Chapter 1 - Awakening In A New World

Prologue:

Okay, it sounds pretty crazy when you write fan fiction as a fictional character. But what if I told you that I didn't know before that I was a product of someone else's fantasy?

Ever since I appeared one night in Equestria in the Everfree Forest, the question of my origin has been on my mind. But the answer was to be found far away from fantasy, where my story was finally written down: My name is Rico Heartstrings and I am a pony from earth.

"Hey! Can you hear me?"

The voice became louder.

"Hello ho?"

I came to consciousness and turned my gaze to a being that stood before me in the darkness. After a moment I could see the being more clearly in the moonlight. It had a large head, green eyes and white-blue hair. On its left ear it had the blossom of a flower. I didn't know exactly what it was, but it resembled a horse. A colored horse.

"Thank Celestia you're awake!"

I recoiled in horror when the horse started talking to me.

"Who are you?" I asked in a panic.

"Did I scare you? I'm sorry. My name is Levita Dream. What's yours?"

"I... I don't know." I replied.

I started to get nervous inside because I noticed that something was wrong with my head. It hurt and was wrapped in a bandage, which the friendly horse named Levita examined directly.

"Oh dear, poor you! You must have had an accident and now you don't remember who you are. Were you attacked by a Timberwolf? Are you alone? Who put that bandage on you? Are you from Ponyville... or maybe Cloudsdale?"

Levita asked me dozens of questions, but I didn't know what she was talking about. I was completely overwhelmed by the situation, but I didn't want to panic, so I asked her carefully what she meant.

"Cloud...what?" I asked, confused.

"Because you're a Pegasus pony, silly. Just like me!" Levita answered me.

"Pegasus Pony"? No, I'm a..."

At that moment I looked down at myself. I was completely covered in mint green fur and I had hooves. On the sides of my shoulders were two wings folded together and a green strand of hair was hanging in my face, which was probably my mane. As I panicked and tried to grasp the situation, I turned around and discovered a tail hanging from the back of my body, shining purple in the moonlight.

"What am I? How am I...? What's going on here? Where... where am I?" I stammered desperately.

"Hey, now, just take it easy, will you? Apparently, you got hit harder than I thought. You are here in Everfree Forest, not far from Ponyville. Come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe. Can you walk?"

I tried to collect myself and tried to stand up, which was a very shaky business. My legs were shaking, but the Pegasus pony helped me so I could stand stable. Apparently this Pegasus pony called Levita was friendly and tried to help me. So I trusted her, tried to pull myself together and not lose my temper. Maybe she could help me understand what was happening around me...or had just happened.

At least she had already answered me what kind of being I was. A Pegasus pony...and apparently Levita was one, too. At that moment I remembered the appearance of a Pegasus, but I actually bore little resemblance to the winged horses I knew from Greek mythology. I was much smaller and my wings were much too small. This probably had to do with the pony thing, since ponies are generally smaller than normal horses. My thoughts were interrupted by Levita.

"Are you lost?" she asked anxiously.

My head started to work and I tried to remember. I did not know what to answer. Then the panic in me rose up again and it ran down my back in a freezing cold when I noticed a huge hole in my mind. I could not remember where I came from. This feeling frightened me and without me wanting it, I burst into tears of desperation.

"Help me! I can't remember!" I cried.

"Seriously now?" Levita looked at me worried.

"I do not know where I come from. It's as if everything is gone!"

I didn't want to react like that, but I was just too desperate. Levita noticed my condition and hugged me with her hooves and sat down next to me on the grass.

"Just stay calm. We'll leave this place first and then we'll see what's going on with you. What's wrong with your head?"

While I was still struggling with my nerves, I grabbed my head in bewilderment and felt the bandage. I had apparently hurt my head. Levita smiled at me reassuringly.

"You seem to have fallen on your head and now you don't know where you are. Classic amnesia. Don't worry about it now. We'll figure it out. Follow me."

I agreed with Levita and so they both left the forest for a small settlement she told me about. She was probably right that now it would be best not to worry too much. So I tried to concentrate on staying calm and wait for my memories to return with Levita's help. But even when I had amnesia, I still wondered where the bandage came from. I mean, someone must have treated me after my accident. But apart from Levita and me, there was no one around. The moon shone brightly over the forest. But there was something special about it: the craters on it formed a motif that looked like a unicorn to me.

After a few minutes we came to a clearing that led out of the forest. I looked at a large landscape and the top of a high but distant mountain glittered in the moonlight. Further down in the field I could see the outlines of small houses. We had apparently arrived at the small village that Levita had mentioned. As we approached the village, Levita kept asking me how I felt. Personally, I was totally out of it, everything else seemed to have been erased from my mind, I no longer recognized my surroundings. But I tried not to think about it too much. Levita seemed to know exactly how she could help me. Then we both arrived at a house that I had never seen before. Thanks to the moonlight, I was able to get a good view of the building from outside. It looked like a...half-timbered house. That is what I remembered. The only difference was that the house was painted in yellow and the supporting beams in the masonry were painted in a matching pink. The walls were made of wood. For me it was strange that a pony lived in a house and not in a stable. But maybe I don't remember that either. I should try not to ask myself too many questions, surely everything will clear up.

When we were in the house, Levita took me to the upper floor of the house and insisted on sleeping in her bed. She said she would sleep downstairs in the living room. I got into bed and Levita gave me a cup of tea to help me sleep. Then she blew out the lights in the candle lamp that hung over the bed and disappeared downstairs. Although I had a lot of questions going through my mind, I tried to stay calm and get some sleep. Tomorrow the world would surely look very different.

When the warm rays of sunshine woke me up the next day and I looked around the bed I realized that I still did not know how I could end up here in this strange world. But before I panicked again, I looked around in the room I was lying in. It had become day by now. The walls were wooden and painted in a cream color. Most things made of fabric seemed to be self-knitted. I saw some candles hanging on the walls, probably for lighting. This room seemed to me to be remarkably simple. Neither pictures nor clocks hung here. I didn't know what time it was, but it seemed to be daylight already. Warm sunshine came through the window and I could see a blue sky with grey clouds. I wanted to have a look outside to see the surroundings. When I wanted to get up, something was wrong. I realized again that I was in the body of a pony. But on the last evening I was able to walk here without any problems, now I found it difficult to stand up straight. With every step I began to sway.

"What the? This is not normal... What's wrong with me? These...ugh...stupid hooves!" I snorted.

It seemed to me that I had never walked on four legs before. How difficult something as natural as walking can turn out to be. I probably didn't even have to think about walking because of the upset yesterday, but now that I was aware of every step...

After a few steps I had some routine. At least I only had to take care of my front legs, my back ones moved almost by themselves. Slowly I approached the window until I could take a look out. My mouth was open. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I looked at a magnificent landscape full of colors. Green trees, wide meadows and this beautiful sky! I rubbed my eyes, because I thought I was dreaming. Despite my amnesia, I was sure; I had never seen anything so wonderful before. The sun was shining brightly over the landscape. I wanted to enjoy this sight. I tried to open the window by pressing it, which worked without any problems. The feeling afterwards was indescribable. There was no wind and yet the temperature was pleasant. I sniffed the air and smelled fresh grass, numerous fruits and the flowers growing in a flower basket by the window. I didn't know how all this could be, but it was a wonderful feeling of security, freedom and freshness.

I looked down from the window and saw several houses standing next door. Although many of the houses had the same paint scheme, none of them was structurally similar, each house was unique. I discovered several paths in front of the house. And that's when I saw them: a handful of creatures with different colors and shapes: Ponies.

And again I rubbed my eyes. This could all have been just a dream, but it was reality. I was awake and there were really colorful ponies running along the paths...in all kinds of colors. Now I had to admit to myself that I was still in this strange world that I could not remember. But at least I could remember the last evening, the pony that had brought me to this house. Where was the pony now? As I looked around, I discovered a staircase at the other end of the room, which seemed to lead to the ground floor of the house.

"Stairs...great." I sighed as I slowly walked towards the stairs.

I already saw myself falling on my nose as I looked down the stairs. I climbed the first step very slowly. It was quite quiet in the house, so I didn't want to make any noise at all. I didn't want to hurt my head again and also didn't want to wake up Levita. The first step felt like I was walking down a steep hill. After all four of my hooves were on the stairs, my whole body began to tremble with tension. When I wanted to take the next step, it happened as it had to happen. I slipped off the step with one hind hoof and tumbled forward down the stairs. When I arrived at the bottom of the stairs after rolling several times, my purple tail was hanging down on my face from above, I blew it away annoyed. I was just about to get up slowly when Levita came straight out of the kitchen next door.

"HELLO THERE!" she shouted.

I rode together, jumped up and fell to the ground.

"Oh, did I scare you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I made us breakfast."

Levita was already awake and so was I now. What a welcome! My back fur had lined up like a cat. Anyway, I was awake now. I didn't want to bother Levita, but she insisted that I should regain my strength. She laughed and said that this would also improve my thinking ability. I personally thought that was really sweet of her, so I agreed to her help.

The table in the kitchen was really abundantly set. There was apple pie, pancakes with applesauce and apple juice to drink. But here a memory gap opened up again. Somehow I was not familiar with eating with my mouth off my plate. Somehow something was missing. But with the delicious selection I didn't find it that difficult. So I tried to grab a pancake from the stack with my teeth, which looked pretty funny, as Levita giggled. But after a bit of practice I got the hang of it and Levita quickly picked up the theme from last night.

"So, how are you now?" she asked me with a slightly worried look.

"I have a bit of a headache, but that could also be from the stairs. But since yesterday it has gotten better. What kind of tea was that?" I joked.

"This was an herbal tea so you could sleep soundly. So I could take a closer look at your head injury. To be honest, I was a little scared at first. I was able to treat the wounds with herbal water, but something seemed to have attacked you. I put a new bandage on your head. The way the old one was wrapped, only a unicorn could have made it. Can you remember anything?"

"No, I'm sorry. No matter how hard I try, I just don't know where I'm from... or who I am."

"Hm...then we'll just have to figure out who you are."

"Right, Levita. If I could only ask one person who knew who I was..."

"A person? Did you mean a pony?"

"Why, what did I say?"

"You said 'one person'." Levita looked at me slightly confused.

"Oh, well, at least I mean someone on earth who can help us."

"On Earth? Do you mean the ground? That's quite a lofty way to talk about the ponies here, are you sure you're not from Cloudsdale?" she laughed.

Now I was confused. Did Levita want to test my thinking skills with it or was it just a joke from her? I tried to answer carefully.

"Well, I can't remember much. But I can assure you that I know that 'Earth' is the name of this world."

"You mean Equestria?"

"This world is called Equestria?"

"Yes... uh, no. Equestria is our kingdom."

"Kingdom?"

"The Kingdom of Equestria? Protected by Princess Celestia?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I only know fragments. But it's quite possible that I knew it before."

"You really need professional help. And I know just the place to go when it comes to information."

She lost no time and set off with me after we finished breakfast. We went to a nearby library to get an overview of where I was and hopefully...what I was exactly. When we passed a market place near a bridge, grey rain clouds covered the sky. The special thing about it was that the clouds didn't move a bit. There was no wind blowing either. Somehow this sight seemed unnatural to me. How could that be?

"Levita. What's wrong with the weather?"

Levita looked up at the grey cloud cover and set up a questioning gaze.

"Hm...apparently the Pegasi want to make it rain today. I just hope that they will take their time with it..."

"The weather is controlled by Pegasi?" I asked confusedly.

"Yes, that would be really weird if the clouds were moving by themselves? Imagine it would start raining without any announcement. A pure chaos," Levita joked.

This "chaos" seemed more familiar to me at that moment than this weather. Levita noticed my doubts and said that most of my questions would surely be answered in the library again. We approached a large tree that could be seen over the roofs of the other houses.

On our way there I noticed other ponies on the road. They all looked quite different. I saw two older ponies, one blue and one yellow, coming from a big house. It looked like a gingerbread house, covered with sweets. As we walked across a large square, I saw an apple stand where two ponies were selling apples. One was apparently still very young, because it was only half as big as me.

I realised that the big tree was not ordinary. There were windows in the trunk and a small balcony hiding in the treetop, on which a telescope stood. This must have been the library Levita had spoken of. Although I found it a bit strange that not only the books but also the library itself was made out of a tree. But when we arrived, we couldn't go into the library because the door was firmly locked.

"Hm...Probably the mayor has the key. I'll ask her quickly, I'll be right back," Levita said and ran into a tall round building in the middle of the large square. Apparently it was some kind of town hall.

There I stood...alone...in the middle of a strange world. I had no idea where I came from or what exactly I was. Sure, from the outside I looked like a kind of pony. But something told me that I didn't always look like that. This body was unfamiliar. I tried not to let on anything and smiled at the ponies that passed by me. All the ponies looked at me as if they were seeing me for the first time. I was not afraid of them, but I did not dare to talk to them either.

A brown pony with raised hair, accompanied by another with red strands, caught my attention. The strange thing was that the brown one was walking around with glasses on its nose, the lenses of which were tinted red-blue. Then it looked at me. I tried not to act weird and smiled at it too. But the brown pony looked at me closely.

"Is something wrong, doctor?" asked the other one with the red streaks.

"That pony there..." muttered the brown. He put his glasses off and on again and again. As if he would see something else through it.

"Something is wrong, when I take off the glasses it is a normal pony, but when I put them on..."

"Then what do you see?"

The two noticed that I stopped and stared at them.

"Um... Nothing, Roseluck. It's probably just my imagination running riot again. Let's move on, allons-y!"

"Wait! What did you see?" I shouted after them.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here. A new arrival!"

I was totally shocked when a pink pony threw itself on me from behind and sat on my back.

"Do you know that today is a very special occasion? I'm going to throw you a welcome party and introduce you to all my friends...or you'll get to know all of Ponyville! Tonight is the summer sun celebration and every pony in town will be there! What do you say?"

"You know, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm waiting for Levita Dream."

"Levita," you say? I know her well. I know everyone here very well. Well, except you. Who are you and...what happened to your head?" the pony asked me and squeezed his eyes together.

"I... I fell off the stairs. Hehe." I said.

"From the stairs? Really?" the pony asked me in a suspicious voice.

I was totally confused. What did the pony want from me? He seemed extremely pleased that he had met me. But I still tried to act normal. After all, I first had to learn to understand this place.

"Um, yeah. Sorry, who are you?" I distracted.

"Oh, where are my manners. My real name is Pinkamena Diane Pie. But just call me Pinkie Pie, that's what everybody here in Ponyville does. What's your name?"

I tried to avoid her question. It would have been too embarrassing if it came out that I didn't even know my own name.

"Uh, Pinkie Pie?"

"Yeah?" she smiled at me as her eyes grew larger and larger.

"Would you mind getting off my back? You're a little too heavy for me."

Pinkie Pie turned all red.

"Oops, sorry. It must be unusual for you to be jumped by another pony."

"A little. Does everyone here do this as a greeting?"

"Nope, just me. Mostly when I greet new ponies or when I hadn't seen one of my friends for a long time. I will come up with something very special for your welcome party. Maybe I should introduce you to all my friends right now."

"That's real nice, Pinkie Pie. But like I said, I'm just waiting for Levita Dream. She's getting the keys for the library.

"The library? That's a great idea! There hasn't been a pony there for a long time and from the space available it would be the ideal party location! Thanks, give her my best wishes when she comes back. I have a welcome party to prepare! Yippee!"

Before I could say anything, Pinkie Pie had disappeared again. A short time later Levita came by and did not get the keys. The mayoress said that the library was closed for a special matter. I told Levita Dream about Pinkie Pie, but she hadn't seen her in the town hall. I told Levita Dream that I was unsure if I could go to a party in my current condition. She agreed with me and tried to visit Pinkie Pie with me to talk to her about the party again. And so we went to the Candy-Gingerbread house I saw earlier, which was called the Sugarcube Corner.

Just as we entered the Sugarcube Corner we noticed a big pile of party stuff. But Pinkie Pie was not to be seen.

"Hello? Is anypony there?" Levita shouted into the room.

"Hello you two! I'm just getting ready!"

That was scary. I didn’t say anything, how did she know we were two? And where was Pinkie Pie, anyway? Then we noticed that something was rummaging through the pile of party stuff.

"I have to make sure that this will be..."

With this sentence the digging stopped at a blue small cannon. As we looked curiously into the barrel, Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped out of it.

"...the biggest welcome party in a long time!"

Levita and I fell backwards in fright. We had not seen this coming.

"This will be the best welcome party in a long time! And it will be tonight. Pinkie promise," she said frantically and full of anticipation.

"Pinkie Pie, you really don't have to..." I started.

"PINKIE PROMISE!" she shouted and pushed us out of the store with the pressure of her voice. Levita and I were still on the floor and our hair stood on end as if a storm had just raged.

