Chapter 1: Waking
Chapter 1: Waking
The world was hazy. There was the ground, the trees, the distant mountains, but none of it seemed real. They passed by, but it was impossible to say how fast. Did they slowly creep by, or were they flying past in an instant? The scene blurred together into a murky soup of existence; present, but indistinct, as if irrelevant. Only one detail was clear.
The city. Graceful white towers rose elegantly over the city, banners flying proudly from their golden spires. Broad terraces were built out over the cliffs, giving the impression that the whole city hung in mid-air, a series of waterfalls plunging down to the pools far below in brilliant showers. The city was bustling with life, ponies traveling the streets, guards standing proudly at their posts. In the blur of the world, Canterlot was the one clear feature, even through the soft pink filter of the protective magic that surrounded it.
Inside was different. Inside the city, the haze returned. The ponies were impossible to distinguish. The faces and marks were there, but they could not be seen or focused on, background details that bore no significance. Their actions went unregistered as they moved through streets that could have gone anywhere, or nowhere. A blur of activity without direction or distinction.
And over it all, a shadow descended.
A pegasus woke in the woods. The sudden brilliance of the world was dazzling after the blurry darkness of the incoherent dream, almost blinding him. His body felt so heavy, while the world seemed so bright and dazzling.
Reality came crashing in on him a moment later as the pain finally registered.
He moaned, fighting the sudden urge to curl up into a ball and cry. Everything hurt. He wasn't sure if he could even move his wings, and the horrible agony in his left hind leg had to be a broken bone. Sharp stabbing sensations spread through his chest with every breath, while a myriad of shallow scrapes and cuts lined his body, the rich orange fur dirty and in disarray. He shut his eyes against the brilliant light and his own pain, as if he might ignore it all away.
Where was he? The question slowly bubbled up to the front of his mind, eyes opening again to look around. Nowhere familiar, it seemed. Already his eyes were adjusting to the light, the overly-bright world coming more into focus, becoming more real. The brilliance faded, showing the underbrush of a thick forest, ferns and brush shrouding the distance under the thick canopy around him. A few broken branches lay about him, freshly-fallen, drawing his eyes up to the trees above. The path of broken branches trailed their way from the clear sky above, all the way down to his resting place.
So he had crashed, then. That explains the injuries. But where was he? Where was he flying to, or from? Now the haze of his dream returned. He was traveling in the dream. Going to Canterlot. But he had been in the city. Had he left again? Or was the memory of an earlier visit? The memories came sluggishly, muddled, incoherent. His head hurt too much to think.
Wherever he was, though, it wasn't where he wanted to be. Through the dazed mess of his thoughts, his situation finally clawed its way to the front. He was alone, injured, immobile, in the middle of the woods. How long would it be until somepony noticed he was missing? Was there even anypony to miss him? A sudden fear coursed through him.
All alone.
Ignoring the pain, he drew his breath and cried out.
The light was fading, and with it faded the orange pegasus's hopes. The pain had not so much faded as withdrawn, lurking in the background, but his chest burned from the effort of calling out. He could only mumble out a weak moan on the infrequent occasion he would remember to call for help.
A few hours had given him time to think, yet that time produced nothing. No memory of where he was had surfaced. None of where he had left from. None of where he was going. Nothing. Past the pain, his thoughts sought out further, but found no answers. Maybe he had been going home? He couldn't remember. Worse, he couldn't remember where home was. The haze obscured everything in his mind. He could imagine glimpses of villages and towns, but he couldn't even be sure they were real and not some creation of his own mind, desperate to find something. Not that it mattered, of course. He wasn't in any of those places, real or imagined. He was in some unknown woods, the sun fading, while the sound of the wilderness rose around him.
Now another fear was building. What if those sounds were dangerous animals, eagerly on the lookout for some easy prey, such as a lone, lost, injured pony? The very cries for help that were his only chance of salvation could just as well bring about his own demise.
Fear, it turns out, can be a great motivator. Stifling a cry, he rolled himself onto his belly. Inch by agonizing inch, he dragged himself forward, doing his best to ignore the pain that shot through his wounded hind-leg with every movement. Slowly, far too slowly, he dragged himself away, while doing his best to overlook the fact that he had no idea where he was going. It mattered little. "Here" was not getting any better.
As the light faded, the sounds of the forest grew. The insects were humming and chirping, and in the distance he swore he could sense the faint sound of larger creatures prowling, just beyond his perception. What was out there? Was he being hunted right now? Was a manticore going to leap out of the bushes at any moment, hungry for meat?
Manticore? Why would he know what a manticore is, but not know where he lived?
A sound snapped him out of the sudden distraction. Distant, light, yet carrying to him clearly.
A voice.
Hope. He drew in a pained breath and cried out.
Silence answered him.
Again he resumed crawling, trying to close in on where he had heard the voice. Brush scraped and tugged at him trying to block him, but he forced himself on, ignoring the pain. Ignoring the fear that he had made some horrible mistake, that some predator was, at this very moment, closing in on the sound of wounded prey.
His heart froze as he heard twigs snap, brush rustling. His legs refused to pull him any further. He was spent. For better or worse, something was coming, and there was nothing he could do about it now but wait and see.
Before him the bushes parted, and framed by the deep glow of the setting sun stood the silhouettes of two ponies.
He choked out a weak, happy groan, head lowering to the ground as he finally gave in to his body's exhaustion.
The crowd in Canterlot was a blur, but a few ponies were just a bit sharper, enough to pick out a few details. A grey mare stared at him. Some stallion with a cutie mark of a hammer kept walking away, ignoring him as he followed. Half a dozen young mares bound past him, a multitude of colors passing down the street to some unknown destination.
In a large chamber, two winged unicorns stood atop a broad dais, the larger of the two a brilliant white, prismatic hair flowing as if following some invisible breeze. There was a certain presence to her, a weight that demanded attention, drawing it from the rest of the room. It was hard to focus on anything else. She carried an aura of confidence, compassion, happiness. It was such a pleasant sensation that he didn't want to look away. He wanted to stare, behold her beauty, soak in her presence. But there was something else there. Sadness. Tension.
Fear.
It all seemed so wrong. A momentary glimpse, a look of panic crossing the otherwise serene face, then peace again. That feeling of unease lingered, lurking just behind the scenes, menacing. He had to force himself to look away, to focus on something else, but there was little else. The other winged unicorn to her side seemed faint and faded by comparison, despite her bright pink fur, and the white unicorn stallion on the other side barely registered enough to make note of. The crowd of dozens looking on was merely a blur.
