//------------------------------// // Capítulo Dos // Story: Cuatro // by Dirty Bit //------------------------------// Capítulo Dos Welcome The strange pony laid in front of the fireplace unconscious on the floor while Applebloom stared at him with intrigue, her past fears vanished. Applejack came back into the living room with a green plaid blanket in her teeth and carefully draped it over the strange pony. Applebloom turned to her sister after she looked long enough "Where do ya suppose he came from, sis? He definitely don't look like he's from around here!" Applejack was just as confused as she examined the strange pony "Ya got me there! Ah don't think Ah've ever seen another alicorn 'round these parts, especially this'un!" Applebloom trotted over and nudged through the blanket to examine his wingspan "An' jus' look at those wings! Ya think maybe he used t' be a part of Luna's Night Guard?" Applejack scoffed "Don't bother him while he's sleepin'! Let's jus' wait fer him t' wake up. If it'll take th' rest o' th' night, we might as well hit th' hay and let this poor feller get his rest." Applebloom looked down at the strange pony "Do ya think he'll be friendly th' moment he wakes up?" The yellow filly could only wonder the means of the strange pony's appearence while he laid unconscious. _____ There was darkness once more in the strange pony's eyes, pure and simple. But slowly, a shape began to appear out of the endless abyss. It was a large white tree bearing many spines. Something about this tree seemed familiar, including the feeling of emptiness it exerted. Was he connected to this tree? The strange pony slowly inched towards it with curiousity and placed a hoof on the bark, only to sink into it. He was startled at first, but he slowly melted into it, finding comfort in its strange emptiness to where he closed his eyes. When he was close to becoming one with the tree, muffled voices caused the strange pony to open his eyes and look around. His vision was blinded by darkness again, his comforting feeling vanishing. The darkness lifted once again to make way for blurry vision, only he did not find himself in the same white blanket of snow as before. He felt warmth over him opposite to what he had faced earlier, and his head felt very heavy. He heard voices around him while he did not find the strength to move. "Do ya think he'll be friendly th' moment he wakes up?" "Even Ah can't be sure 'bout that, Applebloom. All we can do is wait fer 'im t' wake up and ask why he chose t' come t' our door!" Two feminine voices, both flowing with a southern drawl. Very unfamiliar, but it was comforting to know there were others around. He uttered a tired moan before he shifted his body inside whatever covered him. "*gasp* Sis, he's wakin' up!" "Is he? Give 'em some space!" Were they expecting him to wake up this whole time? Whoever was there must seem very dedicated. He shifted a little more before a sharp pain dug into his head, causing him to instinctively grunt and place a hoof to his temple. "Hang on now, partner! Don't try an' stress yerself!" "Yeah! We only jus' found ya on our doorstep!" Doorstep. He did remember finding a house and weakly rapping on the door to find a pony smaller than him gaze in fear. Was he able to make it inside the house, or was this another dream of sorts? He moved again, but more carefully this time as he shifted under the blanket. The strange pony uttered another tired moan before he instinctively rubbed his eyes and tried to clear his vision. He looked to see he was laying in a quaint wooden room next to a roaring fire. His focus then shifted to see the same yellow filly from before with a face of concern rather than one of fear. He only stared back with his seemingly cold and dispassionate eyes in silence, not sure on how to react. "Nice t' see yer awake finally! What in the hay were y'all thinkin' movin' outside during a snowstorm?" He heard a voice behind him. The strange pony looked to see an orange mare with a stetson hat with an expression of confusion mixed with concern. Her face quickly contorted into a wince when she got a better look at his eyes "W-Well, now that yer awake an' all that, what brings ya here, sugarcube?" Upon seeing this, it was safe to assume that the world he now resided in may be populated by talking ponies. The strange pony blinked his eyes "...Sugar...cube? Is that my name?" He asked in a deep and monotonous voice. The orange mare stood with an incredulous expression before she shook her head "N-No! No, forget Ah said that. It ain't yer name, trust me!" She offered him a sheepish grin. The yellow filly trotted up next to the orange mare in the strange pony's sight with