My first week in Ponyville was...weird. I was constantly in a state of loss, unsure of how I should act around these ponies, and fully considerate of every action I took, in the event that I could somehow glean the smallest bit of information about myself in some way. I didn’t come up with much, and Twilight also didn’t manage to come up with anything through her trials. There were fliers put up at the local towns surrounding Ponyville, advertising about me being missing, and asking for anypony with any information to visit Twilight. Nothing had come out of that after about a week and I would have lost hope if it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash and her friends. Rainbow Dash had taken to hanging around with me any chance she could and I caught her just staring at me a lot, a look on her face that I couldn’t even begin to describe. Anytime I asked if she was okay, she’d blink, look surprised, and stutter out that she was fine. I didn’t believe her but I left it alone.
I wandered around Ponyville, taking in the sights and meeting all the new ponies. I also had to take care to not strain myself too hard. Despite what I’d told Applejack I still felt like I’d been scraped raw and run over by a train, aches settled deep in my bones and bruises all over my grey coat, darkening the flesh underneath. There weren’t any major cuts or breaks, Twilight had apparently used magic to heal those, and the only sign that I’d been hurt was the scar that was on my cheek, which had been a gaping open wound according to Twilight that she could only do so much for. And so, I found myself attempting to prevent a limp from showing how I felt as Rainbow Dash led me across town.
It was late afternoon and all I wanted to do was go back to Applejack’s farm, but Rainbow Dash had said that there was something that she really had to show me and it couldn’t wait. I sighed and begrudgingly followed her through the empty streets of town, catching sight of a pony here and there as we walked, but not much more. It was mostly quiet between us until Rainbow Dash broke the silence with a question.
“How’s Ponyville treating you? I know it’s only been a few days, but I just want to make sure that nopony is giving you a hard time.” She beamed at me as she spoke and I felt a comfort in that smile that made my heart skip a beat.
I thought about it for a moment before I spoke, “It’s...strange here. I don’t really remember where I lived before but the amount of...genuine niceness here keeps surprising me. I don’t think ponies were this nice where I used to live.”
Rainbow Dash frowned and slowed, coming to a stop and turning to face me. She seemed deep in her thoughts before she finally opened her mouth and asked, “I know this question is probably getting old, but are you sure you don’t remember...anything? Like, even the smallest bit about anything?”
I frowned and shook my head, “No, I wish I could though. I would love to know anything about myself and how I got stuck with that inhibitor and a timberwolf chasing me.” I watched her face as I spoke and her frown turned into a grimace, causing me to furrow my eyebrows. She wasn’t telling me something but I couldn’t force myself to ask her what it was. I frowned and sighed before speaking, “Rainbow Dash, I promise that if I manage to remember something you’ll be the first pony I come to.”
That seemed to ease her mind and she gave me a comforting smile, “Hey, we’re gonna figure this out, okay? You have Equestria’s best, here in Ponyville.”
I sat in silence for a moment, lost in thought. I could tell that there was something that she wasn’t telling me, but I didn’t know if she had told Twilight or not. I couldn’t start distrusting the ponies that were my only lifeline at the moment though. Without them I would be lost, and as far as I could see, they were really trying to help me. I made up my mind and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Okay, I trust you.”
She was silent for a moment, before saying quietly, “Thank you.” There was an awkward silence between us after that until she rolled her eyes and gave me a light bump with her shoulder, almost shouting as she said, “And hey, stop being so formal with the ‘Rainbow Dash’, you can call me Dash.”
I chuckled and bumped her back, “Okay, I can work with that, Dash. You can call me A in that case, how’s that sound?”
“Sounds awesome,” she said, smiling at me. She seemed to ease up after that and we resumed our trek back across the town, with Dash refusing to tell me where we were going until we arrived in front of Sugarcube Corner, the bakery that Pinkie Pie worked at. I opened the door and was greeted with darkness. I glanced at Dash and she nodded towards the door so I stepped up, taking a step into the dark shop before falling onto my rear as the lights cut on, streamers popped into the air, and I was greeted with a large group of ponies shouting, “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE.”
Pinkie Pie was at the front of the group and she gave a giggle at my stunned expression, turning on some music before skipping over to me and putting a party hat on my head, brushing some streamers from my mane. “Sorry I took so long getting this party together, Twilight wouldn’t let me throw you a party until you were all better,” she said with a pout, making eye contact with Twilight in the crowd and narrowing her eyes at her.