Around the edges of his vision, the shadow grew, spreading over the streets. The haze peeled back just a touch. It was not simply darkness. Individual forms moved about in it, dark figures swarming about. Like the crowd below they blurred together, indistinguishable from one another.
The crowd saw the shadows. Panic spread quickly, indistinct ponies running from indistinct shadows, a chaotic maelstrom of action. He was moving again, hurrying down the street. Before him was a trio of ponies, the only clear detail being the single smiling flower that was the rear mare's cutie mark.
Behind him the shadow spread, and pursued. It was close, swarming along the street, the walls, the sky. Now it was beside him, blurred forms racing along, chasing, hunting. He didn't look at them, couldn't look at them. He was focused on that smiling flower.
The street came to an end in a small plaza. The less distinct ponies had gone, though he couldn't be sure when or where. Perhaps they took a different turn, or ran into a building. The mare with the smiling flower had entered a dead end.
He came to a stop, nowhere else to go. She was staring wildly about at the shadows. He could remember that she was panicked, but little else. A few dark forms moved closer, between them.
Before him, one of the dark figures halted, then turned, a pair of icy-blue eyes glowing in the darkness. Staring at him.
He woke with a start, to find himself staring at a bare wooden ceiling. His heart was pounding in his chest as he stared, mind slowly settling back to reality.
He groaned as feeling returned. At least he was in a comfortable bed, warm and cozy under the blankets, but he still hurt. Much less than he had previously, but still much more than he would prefer.
"Oh, you're awake!"
The voice was soft and pleasant, followed a moment later by the speaker moving to his side, leaning in close. She was a yellow pegasus, with flowing pink hair. Concern filled her expression for a moment, until he met her eyes, and she smiled. It was the most comforting smile he could imagine, practically radiating happiness and compassion. He would have said it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen if such an expression wouldn't have been cheapened by the fact that his memory seemed to only span a few hours of laying alone in the woods.
He became acutely aware that he should answer her, instead of just staring.
His first attempt to speak produced nothing more than an awkward mumbling groan, but a moment of focus eventually brought out a somewhat more coherent "...H-hello."
She was smiling even more. "Oh, I'm so glad you're awake," she said as she gingerly reached out, brushing a few strands of his rust-red mane away from his face. "You had a very nasty spill out there, and we were worried sick for you. I didn't know how long you would stay asleep. A-are you okay?"
He only stared for a few moments this time before he remembered to reply. Something about her seemed so familiar. "Oh. I..." He tried to lift a foreleg, but between the blankets and the oppressive weight of his own heavy limbs he managed nothing, except making his ribs ache again. "Urgh. I-I think you might be better able to answer that than me. What... what happened?"
Another pony answered. "We'd rather hoped you'da been able to tell us," she said with a curious accent, stepping up beside the yellow pegasus as she spoke. She was an earth pony with orange fur, very much like his own, an unusual hat over her blond mane. And such beautiful green eyes. There was something so mesmerizing about those eyes, and again he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of familiarity. He was vaguely aware that he was staring, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care at the moment.
Fortunately she did not seem to notice as she continued on. "Judging by the broken branches and all, Ah'd say it's fairly obvious you crashed, but Ah couldn't guess why."
He blinked, finally pulling his attention away from those eyes. They just seemed so... inviting. "Oh. You found where I crashed?"
The two other ponies exchanged a confused look, before the orange one looked back to him. "Wasn't much findin' ta do. Couldn't have been more than a hundred feet away. You could see it fine from where we found yah."
He groaned a little. "Felt like a few miles," he grumbled. For that much pain and worry, he had hoped he'd accomplished a little more.
The yellow one carefully patted his shoulder. "After a crash like that, I wouldn't doubt it. You were so banged up, we were surprised you had moved at all! But it's okay now. You were very lucky, nothing seems broken." She nodded her head, quite obviously pleased. "A day or two of rest and you should be right as rain."
"Oh," he said, a little surprised. "I thought for sure I'd broken my leg. And my wings hurt so bad..."
"Think yah sprained yer wings something awful when yah crashed," the orange one said. "Or maybe that's what made yah crash. As for yer leg, it was just dislocated. Don't worry, Fluttershy here did a great job taking care of you."
The yellow pegasus -- that is, Fluttershy -- beamed happily at the compliment. He found himself smiling as well. Part of him hoped she would never stop.
"Aaanyway," the orange one said, breaking the momentary silence. She held out a hoof to him. "Mah name's Applejack, and this here is Fluttershy."
With a bit of an effort he managed to raise a foreleg, weakly shaking her hoof. "I... uh... I'll have to get back to yah on that. You. Back to you on that." He grunted, shaking his head, a little embarrassed at copying her accent. "I mean... Things are still a little hazy. Can't quite think straight."
"Oh dear," Fluttershy said, reaching out to feel his forehead. "Do you feel okay? You landed pretty hard, you might have a concussion. Oh, I knew I shouldn't have kept you here." She seemed distressed, and he felt a sympathetic pain in his stomach at seeing her happiness vanish so swiftly. "We should have taken you to the hospital. You probably have a horrible concussion, and I probably just made it all worse. I thought since it was all bruises and sprains that I could take care of you, but I guess-"
"It's okay!" he said quickly, awkwardly reaching out to put a hoof reassuringly on her shoulder. "It's not that bad. I mean... I guess it's not that I can't think clearly, I just... I can't remember things."
She looked to him uneasily. She looked so cute, and there was something nice about having her so concerned with his well-being. He must be a complete stranger to her, yet she treated him so kindly. Seeing her upset... it just felt wrong.
"What can you remember?" Applejack asked softly.
"Um." He lay still for a few moments before speaking. "I remember traveling. I think. And Canterlot. I think I was visiting there. I remember a few places, and a few faces, but nothing familiar. Oh, and I saw Celestia."
He stopped abruptly, eyes wide. Celestia. That was the white winged unicorn's name. Why did he remember that? How could he remember that, but not his own name?
"Oh, yah saw the Princess?" Applejack said, sounding a touch surprised.
"She's a princess?" he asked dully, still trying to process the strange recollection.
Applejack tilted her head, giving him the most incredulous look. "Yah mean to say yah know the Princess's name, but not that she's a princess?"