"See you tonight, folks!" Pinkie Pie waved to us excitedly before she threw herself back into the party stuff and disappeared.

So that was Pinkie Pie, good to know. The next time I needed something from her I knew what to expect. Next, Levita wanted to introduce me to a unicorn named Rarity. When we arrived at her house, I was already surprised by the façade. This house looked different from the other houses in Ponyville. Levita explained to me that Rarity would like to live in Canterlot, so her house was modelled on the style of the houses there. Canterlot was a town built on the edge of the highest mountain nearby. From the distance you could also see a castle from where Princess Celestia watched over Equestria.

Once upon a time, Celestia, the Princess of the Sun ruled together with her sister Luna, the Princess of the Night. Celestia was responsible for making the sun rise and set so that Luna could then ring in the night with the rising moon. Since Luna had disappeared a long time ago, Celestia took over her task until today. But I would learn more about that later, Levita said. It should also have something to do with the unicorn symbol on the moon.

When we knocked on the house, a white unicorn with a purple mane opened up on us. That must have been rarity.

"Hello, darling. Who is your good-looking companion..." she flattered me. I blushed slightly.

...oh, what happened to his head?"

"Hello, Rarity. This is...a friend of mine, he's new here in Ponyville. He..." Levita tried to find an explanation.

"I fell down the stairs when I wanted to get something to drink at night. But thanks to Levita I'm feeling much better," I said.

"Glad to hear it! Then let me introduce myself: My name is Rarity and I am the owner of the Boutique Carousel, the generous destination for all fashion-conscious ponies in Equestria. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask me."

Rarity was also very nice. She showed us around in her boutique and showed us her works. Even though I was not particularly interested in fashion, I liked her boutique very much. She used so many colors and each garment was a work of art in itself. When I asked her how much an item of clothing costs, she laughed and said that I can have whatever I want. Apparently money was not as important here as I thought. After getting to know each other and also meeting Rarity's younger sister, Sweetie Belle, Rarity said she had an important task to do today for the summer sun celebration. So we said goodbye to them and made our way to Levita's next friend.

Just as we were leaving Ponyville to the west, I saw over a landscape of apple trees.

"Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres," Levita said.

Levita told me that this plantation is the home of her friend Applejack and her family. As we walked past the first trees, We already saw two family members that I had seen before at the apple stand in the center of the village. One pony was called BigMacintosh, a big red stallion with a yellow mane. That was Applejack's big brother. He kept kicking the apple trees with his hind hooves, and masses of big apples fell down. A smaller pony with yellow fur and a red mane ran around with a basket on his head and caught the apples before they hit the ground. This was Applejack's younger sister Applebloom.

"Hi Big Mac, is Applejack with you?"

"Nope." he said succinctly.

"Then she's probably at the farm, right?"

Again he answered with an equally short and concise "Eyup."

As we walked on to the farm, I asked Levita if it was rude of me not to introduce myself. She smiled at me and said:

"Applejack's brother is not a big talker. He concentrates only on the essentials in what he says. I like his quiet manner."

The family was already sympathetic to me, too. I liked the fact that the whole family, young and old, helped with the work. But there seemed to be one exception. In front of the farm, an orange colored pony with a yellow mane and a brown hat was lying in front of a tree with a piece of hay in his mouth.

"Hello, Applejack! May I introduce you to someone?" Levita shouted over to her.

The orange colored pony opened his eyes and looked at me. Then it spat out the piece of hay, stood up quickly and euphorically shook my hoof.

"Howdy! It is always nice to welcome new residents in Ponyville. What the hay happened to your head?"

"He fell from the stairs at my house, but otherwise everything is fine. He's a friend of mine and I thought I'd show him the countryside around Ponyville."

I wondered how many more times Levita would go through this before anyone would find out the truth.

"First time here, eh? Then I welcome you to Sweet Apple Acres! My name’s Applejack and I am one of the fam’ly members who own this wonderful piece of land built on cohesion and ‘onesty. Here’s the place for all ponies in Equestria when it comes to apples. Whatever questions you may have, I will try to answer them all, openly and ‘onestly! Especially when it comes to apples!"

During the conversion she was still shaking my hoof. Then she took us around the farm. She introduced me to her family... and it was a big family. However, the introduction round was interrupted by Pinkie Pie who appeared in the middle of the family crowd.

"Hello Levita, hello...friend of Levita."

"Um... hello, Pinkie Pie. I didn't know you were a family member..." Applejack replied.

"Applejack! I absolutely need you! Today is the summer sun party and before that a huge welcome party! I've been ordered by the mayor mare that we need food..."

"Right! I almost forgot. What exactly do you need?"

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and slowly approached Applejack until their noses touched.

"Everything," she said.

"Oh...okay. Folks, I'm sorry. I have to interrupt the family show. We'll catch up later. Everybody get to work, we have a big party to prepare. Yeehaw!" she shouted as she stood on her hind hooves and whirled around in the air with the front ones.

And already we were on our way to more friends of Levita. Two Pegasi named Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. She had known them for a very long time. Levita helped Fluttershy build her cabin when she moved from Cloudsdale to Ponyville because of her fear of flying. She was the only Pegasus that was there for Fluttershy because after she moved, she lost contact with Rainbow Dash. But later Rainbow Dash moved out of her parents’ house and built her house of clouds at Cloudsdale, but moved it directly over Ponyville to make it easier to visit Fluttershy. It was interesting to learn so much from Levita about her friends. I asked her if she still has close contact with all her friends today. She told me that the contact is still there, but she is more interested in seeing if her friends are doing well. That way she could protect them better from evil. And maybe these two Pegasi could recognize me from somewhere in Cloudsdale. I couldn't have come across a better pony than Levita. She was open and had a very strong protective instinct. She was a real friend.

When we arrived at Fluttershy's hut we saw two Pegasus ponies through the windows, drinking tea together inside. One of them had a yellow coat and a smoothly combed pink mane. The other pony had a very distinctive mane in rainbow colors and I immediately thought that this was probably the Pegasus pony called Rainbow Dash. Levita knocked gently on the door. Then it didn't take long and the yellow Pegasus Pony opened the door for us. That must have been Fluttershy.

"Oh...hello Levita and hello...um..." Fluttershy stammered as if she was afraid of me.

"Don't be shy, Fluttershy. He's a friend of mine. He wouldn't hurt a fly," Levita replied.

"O...okay. What...do you want from me then?" she still stuttered slightly frightened.

Fluttershy looked slightly irritated at my bandage on the head.

"Don't worry. He's already well looked after, but unfortunately he's not so good on stairs," joked Levita.

"Oh...you're really lucky that you met Levita first," Fluttershy winked at me.

"Um...not to say that I wouldn’t help...sorry...I'm just a little...shy about new acquaintances. I always enjoy seeing new residents in Ponyville, and since Levita trusts you, you can expect the same from me. I am Fluttershy and I welcome you in my beloved home. It’s usually the first address for all animals that need support...oh, and also ponies. Whenever you need something, you can count on my kindness."

Then Fluttershy looked at Levita again.

"Oh...and Levita...you know that you are of course always welcome in my home, too. Come on in, we just had our tea party. Maybe you can tell us a bit about your friend."

Levita hesitated when she saw the look on my face.

"I think he needs a little more time for that. He is still quite new here and therefore a bit...shy."

You could hear someone laughing behind the door. Then the blue Pegasus pony with the rainbow mane jumped out through the door and looked at me from above.

"Hah! You wouldn't be the first shy pony that moved to Ponyville. But if Fluttershy gets along with the ponies here by now, you can too. Hehe...you probably heard of me."

I tried to hide the fact that I had no idea who Rainbow Dash was by alluding to their distinctive appearance.

"Sure, Rainbow Dash. What pony wouldn't recognize you?" I tried to guess.

"Told ya. Every Pegasus Pony from Cloudsdale knows my name. But I've never seen you before. What brings you to Ponyville?"

"I..." I put on.

"He moved to me from Cloudsdale. We've known each other for some time now and we decided to spend more time together." Levita saved me.

"Oh, that's nice. You have picked up a special stallion there, Levita. I like the way he wears his mane..."

I didn't know what to say to it. Either she was just paying me a compliment...or she was hitting on me.

"Anyway, it is always nice to welcome new ponies to Ponyville, especially Pegasi. Welcome to Ponyville. I am the one and only Rainbow Dash and I am the fastest Pegasus Pony around here. Also I am the weather pony here and responsible for the...well...weather. If you want to fly a race, I’m on it. And if you need anything else, I will loyally stand by your side."

I noticed that she was constantly flying above the ground.

"Come on up. I could use a little company in the air again. No offense, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy nodded to her understandingly. But how should I be able to fly? From my appearance my body is perfectly designed for flying, only I had no idea how to beat my wings. Not to mention folding them out.

"Come on, show me your gorgeous feathers!" Rainbow Dash asked me.

I concentrated and tried to unfold my wings. But I couldn't get them far enough away from my body.

"You're probably shy when you're dealing with a special pony like me, huh? There is nothing to be ashamed of. Let me help you."

Rainbow Dash flew over me and grabbed me under my belly from above. With me tightly in her grip, she suddenly began to flap her wings more strongly and I felt the ground disappear under my hooves. I didn't know what she was going to do, but when we were about one meter above the ground she suddenly let go. Even though it was not high and the landing was surprisingly soft, she had just given me a huge fright. Before I could say anything, she smiled at me:

"You see? And your wings are already up. I knew this would work. It's really just a reflex when Pegasi gets scared or surprised."

"In addition, birds also do this with their young so that they learn to fly," Fluttershy added.

Rainbow Dash smiled until she stared at my wings. Her eyes got really big and the corners of her mouth started to shape a much bigger smile. Levita and Fluttershy did the same.

"Oh, my goodness! Where did you get those great wings?" Rainbow's eyes glowed.

I turned around and saw them. My wings were huge, unlike Rainbow Dash's. I didn't know that I had special wings. How could I? One day ago, I didn't even know I was a Pegasus. Rainbow Dash was just as impressed with them and gently touched them with her hooves.

"You...have apparently never seen such big wings before, have you?" I asked cautiously.

"Only the princesses have ever had wings like this. Are you from the royal family?" Fluttershy replied.

Royal family? I couldn't remember. Was I a prince, or even a king? No, that couldn't be. Otherwise everyone would know me, which was not the case.

"No, I don't think he's from the royal family. He is not an alicorn."

Levita noticed how I looked at her perplexed. But before Levita could answer, a pony came running towards us very quickly. It was Pinkie Pie again.

"Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash? I really need your help! It's urgent!"

"What's it all about, Pinkie Pie?" was what Rainbow Dash wanted to know.

She grabbed Rainbow Dash around her shoulder and pulled her down to her on the floor. How she could make her front legs so long was a mystery to me.

"Tonight is the summer sun celebration. Fluttershy? Have you already practiced with your birds for the concert? Rainbow Dash? Have you cleared the sky of clouds yet?"

"Oops," said the two in the choir.

Then both disappeared on the spot. Fluttershy ran behind the house and Rainbow Dash flew towards the center of town. Only Pinkie Pie was still sitting alone in front of us.

"Hehe, excuse me! Special day! Bye," she said and rushed off again.

"Well...i think that's enough ponys you should know. Please forgive the behavior of Pinkie Pie. She takes her parties very seriously...like...always."

"Well, I don't think we should visit any more friends because I'm afraid Pinkie Pie will get in the way again. Please forgive her behavior. She takes her parties very seriously...well...always, actually."

"Are you kidding? I think all of your friends are totally likeable. Pinkie Pie in particular has a pretty...distinctive behavior. But I'm sure it'll be a great party, too, if she puts her mind to it."

"I think it's nice that you've changed your mind about the party. Come'! There is still a little time left until tonight. I'll show you around town."

As we went into the city center, we saw that Rainbow Dash began to clear the sky of clouds. Apparently it had rained quite a lot, because the ground was completely soaked, at least the clouds were bright white again. On closer inspection I saw Rainbow Dash taking a break from clearing the sky and practicing flight maneuvers. She flew up at lightning speed, only to take a nosedive with a loop down until she flew up again just above the ground and did a few more maneuvers. When I asked Levita why she was doing this, she replied that Rainbow Dash's biggest dream was to be part of Equestria's elite flying team: They were called Wonderbolts. It was interesting to watch her, but I just hoped that she wouldn't run into a pony at that speed. That would be quite a mess on the wet ground after the rain.

In the puddles I could see my own face for the first time. Levita noticed that I looked thoughtfully inside, wondering who I was seeing. I noticed that the style of my mane and my tail were similar to Rainbow Dash's...they just had different colors. But I had to realize that my reflection would not tell me who I was. At least now I knew which ponies I could turn to if I needed help. I thought of the brown pony with the red-blue glasses. Maybe he would be present at the party and maybe...he could help me.

The day came to an end as we walked to the Sugarcube Corner to see how far Pinkie Pie had got with her preparations. When we were almost at Pinkie Pie's home, we noticed a golden carriage over Ponyville that was about to land.

"Look! A royal carriage from Canterlot! Someone very important seems to want to visit us. I just wonder who it could be." Levita asked herself.

When the carriage landed we saw who was sitting in it. It was a purple-colored unicorn with a smooth mane, which had various dark shades. But she was not travelling alone. An also purple-colored little creature with green spikes sat with her in the carriage, Levita told me that it looked like a baby dragon. It seemed to me that I had never seen anything like it before. The draught horses whinged proudly as the carriage landed on the ground. The unicorn walked up to them and thanked them. She seemed to be very friendly.

"Shouldn't we greet them?" I asked.

"Leave that to Pinkie Pie. Whenever a pony comes to Ponyville, she's the first to arrive."

Levita was right. Pinkie Pie was the first pony next to her that had spoken to me, at least since I can remember. When I looked back at the unicorn again, I noticed Pinkie Pie slowly approaching in the background. Apparently she seemed to take it easy during royal visits, otherwise she would have jumped at the new pony, just like me. But she only stood in front of the other pony with a friendly smile. The little dragon said something. Then I noticed how Pinkie Pie's eyes fell directly on us and she stood there with her mouth open. She stared at me and Levita.

The purple unicorn addressed Pinkie Pie, but she did not answer her. Instead, she jumped up into the air as if stung by a tarantula and rushed over the pony and baby dragon directly towards us. She positioned herself in front of the entrance door of the Sugarcube Corner and blocked our way.

"What are you doing here? You should be at the party by now! You can't be late," she gasped excitedly and pushed us across the floor towards the library. Before we knew it, we were at the library and PInkie Pie hastily opened the door, only to push us in and close it again behind us with a bang. It was pitch dark inside, but I could hear the sounds of other ponies standing around us. I did not know what would happen next. I was taken by surprise by the events. After some time I heard voices from outside. Apparently someone was talking outside the door, but the only voice that was recognized was that of Fluttershy.

Then the door opened and Fluttershy flew into the dark room with the baby kite in his arms. She was immediately pushed out of the library by the purple pony.

“Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, g'night!” said the purple unicorn from before and closed the door.

“Huh. Rude much?” replied the little baby dragon.

“Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?”

She stood at the entrance as if rooted to the floor when the light came on. Now I saw how many ponies were in the library. I didn't want to exaggerate, but it seemed that Pinkie Pie had invited all of Ponyville. I hid in the crowd as best I could.

"Surprise!" all the ponies shouted.

Then Pinkie Pie crept through the entrance and stood out from the crowd.

"Surprise! Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?" Pinkie Pie introduced herself to Twilight with a giggle.

But Twilight seemed a bit annoyed by the surprise.

"Very surprised. Libraries are supposed to be quiet." she replied.

Pinkie Pie cheered Twilight up a bit and took her to a table with drinks. I looked around for Levita. But I didn't have to look for a long time, she stood next to me the whole time.

"Great surprise party, right? Just as well that another pony is the center of the party. I'm sure that will cheer you up," she said to me.

"You're right, Levita. I'm glad that..."

Even before I could finish my sentence, I noticed how all the ponies slowly gathered around Twilight. Something was happening to her. Her face turned flaming red and her cheeks puffed up. Then she jumped into the air and her mane literally went up in flames. Then she disappeared up the stairs to the upper part of the library. I saw Spike inspecting the bottle that Twilight had filled into her sippy cup. It was hot sauce. Now we knew what was going on with Twilight. But Pinkie Pie didn't seem to mind the hot sauce, she dumped a whole cupcake full of the sauce and scooped it up in one bite.

"What? It's good!" she shouted euphorically, "Alright, ponies. I actually had two parties planned today, but since our first party guest is...totally on fire...I thought I'd introduce you to our second new addition to Ponyville!"