Twilight let out a giggle as she made her way over to us, her expression turning slightly somber as she met my eyes, “Hey Astra, how are you doing?”
I smiled at her, “Hey Twilight, I’d say that I’ve been either worse or better, but I’m not sure which statement is true, so I’m just gonna say that I’m okay.”
She smiled sadly at me, “Hey, I promise we’re doing all that we can to try and figure out what happened and who you are Astra.”
“I know you are, Twilight, and I appreciate it, I just wish there was something else I could do to help out,” I muttered, looking down at my hooves.
Pinkie frowned at my sentence and spoke up, “Hey! This is a party, time to get happy, not get down! Let’s go dance.”
I laughed as Pinkie grabbed mine and Twilight’s hooves, dragging us to a makeshift dance floor that she had put together, getting into the groove of the music immediately. Me and Twilight both followed her movements as best we could, but it was very apparent both of us weren’t dancers by the way we both barely could keep up with the beat. I glanced over at Twilight and had to stop myself from busting out laughing at the awkward way she was dancing. If I could even call that dancing. Dash came over with two slices of cake and passed one to me, a smile on her face as she watched us. I took the cake and nodded to Dash, making my way out of the group to a table to eat my cake, Dash following me and sitting down next to me.
I slowly ate the cake as I gazed out over the party, watching ponies interact and have fun. I turned to catch Dash watching me intently, and I cocked an eyebrow, “What?”
She blinked and looked away, muttering under her breath. I nudged her and she turned back to me, “I’m just trying to figure you out.”
I let out a laugh, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just that, like...one moment you’re so serious, and the next you’re so chill and having fun,” she said.
I was silent for a moment, thinking, before I spoke. “I guess I’m still lost. I still haven’t figured myself out, I don’t know who I’m supposed to be, how I’m supposed to act. It’s...frustrating. I keep bouncing between two extremes. I don’t know how to handle it.”
The two of us were silent after that and I spent the rest of the party in the corner, taking tiny bites of my cake as I became lost in my thoughts. Before I knew it the party was wrapping up and ponies were heading home, me, Dash, and Twilight being the last few to leave. Twilight’s library was the opposite direction from where me and Dash were going so we said our goodbyes and went our way. The walk was silent, but not stifling, as I gazed up at the stars, getting lost in the constellations and tripping over a branch in the road. I fell on my face and felt a blush rising to my cheeks as I heard Dash snicker to herself.
I fumbled my way back to my hooves as Dash asked, “You good there, A? Don’t think I’ve seen anypony take a tumble like that in a bit.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled, “I was just looking at the stars.” She looked up at the sky, her eyes searching for something before looking back to me. “I dunno what it is, but they feel calming looking at them. They feel familiar.”
Dash shook her head and let out a little laugh. “You’re one weird pony, you know that?”
I snickered and nudged her with my shoulder, saying goodnight and making my way down the path to Applejack’s farm. Most of the Apple family was already asleep when I arrived, the only sound in the house being Applejack in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes from dinner earlier that night. I silently made my way up the stairs and into the bathroom to clean myself up. I glanced in the mirror and paused, taking in the sight of the pony staring back at me. My fur was orange, my mane was blue, and my eyes were grey. There was something tingling at the back of my mind and I tried to focus on it, doing all in my might to pull at the thread that was stuck. I felt it give and a faint voice echoed from somewhere deep in my head, that’s not what I look like.
I stood staring at the mirror, studying myself and wondering where that had come from. I leaned a little closer, taking a deep look at myself, trying to figure out what I was feeling. I pulled at my eyelid, getting a full view of my iris, trying to discern what was wrong with it. I let it go and ran my left hoof up my right forehoof, feeling the fur and spreading it, studying the individual hairs. I dropped my hooves and used my magic to pluck a strand of hair from my mane, scrutinizing it but coming up with nothing. I couldn’t figure out what was causing me to have this moment and I huffed, letting the hair drop and gazing at my reflection again. The exasperated expression on my face catching me by surprise.
A knock on the door caused me to jump and I quickly scrambled to open it, coming face to face with Applejack. She smiled at me and whispered, “Ya all right sugarcube, been in there for a bit.”
