The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapters

The Road To Recovery
From The Ashes
It's A Circus Life For Me
The Winds Of Change To The Past
Curtain Call
Crash Landing
Half Past Twilight
Dawn Of A New Day
Love Never Fails
Seeds Of Deception
Down The Rabbit Hole
Noose
Lightness
Flight Plan
Escape Plan
Rude Awakening
Back To Square One

The Road To Recovery

Chapter 2

The Road To Recovery

'Beep…Beep…Beep…'

the only sound that the stallion could discern in his mind was the constant droning that wafted from the machine that was connected to his foreleg. All around him ponies, stallions and mares, were busily checking on him and tending to all of his recent injuries. No matter how many things that were done to him or how many questions he was asked, he simply could not grasp the full gravity of the situation he was currently in right now. It was as if his mind was on autopilot and he was tuning out all of the things that were happening around him.

One major question was plaguing his mind right now, and no matter how hard he thought about it he simply could not find the answer to it.

“Why am I an Alicorn?” It was a question that he knew he didn’t have the answer for, but his mind would not simply take no for an answer.

While his mind was working to find an answer to the impossible question, a nurse trotted up next to him and put a hoof on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Do you have a name son?” he gently asked.

But the stallion was too lost in his own mind to have heard what the nurse said, so the nurse gently shook the rattled stallions shoulder to get his attention.

This seemed to work because the stallion slowly looked up at the nurse and with a hollow voice said

“I’m sorry what did you say?” The nurse chuckled at this, then calmly repeated again

“I said do you have a name son” With his full attention now focused on the nurse and what he said, the stallion tried to search the far reaches of his brain for an answer to the nurses question. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence he then softly spoke

“I … remember … name.”

“Excuse me?” The nurse said

“I can’t remember my name.” the stallion said with a louder voice

“Well that’s quite alright, you have been through a lot today so I won’t pressure you into remembering anything if you can’t.” The nurse calmly stated.

“It’s…It’s just…I just can’t understand why I can’t remember anything before today!” The stallion stammered.

“Hey, hey, hey just calm down son, everyone here is on your side, your safe, and your alive” the nurse said.

“Yea…I guess so” the stallion flatly said.

“Darn right you are, any other pony who had crashed into a building like that would have been killed instantly.” The nurse said with a touch of enthusiasm for the stallion.

As the nurse looked down at the mess of a unicorn he was curious as to why he was clutching a blanket around his mid-section so hard. He decided to try and get him to remove the blanket so he could inspect his back for any damage from the crash and subsequent fall.

“So if you’ll be a gentlestallion and allow me to check underneath your blanket, so we can make sure there are no scratches or anything else there along your back?”

When the stallion came to realize what the nurse had stated, he found himself confused at first. But as he looked down at his waist his heart did a proverbial backflip, Nopony had apparently noticed that he had wings…yet. He quickly backtracked through his few memories about how he arrived at the hospital, the shocked faces of ponies, the carriage ambulance ride, the rushing doctors, and the final stop in this room. All the while he remembered that the blanket was firmly tied around his waist the entire trip.

“Maybe nopony knows I’m an Alicorn yet?” the stallion thought to himself.

But, as the stallion was thinking to himself the nurse had taken his silence as permission to continue, so he slowly started to move his hoof closer to the stallion to remove the blanket. The stallion saw this movement and slightly panicked by skirting away to the far corner of the bed, much to the shock of the nurse.

“Okay, its fine, no need to be so scared of me.” the nurse soothed while he slowly retracted his hoof.

“Well we can have that looked at later if you want, by the way my name is Mr.Ringer” the nurse tried to shift the conversation to small chit-chat try and calm the obviously rattled stallion.

“Mr. Ringer is your name?” the stallion said.

“Well, it’s really Circus Ringer, but everypony likes to use the formal version, but I never cared for it though.”

“W..well it’s nice to meet you…circus…” the stallion cautiously said.

“Well it’s very pleasing to make your acquaintance too.” Circus said.

“I Just wish I could remember my name so I could tell you what to call me.” The stallion dejectedly said.

The nurse’s face turned into a slight frown as he was saddend at the unicorn’s dower mood, But it immediately was cast away when he had a sudden epiphany.

“Hey that’s a really interesting cutie mark you have.” circus said.

The stallion remembered his cutie mark from his observation in the alley and confusedly said

“Y..yea…what about it?”

“It’s just so detailed and intricate.” circus said.

“I…I guess it is, I just got it too apparently.” The stallion comically said.

“Hey!!! I got it. Your name can be Ridge, Because of the mountain ridge!” Circus excitedly exclaimed.

“Ridge?... I don’t Know about that.”

“Oh come on! It’s better than anything your coming up with.” Circus argued.

“Alright, I Guess Ridge isn’t so bad a name to be called.” The newly named ridge said.

It was at this moment that a police pony trotted into the room with a small horse-shoe box held in his telekinetic grasp.

“Hello” this new pony said.

“My name is Sargent Trotterson, and I have some personal items that were found at the scene of the accident and I was just wanting to return them to you.” As the Sargent said this he slowly floated the small box over to rest on the pony’s lap.

“W..what kind of items?” ridge asked cautiously.

“Open the box and see for yourself.” Trotterson said.

Ridge slowly looked down at the pale box that was currently resting in his lap, and ever so slowly he moved his one hoof that wasn’t in bandages to the side of the box and undid the flap that held it closed. Only one item was enclosed in the box, and as ridge tilted it over to the side, it slid free and landed in his lap. It was a small gold pendant that appeared to house a small compartment, cautiously ridge delicately picked up the pendant and slowly opened it to reveal the most surprising sight indeed.

“Who…?” ridge said to nopony in particular.

What ridge saw could only be described as a mare whose picture had been taken without her knowledge; It had obviously taken from a somewhat far perspective and side angle. This ultimately caused most of her face to be obscured from the picture, but what was visible was her mane. It was a very rich and vibrant purple with a single streak of bright pink running down one side, and as ridge looked down with unknowing eyes his mind could only utter one word toward this mare whom he had no memory of.

“beautiful”

As ridge moved his face closer to the portrait he noticed two letters that were inscribed on the bottom photo. And as long as he would be able to breathe ridge would never forget the initials on the photo, and he slowly breathed them into the air in shock as he had no idea who they belonged to.

“T.S.”

From The Ashes

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 4

From The Ashes

“I…But...How…When?” Circus stammered from the doorway.

Ridge’s compose was losing focus with each passing second.

“I’m sorry so so so so sorry circus. Please please please don’t tell anypony!”

After several minutes of just gawking at Ridge’s wings, circus finally began to come back down to equestria.

“H..Have you been like this forever?” circus choked out from his confused brain.

“No..Not that I know of…at least as long as i can remember.” Ridge said meekly.

“And just how long is that hmmm? Just what else are you lying to me about.” Said circus with just a hint of hurt in his voice.

Ridge then proceeded to back away from circus, toward the corner of the bathroom.

“Do you even have ponyneighsia, or are you lying about that too!”

At this point ridge had backed as far away from circus as the suddenly cramped bathroom would allow him. He had turned his head away from circus so he wouldn’t have to see the betrayed look on his face.

“I…I…I don’t know w..what to tell you C..Circus.”

“So you are lying to me about the ponyneighsia! I should go get the doctors and have them through you out right now!”

“I didn’t lie about that…” Ridge quietly said.

Ridge turned toward the nurse that was currently berating him and tried to plead his case to the once friendly pony.

“I did have that accident, and I did get ponyneighsia from it! The reason I didn’t tell anypony about my wings was that I was afraid that the princesses would find out, and they would proceed to banish me! All I want is to get my memory back and to try and figure this out!” With his outburst over Ridge slumped into the pony’s shoulder and let loose a torrent of tears that he had been holding in ever since the accident.

After seeing Ridge crumble and start crying on his shoulder, Circus had lost all of the anger he held toward the once pony now Alicorn in an instant.

“A..Are you still scared that they will still find out?”

The only coherent sound he heard come from his friend was a short

“yesh..” before Ridge was once again wracked with sobs.

“shhhh.. It’s going to be alright, just calm down.” Ridge did his very best at attempting to calm down his friend but he soon decided the best thing he could do was just be there and hold him in a small hug.

Over the next several minutes Ridge began to calm down enough to where he could complete a sentence and backed away from circus and began to stare down at the floor.

“T..Thanks for that, I’ve just been so scared over the past few days and I really needed to let that out.”

“Hey look at me buddy” Circus asked his friend.

Slowly he looked into Circus’s eyes and saw a longing to help him.

“I will always be here for you buddy, and you can take that to the bank.”

The second Ridge had heard the words uttered he knew instantly that they were true, and once again wrapped his hooves around Circus’s neck and happily exclaimed.

“I think this is the begging to a beautiful friendship.”

After letting go of his neck Ridge then began to hoof at the tile wondering one question that still was on his mind.

“But, I still have one question though?” Ridge had been wondering this for just a few moments and decided to ask Circus now instead of hiding it and asking later.

“Yea, what is it?”

“Do you know anyone with the initials T.S.”

“Uh..Tom Sawneiyer?” Circus Joked.

“Oh…” Ridge said knowing his friend had only been kidding, but he was still disappointed nonetheless.

“Hey, its Manehatten there is bound to be someone with those initials out there someplace.”

“Maybe…But there is only one pony I’m looking for.”

“Hey was that what was in that locket you got?” Circus asked.

“W..W..What!? How d..did you know about that!” Ridge was surprised that circus had known about what was inside the locket, but then again he decided that it was not a good idea to keep secrets from Him anymore.

“Y..Yea it was a picture of a mare, with the initials of T.S. on it.” Ridge said as a blush started to form on his face.

“Well well well, seems like we got a loverpony over here, Maybe we could get that picture down to the local newspaper and have a flyer made up for her.” Circus said with the gears in his mind turning over, as to how he could help out Ridge with his mystery mare.

“No..No..No..No” Ridge immediately began to panic at the thought of putting flyers up across town.

“Okay…Just chill Jeez we can just ask a pony or two at the local library, how’s that for a start.”

“I..I think I can live with that for now.” Ridge began to blush again at the thought of his panic. Why was this one mare causing this to happen to him.

“Well if we are going to get down to the library before dark there are a few things I have to get for you now.” Ridge said this with a devilish smile.

Ridge saw circus and his smile, and knew immediately that it was not going to be anything good.

“W..What?”

But before he could get a response Circus had already bounded out of the room toward parts unknown.

“Oh..Celestia! What now.”

After about an hour or so sitting on his bed he heard ridge trot down the hall towards his room.

“Ridge I’m back, Did you miss me?”

“Uh..if you mean fearing your return with my entire being, then yeppers I sure did miss you Circus bunches and bunches.”

“Oh Hardy har har. Princess Celestia called, she wants her corniness back.” After circus had said that to Ridge he slowly set two grocery bags down on the bed next to him and just stared waiting for him to ask.

“Ugh…okay I’ll bite, what did you buy?” Ridge said as flatly as he could.

“Nuh uh, I Didn’t buy these I brought these things over from my other job.”

“Okay…Then what did you bring over here from your other job?”

“Why don’t you open them for your Ponyself.” Circus was positively beaming about his gifts. So after Ridge rolled his eyes in annoyance he reached his hoof into the bag and pulled out its contents.

“Another blanket?” Ridge asked in confusion.

“Look at it closer.” Circus said in annoyance.

Ridge grumbled in annoyance, but proceeded to look at the blanket again anyway.

“What am I supposed to be looking for again?”

Circus inwardly face-hooved.

“It’s an exact color match to your coat, stupid. I had it specially made several years ago, It’s a magical cloak that seamlessly blends into the wearers coat. You wear it and presto, no more obvious wings. But that normally would leave you looking like a humpback, soooooooo that’s what the second bag is for…”

Ridge did not like the way he had said that. Knowing that it was better to get it over with, He went ahead and lifted the item out of the second bag.

“NO!!!! I WILL NOT WEAR THAT!”

It was a saddle.

“Oh, Come on… why not?” Circus was growing very tired of Ridge’s debates.

“It will make people think I am a coltcuddler! A saddle shows that you want someone to ride you!” Ridge argued.

“Look we both know that you are not a coltcuddler. But, this is the only option we have.”

“But, Saddle!!!” Ridge was to the point that he was pleading.

“Enough, You’re going to wear it and you’re going to like it. End of discussion!” Circus wanted to get a move on if he wanted to get to the library tonight before it closed.

“…Fine I’ll wear it, but it doesn’t go any farther than a disguise. GOT IT?”

“Yes, Yes now get it together, we have to go now if were going to make it in time.”

With the surprise gift session over, Ridge was pulled from the bed toward the bathroom to get ready for their late night excursion.

“Don’t forget anything at all. You got all the books we have to return right? Got you locket, and your blanket? You ready yet? When are you going to be done?” Circus was positively bouncing around the room.

“Dude calm your ponyself, why are you acting like your about to explode?” Ever since Ridge had gotten ready Circus had been acting like a hyper active foal who had just been given the key to the candy store.

“I..I just want to get done with the library.” Ridge knew Circus was lying, but if he wanted to get this done and over with he knew he should just go along with it for now.

“Okay, Okay, let’s leave then Mr. Eager Manticore.”

They both walked briskly toward the elevator, Ridge doing his best with his still bandaged hoof.

“Gosh Circus slowdown will you. I’m still hurt you know!”

“Oh..Sorry Ridge I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Thank you.”

The ride down in the elevator had been a swift and quiet one, and as the doors opened on the first floor Circus Bounded ahead toward the front counter quickly yelling back over his shoulder toward Ridge.

“I just gotta sign a few papers so you can leave the hospital.”

As Circus reached the counter he saw that his supervisor was working the late shift once again.

“Working late again Dorris?”

“No, the mare who usually works the counter called in for the night.”

“Oh my, is she okay?” Circus asked with a worried expression.

“Yea, her filly is sick tonight so she had to stay home and watch her.”

“Aw, well we should send her some daisy’s as a get well soon snack.”

“Yea, the office has already beat you to that bucko, they already sent some this morning.”

“Well at least someone besides me has a heart, in this hospital.” Circus said with confidence.

With their idle chit chat over Dorris began to gather Ridge’s necessary paperwork so he could be discharged from the hospital.

“You Don’t have to do this you know Circus?” Dorris was beginning to wonder why her coworker was being so generous toward a totally strange Unicorn who had no memory and no way to support his ponyself.

“The guys upstairs were going to write him off as another non-pay and send him down to the farm!” Circus slightly snapped, but immediately realized that this was his boss he was speaking to.

“Sorry Dorris, I am just tired of seeing them do that to ponies who don’t deserve it.”

“Well you ask me Circus, you’re a saint for doing this.”

“We shall see who the saint is after I get his bill.” Said Circus.

“Plus I have a special feeling about this Ali…Unicorn” Circus barley caught himself in time, he almost blew his whole cover.

“I’m sorry what Circus? I didn’t hear you this dang phone won’t stop ringing.”

“Nothing have a good night Dorris.”

“You too.” said Dorris with a wave of her hoof.

After Circus met up with Ridge by the front entrance they both trotted out the front entrance into the cool night air.

“who was that?” asked Ridge.

“Just my boss praising me for saving a life earlier.”

“Oh cool. Maybe you can tell me about it later.”

“..yea, maybe someday.” Circus said under his breath.

“Do what, speak up man?” Ridge asked.

“Nevermind, Its not important. Where is that library again?” Circus sadi changing the subject.

“Look forward hay for brains.” Ridge had almost forgotten how weird his friend had been acting today…almost.

“Oh…okay. Let’s go” Ridge Said.

"sure thing there Mr. Coltcuddler." Circus said with a smile.

"I told you NO"

And with that they both Trotted across the street toward the Manehatten Main Library.

It's A Circus Life For Me

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 5

It’s a Circus life for me

Dusty Mane sat behind the counter of the returns desk, her shift almost over. The only major concern that she had left to consider for today was what she was going to have for dinner whenever she left.

“Maybe I can stop by that new restaurant that opened up on the corner?” she thought aloud.

She decided that would be an adequate dinner, and then got up to close the main doors to the library.

“I wonder just how busy its been since it opened last wee..”

Dusty never got the chance to finish the thought, for she saw two stallions crossing the street from the hospital toward the library.

“Please don’t be coming in here, its five minutes till we close.”

Dusty glanced at the clock on the wall and confirmed that it was ten fifty five.

Silently she sighed and turned back toward her desk to help the two stallions who she observed were carrying several stacks of books.

“Well so much for getting out of here early.” She thought to herself.

After glancing both ways across the street Ridge slowed trotted his way across the road.

“No sense in getting hurt again”

With Circus taking up the rear they entered the library with their cargo of books, then quickly made their way over to the returns desk.

Circus went past Ridge and began to talk to the rather middle aged Mare who sat behind the counter.

“Hello Dusty, how are you doing this fine evening?”

Caught off guard by this strange stallions question Dusty wasn’t prepared to respond.

“….uh…I’m sorry do I know you?”

“It’s me Circus? I’ve been by here every day this week, I thought you would have remembered me Dusty?”

“Oh?..Um..Oh yea!! How have you been since yesterday Circus?” she struggled out while trying to remember the young stallion.

“I’ve been just fine, I’m just here to return the books I got for my friend here.”

“Oh, this is the stallion who wanted all those books huh? What was his name again? …Ridge is it?” Dusty said as her memory slowly caught up to her ponyself.

“Yes ma’am it sure is.” Circus slowly scooted Ridge closer to the desk with his hoof, trying to get the stallion to introduce his ponyself to the librarian.

“H..Hello ma’am my name is Ridge.” Ridge said with growing embarrassment at having to make an introduction to somepony who already knew him.

“Do you have a last name boy?” Dusty said with a knowing smirk on her face.

“N..No ma’am I don’t know what my last name is. I was in an accide…”

“Ha I’m just pulling your hoof son, Somepony who had an accident that bad wouldn’t remember anything at all. Your lucky to have pulled through, count your stars you had a nurse as skilled as Circus here."

“Aw.. don’t be so modest dusty, I just did what I had to do.”Circus said with a blush upon his face.

“Well you’re still over qualified to be just a part time nurse. Did you ever think about becoming a Doctor?” Dusty asked.

“No, I prefer it just as a hobby. I would not have enough time for my day job if I went back to school.”

“You should think about it Circus, its a lot of good bits.”

“I know dusty, I will someday…maybe.” Circus knew it was easier to just go along with whatever Dusty said, It was the only

way he was going to get out of here quickly.

“Alright then, what else can I do for you and your friend here.”

“Actu…”

“Do you know a mare with the initials T.S.” Circus cut ridge off.

Ridge just left his jaw on the floor not believing Circus had asked that out loud like that.

“Hmmmm…sorry boys I can’t say that I do.” Dusty said.

“oh okay then, sorry for asking my friends question for him.” Ridge quickly recovered thinking of what his other question was he wanted to ask.

“A.Actually, I was going if I could get another book for myself. I..If that’s okay Circus?”

Circus just stood there confused as to why ridge would want another book. He had already read all the books pertaining to Alicorns.

“Yea sure, it’s fine by me. How about you Dusty?”

“Sure thing which book you want me to get?”

“D..Do you have anything on basic unicorn magic?”

“Um…Let me look it up, I think we just had that book returned today in fact.”

Dusty turned around and hoofed through the ‘just in’ bin, after about a minute of searching she pulled out a small book that was about forty pages thick.

“AH!!! Here we are! A foals beginning to magic: An Introductory Guide.”

“Thanks…” Ridge said embarrassed as he revealed that he was going to have to read a book that was written for foals. Circus picked up on Ridge’s embarrassment and tried to help his friend feel better by saying

“Hey everypony has to start learning the same way. Just look at it like a new beginning Ridge.”

“Yea. I guess it’s alright.” Ridge said his frown going away.

“Well if that’s all you two need, I believe I will start closing down the library for the night. Don’t stay to long.” Dusty said as she began to sort the pile of books Ridge and Circus had returned.

“It’s okay Dusty. We will just be leaving then. You sure you don’t need help sorting those books?” Circus asked wanting to help the older mare.

“No its fine, you all have you a good night now.”

“Okay don’t stay too late now. Bye Dusty” said Circus.

“Bye Cricus. And goodbye Ridge.”

“Bye Ms. Dusty. It was nice to meet you.” Ridge said.

After that both Ridge and Circus turned toward the exit. After they had both exited the library Circus sighed and confessed to Ridge

“I do wish she would see a Doctor.”

Ridge was confused as to why Circus had said that about Ms. Dusty.

“Why, she seemed normal enough to me?”

But with a frown and a sad tone of voice Circus said.

“After she leaves here, she will go down to the sandwich shop on the corner and try to order a sandwich.”

This seemed to only confuse Ridge even more.

“So she has a routine, that’s no reason to see a doctor.”

“But the thing is, that store has been closed for the past year.”

“Oh…” Ridge said realizing she was starting to get mareztimers.”

“And I bet if we were to walk back into the library, she wouldn’t even remember that we had even been there.” Circus said sadly.

“I'm sorry Circus…I had no idea.”

“It's fine Ridge, that just means we have to enjoy the time we have with the people who have it more.” Circus said this with a forlorn look on his face.

Ridge hated to see his friend sad so he decided to ask Circus if he wanted to go anywhere else.

“Is there any place else we have to go before we go back to the hospital?”

Upon hearing Ridge mention that he thought they were going back to the hospital Circus knew his friend had not discovered that he had no intention of letting him go back to the hospital.

“Yep, we have just one more stop.” Cirucs was beaming with joy now that he could finally do what he had been looking forward to this whole week.

“But, it’s a surprise…”

Ridge heard the way Circus had said ‘surprise’ and he immediately knew that it wasn’t going to be good.

“Well can’t you at least tell me where wer….WOAH!!!”

Ridge had been grabbed by Circus and they were now running through Manehatten streets toward parts Unknown.

“Okay here we are!” Circus finally took off the blind fold that had been placed around Ridge’s face about fifteen minutes ago.

“Why would you do that to me!!” Ridge yelled not observing his surroundings.

Smiling like a mad pony Circus gestured behind the yelling Alicorn.

Quickly Ridge turned around wanting to know why he had been hoofnapped by his best friend. What Ridge saw was beyond anything he thought he would see right now.

“You brought me to a circus?”

“AH HA!! Not just any circus my friend…”

Circus jumped around in front of Ridge and stood on two hooves and splayed his arms out to his sides.

“This is my circus!!!”

Ridge just stared back with a blank expression toward him. His mind started to slowly process what he had said and ever so slowly began to understand just what circus had meant.

“Circus…your…circus”

“YEA!!! What do you think huh! Bucking Awesome right!?”

“Wow…I did not expect this... how….why…but you’re just a nurse at a hospital, how can you afford to own a circus…?”

“Being a nurse is just a hobby I have, as for why you didn’t expect it, it’s my name duh…and as to how….Several years ago all this was just a one cart ensemble that belonged to a pony who was down on her luck, and she sold it to me so she could buy some amulet or relic or something.” After Circus finished his speech he jumped back down to eye level and waited with baited breath as to what Ridge would say.

“Circus…I had no idea…wow. This is the most AWESOME thing I have ever seen!!!”

Ecstatic at his friend's response Circus felt it was okay to continue with what he was going to say.

“We can look at all the carts later, I promise. But first I want to show you where you're going to be sleeping.”

Hearing Circus say that made Ridge pause and say

“Sleeping?”

“Of course you can’t be living in the hospital forever silly, and I thought you know…maybe you would stay here with me and

the circus?” Circus had been dreading asking Ridge to stay here at the circus, but he knew it was by far the best option for Ridge and his…ahem…condition.

“I don’t know…I can’t ask you to take me in like that. I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”

“Burden? HAHA!! Ridge look around, does it look like you would be a burden?”

“N..No I guess not.”

“Good then, with that settled lets go”

So they trotted onward toward the middle of carts that dotted an abandoned parking lot in the middle of Manehatten. The closer they got to the center Ridge had noticed that it had gotten quieter, and the big extravagant carts were being replaced with small three pony size living carts.

