//------------------------------//
// Beginnings 
// Story: To Find a Past 
// by Surfusa 
//------------------------------//

The stallion woke up in a sweat. Although he didn't open his eyes to see where he was, the stallion could tell this world was the physical one. Unlike his dream, he could feel the uncomfortable rock-hard floor below him, even being wrapped in what seemed to be a wool blanket. It definitely was not as perfect as the clouds in his dream. He attempted to open his eyes to see the setting around him, but his eyes refused to obey. He took in the sounds of the hollowing winds, the feeling of an awful bed below him, the smell of a cooking pot of warm potato soup, and even the taste of the wool blanket; but for some reason couldn’t gain any in-sight of his surroundings.

He lifted his head upwards in an attempt to get his body moving again. He was answered with a small bang and a short spike of pain in his head. Finally, as if his eyes had decided it was in their best interest to work with him, his eyes opened to see what was above him. His eyes revealed a wooden beam resting only a couple feet above him. As the stallion inspected the beam stretching over him, he found that it was holding up a dirt ceiling with the support of wooden columns on both ends of the beam. Looking to his right, he found an inclined, curved wooden wall with dirt stains. The wall was mixed with old dark logs and new planks of oak. He turned his head to the other side, this time finding the inside layout of a small home. The structure of the house consisted of four wooden pillars which stood evenly spaced around the middle of the room. Its walls circled around the pillars and grew into the cone-shaped roof. The place seemed to be as if the designer had simply hallowed out the inside of a hill. Behind him a wooden door stood bracing the heavy winds outside. The door's window only showed the winter storm brewing outside the home. The deadly storm had probably would have taken his own life if he wasn't in this humble abode. Although the place wasn’t exactly luxurious, it could stand the harsh weather outside.

With the weather outside beating at the door, the stallion could tell he wasn't leaving any time soon. It was obvious that the occupants had stored everything that they owned in this one room. Using every space they could fill, the room was cluttered with furniture, supplies, and candles. With a closer look however, the stallion could tell that everything had its place within the house. Directly in front and behind him stood multiple barrels labeled with names of vegetables and fruits such as potato, lettuce, carrot, tomato, and even celery. From what he could remember, there was no fertile soil in this valley let alone one that could survive this winter. He also noticed that there were buckets, mops, rags, and many more miscellaneous items which haven’t seen any activity in at least a few months. Cobwebs and dust had ironically claimed the cleaning supplies.  Then he realized, the cot and him had been placed next to the main storage area of the home. Letting his eyes drift to the middle of the room, he found a hoof-crafted table with four sturdy wooden chairs placed on all sides. Each chair displayed a unique symbol carved into their back. The pony also spotted a white tarp folded on the corner of the table with a dark red stain which slowly dripped onto the floor. The tarp itself looked old with an assortment of tools scattered on top of it. Beyond the scene, the stallion could see the far side of the house with another small window showing nothing but a white blanket of snow from the heavy storm outside. His eyes fell reaching the short curved countertop which contained a water pump, a row of dishes on a rack, and lots of cabinets underneath. On the right of the counter top stood a stove with a metal steaming pot boiling on top of it. He then remembered the smell of the soup and realized this must be making the source of the smell.

His eyes continued to search for a second room which would be indicated by an obvious straight wall or door way, but found that this room was the only one in the house. He didn’t see any beds with the exception of his cot, nor did he see any toilet for private affairs, nor did he see any signs of life. It was as if the room and its furniture had never been used with the exception of the counter tops and table in the kitchen area.

The stallion decided it was best to get up and take a closer look at his surroundings. He pushed the blanket off him and began to lift himself up, stopping at the sound of an opening door. He turned, expecting to find the home owner in the door way behind him, but the door remained sealed shut. Then he realized that the sound came near the kitchen area behind the pillar. He turned his head once more, hoping this time to find some pony, but was greeted by a spear floating in the air pointed at his head. A voice spoke up, but the stallion couldn’t locate where the voice was coming from. Its low and uneasy tone echoed in the dome room.

​“I want you to slowly sit back down in your bed.”

The stallion decided it was best not to argue with the spear. He slowly lifted his body back onto the bed with rear hoofs dropping to floor.

​“Not many ponies sit like that.”

Still not being able to tell where the voice is coming from, the stallion looked towards the area where the sound of a door opening. Next to the countertop, a wooden trap door laid wide open with nopony nearby. As if the trap door had realized some pony was watching, the door was covered with a dark blue magic and slammed shut. The stallion's eyes returned to the floating spear. The spear remained motionless in the air with a dark blue glow surrounding the handle. The wood itself was decayed, but the sharpen metal head, which worried the stallion more, was in fine condition.

