Home is Where Your Heart Is

"It was just...a bad dream..." Wanderlust murmured. He looked around and for a moment he was unsure of where he was. He tried to remember where he was. He remembered being at the library but he couldn't quite remember leaving. Looking around he confirmed his location by the sheer number of books that lay scattered around the room.

Looking out the window he tried to figure if it was still the same day or whether he had passed out for a whole day. After being knocked out for an entire week, it didn't seem too far fetched that he could have been out for a good while. He crawled out of the bed and decided to try and find that pony who ran the library.

'What was her name again?' He wondered as he left the room behind and looked around. 'Twi-something...Twilight maybe? Yeah that sounds right.'

In a few moments he found himself back in the main room of the library. With a quick scan of the room he saw that lavender mare was at the door and was talking to somepony standing just outside of his view.

He tried to listen in to what they were saying but their words dissolved into a low murmur by the time it reached him. Wanderlust decided to sneak up on the two ponies so he could listen. Wanderlust knew that he was often too curious for his own good but he decided at that moment that he didn't care.

That is until he accidentally bumped into a small tower of books. The sound of falling books quickly filled the room and Wanderlust watched as Twilight turned around, instantly seeing the ease dropping pony. He gave a sheepish smile and retreated back a few steps.

Twilight glared at the pony for knocking over her books not even thinking for a moment about the fact that he had been trying to ease drop. After a moment she turned back to the pink pony standing outside and said something to her before shutting the door gently. She turned to Wanderlust who was trying his best to restack the books he had knocked over. Twilight just smiled and walked over to him and started helping him.

Outside of the library Pinkie Pie smiled to herself as she thought of the party that she was soon to throw. It wasn't everyday that she got to throw a party for a new pony and she was very excited. 'Let's see,' she thought. 'That's Twilight and Rainbowdash so far. Twilight said she would bring Wanderlust to Fluttershy's later so I have to have everything set up by then. I just have to find Rarity and Fluttershy and invite them to the surprise party!'

She started hopping down the street towards the Carousal Boutique. "This is gonna be so much fun!" She yelled to herself. "Too bad Applejack can't come though."

Fluttershy stood in the middle of Rarity's room as Rarity dug through her racks of dresses. The shy pony still wasn't sure why she was there and why she was supposed to be getting ready for a romantic dinner. 'A romantic dinner with...with Wanderlust!' She thought and as soon as the thought entered her head she felt her cheeks burn for at least the dozenth time in the past hour.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Rarity started murmuring. "You need something beautiful to wear darling and so far I can't find anything good enough for such an occasion!"

"W-well maybe w-we don't have to do this..." Fluttershy murmured.

Rarity gasped and turned around to look at Fluttershy. "Of course we have to do this!" She practically yelled. "Darling, you like this pony right?" Fluttershy hid behind her mane and squeaked out a small yes. "Then we have to do this." She turned back to the dozens of dresses that were hanging neatly on their racks.

"B-But Rarity," Fluttershy started. "What if...What if he doesn't like me back?" She felt her eyes sting and she knew that she was about to start crying.

"Shh..." Rarity went over to her friend and hugged her softly. "Darling trust me. He does."

"H-how c-can you be so s-sure...?" She stammered.

"I saw the way he looks at you." Rarity stepped back and looked at Fluttershy. "He couldn't keep his eyes off you!"

Fluttershy looked out from behind her mane. "R-really?"

"Of course darling." She smiled as Fluttershy came out from behind her veil of hair. "Now let's try and find you a dress!"

Fluttershy smiled. "Okay." They both started looking through the dresses with renewed vigor and several minutes later Rarity gasped sharply. Fluttershy looked over at Rarity and saw that Rarity was staring slack jawed at a simple blue dress. The next thing that Fluttershy knew, she was having the dress thrown at her.

"Put it on!" Rarity yelled happily. "You will look dazzling!"

Fluttershy blinked a few times and looked at the dress. It was a simple piece that looked to be simply one flowing piece of fabric. On the hem there were small sapphires that sparkled in the light. The color of the dress was very much like the color of her eyes.

Carefully she began to slip the dress on when a loud knocking came from the front door of the boutique. Rarity let out a sound of annoyance. "I'll get it." She said simply and trotted away.

Rarity opened the front door of her boutique and was surprised to see Pinkie Pie standing on her doorstep. "Oh! Hello Pinkie." She spoke cheerfully. "What brings you around here?"

"I wanted to invite you a to a party!" She giggled out. "It's a welcome party for-"

Rarity cut her off. "Oh a party... I'd love to go Pinkie but unfortunately I'm a little busy right now."

Pinkie frowned. "Oh...Well that's okay! It will still be a super fun party anyways!" Her smiled returned in full force. "I just have to find Fluttershy and invite her and then I can start setting everything up!"