I nodded to her and mumbled that I was just tired, and that I’d kinda dozed off. She nodded and continued down the hall to her room, flashing a smile back over her shoulder before heading in. I turned the light out and made my way to my room. I closed the door behind me and sat in front of the window, looking out on the farm before turning my gaze to the stars.
“Who am I,” I asked them.
I arrived at the train station with sleep still in my eyes. It was still early morning and the sun hadn’t even begun to peek over the horizon. The station was mostly empty, except for the pony at the ticket booth, and Twilight and Rarity both waiting for me. I bought my ticket to Canterlot and went to sit next to them, mumbling a good morning as we waited for the train. A thermos was levitated in front of me, and I looked up to see Rarity offering it. I nodded and took it, opening it and breathing deeply as the glorious smell of coffee rose out to greet me. I took a large swig, savoring the taste, before putting the lid back on and passing it back to her. I mumbled a thanks and leaned back, closing my eyes. Twilight and Rarity were having a quiet conversation but I wasn’t paying any attention, almost drifting back to sleep until I heard the screech of brakes signaling the arrival of the train.
We began boarding the train and it wasn’t until we sat down in our booth that I paused, glancing out and down the car before turning back to Twilight. “Where’s Dash at,” I asked her.
“Oh, did she not tell you,” she questioned, tilting her head. “She had something come up so she isn’t coming with us. Sorry for not mentioning it, I kinda assumed that you two would have talked about it.”
I was quiet, not sure how to tell Twilight that I hadn’t seen Dash since the night at the tree house. “Right, of course, I probably just forgot about it,” I muttered.
Rarity and Twilight shared a look and I could tell they didn’t believe me, but neither of them called me out on it. The trip to Canterlot was uneventful, just a quiet ride with no real interruptions. Rarity and Twilight shared a conversation and I added to it from time to time, but I was muted for most of it, stuck in my own head. After a bit I began to doze off again, being woken up by Twilight once we’d arrived in Canterlot, the train pulling into the station just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. We stepped off, passing by a few other ponies who were getting on, leaving us on a mostly empty platform. I felt something nagging at the back of my mind but I couldn’t grab whatever the thought was before it vanished, leaving me annoyed.
I gave my eye a rub and yawned, turning to Twilight as she began to speak, “Okay, so we’re gonna head to the castle first if that’s fine, Princess Luna isn’t going to be up much longer.”
Rarity nodded, “Of course darling, wouldn’t want to keep royalty waiting after all!”
I chuckled and we began moving up the mostly empty streets. Canterlot was a lot different from Ponyville. Most of the town was up and active by this time, but the streets were barely active this early in the morning. The nagging feeling in the back of my head came back and I still couldn’t figure out what it was, huffing mostly to myself but causing Twilight and Rarity to pause their conversation and look over to me.
“Are you alright dear,” Rarity spoke up.
I waved my hoof at her, “Yeah, yeah, I’m alright. Just got something on my mind.”
“Is it about Rainbow,” Rarity asked, causing me to stumble for a moment.
“N-no, of course not,” I stuttered out, my face heating up. “I just have this feeling that I can’t figure out right now.”
Twilight perked up at that, “What do you mean, like something is familiar, or?”
I scrunched up my nose, trying to grab onto the thought that was so evasive, getting exasperated and sitting on my haunches, looking at Twilight. I opened my mouth to say something but I cut myself off as I caught sight of a massive gate just up ahead and at the sight of it the thought unraveled.
“I know this place.”
Rarity and Twilight followed my eyes, taking in the sight of the gate. It was black iron, standing taller than three ponies probably would on top of each other. The top was curved elegantly and gave off an air of refinement, and right in the middle of it was a crest. There were two shooting stars crossing each other, creating an X right in the middle of the gate. My eyes turned to the house beyond the gate and I was greeted with a mansion imposing itself on the horizon, doing it’s best to hold off the light of day, to keep the night closer. I felt an emotion well up and I unconsciously brought a hoof up to my chest, reaching for something that wasn’t there. I paused, trying to take stock of myself, and figure out what was happening to me, but my thoughts were broken by the sight of Twilight and Rarity both looking at me strangely.
“What,” I asked.
“Your eyes…” Twilight said slowly.