He groaned. "I don't even know how I know her name!" He buried his face in his hooves, grumbling loudly. "All I remember is some bits and pieces of... of a dream. Some of it doesn't even make sense."
He let his hooves fall back to his sides, and the entire world was pink.
"Oh goodie, you're awake!"
A vibrantly pink earth pony was standing over him on the bed, grinning eagerly, face just a few inches from his own.
He might have yelped. Or maybe screamed. Just a little. It might have even sounded rather girly.
She just giggled at this. "I was starting to wonder when you'd be getting up! I mean, you've been asleep all day. I could never sleep that long, there's just so much to see and do and-"
"Pinkie!" both the other ponies said, sounding only a little less surprised than he was.
She looked up to them, looking genuinely confused by their reaction. "What? I just wanted to say hi."
"Off!" Applejack said, ducking her head and shoving the pink pony off the bed. She rolled, landing on her feet beside the bed, and giggled.
He blinked, then stared, mind not quite keeping up with what was going on.
"Hehe, that was fun. Hey! If he's up now, does that mean he can go to his 'Welcome to Ponyville" party? I've already got all the food and drinks and games, oh, and I passed out a bunch of invitations, which was slightly complicated by not quite knowing just when the party would happen. I've had everything ready for hours, just waiting for the guest of honor to show up. HOURS! I mean, I've been waiting so long I had to prepare even more things just to keep busy!"
The more rational part of his mind found her excessive exuberance to be a little frightening, but he wasn't listening much to that part of himself anyway. Sure, she might be a little energetic, but there was something strangely enticing and energizing about her. A party? A few minutes ago he couldn't have imagined even getting out of this bed, but watching her bounce about enthusiastically made him want to leap up and join her. Or crawl over, anyway, depending on how much his body felt like cooperating.
He started to sit up, but Applejack placed a hoof on his chest, pushing him back down. "Ohhh no, he's had a rough time of it, and he needs his rest. The last thing he needs is to go runnin' about and hurtin' himself even worse."
The pink pony -- Pinkie? How fitting -- just grinned back at her. "Oh, but a good party can make anyone feel better, and I always throw good parties!"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do, Pinkie. But tonight he needs to rest. Don't worry, he'll be all better soon enough, but he's in no state to be partyin' tonight."
Pinkie pouted at this. "Well... Can I at least do the song?"
Applejack sighed, relenting. "Okay, okay. But quietly. If you can."
Pinkie's grin returned as she bounced around the bed, breaking out into song. "Welcome, welcome, welcome, a fine welcome to you..."
Applejack leaned in to whisper as Pinkie continued singing. "Sorry. Pinkie Pie can be a little... excitable. She means well."
He found himself chuckling softly. "It's okay. It's kind of nice to see somepony so happy."
Suddenly a hooffull of confetti fell over his face.
Pinkie was back at his side. "I hope that's okay. I've usually got a confetti cannon for that, but AJ said to be quiet, so I just tossed some instead. It's not quite the same without the cannon, but it is much quieter!"
Applejack was the first to recover. "Ooookay then. I think visitin' hours are about over. Should be lettin' him get his rest, 'specially if you're wantin' him to be well-rested for your party."
"Nah, Ahm okay -- I mean, I'm..." he stopped, and groaned, slumping back in the bed at having again fallen into copying her accent. "...okay, maybe I do need some more rest."
Applejack just smiled, nudging along Pinkie as she left.
"Is there anything I could get for you?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Something to eat or drink, maybe?"
He only then realized just how terribly hungry he was.
"Some food would be wonderful," he said, and was rewarded by the sight of that happy, caring smile return.
The streets of Canterlot seemed so peaceful without the shadowy forms tearing about. The crowd of unknown ponies still meandered about doing the same unknown tasks. Nothing had changed, of course. No new faces shone from the nameless crowd. The streets were no more distinct. The shadow still loomed overhead, just out of sight.
Celestia stood tall and proud, dominating the room. Again, that grand presence invited him in. He fought against it, knowing what lay behind it. That terrible sadness and fear that broke that wonderful peace. He forced himself away from her, and he returned to the streets.
The same faces passed by. Always the same. The grey mare. The pony with the hammer cutie mark. The half-dozen-
Wait.
The hat caught his attention. The same hat. The same orange fur, the same blond mane, the same vibrant green eyes. Applejack.
And there was Fluttershy. And Pinkie Pie. They were all there. He didn't recognize the other three ponies, but he realized they showed just as clear. He could pick out every detail of them, even as they bound off down the street past him.
Words came in voices, whispers, random and jumbled, like a hundred conversations replayed at once.
He watched the six ponies running along, as the shadows descended around them.
"Well, I have been to Canterlot a few times," Fluttershy said, looking a little embarrassed. She looked so cute like that. "I don't suppose you were at the Gala?" She suddenly looked even more embarrassed, cheeks flushing. She looked almost afraid, in fact, and he again reached out to comfort her.
She smiled a little at the gesture.
"I'm really not sure," he said. "I told you all the details I remember for sure. I know there were lots of other well-dressed ponies, but I guess I wasn't paying much attention to them, it's all fuzzy."
He sighed, taking another bite of his salad. He had insisted on getting out of bed for lunch, and was now sitting at a tiny table sharing a nice meal with Fluttershy and her friend, Applejack. The earth pony had stuck around, "Just 'case Fluttershy needed some helpin'."
He was glad he'd insisted on getting up. Once he'd moved around a bit and loosened up, he actually felt much better. The one leg was still rather tender, but it was doing quite well enough for him to limp along. Even the stairs down had posed only a small challenge. To top it all off, Fluttershy seemed so pleased with his progress, and seeing her so happy had made the whole morning just perfect.
Fluttershy considered what he had said before speaking again. "Well... maybe you might remember if I was wearing a dress?"
He shook his head. "Though," he added, "I don't know if that means much. The whole dream was so patchy, maybe I just didn't notice."
"Oh, I doubt that," Fluttershy replied. "Rarity made that dress, and she did such an amazing job. I couldn't imagine anypony forgetting it." Even Applejack nodded at this.
Something about that name sent out a nagging little sensation at the back of his mind. "Rarity? That sounds familiar for some reason."
"Really?" she said, hopefully. "Can you remember why? She's starting to get a name for herself in fashion, maybe you heard of her there?"
