated Enigma even more, and she stood directly in front of him, saying, “I'm not moving until you give me an explanation!”

The doors to the train slid open, and the stallion began to depart the train, walking directly into the pony standing in front of him. And walked right through her. She stumbled back, startled, and looked behind her at the stallion walking away. She turned around to see a hoof go right through her stomach, land on the ground, and lift back up and out of her stomach as if she weren't even there.

All of a sudden, the events of the previous day hit her. She'd been awoken by the conductor the day before. She'd already gotten off this train. She'd already moved in to her new house. She'd met Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and the entire slew of other ponies at her new house.

She ran up to the conductor who had fetched her the dolly the day before. She asked him for help. She yelled at him. She pleaded with him to notice her. He simply paid her no mind and continued to monitor the ponies getting on and off the train.

“Last call for Ponyville! Next stop: Fillydelphia!”

In frustration, Enigma went to go fetch her things off the train. She couldn't even touch them. Her hands passed right through them. She couldn't do anything. Nothing at all. She stomped her hooves on the ground in frustration. Wait a minute... the ground! She could touch the ground! Maybe she could leave a hoofprint...

She stomped her hoof into the ground. There wasn't even a dust cloud. Okay, she thought to herself. Physics is now thrown out the window. I can stand on the ground, but I'm not actually standing on it.

Her next experiment was walls. Could she walk through them? She approached a wall and tried to walk through it. As expected, she hit the wall and did not walk through it. So, she mused, solid objects are solid, but ponies can walk right through me?

She tried to walk through the wall again. And ran into it again. Then she closed her eyes and tried to walk through the wall, expecting the same result. Instead, she was suddenly inside the conductors' shack of the station, watching ponies on their breaks playing cards and eating old-looking carrots.

She felt somewhat disoriented by this, and sat down on the floor of the shack for a few moments to get her bearing. She then took another deep breath and tried to walk through the wall with her eyes closed again. She was then looking back out at the train that was slowly pulling away with all of her worldly possessions. Reflecting on the events of the past day, she wondered what Cottontooth would think of her predicament.

She decided she would try to relive the previous day's events by going first to where she had gone the day before. She closed her eyes and entered her new home. The lights were off, there was nopony in the house, and it looked every inch like the abandoned building advertised to her originally. A part of her wondered how Pinkie Pie could have gained access to her house for the party that had happened, but she shrugged and decided not to question the method that Pinkie Pie may have used to break into and enter her house.

After a short trot, she once again found herself in Sugarcube Corner, looking at Pinkie Pie behind the counter. She was finally able to see what Pinkie Pie had been doing prior to her arrival; she was licking cupcake icing off the floor! She'd need to ask Pinkie Pie about this after she woke up, this being a dream and all.

She decided that she would look more into Twilight's life and see how accurate it was to Twilight once she woke up. Arriving at Twilight's treehouse, she marveled at how much work it must have taken to turn this into a home. She closed her eyes and walked through the door.

Twilight was hard at work reading a book. Looking over her shoulder, Enigma could see that it was something about sonic rainbooms and how the speed should statistically kill a pony. Books somewhat bored her, so she decided to explore the rest of Twilight's home and try to remember anything that might stand out to Twilight. Sadly, all she could think of was the statistical improbability of sonic rainbooms, and decided this would be the thing to mention to Twilight.

She still had a whole lot of free time left today, so she decided she would wander the town and try to remember as much as she could of the shops and residences for future reference. She memorized the locations of Lyra and Bon Bon's house, Quills and Sofas, and the bowling alley. The day was still relatively early, but she still wasn't snapping out of her dream. She spent several hours following random ponies around and trying to remember their names, and managed to remember quite a few: Derpy Hooves, Doctor Whooves, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Berry Punch. The day was as spectacular as before, bright and sunny with plenty of enjoyment being had. She saw young stallions and mares setting up picnics under trees, and she saw other ponies sunbathing and taking advantage of the day that the pegasi decided would be a good day for this kind of fun.

Out of sheer boredom, she decided to go back to Twilight's house. Whisking through the door, she saw a cute purple and green dragon scurrying about, yawning at the late hour and attempting to finish his chores for the evening before his legs gave out on him. Twilight called down, “Spiiiiike! Haven't you finished putting everything away yet?”

Spike replied, “Almost done! I'll be up for bed in a minute!”

About 30 minutes later, a very tired dragon dragged himself up the staircase and apologized for not finishing everything he was supposed to, promising he'd finish first thing in the morning. Twilight gave a sigh and reprimanded Spike for slacking off, but it was halfhearted, as if she had expected this of him. It seemed like... a kinship. Enigma liked it.

Shortly after that, Spike was curled up in his bed, which looked every inch like what you would see a pet use, and snoring quietly. Twilight cracked open a book for about 15 minutes, still about sonic rainbooms. The soft purple unicorn finally gave a fitful yawn and decided to drift off to sleep, Enigma the silent guardian over her.

All right, she decided. I do kind of like her.

So, this is my first drop in the pool that is fanfiction. I like to think myself masterful at English and stuff. Hope to write a few more after this one! Make sure to let me know if you like how this is so far. I'm just getting started!
--Scootareader

Chapter 3 - But I Remember...

Enigma's eyes snapped open. She was... home.

This was her bed in Ponyville. The place she'd gone to sleep two nights ago. No, one night ago. She'd just relived the previous day. What an odd dream. She'd put her things away and go speak with Twilight about it afterward.

She dug the frame of Cottontooth out of her bag, where it had been jostled from the top to hide under several of her dresses that she'd kept for possible future formal occasions. Staring at the damaged frame, she sighed. Maybe it was fitting that his picture stay like this. She'd still fix it soon anyway. As soon as she found out what exactly her dream had meant.

Unpacking three oversized bags of belongings didn't take as long as she'd expected, and she made the home look like somepony actually lived in here. Making sure that all things were in their rightful place, she exited her home... and ran straight into Cottontooth.

She blinked, stared at him for a moment, blinked again, and then stared at him for a bit longer. This was Cottontooth. She hesitantly asked, “... Cottontooth?”

The only reply she got was, “Nnnnope.”

And just like that, she realized the stallion was far too brawny to be him. This pony looked distinctly similar, but there were a few things different about him, like his overly large frame. This was definitely not Cottontooth.

“Oh, I'm terribly sorry... I thought you were somepony else! We haven't met, have we? I'm Enigma!” After a short pause without a reply, she asked, “What's your name?”

The large red pony looked around and said, “Uh... Big Mac.” He had a peculiar accent, but he hadn't said enough for her to really hear much of it.

“Well, it's nice to meet you! I, uh...” She could tell he wasn't interested in talking at this point. Perhaps he was busy? “I have somewhere to be. We can talk later, all right? Maybe later today!”

“Yyyyyep.” He was going to be tough to get talking, that was for sure.

She bid him a swift farewell and trotted in the direction of Twilight's tree house. She noted that, seeing as it was the middle of the day, Twilight would likely be running errands at this point, or Spike, that baby dragon. He seemed the assistant type.

The tree house was dark, but Enigma decided to knock on the door anyway, expecting no answer. There was none. She decided to explore and try to find Twilight in town, hopefully running into Pinkie Pie and asking her about the cupcake icing on the ground to ensure that she'd been seeing real events.

Exploring town, she spotted several ponies whom she'd met at the party last night and gave a heartfelt good morning to, but the ponies gave a bewildered hello, as if surprised that they would remember her after one night. In particular, Doctor Whooves looked startled when she greeted him, asking how she knew his name. Upon being reminded of the party the previous evening, he looked even more confused, stating that he did “not recall such a party for a pony named Enigma.”

Despite the odd behavior of the ponies who attended the party, she decided she would continue looking for Twilight. She found her thoughts drifting to this “Big Mac” pony, the one who looked like Cottontooth. His accent sounded somewhat like... that apple pony. She couldn't remember the name anymore. She'd ask Twilight for this apple pony's name.

After a fruitless search of the town, she decided to check the tree house again, and upon approaching, noted that it seemed somepony was home. She approached the door and knocked. Spike poked his head out and asked, “Yes? Oh, are you new in town?” Enigma nodded her head, and Spike opened the door, gesturing for her to enter.

Tilting her head, Enigma asked, “Have you ever seen me before, Spike?” The dragon shook his head, then realized she'd said his name and did a double take. “My name is Enigma. I moved in yesterday. Twilight met me at a party at my house. Pinkie Pie threw it.”

Spike nodded, slowly digesting all of this information. After Enigma finished, he excused himself for a moment and came back with a confused-looking Twilight. Twilight said, “Um... hello? I don't think we've met.”

Enigma wasn't prepared for this statement. “But... you went to a party at my house last night. You can ask Pinkie Pie. You most assuredly were there.”

Twilight exchanged a glance with Spike. “I was here reading all evening.”

“No, that was in a dream I had. You were reading about how sonic rainbooms are impossible.”

Twilight looked a little freaked out at this. “That... is just plain creepy. No... uncanny. Tell me about this dream you had?”

Enigma explained the events of the past day, as well as the parallel dream day she had, and Twilight nodded her head while taking lots of notes on a piece of parchment provided by Spike. After the explanation, Twilight said, “How odd! I remember the events of what you consider a dream, but I have a piece of paper just like what you described next to my bed! There were a few letters on it, too... as if somepony had tried to solve it already. I guess that pony is me!”

Enigma appreciated that Twilight was able to digest all of this information with a level head. Had they switched positions, Enigma probably would have thought that Twilight was a crazy pony... maybe Twilight secretly thought that, but everything Enigma described pointed exactly to Twilight's theory. Maybe somepony did believe her.

“Do you know if this will happen after you fall asleep again? What do you know of this phenomenon? Have you considered options for keeping a pony's memory of your day intact instead of what actually happened? What are you planning to do if this continues? Will you try--”

Enigma covered Twilight's mouth with her hoof and smiled understandingly. “I'll find out as much as I can tomorrow about it... or today, depending on how you want to think of it. And you'll be the first pony I come to about it. If I need help with ideas, I'll make sure to ask you. Is that all right?”

Enigma removed her hoof from Twilight's mouth, and Twilight nodded her head. “Sorry... I just get excited whenever something like this happens. It's my researcher's instincts!”

After a little more friendly conversation, Enigma decided she would see if Pinkie Pie remembered her, so she excused herself, citing this reason, and grudgingly departed the tree house. She beelined for Sugarcube Corner, expecting to find Pinkie Pie here, and was surprised to learn that she actually lived in the upstairs of the shop. She simply went up the stairs to the door fitting a bewildered Mrs. Cake's description, the door adorned with paintings of balloons and cake. She knocked once, and instantly, Pinkie Pie's smiling pink face burst out and she came nose to nose once again with Enigma, yelling a very loud “HI!” with her cake-smelling breath.

Enigma backed up a few steps and said, “Oh, um... hello, Pinkie! Do you remember me?”

Pinkie Pie stared at Enigma, getting a very serious look on her face, before deciding half a second later and saying an extremely happy, “Nope! So, what's your name and how did we meet? Huh? Huh? You must be new in Ponyville, because I know everypony in Ponyville and I mean everypony, but you already know my name so you must have met somepony who knows me, but nopony told me that somepony new is here so I need to talk to my spies, I mean friends, and get them to tell me why I wasn't the first pony to meet you like I told them to! You know, I was thinking of firing that tree branch for letting somepony through and not telling me... but there was no wind, so he wouldn't sway! HAHAHA--” She hadn't even finished her laugh before she suddenly gasped and slammed the door on Enigma, then immediately opened it again and flew out in a speedy pink blur.

Enigma still didn't get a single thing about Pinkie Pie, even have re-lived the same day twice. She also hadn't gotten a chance to ask about the frosting. She sighed and walked back downstairs, desperately hoping that Pinkie Pie had stayed, but fairly certain that she was already gone. Mrs. Cake was looking out the door Pinkie Pie had just burst through, then looked back at Enigma and said, “What did you say your name was, dearie?”

Enigma muttered a halfhearted reply of her name, then asked Mrs. Cake to let her know if Pinkie Pie came back, to which she nodded. She decided she would return home before deciding on her next action, because she didn't know what would happen tomorrow. Maybe things would go back to normal after she went to sleep. She was hoping so.

After opening her front door, Enigma was surprised to find another surprise party waiting for her, and a just as ecstatic Pinkie Pie ready to throw it once again. The crowd was a little smaller this time, mostly missing some of the ponies she'd greeted this morning, but still quite big for such a small town. She tried to memorize a few more names, but none ended up sticking except re-learning Applejack's name. She would remember it this time. Twilight was here again, giving Enigma a sympathetic smile, as if she realized that this was Enigma's second new arrival party. Enigma, for her part, just wanted the party to end so she could talk to Twilight about what they'd both learned.

The party eventually ended, lasting just as late as the party the previous night, and ponies began trickling out once again. Twilight stayed behind, past even Pinkie Pie's farewell that was punctuated by a series of yawns and guarantees that she'd be talking to Enigma lots in the future.

Finally, it was just Twilight and Enigma standing alone in the house. Twilight gave Enigma an uncertain smile. So cute.

Enigma smiled back. “I don't know if you'll remember me tomorrow... but make sure you keep notes on me just in case, all right?”

Twilight gave the most assuring nod she could muster, then left before the situation got any more awkward. Enigma really liked this mare. She hoped against hope that Twilight would remember her tomorrow. Mentally exhausted from the long day, Enigma went up to her room, lied down on her bed, and fell right asleep.

On the one hoof, it was a good thing that Enigma woke up in her bed. On the other hoof, she found out almost instantly that she was “dream walking” again. Her blanket had fallen through her insubstantial body as if she'd never been there. In fact, her bed didn't even look like it had been slept in. It was still made and tidy. She hopped off her bed and traveled downstairs. There were no oversized bags in her living room, no belongings set up around the house, no broken picture of Cottontooth. It was as if nopony had ever even been here.

She sighed, her cyan curls obscuring her face and masking the tears that began to form in her eyes. If this continued, she would have to wake up every day and painfully recall that there was a world in which she didn't exist, a world where ponies didn't believe in her. She really hoped this didn't last long.

She explored Ponyville, feeling more destitute than the previous day. Nopony could see her, and nopony knew she existed. Tomorrow, if things kept the way they were going, it would be as if she was a new arrival to Ponyville all over again. This was already starting to get to her. Still, every puzzle could be solved. She'd find the answer to this.

She reflected back on what she'd learned of this dream world. Or was this the real world? No, she firmly decided. She only existed in the real world... even if ponies would only remember her dreams then. She thought about the first few things that had happened when she had been in the dream world at first. Then she realized: That stallion had hit her! The bland pegasus! She decided to try to replicate the situation in which she had been touched by another pony.

Standing in front of a pony did nothing. Standing around and waiting for a pony to walk into her without her knowledge did nothing either. It seemed like nothing of what had happened the previous dream morning could happen this morning, either. What had been different that one time? She couldn't put her hoof on it.

So, in very specific conditions, she would be treated as a solid pony; however, she had no idea what those exact conditions were. She'd definitely ask Twilight about it tomorrow... right after she caught everypony up on what was happening.

Enigma just moved around the dream world in a daze. She didn't feel much like memorizing anything in Ponyville. She saw happy fillies playing in the sun, she saw happy ponies enjoying their days, and she saw herself unable to touch or feel any of it.

She went to the tree house, because her favorite pony in the world would most likely be found there. Sure enough, Twilight was indoors studying. Enigma sat down next to her and attempted to lean against her, passing right through her and lying on the floor. She glanced around the library for the first time, seeing the massive shelves of multicolored books of every name and type. A pony could spend months in here and not even finish a single shelf. To a researcher pony like Twilight, this room would be a dream come true. To a practical pony like Enigma, this room was only good for boring rainy days.

Enigma stood back up and stared into Twilight's eyes. She hoped against hope that this pony would at least remember her a little bit. Enigma really hated being alone.

Eventually, slowly, Enigma wandered back to the abandoned-seeming building, resigned to the fact that nopony would see her this day. She saw her home, wishing that it would hold her things now as it would the next day, but knowing it wouldn't... not yet, at least. She crossed the road leading to her home, but was cut off by a pony that swiped her and knocked her flat on her rump in his hurry to be wherever he was in a hurry to. Why, that pony... she ought to—wait, he knocked her over!

She immediately jumped to her hooves and dashed after this pony. It was the same brown pegasus as before! She jumped at him and managed to grab his hindquarters, and he stumbled slightly, but then her hooves slipped through him and he kept running. She jumped back up and continued the chase, yelling, “HEY!”

After a few more moments of this chase, she could see the lips of the pegasus moving, muttering something to himself. She dashed beside him to see if she could catch a piece of this pegasus's self-discussion, and was rewarded with a quiet, “She doesn't exist, I'm a big pony now, I'll find a good mare and we'll be together and she'll stop bothering me...”

Enigma stopped in her tracks. Who WAS this stallion?

Took way too long to post this. It's been done for a few days now! I blame my brother, a neighsayer who loves spending time with me nonetheless.

Was asked to try to add in more description of everything, so I did my best to put in some of that in the earlier chapters. They should be updated now as well.

--xoxo, Gossip Gi... er, I mean, Scootareader

Chapter 4 - Sleep Cycles

Enigma woke up on this day with a very specific goal in mind: She would find that muted brown stallion that could touch her when she was dreaming.

She ensured all of her belongings were in their proper place and that nothing had changed since her last chance to interact with the world; when she was satisfied that all was as she'd left it, she set off to attempt something meaningful with her day. Ponies greeted her, sometimes asking her name, other times just saying hello, many of them ponies she'd already met. She would never get used to having to reintroduce herself every day.

She couldn't spot the muted brown stallion, so she began asking around as to his whereabouts, citing that she was his sister and they were supposed to have met up in Ponyville by this time today. All of the ponies she asked simply shrugged and moved on with their days. Not a single pony had spotted this unremarkable stallion today, though they acknowledged he existed. Enigma found this a little difficult to swallow, especially seeing as he seemed the most real out of any of this.

The sun was high in the sky before she called off the self-imposed search of this ghost stallion, deciding that if she saw him, she would be prepared to confront him. She decided to see what Twilight was up to today.

Knock knock.

“Yes? Oh, are you new in town?”

“No, but nopony knows me.”

“Ooookay...” Spike gave Enigma a pensive look before shutting the door briefly, opening it again to admit Enigma. “Try to keep from the weird comments, would ya?”

Enigma nodded and entered Twilight's home. There were two guests, one of whom she was familiar with: Applejack, an orange pony with a blonde mane that had red hair ties holding it together and a well-used cowgirl hat. The other one was a yellow pony with a long pink mane. These two ponies and Twilight looked up from their afternoon tea to stare at Enigma.

Twilight beamed happily at Enigma. “Hello, welcome to Ponyville! My name is Twilight Sparkle. How may I help you today?”

“My name is Enigma.”

“Oh, well, hello Enigma! It's nice to meet you! These are my friends Applejack and Fluttershy, and I'm sure they'd be happy to introduce themselves to you as well!”

“I, um...” Enigma took a deep breath. “Miss Sparkle, may I speak with you in private for a few moments?”