“What are all these small carts for?” Ridge asked.

“Oh, this section is for all the ponies who live here.”

“Live here?”

“Yea everypony has to live somewhere Ridge, This is a traveling circus after all.”

“WHAT!?”

“yea? We’ve been here about a year, people sleep here, work here, and make bits here. What’s wrong with that?”

“N..Nothing I…I just don’t know about living with a traveling circus.”

“Well I think you will fit in rather well considering…your um…condition.”

“SHHHHH!! Quiet Circus!” Ridge hissed.

“Just calm down, and look up. Were here now.” Circus said rolling his eyes.

The sight that greeted Ridge was a tall two story cart that appeared to tower above the carts surrounding it. The windows were dark and foreboding and were very contrasting to the outer shell, which was a very brightly painted pink with several depictions of ponies performing varying feats of bravery and courageousness.

“Is this your house?” Ridge Breathlessly asked.

“YEP, now let’s get inside before the cold gets you sick.”

Having his mind decided for him Ridge was pushed past the threshold of the cart into the blackness beyond.

‘quaint’ was the word that came to mind as Ridge entered the cart.

The abode contained several pieces of ornate furniture that ridge thought was very typical to a circus ring leader.

“Circus Ringer…” Rigde said, how he hadn’t put hoof and hoof together yet was beyond him.

The small sofa that was currently in front of Ridge seemed to be as a good as a place as any to sit down, so Ridge trotted over to it and sat on it and was struck by a thought he wanted to ask Ridge.

“Why are you doing so much for me? When you know I can’t do anything to repay you, or even come close to thanking you enough?”

“well… I was in a situation similar to yours several years ago, and well… I don’t want to see what happened to me happen to somepony else.” Circus said as his eyes glazed over. Clearly thinking back to a time he didn’t want to talk about.

“What happened?” Ridge asked.

“That my friend is another story for another day…”

Ridge sensed that Circus wasn’t going to give any more details as to what happened so he decided to switch the subject.

“So.. How long has your circus been here in town?”

“Tomorrow will be exactly one year…so I wouldn’t get too comfortable here…” Circus solemnly said.

“Why… what's wrong?”

“Our lease runs out tomorrow so were going on a tour of equestria…starting tomorrow.”

“WHAT…!?”Circus was again wondering how his friend could not tell him important things like this.

“DON”TYOU THINK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION TO TELL ME…!?”

“Ooops…?” Circus said flatly.

The Winds Of Change To The Past

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 6

The Winds Of Change To The Past

‘knock..knock..knock’

“Who is it…?”

“It’s me Circus, you about ready for the show?”

“Just…Just give me a minute Circus. Why don’t you go get Martha and her snakes warmed up for her act first?”

“…Alright Ridge, I’ll be back in five minutes…so be ready.”

Ridge heard circus trot away from the entrance of his cart, no doubt headed down to the snake pit where he was sure to be getting Martha and her gaggle of snakes prepared for this evenings crowd. Ridge was sitting at a small vanity table slowly and methodically brushing down his wings, It was just a habit he had formed over the past several months. All the moving around from town to town had taken its toll on his mind.

“Will I ever find her…”

Ridge then slowly looked up to the locket he had hung off the side of the mirror.

‘Have you seen this mare’

He had seen it written on the posters he had put up over and over again, in all the cities Circus’s circus had been to over the past few months. Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Van Hoover, Los Pegasus, and now they were about done with Dodge City. They had to do one more show tonight then they could move on to the next town. Ridge looked back into his mind, and contemplated over all that had happened since they left Manehatten.

Things had started off great for Ridge, settling down able to concentrate on the book he had gotten the night they left Manehatten. Said book was still in his possession, tucked away in a trunk somewhere, he had read it cover to cover three times within the first week of traveling. He had learned all that there was to learn in the book, and getting any other books that would advance his abilities was something of a challenge. He did get lucky once, they had passed through a small town that he couldn’t remember the name of, on their way to Los Pegasus and he had found a rather strange library nestled inside a tree.

‘For such a small town the library had been very well stocked with books’ he mused.

‘ I still can’t believe they let a baby dragon run a library, he could burn down everything inside the tree-house library. Of course the dragon had said his caretaker was out for just the day to visit somepony, but still it was dangerous.’

He knew he should return that book as well, but he had decided if they ever did pass through that town again he would return it. That book turned out to be the best thing he could ask for in learning magic, because whoever owned it had taken the time to elaborate complicated spells with notes and explanations written inside the book itself. With this book he had learned teleportation spells, matter transmutation, and even how to turn animals into fruit. Ridge couldn’t see how that would ever be useful to anypony, but the owner thought it was good enough to use apparently because they had berated about trying it only in seclusion away from distractions.

‘I wonder if that would make animals cannibals then?’ Ridge thought comically.

“Alright I need to find that stupid saddle now.” Ridge said aware that he had to be getting ready before Circus returned.

He trotted over to a chest in the corner and began rummaging inside it looking for said saddle.

“No not under there…Maybe inside…nope…AH HA!!!”

He pulled the saddle from underneath the pile of knickknacks and suddenly remembered the cloak that was to go on first.

“Now where in celestia’s plot did that thing go…?”

Ridge finally found the cloak lying on the armchair, invisible because of it’s color changing magic. He secured the cloth around his midsection and watched as it slowly faded into the golden color of his fur.

‘that’s still creepy as buck’ he thought.

That thought cast aside ridge then proceeded to secure the saddle firmly on top of the cloak to finish his so called transformation. He stepped back from the mirror to admire his handiwork, and satisfied with what he saw he unlocked the door with his yellow tinted magic and stepped outside.

“AH!! Almost forgot the most important thing.” Ridge then jumped back inside, ran over to his vanity, then grabbed the locket and secured it around his neck.

Double checking his ponyself a final time he trotted out the door and locked it with his magic.

“Right, let’s go see what Martha has got planned for tonight.” With his destination set he started trotting toward the other side of the circus.

Ever since Martha had joined the circus she had persuaded Ridge to start taking part in the actual acts instead of just watching from behind the curtains. He had refused the idea at first, but starting out with small things like being an assistant, or feeding the animals Martha had turned him into a regular presence on the stage. If it hadn’t been for her never would have found out that he had a knack for tightrope walking. Martha and her pet snakes were setting up on the south side of the circus, closest to the tent so that she wouldn't have to travel far with her snakes whenever she was done with her act. As Ridge trotted up closer to her he couldn't see Circus anywhere in sight and wondered if he had stopped anywhere else before coming here, so he decided to ask Martha if she had seen him.

“Hey, Martha have you seen Circus recently?”

“AHH!!!...Ridge don’t scare me like that geez. And yes I did.” Martha said surprised.

Martha was a short brown pony who had dyed her mane and tail a very bright shade of neon green. She had said that it was to make her ‘fit in’ with today’s youth, but had revealed to ridge, one night after a few too many mugs of cider. That it was because she was tired of everypony not being able to see her because they said that she blended into the background too much.

“Would you care to elaborate as to when you saw Circus, Ms. Neon mane?” Ridge said with a smirk.

He knew that she hated that nickname, but he decided to poke fun at her.

“Stop calling me that, or would you like me to tell everypony your secret…?”

“Your bluffing….”Ridge said grinning like a mad pony.

“Alright you brought this on yourself…” She said preparing to yell.

“HEY EVERYPONY, RIDGE HAS A CRUSH…”

Several heads turned toward the pair, but after several slight chuckles they all went back to milling about their business.

“You satisfied about telling everypony about something they already know?”

“Yep, sure am” After this she stuck her tongue out for emphasis.

“But for serious, are you ever going to actually ask this mare of yours out or what?”

Ridge rolled his eyes at the mare in front of him, and decided for the umpteenth time to tell her that he didn’t even know who or where she was.

“I honestly don’t know who she even is; Her picture is the only thing I have from before the accident, that’s the only reason I even ask if anypony has seen her. So I can find out who I was before the accident.”

“Yea, yea I’ve seen how you look whenever someone gives you a lead as to who she is. I also see how sad it makes you whenever you find out that lead goes nowhere.” Martha said with a smile as Ridge’s face blushed crimson.

“W..well it’s only because I have never met her before. Now are you going to tell me when you saw Circus or am I going to have to find him myself.” Ridge had grown tired of Martha’s accusations, and he just wanted to find circus so they could get tonight over with.

“He was talking to some event planner or somepony like that last time I saw him.” Martha said as she turned around gathering the last of her supplies for tonight’s show.

“Do you know where?” Ridge said flatly.

“By the entrance to the tent the last time I saw.” Martha said starting to walk away.

“come with me and we can kill two parasprites with one stone. You get to see circus, and I get some company before the show.”

“Alright, but tonight don’t let your snakes into the audience, we almost got a lawsuit last time you did that little trick.”

“My snakes are perfectly harmless, they wouldn’t hurt a fly! Don’t think that I can’t handle them.” Martha said angrily.

“Hey, I never said you couldn’t handle them, but just please don’t try to give anypony else a heart attack. Please?” Ridge said trying to defend his ponyself.

“Alright, but it was pretty funny that night. Everypony running around like mad.” Martha was grinning like a mad pony now, and Ridge wished she didn’t have such an appetite for chaos.

“Martha, I swear you would give discord a run for his money…”

“Discord…Who?” Martha asked with a confused expression.

“Ugh, he’s the god of chaos and disharmony. You of all ponies should know about him.”

“Listen smarty pants, I don’t read books all day like you do.” Martha said rolling her eyes. As they finished their conversation they came to stop in front of a massive tent in which the excited voices of many ponies could be heard. Through the flaps of the opening Ridge could see the main stage had been set up in the middle, and he could just barely see the far end of the tent where there was another entrance just the same as the one they were currently standing at.

“See he’s over there by the ticket booth, now you can go chat it up with him before he gets started. Well I’m going in, Circus said to be ready by the time he’s ready to start so bye.” And with that Martha slipped beneath the tents flaps to set up her act.

Ridge turned left toward the ticket booths where Circus was standing with a very tall stallion that was wearing a black suit, and to Ridge it seemed that whatever they were talking about Circus was very excited about it. But, before Ridge could close enough to the strange stallion to talk to him, he and Circus finished their conversation and he turned around and trotted away.

“Who was that Circus?” Ridge asked.

“OH MY GODDESS!!! You will never guess Ridge.” Circus exploded out.

“Um,… I’m going to guess that was the event scheduler who owns the next location we’re going to set up at?”

Circus’s face fell flat at what Ridge had said, and Ridge figured he had hit the nail on the head.

“Wha…how did you know that?” Circus asked flabbergasted.

“Ha, Martha said you were talking to some event planner, so I figured that it was about which city we’re moving to. So, what is the next city on the agenda anyway?”

Circus seemed to think about this for a moment, and then said slowly as he chose his words carefully.

“It’s a place that will take us to the top, if we can pull it off.”

“But, first we have to get through tonight without a hitch so let’s go!” Circus continued, then proceeded to push Ridge toward the opening in the tent.

“C..CIRCUS…WAIT!!!...”

“WELCOME EVERYPONY, TO THE MAGICAL LAND OF CIRCUS’S CIRCUS!!!”

The introduction Circus always gave to the crowd made Ridge roll his eyes at his friend.

‘show off ‘ he thought.

“NOW TO BEGIN OUR MAGICAL EVENING I GIVE YOU THE TIGHTROPE WALKING RIDGE THE UNICORN!!!”

The spotlight that was on the ground turned skyward toward the roof of the tent then settled on a yellow shape, Ridge was perched on a small platform that overlooked the main stage and all the ponies below. The platform currently was connected to a similar platform across the tent by a single half hoof width wide.

‘Alright your only one inch above the ground’

Slowly ridge stood up on two hooves and with delicate movements, put one hoof on the wire. He didn’t dare look down to the gasping crowd below, that would be certain doom.

‘One inch…one inch…one inch’ hoof after hoof Ridge painstakingly started his march across the wire.

‘One inch…one inch…one inch’ Ridge repeated this over and over in his head, forcing his brain to think it was true.

After what felt like several agonizing hours, Ridge felt his hooves connect with the other platform and looked down at his feet to be sure.

‘perfect’ he thought.

With a smile graced across his lips Ridge turned to the crowd and gave a celebratory bow to show that he was alright.

Everypony cheered toward him and Ridge felt his pride swell at all the hooves clapping for him.

“AND FOR OUR NEXT ACT WE HAVE MARTHA THE SNAKE CHARMER!!!”

Being this high up Ridge felt he was safe from the snakes should they decide to escape.

‘not that Martha would ever let them escape’ Ridge sat there high above the circus stage and watched all of the acts that night. After every pony performance Ridge would applaud their perfect performance.

Only after the circus was completed and only a few ponies were still milling about in the stands did Ridge decide to teleport down to the ground. In a bright amber flash Ridge appeared next to Circus who was gathering up his papers from the night of announcing everypony and their acts. With a startled yelp Ridge jumped into the air very nearly knocking over his stack of papers that sat precariously on the edge of his desk.

“D..Don’t do that Ridge!!! You know how I hate that!”

“HAHA! That’s exactly why I do it Circus. I love to see you jump.” Ridge then stuck his tongue at Circus who was glaring back at him.

“Just calm down Circus, I’m poking fun at you.”

Circus’s expression softened slightly at hearing his friend apologize.

“It’s fine Ridge, let’s just get everything wrapped up for tonight.”

“Ok…but before I go will you tell me what is the next town were going to.”

Circus’s face changed into one of thought before he said

“I want to tell everypony at once, so it’ll be more of a surprise.”

Ridge scrunched his nose in disappointment before he got an idea in his head. Suddenly Ridge jumped forward and grabbed the microphone Circus had used that night for his announcements, he then flipped the switch to power on the speakers and in a squeal of feedback he tapped on the end to make sure it was in fact on.

“Hey Everypony, Circus has a very important announcement he would like to make, Regarding our next venue that we will be performing at!”

Circus proceeded to wrestle the microphone from his grip and give him a death glare that made him think

‘I’m definitely going to pay for that’

As everypony present inside the tent stopped to turn and look at Circus, he announced

“As my friend Ridge here so gladly announced, I have spoken with a pony who is in charge of planning important and political recreational activities…”

With a final glance back toward Ridge, Circus turned back toward the ponies to finish his announcement.

“…We have been invited to perform for the princesses in a celebration located in Canterlot.”

Wild cheers and hoots were heard from all around the tent, all except two ponies were cheering and one of those ponies was about to lose his mind.

‘C..Canterlot…’ Ridge Thought.

His eyes had shrunk to the size of pinpricks.

‘N..No…no..no..noooooo….’

Suddenly Ridge felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“Ridge I was going to wait, so I could tell you in private.”

“C..Canterlot…” was all he could say.

“It’s going to be alright Ridge. Nothing is going to happen. I promise.” Circus tried to comfort his friend.

“C..C..Can’t…”

That was all Ridge could muster before the world around him went black and his snout decided to meet the floor of the tent.

“Well… that could have gone better…”

Curtain Call

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 7

Curtain Call

The steady sound of the train rolling over the tracks was music to Ridge’s ears as he relaxed on his bed. He knew he should be asleep, but for the same reason that had caused him to faint yesterday, sleep was eluding his mind. He decided that getting some fresh air would do him some good, so he got off his bed and trotted out the door of his room and headed down to the end of the boxcar. As he reached the end of the corridor, he used his magic to slide the door open to the crisp night air. The sight that greeted Ridge was a retreating field that seemed to stretch on forever, with a railroad track forked straight down the middle.

‘Why does it have to be Canterlot?’ Ridge thought.

As the country side rolled by at a lazy pace, Ridge rested his head against the railing marking the end of the train. He unfurled his wings out along his sides and let the wind slowly flow over them, relishing the feeling of his wings being able to expand and release the tension they had built up over the day.

“I just want to be done with all this.” Ridge said to the wind.

“You never could ask for help could you Ridge?” said a voice from above.

Shooting his head toward the sound of the voice, he discovered he was not alone outside of the train that night.

“If you’re so worried about the princesses finding out you’re an alicorn why didn’t you just tell somepony?”

Ridge studied this almost invisible pony, unable to tell who the familiar voice was.

Suddenly the wind picked up, and for a moment the bright neon green mane of his visitor whipped around into the moonlight.

“M..Martha?”

“Congratulations! You win the guessing game; now scoot over so I can come down from up here.” Ridge rapidly moved out of Martha’s way so she could fly down from the roof of the train.

“H-h-how?” Ridge was too dumbfounded to even think of a question to as her.

“How did I know you had wings?”

Ridge just nodded in response to her question.

“It doesn’t take a genius to notice feathers inside a unicorn’s bedroom.”

Ridge blushed at his true secret being found out.

“H..How l..long have you known?”

“Well…” Martha’s snout scrunched up in thought as she recalled just how long she had known.

“…I would have to say, I knew about your wings a little after a week after you joined the circus.”

Ridge’s jaw formed an 'O' shape as he came to realize Martha had known he was an alicorn for months.

“You didn’t say anything to me? Why?”

“I just figured it wasn’t my place to confront you about it.”

Ridge’s mind was in torment now, Martha had known he was an alicorn all along, he was currently headed toward the city that would spell out his doom, and he was no closer to finding out who T.S. the mystery mare was. He was just a moment away from just crushing under the pressure of all this when a hoof touched his chest.

“Ridge, I’ve been your friend for a while now, and I can see that a lot is on your mind right now. Please, just talk to me I can help.”

Ridge decided that there was only one way out of this situation, and he knew it was going to involve telling Martha everything.

“Martha?... Do you promise not to tell anypony, about anything that you saw or heard?”

“Ridge I’ve kept it a secret this long, I’m not going to change that now.”

“O-okay, it all started with the accident…”

And so Ridge told Martha everything he knew about what had happened to him from the beginning accident, to Ridge helping him and even Dusty Scrolls. Martha patiently sat there listening to him, occasionally asking a question here and there, and after Ridge had explained everything he went over to the side of the balcony and sat down leaning against the railing.

“I’m sorry Martha its..its…I shouldn’t have kept it from you for so long.” Ridge was on the verge of tears; he felt relieved that he was finally able to talk to somepony about his situation, but he didn’t want to involve anypony else in hiding his secret.

Martha hated seeing Ridge like this and so she trotted over and sat down beside him and draped one of her wings over Ridge’s back.

“Ridge you did the best you could for your situation, don’t blame yourself.” Martha was doing her best to comfort the pony.

“I-I don’t blame myself for anything Martha.” Ridge knew what he was about to say was the very core of his problems. “I’m just scared of knowing nothing and knowing I can’t do anything to understand this situation... I’m just scared, I’m just scared.”

All he could do now was sob, after months of hiding behind this façade and the pain of having nopony to truly confide in since his whole ordeal had started. For several long minutes he cried onto Martha’s shoulder, letting out all the pain and anguish that his body had to give. Only after his body had no more tears left to give did he raise his head to look into Martha’s green eyes.

“Thank you Martha, I just needed to let that out. It just has been building up for so long, I just don’t know what to do.”

Martha looked back into Ridge’s own eyes and calmly stated.

“You just needed a close friend to talk to, that’s all.”

Martha moved closer to Ridge and slightly rolled to the side so she was partially lying against him so the heat could be shared between the two, staving off the cool night air. For several hours they just lay there in each other’s company talking about whatever came to mind and ever so slowly began to appreciate each other for what they truly were, great friends. As Ridge noticed the landscape transform into a more mountainous region he knew their time together was almost up, and Martha also noticed their time was short for the sun was just starting to tint the sky a lighter shade of the dark.

“We should probably go inside, it’s getting pretty early.” Ridge said.

Martha felt a twinge of pain knowing that they would have to end this moment of closeness, but she also knew that what he said was the truth.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s walk back to your room together.”

As they left the air of the outdoors, they trotted their way back through the train in silence and all too soon came to stop at Ridge’s door. Slowly Ridge put a hoof under her chin, bringing her face up to eye level, and softly spoke,

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me tonight, you’re the closest thing to a best friend I could ask for.”

Martha moved her face closer to Ridge and wondered why she couldn’t look away.

“I-it’s no problem Ridge. Anytime you need help, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

Ridge was blushing knowing that he could count on Martha for anything, and that she was okay with what he was going through.

“I promise Martha, I will do exactly that if I ever need help again.”

Slowly their snouts came closer to each other, mere millimeters apart now.

“And Martha?”

“Yes, Ridge?”

“This is a special thank you, for being my friend.”

Quickly, Ridge moved his snout to the side and gave Martha a quick peck on the cheek causing her to flinch on instinct.

“Goodnight Martha.” And with that, Ridge turned around and retreated back into the darkness of his room. Martha just stood in silence, left to her own thought in the hallway. Slowly coming out of her stupor, she turned toward her room and began the long trot back to her bed.

“Goodnight…friend.”

She returned to her room, slowly opened the door, and stared into the lonely blackness that greeted her; and right before she closed her door for the last time, a lone tear fell from her face.

Canterlot in all its glory loomed in the distance, the train Ridge was aboard was a mere hour away from the regal city. Ridge sat atop the train watching the city loom in the distant, drawing closer with each passing moment. He knew he should be inside getting ready for the show tonight, but he couldn’t get his ponyself to move from his perch atop the train.

‘The Princesses will be there tonight. They will sense another alicorn from a mile away.’ Ridge thought.

He had absolutely no idea how he was going to hide himself in the presence of the princesses, let alone perform his routine across the tightrope. Even now he could just barely sense two powerful sources of magic in the direction of the city.

“Oh goddess what am I going to do.” He argued.

Thump.

“Huh?”

Thump, thump.

“What the buck is that?”

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

Ridge realized it was coming from below him inside his room, so in an amber flash he teleported to the inside of his room.

“Circus? Was that you doing all that banging?”

“YES! GUESSWHATIFOUNDINTHISBOOK!!!”

Circus yelled and then shoved a thick dusty book straight into Ridge’s face the moment he realized his friend was inside the train.

“I don’t know! Now calm down and get out of my personal space.” Ridge used his magic to gently push Circus backwards away from his snout.

“You know how the princesses can sense each other’s presence even though they can’t physically see each other?”

'Yea, that’s the whole reason I want to jump ship right now and run away.' Ridge thought to his ponyself.

“I guess.” He said to circus, wondering where he was going with this.

“Well I figured, after you fainted that one day, that I would do some reading on Alicorns my ponyself and I came across this…”

Circus then proceeded to open the book and pass it to Ridge with his telekinetic magic. As Ridge looked at the book he saw the page was on the how the Princesses could sense each other.

“It seems that their connections to the celestial bodies give off a certain magical ‘aura’ and because you don’t have a connection with anything like that, or so far as I know, your magic shouldn’t be as easy to spot.” Circus was beaming at his discovery of this trivial information; Ridge however was completely lost at how this could help him avoid the magical findings of the princesses.

“But, the princesses will still be able to sense my ‘aura’, so how does this help me?”

“Yes I thought of that, because your magic is weaker than theirs it should be easier to conceal by means of other magic. And

I also happen to have a book about changeling spells and how they transform into the ponies they replace, magical auras included.”

Ridge’s eyes widened at what his friend had said.

“You don’t mean…” Ridge tried to ask but Circus cut him off.

“No I don’t mean using the changeling spell, I mean using part of the spell. The part where they can conceal their own magical aura with the aura of the pony their replacing.” Circus said with a smile.

“Oh…” Ridge said in a sort of understanding kind of way.

“You don’t get it do you Ridge?” Circus asked.

“No, not really, can you just cut straight to the point please.” Circus nearly facehooved at how his friend wasn’t getting the importance of this information.

“The long story short is that you can enchant an item to use the modified changeling spell that I made, to conceal your own magical aura under a different aura. So the princesses won’t be able to find you...” Hopefully Ridge would finally understand why Circus was so excited at this information.

“You...You mean…”

Circus’s face turned into a grin as he realized that his friend had finally gotten why this was so important.

“Yes, Ridge you can hide right in plain sight, right under their snouts. But there’s one catch though, the item that you choose to enchant has to be worn at all times.”

“Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem let’s hurry up and do this before we get any closer to Canterlot.”

