//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Retracing your steps // Story: Painful Memories // by Wayofthepen //------------------------------// He slowly opened his eye, sighing in relief at reality. He propped himself up and looked towards the window. Just another dream The sun was shining perfectly outside, making him wish he could leave to enjoy it. The door opening ripped him out of his trance. "Sleep well?" The doctor trotted over to his bedside. "Kinda...I don't know what to make of these dreams." The doctor gave him a questioning look. "Let me be honest with you, doc." The doctor came closer to him. "Half of me wants to know where I am from...But the other half tells me it's better not to...What should I do?" The doctor stood there, obviously deep in thought. "I don't know. Maybe you should spend some time outside, smell the fresh air." X gained a smile as he got out of bed. After setting all four of his hooves down, he had to teach himself how to walk on them. After a few minutes, he nearly got the hang of it. "Alright, thanks doc." He said as he left and wandered around to the exit. Stepping outside, he squinted his eyes. The feeling of the sun on his black coat warmed him. The feeling of the wind and the calming essence of everything around him. Finally adjusting to the light, he started wandering off. After a few minutes, he managed to stumble into the center of town. Ponies everywhere were giving him odd looks. New pony that's beaten and bruised sure makes a commotion. Some ponies approached him, while others just kept on trotting. He heard a voice call out to him from somewhere. "You don't have your mark?" He turned to see a small filly staring him in the face. He gave her a half-smile. "I don't really know what you're talking about, sorry." The filly just looked at him funny. She proceeded to explain the process of a cutie mark. "I see...Well, thanks for explaining this to me." The filly just smiled to him, and showed him that she didn't have one either. "Are you hurt?" She asked him. He thought for a moment, no longer feeling his pain. "I was, but now I think I am better. Have you seen a pony named Dash?" The filly nodded and pointed in the direction of a tree-like home. X thanked her, and proceeded towards the house. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door with his hoof. A purple unicorn answered the door, and looked shocked upon seeing him. "Are you alright?" He smiled at her, nodding. "Is Dash here?" Suddenly, Dash appeared from behind her. She hastily rushed him inside and shut the door, leaving the purple unicorn confused. "They let you out?" He nodded to her. "Twilight, this is him." Twilight looked even more confused before perking up. "Oh! Should have noticed that sooner." The three stood there, making small talk. After a few minutes, X felt like something needed to be said. "Dash...I need to know what happened." Dash looked a little disappointed, and Twilight just looked at her. "He doesn't know?" X turned to her, giving her a frown. "I don't know much. I don't even know my name..." Maybe now isn't the best time... Dash put a hoof on him. "Twilight can you help you there...She has a spell that can make you remember, but we shouldn't do too much." Twilight nodded, and motioned him to a door. Stepping into it, they descended into what looked like a lab. She sat him in a chair and told him to relax. "I don't know what this will do, but I can assure you that I will see what you see." X took a deep breath, and told her he was ready. Yet as she started, he had second thoughts. - - - - - - - - X was outside of the kitchen, listening through the door. His parents were arguing again...But this time he couldn't make sense of it. "Darren, he has to know. I don't feel right about this anymore." His father let out a sigh. "You don't get it. He won't believe us even if we tried! The only proof we have is from the field where I found him." X pushed the door open, and looked extremely confused. "Field?" His parents jumped at the sound of his voice. "What do you mean?" His father told him to sit down at the kitchen table. "Now's as good a time as any....I used to work for the government under their science division. We had this type of medicine that we needed to test, but we couldn't get any subjects. Later, we developed a portal that allowed us to go to this...Other universe. I found you while I was scouting...You were hurt and alone, crying. The thing is...You weren't always human." X just stared at his dad. Not always human? After twenty minutes, he finally understood what his dad just said. "You...Took me from my home world?" His father nodded, and his mother went to put her hand on his shoulder. He stood up and shrugged her off. "You...Took me! What if they started looking for me? I can't believe this..." His father took a step forward, but X began stepping backwards. "That's why I was faster and stronger than my friends?" His father nodded. "I...You..." Tears were forming around his eyes. "I'm sorry, but there isn't anything I can do. They won't let me back there." X looked at his father angrily, wiping his tears away. "They know who you really are." What his dad just said made X feel uneasy. "You lied to me...All of my life...Is this some kind of cruel joke to you two?!" His mom was about to speak when he bolted out of the house. He didn't care where he was going. After running for about thirty minutes, he stopped and sat on a bus-stop's bench. "Subject spotted. Orders?" A man called into his car radio. "Ram and retrieve. It's time for him to return for further testing, after being stolen by that fool Darren." The radio blared back at him. "Affirmative." He responded as he started his van. X heard the sound of wheels coming straight at him and started running again. This is how I get there... His running was nothing but a futile attempt at survival. The van rammed him, sending him sliding onto the roof and off to the back. Rolling on the asphalt knocked out, the man got out and went to pick him up. After putting him in the back of the van, the memory started fading away. The lab was starting to return to his vision. - - - - - - - - Twilight had fallen back, obviously using too much power for one spell. His head was spinning, but during the time it was he heard a name be called out. Travus... His hearing and sight fully returned to him, seeing Dash in his face. "Travus, are you alright?" He shook his head, and gave her a weak fake smile. "I'm fine...Really, I am...Was there a report of a missing colt a few years ago?" Dash looked like she was in deep thought, which made the now up Twilight let out a chuckle. "I think so. Why do you ask?" Travus motioned her to come close, which she did. "You found him." Dash just looked at him, confused. When she asked Twilight about what he said, she just nodded. The only thing left for Travus to uncover was how he ended up in Equestria...And what happened to his friend Eric.