"I'm sorry Pinkie Pie but I'm afraid Fluttershy is a little busy as well." Rarity said apologetically.

Pinkie's smile only faltered for a moment. "Well that's okay too! It will still be a super awesome fun time! If you finish with whatever it is you're doing you two should come over!" With that she turned and skipped down the street.

"W-Wait!" Rarity called out. "Where is the party?" Pinkie Pie was too far away to hear her so Rarity just shrugged and walked back inside. "Aw well. I would have liked to go to Pinkie's little soiree."

Rarity walked back into her room and saw Fluttershy standing there in the soft blue dress. Her breath caught in her chest as she took in the sight of her looked absolutely stunning. The color of the dress almost matched Fluttershy's eyes perfectly and the simple design was accented by the simple style of her mane and tail.

"Well, well, well." Rarity laughed. "I know a certain somepony who is going to be very happy to see you."

"So how long was I out?" Wanderlust asked as he slid a random book back onto a shelf.

"Oh not too long." Twilight answered as she levitated a few books off the floor and onto their respective shelves. "An hour maybe."

Wanderlust grabbed another book off the floor and looked at the cover. It didn't have a title but it did show a very strange picture of a pony on it. "What is this?" He asked Twilight indicating the picture.

Her eyes narrowed and when she answered her voice was a little cold. "That's a changeling. Monsters that steal love from ponies. They transform themselves into a pony so they ca use lies to get close to a pony and then suck them dry." She closed her eyes and a look of pain crossed her face. "Those things almost got my brother a while back." She opened her eyes and looked at the book with a look of hatred. "Anyways that book is about them."

Wanderlust looked at the picture again and he was surprised that he thought that it had been a pony. It had the general shape of a pony, wings and a horn but that was about where the similarities ended. The horn looked wickedly sharp and the wings looked like slightly torn bug wings. The hooves of the creature were filled with holes that made them look very brittle but he knew that they were most likely very strong. Instead of the soft coat of a pony, the changeling looked to be covered in some sort of bug shell. The mouth was the thing that caught his attention the most. Sticking out of the changeling's mouth was a set of terrible looking teeth with several of them ending in jagged points.

Wanderlust suddenly flashed back to his nightmare and the horrible teeth that he had seen in the mares' mouths. He found himself trembling slightly as his mind connected the two images. "Hey..." He addressed Twilight in a slightly shaky voice. "Would it be okay if I borrowed this book too?"

"Knock yourself out." She said simply. He nodded once and then slid the book into his bag next to the Elements of Harmony book. He noticed Twilight eyeing him suspiciously and Wanderlust forced himself to stop shaking.

"So..." He started trying to pull attention away from himself. "Who were you talking to?"

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked truly confused.

"You were talking to somepony before I knocked over all of your books. Remember?"

"Oh yeah. I was talking to Pin-" She stopped herself. "Uh...I mean I was talking to Fluttershy! Yeah Fluttershy..."

Wanderlust raised an eyebrow. She had been about to say Pinkie Pie. 'Liar.' He thought before clearing his throat. "So, what did Fluttershy want?" He asked.

Twilight looked around the room in panic trying to think up a convincing lie. "Uh...She umm, wanted to borrow a book?" It sounded more like a question.

"What book did she borrow?" Wanderlust asked not wanting to call the pony on her lie just yet.

Twilight couldn't tell if Wanderlust knew that she was lying or if he was just truly curious about what book Fluttershy had taken. "Umm...The Elements of Harmony?" She said and she instantly wished she could pull the words back. That was the book that she had given Wanderlust!

Wanderlust just shook his head sadly and finally called Twilight out on her lie. "So why was Pinkie Pie here and why are you afraid to tell me? And don't lie to me this time."

Twilight sighed. "Damn." She mumbled.

"Come on." Wanderlust demanded. "Out with it."

"Fine!" She growled. "Pinkie Pie is throwing a surprise party for you. I'm supposed to bring you to the party later."

"Why would she be throwing me a party?" Wanderlust asked not quite believing her.

"She's throws a party for every new pony in town." Twilight answered. "She threw one for me when I first came to Ponyville."

"Well why couldn't you have just told me that she was throwing a party?" Wanderlust asked.

"Because it was supposed to be a surprise!" She answered exasperated. "Pinkie Pie loves parties but she loves surprise parties the most but now it's ruined."

"How so?"

"Because you know now."

"Why don't I just pretend that I don't know about it?"

"That's not the point! It's supposed to be a surprise." Twilight said sadly.

"Well where was she gonna throw the party anyways?" He asked curious.

"Fluttershy's cottage." She answered.

"Why there?"

"Because you were staying with Fluttershy. Weren't you?"

"Uh yeah but I was kind of comatose the whole time." He confessed. "I don't even know if I'm still allowed to stay there."