I became slightly nervous when each pony turned around asking for the second newcomer, me. When Pinkie Pie pointed her hoof at me, every pony looked at me with interest, either because of my bandage or because they had perhaps really never seen me before. I didn't want to move from the spot, but Levita gave me a little push. There were loudspeakers in the front and a pony with a blue-striped mane was sitting at a kind of mixing desk and wanted to give me a record. At that moment I had to laugh at myself. I knew what a record and a mixer was, but I couldn't even remember who I was.

While all the ponies of Ponyville were looking at me, I tremblingly went to the mixing desk and took the record to put it on one of the turntables. But I had to grab it with my mouth, as I was not yet trained to pick up objects with my hooves. So I put the record on the turntable and the music started with a dull bass. I turned around to the crowd. I grinned strained into the crowd and Pinkie Pie took the floor:

"Are you ready for the best welcome party ever?" she shouted into the crowd.

The crowd cheered.

"Then let's get this party started!" she yelled.

It did not take long and the ponies were in party mood and the party was in full swing. The conversations started and some started dancing. After I received welcome greetings and recovery wishes from the first ponies, the brown pony with the distinctive mane came towards me again, followed by the pony with the rose mane.

"Hello! We've met before, haven't we? Ealier on the market place. Excuse our appearance, but something about you caught my attention. Anyway, allow me to introduce. I am The Doctor, and this is Roseluck, my companion."

I recognized the two ponies, but the brown pony did not have his glasses with him.

"The Doctor? Is that your name?" I asked interested.

"No, doctor is just my title. My full name is Dr. Emmet Hooves. I am a scientist and spend a lot of time exploring the universe. Even though the universe seems infinite compared to the time I have left to explore it. Heh heh, little science pun. You just moved here, right?"

I didn't want to waste any time. Maybe the time was not the best, but I needed to know who I was.

"Right. Listen, Dr. Hooves. I don't know how to say this, but I could probably use your help."

"Help? What for?" the doctor wanted to know.

Before I could answer the doctor, Pinkie Pie rushed up from nowhere and threw herself by my side.

"Hey! I got a great game ready! Pin the tail on the pony! Do you want to be first?" she asked me.

"That's a very generous offer, Pinkie Pie. But I guess one tail is enough for me."

"Silly, I have your tail right here," she said, waving my tail in the air. I looked back and realized that my tail was no longer there. How had she managed that? That was impossible!

"So...who wants to stick his tail on him? I am the first!" she called and came towards me at a gallop. I tried to dodge in panic, overlooking Spike who was standing at the table with the drinks. I bumped into him and he fell against the lamp that stood next to him. The lampshade covered his face. I stopped and helped him up.

"Sorry! Are you all right, uh... Spike?" I tried to remember the baby dragon's name.

"Of course. Just look at my new hat! This party is absolutely amazing! I'm going to check on Twilight, she's missing all the fun," he said.

I watched as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Gotcha!" cried Pinkie Pie behind me. I looked behind me in panic and my tail was back where it belonged.

"That was fun! Which pony would like to go next? You decide!"

I couldn't stand this pressure anymore.

"I... I don't know..." I stammered.

I got up and just ran wordlessly out of the library, far away from the party. I wanted to go to Levita's house and hole up there. When I arrived, I opened the front door and ran upstairs to the bedroom to hide under the blanket. I didn't want to ruin the party, but it all happened way too fast. I didn't know how long I sat under the blanket and cried until Levita came home to check on me as well.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"I... I didn't mean to ruin anyone's party. But all that affection and... it was all too much at once," I sobbed.

Levita laughed and patted the blanket under which I was lying.

"I can understand you well. I remember when Pinkie Pie threw my first party. I was as surprised then as you were. But don"t worry, she"s not mad at you. All she cared about was that you had fun at the party."

"So...the trick with the tail was really not bad. I'd like to make it up to Pinkie Pie if she can forgive me."

"I'm pretty sure about that. Now let's get some sleep."

"Don't you want to go to the summer sun celebration?" I asked her.

"I can't leave you alone in this state. I've been to the summer sun celebration so many times, this time will be just like last time. So I'm not missing anything," she grinned.

I really appreciated that Levita cared about me instead of following her habits. But when the summer sun celebration was no longer special to her, I could understand that she was happy when something new happened.

The next day I was woken by a loud noise in the village. Outside Pinkie Pie seemed to be having another party, but apparently all of Ponyville was present. Levita rushed to my room and told me that Princess Celestia had arrived in the royal carriage with a new alicorn and she suspected it was Princess Luna, who had been banished as Nightmare Moon and has now returned. When I went outside with Levita, all the ponies were cheering loudly. Apparently the unicorn Twilight and five friends of Levita had something to do with the festivities. For the first time I saw what an alicorn looked like when I looked at Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They had the same feather structure as my wings, no wonder Rainbow Dash was so amazed. But I differed in one essential point: I had no horn growing out of my head. Probably this in turn made me a Pegasus Pony.

In the hustle and bustle we were joined by another Pegasus Pony, which turned out to be Levita's best friend after a short introduction. The pony had grey fur and a yellow mane, which was slightly untidy. But the most striking thing about her were her eyes, which looked slightly twisted in different directions. Apparently the pony had a visual defect and I tried not to stare too much as she probably had a hard time with this disease. In fact, I was pleased that the pony was not perceived negatively by anyone else, the ponies treated her normally and didn't make weird faces. I didn't take this tolerance for granted, did it perhaps say something about my origin? Did I come from a bad environment or had I even been a bad pony?

But I soon realized that she was not at all embarrassed by her visual impairment. In fact, she often alluded to it in conversation, especially when she was talking to me. I liked her immediately, just like her name: Derpy. Of course, we immediately got back to my head bandage, but Derpy was the first pony Levita told about my real problem. Apparently she seemed to trust her the most. But Derpy didn't know me either and she was the post pony in this village. She must have seen every pony in Ponyville at least once in all that time, except me. What she did notice was that my coat color was very special. She had only seen it on one other pony. Her name was Lyra Heartstrings, a unicorn from the castle town of Canterlot. Levita remembered seeing Lyra yesterday at the party with one of her old friends. An earth pony called Sweetie Drops, who had been living here in Ponyville for a long time.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of her? She will certainly be able to help us, after all she is..." Levita touched her forehead in amazement.

Derpy and I both looked at each other confused.

"Oh...uh. I mean, after all, she's been living in Ponyville for a while now. Maybe she knows him...or something." Levita evaded.

Her argumentation gave me some doubts. Something Levita seemed to know about that pony, which almost gave her away. But if she should know who I am anyway, that would be enough information for me. Levita decided to patch me up for now. She took off my bandage and treated my injuries with herbal water again. The wounds were really numerous, Levita suspected that a so-called Timberwolf might have gotten me. I was really lucky that Levita had found me, who knows what else was waiting for me out there in the forest. Levita thought that the wounds would heal faster in the fresh air and combed out my mane a bit wider so that the injuries left were not so visible. Levita dachte, dass die Wunden an der frischen Luft schneller heilen würden und kämmte meine Mähne etwas breiter aus, damit die verbliebenen Verletzungen nicht so sichtbar waren.

I spent the day at home with Levita because I wanted to get away from all the hustle and bustle. Towards evening the party mood in the village had settled down and we decided to go to Sweetie Drops. When we left the house, the sun was still high in the sky, which I found a bit unusual. A few ponies were busy removing rotten branches from the trees to prevent them from falling down uncontrolled and hurting someone. Apparently autumn was slowly coming in. Levita explained to me that Derpy was assigned to the weather service with Rainbow Dash today and that she is a bit worried. Normally Derpy was always a bit scatterbrained, but Levita thought that was okay, as long as the one or other letter was misplaced. But controlling the weather was an important task, so it could even be dangerous if the weather gets out of control. For some reason I still found it fascinating that there was such a thing as weather control.

Chapter 2 - Love At First Sight

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Chapter 2 - Love At First Sight

It was not long before we arrived at Sweetie Drops' house. When Levita knocked hastily, a beige pony with a blue and pink curl opened the door after a short time and looked at us in surprise.

"Hello Levita, nice to see you again. What's up?"

"BonBon! Sorry to bother you, but you have to help us! It's because of my friend here!" she said frantically.

I was surprised that Levita had a nickname for her. Interestingly, she also seemed to have a pattern on her hip that looked like three bonbons.

"Stay calm, sweetie. We're just having dinner. Could you maybe come over tomorrow?"

"It's important, if not a case for S.M.I.L.E!"

BonBon looked at her angrily.

"Levita. I told you not to say that just like that. Especially when they’re strangers around!" she said and pointed to me.

"He is not a stranger, he needs your help! We need your help," Levita begged.

"Hm, well..." BonBon snorted and turned to me.

"Wer ist da an der Tür, BonBon?" fragte eine Stimme aus dem Haus.

It didn't take long and someone came out from behind candy. When the pony appeared, my heart jumped.

That had to be Lyra.
Lyra Heartstrings.

She was as beautiful as her name. I could not help myself. This beautiful play of colors of white and slight green in her mane, her golden shimmering eyes, her friendly expression and the way she stood there in front of me made me melt. Before I could say anything, Lyra seized the opportunity.

"Hello everybody, who are you?" she said friendly.

"May I introduce you to Levita Dream, she is an old friend of mine. And this is...her plus one. They need our help," BonBon said half-heartedly.

Apparently she was not interested in my name at all. That relieved me, but also made her a bit unsympathetic.

"Oh, yeah? How can we help you?"

She seemed totally excited. I was too at that moment, but unlike her, I couldn't get a proper sentence out.

"I...I...." I stammered. In panic, I waved at Levita so she would help me. She noticed my behavior and took over the conversation.

"What he wants to say is that he had an accident in Everfree Forest and has not known where he came from or who he is since."

"Oh, I am sorry for you." Lyra said to me in a tender voice.

"Couldn't the mayor help you?" BonBon asked.

"I have asked everypony I knew so far, but nopony seemed to recognize him. Usually I like to solve puzzles alone, but I think I need some help."

"Hm...I think it would be good to ask the princesses first. But since Princess Luna has returned, everything is upside down in the royal house", Sweetie Drops thought.

"Of course we will help you, right after we have finished dinner together. Wasn't that what you wanted to say, BonBon?" Lyra said with a broad grin.

"Yes, fine. We'll help you and...you're welcome to stay for dinner," she replied with a slightly annoyed look at Lyra.

Even though BonBon didn't like the fact that we had just disturbed the two of them at dinner, she apparently attached great importance to Lyra's opinion. She seemed so open and hospitable, I couldn't stop looking at her. She was the most beautiful being I have seen so far. And even if it was somehow strange for me that I had fallen in love with a pony. But it also felt right.

Bonbon still looked at me suspiciously. But she did not want to appear unfriendly at that moment, although she wanted to have this evening to herself in peace. So they both let us in and BonBon put her latest creation on the table: a pot of red soup and vegetables. She called it Gazpacho. She said she got the recipe from a cookbook that Lyra had borrowed from the Royal Library in Canterlot. She said that book was older than Equestria, so she paid close attention to the book and tried out all the recipes one after the other. I wondered for a moment if there was anything about me in any of the books...except, of course, in a cookbook.

As we sat at the table, an eerie voice spread around the table. Then Levita took the floor to break the ice. She talked to BonBon about old stories as well as new ones, to bring each other up to date. But I didn't listen to them at all, because I was completely distracted by Lyra. I watched her eat obsessively. That worked up to the point where she noticed that I was looking at her.

"You haven't eaten anything yet. Don't you like it?" Lyra asked me.

"Um... no... no... The food is good. I...think I'll just wait until it cools down a bit," I stammered.

"Oh, I forgot to say. Gazpacho is a COLD vegetable soup. It doesn't need to cool down," BonBon replied suspiciously.

She had apparently been watching me the whole time I was looking at Lyra. Now she had caught me in the act.

"I... I have to go out the door for a moment," I apologized and left the table. On the way out I heard them talking.

"What's wrong with him? Does he not like uncooked vegetables?" Lyra asked.

"Oh, I think he's really into 'uncooked vegetables'," BonBon replied with a sarcastic undertone.

BonBon knew exactly what was going on. I was head over heels in love with Lyra. And apparently BonBon did not like that at all. What did she have against me? I sat down in front of the house and looked desperately at the sky when Levita came outside.

"I can't get this, Levita. I just can't do it," I said, just before my tears came.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"This is all just too much. First I don't know who I am, then we meet Lyra and BonBon and I'm..."

At that moment another pony came out of the house and when I turned around I saw that it was BonBon. So I tried to save my sentence accordingly.

"...I am extremely grateful that they offer us their help so quickly," I said, so as not to let anything slip and change the subject of conversation.

"Well then, why don't we go back inside? Something seems to be coming..." Levita said as she watched the sky slowly filling with clouds from the Pegasi. Apparently they wanted to make it rain today. So I decided not to waste any time and wanted to go back inside before BonBon stopped me. Apparently something was really coming up.

"One moment. Don't you think I know what you're up to?" BonBon whispered to me.

"What do you think?" I asked her.

"Oh, don't play ignorant with me. I saw the way you looked at Lyra. You stallions are all the same. First you all make up a dramatic story to get the next mare? Which is also my best friend?"

At that moment I did not know what she wanted from me. So I didn't say anything at first and just looked at her in bewilderment.

"Look, I have known Levita for a long time and I trust her. But just like Lyra, she is usually quite naive. I'll make you a suggestion: If I even get the slightest inkling that you're only pretending here, then..."

"Then what, BonBon? Do you know who I am or not? Cause that's the only reason I'm here. And until you have an answer to who I am or where I come from, I'm not going to let you tell me what to do or not to do. The same goes for Lyra..." I told her clearly.

"We'll see about that..." BonBon replied grumpy.

After that she didn't say a word to me and went back into the house. I followed her and closed the door behind me to sit down at the table again. For the rest of the time BonBon kept glancing at me, which was appropriate for the stormy weather that was brewing outside. Through the windows I could see that there was a heavy storm outside. It did not take long until we all finished eating and BonBon's silence was broken by her.

"It's getting pretty late, I'd say you'd best get going. Lyra and I are really exhausted and need to get some sleep," said BonBon, trying hard not to seem unfriendly.

"Uh, BonBon? Have you ever looked out the window? You're gonna kick them out in this weather? I mean, really..."

BonBon noticed that Lyra was disappointed with her lack of hospitality.

"Of course you are welcome to stay here until the storm has passed. And just in case it doesn't stop, we bring you some blankets downstairs so you can sleep here in the living room. It's not as comfortable as your bed at home...but it's better than coming home soaked.” Lyra said.

"We really don't want to be any trouble," Levita said.

But Lyra did not let herself be put off. She insisted that we spend the night with them. While Lyra got blankets for us from the upper floor, BonBon disappeared upstairs as well. But we did not see her again for that evening, maybe she had already gone to sleep. Levita and I snuggled into our blankets and wished each other a good night. But the loud splashing of the rain and the distant thunder did not let me fall asleep immediately. Apparently neither did Levita, she always flinched as soon as it thundered. She lit a small candle, which wrapped the room in a pleasantly warm light. Now was the right time to talk openly with her about BonBon. Because of the thunderstorm the two others on the upper floor should not hear anything about it.

"Hey, can I ask you something? How did you first meet BonBon?"

Levita turned to me and looked at me questioningly.

"It's funny you ask me that, because it was almost like you met me...except for the Timberwolf thing. I remember getting lost one night when I first went to Everfree Forest. I probably wanted to find out something about that forest and then I had looked for the way back. I met BonBon while she was getting herbs from the forest. She accompanied me back to Ponyville and we became friends very quickly. Before she was always visited by her friend Lyra, she always seemed...so alone. I wanted to help her, but she said the problem was somewhere else, but she did not want to tell me. I respected BonBon's decision, but because of that I could not help her with the problem anymore. I haven't had any contact with BonBon for a long time, until you showed up. You're lucky that I learned from BonBon where to find the best herbs in Everfree Forest, otherwise I never would have found you."

"Well, because I think I'm part of their problem."

"Uh-huh?"

"Because I'm..."

"Yeah?" asked Levita, growing impatient.

"I think I'm in love with Lyra." I said.

I covered my eyes in shame, but there was no reaction from Levita. When I turned my gaze towards her, she looked at me mischievously. She already knew that I was in love with Lyra.

"How long have you known about this?" I looked at her with a grim look.

"Ever since you first saw her. Even though I haven't had a relationship yet, I can still tell when someone is in love. I owe it to my gift."

Levita pulled her blanket away and pointed with her hoof to her hip, where a symbol was also visible, as with BonBon. I had never really noticed it before. I asked Levita what this symbol was.

"We get this cutie mark when we have found our purpose in life. My purpose is to solve mysteries. You could say I'm a bit of an adventurer. But that is not the only meaning of my beauty spot. I am also responsible for the well-being of my friends. And it doesn't matter if they are in danger or have problems with themselves. And I promise you, I will do everything possible to solve the mystery around you."

