//------------------------------// // Research // Story: Finding Yourself // by abcd_z //------------------------------// You stand in front of the Golden Oaks Library. Sunlight reflects off several of the windows set into the tree. Crescent knocks on the door. After several seconds the door opens, revealing Twilight Sparkle. "Um, hi," you say. "I'm Cale." There's an awkward pause. Just as Crescent Moon is about to speak you straighten up and take charge of the conversation. You clap your hands, drawing attention to yourself and startling the two ponies. "I was hoping you could help me out," you say to Twilight. You explain your situation: the odd post-explosion situation, the new accessories that you don't recognize, and your lack of memories. "...and that's about where I stand. I don't know where I am or why, I don't recognize either of these," you say, holding up your wrist just below your pendant, "and on a more concrete subject, I'm not sure where I'm going to spend the night." At this Crescent Moon pipes up. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that last one. You can stay with me until you get back on your hooves." You look at him in surprise. "Are you sure?" you ask. "I don't want to impose." He waves his hoof airily. "I'm sure." "Wow," you say. "That's very generous of you." You turn back to Twilight. "Well, that's one problem taken care of. Regarding the rest of it, Crescent Moon thinks magic might have been involved, which means you're the best person to talk to." "Well," she says, "I'd have to do some research before I could say anything for certain. Here, come inside." Twilight walks into the library and both you and Crescent follow her. Bookshelves line the walls, taking up most of the wall space. Sunlight shines through the windows, causing drifting dust motes to be visible where the light shines. A staircase follows the curve of the room, leading to the second floor. "Spike!" Twilight hollers. "What is it, Twilight?" "I need you to carry some books for me. Let me think. We'll want 'We've Got Explosives!' by Goblin Sapper, 'The One Ring and You' by Legendary Frog, History Channel's 'I'm Not Saying It Was Aliens'..." Twilight runs back and forth between sections as she names each book, grabbing them with her magic and tossing them to Spike, who carries them in an ever-increasing pile. Eventually, Twilight stops grabbing books and says, "There. That should be enough to tide us over. Oh, Spike, you can just put those down anywhere." A large pile of books hits the ground with a loud "thump!" and Spike falls backwards in exhaustion. "Careful!" Twilight warns. "Some of those books are delicate!" You chuckle and say, "Then maybe you shouldn't have been throwing them around like that?" "Oh! Yes, well..." she's visibly flustered by this. "Um, let's get to work! Crescent, this might take a while. I'll make sure Cale gets to your place once we're done here." Crescent Moon says his farewells and leaves. ------------------------------------------ Several hours later, you're no further along than you were when you started. You let your head drop onto the table with a "thump!" and groan in frustration. Twilight, meanwhile, has become frantic as she realizes that her books aren't very useful in this situation. Her hair has become frazzled and the pupils of her eyes have shrunk due to the stress. "I know, I'll check 'Thaumic Surges and You: A Collector's Guide!'" "Twilight." "Or maybe I should triple-check 'The Life and Times of Starswirl The Great'!" "Twilight!" You stand up. "Or maybe there's something in Fiction that will help us! You know they say inspiration comes from the strangest places!" You grab her around the barrel and yell in her face. "TWILIGHT!" She looks up at you with a shocked expression. "Now look," you say. "It is not the end of the world if we don't find what we're looking for right now." She turns and tries to pull away from your grip, reaching for another book. "But-" "No buts. You're having a meltdown on my account, and I won't have it." "But-" "That's it," you say. You pick her up and toss her on the back of your neck. Too stunned to do anything else, she prevents herself from falling by catching your shoulders with her forehooves. You make a small hop to reposition her into a better "piggyback ride" position and use your hands to hold her forehooves in place. "So, Twilight, do you know any good places to eat around here?" Shocked by the sudden change of subject and the impromptu piggy-back ride, Twilight mentions Sugarcube Corner. "Hmm... nope," you say. "I'm not in the mood for sweets. It's been a while since I've eaten and I want something substantial." "Um, there's an outdoor cafe a few streets away from the library." "Excellent! Then I shall let you guide me there. Spike!" you holler. "Twilight and I are heading out to get some food! Want to join us?" Spike yells from upstairs in response. "No, thanks! I had a heavy lunch." You say, "Then let us be off." You walk out the door carrying Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's protege and one of the most powerful magic-users in all of Equestria, on your back. ---------------------- You follow Twilight's directions and arrive at the cafe in