“Alright Ridge just calm down, no need to rush things, now I already had a small item picked out that you can use for the enchantment.”

“Okay, where is it?”

This is where Circus got his crazy mad pony smile that always made Ridge nervous.

'Buck'

Ridge thought, knowing nothing good came from that smile.

Screeeeeeeeee…., hissssssssss the trains wheels screamed as they came to stop at the central Canterlot train station. Steam billowed from underneath the platform, causing the doors of the train to be obscured from the sun for a moment. As the steam cleared, several ponies could be seen walking from within the bowels of the train. All the ponies marveled at the tall buildings and the grand architecture of the magnificent city. Ridge stepped through the steam and into the light of day, so he could finally get a look at the city everypony had practically been jumping for since they heard the news; the news that had caused him fear and anguish over the past few days, they were going to perform their circus for the princesses of Equestria. Ridge knew he should help the other performers unload the train, but first he wanted to look around the platform for any surprise ambushes from royal guards.

'Circus, if this doesn’t work I will personally end you.' He thought.

Now that Ridge had entered Canterlot he could easily pinpoint the magical energies of Celestia and Luna, Celestia was 50 meters to the north and about three stories up in the castle. She seemed to be moving from one room to another doing whatever sort of business she usually does during the day. Luna however was about the same distance away as her sister but she was in one of the castles uppermost floors and wasn’t moving, Ridge guessed that she was sleeping in preparation for the night and the circus. Tuning out both of their energies he turned his attention back to his saving grace, the item he and Circus had enchanted last night so he could walk through the streets without being found out. A small golden ring, this ring placed at the base of his horn would have matched his coat perfectly if it wasn’t for the luminescent quality it gave off in the sun.

“RIDGE!!!! GET YOUR LAZY PONY BUTT OVER HERE!!!” Yelled Circus from across the platform.

Ridge knew that arguing with Circus now wouldn’t be worth his weight in bits, considering he had just gave him one of the best gifts he could’ve asked for.

“ALRIGHT CIRCUS!!! I’M COMING!!”

Ridge left his thoughts to drift with the wind and went back to help with the unloading of the train.

“Did you get everything from your room Circus?” Ridge asked.

“Yes, now quit asking me that.”

Currently both of them were leaving the room the royal guard had assigned them while they were staying inside the castle, Ridge had objected this notion at first but after a talk with Circus saying that it was perfectly safe he had relented. Ridge was planning on taking the back route toward the common area where they were going to finish setting up the tent and main stage, but Circus had talked Ridge into going a more direct route that wouldn’t take as long.

“I swear Ridge you are on pins and needles, nothing is going to happen to you, just be yourself.” Circus was growing tired of Ridge doing absolutely everything he could to stall them from getting downstairs quickly.

“I’m just being cautious; I don’t want to get ourselves in trouble with the guard.” Ridge said trying to defend his ponyself.

“By sneaking around the castle!? Or how about lurking around like you hoof-napped a jewel? Loosen up Ridge, with that ring I can guarantee you’re in no danger.”

“I…just careful?” Ridge was losing his composure.

“Walk around like you just got a job performing for the princesses, be a stallion about it.”

“You sure?” Ridge asked.

“Buck yeah! Come on we got a circus to prepare for.”

“Alright! Circus we can do this! We got this in the bag.” Ridge beamed.

Ridge felt better about the upcoming performance now that he had that little pep talk, and so they trotted down the corridor toward the stairs that would lead them to the main stage.

As they came out of the exit that marked the last flight of stairs Ridge froze in place at what feeling had washed over him. Circus didn’t see Ridge stop and got about two pony lengths ahead of him before he noticed that his friend had stopped.

“Everything alright?”

“Hallway….look left..”

Circus turned toward the hallway that Ridge was talking about and heard several voices talking, along with hooves that indicated several ponies were coming. One voice in particular came through that Circus knew immediately.

'Celestia'

The thought flashed through Circus’s mind and within the same instant he ran next to Ridge and whispered into his ear.

“Be a stallion…”

As her majesty her ponyself came around the corner, Ridge and Circus bowed in respect to her.

“Hello my little ponies, how are you this fine afternoon?” Celestia asked.

“Just fine your majesty, were just getting the final preparations done.” Circus said, knowing Ridge would be unable to respond.

“Excellent, may I trust that your group will be ready by tonight Mr. Ringer?”

“Yes, Princess we will all be ready, and we will not disappoint you in the least!” Ridge boasted.

Circus was shocked that Ridge was being calm and actually excited about talking with the princess.

“Oh, Is that so? Well I certainly am looking forward to tonight now. What is your name now Mr.?” asked the princess.

“My name is Ridge Mountain ma’am.” Ridge calmly stated.

“Well Mr. Ridge, I certainly applaud your enthusiasm; now if you will excuse me I must get my sister for tonight. Good day Gentlecolts.” After the princess had turned the corner at the end of the hallway, Circus walked up to Ridge and asked,

“How...?”

“Simple Circus, it’s like you said…”

Ridge trotted forward a little ways then turned back over his shoulder to look back at his friend.

“….Got to be a stallion.”

Ridge then ran off toward the main stage leaving Circus to just sit there confused as to how his friend just calmly talked to the princess like that.

Ridge peeked through the curtain separating the main stage and the back stage area.

'Full house tonight' he thought.

Ridge saw that the workers had set up Circus’s announcing stage below one of the main tent poles where he was supposed to begin his tight roping act. Ridge left the curtain and trotted a short distance to where Circus was getting everypony ready.

“Hey Circus, what is with the announcing booth? Why is it underneath the main pole?”

Circus turned away from the gaggle of ponies and leaned closer to Ridge’s ear so he could be heard above the noise.

“They needed all the seating space they could get. It was the best location they could put it. Why do you ask? It’s not in your way is it?”

“No it’s not, I always teleport to the landing. I was just curious is all. Okay, see you after the show get everypony in their place it’s about to start.”

Ridge left Circus to deal with his own devices, and he was about to trot outside onto the stage before he heard someone call for him.

“RIDGE!!!”

He turned around in time to see a brown blur tackle him to the ground.

“GACK!! Martha what are you doing!”

“Just wishing you good luck. Now be sure to break a hoof out there. From here on out we all are going straight to the top.” Martha jumped up and sat silently waiting for Ridge to respond.

“Geez Martha if you wanted to get my attention you could have just asked.”

“Yea…true. But Ridge where’s the fun in that.” Martha said.

“Alright, alright I get your point, thanks for he wishes. And good luck to you too.”

Ridge handed his hoof out to Martha, but she grabbed it and pulled Ridge into a rib crushing hug.

“Ack!…Matha!…can’t!…breathe!…saddle is crushing me…”

After Martha let go of Ridge she sat back and had a slight blush on her face.

“Hehe.. sorry Ridge. I forgot about the saddle on your back, anyway good luck.”

After Martha said that, she ran off back toward the box of snakes that she was supposed to be getting ready.

'Geez, what’s with her lately'. He thought. Ridge figured he could ponder the greater mysteries of her mind later, he had to get outside now the show was starting.

He turned toward the curtain, and with one last calming breath stepped through it and into the crowded tent. As Ridge looked at Circus’s stand he saw that he was about to announce him early so he wouldn’t have time to teleport up to the pole before he started talking, so he decided to wing it tonight and start from ground level for a change.

“WELCOME EVERYPONY, TO THE MAGICAL LAND OF CIRCUS’S CIRCUS!!!”

'Still a show off', he thought quickly.

“NOW TO BEGIN OUR MAGICAL EVENING I GIVE YOU THE TIGHTROPE WALKING RIDGE THE UNICORN!!!”

The spotlight pony faltered this time expecting him to already be on his pole, but quickly recovered seeing Ridge was on the ground.

'Alright let’s do this'

Ridge reared up on his hooves and gave a slow and purposeful bow. Ridge was rewarded with a round of applause that boosted his confidence. In a flash of amber Ridge teleported to his perch atop the high pole, the spotlight quickly found him and he basked in its warmth.

‘Alright let’s do this perfectly.’

Ridge put his first hoof first onto the wire and began the saying he used every time he began his act.

‘Alright your only one inch above the ground’

With precise and controlled movements Ridge began the painstakingly slow trot across the taught wire.

‘One inch…one inch…one inch’

Ridge had reached the halfway mark when for some unknown reason his mind decided to glance toward the stands, as he glanced toward the sea of ponies he saw everypony staring up at him with bated breath. As he looked to his left he could instantly find where the princesses were sitting Luna was sitting on her throne to the left, to her right on her own throne sat Celestia. Ridge was about to look away from the princesses when a flash of purple caused him to do a double take towards the princesses, sitting to the right of Celestia leaning against her side sat a mare with a purple coat and a mane that had a single pink stripe through it.

“T.S.”

This one thought was all that Ridge’s mind could think of, he had finally found her after all this time of searching, he had finally found the one and possible connection to his former life. As his mind worked in slow motion, his body betrayed him and it started moving forward of its own accord. The next step his hoof took without concentrating it landed on the wire a fraction of a hoof too far to the left, and it slipped.

The entire audience gasped.

Falling… he started falling toward the ground but before he could tumble past the wire he caught his ponyself by the waist.

‘BUCK,BUCK,BUCK,BUCK.’

‘Why did I look away, why couldn’t I just keep my stupid eyes closed.’ Ridge pleaded.

He knew there was only one way out of this situation he would have to fly down if he wanted to save himself. He quickly moved one hoof to remove the saddle that was tied around his body, but before he could fully undo it he realized that the buckle was the one item holding his body on the wire.

Quick and fast was what needed to be done he surmised.

So he pulled the saddle free and sent it down toward the earth, but this also caused his body to start its decent as well. He saw the wire sail past his face, and as it did so it caught in the crook between his forehead and his horn. The momentum of his body caused the wire to grasp the ring and pull it up and over the apex of his horn and head.

Somepony screamed in the audience.

Momentarily panicking his hooves found their way to the knot that held the magic cloth in place, moving with ludicrous speed he managed to unwind the knot enough to where the cloth started to flap open. His time was up, only several ponies high from the ground Ridge sprang his wings out in desperation trying to avoid killing his ponyself on the ground. His left wing opened fully and it seemed that he was going to be able to pull out of the fall, but the blanket held his right wing partially closed. With only one wing fully open, it caught the air and caused his body to begin a tumble roll toward the ground.

As his body collided with the earth he hit at an angle causing his ponyself to start rolling over, and as his body tumbled he winced in pain as his wings were folded back at weird angels. After tumbling side over side for what felt like eternity he felt himself come to rest against one of the walls that separated the circles inside the ring. He knew he was still alive because his wings were on fire and his body was being pumped full of adrenaline. That’s when he felt the stares, he immediately jumped up to his hooves and darted his gaze back toward the crowd and immediately regretted it. Everypony was stunned silent; his gaze came to rest on the two princesses one of which had the look of utter shock shared by almost every pony in the tent. But Celestia didn’t, she had this small knowing smile across her face.

Ridge didn’t care anymore, all he could thank of right now was his secret was out, and he had to get away.

“Buck.” Was his response.

And then he ran for the exit.

Crash Landing

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 8

Crash Landing

Ridge was blindly running around corridors, a sudden left here a right there; he had no idea where he was going.

‘Have to get away…have to…have to.’

Ridge was well past the point of panicking now; he didn’t care if anyone saw him now most of Canterlot had seen him earlier. As he turned one particular corner Ridge spotted two guard ponies facing the opposite direction and he immediately froze in his hooves.

‘Hide’ he thought quickly.

He snapped his head left and right looking for anything at all that could help him, seeing a door on his left he quickly yanked it open and jumped inside the dark space beyond. Ridge quickly flipped on the light switch inside the room he was in and he found out he had ran straight into the main castle library.

“Well there are definitely worse places to hide.” Ridge said to his ponyself.

Now that he had a moment to think to his ponyself he began to calm down and think of ways he could get out of the castle unnoticed. He trotted past several rows of bookshelves to indeed find he was alone inside the library. Ridge wondered if he had enough time, he could find a book with the same aura hiding spell that he and Circus had used to enchant the ring the other night. Quickly running back and forth through several rows of books, Ridge had grabbed anything that he thought would help him find an answer to recreating the spell. He levitated all of the books he had found in his amber magic and squirreled his way over to a faraway corner inside the large library.

After what seemed like hours to Ridge but only had been a few minutes he had finally found the spell Circus had modified. All he had left to do was enchant any item with the spell and he would be able to sneak away from the castle.

“What can I use with this?” He asked to his ponyself.

Ridge started looking around the library for something that he could easily carry around on his body without it being obvious but there was absolutely nothing small enough that he could use with this spell.

“Oh no,no,no,no. There has to be something that will work!” He said his panic starting to rise.

Ridge decided that he would just have to use table cloth that was currently buried by his stack of books, so he ran back to his chair and lifted all the books up and away from the table in a flurry of magic. He sat in front of the table cloth and looked at the fabric hoping it could be the answer to his prayers right now.

“Well let’s just try it.”

Ridge gave one last glance around the library and then slowly lit up his horn with his magic. An amber field slowly covered the cloth and it slowly began to levitate away from the table. After a second of floating in his magic field the cloth finally settled back down to the table and with it a slight purple glow.

“YES!!! IT WORKED, I FINALLY FOUND SONETHING I CAN USE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!” Ridge positively exploded at having completed the spell.

“You could have just used this again you know.” He heard from behind him.

Ridge froze as a small golden ring came down from above him and as it bounced on the table it made a ring that would haunt his ears for all eternity. Ridge’s mind went utterly blank as he knew this was the end for him, his life was over. As the ring came to a stop in the middle of the table he turned around behind him and saw the face of the one person he did not want to see.

“C..Celestia..” Was all he could muster.

She just stood there in all her royal form, her sparkling mane ever blowing in a non-existent wind, her golden crown framed behind her long white horn, and her calm face just staring at Ridge.

“Anything you want to talk to me about Mr. Ridge?” She said in her calmest and most soothing voice.

“I..I..I..”

Ridge was lost his body just couldn’t think, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t do anything at all. After several minutes of just staring at the princess Ridge just collapse out of the seat and onto the …floor and curled into the fetal position and just began sobbing to his hooves.

“I…I’m sorry…Princess…Didn’t know….How….No…sorry…don’t hurt me”

Celestia’s face saddened at this and she slowly trotted over to the mess of a pony that was lying on the floor, she lay down beside him and draped one of her mighty wings over his back to assure him that he was in no danger.

“I would never hurt anypony, why would you believe that you would deserve something as horrible as that.” She said.

After Ridge had heard the reassuring words of Celestia, he began to calm down enough to where he could talk to her.

“B..But, I.. I have wings, t..that’s not supposed to happen.” He meekly stated.

“Yes I suppose that you having wings isn’t normal… but that is no reason to be upset this bad, Now is it?” Celestia said.

“N..No I guess not, but I thought you would have been mad at me for this.” Ridge Said.

“No my pony, there is no reason for me to be angry at something you couldn’t control now is it?

“No I guess n..not” Ridge said seeing that he should have just asked for help in the first place.

“But, I believe that this is not the whole truth, now is it?” celestia said raising an eyebrow.

“I…I…I guess I’m just….scared”

“Do what Ridge?”

“I said I’m just….Scared…is all.” Ridge said looking away from the princess’s face.

Celestia took her hoof and pulled Ridge’s face back in front of hers so she could look into his eyes as she spoke.

“My Little Pony, take my word for it and all it is worth, you shouldn’t be scared I promise to help you with this, ahem, situation any way I possibly can. Between me and my student’s help we can figure out what happened with your accident.”

“Student?...”

“Yes, my student, she is probably the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, if she can’t help you I doubt anypony can.” Stated celestia feeling a swell of pride in her chest thinking of her prodigy of a student.

“Well she sounds like a smart mare, what’s her name?” Ridge asked.

“Her name is Twilight Sparkle. Why do you ask?” Celestia asked puzzled.

Ridge’s mind came crashing to a halt wondering if such a coincidence could be possible.

“Tell me princess, is this her?”

Ridge reached around his neck and pulled the necklace up and over his head. As he opened the locket open he passed it to celestia who picked it up in her telekinetic magic, and brought it to her face.

“Yes this is her, may I ask how you came to possess this locket?” Celestia asked Ridge with a knowing smile.

“I found it in the same place as my accident, and since I can’t remember anything I figured if I could find her I could have some answers as to why I lost my memory. Plus find out how to fix this…” Ridge lifted his wings up for a moment for emphasis.

“I see…well why don’t you give me a moment to go get her, so you can meet her?” She asked.

Ridge froze at hearing this, and as she stood up she began trotting toward the exit but before she could walk out of the room Ridge had a question pop into his head he wanted to ask.

“Hey!” he yelled across the library to the princess before she could leave.

“Yes, what is it?” she asked turning back toward Ridge.

“You said I had an accident Right?”

“Yes…?”

“How did you know I had an accident before I told you?” Ridge asked.

Celestia’s eye twitched. After a moment to think about her answer she calmly stated

“Your Aura. When I first sensed it as you were falling your memories flashed in my mind’s eye, and I knew all you needed was help.” She said giving a genuine smile to comfort Ridge’s worries.

“Oh? I didn’t know that could happen?” he said surprised.

“Yes, now that you’re an alicorn you can sense these things too. After we get this sorted out if you want to stay this way I can teach you.” She asked with a serious tone that made a shiver run down Ridge’s spine.

“Trust me, after we sort this out I would prefer to go back to my old life.”

Celestia nodded and turned toward the main door of the library. After she had shut the door she muttered under her breath

“We shall see young one…”

As she closed the door to the library she turned around to see her sister come from a corner bathed in shadows, Luna trotted up to her sister with a smirk on her face.

“Thou ist the worst lair in all of Equestria Sister.”

Celestia glared at her sister, and after giving her a raspberry said

“Well I don’t want him finding out my plan for him yet now do I? Let’s just introduce Twilight to him, If I know her as well as I think I do she will view this as some sort of test. If experience has taught me anything as ruler of this country, these two will get along perfectly.”

“Very well, thou just needs to be careful with matters such as these.” Luna said following her sister down the hall.

“Yes…I know the consequences of failure in these situations.”

Celestia glanced out toward the main garden where she could see Discord sitting on a cotton candy cloud. She felt a pang of regret through her heart and picked up her pace down the hall.

Half Past Twilight

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 9

Half Past Twilight

“But Princessssss…pppplllleeeaaassseee tell me.” Twilight groaned.

“I’m sorry my student but this matter has to be discussed with all parties present. Now please wait until we get to the library.” Celestia said.

“Okay, but I still don’t understand why you can’t at least give me a hint as to what happened at the Circus. All of my friends are wanting to know about it.” Twilight begged.

Celestia rolled her eyes at her student's response; she always had resorted to begging whenever she had been denied information.

“Patience my student all will be revealed soon enough. Now what I have to tell you will not, and I emphasize NOT, be told to anypony else okay?” celestia asked.

“Y..Yes princess I Promise”

As they turned down the final corridor in front of the library celestia let a smile come across her face knowing full well that twilight would not keep that promise.

“Now twilight, this pony has been through a lot these past few months I want you to be nice to him, He is one of the most nervous ponies you could meet. But I think he will warm up to you eventually though twilight.”

They both stopped in front of a large wooden door that marked the entrance to the library, but before the princess had a chance to open the door twilight spoke up.

“Tell me princess, if I may ask, what happened to this pony? If what everypony saw out there was true, what would give a unicorn wings like that?”

Celestia sighed at hearing those words; she knew twilight would keep asking her questions until she got an answer. So before she opened the door she turned around to face twilight.

“Twilight, from what I can sense about this pony, he isn’t just a unicorn with wings, I believe that he is a true Alicorn.” Celestia said.

“B..But princess how can that be? Nopony has ever just became an Alicorn before.” She said with wide eyes.

“That is why you’re here my dear…” Celestia said and then turned around and opened the door to the library.

Ridge was sitting at the same table he had been sitting at for the past hour or so, he had lost all concept of time at this point. Her name was Twilight, and right now this purple mare occupied nearly all of his brain; who she was, what kind of pony she was, how she knew the princess, and how was she involved with his accident. He knew that he should just wait for the princess to return and he could ask her his ponyself but his mind would not leave him alone.

‘I just want everything to go back to normal’ he thought.

Ridge had no idea what constituted normal anymore, for all he knew this was his new normal and it scared him a little bit. Deciding that arguing with his brain was getting him nowhere Ridge decided to go back to the table he was at earlier and put the table cloth back in its original spot, but before he could lift the cloth off the table he saw a small circle of gold sitting on top of it.

“no way…” he gasped.

Lifting the ring up in a golden glow of magic Ridge thought about just going with his gut, putting it on and starting over again a new town, new friends he could even get a new saddle here in Canterlot. He thought about all the ponies he had come to know Circus, Martha, all the ponies from the circus, and even Dusty to an extent how his decision to run would affect him. Even if he was to run where could he go? A small town to live his days out as a coward, or would he stallion up and try to face his fears. As his mind did a double take on itself he began to wonder

‘what do I fear?’

For several agonizing moments Ridge sat there silently in thought, but try as he might his mind could only come up with only one answer to why he was even considering running away.

“Twilight Sparkle” he said to the floating ring.

Ridge pulled the locket from around his neck and brought it up to hover next to the ring. When he opened the locket with his magic he was greeted with the sight of the mare that was currently causing his so much duress, and he knew this was going to be no easy task.

"One or the other, which will it be Ridge." he said giving his ponyself an ultimatum.

Ridge stared between the two objects for what seemed like hours, and slowly thought about what each object would cause if he chose it. After finally making his choice Ridge silently sighed and closed the locket, then slowly lowered it back down around his neck where it belonged. Ridge then looked back up to where the ring was still silently floating in his telekinetic grasp. With one final encouragement from his mind that this was the right choice he began to push more magic into his horn. As the aura of magic surrounding the ring began to glow brighter, Ridge knew this was going to be harder than he thought. Putting a significant amount of his available energy toward the ring there was a small sharp sound that resounded around the library, he knew he was almost there. With one final push of his magic the ring was torn apart with a bright flash of released energy, after letting the two pieces fell back to the table he trotted up closer to be sure that he had done the job right. As he looked down at the now broken ring he saw that the small purple hue that indicated an enchantment was at work, began to fade away until all that was left was two half-moons of gold.

‘gone for good now…’

Now that he had made his decision he knew there was only one option left, and from what he could sense there were coming down the corridor now.

“I am doing the right thing aren’t I?”

Ridge quickly cleaned up all of the mess he had made from earlier and slowly trotted his way over to a table that was as far away from the door as he could possibly get, and as he took his seat he heard the door squeak open letting anypony know that someone was coming in. Before he was able to see whoever was coming in he heard a slight shuffle coming from directly above his head, quickly glancing upward he saw the fleeting shadow of something blue winking out of existence.

‘He ist all yours my dear sister’ Celestia heard inside her mind.

After hearing Luna’s confirmation that Ridge hadn’t left the library while she was gone, she and twilight trotted past the threshold and into the library.

“where is he?” asked twilight, not immediately seeing Ridge.

“He is toward the back of the library twilight. Shall we go introduce ourselves, hmm?” celestia asked.

Ridge had seen the pair make their way into the library. They both slowly and deliberately took their time making the journey to his table, to say that he was nervous would have been a great understatement. The only sounds he could make out was his heartbeat hammering in his ears and the slow clop of hooves on marble. As the trio came together, separated by a table, Ridge was unable to look away from the deep purple eyes of the mare in front of him. Only after few awkward seconds of silence, spared by the calm breathing from celestia she broke the ice.

“Hello Ridge I would like to introduce you to my personal student, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia said motioning with her wing toward twilight.

“H..Hello, Miss Twilight.” Ridge said nervously.

“H..Hi..Um.. what’s your name?…I..If you don’t mind me asking that is.” Twilight stammered.

“M..my name’s Ridge…Miss”

“You can just call me twilight, you don’t have to be so formal” she said trying to hide her blushing face.

“O..Okay twilight.” Ridge said his face mirroring twilight’s.