I didn't know Levita had such capabilities. But she quickly came back to the point.

"But why should BonBon not like you if you are in love with Lyra?" Levita asked.

"Just because it's Lyra."

"Do you think she might be jealous? Jealous of what? Of Lyra? As far as I know, the two are just good friends, unless BonBon likes Lyra in another way..."

"No, that's not it. Look, yesterday BonBon told me outside the door that she doubts my story is real and I just made it up so I could meet Lyra.” I confessed.

"So...I may be a little naive, but I saw exactly what happened. It was a cold but clear night. Suddenly I saw a bright arc and sounds, I followed them. When I arrived, I saw you lying in the grass. This is not a made-up story. This is a real mystery that we have to solve."

"And you think we can do this?"

"Hello? cutie mark? That's what I'm here for, silly. And as for the other topic: Even if BonBon is my girlfriend, she can't just come between Lyra and you. Friends just don't do that. I'll talk to BonBon first thing tomorrow to get her to support us," Levita laughed.

"Thanks Levita..." I said calmly, "I really don't want to upset BonBon....If you could talk to her, that would be super nice of you." I thanked her.

"By the way, I noticed you don't have a cutie mark on you."

I was looking surprised at my hip and noticed that there was no symbol on it. I hadn't noticed it before, but probably because I basically had little reason to look at my butt.

"And what does that mean?" I asked her.

"It means that you have not yet discovered your destiny. Some ponies get it very early, others very late. But you don't have to worry about that, you just have to try enough things to find out where your place is. Then you too will get a cutie mark. Now let's go to bed quickly so we can get a fresh start tomorrow," she said and blew out the candle.

I lay down calmly on my side and cuddled up in the blanket. That's what I needed now; a caregiver who listened to me and could help. Without Levita, I would probably have been lost by now...stranded in a place unknown to me.

The next day we were awakened by the sounds of cutlery and dishes echoing from the kitchen and the smell of freshly baked bread. Apparently BonBon was already preparing breakfast, but I could neither see nor hear Lyra. Maybe she was still sleeping, I thought to myself. I set out with Levita to remove the blankets to make room for breakfast. At least I was able to roll up the blankets, even though I hadn't quite figured out how to hold things with my hooves or even with my wings. As we were helping BonBon set the table, I tried my luck at a plate in the kitchen, carefully picking it up with my teeth, carrying it to the dining table, and setting it down as if it were the last piece on a house of cards about to collapse. From that angle I observed that BonBon was giving me angry looks again and I suspected that this had nothing to do with the way I set the table. Levita noticed this and intervened.

"BonBon? I have to tell you something. This has to stop. He's just trying to find out where he comes from. You helped me back then, remember?"

"But at least you didn't try to take my best friend away from me," BonBon said provocatively.

"I think you're exaggerating now. He thinks Lyra is very pretty. He's a stallion, it is only natural," Levita defended me.

During the conversation I blushed. Levita told the truth, but I was more than embarrassed by the moment.

"I suggest that you concentrate on the essentials for now. No evil looks..." Levita turned to me.

"...and no flirting until we find out who you are. When we know that, you can still negotiate about Lyra," Levita giggled.

"Negotiate? I am not a commodity," snorted Lyra, who stood at the door.

Now the peak of embarrassment had been reached. Lyra had probably followed the whole conversation. I would have liked to sink into the ground at that moment. My face turned completely red and I wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. But I couldn't move anymore. I was petrified.

"BonBon! What is wrong with you all of a sudden? Levita and her friend are our guests who came to us with a problem! If we don't help them, nobody will," Lyra scolded before turning to me.

"As for you..."

She looked at me strangely. Neither angry nor frightened. Just...kind of strange.

"Could I talk to you in private, please?"

I was totally nervous. I wanted to talk to her, but not at such a moment. I couldn't say anything against it either, so I went after her with my head tilted. BonBon and Levita did not know what Lyra was up to. They just stood there speechless. Apparently it was not usual for BonBon to put Lyra in charge.

When we reached the upper floor, she opened the door and I looked inside. It all looked quite similar to Levita's bedroom, but Lyra's bed seemed a little bigger. I didn't know what would happen now. I was alone with my love at first sight in her bedroom. Then she closed the door behind me. I thought about how this could end. So I stood there confused at first. Lyra went to her bed and sat on the edge, but not like a normal pony. She sat upright as if she was sitting on a chair. She looked over at me.

"Have a seat. There is still room here. I won't bite," she giggled.

Her behavior frightened me. She was far too direct with the matter. It went a little too fast for me. I gathered up all my courage when I tried to sit down next to her. Although this sitting position was unusual for a pony, I also found it very familiar. Lyra noticed that I had no problem sitting in the same position as her.

"We have never met before, have we?" she asked.

"No. But...maybe. I don't know anymore," I replied.

"So... how many unicorns have you seen so far?"

"As stupid as it sounds, you are the first unicorn since Levita found me in Everfree Forest. I don't remember any other unicorns."

Looking at Lyra, I completely forgot that I had indeed already met other unicorns. But I had already answered and Lyra looked at me mischievously.

"Ah, love at first sight, huh?" she giggled and nudged me with her hoof.

She had hit the mark. I blushed again and wanted to answer her, but I couldn't get more than a nod of approval.

"It's okay, don't be embarrassed. My mother used to tell me that stallions are more likely to fall in love with unicorns. It's kind of funny, because I usually only meet ponies that are not into unicorns. At least until now..." she joked.

I was surprised that she brought it up. How could someone like Lyra not find a stallion for herself? Or maybe BonBon had her fingers...I mean...hooves in it. Why did I just say 'fingers'?

"I don't know how to say this. I like you too, but..."

Now came the unpleasant part of the conversation: the rejection. I should have known that I had no chance with such a beautiful unicorn like Lyra.

"...but you must understand BonBon. She's been living with me for so long now and I think she's..well let's say...very strongly accustomed to me. We share the same fate. So far we have had little luck finding a stallion for life. So we almost gave up looking for a partner until we realized that we are quite close to ourselves. Many could talk about a relationship with us, but we are just very good friends. Most stallions thought that we were meant for each other. Or maybe they just wanted to annoy us with it. But something tells me that it is no coincidence that we meet right now, when I was thinking about giving up searching and just accepting it. Then Levita suddenly shows up with a pony that I have never seen before...and that even has the same coat color as me. However, I have no idea whether this is a sign or how I should deal with it now. On the one hoof I trust my feelings, but please do not misunderstand me. I don’t even know who you are. And even though I believe in something like love at first sight, I just don't want to rush into anything."

When she said that, I had to grin.

"Don't rush things? You told me you wanted to talk to me in private. Then you disappear with me into your bedroom, lock the door behind me and ask me to join you on your bed. If you had planned something else like "talk," I would have thought it was pretty rushed.”

Lyra looked at me frozen and her cheeks turned red.

"Oh, you thought I..."

She started giggling.

"Oh, you're such a cutie. But seriously. I don't know how to deal with this now."

"Haven't you ever been in love before?" I wanted to know.

"If I remember correctly, no. In fact, I can't even remember ever having had a relationship. But with you I feel that I can trust you. It's weird, right? I mean, we only met yesterday and already here I am talking to you as if we have known each other forever! Is it just your mysterious identity that fascinates me, or is there more to it? Does it feel like being in love?" she digressed and thoughtfully put her hoof under her chin.

I simply could not control myself. I just had to know if she loved me. Without a kiss, she wouldn't know. I had to try.

"There's only one way to find out..." I said as I approached Lyra's face more and more.

I took advantage of the moment while she looked to the side thinking deeply. Then she suddenly swung her front hooves up and hit my head with her left one.

"Of course! Once we have solved your mystery, I will know for sure if there is more. Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so excited," she said.

I rubbed my lower jaw.

"It’s nothing. But what if we found out that you only find me interesting because of my story?"

Then Lyra looked at me with bedroom eyes.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to figure something out for you. When I lived with my mother in Canterlot, she used to say a funny pun to me: “If a Heartstrings caused to pull on somepony's heartstrings, she will make sure that his heartstrings won’t regret it to met a Heartstrings.” she said softly to me as she laid her tail in my lap.

My feelings went on a rollercoaster. I did not know much, but I was sure that I had never been told anything like that before. I only brought out an embarrassing giggle, but how could I have reacted differently?

"But we should keep this to ourselves. Not that BonBon nor thinks that she is no longer number 1. She'll always be my number one girl, remember that! Which shouldn't discourage you to confront her when she gets loud again. I have known BonBon for a long time now and I know what she thinks about me. Young, naive unicorn obsessed with trying to find love for life. I may be a bit naive, but sometimes I have to trust ponies I have never met before if I want to find out something new. The next time she gets loud, remind her that I would never have met her if I hadn't been a bit naive and had the idea that more adventures await me in Ponyville than in Canterlot. Let's go downstairs, the others are probably waiting for a suggestion on how to proceed now."

When Lyra left the room with me, BonBon and Levita were waiting outside the door. But BonBon cried.

"Lyra, you are right. You were always right. I should have supported you more instead of treating you as an oddball. If I'm your number one girl, then you're number one for me. And I apologize for my behavior," BonBon sobbed with tears in her eyes before turning to me.

"Also with you. I hope you can forgive me. I was too prejudiced to help you with your problem... as friends usually do."

I hugged BonBon firmly. She cried into my fur, but I had no problem with it. I thought it takes a lot of strength to recognise your mistakes and put them right. And if you can't do it yourself, expose your weaknesses so that friends can help you. BonBon showed me with her behavior that she had this strength. It was good to have her on my side now. We could use all the help we could get. When I let BonBon go, Lyra and BonBon went back down the stairs. I whispered Levita in her ear.

"How long have you been listening in?"

"Sorry, we couldn't help it. The first thing we heard was something about girl number one. Why?"

"Good timing." I whispered and winked at her.

We immediately sat down in the living room again and ate the delicious breakfast that BonBon had prepared. This time the mood was completely different, BonBon and Lyra chatted from their past to help me with my memory. But even if this was not a success, it was very interesting to know what BonBon and Lyra had experienced together, also with Levita who happily joined in the conversation. But when breakfast was over, we really got down to work. As the storm seemed to be over, Levita went home to get some books she had received from the Royal Library of Canterlot. Meanwhile Lyra, BonBon and I made the living room look almost like a detective agency. It seemed as if BonBon was already prepared for everything before I had even gone to see her with Levita.

When Levita came back, we gathered all the information we knew about me. My outside as well as my inside, they wanted to know everything. I told them everything I knew in detail since I was found by Levita in Everfree Forest. BonBon was even interested in the exact position where I was lying. She seemed to know a lot about investigation, now I understood why Levita went to her. But even this day did not go according to plan. Apparently the new unicorn in town, Twilight Sparkle, had got free tickets for a Grand Galloping Gala and Lyra had wanted to go there with BonBon for a long time. When they left, Levita stayed with me. She would have liked to go too, but she spent the time telling me about it. About the fantastic outfits the ponies always wore on this occasion. About the colorful explosions that were thrown into the air by the Pegasi and illuminated the night sky above the magnificent castle. That sounded really dreamlike and I really appreciated that Levita preferred to sit here with me to find out who I was.

Of course, the top priority was to find out who I am. But that should not stop me from discovering this new world for me. Levita, BonBon and Lyra showed me around and made me familiar with the village. But the next time the craziest things happened in Ponyville, when I was in town and Lyra had bought some muffins from the Sugar Cube Corner. The muffins tasted awful, but Lyra told me that this time Pinkie Pie had help from Applejack, the pony from the farm. Apparently she didn't look well and looked very exhausted. Maybe she got the salt instead of the sugar. But that was not all. A short time later, a huge horde of rabbits ran through Ponyville and ate just about every plant in the village. Lyra and I panicked and ran wildly around to avoid the rabbits. At first we lost sight of each other, but a short time later I found her again. But there was something different about her. She suddenly had a different eye color and seemed to ignore me, even though I was looking directly at her. She ran past me and disappeared in the crowd of the other ponies. When we met back home after all the commotion, her eyes were normal again and she asked if everything was all right with me. I could have asked her the same question at that moment, but I thought about talking to Levita about it. Maybe Lyra also had abilities I didn't know about. Even though I couldn't imagine what it was good for to be able to change the eye color.

Levita suspected that I was just imagining it, but when BonBon heard about it, she was very insecure for some reason. Apparently she had observed this phenomenon before. I also asked her why Lyra had acted so strangely at that moment. She first suspected that I had only imagined it because of the muddle and tried to calm me down. But she also said that the pony I had just seen was probably not Lyra. However, these statements were anything but calming. But I tried not to think about it any longer. BonBon seemed to be interested anyway and offered me that she would pursue this matter.

The next day was so far the most normal I was allowed to experience here. Except for a short incident when we saw Fluttershy running through the village crying. The reason was apparently a friend of Rainbow Dash. I had never seen such a creature before. It had the body of a lion, but the head of a bird. I knew immediately it was a griffin. I had apparently read about this mythical creature many times. Wait, did I just call griffins mythical creatures? Since when were griffins mythical creatures?

Yes, of course they were mythical creatures.
No, otherwise there wouldn't be a griffin standing in front of me right now.
My mind and my imagination collided.
What was wrong with me?

I regained my composure after my mini panic attack and realized that I had always had a great interest in these majestic-looking creatures, but somehow they seemed...shorter than I had expected. And besides, this griffin didn't seem to speak very well to other ponies. Except Rainbow Dash, somehow. But the whole thing took its revenge when the ponies prepared pranks for them together in Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash really had a lot of mean little tricks up her sleeve, I wouldn't have expected that from her at all.

Speaking of, one day a pony came to Ponyville with a wooden show wagon. It seemed to be some kind of magic show, but the magic tricks were...well...as a Pegasus I shouldn't judge unicorn magic, but Lyra's expression told me that this show was nothing special, except for the fact that I saw some ponies in the crowd that looked like doubles. I also seemed to recognize Levita's friend Derpy several times in the crowd. But the other ponies in the crowd didn't seem to pay attention to this, more to the blue unicorn on stage with its tricks of the trade. And as if that wasn't enough, there was an attack of a huge blue shining bear in Ponyville in the evening. Levita called this creature a "Ursa Minor". If this bear was small, I would rather not know how huge the "Ursa Major" would be. Apparently the blue unicorn had something to do with the appearance of this monster, but the purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle was able to calm the bear down with a giant milk bottle, which she made in a short time with the help of a water tower and a herd of cows. I had to try not to laugh at this sight, because every other pony seemed to take this situation very seriously. Once again I felt that I did not really belong here, which caused a strange feeling inside me. But Levita knew that I always retreated to our house when I could no longer cope with the situation. Under no circumstances did I want to burden her unnecessarily.

One morning, Levita woke me up when thick smoke billowed through the upstairs windows of Levita's house. We ran downstairs coughing and wondering where the fire was that caused the smoke. At first we thought that one or more houses might have caught fire and were burning. With the construction of wood and straw this would not be surprising. But the smoke came from a mountain further away. The smoke was carried by the wind to Ponyville and settled over the village. At first I suspected that it was a volcano, but Levita suspected that it was a dragon. She would have liked to look at the kite with the telescope on the roof of the library, but Twilight was now the new resident and apparently she was not at home at the moment. But we heard sounds inside from the baby dragon Spike, who apparently had problems with some kind of pet. A look through the library window confirmed our suspicion that he was currently very busy, so we decided not to disturb him. Anyway, the smoke had settled down and the Pegasi removed the remains over Ponyville with strong wing beats. I was fascinated how easy it was. It seemed to be an advantage that the weather was controllable. Even if it seemed a bit strange to me. When we met with Lyra and BonBon, they told us that the unicorn Twilight was again involved in solving the smoke, as were five of Levita's friends. I was beginning to get the feeling that all the current events in Ponyville had something to do with these six ponies.

And this should be confirmed in the next few days. A strange being was at large in Ponyville and nobody dared to talk to it. And also I was of the opinion that I didn't want any friendship with this being. It had strange bright yellow eyes and wore many golden rings around its neck. Of course, Twilight and her friends had to track down this unknown creature as soon as it disappeared into Everfree Forest. Good, I thought so. If the ponies took care of the strange events, I could continue to concentrate on my search for myself.

