Four Walls

by Pokey the Unicorn

Back to the beginning

I have the dream again last night. I'm back in the field, but Twilight is with me this time. We run together, laughing at nothing in particular. When I look over I can see her so clearly, but when I look around I see that we're alone. She's replaced the faceless ponies. We stand facing each other, and I ask her my name. She says that she's going to tell me what it is... but she doesn't. The conversation just plays over and over again. It never reaches the point I need to hear so badly. It's like the answer is there but it's hanging just outside my reach.

Then I see Twilight is sitting on a cloud. She's-

I'm woken up suddenly by a thunk on the door.

"Morning Two-four-nine! Breakfast!"

Food flies in through the porthole, and I leap out of bed. Dodging a glass of juice I run over, leaning down to look through the hole. There's a blue unicorn on the other side, horn aglow. He notices me, and flashes a quick grin.

"Hello there."

"Did you say breakfast? Morning time?"

"Yes. I was told that you requested a daily schedule. Right now is 9:30 AM. That there is breakfast" he says, nodding towards it.

I thank him, looking back at my food. As soon as I look away he quickly shuts the porthole. Cheeky mule.

I turn around and yawn at my breakfast, looking at-wow. My huge breakfast. There's a big glass of orange juice, a bowl of oats with raisins and soymilk... maybe dairy milk? I can't tell. There's a thick-cut slice of toast with an egg on top as well. They've really given me the works this morning, the tray is full! I take a sip of juice, then speed through my morning routine as quick as I can. The toast is steaming, so I decide to start with the oats. They're much tastier than they look, and the juicy raisins are delicious. I have some trouble with the toast though. The yolk dribbles down my chin the first few times I bite into the egg, and when I try to be careful I end up dipping my nose into it.

I finish up by placing the tray against the wall. With nothing to do, my mind wanders. There are so many things to think about. Just who is Twilight? Is she some kind of therapist? Is she a friend? Did I dream about her for a reason? Why did I dream about her sitting on a cloud? "The doctors warned me not to tell you too much. You have to remember it yourself." Too much about what? How much does she know about me if she doesn't know my name? And then there's this other visitor she's bringing today. Another therapist? Another friend? I'm nervous about it, even though part of me tells me that there's no need to be. It obviously knows more than I do, but it won't tell me. How the hay am I supposed to remember anything? Where do I start? Twilight is supposed to be helping me, but so far all she's told me is that I have to remember myself. Great help there.

Then there's my wings. How could I fail to notice them? How could I forget that I'm a pegasus? It seems so ludicrous now. Ever since Twilight left yesterday I've been paying attention to them. I notice them while I eat, while I move, even while I read. They're amazingly sensitive, and every time I move them a whirlwind of information floods my brain. Wind speed, pitch, balance, objects around me, I could run with my eyes closed. There's not enough room to fly in here, but I can hover just fine. I tried it yesterday after Twilight left. One strong stroke and I was in the air, and gentle beats kept me aloft easily. I had to balance with my legs though, and I didn't have the guts to go higher for fear of swerving into a wall. I tried hovering from one side of the room to the other, "walking" just above the floor slowly, but I had a lot of trouble with it. Trying to inch forward carefully would result in my face hitting the floor, and using my body didn't work either. Leaning forward made little difference, and though jerking my weight forward did result in a small amount of movement, I'm fairly certain that a lurching, jerky "gait" is not how pegasi are supposed to fly.

This only served to compound my growing worry. What if I'm a bad flyer? What if I forgot how to do that too? Are ponies going to be expecting me to fly well? What if I can't fly at all?? What I really just need to do is get out of this cell, out into an open space so I have plenty of room, somewhere that's not cramped and shut in, not closed off, not-

Stop. Deep breaths, like Twilight said. Close my eyes, relax. I should be happy. I have a day schedule now, I got a great breakfast, I managed to see through the porthole, and I have Twilight. She probably is a friend. I'm not alone anymore, I'm not a criminal. Everything is going well so far, so I just need to stop worrying and trust that things are going to turn out okay.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a sudden noise. There are voices on the other side of the door. Fumbling, a couple of clanks, and a groan. I walk over to the door to listen, and get cut off by a bright flash right in front of me.