Rarity stepped forward, settling a hoof on my shoulder, “Are you alright darling?”
I looked into Rarity’s eyes, confused by the concern I was being shown. “I...Yeah, I’m fine,” I managed to get out, a sense of worry growing slowly. “Can...Can we just go already?” I started walking, leaving the two of them standing there, taking a glance back at the gate and house before turning and continuing.
I heard the two of them say something before they caught up with me and when I looked back at them they caught my eyes before looking confused at each other. I turned away, keeping to myself, not wanting to drag up what had just happened. After that the jovial conversation between Twilight and Rarity was gone, replaced by hushed mutterings between the two. I wanted to tell them about what I felt but I couldn’t figure it out, and as I turned my emotions over and over in my head I finally came to the realization. I was ashamed. Of what I couldn’t figure out, but it was the most prevalent emotion that I was feeling and I hated the way it tasted on my tongue. I was so lost in my head that it wasn’t until a spear was blocking my way that I realized we had reached the castle.
Twilight stepped up, the guards recognizing her and letting us in, our group quiet as we made our way through the castle entrance. A servant appeared and said something to Twilight but I had slipped back into my thoughts, tuning out everything else as I tried to figure out what about seeing that house had caused me to feel so ashamed. I hadn’t come up with anything by the time we’d reached where we were going, and the servant opened the door, Twilight stepping in first, me and Rarity following behind her.
The room was dark, the stained glass tinted to reduce the amount of light coming through, making candles the most light that the room was receiving. There was a large chandelier on the ceiling, as well as a few candles on the table in the center of the room. There were a few chairs around it and at the head of the table sat a large dark figure. My eyes adjusted further and I made out the form of what I could only assume was Princess Luna. She was tall and had dark blue fur, with beautiful bright blue eyes, and her mane looked like the night sky, waving slowly like there was some breeze in the room that I couldn’t feel. I felt a rush of emotions, too many to keep track of, before I eventually settled on some sense of...comfort.
Twilight spoke up first, “Thank you for seeing us Princess Luna, I know you usually don’t stay up too long after the sun comes up.”
Princess Luna nodded, “Of course, Twilight. Anything for you and your friends. Now, I know you said one of your friends was having trouble with dreams, but you weren’t entirely clear in your letter about what the issue was.”
Twilight blushed, “Right, sorry about that, it was early and Spike was trying to sleep so I kept it brief. This is my friend Astra, she’s been having some weird dreams that she’d like your help with.”
Twilight took a step to the side, giving Luna an unobstructed view of me, and I swear that I could see the smile on her face falter. It was only for a moment, replaced by what I thought was sadness, but it was quickly followed with what looked like a strained smile. “Of course, I’d love to help your friend, why don’t you two take a tour of the grounds while I talk to her.” Luna walked over and helped the two of them out the door, and I caught Rarity’s eyes just before the door closed, leaving just us in the silent room.
I thought that being alone in a room with a Princess would garner some form of a reaction out of me but I felt entirely calm, not counting the strange rush of emotions that I was still trying to figure out. The two of us took a seat at the table and she met my eyes, silent for a moment before asking, “How can I help you…Astra?”
I explained to her that I had woken up in Ponyville with no memory of who I was, along with the dream that I had been having the past few nights, and her eyes widened for a moment before she looked out the window, lost in thought. I was silent, watching her as she seemed to battle something in her mind.
“I’d like to see that dream, if you don’t mind,” she finally said.
“Of course, Luna, whatever you need,” I said, pausing for a moment, wondering where the casualness had just come from.
She paused for a moment, as if she was going to say something before thinking better of it. She stood up before speaking, moving next to my chair, “Alright then, I’ll need to put you to sleep, if that’s okay with you.” I nodded and after a few moments of intense examination that left me feeling almost uncomfortable, she leaned down, touching her horn to my forehead. I heard her whisper something under her breath but I couldn’t make it out as a wave of sleep overtook me and I drifted off.
I was there in the dream again, but I was conscious of the fact that this was a dream, and I felt like a passenger in my own body, detached as I watched the events play out again. I barely felt the biting wind and pelting snow like I had the last few times, and I could only barely make out the feeling of my body moving, drifting forward through the snow. The light appeared again, and I faintly felt the warmth of it, but this time I was aware of something new. There was a voice, shouting a name, and I managed to turn my attention in a direction that my body hadn’t been paying attention to during the events of the dream. I saw a pony shuffling their way through the storm, shouting out a name.
