“Thank you,” said the man, “I appreciate you caring for me while I was clinically dead.” He chuckled. “And washing my clothes. I appreciate that, too.”
They were standing in the foyer of the hospital, the man having already been checked out as a patient. Nurse Redheart smiled. “You’re quite welcome,” she said, “We found some things in the pockets of your pants, but we put them back, don’t worry.”
“Oh, you don’t say,” said the man with a smile her way, “maybe something in here will trigger my memory. I’ll look more thoroughly later, but for now…” He reached into the back pocket, and took out a battered wallet. “Let’s see,” he said, “my name is…Philip Oscar Johnson.”
“How do you know that?” said Fluttershy.
“It’s written on my…” He looked more closely at it, “…driver’s license here.” He showed her a small plastic card with his picture on it, as well as the aforementioned name.
“Oh. Um, why do you need it if you aren't driving anything?” she asked, looking at it.
“I think it’s so I can prove who I am, among other things.”
“I see,” she said, smiling shyly.
They exited the hospital and stepped into the bright morning sun. The green grass waved in the cool breeze, and though the trees were mostly green, some were beginning to turn color, heralding autumn. The chariot that Princess Celestia had taken had already departed back to Canterlot. Philip squinted in the sunlight; it seemed very bright out to him, though the mares did not seem to be bothered by it. He took in a breath of air, savoring the autumn smells, and then turned to Twilight and Fluttershy.
“Well, you two seem to be taking me in stride,” he said.
“Oh, don’t worry,” said Twilight, “we’re used to weird creatures. N-not that you’re weird, I’m sure you’re perfectly normal where you come from, but…”
“Define normal,” said Philip.
“Well, normal is…wait, you’re kidding, aren't you?”
“Yes. And I take no offence; I doubt you’re used to seeing anything like me around here.”
The air was crisp as they began walking along the narrow dirt road towards town. It was a quaint, friendly-looking little town, mostly thatched or shingled roofs and whitewashed walls, though there were splashes of other colors as well. The streets were filled with ponies selling wares, shopping, chasing each other in the case of foals, and generally enjoying the nice weather.
“I’m sure you’ll love Ponyville, Philip,” said Fluttershy as they approached. “There are so many little animals in Whitetail Woods and Froggy Bottom Bog, and…oh, my.”
They had reached the outskirts of town, and all the pony passersby were staring at Philip. I hope they don’t have torches and pitchforks, he thought. Wait, what?
“Now don’t panic, everypony,” said Twilight, “I assure you he isn't dangerous.” Just then, Philip heard a noise and, turning towards it, saw a cyan blur headed right for him. Instinctively, he fell onto his back right before the blur passed him. The blur hit the ground so hard it shook, and a cloud of dust was thrown up over the scene. When the dust settled, a light cerulean pony with a rainbow mane and a pair of wings was getting shakily to her feet, her rosy eyes spinning in their sockets. She had a Cutie Mark of a three-colored lightning bolt descending from a cloud, and a dazed look on her face. “Whoa, what hit me?” said the mare.
“Nothing, Rainbow, you hit the ground,” said Twilight exasperatedly, “Honestly, didn't you hear me say he was harmless?”
“Nah,” said Rainbow, “I was too busy savin’ your flank.”
Twilight turned to Philip, intending to apologize, but he was still lying down. Before she could ask him what was wrong, Rainbow landed atop him.
“Alright, monster, who do you work for and why were you following my friends?”
Philip just lay there with his eyes closed.
“Heh, must have fainted when he realized he was about to tangle with the Rainbow Dash,” said Rainbow Dash, turning to her friends and dusting a hoof proudly on her chest.
“Rainbow, he’s just somepon…er, someone with amnesia in the hospital! We’re taking him to my castle!”
“To interrogate?” said Rainbow Dash eagerly, leaning forward with a sparkling smile and shining eyes.
“No! He needs a place to stay, and as Princess of Friendship I offered. But now one of my friends is attacking him!” said Twilight hotly.
“Oh…oops, heh heh,” said Rainbow, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, “Sorry.” Then she let out a long, drawn-out moan. “Ooooooh. Gosh, Twi, you don’t need to massage my ears, I just need to apologize, right?”
She looked over to see Twilight and Fluttershy giggling, their hooves over their mouths to stop themselves bursting out laughing. “Umm, Rainbow?” said Twilight between attempts to restrain her mirth, “That’s not me.”
Rainbow Dash turned to see Philip inches behind her, his hands rubbing her ears. “If this was a cartoon,” he said, “this would be the part where I kiss you full on the mouth.”
“AAAHH!” shouted Rainbow, leaping backwards. Fluttershy and Twilight finally failed to restrain their hysterical laughter. Rainbow Dash huffed and turned away. Philip smirked and started rubbing her ears again, which seemed to soften her mood.