"Yaah!"

I scramble backwards, looking at... Twilight? Apparently she can teleport.

"Good morning Two-four-nine. I apologize for our tardiness, but it was out of my control. Now, first things first! I spoke to the guards about a schedule. The first one just blew me off, but the second one was much more pleasant. He agreed to accommodate your request."

"Uh, hi..." I start, caught off guard by her entrance. "Thanks, yeah! They did it this morning."

Then the door finally opens. "Remember how I said that I'd bring a visitor?" She asks. "Yeah..." I reply cautiously.

I look towards the door, and... a cardboard box floats in??

"My visitor is a box?!"

"No, no!" Twilight exclaims, setting the box down beside her. "That's your visitor."

I look. There's a mare peeking around the door. Her gaze falls on me, and she walks in slowly. She's carrying a paper bag in her mouth, which she sets down in front of me, then sits down.

"Hello" I say to her. A few seconds pass as she blinks at me, then turns to Twilight.

"She doesn't remember me yet?" Twilight just shakes her head. The mare looks disappointed by this.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie" she says. "Do you remember anything about me at all?"

--"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this surprise party just for you! Were you surprised, were you? Huh? Huh? Huh?"--

"Not really, sorry. Hi though! I'm... well, everypony calls me Two-four-nine" I reply.

"Two-four-nine? What kind of name is that?!"

"Pinkie Pie is friends with every pony in Ponyville." Twilight explains. "She somehow manages to remember everything about all of us, and when she heard what happened to you, she insisted on coming in to see you."

I smile at this new mare. "Thanks Pinkie Pie! What happened to me?" I ask quickly.

"What happened? You were-ampphh!!" Pinkie is cut off mid-sentence by Twilight, who's gagged her with her magic. Wow, thanks Twilight.

"Pinkie no! Remember what I told you? You promised not to tell her anything!" The unicorn then reels Pinkie Pie in and glares at her. Pinkie slumps a little, does a few motions with her hooves, then jabs one into her eye. Looking satisfied, Twilight releases her.

"I don't get it Twilight. How is she supposed to remember if we don't tell her anything?"

"Yeah! I can't remember this stuff on my own!" I add. This "don't tell" routine is getting annoying.

Twilight groans. "Pinkie, don't you have a gift for Two-four-nine?"

"Ooh! Yes, I totally forgot about the gift!" Pinkie squeals, perking up considerably. She noses the paper bag towards me, hopping up and down excitedly. "I baked it especially for you! That's why we were late today, I had to make sure it was absolutely totally perfect and yummy!"

I open the bag and pull out the paper tray inside. There's some kind of cake on it.

"It's a muffin!" She cheers. "I baked it just today, extra carefully just for you! It's my own special recipe: double chocolate fudge with chocolate chips and banana bits! It was going to be a cupcake, but silly Mrs. Cake left all the dishes for me to do this morning and I did lots and lots of baking yesterday so there were no clean cupcake molds left, and it had to be perfect so I used a muffin tin instead. It's almost exactly the same thing except for the different shape, but it's still cake-shaped and I even put icing on top! I hope it's still warm, eat it quickly before it cools down!"

I blink at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds while I try to process all that. "So... it's a chocolate muffin? Specially for me?" I ask her. She nods rapidly.

"Uh huh!"

"Wow, thanks Pinkie Pie! It looks amazing!" A muffin just for me, how sweet of her. It does look pretty good. I pick it up and take a bite.

Oh.

Oh wow. This is... this is heavenly. The muffin is still warm, and a little bit of steam billows out from where I bit it. The cake is chocolatey, light and airy, and ever so moist. As I chew I find little pockets of gooey, fudgey chocolate, little hidden surprises that I roll over my tongue slowly, savoring the delicious melty chocolateyness. I take another bite, and another. Without realizing it I'm lost in my own little world with this muffin. Eyes closed, moaning my approval occasionally, I finish the amazing treat. When I open my eyes again, Twilight and Pinkie are grinning at me.

