//------------------------------//
// What is all this? 
// Story: Shattered Past 
// by thunderclap 
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	Jake could feel himself hurtling through something. Actually something wasn’t the right word. Mostly because all he could see was a never-ending black void.
“Think man what was it you were doing that led you to this point?” Jake said to himself, trying to rub his temples, only to discover that he didn’t have temples at the moment, or hands for that matter. “O.k. this is too weird, I have to be dreaming, that’s the only explanation for all of this… Hold on if I’m dreaming then why do I feel like I’m about to get sick? Can you throw up in a dream? I hope not.”
“Cease your prattling you fool!” Boomed a voice that seemed to surround Jake.
“What the hell?” Jake gasped, “Who are you and what do you want with me?”
“I am known as Physica, Master of Gravity of the land I hail from, as for what I want from you…” the voice paused and grinned for a moment. Jake shuddered, realizing he could tell the thing he was talking to was smiling without seeing it’s face.  “Let’s just say you have a special skill that I will find very useful.” The voice sneered, each word dripping with an ancient power.
Jake wanted to laugh in this thing’s nonexistent face. 
‘What skill could I possibly have that this thing doesn’t?’ he thought. “This thing’s an all powerful master of gravity, while I’m just an average, everyday… what am I again… a human that’s it!’ ‘Wait why am I having difficulty remembering something like what species I belong to?’ Jake was about to laugh nervously when the voice broke out into it’s own chuckle. It was a sharp, metallic sound, like a knife being drawn over a whetstone.
“It seems you have discovered your amnesia. A side-effect from pulling you into this world, but it does not matter.” The voice explained, devoid of sympathy.
“Doesn’t matter!” cried Jake, feeling anger and anxiety rise up in what should have been his chest. “Listen here Physics, or Physical, or whatever your name is! I think it’s pretty damn important that I don’t have my memories, so why don’t you shut the hell up and leave me alone! Wait did you just say you pulled me into your world?”
“That is correct my young and confused friend and my name is Physica. Insult me again and it will not go unpunished!”
“Sheesh, I’m sorry. Won’t happen again, now can you tell me what I’m supposed to do because as interesting as it is to talk to you I kind of want to get a move on.” Jake sighed.
“Hmmm… As you wish. I want you to use your ability on the princesses so I may finally be rid of them. Do this and I will return you to your world.”
“And what if I tell these princesses everything you just said.” Jake smirked; he didn’t shudder this time because he stopped questioning it and played along. “Something tells me that they’d be very interested in this little plot of yours.”
“I assure you that telling them will be quite impossible. When you wake up you will remember nothing of this conversation. All that will remain of this exchange is the desire to use your ability on the princesses.” The voice laughed, it would have been an almost pleasant sound if it weren’t for the malicious undertones that swarmed through it. “Now Be GONE WITH YOU JAKE VALENTINE!”
In an instant Jake felt himself accelerate to an alarming speed and then winked out of existence in the dark maw of the void. He would have screamed but the sound was beaten down into his throat.
The next moment Jake could feel himself on solid ground. Dazed and confused he rubbed the back of his head only to cringe in pain. In the back of his mind he could here the soft songs of birds and the peeps of squirrels in trees. 
‘This is really weird’ Jake thought. ‘What the hell am I doing here and why does my head feel like I went a few rounds with a brick wall? Oh man! What’s going on! No, calm down Jake. Just think about everything you know and maybe some of this will make sense. Let’s see: my name… is Jake Valentine, I’m a… human, my only memories seem to be who and what I am, I have the mother of all headaches at the moment and… and… do I smell apples?’
Jake was about to freak out thinking he’d had a stroke or a concussion, or any other form of head trauma. Then, reminded himself that none of the symptoms for those conditions were smelling apples. At least he thought that was the case.
Jake rubbed his eyes and squinted in preparation for the harsh rays of the morning he had felt beating down on him. Once he was acclimated to the light he fully opened his eyes to discover he was standing on the edge of an apple orchard. He sighed in relief and warily picked himself off the grass he’d been laying on. That was when he noticed how bright and vibrant everything was. The grass was a sharp, crisp green. The trees were a soft brown; the apples in the distance were a vibrant, welcoming, ruby-like color. What should have been a welcoming scene only made Jake cringe and feel out of place.
“This is too freaky.” Jake said to no one in particular.
Jake bent over to dust himself off when he noticed his clothing. It was nothing special, just a simple white cotton t-shirt, shorts and flat top sneakers, but somehow they felt sinister. Something like a spark of electricity went up Jakes spine and thought he felt a memory try to bubble to the surface of his consciousness.