“I guess he is harmless,” one of the ponies, a beige mare with a silver-grey mane, said to Twilight.
“Well, he seems harmless enough, Mayor,” said Twilight.
“So why’d you fall over?” asked Rainbow, turning to Philip.
“I could tell you were trying to protect Twilight and Fluttershy,” said Philip, “So I figured the best thing to do was be as non-threatening as possible while Twilight explained.”
“Hehe, sorry about trying to knock your block off,” said Rainbow self-consciously.
“Eh, no hard feelings. I’d probably try to make sure that what you’re attacking actually means you harm before you attack, though, or misunderstandings could arise.”
“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “where’d you learn how to fall like that, though? You didn’t fall until the last minute.” Her eyes widened in realization. “Wait a minute, you dodged me!” she said, pointing a hoof at him, “Where’d you learn how to do that?”
“…I have amnesia, Dash.”
“Oh, yeah, right.”
“Silly Dashie, he can’t remember where he learned that if he has amnesia!” said a pink pony with an even pinker mane that looked like a mass of curls, who had appeared out of nowhere.
“Pinkie’s right, Rainbow. Say, do you prefer Rainbow or Dash for short?”
“I just call her Dashie, but usually she prefers…” Pinkie suddenly froze, then jumped ten feet in the air with a huge gasp and rushed into Philip’s face. “Hey, I've never seen you before, and I know everypony in Ponyville, so that must mean you’re NEW! I have to get my welcome wagon!” With that, she raced off.
“How did you know Pinkie’s name? Have you been spying on us?” said Rainbow Dash.
“Lucky guess,” said the man, “Amnesia, remember? Even if I’d met her, I wouldn't remember her name.”
“You say you have amnesia,” she countered.
“I certainly do,” he replied, tousling her mane. She grumbled.
“Yeah,” said a pony, “how do we know he’s telling the truth?”
“And how do you know he’s not a she?” said another pony.
“Doctor Stable says I’m a he, and he probably knows what he’s talking about. As for how you know I’m telling the truth, Princess Twilight helped me remember a little bit of very helpful info earlier; I think she’d have noticed if something was amiss. Princess Celestia was there too, and she wasn't worried either.”
“You’ve met Princess Celestia?” said the pony that had raised the gender question.
“Yes, I have. Princess Luna, too.”
“Well, if the Princesses think you’re okay…” said the pony that had accused Philip of lying.
Just then, Pinkie raced up to Philip with a large, pink, highly decorated wagon. “Here we go!”
“The welcome wagon might be a bit much, Pinkie,” said Twilight.
“Just let me give him the…” suddenly, cake batter erupted from the cannon barrels on top of the wagon, and confetti burst from the oven. “...oh, never mind, I’ll just throw him a party later.”
The ponies who had been staring all returned to their business, and Philip and the four ponies continued into town. As they walked, Rainbow Dash said, “So if you don’t remember anything, how do you know your name?”
“I have something with my name and picture on it to prove I’m Philip.”
“What kind of name is Fill-Up?”
“P-H-I-L-I-P,” said Philip.
“Oh. That’s a weird name for a pony.”
“Am I a pony?”
“Oh yeah.”
As they talked, they had reached the market. It was packed with ponies peddling their wares to the crowds of customers. As they walked among the stalls, a voice called out, “Hey girls! Ah see Fluttershy has a new animal friend!” The shout had come from an orange pony with a brown Stetson and a blonde mane, who was waving at the group from a stand selling apples. She had another marking; three apples in a triangle shape. “Hi, Apple pony, my name’s Philip!” said Philip, smiling. The pony fell over backwards in shock, and everyone rushed over to help her up. As he helped her to her hooves, Philip noticed a mark of three red apples on her side.
“You kin talk! Who’re you?”
“Name’s Philip, woke up with amnesia this morning. Don’t know who I am.”
“Sorry ta hear that, and, uh, about the animal comment…”
“We’re both technically animals of the mammalian class, so I don’t mind.”
“…What?”
“He’ll be staying with me, Applejack,” said Twilight.
“That’s mighty neighborly of ya, Twi, but is that a good idea? Ah mean, no offense, Mister Philip, but…”
“Neither of her fellow Princesses had a problem with it,” said Philip, “so I’m sure she’ll be safe.”
“Ah, well ah guess if the other Princesses are alright with it. I’m Applejack.” She held out a hoof, and they shook. “Say, do ya like apples?”
“Yes, but I lack money.”
“I’ll buy you an apple, Philip,” said Twilight.
“Call me Phil for short, if you want, and that’s sweet of you to offer. I’ll get a job and pay you back another time, how’s that?”
“No, I’ll just buy you one.”
“Okay, if you don’t mind.”
“Just have a couple on the house, sugar-cube,” said Applejack. She tossed him two apples, and he ate.
“Well, I’ll still need to get a job to get some decent clothes,” said Philip as he ate his apples.