Twilight cast a bewildered glance at her friends before nodding in agreement and beckoning Enigma up to her loft.

After they made it to the loft, Enigma explained the activities of the past several days: Her dreams where she didn't exist, ponies remembering the events of the dreams, and their inability to remember her the next day. She also talked about the muted brown stallion being the only pony that could interact with her. Twilight's face changed expressions many times throughout this explanation, and after Enigma had divulged all these details, she immediately said, “We have to take notes on this.”

Enigma sighed. “You already did. You probably forgot where you put them. That's not important, anyway. I'm trying to find a way to get ponies to remember me for more than one day. I'm starting to think it's triggered by my sleep cycles. Do you think I could stay the night here with you to see what happens? I want to be woken up in the middle of the night to see if it will interrupt the process.”

Twilight nodded vigorously. “Excellent researcher's instincts there! In the meantime, I'll introduce you to Applejack and Fluttershy.”

Enigma went downstairs with Twilight to meet these two ponies, one new, the other already an acquaintance. Applejack approached her first.

“Well, howdy there! Mah name's Applejack! Mah family and I run Sweet Apple Acres just outside 'a town.”

Fluttershy spoke next, so quiet as to be almost imperceptible. “And, um... my name's Fluttershy. I, um... I care for animals.”

Enigma shook both of their hooves. What followed was a short tea party amongst the four of them on the floor of the library. These four ponies seemed to get along quite well. Enigma decided to showcase her talent a little bit by giving the other ponies a riddle:

Ponies like me being open with them,
I can offer advice and teach you to fly,
I'll help mares and stallions with dating,
Or soothe you when you cry.
What am I?

Twilight immediately shot her hand up. “Ooh! Ooh!” Applejack scratched her head with a confused look on her face, and Fluttershy simply smiled politely, though she seemed to know something. Enigma pointed at Twilight, and she proclaimed, “A book!”

After the tea party was over, Applejack and Fluttershy left and went to their respective homes, leaving Twilight and Enigma sitting together on the floor. Enigma pushed her cyan curls out of her face and looked at Twilight. “So, should I leave until tonight?”

Twilight gave Enigma a concerned look. “You seem like a nice pony, Enigma. But you have to realize that all of this is a little difficult to take. If I'd seen you before, I'd have remembered you. What do you think this will solve?”

Enigma took another deep breath. So, this was the day of having to explain important things. “I don't like being alone, Twilight. I don't know anypony who does. If all ponies do is forget me and I can't be friends with them, it makes everything really tough on me. I like getting to know ponies. I like getting to spend time with my friends. I like being a part of other ponies' lives. I feel... sick, every time I wake up and I know nopony will even know I exist. Except that brown pony, but he says I don't exist. It hurts.”

Twilight watched Enigma closely during this explanation, finally nodding after all had been explained. “All right. You can stay as long as you need to.”

The rest of Enigma's day was spent reading books that Twilight recommended. Some of them were far too scientific for Enigma to understand, others were in zebra language or just a bunch of pictures. Twilight seemed excited beyond compare at all of these complicated books, and Enigma, seeing how happy they made Twilight, kept asking to see more, mentioning things that she'd read verbatim off the pages and launching Twilight into long-winded explanations on things that were far beyond the scope of knowledge of an average pony like Enigma. She just liked making Twilight happy.

All too soon, the sun went down and Spike began yawning constantly. Twilight didn't even notice at first, being too absorbed in explaining every possible aspect of every book she presented in front of Enigma, but then Enigma began yawning, and finally, Twilight herself gave a mighty yawn, looked outside, and said, “Oh, goodness! It seems it's time to get some sleep.”

The three of them went up to Twilight's loft, and Twilight gestured to the guest bed that had been set up earlier. Spike curled up on a little pet bed on the ground, and Twilight crawled into her own bed. Enigma got into the guest bed, pulling the sheets up and over herself, trying to fall asleep. After several long minutes of tossing and turning, some time after the other pony and dragon had fallen asleep, Enigma was still awake. She had a thought in her head, a small, nagging thought eating away at her conscience. She may never get another chance to do this. She slipped quietly out of bed and tip-toed over to Twilight's. She looked at Twilight's sleeping form and began to speak.

“Um... I know you can't hear me right now, and even if you could, you wouldn't remember in the morning... but I think I really like you, Twilight Sparkle. You make me happy. You make me feel wanted. I wish you of all ponies could remember me. The only pony I want to see every day, over and over again, is you. Please remember me. It's all I've ever wanted.”

She turned around to go back to bed, but stopped dead in her tracks at the baby dragon staring wide-eyed at her. Suddenly, unbidden, the tears came. They spattered on the floor of the tree house, Spike watching as Enigma broke down and sobbed on the floor. She cried loudly enough that it woke Twilight, and she immediately jumped out of bed and comforted Enigma. She just held the lavender pony close for what felt like forever, until the sobs subdued and Enigma regained control of herself.

“I don't want to be alone...”

“You won't be. We'll find some way to fix this. I promise.” Twilight's reassuring smile inspired Enigma to make one of her own, wiping her eyes and standing up again.

“I don't want to go to sleep... but I guess I have to. Thank you... Twilight. Good night.”

“Good night, Enigma. Don't be afraid, all right?”

Several minutes later, Twilight was once again fast asleep, Spike was now snoring fitfully, and Enigma felt herself drifting out of consciousness.

She woke up in the guest bed. Twilight was already up and bustling about, performing the day's activities, and Spike was still snoring in his bed.

Enigma hopped off the bed and immediately left the tree house. The brown pony would have to be here somewhere. He had to be. She began a thorough search of Ponyville, hoping against hope that he wouldn't just ignore her this time.

She spotted him just as it was hitting noon and she was becoming frustrated at the fruitless search. He was trotting through town in the direction of Twilight's house. Immediately after seeing him, Enigma dashed in front of this bizarre stallion and confronted him.

“Until you talk to me and tell me what in the hoof is going on, I will bother you and bother you and drive you crazy. Now give me some answers.”

The stallion registered her existence when she began to talk, then pointedly ignored her. He knocked on the door to Twilight's house, and Spike opened it. Spike said, “Yes? Oh, are you new in town?”

The stallion said, “Yes, but I've been here a few days now. I just haven't been to see the library until now. My name is Cottontooth.”

Enigma stared incredulously at this stallion. This rude, crude, and callous stallion was Cottontooth, her best friend of her childhood? She didn't think so! “You are definitely not Cottontooth. Firstly, he is red with a carrot-orange mane. Secondly, you are nothing like him. Cottontooth is a kind, caring pony that wouldn't ignore other ponies.

Spike closed the door to go speak with Twilight, and Cottontooth chose this moment to whirl on Enigma. “Look, figment, you do NOT exist. I made you up, so leave me alone. You shouldn't have even existed in the first place. Now go, before you make me angry.”

Spike opened the door again, and Cottontooth walked in, blinked, and stared at Twilight. A blush rose to his cheeks, and he stuttered, “I, um... hello.” That was all she saw, because the door closed and she was left alone on the street.

Figment? Like, a figment of the imagination? She didn't know who this stallion was, and maybe now she didn't want to. Even so, he was the only pony with any answers. She decided to push the issue with him. She closed her eyes and entered the tree house.

Cottontooth was standing in the middle of the floor of the tree house, looking giddier and giddier every moment. Twilight was humming to herself and looking for a book that Cottontooth had likely told her the name of, and Spike was standing awkwardly in the middle of all of it, looking ready to bolt at any moment.

Enigma walked directly in front of him, blocking his vision of Twilight. Anger flashed in Cottontooth's eyes briefly before it changed to a dull, resigned look. “If you took the time to explain to me why I shouldn't exist, maybe I'd leave you alone. But I won't listen to a stallion that's this rude. If you're Cottontooth, then I'm the sultan of Saddle Arabia. Cottontooth would never be so rude to anypony, whether or not he believed they existed. You don't even look like him. Which pony are you trying to fool? Him? Me? Or yourself? You should just change your name and become a respectable pony. If you want to live a normal life, then you better start by giving me answers, and maybe then I'll listen to you. Otherwise, you better get used to me nagging you constantly.

Cottontooth suddenly blurted out, “Do you mind if I use the little colt's room?” At Twilight's “Sure!” he immediately went to the restroom around the corner, and Enigma followed, saying, “If you think that'll get me to leave you alone, you're mistaken, mister!”

After he was in the privacy of the bathroom, Cottontooth looked directly at Enigma, and their eyes met. “I'll explain everything tonight. Please, just stop bothering me right now. You can stay, but please, no talking.”

Enigma nodded, and they both returned to the main foyer of the library. Twilight had located Cottontooth's book, and she provided him with it, bidding him a good day and returning to her own studying. Cottontooth wished her a good day through reddened cheeks and disembarked on his next errand.

Enigma followed Cottontooth around on his daily chores, excessively bored but determined to find out more about this stallion and why he was able to see her. Finally, as the sun was going down, he finished eating his dinner at the café and went home. He walked through the door, and Enigma immediately demanded, “Explain. Now.”

Cottontooth sighed. “It's pretty simple. You're my imagination. I made you up because I wanted a friend. I don't need you anymore because I want real friends. You haven't existed for years, Enigma. I don't care what you think of me; Canterlot was tough on me, and if it made me bitter and ugly, then that's who I am now. I don't have to justify myself to a ghost. Now leave me in peace and let me sleep.”

Enigma stood, stunned, and tried to think of a reply. None came. It all made sense. His colors were off because he'd been starving for years in Canterlot... as she'd been. Now that she thought about it, his colors were even starting to return a small amount. His face was unmistakably Cottontooth's face, anyway.

She walked woodenly back to her house. She was going to sleep alone tonight. No, that wasn't her fate. She existed at least half the time, even if it was only for that day. That was enough for her. She walked to Twilight's tree house and lied down on the guest bed. This was her new place to sleep from now on. Twilight was asleep, as was Spike, so Enigma immediately curled up on the bed and slept.

So, a little bit about me: I love Scootaloo.
--Scootareader

Chapter 5 - Cottontooth's True Colors

Enigma woke up to an enormous pillow in her face and an extremely distraught-looking Twilight looking fearfully at her.

“Who in the hoof are you and why in the hoof are you in my home!?” Twilight screamed at her. Enigma groaned and rolled over. “Get out of here! How did you even get in here? Spike, help me get this intruder out of here!”

“It's fine, I was just... going.” Enigma spoke these words sadly, resigned to knowing that Twilight wouldn't remember her, or care at this point. She walked out of the tree house without a backwards glance, knowing there would be no pity or hope there. She'd dared to think she stood a chance at being remembered, but there was no recognition to be found here.

Upon exiting the door, Enigma realized it was still the dead of night, and Twilight had woken up to see if she could remember her. So, it looked like sleep cycles were what triggered it. It appeared she wasn't going to sleep tonight. Or maybe tomorrow night would be better. She'd have a chance to start things fresh with Twilight then.

So, the question remained: What was she to do today? As far as she could tell, there was no Cottontooth in her reality, so there was no point in looking for him. There was very little to do, though she was somewhat hungry. She decided to get a tulip and daffodil sandwich from the sandwich shop just down the road.

She'd just settled in and took her first bite of her sandwich when she heard a voice behind her say, “Yyyup.” She twisted around in her seat to see Big Mac nod happily at her; the acknowledgment had been directed toward her.

She immediately bolted out of her chair and tackled him to the ground. “Who am I!?”

In retrospect, probably not a good reaction. He immediately ran off without another word. Was he just being polite? He didn't seem the type to greet someone he didn't know. She would need to give it some time, then ask again. And maybe do some explaining.

This was getting exasperating. Nopony would remember her after today to her knowledge, and her life would just get worse and worse. She needed to find a way to stop this from happening; four days was already starting to get to her. How she acted towards Big Mac was probably not too out of the ordinary, considering the last several days. This was not a good way to live.

She finished her sandwich and began aimlessly wandering the streets of Ponyville for what felt like the tenth time; she had at least a portion of each of her days dedicated to wandering Ponyville for lack of anything better to do now. She began to follow one of the roads out of Ponyville. Slowly, the landscape of roads and buildings became more dotted with trees, until houses became very infrequent and almost stopped altogether.

Upon entering this thickly wooded area, Enigma quickly began hearing somepony flying at high speeds up ahead. She set off through the trees in the direction of the noise, eventually coming to a clearing where a rainbow-colored blur was practicing aerial acrobatics to an ooh'ing and aah'ing audience of Pinkie Pie and a white pony with a very expertly styled purple mane.

Emerging from the trees, she was immediately accosted by Pinkie Pie, who bolted over to her and started once again pelting her with questions: “Hello! What's your name? I'm Pinkie Pie! You must be new to Ponyville because I know everypony in Ponyville, and I mean everypony, but I've never seen you before and--” She then elicited another gasp, bolting off to prepare for Enigma's party.

The white pony gave the rapidly retreating Pinkie Pie a sideways glance before looking at Enigma. “She's like this often. You get used to it.”

Enigma nodded. “I think I'm already used to it.”

The white pony laughed. “Oh, you may think that, dear, but nopony ever really gets used to Pinkie Pie. There's no telling what she'll do.”

“Well, I knew she was going to prepare a surprise party for me the next time she saw me.” Enigma gave Rarity a very serious look. “She's done that the past several times we've met.”

“Oh, well... um... you two have met? I thought she said she didn't know you?”

“Yeah, we've met. She just doesn't remember me. Nopony ever does.”

“Oh, um... well, I shall definitely recall this conversation at a later date! Now, I believe introductions are in order! I am Rarity, and I run Carousel Boutique here in Ponyville. And your name is...?”

“Enigma.”

“Oh, that's, um...” Rarity gave Enigma the most passive look she could muster. “That's a very... interesting name! Considering what we were just discussing...” She immediately looked nervous, as if she may have insulted Enigma. She tossed her head up toward the sky to where the rainbow-colored dash was streaking across the sky. “Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash slowed down, coming to a halt a few feet above the air in front of the other two ponies. “Who's this?” She had a very strange color for her mane; instead of a solid color or two, her mane was an entire rainbow. Her body was cyan-colored, the same shade as Enigma's hair.

Rarity said, “This is Enigma. She says nopony can remember her.”

Rainbow Dash said, “Uh... huh. Well, Enigma... you ever seen the best flier in Equestria? As Enigma confirmed that she hadn't, Rainbow Dash then asked, “Do you wanna?” to which Enigma nodded.

Rainbow Dash bolted up into the sky, Rarity and Enigma tracking her with their eyes, seeing her perform some pretty spectacular tricks, though not the best Enigma had seen. Still, Rainbow Dash had talent, and Enigma acknowledged that, though she wasn't the best flier she'd ever seen.

After several minutes of entertaining acrobatics, Rainbow Dash came back down to reap the attention from her crowd. Rarity said, “Most entertaining! I particularly liked when you made the cloud rings and pulled them all together!”

Rainbow Dash then turned her gaze upon Enigma. “So, what did you think?”

Honesty, right? “I think you have some serious talent. Not the best flier I've seen yet, but they'd been at it their whole life, and if you continue practicing, you'll easily surpass anypony I've seen in skill, and I've seen the Wonderbolts.”

Apparently, that was the right thing to say. Rainbow Dash lapped up the praise, beaming at her when she mentioned the Wonderbolts. “Y'hear that, Rarity? This is a pony that knows skill when she sees it!”

Rarity looked approvingly at Enigma. “Yes, you are quite the flier, aren't you? You're definitely going to make it into the Wonderbolts at this rate!”

“Yeah! Now watch this!” Rainbow Dash took off into the air again, Enigma and Rarity's eyes glued to her as she performed more feats beyond the capabilities of the average pegasus. She gradually slowed down as she became tired, eventually coming back to her onlookers, panting but happy. Definitely the kind of show that Enigma would pay to watch.

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways as dusk settled in, Enigma going back to her pseudo-home and silently wishing she could stay with ponies who would remember her. She tucked herself in and hoped for a better tomorrow after her dream.

She woke up on Twilight's guest bed. Sometimes these dreams felt so real, it's like she was waking up to a new day. It was already becoming a routine, albeit one that left a bad taste in her mouth. What was there to do, other than bother Cottontooth? She couldn't make any friends, couldn't be seen by anypony other than one that didn't think she should exist... this just wasn't her vision of how she should live out the rest of her days.

She wanted to find a good stallion—or, hoping against hope, mare—that she could settle down with, somepony who could make her happy. Isolation and longing were not kosher with her idea of the future. She had simple wants and needs, she felt; mostly to not be alone anymore, but that wasn't going to happen, especially while she was dreaming.

Was this really a dream? Or was this reality, and was she a dream pony? Sometimes, ponies remembered tiny figments of their dreams; could she keep something in a pony's head? These questions rattled around in her brain. She had no answers. She had no truths. She had only her gut instincts and ponies who would never help her past a day.

While pondering her own reality, Twilight and Spike were beginning the day's work, kicking things off with a very sleepy and irritated Spike having to be constantly badgered for 5 minutes to wake up by an increasingly frustrated Twilight. When he finally rolled out of bed, he and Twilight began dusting the library. Boring work, but better than anything Enigma had planned for this day. When they finished, Twilight left to take care of something, leaving Spike to finish the small errands himself, and set off into town for something, likely writing supplies, seeing how much she wrote. Enigma decided she would follow Twilight for lack of something better to do.

As she exited the library, Twilight was immediately accosted by a loitering Cottontooth. Creepy much? “Oh, hi! Fancy seeing you here, Ms. Sparkle!”

“Please, call me Twilight. Hello, Mr.--”

“Cottontooth... just Cottontooth. Where were you on your way to?”

“Oh, just to pick up some supplies for the library! We do tend to keep pretty busy, you know!”

“Oh, yes, I was going to pick up several more books today!”

“Really? Well, Spike is there and he'd be happy to--”

“Oh, no, I think I'll take care of my other errands first. What supplies did you say you needed?”

Twilight was starting to look a little overwhelmed. “Oh, mostly just quills and parchment. Maybe some laboratory equipment, though that's usually pretty rare here in Ponyville. What do you need?”

Cottontooth seemed like a shark circling a helpless swimmer. “Really? That's so strange! I was going to pick up the same things! Strange, isn't it? That we have such similar interests!”

This was just painful to watch. She had to do something. “Hey, Cottontooth, she can tell you're lying. You're buttering her up way too hard. You should just give up. She's not interested in you, anyway.”

Twilight seemed blissfully ignorant of Cottontooth's obvious plans, nor did she notice the daggers that Cottontooth glared over her shoulder briefly. “That is strange! Would you like to go shopping with me?”

“Would I! Lead the way, Twilight!”

What followed was quite possibly the worst day of Enigma's life. She watched the most amazing mare she'd ever met get seduced by a silver-tongued, arrogant, rude stallion, and she was powerless to help at all, despite seeing it all happen. Events happened, ponies came and went, and constantly, Cottontooth was there, insinuating things that were wrong, that were dead wrong. He shouldn't have been allowed to commit these atrocities in the first place. Twilight was better than this; she deserved a stallion... no, a mare of a better stature than this groveling excuse for a pony. This just plain wasn't fair.