Realizing that this was going nowhere fast celestia inwardly facehooved and decided to intervene for both of their sakes.

“Well now that introductions are out of the way, why don’t we get down to the real reason why you’re here twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and her face instantly snapped toward the princess.

“I think you should be the one to help Ridge figure out how he turned into an alicorn, and do whatever you can to change him back into a normal pony.” She calmly stated.

Twilight’s jaw dropped when she heard the princess’s request, she didn’t know the first thing when it came to Alicorns or their magic.

“B..But Princess how can I do that!? You’re the person that should be doing this not me; you have much more experience with anything related to Alicorns than I do. What makes you think I can do a better job at this than you?” Twilight said flabbergasted.

“Because I am giving you more responsibility with this test, and it will also teach you alicorn magic that I myself don’t have time to teach you with all this new business in day court. Plus look as this as an opportunity to learn about friendships between the two of you.”

Twilight’s face softened at hearing her mentors words, she knew that the words she had spoken were true. Plus the prospect of learning something about a subject she had almost no idea of gave her a sense of excitement.

“I guess your right princess, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin with all this.”

Celestia moved around to the side of twilight and draped one of her wings over her back, and with her other wing she motioned to all of the bookshelves inside the library.

“This whole library is filled with thousands of books twilight, I’m sure that you can find what you need here.”

All of a sudden the door to the library burst open and one of the royal guard soldiers jumped in loudly.

“Princess the matter that you wanted me to warn you about is here!” he said loudly, then saluted the group present.

Celestia’s brow furrowed in frustration.

“Thank you guard, give us a moment. I will join you in the hallway in a moment.”

Turning back toward twilight and Ridge she looked between the pair and sighed.

“I’m sorry twilight but I have to deal with this matter. Will you two be fine by yourselves for a while?”

Twilight and Ridge shared an uneasy glance between themselves. But Ridge was the first to speak

“Yea princess I think we will be fine. Go ahead and deal with whatever it is that came up, me and twilight will get started with the research.”

Satisfied with his answer the sun goddess began to make her way toward the exit, but before she could leave a smirk graced across her lips and she thought to herself

‘Maybe this will work out after all’

As she left the library she closed the door behind herself sealing the purple unicorn and the yellow Alicorn together in the room.

“Right! Where do you want to start?” Beamed Ridge.

“Uhh? I guess we could start with the A’s?” Twilight said curiously to Ridge and his suddenly good mood.

And with that the pair began to make their way toward the back of the library.

Celestia stood outside the door listening to the two ponies conversing inside the library, as she had her head leaned against the door she was unable to hear her sister sneaking up behind her.

“SISTER! WHAT IST THO DOING!!!”

If Celestia could have jumped any higher she would have jumped through the ceiling.

“LUNA! Don’t do that to me you know I hate that!” she scolded.

“Ha. But tis better to see you jump like a filly.” Luna laughed.

Celestia rolled her eyes at her sisters antics.

“If you are quite done with that I must deal with an urgent matter that the guard has brought to me.

Luna’s face contorted into one of fear upon hearing that.

“WHAT! I..Is it discord again? Did King Sombra return, Griffon attack? Changelings!?”

“Calm my dear sister, it is nothing like that.”

Celestia calmly made her way over to the guard who had stormed into the library earlier. He currently was holding a small metal tray with a dome on top. She came to a stop in front of the guard and sat down on her haunches and gave a small nod to him to remove the dome.

“CAKE!!!” yelled Luna.

“Thou Got me worried to death over cake!?”

“Why yes Luna.”

Celestia then lifted the small pastry in her magic and brought it closer to her face.

“But this cake is special, it is made by pinkie pie. And you know how well she can make a cake.”

Celestia then proceed to put the entire cake into her mouth in one bite.

“Goif, you foulh try ut.” She said spitting cake in Luna’s direction.

“Gah, manners my dear sister, you have none.” Luna said and turned her nose in the air.

Celestia swallowed the cake in her mouth and after wiping her mouth with a napkin that appeared and disappeared into thin air.

“Anyway, did you talk to the two ponies from the circus?”

“Yes Tia I did, Thou musn’t worry they are waiting in thine royal throne room.” Luna said proudly.

“Good, thank you Luna, let’s go talk to them shall we.”

“But sister, what about thine student, twilight?”

“She’ll be fine, she has Ridge and books to keep her company. And if I know her like I do she won’t leave that library unless she’s forced.”

“Alright then, lead the way Tia.” Luna said using her wing in a sweeping motion allowing her sister to go first.

And with their conversation over both the sisters trotted down the hall toward the throne room.

Dawn Of A New Day

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 10

Dawn Of A New Day

“Anything twilight?”

“No, nothing in the M’s. You find anything?”

“Nothing we don’t already know. I’m getting tired, do you want to take a break and finish looking tomorrow?”

“No…let’s try and finish this tonight, come over here and help me look over this bookcase.”

Ridge slowly got up from the table he was currently sitting at and began to stretch out his sore limbs. The pair had been searching the library for most of the day; yet they were no closer to finding out how to change Ridge back to normal. As Ridge began to trot his way over to the bookcase twilight had indicated he noticed the state of the mare in question. Her mane was a disheveled mess, her eyes were bloodshot and she was starting to get careless with her sorting method. As Ridge came up next to twilight he just barely managed to avoid a book that was encased inside a purple glow from hitting him in the face.

“GAH! Twilight you’re doing it again, you need to take a break. It doesn’t do us any good to try and look through these books when you’re too tired to even look at them closely.”

“I am not too tired; now help me get these books down.”

“Twilight, your just throwing books around you’re not reading them. If you can tell me the title of the last book you looked at I will leave you alone, Okay?”

Ridge stared up at her purple eyes as she looked back into Ridge’s own green eyes. She held his gaze for only a moment before sighing and realizing he was right.

“Alright Ridge you win, let me just come down from here. I guess we can finish tomorrow, it is getting late.” Twilight said dejected.

Ridge rolled his eyes at her little pouting mood; he knew she was just sad because she had to leave the library.

“That’s the spirit twilight, now let’s get out of this dusty library and find the princess.” Ridge said with mock enthusiasm.

“Yea, whatever.” She said rolling her eyes.

As Twilight came down the ladder she decided to turn her attention to Ridge while he was walking toward her and while she was distracted her back hoof slipped off the final rung and she began to fall toward the ground. Ridge quickly grabbed her side before she hit the floor and he helped her get steady on her hooves before looking at her with a concerned face.

“hehe.., I guess I’m more tired than I thought, maybe we should call it a day.” Twilight said turning her blushing face away.

After twilight’s incident they both started toward the door to the library, but before they could get there Ridge stopped and looked at the door. Twilight kept trotting for a little ways before she noticed Ridge had stopped, confused she turned back toward him and asked

“Why did you stop?”

“There’s someone behind the door, I don’t know who it is but I can sense them there watching us. Stay here for a second; I’m going to see who it is spying on us.”

Ridge slowly went over to the door and after looking back at twilight to make sure she was where he had left her. He quietly leaned his ear to the door and made sure everything was quiet on the other side. He turned back to twilight and with a devious smile began to count down.

“three…two…ONE!!!”

He quickly yanked the door open to reveal a very surprised pink mare who loudly gasped and then proceeded to fall flat on the floor right in front of his hooves.

“AH!” The pony quickly said back peddling into the hallway.

“Well…Hello, who are you?” Ridge asked the flustered mare.

“Cadence!!!” Came a loud voice from behind him.

In a flash Ridge saw a purple blur rocket past him and tackle this new pony to the ground in a rib crushing hug.

“Uhh…I take it you know her?” Ridge asked confused as to what just happened.

After twilight and Cadence separated from each other Ridge saw them do one of the weirdest secret hoof-shakes he had seen, not that he could remember any anyway.

“How’s my favorite sister-in-law doing?” Cadence asked twilight.

“Just fine, how are you doing Cadence?”

“Splendid, all the ponies in the crystal empire are being a bit fussy after a thousand years of banishment, but they are adjusting well.”

“Hello…Invisible over here!” Ridge said waving his legs in the air.

Both of the mares turned to look at him and both began to blush as they forgot about him.

“Uh…s..sorry Ridge, Cadence I would like you to meet Ridge Mountain. Ridge I would like to introduce you to princess Cadence.”

“P…Princess?”

“Yes, Ridge I am a princess. Or would you like to think of me as just another Alicorn?”

“Uh… H..How about Cadence?” Ridge said embarrassed.

“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, why don’t we go find Celestia? She’s probably in the dining hall right now getting ready for dinner.” Twilight said and began pushing both the ponies down the hall.

“Twilight!?...Wait!?” Ridge tried to protest, but his argument was stopped by his stomach by the guttural growl that it gave at the mention of food.

“I rest my case; now come on you two we can all get to know each other on the way.” Twilight stopped shoving Ridge as he began to trot down the hall.

Before Ridge had gone barely a hoof’s step he thought of a question.

“Sister-in-law? How Is that?”

“Oh…my brother is her husband.” Twilight said matter of factly.

“….” Ridge just stared back to the princess.

“So…Your brother is an alicorn also?”

“No..no..no he’s just a unicorn, but he is just captain of the guard is all.” Twilight said.

“ Captain of the guard…?”

“Yes, it’s something he’s wanted to do ever since he was just a baby colt.” Twilight said proudly.

“Yes, I remember all of those play fights you two used to have whenever I was foal sitting you twilight. He was so proud of that plastic sword.” Cadence said to twilight recalling one of the famous magic play fights the two had gotten into.

Ridge was trying to solve all this new information he had been given. Twilight’s brother, who was captain of the entire castle guard, was married to Cadence. Cadence was an Alicorn princess to a place called the Crystal Empire, and she used to be twilights foal sitter when she was young.

“I guess it’s a small world.” Ridge whispered to his ponyself.

“Do what Ridge?” Cadence asked.

Caught off guard Ridge fumbled with a response.

“Uh…what I asked was. Why were you sneaking behind the library door? I..If you don’t mind me asking that is.

Realizing that she had been caught the princess blushed and stammered for an answer.

“Uh..I..I had heard their was a new Alicorn in the castle and I was curious as to who it was.”

“Oh, well apparently word travels fast around here. But don’t worry as soon as me and twilight figure out how I became an Alicorn and how we can fix it I won’t be a bother to anyone else. I can go back to my normal life.”

Cadence quickly formed a frown on her face, but before either twilight or Ridge could notice she turned it into a soft smile.

‘Oh… I really thought I sensed something between you two earlier.’ She quickly thought to herself before deciding to talk to Celestia and Luna about it later.

“Well good luck to you Ridge. Now let’s hurry I’m starving.”

The rest of the trip to the Dining hall was filled with the three ponies learning new things about each other. The fact that twilight had an assistant surprised Ridge, yet the reason he wasn’t here with her in Canterlot made even less sense. He was too young to come here, but was old enough to be trusted alone bothered Ridge to no end. Ridge learned a great many things about twilight on that small trot, she was part of the elements of harmony, had lived in Canterlot when she was a filly, and even somehow rescued Luna from Nightmare moon. She even lived in a small town not far from here called Ponyville, that sounded familiar, but Ridge couldn’t place the town.

“So bbbff?” Ridge asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yea, Big Brother Best Friend Forever.” Twilight beamed.

“Wow, I’ve heard of close families, but that is crazy.”

Twilight again stuck her tongue at Ridge, which he quickly returned to her. The halls of the castle seemed to go on forever before finally Ridge was greeted with what he would call a giant space for a Dining Hall.

“Wow, this place is huge…” Ridge said Dumbstruck at just how big the space was.

“Yes, it is Ridge now come you two the head table waits for nopony.” Cadence said and quickly headed for the front of the room.

“Are you two sure you’re okay with this?” Celestia asked Circus and Martha.

“…A..Are you sure he will be happy here Princess?” Martha said looking down at the floor.

“Martha you have nothing to worry about, as long as he stays here in the castle all of his needs will be meet by the staff. All we want to do is get him back to his old self, and with the help of my student we will have that done in no time.”

Celestia hadn’t looked forward to this conversation; she knew they both would be upset about Ridge having to stay at the castle. But she couldn’t have risked an Alicorn roaming the streets by himself, it was just too much of a liability.

“You do understand why I can’t just allow Ridge to be out in the general public by his ponyself?” Celestia asked.

“But, what if he just uses his disguise again? Won’t that solve the problem, I mean if no one can see him with wings doesn’t that mean that he can stay in the circus?” Martha pleaded.

“Martha, Please…” Circus calmly asked.

Martha realized her pleading was pointless; Ridge was going to be staying here while they went on with the circus whether she liked it or not.

“Look Martha I know that you two were good friends but…”

“NO!... Circus you don’t understand he was the closest thing to a best friend I had. I don’t want him to stay here.” Martha yelled.

As soon as she had yelled those words she knew instantly that they were selfish and she broke down on the cold marble floor and began to sob.

Circus sighed and gentle sat his ponyself down next to her and draped a hoof over her shoulder to comfort her.

“Shhh…It’ll be alright Martha. No need to mess up that pretty face of yours with those ugly tears.”

“…Y..You think I’m what?” She said with wide eyes.

“Martha I think you’re very pretty…no I think you’re very beautiful, and I promise you that it will all work out just fine.” Ridge said quietly then placed a small kiss on top of her forehead.

Martha turned her head to try and hide the bright blush she had on her face.

“T..Thank you Circus.”

Celestia who had been watching quietly with a smile on her face chose to join in to the conversation again.

“Well I can see that you two are comfortable with this situation now. Will you two join us for dinner in the Dining hall? Afterwards you two can say your goodbyes to Ridge.”

Martha’s smile faded slightly but with Circus beside her she knew it wasn’t her place to get angry again.

“Yes, that would be lovely Princess we look forward to it. We just need to quickly visit the garden so we can tell the other ponies to begin packing up the carts.” Circus added for Martha who chose to remain quiet.

“No need, I already sent some of the guards to help with that. If you two will follow me I will take you two to the Dining hall.”

Celestia then began to trot toward the exit of the throne room only to have Martha stop her by asking a question.

“Celestia, may I ask who is helping Ridge turn back to normal?”

“My students name is Twilight Sparkle, she and Ridge are already waiting for us in the dining hall by now.” Celestia said and then gestured with her wing to the main hallway.

“…her!?...” Martha asked quickly getting to her hooves and then quickly heading for the exit.

Circus just stared at the spot Martha had just recently vacated dumbstruck at how quickly she could move. Quickly realizing he was being left behind he scrambled to his hooves trying to catch up two the two ponies.

“WAIT UP YOU TWO…”

Love Never Fails

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 11

Love Never Fails

“Why is everyone staring at me?” Ridge asked Celestia.

“My dear Ridge everypony just wants to see if the rumors are true. It’s nothing to worry about, you will grow used to it over time.” Celestia said as she took her seat in the center of the main dining hall table.

“It’s just weird, that’s all.” He said to the empty space immediately around him.

Ridge looked across the room and saw that nearly all of the ponies were trying to sneakily steal a glance at him. Deciding that it was no use trying to get the ponies from being interested in him, he came up behind the main table and looked for a place to sit. The table was carefully covered in various flowers and bouquets, and he couldn’t tell if they were there for decoration or food. There was a pattern to the flowered arrangements and Ridge noticed that between the leaves there were several small cards that identified where each pony was supposed to sit. As Ridge came up to the card that had his name on it he looked to the left and realized that Martha was supposed to be sitting next to him.

‘Martha…’ he thought.

He hadn’t talked to her since he had fallen off the tight rope and he was worried how she was doing. He never got to finish that thought before he felt the touch of something soft on his neck.

“BOO!!!” Yelled a voice from behind him.

“Martha!” He exclaimed and quickly turned around to face her.

“You were supposed to be scared, not surprised stupid.” She flatly said pulling him in for a hug.

“H..How have you been Martha?” Ridge asked nervously.

“Well pretty good considering that you haven’t come to see me all day.” She said separating from the hug then giving him a hurt glance.

“Martha I was busy all day helping the princess, I’m sorry.” He said while looking at the floor.

“Well…I guess it’s alright, now why don’t you introduce me to your new friend the princess told me about. Twibright was that her name?” She said looking around for Twilight.

“Her name’s Twilight Martha, and she’s over by Luna talking to her.”

Ridge turned toward the left wall and indicated with a hoof to the two ponies in question talking to each other.

“Oh! Okay well I’m going to go meet her, why don’t you get seated and I’ll be back in a minute.” She said trotting to toward the pair.

“Sure…?” He said raising an eyebrow.

Deciding that he would rather not get involved between the two mares, comet decided to go sit at the table and wait for the food. So turning away toward the table, he came up to his seat and sat down and realized that not only was Martha on his left but apparently twilight was on his right as well.

‘Buck, so much for not getting involved.’ He groaned inwardly.

Celestia saw Ridge take his seat and she gave a small smile and leaned across twilight’s empty seat and whispered to him.

“Is there something troubling you Ridge?”

“Huh? Oh no, It’s just been a long day that’s all.” He said looking across the dining hall which was starting to fill with ponies from all over the castle.

“Well after dinner you can retire for the evening if you wish, I had a room put aside for you while you stayed at the castle.”

Ridge snapped his head toward the princess, shocked at what she had just said.

“Staying? I thought whenever we finished with turning me back to normal I could go back with the Circus?”

“Ridge, finding the right book for whatever caused you to turn into an Alicorn can take several days, it can still take weeks after that to craft a spell or potion for you. I promise you can go back to the circus after all this is over, but for your safety I think you should stay here at the castle until said cure is found. There were thousands of ponies who saw your little incident yesterday and I would be worried if you were out there on your own with no protection from all the crazy ponies who would want to hurt you.” Celestia said calmly.

“But who would want to hurt me? I haven’t done anything to Anypony.” Ridge said trying to reason with the princess.

“How about somepony who saw that you suddenly turned into an Alicorn. One pony that may want to hoofnap that Alicorn and torture them until they told them how they magically became an Alicorn.”

“But I don’t know how it happened! I wouldn’t be able to tell them anything.” Ridge started to yell, but realized who he was yelling at and apologized quickly.

“Which is exactly why they would keep torturing you forever, or until they killed you.”

Celestia gently lifted his snout toward hers and with pleading eyes asked

“Please stay here until we can fix this, I only want to protect all my subjects. Including all those who happen to have accidents from time to time.”

“I…Bu…Wh…I just can’t abandon Circus and Martha, they need me with the circus.”

“I’ve already spoken with them and they are okay with it, it took some convincing but I promise you they are okay with you staying here until all this is over.” She said slowly stroking Ridge’s mane trying to calm him down.

“A..Are you sure..?”

“Yes Ridge you have nothing to worry about. I promise you everything will be alright.”

“O..Okay, it’s just for a little while I guess.”

Celestia inwardly frowned for just the briefest of moments before a thought struck her. Using her horn she magically produced a sheet of parchment and a quill under the table where nopony could see, and she quickly scribbled down some text and in a white flash it was sent away.

“Anyway let’s get dinner started then shall we? Luna, come take your seat if you would please?” Celestia looked back toward the group of ponies conversing together and seeing them begin to make their way toward the table she leaned back upright in her chair, quickly patting Ridge on the head as she did so.

Dinner itself had been quite nice Ridge thought as he Circus and Martha made their way down the hallway toward the Main garden. He knew this was going to be hard saying goodbye to them and watching them ride away, but it had to be done if he was going to have any hope of getting back to normal. Martha so far had been quiet ever since they had left the dining hall and Circus had tried his best to keep the conversation going but ever since he had started complimenting the art style of the castle he had also chosen to stay quiet. As the trio came out into the clearing Ridge noticed that all but one of the carts had been moved into a line ready to leave.

“Oh, you guys already had everything packed up…”

“Yea, that was the princess she had everything packed up earlier this afternoon.” Circus said looking away from Ridge.

“C..Circus can you give me and Ridge a second to ourselves?” Martha suddenly asked.

“Um, sure I’ll just go get the last cart ready.” Circus quickly said then trotted behind the last cart.

“So..What did you want to talk about?” Ridge said feeling a lump forming his throat.

“I..I just wanted to say thank you. I wanted to thank you for being there when no one else was. For being the one I could come to whenever I needed somepony to talk to. You were the only pony I could call a friend.” Martha looked away and let out a choked sob.

Ridge leaned against Martha and quietly held her as she cried. After she managed to get her sobs down to small sniffles Ridge brought her face around so he could look at her.

“Martha you have been one of the best friends a pony could ask for. There are a million reasons why any pony would be lucky to call you a friend. Now I know that your upset with this but it has to be done, I didn’t ask for any of this if I could I would be right there with you and Circus when you leave but the princess thinks it would be safer here than out there where somepony could hurt anyone close to me.”

“I..I know it’s just I’ve never lost a friend as close as you before, it just hurts.” Martha confessed.

“You haven’t lost a friend Martha, we’re just going to be separated for a while. You and Circus can come and visit anytime you want.”

“Yea… I guess you’re right, it’s just going to be weird without you there Ridge.”

“Well you still have Circus to be your friend. From what I heard he likes you Martha.” Ridge said trying to cheer her up.

“Yea…I kind of got that from earlier.” She said trying to hide her blushing face.

“Earlier?” Ridge asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yea in the throne room he …um…said he thought I was …um…pretty.” Martha said he face practically on fire.

“He did? Well that certainly sounds like something he would say. Well good for you Martha, see there is always a silver lining.”

“Yea, I guess there is I don’t even know what to say. I’ve never had anypony like me like that before.”

“Now there is no way that is true, your one of the most beautiful mares I’ve ever had the pleasure to call a friend. What you need to do is just talk to him, I’m sure it’ll work out between you two.” Ridge let go of Martha and began to trot toward the cart where Circus had disappeared.

“Come on Martha you two need to get going don’t you?” he said with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Um…I don’t know. Why are you asking?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” He said while starting to run toward the cart.

“RIDGE!!!” she said running to catch up to him.

“You two take care now. Don’t be strangers, I still exist so you two come and visit okay?” Ridge said to the two ponies that looked at him through an open window on the cart.

“We will Ridge and you take care of your friend Twibright?” Circus yelled as the cart began to move away from Ridge.

“It’s twilight! And I will!” He yelled back.

“OKAY, BYE RIDGE!” Both Martha and Circus yelled out the window before going back inside the cart together.

Ridge just sat there on top of the hill watching the train of carts, he wished he was on, roll away to parts unknown. As the last cart finally disappeared over the last hill he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in.

‘It has been too long of a day’ he thought to his ponyself.

With only the quiet of the night to keep him company Ridge began the march back into the castle. He had to find wherever his room was and he didn’t want to spend all night searching the castle. Deciding he would rather ask celestia herself he reached out with his senses and saw that she was near the top of a tower, and in an amber flash appeared inside her room.

“Princess? Are you here?” he asked around the lavishly decorated room.

‘Yes Ridge, I’m out here on the balcony.’ Ridge heard inside his head.

‘how did you do that?’ Ridge thought inside his head.

‘like that’ she simply said inside his head.

Ridge quietly made his way outside onto the balcony where Celestia quietly sat looking out over the city below.

“Tell me Ridge what do you see?” Celestia asked as Ridge trotted up next to her.

“I see lots of ponies going about their business in town. Why do you ask?”

“Look closer.” She said leaning over gesturing Ridge to look over the balcony further.

As Ridge looked down at all the ponies below wandering what he was supposed to be looking for.

“I still don’t see anything. Can you give me a hint at what I’m looking for?”

“Lean over the railing just a bit more, I’m sure that you will see it it’s impossible to miss.” She said moving behind Ridge.

“Okay. Is it that building with all the lights?” Ridge was practically looking straight down the side of the castle at this point.

“Look just a little to the left of there…” She said sneaking up behind him with a sinister smile on her face.

“Is it the restaurant? Oh!!! Is it the stallion who is proposing to his Marefriend?”

“CLOSE ENOUGH!!!” she yelled before shoving Ridge off the balcony.

“ACK!!!” was all Ridge could manage before he began falling toward the ground.