“If’n ya wanna do some work, mah family could use some help on the farm. Applebuckin’ season is startin’, so we could use the extra hooves.”
“I’d be happy to help, Applejack,” said Philip.
“Well, I’d better get back to practicing my moves,” said Rainbow Dash, who then took off into the sky. Sure, Rainbow, thought Philip, smiling wryly to himself.
“I've gotta plan Philip’s welcome party,” said Pinkie.
“We should be getting to the castle,” said Twilight.
“Well, I’ll see y’all later,” said Applejack. Pinkie bounced away, and the two mares and Philip went on their way.
“After we go to the castle,” said Twilight, “maybe we could visit Carousel Boutique? Rarity would be happy to give you something new to wear!”
“Maybe that could wait until after I get some money. Like I said, I prefer not to put others out if I can help it,” said Philip.
“I guess…” Twilight seemed lost in thought, and then looked up as they approached a large castle. “Oh, we’re here already!” The castle was nestled in what appeared to be the branches of a huge tree made of ice-blue crystal, with a two-leaved golden door flanked by two lancet windows set in the trunk. There were two spires, a tower and a large balcony with many telescopes. A banner flew on one side bearing the same symbol as Twilight’s flank, and a large star adorned the top of the structure. Ten strings of beads in every color of the rainbow hung in two sets off of the branches.
Philip whistled. “Nice place, Twilight.”
Twilight blushed and nodded. “I guess it is,” she said, “But…” She sighed. “I miss my old library sometimes.”
“What happened to it?” asked Philip.
“It’s a long story,” said Twilight sadly, “I’ll tell you later.”
The trio ascended the golden stairway, and entered the structure. The interior was larger than it looked from the outside; they passed through a lobby and ascended a set of stairs to pass through a hall filed with crystalline columns and two-toned green glass windows. Philip examined the columns as they passed, gazing at the lathed structures’ scrolled tops. He also noticed crystal beads like the ones on the outside of the castle strung along the walls. They continued their trek over a brown rug decorated with intricate scrollwork until they reached a green glass door off to one side. Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing a small library with crystal shelves filled to the brim with books of all kinds. There were also books all over the floor in misshapen piles, as though someone had been reading them very intently. A couch lay near the opposite wall, and a small pit filled with cushions in the center of the room provided potential readers another comfortable place to enjoy their choice of literature. They went inside, and a small reptilian creature raced through the door behind them seconds later.
“Twilight! Twilight!” said the little creature, “What happened to Luna? And what is that?”
He was staring at Philip. He had lime-green ears and pistachio eyes. Philip returned his gaze, noting the mulberry scales and bud-green underbelly, as he responded. “I’m Philip, and I’m a human…I think.”
“You…think?” said the little creature, raising an eyebrow.
“I have amnesia.”
“Oh. Well, I’m Spike the Dragon, Twilight’s Number One Assistant,” said Spike, extending a claw.
“Nice to meet you,” said Philip, shaking hands/claws with him.
“Spike, the Princesses are coming soon,” said Twilight in a businesslike tone, “so we need to be sure the castle is in tip-top shape.”
Philip chuckled and said, “Too late.”
Twilight turned in the direction Philip was looking, and her jaw dropped as she saw both Princesses lounging on the couch next to a pile of luggage. “Celestia! You’re here! S-Sorry about the mess…”
“Oh Twilight, don’t worry,” said Celestia, “this is an informal visit, and an unexpected one; you didn't know until just this morning that we would be coming, after all.”
“Yes, but still…” said Twilight.
“Twilight,” said Philip, “have you ever improved a situation by panicking about it?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Now, have you ever made a situation worse by panicking?”
“…I…you’re right. I should calm down.” She inhaled slowly, hoof to her chest, then exhaled as she moved it outwards.
“You are very wise,” said Luna, with a small smile.
“Surprising considering I have no memories, isn’t it?”
“Hey,” said Spike, “why was Princess Luna at the hospital?”
Luna looked down at the floor and said in a small voice, “A creature attacked me.”
“What?”
“She was attacked by a werewolf, which is a creature that takes the form of a wolf during the full moon. They also become crazed and attack anything they come across,” said Philip seriously.
“WHAT!? What do we do?” Spike ran about the room, babbling, “what do we do what do we do what do we do what do we do what do we do!?”
What was I just telling Twilight? “We repel it with wolfsbane, and kill it with silver if necessary.”
“Why kill it?” said Celestia with a concerned expression.
“Would you want to transform into a monster once a month?” said Philip, his face dour, “We might be able to contain the poor thing until we can find a cure for them, but if we can’t, it might be kinder to just finish them. Also, there might be no other choice if it attacks anyone else.”
Spike stopped. “Yeah,” he said, looking sad, “being a monster is no fun.”
“I see your reasoning, but I would still rather try to help it,” said Luna.