her head tilted "Sis, Ah think this alicorn might have..." She looked down in thought "What's th' word Sweetie Belle used..." She then perked up "Oh yeah! Amnesia! This pony has amnesia!" The orange mare looked down at the yellow filly "Amnesia? That might explain why th' stallion don't remember his name..." She turned to the strange pony again "Listen, partner. Can ya tell us why ya came t' our home? We don't hate ya or nothin', but its just there's a horrible snowstorm outside scheduled by th' pegasi, an' Ah ain't never seen anypony have th' guts t' jus' walk out like that!" The strange pony thought that he might have angered the orange mare. He shifted his body to where she faced her and gave a bow as he closed his eyes "My apologies...I woke up in a forest and fought with a beast..." The orange mare's eyes widened "Y'all were in th' Everfree Forest!? An' ya fought with a beast? What did it look like?" The strange pony looked at the orange mare "It looked like a lion, though I spotted wings on its back and a scorpion tail. It appeared to be dangerous, yet it moved so slowly..." The yellow filly looked surprised "Ya fought with a manticore? That's amazin'!" She smiled in delight. The orange mare looked unsettled "An' suicidal! Ah can't believe ya-Wait..." She arched an eyebrow "Did ya jus' say it moved slowly?" The strange pony nodded "It looked ready to attack, but it was so easy to avoid...I believe it ran off after I managed to harm it. Forgive me for straying off topic, but who are you and who am I? What is this place?" The orange mare looked saddened "Ya really do have amnesia, doncha?" She sighed before she smiled "Maybe we can resolve this issue with Twilight when we get th' time." The strange pony stared "Twilight?" He questioned innocently. The orange mare waved a hoof "A friend of mine y'all will have th' pleasure o' meetin', but that's not important now." She tipped her Stetson hat with a smile "Howdy there. Th' name's Applejack." She looked down to the yellow filly "This here's my sister, Applebloom." Applebloom smiled "Howdy!" The strange pony shifted his gazes between the two "I see...And I am?" Applejack gave a sad smile "Sorry, partner. We can't really answer that one on account o' ya being new here an' all. As fer where ya are, this here's our home, Sweet Apple Acres, jus' near th' town o' Ponyville. Our apples are th' best in Equestria!" The strange pony stared before he looked down with his near-expressionless face "So my name remains a mystery..." He then looked back up "You said we were near a place called Ponyville? Am I to believe there are several more ponies living there as the name implies?" Applejack nodded "Eeexactly! My friends live there as well, and like Ah said earlier, y'all will have th' pleasure o' meetin' them!" She smiled warmly. Applebloom chimed in "Yeah! An' maybe they'll help ya out an' get rid o' that amnesia!" The strange pony was silent before he gave a curt nod "Thank you, both of you..." He looked down "But I cannot believe I am a pony. I do not think I have any capable attributes to serve my desire to rediscover my former self..." Applejack chuckled awkwardly "Ya might wanna make a rain check on that note, sugarcube. Get up an' follow me!" The strange pony complied as he lifted himself up, a smooth feeling slipping off of his being. He then followed Applejack towards a nearby mirror. The strange pony looked at it to see all of his visible features: His long and sharp horn, his mighty bat wings, and his strange long tail. Unlike his encounter with the manticore, he was able to take in his reflection with mild curiousity as he lifted a hoof to confirm his appearance. He then looked behind him at the strange '4' on his flank and his mind suddenly raced, giving him another migraine as he grunted and placed a hoof on his temple. Applejack and Applebloom instantly gathered around the strange pony with concern as the farmpony spoke "Hey! Ya alright there now?" Sadly, most of the last sentence was muffled as the strange pony felt his vision randomize itself before another shaded scene played in his head. "According to-...I'm the-...-ongest..." "You have absolute-...-eating me..." "A path-...