"Good?" The unicorn asks.

"Oh my yes! Pinkie Pie, that was the best thing I've ever eaten! Thank you so much!" Pinkie cheers at this, bouncing up and down happily. What a mad mare.

"Now, we have some other things for you as well. Hopefully something will refresh your memory" Twilight says. She pulls the box over with her magic and opens it. "First is the next Daring Do book!" She exclaims, virtually bombarding me with the novel, which hits me squarely in the chest. "I really think you'll like it, it's..." I take a look at it, but she pulls it out of my hooves and puts it in my box. "No, no, read it later, I don't want to get carried away. No distractions!" I thank her, and she pulls out another object. It's a big sheet of paper, which she unrolls and sticks to the wall above my bed.

"A Wonderbolts poster! It'll definitely brighten up your room!" I look at it. It's a bright poster with oranges and blues everywhere, and a team of pegasi in blue uniforms posing heroically.

"Wow, it's great! Thanks Twilight!" I tell her.

"Now I'm not a pegasus, so I don't really understand this stuff, but a friend told me that the Wonderbolts are the best fliers in Equestria, and they can inspire any pegasus" she explains. I do feel kinda inspired actually.

"Next item is a manebrush!" Twilight pauses, then holds out a hoof. "It's from one of my friends. When she thought about how messy your mane must be she nearly fainted, and insisted that I give this to you." A manebrush? Sounds like an alright idea. There are a few knots in my mane, it'll be nice to get rid of them. "Thanks" I say, accepting the floating brush with my hooves. "The last item is an item of news" Twilight continues, sounding quite excited. "I spoke to the doctor, and he said that you can be released on Thursday!"

"Really? How many days is that?" I ask. I've forgotten which day it is.

"Today's Tuesday silly!" Pinkie Pie! I forgot all about her!

"So that's two days! Only two days!" I cheer, jumping for joy. I'm getting out of here in two days! I almost can't believe it, I get to walk out of here. I'll get to see the world outside, go get my life back, go see my friends and family, fly around. I tackle Twilight, giving her a giant hug. "Thank you thank you!"

"Eek! You're welcome -gllk- Two-four-nine." She says. I hear Pinkie Pie whimper, so I turn to look at her.

"Aww, no hug for me?" She whines. Her face wears the most adorable, big-eyed pout I've ever seen. I haven't upset her have I? Oh no... "Of course you get a hug Pinkie Pie!" I exclaim, throwing my forelegs around her and squeezing tightly. She snuggles into me, giggling to herself. "Hee hee hee, you're getting out in two days -gllk- Two-four-nine! This calls for a party!" She starts bouncing up and down with me still hugging her. When I let her go, she just stands there for a few seconds, beaming at me and Twilight.

"A what?? Pinkie, a party? Here? I'm not sure if-" Twilight sounds oddly worried for some reason. She's too late though. Pinkie Pie transforms into a pink blur somehow, then starts flitting around the room at an impossible pace. Streamers appear out of nowhere, confetti flies, party favors sound from every direction, knocks knock, thuds thud, and a table clatters onto the floor, appearing out of nowhere. Pinkie Pie reappears beside me, barely able to contain her excitement. I'm barely able to contain my bottom jaw. How is she doing this?! There are streamers and decorations strung to the walls, balloons of every color flying around, and a table?! Where the hay did that even come from?!

I'm about to ask her all of this when she reaches behind herself and pulls out... a cannon. A real, life-size cannon. "Let's get this party started!" Pinkie Pie screams. Leaping into the air, she fires the cannon at the table. Oh Celestia, she's going to blow a hole in the wall. I wanted a way out of here, but not like this! I'm expecting an explosion, but when the cannon fires, there's... a honking noise. A honking noise. A cannon that... honks. A tablecloth appears in a burst of confetti and streamers, flying onto the table and setting itself perfectly. Then a gramophone lands on top of it, then a bowl of sloshing punch, then a platter of snacks, then a baby alligator. A real one. At least, I think it's alive. Judging by its blank eyes it's about as traumatized as I am right now.