“But you’re the one it attacked!” said Spike.
“All the more reason to give the poor creature a chance, if its victim has forgiven it,” said Celestia.
“Whatever anypony else might say, I definitely remember it being quite penitent,” said Luna.
“I agree, Luna,” said Philip, “but it’s strange; I’ve never heard of a werewolf being conscious of his or her actions in wolf form. I know I don’t remember much at all, but I still seem to know something of werewolves.” And I’d like to know why.
“Well, anyway, I suppose we should get Luna ready for her little ‘vacation,’” said Celestia.
“Vacation?” said Spike.
“Princess Luna will be staying with Twilight in disguise, due to…certain circumstances that have arisen,” said Celestia.
“Circumstances?” said Spike.
“Someone tried to poison Luna at the hospital, and we suspect an anarchist sect,” said Philip in a low, firm yet gentle tone, “so if you see anything at all out of the ordinary, let us know right away. And don’t breathe a word about this to anyone you wouldn’t trust with your life.”
“…Okay,” said Spike, looking concernedly at Luna. He left the room, mumbling about making some sort of lunch.
“What do you mean, ‘suspect?’ They confessed,” said Twilight, cocking her head to the side.
“And that could be what someone wants us to think,” said Philip, sitting down next to Luna, “Although it probably was them, it would be best not to discount other possibilities until we're sure.”
“So, how do we disguise Princess Luna?” said Fluttershy, who seemed to be warming up to Philip.
“Well, truth be told,” said Luna, “Celestia and I can actually disguise ourselves fairly well if we need to, though weakened as I am I will need Celestia’s help.”
“Help I am happy to give, my dear sister,” said Celestia with a smile, and she and Luna stood up and touched their horns together. A bright glow surrounded their horns, and then Luna’s body was enveloped in a dazzling white light. The other two mares and Philip shielded their eyes from its intensity. When the light faded, a pale white unicorn pony with a luscious, straight light blue mane stood before them, still touching horns with Celestia. She had a new mark on her flank; three sky blue stars surrounding a bright yellow crescent moon on a sea of pitch black.
“Hello, I’m Starlight Dream at your service,” said the mare, bowing.
“Nice,” said Philip.
“I've been meaning to ask,” said Twilight, “can you teach me how to transform like that?”
“Certainly, though not until I've healed,” said Starlight.
“I’ll leave you two to catch up,” said Celestia, “I need to consult with my guards and advisors about the Talons of Shadow, as well as this new Werewolf problem.”
“Yeah,” said Philip, “and remember, silver kills werewolves, and wolf’s bane repels them.”
“See you at the Starlight Ball,” said Celestia with a wink. She stood, and in a flash (literally), she was gone.
“Well,” said Twilight, “what does everypony want to do after lunch?”
“Well, why don’t you show me around Ponyville?” said Starlight, “I haven’t been back since Nightmare Night, and I’d love to see more of your home.”
“Great, where should we start?” said Twilight.
“Um,” said Fluttershy, “m-maybe we should go to Rarity’s to get Philip’s clothing problem fixed? If that’s okay with Luna…I mean Starlight, sorry.”
“Well, Philip?” said Twilight, “What do you think we should do?”
“You asked everypony,” said Philip.
“What do you…oh,” said Twilight sheepishly, “sorry if I offended you.”
“Joking again Twi,” said Philip, “I’d love to meet Rarity. No clothes until I get some money though.”
“So, while we’re waiting for lunch,” said Fluttershy, “why don’t we all tell Philip something about ourselves?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Twilight cheerfully, “Who wants to go first?”
“I wouldst like to,” said Starlight. They moved to the reading pit so that they could all sit down, and Starlight cleared her throat. “My name is Luna, and I am Princess of the Night. I raise the moon each night, and guard the dreams of my subjects while helping them in the waking world when I can. My sister Princess Celestia raises the sun, and together we rule Equestria.”
“You raise the moon, huh?” said Philip, “That can’t be easy; it’s over 73 sextillion kilograms.”
“…You don’t know who you are, but you know how massive the moon is?” asked Twilight.
“Apparently.”
“Okay, well, why don’t I go next?” she said. Putting a hoof over her heart, she began. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am the Princess of Friendship and the Element of Magic. I, along with my friends, have the power to spread the magic of Friendship across Equestria. I love books and studying magic. As you may have guessed from my Cutie Mark, magic is my special talent.” She indicated her starry flank.
“Oh, so those are called Cutie Marks and they represent your special talent?” asked Philip with interest.
“Yes,” said Twilight, nodding, “When a pony discovers what they’re meant to do in life, they earn their Cutie Mark and learn of their destiny!”
“So Luna’s special talent is the moon?” inquired Philip.
“Raising it and lowering it, yes,” said Starlight with a polite nod.
“Nice. So what did you mean by ‘Element of Magic?’” asked Philip, moving over next to Starlight.
