Previous Chapters
Close
Dropping In2,668 words
Not Thinking Clearly2,068 words

Not Thinking Clearly

“Here, this will help with your headache.” Limestone offered the stranger a mug of tea. “Sip it slowly.”

“Thanks.” He took the mug gratefully, and held it tightly between his front hooves as a drank. He seemed to appreciate the warmth.

“You were outside in the cold for a while, weren’t you?” asked Limestone.

“Yeah, I must have been.” He did not sound at all certain.

“Does it hurt anywhere, besides your head?” Limestone was still worried she hadn’t found and tended to all of his injuries.

“Actually, I ache all over.” He took another sip of tea. “But I don’t think it’s from the crash. It feels more like the end of a long day. You know, that good ache from a hard day’s work? Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I am familiar with that feeling,” said Limestone. It was a bit of an understatement. “You’re sore, but it’s because you earned it. It’s satisfying.”

“Yeah,” agreed the stranger. “I just wish I knew what I’ve done to deserve it.”

“So you don’t remember anything at all?”

The stranger began to shake his head, then stopped himself when it hurt. “Nothing comes to me.”

“You still had your memories before you came to. You were talking in your sleep,” said Limestone. “Do you remember any of that?”

He chuckled. “The last thing I remember was the pretty mare whispering in my ear.”

Limestone glared at him. “Don’t start in with that. I don’t want to hear about this dream mare of yours!”

“Are you sure?” He grinned. “Actually, except for her purple coat she looked a lot like you, Blinky.”

“I have warned you already not to be fresh with me,” snapped Limestone. Of course his dream mare is purple, she thought, just like his mare friend from the photo. But...wait… “You think I’m pretty?”

“I cannot answer that honestly without sounding fresh.” His grin broadened. Then he winced, as it actually hurt a bit. His smile soon returned, however, though a little more faintly. “I do hope you won’t take offense, as I cannot formally deny it.”

Limestone ran hoof through her mane. She was grateful the room did not have a mirror, otherwise she was afraid she would start preening. Stop it, Girl! She ordered herself. You’re acting like a school filly. You’ve never let a stallion turn you head like this before.

Of course she had never met a stallion like this before.

“I honestly can say, without fear of contradiction, that you are the prettiest mare I remember meeting, Blinky.”

“Very funny.” Despite her sarcastic response Limestone checked her mane again. And the little voice in her head cried out, The mare in the photo, he doesn’t remember her! She should have regretted this as soon as the thought popped into her head, but she didn’t. Instead it filled her with hope.

Marble Pie galloped along a narrow path through dense forest. The trees provided the first cover she’d had since leaving their farmhouse, and it felt wonderful to be out of the terrible wind. Better still, the woods were the last leg of her run to the train station. She was going to make it in time to meet the train and flag them down. She would succeed in her mission.

Marble smiled faintly.

Something huge swooped down on her, tackling her and pinning her down with her back against the ground. It stood over her, it’s sharp talons gripping her by the shoulders, and completely covered her. It brought it’s face so close to hers that it’s beak poked her on the snout. That stung!

All Marble could see was a pair of wild eyes, framed by black feathers. There was nothing else in her field of view.

Her attacker screamed in Marble’s face. “Why did you ambush us?! Who are you working for?! Is it the Yaks?! Griffonstone?! The Saddle Arabians?! Where are the rest of you?! Who sent you?!”

“Wahhhhhhhh!!!” wailed Marble.

“Would you be more comfortable in a proper bed?” asked Limestone. “My folk’s bedroom is just down the hall.”

“I’m very cozy right here,” said the stranger. He carefully turned his head towards the fire, enjoying the heat on his face. “Um, where is ‘right here,’ anyway?"

“You’re at the Pie Family rock farm.”

“Rock farm?”

Limestone frowned. She did not feel like explaining the details of petriculture just that moment; it irritated her that most ponies had to ask. “We likely aren’t on any map you might have seen. Holder Station might be, if the map’s detailed enough. The nearest town is Ponyville.”

“Ponyville?” He closed his eyes, and seemed to be trying to remember something, then repeated it. “Ponyville.”

“Ponyville does seem to be important to you,” said Limestone. “You called out a couple of times that you needed to get there. You had to make it on time for ‘the last hand off.’”

“Hand off?” mused the stranger. “I was in relay race?”

“Try to remember. You also said, ‘Then on to Manehattan, and home in time for Hearts and Hooves Day.’” Limestone almost cringed when she said this. Shut up, just shut up! That holiday is the last thing you want to remind him of!

“Huh.” He took another sip from his mug, then closed his eyes and settled back with a sigh. The tea seemed to be doing it’s job of soothing his headache. “I can’t recall having any special plans for Hearts and Hooves Day.”

“That’s too bad,” said Limestone, hoping her relief didn’t show. Now change the subject. “If you have anypony waiting to meet you in Ponyville we’ll get word to them soon. In a couple of hours if my sister can catch the train, in the morning if she can’t.”

“Your sister went out in this storm?”

“One us had to, she won the argument.” Limestone hung her head. It still hurt to have Marble out there.

“Why are we even having this storm, anyway?” The stranger frowned, possibly unsure why he found this puzzling. “Did something go wrong at Weather Control?”