He wasn't sure exactly why, but he rather doubted that. He might not remember anything of himself, but he didn't think he was the type to keep up with high fashion. "I'm not sure. I don't know why I would recognize it. I don't even know for sure if I do recognize it, or if I'm just imagining things."
Fluttershy just smiled, not at all discouraged by this. "Well, she's gotten to know so many ponies, maybe she'll recognize you! You'll be able to meet her at the party tonight, if you're feeling up to going."
"Oh!" he said, spirits lifting again. "Does the doctor think I'm recovered enough to attend?"
"Mm-hm!" she answered, with an authoritative nod, then beamed happily at him.
He was feeling even better by the time evening was approaching. He had walked a little more, enough that Fluttershy was satisfied that he could make it to the party without hurting himself further. She helped him clean up, getting the last of the dirt out of his fur and brushing everything into more-or-less the correct place. She had even gotten him a mirror, so he could look himself over.
It was disappointing to find nothing familiar in himself. A single white cloud marked his flank, but it held no meaning to him. The mirror showed him his rusty-red mane, looking thoroughly unkempt, and his pale blue eyes. He stared back into his own eyes, but found no recognition there.
He was thankful for Fluttershy's supportive presence. A tiny part of his mind wanted to give in, to break down, to lose hope that he could ever have more than a few fragmented memories to claim as his own, but one look at her encouraging smile forced that voice to retreat into the background.
Despite the disappointment, he smiled.
"Now be gentle on that leg," she cautioned when they finally set out. "And no flying just yet. You don't want to hurt yourself again."
"Yeah, I think I'll go easy on the flying for a bit, anyway," he said, raising a hoof to rub jokingly at the side of his head. "Seems it didn't go so well for me, last time." Despite that, it was probably good that she had kept the bandages wrapped about his sides, holding his wings snugly in place. The sky did seem terribly inviting.
It was quite the pleasant walk, in any case. The land around her cottage was beautiful, and he was quite happy to take his time and take it all in. His companions weren't the most talkative of ponies, but it was still good to have the company. Traveling by the beautiful scenery, he didn't even mind the quiet. It was nice to take things slowly. It seemed like the right pace for him, at the moment.
They were just passing over one of the bridges into town when he stopped, looking out to the distance. Both the other ponies stopped, looking first to him, then following his line of sight. Canterlot shone proudly in the distance. It was a different angle than he remembered, and the magical dome was gone, small differences, but it was the same city.
"Canterlot," Fluttershy said softly, and he nodded.
"One of the few things that I can remember," he replied. "Though I thought it had some magic dome around it."
"Oh!" Fluttershy said, then abruptly looked embarrassed again at what he was starting to gather was an uncharacteristic outburst from her.
He looked to her curiously, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his thoughts. "What, is that important?"
"Um..." She glanced nervously to Applejack, who looked almost as uneasy as she did. "It's... it's kind of a long story," she finally said, offering an uneasy smile.
He still couldn't stand seeing her so uncomfortable. "Maybe another time, then, if that's okay. I suppose we shouldn't keep Pinkie waiting too long."
She hesitated, then gave a little smile and a nod. He smiled back, and they continued on.
Ponyville was a pretty little town, filled with cheerful ponies and picturesque buildings. A simple but charming community, not too unlike the scattered little memories (Or imaginations) of small towns and villages rattling around in his head. Their current destination was a bakery, of all places. "Sugarcube Corner," Applejack had called it.
In hindsight, going to Pinkie's "Welcome to Ponyville" party was about the worst way to "take things slowly."
He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but... it wasn't this. The four of them, maybe, or a few close friends. He hadn't expected the many dozens of ponies that filled the place, the music, the piles of treats, a party large enough that it filled the entire place. He had to fight the irrational urge to run the moment he saw the scale of the party. Of course he wouldn't have gotten far. Applejack had been standing right behind him, with a sly grin on her face. Oh, she had known.
Pinkie appeared next to him, loudly introducing him as "The guest of honor!" That neatly avoided the need for a name, he supposed. That seemed sufficient for the gathered crowd, many calls of greetings, well-wishing, and congratulations on a swift recovery. His head was already starting to reel a bit. Did the whole town know about him by now?
Pinkie was pushing him along now. "Oh, there's so much to do! There's dancing and games and treats and so many many ponies here all to see you! It's your first time here, so I want to make sure it's as memorable as it can be. Oh, but first I should introduce you to my best friends! They've all been wanting to meet you!"
The most he could manage was a rather simplistic "Um, okay," before she had deposited him at a table.
"This is going to be so great!" she cried out, thoroughly overjoyed, and bounced off into the crowd.
Well that was... strange, he thought as he sat down, unconsciously smiling. She had more energy than he could imagine, but there was something seriously infectious about her happy excitement. Looking around, he started to realize it wasn't just her, even. The whole crowd of ponies was having such a good time, filling the place with such an atmosphere of happiness and joy. And in a way, it was all for him. The unease slowly faded, and soon he was grinning happily, tapping his hooves in time to the music.
"Well you seem to be settling in mighty well," Applejack said, taking a seat beside him, Fluttershy following close behind. "Thought yah were gonna make a run for it, moment we opened that door!"
"I was a bit surprised," he said, chuckling softly. "I mean, I didn't expect all this! I'm nothing special -- er, I mean, I don't think I am. And they really all came just to welcome me to town?"
"Ponyville folk are mighty friendly that way," she replied. "'sides, most folk would come runnin' soon as they hear Pinkie's throwin' a big party."
"If they're all anything like this, I don't doubt it!"
A sudden breeze drew his attention upward to the sight of a striking young mare hovering overhead, sporting a shockingly colorful mane. Recognition came immediately. Soft blue fur, violet eyes, athletic build, and of course, that rainbow-colored mane; she was one of the other ponies from his dream.
"So this is the pegasus that fell out of the sky, huh?"
He blinked, taking a moment to register that she seemed to be talking about him. "Oh. Um, yeah, I guess that's me."
Now she was smirking. "Uh-huh. You must have landed on your head, didn't you?"
Applejack groaned softly, rubbing a hoof at the bridge of her nose.
He glanced over to her, then back to the colorful pegasus above him. "Yeah, I kinda think I must have. Not my finest moment." He hesitated, then quickly added, "I mean, I think so. Hard to imagine worse."
Surprisingly, she laughed. "Oh, I don't know, I've seen some pretty wicked crashes, even done a few myself. Bet I could top it!"
Applejack groaned a little louder. "Rainbow, are you really going to compete over who can crash worse?"