But the next interruption of my thoughts was not long in coming. Soon I was allowed to make acquaintance with the less liked beings in Equestria. They were thick colored flies with big eyes, which apparently devoured everything edible in Ponyville that they could find. Luckily ponies were not on their menu. Levita and I spent the whole day at home and closed all windows and doors. In the afternoon we heard loud music that lured these flies away from the town. Somehow it reminded me of a well-known fairy tale about a pied piper. Fortunately Ponyville had no rat plague. At least not yet, who knows what else could happen in this crazy village. The only victim that day was actually only the cake Lyra and BonBon had taken from Sugarcube Corner. But after these so-called Parasprites were gone, we were able to taste the sweet delicacies of the place together again in peace and quiet. And the day was far from over. In the evening there was a fashion show that I shouldn't miss. And even if I wasn't particularly interested in fashion, I wouldn't forget this evening so quickly. Since we hadn't seen Rarity in the village lately, I could imagine that she was trying to prepare for the show as best as possible and had her hands full. I meant hooves, not hands, of course. Why do I keep making misspellings with words that don't make sense?

But the show was an even bigger chaos than what was going on in my head. Apparently Rarity had persuaded her friends to model for her new collections, but the outfits just looked totally overloaded. I mean, Applejack wore rubber boots with her outfit. You can do that on a farm, but on a catwalk? Even I, as a fashion frog, knew that wouldn't go down well. At least we had a topic of conversation for the evening that we could talk about for hours without constantly asking ourselves how we would proceed with my case. It felt good to put the thoughts back and enjoy the here and now.

But the next morning we learned that Rarity had reworked her collection and that Fluttershy's outfit had apparently caused the most sensation. It even went so far that a new fashion show was arranged especially for her at short notice. Of course I knew Fluttershy and couldn't imagine her on stage alone. But I thought that I should give the fashion show another chance, because the first impression had apparently not been the normal one anyway. The next show was very nice to watch and Fluttershy looked like a gentle angel in her outfits. Not that I found Lyra less beautiful now because of that. Unlike Fluttershy, she didn't need clothes to be beautiful. But this should not mean that Fluttershy is not beautiful without clothes. Oh, you know what? Before I get into a lot of talk here, I'll spare you all the hullabaloo that Fluttershy's appearance entailed and move straight on to the next interesting parts of the story, which have nothing to do with fashion.

Lyra decided the next day with Levita to ask the ponies around the village if they knew a pony like me from somewhere. BonBon wanted to use the day to buy things at the market, she would join us again later. Pinkie Pie again held a special party at Sugarcube Corner and many ponies would join us. And even though I had seen many ponies several times by now, I was still a bit unsure how to approach it. I would feel really stupid to ask another pony where I came from or who I was. I spent the whole time nervously walking around the Sugarcube Corner to find out something from the others. Meanwhile, I could see BonBon standing at an apple stand, looking around suspiciously. Apparently she was looking for something in particular, but was then disturbed by Applejack’s sister Applebloom, who poured a whole bucket of apples into her saddle bag and apparently wanted to be paid for it. A short time later Levita and Lyra came out of the Sugarcube Corner, they didn't have any new answers for me, but Levita brought me very tasty muffins. Apparently the party had been very nice, why was I such a wimp?

But that was to change the next day. Autumn had arrived and on the occasion of this natural phenomenon there was a competition in various disciplines on the apple plantations. Levita thought that now it was time for me to participate in the habits in Ponyville to lose my shyness for the other ponies. After that we went to the Sweet Apple Acres to watch the autumn attractions there. When we arrived at Applejack's farm after some time, I could see three little foals that were about to rebuild an old tree house in one of the bigger apple trees. I could recognize Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, but the third pony did not look familiar to me. It was a small Pegasus foal with an orange coat and a purple mane. But before I could watch the spectacle any longer, the Pegasus foal got on a kind of scooter and drove away towards Ponyville at a furious speed.

The autumn games were already in full swing when we arrived. Most interested in Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who gave each other an "Iron Pony Competition", at least that's what they called it. After a good 20 tries, it looked like Rainbow Dash had won, but she had a movable advantage with her wings in most disciplines, because Applejack couldn't fly. Now that the result was no longer clear, both of them tried their luck in the annual leaf race through the apple alleys, which are orange-colored with leaves. I liked this tradition as well, especially since as a Pegasus I would not have to fly in it. Lyra, BonBon and Levita wanted me to take part, and I didn't need to be told twice. And in the crowd I didn't really stand out either. I even got a number, 23, Levita got 20, Lyra got 18 and BonBon got 10. When I looked around for the numbers of the other ponies, I could see that Twilight got 42. At that moment I had to grin inside myself. Apparently she was a pony, which was the answer to everything that happened in Ponyville recently.

Above us, Pinkie Pie was circling with a pink balloon and a speaking tube attached to the basket. She commented on everything, even things that had nothing to do with the race. I think that was just typical Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack sprinted ahead, but Levita had a different tactic. She dropped back a bit and trotted slowly behind with Twilight. She didn't seem to be in a hurry, but I wanted to know what my hooves could handle. I started trotting faster and faster at first, until I started galloping. It was a wonderful feeling to feel the fresh wind in my mane. Only flying would probably have been even nicer. But I quickly realized that I was not in shape at all. Already in the next few moments I started to pant heavily and had to let myself fall back a bit. Lyra and BonBon seemed to be in top shape and kept running. Why did I have to run myself ragged? There was no price to win here! But as the two ran past me, I could see another pony in the crowd that looked like Lyra. But it had those pink eyes again, like the pony I had met the other day in the village. Were there doubles here again? If so, why didn't anyone notice?

I tried not to think about it any longer and just passed a part of the avenue where the leaves had already fallen from the trees. Through the treetops I could still observe the soft blue autumn sky with its clouds. Passing the trees, I could see that Levita had almost caught up with me. But I was totally out of breath, so I let her pass. But instead of continuing to run, she stopped at my height and ran beside me.

"See? That's why I don't run so fast. I'm saving my strength until the end." she giggled.

Even though at that moment the reason why Levita was saving her strength was not revealed to me, I thought it was nice that she was with me. She told me that she had lost sight of Twilight, but I told her not to worry about her. From what I had seen of Twilight so far, she seemed like a unicorn who knew what she was doing.

As Levita and I trotted along the autumn path through the avenues towards our destination, I noticed how quiet it was without the other ponies. You could hear the rustling leaves in the wind and admire the world around you. Maybe I should do that more in the future, especially since this world still seemed very new to me. And it was more relaxing than constantly worrying about which world I came from. But the forest was not that quiet. Again and again we could hear the voices of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were doing their mischief somewhere in the forest. Apparently they did not seem to deal with each other quite fairly. But Levita said that the two like to outdo each other sometimes. She herself had often taken part in the leaf race, but she always enjoyed the play of colors in nature more than the race itself. And she seemed to have a few tricks up her sleeve, because when we arrived at a sign where the arrow pointed to the right, Levita ran with me in the other direction past a large rock. She said that you can't gallop through here quickly, but if you walk carefully it's still a shortcut.

She was right. While I could hear the other ponies galloping nearby, I could already see the finish line. Pinkie Pie noticed us from the balloon and was screaming her head off. When I looked to the side, I could see the rest of the pony herd just running very exhausted. Behind us, Twilight was catching up, but there was no sign of Rainbow Dash or Applejack. But two ponies seemed to still be in the lead. Derpy flew more or less straight ahead, followed closely by Lyra, with BonBon following further back in the crowd. Levita stretched her wings at that moment and zoomed off beside me to race Derpy head-to-head to the finish line. I tried to match her and took up pursuit of Lyra. She noticed and gave me a challenging look before she started kicking her hooves hard again. Derpy shot across the finish line ahead of Levita and just missed the banner hanging over the finish line. Now was the moment when I could show Lyra what I had and was about to stretch my wings. But that did not work. I looked back to see what was wrong with my wings. I did not see where I was running and stumbled. My face landed in the dirt and I somersaulted towards the finish line. Lyra hadn't noticed and kept running down the home stretch. As I rolled across the finish line, I couldn't slow down that fast and rolled her over. We came to a stop together in a mint green tangle before we looked at each other, puzzled, and just started laughing.

From the looks of it, Levita and Derpy had won the race, but Lyra was super happy to be the first non-Pegasus pony to make it through the finish line. She seemed to have so much energy in her and was jumping for joy at her third place finish. Apparently they didn't see it so closely with the victory rules here, it was really all about the fun of it. Twilight, who had also taken the shortcut, crossed the finish line after me and secured fifth place. After her, bonBon and the other ponies also arrived exhausted and collapsed from exhaustion right after the finish line. Now I could understand why Levita had saved her strength until the end.

We were given medals that looked like they were made of pure gold. There was nothing imprinted on the medals, but I knew why. It was a game, not a competition. But it seemed that not everyone thought so when we saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack running. Before the finish line, I noticed that Rainbow Dash's wings were tied with some kind of rope. Apparently this was supposed to be a fair competition, but I didn't really want to believe that when I saw how disheveled their manes were. Probably there was some "fair play" on the course. After a last scuffle before the finish line, they also made it over the finish line, where they had to fight for the last place of all. They really couldn't let it go.

I looked around at the others again and saw that BonBon also looked slightly worn out, even her number was hanging upside down and now showed a "01" instead of a "10". She had seemed so fit in the beginning and yet she had had trouble keeping up with the rest of the ponies in the end. I also noticed that Lyra's double had disappeared from the crowd. I wanted to ask her about it, but BonBon seemed very debilitated. It even seemed to me that her coat looked a little less colorful. Obviously she wasn't feeling well, so we decided to go back home and take care of her for now.

But when we arrived home and BonBon lay down exhausted on the couch in the living room, she asked Lyra and me to talk to Levita alone for a moment. Lyra and I then left the house and waited in the front yard. I didn't know what it was about, and Lyra seemed to feel the same way. We both looked at each other, perplexed, and I could tell that Lyra seemed concerned about BonBon's condition. After Levita came out of the house a short time later, Lyra went back inside to take care of BonBon. When I also went back inside, Levita blocked my door and shook his head.

"I think it's better if we let them rest for now. They need some time to themselves now." she said to me in a calm voice.

She closed the door and seemed to want to go home. I followed her, but I couldn't keep my silence any longer.

"What was going on with BonBon, is she okay? Is it something bad?"

She looked at me slightly worried.

"No, but I...I don't know how to tell you. It has something to do with that doppelganger thing you brought up. It's possible you didn't imagine it..."

I stood in front of Levita and stopped.

"Wait. You mean the doppelganger has something to do with BonBon's weakened condition?"

She nodded wordlessly.

"But BonBon is going to be okay, right?" I asked her.

"The important thing is for Lyra to take care of BonBon now until then. Then she will recover."

That's all she said. Maybe she wanted to avoid that I worry even more than necessary. But it made me a little nervous that I was no longer the only mystery in the village. As we sat together at dinner, Levita told me that I needed to learn how to use my wings. If I ever got into a dangerous situation, I could escape more easily. On the ground, a Pegasus pony would be easy prey. And I think Levita wasn't just thinking about another Timberwolf attack here. We went to bed early, because early the next morning Levita was going to teach me how to fly. She said that nothing was planned about today anyway, except for a talent show at Ponyville Elementary School, but that would not take place until the evening.

The next day we wasted no time. Levita took me a little further out of the village to an open field where I was to learn how to fly. So at least I couldn't accidentally bump into any houses. I was very happy that I would now learn how to use my wings. Until now I was only tied to the ground, but up there...up there I would be free.

We sat down in the field and Levita tried to explain a few basic things about flying, but I was way too excited to fly like the birds and soar into the air.

"...and that's the reason why we can fly at all." Levita finished explaining, but I hadn't caught what she had said before.

"Sure, of course that's the reason. So when am I going to fly?" I said impatiently.

"Well, if you don't have any more questions so far, let's get started. First, I'll teach you how to move your wings. Let's start with opening them." she said, spreading her feathers. I tried to do the same, but somehow I was still not used to concentrating on the wings.

"Oh, that's right. Tehee, I had forgotten all about it. Come on, I'll help you." she giggled and stood behind me. She reached under my shoulder blades and carefully unfolded my wings. They were now stretched out, but they lay on the floor like a wet rag.

"My dear stallion, now I can see how big your wings are. But we'll practice opening them, maybe you just need to feel them again when you haven't flown for a long time."

Then she stood in front of me again and stretched out her wings again. First I should lift mine and stretch them out horizontally. I kept looking tensely at my feathers, which in themselves only made twitching movements. Levita seemed to notice that I was concentrating too much on it.

"You don't have to stare at them to make them do something. You have to tell them what to do."

I didn't know exactly what I was doing wrong. So I tried Levita's tip of speaking.

"UP!" I shouted to my wings. But they did nothing again.

"I...didn't tell you to yell at them!" giggled Levita again.

I was already slightly annoyed as Levita tried to show me how to do it right.

"Okay, pay attention. Close your eyes." she said to me, which I did.

"Now I want you to visualize yourself flying up there. No turns, no loops. Just gliding straight ahead. You see the clouds below you and your shadow on them cast by the sun. See how your wingtips form a line with the horizon?"

I now tried to concentrate on this image. It was a wonderful thought that even calmed me down a bit inside. I was no longer so excited and tried to block out all other thoughts around me. I looked around with my eyes closed and imagined my wingtips pointing left and right toward the horizon.

"Now I want you to slowly open your eyes and look around again," Levita said to me in a soft voice.

So I slowly opened my eyes again and looked around. I really couldn't believe it, but it had worked. My wings were absolutely horizontal and I could feel them, it was a strange feeling like having two extra hooves. But since the thought gave me the creeps, I tried not to think about it any longer.

"Levita...I can. I can feel them!" i rejoiced.

"Great, you're doing very well. You're feeling them, aren't you? Then try to move them up now. Whether at the same time or one after the other doesn't matter. Try to move them consciously."

I looked first at my left wing, but no longer to control it but to admire it as my feathers played lightly in the wind. I tried to tilt the wings forward and backward, it seemed to me the easiest movement. And it worked, slowly, but it worked. Next I tried to draw waves with these movements and let the wing circle. I tried the same thing with the right wing at the same time.

"Well look at that, it seems someone can't wait to get in the air. Now swing it up and down. Slow and strong strokes at first." Levita cheered me on.

I slowly changed from gyroscopic movements to an up/down movement and could already notice with weak strokes how the power of my wings slowly pulled me off the ground. I could not wait any longer. I wanted to flap my wings hard to get airborne quickly.

"Hey, slow down! Don't be in such a hurry!" urged Levita.

But I didn't listen to her and flapped my wings downward as hard as I could, which catapulted me upward at an immense speed. I got a huge fright and fluttered my wings violently, which only made me go up further and further. But I didn't dare stop flapping my wings because I might fall.

"Help! I can't get down!" I screamed, hoping Levita heard me.

I trundled around disoriented in the air before I heard Levita giggling next to me.

"What are you giggling about! So help me!" I cried in panic.

"Just stop flapping your wings," she said.

"But...but then I'll fall!" I asked her, confused, still spinning around.

"You won't. I promise."

Chapter 3 - Mile High In The Sky

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At that, I noticed that I seemed to be spinning back and forth in the same spot. I wasn't falling, but I wasn't rising any further either. Something struck me as odd about flying, so I heeded Levita's advice and stopped flapping my wings. Immediately, gravity pulled my hooves down so I was straight in the air again. But how could that be? We were way up in the...clouds. I was standing on a cloud.

"I...I can stand on clouds. How...how can that be?" I asked, confused.

"You weren't listening to me earlier, were you?" asked Levita suspiciously.

I looked at her slightly ashamed, because she was right. However, she was not angry with me.

"That's what I thought, tehee. So, the thing that makes us walk on clouds is part of the magic that also makes us fly."

"Wait...you're telling me that magic flows through me? I'm not a..."

"Unicorn?" interrupted Levita. "Well, magic doesn't necessarily have to do with what we are. But the way we use it shows who we are."

I looked at Levita tensely. I wanted that explained in more detail.

"In short, magic is what gives Earth Ponies their strength, for example. Something magical that all living things generate. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds all of Equestria together." Levita told me enthusiastically.

But she realized it still sounded a bit illogical to me.

"Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Here, between you, me, the sky, down there, everywhere, yes. Even between the wings and the air."

I was fascinated by the fact that there was something supernatural around me, influencing my actions and doings in this world. But it was scary at the same time, because I did not perceive this unknown force before. At least, I didn't know that I also possessed magic.

"Sorry, I'm rambling. You want to fly, don't you?" she said, smirking at me.

"Then try to follow me. And remember, magic carries you, just worry about flying." she winked at me, opened her feathers and hopped backwards off the cloud with a grin on her face.

Levita didn't seem to be afraid of heights, but as I looked down over the edge of the cloud, I felt a little queasy. Why was I afraid of heights? I was a Pegasus pony! And that's exactly what I was about to prove.

"Come on...you can do it..." I muttered to myself.

I stretched my wings again and gathered my courage to jump over the cloud into the depths. I crouched slightly to push off hard with my back hooves, inwardly counting down.

"3...2...1..." I said, taking a deep breath before lunging forward.

