//------------------------------//
// Not The Only One 
// Story: Improbable 
// by Erynaster 
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It was quickly noised throughout the land that another human had somehow managed to find her way to Equestria. This was the second time since your own arrival, yet the stir that was caused by this news was no less astonishing to the minds of the ponies. The idea that one human somehow managed to enter their world was mind-boggling enough, but two? It was almost unimaginable.

But here was the proof. You were no longer the only one of your kind. It was almost too good to be true, and yet it was.

You're in Canterlot Castle, where Twilight had summoned the three Princesses to witness the strange phenomenon that had occurred. Their chatter doesn't reach your ears, as you're far too focused on the unconscious figure laid out on a stretcher before them. Bits and pieces of the Princesses' conversation float to your ears as the rest is filtered out into background noise.

Twilight's voice cuts through the fray, her tone tinged with concern. "I-Is she still alive?"

"It's a reasonable guess that if Anon survived his transportation here, she would too," Luna adds, her words muffled by the din of conversation.

Celestia's voice reaches your ears next, speaking with authority. "She lives," she affirms. "Her pulse is steady and normal." She pauses for a moment before continuing, "She survived the travel across time and space."

Twilight speaks up again, her voice shaking slightly. "B-But how? And where did she come from?" she queries, her words coming out shaky.

Finally, Cadance chimes in, her voice carrying a note of reassurance. "Her energy signatures bear the same readings as Anon's own temporal aura. It is almost certain that they come from the same universe."

"Anon? You okay there, bud?"

You can feel a tug at your shirt, and you look down and see Spike, Twilight's dragon assistant, looking up at you with a look of concern.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for asking." You gulp, looking back at the girl. "So... this is what a human girl looks like."

You're perplexed. You had never seen a human girl before, or at least, not one that you recalled. Upon coming to Equestria, you had found your memories wiped, erased of any trace of recollection of your past. Naturally, seeing a fellow human being for the first time was a rather jarring experience, and you can't help but feel a little light-headed as you gaze upon the features of the unconscious stranger. She had auburn hair, freckles, and a rather slim and supple-looking frame. She's wearing what appears to be a grey sweater, all mucked up with mud and substrate from the lake. Underneath that is a green shirt, along with a pair of tarnished, faded jeans. Her expression is peaceful, almost as if she was fast asleep.

You lean down next to the girl and study her face more closely, fascinated by her features. She was so different from the ponies you were used to seeing in Equestria. The fact that she was a human was still a bit of a shock to you, even as you studied her more closely.

Spike is silent for a moment, apparently lost in thought. "Who do you think she is?" He finally asks.

"I don't know," You reply honestly. "But we need to find out. We need to help her."

You look over to the four Princesses, who were still conversing with one another. You can't help but wonder: Clearly, your arrival in Equestria was not a one-time thing. So if another human had managed to enter this world, could more be on the way?

Apparently, that was what worried the four Princesses.

"... I do not like this, sister. One human is one thing, but two? And in the same place? It can't be a coincidence." Luna states, looking worried.

Celestia sighs, her expression hard to read.

"I do not like it either, Luna. But the facts still remain true. We appear to have yet another visitor from a different realm."

"Could Discord somehow be involved?" Cadance chimes in.

"No, I do not think so. Even he was completely unaware of Anon's existence until he showed up two years ago. Why would he have anything to do with it now?"

"Because he's Discord."

The three Princesses continue bickering with one another as Twilight approaches you, looking at you with a mixture of awe and worry.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." You nod distractedly in her direction, continuing to stare at the unconscious woman on the stretcher.

Twilight's eyes fall upon the stranger, taking in her form with a look of both curiosity and wonderment.

"This must be a human female," She says, her voice tinged with fascination as she studies the unconscious girl. "This is quite a discovery. "She looks just like you! With a few physical differences, of course." Twilight says, continuing to study her form with an air of a researcher discovering a new species.

Twilight was right. You can't help but notice her comparisons to your own body. The girl is definitely smaller in stature compared to you, and her chest is more prominent. Her hair was longer, too. But aside from those differences, there is an uncanny resemblance between the two of you.

"This is so bizarre." You mutter, shaking your head. "It's just so odd, isn't it?"

"It sure is." Twilight nods. "This is bringing back some familiar memories for me, though."

The memory of your arrival in Equestria comes flooding back to you, and you can't help but let out a slight chuckle at the thought. You had awoken in this world, as though you had been born anew, with no memory of your past or who you once were. The only thing that remained of your former existence was your ability to communicate with the ponies in this world. Everything else, including your identity, was swallowed up by the abyss of time and space.

The feeling of having nothing to hold on to is a strange one, but you have come to terms with it. You had made new friends in Equestria, and even grown to appreciate the world and its inhabitants. But the fact that you still don't know who you are, or where you came from, is a mystery that continues to haunt you.