"Look -gllk- Two-four-nine! Gummy came too! He felt really sad when he heard about what happened to you, so I brought him along." She explains, then lowers her voice and leans in close. "I had to sneak him in though, so don't tell anypony, okay?" She winks at me.

"Um, sure, I won't tell. Pinkie Pie, how did you do all that? It's impossible!" Pinkie opens her mouth wide and takes a deep breath like she's going to start talking really fast, but Twilight cuts her off.

"No no! Wait Pinkie, Let me. Listen -gllk- Two-four-nine, it's better if you don't think about it too much. Pinkie does a lot of crazy impossible things that nopony can explain. Believe me, I've tried." I decide to just nod and smile politely, accepting this explanation. "Okay. Can we have a party now please?" I ask, looking at Pinkie Pie.

"We sure can!" Pinkie cheers. She then stops for a second, tapping her chin with her hoof. "Hmm, what should we call this one? ... I know! This is a 'We're celebrating because -gllk- Two-four-nine is getting out of here in two days' party!" She caps this off by blowing a party favor at Twilight, who jumps a good five feet into the air.

"Aah! Pinkie!" Twilight yells, but Pinkie just giggles mischievously.

"Let me show you what we've got Two-four-nine!" She exclaims, starting up the gramophone. A party track plays on it. "This is my famous berry punch! And this is my famous snack platter! And these are my famous cupcakes! And this is Gummy! Say hi, Gummy!"

"Is Gummy famous too?" I ask. Pinkie Pie gives me a confused look.

"Huh? Gummy? Gummy isn't famous, silly! He's my pet alligator! Don't you remember him?"

"Nope. Hi Gummy!" I say, leaning in and smiling at the cute little thing. It stares at me blankly for a second, then lunges forward and bites my muzzle with its "cute little" jaws. Understandably, I panic. My wings flare out, and I backpedal wildly, thrashing and shaking my head. I grab the crazy beast and try to pry its jaws open, but it won't budge. Pinkie Pie is jumping around after me saying something that sounds like "stop" or "wait" but I'm not listening. I run around the table a few times trying to think what I should do when I hear Twilight groan in exasperation. I'm lifted off the floor by something, and Gummy slides off my muzzle with a wet pop. Twilight walks up to me looking very annoyed, puts me back down, and flings Gummy at the table. The thing bounces, then flips onto its feet. I'm still screaming though, freaked out by what just happened. I'm so shocked that I can't feel any pain in my muzzle, which I'm checking with my hooves for puncture wounds.

"Hey, calm down! -gllk- Two-four-nine! Calm down! It's okay! You're fine!" Twilight is trying to get my attention. Then Pinkie Pie tackles me to the floor. She grins at me.

"You're supposed to be enjoying your party silly! I'm sorry that Gummy had to be so rude, but you're fine, so calm down okay?" I'm still confused though, so she explains. She explains coherently, to my surprise.

"Gummy has no teeth! That's why I call him Gummy!" She steps aside and helps me up, then pulls a cloth from behind herself and cleans the drool off my muzzle with it.

"So... I'm not bleeding?" I ask. Pinkie Pie shakes her head.

"You're not mad are you?" She sounds surprisingly concerned.

"Mad?! Are you kidding?! Look at all this stuff! This is the most fun I've had in... forever! How could I be mad?" I exclaim, grinning at Pinkie Pie. I've never seen my room look like this before. Everything is so bright and colorful and... alive.