The jump flung me away from the cloud and since my wings were outstretched, I sailed straight ahead. I looked around and could see low to the ground. To my right I could see Levita as she was doing a roll over me and moving to the left side of me. I wanted to be able to do that too, so I angled my wings to get into a spin. I kept slowing down the roll and trying to turn the other way. As I did so, I noticed that it made no difference how hard I flapped my wings during the spin. This had to be the magic Levita had told me about. The magic that had just given me the most beautiful gift in the world.

I wanted to try something and did a half roll on my back and let my wings glide loosely in the wind. Even though I felt gravity beneath me, I just kept sailing. It was a fantastic feeling, like being light as a feather. But I quickly became dizzy and turned around again. Then I tried a few climbs and descents before flying my first turn by doing a quarter roll and then angling the wings. I could fly in circles in this position and sink or climb at the same time. Then when I flew straight up, I was surprised at how easy it was. That's why it had catapulted me into the air like that during my first attempts at flying. When I was high enough, I tried to slow down slowly until I got into a kind of hover. It didn't take much force to maintain altitude. Once I stopped flapping my wings, I sank very slowly. However, I started flapping my wings again in time to notice that the rate of descent was slowly accelerating. Levita came flying in front of me and looked at me with enthusiastic eyes:

"Tell me, is it really the first time you fly?" she asked.

"So as far back as I can remember, yeah," I said.

"Are you kidding? That was great! Even though I don't know who you are, I can tell you this is not your first time flying! You flew maneuvers that I've only seen one Pegasus pony do before. That means you must definitely be from Cloudsdale!"

I was pleased that Levita found a piece of the puzzle through my flying techniques, which should help us explain where I'm from.

"Come on, we need to show this to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Maybe they can help us. And maybe there'll be an extra flying lesson with the best flier in all of Equestria!" she winked at me.

I knew Levita wasn't talking about Fluttershy, of course, and my guess for that wasn't based on her name alone. Levita wasn't flying towards Ponyville, though, but a few fields away. I didn't know where she was going before I heard a loud scream, which I'm sure wasn't from Fluttershy either. As we flew towards the ground, I could see the two Pegasi. Rainbow Dash was lying on her back on the ground, as if the wind had blown her over. Fluttershy was looking at her worriedly. Obviously, something was wrong.

"Hey, you two! What's the matter? We heard you screaming!" said Levita, landing next to Rainbow Dash to help her up.

"Uargh, it's hopeless, Levita!" she said in a pained voice.

Apparently Levita was very surprised by Rainbow's reaction, since she actually seemed like a pony, which didn't give up easily. But she quickly solved the mystery.

"If I don't have someone to cheer me on, then I won't be able to win the competition tomorrow." sighed Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy's cheeks turned slightly red. Levita noticed me looking at her in confusion.

Levita explained to me that Rainbow Dash had a big performance tomorrow in Cloudsdale and she would like me to be there. Now I also realized the reason why she knew that we would meet the two Pegasi here. Apparently Rainbow Dash often practiced her flying maneuvers outside of Ponyville. This was safer than flying uncontrolled into any houses and causing chaos.

Rainbow Dash was very happy about this news, because of her friends only Fluttershy had the chance to fly, and her cheers were too quiet, of course. I agreed to fly with Levita to Cloudsdale tomorrow to cheer Rainbow Dash at the competition. Rainbow told us that this competition was very important for her, because at the end one pony would be named "Best Young Flier". And that would also raise her standing with the Wonderbolts, who would also attend the competition. Levita had already told me then that Rainbow's greatest dream would be to become a member of this special flying unit of Equestria. I considered putting myself up for the show as well. After all, I already really liked flying, and if Levita thought I had any flying experience so far, I might even win the competition! But at this point I realized that it would be rude if I competed against Levita's friend. Not to mention how Rainbow would break if I got first place. I had no idea how much I was underestimating her.

"Hey, do you guys want to watch what I prepared?"

Levita and I nodded and decided to find a place from where we could best watch Rainbow. We sat down on a cloud higher up, but Fluttershy preferred to watch from the ground. When we found our place, we waited anxiously to see what Rainbow wanted to show us. She also stood on a cloud and looked down excitedly, ready to dash off at any moment.

Rainbow stood on her hind hooves and took one deep breath before using the cloud she was standing on as a springboard and plunging into the depths. With an insane speed, she flew close to the ground, trailing a light rainbow glow behind her. She flapped her wings harder and took aim at a row of narrow long trees, which she skillfully flew through in a slalom. A strong gust of wind caught Fluttershy as Rainbow roared past her at full speed. I knew Rainbow was fast, but to really see her in action was simply breathtaking. She soared upward in a vertical flight and stopped in mid-air right in front of us.

"And now for Phase 2..." she said before flashing again and flying toward several clouds. She flew around the first cloud in a circle so fast that it began to spin. She made two other clouds circle, and with such ease that I was really fascinated by her. Fluttershy also seemed to be quite excited, even though we couldn't hear her up here. The whole thing seemed to be heading for the grand finale, as Rainbow was now flying much higher and I wondered what she was up to. She flew a few more loops before folding her wings and dropping down at an angle. As she did so, she stretched one of her front hooves quite long. I was afraid that she would crash, but then I saw that she did not slow down. On the contrary, gravity pulled her faster and faster until a white wall formed in front of her. Besides, there was a whistling sound, which seemed to get louder and louder. Levita watched tensely.

"She's really trying to..." she said quietly to me.

"What, what is she trying?" I asked confused, but Levita didn't give any answer because she was too focused on Rainbow. Fluttershy looked up slightly worried.

"Come on!" yelled Rainbow Dash before the white wall turned into an arrow shape.

But in the next moment, something seemed wrong. She stopped abruptly and hung in that white wall like a ball in a taut net. And that net relaxed upward again and flung Rainbow out in a high arc. She rolled back and forth screaming and I was terrified that something might happen to her. But Fluttershy seemed to recognize the danger and started to fly after her. Levita, however, had to laugh.

"Sorry. It's just that...Rainbow Dash has tried it so many times, and yet it's always ended the same way." she was still giggling.

"I don't understand, Levita. What was Rainbow Dash trying to do?" I looked at her confused.

"There's this legend of a Sonic Rainboom that happens when a rainbow pony like her flies faster than sound."

"So, does it really exist?" I asked curiously.

"I'm afraid I don't remember about that, it must have been around the time I was a foal. I've heard the legend of it, though, when Equestria was lit up by its colors."

"Do you think it was her? " I asked, even more curious.

"She just told me it's a natural gift that every rainbow pony can do. But it takes a lot of practice and patience to perfect the technique." replied Levita.

"Then she will probably have learned it from her parents. There don't seem to be that many rainbow ponies like her, do there?" I said confidently.

Levita put on a thoughtful look.

"It's possible. But only she knows who made the very first Sonic Rainboom. But I'll get that mystery solved too." she promised me with a wink.

Now I knew what Rainbow Dash's responsibilities were. Not only had she learned a great trick, but she also had a heavy legacy on her shoulders. If this Sonic Rainboom made it to legend status, it would mean a lot to the ponies in Equestria if Rainbow could pull off this aerial acrobatic feat. Levita and I flew around a bit more before heading back home to see out the time until the evening talent competition at Ponyville Elementary School. Lyra and BonBon were at Sugarcube Corner for the day because Princess Celestia was coming to the village. But Levita said you couldn't get in to see the princess unless you had the proper invitation, and how was I supposed to get one if I didn't know who I was myself? Hopefully Lyra and BonBon would have the opportunity to ask the princess about my origins. Thanks to Levita's analytical eye, we could at least find out that I was from Cloudsdale. That was something.

We rested a bit more until the evening before the Ponyville Elementary School talent show. Together with Derpy, we set off early for Sweet Apple Acres, since the school was located near Applejack's farm. When we got there, there were already many ponies gathered around a big stage. And again, I could see a few doubles, but I tried to ignore them and enjoy the evening. What made me especially happy, I could easily recognize the real Lyra from it, because she was always standing right next to BonBon. And I was glad that BonBon seemed to be better again. Levita, however, said that it would be better if I asked her after the performance what had come out with the princess. The event was already starting, so I didn't want to disturb them unnecessarily.

It started off interestingly. Apparently two little colts prepared a magic trick where they wanted to make a rabbit disappear. But that was not all, because instead of the rabbit something else was supposed to appear. When one of the foals lifted the cylinder again, the rabbit had disappeared, but the table was empty. But the mystery was quickly solved, because it turned out that the other foal started to eat carrots from the cylinder, which were supposed to appear on the table instead of the rabbit. It was not a real magic trick, but it was very entertaining, the laughing audience confirmed it.

After that, a pink pony came on stage and Levita explained to me that this was the teacher of the elementary school, Mrs. Cheerilee. For the fact that I had actually estimated teachers to be a little older, she still looked very young.

Next, two young ponies came on stage with roller skates on their hooves. They recited a poem while making matching movements on their roller skates. I thought it was very cute and it was interesting to see how much talent was already in such young ponies. And judging by their cutie marks, they already knew what they were really good at.

The next and last thing was a music that triggered something emotional in me. Levita noticed how I looked stunned when the spotlights were turned on, illuminating the faces of three little ponies that I had already seen a few days before at the old tree house. And even though the foals were singing their own lyrics, it seemed to me like an old familiar tune.

"Is everything all right?" asked Levita, putting her hoof on my back.

"Levita, that tune...I've heard that music before. Also how the spotlights had illuminated the faces at the beginning...it looks very familiar. But I can't tell you where from." I said slightly exasperated, almost tearful.

"That's right, now that you mention it. I've heard it before too, but it was quite a long time ago. I think the song they're singing right now is very well known. You've probably heard it many times and that's why it's still left in your mind."

The other ponies didn't seem to mind our conversation, because they were too spellbound on the performance of the three ponies, who were trying with all their might to put on a good show, tearing apart the stage equipment more and more while singing themselves hoarse, which sounded more like screaming to me. The whole theater ended with the stage sets crashing together and the performance ending in a cloud of dust. And even though the performance of a piece of music had turned more into a comedy, I didn't get much out of it. I was far too transfixed on what was going on inside me at the moment. How could such a simple piece of music trigger such a great emotional impact in me? How was I supposed to solve the mystery around me when I couldn't even put together the puzzle pieces I had found?

I turned away from the crowd, which was also having a great time with this performance. Distantly, I still noticed that the last group seemed to get the prize for the best comedy performance, but I didn't care at that moment. I was again only fixated on myself. Now that the show was over, the crowd dispersed a bit and Lyra approached with BonBon.

"Hey, you two! So, eh, how did you guys like the show?" asked Lyra still giggling.

I lifted my head briefly to look at her, only to look bleakly at the floor again afterwards. I didn't know what to do at that moment.

"Um, is he okay?" asked BonBon, while Lyra looked at me worriedly from the side.

Levita explained to both of them what I had just experienced and they decided to accompany us all the way home. Meanwhile, BonBon tried to make logical connections between the performance and my reaction and discuss them with Levita, while Lyra walked next to me and kept talking at me with a bit of small talk. I always responded with short answers and at one point even felt slightly annoyed by her talk, but I knew she only meant well and tried to distract myself a bit. When Levita and I arrived home, Lyra and BonBon said goodbye to us and then went home as well. Not many more words fell between Levita and me, but I decided to sleep on the couch in the living room that night. If I was already a burden to Levita that seemed like it would never end now, I wanted to at least keep that burden to a minimum and make sure she could sleep in her own bed again. I noticed that she was a bit confused by my behavior. But she said nothing more about it and went upstairs without a word as well. Even though it may sound sarcastic, I was grateful to her for leaving me alone at that moment.

But the next day I could forget the worries. I was looking forward to finally exploring the part of Equestria that had remained hidden from me until now. And maybe I would learn the origin of my existence there, too. Of course, it was also important for me to support Rainbow Dash in her performance. Levita and I set out for Cloudsdale, the hometown of the Pegasus ponies, around noon. I was excited to see what she would show me.

After a few starting difficulties, I was back in flight mode and we headed for the lofty heights. I enjoyed looking at the world below me, which was getting smaller and smaller. But instead, a completely new world opened up above me. It was perfect flying weather, the sun was shining and the weather ponies had removed all the clouds in the vicinity from the sky. Except for one large cloud, but after a short flight it turned out to be a floating city with thousands of pegasi flying around it.

"Welcome to Cloudsdale!" said Levita euphorically to me as we flew over the first parts of the huge city.

It was a beautiful city in a white cloud dress. But the buildings all looked like they were made of more than just water vapor. I found it to be a real feat to be able to change the structure of clouds so that solid objects could be built from them. From the distance, I could already see the arena where the competition was to take place. It was colorfully decorated with flags waving in the wind. Before we went towards the arena, Levita showed me around Cloudsdale a bit. She told me that Cloudsdale was especially known for its factories. I wondered what those factories could be and why I couldn't see any smoke from them. But the mystery was quickly solved when Levita explained that they were used to control the weather in Equestria. Of course, nothing had to be burned that could cause smoke.

We arrived at a huge cloud building with a huge funnel on top of it. Next to it was a large opening that looked like a giant trumpet.

"This is one of our factories, it produces clouds and rain, which is then used to fill the clouds. At the moment it is not in operation, but every summer it is refilled from above with water that we bring here from different reservoirs. Then we always have rain when the days get too hot." Levita explained to me.

"How does all this water get here? Don't you have to lug endless buckets up here for it?"

Levita had to laugh at my question.

"No, tehee, of course not. We have a very special technique. First, all the Pegasus ponies gather for a performance test where their wing strengths are measured..." said Levita, before we were startled by a loud thunder that cracked nearby.

What was only a brief scare to me seemed more frightening to Levita for some reason.

"What was that? Where did the thunder come from?"

"...From the weather factory..." said Levita still slightly afraid.

"Are we going to see it next?" I asked enthusiastically, but Levita didn't seem thrilled with the idea.

"Levita, calm down. That was just the thunder, nothing bad." I said teasingly.

"I know. I'm just scared of the sound. It always scares me." she apologized to me.

I remembered the stormy evening at BonBon and Lyra's house where she was also afraid of the thunder. I did care where the thunder came from, but if Levita didn't want to go there that was fine with me.

"That's all right, Levita. I'm sure I'll have another chance to visit the weather factory sometime."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. But I can at least tell you what I know about the weather factory from other ponies," Levita asked me.

And so, on the way to the arena, she told me all the details of what tasks the weather factory had. It produced thunderstorms that made the clouds rain and at certain times of the year it even made snow out of rain. For this, however, it needed a lot of energy. Therefore, the Pegasi used a part of the produced thunderstorms and placed it above the factory, whose lightning struck again and again over a large metal sphere at the top of the factory to always supply the plant with energy. The factory needed especially much energy to produce the rainbows. I had previously thought that these were just reflections from the light, but the colored watercourses in the city confirmed to me that it was indeed a liquid. I wondered what rainbows would taste like, but I would rather not drink something that flowed from a factory. Levita also advised me against it, probably some ponies had already experienced it.

Levita explained to me that the rainbows helped control the weather, because the clouds became controllable with magic by adding the liquid. This was also why the pegasi could push clouds around like solid objects. Without this ingredient, the clouds would be pushed around aimlessly by the wind and would rain where no rain was needed, for example. And although Levita described this scenario to me as pure chaos, it sounded more logical to me than clouds that could be moved by magic. She also told me that just about everyone in Cloudsdale worked in the factories, but when Levita lived in Cloudsdale, she was always afraid to work in the factory complex because of the constant thunder. Since I had always known her to be brave and direct, I thought it would be interesting to discover Levita's sensitive side.

After a short time we arrived at the stadium, where we could already hear the crowd cheering enthusiastically, looking forward to a fantastic air show. Levita and I looked for a place further up in the stadium, where we could look to the left onto the stage where Princess Celestia had already taken her seat to watch the show. Below us, on the opposite side of the arena, I could see Twilight with her friends. But when I pointed out her friends to Levita, she had to look twice because she didn't expect to see them up here. She explained to me that normally only Pegasus ponies could walk on clouds. And she couldn't see wings on them either, but maybe we were too far away to see it more clearly. But she couldn't fly over, because the tournament was already opened and any moment various ponies had to prove their flying skills. A little closer to the left of Twilight's group I could see a pony that looked similar to Lyra, but it had the wings of a pegasus and no horn. This was definitely not Lyra, but could the doubles now change their whole bodies in addition to their eyes? This was getting creepier and creepier, but I tried to stop paying attention to it and concentrate on the show.