It seemed like such a strange thing to be competitive about, but... heck, why not? "Sure," he said, earning an exaggerated eye-roll from Applejack. "You first."
"Okay!" Rainbow replied, then paused to think a moment, tapping a hoof to her chin. "I'll start with an easy one. I know a pony -- and I'm not going to name names -- who crashed into a cliff face hard enough to break stone!"
"The advantages of a thick skull," Applejack muttered into her hoof.
"Okay," he said, giving a smug grin. "I crashed hard enough to knock every memory out of my head."
Rainbow considered that a moment. "Yeah, that's pretty good, I'll give you that. Hmm... I know! I know a pony who fell from the sky, and managed to take out three Wonderbolts on her way down!"
"What's a Wonderbolt?"
Rainbow's eyes went wide, shocked at his question. "...What?"
He looked around awkwardly. "I don't even know what my name is. How should I know what a Wonderbolt is?"
"You're taking this very well, at least," Fluttershy said, apparently glad to get some comforting word in.
Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but Pinkie had arrived, interrupting them. "Oh good, you found Rainbow Dash! And I brought Rarity. One more to go, be right back!"
She bound off, leaving a white unicorn standing there, wearing a quizzical expression as she looked over them. Rarity might not be quite as colorfully distinct as Rainbow was, but he had no trouble recognizing her from his dream. She was beautiful, even more than he had remembered, and wearing a simple yet gorgeous dress that certainly had not been in the dream.
"Um... Wow," was all he could manage.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Oookay brain-boy. I'm going to go get some drinks for everypony. Try not to drool all over the place."
Rarity looked shocked. "Rainbow Dash, that's a horrible thing to say," she admonished, while he quickly shut his mouth, only mostly sure that he hadn't, in fact, been drooling. "He's a guest, and we really should show him more courtesy than that."
"Uh-huh," Rainbow said flatly, sounding as if she wasn't listening at all. "Yeah. Drinks." She drifted off toward one of the overloaded tables that looked as if they might collapse at any moment under the weight of all the treats.
With a sigh, Rarity stepped up to him. "I'm so sorry about that. Rainbow really is a dear, but she could really use some work on her manners." She offered him a hoof and a smile. "My name is Rarity, and it's a pleasure to meet you."
He managed to compose himself before trying to speak again. "It's wonderful to meet you, yes. I..." He hesitated, staring into her eyes. "...You look even more beautiful than in my dream."
Stupid, stupid, stupid...
"Oh," she said, obviously surprised, while Applejack practically choked herself trying to muffle a laugh.
"I mean, from what I remember! I mean-" he forced himself to stop talking, exchanging the sudden rambling with an awkward groan. Yeah, this was going well.
Fortunately, she seemed to take it in stride. "Well, it's quite wonderful of you to say so," which seemed excessively kind of her. "I am so sorry, dear. Things have just been so hectic lately that I've been having a dreadful time keeping things sorted out. Where did you say we had met?"
He deflated a bit at that. "Oh, I... I had kinda been hoping you could tell me."
She looked curiously at him, then to the other ponies. Fluttershy quickly spoke up, explaining how he had lost his memories, and the bit of the dream he had mentioned seeing them in. Why did he know of them? They hadn't properly met, one of them would have certainly recognized him if so, but he had obviously seen them. He hadn't thought anything of the six running through his dream before he had recognized Applejack, but one by one they had shown up. Five of the six, and Pinkie was looking for one more. He thought back to the dream, trying to remember the sixth. She was purple, he could remember that for sure. A unicorn, as well. For some reason her cutie mark stood out vividly to him, one star surrounded by five smaller.
In fact, she was the same pony walking up beside Pinkie Pie.
The chaotic, indistinct voices in his dream were rising in his mind, striking a moment of clarity.
"Twilight Sparkle."
He suddenly blinked, surprised at his own voice speaking her name, but he was suddenly and absolutely certain that he was correct.
"Oh," she said, sounding a little surprised, then smiled. "I see introductions have already been made."
"Actually," Applejack said slowly, looking surprised and more than a little suspicious. "We hadn't gotten that far, just yet."
"Oh," Twilight said again, looking to him curiously. "But if that's the case, how did you know my name?"
"I don't know!" he cried out, dropping his head to the table and burying his face in his hooves, while the others looked on awkwardly. Urgh. None of this made any sense!
"Well you know," Rarity interjected, "You are somewhat famous."
"I don't know about that," Twilight replied.
"Oh, please," Rarity said. "Celestia's prized pupil, one of the Elements of Harmony, led her friends to save all of Equestria, what, three times now? You deserve some recognition, dear!"
Twilight was shifting shyly. "Ehh... That was all six of us, and I didn't do any more than the rest of you. Anyway, I'll give you Nightmare Moon and Discord, but it was my brother and Cadance that stopped the changelings, not me. Er, us."
He dropped his hooves to stare at her, head still resting on the table. Were they really arguing about how many times they saved Equestria?
Oh, lovely. Equestria. One more name he recognized. Here he was, hoping to remember things, yet every time he did, it turned out to be so frustrating.
"Be that as it may, it was still you who set Cadance free," Rarity countered. "So I count that as three."
Fluttershy's quiet voice chimed in. "Actually, that would make it four."
"Four?" Rarity asked, skeptically.
She nodded. "You forgot the dragon."
Twilight looked surprised. "Oh Celestia. How could I forget about the dragon!"
He stared at them, mind reeling. "...Dragon?"
"Wait, no, you can't credit me with that one," Twilight said, looking back to Fluttershy. "The most you could say I did was drag you along. You're the one who dealt with the dragon."
Wait. Fluttershy? That cute little soft-spoken pegasus? She "dealt with" a dragon? He stared blankly.
"You still led us there," Fluttershy countered.
Twilight was shaking her head now. "Anyway, it's not like we did anything any other ponies wouldn't do if they were in our place." She sighed. "But... I guess I can see how somepony might have heard of us."
He felt the breeze of Rainbow's wings as she returned. "Aw, did you guys break his brain without me?"
Fluttershy had nestled up to him again. "Are you okay? Should we go and find you a place to lay down?"
"No," he said, forcing himself to sit upright. "No. I'm just... a little overwhelmed at the moment. It's a lot to take in."
"Well, we can start simple then," Twilight said, offering a hoof. "You know my name. So what's yours?"