So I have my first party. Pinkie Pie and I jump right in, and Twilight gives up eventually and joins in too. She even manages to get Pinkie Pie back for the scare with the party favor. I'm having so much fun that I lose track of time. I eat the snacks, try the punch, avoid Gummy, watch Pinkie Pie dance, watch Twilight have some kind of seizure... I'm not sure what she's doing there actually... Pinkie Pie insists that I dance with her, dragging me onto the 'dancefloor' before I can respond. The music is fast-paced and energetic, and I do my best to keep up with her.

"Hey! HEY!" Knock knock. "HEY!"

The music cuts out instantly as we all turn to the door. The guard is leaning in, trying to get our attention.

"I hate to break up the fun ladies, but visiting hours are over. I'll give you another ten minutes to finish up, okay?"

"Alright, thank you" Twilight replies. Pinkie Pie grumbles at this news, seeming put out. I sling a foreleg around her.

"Pinkie Pie, that was the most fun I've ever had. Thank you." I say, smiling warmly. "Listen, I don't know if we're good friends or not, but I'd love to hang out with you once I get out. You're a blast!" Pinkie Pie's face lights up at this, and she starts bouncing happily.

"Oh my gosh, -gllk- Two-four-nine, that'd be great!" She cheers.

I finally reach breaking point. There it is again. I've been trying to ignore it, but it's really starting to get to me now. -gllk- That little sound that catches in the throat whenever Pinkie Pie almost says my name, but stops herself and uses Two-four-nine instead. I'm sick of it. It's not my name, it's a label. Some code you'd use for a blank, lifeless object. The worst part is that Twilight has been doing it too. She lied to me. She's known my name the entire time. I should have guessed when she first denied it.

"Please, stop it. Stop calling me that."

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie asks, confused by my sudden mood swing. "What's wrong Two-four-nine?"

"Two-four-nine, you know that we can't tell you your name, and we have to call you something." Twilight adds.

"Stop calling me that! It's not my name! Just stop it! All I want is my name! Why can't you just tell me!?" I'm trying to keep my voice under control. Pinkie Pie has been nothing but sweet to me, she doesn't deserve me screaming at her. Twilight though... I round on her, glaring.

"You lied to me." She draws back, looking shocked. "You lied to me! You knew my name the entire time when you said that you didn't. You've been keeping it from me and I want you to stop! Why are you keeping it from me? Just tell me! It can't hurt, can it? I just want to know. Y-you're supposed to help me..." I realize that I'm crying. My emotions sneak up on me like a tidal wave. I feel trapped. Hopeless. The answers are right in front of me, and no amount of asking, begging, pleading, or demanding is going to get me them. I want to thrash and kick and scream, break out and fly away...

"Hey, we were having so much fun. Don't cry now..." Pinkie Pie walks over and embraces me, and I accept it gratefully. I let out my tears, sobbing into her mane.

"I just don't know what to do..."

"I'm sorry that it has to be like this." Twilight begins. "I can't imagine how awful it must be for you, but I'm going to help you fix it, okay? Tomorrow is your last day, so I'm going to bring in a few Pegasi. I've got high hopes for those two, and I think you'll definitely get some of your memory back once you meet them." Twilight gives me an encouraging smile.

"Well, I have been getting a few flashes." I say. ""Nothing specific, just little things. I don't think they mean anything though."

"Really?! That's excellent!" Twilight exclaims. "Just give it time, okay? This can't be rushed, and finding your memories is just as important as having them." She nuzzles me gently, then looks at Pinkie Pie.

"We have to go now. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?" I nod, trying to smile at her.

"I hope you enjoyed the party! I'll see you on Thursday, okay? Bye!!" "Pinkie Pie follows Twilight out the door, and it shuts behind them.

Four walls, some gifts, and a blank mare. I sit in the middle of the room, wiping away my tears. Somehow, I feel more lonely than ever.

Comments

[Pokey the Unicorn]

Third chapter is finally up! Sorry it took so long guys. I really dragged my hooves on this one, but I think it turned out really well. Bon appetit!

You might notice that there's a romance tag now. Yes, I changed it. I originally intended to keep it a secret, but meh. More stuff to guess, right?