“Well, that’s kind of a long story,” said Twilight, “but essentially…”
Philip listened with growing wonder as Twilight talked about the many things she and her friends had done, from driving away a grown dragon who had tried to nap near Ponyville (and nearly smoked them out), to defeating an evil chaos spirit, to reforming that evil spirit, to returning the Elements of Harmony to the tree which Celestia and Luna had apparently taken them from when the spirit was first defeated. She continued with the tale of how each of her friends then taught the importance of their element to another, and learned something about it themselves. Her tale concluded with the story of how Tirek, an evil centaur wizard with the ability to steal magic from ponies, was stopped when they learned to use the Rainbow Power.
“And then the Tree of Harmony gave me this castle,” said Twilight with a sad smile, “To replace my old library that Tirek destroyed.”
“So this jerk not only stole your magic, he blew up your home?” said Philip, eyes narrowed.
“I barely got Owlowiscious out in time,” she said, sniffling and quaking as her smile vanished, “He’s my owl. If I’d been a second later, he might still have been in there and…” She let out a dry sob. “I’m sorry; it’s just, when I think about what could have happened if Spike or Owlowiscious had still been in there…”
“That…I’m sorry to hear that, Twilight, I really am. If you ever see this guy again, would you mind me talking to him? I have a few choice words for him.”
“Do not worry about that,” said Starlight, “He is back in Tartarus where he belongs.”
“Serves him right,” said Philip, “I wonder what punishment he’ll endure...”
“Isn't being in Tartarus a punishment?” asked Fluttershy.
“Yes, but there’s usually something specific, unless we’re talking about different…places…”
Philip trailed off suddenly. “This Tartarus,” he said after a pause, “Is it where especially evil people go when they die, or is it a large prison area of some sort?”
“The second,” said Starlight, “he put us there at one point, remember?”
“Hm, yes,” said Philip, “Which means I was thinking of a different Tartarus. Mine was a part of the underworld for villains and scoundrels to be punished. There was a man called Sisyphus, for example, who had to roll a boulder all the way to the top of a mountain, only to watch it roll back down and have to go roll it back up.”
“That’s it?” asked Twilight, “menial labor?”
“Not menial labor, Twilight Sparkle,” said Starlight, eyes wide, “eternal frustration. He was forced to work his hardest, only to watch his hard work be undone and have to start from the very beginning.”
“Exactly,” said Philip.
“Wow,” said Twilight, cringing, “That’s a terrible punishment.”
“It’s only a myth, though,” said Philip, rubbing his chin in thought.
“Um…Philip?” said Fluttershy, “that mythology…are you maybe…?”
“Maybe getting back my memories?” Philip finished, “Maybe so.” He cracked a smile. “I think this is a good sign!” Turning to Fluttershy, he said, “What about you, Fluttershy? Tell me about the pretty mare who tried to make me feel safe here first.”
“Oh, my…there really isn't much to tell,” said Fluttershy, blushing and hiding behind her mane. Her eyes darted back and forth as she said, “I’m really not all that interesting…”
“Well alright then,” said Philip, surprising the other two mares, “why don’t I tell you about you, then?”
“Uh, Philip?” said Twilight, “You've only known her for half a day. How are you going to tell her about herself?”
“Well, Fluttershy, you’re sweet, kindly, you love animals,” said Philip, looking up as he ticked the points off on his fingers, “You’re rather shy and have trouble talking to others, but will do anything in your power to help someone who’s hurt. From what Twilight said about the dragon, you are also stronger than you realize; facing down a creature that size and winning is no small feat. Now,” he said, cupping her cheek, “is there anything you want to add?”
Fluttershy sat there, mouth open, her blush having grown to epic proportions. Then she hugged Philip around his middle. “Thank you,” she said in a small voice.
“You’re quite welcome,” said Philip. Sniffing the air, he said, “Smells like Spike’s done with lunch; let’s go eat."
After a quiet lunch of onion soup, which Spike assured them was free of poison, Philip and the three mares walked to the Carousel Boutique, home and place of business of Rarity. Spike had wanted to come, but Twilight insisted that he needed to stay and prepare the castle to house Luna. As they walked, the ponies around them gawked at the strange two-legged newcomer.
“What is he?”
“Where did he come from?”
“What’s he doing here?”
“I hope he isn't dangerous!”
“Twilight,” said Philip, “I wonder if there is any way I could formally introduce myself to the rest of the town. I’m worried that they’re getting scared of me.”
“It’s very nice of you to want to reassure everypony, but don’t worry; I’m sure it will blow over,” said Twilight.
“That isn't what worries me so much as how scared they might get. If the whole town gets frightened enough, well…I don’t want to think about it. I know what you’re going to say, Twilight,” he said, as Twilight opened her mouth, “but think about it; don’t fear and prejudice bring out the worst in us all?”
