After a few hours, we finally find the solution to what could be the problem. Twilight's quip about Sunset finding fun books got me to look up as she runs to the table, which we all surround. There is some kind of rock that can erase all or parts of memories. As Twilight dubs it, a Memory Stone. It seems like Sunset and I will need to be heading back to our world, but I really want to know more about the world of ponies. However, there is one thing that bothers me now and it's what they're are doing which I'd like to ask them about every time I talk, but something else pops up just as I'm about to ask.
It's the strange looks they keep giving me.
After waiting for the right moment, which comes only a few minutes later, I catch Sunset alone looking out over Canterlot at a tall glass window. Her ears and head are drooping a little as I get closer, so I slow my pace and soften my steps as I trot up beside her. I have to say, it's definitely a lot easier on four legs than two.
"Hey, uh, you okay?" I speak softly, making her react as if she was caught doing something as she turned to look at me. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." I smile gently as she giggles, but only briefly.
"Oh it's fine," She begins, then just looks out the window again. "Well, not so much. This was the world that I grew hatred for, but now with with the help of you and our friends, I can finally feel the friendship and peace in my home world." I stare out the window for a while with her, before attempting a pony version of a short shoulder hug. It surprisingly works better than I was expecting. "Thanks Rhyan, but I think we'd better get back to our world. Wouldn't want to miss the fun on the beach with them." We both laugh and start walking away from the window.
Glimpsing back, I notice it's a frosted glass window. But that isn't what makes me jump. It's the multi-creatured being that Princess Twilight had told me about. Discord. He was waving at me, then winks before disappearing in a puff of glass shards. Yes, he was in the window we looked out of. I just snap my head back around and hope to forget what I'd seen By talking with Sunset again. I hope I can get some answers to my questions this time.
"Hey Sunset," I start saying, nervously. "I was hoping I could get some questions answered." I notice the guard we walked past earlier and salute him, he returns the gesture with a smile. I had to hold in the laugh I just had, as I realise how similar he'd be if a boy I've seen would be a pony like Twilight and Sunset.
What I find interesting, is how Princess Luna's daughter, Melody Symfonía, is part of the Royal Guard. I wonder what her skills are in this world. I think to myself for a brief moment.
"Oh, sure." Her happy spirit lifted like we hadn't had a friendly moment together earlier. "What would you like to know?" She adds, briefly smiling awkwardly and quickly glancing away before smiling normally.
"I was wondering why all the other ponies, you and the Princesses keep looking at me in a weird way." My question shocks her, but she quickly shakes her head. "Sorry. I don't quite get why looking at me is such a shock to everyo-- everypony." I have no idea why I corrected myself, when it's just the two of us trotting around quietly.
"I think it has to do with the fact that..." She hesitates, but I notice it. "You're an alicorn, but ... you don't exactly display powers or have a visible cutie mark." She lowers her voice as I start looking at myself.
I reach to my forehead with my right hoof, feeling the horn, I look to my rear end to confirm I didn't have this 'cutie mark, after seeing it for a brief moment on her flank, which I notice is making her blush, not like the other ponies I'd been looking at.
"Um, Rhyan. Can you not." I just barely catch her saying, then realise something.
Oh, right, it's her ... Um, yeah, her, uh, butt. Oops. I think while blushing myself and quickly glancing the other way, which I guess she was doing too. Awkward much. After a few seconds, curiosity gets the better of me and I look backwards at my wings, which somehow instinctively opens them naturally. Unfortunately for me, this was most likely a bad idea.
Within seconds, I'm literally airborne but I have no control whatsoever. Seeing the floor now a few feet below me, I'm trying to think of Rarity to calm myself down. But the moment I close my eyes to think of her, I end up feeling like time slows down. As well as simultaneously aiming straight at the wall in front of me, because I feel something solid connect with my body while my eyes are shut.
After I feel time return to normal I rub my eyes after opening them, then my face, to make sure nothing hurts. It's surprising nothing feels broken, but my jaw does tingle a bit. From where I'm sitting, Princess Luna is just staring at me with her eyes wide open, right as the large doors beside me open with Sunset and Twilight rushing through the gap in a panic, shortly followed by Princes Celestia.
"What was that?! It came from here!" Cried Princess Twilight, clearly in a slight panic. "Are we under attack?!" I can see Sunset look my way after her comment, but her eyes widen as well before she runs over and hugs me.
"So glad to see you're okay!" She whispers as she releases her hug, before looking over my shoulder. "Uh, did you do that?" She adds, speaking normally. I follow her eyes to see a perfect shape of my impact, imprinted into the wall of the castle.
"Um, maybe?" I reply, still unsure. "All I did was check myself over when I asked you about the looks you were all giving me." I add, getting up off the floor.
Surprisingly, I look back around and finding Twilight with her jaw dropped like it had hit the floor. I catch Sunset rolling her eyes as she walks over and closes her jaw.
After the shock, she shakes her head and I follow they as they say goodbye to the two princesses, who promptly disappear behind the big doors, who rule this land I've come to enjoy being in. Walking behind them, I decide to listen to the world around me and I begin to hear the small murmurs around me again. Looking around, I find confused but happy looks on the mares and colts. I hear snippets and whispers, wondering what they mean as I walk along innocently whilst I catch up with Twilight and Sunset.
"...he's an alicorn...", "...I thought alicorns were only mares?", "Who is he?" And "...He's got wings... and a horn..." Were most of what I was hearing. I didn't find it too annoying, but it was beginning to get on my nerves just a little, so I decided to try and think of avoiding my powers from earlier and the world around me.
Once again, I find Discord somehow cleaning the inside of a photo frame, from inside the photo behind a shop's window. One second he's in there, the next he's suddenly beside us in a puff of smoke.