He groaned a little. "Yeah, that's not very simple at all." He took a deep breath, sighed, and leaned against the table, gathering his thoughts. The beat of the music and the crowd's happy energy was wonderfully soothing, the sounds of so many ponies having such a good time managing to push his concerns down, just a touch. It was centering, energizing.
Feeling more stable, he sat upright again, looking back to an expectant Twilight. "I don't remember my name. Or how I crashed, or where I'm from. All I remember is a few fragments of a dream. Canterlot, Celestia, a few random ponies I don't recognize... And you six."
"Well that's strange," she said, looking curiously at him. "Why would you have remembered us?"
He smirked a little. "I wish I could remember."
She blinked, then smiled awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. Right."
"So Ah was thinking," Applejack said between sips of her drink. "We're gonna need somethin' to call yah by. Can't very well go callin' yah That Guy all the time."
"Or Brain-Boy," Rainbow Dash added.
"Err." There's one he hadn't even thought of. Of course it made perfect sense, which of course meant it was the kind of thing he hadn't even considered. For one thing, he must already have a name, somewhere out there. Just making one up... it almost felt like giving in, as if he expected to never find his real name, his proper name. "...I don't know."
"Oh!" Pinkie said around a mouthful of cupcake. "We could give you a name based on your cutie mark, like Storm. Or Cloud!"
He grunted. "I dunno. Might as well go for something more descriptive. Maybe Blank, or Empty. Like my mind." Okay, maybe getting just a little bitter about that.
"Brain-Boy is starting to sound better," Rainbow said, snatching up another cupcake.
Pinkie had latched onto his idea, however. "Oooh, or instead of Empty, you could do something like... Void! It's kinda like Empty, but it's all dark and mysterious, and..." She leaned in conspiratorially, rubbing her hooves together. "daaaaark."
He quirked an eyebrow, while Rarity interjected a scoff. "Please, that's just dreadful. If you're so settled on such a theme, you could at least go for something a little more elegant, like.... Sky. Open and clear, but still so beautiful."
His ears perked up. He didn't want to just pick a new name, but he obviously needed something to be called by, and that... "That might just work."
Rarity smiled happily, her expression so radiant that he was certain it was the right decision. "You like it?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it'll do nicely." He smiled, picking up a drink.
"Sky..."
It was an incredible party.
Sky had started chatting with Applejack and Rainbow Dash at first, seeming to be the most vocal of the six, and was quickly fascinated by their stories. He listened intently as the two told more and more incredible stories, the kind that would normally make him suspect their authenticity if not for the other four chiming in regularly, offering some clarifying detail or correction.
He could have easily spent the whole party just listening to those tales, and quite possibly would have if Pinkie hadn't eventually dragged him off. "Enough sitting. You're the guest of honor, the pony everypony's here to greet. Get out there and mingle!"
Applejack hadn't been kidding; Ponyville folk were incredibly friendly. The group Pinkie had deposited him among greeted him warmly. "I'm glad to see you're doing so well," a pony who had been introduced as Rose had said, quickly echoed by her friends.
"Me too," he admitted, with a chuckle. "With how bad the crash was, I wasn't expecting to be walking yet, much less to be attending a party!"
"Well I'm glad you could make it," Rose said. "We've been needing a good party. I hope you don't find it too rude, but I've been curious, how'd you end up crashing?"
"Ah, well... Kind of fuzzy on that part still," he said, raising a hoof to tap at the side of his head. He'd rather hoped to avoid this part. Spending the whole party discussing his lack of memory was not how he'd like to spend the night.
Whether she sensed this unease, or simply felt that pursuing it would be rude, she thankfully didn't pry any further. "Well, the important thing is that you're okay," she said happily.
He had to agree, even if he might be a little less sure of how "okay" he was.
Pinkie suddenly bounced up. "Oh, I've got to go! Have fun!" Then she was bounding off hurriedly through the crowd, calling out, "Bon Bon! You made it!"
Fortunately the conversation drifted away from his crash and to more relaxing topics, and soon they were chatting eagerly about the party, their favorite treats (Sky made sure to sample every one of their suggestions), and all the ponies gathered here. Rose and her friends seemed to know a little bit about everypony, telling him several amusing stories, and even introduced several of them. Including one little dragon.
"Oh, I'm Spike!" the young dragon had said, between overlarge bites of cake. "Twilight's assistant." He then turned back to the cake, too distracted by the sweets to carry on a conversation.
It was easy to get swept up in the energetic mood. Happy conversations soon turned into small celebrations, and before long Sky was joining in the games, and even the dancing. He didn't even care that he had, apparently, no skill at dancing, happily making up for this deficiency with more enthusiasm and energy. He bounced and flailed and laughed alongside Pinkie Pie, who seemed to have the exact same approach to dancing. It was almost embarrassing, bounding about like an over-caffeinated foal, but he couldn't bring himself to care, particularly when none of the gathered ponies did, either. They seemed more amused that somepony was keeping up with Pinkie's antics.
Well, for a while. It was a valiant effort, but eventually he staggered off, collapsing on a couch near Fluttershy's table, still giggling a little. She passed him a drink that he eagerly downed.
"You seem to be doing very well," she said. "Are you sure your leg is doing well, with all the use? I'd hate for you to hurt yourself again."
Oh, yeah. He'd forgotten all about that with his enthusiasm. He stretched out his injured leg, then moved it around a bit. No pain or soreness at all. Well, the same aching all of his legs had from over-use, but that was different. "Doing great. You've done a wonderful job taking care of me. I think moving around on it so much might have done some good."
He certainly felt better, and not just the leg. Yes, he still did not know who he was, or how he had gotten here, but it hardly seemed important. It was in the past, and now? Now was good.
Eventually the party had to end. It was late, the sun long since sunk below the horizon, and while Sky was still feeling energetic -- he figured he'd gotten more than enough rest the past day or two -- the other ponies needed their sleep. Slowly they filtered out, calling out last goodbyes and wishing them all well.
As the last of the guests were leaving, one came up to him. Sky tried to remember the name out of the dozens he had been told, but the candy cutie mark made it easy. Bon Bon.
"I wanted to thank you for this," she said with a soft smile. "I mean... I know you didn't have much to do with this, but..." Her expression wavered, eyes dropping to the ground. She looked happy, and he was fairly certain that she was happy, but there was a sadness to her that drove straight into him. His own smile faltered a little, concerned for the young mare before him.