As Ridge fell toward the ground he began to panic. He began flailing his hooves in all directions trying to grab anything that would slow his descent, only after he realized he couldn’t grab anything he instinctually flared out his wings hoping he could stop before he hit the ground. With each flap of his wings he slowed his descent farther and farther until he was at a standstill three or four pony lengths above the ground. Several ponies below him looked up at him and a few waved, several paid him no mind, and a select few bowed in respect.

For several moments he just sat there looking at them go on with their evening until he realized how he had gotten here. Angrily flapping his wings to gain momentum he raced back up to the balcony where the princess had been. Once he had gotten to the landing he flew over the top prepared to yell at the princess for what she had done, but all his anger turned to confusion as the solar Princess was nowhere to be found, and the only thing he saw was a note laying on the ground where she had been. Confused beyond all reason Ridge picked up the note and began to read it.

‘Dear Ridge

Next time please nock before you enter, I could have been indecent. Anyway your room is located in the south tower, unfortunately we had a mix up with something and you have to share a room tonight, another note is there explaining in greater detail. As for me shoving you off the balcony, you need to learn to use your wings better, that scene at the circus taught me you hadn’t used your wings before so I wanted to help you practice. If you’re reading this congratulations, you succeeded in surviving the fall. Enough of me talking for now, so good night and I will send for you in the morning, Certain circumstances have come up since dinner and I will discuss them with you tomorrow.

Yours truly, Princess Celestia

After turning the letter over just to make sure there were no extra surprises in store for him he sighed wanting to get this day over with. All of his pent up frustrations from the day had taken their toll on him and he looked forward to a long nights sleep. As he left Celestia’s room he turned down the hall hoping his search wouldn’t take too long.

After several wrong turns and having to stop twice to ask guards for directions Ridge finally made it to the room he had been assigned. He slowly pushed the front doors open to reveal a moderately decorated room complete with a bed and a small couch inside the doorway. Ridge immediately trotted up to the side of the bed and without as much as a thought jumped onto the bed planning on forgetting the day altogether, but instead of landing on a soft comfortable bed Ridge landed on something hard and bony.

“AHH!! What is going on!?” Somepony yelled from beneath the blankets.

Ridge tried to jump off the bed as soon as he realized he wasn’t alone but the blankets had tangled themselves around his body and he immediately flopped back down on top of the pony beneath him.

“GET OFF MEE!!!”

Ridge realized from the sound of the voice it was a mare and he had jumped on top of her while she had been sleeping.

“Sorry!! I didn’t see you here, I’m trying but I’m stuck in the blankets.” He quickly apologized.

“I don’t care how it happened just get unstuck please!”

Ridge and this very surprised mare rolled over two times before finally he was able to free himself enough where he could pull the top blanket off of himself and the mare. As he pulled the blanket away he realized he was snout to snout with twilight.

“RIDGE! What the buck are you doing? Why did you jump on top of me? And why are you in my room?” She fired quickly at him a series of questions.

Ridge blushed quickly and tried to jump off the bed only to realize he was still partially wrapped in a blanket, and all he managed to do was fall face first on the floor dragging Twilight off the bed with him and on top of him.

“Sorry,sorry,sorry.” He stammered.

As the two stopped struggling against the blanket they realized their snouts were touching. Quickly pulling herself off of him Twilight turned back toward the bed hiding her red face. Ridge slowly freed his ponyself from the cursed blanket and once he got back to his hooves looked away at the far wall embarrassed.

“Twilight I’m so sorry about that, I didn’t know you were there in the bed. The princess said this was supposed to be my room, but I guess I missed it. I’ll just leave sorry…” Ridge quickly said before running toward the door.

“RIDGE! Wait!” Twilight yelled after him.

Before Ridge made it all the way to the door he stopped but didn’t turn back toward her.

“The princess left a note saying that somepony was going to have to stay here, but I didn’t think it was you.” Twilight said levitating a letter from the nightstand in her magic over to Ridge. He grabbed it with his own magic but still facing away from her read the letter.

Dear twilight

Due to a plumbing problem in a recently reserved room, I have to assign a pony to stay with you until this problem can be resolved. I hope this doesn’t inconvenience you in any way, and I apologize a million times in advance for this, but this is the only solution.

Yours truly Princess Celestia

After Ridge finished reading the letter he finally turned back toward twilight and tried to read her expression.

“Oh, well I guess that explains the other letter she gave me saying I had to stay with somepony in their room. I just didn’t guess it was you, or that you were already asleep in bed.” Ridge said returning the letter to the nightstand.

“Oh I wasn’t asleep I was just under the blankets reading a book.” She said grabbing a book from the pile of blankets that the two had dragged off the bed earlier.

“Well that explains why I didn’t see anypony in the bed.” Ridge said moving beside Twilight to try and see which book she had been reading.

“Didn’t see me? I was bunched up into a ball with a flashlight under there, how could you not see me?”

Ridge pictured her curled up with a book underneath all toasty and warm, but quickly pushed that thought out of his head.

“It’s been a long day Twilight; I didn’t look where I was going. The bed looked soft so the only thing going through my mind was sleep.” Ridge said while reading the title of the book.

‘Daring doo: The temple strikes back’

“Is that some sort of adventure book?” Ridge asked trying to put the incident from his mind, all he wanted to do was go to sleep.

“Yea, it’s about this mare who does all sorts of adventuring and death defying stunts. In this one the temple she had raided previously turns out to be an evil alien robot and chases her trying to get back it’s stolen treasure.” She said handing him the book.

Sure enough as Ridge looked on the back of the book, a giant temple robot could be seen chasing a brown clothed mare through a jungle.

“Maybe I could borrow this sometime? I love books that deal with aliens and all that robot stuff.” He asked twilight while skimming the book.

But before Ridge had a chance to read any words inside it was snapped shut by twilights purple magic, and she quickly whisked it away toward the nightstand.

“No spoilers, and sure you can borrow it any time. I’ve already read it three times.” Twilight said beginning to put the blankets back on the bed.

“Three times? So you already know how it ends?” Ridge slyly asked helping her tuck the blankets back under the mattress.

“Yes I have; and no I’m not going to tell you anything you’ll have to read it for yourself.” She said hoping back onto the bed.

Ridge quickly stuck his tongue out at her and turned toward the couch near the door.

“Where are you going Ridge?”

“I’m going to go to bed why?” he said hoping onto the couch. He desperately wanted to get to sleep he felt as if he could fall over at any moment for exhaustion.

“On the couch? You’re going to wake up more tired than you are now, that couch is not comfortable at all.” Twilight said.

Ridge did agree that it wasn’t the best thing to sleep on but he exactly didn’t have many options to choose from.

“Well you can have the bed for tonight, I’ll be fine over here.” He said moving the pillows out from underneath him.

“Ridge this bed is big enough for the two of us, come sleep over here. If you’re too tired in the morning you won’t be able to do good research when we get to the library.” She argued.

Deciding that she was right Ridge got off the couch and went around to the opposite side of the bed. As he got his ponyself beneath the covers he turned his back toward her and leaned over his shoulder to see her switch of the light with her magic.

“You had better not snore or I’m kicking you out onto the floor again.” Ridge heard through the darkness.

“I don’t snore.” Ridge said rolling his eyes.

“Can you hear while you sleep?”

“No I guess not.” Ridge said raising an eyebrow.

“I rest my case” Twilight said flatly.

“Goodnight Twilight.” He said rolling his eyes again.

“Goodnight Ridge.” She said laughing.

Before Ridge fully fell into the warm embrace of sleep he slowly moved around until he felt his wings were comfortable and realized that they were unexpectedly warm. Too tired to realize he was leaning against twilight’s back he reveled in the warmness beneath the covers, and one last moment before his eyes closed his mind briefly registered a waving blue shadow on the wall cast by somepony blocking the moonlight from the balcony.

“Hgnnnnn!”

“Wh…Why?....Test!....sorry”

“No…….please….no…don’t take them.”

Ridge began to slowly drift out of the fog of sleep.

“Please princess….”

Ridge barely registered these words in his mind before a sound fully freed his mind from the iron grip of sleep, crying.

Quickly sitting upright he searched the room for the source of the sound, only to realize it was coming from beside him.

Quickly using his magic to turn on a small lamp beside the bed he looked over to twilight’s side of the bed. She currently was twisting back and forth across the bed clutching the blanket in her hooves tightly. Ridge quickly put his hoof on her leg attempting to see what was wrong but she immediately shimmied away from his touch.

‘I..I..I’ll do it again, please don’t banish me!” She yelled with her eyes squeezed shut.

“Twilight! Wake up you’re having a bad dream.” Ridge called to her turning over facing her.

She continued to thrash about on the bed and Ridge was growing increasingly worried about her. Taking his hooves her gripped her shoulder and began to shake her trying to get her to come to. Quickly realizing he couldn’t get enough leverage from this angle he scooted up directly behind her and gave her one good knock to the snout.

“Wake up Twilight!”

This seemed to do the trick as after that she began to open her eyes. When she realized that Ridge was sitting over top of her she immediately shot away from him until she backed into the headboard of the bed.

“Wha…Ridge…Why…How?” she stammered out before she broke down into full sobs dropping her head into her hooves.

Ridge confused terribly moved up to the top of the bed and wrapped a hoof around Twilight.

“Shhh…It’s all over. It was just a bad dream, You’re safe here.” He cooed.

“It was terrible Ridge…she took them all away from me. Why would she do that?”

Ridge had no idea who she was talking about but he decided that he should just agree with her.

“I’m sure that whoever did that didn’t mean to, it was just a dream you shouldn’t believe what you saw.”

“It just felt so real, I mean the princess just walked in and made all my friends hate me. Just because I failed some stupid test doesn’t give her the right to do that.” She said her mind slowly starting to realize just where she was at.

“Now you know the princess would never do that to you. You’re her student and I’m sure she loves you a lot, and if you ever failed a test of hers I’m sure she would forgive you for something so small.”

“Yea I know she would, but I had the same vision happen to me whenever me and spike were trapped in King Sombra’s castle. I’m just worried about what it means, whether or not I have another big test I’m supposed to do or something like that.” She said looking at Ridge’s eyes.

“Well I’m sure it means nothing, the princess would have told you if you had another test right?” he asked.

“Yea, I guess you’re right.” She said looking out across the balcony into the night.

“Alright then, let’s try to go back to sleep we’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Ridge said beginning to scoot back down the bed.

“I don’t know if I can sleep after that dream.” She said curling into a ball.

“Ridge mentally berated himself for saying that he quickly looked around for something that he could use to help her. His eyes locking onto the nightstand an idea popped into his head.

“How about I read to you from that book you were reading earlier?” Ridge asked grabbing the book with his magic.

Twilight’s brow furrowed while she thought about that.

“Okay. I guess that’s fine, reading does always help me sleep.” She said uncurling her body.

Ridge patted the area beside him and he laid down on his side so his wings wouldn’t be pinned between him and the mattress. Twilight scooted back into Ridge’s grasp and he opened the book with his magic and began to read from the place she had bookmarked.

"and as Daring doo sailed past the sweeping column of stone that threatened to flatten her, she grabbed her whip and used it pull her body up and over the top of the robot…"

After about half an hour of reading Ridge slowly heard her soft snoring come from below him. Glancing away from the book he saw that she had finally fallen back asleep. After returning the book mark back to its rightful spot he closed the book and sat it on the nightstand. As Ridge finished putting the book over on the table he realized she had fallen asleep on top of one of his legs and he silently trying to remove his leg, which only caused her to grasp onto his other leg that happened to be draped across her side.

‘Buck… I’m stuck’

He thought trying to see if he could untangle his limbs without waking Twilight again, but he soon discovered that was impossible and he realized that he would just have to live with being stuck under her for the rest of the night. So he sat his head down in the crook of her neck, after getting himself comfortable his eyes suddenly began to droop before he fell asleep Ridge cast one last glance out past the balcony only to see something take flight up and away from the castle. One last thought bubbled up through his mind before the current of sleep pulled him under.

‘Luna…’

Seeds Of Deception

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 12

Seeds Of Deception

Princess Cadence trotted down the corridor in silence, she had a few questions she wanted to ask somepony. Ever since Ridge had shown up at the castle she had noticed that Celestia had been far too relaxed about the whole new ‘Alicorn in Equestria’ situation. Her reaction at the fair, in the Throne room with those two circus ponies, and during dinner were too…

‘perfect’ was the only word she could think of that seemed appropriate.

Cadence had a suspicion that Celestia knew more about Ridge than she was telling. So as she quietly rounded a corner that led out into the main garden, she quickly made sure nopony was around and flew into the nighttime sky. She had one destination in mind, and if Cadence knew this pony as well as she thought, she would be in the castle’s observatory.

The heat from the midday sun beat down on Ridge’s wings and back. He had been trotting through this field of strange flowers all day and his hooves were starting to get sore. He was starting to grow desperate as well, he was extremely thirsty and hadn’t seen any water all day. If he couldn’t find anything to drink soon he felt as though he was going to die from dehydration. As he kept on marching past each row of flowers, he swore he could hear a whispering noise wafting past his ears. Deciding that it must be the wind Ridge tried to ignore the sound, but the longer he went on the louder it seemed to get. After what felt like hours of this constant whispering, he finally crested a hill and gasped at what lay far off in the distance.

‘Water!”

Ridge broke into a full gallop down the hill toward the oasis. Now he was practically yelling at how happy now that he had found water. A short minute later he finally came up to the little oasis and stared down into the blue water.

“Oh how happy I am to see you!” he yelled at his reflection in the water.

As he lowered his snout down to the water’s edge he opened his mouth expecting the cold water to flood into his mouth, but instead all he got was a mouthful of sand.

“Ack…Whg…hgf!!”

Ridge stumbled back coughing loudly, and spitting sand left and right. After a minute to get all the sand out of his mouth Ridge looked back at the water trying to figure out what had went wrong.

“No…” He said watching the oasis fade away until all that was left was a circle of sand.

“No…No,NO,NO!!” Ridge said beginning to slam his hooves into the ground.

“A Mirage! All this time it was a Mirage!” He yelled into the sky.

Falling over into a pile of flowers he huffed loudly wondering if he was going to get out of this field alive

“I guess this is how I die…” He said solemnly to the waving flower in front of his face.

“If you want something to drink, why didn’t you just ask?” The flower whispered to him.

Ridge’s head snapped away from the seemingly innocent flower.

“D..Did you just talk?” He said rolling over onto his stomach.

“Why yes I did! Now do you want some water?” The purple flower said in a strangely familiar feminine voice.

The purple flower wiggled back and forth in a sweeping motion causing Ridge to become almost hypnotized by its movement. After shaking his head vigorously trying to clear his head he composed himself enough to think of a question.

“Um? Sure I guess, but you’re a flower how can you get me water?”

“Like this!” the flower yelled loudly.

Suddenly the flower began to wiggle faster, and in a flash of purple magic Ridge found several dozen water bottles floating around himself and the flower.

“H..How did you do that?” Ridge asked with wide eyes.

“It’s magic silly.” The flower said moving back into its normal waving motions.

“Well whatever it is thank you, thank you so much.” He said grabbing one of the bottles.

After staring at the bottle to make sure it was real, he removed the lid and gulped down its contents. Quickly grabbing another bottle trying to sate his thirst, he made quick work of it also and moved onto the rest of the bottles around himself. Only after he had drunk all of the water did he realize he hadn’t even learned the name of his purple savior. Loudly giving a self-satisfied belch Ridge scooted along the ground and brought his snout close to the flower.

“Thank you for the water…um…What’s your name?”

“um…You can call me Sunset!” The flower said.

“Sunset?” Ridge asked confused.

“Yea I just thought of it what do you think?”

Ridge stared at the flower unsure of how to respond.

"Uh, it’s a fine name. But if you can magically make water, will you help me get home, I seem to be lost?” Ridge said truthfully.

“Well sure thing Ridge, all you have to do is close your eyes and relax.”

“That’s it?”

“Yea Ridge, I can send you back home all you have to do is lie down on your side and go to sleep!” Sunset said practically vibrating from excitement.

Ridge stared at Sunset wondering if this was a trick, or if she really wanted to help.

“How do I know if this is some sort of trick to get me to…um… I don’t know …lay down so you can eat me or something?”

“Ridge I’m a flower, I don’t even have a mouth. Now it’ll be alright I promise, just trust me okay?” Sunset said wiggling.

“Alright.” He said lying down on his side closing his eyes.

“Now just think calm thoughts while I prepare the spell.” Ridge heard.

"I can’t think you enough Sunset, you’re the best flower a pony could ask for.”

“Don’t thank me Ridge I was just being a good friend. I’m the one who should be thanking you; you actually stopped to talk to me. Most ponies I try to talk to just run away, you’re the first one who actually stayed here with me.”

Ridge opened his eyes to look at Sunset’s face.

“Well you’re a good friend yourself, I’m sure if those ponies had gotten to know you they would agree with me.”

“Aw, thanks Ridge.” Sunset said turning away from him trying to hide a blush.

After a quick moment to compose herself she turned back to face Ridge.

“The spell is ready, now just close your eyes and keep them closed okay?”

“Okay Sunset, I promise to keep them closed.”

Ridge closed his eyes and rested his head on the ground waiting for sunset to cast the spell. After a moment he began to wonder what it would feel like. Would it hurt, would it tingle, be cold, or would it leave a taste in his mouth. Ridge slowly let his mind wander while he lay there waiting on Sunset, if it did have a taste would it be strawberry, blueberry, or maybe his favorite apple. Maybe when he got back he could get some apples, or even an apple pie if he was lucky.

“Goodbye Ridge….I love you.” Sunset said touching his horn.

Ridge was too far lost in his own thoughts to fully understand what she had said to him, so he said the first thing that came into his head.

“Bye…I love you too.”

Ridge went back to wondering what type of pie he was going to have for a snack, and after deciding that it would be an apple pie with ice cream, sprinkles, and orange juice he realized that something was off. The warmth of the sun no longer was on his wings, but it was now against his belly and legs. Opening his eyes he noticed that he was no longer in a field but was back in his bed, snout to snout with Twilight. Realizing that his limbs were now free Ridge quickly scooted back toward his side of the bed and rubbed his eyes trying to wake himself up. Looking back toward Twilight Ridge realized that he must have been dreaming all of that weird stuff that had just happened to him.

‘Talking flowers my hoof, that’s just crazy’

Wanting to get some fresh air he quietly got out of the bed and went out to the balcony. As he came out into the night air he took a moment to clear his mind of the dream he had just had.

“Well I’m sure anypony has had weirder dreams than that.” He said to the stars.

As he looked out over the castle grounds he saw that only a few ponies could be seen making their midnight runs to wherever they needed to be. Following the wall that marked the border of the castle Ridge found the large waterfall that ran just outside the main gate and over the edge of the mountain. Even from this much of a distance he could hear the thunderous splashing of the water on the rocks. Realizing he wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon he decided that a walk around the waterfall would be relaxing. So giving one last glance back toward the sleeping form in the bed he stretched his wings and leaped from the balcony.

‘I’m sure she’ll be fine now’ Ridge thought.

Angling his wings downward he started his decent toward the base of the castle.

After making sure both Twilight and Ridge were asleep Luna jumped from the balcony and made her way skyward toward the observatory. Quickly making her way through an open window she landed behind a large telescope that was currently in use by her sister.

“All is well my sister, thine student and Ridge are asleep.” Luna said to celestia.

“Good, did you make sure they were having pleasant dreams tonight?” Celestia said without looking away from the ocular device.

“Of course, dreams are my domain after all.” Luna said siting down beside Celestia.

“I swear Luna ponies do the weirdest things when they think nopony is looking. I’m looking at a pony who is actually dancing down the streets on their way home.” Celestia said moving away from the lens.

“It is very bad for a ruler such as thine self Tia to be spying on other ponies.” Luna said rolling her eyes at her sisters antics.

“Oh lighten up Luna, it’s not spying it’s preemptive ruling.” Celestia said sticking her tongue out at Luna.

“Whatever you say Tia, you may retire for the evening I shall resume watching the night time sky now.”

“Thank you Luna, I bid you good night then.” Celestia began trotting away toward the exit ready to return to her bedroom, but before she was able to exit the observatory she wanted to know something.

“What dreams did you give Twilight and Ridge?” She said without turning around.

“Oh, Ridge I stuck out in a desert, where flower that looks like twilight admits he is her only friend. Twilight’s dream is where you send her on a test to find some book made of yellow feathers.” Luna said moving the telescope up towards the stars.

“What no saving a princess in peril? No knight is shining armor? I think you have lost your touch Luna.” Celestia said smiling.

“Subtly is key Tia, when dealing with matters of the heart one cannot force love it has to come naturally.” Luna said looking across the room at Celestia.

“As long as you know what you’re doing Luna, we can’t afford to mess this up. Now goodnight it’s been a long day.” Celestia then quietly left the Observatory and made her way back to her room.

Unknown to both of the princesses a certain pink pony was currently hovering behind an open window. Quietly flying away from the window she was shocked at what she had just heard.

‘What are you two up to.’ She thought as she made her way toward the Waterfalls of the city.

She had to get to the bottom of this.

Down The Rabbit Hole

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 13

Down The Rabbit Hole

As the thunderstorm raged outside the Ponyville library, twilight paused her searching and looked out through her bedroom window at the wind whipping through the tree branches.

‘Rainbow had said the storm would be bad, but I didn’t think it would be this bad’ twilight thought briefly.

Turning her attention away from the window she resumed her search around the library. Her bedroom was a disheveled mess, books were thrown onto the floor haphazardly, and her bed had been tilted on its side knocking the blanket off. Even her mane was showing signs of her anxiety, several strands were splitting off giving her a crazed pony look. She had been looking everywhere she could think of and she still hadn’t found that book.

“SPIKE!!!....Did you find it yet!?” she yelled through her open bedroom door.

“No Twilight, are you sure you didn’t loan it to anypony? We’ve been looking all day, if it was here we would’ve found it by now.” Spike yelled from downstairs.

“It’s got to be here Spike. The last place I saw it was up here in my bed, right before I made us breakfast. I didn’t loan it to anypony, it was in my special collection remember?”

She heard him grumble something she couldn’t make out, but deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to scold him she began to look over another stack of books she had laid out in the middle of the floor.

‘Roof repair, no. how to fix an interdimensional portal, no. how to train your dragon, no. hitchhikers guide to Equestria, no.’ as she continued to sort through the stack of books she heard Spike start to make his way up the stairs.

“Twilight we’ve been looking all morning can we get something for lunch?” he said poking his head inside the bedroom.

“Why don’t you go fix us something? I want to finish this stack of books first okay?” she said setting down the book she had in her hooves.

“Twilight I know you’re hungry to, also you could use the break. You look absolutely crazy come on down and I’ll fix a sandwich for you.”

Sighing she looked away from the stack of books toward the mirror that sat in the corner of the bedroom. She looked like she had been wrestling with a manticore and lost, slowly standing up she turned away from the mirror and made her way toward the door.

“Alright Spike, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a moment to eat and relax. She said calmly.

As the pair made their way down the stairs spike quickly asked what she wanted for food.

“Does a daisy sandwich sound fine to you Twilight?”

“That sounds fine to me Spike, you get the daises while I get the bread from the fridge.” She said making her way toward the kitchen.

But before she had a chance to make it one hoof step spike reached a claw out to block her path.

“Nope, let me make it for you twilight. You go sit at the counter I will bring it out to you when it’s ready okay?” Spike said turning her away from the kitchen.

“Aw, thanks spike you are such a gentledrake, you’re going to make some dragoness very happy someday.” She said taking her seat at the counter.

“Aw it’s not a problem at all Twilight you know I’m just happy to help.” He said blushing.

As Spike walked back into the kitchen Twilight was sure she heard him whisper something about making some mare happy, but she just rolled her eyes and went back to wondering where she had left that book.

‘Okay I was reading it in my bed before breakfast this morning, but what in Equestria could I have done with it after that? Maybe owlicious saw where I put it, I’ll ask him after lunch.’

As she continued thinking where she left her book, she heard spike start laughing from in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong spike?” she asked leaning over the counter trying to see into the kitchen.