“You’re right, again,” Twilight conceded, “although I’m sure they aren't that afraid of you.”
Philip hummed. He heard something over his shoulder and paused for a moment, then smiled to himself and kept walking before his companions could notice anything.
They arrived at the boutique, and Philip held the door for Twilight, Fluttershy, and Starlight. “Oh, Rarity is going to like you if you’re a gentle…um…if you know etiquette,” said Fluttershy.
“Is that so?” said Starlight, “what is Rarity like? I fear I have not spent much time with her.”
“You’ll get to soon,” said Twilight, then she called out, “Rarity! We have a new friend for you to meet!”
“I’m upstairs, darling,” said a mellifluous voice, “You’re welcome to join me up here, but be aware the Crusaders are here.”
“Okay!” said Twilight, trotting up the stairs. Fluttershy followed with Starlight, and Philip stayed behind to look around.
“Huh,” said Philip, “this place looks pretty.” He looked around at the room he was in, where many pony-shaped mannequins were covered in dresses and formal wear of varying styles and states of completion. The room was nicely decorated, with teal blue walls and white trim. There was the same smell of well-washed pony fur, as well as the faint smell of cat, and what seemed to be fabric. The room was decorated rather frilly for his taste, but it was nice and homey. I’d think a fussy old lady lived here if I didn't know Rarity was a young mare…why am I vaguely pleased about being surrounded by so many young women? And how can I smell so much?
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Too small to be the girls, he thought, so it’s probably the Crusaders, whoever they are. Walking over to a window as if he heard nothing, he pretended to look outside while actually watching the reflections of the three little fillies trying to sneak up on him. He made his way into a corner of the room, careful to keep the fillies behind him, and then knelt and waited for them to make their move. A cry of “Cutie Mark Crusaders Monster Wranglers!” came from behind him, and he was tackled by the rambunctious little fillies. He chuckled to himself, and stood there with them hanging off of his back like baby opossums.
“We gotcha now!” yelled a yellow filly with a red mane and a pink bow. She smells like Applejack, thought Philip, her sister, maybe?
“You won’t get away from us!” said an orange Pegasus with a messy purple mane that seemed styled after Rainbow’s.
“You can’t hurt my sister until you get past me!” yelled the white unicorn. She had a two-toned pink and lavender mane, and her voice squeaked slightly at the end.
“Wouldn't dream of it!” said Philip brightly. These girls are adorable.
“SWEET MERCIFUL CELESTIA, WHAT IS THAT!?” said another white unicorn, this one with a well-curled royal purple mane, who had walked just into the room. She had a Cutie Mark of three blue diamonds on her side, and spoke with an urbane accent. A smell of jasmine perfume seemed to hang about her.
“I’m Philip, Twilight’s friend,” said the man with a pleasant smile, the three fillies still clinging tenaciously to his back, “and I’m guessing the little ones clinging to my back are your sister and her friends.” The new mare looked at him with startled blue eyes.
“Don’t be fooled by its lies! Wait, it can talk?” said the orange filly in surprise.
“Don’t worry Rarity, we’ve got this!” said the little unicorn.
“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo! Get off of Twilight’s friend this instant!” said Rarity.
“It’s gotta be a trick, an’ Ah ain’t fallin’ for it!” said the yellow filly.
“Excellent idea, my little pony!” said Philip with a jester’s grin.
“Waddya mean? Waaah!” said the yellow filly.
“Eeee!” said the white filly.
“Brace for impact, Crusaders!” yelled the orange.
Philip caught himself just before landing flat on his back…and the Crusaders. “Now will you let go of me?”
“Never!” yelled the three little fillies.
“Alright,” said Philip, “I’ll just take a nap while you reconsider.” He then slid the rest of the way to the floor, with the Crusaders still underneath him.
“It’s tryin’ ta squish us!” yelled Yellow.
“Help!” yelled White.
“You give?” said Philip.
“We give, we give!” yelled Orange.
“Good,” said Philip. He rolled backwards over his head and onto his feet, earning a few claps from Rarity and Twilight, the latter having arrived with Fluttershy and Starlight Dream to see what the commotion was.
“That was not half bad!” said Rarity, “though a bit undignified, rolling around on the floor like that. That was a very graceful way to get to your feet, I must say. I am sorry about my sister and her friends, but you seem none the worse for the experience, and I've never seen anyone deal with them so patiently.”
“They’re young, they deserve their childhoods while they still have them,” said Philip with an almost longing smile and a faraway expression. “So,” he said, shaking his head and looking down at the three small girls getting to their hooves, “I caught your names, but which of you is which?”
“I’m Apple Bloom!” said the yellow filly.
“I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity's sister!” said the white filly.
“I’m Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash’s sister…sort of,” said the orange filly.
“And we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Yay!” they shouted with incredible volume.
“On a quest to find our special talents and earn our Cutie Marks!” finished Apple Bloom.