Enigma watched all of this happen with cold, calculating thoughts. She digested every bit of information that Cottontooth gave her, about his methods of fooling Twilight into falling for him, as well as Twilight's likes, dislikes, what she responded to, how to get a positive reaction from her. This all added to the fire that was building inside Enigma. She would destroy this stallion for trying to destroy Twilight's future and happiness, even if it drove her crazy.

It wasn't until late afternoon that Twilight finally finished her day's shopping, guided on several detours by Cottontooth to give him more time to play his game. He invited her to walk around Ponyville with him some more and see some of the sights, but she thankfully declined, earning a happy sigh from Enigma. Both of the mares would be spared any more torture of having to spend time with Cottontooth.

The rest of this rotten day passed uneventfully, at least. Fluttershy came to visit briefly, but was quickly pulled away by a very annoying bunny named Angel that she apparently was taking out to eat. Twilight and Spike had small token conversation, but nothing of importance.

Eventually, finally, Twilight began yawning, quite some time after Spike had disappeared into his bed. She finally curled up under her covers and sighed contentedly. Moments later, her regular breathing indicated to Enigma that she was fast asleep.

On a hunch, Enigma decided to explore outside the library. There, in the dark, just outside the entrance, was Cottontooth. She gasped as she opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. “Cottontooth! Don't you think this has gone far enough?”

He gave Enigma a bewildered look. “You've never heard of love at first sight? This is my dream pony, Enigma. She's like you... except she actually exists. Isn't that the kind of pony you want to meet someday?”

Enigma seemed taken aback at this. “Like... me? You mean, you think I'm like her?”

“Oh, yes, definitely. You're not as good with numbers as her, but you're still really smart in your own way. She's just the pony I hoped for... but she's not as perceptive as you, I think. I... did make it way too obvious today, didn't I?”

Now was the time to cut into him. “Look at you! Groveling over somepony you barely know, stalking her, overbearing her, forcing yourself into her life... what can you possibly hope to accomplish by pushing yourself into somepony's life like their opinion doesn't even matter?”

“The only opinion that doesn't matter is yours, ghost. I don't need to take insults from you, and I know you don't matter. Just give up and leave me in peace. Twilight is everything I dreamed and more, and you'll never be able to convince me that she's not, so save your breath. I have a mare to romance.”

That... hurt. Can ghosts hurt? Of course they can't; she wasn't a ghost. She existed, just as Cottontooth existed, or Twilight, or Rarity, or Big Mac, or anypony. Didn't she?

She decided not to reply to the stinging remarks of Cottontooth, resolved more than ever to ensure he wouldn't have a chance, but still unknowing of how to do it. She entered the library once more, curled up on the guest bed, and slowly, unhappily, fell asleep.

Ugh, about five days late on this! Stupid writer's block. Hope you guys like it so far!
--Scootareader

Chapter 6 - Just One Memory

She slowly opened her eyes. It was her room. Hers, to call her own. So why did she feel like a stranger?

As far as she knew, Cottontooth didn't exist in the days that she could interact with other ponies. That meant she had all day to do whatever she wanted without fear of him trying to muck things up. It was her chance to try all she could to convince Twilight that Cottontooth was not a pony worth her time. If her off-the-wall assumption was correct, Enigma could eventually convince Twilight through her dreams that being Cottontooth's special somepony was a disastrous mistake.

This wasn't a fruitless effort... it couldn't be. Enigma was bound and determined to make sure that this cruel, thoughtless pony wouldn't be allowed to ruin Twilight's life as he'd ruined hers. If she had one reason left to exist, this would be it, and she would do all she could to stop him.

Holding this resolve as her guiding light, she marched straight to the tree house and knocked on the door. Spike opened the door, saying, “Hello, how may... uh, hi.”

Enigma gave him an odd look. “Yes... I'm Enigma, and I'm new in Ponyville. This is the library?”

Spike hesitated, then nodded and opened the door for Enigma. She trotted in, looked around, and didn't see Twilight. Spike asked, “Can I help you with something?”

She hesitated. Was it wise to lie to Spike? Probably not, though he wouldn't remember tomorrow. Still, lying wasn't in her nature. She'd tell him the truth. “Okay, this probably won't make any sense to you... but I need to speak with Twilight Sparkle. I know she's head librarian here, and there's something we need to discuss. Is she around?”

Spike looked at her suspiciously. “What do you need to tell her?”

“It's about a stallion she just met. I'm an acquaintance of his.”

“Um... all right. Wait right here.”

Spike went down the staircase located in the library, emerging after a few moments and saying, “She'll be up soon.”

Enigma nodded affirmation and stayed quiet. After three or four minutes, Spike asked, “So, what's your name?”

“Enigma.”

“That's an odd name. What did they name you that for?”

“Well, when I was born, I disappeared from the hospital I lived in for about 2 hours. Nopony knew what happened to me, not even me. Then, as mysteriously as I'd disappeared, I showed back up again. So, they named me Enigma because I'm a mystery.”

“Huh. Guess that explains the cutie mark.”

“Actually, no. That's because of my special talent. I'm actually very good with riddles and puzzles. Wanna hear one?”

“Um... sure! I like riddles!”

“All right.” Enigma thought for a moment, then grabbed a piece of nearby parchment that was blank and began scribbling notes on it. After a few moments, she said, “Done!” and told Spike her new riddle:

“Spineless, naked, thin,
But simple and sweet all the same,
I only tell you what you need to know,
But have led many to fame.
What am I?”

In retrospect, another “What am I?” riddle was crippling her creative spark, but it didn't seem like Spike would get anything more complicated, so she stuck with what a simpler mind would still appreciate. The dragon, for his part, scratched his head before shrugging. Enigma smiled mischievously, saying, “We'll ask Twilight when she gets up here, then!”

“Is somepony talking about me?” Twilight came up from the basement wearing a lab coat and goggles, adjusting them on her face before scrutinizing Enigma. “Yes, what's so important? I'm in the middle of a pretty big experiment right now, you're lucky I was able to pull myself away to see you!”

“Well, I do have something important to talk to you about, but your assistant seems stuck on a riddle I just gave him--”

“Yes, I'll hear it later, I'm busy now. What's the important thing you have for me?”

“Well... um...” Now that the moment had arrived and Twilight seemed overly impatient, Enigma seemed very out of place and whiny. Was this really such a big deal?

Obviously, it was. Cottontooth was a terrible stallion, and Twilight was a wonderful mare. This was not going to happen on Enigma's watch. “My name is Enigma. Do you remember the stallion you met yesterday? Cottontooth?”

“Cottontooth? Yes, I remember him. A brown stallion with a light-brown mane. What about him? I don't know him very well, if you have questions about him.”

“Well, I've known him since fillihood... did you know he's interested in you?” She decided blunt would be the best way for Twilight to remember this conversation. Hopefully, this would carry over to the next day.

“Well, um...” Twilight seemed somewhat taken aback at this. “I... yes, somewhat. He made it quite obvious, but I didn't return the attentions.”

Good. “Don't. He used to be a very kind and caring stallion, but has since become very mean and bitter. He's not worth your attentions until he changes his ways.”

Twilight looked appraisingly at Enigma. “Why, thank you! I was wondering if he would be by to bother me again today, but I peeked outside the window this morning and didn't see him. Thank you very much for this information. I will make sure to keep him at leg's reach.”

“He won't be back today... but he will be back. Soon. Remember what I've told you, Twilight. He is not a good stallion.” There was a short, awkward pause as Enigma absently kicked the wooden floor of the treehouse, exhibiting a dull thud. “I better let you get back to work. It was... nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Not a problem! Will you be in Ponyville long?” Twilight seemed eager to speak to Enigma more.

“I... well, sort of. If you're asking if I'll be busy, then not really.”

“Spike, how is tomorrow looking?” Spike ran over to a drawer, opened it, then pulled his head out and shook it. “Book something for tomorrow: Tea with Enigma at noon. Does that sound acceptable to you, Enigma? Sorry we can't speak more today, but I'm busy, as you can see.” Twilight tossed her head back toward the staircase before excusing herself, leaving a speedily scribbling Spike and a very surprised Enigma. “It was nice to meet you, Enigma!”

Enigma glanced around awkwardly before looking at an expectant Spike. “So... tomorrow at noon, I guess?”

Spike nodded. “But you can't hang around here all day. Twilight's busy, and I have a lot of work to do. Sorry, but that's just how it is. See you tomorrow, I guess?”

Enigma nodded happily and said goodbye before exiting the tree house. Well, that was her work for the day done.

She couldn't decide on what else to do with her day. She should hunt that Big Mac stallion down to see if he could remember her, but she had no idea where he lived. That option was eliminated until she could find out more about him, unless she coincidentally ran into him in town. It seemed unlikely he would be in town often, and, if he did come into town, that it would be for very long. So, she wandered the streets of Ponyville once again, looking for somepony to relieve her boredom.

It wasn't long until her boredom was relieved. A pink blur blew out of nowhere, bowling her over and sprawling her out in the street, a tangle of legs and pony bodies rolling over and over, before she managed to stop the rolling and extricate herself from the dazed Pinkie Pie. “Um... that's some way to welcome me, isn't it?”

“Oh, sorry! I was just in such a hurry to see my friend Twilight and I didn't see you there and HEY! I've never seen you before! Are you new in Ponyville? I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm friends with everypony in Ponyville and I mean everypony, but then I saw you and--”

“Let me stop you right there. I know you were about to plan a surprise party for me; trust me, I just know. I'll tell you right now that I wouldn't like one, but I would love to be friends.”

Pinkie Pie gasped very loudly before jumping on Enigma in a wild hug, dragging her back to the ground. “I'm friends with a telepath! This is the best day of my life!”

Enigma laughed. “I'm not a telepath, I'm just really good at telling things about ponies... especially you, Pinkie. I have a bigger problem on my hands than knowing what other ponies are thinking right now, though. You said you know Twilight?”

“Um, yeah! She's just one of my very best friends in Ponyville! I mean, you have to be really new if you don't know how great of friends Twilight and I are! I thought everypony knew that, and I mean everypony, and if I don't know you, that means you must be new here, and if you're new here, that must mean you don't have any friends, and if you don't have any friends, that must--” She then gasped and attempted to bolt before being tackled by Enigma.

“I said I don't want any surprise parties! I still need to talk to you, though!” Enigma grunted at Pinkie.

“Oh, sorry! I just get so carried away sometimes... what is it you need to talk about?”

“It's about... Twilight.” Enigma sighed. “She's been meeting with a stallion named Cottontooth, and he's not a good stallion.”

Pinkie Pie seemed confused. “Cottontooth? I know Cottontooth and he's not a bad stallion.”

Right. Pinkie Pie of all ponies would know who he is. She probably even threw him a welcome party. “I've... known him since fillihood. Trust me, he used to be a very kind and nice stallion, but now he's just mean and rude on the inside. I'm trying to help him, but he doesn't deserve Twilight's attentions right now.”

“Um... how well do you know Twilight?” Pinkie Pie scrutinized Enigma before continuing. “Because you seem to think you know her awfully well...”

“Well, to be honest, I've known her a couple days, but it would be really difficult to explain. I can say that I'm certain Twilight doesn't deserve such a rotten stallion as Cottontooth, though.” Enigma tried her best to seem adamant about what she was saying. This entire situation just felt... awkward.

Pinkie Pie nodded, unsure of how to react. “Okey dokey lokey...” She immediately brightened up. “So whatcha doin' for the rest of today? Want a welcome party? I guess it's not much of a surprise if you know it's going to happen, but we can still have a great party!”

“Um... how about we just spend some time together today?”

“Sure! Where do ya wanna go?”

“Just a walk.” She set off in a random direction, beckoning Pinkie Pie to follow. Pinkie Pie began hopping next to Enigma, spouting off random conversation topics and taking Enigma's mind off the things which were frustrating her so greatly right now. Enigma could feel herself growing off of the random conversation with a pony she barely knew but already considered her a friend.

All too soon, however, the sun began to set. Pinkie Pie looked around as things began to dim, exclaiming, “Ooh, I need to get back! I promised the Cakes I would help them clean up Sugarcube Corner! I'll see you again soon, all right? It was great meeting you, Enigma!”

Enigma called a farewell to a rapidly hopping away Pinkie Pie before sighing. Alone. Time to sleep and give in to the loneliness again. There was no helping it.

She woke up in Twilight's guest bed, immediately jumping up and walking outside. As expected, she found a muted brown stallion sleeping just outside the tree house in some bushes. He was well-hidden, so ponies casually walking by would never know he was there. It was only Enigma, expecting to find him here, who would know just how creepy he was being.

She bent down right next to his ear and yelled as loudly as she could, “GET UP, YOU STALKER!”

Cottontooth gave a loud shout and jumped up, immediately attempting to buck at Enigma. She dodged his clumsy assault easily, stepping around to the side and pushing him over. She was liking Cottontooth less and less.

“What can you hope to solve by stalking this mare? Why do you think this behavior is acceptable? This is wrong, Cottontooth. You know it. I don't need to tell you how incredibly creepy you're being. Now stop this nonsense.”

Cottontooth looked incredulously at Enigma. “You're kidding, right?” He laughed and looked back towards the tree house. “Commitment and creepiness are two very different things. You of all ponies ought to know the difference, at least where I'm concerned.”

“Whether you think it's creepy or not doesn't make it right. Imagine if Twilight knew you were out here. Do you think she would still think the same of you?”

“You mean...” Cottontooth looked abashed. “You mean, she thinks well of me?”

“No!” Enigma yelled. He couldn't be this incredibly stupid. “She doesn't like you, and she doesn't want to be with you! Why are you so bloody stubborn? It's obvious she doesn't care, Cottontooth! Now just give up and go home!”

Cottontooth pointedly ignored her and continued watching the tree house. There was movement inside, Twilight and Spike doing their daily chores. Enigma didn't feel like arguing with anypony anymore, anyway. She left Cottontooth to watch from the bushes and re-entered Twilight's home.

“--just plain creepy, Spike. Can't you go out there and tell him to go home?” Twilight appeared to be as unhappy with Cottontooth's stalking as Enigma was.

“Oh, c'mon, Twilight! It's kinda flattering, don't you think? I mean, he could send you flowers or something and not be so creepy, but...”

“Yes, just tell him that or something. Anything to get him away from my house. Go!”

Spike grumbled a little bit at Twilight ordering him around, but went outside and told Cottontooth that Twilight thought he was being creepy by being around, and that he should just send her flowers or something to show how much he cares instead of sticking around and creeping her out, despite Spike's understanding of the gesture. Cottontooth thanked him and departed, Enigma opting to see what happened between Twilight and Spike next instead of following Cottontooth.

Spike re-entered the tree house, and Twilight sighed happily. “Finally, I can get to work! Remember, no interruptions unless somepony is dying, Spike!”

“Yes sir! Er, ma'am!” Spike giggled at his own silly joke and proceeded to begin cleaning up the library. Twilight went into the basement to begin her experiments. The moment the door to the basement closed, Spike stopped working and began playing with some dolls he'd hidden behind a few of the books. Typical behavior of an ill-behaved filly, but you couldn't blame him. Books could be pretty boring... if it wasn't Twilight reading them to you.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Enigma went downstairs to watch Twilight experiment on whatever it was she was experimenting on today. She closed her eyes and walked through the door to the basement.

The library's basement was a full-fledged laboratory. As much as she tried to look around, Enigma would spot something new every time her eyes skimmed the room. There were potions of every shade of every color in vials of every shape and size, machines that buzzed and clicked and blinked lights of green and red and amber as they fed sheet after sheet of paper that contained information which would put the greatest physicist pony to shame, and Twilight was in the middle of it all, hustling, bustling, trying to keep on top of all the work being produced for her every second before she froze, holding a sheet of paper, and suddenly cried, “Aha!”

Enigma walked up and looked over Twilight's shoulder; this seemed interesting. However, upon seeing the paper that Twilight held up, there was nothing but several lines of strange characters that Enigma hadn't even seen before. Twilight was a genius far beyond Enigma's expectations, and that only made her an even better pony than before. She watched with rapt interest as Twilight dashed to and fro, from station to station, jotting down hasty notes and muttering small scientific facts to herself.

After several long minutes of Twilight dashing hastily to and fro and a bemused Enigma spectating, Twilight made another exclamation before dashing to a piece of paper a few feet away from her. Enigma looked at what Twilight was writing on.

She blinked and looked again, closer.

It was now Enigma's turn to let out an exclamation. She stared incredulously at the piece of paper that Twilight had just drawn a proud A on. It was the paper she'd given Twilight on the first day they'd met! She still had it, somehow, and had made a very small amount of headway on it. It currently read:

_ _ i _ i _ _ _ _ _ a _ _ _ _ i _ _ _ _ _ i _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ i _ _ a

Enigma smiled as she recalled how quickly she'd created this puzzle that had Twilight performing crazy scientific experiments far beyond what she needed. Twilight had just written in the first A in the second word. In retrospect, it would probably be difficult to solve this if the pony solving it forgot all of their progress from the previous day. After all, this paper only existed half the time, and only when she--

Wait, wait, wait. If that were true, Twilight would be screaming at her to get out of her laboratory. She wasn't there right now?

Enigma looked at her surroundings, suddenly scared. Why couldn't she remember what had happened that day?

She felt dizzy and fell down on the floor of the lab, a triumphant Twilight still celebrating over a paper that shouldn't exist right now. Enigma lost all thought, her reality careening around her as fast as a merry-go-round as she completely blacked out and darkness overtook her.

First time posting from a mobile phone. Hope you guys like how difficult this all was.

I meant to leave the riddle unanswered so I could answer it here! It's an
essay.

--Scootareader

Chapter 7 - Biting the Bullet

Enigma woke up with a start. She was... in her bed. She was herself?

She jumped off the bed. The sheets moved. It looked like she existed right now.

She remembered what happened before she woke up... a little bit. She had been watching Twilight perform experiments. What was she experimenting on? A piece of paper... that Enigma had given her. It was one of Enigma's puzzles. A puzzle that shouldn't have existed. Not in the real world, at least.

So, what was she to do during this dream day? Big Mac; that was her target. She decided to seek him out and find him as soon as she could. Ponyville wasn't a big town, and there were plenty of ponies who would be able to point her in the right direction. She ate a small amount of dried fruit that she'd brought with her from Canterlot, then set out to find her mystery stallion.

She approached Lyra, seeing as her house was kitty-cornered and a little down the street, and she recognized the pony leaving her house. Enigma dashed to Lyra, saying, “L--” and catching herself; this pony wouldn't know who she was. She had caught Lyra's attention, though, and quickly cleared her throat before saying, “Hello! I'm new in Ponyville and heard that there was a pony who could offer me a couple of bits for a job he has open just today. His name is Big Mac, but he never got the chance to tell me where he lived. Would you please help me out?” She gave her cheesiest smile, hoping that Lyra wouldn't notice her terrible poker face.