“Ohhhh it’s nothing Twilight I just saw something that was amusing. Anyway are you ready for your sandwich yet?” he said leaning his head around the corner to the kitchen.

“Um yea I guess so? What was so amusing?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.” He said coming from around the corner carrying a plate in one claw the other held behind his back.

“What’s behind your back?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“First may I present your sandwich milady.” He said as he placed the plate on the counter with a flourish of his claw.

Twilight just stared at spike waiting for him to answer her question, but when none came she gave him a quizzical look saying she wanted an explanation.

“Take a bite first, let me know what you think of the taste.” he said giving her a malicious smile.

With her face formed into a scowl she gently picked up the sandwich and gave it a tentative bite. As she chewed on the foodstuff in her mouth she kept her eyes locked on spike’s in case he did something, but before she had a chance to swallow spike chose to reveal the item he had kept hidden behind his back. The effect was immediate on Twilight because she instantly tried to gasp at what she saw, but because of the food currently in her mouth all this succeeded in doing was causing her to choke.

“achg….urjk…wher….where did y..you find that” she choked out as she coughed.

“I found it in the fridge behind the eggs; you must have left it in there this morning when you were making breakfast. So how’s the sandwich taste?” he grinned.

“I could hurt you for that you know, that was just plain mean.” She said composing herself.

“But where is the fun in that, you would lose your number one assistant.” He said sarcastically.

Quickly setting the book down away from her he motioned toward the unfinished sandwich.

“Finish the sandwich first. Then and only then can you read this book okay?” he said making her look him in the eyes.

“…Fine spike I’ll eat your ever so delicious sandwich.” She said with a slight mocking tone.

“Good, now I’m going to clean up the living room, if I come back and you haven’t eaten the sandwich I’ll take the book away.” He said almost breaking into a laughing fit.

Deciding to poke fun at him she jumped up and tried to grab the book from the edge of the table, but spike grabbed it first and took a step back from the counter.

“Or…” he said grinning.

“I could hide it somewhere in the bookshelves. Make you spend all day looking for it.”

Her eyes widening in fear she sat back down in her seat and quickly finished the sandwich in three bites. Rolling his eyes at her actions spike simply tossed the book toward her.

“Fine you win, but don’t say I didn’t warn you whenever you get a stomachache later.”

She quickly grabbed it with her magic and ran toward the stairs. Realizing she forgot something she ran back toward spike and wrapped him into a crushing hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know you help me a lot spike. I can’t thank you enough, my number one assistant.”

“Your very welcome Twilight, now don’t remember don’t stay cooped up there in your room all day. Fluttershy wanted you to come over this afternoon remember?”

“I know just come get me when she gets here okay? I want to finish looking over this book first.” She said returning to the stairs.

Waving a claw at her dismissively he went back into the front part of the library and began cleaning up the mess they had made. Twilight then made her way back upstairs and shut herself in her bedroom.

“Now that you back little friend lets continue where we left off.” Twilight said bringing the book in front of her.

“…but first let’s get this place a little cleaner.” She said looking around her room.

Quickly charging her horn she grabbed all the books and sorted them into their correct shelves. She then proceeded to move her bed back onto its frame and then made sure the blanket was tucked down correctly on the corners. Admiring her handiwork on the bed she hopped on top of it and settled herself against the pillows.

“Well since I spent all morning looking for you I guess I could start over from the beginning.” She said levitating the book onto the bed.

As she looked down at the book she took a moment to admire the details of it. The binding along the side looked as though it had been hoof crafted out of expensive silk. The bright yellow feathers that adorned the cover were super soft to the touch. Even the smell was nice, a comfortable smell that only certain ponies could appreciate, a musky scent that told her that it belonged to her and gave her a comfortable feeling.

As she became lost in admiring the book she gently ran a hoof across the feathers, which sent a small shiver up her spine. Remembering that she wanted to actually read the book she gently picked it up and started to open it to the first page, but as she did so the book began to glow and she just sat there staring at the page confused. Slowly it began to grow brighter and brighter until it was almost painful to look at. Quickly shutting her eyes she tried to turn away from the book only to find that the light continued to follow her wherever she turned. With growing fear she threw the book across the room and began to yell for spike.

Ridge slowly trotted along the edge of a pond that sat just past the walls of the castle. He had come here to listen to the waterfall hoping to relax, and so far the sound of the roaring water was doing exactly that. But one simple fact kept creeping back into his mind, right before he had went to sleep he had seen something that scared him more than it should have. He was sure he had seen Luna fly out of his room while Twilight was sleeping on his leg. It wasn’t his fault she had a nightmare, all he did was calm her down.

‘Why was she even in their room anyway?’

For what felt like the millionth time that evening he had tried to figure out that question, but all his mind was doing was going in circles. Deciding that it was a hopeless endeavor trying to answer himself he sat down at the edge of the pond and stared at his reflection.

‘The sooner I can get back to normal, the better.’

“Ridge?” Somepony asked.

Snapping his head away from the water he looked toward where the voice had come from. Slowly Cadence trotted from the shadows toward where Ridge was laying.

“Oh hey Cadence. What are you doing out here?” he asked puzzled.

“I came to see how you are doing.” She said giving what seemed like a genuine smile, but Ridge couldn’t tell.

“Well I just came out here to relax that’s all.” He said turning away from her to look out across the pond at a pair of ponies walking hoof in hoof.

“What would you need to relax from?”

“Jus….Well everything that’s been happening really. The princesses, Martha, Circus…and Twilight I guess.”

Cadence wanted to tell Ridge about what Luna and Celestia had said but she couldn’t think of a way to introduce the topic. So she decided to let the conversation drift toward Twilight.

“Why Twilight? I thought she was helping you get your memory back?”

“Well….yea she is but it’s….I just…. Ugh, I just think that Luna and Celestia don’t trust me to be around her.” He said covering his head with his hooves.

Realising this was a good as a time as any Cadence moved over to Ridge and put her hoof on his head.

“Trust me Ridge I think they trust you enough to be around her. What’s the real problem that makes you think that?”

“Well earlier she woke up because of a nightmare and she couldn’t go back asleep. So I read to her from a book she had sitting on the nightstand, but before I fell asleep I saw Luna leaving the room like she was watching us. I don’t want Celestia or Luna to be mad, all I was doing was reading to help her sleep she was the one who fell asleep on my leg so I couldn’t move or anything. They probably think I’m some weird pony trying to sleep with her now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they banish me off to some dungeon now.” He said cowering under his hooves.

‘Wow, Ridge shouldn’t have to think he is in trouble. whatever they are doing this isn’t right at all, nopony should have to think that they’re in trouble not after what he’s gone through.’ She thought anger passing through her mind.

Rubbing her hoof gently across his back she knew now was the time to tell him.

“Ridge, trust me there not mad at you that’s the farthest thing from the truth. Now I don’t know what’s going on with Celestia and Luna but if my suspicions are correct they know more than they are saying.” She calmly stated.

Know she knew that this was going to be tough to explain to him, especially since she didn’t even know that much about what Celestia and Luna were hiding. But she knew this was wrong and she didn’t want to see anypony hurt, especially not somepony who had no idea he was being used. So she sat there waiting, her muscles tensed ready for his response.

“Wh…What are you saying?” he said removing his hooves from his head and turning to face her.

“I think Celestia and Luna planned for you to come here to the castle.” She said looking him in the eyes.

“W..Why would they do something like that? It was my fault I fell off the tightrope, not theirs.”

“Well…Yes I guess that’s true.” She said realizing he was technically right.

“Alright how about when Martha and Ridge left what did Celestia say was the reason you couldn’t leave with them?”

Ridge thought back to that afternoon in the throne room.

“She said that it would be safer here. Why?” he said raising an eyebrow.

“Safer how?”

“Well…she said that somepony might hoofnap me and try to torture me for some secret about becoming an Alicorn.”

“Oh? Did she tell you about how an Alicorn could just teleport away from hoofnappers? Did she also tell you that you have nearly unlimited magical energy, and that it’s nearly impossible to kill an Alicorn?” Cadence said with a serious tone.

“Well…no she didn’t I guess, but what about my accident? I got hurt pretty bad then.”

“Ridge I don’t know how to answer that, but what I do know is that it takes an enormous amount of power to even break the skin of an Alicorn. Now whatever caused you to have an accident must have rivaled Celestia herself, in terms of power that is. This is what I’m talking about Ridge, none of this makes any sense. Celestia and Luna know what’s going on I’m sure, but I don’t know of a way to find out.”

She said sitting down next to him.

Ridge stared down away from Cadence’s gaze for a moment wondering if she was actually right.

“But…why don’t you just ask them then?”

Cadence’s expression formed into a scowl. Ridge was very persistent with this whole Celestia was innocent routine.

“Because I know them Ridge, they will just tell me some made up story. I want to actually find out what’s going on with them. Have you noticed anything weird about the way Luna and Celestia act around you?

“What do you mean?” he asked bring his gaze back up to meet hers.

“Like…Well have you seen anything similar to when Luna was watching you and Twilight in bed together?”

Ridge quickly blushed at her mentioning being in the same bed as Twilight. After a moment to think about what she had asked he did remember one thing from the library.

“Well before I Celestia first introduced me to Twilight I thought I saw Luna watching me there as well. I thought she was just making sure I didn’t go anywhere while her sister was gone.”

Cadence processed this information for a minute and after coming up with a response she stood up and asked Ridge to follow her toward the library.

“Come on Ridge, I want you to show me exactly what you did while you were in the library.”

“What! Now?” he asked quickly getting to his hooves.

“Would you rather wait?” she asked turning back toward him.

“But it’s like midnight, everypony is already asleep aren’t they?”

“It’s a library Ridge, I think we can get inside without any help.” She said flapping her wings taking off.

“Ugh, fine.” He said before he followed suit with his wings.

“Guard?”

“Yes Princess?”

“Is Thine break over?”

“Yes your Majesty, what do you require.”

“I want you get me a sandwich, if you please?” Luna said sitting back behind her telescope.

“Without question.” The guard saluted quickly then left the room.

‘Let us see what the kingdom has been up to since I went to the bathroom.’

With not so much as a word Luna began sweeping her telescope across the grounds of the castle.

“Hm? That’s odd? Why would two ponies be walking hoof in hoof by the waterfalls this late.”

It was at this moment that a knock came from her door.

Quietly mumbling under her breath Luna stood up from her telescope and trotted over to the door. Opening her door she saw the guard standing there holding a plate.

“Your sandwich princess.” He said bowing, presenting the plate to her.

“Thank you guard, next time you may just enter you don’t have to knock.” She said grabbing the plate with her telekinetics and opening the door for the guard.

“Formalities madam, it is required for all guards to knock before entering any room.” The guard said stoically.

“Well you have my permission to disregard such rules for this evening.” She said knowing he would do anything but that.

“Yes Princess.”

The guard quickly took his position standing by the door.

Sighing Luna made her way back to her telescope unaware that she had just missed a pair of ponies fly past on their way to the library.

Noose

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 14

Noose

“I was sitting here and when I turned around I saw her disappear from up there, I think?” Ridge said pointing a hoof toward the rafters in the library.

“You think?” Cadence said trotting up next to Ridge, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Well it was dark in here, I wasn’t even sure I saw anything to begin with, much less even know if it was Luna or not.” He said sitting his rump on the floor.

“Ridge how many ponies do you know of that have a blue coat?” She said flying up towards the spot he had indicated.

“Well one I guess…” He said turning his head away from the bookshelves and toward the reading tables.

“Now which beam was she sitting on Ridge?” She said trying to balance herself on one of the lengths of wood.

“I don’t know….she was gone before I even knew she was there.” He said absent mindedly.

“Well what all did you do in here while Celestia was getting Twilight?” She said jumping down onto the floor.

“I don’t know, um sitting at the tables over there. I don’t see how this is going to prove the princesses are lying to me about my past?” He said trotting toward the tables.

Cadence sighed and moved closer to him.

“Ridge, it’s not just about lying. It’s about….well…this whole situation is wrong.” She said fidgeting with her hooves.

“Is there something you’re not telling me Cadence?”

Sighing she sat down at the table and motioned for him to sit down with her.

“Several months ago there was an attempted takeover of Canterlot.”

“What…!? Well…. um who would attack Canterlot, and um…what does this have to do with me?” He said with wide eyes.

“It was a species of ponies called the Changelings, they feed off the love of other ponies. Originally a Changeling would hoofnap a pony, take their place and live out their lives disguised as that pony. Feeding off the love and happiness that they receive from their loved ones. But for some reason one colony decided to try and take over Canterlot and use all the ponies for a more stable food source.” She said feeling a shiver travel up her spine.

“What happened? I know they lost, or you wouldn’t be here, but can you tell me how?”

“Twilight Sparkle is how.”

“What!?” Ridge said shocked.

“She was the one who figured out what the Changelings plan was. They succeeded on replacing me and using my husband’s power against celestia, overpowering her and taking down the shield that had protected the city. Twilight somehow saw through her disguise and was sent to where I was being held prisoner. Together we defeated chrysalis and her swarm just in the nick of time, saving the princess and the city.”

He just stared at her at a loss for words.

“I..I guess she’s special to you huh?” he managed to speak.

“Well yea, I’ve watched her grow up from a filly. She is arguably one of the best Mares in Equestria, which is why this whole situation with Celestia and Luna just doesn’t make any sense.” She said letting her head drop to the table.

“But how is Twilight even involved with them and me?” He said tilting his head.

Cadence gave a sigh and slowly brought her head up to face Ridge.

“Right before I came to talk to you earlier, I overheard a conversation between Luna and Celestia saying that they were trying to get you and Twilight to like each other.”

“Well…um she is a good friend isn’t she? So why would I not like her, I’m certainly not going to hate her.” He said honestly.

“No Ridge I’m talking about ’like like’ more than just friends.” She said looking into his eyes.

He quietly stared at her trying to process the information he had just been given.

‘the princesses were actually trying to get him and Twilight together?’

Ridge silently turned away from Cadence and trotted back toward the bookcases.

“I..I think I need to take a walk.”

“Ridge…please don’t think bad about this, I’m trying to help you. Come sit back down and we can talk this out.” Cadence said reaching a hoof out toward him.

“A..Alright” he said moving back toward the table.

He didn’t even know where to begin when it came to this situation. Sure it answered questions about how he had seen Luna in the room at night, and how he and Twilight had been left alone together, but it raised many more questions than it answered. Like what reason did the princesses even wanted the two of them together in the first place? Taking his seat next to Cadence again he asked the first question that came to his mind.

“Do you know why they want me and Twilight together?”

“No I don’t, and that is what I want to find out. Ridge ever since the attack on the city I want to make sure love is kept natural and in order. The two of them doing this to you and Twilight is just wrong, love shouldn’t be forced, it should grow of its own accord. I want to find out why there doing this and put a stop to it.”

“But I don’t even have any idea of what’s going on. I lost everything I remember in my accident. Why would they even want me a normal pony who has no memory?” He said slamming his head on the table.

“You know about as much as I do Ridge. It’s like I said I want to find out exactly why they want to do this, and then fix it.” She said resting a hoof on top of his head.

“But how can we do that?”

“Well I was hoping to look back at what we know has happened to you, and see if those events tell us anything. But it seems that there isn’t anything there either.” She said moving her hoof back to the table.

Ridge lifted his head up from the table and closed his eyes in thought.

“Well if we’re going to figure this out we might as well start from the beginning of when all this happened.” He said opening his eyes and setting his hooves under his chin.

“Okay what is the first thing you can remember?” she said.

“Pinkie get off of me!” Rainbow dash shouted.

“But come on Dashie! This is fun isn’t it?”

“Not if you’re loud like you are. Now be quiet I don’t want to get caught tonight.” She said as pinkie bounced around her.

“Hey! What are you looking for anyway? Everypony is asleep, not awake. So if they are not awake then that means they can’t see us. So why are you afraid of sleeping ponies Rainbow? They….”

Rainbow quickly turned around and put her hoof in the pink mare’s mouth.

“It’s called spying and your supposed quiet. That means no talking pinkie, got it?”

Quickly shaking her head against the cyan hoof, pinkie used her own hoof to grab a zipper at the corner of her mouth and pull it across her mouth.

“Mfgghh” was all she could manage past the zipper.

“Okay now come on I’m sure Twilight’s room is around here somewhere.”

Shaking her head in agreement again, pinkie proceeded to follow her up the staircase that led toward the main library.

‘Okay, now that we are all super secret and quiet tell me what we are looking for?’

Rainbow heard inside her head.

Quickly looking around and not seeing a source for the sound she heard, Rainbow looked back toward her friend with wide eyes.

“What did you just do?”

‘I am talking to you in super-secret quiet mode. Now what are we looking for’ pinkie said for the third time.

“Pinkie we’re looking for Twilight Remember? She disappeared with the princess earlier and I’m starting to get worried, now come on and stop doing that it’s weird.

‘Okay.’

Giving pinkie a mean look she quickly unzipped her mouth and whispered.

“Okay.”

The two ponies continued up the staircase until they came to the set of doors marking the rear entrance to the library. Silently pushing the doors open Pinkie and Rainbow made their way past several rows of bookshelves before a sound stopped them in their tracks.

“And I still don’t know how she found out. She said that she found some feathers in my room, but I don’t know.”

“Well have you been preening your wings?”

“Preening?”

“I guess that is a no.”

Quickly hiding behind a bookshelf the spies watched on as the two ponies continued their conversation.

“Who is that with Cadence?” Pinkie said with her face held in between two books on the shelf.

“I don’t know pinkie…Wait no, isn’t that the pony that fell of the tightrope earlier?”

“Yea I think it is. What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know, the princess said that he was alright didn’t she?” Rainbow stepped back from the book shelf and looked toward pinkie.

“Yea she did, but she said he was being looked at by the doctors down in the medical room.” She said backing away from the bookcase and turning toward rainbow.

“If he is supposed to be there, why is he here?” Rainbow said turning her head back toward the two conversing ponies.

“Well….why don’t we get closer so we can hear what they are saying.” Pinkie said looking up toward the ceiling rafters.

“You mean up there?” Rainbow said following her gaze up.

Pinkie responded by nodding her head vigorously.

“Okay well hang on then.”

Rainbow quickly flapped her wings and grabbed pinkie by her sides pulling her upwards toward the ceiling. When the pair had landed on one of the beams they slowly began to make their way toward Cadence and Ridge. As Rainbow stopped above them she could help but gasp and let her mouth drop open.

“Pinkie are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Wow, he has wings and a horn. This means he’s an Alicorn like the princesses right?” She said looking down at Ridge.

“I..I guess so Pinkie. But hang on didn’t the princess say that he had some emergency glider under his saddle to stop him from falling off the tightrope?”

“That’s what she said during her speech, I guess that means that she didn’t know about them.” She said sitting down on the beam.

“I don’t know Pinkie, Celestia isn’t like that. She wouldn’t miss something as groundbreaking as a new Alicorn.”

“Well be quiet and let’s get to spying then.” She said magically producing a pair of binoculars that she pressed to her eyes.

Rainbow sat down beside her and turned her ear toward the two ponies below.

“….So the ring broke in two, Luna disappeared, and Celestia walked in. Then well…You know the rest of the story, because well you were sort of spying on us earlier.” He said a hint of pink tinting his face.

“Yea, sorry about that, now you said you enchanted a cloth?”

“Um, yea I think it’s still in here maybe? Hang on for a minute, I’ll try and find it.”

Ridge then proceeded to get up and trot his way through the rows of tables looking for the cloth he had enchanted earlier. After a moment of searching he came across a table cloth that didn’t appear to be out of the ordinary, but upon closer inspection it was giving off a faint purple glow.

“Ah! I found it Cadence.” He yelled across the library.

Quickly trotting back to the table Ridge quickly laid the Cloth out in front of her.

“I enchanted this before Celestia had found me the first time, when I still had wanted to escape.” He said sitting back in his seat and looked at her.

“Wait so what spell did you enchant it with?” she said taking the cloth in her hoof.

“Well it uses the same spell that the Ring I had earlier. I used it to hide my presence around you three princesses…” Ridge said then turned his head away embarrassed.

Cadence quickly caught on to what Ridge was feeling and gently turned his head back around toward her.

“Ridge you have nothing to be ashamed of, anypony would have done the same thing of they were in your situation.” Cadence let her hoof fall away from his face and moved it toward the cloth.

“If your spell still works, I think it should work for an idea I have.”

Ridge followed her hooves as she picked up the cloth and brought it over his shoulders.

“Now what I’m thinking of doing can get you in a lot of trouble if anypony found out alright?”

“What do you mean?” he asked eyes widening.

“I..I’m thinking of you sneaking into Luna’s room and finding her night journal.”

“Um…what’s her journal got to do with anything?”

“Ever since she came back from the moon she has written everything down she doesn’t want to share in her day journal. I want you to find it and see if it has anything about what caused you to become an Alicorn.” She said watching his face for a reaction.

“What!? Y..You know I can’t do that! It’s Luna’s private thoughts, there has to be another way.” Ridge said getting up from the table and looking angrily at her.

Sighing quietly she got up from the table and walked over to where he was standing.

“Ridge I know it’s wrong, but we don’t have any other options now do we?”

“Well…we…can’t we…I just don’t want to invade somepony’s privacy like that.” He said sitting his rump down on the floor.

“Ridge you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, all you have to do is look for one thing. I’m not asking you to steal all her secrets just to find out the truth to this situation.”

As soon as he realized that she was right his anger left him.

“I…I know, but you’re sure there isn’t another way?” he said looking at her with sad eyes.

“Well, you could try to get Celestia’s day journal. But since she’s asleep in her room, I thought it would have been easier to find Luna’s and find out that way.” She said trying to add some humor to the currently dismal mood.

“Let’s just go and get this done. The less time we waste the better, I guess.” He said standing up and trotting toward the door.

“Ridge?”

Stopping at the door he turned back to notice Cadence hadn’t moved.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” he said giving her a questioning look.

“I don’t have a magical table cloth. I’m sorry Ridge but you have to do this on your own. Whenever you find it meet me back here okay?” she said giving him a reassuring smile.

“B..But what if I need help finding it, or if somepony finds me? I don’t know if I can do this by myself Cadence.” He said his anxiety growing.

“Start by looking under the pillow, and if somepony sees you just say you got lost and need help, Play dumb. If you get into a situation all you have to do is think my name and I’ll do my best to help you okay?” she said Trotting over to him and embracing him in a hug.

Quickly returning the hug he turned around and opened the door.

“T..Thank you for the help. Now I don’t know what I’m going to find, but whatever it is I….I just…well I think…”

Resting her hoof against his lips she saw the nervousness in his expression.

“Go. You will be fine, now hurry before Luna goes back to her room. We don’t have all night okay?”

Nodding his head in approval he pushed through the doors and left the library. Sighing Cadence began to rub her temples as she began to walk back toward the table.

‘I’m going to need a vacation after all this is over’

As she sat back down at the table she put her head on top of her hooves and closed her eyes for a moment. Unbeknownst to her two ponies slowly made their way down from the Rafter they were sitting on and snuck their way out of the same door Ridge had left. As soon as Rainbow and pinkie were sure they were out of earshot they began to run winding their way through the corridors unsure of where they were going.

“Buck, do you know which way he went pinkie?” Rainbow said stopping at the intersection of two hallways.

“Nope I sure don’t, but what are going to do now?” she said looking toward her friend.

“I…I don’t know pinkie. But we can’t just do nothing.” She said looking down each corridor.

“Well let’s find Twilight I’m sure she will know what to do.” Pinkie suggested.

Quickly realizing that they weren’t going to be able to follow Ridge, Rainbow nodded in agreement.

“Alright let’s find her room. Come on Pinkie, we haven’t got all night.”

With that the two ponies began running down the corridor looking for Twilight's room.

Lightness

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 15

Lightness

‘This is wrong.’ Ridge thought turning around a corner.

‘I don’t want to do this…’

‘But I have to if I want to know the truth.’

Using his magic to locate Luna for the sixth time since he left the library, he made his way through the hallways toward her bedroom. As Ridge came up to the large double doors that marked the entrance to her bedroom, he glanced around nervously. He knew nopony was around, but that still did nothing to calm his nerves.