short order. Twilight is still on your back, which surprises you. Honestly, you thought she'd insist that you put her down long before you reached the cafe. Either the thought didn't occur to her, or she enjoyed the piggy-back ride. Either way, you're at the cafe now and you deposit her on one of the piles of hay before sitting down on another one. You get up and scoot the pile of hay around the table so that you sit right next to Twilight instead of across the table from her. Old habits die hard, you suppose. "I can't believe you did that!" Twilight exclaims. "You were freaking out," you say nonchalantly. "You needed a change of scenery and I needed some food. It was win-win." "Next time, ask before you do something like that!" "Hmmmmm. Nope." You grin widely. "You're too much fun to rile up." The waiter takes your orders. Several minutes later, the waiter brings your orders out. Twilight is eating something called hay fries. You snag one with a grin and eat it before promptly gagging. Despite the similar names, hay fries taste nothing like french fries. Twilight giggles. "Serves you right for stealing my food." "Oh, woe is me," you say dramatically, placing the back of your hand against your forehead. "Undone by my love of eating food! What a very ironic twist of fate!" You fall backwards onto the ground, landing with a loud "thump!". Twilight jumps up and runs to your side. "Are you okay?" You let your mouth drop open and your tongue flop out. You make a "bleah" noise. Twilight starts rapidly pacing back and forth quickly. "Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, what do I do?" You sit up and place a hand on her flank. Twilight jumps in surprise. "Twilight, relax," you say. "I'm okay. I do that all the time. The trick is to slap the ground at the same time you land so you don't hurt yourself. See? Watch." You stand up and dust yourself off. Then you fall backwards, slapping the ground as you land. Twilight lets out a large sigh. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you'd hurt yourself!" You chuckle. "It takes a lot more than that to harm me." Then you grin at Twilight. "What?" she asks self-consciously. "You liike me" you sing. "You liiiiiiike me." You expect her to deny it, but she doesn't say anything and her cheeks are showing red through her coat. Holy crap, she really does like you. Twilight clears her throat and changes the subject. "I was thinking about the accessories you have. My books didn't tell me anything useful-" "Your books?" you interject. "Oh, shut up," she says playfully. "You know what I mean. The library's books didn't tell me anything useful, but maybe my friend Rarity would know something." "Why would Rarity be able to help?" "Well, she owns a fashion boutique. Maybe she'd be able to tell us something about those accessories you're wearing." "Sounds good to me. Shall we be off?" "Erm, sure. But... aren't you going to pay for the date... meal! I said meal!" You chuckle. "With what, Twilight? I don't have any money to my name." You pat your pockets to show off how empty they are. As you do, one of your pockets makes a soft jingling sound. You freeze and slowly reach into your pocket. Inside is a purple cloth bag with a draw-string holding it closed. It reminds you of a hand-made Crown Royal bag. You loosen the draw-string and empty the bag on the table. Some gold coins roll out. "Twilight," you begin, but your throat seizes up. You clear your throat and try again. "Twilight, would you say these are the coins your community uses for currency?" Twilight grabs one with her magic and levitates it, inspecting it. "Yes. These are called bits," she says, putting it back on the table. "Most of Equestria uses them." "I thought this place was called 'Ponyville'." Twilight explains, "Equestria is a word that refers to the ground we live on. Ponyville is the name of the city we're in right now. So we could leave Ponyville but we'd still be in Equestria." "Huh." You stare at the bag. It's an artifact that tells you nothing you didn't already know, but somehow it throws you off your game. You put the coins back inside and return it to your pocket. You clear your throat, then look at Twilight. Putting the mystery bag aside, there is something you need to tell her. You lean into Twilight Sparkle's personal space and look deep into her eyes. "Twilight?" you say. "Yes?" she asks meekly, staring back at you with wide eyes. "Twilight, there's something you absolutely need to know." "Mmm-hmm?" Twilight's ears twitch as she stares back at you. You shift your position and whisper in her ear, "You're paying for this one." It takes her a second to process what you just said. "Wh-bu... huh?" You pull back. "I said, you're paying for this meal." You stand up and walk towards the gate.* You hear a sound of outrage from Twilight, followed shortly by the noise of metal hitting wood. You turn to see a few coins on the table and Twilight hurrying to keep up with you. "So, how do we get to Rarity's place?" you ask with a grin. *gate, noun, definition 2: "an opening permitting passage through an enclosure." Up until now I've always thought of a gate as an actual physical thing, but I guess that's not always necessarily the case.