“Uh... yeah.” She pointed at what looked like a farm on the outskirts of town. “Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Ah, thank you! Have a nice day!” Enigma dashed off once again, following the most direct route she could find to Sweet Apple Acres. The streets of Ponyville weren't too confusing, and she found her way to the road leading up to the massive farm that contained row after row of apple tree, all of varying colors. Would Applejack be here, too?

She approached a very elderly green pony with nothing but gray hairs in her mane who appeared to be telling a story to a small yellow filly with a bright red mane and a bow of the same shade to complement it. As she came closer, she caught what the green pony was talking about, “...and we stayed up three whole days and three whole nights a-whoopin' and a-hollerin' and a-scarin' those timber wolves back to the Everfree Forest where they came from... but, uh, that doesn't have much to do with cider-making. Why do the Apples make it better than any other pony, ya say? Well, I'll tell ya...”

“Um, excuse me.” Enigma felt bad for interrupting, but this green pony seemed prepared to keep going and going until another pony stopped her.

The yellow filly immediately focused all of her attention on Enigma and began rapidly speaking. “Well, hey there! Welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres! Mah name's Apple Bloom, and ah live here. We got the best apples in Equestria in this here orchard, and we'd be happy ta have ya sample some! Where ya from?”

“Oh, um, Canterlot. And my name is Enigma. I was actually wondering if Big Mac was available to talk. He works here, right?”

Apple Bloom became confused at the mention of Big Mac's name. “Big Macintosh? He's got a mare comin' to see him?” The filly immediately brightened and smiled mischievously at her question, saying, “Ooooohhhh, I get it. He's just workin' in the west field with Applejack. We gotta harvest the red galas before they go outta season, but... ah think he can afford ta take a little break to speak with ya.” She then winked conspiratorially, as if she and Enigma were in on a big secret.

Apple Bloom dashed off to fetch Big Mac...intosh. So that was his whole name, not Big Mac. Granny Smith slowly rocked back and forth, and after a short silence, she said, “Y'know, I remember when I was your age, chasing after young stallions who wanted me to move away from my family. Just remember that family's more important'n some wet-behind-the-ears colt who thinks he can buy yer affections, all right?”

Enigma nodded uncertainly. What did Granny Smith get into her head about this? Enigma was nowhere in the realm of possibility of finding Big Macintosh... cute. He wasn't a Twilight Sparkle by any stretch of the imagination.

A few moments later, the big red pony rounded the corner. Enigma started, because he looked a lot like the Cottontooth Enigma remembered. The kind, understanding Cottontooth. The Cottontooth that no longer existed. “Big Macintosh! I have a very important question to ask you. Do you have a moment?”

“Yyyep.”

“All right... do you recognize me at all?”

“... Nnnope.”

“Not in the faintest? Not the slightest inkling of recognition? Not the tiniest iota of familiarity?”

“Nnnope.”

Damn. Of course he didn't recognize her. She'd been fooling herself from the start. She wanted a pony to remember her, this dream version of her, not the real version that only existed in Cottontooth's head. She was just fooling herself, though; nopony would remember her.

This entire attempt at existence was pathetic. Enigma didn't exist; she never existed. What was she trying to convince herself of? That she was simply nothing, other than Cottontooth's imagination? If he didn't want her to exist, why did she exist? Why could he touch her sometimes, and not other times? Was she just trying to rationalize her pointless reason for existing?

A parade of emotions danced across Enigma's face as these thoughts raced through her head. She went from devastated to depressed to angry to depressed again to a very cold, solemn expression. She knew what her purpose was. “Thank you for telling me this, sir. I'm sorry you can't recall who I am, but I think I understand why. Have a fine rest of your day.”

Several minutes later, Enigma galloped into Ponyville. She ran straight for the library, resolved to continue what she'd started. She wouldn't give up after one day of minimal results. This was Twilight Sparkle's entire future and happiness at stake, and it was not to be taken lightly. She knocked on the door, which was opened by a little Spike saying, “Oh... hello. Did you need something?”

“Yes, please. Is Twilight Sparkle in?”

“Um... yeah.” There was a pause as Spike unlatched the door. “She's just studying right now. Not too busy.” Raising his voice a notch, he called, “Twilight!”

Twilight poked her head out from her room. “Yes? Oh, we have company?”

“Yeah, she says she wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, I'll be right down!” And in about two blinks of an eye, Twilight appeared in the middle of the library floor in a brilliant flash. Enigma was shocked that this beautiful mare was always so talented in everything she did. It boggled the mind, sometimes. “Yes? Oh, are you new in town?”

Okay, so don't come on too strong. “Sort of. I'm pretty familiar with the area, and with the ponies who live here, but nopony knows me. What I'm trying to get at is... all right, yes, I'm new. My name is Enigma. You know the stallion who has been hanging around the past two days, Cottontooth?”

“Well... yes. How did you know that if you're new?”

“Because we used to be friends. He used to be a good pony, but now he's just rotten to the core, as you've seen. My suggestion is to just stay away from him. He's just a lot of trouble.”

Twilight nodded slowly, taking all of this new information in. “He seems pretty creepy, yes. He's really that bad?”

Enigma nodded sagely. “As bad as a good pony can turn. We got along great as foals, but he grew up bitter and rude. I guess some ponies just turn out that way, him included.”

Twilight nodded her head happily. “Spike! Will you check our schedule, please?”

Spike dove into the cabinet with the calendar in it, pulling out the calendar and saying, “The next couple days are booked!”

Twilight looked up into the air thoughtfully before saying, “How does a week from today sound?”

Enigma said, “Sure!”

“Um... aren't you going to ask what for?”

Enigma hesitated. It probably wasn't wise to let on that she knew it would be tea... though it wouldn't matter if these days kept going like this. Still, it was good to be honest with Twilight. “It's tea, isn't it?”

Twilight looked genuinely shocked. “How could you tell that was it?”

“Well, look at my cutie mark.” Enigma nodded toward her flank. “I'm good at guessing games.”

Her duty for the day done, Enigma trotted happily back outside--

And suddenly, she came to on the floor of Twilight's laboratory. How long had she been out for? A few hours? It couldn't be; it was dark in the lab, however. She managed to find the staircase and clambered up to the door, where she closed her eyes and passed through it. She had the presence of mind to remember that she didn't currently exist.

Coming into the main area of the library, she noticed it was early evening. Okay, a few hours. After the disorienting experience she had in the laboratory, she was glad to be somewhere that she could get fresh air... if she even breathed in the real world. However, even more prominent than the time of day and air quality was the sudden abundance of flowers decorating the library. Bouquets of every shape and size adorned several of the shelves; there were at least seven or eight large groupings of flowers, and 12 or 13 smaller ones. A knock at the door which was answered by Spike provided Twilight with another small bouquet to make another shelf pretty.

The most apparent thing Enigma noticed on Twilight's was the look of annoyance etched into her face. “I just thought he would send the one and leave me alone! Who in the hoof sends an entire garden's worth of flowers to just one pony who doesn't even own a garden?”

“Aw, c'mon, Twilight, it's not that bad! Look on the bright side—at least now you don't have to go anywhere to eat! We can have dinner right here! And maybe he does things differently, but I think he's one-of-a-kind. Just give him a chance?”

“A chance at what? He's practically already forced me into this.” Twilight was still annoyed, but her expression had softened. “I mean, he seems really nice and all, but he's just not the kind of stallion I thought I might end up with someday. What's the point in dating a stallion you don't want to be with?”

Spike looked appalled at what Twilight had just told him. “Why wouldn't you want to be with him? He's great! He's caring, and makes sure you get everything you want, and... um...”

Enigma had had enough of this. It was time for her to make her move. She closed her eyes and walked through the door.

Just on the other side was another mare bringing flowers from the flower shop. She knocked on the door, Spike gracefully accepted more flowers, and the door was closed, the mare heading back for the next bouquet. Enigma followed her back to the flower shop, where she was almost certain Cottontooth was staging all of this.

This probably wouldn't even work. It was crazy, and stupid, and probably pointless. However, there was nothing else Enigma could do to alter this reality. It was her only shot.

Cottontooth was in the flower shop, placing another order for the mare that had just arrived after delivering the last bouquet. The mare busily took another little bouquet of flowers and made off to deliver them to Twilight's house once again. Enigma waited a few moments, and a stallion made it back and was once again dispatched. Then, a third pony, a mare. She left immediately with another bouquet, as well. The next pony was the mare who was here originally. So, three ponies all running bouquets of flowers to Twilight Sparkle. This was early in the day, as well. Could Cottontooth afford all these bouquets?

None of it mattered. He'd pointedly ignored Enigma since she walked in, and it was time for her to try to change things up. She walked directly in front of Cottontooth, looked deeply into his eyes, and said, “If you want me to stop harassing you, you'll talk to me. In private.”

Cottontooth waited a few moments, sending out another order with the mare before excusing himself to the restroom. He went into a secluded area and said, “All right, Enigma, what do you want?”

She hoped her poker face would hold. “Cottontooth... I'm sorry for how I've been acting towards you lately. I just saw Twilight getting all of your attention and I became... jealous. I don't like you showing your attention to any other mare. I want you to be with me, not her. It's all I've wanted since I can remember.”

Cottontooth's face was unreadable. He seemed to be considering something. After several long moments, he finally said, “I'm not going to stop pursuing Twilight Sparkle, you know. Whatever you are trying to offer, it won't matter. She is something tangible, something that actually exists, that I can touch and feel and know is there. I can't push you away, though. You've never let me in the past. Do what you feel is necessary, Enigma. I won't stop you.”

That was a cruel joke. He knew she couldn't interact with the world around her. Still, there was something she had on him, and those were her dream days, when she could interact with ponies. Now was the time to play her ace in the hole. “Did you know that I live in the dreams of ponies?”

“No. What do you mean by that?”

“Whenever you're asleep, I go through the entire day before that and see everything that goes on, but I can do things and you don't exist. Ponies remember what happens today, though, and they don't remember what happens when I'm around.”

“Uh-huh.” Cottontooth seemed nonplussed. “And how can you prove this? Will you tell me what happens in the future?”

Not so much of an ace. She cursed herself for thinking she had the upper hoof. “I can't. It's a different reality. Different things happen.”

Cottontooth rolled his eyes. “I find that hard to believe. I like that you're trying to validate your existence, but there's no possible way. If you existed... you're the perfect pony. But you don't, and Twilight Sparkle is as close to you as I'll ever get. I won't push you away, though. There's no point.”

She hurt inside, but she smiled and thanked Cottontooth for being so understanding. This stallion needed to be toppled from his throne. Even if it took Enigma sacrificing all of her happiness, Cottontooth couldn't have Twilight Sparkle. She tried to hug him and passed through him, giggling. Cottontooth seemed a lot more serious about it, stating it as his reason for being so hesitant about all this. Enigma simply told him not to worry, that they would find a way to be together.

She followed him around like a lost puppy the rest of the day. She was trying her best not to just scream profanities and buck him, and remember how important it was that Twilight Sparkle not end up with him. This was the last important thing for her to do.

That still said nothing for her sanity, though. The only friend she would ever be able to make was a rude stallion that was convinced she didn't exist. She could feel these horrible days slowly tearing away her reality, brick by brick. How long could she go on like this?

Nopony, not even Enigma, knew the answer to this riddle.

If I could, I would make a proper splash art for this story. Alas, I have not the skills, and thus, not the tools. Twilight looking at the moon is mysterious enough.
--Scootareader

Chapter 8 - A Dark Day, After All

Twilight was over her. Asking if she was all right. Not a bad way to wake up at all. Enigma stood up and apologized for passing out on her doorstep, accepting the offer to come inside and sit down for a while. Twilight never asked her name, so no memory of her... but that was expected.

Once inside, Enigma introduced herself, and Twilight returned the favor. Spike stood off to the side, looking awkward and out of place. Enigma, noticing this, asked, “Is something wrong?”

Spike distractedly told her, “Yeah... no flowers.”

Twilight nodded. “The strangest thing just happened! The library was just full of flowers decorating the shelves, and they all suddenly just disappeared! I had been reading and Spike was deep inside a shelf putting a book away, and then we both looked up and they were all gone! We went to check outside to see if we could see anypony making off with them, and that's when we found you. I tried for a full 5 minutes to wake you up before you finally did!”

Enigma reflected on the past few days. This was the first time that she had cut out midday. She always dreamed the day before living it, so this was the dream day for the day that hadn't happened yet. She'd seen Cottontooth getting flowers before... but Twilight and Spike didn't notice them missing before. The ponies didn't remember what happened the day before until she lived them?

Okay, she thought to herself, let's think about this logically. I completed the dream of Twilight when she was experimenting, and then I lived it, but was interrupted in the middle of it. This is the next day, so what happened the rest of that day never happened until I'd lived it. No flowers until I woke up and knew it had happened.

Concluding this, Enigma realized that she did have an impact on her dream world. The flowers had never existed until she knew they did! Despite this, she couldn't influence the real world, though; it was only in her dream that the flowers disappeared. When she had to live this day, the flowers would be back.

Of course, this was all ignoring the fact that Twilight had a piece of paper that had transcended this barrier. Enigma had seen it with her own eyes; and, if it was in the real world, that means Twilight would remember it in Enigma's dream. Right?

“Um, Twilight? Do you remember a piece of paper that you were working on?”

“As a matter of fact... yes!” Twilight produced a piece of paper. The paper that should only exist in this world. As before, several of the i's and a's were on the paper, as well as the symbols that Enigma had drawn as a guide to solve it.

There was nothing else; however, Enigma did notice a small inconsistency. “Did you make this yourself?”

“Well, yes, I did write it myself. I remember thinking of a puzzle, and I was frustrating myself because I could remember it very well, but I couldn't explain why; so, I wrote it down to solve it.”

That was the inconsistency. When Enigma saw the piece of paper in real life, it had been written by Twilight. This paper in front of them was Enigma's handiwork. Sharp eyes honed from a lifetime of puzzles really did pay off after all. Twilight wouldn't notice them.

So, based on Twilight's remembering a puzzle Enigma gave her, Enigma could affect ponies in reality through the dream world. This was established now. Perhaps her likening this world to dreams wouldn't turn out so ironic after all. Ponies could occasionally remember dreams, right?

She'd spent a lot of time looking thoughtful when she could be spending time talking to Twilight. She decided to remind Twilight of Cottontooth, seeing as it now had a point. “So, how are you feeling now that Cottontooth hasn't been bothering you all day?”

Twilight looked surprised. “How do you know about that?”

“I used to be a very good friend of his. He's changed since, becoming obsessive, overbearing, and just overall a rotten stallion. I know how he acts, and this is no surprise to me. He even told me he was going to marry you.” Enigma inwardly smiled at the look of shock that came across Twilight's face. “He's really not a good stallion to be around. I wish I could have helped him, but he's beyond help now.”

Twilight looked even more shocked. “You would say that about your own friends?”

That was unexpected. “Well, um...”

“How could you abandon a friend who needs you so badly, Enigma? Maybe that's why he's the way he is; you never helped him. How could you do such a thing!”

“But I--”

“I'd appreciate it if you left.” Twilight's horn flared to life as she opened the door with her magic. “Now.”

Enigma sighed and hopped off her chair. She walked unhappily through the door. If only Twilight knew the truth... and if only Enigma hadn't tried embellishing the truth. Tomorrow would be better, with any luck.

Twilight also had a point. It wasn't as if Cottontooth wasn't a bad stallion, as she kept saying; he was just undeserving of Twilight, with how he acted, the things he said... he just shouldn't get her. But then, who should?

She shook the whisper of Me out of her head. Twilight wasn't interested, nor was Enigma ever going to get Twilight to remember her that well after one day. It just wasn't meant to be. Enigma didn't mind never having Twilight; she did, however, mind that Cottontooth thought he might someday have her. He just wasn't worth her time, it was as simple as that.

So, why did Enigma feel bad for saying what he did about Cottontooth? He was rude, obsessive, and... and what? He was rude and obsessive. And he was only rude to her. Maybe with good reason.

No, this couldn't be right. She was sympathizing with him? Pitying him, even? He was just way too creepy for anypony, especially Twilight. He had nothing going for him; this much seemed apparent. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being harder on him than he deserved.

Maybe he was deserving of pity. He seemed very lonely, very sad. As if he'd lived his entire life alone, and only now was there a glimmer of hope for him.

Even if that were true, however... Twilight wasn't for him. Enigma could see that, and Twilight could see that. Cottontooth ought to give up now, and spare himself from the embarrassment and hurt that gets caused by being rejected. Enigma could tell what was happening, and she was willing to bet that anypony who wasn't Cottontooth could tell just as obviously. Yet, he wasn't willing to give up. He was committed, and it was creepy.

She'd discuss it with him tomorrow, as soon as it happened. In the meantime, she needed something more to do today—just as she saw Big Macintosh walk by. She decided to re-acquaint herself. “Hello, sir! How are you today?”

Big Mac just glanced at Enigma and said, “Eeeyup.” He said that an awful lot.

“That's not technically an answer to what I asked... but it'll have to do! Would you mind showing me around Ponyville? I'm new in town.”

“Eeeyup.” Big Mac continued his forward march, Enigma falling into line behind him. She belted off a few questions, and he always gave as short of answers as possible, but always with a little bit of room for a follow-up question. If Enigma wasn't certain that this stallion was just trying to be friendly, she would have sworn he enjoyed talking to her.

Big Mac had been running an errand, delivering several buckets of apples to Sugarcube Corner. His task completed, he continued showing Enigma around Ponyville, even going so far as to name off locations she shouldn't have known without her asking first. He seemed to be warming up quickly. It would have been the beginning of a great friendship... if he'd ever remember her.

And then, just as quickly as she thought this, her bittersweet day turned completely dark.

They were just passing by the schoolhouse, seeing the little colts and fillies run home screaming from their boring day at school, when they heard a scream from the direction of the town proper. A huge cart that took up the entire roadway came careening towards a small group of schoolfillies, filled with anvils and pianos and other extremely heavy objects. A unicorn's magic briefly flared around the cart, but did nothing to slow its progress. Big Macintosh perceived all of this in an instant, but the fillies on the road had noticed nothing in their carefree afternoon.

Quick as lightning, Big Mac barreled toward the road, seeming fully intent on stopping the cart and saving the unsuspecting fillies. He made it to a slight slope and seemed to prepare his hind legs to try to kick the cart to a stop.

A momentary lapse in judgment was all that was needed. Positioning himself just where he had on the incline, the cart leapt off the road and fell directly onto his back.

Big Mac grunted as he took several tons of weight all at once, and a sickening crunch was heard. Blood immediately began to pool around him, dripping down from somewhere on his body. Enigma dashed to his side at once, attempting to shoulder some of the burden. Big Mac opened his mouth to tell her something, coughing up some blood first, then managing to gasp out, “Go!”

This couldn't be right. Not here, not now. He'd be able to shove the cart off of him. He'd be fine. Right? She just needed to help him. She just needed to offer some encouragement. “Not until you're out from under it, too!”

Big Mac gasped in pain and nearly buckled, but held firm. “Too late for me. Back's broken. Get!” He pushed her slightly with his head.