Tell me what you think! I'd really appreciate reviews and constructive criticism ect. Tell a friend about this story, spread it around, stuff like that.

Thanks everypony!

[DianaWinters]

She's bad at flying but she isn't Fluttershy, cause of "I'm sorry that it has to be like this." Twilight begins. "I can't imagine how awful it must be for you, but I'm going to help you fix it, okay? Tomorrow is your last day, so I'm going to bring in a few Pegasi. I've got high hopes for those two, and I think you'll definitely get some of your memory back once you meet them." Twilight gives me an encouraging smile. So it's ? Or maybe Derpy...

[Fusion Fool the 3rd]

Muffin? Grey Body? Pegasus? I dare say we have a wall-eyed pegasus in the nut house, dood.

In short, it's totally Spike in there, dood.

[xTSGx]

She likes muffins, does she? Mmh, a deliberate hint, or a red herring?

[flyingcloudcakes]

Hm. The muffins were thrown in there to make us think Derpy, the poster is in there to make us think Dashie, it can't be Flutters because that would be mean... Scootaloo with some weird coat-color-drain thingy? An OC? I know one thing, you're keeping us on our toes-- er, hooves. Nice chapter I enjoyed the Pinkie party.

[ElementOfKindness]

A very good job of giving 'hints' without actually revealing... anything.

[Ledomare]

HNNNNNNGGGG, so ambiguous. I'm still betting on Derpy, though. Just because.

[Princess-luuna]

Ahhhh I can't wait to figure out who it is for sure!!!!! I have my ideas but I need to know._. Anyway I LOVE your story hopefully the pegasai brought in tomorrow will clear things up some what.

[Wyvern713]

Suspecting Derpy, read the muffin part, it's ! then read the mention of Daring Do and the Wonderbolts and thought must be Dashie but then I remembered that mystery pony is gray, ergo: DERPY!

[BlackWindinSocks]

Another well written chapter, as always. Now I'm trying to keep an open mind about the possibilities but all of the clues and foreshadowing point to Derpy . Though you could probably throw a curve ball at us. Anyway keep up the great work.

[Alien Entity]

"It's a muffin!"

me: IT'S DERPY!

[Bronzedragon]

Derpy. He says with his neck stuck out a mile. Why? You ask.
Pro.
Coat color. Gray
Variety. Pegasus
Known likes. Muffins
Verbal clue. "I just don't know what to do..." ( I just don't know what went wrong.) ????????
Other indications known to be involved in many crashes, could cause amnesia.
Con.
No mention of vision problems
OK. Neck stuck out, eyes closed, chop away.
“ For behold the tortoise, who makes no progress unless he sticks his neck out.”

[Erebos]

1044264Nahhh its

[Pokey the Unicorn]

1045678 "Verbal clue. "I just don't know what to do..." ( I just don't know what went wrong.) ????????"

:) Well spotted.

[Shader]

Can it be Ditzy with a grey mane? She's blond.

[plotdotgif]

Eyup. It's Derpy. The muffin completely gave it away.

[Evilpresident]

I'm thinking Blossomforth. And I based my choice on absolutely no evidence

But seriously, you portray mystery pony's distress and confusion very well. I've enjoyed reading this so far and hope for a new chapter

[CommanderX5]

Ok, it is Derpy or RainbowDash, still.

Why wont Twilight just tell him real name, I know it is so that we who read it will need to quess, but come on, Twilight and PiniePie from the show would never hide a true name from pony they try to help just because doctor said that they should not, PinkiePie should break right away and tell her her name the moment she started to cry, there is no way Pinkie would ressist crying.

And I personaly see no sense in not telling true name to a person who lost memory, never hear of this rule too.

[James Rye]

Money´s on Derpy.

And i did thought it would be Pinkie to visit to throw a party for 249.^^
Guess tomorrow it´s Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, right?

But i would have prefered if you describe it a bit more, for example you could write how the pegasi likes how different and nice Twi smells compared to her blank room or this turn how Pinkie smells/feels different from Twilight both in person and look and such.