//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Just A Little Something // by Luminous Paradox //------------------------------// My eyes snapped open. Where am I? A blinding white light made me squint but I could still make out two ponies. My throat felt dry but I still urged out the words, “Where am I?” My eyes focused and I saw a handsome purple pony with a green mane and what seemed to be scales on his ears. I faintly remembered him but I could not place my finger on it. The other pony had a navy blue coat and a lighter blue mane. She wore little sparkly earrings that shined in the sunlight. Her face bore a smile. “Ah, your awake!” she said. Her voice was silky smooth, like milk in the morning. “Stray! Are you sure you’re okay? When you suddenly stopped flying it felt like my heart stopped! Your lucky Cerulean Swirl was there to catch you!” the stallion said, his voice was scratchy and his eyes red as if he did not sleep. Why does this stallion seem to care about me so much? “Um, I have a question,” I said. “What is it Stray Heart?” Asked the blue pony named Cerulean Swirl. “Who are all of you?” I asked. My response was a pair of shocked faces. I lifted myself out of the bed. “Thank you for your hospitality but I must be off to… to… somewhere,” I mumbled as I walked towards the door. Not looking back, I walked out. This place feels so familiar but I can’t… I just CAN’T remember! “What is wrong with me?” I mumbled. I glanced at the scenery a saw a normal town bustling with ponies. What surprised me was opposite the bright and colourful town was a dark, murky forest. The first thing I though was: The Everfree forest… Than: Oh, I have seemingly remembered something I certain tugging in my heart forced me to scamper into the shadowed forest. The wind blew softly and under the canopy I felt comfortable. Is this where I belong? Everything in the forest seemed so much more alive. Even without the colours of the town this place was crawling with hidden life. Flutter Shy would love this place Wait, who is Flutter shy? This place gave off an eerie feeling but it was easy to push away. I spread open my wings, ready to take flight, but winced when they spread out. “What? Did I break my wing?” I groaned aloud. I heard rustlings in the bushes and whipped around. “Who goes there?” I shouted. “Do not worry young passerby, nothing I do can harm thy,” came a smooth voice. A zebra in a brown and ragged cloak emerged from out of the bushes. “My name is Zecora a dweller in this land and it seems you need a helping hand,” “I need nothing of the sort,” I retorted. “Need I remind you your wing is broken, your words have no need to be spoken,” she calmly replied. I glared at her but quickly settled down. “Can you fix me?” I mumbled and forcefully pulled a smile. Zecora turned away and flicked her tail as a sign to follow. I trotted along no longer admiring the scenery. We arrived at a shaken up tree decorated with foreign items. As I humbly stepped into the house I took a deep breath, inhaling all the sweet smells. Zecora beckoned me to sit on a chair made of wood. It looked very old and fragile but once I sat on it stood strong as if it was brand new. Zecora checked my wing and poked it a little. She than wrapped it in a bandage. “I am afraid young one this is I can do, what did you do slip on the morning dew?” asked Zecora. “I… can’t remember,” I said hesitantly. “I have seemingly lost my memory,” Zecora paused before replying. She looked in some old and tattered books. She stopped at a page and scrolled her hoof down the page. She turned to face me. “Is your name Stray Heart?” She asked. “Yes,” I replied uncertainly. “I used to visit you when you were small, it is amazing how now you are so tall. You suffered from a memory loss a lot as a filly, but having it now sounds rather silly. Do not worry for it will come back, just cope with this memory lack.” Zecora simply stated. She makes it sound like it is a simple thing, this is so confusing! “Thank you Zecora, I shall go now,” I said pulling that fake smile. And with that I stalked out of the tree. As I trekked through the undergrowth I quickly realised I was lost. Zecora’s house was nowhere to be seen and the night was creeping closer. The comforting feeling from the trees had vanished and everything glared at me menacingly. I misplaced my hooves and came crashing down a long, long staircase. When I landed on the harsh ground, a fascinating sight met my eyes. A beautiful crystal tree lay before me. A flourishing light echoed of it. In the centre was a pinkish purple star. On the end of each branch were similar gems. One was an orange apple, a pink butterfly, a purple diamond, a red bolt of lightning and a blue balloon. Each gem reminded me of someone and when I touched the crystal tree it all came flooding back. Twilight Sparkle, Apple Jack Flutter Shy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie pie! When I reopened my eyes I was Stray Heart. My memory had come back in a sudden rush as the names of the elements put an unknown courage inside of me. I looked at the Tree of Harmony. It seemed different for some reason. My mouth gaped open when I realised what it was. The gems had changed! Replacing the star was a heart. The branches now had a star, a flame, a plant (a nettle I think), a book and a quill. All the gems were dull and grey as if their power had not been awoken. They probably haven’t Suddenly I strange voice spoke in my mind. “Ink Blot Dusty Ash, Cerulean Swirl, Nettle, Shimmer Jewel, Stray Heart.” A blue mist swirled out of the tree. It took a form that was hard to make out at first but cleared quickly. The form split in two and they suddenly focused. They both looked identical except one had red eyes and a black ear on it’s left ear whereas the other had blue eyes and a black ear on it’s left ear. Both cats were a silky white and they both had black paws and a black tipped tail. The one with red eyes glared at me than bounced off. The other one stayed and smiled patiently at me. She padded towards me and whispered in my ear, her voice was definitely the one that said the names. And the word she said was “new”. She than disappeared but I could still feel her presence. A sudden sleepiness overwhelmed me and I dropped down limply and fell asleep.