"Tsk, took your time to notice me." He mumbles, a gruff tone to his voice, followed by his eyes briefly going wide. "Who are you anyway?" He adds, looking at me questioningly, then looking me up and down. "You're from that other world Sunset is from, aren't you?" He says, then snaps his fingers and freezes on the spot. For a few seconds, I suddenly have my vision filled with green electricity and a curious humming from Discord followed by an 'ow', as I somehow feel it vigorously but carefully flowing all around me, before entering my necklace that I'd completely forgotten about, then disappearing from my vision and returning it to normal.
The two mares ahead of me turn around and look in my direction, probably due to his behaviour. I watch Twilight facepalm her hoof. Wouldn't that be a facehoof? I think silently, finding my humour is still with me, despite my memory issues. A few seconds later, I begin to think that Discord is surprised he can't use his powers on me, as it felt more like some kind of magical forcefield was stopping him from discovering anything. Then he turns to Twilight and Sunset while I just walk along behind them.
Tuning out the talk between Discord, Twilight and Sunset, it's a few minutes before he disappears after saying that he's having afternoon tea with Fluttershy. The small puff of smoke he leaves behind makes me cough a little, but surprisingly, I hadn't noticed that he'd teleported us to just outside Twilight's castle while we were trotting along, nor that Twilight was trying to tak to me.
"--hyan! You okay?" I hear from my right, making my head snap up suddenly at my name being called. It was Twilight's voice. "I hear you've been having some memory issues back in your world. If you want to, you can stay here and let Princess Luna have a look whilst you sleep?"
"I, uh," I stutter, dragging my hoof in small circles in the ground as I lower my voice. "I don't know. I'm not sure if it'll hurt or not." I add, remembering and mentioning the small moments where I think I'd fallen unconscious whilst my head had felt in pain and waking up in a different place entirely. Like waking up in RaeRae's room. I keep to myself, but can't help blush ever so slightly.
"Oh I'm pretty sure it's painless." She responds quickly, tapping her hoof on what I assume is her chest. "I have, as a matter of fact, had a few of these experiences myself. So there is no need to worry!" She swings her hoof through the air as she finishes her sentence.
"You know Rhyan," She says, in a softer voice while looking down before looking at me. "If you're having any more memory issues after your visit with Princess Luna, you're always welcome to visit here at any time you want."
"Thanks," I respond, smiling again, the though of the dream thing sounding as painless as possible. "I'll keep that in mind."
After about another hour just hanging around Twilight's castle, I had been introduced to her friends, who were like the spitting image of my friends, but in pony form. It was a bit of a surprise when Spike's message returned in a burp and some green fire. Apparently it was about the session with Princess Luna I was going to have to access my memories again. Well, it would be nice to have it done again, but I think it's almost time to get back home before it's too late. The doohickey contraption Twilight made to keep it open looks fascinating, but before I got to ask any questions about it, Sunset grabbed my hoof with hers, somehow, and dragged me back through the portal.
I catch a brief glimpse of a weird pink, bubbly like trail inside the portal, but despite my powers, they seemed ineffective in this world as I try to slow time down when I tried to follow it. I think that was a bad idea as something feels different as I'm forced back towards my portal, but I find myself on my hands and legs on the floor, where I'm faced with seeing Sunset and I walking over. I run as quickly as I can with my speed and hide on the other side of the portal, waiting for the sounds of them entering the portal to stop before I take off at speed.
Running along, I'm thinking to myself about what the hell has just happened, when I narrowly dodge a girl crossing the street mid-pose. It was the Melody girl walking alone with Pinkie Pie, who was mid-jump and eyes closed but slowly opening as I suddenly realise she's somehow watching me when her eyes turn normally as I walk side to side with my superspeed, before running off and forgetting about how weird that just was between us. I decide that running around the town wasn't helping and.
Sliding to a stop, I realise I've ran out of the local area and down a road I find familiar. It's the one I tripped up on. How did I overshoot my home? I think, then zip back to the school, where I should find some time to kill before Sunset returns through the portal with me. Maybe I should've realised how early I was in returning, as by the time I returned, I could still see my foot passing through the portal upon arriving.
A few hours pass and in that time, I was able to relax more by helping Fluttershy at her animal shelter while she was in her free sessions, playing a few levels of a game against Rainbow Dash in the games room in the school, then spending a bit of time with Rarity at our little spot on the hill, taking about things that we both enjoy, but I was avoiding talking of Sunset since I can't really remember anything about her except how nice she has been today. Luckily it was lunch break during these few hours, but I was still checking the portal every now and then for Sunset's arrival.
I really shouldn't have tried to follow that trail I'd seen. I think as I race back to the portal right as I see her walking out of it. It takes her a second to notice that I wasn't right behind her, but waiting for her instead. And with a bottle of apple juice, courtesy of AppleJack.
"Wait a sec," She says, a look of confusion plastered on her face while looking between me and the portal a few times. "Weren't you just behind me?"I just nod, making her smile. "How long have you been waiting for me?" She adds, popping her hip out slightly while taking the drink.
"Uh, pretty much since we stepped into the portal." I reply, thinking of how she would take it, while taking a sip of the fresh drink.
"Wow, really?" She says with surprise in her voice. "You must have done something inside the portal to send you back that far." The conversation steers away from this after I tell her about what I got up to, while avoiding the details of the weirdly familiar, pink and bubbly trail I'd seen in there.
One thing still bugs me while we're looking around the school. It's that I keep bumping into this green haired girl, but I can never recall talking to her, but feel like I do every time. But that's not the only thing on my mind right now, besides Rae of course.
It's that trail I'd seen.
And little did I know, that the trail belonged to someone Who I was previously in my family from back home....
Who could already use the powers I possess too.