‘one look is all I have to do, it’s not like I’m going to read all of it right?’

Giving himself a final moment to calm his nerves, he leaned against the doors and slowly entered into the darkness beyond. Ever so slowly he made his way toward the center of the room where a large bed dominated most of the space. Pausing about halfway across the room he looked over toward the west wall of the room where windows that would normally be closed during the day were currently open, giving a pony a view of the city many floors below. Using his magic to shut and lock the windows the room was cast into complete darkness. Quickly lighting his horn to light the area around himself, he resumed trotting toward the bed.

‘Nopony should come in here now.’ He thought coming alongside the bed.

“…Under the pillow.” He muttered as he lifted his hoof toward the bed.

Hesitating as his hoof touched her pillow he thought about what Luna would think of him after this.

“I’m sorry” he muttered, as he reached for the pillow.

Moving the pillow out of the way Ridge was greeted with the sight of a small notebook that looked to be about 200 pages thick. Slowly picking the book up with his magic he noticed that it was the same color as Luna’s coat. As he reached out with his hoof trying to take it from his magical grasp, he received a small static shock which caused him to drop the book back toward the bed. As the book hit the bed it fell open to a random page about half way through.

“oh..” he said realizing that he was just paranoid about getting shocked.

Steeling his resolve Ridge picked up the book in his hooves and began to read the page it had fell open to.

‘I wonder sometimes if my sister’s subjects actually trust me to rule the night. I mean a thousand years is enough time to forget any physical pain I may have caused during my rebellion, but it’s the stories that are passed from pony to pony that worry me. I tried to reconnect with a few ponies last night from Ponyville on this “nightmare night holiday” but everypony was terrified and ran away screaming. I just don’t know if I can go on with everypony hating me like this. My sister’s student, Twilight Sparkle, I believe her name is, has asked me to come back to her town tomorrow to try again, but I predict the same result as before. Do I really even want to go back? I don’t really know how to answer this question, on one hoof I’m sure my sister’s pupil will not be scared of me and will at least give me a chance. On the other hoof I’m scared of the screams I will receive if all the ponies see me again. I’ll write down how it goes, or write about how it didn’t go, should I decide to go. Anyways good night Equestria as long as the sun rises I’ll know my torment of a night is over.’

Finishing the entry on that page he flipped farther in the book.

'The Changelings attacked from within the shield today. I don’t know how she managed to do it but she did. Their queen managed to capture Cadence and almost take over everything. Even Celestia was none the wiser, which shocked me to no end. Anyway Twilight saw through her charade, somehow Chrysalis didn’t replicate her personality perfectly and this was her only undoing. Where they ended up after the explosion is anypony’s guess, but at least Cadence and Shining’s wedding went off without a hitch after that little hiccup.

Goodbye for now, Luna’

Moving his head up from the book Ridge couldn’t help but chuckle at the princess’s definition of a hiccup. Moving forward through the book he began to skim the pages looking for anything useful. Only when he was about ten pages from the end did he come across something that grabbed his attention.

‘…an arranged marriage is what it could be labeled as. Celestia said that and I quote “If her student succeeds with the spell, it will be for the better of the country.” Only if you look at from one viewpoint, yea it would be for the better in the long run. I don’t approve of her decision to take him from his family like that, but everypony deserves to be happy don’t they? Celestia says that she will leave a locket with Twilight’s picture in it with him, and that he will look for her, find her somehow, and nature should take its course from there. While I don’t agree with the methods my sister goes through to achieve her goals, I have to say I think he will come to accept his role eventually. His name is Ridge Mountain, she said he may remember his original name, and he lives south of Manehatten with his parents and their fishing business. They will be sad about the news of his death, but I’m sure they would understand if they were in our position. Some ponies just don’t understand all of the effort we go into making sure this country is in safe hooves, after all they don’t….’

Ridge couldn’t hold the book in his hooves anymore. All he could see were the tears that were falling toward the ground.

“They all lied to me…” he struggled through the sobs.

“I had a happy life before all this….they stole it from me.”

Quickly running out of the room Ridge had no destination in mind, but he had to leave. He couldn’t stand the thought of staying in that room for another moment.

‘What did I do to deserve this…’

he repeated in his head as he ran past guards, ponies, and servants. All of which were giving him curious glances.

As he ran around a corner he ran snout first into Cadence as she came around a corner.

“Ridge!?” she said as they fell over on top of one another.

“S..Sorry C..Cadence” he said barely holding back his sobs.

“What happened to you? Are you okay Ridge?” She said sitting upright next to him.

“They…They…They… stole me from my family.” He said throwing his legs around her in a hug.

The two of them sat there for several minutes, Cadence silently shushing Ridge as he sat there sobbing against her. After he had got his crying down to occasional small sniffles he let go of her and sat back against the wall holding his hooves together.

“H..Her journal said that they took me from my family.” He said looking at her with pleading eyes.

“It also said that they wanted an arranged marriage!! Why would they want me for that?”

“Wait? Did it say that Celestia and Luna took you from your family so you could marry Twilight?” she asked looking at him with wide eyes.

Ridge just numbly nodded in agreement with her question.

Cadence sat back against the wall in shock.

‘Why indeed.’ She thought to herself looking off toward the opposite wall.

“Okay, now tell me exactly what the journal said about them wanting you to marry her?”

Sighing quietly he turned his head away from her.

“Her journal said that my family lives south of Manehatten and they are part of some sort of fishing business. Well apparently they took me from my family, dropped this stupid locket off where I crashed, then they said I would look for her, find her and I quote ‘nature would take its course from there’. I mean they didn’t consider how I would feel about any of this, about my family, about trying to kill me, or any of this bucking stuff!!1” He said flailing his hooves in the air before throwing them to the floor.

“Ridge walk with me, we all need a moment to think this over.” She said calmly.

“Think it over?! What is there to think about? The princesses lied to me, is cut and dry, no middle ground at all.” He said jumping up in anger.

“Ridge you have to view it from my point as well. They have their reasons for this, now we don’t know what those reasons are yet and I want to find out before we go jumping to conclusions. Yes I agree it’s immoral on every level to take you from your family and force you to marry a pony you don’t know, but every bit has two sides does it not?”

After considering her argument for a moment he sighed and began walking down the hallway away from her. After watching him walk away for a moment she became confused.

“Where are you going?” she called after him.

“The library, where else? We have some reading to do don’t we?” he said turning back toward her.

“On what?”

“Ancient pony customs. For example, arranging marriages between families would be a good place to start wouldn’t it?”

Her eyes lighting up with realization she began to follow Ridge toward the library.

“Alright, but what about you?” she asked.

“What are you going to do now that you know the princesses plan between you and Twilight?”

“Me? I’m going to do absolutely nothing until we find out their side of the story. Every bit has two sides right?” he said with a smirk.

“That it does Ridge, that it does.”

Luna quickly flew her way past the main castle tower and curved toward her room, somepony had touched her diary and she was frantically trying to get to it. Her protection spell had been broken and her diary was in danger.

“Whenever I find the pony who hast read my diary I will royally behead them!” She yelled landing on her balcony.

Angrily unlocking the windows on her balcony she ran up to her bed and discovered her diary lying opened on the bed. Fury sparking in her mind she levitated the book toward her and looked at the page it had been left on.

‘ Some ponies just don’t understand all of the effort we go into making sure this country is in safe hooves, after all they don’t see ponies dreams like I do. How he dreams of hurting himself every night, or how he cries himself to sleep out of loneliness. “I believe he never would get any help for his problems on his own, he deserves a chance to be happy. Every pony deserves to be happy don’t they?” Celestia says that it will be for the greater good, in the end maybe. But, the world can be a dangerous and scary place for an Alicorn who knows nothing.’

Her anger quickly forgotten she tucked the diary back under her pillow and began to quickly think of what this meant.

“Buck, Buck, Buck!!!”

Quickly reaching out with her magic looking for him, she found out she could find out where he was. Again and again she searched for Ridge trying to pinpoint his location, but every time coming up with the same result. In a full panic now she used her senses to locate her sister, and in a flash teleported to the inside of her bedroom.

“CELESTIA, WAKE THOU BUTT UP. RIDGE KNOWS THINE PLAN.” She boomed in the royal Canterlot voice.

“ZZZ…snore….ZZZ”

Quickly turning on the lights with her horn Luna located her sisters bed, then proceeded to jump onto the top sending the blankets flying.

“AHH!! Luna! What the buck are you doing in my bed?” Celestia said sitting up facing her sister.”

“Ridge, found my diary!!!” She said jumping of the bed running across the room.

“So what? I know that’s not good, but did it require waking me up at 3 o’clock in the morning.” She said throwing the blankets back over herself.

“He knows that your trying to get him and twilight together…”

Suddenly the blankets were tossed across the room, and Luna had a very angry looking Princess staring at her.

“What…happened…how…does…he…know” she said angrily.

“Um…Well… you see…I kind of wrote it down in my d..diary what you were doing and he found it. Promise you’re not mad…? Promise? Why are you looking at me like that? SISTER!!?”

Flight Plan

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 16

Flight plan

“When royal families wish to combine two households sometimes one pony from each family will be chosen to marry each other. This can be done for several reasons which include thinning of the bloodline in one family, a treaty being enacted, or cultural beliefs (see Appendix 69). Some marriages are arranged even before any of the ponies are born, the custom of foal-selling has also been associated with arranging marriages (for mares that can’t foal their own heirs). The custom of arranged marriages is rarely practiced in eastern cultures, and even fully abolished in current day Equestria.”

“Is that the only book that has anything…?” Ridge asked looking over Cadence’s shoulder.

“I’m afraid so. So what now?” She asked levitating the book back onto the bookshelf.

“I…I don’t know. Is Twilight even royal blood?” He asked sitting down on his rump.

“Technically she’s not, but her brother is my husband.” She said sitting down in front of him.

“We’ve looked at this sideways, upside down, and backwards. I just don’t get why they chose me, it’s not like I was anypony important before this.”

“”Well we don’t know that for sure do we Ridge?” she asked correcting him.

“Oh come on, she said my family had a fishing business. Nopony own a fishing business and is royal blood.” He said curtly.

“Alright you got my hoof there, but we still need to keep looking.” She said lifting him onto his feet with her magic.

“Why bother, it’s all going to fall apart anyway. Maybe I should just go along with their plan, at least I won’t have to worry about anything if I do that.” He said letting his head drop down near the floor.

“Ridge you know you can’t do that, this is wrong and you know it.”

Raising his head he was about to answer her, but an idea quickly popped into his head.

“Fine, but what are we going to do?” he asked looking up at her.

“Well, I was thinking of trying to find your family and telling them.”

“What could they do against the princess of the country Cadence? She would just slander them or something, and have them locked away forever.”

Turning away from him she sat back down in front of the book she had been reading.

“Well I don’t see you coming up with anything better.” She said quickly.

“I could just disappear.” He said standing up and grabbing a book from the bookshelf closest to him.

“Ridge, that wouldn’t help this situation.”

“I know… but it is the easiest option.” He said setting down the book.

Cadence sighed quietly to herself then turned around to address the sullen pony behind her.

“I know things don’t look that great, but I’m sure…”

“Sure of what Cadence?” He asked looking away from the bookshelf toward where she was sitting.

What Ridge saw scared him to the core. Cadence had this terrified look on her face as she stared off toward the western side of the library.

“Cadence…?”

As he started moving closer her horn began to glow softly and she began to slowly open and close her mouth in an awkward manner.

“A..Are you okay, speak to me?”

As he came up next to her he slowly put a hoof to her chest in an attempt to get her attention. As he did so her head snapped toward his and she began to whisper something.

“Rid….un”

“Your scaring me, what is it Cadence?” he said leaning closer toward her.

“They’re coming.”

“Who?” He said almost against her face.

“Luna and Celestia are trying to teleport in here. I’m trying to keep them away, but I don’t know how long I can keep it up. You need to find someplace to hide quickly.”

“What! Oh man, uh…where do I g..go.” he said quickly jumping back from her and frantically searching the room.

“I..I don’t know but just go somewhere I can’t keep this spell up much longer.” She said as her horn began to glow even brighter.

“Buck, Buck, Buck” he said as he began running away from the table.

Before he got more than a pony length away from the table he remembered the book he had been reading earlier. Quickly grabbing the book he had sat down on the floor he turned around and started running toward the door.

‘Thank you for everything Cadence…’ he thought as he burst through the doors and turned down a hallway.

“I’m sorry okay!” Luna said as she held her hooves in front of her face.

Celestia just sat on the edge of her bed massaging her temples.

“Just tell me exactly how it happened okay?” she said looking up toward her sister.

“I..I was up at my telescope and I felt my protection spell on my diary break and i tried to get to it as quickly as possible, but by the time I got there he was already gone.” She said slowly lowering her hooves.

“So you don’t know for sure if he knows?”

“W..Well it was open to his page…” she said blushing.

“His page?” she asked tilting her head to the side.

Looking away from her sister Luna tried to hide her face.

“I wrote about how you planned on him marrying Twilight…and well I thought…I don’t know…also where his parents were.”

“Is that all…?” she asked standing up from the bed.

“Well…I may have also mentioned something about the locket too….”

Sighing quietly, Celestia trotted over and put a hoof over her sister’s shoulder.

“It’s fine Luna, I should have expected as much I guess.”

“Wha…What do you mean?”

“Do you know how you became a princess sister?” she asked as she turned and made her way toward her balcony.

“Well…mother saw fit to let me rule over the night. Just as she saw fit for you to take over her day.” She said following her sister toward the balcony.

“Correct, now do you have any memories of our father?” she asked as she looked out toward the city below.

As Luna scrunched her face in thought she found she couldn’t recall any actual pictures of her father.

“No…not really, but didn’t mother say he passed away before I was born.

As the moon fell Celestia’s her face she gave a small smile and turned to face her sister.

“He died just a few days before you were born. Apparently the ponies of the time didn’t believe in a mortal and goddess relationship, and he was hunted down one night outside the old castle.”

Dropping her head down all Luna returned was a small noise.

“oh..”

“Yea it nearly destroyed mother emotionally.” She said quietly stepping next to her sister.

“But, what does that have to do with Ridge and Twilight?” Luna asked raising one of her eyebrows.

“Well after our father died mother wanted to make sure nopony that ruled over Equestria had to go through the tragedy of ruling alone.”

“So what are you saying?” she asked turning to face her sister.

“Mother originally had me arranged to marry discord…”

“What!?” she yelled backing away toward the wall.

Nodding her head slightly she resumed her story.

“He originally was a simple farming pony from one of the early settlements, but when he was given the powers of royalty he went mad and transformed himself into what we know him as today. After her plan failed she split the powers between us, so neither of us would have to rule alone.”

Slowly moving closer to her sister Celestia put her hoof around her sister’s neck.

“When I found out what mother had done, originally I was furious with her, and almost went mad with power myself. But after you were banished to the moon, I realized what she had done was really a good thing. The entire time you were gone I wanted nothing than for you to return, I couldn’t imagine going on with life if I lost you Luna.” She said as a few tears fell from her face and onto her sister’s dark blue fur.

Slowly turning toward her sister Luna lifted her sister’s face level with hers.

“Well the entire time I was gone I wished to return to you to, even if I was under nightmare moon’s control. You’re still my sister and I will always love you no matter what.”

Nodding and giving a genuine smile she gave her sister a hug.

“But, there are still two things I still don’t understand.” Luna said while holding her sister.

“What is it?” she said leaning her head backwards so she could see her sister’s face.

“Why Ridge? What made him so special that you chose him?”

“Well, after Twilight became my student I began to sense greatness within her.” She said breaking contact with her sister and moving over to the side of the room which housed a bookshelf.

Picking a book out of a seemingly random location she made her way over to the bed, and waved her sister over with her hoof. Quickly making her way beside her sister Luna looked over her shoulder as she opened the book.

“This is a book in which I’ve been tracking possible coltfriends for Twilight. I looked all over Equestria waiting and watching for a stallion that was exactly right for her. I’ve been following Ridge for about five years now, and I thought he would be a perfect match for her.”

Glancing at all the notes in the book she reached out with her hoof at Ridge’s circled picture.

“I still don’t understand exactly how you chose him though.”

“His parents gave him up for adoption at birth, and the family that adopted him treated him horribly. I mean these ponies shouldn’t have even passed foal raising 101, they barely gave him enough food to survive, physical and verbally abused him daily, and forced him to work at their business whether he wanted to or not.” She said skimming toward the rear of the book.

“So they were terrible parents, that doesn’t sound too special sister.”

“Well, it was his attitude toward people that made him stand out. Whenever he got the chance he would do anything he could to make somepony’s day happier, no matter if it hurt him or not. The more his parents did to hurt him, the more he would try to find a reason to be happy. If his parents yelled at him for not finishing his dinner one night, He would get straight A’s for an entire month. Say he was to accidentally break something in his house; he would have gotten a second job to pay for it. I mean his kindness knew no bounds, and he never expected anything in return.”

“Well, you certainly make him sound like a nice pony, but you wouldn’t pick him based on manners alone. What gave him the upper hoof over all the other ponies?”

Lifting her head up and closing the book, Celestia turned her face toward her sister.

“Do you remember when I asked you to look into his dreams?”

Putting her hoof to her chin in thought, she vaguely recalled that day.

“He kept having dreams of his friends if I recall correctly. Just going to the park and talking, or playing some small game; I think he even had a dream of kissing some mare he liked.”

“The thing is Luna, he never actually did any of those things, he either was too busy working for his parents, or school work. His dreams were what he wanted, not what he had. The nights I watched him he cried himself to sleep, and that was for a month straight. When he was alone was the only time he allowed for his true wishes to be shown. All he wanted was some friends, and he wasn’t ever going to get that with his parents.”

Quickly realizing the magnitude of his situation Luna hid her face in her hooves again.

“A…And I ruined it all didn’t I?” she barely managed to say without crying.

Wrapping her sister in another hoof she began to pet her head.

“Shhhhhhh, you did nothing I could be mad at. If it’s anypony’s fault it’s mine. I should have told him the truth from the beginning and let him make his own choices. Maybe I should have made him my student also, but what happened has happened and there is nothing we can do to change it. Now cheer up Luna I owe him an apology, you had nothing to do with this.”

“I know, but I still feel like I let you down though.”

“Trust me Lu-Lu, there is no way you could let me down.”

Luna giggled at the pet name her sister had used.

“Right, now what was the other thing that you wanted to know?” Celestia said as Luna lifted her head up.

“oh…um…I don’t understand how he knew about my diary is all. I mean you’re the only one who knew about it right?” she said looking up into her sisters eyes.

“Well…I may have told somepony else about it….” she said blushing.

“Sister!!! How could you!!!” she said with mock anger.

Picking up on her sister’s tone Celestia decided to play along.

“Well I didn’t think your private diary was private information.” She said sarcastically.

As their eyes meet they both burst into laughter.

“But seriously sister, who else knows?” Luna said trying to stifle her giggles.

“A certain Pink Alicorn we need to have a talk with.” She said standing up from the bed.

“Oh? Oh..Oh!!” she said jumping up from the bed.

“Come now, I believe we may kill two birds with one stone if we find Cadence.”

“You think she may know where Ridge is?” she said her eyes widening.

“Well I think there is only one way to find out, Don’t you?”

Quickly rolling her eyes she held her hoof out to her sister, and together they looked all throughout the castle for Cadence. After a short moment Luna spoke up.

“I found her…She’s in the library?” She said turning toward her sister with a questioning glance.

“Well come on then, we haven’t got all night.” She said lighting up her horn.

“Hmmmf!!” She yelled as she stopped fighting the teleportation spell.

In a flash of yellow and blue, the other two royal guardians appeared behind Cadence.

Taking just a moment to get her bearings after the teleport Celestia made her way forward to where Cadence was sitting. As she made her way up to the table she saw the book that was sitting there, her head dropping in realization.

“Cadence….Why are you in the library this late at night?” Luna asked not seeing the book.

Cadence just sat there in silence as she hung her head.

“I think I might have a clue Luna.” Celestia said resting on Cadence’s shoulder.

“Cadence I want you to be perfectly honest with me okay?” Celestia said slowly looking down at her.

“I..I..I’m sorry.” Was all she said as she looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Don’t worry about that for a moment, now can you be honest with me please?”

She weakly nodded her head.

“Does he know?”

She weakly nodded her head again.

“How much does he know?”

“A..All of it.” she said as she dropped her head.

Celestia quietly glanced at her sister, and gave her a small nod.

“Tis not your fault Cadence. We should have told you our plan a long time ago. Isn’t that right dear sister?” Luna said looking up toward her sister.

Sighing loudly she looked down toward Cadence as she cowered into her seat.

“Come, walk with me.” She said turning away from the table and motioning with her hoof for Cadence to follow.

Cadence quickly looked between the two sisters and as her gaze settled on Luna she gave an approving nod.

As the pair made their way slowly toward the balcony that marked the end of the library Celestia draped a wing across Cadence.

“I just want to start off by saying I’m sorry okay.”

“B..But princess why are you apologizing to me? I was the one who told him about what you two were doing.”

“I know you were, but I should have told you about it first. I shouldn’t have left you in the dark like I did.”

As they made their way outside Cadence glanced out across the city and all the ponies below.

“But, what you’re doing to him is wrong, nopony should be forced to marry another pony.” She said looking up at Celestia’s face.

“I never had the intention to force anypony to do anything they didn’t want to do Cadence.”

“Then what do you call forcing him to get closer to Twilight.”

Sighing quietly she pulled Cadence in for a hug.

“I knew you wouldn’t agree with this, which is why I never told you anything to begin with. I hardly told Luna about it either but I promise not to hide anything else from you now okay?”

“Then tell me why you lied to him?” Cadence said wiggling out from the hug and turning to face her.

“Because his parents controlled his life, if I would have asked him to change his life for the better he would have refused. That’s why I took him from his family.”

“Change his life for the better, is that how you view this princess? Because from my point of view you pretty much ruined his life.” She said stomping her hoof on the ground.

Quietly shaking her head Celestia lit up her horn and produced her book that she had shown Luna earlier. As she levitated the book over to Cadence she turned it to Ridge’s page.

“What do you know how discord came into existence….”

Meanwhile two stories above them a pair of ponies jumped back away from the window after their most recent activity of spying.

“Wow, I wonder what the princesses did to him.” Pinkie said bouncing along down the hallway.

“I don’t know pinkie, come on we still need to find Twilight. I’m sure she can fix this.” She said as they turned down another corridor.

“Okie dokie lokie” she said bounding down the hallway beside Rainbow Dash.

Ridge sat inside the closet silently praying that he could just wake up from this nightmare.

“Why couldn’t everypony leave me alone...” he thought as he slowly lifted up the book he had managed to grab before he ran out of the library.

Using his horn to light up the immediate area around him he opened the book and began to recite the spell he had found earlier.

“Invictus clokaus hocus pocus”

As he finished reciting the ancient spell he looked at the cloth he currently had tied around his midsection. Slowly it began to glow slightly brighter in color before it seemed to lose all traces of a magical glow. Before he could celebrate his accomplishment he noticed that his vision blurred for just a moment.

‘Alright that worked I guess, now for the other part.’ He thought as he looked toward the shelf in front of himself.

Sitting on the shelf was a meat cleaver he had stolen from the kitchen as he was running through the castle. As he lifted up the blade he noticed how he could see his reflection in the mirror and as he looked at his now grey coat he extinguished his horn and brought the cleaver high above his head.

‘Man this is going to hurt.’ He thought quickly as he brought the clever downward.

‘scunhk’

Escape Plan

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 17

Escape plan

‘oww, oww, oww, oww!!’ Ridge repeated over and over as he stumbled around the closet.

“Why did I do this, it’s so stupid. Owwwwwwww!!!” he said as he put his hooves to his forehead trying to get the throbbing in his head to subside.

He quickly sat down against what he assumed was a shelf and took several long breaths to calm down. After a minute of lying there, he thought about the situation he currently was in. Slowly and carefully he moved his right hoof to his horn, gingerly feeling the clever stuck there.