Torn between still trying to help Big Mac and getting out from under the cart before it fell... she looked into his eyes. There was happiness there, and kindness, and determination. He wanted her to go on. He cared, he knew she was a good pony. But she couldn't save him. Tears sprung to her eyes as she darted out from under the cart.

A few moments later, it was all over. Big Mac was lying on the ground, unmoving, blood having formed a large red blotch in a bit spot on the road overlooking the schoolhouse. There would be no happiness today. There would be no kindness, or determination. Today, those feelings were dead.

Enigma spent the next few hours in Ponyville hospital. She had already cried her tears today, for the stallion who lost his life to save those innocent fillies. It happened so quickly, it was mind-numbing. One moment, she'd met one of the kindest stallions she would ever know. The next, he had disappeared from her life forever.

She saw the parade of friends and family come to see him from the waiting room. She saw an Applejack, eyes filled with tears, escort a wailing Apple Bloom to confirm that it was their big brother who was lying on that bed. She watched Applejack on her way to leave the hospital, stopping for a moment to thank Enigma for trying to save him before collapsing next to her and sobbing into her shoulder. She saw Twilight walk in, having escorted Applejack here, and take her outside. Apple Bloom followed, her tear-stricken face reflecting Applejack's. A filly who should never have to feel such pain... Apple Bloom felt it on this day.

Several moments later, Twilight came back in. She simply said to Enigma, “... I'm sorry. Thank you for trying to save him,” before choking back her tears and having to flee the hospital.

Enigma continued sitting inside the hospital, the numbness filling her entire body beginning to consume her mind. She belatedly realized that she needed to do something, anything, that wasn't simply her sitting here and waiting for a stallion to come out and surprise her that would never happen. A dark day like this would never be given such an ending. So, she jumped off the bench and left the hospital.

She wandered Ponyville in a daze, rethinking what could have happened differently. Had Big Macintosh stood three feet further ahead, he could have easily stopped the cart and prevented anything. He must not have noticed that he was standing downhill, and the cart took off and landed on him, shattering all of his attempts at heroism and instead turning him into a martyr.

If he had been any further back, however, the cart would have rolled right over him. It would have smashed his back to pieces and continued on its merry way until several innocent fillies had been added to the casualty list. It didn't, however, and he managed to stop the cart dead in its tracks. Heh, ironic. Dead in its tracks.

She shook these dark thoughts and feelings from her. Life still went on. Big Macintosh was gone, but life continued, albeit more somberly than before. With this came the desire to survive. Enigma hadn't eaten anything all day, and, though she wasn't hungry and didn't feel like eating, knew that she had to or she would end up causing even more trouble for herself and her fellow pony. She'd caused enough trouble for enough ponies today.

She went to a soup shop and had a tulip and daisy soup, slowly sipping while she mulled over what exactly this meant to her. Mortality was expected, really; nopony was going to live forever. She wasn't sure how she aged; maybe she aged twice as quickly as anypony else, or maybe she would only age for one day, like everypony else. Maybe she didn't age at all. She did live in a dream world, after all.

That's right, she thought. Dream world. It was possible that Big Macintosh hadn't really died, and he would be alive tomorrow. She'd hold onto that hope. In fact, he would probably be alive.

For lack of a better thing to do, she went home after eating. It was mostly dark out, but she wasn't tired. This had been the longest day of her life, and yet she was more awake now than ever. Despite how she felt, though, she knew she needed to sleep. So, she did.

She opened her eyes. She was on Twilight's guest bed. Where she'd fallen asleep the night before. Before Big Macintosh... saved those fillies.

She slowly rolled off the bed, landing shakily on her hooves. Twilight and Spike were performing their morning chores, and Enigma was invisible. She decided to first see how Big Mac was doing.

A short visit to Sweet Apple Acres allayed all of her fears. He was bucking apples and filling up buckets, just as he should. Buckets that looked strangely familiar. As if she'd seen him with those buckets before.

Of course it would just repeat what had just happened. Not all the events of Ponyville hinged on Enigma. That meant... if she wasn't there to drag Big Macintosh, he wouldn't be there to stop the cart. In return, it would continue speeding toward the fillies in the road.

She knew what she had to do. She had to warn Cottontooth of this. Whether he listened or not, she would at least have tried.

She began a mad dash towards Twilight's home once again, hoping to find Cottontooth on the way. She got lucky and found him several moments later, walking eagerly toward the tree house. She slowed to a trot and began keeping pace with him. “Cottontooth, I know what you're thinking, but this is actually urgent. It will save the lives of several ponies.”

He actually stopped and turned toward her. “All right, go.” Several ponies looked toward him, seeing him address what they perceived as thin air, then gave confused shrugs and continued with their days.

“I was just living this day. Not imaginary, things actually happened. I was walking with Big Macintosh, who works at Sweet Apple Acres. We were walking by the schoolhouse, and a big cart filled with anvils and pianos and Celestia-knows-what-else, but it was really heavy, came down the road, and it was going to hit some fillies just out of school, but Big Macintosh ran into the road and stopped it, but he died in the process. I don't want anypony dying today; we need to make a barrier or something to stop the cart so the fillies aren't harmed and nopony has to sacrifice themselves.”

Cottontooth nodded through her entire explanation, finally looking at her as she fell silent. “And you expect me to believe this? You want to keep me away from Twilight that badly?”

Enigma gave an exasperated sigh. “You can choose whether or not to believe me, but I'm the only pony who knows what's going to happen today, and I'm telling you that you can save some lives. I would if I could, but you know I can't.”

Cottontooth stared long and hard at her before finally nodding. “I'll help.”

They spent the better part of the day creating a barrier that would stop a cart the weight of twenty ponies. Cottontooth was no construction pony, but he knew how to perform hard labor; he created a large stone wall with very thick wooden supports to brace it, and rocks around the supports to stabilize them. It looked very well-done. Ponies kept going around the barrier and complaining about what he was doing, and Derpy Hooves even stopped to ask him what he was doing making a wall before knocking several rocks out of place and apologizing, then gliding off and smiling innocently.

Cottontooth finished the rock wall ahead of schedule, and ran to a nearby shop to buy himself a small drink. Enigma was waiting patiently for him at the rock wall. “Well, you'd better be right, or I just wasted a whole day that I could have spent with Twilight.”

“Even if I'm wrong, you still did a great thing today.” Enigma smiled at him. “Just remember that.”

They sat together in silence for a few minutes before the school bell rang and little colts and fillies once again began departing in droves. Enigma nodded; this looked exactly the same. Cottontooth began saying, “Are you sure--” before being interrupted by a scream a short ways up the road. The unsuspecting fillies were once again walking up the road, oblivious to the cart careening towards them.

The cart did not make it to its target today. Instead, it solidly impacted the stone wall, causing the entire thing to shudder and cracks to form along several of the rocks. The wooden supports bent slightly, but held firm, and the rock foundation holding the supports didn't budge an inch. Cottontooth had succeeded.

Several minutes later, ponies had gathered all around to cheer for the pony who had built the wall that stopped the runaway cart. Derpy Hooves wildly celebrated before she accidentally hit the rock wall and half of it came tumbling down, and she immediately backed away and made her celebrating a little more reserved. Ponies marveled at this simple red-brown stallion and his dark yellow mane, how he built a wall in the middle of the road that saved several fillies. One of the fillies, the little orange pony with a purple mane named Scootaloo, remarked that it was “almost as cool as Rainbow Dash, the way he saved us and all.”

Cottontooth, for his part, wasn't a pony for fame. He constantly scuffed the dirt with his hoof, avoiding eye contact, thanking ponies for all their compliments and saying it was really nothing. He did get a big, dumb grin on his face when Twilight hugged him and thanked him for saving the fillies, but that was to be expected. When asked how he knew to build the wall at the exact right spot, he said, “I just had this feeling. It's like my guardian mare was watching over me today.”

An hour later, Mayor Mare had personally shaken his hoof and declared him the hero of the town, the crowd had finally dissipated, and Cottontooth was left sitting next to a half-collapsed wall and a pony that only he knew existed, but that he had more to thank for than he'd imagined he ever would.

“So, um, thanks for the warning.” Cottontooth looked down at the ground awkwardly.

“Not a problem.” Enigma smiled at him again. “You're the pony who acted on it. Building a wall in the middle of the road seems weird, I know, but” --she took a deep breath-- “what you did today was a decidedly good act. You had only me, a pony you don't even think exists, tell you to do something crazy, and you did it. That deserves a little recognition, I think.”

Cottontooth blushed and thanked Enigma for the compliment. He then stood up and declared, “You know, even though all this happened, I'm still going to go see Twilight today.”

Enigma nodded sadly. “I know. You won't give her up. You're being a foal, but you won't listen to me unless it makes you famous. Go and continue your stupid crusade for the heart of a mare who will never love you.”

Cottontooth once again began to pointedly ignore her. Too harsh? No, not for this stallion. He trotted off toward Twilight's home. Enigma got to her hooves and followed him.

After Cottontooth knocked on the door, Spike opened it to admit him. Twilight exclaimed over Cottontooth's visit, very enthusiastic about what had happened and beaming at him for rescuing those fillies. The fillies that Big Macintosh should have rescued, but that Enigma had to settle for Cottontooth saving. She wasn't in the business of letting fillies get run over.

Twilight then apologized to Cottontooth for being so taciturn towards him prior to now, citing that she felt he was stalking her and really ought to not act that way, but he was a really great stallion and she hadn't realized that until just now. Cottontooth tried to explain that it really wasn't a big deal, that it was his guardian mare, not him, who saved those fillies. Twilight just ignored the remark and hugged him again. Enigma made a disgusted face and went upstairs.

About an hour and a half later, Twilight and Spike came up to the loft. Spike proudly declared, “See? Told ya he was a great stallion! And you had the nerve to disagree with me!” to which Twilight giggled and admitted he had been right. She was giddy. As if being around this foalish, rude stallion was actually a positive experience.

Then again, maybe it was. When it mattered most, Cottontooth had listened to her. He knew it was serious, and he acted on it, no matter how bizarre it seemed to him. When ponies needed him most, he was there to help.

All right, Enigma admitted to herself. I may have been just a little wrong about him. He's not all bad.

First chapter from my new home! By the way, I'm mostly just coming up with this stuff on the spot. I don't plan ahead much.
Should be posting a blog in the coming week or so asking about ideas for my next story. You guys get to vote for what I write next! So many ideas, so little time to write.
--Scootareader

Chapter 9 - A Terrible Curse

Enigma didn't feel like getting up today. She didn't feel like moving. She didn't even feel like living through today.

Another day with nopony remembering her. She can talk to ponies, sure, and affect the world around her, but nothing meaningful would ever come of it. Despite how hard she was trying to keep Twilight away from Cottontooth, it seemed she would be doomed to fail. Things were just getting so pathetic.

Big Macintosh liked her. Or, rather, would like her, if he knew her past one day. It seemed all but worthless to try to pursue him at all. Or Twilight. Or anypony that she could possibly ever have feelings for.

The one pony that would ever remember her past a simple, forgettable dream was Cottontooth. He didn't even exist right now, and even if he did, Enigma sure wouldn't want to find him. He was nothing but a... a...

Words escaped her. What was wrong with Cottontooth? Maybe he was a little obsessive, but he had good reason. Twilight was about the best thing that had ever happened to him, and it was understandable that he wouldn't want to lose a good thing. He didn't seem to be emphasizing her nonexistence lately, either; in fact, since she'd proven that she lived these days without him, he may even be starting to believe that she existed in some way. What else did she have to criticize him on?

She had nothing. She'd never had anything. She was just jealous that Cottontooth could swoop in and take away the mare she'd known she'd be happy with. And, unlike Cottontooth, Enigma hadn't acted crazy obsessive at any point. Well, if you discount the fact that Enigma slept on Twilight's guest bed every night she could.

Where was Enigma happy? Not this house. Not this town that would never remember her. Not anywhere in Equestria, as far as she could tell. Nowhere, except...

Was she happy in Twilight's home? Was she really? Twilight made her happy. Seeing Twilight would make Enigma happy; talking to her, hearing her, smelling her, feeling her... this would all make Enigma happy.

Who was Enigma? Who had been Enigma before? Why, she couldn't remember. Did Enigma have a past? A present? A future? Was she a mystery? Was she a riddle? A puzzle? A joke?

Ponies come, ponies go,
And one pony sees all of time flow.
Unexplainable, unknowable, but always around,
A pony whose sadness knows no bounds.
In agony, in anguish, she rails against all,
Finding glimmers of hope, then crushed as she falls,
Crying in pity, daring to dream, to care,
As all of her world becomes despair.
Who is this mare, so broken, so sad,
A pony with no name, that's been driven mad,
A memory, a prank, an April Fool's joke,
Given form and forgotten, a terrible yoke,
Pulling and pulling through death and rebirth,
Sometimes wishing she'd never felt earth.
Until the day she knows she's never existed,
And the bonds of fate all become twisted,
Because this pony wants to be heard,
She simply knows to utter one word.
What word? you may ask,
What gives one this voice?
A statement, a command,
That carries a choice.
A choice that she makes,
For better or worse,
And decisions she lives with,
Will become her curse.
And who is this pony?
So forgotten and lost,
Will she stay lonely,
Or if not, at what cost?

Who am I?

Enigma.

“No.”

She stated the word. Simply, plainly. Quiet, yet powerful.

She got out of her bed. She knew what she was going to do today.

As she walked through the town proper of Ponyville, Enigma saw everything in a renewed sense. She existed, here and now. She would always exist, here and now. It didn't matter if ponies remembered her or not; she remembered her. That would be enough.

A few minutes later, she was knocking on the door of the tree house. Spike opened the door, and Enigma pushed her way through. Spike, being startled by this unknown pony, jumped back in surprise before saying, “What? What do you want from us?”

“I need to talk to Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike ran downstairs. It seemed Twilight was performing experiments again. She came up a few moments later, a somewhat panicked Spike in tow, and asked, “Yes? Why are you scaring my baby dragon?”

Time to be as straight as possible. “Twilight, my name is Enigma.” Ignoring the look of shock in Twilight's eyes, she continued, “I've been living in Ponyville for over a week now, and you don't remember me because nopony does... except Cottontooth. I am a figment of his imagination, and I've been given this dream world to live in and see and talk to ponies. Ever since I came into existence, you have been the highlight of my days, the Celestia and Luna of my life, and the Cadance of my symphony. Tomorrow, you will remember nothing of what happens today, and I can live with that. The one thing that I can't live with, however, is knowing that you will always be just out of my reach. I don't think it's selfish to ask... but can you give me just one day of happiness?” She knew it wouldn't work, but she had run out of straws to grasp at.

“I know you.” Twilight said it plainly, but it sounded like the entire world had come down on Enigma. “I remember your name. When you said it to me. I remember who you are, and I remember what you've done. Not a lot... but a little.”

This was the strangest bit of news that Enigma had ever heard. A pony that remembered her, as in, herself?

“Spike! Take a note, please.” Spike produced a quill and parchment and Twilight said, “I, Twilight Sparkle, hereby announce the... arrival of Enigma to Ponyville, and the close friendship that she has created with me. I swear to remember her and never forget that she is there for me. I send this letter to Princess Celestia to be copied and sent back, and will never forget this friendship that has been shared. Signed, Twilight Sparkle. Oh, and put the date at the bottom.”

The letter was sent, then returned several minutes later, with Spike belching out another letter from Princess Celestia congratulating Twilight on how well she was doing with her studies. After this short period of time, Twilight and Enigma stood in the library for a little bit longer, looking everywhere but at each other and smiling awkwardly. Eventually, Twilight said, “So... where would you like to go today?”

Enigma smiled encouragingly. “Probably something to eat, first.”

Enigma and Twilight proceeded to have one of the best days that Ponyville would ever offer. They talked. They laughed. They enjoyed each other's company. They were as happy as two mares could be on Celestia's fine day.

No cloud would hang over this day. Enigma wouldn't let it. Whenever a shadow began to creep up, she would banish it. Twilight was content, and Enigma was overjoyed. Whenever she remembered this day, Enigma would remember a clear blue sky with a mare she loved. Whenever Twilight dreamed of this day, she would dream of a clear blue sky with the mare of her dreams.

They ate sweets at Sugarcube Corner. They walked through Whitetail Woods. They went window shopping at all the stores and stalls. Wherever Enigma wanted to go, Twilight was with her, happy, smiling, enjoying herself. A day that Enigma wished would never end.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon to make a spectacular Equestrian sunset, Enigma sighed unhappily. Twilight looked concernedly at Enigma. “Is something wrong?”

Enigma nodded. “I have to sleep alone tonight.”

“Well, then, come stay with me tonight!” Twilight said it with barely even a moment's hesitation.

Enigma brightened a little. “All right!”

They got back to the tree house and found a note left by Spike for Twilight. It read,

“Dear Twilight,
Gone to help Rarity with something. Could take all night.
Sincerely, Spike”

How convenient. The best day of Enigma's life would be spent with nopony but the mare she wanted to spend the best day of her life with. She had a nice dinner with Twilight in Twilight's home that consisted of a few flowers and some hay, the both of them smiling over their simple, yet perfect meal.

After they ate, they both headed up to the loft to get to sleep. Twilight hopped into her bed, and Enigma walked sadly to the guest bed, wriggling under the covers. Twilight looked at Enigma for a short time, then smiled. “You know, you don't have to sleep alone, either.”

Enigma blinked, shoving her cyan curls out of her face to give Twilight a very discerning look. She slowly got out of her bed, then walked over to Twilight's bed. This just seemed... unreal. Not after one day. Not Twilight.

Did Twilight think she would remember this tomorrow? Did she know if she would? Would she regret it? Was she afraid? Oh, none of it mattered. Twilight was inviting Enigma to see a world she'd only imagined before now. Of course she was going to take it.

Enigma hopped onto the bed, pulled the sheets back, and crawled under the sheets. As her coat came into contact with Twilight's, the small lavender-colored librarian shivered. This was truly the best night of Enigma's life.

Enigma groaned as she woke up. Not out of any uncomfortability; because she hadn't wanted to wake up alone on the guest bed. She remembered the night's events, but she wouldn't just lie here and re-live them; she had things she needed to do.

She hopped off the bed before Twilight or Spike even stirred and went outside. Cottontooth, having exhausted himself from the previous day's events, was not outside this morning. Enigma decided she would pay him a visit.

That is, if she knew where he lived. She did have knowledge of the real estate in the area, but that was several dozen homes to go search. She had to narrow it down, and standing here thinking about it wasn't going to change much. She decided to work out, checking all of the homes systematically until she found one that was being lived in, then finding the pony who lived there.

She spent about half of her day in a fruitless search of Cottontooth's home, seeing no sign of either him or a house he may be living in. She did see Twilight trotting through the town proper, seeming intent on nothing more than going for a walk and humming happily to herself, absorbed in her thoughts and not really seeming to care what was going on around her.

She sighed as the sun went down. She'd searched just about every home, and there was no sign of the stallion. In fact, there was only one home left that she hadn't checked... hers. She rolled her eyes and went to her... house, after a fashion. She hadn't been here since her second day in Ponyville, but she had thought she would have noticed him before.