It took a few moments for me to make out the name they were shouting.
Apollo.
The name caused a spike to appear in my forehead and I felt myself cringe as the pain rocked me. I couldn’t do anything to help myself though and I could only writhe in agony in my own head as I struggled to deal with a voice that had risen to a crescendo, overpowering anything that I managed to try and think about. After an eternity of blinding pain, a voice finally broke through the pain, with the line, “You’re dead.” I felt the bite of the cold return and the ache in my body became present, almost like I was reuniting with myself in some weird way. The voice went silent and I could do nothing but sit there in relief, staring at the pony standing opposite me in the cold, a sharp wind coming and blowing me over, my body landing in the snow as all the strength left it.
My hearing seemed to falter for a moment as my thoughts became scrambled. My senses slowly focused on the mare in front of me again as she began to speak, “Please, we can go back. I can bring you out of here, you just have to trust me.” I didn’t reply, sitting limply in the snow as my brain simply struggled along, trying to comprehend the information that I had been fed. The mare finally spoke up after a few moments, “I’m sorry Apollo, I just...I never meant this to go this way. I only wanted to help you become who you wanted to be.”
The mare looked at me for a few more moments, a few tears drifting down her cheeks, staining her dark blue fur, before she began to turn away from me. I felt a pressure rise in my chest and suddenly a burning erupted in my body, causing me to scream. The mare turned back to me, her sadness turning into fear as her eyes took in my body writhing on the ground. I felt like I was being pulled apart, aches burning deep in my body, and pain flaring up all along my form. My cheek felt like it was being torn off and I felt like I was choking on some fluid. I managed to cough and saw the snow in front of me turn red with blood. The mare appeared in front of me and I managed to choke out a name before I felt myself being ripped away, tumbling head over heels into the darkness.
My eyes shot open and I managed to turn to catch sight of Luna for only a moment and I began to feel her name bubble up in my throat, trying to scrape its way out, before her horn lit up and I suddenly found myself teleported in front of Twilight and Rarity. “Luna!” I shouted, scaring my friends and causing Twilight to stumble back.
Rarity cocked her eyebrow at me and asked, “Are you alright darling?”
I took a few moments to try and compose myself, still feeling shaky on my hooves and unsure of what had just happened, but sure that I needed to talk to Luna. “Twilight I need to see Luna again, take me back,” I fumbled out, grabbing onto her and almost collapsing.
“Hey, woah, okay. Calm down Astra, we’ll go see her, it’s okay,” Twilight said, trying to comfort me. She shared a look with Rarity and the two of them nodded at each other, before moving to either side of me to help steady me along.
We made our way back to the room I had met Luna in, but there was nopony there, and we learned that Luna had retired to her room for the day, having already stayed up much later than she usually does. I almost collapsed on the spot, unsure of what to do now. Twilight and Rarity managed to help me to an out of the way hall where we took a moment, both of them trying to ask me questions but neither getting much of an answer from me. They shared a look and Twilight motioned her head to the side, dragging Rarity a few steps away, around the corner so they could have a conversation.
I barely paid them attention, staring down at my hooves as I struggled to drag my thoughts together. A door across the hall opened and I lifted my head, making eye contact with the mare exiting the room. She was a unicorn with white fur, a black mane, and light green eyes. The sight of her dragged forth some distant feeling that I was too exhausted to even try and comprehend right now. She caught sight of me and her eyes went wide, almost fearful as she took in the state that I was in. I forced myself to my hooves and muttered out an apology as I dragged myself around the corner, interrupting Rarity and Twilight’s heated conversation.
“Let’s go home.”
I made the trek from Applejack’s farm back to my house, tired after a long day of work. I felt exhausted, and I probably looked it too. Applejack was not an easy boss, and even after four months of work I was still an exhausted mess after most days of work. I was lost in my own thoughts and it wasn’t until I made it to the stone walkway to my door that I realized somepony was following me. I looked over my shoulder to find Fluttershy standing a few paces back.
“How long have you been following me,” I asked her, getting a small squeak out of her.