“Which is why you tried to cage me like a rat?” said Philip with a smile. The three fillies grinned sheepishly.
“Now, what brings you to my boutique?” said Rarity with a businesslike smile and tone.
“I’m surprised you haven’t figured that out at a glance,” said Philip, indicating his tattered garments.
“OH MY STARS!” shrieked Rarity, “what have they done to your clothes!”
“Nothing, they were like that this morning when I woke up in the hospital with amnesia.”
“Oh, well if it wasn't…goodness, you mean you woke up in a hospital in those rags, with no recollection of who you are?” said Rarity, draping a foreleg across her brow, “How simply dreadful!”
“It’s not so bad,” said Philip with a shrug. “I managed to find a little card with my name and photo on it, so I know my name is Philip.”
“Oh, dear, well I simply must create you a new outfit.”
“I thought you might say that, but I’m afraid I don’t have any of the local currency,” said Philip, “so I can’t pay you until I've earned some money.”
“I wouldst help thee to pay for thy…I mean, I’ll buy you some new clothes,” said Starlight.
“Is this about repaying me for last night?” said Philip.
“Partly,” she said, “but mostly, I merely wish to help you.”
“Have you told Rarity about your mishap?”
“Not yet,” said Twilight, “do you think we should?”
“That depends; do you think she has a right to know about the…” Philip trailed off, and then looked at the Crusaders. They were staring at him with half confused, half interested expressions. “Girls, why don’t you go upstairs and plan your next attempt at getting your Cutie Marks?” he said.
“Okay,” they said brightly, racing upstairs.
“Didn’t want them hearing,” he explained, then proceeded to fill Rarity in on the werewolf situation and the plan to keep Luna safe. “And that’s how things stand; I trust you can keep the secret?” Philip said (after Rarity finished having a fit over a princess being in her Boutique).
Rarity gaped at him. “So there may be an awful wolf monster running around in the Everfree Forest?” she said, ears pinned back.
“No,” said Philip, “at least not unless they've eaten a lot of wolfsbane. They’re probably lying in a ditch somewhere, barely able to crawl. Werewolves don’t usually transform that way, and when they do it leaves them incredibly drained when they change back. It’s like how you’d feel after sprinting nonstop for several hours.”
“Well, that’s…good, I suppose. But in the meantime, darling, I shall need to take your measurements,” said Rarity with a smile. “If you could take off your clothes…”
“Ah still say it’s a waste of time!” whispered a voice.
“Well who asked you!?” whispered another, rather loudly.
“Rainbow, Applejack,” said Philip loudly, smirking and rolling his eyes, “I know you've been following me.”
“Great, now look what ya did,” said Applejack, whose head popped out of a bush under the boutique window.
“Like it’s my fault we got caught!” said Rainbow, who appeared next to Applejack.
“Don’t start arguing, girls,” said Philip with a smile, “and come inside.”
Rainbow climbed in through the window (“I have a door you know,” said Rarity) and Applejack went around to the traditional entrance. Once the two were in the room, Philip said, “I suppose Rainbow still doesn't trust me, so she got you, Applejack, to help her spy on me. Am I right?”
“Uh, yeah,” said Rainbow, “how did you know?”
“You seem like the rash, protective type,” said Philip, “so when I noticed someone following us, I thought it was probably just you. I realized quickly that it was.”
“You mean you thought it m-might be th-the T-T-Talons?” said Fluttershy.
“Yes, the thought crossed my mind, though I quickly realized it wasn't. Hopefully they won’t show up anytime soon, but until Luna heals I’ll be on high alert, and I won’t let my guard down even then.”
“Thank you,” said Starlight, “you are truly a good pon…er, human.”
“You bet he is!” said Pinkie Pie, popping out from a basket of yarn.
“In case anyone's wondering,” said Philip to the ponies, looking at Pinkie with a comically puzzled expression, “she wasn't in there until after the Crusaders went upstairs. And it’s alright,” he said to Starlight, who had retreated to the other side of the room, “she’s normally this way. I think.”
“Oh,” said Starlight, who looked as though she doubted that the word applied to Pinkie.
“Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” said Rarity, with a growl directed at Rainbow and Applejack, “if you’d be so kind, dear…”
“Okay, but due to reasons I’d rather not explain I’ll need to leave one particular article of clothing on,” said Philip, stepping onto a pedestal in the middle of the room surrounded by three mirrors. He faced away and pulled off his shirt and pants.
“There,” he said, once he was clad in nothing but his boxers, “that should…”
“What?”
He could see in the triple mirrors that the mares were all staring at him…and his furless, lean, athletic body.
“He ain’t got hardly any fur anywhere,” said Applejack quietly.
“This is…fascinating,” said Twilight, wide-eyed.
“Wowee,” said Pinkie, gawping in amazement.