"...but I think we needed this," she said, her smile weak, but holding, winning whatever internal struggle had came over her. "It's been a little rough since the changelings attacked. So many ponies have been affected by it, so many are worried, and... and some are still missing." She took a slow, deep breath, and looked up to him again. "It's good to have something to celebrate again. Thank you."
She gave him a tight, heartfelt hug. He could practically feel the tension and worry in her embrace. What she said had stirred up so many thoughts -- Changelings? Attack? Missing ponies? -- but that fearful emotion had pushed those thoughts from his mind. All that remained was a pained sympathy for this mare he didn't even know.
Finally she released him, gave a final thanks, and walked off. He stood there silently, watching her go.
The silence stretched on, finally broken by Twilight's soft voice. "Her best friend was there in Canterlot. Had a hard time of it. Another friend is still missing."
He watched as Bon Bon slipped out of sight. "Do you think there's somepony out there, waiting for me?"
"...I don't know."
He turned to look at her. With the happy distraction of the party gone, the questions started pressing at his mind again. "What happened at Canterlot?"
Twilight hesitated. She glanced back to her friends, thought, and then turned back to him. "We should talk about these dreams of yours."
Sky followed Twilight and her friends, making their way to her home. It was unusual, but quite impressive, a whole home and library built into the sizable tree. Inside was cozy, and absolutely filled with books. After tucking in Spike -- now snoring happily with a belly-full of treats -- and retrieving a heap of scrolls and quills, she sat down with Sky and the others.
"Okay, Sky. Why don't you tell me everything you remember."
He drew a long sigh, thinking of where to start. "The first thing I remember, I think, is flying toward Canterlot. At least, I'm pretty sure I was flying. And there was a bubble around the city, though it wasn't there when I saw the city today."
Twilight nodded, making notes as he spoke.
"Let's see. I was in the city some. I remember seeing Celestia. She was impressive. Very impressive, one of the few things I remember clearly. But..."
Twilight looked up. "But?"
Sky shifted, feeling suddenly uneasy even at thinking of that moment of the dream. "...something was wrong. I had this terrible feeling in my dream, I can't even really describe it. It's like... she was afraid."
Surprised looks came from all around, a bit of hushed murmurs passing back and forth.
"Do you know why?" Twilight asked.
He shook his head.
There was a moment of silence before she encouraged him to continue. "Do you remember anything else there?"
"There was another winged unicorn there," he said. "She was pink. And a white unicorn, a stallion. I can't remember anything about the rest of the crowd."
"So you were at the wedding," Twilight said. She sounded... Uneasy.
"Wedding?" He repeated, curiously. "Who was getting married?"
"My brother," she said, voice grown more firm.
Her brother? A piece fell into place. "...That's why I saw you there."
She nodded, then asked, "You saw us at the wedding?"
"I..." He thought back. "Maybe. I don't think so. Or I didn't notice. I think I remember seeing you in the streets. All of you, running along."
"That's it?"
He shook his head. "There was more. There was a... shadow, that seeped out through the streets. I don't know what it was, but at some points I saw individual forms in the shadow. It was more like a crowd of dark creatures, chasing down ponies. Everypony was running from them. I don't know where you six went. I ended up following some other ponies, but..."
He stopped, trying to think. "...we ran into a dead end. The shadow... things, were all around. One of them even looked straight at me." He took a long, deep breath. "And then I woke up."
Twilight wrote the last of her notes, then sat, thinking, idly tapping her quill to the page. Sky couldn't help but notice the quiet anxiety around the room.
He thought of what Bon Bon had said. "What are changelings?"
Rainbow answered first. "Bunch of oversized bugs that like to take the forms of other ponies, stick them in cocoons, and suck out all their emotions."
"Love, for certain," Twilight clarified, "Though possibly others as well. We don't know much about them. I hadn't even heard about them until three days ago, when they attacked Canterlot. That dome you saw was supposed to protect the city against their attack, but... but they got through it."
The shadows in his dreams suddenly seemed just a little more creepy. "So that's what those shadow-things were in my dream. But if the dome was supposed to keep them out, how did they get in?"
Applejack answered. "Treachery. That queen of theirs took the form of another pony, snuck in like a spy, and weakened the defenses from the inside. Guessin' she figured no pony would expect another pony to do such a thing."
"Which is really all we know," Twilight said. "At this point, anything you remember might be news to us."
He thought he caught a bit of hopefulness in that comment, and he was disappointed that he didn't have anything to offer. At least he knew what the shadow-things were, now. He wasn't quite sure if that made it more or less creepy. He wasn't sure how one sucks out emotions, but it sounded unpleasant. Being stuck in a cocoon sounded even more so. "Sounds like I picked the absolute worst time to visit Canterlot. Don't know how I ended up here, though."
"True," Twilight said, distracted in thought for a moment. She stopped, then tilted her head, looking to his flank. "However... even if we don't know how you got here, we might still be able to figure out a few things about you. Like your cutie mark. Any idea what it means?"
He turned to look, himself. Like most things about him, it seemed a mystery. "I hadn't really thought of it. I don't know. Something to do with weather, maybe?" He frowned. "Though that doesn't really sound right."
He thought. A cutie mark was supposed to show one's special talent, and he would think that would mean something he felt strongly about, enjoyed. He didn't have anything like that. Something in his mind stirred at the thought. A cutie mark, a special talent, they were, to put it bluntly, what a pony was. A part of their identity more personal and concrete than a name could ever be, and he had lost his. He sunk, a shocked numbness growing inside him. He had lost his own talent, and he hadn't even known he had lost it.
He felt a reassuring hoof placed on his shoulder and dully turned his head to see Rarity, concern clear behind her supportive smile. "Don't distress yourself over it, dear. We all had to discover our own talent, and you can always discover it again. It's not the sort of thing to ever go away, even if we don't know what it is."
Sky drew a deep breath, surprised to find how tight his throat had gotten. "Thanks," he murmured weakly, eyes falling to the table before him. "It just... I feel so out of place. It's like... like I'm without a purpose, like I don't fit in, I don't belong." He shuddered softly. "I don't like feeling that way."
"That's nonsense," she replied, giving his shoulders a little squeeze. "You're fitting in just fine with us. You fit in just fine at the party." He looked up, feeling the spark of hope rekindling. "From everything I've seen, you've been a kind and friendly pony. You have a good heart. As far as I'm concerned, that is more important than some silly talent."