Approaching her closed and locked door, she shut her eyes and glided through the entryway, opening her eyes and looking around. Abandoned, apparently. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was here. She decided to investigate further.

She scoured a good portion of the house, seeing nothing and finding nothing. She spent a good 30 minutes scouring the entire place top to bottom, to no avail. She gave up, walking to the door before sighing and saying, “I wish I knew where you were.”

As she closed her eyes to walk back through the door, she heard a weak, “E... Enigma?” from somewhere in the vicinity of the couch. He'd been right under her nose the entire time!

She trotted over to Cottontooth. It was time to tell him what happened. “Cottontooth, I... uh... holy Celestia, what happened to you!?”

The now-crimson red stallion was coated in sweat and shaking. He looked up at her and smiled weakly. “Caught something bad. Don't know what it is, but something inside me just feels wrong. Serves me right for treating you so badly.”

She couldn't kick a pony while he was down. Not even Cottontooth. She sighed and looked at him. “I... was worried about you. I looked all over Ponyville. I finally found out that you were here. I want to help.”

He attempted to still his shaking hooves, but couldn't seem to master himself. A small bubble of drool escaped from his lips. “Don't know... what's wrong with me... doctor, doctor...”

She didn't know what caused her to do what she did next. She fully expected nothing to happen, and for things to just go on as they were. She reached out and touched Cottontooth. Felt him. Then she held him up and embraced him.

Immediately, Cottontooth's seizure subsided. His eyes seemed to lose some of the murk that had been clouding them, and he wiped his mouth with his hoof. He looked her in the eyes. “I'm dreaming.”

“No, you're not.” And she kissed him.

A half-second later, she passed through him and fell flat on the floor. He'd felt it, though. He felt her. And he knew it. He sighed. “Why are you doing this to me, Enigma? You know that I want nothing more than you, but why do you have to pass through me? We've kissed before, back in Canterlot. And you... you don't remember that, do you?”

A fleeting moment. A teasing touch. A momentary happiness. A maddening experience, every time. She knew how he felt. A pony that couldn't touch another, would never touch another, in the only world that mattered. She'd made Twilight happy... but at what cost? It was tearing Cottontooth's mind apart. He needed Twilight. If he was going to make it through this alive, he needed her.

“Cottontooth, get up. We need to go find Twilight.”

He seemed puzzled. “Why is that?”

“You need her. You can't live like this—why is there nothing here, anyway?”

Cottontooth looked at her oddly. “I have nothing. I came here with nothing, from Canterlot. Only memories.”

An abandoned home for an abandoned stallion. He needed a friend who would never abandon him. That friend had to be Enigma, it seemed. She had the dream world to live in, anyway. That was enough for her... hopefully.

She attempted to push against his rump with her head. “C'mon, up!” Her head passed through as she said this, resulting in her lunging forward and hitting her face on the floor. She giggled as she stood back up, Cottontooth rising with her. It was time to go find Twilight.

A small amount of goading from Enigma convinced Cottontooth to simply ask somepony if they'd seen Twilight come by recently. Fluttershy quietly nodded and pointed towards Whitetail Woods. Cottontooth took a deep breath and heading towards Whitetail Woods at a quickened trot, Enigma close behind him.

When they found her, Twilight was quietly humming to herself and inspecting the foliage. She looked at Cottontooth and smiled. “Hello, Cottontooth! Come to enjoy the fine summer day we've been having? I personally think it's--”

“Twilight, I need to tell you something.” Cottontooth didn't seem like he could wait another second.

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“I need you.” Cottontooth looked desperate. “I don't think I can take being alone any longer. I've been alone all my life, and nothing has ever made me happy until I found you. Nothing will ever make me happy unless I get to stay with you.” His beseeching eyes looked deeply into hers. “Please, Twilight. You would make me the happiest stallion in the world if you would just... be with me.”

Twilight seemed to actually consider what Cottontooth was saying. She stayed silent for a few moments, looking at him. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked away for a few moments, up into the sky, the sun slowly dropping below the horizon, and then her eyes rested back upon Cottontooth.

“No.”

Twilight stated the word. Simply, plainly. Quiet, yet powerful.

I'm a monster.

Cottontooth let out a powerful sob and crumpled to the ground. All of the fight drained out of him. He finally gave in, as Enigma had told him so many times. As she'd encouraged him to do. As she'd always wanted him to do. Because she was a monster.

There was nothing wrong with Cottontooth. Enigma was the horrible pony.

Twilight simply said, “I'm sorry, Cottontooth. It just wasn't meant to be.” She walked off and left him there, sobbing, a pitiful wreck of a stallion that had been broken and trodden upon.

Enigma was torn. She wanted to stay and try to comfort Cottontooth in whatever way she could, but she was fairly certain that nothing she could say or do would help him at this point. After a short period of indecision, she resolved to do some fact-finding, telling Cottontooth, “I'm going to follow Twilight,” and she galloped off to follow the librarian.

Enigma caught up with Twilight just at the edge of Ponyville. She happened into Fluttershy, who told Twilight that they needed to talk. Twilight nodded and beckoned that she follow her back home, Enigma in close pursuit. The three of them entered the tree house, finding Spike's note stating that he was going to be helping Rarity, and likely wouldn't be back tonight.

Twilight said, “Good... that means Spike won't have to heard this. Do you want something to eat?”

“Oh... um... no. That's all right. But, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

Twilight nodded. “And there's something I need to tell you, too.”

“Oh, really? You go first, then.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Cottontooth asked me to be with him... or something... while I was walking out in Whitetail Wood. I told him no. I couldn't. It doesn't... feel right. There's something inside of me that says it's wrong.”

“Oh... well, what's wrong?”

“I think...” Twilight looked visibly nervous. “I think I like mares, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, my goodness! Are you sure?”

Twilight blushed. “Yes, I'm sure. It's just this feeling I have.” Then her expression darkened a little bit. “I feel bad about it, though... I left him crying in Whitetail Wood. I can't comfort a stallion like that. He's heartbroken, and I'll never be able to return those feelings. I don't know what to do.”

Enigma didn't hear what Fluttershy said next. Twilight lost eye contact with Fluttershy and her eyes began to wander the room, finally staring straight into Enigma's shocked pupils. Twilight seemed to stare into her soul, almost confirming her existence. And then, just as quickly as she'd focused on Enigma, she looked away.

“That sounds good, but I don't want to give him false hope. If that's all he wants from me, friendship won't solve anything.”

“Oh... you're right. You do what you think is best, Twilight. I've just never been in a situation like this before. Sorry I can't be more help.” Fluttershy seemed genuinely apologetic.

“Oh, no! It's not a problem.” Twilight smiled weakly at her friend's timidness. “I need to get some sleep, though. I've had quite a day!”

Twilight and Fluttershy paid a few more small pleasantries before they went their separate ways. As soon as the door closed, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, she took that better than I thought she would.”

Twilight ate a little bit of food, food that she'd shared the evening before with Enigma, and hummed happily to herself. Enigma watched Twilight silently, a million thoughts racing in her head over and over. Twilight finished her meal and went upstairs. She crawled under her sheets, sighed happily, and shut her eyes. Enigma's thoughts disappeared, except for one that echoed over and over, reverberating through her skull, consuming her every thought, her every feeling.

I'm a monster.

She might not be too late. She ran back to get Cottontooth. It was dark out, but she had a feeling he hadn't moved since. Sure enough, he was lying under the stars where she'd left him, still quietly sobbing to himself. Never before had she seen such an unhappy pony.

“Get up, Cottontooth. You have to go home.” Enigma tried to sound commanding, but soft and understanding at the same time. There was no stir from Cottontooth. “This isn't all right. You have to pick yourself up and go home.” Again, nothing. “Fine, I'll pick you up and take you home.”

She fully expected nothing to happen. She expected to pass right through him, and her notion to be in vain. Instead, she lifted him up and put him on her back. She then began to walk back through Ponyville with Cottontooth. Enigma passed by ponies who gave her burden bizarre looks. Their searching eyes tried to find a pony carrying him, but he appeared to be floating. Those ponies who realized backed away, silently galloping into the night. It was all just too surreal for anypony to comprehend. They probably thought it was a ghost. Maybe it was.

She let Cottontooth down onto the ground to open the front door. Oh, silly mare, she couldn't do that. She could touch Cottontooth, though. She tried her best to pull the sickly-looking stallion's hoof up to the doorknob, and after some effort, was rewarded with a click. She dragged him inside and laid him across the couch, curling up beside him. He wouldn't be alone tonight. He couldn't be alone tonight.

I'm a monster... but even monsters can someday atone.

So... I'm thinking one more chapter. And then a prologue. After that, looks like it's on to Discord!
--Scootareader

Chapter 10 - The End of Existence

Enigma opened her eyes slowly. She felt... good. Better than she ever had in her life. Her entire body felt relaxed, more than it had in years. Canterlot hadn't been a good place to live... and all these crazy things going on in Ponyville had only served to make her more and more stressed out with life. And then, Cottontooth...

That poor stallion. Enigma didn't know what she could do for him. She could be there whenever he needed somepony, but she couldn't do anything for him. She couldn't interact with him more than a few lingering seconds.

She shouldn't think about that, though. Here was Twilight, right in front of her. In the same bed. She shouldn't think dark thoughts today.

Enigma shifted a little in the bed, and Twilight made a quiet snort indicating that she'd awoken. She yawned and stretched, seeming very content, then rolled over, smiling, and looked into Enigma's eyes. Enigma said softly, “Good morning.”

Twilight's eyes immediately widened with shock as all of the magic drained out of the moment. She leapt out from under the covers and turned a very quick 180, bucking at Enigma and connecting with her ribcage. The air whooshed out from inside Enigma as she flew out from under the covers, landing squarely on her back and gasping for air as she writhed on the floor.

Twilight leaped over to the other side of the bed and looked Enigma squarely in the eyes. “Who in the hoof are you and what in the hay are you doing in my home!?”

Enigma continued gasping for breath, and managed to squeak out, “Enigma...” before she noticed Twilight's horn glowing. She felt something very big and booky-feeling hit the back of her head. Then, everything went dark.

When she came to, Enigma was lying out on the dusty street of Ponyville, just outside of the tree house. She immediately winced at the sizable bump she'd grown on top of her head that was begging her attention. Maybe not such a good morning after all.

She'd spent the best day of her life with this unicorn, and the very next morning, kicked out of the place she most wanted to call home by the same unicorn. She'd hoped for something within Twilight's mind to remind her of Enigma, the pony with whom she'd spent such a wonderful day. She'd hoped that somepony would remember her more than one silly day. She'd hoped to make something special, something lasting. There was no good memory for her to make on this day. No good memory for her to make on any day. Not here, and not in this lifetime.

She finally stood up, wincing again from her book-related injury. Nopony would have thought that such a promising, beautiful morning would become as rotten as the rest of her life had turned so quickly. It could be worse, but Enigma didn't want to think about that just now.

A pink bolt flew out of nowhere and bowled Enigma over. Pinkie Pie dashed back from where she'd skidded to a halt in front of Twilight's door and came to Enigma's side, helping her back up and saying, “Sorry! I didn't see you there and I'm just in such a hurry and I need to talk to my friend Twilight about helping me take care of the twins today and HEY! I've never seen you here before! What's your name? My name is Pink--”

“Shut up! Just stop it! I don't want a party, I don't want to meet you, I just want to be left alone right now! This day is just horrible!” Enigma gave Pinkie Pie a wildly angry look before she turned around and began to trot off.

Pinkie Pie's eyes filled with tears as she called out, “All right, then... I guess... we'll have to get to know each other better... someday.”

Enigma sighed. It was a good thing Pinkie Pie wouldn't remember this tomorrow. She went to her house and proceeded to close and lock the door. She laid down on the couch and cried.

A few hours later, there was a knock on her door. She'd been crying since she got back, so she sniffed, called out, “Just a minute!” and went and scrubbed her face with some water before she came and smilingly opened the door.

Situated outside were a still hurt-looking Pinkie Pie, a disgusted-looking Twilight, and a very angry-looking Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, for her part, stood in the background and seemed very upset, but she was evidently disapproving all the same.

Applejack was the one who had knocked on the door, and began by saying, “Now, look here, newcomer, I dunno where y'all're from, but that sure ain't how we act here in Ponyville. Y'yelled at Pinkie Pie the first time she met ya, and ya woke up starin' at Twilight in her bed, and now y'all are so inconsiderate that yer pretendin' that everything is just fine and y'did nothin' wrong! What do ya have t'say fer yerself?”

“It doesn't matter.” As Enigma said these words, tears sprung to her eyes. “Tomorrow, you'll forget everything about me and it'll be like I never existed. Pinkie Pie won't care, Twilight won't care, you won't care, and nopony will care. Nopony cares about me because nopony remembers me. I got bucked this morning by the mare I just spent the best day of my life with, and now you're coming here to tell me a sob story about how your feelings are hurt?” Enigma's tears were flowing freely now. “I want friends more than anything in the world, but if nopony remembers me, then friendship is worthless.” She spat the last word out, slamming the door in Applejack's face.

There was silence on the other side of the door as Enigma lied down on her mat that said, in big friendly letters, “Welcome,” and sobbed into it. Eventually, after a long period of silence, she heard Applejack say, “C'mon, y'all. Someponies just ain't cut out t'be friends.”

She no longer cared. She no longer wanted to try. She only wanted to disappear. She lied down and pretended she no longer existed, because nonexistence would feel better than this agonizing pain attacking her. She wished and hoped and begged and pleaded and dreamed for this life to end. A life without friends, without memories, without love and care... this was no world for anypony to live in, least of all her. This wasn't even life. It was a dream, it had always been a dream. A dream that slowly became a nightmare. A nightmare that she wanted to end, more than anything.

The nightmare didn't end. It continued, and she didn't disappear. She still existed. She eventually picked her head up and looked around. She'd been crying for hours, and there was a portion of the welcome mat that had a spot of wetness and slime. She sniffed and smiled a little at how pathetic she was being. She'd have disappeared by now if somepony hadn't wanted her to stay.

She didn't want to actually disappear; she knew that. She didn't want to continue living like this, either. Something needed to change. She just didn't know what.

She decided that staying in the house the rest of the day wasn't going to help her at all. She decided to go on one final walk through Whitetail Woods.

She exited the house, noting that there was about an hour left until dusk. She had about 3 hours left before her day ended, and she intended to spend all of them admiring the beauty of the natural world that would never turn its back on her or break her. She departed from her home, intent on avoiding everypony she could for the rest of the day and not causing any more trouble.

She began to make her way through Ponyville, but as she trotted quietly toward Whitetail Woods, she felt more and more that somepony was following her. She kept speeding up, more and more, until she was nearly galloping, when finally she heard a pony hit the ground behind her. She dashed back and confronted the would-be stalker with a, “Why are you following me?”

The stalker turned her pink-maned head toward Enigma. “Oh... I'm sorry. I just didn't want to bother you, because you seemed like you were in such a hurry and all, and, uh...” She then released a squeak that indicated she was nervous.

Enigma backed away. “Fluttershy? Why are you following me? Is something wrong?”

The yellow pony glanced away nervously, then looked back at Enigma momentarily before letting her eyes rest on the ground. “I was... I'm worried about you. You seemed so unhappy earlier, and I thought to myself, if I can just cheer her up for one moment, she'll feel a lot better, and so I followed you, but... oh, you seem mad. Are you mad at me? I'm sorry.”

Enigma smiled weakly. “I don't think anypony can help me now, Fluttershy. I've lost all drive to try to get ponies to remember me. I tried, and I've been failing. It's been over a week since I could have any meaningful friendship with another pony, and I don't see an ending coming any time soon. I'd tell you to keep your distance from me for the next few weeks, but you won't remember tomorrow anyway.”

“Oh, well, um...” Fluttershy looked demurely up at Enigma. “I think that if you're going to feel unhappy, you should search for what makes you happiest. If you can't find it, then search for the next thing until you're happy.”

Enigma nodded slowly as Fluttershy said this. “Do you remember me at all, Fluttershy? Do I seem familiar in any way? Is that why you came to talk to me?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I just wanted to come and see how you were doing. You seemed awfully upset earlier.”

Enigma gave her another small smile. “Thanks, Fluttershy. You're a great friend, and I wish we could stay that way. Do you mind if I spend the rest of the evening alone, though? I want to just have some time to think to myself before I go crazy.”

Fluttershy agreed and they parted ways. Enigma went for a short walk in Whitetail Woods, pondering what Fluttershy had told her. Looking for what makes you happy... Twilight made her happy. She found Twilight, but Twilight would never find her. She had to find something else to make her happy. What else would make her happy?

Not being alone. She wasn't happy when she was alone. But she didn't know how to fix that. Everypony just forgot her whenever the new day started. Everypony, except...

She knew what she needed to do to be happy. She ran back to her house and went upstairs to sleep in her bed.

Enigma woke up peacefully once again. She had a reassuring presence next to her. A presence that reminded her she was still here, even if it made no sense that she was. She actually was enjoying this moment, and it wasn't a moment spent with Twilight.

She stirred a little bit, causing the pony next to her to shift quietly in his sleep. She didn't want to disturb him, so she just lay there and let him recover from the previous night's activities. Dreams did tend to be far better than real life, and she didn't want to steal that away from him. So, he slept.

Eventually, she heard a sudden inhalation of breath from Cottontooth that signified he'd finally awoken. He rolled over on the couch and opened his eyes, looking into hers. “You're... here.”

Enigma smiled and nodded. “How could I not be?”

Cottontooth looked down. “You don't owe me anything. You're the mare of my dreams... literally. And I've been treating you like a ghost, because I don't want to remember the other ghosts I have... but you're here, and you care about me. Why, Enigma? Why do you continue to try, even when you know nothing will come of it?”

“Because I have hope.” Enigma stated this proudly. “I have hope that one day, we will be together and can touch each other and feel each other and can finally both be happy. There has to be a way to cross this threshold. I think we can do it, but we have to try.” She finished saying this with another reassuring smile to the most definitely unconvinced Cottontooth.

“Enigma... I hope for that, too. I don't think I'll be happy any other way.” Cottontooth said it uneasily, like he was being distracted by something. He was glancing furtively around, as if ready to bolt at any moment.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No... no! I just have things I need to do today. Or, at least try to do. I slept in as it is. Do you mind?”

“Oh, no, not at all!” She smiled reassuringly as she nodded understanding. Enigma and Cottontooth both left the house at the same time and split up to go perform their separate days.

This boring, mundane life that Enigma had become accustomed to was really beginning to get to her. It had been for a long time. Why she was even still here, she didn't know. She should have given up and disappeared long ago... but something, something instinctive, that she knew, was building inside of her.

She walked straight to Twilight's tree house, where the librarian and Spike were performing the day's activities. She followed Twilight around for a short time, after which the morning chores were finished and Twilight prepared to leave for some errand in town. She packed her saddlebags and walked outside. She paused on the porch because Spike told her she forgot something, and tapped her hoof impatiently. Enigma decided now would be the best time. She approached Twilight.

