//------------------------------//
// Recalling 
// Story: Those Days Still Lurking 
// by xXQw3rtyXx 
//------------------------------//

     It's been 15 years since that happened, 15. I can still remember the face of the stallion that knocked me out. He could've just told me that we were traveling across the globe, and that I would need to sleep alot of the way. Well, here I am now, in the outskirts of Equestria. It's a very green place, and I don't see anything that could need guarding or protection, but Celestia said that there was something here, and that I needed to watch out for any suspicious activity, otherwise, it would've been like asking me to move to another part of Equestria without telling friends and family.

I looked into the mirror to see my past youthful and energetic self, turn into somone who's blue and aqua mane is now navy in some spots, and a little grayish in others. My coat was tanged with darker spots near my hind quarters and cutie mark, and besides that, my name was now Marcel. 

I didn't really hate this new life, it's just that I never get to see any old friends or family. My body shovered when I thought the word family. I can still remember seeing Cadence's face one last time in that picture that was sent to me with her funeral letter. I cried that day, but not like a little wimp, manly tears were shed that day. I looked at the picture for more than 3 hours before another one of the assigned guards slapped me, saying that he's been trying to get my attention for a couple hours. Naturally, the first thing I did was fall forward and face plant myself into the door of my house. My housemate was standing by me, "You okay Marcel? Looks like you hit your snout hard." Haltine, always the kind and caring, stating his cutie mark a fluorescent orange star with a blue diamond in the middle. His lemon yellow mane and neon green coat always greeted me with a sense of warmth. 

Haltine died, too, fell down a cliff a few days later. I felt sad for him, yes, but now how I felt for Cadence. I just realized I was pacing in a circle, mumbling to myself, and a few people gathered around to watch as I made a rivet in the dirt, deep enough for a pony to sit on the edge, and stretch their legs all the way and touch the bottom. "Sorry," I said quickly, and galloped off. 

I didn't know where I was going, just anywhere but there. I found a moderatly remote area and sat down on a soft patch of grass. I thought about my old life, my old friends, my old family, making a tear swell in my eye. It dripped down over my snout, barely touching my lip. I could taste the bitter sweet saltiness in it, and then it dripped down, and dropped to the ground, similar to what happened to my life. I felt that I would never laugh again, never be happy again, never love again. No, I wasn't the Marcel that everyone knew 7 years ago, the one that would trot around in the morning saying hello to everyone. I wasn't the Marcel they knew that would love to bake muffins and share it to everyone. I was Shining Armor, and I felt like suicide.

I once again began to cry about what happened. I cried because all that I had loved is gone now, and I would never see them again. I stood up, and trotted home, probably to take another nap. My stomach growled. I looked down at the grass and thought why not? I bent down and took a bite. I chewed the grass, and savored its fresh, cool taste. I swalloed. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded. My knees felt weak. Then everything went black, once again.

I woke up in the middle of the night, expecting to be in a hospital, under the care of RedHeart's brother, BlueLung, but I didn't. I was on my back, a notch in my spine growing larger every second, but I didn't care. I looked up at the stars. and saw the constellations. There was the Ursa Minor and Major, the Big and Little Dipper, Luna's Horshoe, Celestia's Horn, and many others. The moon was as bright as ever. Luna did a good job today, a slight grimace tugging at the edges of my mouth. Then it occured to me that I'm never going to see her again, either, and the tug dissapeared. I rolled over, and immediantly threw up on the grass, which had no effect, since I had was grass. I don't really remember what happened. I do recall eating some of this grass, then fainting. Was that it? No, there has to be more to it. I saw a bunny hopping around in circles close by, like It was chasing it's own tail, but the radius of the circle he was hopping in as too large for that. I didn't care, bunnies did whatever they wanted to do.

There was no point in going home now. I trotted of away from the barf and sat down about 30 meters a distance. I saw a frog near a pond, also hopping in a circle, strange. The bushes and trees also seemed to be swaying in circles, weird wind patterns? Even the water was moving in circles. I accepted the fact that It might have been myself hallucinating due to that, poison grass stuff. I looked up once again, and saw a dark shape flying above. A pegasus on a night fly? No, this one had something sticking out of it's forhead. I flew by the moon and I saw the cutie mark, matching that of what it was silloheutted on, a moon, and before I knew it, Luna was trotting up to me. 

"Hello, Shining Armour. Long time no see? Did I say it right?" Luna's dark purple body as automaticcly illuminated as the moon's light followed her. "Yeah, you said it right, no problem," I watched as she sat down by my side. I saw her glance to her sides as she noticed the strange patterns of things moving in circles. Before I could react, she grabbed my head and I realized that I was also spinning, "Thanks." I looked over her shoulder to see, but everything was still going in circles, well atleast now I know it wasn't me, "Anytime, Shining Armour." "So, why are you here Luna? Or do I need to call you Princess Luna?" 
"Luna is fine, thank you. I saw you from my moon, and I thought you were taking a nap, but have you noticed the animals and plants spinning in circles?
"Yeah, yeah I have."
"A strange magic is at work here, you best keep an eye out, and don't eat the grass, or lick your hooves, something's wrong with it.
"Yeah, I've noticed," if she saw me apparently taking a nap, I didn't see the necessity of asking that question, "yeah."
"It is all right Shining Armour, you will see them again," and she took off. "Wait! Who's them?" I shouted in vain to the sky, but she was already gone. I had so many questions, and the only answer lied with Luna. I sighed, and looked down at the grass. I had just noticed that it was glowing a little. I looked closer, yeah, it was definitly glowing. 

My ears perked up. I shot up like a bullet and looked around, but no one was there. I found it best that I go home. It started a trot, and then I began to hear voices. I picked up my pase, and then, before I knew it, I was on full gallop. I arrived at the front door in my house, and opened it. That wasn't right, I usually kept my door locked. I walked inside, and found that the front table was knocked over, with broked shards of the vase that I kept on it spilled across the floor. The staircase railings were broken at the handlebar, and the wall as dented. There was a silver stream of liquid across the floor, unicorn blood. I didn't dare go in further. I turned around and galloped full speed out. I knocked on somepony else's door. I anxiously looked around. I heard a nearby bush rustle, and a ponylike shape dashed out of it, and into the forest behind. The door opened, and standing there was least who I'd thought it would be.

Standing in the doorway was a lavender coated mare, whos mane was a mix of dark blue, purple, and some navy blue. She was obviously younger than me, the horn with 5 rivets shows that it's been 7 years since adolescence. And what struck me most of all, was the cutie mark. It was a 6 pointed pink star with a smaller white 6 pointed star behind it, only the tips showing, and 5 other six pointed white stars surrounding it, "Twilie?"