“My, my,” said Rarity in a hushed tone.
“Oh, my,” said Fluttershy.
“He’s so…buff,” said Rainbow.
Starlight just stared.
“I appreciate the attention, girls,” said Philip with an amused chuckle, “but I believe Rarity wanted to measure me?”
“Might I help?” said Starlight quickly.
“That depends,” said Philip playfully, “on whether you can close your mouth long enough.”
Starlight blushed, and then walked up to Philip alongside Rarity. “So,” said Rarity, as she measured Philip’s waist, “how are you feeling about all this?”
“I’m flattered by your attentions, but I don’t think a relationship would work.”
The girls all blushed.
“All joking aside, I want you all to be safe from the Talons,” said Philip, “and of course, I want to regain my memory. Other than that, I feel…ill at ease. I worry that the townsfolk are afraid of me.” As Rarity measured him further, he gazed out the window through the mirror with unseeing eyes, and said, “I also feel like there’s something I’m missing, but I don't know what it is.”
“Say,” said Rainbow, as Rarity measured his shoulders, “how do we know you’re not the werewolf?”
“Heard that, did you?”
“Yeah,” said Applejack resignedly, “we heard.”
“Well,” Philip began, “we…” he paused, and looked off into the distance for a moment. He frowned, and then said, “That’s what I was missing.”
“What?” said all the mares at once.
“We don’t know what the signs are that indicate a werewolf. Also, the werewolf is new, and I just show up at the same time? I doubt that it’s coincidence. The fact is I probably am the werewolf. We won’t know for sure unless I look at a full moon, accidentally eat wolfsbane, or remember some other way to identify a werewolf. I think we’d better jumpstart my memory again to be absolutely sure I’m not dangerous.”
“Okay,” said Twilight nervously. She walked up to Philip, and he turned and stooped a bit to allow her to reach his forehead. As her horn began to glow, he thought to himself, how do I make sure I’m not a werewolf? I want to be friends with these mares. And I don’t want to be the one who hurt Luna, she didn't deserve that. For their safety, I need to focus. How do we find the werewolf outside of wolf form? HOW?!
Bristles under the tongue, eyebrows meeting, curved fingernails…
“Okay, apparently a werewolf outside of his or her wolf form will have bristles under their tongue, curved nails, and eyebrows that meet in the middle of their forehead.”
“Ick,” said Rarity picking up her tape measure, “that sounds nothing at all like you. It sounds rather ugly, and you, well…”
“I’m a hunk, I know,” said Philip with one of his wry smirks, “I could tell by the way you girls were looking at me.”
“Th-that isn’t it!” said Twilight, “I was just, you know…”
“Interested in further studies of my physique?”
“Well, yes! You don’t have any fur, which makes it easier to examine your rather unique musculature!”
“Sure,” said Philip, “I guess I don’t have the same muscle arrangement as a pony would, so you would be interested in an examination. For purely scientific reasons, of course.” He winked at Twilight, making her blush deeper.
“Well,” said Rarity, who was rather flushed herself by this point, “I've got all the measurements I…I…” She trailed off, staring at Philip’s chest. The other mares all stared with expressions of shock as well. Philip looked down at his chest as well, and noticed something he had missed while looking in the mirrors; his torso had several long, narrow scars running across it. “O-kay,” he said, “that’s new.”
“What could have done that?” breathed Starlight, hooves over her mouth in shock.
“I’ll probably find out when I get my memory back,” said Philip, fingering one of the scars, “But I doubt I’ll enjoy remembering this.”
“I’d imagine not,” said Rarity. She stepped back and said, “I should have your clothes done by tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll be working at Applejack’s tomorrow anyway, and I won’t need anything better than these for that,” said Philip as he put his clothes back on.
“Well, now that that’s settled,” said Rarity, “perhaps you should find a place to stay for the night?”
“Twilight invited me to sleep at her castle,” said Philip, “and Starlight will be there, too.”
Suddenly, the sound of ripping came from another room. “My fabrics!” shrieked Rarity, dashing into the room from whence the sound had come.
The others followed to see her standing over a white Persian longhair cat surrounded by the tattered remains of a bolt of beautiful cloth. “Opalescence!” barked Rarity, “How many times have I told you not to destroy my fabrics?”
The Persian simply looked at the gathering with a smug expression…which suddenly turned to wide-eyed terror. The cat let out an ear-splitting screech, hair standing on end, and bolted under the nearest chair.
“Fluttershy,” said Rainbow, “did you really need to use the Stare on her?”
“I…didn't use the Stare…” said Fluttershy.
“She wasn't looking at Fluttershy,” said Philip slowly, “she was looking at me.”
“Strange,” said Rarity, “she doesn't usually react to strangers this way.”
“Yeah,” said Philip thoughtfully, “strange.” This means something. I don’t know what, but something about me scared her witless just now. What if I am some kind of monster?