“Well, when you got to the market, I saw you and I tried to call you but I guess it was kind of loud so you didn’t hear me, so I followed you, and I thought about tapping you on the shoulder to try and get your attention but I didn’t know how you’d handle that so I didn’t but then I thought about the fact that we don’t really know each other that well so it would be a little strange if I was just walking next to you so I stayed a little bit back,” she rushed out in one breath, leaving me a little dazed.
I raised my hooves, trying to pacify her, “Woah, hey, it’s fine Fluttershy.” I tried to give her a calming smile but I wasn’t sure it was doing anything so instead I asked, “Why don’t you come inside and we can talk about whatever it is you needed me for. I imagine it’s gotta be somewhat important for you to follow me halfway across town.” That seemed to mollify her a little and she nodded, taking a timid step towards me. I walked up the path and opened the door, leading the way in and motioning her in. She closed the door behind her and I flicked the light on, pausing at the trash littering the floor. “Right, I needed to clean.” I turned back to her, “Sorry Fluttershy, I wasn’t expecting company.”
Fluttershy let out a little giggle, “It’s fine Astra, my house gets like this sometimes too. Taking care of animals isn’t always a clean job.” I shuffled uncomfortably for a moment, sure that she was just trying to be nice before using my magic to shove a majority of the trash to the other side of the living room, making space for us to walk and sit, Fluttershy on the couch and me on the chair next to her. “So, I asked Zecora to help me with the problem asked me about, and she came up with this potion,” she said, whisking out a vial filled with a green sludge. “This should let you test for any trace of magic, no matter how small that trace might be.”
I reached out and took it from her, “Thank you so much Fluttershy, I really appreciate this.”
She smiled, “Of course, anything to help my friends out. Just make sure you stay safe, I know it’s Whitetail Woods and there haven’t been any sightings but you never know.”
I nodded, “Of course Fluttershy, I’m sure Dash will love her gift.”
We had a small conversation after that about nothing in particular before she eventually left. I closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, holding the vial in my magic before me, a sense of dread building in my stomach as I stared at it. “Please Dash, be right. Just this once, be right.”
I waited an hour or so, before I got so antsy that I just left, heading for the edge of town. I could see the forest just past the edge of town and I slowly walked towards it, the sun beginning to set on the edge of the horizon, painting the sprouting leaves a deep shade of orange. I reached the edge of the forest and I paused, looking up at the cliffside of Canterlot, just above and out of reach. I felt a small twinge in my chest and I brushed it away, making my way into the forest. The crunching of leaves and sticks was accompanied by the sounds of the forest, animals skittering through the trees and underbrush, birds tweeting at each other, and the chirping of bugs. But none of it could distract me from the path that I was taking, one that I had walked many times in the last couple months. I finally reached a clearing, taking in the sight of a scrape in the ground, still not quite filled in after these few months. I pulled the potion out, and uncorked it, giving it a sniff and wrinkling up my nose. Something smelled burnt coming out of it and I tensed up as I raised it to my lips, downing it in one quick gulp. I held my mouth closed, trying to prevent myself from throwing it back up. I managed to keep it down and I took a deep breath to steady myself. I felt out with my magic, lifting up a stick and watching as an aura overtook the stick, bringing it close to myself. The aura was a bright grey, almost close to white but not quite there. I channeled a bunch of energy into the stick, dropping it and watching as it glowed, almost casting a light on the rest of the clearing before my eyes. The potion was working. I took a long look around the rest of the clearing, looking to see if I could spy anything else glittering in the rapidly approaching darkness, but I could find nothing.
I began to feel a small pressure build in my chest and I began to take hurried steps around the edge of the clearing, peering around trees and parting bushes, looking for the smallest hint of a glow. Looking for something to prove my fears wrong. Looking for anything to prove that there had been a timberwolf here. I wasn’t seeing anything and the pressure began to build stronger and stronger in my chest, my hoof steps building faster and faster, tearing through the underbrush and almost hyperventilating, catching on a branch and stumbling, falling into the clearing on my back. A sob wretched itself from my throat, and I curled up into a ball, looking up into the sky as stars began to appear, my eyes too watery to be able to make out any particular ones as they all blurred together. I felt a tear escape down my cheek and a dam broke, a wail almost choking me as it escaped from my chest, wracking me with a pain in my heart as I began sobbing into the night.
She’d lied to me.