“Look... Twilight. I know you can't hear me, right now—well, at least, not consciously—but I want you to know something. You've given me more happiness in one day than I have in my entire life. I'm going to probably make a decision I regret, but it's for the best. No matter what happens, you will always be a very special mare to me. This can't work, though. I know it can't, and I've accepted that. I... probably won't see you again. If I do, you won't know it. I guess... I can't think of anything else to tell you. Goodbye, Twilight.”

As Enigma slowly made her way away from her one source of true happiness, Spike came out of the tree house and handed Twilight a few papers she'd forgotten.

As Spike handed the papers to Twilight, a few of them scattered to the floor. Twilight, tsk'ing Spike for his carelessness, began picking them up one by one. One particular letter caught her eye, and she pulled it out from the rest of her belongings. She stared at it for a few moments. Then blinked. Then stared a little more.

It said:

_ w i l i _ _ _ _ _ a r _ l e i _ m _ _ r i e n _ . _ _ _ n i g m a

She... should know what it said. She stared at it for a few moments, then glanced up, thinking. She just noticed a lavender pony with a cyan tail disappear around the corner. She said quietly to herself, “E...nigma? Spike, who is Enigma?” The baby dragon just shrugged. Odd... Twilight was remembering the name of somepony she didn't know.

Enigma never knew that any of this had transpired at that moment in front of the library. She continued on, past houses full of happy ponies, fillies playing in the streets that facilitated the busy workponies as they progressed through their days. A glorious day that fell on deaf ears. This was not a good day for Enigma; it was not a bright day for Enigma. A week ago, she would have been much happier. Now, it just felt like the harsh, biting truth of irony, to see everything happening, and knowing she couldn't be a part of it.

She felt sick in the head. So much negativity. So much pessimism. She needed something to look forward to... and she did have something to look forward to. It was still a full day ahead of her, but she decided it would be better to not have to deal with as much of the goings-on as possible. It would make things easier on her.

Several hours after she'd been staying at the house that now belonged to both her and Cottontooth, Enigma noted his return with a lethargic wave. He seemed too busy to say or do anything just yet, and he didn't seem much in the mood for what Enigma was about to say just yet. She let him putter around for a little while, the both of them saying nothing and doing little. After a short while, Enigma decided to hop off the couch and go up the stairs. On her way, she looked at Cottontooth and said, “When you have time, I need to talk to you.”

A few minutes later, she heard him come up the stairs, then sigh and go back down as a knock resounded on his door. Enigma crept up to the edge of the staircase, so as to peep down and watch the altercation and not miss a moment.

Cottontooth opened the door to admit Twilight Sparkle into his home. She apologized for coming so late in the afternoon, but got down to business quickly by stating, “I've been thinking about what you told me earlier today.”

So... it appeared Cottontooth spoke with Twilight today, too. “And you've come to tell me... what, exactly? I wasn't expecting a reply, Twilight.” That didn't sound good.

“Well... I think I owe you an explanation. You seemed awfully upset yesterday... and I'm glad you're doing better now.” Twilight offered a smile to the distraught pony. “But while I appreciate what you've done for me, I don't think you really have as much claim as you think to who I care for and don't care for. See, Cottontooth... I think I like mares.”

Cottontooth sighed deeply. “And how did you find this out?”

Twilight seemed lost in thought for a moment. “You know... I'm not sure. I just know that's what I would prefer. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but... there's just no way you will ever be able to make me feel that way. I'm just not... interested. You understand... right?”

Cottontooth nodded slowly, woodenly. “Yeah, of course. Sorry to cause you so much trouble.”

“Oh, no, I'm the one who's been a burden on you! If I'd just told you my feelings from the beginning, we could have saved ourselves a whole lot of trouble. Anyway... I'll see you around, all right?”

Cottontooth didn't offer a reply. Twilight simply walked out the door and shut it behind her. After he was certain she'd left, Cottontooth said out loud, “All right, I'm on my way.” He jumped off the couch and slowly ascended the stairs, jumping onto the bed and lying on his back. “Enigma, why does life have to be so hard?”

“It doesn't.” This was Enigma's moment; her all-or-nothing gamble. If she failed, she would disappear... but if she succeeded... this was it.

“What do you mean, life doesn't have to be so hard?” Cottontooth looked at her oddly.

“Observe.” Enigma came in to kiss Cottontooth. He didn't fight her, instead letting her try to kiss him. She passed directly through him. “See? This is because you don't believe I exist. If you did believe I exist, then that wouldn't have happened.”

He nodded slowly, dumbly. “Yeah... I figured that out years ago. All the way back in Canterlot. The problem is, you don't exist in the first place. How can I believe a pony exists if she doesn't?”

“Well, you know something changed since Canterlot. I remember... you told me that you can sometimes touch me now. Do you remember?”

“Yeah... I guess so.” Cottontooth didn't seem too suspicious of anything; that was good. “What are you trying to get at?”

“Well, because I do exist now, and I didn't before.”

“How? I created you, Enigma; you can't exist. You're all in my head.” He seemed confused, startled that she'd picked up on so much. She was smarter than he remembered.

“I don't know how, or why, or even when. All I know is, the first time I live a day, I exist, and the second day, I still do, but only to you. I carried you all the way home last night. How do you explain that? You didn't just pass through me.”

Shock went through Cottontooth's eyes. “I... how?”

Enigma said, “Because you stopped not believing in me. Now, you need to believe in me. Let me be real, Cottontooth. That would make me the happiest mare in the world.” Enigma went in to Cottontooth for another kiss, this time connecting for a half-second before she passed through him once again. “You know I do; you just felt me. Why won't you just accept me and let me exist?”

Cottontooth was stunned. “I... don't know how. I... can feel you. You are right here, in front of me. I know you are. How do I believe, Enigma?”

“Just... kiss me, silly.” Enigma went in for another kiss, and this time, their lips connected. There was a sharp intake of breath, and Cottontooth finally felt the kiss of the mare of his dreams for the first time.

Enigma broke the kiss briefly, at which point Cottontooth muttered, “You do exist....” She simply smiled and kissed him again.

Something inside of Cottontooth's mind snapped. He vigorously returned the kiss Enigma was giving him, belatedly realizing that they were already on a bed. She'd been just out of his reach since his days as a colt; she'd seen him grow, as he'd seen her grow. All of his years of imagining this moment came true all at once... and he continued to imagine this moment.

A few days later, all was silent in the town of Ponyville. It was dark, it was late, and the ponies had all left the public places to sleep at home with their families. A lone owl hooted as he made his way back to the library, and a cricket chirped its winged symphony as it searched for a mate.

In Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie looked up from where she was sitting with a half-empty tray of cupcakes, having eaten the missing half herself, and sighed. She wanted somepony to share these cupcakes with, but she no longer dreamed of parties. Not of good ones, at least.

In Carousel Boutique, Rarity looked up from her sewing machine and sighed. That surprise ensemble she'd created for a pony whom she couldn't seem to recall had begun to gather a thin layer of dust. She would probably have to re-purpose it eventually... but for now, it maintained a silent vigil over the boutique.

Having put all of her animals to bed, Fluttershy lied down in her cottage and sighed. The tea parties with her friends seemed to be missing... something. It felt as if there was a hole in her day where another pony should be. Maybe she was missing a friend... but she didn't know who.

Staring up at the ceiling of his room, Big Macintosh sighed. He wondered if he would ever find a mare worth chasing after. The mares of Ponyville were all right, but they didn't seem right. He couldn't put his hoof on it... but he knew none of them were the mare for him.

Rainbow Dash was laying on a cloud after another sleepless night and sighed. It wasn't as awesome as she'd hoped it would be to show off her new tricks in front of her friends... they were always supportive, but not as honest as they could be. She wished for a friend who wouldn't be afraid to hurt her feelings, but still care about her.

Applejack rolled over in her bed and sighed. She felt troubled over a pony who was having difficulty making friends... but she couldn't remember where the pony lived, what she looked like, or what her name even was. Some ponies just needed a helping hoof, but she didn't know where it was needed.

Spike looked over at the guest bed and sighed. His life just felt less... exciting, somehow. The library had felt awfully quiet as of late. He hadn't been slacking off, either; he was doing all of his duties. There just weren't very many, and he didn't seem to be having much fun in doing them.

Twilight looked out her window from her bed and sighed. She couldn't remember the mare of her dreams, and it saddened her. She couldn't get that image of a lavender flank with a cyan tail out of her mind, believing that if she'd spoken up just a little more with her name, she'd have found out more about this Enigma she'd heard about. She grabbed her piece of paper and looked at it again:

T w i l i g h t S p a r k l e i s m y f r i e n d . - - E n i g m a

It had taken her forever to figure out about the symbols. Ponies didn't usually do that in this kind of puzzle, but after she had found out the code, it was relatively easy to decode the rest. The capitalization had given her a little trouble, until she realized that a small modification changed that. That still didn't answer her question: Who was she thinking of?

As this collective sigh rose from these ponies, it carried with it a sense of regret. A sense of time lost, of nothing gained. But it also carried with it hope. Hope for a brighter future, a future that wouldn't have to feel this sorrow again. A future where wounds would heal, and injuries forgotten. A future worth living for.

All of this was lost on a particular stallion as he stared at the wall of his padded cell. He was back home in Canterlot, but he hadn't bothered to notice. He was too caught up in his dreaming to notice anything.

Talk had rippled throughout Ponyville that Twilight Sparkle went to go see Cottontooth after two days had passed, and she found him smiling happily on his bed, unmoving and unresponsive. She contacted Ponyville hospital, and they declared him insane. Eventually, a white carriage came and Cottontooth was carried out by several ponies in clean white coats. Since he was taken away, he'd been visited by Twilight once, as well as Mayor Mare for an interview, but he declined to respond to both of these visitors, As he'd done since Twilight first found him.

He was force-fed twice a day and forced to drink water five times a day. His coat looked muted brown again, but to him it was a bright crimson red, and he had a carrot-orange mane to replace his stale, porridge-colored one that he'd had before. He didn't know he was eating food or drinking water, and he didn't know his coat was actually a muted brown color with a porridge-colored mane. He simply didn't care to know.

Inside his mind, he was living with the mare of his dreams in Ponyville. They owned a home together, and she was with foal, and they couldn't be happier. He helped out at the windmill, making bread and flour for all of the hungry ponies, and he felt it was an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Whenever he came home, his lovely wife would greet him at the door and asked him how his day went, and they would spend the remainder of the day in a peaceful yet electric atmosphere. It was as if every new day was as amazing as the first.

He hadn't forgotten about Twilight. He hadn't forgotten about anypony. They came to dinner at least once a week, and they would drop by every few days at the least. Pinkie Pie helped set up the parties, and they always went spectacularly. Even Derpy never broke too much. Everything was perfect in his world.

Nopony called her Enigma anymore, either; she didn't like it. They called her Pandora now. It sounded better, she said. He guessed that she didn't like her old name because of the memories it carried with it.

Outside of his mind, Cottontooth was being called a “vegetable.” The caretakers discussed whether they should keep him or not, and what the best method would be to remove him. Nopony would miss him, and even if they would, they could still come see the body. He lived in his padded cell until the day arrived that they decided he'd been there long enough.

Two caretakers entered Cottontooth's cell and dragged him out. He didn't respond, nor did he move. He had a smile on his face, and he was genuinely enjoying himself.

One might ask what a pony could possibly be thinking about that would make him happy as he's being dragged away for the last time. One might say that pony is insane for enjoying his last moments instead of dreading them. One might say that pony had no reason to be happy, that he was broken, that there was something wrong with him.

This pony didn't care what other ponies thought. As long as he was with the mare he loved and had dreamed about his entire life, he didn't want to be anywhere else.

However, all good memories come to an end someday. As the lights within his mind flickered out, one by one, he brought Enigma in for one final kiss. He wished his final moments would last forever, but this was the end. He fought to keep the memory of the mare of his dreams and the source of his happiness from disappearing, but eventually, even she became nothing in his mind. He was all alone.

Finally, the stallion gave up. His eyes closed, and he let out one last sigh and joined in this moment of silence with his friends. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a lonely night for him after all.

Well, this is the actual end. Thanks for reading!
--Scootareader

Prologue - Thief

A smile. That's what all of the guards and dignitaries noticed as they escorted this strange brown pony down the hallways of the Canterlot Asylum for the Mentally Unstable. The stallion in question had been quite a topic of discussion from those who oversaw the inhabitants. They knew he was in there; they had just tried everything they could think of.

Well, almost everything. There was still one more thing to try to pull his mind out of whatever pasture it now resided in. His mind was a terrible thing to waste, and they didn’t want him to simply waste away with all of the other inhabitants.

He was dragged quietly down the hallway, crazy ponies yelling at him as he went by with a genuine smile on his face. He didn't seem to mind being pulled over the filthy, damp floor, nor did he seem to mind the other ponies yelling obscenities and incoherencies at him. He was the happiest stallion in the world, and nopony would ever be able to take that away from him.

Finally, the end of the long hallway was reached. The guard ponies unlocked a door to allow the uncannily content stallion through, and when he didn't move, they booted him through. He landed face-first on the ground, the guard ponies picking him back up and dusting him off. Still, the smile never left his face.

In the room was nothing but a chair with metal cuffs for holding ponies down and a pair of metal rods welded into a pincer shape. At the ends of the rods were affixed two white balls.

The guards seated the brown pony and affixed the strange contraption on each side of the pony’s head, securing the cuffs around his hooves and then departing from the room. Several minutes passed. The stallion continued to find happiness even in the chair he would depart this world in.

The metal pincer was attached via a cable to a large white box with a dial on it. A single guard stood next to the machine, absently putting his hoof into the pocket of his uniform briefly to heft around the small bag of bits given to him by a noble with nothing more than a nod and a promise.

Then he reached up and turned the dial all the way to its right. He hoped the doctor would notice first... but he’d earned his keep now. He didn't question the motives of the pony who'd handed him the bag. His hoof fell back to the floor and he joined his fellow guards as they filed out of the room.

Shortly after, a dark blue pony with a white lab coat and a very serious look walked in, grimacing as he saw the brown stallion with a large smile. “They don't pay me enough for this... zapping happy ponies now?” he muttered to himself.

The doctor seemed efficient, to say the least. He immediately walked to the lever and flipped it down. His eyes then registered that the dial was turned to a number that screamed “LETHAL” in his head. Massive amounts of voltage began coursing through the metal rods and directly into the head of the brown pony.

Suddenly shocked back to reality, the brown stallion noticed his situation and that he was going to die briefly, before even that world disappeared and he found the coursing lightning in his brain bringing back memories of the past.

“Get back here, you damn whelps!” A baker chased several laughing children out of his shop, several stolen loaves gripped in their teeth as they made their escape. It was a dark, moody night in Canterlot, rain washing the dirt and grime that had built up in the streets away and giving the hopeful residents of the lower class a much-needed bath.

The yellow lights looked distorted out of the window of the small, simple house that a young colt was watching outside from. The young, bright red pony stared in wonder at the windowpane and watched the water stick to it, wondering how it could ever be on something as smooth as glass. Reaching out his hoof to touch the window, he drew it back with shock when he realized it had gotten damp, too. The water came through the window?

Suddenly, something caught his attention outside. His interest in the water on his hoof was forgotten as he saw three pegasus guards swoop in from the sky and knock the three children down, their bread tumbling out of their mouths and onto the wet cobblestone. The guards then picked up the three children and disappeared.

His mother, hearing the commotion, exclaimed, “Oh, Cottontooth, get away from there!” and pulled him away from the window. “Celestia's guard is only doing their duty, you shouldn't need to worry about those little ruffians anymore!”

“Ms. Light, your son has what we call—well, he's the first we've found with it—that is to say, we're not really sure how to handle—“

“Just hoofing tell me already!” His mother stared at the doctor pony standing in front of her, daring him to stop talking and walk away.

“Your colt has an incredible mind. He can affect the environment around him with it. We've never seen anything quite like it.” The doctor looked admiringly at Cottontooth. “We'd very much like to study this phenomenon.”

“No.” She stated it quickly, plainly. “You will not take my son away from me for even a single instant.” She pushed the cyan curls out of her eyes and continued to stare. “Forget you know anything about my son, or you will regret it.”

“... Yes, Ms. Light. The offer will stay open as long as that colt still breathes. He is a marvel of the field of psychology.”

Cottontooth stumbled down one of the streets of Canterlot. He ran right into a dirty mare, who squealed at her equally as dirty coltfriend. The coltfriend spun around and bucked at Cottontooth, catching him square in the side and flinging him into a wall. “Filthy little orphan! Why can't the guards take care of these stupid kids? They have no respect for anypony, they run right into us, and they steal way too much food. They belong in the gutter!” The mare beamed at him, and they walked off together, muttering sweet nothings to each other as Cottontooth lay bleeding at the base of the wall.

He managed to stand shakily on his hooves, limping his way to the nearest shop and asking to use the restroom. Once there, he cleaned his wound as best he could with the water they provided, and bound it loosely with toilet paper. It would slow the bleeding, if not stop it, as long as he didn't exacerbate it.

He walked out of the butcher shop he'd dashed into, favoring his bucked side and wandering aimlessly down the street once again. At least his mother had taught him that much about survival. Canterlot was truly an unforgiving place for orphans.

He found his way to a nice little alley that seemed blessedly empty of ponies selling illegal things to other ponies, or the other ponies who took the illegal things and would act just plain crazy. He crawled under one of the bigger dumpsters and curled into a little ball.

Cottontooth dashed around the corner as he made off with a loaf of bread. The baker was coughing and wheezing behind him, shouting, “Thief! Thief! Guards, somepony! Catch that little thief!”

Cottontooth smiled to himself. It looked like he would actually eat for the first time in a week tonight.

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than he saw a shadow loom over him. He reacted instantly, knowing from experience and observation how to dodge this, and flung himself backward, the pegasus guard thumping to the ground several feet in front of him and turning toward him. Cottontooth took off in the opposite direction, slipping between the legs of the stunned baker and dashing around the corner.

The pegasus guard rounded the corner a few seconds later, expecting to see the young orphan dashing as quickly as he could. Instead, the tall, proud stallion saw nothing.

Cottontooth allowed himself a tiny victory smile as he descended the ladder into the sewer. The guards never looked for orphans here. Maybe it was because they didn't like the smell, or because they never looked down until some snooty upper-crust pony was squealing about a less fortunate colt trying his best to survive. Whatever it was, Cottontooth knew he was safe.

He finished going down the ladder, taking a satisfied bite out of his bread and chewing contentedly. He heard a hoofstep next to him, and dodged to the side, a bat narrowly missing him. The unicorn mare that had swung it cursed and readied it again. Cottontooth turned toward her, growling, “What do you want?”

“Bread. I'm hungry.”

“Sure, just put the bat down.”

The mare eyed him. “Why don't I just kill you and take all of it? I don't need to share.”

“Because we're both ponies. Shouldn't that mean anything?”

