The Day My Life Began

by Authora97

Meeting in the Forest

The Everfree wasn’t a scary place to be. It was unsettling, yes, but not scary. Of some pony could live here, then it can’t be that bad right?

The three of us were walking away from the mirror pool. Big Mac helped get the giant rock, Twilight lifted it onto the hole, and I guided them there. It was surprisingly easy and I thank my Story that the Crusaders hadn’t found it first.

Pinkie Pie had tried getting me to make one. She had thought about it a lot after the wedding, and said it would be great to have a pony help me. I was barely able to tell her I had that pony once, and I lost her.

This made Pinkie drag me down to the Mirror Pool. I remember that moment vividly.

---

“Pinkie, I don’t want a double.” I explained, staring warily at her double.

The pony bounced excitedly. “Come on, Raspberry! It’ll be fun!” The double cheered.

I shook my head. “No. Please Pinkie, respect my decision. If I wanted a double again, I would go out and get one, but I can’t.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “Again?” She asked, looking confused.

My eyes widened. “I don’t want a double.” I repeated. “So can I please just go now?”

Pinkie lowered her excited hooves to the ground. She was starting to frown. “What did you mean ‘again’?”

“Fun!” The double shouted.

Then, I noticed the double’s double.

---

Raspberry.2 was thankfully avoided. Once Pinkie’s clones became a stampede, I used every profiler tool I had developed to find the real one. After that I made sure to stay close to her.

Twilight had actually given me the benefit of the doubt. I told her Pinkie had used the Mirror Pool, and then all of her clones followed. She had the solution, and wanted the Real Pinkie.

It was at this point I realized that I was so busy talking to Twilight that I wasn’t paying attention to Pinkie.

The Paint Drying Test went off without a-

My ear flicked back, hearing an unnatural noise off in the woods.

“Hold it.” I said, my ears rotating towards the sound.

“What is it Raspberry?” Twilight asked me.

I gave the unicorn a brief glance. The noise was long gone, but whatever caused it was still around. “Probably nothing. I just need to go check something out.”

“Are you sure? It’s not really safe out here.” Twilight asked.

I turned to the unicorn, smirking. “I know. I like it too.” I chuckled. “But seriously, I’ll be fine.”

Twilight seemed hesitant. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, in that case.”

I waved. “See ya later Sparkle of Twilight.”

So I followed the sound, unaware of what I was chasing. It was just too difficult to say no.

I was chasing it for what felt like ten minutes, ending up in the clearing where I first arrived in Equestria. Whatever I was chasing had vanished, and that annoyed me.

Panting from all the running, I started looking around the clearing. Maybe it was in hiding. “Hello?” I called out.

There was some rustling behind me. I moved towards it, but saw only shaking leaves.

“Where are you?” I asked. “It has to be nearby.”

More rustling, this time in the direction of my house. I stared at the trees, hoping for the slightest hint as to what I was following. I love mysteries.

“One two, Freddy’s coming for you.” I couldn’t help but sing. “Three four, better lock the door.”

“Hello, Raspberry Stardust.” A new voice spoke.

My back turned towards the voice, it was strangely familiar. “Who are you?” I asked.

“Only your worst enemy.” The voice hissed.

My shoulder shrugged. “Sorry, got ten of those. Be more specific?” The voice growled. “What? It’s not easy being me.”

“Oh, we know.” A new voice said, sounding male.

“We?” I pointed out.

“Yes, we.” The first voice admitted, though begrudged.

There was a crunching sound behind me. I snapped towards it.

“Hehehe.” The male voice laughed from across the clearing.

I could barely make out one of the figures. It came further and further out from the shadows, until I could finally see who she was.

“Chrysalis?”

The changeling queen grinned darkly at me. I took a cautionary step backwards.

“Yes. Hello Raspberry Stardust.” The Changeling Queen bragged. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

I shrugged, feeling a little unprepared. “Just a couple of months. Nothing too long.”

The changeling laughed. It was really creepy. “Yes. Just a few months since you destroyed my plans.” She hissed.

“Not my fault you made them so easy to destroy.” I said. Chrysalis hissed in my direction. “What? It’s true.”

“You just can’t get good minions these days.” The male voice commented.

“I know, right? Mine’s okay, still working out the kinks.” I joked, thinking of Caroline. “But she’s catching on.”

“Isn’t it nice having someone to brag at?” The stallion asked. “Someone to show the tricks of the trade?”

I laughed. “It’s the best.”

“Could you cease with your flirting?” Chrysalis snapped, looking towards the forest.

“That’s not flirting, that’s talking.” I explained. “Flirting is something completely different. I thought you could tell the difference.”

She growled.

I rolled my eyes. “Who’s your friend?” I asked, carefully looking through the forest edges. “You sound new.”

He chuckled.

There was a whooshing noise. I snapped towards it, seeing only the rustling leaves and branches. Soon, they stilled. It was like he had never even been there. It was kinda ticking me off, but I kept trying to find even the smallest trace of this guy.

He had to have a nature shaded coat, something dark brown or dark green, if he wanted to blend in with the trees. Then again, I could change my coat color with a simple Glamour spell. His mane was the same story, though probably darker.

There was a whoosh on my right. I jumped, turning at it. He was gone again.