-doesn't exist..." After the mental scene had transpired, the strange pony wrested with his pain and took a deep breath. He stared at the ground. "A path doesn't exist? What path?" His vision of the floor was then obscured when Applebloom showed up under him "Are you okay, mister? That don't seem like a pleasant headache!" She frowned up at him. The strange pony stared at Applebloom in silence before raising his head to gaze at his reflection in the mirror. He then noticed that Applejack was not beside him as he looked over "Where is your sister?" He asked in his monotonous tone, as if never born with feelings. Applebloom frowned "She went t' get a damp washcloth fer yer head! Ya should make yerself cozy on th' couch over there since ya might be sick." She pointed to a nearby sofa, and the strange pony noticed it as well. Other than trying to figure out who he was, he did not have much else to do. And he had been through so much ever since arriving at Sweet Apple Acres from the Everfree Forest. He trotted over and laid himself onto the sofa, waiting for Applejack to arrive. Applejack came back with a washcloth between her teeth. She then placed it on the strange pony's head, though it was soaking up his mane much rather than his forehead. She then gave an awkward smile "Um...Ya think maybe ya can move that there washcloth with yer horn, mister?" The strange pony looked up at his horn "...But my horn cannot move. And what if I impale it?" Applejack blinked before she spoke again "Ah mean with yer unicorn magic! Do ya know how t' use unicorn magic?" The strange pony looked back at Applejack, once again causing her to wince just by looking into his eyes "Magic?" Applebloom huffed "Sis, he has amnesia, remember? He probably doesn't know th' first thing about unicorn magic neither!!" Applejack sighed "Oh boy. This is gonna be a long shot. We're definitely makin' an effort t' get ya t' Twilight's place tomorro'..." She then moved her muzzle onto the strange pony's head and moved the washcloth with her teeth onto his forehead, where he felt its damp lukewarm touch. Applejack drew herself back and smiled "Better?" The strange pony took a deep breath before he nodded, though he hadn't smiled since his arrival "Thank you..." Applejack averted the pony's gaze as she sighed "Well, it won't do it any good t' ask ya questions since y'all have amnesia. So it's best that ya get some rest tonight, mister. We gotta have ya in good shape iffin' we're gonna get yer memory back!" The strange pony only stared at Applejack before he looked away and shifted himself into a proper resting position on his back "Very well. Thank you for letting me rest here..." Applejack smiled as she brought up the green plaid blanket and draped it over the strange pony again "Don't worry 'bout a thing, sugarcube! Jus' getcha some rest and we'll be off tomorro'!" Applebloom looked outside "But sis, what about the snow outside?" Applejack flinched and cursed under her breath for forgetting about an important matter. She turned to the strange pony with a smile "Um, beggin' yer pardon, mister. But before we can get t' Twilight's, we're gonna have t' take care o' all this snow! This might be askin' ya too much, but could ya lend a hoof with shovelin' th' snow tomorro'? It'd be mighty appreciated!" The strange pony stared in silence. He had waken up in a large and possibly dangerous forest in the middle of winter, and managed to come into contact with his own kind (So to speak). And they would gladly help him reclaim his memory in exchange for a small favor. There could be no reason to turn them down, especially when they welcomed him into their home. He gave a curt nod "I will gladly help you out tomorrow with the snow..." His answer put a smile on Applejack's face. Applebloom looked confused "If ya say you'd gladly help us, why do ya look so down?" The strange pony shifted his gaze to Applebloom with what she perceived as a quizzical glance "Ya look so down, so sad! So..." She frowned with a small pause "empty..." The strange pony slightly shrank his pupils at the last word. It sounded more than significant to his ears. "...Empty..." Applebloom blinked at his changed expression until Applejack nudged her away "Jus' get on int' bed, Applebloom. We can talk about his mood in th' mornin'!" Applebloom moaned in complaint "But it's too early, sis!" Applejack continued nudging "Early t' bed, early t' rise! Now git!" She stopped when the yellow filly trotted up the stairs by herself with a mild pout. She then turned to the strange pony "Well, y'all sleep well tonight, mister. An' doncha worry 'bout a thing! We'll get yer memories back faster than ya think! Good night!" She said as she trotted up the stairs, the strange pony staring at her departing presence. Now he was all alone in the living room on the sofa next to th pleasant fire at the fireplace. The comforting heat was enough to remind his body that he needed to rest. His eyes slowly closed until he finally found himself sound asleep. But before he fell asleep, he could not shake the significance of the one word that entered his mind. "...Empty...Emptiness...Am I connected to this emptiness?" To be continued...