In the background I could hear various instruments, which presumably accompanied the event with appropriate music behind the princess' stand. There was an emcee pony, announcing Equestria's elite flyers. The Wonderbolts. At this, six costumed pegasi came flying in, each trailing a trail of thunderclouds. They rose far into the air before flying so close together that the air between them compressed and released with a bang, after which the crowd cheered them enthusiastically. Levita seemed to enjoy it too, despite the bang, which pleased me greatly. Apparently, these elite flyers seemed to be deciding who would become the "Best Young Flyer in Equestria" in this competition. I fervently hoped it would be Rainbow Dash. The Wonderbolts took their places near the princess and the first flier came into the arena. It was a beige Pegasus with a pink mane. It was closely followed by a pony that looked just like the doctor from Ponyville that I had met. Only with wings. Something seemed off about the whole thing. Next, a purple pony with a yellow mane came flying out. Each pony wore a number and performed its own routine, which the Wonderbolts watched critically. I just hope Rainbow wouldn't get stage fright with all this pressure. Next came a pony with a yellow coat and purple mane, followed closely by Derpy, with Levita completely out of her mind and cheering her on euphorically. But as one would expect, Derpy flew around aimlessly and seemed to just enjoy being the center of attention for a moment. Of course, this was no achievement for a win, but it was still fun to watch her do it.

After Derpy, we started to worry about when Rainbow Dash would finally show up. But after a few other Pegasi, Rainbow Dash now slowly came flying out, followed closely by Rarity, who appeared to be wearing shimmering butterfly wings. I had to rub my eyes because I couldn't comprehend it at first. All the other ponies in the arena seemed just as fascinated by it and cheered her on as she gracefully rose into the air, classical music playing in the background. Rainbow Dash began her slalom flight while Rarity danced in the air. I didn't know what to focus on. But at a pillar of cloud, Rainbow flew back into her slalom too soon, causing her to bump into the pillar and be thrown to the edge of the stands. Rarity, meanwhile, continued to pirouette as Rainbow Dash rose into the air and flew out over the stadium. From a distance, I could see that she was now performing her second feat: The spinning clouds. At first it looked exactly as she had shown us, but for some reason she went into a spin and was thrown away by one of the clouds. As if that wasn't bad enough, the spinning cloud sped toward the Princess Grandstand, where it flew just above Princess Celestia's head to the stadium wall and fizzled out.

Now I knew that Rainbow Dash had only one way left to impress the Wonderbolts jury. She had to pull off a Sonic Rainboom. And as was to be expected, she soared far high above the stadium to build up enough acceleration, Rarity following right behind her and flying in front of the sun so that it cast rainbow colors on the entire stadium through her shimmering butterfly wings. The ponies all turned to look at her, with no one noticing Rainbow Dash anymore. But something seemed to go wrong and the wings dissolved into ash, whereupon Rarity plunged into the depths uncontrolled. The Wonderbolts got ready to take off and followed her. Rainbow Dash also seemed to have heard her scream and went straight into a dive. She roared through the bottomless arena at breakneck speed to rescue Rarity. Since we were sitting higher up in the arena, I couldn’t see her anymore. I hoped that she could still intercept Rarity in time. I would have helped her otherwise, but I doubted I would be faster than Rainbow Dash.

A gigantic explosion sounded under the arena and glowed in bright colors from below. At the same time, I could see a huge circle of rainbow colors spreading under Cloudsdale like a wave. Shortly after, Rainbow Dash came flying over our heads as she trailed a huge rainbow-colored trail behind her. And if my eyes didn't deceive me, she not only had Rarity firmly in her hooves, but also three of the Wonderbolts on her back. She had done it! Not only the rescue, but the Sonic Rainboom as well! I felt deep joy for her at that moment, this had to be the best day ever for her!

As she flew into the arena from below and safely unloaded the ponies, the audience cheered. Everyone was thrilled with her performance and even Fluttershy was cheering loudly. Twilight conjured up a balloon where Rarity could sit in the basket. Apparently, the six friends had some things to talk about and it looked like the competition was interrupted for a short time. The moment the Wonderbolts went to Rainbow Dash, I could literally see her joy. She was overjoyed to be able to meet her idols in person. When even Princess Celestia flew up to the six ponies, it was clear to me who had won the contest. She placed a golden crown with two wings on Rainbow's head and her friends carried her on their backs through the arena. She was to savor every moment of this success in the cheers of the audience.

Since the friends had a lot to talk about among themselves, Levita and I decided to fly back to Ponyville. But as we passed the outskirts of town, a strange change in temperature gripped me. Something was in the air.

"Something is wrong. I feel cold. Unpleasant cold." I said to Levita.

She stopped short and waved her hoof around, trying to smell something in the air.

"Hmm, I can feel it too. Apparently it's coming from the weather factory..."

At this, Levita's eyes widened and she looked at me excitedly.

"Oh, do you know what that means?" she asked me in an excited voice.

I shook my head in confusion.

"Winter is coming!" she cheered, rejoicing.

I could only share her joy to a limited extent, as I had not experienced a winter in Ponyville yet, at least I didn't remember one. But despite the lack of memories, I felt very much at home in Ponyville by now and was even able to meet many other ponies in town. Levita's six friends seemed to be busy with each other all the time anyway, so it was good to have other ponies to talk to.

Of course I didn't tell other ponies about my problem, that would only lead to an unpleasant questioning conversation. But I only realized how much time had passed since my arrival in Ponyville when I saw the first snowflakes falling from the sky that same evening. And when I looked out of the window the next morning after getting up, I could see an idyllic village completely covered with snow. Because it had become very cold, Levita wanted to go with me to Rarity to find some clothes to keep us warm. Levita picked out some woolly hoof boots. For me, Rarity had made a fluffy sweater and scarf that perfectly matched the color of my coat as well as my mane. She also said that I had colors that she had never seen on any pony, but I thought she did a great job. I noticed before in the village that my fur warmed me enough, but somehow I felt more comfortable wearing clothes.

Outside, village life was now in full swing. I enjoyed watching the ponies doing their activities. Some were sledding, others were having snowball fights, it was wonderful. Noticing a few ponies taking care of various animals, Levita explained to me that this was part of the whole procedure of "Winter Set Up" and many ponies set out in teams to ring in winter throughout Equestria. The opposite of this would be called the "Winter Wrap Up," but the ponies would do it in the spring so that winter could give way to spring. Levita said she always enjoyed helping with the Winter Wrap Up because she loved how the fresh bloomed flowers smelled.

On nice days, I would head to Cloudsdale with Derpy and Levita to learn more about my heritage, and on just about every evening, we would gather with Lyra, BonBon for a cup of cocoa at home or at their house, where a fireplace provided pleasant warmth. Of course, in addition to my business, we talked about stories from times I could no longer remember. It helped me immensely to listen to these stories so that this world around me no longer seemed so alienating. There was even a celebration of winter called Hearth's Warming Eve. For this, there was even a play performed in Canterlot that told an ancient story about the creation of Equestria. Levita decided that we should watch the performance together. I was eager to come along, so we all made our way together to the outskirts of the village, where I could see tracks on the ground leading to a nearby train station. For some reason, it surprised me that there were trains here. The unicorns could teleport, the pegasi could fly, and the earth ponies...well, it actually made sense to them. But I considered that it would be a long way to Canterlot even as the crow flies. So I also decided to take the most convenient route and got on one of the colorful wagons with the others, pulled by the purple steam locomotive at the front of the train.

They were just as colorful on the inside as they were on the outside. And the train also departed quickly to be in Canterlot in a short time. The snow was rushing past the windows. The four couldn't wait until we arrived in Canterlot. While Derpy dreamily watched the passing snowflakes from the window, Levita, Lyra and BonBon started to tell me about the play. It was about the origin story of Equestria, when the three pony breeds, Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasus Pony met. These were played by different ponies each year. I could easily imagine that Levita, Lyra and BonBon would be perfect for these roles, as they seemed to know the whole script by heart. I listened intently as the story ran its course, so much so that I almost didn't notice something bright appear outside the train. As I looked out the window at the setting sun, I saw a large castle with many lights, built on the side of a mountain. In front of the castle was a lake that ran in a river through the castle and down the mountain on the other side. As the train moved closer and closer to the castle, the city backdrop became larger and larger and I knew immediately: this had to be Canterlot.

When the train stopped at the station and we got off, besides the many ponies, I noticed the mighty porches of the city gate and the city wall, which seemed to be made of massive stone. It was breathtaking to walk through the gigantic gate that led into the magnificent castle town. A veritable sea of lights revealed itself before me, surpassing even the moonlight in its brightness. Dozens of stores seemed to be open so late at this festive time. The smell of sweet baked goods and sweets sold in the stores was everywhere. The foals seemed to be especially fond of it, and I too sniffed the air joyfully, while the song of several ponies rang out, standing in groups around town, singing happy winter songs. I could not stop marveling at this fantastic world.

The theater was located in the garden of the castle named Canterlot, which gave the city its name. It was immediately clear to me that the princesses ruled from here. I remembered that Lyra and BonBon had been with Princess Celestia when she had visited Ponyville. When I asked them about it, BonBon told me that unfortunately they didn't get an audience with the princess, that their pet had suddenly disappeared and she was busy all day trying to find it again. A little later, however, it had reappeared. Lyra added that the pet was a phoenix with red and yellow plumage. It was the most graceful animal she had ever seen. Some ponies even tell her that this animal had special magical powers.

When we went to the entrance of the castle garden, we had to cross a wooden gate which served as a bridge over a moat filled with water. The water in the moat seemed to be frozen, but the waterfall on the side of the city kept the river running under the ice, which also flowed through the moat. To the left of the gate was a huge fir tree decorated with many colorful self-luminous objects. The gate was guarded by two ponies, which apparently belonged to the princess's royal bodyguard. I just didn't know if this should make me feel safer. What was a princess, who ruled such a loving kingdom, supposed to be protected from?

All the ponies seemed to be going into the big castle, which I doubted was the playhouse where the play was being performed. But the others told me that it was the right way. We went up a large staircase until we came to a long corridor that apparently led to a larger hall. Levita explained to me that this was also near where the Grand Galloping Gala was always held, but in a different hall. She told me that this was usually the throne room where the princesses resided, but since they themselves could watch the spectacle from her gallery above the entrance to the hall, they didn't have to sit on their thrones, which were located backstage. The hall was solemnly decorated with wreaths and garlands of fir branches strung from one marble column to the next. On the left glass facade I could see a mosaic, on which some figures on it looked familiar. Why were Twilight and her friends on this mosaic? They all seemed to be wearing some kind of necklace and were enchanting a pony that was hovering over them. Was that something like...Nightmare Moon? I asked Levita about it and she also glanced over at the mosaic. It appeared to show how Twilight and her friends had used these magical necklaces to defeat Nightmare Moon and turn her back into Princess Luna. Levita called these necklaces the Elements of Harmony.

Lyra and BonBon seemed to be looking for a place further in front of the stage to better observe the spectacle. I found it better for the time being to remain in the background. When I let my eyes wander through the hall, I could not discover the six friends anywhere. On the other side of the hall I could see another mosaic, which showed a creature that looked a bit wrong. Its body parts were all different colors and shapes, and there were horns on its head. Levita explained to me that this was a representation of a powerful chimera that had haunted Equestria at that time. It had existed at the time when Princess Luna and Princess Celestia themselves possessed the Elements of Harmony. Thus, they succeeded in freeing Equestria from the Chimera's years of tyranny. There was even a statue in the castle garden that was supposed to represent the Chimera as she gloated and laughed into the sky. Levita said that she thought she could once hear the Chimera's laughter softly as she approached the statue. She hasn't gone there since. It scared me a bit too, as Levita told it. But since all that was long in the past, we didn't have to worry about the chimera anymore.

We noticed that Derpy had not been with us since we had entered the castle. But before we were about to start looking, the curtain of the stage opened a bit and Derpy looked around and waved to all the spectators. Levita had to giggle because she didn't expect Derpy to sneak on stage just to greet all the ponies in the hall. I thought it was a nice gesture from Derpy, even though I think it was not allowed to be in the stage area if you were not one of the showmen. After all, they had to prepare for a very special show. I was eagerly waiting to see what the show ponies would look like and how the whole play would go.

When the curtain went up, I could see the little baby dragon, Spike, giving the opening speech. If he was the announcer, I could begin to explain why I hadn't seen Twilight and the other five before. But first, a few other ponies came on stage to represent the primal races: Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. Some of them didn't look quite healthy, though. In general, all the ponies on stage looked pretty...gray. I had to think at that moment of BonBon's incident at the fall run, when she had a similar gray coloring. But probably it was related to the role, because the ponys in the story suffered from hunger and cold. But soon the leaders of the races gathered. And of course, they were played by none other than Twilight and her friends, as I expected.

But the role division was interesting: Rarity played Platinum, princess of unicorns, and Twilight was her assistant. She was called Clover, the clever one. Pinkie Pie played Puddinghead, the chancellor of the earth ponies. Her assistant Smart Cookie was played by Applejack. Rainbow Dash played Commander Hurricane, she seemed to be the leader of the Pegasi and Fluttershy joined later as the Pegasus army pilot Private Pansy. Except for Applejack and Fluttershy, I found that the roles also fit the personalities of Twilight and her friends very well.

The story began with there being food supply shortages between the races of ponies and as a result the rulers of the races sat down to discuss a solution. But the more they discussed, the more they argued. The whole thing went on until three mysterious creatures appeared in the sky and slowly turned the land around them to ice. Levita explained to me that these creatures were called Windigos, beings that spread coldness where the harmony between the ponies was endangered. Even in the audience you could feel the coldness that these creatures spread. The effects of this show were great! The ponys had to look for a new country. Stupidly, they met each other again and were faced with the problem of who owned the newly discovered fertile land. The whole thing became really exciting when the rulers began to argue again in a cave, whereupon the three winged creatures appeared again, hovering like ghosts over the heads of the rulers. And when the quarrel escalated, the cold of the Windigos froze the rulers in ice. Only the rulers' assistants were left, still trying to somehow get the situation under control. When all hope seemed lost, these three ponies swore eternal friendship despite their different origins. A wonderful message!

And from their friendship arose a spell strong enough to get rid of the Windigos and thaw the rulers again. Thereupon, the wizards explained to their rulers that at this cold time of year, despite their differences, what mattered was love and tolerance; only in this way could the land endure. When they had settled all their disputes, they decided to call the common land "Equestria". And apparently it was still guarded by princesses today, I wonder what stories Celestia and Luna could tell about their past. In fact, I didn't even know how old they were or...how old an alicorn could even get. After the closing ceremony of the play was over, the whole audience cheered and I had to say, for the fact that these six ponies played an important role for Princess Celestia not only in the play but apparently also in real life, they did really well. But I had my own troupe by now. Levita, Derpy, Lyra and also BonBon...they had become like a family to me.

As we walked out of the castle, BonBon seemed a little tense and was discussing something with Lyra. They waved us out of the crowd to talk a little further away from the ponies.

"So, what did you guys think of the performance? Well, I thought it was great!" I said.

"Yeah, the play was nice, but didn't it seem a little weird to you?" asked BonBon.

"Hm, the only thing that seemed a little weird to me was that Twilight and her friends were at the center of something again, it's kind of been happening more often lately." joked Levita.

"That's true, but didn't you notice anything special?"

“Well, I noticed that Minuette was involved in the play. I had last seen her when we had prepared a little party with Twilight's old friend Moondancer. But since Twilight was sent to Ponyville, Moondancer was too disappointed that she wasn't there and cancelled the party. But now that we're back in Canterlot, we can make up for it!" Lyra rambled.

"I think BonBon's point was that there was another Lyra on stage, too," Derpy said freely.

We looked at her in irritation. Even BonBon looked at her in surprise, probably no one had expected such an observation from Derpy.

"Uh...yes, Derpy. That's exactly what I mean. And not just her, there were a dozen lookalikes in the audience. I hadn't noticed at first, but as I slowly crept forward, I could count about how many doubles there were."

"So, how many were there?" wanted Levita to know, slightly nervously.

"Too many." said BonBon with narrowed eyes.

"But why haven't you noticed this before?" I asked.

"I don't know, I certainly would have noticed it at the last Hearth's Warming Eve. But something seems off this time, I didn't notice the doubles until..."

Then BonBon fixed her eyes on me.

"Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to talk to Lyra alone for a minute." BonBon said, still looking at me suspiciously.

I didn't know what was going on. Had I said something wrong? Levita and Derpy also looked at me slightly confused. I noticed how Lyra and BonBon discussed violently and both pointed at me several times. Levita joined them, so I was left with Derpy and we looked at each other helplessly. Levita seemed very concerned about what BonBon was telling her. If only I knew what the conversation was about. BonBon was probably very worried about the condition of the ponies she had seen at the theater performance. I could well understand her, the number of doubles was more than frightening. It was almost impossible to tell who was the real pony or a double. The only thing missing was that I would meet myself. So I really hadn't imagined it. But now I wanted to know from Bonbon what it was really all about and waved over to her. After a short while, the three of them came back to us.