"... the big question is, what do we do now that we have her here?" Luna's voice floats over to the three of you, catching your attention.

It's Celestia who answers.

"We will place her under the care of a very discreet and qualified pony." She states as-a-matter-of-factly. "Nurse Redheart. She will watch over and attend to our visitor's needs in the meantime." Celestia turns and makes eye contact with you, smiling knowingly. "She will be well-cared for, that much is certain."

You nod, trusting this stranger in the hooves of these ponies. If anyone knew what to do, it was them. After all, it was they who cared for you when you had first arrived in Equestria. They knew what they were doing.

Reluctantly, you tear your eyes away from the girl and follow Twilight out of the massive, ornate doors behind you, pondering upon the turn of events that had just transpired.

Things were definitely going to be different around here.





"I still can't believe it."

You heave a stack of dusty books onto the table, where you and Twilight had set up copious amounts of papers and charts. The sheer volume of resources is overwhelming, but you can't help but feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of unravelling the mystery of the stranger's arrival.

"Yes, Anon. I know." Twilight sighs wearily, as though this was the umpteenth time she had to repeat herself.

"I'm not the only one!" You grin, thoughts racing in your head as you pace back and forth.

"Yes, Anon. You've said that already."

It's been two days since the fateful incident had occurred, and in that span of time, you and Twilight had decided to do a little digging on the history of humans at the Castle of the Two Sisters. Unsurprisingly, there was little to no information surrounding your species, other than a few references buried deep within thick volumes of Mythological Creatures and their Origins.

Your excitement was not to be deterred, however.

"I mean, think of all the possibilities! If two humans somehow managed to find their way to Equestria, could more of us be out there?" The words come tumbling out of your mouth from the excitement. "This is groundbreaking, Twi! Borderline revolutionary! It's... it's..."

You extend your arms to the side to indicate the magnitude of the situation.

"... It's a miracle."

Twilight sighs again, looking quite enervated.

"Anon, your excitement is understandable, but please, we need to keep digging. You want to help solve this mystery, right?"

"Right, right. Sorry. Got a little carried away there." You walk over to Twilight and plop down in an empty seat next to her, grabbing a thick book from the stack.

Minutes of your searching pass by, with no words exchanged between you two other than a few outbursts of excitement every now and then when either of you would come across a promising passage or a handy reference.

"Here! Gusty the Great made note of humans after the Great Unicorn War, stating the appearance of a 'tall, bipedal being' that arrived in a strange orb long after Grogar was banished." Twilight chirps excitedly, shoving the book in front of your face. "She mentioned that it seemed to have 'no recollection of its former life', but ended up living happily amongst ponies from that moment forward. Just like you, Anon!"

You stare at the words in front of you, a dazed feeling coming over you as you read the text again and again. There had been more of you in the past. And from the looks of it, they too had managed to lead a happy life despite their lack of memories.

You return to your own book, scanning the footnotes beneath a page labelled, 'Ancient Monkeys, Myth or Fact?'

"Here's another one! Scholars back then reported sightings of 'strange, hairless monkeys' capable of speech who arrived on the coast in an odd-looking vessel of sorts." You scan the page even further. "Same story, they lost most of their memories, but lived happily among ponies for the rest of their lives, yada yada yada."

You close the book, looking at Twilight.

"Okay, so what we do know is that humans have been here in the past, and it's almost the same story. They lose their memories, but end up living among ponykind until the end of their lives. But what's strange about them is that their origins are unknown. Nopony knows where they came from, other than 'strange vessels' or 'rifts in space and time', just like how I came here. And most recently, our guest."

Twilight nods, staring back down at her book.

"Yes, that's about all we've got. But here's another passage: 'Due to the strange and unprecedented nature of our visitors, we, the Unicorns, decided to dub these creatures as the Anonymi, owing to the anonymous nature of their origins.'" Twilight looks up at you. "The term 'human' was coined when one of your kind arrived in Equestria with a small inkling of his memories, going on and on about 'parallel realities' and 'alternate universes'."

You beam at Twilight, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "This is all useful information, Twi. We need to get this information back to the Princesses and let them know that this isn't just the second time it's happened."

"Right, I'm with you on that." Twilight blushes, smiling softly at you. "Let's go."

But before either of you can stand up, the door to the library bursts open, and a castle guard trots in, looking very tired and out of breath.

"Urgent message for Princess Twilight." He huffs, walking up to Twilight. "The Princesses are requesting your presence at Canterlot at once."

"Why? What happened?" Twilight asks, hopping to her hooves.

The guard gives her a solemn look. "All I was asked to say is that... she has awakened."