"Actually I talked to her earlier this." Twilight started. "She was telling me about somepony who crashed through her roof. I'm assuming that that was you, right?" He nodded. "She said that she was going to let that pony stay there till they were all better and judging by your head and your wing, you're anything but better."

"Well in that case," He said with a smile. "I guess I'll just have to forget about the party so it's still a surprise." Twilight looked at him in confusion as he walked over to the book shelves and began scanning over the titles.

"How will you forget about the party exactly?" Twilight asked truly curious.

"With this." He answered before grabbing a book from the shelf and placing it on the ground in front of him. "You are good with magic right?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow to this and looked at the book. "Mind Spells?" She was confused for a moment until she realized what he wanted her to do. "Wanderlust I can't do that!"

Wanderlust just started flipping through the pages. "Why not? You look like you know a thing or two about magic." He stopped on a page with a spell for erasing small amounts of memory.

"That's not the point! I can't just go through somepony's head and erase stuff!" Twilight tried to reason with him. "Come on we can just pretend that you don't know about the party! We don't have to do this."

Wanderlust laughed and pushed the book over to Twilight. "What happened to it's supposed to be a surprise? Besides, you can't honestly tell me that you have never wanted to try something like this." Twilight opened her mouth to argue some more but Wanderlust cut her off. "If you don't do it, then I will."

Twilight's eyes widened as she thought of this pony trying to use these spells on himself. He had passed out when he had tried to use a simple levitation spell and now he said he was going to try to do something as precise and dangerous as erasing a memory. For all she knew, he might end up wiping out every memory he had. She couldn't let that happen. "Fine, I'll do it." She muttered.

Wanderlust smiled and pointed at the open page. Twilight studied it for a few minutes before turning to Wanderlust. "Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied nervously. Twilight had used memories spells before, but those had been spells to restore lost memories not take them away. She had no idea what was going to happen.

Wanderlust just smiled some more. "This should be interesting. Let 'er rip!"

Twilight frowned at how excited he was to have somepony moving through his mind but she decided just to get it over with. She closed he eyes and let her magic flow.

Wanderlust watched as her horn began to glow a soft purple color. Moments later the glow began to drift towards his head. He swallowed past the lump in his throat but refused to let his smile falter. He was too curious about what was about to happen to let his fear show, even if this did turn out to be a horrible idea.

The aura of Twilight's magic flowed around Wanderlust's head. In an instant his smile vanished and all light from his eyes disappeared. His face was devoid of any emotion as Twilight's magic took hold.

Twilight kept her eyes screwed shut as she moved through the thousands of memories that made up Wanderlust's mind. His memories spread themselves behind her eyelids and Twilight found herself thinking, not for the first time, that this was a bad idea. His memories flew in and out of sight with such speed that Twilight only saw a blur of colors. Millions of sounds blended together into a horrible screeching noise.

Twilight wanted to shut out the images and sounds that assaulted her mind, but she quickly found that she had no control over her magic. The spell took any control that she had away from her and slowly but surely, the noises settled and the images stopped blurring. Images began to vanish as the spell pushed them aside and the typhoon of noise lessened in volume and intensity. In no time at all, all noise had vanished and only one image remained.

The memory showed Twilight moving books. Almost like someone pressed play on a remote, the memory started moving and she could hear Wanderlust talking. "So...Who were you talking to?"

'Bingo.' Twilight thought and almost immediately the memory vanished.

Twilight opened her eyes and saw that Wanderlust's face looked blank. He didn't blink and his mouth hung open slightly. "Wanderlust? Are you ok?" She asked. When she got no response she waved a hoof in front of his face.

He blinked a few times and closed his mouth. He looked around in bewilderment and backed up a few steps. "Where am I?" He asked. He looked at the pony in front of him. "Who are you!?"

Twilight felt sweat break out on her forehead. "I'm Twilight. Remember?" She said softly. He just blinked a few times and took another step back. "Oh no..."

"Twilight? I don't know anypony named Twilight." He blinked and looked around again. "Where am I?"

Twilight sat back on her haunches and put her face in her hooves. "What have I done..." She muttered.

She heard a laugh and looked up at Wanderlust. "Lighten up Twilight. I'm fine." He told her with a smirk.

"What? But I...you..." She stuttered.

"I was just messing with you." He laughed. "I remember everything. Well almost everything. I can't quite remember what that spell got rid of but I guess that's the point."

She stood up and glared at Wanderlust. "Don't do that." She scolded. "You made me think I completely wiped your mind!"

He laughed some more. "Yeah sorry 'bout that. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up." Twilight just rolled her eyes. "So...Who were you talking to earlier?"

Twilight looked at him and was unsure of whether he was just messing with her or if he truly didn't remember what she had, supposedly, made him forget. "I wasn't talking to anypony important." She answered him.

"Oh." He shrugged. "Ok then."

"Hey...you wanna head over to Fluttershy's later?"

Wanderlust raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"No reason."

He shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"