​“Do you know where you are?”

​The stallion shook his head.

​“Do you know what happen to you?”

​The stallion shook his head again.

​“Do you even know who you are?”

​The stallion paused this time, thinking about the last question. Nothing came to mind, not even a nickname. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. As hard as he tried, not a sound would come out of his mouth. Giving up, the stallion shook his head for a third time.

A sigh came from behind the pillar which stood next to the trap door. This sigh didn't have a low tone, but rather a higher tone similar to a younger pony's. There was a pause as the voice remained quite. Finally, a pony stepped forth and into the opening. To the stallion’s surprise, it was a mare with a light gray coat. Her mane and tail were dark gray, but her face still had a young look to it. Her horn, surrounded by the same color as the dark blue magic around the spear’s handle, made her seem even younger. Her flank showed a mark of a cloak surrounded by mist. A good cutie mark to represent her and the trick she just pulled off. She rested the spear against the door and extended a hoof.

​“My name is Nikki Pennyworth, but you will call me Ms. Pennyworth.”

The voice changed from a deep low voice to that of a female, young, urban pony. The accent was that of a middle classed pony living in Fillydelphia. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if the mare had used some form of spell to change her voice. 

The stallion lifted his hoof to meet hers, but was surprised when he his leg felt a large pinch. Instead of simple shaking hoofs, Ms. Pennyworth grabbed his leg and tightening her grip around it. A soft crack echoed through the room. The stallion let out a shout as he felt what he could only imagine as his leg bone being broke into two. With his leg held by her hoof, Ms. Pennyworth began to twist slowly. She watched as the tears began to build up in the stallion’s eyes. After letting the first tear hit the floor, Ms. Pennyworth opened her mouth.

“Cross me in this house or try anything stupid and I will make sure that you will be kicked out into the snow. Do you understand?”

Quickly nodding, the stallion yelped as she let go, leaving a bruised red mark on his lower leg. The stallion anger boiled, almost to the point of releasing it onto her, but paused. A dark blue aura quickly surrounded the bruise and began to wash away the pain. Small crackles could be heard from her horn and his leg as the stallion watched the pink and purple blotch disappear. After the last patch of discoloration disappeared, the stallion tapped his hoof onto the ground testing its state. With the pain gone, he eyed the unicorn.

​“You can never be too safe. Besides, you’re a special condition.”

Before he could argue, the stallion could hear hoof steps. Before another comment could be made, a new pony popped out of the trapdoor. This time it was an orange earth pony with a brown mane and tail. Not exactly appealing colors in the stallion’s mind, but he knew that it wasn’t as if the pony could choose them. The new orange pony lifted himself up from the ladder, and made his way to the table.

The new intruder had an older look to him with slight wrinkles around his eyes and rougher skin. He didn't have much to define him, with the exception of a large straw hat cover his ears and forehead. From his mouth hung an old wooden and metal lantern. Time had taken its toll on both of them. After placing the lantern onto the table, he turned to the trapdoor and made his way back. The stallion eyes fell to his behind and saw a cutie mark of flames as the orange pony closed the trapdoor. The stallion was quick to raise his eyes again as the orange pony came back. As the pony did, he pointed a hoof at Nikki Pennyworth.

​“Now Nikki, you know that isn’t any way to treat a guest.”

His tone was easy and it felt more sincere than that of Ms. Pennyworth; however, it was a heavy rural accent compared to hers. His voice hinted to a more simple origin such as a farm or even the new settlerments down in the South of Equestria. 

Ms. Pennyworth quickly tried to hide her blame.

​“But Light Master! His wound…”

“That’s enough; you know you wouldn’t like it if someone was investigating you about something you didn’t know. I told you this fella wouldn't know much, and I know that’s the truth. There's more than wrinkles that comes with old age!”

The mare turned to the stallion and then back to the Light Master. It could clearly be seen that she wanted to hear the words of praise come from his lips. With one last attempt, she opened her mouth.

​“But…”

The Light Master turned his head, shooting a cold state at her. She stopped as she became paralyzed by the Light Master’s stare. It was if she was under some spell.

“A flame can only become a fire when given the right tinder and right conditions. He doesn’t have the tools nor the desire to harm us. Now I would like to try to avoid making a scene in front of our guest."

