//------------------------------// // Three // Story: Pony Tails // by Jonah Fun //------------------------------// The barn's purpose wasn't really that clear, as it all seemed to do was hold haystacks at the back. The ground was covered in hay, and the large entrance and windows at the side only cast their light so far into the empty space, most of which was refreshingly shaded from the bare heat of the sun. A single birds nest lay upon the wooden support beams, it eggs unhatched, their parents no-where to be seen. Daisy walked through the open front door, followed by Rose, followed by Twilight. Daisy walked to the back of the room, threw her backpack down and sat beside it. Rose sat down beside her and began to fiddle with the hay beneath her. Daisy's eyes stared beyond Twilight's head, her mind deep in thoughts of the past. Twilight knelt down, which caused Daisy to glance at her for a moment, if only to see how. She was resting on her belly, her hind legs on either side and her fore legs in front of her. She put her left foreleg over her right, and looked at Daisy in the eyes, trying to capture her gaze, but to no avail. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. She opened it again after some thought, but Daisy spoke first. "Do you know why you're here?" the question took Twilight back. Before she could come up with a reply, Daisy continued; "Because we don't. Do you remember who you are? Because we don't. We aren't called Daisy and Rose, Twilight." A pause. Twilight stayed silent, allowing Daisy to continue her train of thought. "I just remembered those names when we first woke up. But that means nothing. Humans have at least two names, sometimes three." Rose obsessively tampered with the hay now, grabbing multiple pieces of hay and dropping in front of her face. "Do you have any idea?!..." She was sobbing now, tears gently streaming down her face. "Any idea of what it's like to wake up and have nothing, Not even memories?" angst grew in her eyes, and distaste rose in her voice "Just a... a mentally challenged girl for company and a bag full of meaningless junk." Rose spat suddenly, and the two others turned to her. She had dropped hay on her mouth instead of in front of it, and had spat out some that had gotten in by accident. Daisy turned back to her distant spot, while Twilight stayed looking at the girl. She started to bob her head, then suddenly looked up, as if she had gotten an idea. She quickly turned to Daisy, and tugged her shirt asking; "Card time?" Daisy sniffed, and looked at Twilight with a sad grin on her face. "Yes Rose, Card time." She turned away from the purple horse, and opened the backpack that lay beside her. She pulled out a pack of cards a pen and a notebook, and shuffled a small space away from Rose. Then, after giving Rose the notebook and pen, then began the routine they had done at horseshoe pond, with Daisy drawing a card, Rose recording it, saying "Ready", Daisy drawing another card, Rose recording it, and so on and so forth. Around about the tenth card, Twilight went to kneel down beside Rose. Daisy shot her a questioning look, but Twilight simply smiled back. After Rose said "Shuffle" for the first time, Twilight did something neither of the two were expecting. Her horn began to glow, which was strange enough, but then, out of no-where, a quiver in an ink pot and a piece of yellow-brownish parchment appeared out of no-where. Daisy stopped shuffling to look at this display, but Rose couldn't care less about the magical horse sitting beside her; that didn't concern her. On the other hand, Daisy had stopped shuffling the cards. "Shuffle" She repeated. Daisy questioning look went from Twilight's smile to Rose's cold, expectant eyes. She continued to shuffle the cards, and looked down at the hay as she did, trying to accept what just happened. "Ready" Daisy jumped out of her trance and instinctively drew a card. She looked at Twilight, whose horn was glowing as the quiver drew on the parchment, surrounded by the same glow that encompassed her horn. "Ready" Daisy smiled, and continued to draw. The unlikely trio sat there for a while, as if nothing in the world could touch them. The moment was their's to share and enjoy, and no-one else's. It was the best memory Daisy had at the time. And it was over all too quickly. Applejack stood in the doorway to the barn, her figure casting out the light of the sun form the barn. She looked at the three unusual creatures, and gently sighed. "Hey Twilight?" Daisy and Twilight turned to face the orange horse. "It's time for bowling with the others, remember." Twilight reacted as if she was pulled back to reality. "Oh! Of course! I completely forgot!" She used her horn, and the parchment, quiver and ink pot all disappeared. Daisy looked hurt, she had just destroyed all her work from the last few minutes... or hours. She herself had lost track of the time. Twilight, spotting this, turned to Daisy and explained; "I just sent it back to my house, Don't worry." She thought for a second. "Hey... do you want to come with us?" "Twilight, I ain't so sure that's..." "Let Daisy have the choice, Applejack." The orange horse showed shock, but only for a second. Daisy's eyes seemed to brighten. "Come with you to what?" she asked. "Bowling." said Twilight, bluntly. Daisy hesitated for a moment, but slowly nodded, a grateful grin just visible on her face. She packed up her cards, even though she had only drawn five cards of thirteen in the shuffle. Rose started to complain, But Daisy gently grasped the sides of her face, silencing her. "Listen, I'm just going out for a short while. Look through you notebook, and fiddle with hay and do whatever you like, so long as you stay here until I come back, okay?" In Daisy's grasp, Rose simply nodded. Daisy kissed Roses forehead, before standing up and turning to Twilight. Rose Grabbed her notebook and began to read. Daisy left the bag there, and the pack of cards on the ground. "Come on then" said Twilight, heading towards the barn door. Applejack left the doorway, defeated. Twilight said on the way out; "I don't want to get your hopes up, but I've heard of a place - a pond to be exact - that restores memories if you drink the water." "You think i'll ever find that place?" "Haha, we'll see."