Limestone shook her head. “We’re very close to the Everfree Forest. Freak storms rise out of there, and it’s too dangerous to bust them up. It’s better to let them burn themselves out. The worst part of them gets diverted around population centers like Ponyville. Out here we count on them to fill the watershed, so normally we’re happy to have the storm.” They also normally had a working pump to keep the quarry from flooding, but Limestone didn’t feel it was necessary to burden the stranger with that detail.

“It’s that remote here?”

Limestone nodded. Then she snapped, “And I’m painfully aware that I’ve admitted to being a mare all alone with you, with no help near-by. I hope you’ll behave yourself anyway.”

“Absolutely,” he declared. “I am an office and a gentlecolt, or at least it feels like I might be. Even if I’m not, I intend to conduct myself honorably just to be on the safe side.”

“That’s good of you.”

“The safe side would be on your good side. I’m pretty sure you can take me.”

Limestone laughed. She couldn’t remember the last time a stallion had made her laugh. Had a stallion ever made her laugh? “You also mentioned a pair of names while you slept. Who is Gus?”

He shrugged. “I feel as if I should know, but I don’t. What’s the other name?"

Limestone hesitated. The other name was ‘Frazzle,’ the name written on the back of the photo. Finally, she answered. “I don’t know, I didn’t quite catch it.”

Marble’s attacker jumped off her and backed away, actually recoiling from her hysterics.

“Stop that! Stop it, stop crying! You’re confusing me! You’re not acting like a soldier at all!”

“Wahhhh!” Marble carried on with renewed fervor.

“You aren’t a soldier at all, are you? You certainly aren’t any sort of assassin.”

“Hmm-mmm,” Marble managed to respond.

She blinked her eyes to clear the tears and got her first real look at her attacker. He was a griffon. His blue overalls were even more in tatters than those of the bat pony the sisters had rescued. Except for his face and wings his plumage was apparently orange. Bright orange. Marble could see it despite the darkness.

“You’re just a slip of a filly,” he told Marble.

“Hmm,” she answered. Even through her panic she was a bit insulted to be dismissed as just a filly.

He began to pace in a circle, waving his wings wildly as if gesturing with them. He shook his head vigorously, then stopped himself. He staggered a bit, as if it made him dizzy. “You didn’t attack us. Were we attacked at all? Could it have just been bad weather?”

“Hmm?” Marble did not feel she should comment.

“I think I may not be thinking very clearly.”

“Hmm.” Marble agreed with the griffon completely, but he felt it was best to remain non-committal. She didn’t want to upset him.

The griffon went to Marble and offered her a talon. “Here, let me help you up. My name’s Gus, by the way.”

“Let me show you something,” said Limestone. She retrieved the stranger’s coveralls and brought them to him.

“My flight suit!” The bat pony seemed stricken. “Wow, I really did a number on it!”

“Mother and I can repair it. It will never be as good as new, but you should be surprised.”

“Thank you.” He reached out and poked a hoof tip through one of the holes in the garment. “I still hope I’m issued a new one.”

“I don’t recognize the design,” said Limestone. “You aren’t a Wonderbolt, are you?”

“No, Ma’am!” declared the bat pony. “Turquoise Angels, and proud of it, thank you very much!”

Limestone raised an eyebrow quizzically at his reaction. “Turquoise Angels? Where are they based?”

“The Equestrian Flight Academy at Mustang Springs. That’s in Colorodeo Territory.”

“Good. What else do you remember?”

“Remember? But I don’t…” He began to sputter from confusion. “How did I..? Hey! Blinky, are you laughing at me?”

Limestone couldn’t hide her grin any longer. “No, I’m not laughing at you. I’m just very pleased that I figured it out.”

“What are you talking about? What just happened?”

“That was a knee jerk reaction, you answered automatically,” explained Limestone. “I have a feeling you may have had to explain that you aren’t a Wonderbolt a time or two.”

He shrugged, then answered sheepishly, “I get asked that a lot. When you’re number two you have to try harder."

Limestone nodded. “The good news is you still have all your memories. You just can’t get at them properly. If I can trick you into answering without thinking then things should start trickling back to you.”

“Oh.” He sounded impressed. “That’s very clever. But how do you do that?”

“I have a plan,” was all Limestone said. Maybe, if I ask enough stupid questions he’ll start correcting me automatically. Unfortunately, I’m not the family member best suited for asking a lot of stupid questions. It would be difficult, but Limestone was afraid she would have to try and think like her sister Pinkie.

She pointed to you flight suit. “On the front, there on the right, it says ‘Skipper.’ Is that your rank?”

He actually laughed. “No, I’m a cadet. We don’t use the rank ‘Skipper.’ Normally, that’s where they put the embarrassing nickname a flier picks up during basic training, but I never got a one. I guess everypony thought my real name was embarrassing enough, especially for a little pretty boy like me.”

“Your name is Skipper?”

“Yes, that’s me… Wow!” He gasped. He stared at Limestone in utter amazement before going on. “My name is Skipper. Star Skipper.”

Limestone beamed at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Skipper."

“The pleasure is all mine, Blinky.”

563 views

Previous Chapters