The mare dropped her hoof and sat down. Annoyed, she nodded her head and pouted. The Light Master's stare quickly turned into a smile. He turned and laid a hoof on the red stallion's shoulder. 

"Now could you please grab us two drinks of lemonade from down stairs?”

Ms. Pennyworth raised a hoof in objection, but the Light Master shot her another stare. Finally, Ms. Pennyworth gave in and sighed.

“Yes master.”

Defeated, Ms. Pennyworth passed by the Light Master and threw the trapdoor open. As she stepped down into the hole, the stallion caught a look of disgust pointed at his direction. What did he do to deserve this, but he let the thought pass. After she closed the trapdoor behind her, the Light Master took a seat on a chair with a book on top of it. Instead of moving it, the Light Master simply sat on top of it. He beaconed for the stallion to join him in which the stallion pulled the chair across of him and took a seat. The Light Master pushed the white cloth stained with red splotches off the table, letting it unravel all over the floor. For having such a tidy house, the owner didn't seem to mind making a mess. Then he threw a few miscellaneous objects from a bag on to the table. First came a star shape rock, then a black box, and finally a couple of pencils accompanied by some pictures. He then pushed a pencil with slips of paper in front of him.

​“Now don’t try to talk, your body is still healing including your voice. Just have a look at these pictures and write down what you see.”

The orange pony lifted the first picture with his mouth.

The first picture were rows of black streaks; however, looking closer the stallion could see rows of black trees. There were almost no buildings with the exception of one tall rounded rectangle. The stallion quickly scribbled down the place he saw. His hand writing was light and neat, but somewhat plain. He placed the last dot over the i and pushed the paper foward.

​‘Ponyville.’

The Light Master picked up his response and smiled.

​“So you’re somewhat of a local. That’s a relatively new town too. I’m surprised how you got out here though, the road to anywhere else is in the opposite direction."

He picked up another picture. This time it was the outline of a black circle. On the outline, there were small gaps.

Shadows began to take shape and one turned into a pair of alicorns with their wings extended. The positioning of the two with one in front and the other following reminded him of the sisters Luna and Celestia. The other shadow made a strange looking creature which the stallion couldn’t put a hoof on until he noticed how the body parts were not of one creature but rather many creatures. He began to write down on the piece of paper in front of him.

​‘Luna and Luna defeating Discord.’

The Light Master picked up the paper. He nodded and shuffled the picture back into the group. He set the pile back on top of the table.

"I'm surprised you know about that. It's only been about a week since that happened. Some are calling our time the age of ponies and such. They're even saying that the two alicorns have power over all of Equestria. Word has it that they turned Discord into stone."

He whinnied at his own comment.

"That'll be the day. Okay, one more picture and then we'll do some other tests.”

Flipping through the stack, he raised one last picture with one small black spot. It's small size made the stallion squint, but he couldn't make anything out if it. All he could see was a small insignificant dot on the page. The lack of features didn't help either. He almost gave up, when he realized a light curve near the edge of the ball. Then an object popped into his head. Without a thought, he wrote down an object he had only remembered reading about.

'A Black Pearl.'

The sense of cheeriness and jot which was in the room had evaporated. The Light Master sat quiet. A minute passed until his face changed. The smile left and his ears drooped. There was no shock or confusion, but rather sorrow in his eyes.

After a few long seconds the Light Master picked up his response and placed it at the bottom of the stack. His hoof pushed the pictures aside and replaced the stack with a light purple stone. A new blank face over took him and he stared to the stack of pictures.

​“Here, take this.”

Without moving his eyes to the pony, he pulled back the stack of pictures and prepared them in some unknown order. 

The red stallion looked down to the dark gray rock. Confused he returned his attention to the Light Mater, but the Light Master didn’t give the stallion any signs of help. Finally, after a small pause, the stallion decided to pick up the stone. It grew hot quickly and the stallion tried to drop it; however, it was if the stone was glued to his hooves. The heat grew and grew until the stallion felt it burn into his skin. At that moment, it dropped and stood still for a second. Frustrated, the stallion began to lift himself up and at the Light Master until he noticed a spark. He looked down to see the rock letting of flashes of small blue light around its edges until it turned dark again. The Light Master finally turned to look and frowned.

​“Well that’s not what I was…”

​BANG

With a deafening noise, the room light up in a white blinding. The stallion felt blind until a blue light began to emit at the source of the flash. Eventually the room was shrouded by the light. The Light Master’s eyes opened wide. His gaping mouthed filled with the blue light.