He stared at her for a moment before looking to Fluttershy. The sweet mare's eyes were watering in sympathy, but she was smiling, and gave him an encouraging nod. It was enough to finish what Rarity had started, a faint smile crossing his muzzle. Enough to give him hope that maybe he hadn't lost quite so much as he had feared.
"Don't worry," Rarity continued. "We'll help you, give you a place to stay and any help you need until you can get back on your hooves. It's the least we could do.
"And in any case," Twilight added, "There are going to be the six of us looking, too." She got a hint of a sly grin. "I'm sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of this."
He considered Twilight for a moment. There was some sense of certainty to her. She might not have exact answers, not yet, but he got the feeling she wouldn't stop until she did. A sure determination that he found not just reassuring, but uplifting. She seemed so certain that he couldn't help but share her confidence.
But with the growing determination came another line of thought. He reflected back on the dreams, knowing where it all lead. As his resolution grew, he knew one uncomfortable fact lay before him.
"Thank you," he said softly, then rose up, speaking more clearly. "Thank you, but I can't stay."
"What?" came the many voices gathered around, several of them looking quite surprised by the sudden declaration.
He spoke slowly, voice full of emotion. "I really appreciate what you've done for me, and what you're offering. You're all so very kind and generous to me, even though I'm a complete stranger. I wish I could even begin to repay what you've given me already. But..."
Pausing, he looked around at them. "...but, there might be other ponies out there, looking for me, worried for me. I can come back to see you again, but I can't find out where I'm from or who I am from here. The only memories I have were in Canterlot. If I'm going to find out who I am, I have to go back."
Silence met him for several long moments.
Twilight broke that silence, again showing that sly grin. "Well if that's the case, I think we might have a bit more to offer than you think."
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
1,067 users online
1,655,078 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
The story begins. Not much to say just yet, but here it is.
So let's see, I've got the "OC befriends the mane 6" cliche and the amnesia cliche. Despite that, I truly like how the story turned out. Sometimes cliches work, and I (would like to) think that this is one of those cases.
A big thing I had in mind while writing this was trying to get the characters as true to the show as possible. Nothing is quite as jarring to me in pony fan-fic than having the characters acting completely out-of-character. The strength of the characters is one of the greatest things about the show. I point that out because there may be times when a character doesn't act precisely in-line with their normal behavior, for reasons that the reader (Due to 3rd-person limited perspective) is not privy to at the time. That said, having such strong characters made it easy to write, since it was generally perfectly obvious to me how a character would react. I actually have entire scenes later on spawned entirely by realizing that one of the characters would have a certain reaction to the ongoing events that I hadn't even considered; it just flowed naturally from what I already had.
Obviously, there is some mystery about the main character's past. Personally, I think it's glaringly obvious, and that the story is more about the journey there than finding out more about his past. Of course, it's easy to think that, having an omniscient viewpoint of the entire story. Maybe I'm wrong, that'd be nice.
And finally, just because I can:
(Obviously enough, speculation and possibly spoilers lay below)
Okay, I've finished the first (absolutely gigantic) chapter, and I have a question...
Is the main character a changeling that was launched into the air by the re-established shield?
1112071 wat.
1110925
Thanks for the comments, and I'm glad you liked it. I'm curious what errors and typos you found? I thought we'd got them all in editing, but I guess not.
1111616
Now now, I can't be going and giving away spoilers like that. But like I said in my comment, I think the answer is pretty obvious, myself
And on that note, Chapter 2. Off to Canterlot!
Should it be be "bitter" in Rainbows part too?
Anyway it starts very nice and I'm going to read it all. :)
Jeez, EVERYTHING points to changeling. Flying crash, only memory of wedding, very receptive to emotions, and one more thing. If I see another OC with the name of 'meadow' 'meadow song' 'sky' sky blue or sky lark I am going to walk to my neighbors truck and break it completely with only my head.
Woah. This is some mighty prose. For some bizarre reason, I couldn't resist reading the entire italics piece at the start out loud
It's just got this... storytelling quality, you know? As if it's not just meant to read, but meant to read to someone. Weird
The premise seems obvious, but his perspective is muddled thoroughly enough that he may be fooling himself. The part about the cutie marks caught me off guard, though. A changeling shouldn't feel so strongly about it...
Caught a few errors, so I thought, hey, why not dump them here
> as if he might ignore the it all away.
I think that "the" shouldn't be there.
> and with it faded the orange pegasus's hopes.
"pegasus' hopes". No need for an s behind an apostrophe if the word already ends on an s.
> Before him were a trio of ponies
I believe this should be "was", since "a trio" is, in fact, singular.
> "You're taking this very well, at least" Fluttershy said
Missing comma after "at least"
> There's one had hadn't even thought of.
"had hadn't"? Not sure what this sentence is supposed to be, tbh.
That's it for now. Consider this faved and upvoted, and I'll get on with the rest tomorrow!
So I started this today, and I've read Without A Hive. I litterally lost my shit a ways into this. I made a simple connection, won't say what for any readers like me.
If I was waiting, I would say "Proceed..."
So Mr. Sky is probably a changeling. Though is just ambiguous enough so that I'm not completely sure.
Alright sir, you have gotten my attention. Lets move onward than.
Given my typical reading method you will probably next see me at the end of the story.
Name drop!
Sounds like someone needs to meet the cmc
1 chapter down. More to go. This story looks really interesting Ill be adding it list and will be reading more as soon as I'm able.
MY CHANGELING SENSES ARE TINGLING! SKY IS A CHANGELING! SEIZE HIM WITH HUGS! CHARRRRGE! FOR NARNIA!
*reads description* "sounds like a changeling"
*reads first chapter* "I bet he's a changeling"
And if he is a changeling I will throw my phone out my window. No joke. I will record it if you want me to.
This guy seems "shapey"
I'm getting a changeling vibe, too! Curse my six sence of sniffing out spoilers...
And why would he find brilliant green eyes to have such a draw, hm?
Click this if you thought like thouThis
also if you laughed this pleases me
There is no other way to put this........SKY IS JOHNSENA!!!
off
This sentence is missing a closing double quote.
every
Corrections offered without malice.
soft-spoken
led
Rainbow's
caffeinated
The only thing that hit me when he went with Sky....
In Japanese, the character for sky, sora, also means empty depending on how the character is written.
Damn, kind of wishing I hadn't read Hive first. c.c Though his situation might be easy to parse out anyway, considering.