The unicorn shrugged. “Long as I'm alive, I don't care about any other pony.” She swung the bat at Cottontooth again, and he narrowly dodged it by jumping backward, then he lunged unexpectedly forward, knocking the mare flat on her rump and bowling her over. He ended up standing over her and pinning her to the floor. She coughed and said, “No... not like this....” Cottontooth picked up her bat in his teeth and knocked her over the head with it.

A few minutes later, Cottontooth was leaving the sewer, an unconscious mare and an abandoned loaf of bread with a bite taken out of it lying forlornly together. It appeared he wasn't eating tonight.

He rifled through what felt like the tenth dumpster tonight, looking for something to soothe his rumbling stomach. Cottontooth hadn't eaten in several days, but he was bigger now, and it made him hungrier.

He shook out his bright red coat of the stinking refuse he'd been diving through for a good portion of the night, resolved to check only one more dumpster before calling it quits. He was slowly making his way toward the better-policed section of town, explaining why these dumpsters had so little in them. The higher his risk, the more chance he had of finding food, but the more chance he had of being caught. This had gotten risky enough. Just one more.

He dove into his final dumpster, immediately thankful that he had. He found his face lying in a fistful of pasta, immediately opening his mouth and munching the tasty, starchy food. His stomach screamed thanks at him as it immediately went to work digesting. He dove into the rest of the dumpster, seeking out any more tasty morsels of food. He found some half-eaten basket bread, eating three of the loaves and stuffing seven more into a little satchel he carried on his side. This was getting luckier and luckier.

Just then, he heard hoofsteps outside his dumpster, loud and obvious. How had he not heard the guard approaching? He cursed himself for letting his guard down. His rump was still sticking out of the dumpster, but there was no way he could move now, so he decided he would play dead and hope the guard was new.

The guard began stabbing his spear into the trash, slowly noticing the pony's flank being exposed to him. “Eeeuuugh, there's a dead pony in here.” He poked Cottontooth in the rump with his spear, and Cottontooth couldn't help but twitch as blood began to trickle out of the puncture wound he'd just gained due to his stupidity.

The guard exclaimed, “Oh, this one's still alive!” He reached his hooves in to drag Cottontooth out of the dumpster, and as he pulled, Cottontooth waited until he knew he was within range, then bucked as hard as he could and hit the guard full in the face with his hind legs. The guard shouted in outrage, blood immediately pouring out of his face and gaining the attention of several of the other dumpster guards. They immediately began running toward the dumpster.

Cottontooth jumped onto the guard's head, forcing it down into the dumpster and giving him a glimmer of satisfaction before he vaulted off and ran into the night. The guards gave chase, but they were no match for an orphan who'd lived these streets all his life. Cottontooth simply melted into the night and escaped with his prime payload of several loaves of bread.

He decided he would drop off one of the loaves with his mare friend in the sewer. He did it whenever he had some extra food, and she was always really happy when he did. She was the only friend he'd ever had, and he didn't even know her name, nor did she know his.

He went to the usual grate, letting himself down as he always did. As he scaled down the ladder, he became aware of the unusual silence. Normally, she would have said hi by now, but he heard nothing. He finally made it to the bottom and turned around, instantly realizing why things were so quiet.

The mare couldn't talk. She no longer had a mouth. Or a head, really. It was all smashed up, and he couldn't even recognize her, but he knew it was her. Lying next to her dark green body was a bloodied baseball bat.

Cottontooth immediately turned back around and left the sewer again. The blood looked fresh; whoever it was, they would probably be back soon. He'd heard rumors about cannibal ponies that were moving into the sewers and attacking the orphans that tried to escape using them... but he was hoping that it was just a rumor. He wasn't going to stick around to find out if it was true or not.

Later that night, he lay curled up under some soggy newspaper and wept. His only friend was gone, and he was all alone again. He cried and wept and vented his sorrow to the world.

Which is why he didn't notice the mare approaching until she touched her hoof on his shoulder. He gasped in shock, scrambling away from the offender until he realized she was standing in a streetlight, and no intelligent murderer would reveal themselves so stupidly. Who was this mare?

She had a lavender-colored body and cyan curls that she had to push out of her face. She looked... just like his mother. But the face was different. It wasn't mom's face; it was that of a very pretty young mare around his age. He stared at her, wide-eyed, lost for words in her stunning beauty.

“Ah, a stallion who likes me!” she exclaimed. Cottontooth instantly averted his gaze, but this only made the mare giggle. She had such a pretty laugh. “It's all right, I don't mind if you look. I am here for you, after all.”

Cottontooth stared at this mystery mare, confused. “For... me? Did I do something wrong?”

The mare smiled kindly at him. “Nope! Quite the opposite, actually! I'm here to be your friend, Cottontooth.” He only stared incredulously at her, earning him another giggle from the beautiful lavender pony in front of him. She gave another beautiful smile after her little laughing fit, and his heart swelled with hope for the first time since he could remember.

The lavender mare trotted out of the sweets shop with a few hard candies in a bag. She tossed them to Cottontooth, who exclaimed happily over them, his bright red coat shining as he tore open the bag and took one of the candies in the mouth and began trying to chew on it.

She chuckled. “Silly foal, didn't your mother ever teach you to let them sit in your mouth?” Cottontooth shook his head as he continued trying to bite through the hard candy, earning yet another chuckle from her. It was like medicine to him.

The lavender pony suddenly got very serious. She looked straight at him. “Cottontooth, we've been partners in crime for a few days now. It's obvious that I know your name, but I still don't have one. What do you want to call me?”

Cottontooth looked up thoughtfully. “Well, you're just so mysterious! It's tough to decide on a name that fits you!”

The mare suddenly looked up in thought. “Here, I just thought of this:

That mysterious mystery mare,
Who came to ease the load you bear,
Thinks that it's really pretty lame,
That you haven't come up with a name.
If you don't decide soon,
How about... this afternoon,
Then you'll really get to see,
The darker side of little old me.
Who am I?”

“Enigma.”

“Pardon?” The lavender pony looked at Cottontooth expectantly. “What was that you said?”

“Enigma,” Cottontooth repeated. “That's your name!”

The mare scrunched her face up in distaste. “Oh, where's the originality, you silly stallion! Why not something better, like Pandora?”

Cottontooth smiled. “I like Pandora, too.”

The mare immediately waved her hooves in disagreement. “Oh, no no no! I like it! That was just a joke. My name from now on is Enigma.” She smiled encouragingly at him. “Cottontooth and Enigma: Partners in crime!”

The crimson stallion sighed. He'd been with Enigma for years now, and he still wasn't able to touch her. No matter how much he wanted her to be there, she could touch everything but other ponies. He wanted to reach out to her and show her that he was there, but she was more alone than he was.

Nopony could see her, either... except him, of course. This couldn't be making her happy. She was isolated from every other pony in existence... and Cottontooth was only isolated from her. If he could touch her, he knew he would be eternally happy, but he knew that couldn't happen. She was just his imagination, after all. He needed a pony friend, and she came just that easily.

Cottontooth was trying not to fool himself. These were his happiest moments, but he knew they wouldn't last forever. He had to let Enigma go, or he would get too attached and he'd lose himself in trying to get closer to her.

He decided he would talk to her about it the next time he saw her. Canterlot wasn't his city anymore, anyway; he needed to leave. This was no way to survive. He and Enigma had managed to save up enough money to move away... no, he had managed to save it up himself. Enigma was just a part of his mind.

She trotted into the home later that night, and Cottontooth sighed unhappily. Enigma said, “I know. I need to go away.”

Cottontooth looked at her, shocked. “How did you know?”

Enigma looked at him sadly and smiled. “I'm a part of your mind, remember?”

Cottontooth tore his gaze away from the destitute mare he loved. “I have no choice, Enigma. I can't survive like this. I'm not happy. I need to leave everything behind. Everything.”

Enigma only nodded sadly. Cottontooth frowned and said, “I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. Don't follow me, and don't remember me. I'll make sure you're still alive, but if you follow me to where I'm going, I swear I will forget you ever existed.

Enigma only intended to follow one of the orders Cottontooth gave her. She would forget him, but she was going to make sure she followed him. Starting things over new with the stallion she loved was infinitely better than remembering him and never seeing him again.

That night, as she walked through ponies' dreams, she packed her belongings up in the home she'd managed to earn and prepared to bring them with her for the day after next. She woke to find Cottontooth lying by her side, touching her. She shivered. If only he could feel this touch as well... but the moment he woke up, his hoof would pass right through her. She decided not to disturb him on this morning.

That night, she packed her belongings on the train, checking in at the ticket office and departing for Ponyville. Cottontooth had never told her where he was going, but she simply knew certain things. She noticed a very irate stallion with three large bags and an upturned nose arguing with the ticket clerk about his being on the train. The clerk shrugged and apologized, disappearing around the corner as the train departed. Enigma curled up on a train seat and waited for her life to start over in Ponyville.

Cottontooth's departure was a somber one. Enigma said goodbye, Cottontooth said goodbye, and then he got on the train. Enigma waited on the platform, waving at him until the train doors closed, then disappearing further down the train as she closed her eyes and passed through the closed train door. Easier than stealing from the Canterlot nobility. She curled up on the same seat and waited on the same journey. Eventually, sleep overtook her, and she remembered nothing.

For those of you who have already read the final chapter, I updated the ending to provide more closure. After I figured out how the story began, I had to add more to make it properly end.
This is the first and final chapter of The Pony That Never Was. To those who read the prologue last out of this story, thanks for going on this journey with me. To those who read it first, you got the cheat sheet!
--Scootareader

Chapter 1 - Enigma Arrives

“Last call for Ponyville! Next stop: Fillydelphia!”

Enigma rushed to finish gathering her things from the baggage car of the train. Her cyan-colored mane kept falling into her eyes, the curls bouncing around her face and attempting to obscure her vision from her belongings. She continually pushed the curls back and finished taking her things off the train before requesting a dolly from one of the conductors, who promptly disappeared and reappeared with an old, rickety-looking dolly.

As she loaded her things onto the cart, a picture fell from one of her overflowing bags and crashed to the ground, cracking the frame and the glass protecting the picture inside. She tsk'ed herself for not being more careful and picked up the picture, looking at it. It was of her, her soft, lightly-colored lavender coat gleaming in the light of Celestia's day, and a stallion next to her, looking at the ground demurely, as if unsure whether he should be there, his red coat and carrot-orange mane splashes of color on his plain, small frame. She sighed and put the picture back in its bag. She missed Cottontooth terribly.

An hour later, she pulled her cart of belongings in front of an empty house. It looked used, but not run-down; it was a verdant green with a shiny red door on it. She used the key given to her by the landlord she'd been meeting with in Canterlot and opened the front door, depositing her pile of things just inside the door where the living room appeared to be, and vowing to have them sorted out and put in their place by this time tomorrow. After all, this was her new home.

It wasn't as if she'd left Canterlot on bad terms, anyway. She was never one of the nobility. She was your average, run-of-the-mill pony, scraping bits together to make payments and occasionally sneak into one of the dumpsters behind one of the many shops to scavenge a few scraps and sate her rumbling stomach. That was life for everypony who wasn't upper class; not a bad life, but not the life she wanted.

She came to Ponyville because less snobby ponies would probably be more enthused about her talents. It was all showcased by her cutie mark: A big yellow question mark outlined in black. There had been plenty of jokes told, especially by school bullies, about how nopony could find out what her special talent was, even her. They were mistaken, of course; this was proven by her ability to make a puzzle, riddle, or game off the top of her head that would blow their minds with its complexity. She wasn't a practical joker, or a detective, or a genius; she just really liked mysteries.

After unpacking for an hour, she decided she would explore the town a little bit and see what it had to offer. She left her house, locking the door behind her, and set off for the biggest part of town. It was a beautiful summer day, all of the windows to the houses were open and letting fresh sunlight grace their rooms, ponies were unhurriedly moving from location to location, and fillies were laughing and screaming and playing simple games in the streets. This was definitely a happy town.

The first storefront to catch her interest was a garish building that looked like it was made out of candy. She entered the store, immediately hit with a wave of wonderful-smelling baked goods. She smelled cupcakes, cakes, tarts, scones... if you had a name for it and it required an oven, it was lending its scent to the warm, muggy air.

A bright pink pony with a mane curlier than hers popped out from behind the counter. “Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?”

“Well, uh... it's Enigma. I just moved in.”

“Enigma? That's a weird name! Why'd your parents call you that?”

“Well, when I was just born, I disappeared from the hospital for 2 hours. Nopony could find me, and my parents were really scared, but then I just crawled out from behind one of the doors to my mom and they never knew where I'd gone. So, they called me Enigma.”

“Wow! That's fascinating! So, where are you--” Pinkie Pie then gave a very loud gasp and bolted out the front doors of the shop.

Enigma gave a concerned look toward the door Pinkie Pie had just exited from, then shrugged and rang the bell on the counter. A light-blue pony with a wavy pink mane and tail arrived from the back and said, “Oh, hello there... have we met?”

“No, ma'am! I just moved in to Ponyville today.” Enigma glanced toward the front door again. “Is Pinkie Pie usually this odd?”

The light-blue pony gave a knowing chuckle. “Oh, that's just Pinkie Pie. I'm Cup Cake, by the way. My husband, Carrot, and I run the store here. Was there something you wanted?”

Enigma gave Mrs. Cake an amused look. “Yeah. What's the name of this shop?”

“Oh, well, it's Sugarcube Corner! Pinkie never said that?”

“She bolted away before I could ask her.” Enigma's stomach rumbled as she fell silent, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything all day. “Anyway, it's a good thing I came here first! Um, do you mind if I try a riddle out on you?” Mrs. Cake nodded hesitantly. “Good! Now, just give me a moment--” Enigma scribbled a few things on a piece of paper, tapped her hoof against her cheek thoughtfully for a moment, scribbled a few more notes, then exclaimed, “Done!” and produced her riddle:

“Created in fire, but now covered in ice,
We number by the dozens, yet stand alone,
Spiraling toward the sky, but unable to fly,
The sweet friend of fillies Equestria over.
What am I?”

Mrs. Cake glanced around, confused, and said, “Um... well... I wouldn't even know how to guess that!”

Enigma smiled knowingly, and proclaimed the answer: “A cupcake!”

Mrs. Cake exhibited a nervous smile before saying, “Oh, is that what you'd like?”

“Yes, please! One dozen pink cupcakes, if that's all right.”

After making her purchase and formally introducing herself, Enigma thanked Mrs. Cake for the cupcakes and exited Sugarcube Corner, already munching on one of the tasty treats. She was then very quickly assaulted by a Pinkie Pie wearing a poorly made disguise. It looked like she'd attempted to put on a mask that would hide her face, but it was only partially made and had several threads sticking out of the unfinished side. She was wearing an old-looking brown cloak that only reached to halfway down her legs. Upon seeing Enigma leave Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie rushed up and said, “Miss, I need your help with... something! And only you can help me!”

Enigma asked worriedly, “Pinkie Pie, what's wrong? Why do you need me?”

Pinkie gave another gasp, as if she were astonished over something Enigma had said. “Who told you!?”

“Um... told me what?”

“Aha! Just as I thought!” Pinkie Pie ran behind Enigma and started pushing her. “I need you at your house right now! Something.... something has happened!”

After a minute or two of hurried trotting, they arrived at Enigma's house, and she went to her front door, which was already cracked open. Pushing it open, she glanced inside, then was quickly pushed inside by Pinkie Pie to a dark room. “Ah! Hey, what gives? Where's the lights?”

All of a sudden, the lights were flipped on, and an entire roomful of ponies yelled, “SURPRISE!” And then, everything went dark again.

When she woke up, Enigma was in her new bed, looking up at the ceiling. She had a bump on her head that hadn't been there before. The room wasn't much spectacular, or the bed. Just a plain feather bed and blank brown walls, as expected. This house definitely wasn't a steal. A house for plain ponies, like her. She liked it.

Pinkie Pie was no longer wearing her haphazard disguise, noticing quickly that she'd awoken, and jumped excitedly onto Enigma's bed, going nose to nose with her and exclaiming, “Ooh, you're awake! Was it my fault you fainted? I'm sorry! You told me you just moved in to Ponyville and I was thinking of how much you'd like to be thrown a surprise party on your first day here and I was planning on introducing you to everypony at your party but now I can't because you don't feel well and you should probably be resting but I wore my really good disguise and you didn't recognize me and I thought you would be totally surprised but then you fainted and then I carried you up here with some help and then I volunteered to stay and watch over you until you woke up and then tell you everything that happened! And then you woke up and I asked if you were awake and if it was my fault you fainted and then I said I was sorry and that you'd just moved in to Ponyville and I had been thinking of how much you'd like to be thrown a surp--”

Enigma raised her hoof, stopping Pinkie Pie's explanation. “I'm fine, Pinkie. It's just a little bump on my head. I don't really faint much, but I'm fine now.” She gave Pinkie Pie a warm smile. “How about you introduce me to everypony waiting downstairs?”

As she made her way down the stairs, an excited Pinkie Pie bouncing down behind her, Enigma got her first good look at all of the ponies who'd been invited. There were so many of them! Canterlot had plenty of parties, sure, but... only high-class ponies got to attend. And it wasn't from the outside looking in this time, either: She was the center of attention for what felt like the first time in her life. It felt good.

A roar went up from the crowd of ponies gathered below her, ranging from “Are you fine?”'s to “We were so worried about you!”'s. She gave a happy smile, but said nothing, while Pinkie Pie fired away replies of “She's fine! Really!” and “I know! I talked to her about it!”

The first pony to approach Enigma and introduce herself was colored in almost the same shade of purple that Enigma was. “Greetings! My name is Twi--”

Pinkie Pie interjected with, “Twilight Sparkle! She's one of my very best friends here in Ponyville! I just know the two of you will get along really well! Ooh, this is so exciting!” She then bounced off as Twilight gave Enigma a nervous smile.

“That's just Pinkie being Pinkie. You get used to it. So... your name is Enigma?”

Enigma gave Twilight a smile. “Yeah... that's me. I'm really good at making puzzles and riddles, so if you know anypony who wants a challenge...”

Twilight looked excited at this. “I love solving puzzles! Maybe you can make me one sometime?”

“Can I!” Enigma produced another small piece of paper and drew a small diagram on it that was a series of dots. “This is written in a secret code I just made up in my head. I wrote it in just such a way that you can figure out what it says, if you try hard enough. Try to find out what it says and tell me what it is! If you don't think you can get it, just come back to me and let me know and I'll explain the whole thing to you.”

Twilight clapped her hooves together excitedly and said, “I'll get to work decoding it first thing in the morning! Maybe I'll even have one for you to figure out!”

After a few more hours, well after it was dark out, things started winding down, and the multitude of ponies began to trickle out. Enigma had learned more ponies' names than she thought she could remember in a lifetime, and she'd given everypony a few riddles to consider for the evening. She'd made her mark; it was only a matter of time before ponies began to offer money for her talents and she would be able to live in peace for the first time in a long time.

Enigma sighed happily and trotted back up the stairs to her bed. She'd clean her house and unpack first thing in the morning. She laid her head down on her pillow and drifted off to a peaceful, happy sleep.

MacrossRarity is best brony friend.
--Your faithful editor/fanfic writer, Scootareader