Before it had a chance to burst into his mind, Jake thought he heard voices behind him. He turned to see a strange wooden structure in a tree. It was a peach color with hearts on the shutters and the door. The thing that peaked Jake’s curiosity was the ramp with raised bumps on it, similar to the entranceway of chicken coops. It seemed obvious to Jake that it belonged to a little kid and a town would have to be close by. He started walking toward the small clubhouse and crouched to knock on the door, but stopped when the voices became clear enough for him to make out what they were saying.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders!” cheered a high-pitched tomboyish voice. “What’s the plan to earn our cutie marks today?”
‘Cutie what?’ Jake sniggered, continuing to listen.
“Well  ah think we should try an’ do fancy lasso tricks, like Applejack,” beamed a voice with a southern accent.
“Or, maybe we could earn it for acting,” suggested an annoyingly cute high-pitched voice.
“Nah, that’s all way too boring.” The tomboyish voice retorted. “We need an action packed, mane raising, adrenaline pumped adventure! What we need is to go treasure hunting in the Everfree Forest!” 
‘Did that voice just say mane?’ Jake thought, almost as confused as when he had first woke up.
“I don’t know Scootaloo that sounds awful dangerous.”
“Yeah, what if we run into somethin’ really scary?”
“Don’t be such scaredy-fillies, Rainbow Dash just told me about this book she read about a mare called Daring Do: who goes off on adventures in dangerous places in search of lost treasure!” Exclaimed the tomboyish voice in a flourish of excitement.
“Scootaloo, that’s just a book, none of its true.”
“Just because the story’s fake doesn’t mean treasure is, and there’s no better place to hide a treasure than the Everfree Forest!”
I don’t know…”
“Look, if it gets really dangerous we can always go to Zecora’s, she’ll know what to do.”
“Ok ah'll do it,” replied the southern accented voice.
“I’ll do it too,” chimed in the third voice.
“Awesome!”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Treasure Hunters go!” They all cried in unison.
Jake heard the heavy clop of footsteps on the wooden floor of the tree-house and started to back away. Some how he had forgotten about the ramp and fell backwards, injuring his already aching head. The voices obviously heard the noise of the crash and rushed out the door. Jake heard gasps of fear, confusion, and excitement above him and looked up to see three very confused… horses?
Jake almost went completely slack jawed at what his mind was telling him he was seeing. In front of him were strange multicolored horse-like creatures. 
‘Wait, what are those tiny horse things called again… ponies that’s it! At least my amnesiac brain knows what to call these things.’
Jake stared wide eyed at them for a moment and trying to process what he was seeing. The “pony” in the middle had slightly yellow skin with red hair tied up with a large bow and a tail that matched her hair (at least he thought it was a she), and orange eyes. The one to Jake’s left was white, her tail and hair were pink and lavender. Her eyes were green, and in the center of her head was a small horn. That would have taken the cake in Jake’s book if it weren’t for the one on the right. She was a brownish orange in color with purple hair and eyes, and on her sides were small wings that might have gone unnoticed if you weren’t looking for them.
Then, the orange one’s voice burst into his mind before she even said, “Cutie Mark Crusaders, change in plans. Now we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders Creature Catchers!” A grin was plastered onto her face.
All three of the ponies charged Jake. His only thought was to run. He scrambled to his feet and ran like a bat out of hell towards a dark, forbidding forest that was a sharp contrast to the happy scene running from.
“Talking ponies!” Jake screamed, gaining distance on the little fillies that were enjoying their new plaything. “I’m either in a little girl’s dream, or much more likely my own personal Hell!”
Jake stopped to catch his breath after sprinting for five minute under one of the foreboding trees that the forest he had escaped into was comprised of. He could here stamping hooves in the distance getting closer to him. Jake thought it would be best to hide in the tree and let them pass. 
A minute later the ponies stopped at his location to look around for him. Jake held his breath for a moment, pressing himself against the branch he was laying on as hard as he dared. They eventually said something along the lines of they must have just missed him and pressed forward. A minute after they left Jake slid out of the tree and sighed in relief.
‘Why did I run, I’m sure those things couldn’t have possibly harmed me. I mean they were like two feet tall, and aren’t ponies supposed to eat fruit and stuff? Then again those were talking, multicolored ponies with horns, and wings, and stuff, I might have been on the menu for all I know.’ Jake chuckled, ‘and why could I hear that one pony’s voice before she said anything? Oh well, it’s probably nothing.’ 
Jake was about to walk deeper into the forest while still avoiding the little pony creatures when heard screams of terror in the direction that the ponies went in.
Jake turned his head and sighed a little as he grumbled, “I’m probably gonna hate myself for this, but I can’t stand to have dead ponies on my conscience.” As he ran to the source of the screams.