//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three 
// Story: Placebo 
// by Sepulcher 
//------------------------------//

	"So...” I said, "Can you introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," the purple unicorn said.

"Ooh ooh ooh! I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the pink pony. "And that's Rar-" and she was cut off by Twilight, who said, "Pinkie! I'm sure everyone here is capable of saying their own name."

Except me, I thought dryly.

"Well then," said the white unicorn, with a look of exasperation. "I'm Rarity, owner and proprietor of Carousel Boutique."

"Hi. I'm Fluttershy and I'm and animal caretaker," said the shy yellow coloured Pegasus.

"And I'm... Rainbow Dash!!" said the light blue Pegasus with a rainbow coloured mane (which I figured was an apt name, all things considered). She flew straight up, did several looping barrel rolls, and then flew straight down, landing perfectly, with the outline of a rainbow following behind her.

Greaaat. Just what I need, a clothing store owner, a timid and incredibly shy pony, a nutcase, and a show-off. I hope Twilight can help me. She's my only hope.

"Fantastic," I said wearily. "Look, we're almost at your town."

As we neared the entrance into Ponyville, all the ponies besides Twilight went their separate ways. 

Something here doesn't make sense. If Twilight was the only pony who could help me, why did all the others come with?

"Hey Twilight?" I asked.

"Yes? If you're asking where the library is, it's in a giant tree house in the center of town. Or did you want to ask something else?" she said.

"I was just wondering," I began. "Why did all your friends come with you if Applejack called for help regarding my memory problem? It seems rather odd that all of your friends would just show up for no apparent reason."

"T-that's quite observant of you," she stammered. "Applejack wasn't very descriptive of what you needed help with. All she said was 'There's a Pegasus pony that stumbled into my house last night that needs help.' I can only guess why my other friends came along. Rainbow Dash probably came to find somepony to race against and Pinkie came to throw a party. Like she always does."

I wondered why Twilight was acting so nervous. Was she hiding something? Were they all hiding something? What have I got myself into?

"Well, we're here," said Twilight with a sigh. She led the way into the library, which was nicely kept. She led me into what I assumed to be the main room. Twilight then started leafing through books, which I thought strange since she seemed to be so organized. 

"Do you need a hand finding a book?" I asked.

"No, I know I have it here somewh—AHA!" she exclaimed.

"Alright," she said. "The book says that you need to remove all outer attire and sit with your head down. I then need to recite a quick spell, and your memory should be good as new. Or old. Not sure."

I followed her instructions and waited for the spell to begin. After several seconds of nothing I lifted my head and almost head butted Twilight. She was staring at my flank intently. 

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"N-no, everything’s fine. Just dandy. I'm just going to try the spell now..." said Twilight nervously. 

"What's wrong with me?!" I demanded. 

"You’re...cutie mark. It's...gone," she said in a quiet voice.

I didn't understand. 

"I don't understand. What's a cutie mark?" I asked.

Twilight closed her eyes and began to recite, "Cutie marks are a design or image on your flank that represents who you are, what you can do, or what you're good at. The fact that you don't have one means that... you haven't discovered who you are yet."

I let the facts sink in. Fantastic. Now I have no memory, no friends, no life, and I’m an outcast. Maybe her spell can change all that.

"Twilight, can you still attempt the spell on me? If there's any chance I can get out of this mess, this is it," I declared.

Twilight closed her eyes and nodded. Her horn began to glow magenta, and gave off a surprising amount of heat. Then, suddenly, a great flash of light blinded me. I heard Twilight panicking, saying things like, “No, no this can’t be happening!”

The last thing I heard before passing out was, “It’s okay Twilight. I’ll take it from here.” A feeling of warmth spread throughout my body, before I passed into oblivion.