​“I haven’t seen it do something like that since…”

He looked up at the stallion. All the stallion could do was shrug and question what happened in return. Did he break the stone, or did he just magically turn everything blue. The color began to return to the far sides of the room and eventually back to the origin of the light. As the last of the blue streaks retreated into the stone, it returned into its original color. It seemed the rock hadn’t even been touched.

​“Well, I haven’t seen that happen in a long time.”

Before the stallion could ask, the trapdoor swung open. A soaked mane popped up first as a gray head followed. A soaked pony pulled herself up from the trap door below. Looking at her flank, the red stallion realized it was Ms. Pennyworth. By the expression on her face, she didn't seem very pleased. As she pulled herself from the hole, small clear objects followed surround by a dark blue aura. 

The mare hovered the shards of broken glass out of the hole and around the stallion's head. As she levitated the sharp shards of glass closer to the stallion, the remains of what seemed to be lemonade slowly dripped off the glass onto the stallion's forehead. It stuck to the red skin before it could move anywhere else. The Light Master quickly got up and gave her prod. With a giggle and a new smile, he spoke.

​“Now Nikki, put that glass down. It isn't his fault that you broke the glasses."

Without dropping the shards of glass, Nikki turned he head to the Light Master. By the glare in her eye, the stallion could tell she didn't find it funny. 

"You carry a tray above your head next time and have it fall on yourself!"

The gray mare dropped the glass where they floated and turned herself around. 

"You and your new friend can clean up this mess. I'm going downstairs to take a rest."

With the last glass piece hitting the floor, the mare climbed down the ladder. The room fell silent once again and the Light Master held a smile. After a few moments, he broke the silence.

"As you can guess, she gets angry easily."

He walked back to the table avoiding the glass.  As the Light Master sat, a thought popped into the red stallion's head. It was almost as if he was home some how...

"Okay, we have a few more small tests. However, before we continue, I would like you to look through this book."

He pulled out the book from under himself, revealing an old brown book. The title of the book read "Names: Ponies, Griffins, Zebras, and All".

"I worried that you wouldn't remember your name along with some other things, but I'm sure this will help temporarily. I doubt you want me to call you something like 'The Red Stallion'."

The Light Master opened up the book and passed it over.

"Take your time, there's over 20,000 names in that thing."



Flipping through the first 200 pages of the book, the red stallion didn't see any names that he recognized. Not a single one caught his eye. Each page became harder and harder to turn.

"You know, a name doesn't make or break a pony..."

The red stallion looked up. A snoring orange pony sat in front of him, hunched over the table. The Light Master fell asleep about 65 pages ago, and had seemed to far deep to wake up now. The stallion turned his head to find Mrs. Pennyworth climbing out of the hole. Dried and relaxed, her eyes shinned from the dim candle light. It was almost as if her soul shined in the darkness. One could argue that she was cuter this way.

"That's what my father always told me."

Shaking his head, the stallion attempted to refocus on her face. As if she read the stallions mind, she shot him a deadly look. The stallion's thoughts of her beauty quickly disappeared.

"Hey, don't think I don't know that look."

The stallion blushed and looked downward,  the feeling of embarrassment washing over him. Slowly pain began to seep in and the stallion didn't understand why. It was as if there was a hidden memory resurfacing and he couldn't remember it. A tear dropped onto the wooden floor. Noticing, the gray mare walked over and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to... We got off on the wrong hoof. My name is Nicole Pennyworth, and you can call me Nicole for now. Well, when you get your voice back you can call me Nicole."

The stallion lifted his head, holding back the unexplained tears. He smiled and nodded.

"Better now? Now let's have a look through this book for a name."

Using her magic, she picked up the book and began going through pages. After reading a few names, she slammed the book shut.

"That's not going to help... Let's try a new method."

She placed the book closed in front of the stallion.

"Open it and whatever page you get, you have to pick a name from that page."

The stallion thought about the choice. Doing so will limit him from choosing his actual name, but would end this long process of searching. The stallion nodded in agreement. Placing one hoof on the hundreds of pages, the stallion swung the book open. The pages flew until it hit page 345.

"Okay, let's have a look... There's Omaha, O'mage, Omead... These are some real strange names even for Zebras...O'mecka, Omeeg, Omega..."

The stallion pulled the book forward at the sound of the name. It was as if an alarm bell had gone off. The stallion read the description of the name.

'The last of a series; the final child of a family.'

The mare stared at the same name, reading the description.

"Are you sure that's the name you want?"

I nod my head. There is something that clicks about my new name