“Oh, I’m actually the opposite.” The stallion spoke. His voice seemed to be everywhere at once, making him hard to place.

Story, I needed a real challenge! This guy was fun! Dangerous, but fun!

I raised a brow, still trying to catch even a glimpse. “How so?”

“I thought you knew everything.” He mocked.

That really got my attention. Most would say that in the form of a question. His was a statement. This guy has to know my Rules.

Okay. A bit more of a challenge. I’m game. “Well, I learned to ask the right questions.”

The stallion laughed.

“Enough of this!” Chrysalis yelled.

I turned to the Queen. She was way beyond annoyed, and was turning towards rage. Fire burned in her eyes, and I knew I was on a fine line. The Queen marched towards me, and kept herself locked on.

So I let her approach me. I was actually curious to see what she would do. Some might call it having a death wish. She was clearly the sub in this arrangement. She was being partly held back by this stallion, clearly he had promised her revenge at me if she followed his idea.

I smirked at the Queen. She wasn’t even a challenge anymore. I wonder why I was so afraid that my Plan would fail. Chrysalis was barely an apprentice. I was a Master at this.

The Queen took my smirk as an insult. She hissed at me. Her forked tongue came out from her pointed teeth.

“Oh?” I asked, teasingly. “Is it?”

The Queen growled.

“Heel.” The stallion taunted.

“No!” Chrysalis snarled. She looked towards the forest for a second, and then went back to glaring daggers at me. “This needs to end tonight! She will pay for what she has done to the Changeling Race!”

“Will I?” I taunted. “Do you take debit?”

Chrysalis just growled in annoyance. “Quit it with your useless taunts!”

I kept my smirk up. This would get her riled up. She would make a mistake, and it would bring out her partner. “I happen to think my smirks are far from useless. Unlike you.”

The Queen growled.

“Chrysalis. Stand down.” The stallion ordered. “Do I have to remind you of who is in charge?”

That actually got a response from the Queen. She backed away from me, but kept glaring. She was barely able to hold back her rage.

I grinned, looking out at the Forest. He would have to show up at some point. “Oh. I love when ponies have trump cards. What do you have on the Queen of the Bad Actors?”

Chrysalis hissed.

“More than you.” The stallion bragged.

“Oh.” I said. “Wow.”

“I’ve gotten better at insults since our first date.” He explained.

Okay. That got my attention. “I haven’t met you before tonight.”

He laughed. More like in amusement than mocking. “Oh? Such a shame. I thought we had gotten so close.”

I raised a wary brow. Now this guy was creeping me out. “Who are you?”

Finally, I heard some tree branches move behind me. Turning to see my opponent, I thought over how much I was right.

The stallion looked close to my age, give or take a year or two. He wasn’t necessarily athletic, but I could see the makings of some muscle. He could probably take me down if he tried. His strength could also be influenced by the fact he was an earth pony.

His coat was a dark brown. It was kinda like a dark chocolate chip. He had a black mane. The mane was well brushed, and short. It was cut so it couldn’t reach his black eyes.

I couldn’t see a cutiemark. He was standing too straight for me to see it.

The stallion grinned at me. “You’ve known me all your life.”

I thought it over. This could be someone from Raspberry’s past. Yet, I knew he wasn’t. It was a possibility, I’ll admit it. He just came off as the guy who knew me. I mean, me. “Never met you before today.”

The stallion trotted two steps closer. There was still a good fifteen feet between us, but he kinda had this air like he could be by my side in a second.

“You wouldn’t recognize me, anyway.” The stallion admitted. “Not in this form.”

Oh, yes. Finally something I could work with. “This form? What are you, a changeling?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Not a changeling, but could his change his form? What else in Equestria could do that? You know, except-

Except me.

My eyes widened. I took a cautionary step back. I looked the stallion over again. He couldn’t be...could he? It doesn’t make sense! I...I had to be the only one. What else would explain me never meeting another person like me?

The stallion laughed, darkly. “She’s finally figured it out!”

My mouth opened, and I tried to get words to come out. Nothing worked. They were just stuck.

“You...” I was able to get out.

The stallion looked at the Queen. “See? Told you. Speechless.”

I shook my head. “You can’t. You can’t be like me.”

He came closer. “Why not? What do you really know about your own kind?”

I tried again to speak, but they were stuck again. He can’t be a Jumper. He can’t be. I was the only one. Nobody else around me was. Not my family, not my friends, not even my own daughter was one.

The stallion kept grinning, like he had won. Like he was telling the truth.

“Who are you?” I asked again.

The stallion walked closer. I could finally see the whites of his eyes, and the darkness in his black eyes. It was worse than I thought.

It was sand darkness I see in Morgana.

“My name is Garfield Logan.” The earth pony said. “And you ruined my life.”

There was a bright flash, and I saw darkness.

Comments

[More Dakka]

From that cliffhanger I figure there will be a sequel?

[Authora97]

6318309 Pretty much.

[tsaukpaetra]

6318309 well we've seen how her life ended, and where it began, there's some things that happen in between....

[tsaukpaetra]

It's the dude! Oh my gosh! Puzzle pieces!
Well this is going to get... difficult....
Keep going! ;)