‘Well, this is just lovely.’ He thought as he gingerly moved his hoof to his horn.

“Alright well we can’t do this in the dark anymore.” He said slowly standing back onto his hooves.

As his head moved when he stood up he could feel the cleaver in his horn.

Instinctually trying to use his horn to try and light the dark closet he was met by a flash of magical feedback and he reared up on his legs in shock.

“Arghh!!” he yelled as his left hoof caught on something.

Before he could even think as to what he had hit he felt himself begin falling backwards over it. As his head met the floor another flash of magic came from his horn and he heard something crack as all of his body weight pressed into his head. As another wave of pain washed over him he cupped both hooves over the top of his head..

‘Buck that hurt’ he thought as he came back to his senses.

As he lay there writhing on the floor he swore he could see the cleaver glinting there on the floor in front of him. After the pain subsided to a more bearable level, he moved a single hoof where his horn should have been.

“It’s really gone…”He said moving his hooves away as though he was touching something hot.

Suddenly the closet door swung open and he snapped toward it.

“What are you looking for Angel?” Ridge heard a stallion say.

“I heard something from in here Comet.” A mare said.

“Well hurry up I want to get back to the bunks before sunrise.” The pony named Comet said.

Ridge quietly moved behind a crate hoping that the two ponies wouldn’t notice that he was there.

“Well if you want to get back quicker you’ll help me look.” Angel said moving deeper into the closet and closer to Ridge.

Hiding down behind the crate even further he slowly saw the shadow of the pony creep closer and closer toward him. Frantically looking around for anything he could use as a distraction he saw something just a few feet away that chilled him to the bone. As silently as he could manage he reached out with his hoof and picked up the yellow thing and hid it behind himself.

“I think this is what you’re looking for, this cleaver must have fallen of one of the shelves.” Ridge heard.

“Oh, well I guess that was all for nothing then. I think I should go to the med-room and have my hearing looked at.” She said.

“Well you are a bat pony after all Angel you’re going to have better hearing than any pony.”

“Yea yea, whatever come on let’s get this back to the kitchen then we can get some shuteye.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” He agreed.

As Ridge heard the pair of ponies close the door he thanked Celestia that they hadn’t found him.

‘Well, Celestia is the one who got me here in the first place.’ His mind said out of nowhere.

Using his hooves to hide away what those guards had almost found under his cloak he slowly stood up and trotted his way over to the door.

‘one more stop’ thought before peeking out of the door down the hallway and setting off.

“Now do you understand Cadence?” Celestia said as she held Cadence under her wing.

“I understand it just fine, but why did you have to go behind my back?” she said raising her hooves into the air.

“I knew you would want to lose Twilight as your little filly. I thought you would hate to see her move on with her life.” Celestia said moving her wing away from Cadence.

“Well yea I still see her as that little filly from all those years ago. But I still see her as a mare that is growing up princess. It’s not our decision to how she lives her life, she should be the one who does that.” She said with a huff.

“Tell me Cadence have you ever seen Twilight talk to a Stallion, much less ask one out?”

“Well no, but like I said you shouldn’t forc…”

“I never forced either of them to do anything. I just introduced him to her, albeit under extenuating circumstances, nothing I did made anypony’s life for the worse.” Celestia said calmly.

“Bu…Can’t…It isn’t that black and white though, what if it didn’t work out between them.”

“Twilight wouldn’t have let that happen, she would have helped him no matter what and you know that.”

“Yea I know…” Cadence said, her argument losing steam.

“Look at it as a new begging and not an end. Twilight starts a new chapter of her life, Ridge ends a bad one of his, and everypony is happy. Can you do that for me Cadence?” She said nuzzling her neck.

“Alright I guess I can be okay with it, but one thing goes wrong and I’m on his side got it?” she said looking up at Celestia with a stern gaze.

“Deal!!” she said wrapping her in another hug.

After taking a moment to get her laughter under control she called out for Luna.

“Luna dear you can come out here now, I believe somepony wants to apologize.” Celestia said giving Cadence a side glance. As Luna made her way onto the balcony

She looked first from Celestia then to Cadence.

“Um, Luna I..I’m sorry for telling Ridge to sneak into your room and read your diary.” She said rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof.

Quickly running up to her Luna wrapped her into a hug.

“I forgive you Cadence you were just trying to help.”

Blushing Cadence returned the hug.

“Thank you Luna” Cadence said moving back to where she could look at them both.

“Well what do we do now sister?” Luna said looking toward Celestia.

“I believe that we need to find a certain pony do we not?”

“Yea I guess you need to tell him the truth don’t you.” Cadence said starting off toward the library.”

Quickly looking at each other Celestia and Luna shared a glance.

“Cadence we’ll find Ridge okay, you probably should be getting back to Shining shouldn’t you?”

Quickly turning around Cadence looked shocked.

“After all of that stuff about Ridge you expect me to just go to bed? I’m going to see this until the end, and there’s not a thing you can do about it.” she said stomping her hoof in protest.

“Alright then that’s fine by me what about you Luna?” she said glancing at her sister.

“It seems fine to me, so how are we going to find him?”

Nodding her head in agreement Celestia lit up her horn and produced a map of the castle. She unfolded it and traced her hoof along the edge until she came to the library they currently were in.

“Alright so we’re here now so Luna I want you to take the west wing and the dungeons, Cadence take the upper floors, and I’ll take the east wing and the gardens. Does everypony agree with that?” she said folding up the map and making it disappear in a flash of gold.

“Yea fine by me.” Cadence said.

“ Yes I’m okay with it, I’ll also tell my night guards to be on the lookout for him as well.”

“Good, we meet back here at sunrise if nopony finds him okay?”

“Right.” They said simultaneously.

Nodding her head quickly all three of them set off in different directions out of the library.

Quickly placing the quill back onto the table he neatly folded the note into a small square.

‘If I made it fine by myself last time, then by gosh I can do it again.’ He thought making his way toward the bed.

He quietly admired how well decorated the bedroom was, it had taken some doing but he had quietly made his way through the castle and made his way to Celestia’s bed chamber.

“So much for diplomacy” He said coming up alongside the bed.

All of the pillows on the bed made it look too comfortable for his taste, but he wasn’t here to admire the decorations. He had a job to do and he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. So quickly making his way up toward the head of the bed he grabbed several pillows and tossed them away. What greeted him was a book that was the color of the sun.

“What fun! I absolutely love invading ponies privacy now apparently.” He said sarcastically.

Setting his note for Celestia down for a moment he moved his hoof toward the diary. As he made contact with it he received a similar shock that made him stop.

‘What am I doing…am I no better than her now?’

A strong feeling of guilt quickly settling in his stomach he moved his hhof away from the bed.

“I..I can’t do it. This isn’t me.” He said making his way to where he had thrown the pillows.

As he put the pillows back to where they had been he felt something on his face. He pressed a hoof to his face thinking it was some sort of insect, but he found out he couldn’t swipe it away. Moving away from the bed he looked down to his hoof to find it wet. As he stared down at his now grey appendage he couldn’t keep himself from looking away.

“I..I’m utterly alone now. Nopony even cares about me anymore.” He said feeling tears fall from his eyes.

‘Except Cadence, she’s the one that helped you don’t forget her.’ He thought as a sudden sliver of hope shot through him.

Quickly realizing that he still had to look presentable for his plan to work he looked around the room for a mirror. Setting on the far wall of the room he saw one that would work perfectly for him. So slowly making his way to it he took a moment to dry his eyes and look at himself.

“I’d call it an improvement at least…” he said as he posed in front of the mirror.

His eyes were the first thing he noticed, instead of the emerald green they had been they had turned into a sort of a Hazel shade, and as he moved his hoof to his face again he ran a hoof through his completely white mane. Turning around he noticed his coat had lost its yellow sheen and been replaced with a dark and dull grey.

‘Well at least I can hide in a crowd now.’ he thought looking at the bare spot of fur on his forehead.

Satisfied at how he looked he moved his mane so that it covered that spot, and he then moved away from the mirror back toward the bed. As he came up to the bed he reached under his cloak and pulled out what he had hid earlier, he laid the letter on the bed then placed the item on top of it. Without so much as another word he turned toward the door and left the room.

Dear princess:

I don’t know where to begin with this so I’ll just come out and say it. I can’t believe you would so something like this to Anypony. Whatever your motives were I don’t believe they justify kidnapping a pony and forcing him to do your bidding. I don’t want to cause any trouble, so I’m not saying anything I’m just going to leave. Nopony seems to want to help me, other than Cadence, and I just can’t but help but feel betrayed by you. Don’t blame her for what has happened, all she wanted to do was help and I think her for that. I also took the liberty of ‘solving’ my own problems, now don’t bother looking for me because you won’t find me.

Goodbye: Ridge

As Celestia sat the letter back down on the bed she put her hoof against her forehead.

‘It’s what happened with Discord all over again.’ She thought as Cadence and Luna came running into the room.

“D..Did you find him?” Cadence as she looked around the room for Ridge.

“No, but he was so kind as to leave us a letter and a gift.” She said sarcastically then levitated the letter and item to Cadence.

“WHAT!!?” Cadence yelled as she back away from the items.

“It seems he went to extreme measures to ‘cure’ himself.” Luna spoke as she picked up the letter from the floor.

“He actually cut of his own horn, Can that actually work?” Cadence said picking up the yellow horn with her magic.

“All that Ridge managed to do was hamper his ability to use magic, he is still normal by any standards.” Celestia said standing up from her bed and going across the room.

“So what do we do now?” Luna asked passing the letter to Cadence so she could read it.

Celestia never answered her question as she stopped in front of her mirror.

“Well…?” Cadence joined in.

“We see where he went first of all” She said using her horn to send a bolt of magic into the mirror.

As Luna and Cadence stared at the mirror they didn’t see anything happen, and after moment Luna spoke up.

“Nothing happened.”

“Look again” she said stepping back from the mirror so both of them could come in closer.

As they stared into the mirror they realized they couldn’t see themselves only the opposite wall. But before they could say anything they saw somepony walk into the room.

“I enchanted this mirror to record anything that it sees happen.” She said quickly before turning back toward the mirror.

As the trio of ponies watch the strange stallion move across the room they watched as he moved about the room doing various things. It wasn’t until they heard sniffling did they become worried.

“I..I’m utterly alone now. Nopony even cares about me anymore.” They heard this pony say.

“Oh no, it can’t be him can it?” Luna said casting a worried look back to her sister.

“I’m afraid it is sister, he must have enchanted some disguise to help him out of the castle.” She said using her magic to turn off the mirror unable to see anymore.

“Why did you do that? We still haven’t seen where he went?” Cadence asked looking away from the mirror.

“I know exactly where he is, I just didn’t think anything of it at the time.” She said trotting out of her bedroom and onto the balcony adjoining it.

Wondering what she was up to both the princesses followed her outside. When all three of them were outside Luna was the first to ask.

“Well are you going to tell us where he is so we can tell him?”

Celestia proceeded to slowly turn around to face her sister and spoke in a slow tone.

“The better question is when is he Luna…”

Rude Awakening

The alicorn who knew nothing

Chapter 1

Rude awakening

Pain...

this was all he could feel.

“Owwww!…what happened?” he strained out past the torrent of pain that coursed throughout his entire being.

He tried to move his hooves to find the answer to his question, but they refused to operate any way he tried to move them. He lay there trying to get his bearings as his head swam through a fog of pain, soon enough though his mind began to clear this fog enough that the colt could open his eyes and try to figure out this mess he had gotten himself into.

The first thing that he could discern from the scene before him was red, a lot of red, and it all pointed back to his ponyself, his mind strained to make a connection to what would be red and why it would be everywhere in front of him. In a flash of panic he figured out that the source of this red color was in fact himself, and with his brain starting to fire all synapses it produced one word which his lips strainingly said

“Blood!”

Now this made the colt panic and he worked with a renewed vigor to get to his hooves. He barely made an awkward attempt to right himself before he realized that his left front hoof was a mangled piece of something that almost made him become sick.

He shakingly balanced himself on a garbage can next to his body and made an assessment of himself. First, his snout was in very great deal of pain. He crossed his vision down to the end of his snout to find that it was bleeding very profusely down the front of his chest, He had a short burst of panic thinking he had broken his snout, but that did not prove to be true after a few exploratory touches with his good forehoof to the area above where the blood was coming from. It appeared to him that it was a combination of a serious scrape to the apex of his snout and a bad snoutbleed. So he surmised that it wasn’t in mortal danger just yet. The next thing that demanded his attention was his hoof, with trepidation he looked down at it and about cried out in utter disbelief. The entire hoof was a dark shade of red and was bent at an impossibly bad angle. With knowing regret he tried to move it in a simple up motion.

“Hgggggn!” He cried out in a fiery explosion of pain.

“Okay, do NOT do that again!” he said as he blinked back tears.

Okay his hoof was definitely broken and he would need to see a hospital. Soon.

The colt then continued his assessment of the damage he had done to himself, He slowly looked over to his left flank to look at a series of several slashes that had covered his cutie mark then round behind himself to stop somewhere he could not see. Those slashes, as he looked with a more discerning eye were not slashes at all but very wide and deep scrapes along his entire flank.

“Oh” he muttered. Those would most likely leave a permanent scar over his cutie mark and his flank.

“Cutie mark…?” He whispered through the air to no one.

He stared at the patch of red as it dribbled over his flank and down his leg onto the cobblestone down below. For the sun goddess above he could not recall what his cutie mark was under the scrape, So with great confusion in his mind he moved his head over to his undamaged flank and his mind reeled at what his eyes beheld.

First there was a sideways eight the color of gold emblazoned across his flank, and in the first half of this eight there was a breathtakingly detailed mountain ridge with two clouds floating slightly to the left of it. The second half of the gold eight sent a shudder through the battered pony’s body, there was a simplistic beach with several small seashells along its great expanse and a tiny wave was just at the lowest point of crashing onto the beach and to his eyes it almost formed an almost comedic smile. This sent the colts mind reeling as he tried to recall why his cutie mark was so alien to him. He was grasping at anything his mind could conjure up with as to what his cutie mark had been before today, but nothing came to him.

Suddenly it was as if he saw himself for the first time, he began to explore his body in more detail than earlier and he realized that his coat was a very mild color of gold that was currently being marred by varying shades of crimson that were slowly drifting downward toward the street below. As his eyes followed the flow of crimson down his body he saw movement from near the top of his head among his dark brown flowing mane and it startled him, but whenever he tried to follow this movement around he found that whatever the movement was it moved away at the exact same speed as he could move his head, so slowly he looked around where he was currently perched and found the lid to the garbage can he was currently resting against and he surmised that the lid would be reflective enough that he could see himself. But whenever he moved the lid in front of his snout and face he immediately regretted it.

It was not so much the mess of his snout that caused him duress but he came to realize that he had a unicorn horn. But as he examined the horn closer he realized that it seemed longer than what he remembered his horn to be.

“Wait!?” he gasped.

He had seen this horn on only a very select few ponies and he was not one of them.

“Or at least I am not supposed to be…” He slowly set down the lid and tried to rationalize what he just saw and every explanation he could think of just crumbled to dust before his minds eye.

So he decided to continue the search of his body to find any answers to why he was so very confused. He slowly looked across his back to see two wings perched along the length of his back one folded in perfectly along himself and the other… nothing could have prepared the colt for what his eyes beheld him. His other wing was splayed out to his side in a normal fashion, but something was off. It had a few spots of red streaked across the face, but that was not what had caught the majority of his attention, He slowly and tentatively raised it to its full length and was literally floored at the monstrously long wing that stared back at him. The beauty of his wing was not lost on the confused pony, and two words popped into his head that absolutely made no sense whatsoever, and he breathed in a hushed tone

“Alicorn wings...”

If the pony had been of stable mind before he made this realization now he might as well be locked into a padded room and have the key thrown away never to see the sun again.

With his mind an utter desert of blankness he just stared at his wing in utter disbelief and silence. After what seemed like hours, or maybe minutes, or days, his mind started to form the necessary functions to move and he slowly moved his wing back into its folded position along his back.

“Okay, don’t lose it… don’t lose it… don’t lose it” he repeated these words over and over trying to calm his racing heart just enough so that he wouldn’t bleed out, he currently had one thought racing through his mind and it terrified him beyond all reason.

“I..I..I’m an A..Alicorn” With these words uttered out into the open he visibly calmed down enough to where he could think.

“Why would I be an Alicorn” he began to speak with himself slowly,

"why can’t I remember anything about this, and first of all what happened.”

With that mini argument with himself over the colt slowly hobbled over away from the garbage can he was on.

“Okay rationalize the situation by speaking” he said.

“First I am in the back of an alley, and i also have an Alicorn horn and wings" After about a minute of just sitting there thinking about his extra appendages he realized he forgot the most important issue at hoof.

"I..I am hurt really badly and will need medical attention soon.” With that last line uttered his mind stopped running at a million miles an hour and he started to look at the bigger picture of the things around him.

He looked up from the back part of the alley and noticed a streak of red along one side of the buildings.

“okay so I must have crashed into that building and ended up here, Yes that makes perfect sense” he sarcastically boasted to himself.

“I must have been flying over the building got too low and BLAM!!! Hit the building” But he realized that this answer was farfetched and it only answered one of his questions, and raised many more.

“Ugh, Celestia help me!” he said and nearly fell over in pain as he slammed his bad hoof onto another garbage can, Through the tears of his mistake the colt suddenly had an idea

“Princess Celestia!!! She’s an alicorn too, maybe she knows something about this.” But the second that the colt uttered these words he realized how terrible this idea was.

One thing any Alicorn doesn’t go around with is guards and there was a seemingly obvious lack of guards with him in this alley. If he had been flying around this place and had crashed into a building there surely would have been royal guards that would have noticed. So with a grim status plastered across his face the new alicorn sat down on his haunches and cried through the pain and confusion of getting back to square one.

After Several minutes of sitting there dripping blood in the alley the colt very slowly and carefully got to his three good hooves and slowly started trotting toward the exit of the alley.

“I've got to find somepony to help me” he said as he wobbled his way closer and closer to the street.

As he dragged himself hoof after hoof closer to the street he could start to discern the sounds of hooves on cobblestone and the wisps of conversations that slowly drifted back toward the damaged alicorn. But before he could reach the end of the alley a horrible thought struck him.

“B..But they will see me…like this.” So as much as it pained him to do so he stopped and looked around.

He had no idea what he was looking for but he soon found a small blanket pilled in with some trash that was left abandoned in the alley.

“Maybe…this will help..?” and with that said he grabbed the blanket and with one hoof tossed it over his wings, then painstakingly secured it underneath himself in a small knot. He looked back at himself and was satisfied that it hid his wings enough that no one would notice.

“Okay..y here goes e..everything” He said. He began his slow trot toward the street, and as soon as he came in contact with the sun he could feel everypony's eyes lock on him.

"H...Help me...Somepony...please?” and with that he simply sat down on the sidewalk while everyone ran toward him.

Back To Square One

The Alicorn Who Knew Nothing

Chapter 3

Back to square one

Books…Books…and more books.

There were several stacks of books circled around a hospital bed that was currently occupied by one Ridge Mountain. Over the past several days Ridge had become friends with his nurse Circus Ringer, and through this friendship learned of a library that was just across the street from the hospital. Upon hearing this information ridge had asked Circus to acquire him some books on Alicorns.

Originally circus was confused as to why ridge would want information that pertained to Alicorns, but the doctors at the hospital had concluded that it had been a burst of magic that followed a botched teleportation spell that caused Ridge’s crash and horn lengthening. So with this information Ridge had asked Circus to find him books that had any information about Alicorns, so he could find a spell to shrink his horn. While it was true that Ridge wanted the books to shrink his horn, It was only a half truth. Ridge also wanted said books to learn of any spells that could transform a normal pony into an Alicorn.

“Trans-matter teleportation…No…Soul Switcher…No…Gender Bender Flipper…uhh?...definitely not” Ridge Said.

Ridge inwardly groaned as he finished yet another book, casting it aside to add it to the growing pile that surrounded his bed.

“Any luck with finding anything to help your problem” Circus asked as he entered the hospital room.

“No not really, the only thing I could find that was even within the hoofpark was a potion that could cause a unicorn to regrow a severed horn.” Ridge said deflatedly.

“Well that certainly doesn’t help you now does it” Circus chuckled.

But before Ridge could even give his rebuttal Circus threw a small container onto the bed next to Ridge.

“W..What’s this for?” Ridge said as he looked at Circus with wide eyes.

“Well… you said that you need to get your horn shorter and a figured that will do just the job.”

“Y..Yea but I didn’t want to resort to using a hoof-file!” Ridge said exasperated.

“You said yourself that you couldn’t find anything else to help…” Circus pleaded.

Ridge just sat there in silence, his mind going over what circus just said. Yea it would shorten his horn, but it would hurt like buck. Ridge looked at Circus trying to think of anything else he could do, but Circus just shook his head with a pained expression on his face.

“O..Okay.” Ridge said defeated.

“Do you want me to help you with it?’

“N..No” and with his mind made up for him, Ridge slowly removed himself from the bed and made his way over to the bathroom.

When Ridge closed the door the first thing he did was remove the blanket from around his waist and stretch out his wings.

“ahhh…finally freedom.”

It had been several hours since Ridge had the opportunity to flex his muscles that controlled his wings, But that freedom was short lived as he realized the task ahead of him.

“Ugh…Might as well just do it now and not drag it out.”

Ridge reached under the sink and pulled out a small towwel and rolled it up, to give him something to bite down on.

“O..Okay just do it and don’t look back”

With one final determind sigh Ridge ever so slowly he brought the file to the tip of his horn and gave an exploratory scrape.

“Hgggnnn…Ohh..mee…nuck” But he didn’t stop and gave it another scrape.

“Ohhhhhhhh”

By this point tears were streaming down his face to mix with the powder from his horn, and this formed an ugly yellow paste that clung to him. So Ridge continued scraping back and forth for several minutes trying not to scream into the towel as much as he could.

Several agonizing minutes later, and several trips to the toilet to void his stomach, Ridge finally set the file down on the edge of the sink. The tears had been stemmed for the time being, but the damage had been done. Ridge stepped back from the sink to look at his Ponyself in the mirror, and the sight that greeted him was one straight from a horror-film. Most of his coat was covered in a fine misting of horn powder which gave him a ghostly quality, and where his tears had ran rivulets on his face it looked like somepony had thrown flower onto his face.

“well at least I look like a normal unicorn now…”

As ridge turned his head from side to side to inspect his hoof-work he heard a light knocking coming from the door, then the very worried voice of his new friend.

“E..Everything okay, can I come in?” Circus asked.

“Yea…I’m fine, just let me shower off first though.”

With the deed done all Ridge wanted to do was to put this incident as far behind him as ponyily possible. He trotted over to the shower, and without a thought turned it to the hottest possible setting and slowly got in making sure to leave his bandaged hoof outside the water. Sure it hurt, but he wanted to make sure none of the dust would remain within his coat. Slowly Ridge began to lather himself in the small soap that the hospital provided. As he rinsed he began to think about what he had just done to his horn, and how it probably would never be the same again.

“Wait…Hang on a moment!!!”

As ridge dropped the soap to swim around in the water below him, he remembered the book that had the potion to regrow a severed horn.

“Well at least all is not lost.”

Feeling immensely better than he had the past several days, Ridge turned off the water and stepped out of the shower and turned toward the mirror to once again admire his newly cleaned coat.

“Okay, maybe I can finally go out in public.”

Ridge slowly unfurled his wings to their full length then said

“But, I still have to wear that stupid blanket.”

Just behind the bathroom door, Circus had heard the shower stop and decided upon his ponyself to look at his friend and see how well he was doing after he had to file down his horn. Slowly he turned the knob with his mouth and stepped through the steam that wafted into his face and froze in place at what he saw before him.

Ridge felt the cold air on his back and turned around to see the shocked expression of Circus staring at him through the doorway.

“C…C…CIRCUS!!!”

“I…I…CAN EXPLAIN THIS!!!”