"So, uh, sorry we had to discuss this between us for a minute now," BonBon said hesitantly.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" I inquired with interest.

"We...we feel that we shouldn't see each other again for now, since we suspect that you..." said Lyra, before BonBon nudged her briefly with her hoof.

"What Lyra meant to say was that we think you'll be safer in Canterlot than in Ponyville. That's why you should stay here for now, until we've investigated the matter of the doubles. And for that we have to go far away, isn't that so Lyra?"

She had to swallow for a moment, obviously she had to keep something from me that BonBon had told her.

"Uh, yeah. Right. We have to go far, all the way to...Appleloosa. Right. Appleloosa." stammered Lyra.

"And where am I supposed to live here?" I asked them both, confused.

"You can stay at my old home. I've only been at BonBon's lately anyway. I hope you can feel at home there too, depending on where you grew up...or hatched." said Lyra as BonBon nudged her a second time and covered Lyra's mouth with her hoof.

"Uh, yeah. But the whole thing is not to say that you should stay alone. I discussed that with Levita." said BonBon, turning to her.

"Right. I'll keep you posted on what's happening in Ponyville, of course, and I'm sure Derpy can bring you my letters."

Derpy then made a saluting motion, thereby agreeing to Levita's request. Somehow the whole thing seemed a bit over the top, but I continued to trust BonBon's intuition. If something were to happen here, I would be safest near the princesses. After we had discussed the next steps, Lyra showed me the most important points in Canterlot and told me that certain things here were different from what I had known so far. Money seemed to play a bigger role here than in Ponyville. Also, a lot of attention was paid to a well-groomed appearance here, as one could meet many well-known ponies. I thought it was a pity that Rarity had not yet managed to open a boutique here although she liked Canterlot so much. She certainly could have helped me out here. Lyra told me, however, that I could have all the things I needed put in her name, apparently she was a very well known unicorn here. I could not accept the help and wanted to go to earn money so that I could buy the things I needed. But Lyra insisted and BonBon told me that it was currently advisable if I did not attract too much attention, especially the attention of the doubles. Even in a dangerous situation I could experience again how much the ponies here paid attention to each other.

She also showed me where her friend Twilight had lived in Canterlot before moving to Ponyville. The house looked well kept, since she had moved to Ponyville only a year ago. Then we arrived at Lyra's old home, which was already a bit overgrown. Vine plants had already climbed a part of the house wall, but this gave the house a natural flair. The interesting thing was that it looked like a combination of a house and a castle. The house was covered with purple roof tiles and had a bright white facade. There were two bulbous towers attached to the side of the house, which towered over the house just a bit. There was even a balcony on one tower, painted gold from below, just like the two spires. Lyra said to me that her home was nothing special in itself, but to me it felt like a palace. The beautiful marble staircase in front of the entrance alone was worth a look. The door was made of solid wood in a dark shade of blue, and the gold-colored door handles gave me just a hint of what a magnificent mansion was hidden inside. When Lyra opened the door, I could not get out of my amazement.

Inside, several chandeliers hung from the ceiling, which Lyra made glow with a short spell. Since I had no magic power, she used a spell that made the chandeliers glow only at night, during the day they reflected the sunlight shining from outside through the windows to illuminate the entire interior. On the walls I could see paintings of various instruments. Apparently Lyra was very musical, which could be seen from her name and her cutie mark. She told me that she used to live here with her parents until one day they moved to another part of Canterlot so Lyra could get the house. Apparently, upon entering her old home, she had the desire to reveal much personal information to me. As she showed me around and showed me the house, she told me about her parents. Her father was a unicorn from whom Lyra had gotten her appearance. Her mother had met him here in Canterlot, she was a blue earth pony and she was always called Bee Bop by her father. Not only could she sing beautifully, but she had a special interest in learning new instruments. As many as ten instruments could be taught by her mother, including playing the harp, which she also taught Lyra. It was no coincidence that Lyra had been given a harp symbol as a cutie mark, because her mother had the same one, only in pink.

A red-carpeted staircase led to the top floor of the house, from which another spiral staircase led to the tower with the balcony. As we stood on the balcony, one could look out over the bright city to the dark expanse in the distance. Unfortunately, Ponyville could not be seen from here, as Canterlot was too far up for that. Probably the village was also too dark in contrast to Canterlot. Lyra wanted to show me the rest of her home, but BonBon said they had to leave soon. I noticed that the ponies here generally didn't lock off their homes, there seemed to be a lot of trust between them. We walked back towards the station and I had to say goodbye for the first time. I didn't know how long it would take BonBon and Lyra to unravel the mystery so that I could rejoin them in Ponyville. I hugged Levita and Derpy tightly, Lyra even tighter. BonBon seemed to be in a hurry to get on the train, so she just waved at me. It wasn't until the train pulled away and left me on the empty platform, where there were just significantly more ponies, that I felt left alone for the first time.

I decided to return directly to Lyra's house to spend the night there. It was also the first time I slept alone, at least as long as I could remember. A few ponies were still out on the streets, but many were still partying the evening away in various restaurants. This town, unlike Ponyville, was still lively late at night, so my sudden loneliness was at least somewhat alleviated. When I then walked through the front door of the Heartstrings estate and closed the door behind me, I first realized how alone I suddenly was.

Chapter 4 - Life Is Changing In Canterlot

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This eerie silence that I suddenly heard was more than unfamiliar, so I wanted to find a bedroom as soon as possible. When I entered the first unfamiliar room, I discovered a dozen or so musical instruments covered with white sheets. This was probably Lyra and her mother's music room. One room further I discovered many books, which stood in shelves as well as a music desk, on which still partly unfinished sheet music lay. Next to it stood an inkwell with a quill. Apparently this was an old study, probably the family used it to compose music by now. Although my tiredness was slowly catching up with me, I wanted to explore more of the house. One room in particular caught my eye because it had two large doorways. As I stepped through one of them, I could make out a large bedroom. The bed was decorated in mint green and pinkish blue colors. There were a few clothing racks around the outside and some had a more severe design, while the others were lighter and brighter. This had to be Lyra's parents' old bedroom, possibly she hadn't found a use for this room yet. Maybe it was important to her to keep it that way too, I'd rather not mess anything up here. As I continued to walk through the building, I could see that in the second tower, which had no balcony, there was also a room with two door leaves. The door handles were shaped like little harps and I could already guess who this room belonged to.

I opened the door slowly and could see into another bedroom, but there were all kinds of things in it. The moon shone through a large window, which bathed the whole room in a mixture of blue-green hues. In the corner I could see a rack, on which probably a small musical instrument like a guitar or something similar would have a place. But with Lyra, I could guess what kind of instrument once stood there. Probably she had taken it with her to Ponyville to BonBon, leaving it here would have made no sense either. The bed was covered with white and light green sheets, but didn't look dusty in any way. Obviously Lyra had been here often and cared for everything, even though she spent most of her time at BonBon's. On the other side of the room was a slate board and a small stool. On it were drawn some symbols with arrows that seemed to go in all directions. On the floor, in a pile, lay various books. According to the titles, they were books about advanced unicorn magic. When I let my eyes wander to the side, I could see a shelf with a dozen books there as well. Lyra seemed to be very well-read, which pleased me very much. On the wall were various pictures of Lyra, which also showed her as a cuddly foal. The pictures seemed to have been drawn by a gifted artist. One picture seemed to be a kind of certificate:

It is with great pleasure that I, Princess Celestia, announce that

Lyra Heartstrings

has successfully completed the School for Gifted Unicorns and passed her final exam with flying colors.

She was tested in the advanced areas of Apparition, Protegium, and the use of an ancient spell. The purpose of Mrs. Heartstrings' wish spell was to create a musical instrument out of an arbitrary object.

She also shows special talent in the field of ascendium.

I was as proud of Lyra at that moment as I was of Rainbow Dash when she received her award shortly after her Sonic Rainboom. A few tears came to my eyes as I read the lines. She was a wonderful unicorn like you could only imagine in your wildest dreams. Why was I fooling myself about anything? How could I compete with all of this? I was a nobody, I had nothing. No certificate, no home...I didn't even know if I had parents who would be proud of me. At that moment I lost myself in a pile of self-pity again and threw myself on Lyra's bed, only to press my head deep into the pillow in despair. However, my tiredness helped me and I slowly fell asleep sobbing.

Throughout the rest of the winter I learned to live on my own. Levita wrote me letters listing all the things that happened in Ponyville. Derpy brought them to me regularly and always had a pot of food that Levita had cooked for me. I just wondered why she wasn't allowed to drop by my house. Lyra and BonBon had been gone for quite some time now, I wondered if they had found out anything in the meantime so that I could return to Ponyville soon and see them again. While I liked being able to stay at Lyra's house, I was beginning to miss her. As the weather seemed to change again over the next few weeks, Levita wrote me about all the events during the Winter Wrap Up. In Ponyville, everyone pitched in to help clear the snow and clear the skies for sunshine again. Apparently, it was every pony for itself here in Canterlot. In Ponyville Vests were distributed, each bearing a symbol. Levita was given a blue vest with a sun symbol on it, and she explained in the letter that her team was making sure the sky was clear of clouds again and that they were welcoming the birds returning from the warm south to find their nesting places again. The ponies even started singing and the atmosphere was wonderful, she wrote. But she also mentioned that a lot of things went wrong this time.

Derpy seemed to have made a mistake in the direction of the birds from the south and flew north. Rainbow Dash began to argue with Applejack and Fluttershy. Then, as more and more ponies gathered, the mayor mare had to intervene. The unicorn Twilight brought a proposal to solve the problems and offered herself as a coordinator for the work. She was given a colorful vest knitted with the colors of all the teams and set about coordinating the teams and working through the tasks on a checklist one by one. So this year's Winter Wrap Up was completed on time after all without any further delays. I would have loved to have been there.

One day Levita wrote me that Twilight was running around Ponyville with some stuffed animal, which Levita wanted to have. It ended up that it felt like all of Ponyville was after this stuffed animal. She didn't know what was wrong with her that day, but now everything was back to normal. In retrospect, she even had to laugh about her behavior, because she didn't know herself that way. As if some strange spell had been cast on her.

Levita really didn't leave out any details in her letters, she even reported that the chimera, whose mosaic we had seen in one of the windows in the castle, had come again and turned the whole of Ponyville upside down. But fortunately, the six seemingly most important ponies in Equestria were able to clean up the mess. I had heard about this because there was a ceremony here in Canterlot to celebrate the triumph of the six ponies.Was there anything else they were not involved in?

The question should answer itself in the next days. For once, all of Ponyville was in an uproar because Fluttershy had suddenly become mean. This had worried Levita a lot, but apparently it was related to a training that was supposed to build Fluttershy's self-confidence. Apparently it had worked a little too well.

Levita had a very special day when she wrote how she sang a song with Pinkie Pie and all the ponies in Ponyville. In the process, some ponies even hopped from one roof to another on the houses. Pinkie Pie was all about cheering up some old donkey, though. I could literally imagine Pinkie Pie overreacting again. But she was apparently a master at getting into details. But Rainbow Dash also seemed to overreact in certain things, as the next letter showed. In it, Levita described that there was a cider tasting at Sweet Apple Acres. She wrote that it was actually the same thing every year, only this time there was competition for Applejack. A vendor duo of two twin ponies had developed a machine that made it possible to make cider without hard work. Also, the Apple family seemed to have constant shortages because it took so long to make the cider. Rainbow Dash seemed to be particularly affected by this, so she was happy that a faster version was now available. However, it soon turned out that it was not even close to being as good as everyone expected. Homemade still tasted the best. I could fully agree with Levita on that. Applejack even received an award from Ponyville's mayor personally for her outstanding work at Sweet Apple Acres, even though she looked pretty worn out at the ceremony. But farm life was no bed of roses...even for an earth pony.

What I would have liked to have been there was when Levita wrote how Spike became a giant dragon that put all of Ponyville in turmoil. Apparently there was always something exciting happening in Ponyville, which was not the case in Canterlot. Everything was so quiet here...too quiet for my taste. Even in the newspapers I didn't read anything special, just the usual Canterlot stuff. I really didn't want to seem ungrateful for Lyra offering me her house, but slowly I could understand why she wanted to leave Canterlot. Here it was just too boring for the average pony. Ponyville even had a newspaper publisher now, started by the elementary school in Ponyville. Derpy even brought me a few copies. Meanwhile, I was trying out new ways to grab things with my wings and even managed to turn individual pages. The stories inside were really worth every page. It had been a long time since I could laugh heartily. The two ponies from the magic show at the talent contest had managed to stick to each other with chewing gum. There were also articles that exposed the fake tricks of the blue magic pony named Trixie. And even Princess Celestia was mentioned, as she was caught eating a dozen or so cakes, which was not at all in keeping with royal manners. Then, when the mayor's artificial mane dyeing was reported, I started to worry since this information apparently didn't get to the paper voluntarily. There was also an article about Twilight, where she had called herself a "Canterlot snob". Even though that was certainly an impertinent insinuation, I could well understand it. The whole town was made up of nothing but snobs, certainly with a few exceptions.

The next few issues of the newspaper were just laughable, but I couldn't laugh at them anymore. The paper, written by a certain "Gabby Gums," now insinuated Applejack slept on the job, that Fluttershy had artificial hair extensions on her tail, and that Pinkie Pie is an out-of-control party animal...well, I knew that last one before the paper, too. And Rainbow Dash was also caught getting a hooficure. I couldn't picture her doing that at all, now the paper started lying for me. However, as a result, the newspaper was also discontinued, as Derpy told me. Luckily I didn't have to pay for all the issues, they wouldn't have gotten a Bit from me for that wipe, which it was now. But unfortunately it was like that with a lot of things that were basically a good idea at the beginning and got worse and worse over time.

But that was not true of Levita's letters. I always read them with enthusiasm, and at the same time I kept up to date. Meanwhile, in Ponyville, there was a competition called "Sisterhooves Social". The goal was for two ponies, preferably siblings, to work together to win various disciplines in partner work. Since Levita and Derpy had no siblings, they did not take part in the competition, but watched it from the stands. The interesting thing was that Levita had watched Rainbow Dash compete with the orange foal who always rode around town on a scooter. I didn't know Rainbow Dash had a sister until now, let alone her name. I only knew that she belonged to the group called the cutie mark Crusaders. And their cutie marks were also the subject of Levita's next letter.

She told that Applebloom, Applejack's sister, was getting her first cutie mark and was totally excited. However, things seemed strange to Levita when something happened that was not normally possible. Applebloom got a second cutie mark in addition, and then another. She felt compelled to do some acrobatic or dangerous stunts, and it seemed as if the cutie marks were controlling her behavior. However, the whole thing was quickly cleared up by a zebra that Levita had never seen in Ponyville before. Her name was Zecora and she lived in Everfree Forest, she was a master at brewing potions for just about any ailment. Apparently Applebloom's complaint was that she didn't have a cutie mark yet. I could well understand the feeling of not knowing where you belonged. But it wasn't just because of my lack of a cutie mark.

One evening I noticed how in the city various ponies had dark clothes and partly pointed teeth like bats. There were many pumpkins on the streets, glowing an eerie orange. Some of them had funny facial expressions, others nasty. This festival looked very familiar to me, although I didn't know the name for it either. Levita explained it in her next letter, though, saying that this festival was called "Nightmare Night." Levita had also dressed up, but she would not tell me what the costume looked like. She only said that her costume was anonymous and mysterious. I would have loved to join this celebration, but unfortunately I lacked the idea for a really creepy costume. I would have loved to see what Levita would have looked like in her costume.

A few days later Derpy was at my door very early and wanted to show me something special. She led me to a lookout at the edge of town, from where one had a wonderful view of the landscape between Cloudsdale and Ponyville. She told me to wait at that spot and hastily disappeared. I was waiting anxiously to see what would happen when a kind of whirlwind gathered over Ponyville. But this did not come from the clouds, but grew larger and larger from the ground until I could see it clearly. As it did so, I noticed a kind of water spiral forming, reaching all the way across the sky to Cloudsdale. The sunlight shone through this enormous stream of water and made Canterlot shine in all colors. The last time I saw something like that was in Cloudsdale, when Rarity flew in front of the sun with her colorful butterfly wings. That day Levita had also shown me the factory where the clouds and rain were made and apparently that's how the factory got its water for production. I noticed other ponies gathering at the lookout as well, not wanting to miss this spectacle. This was by far the coolest thing I had seen so far. I wondered how many pegasi it had taken to create this powerful whirlwind, Levita and Derpy were certainly involved. It filled me with pride at that moment to have such helpful ponies as friends, but at the same time it pained me that I myself could only contribute a little so far. But who wanted help from a pony that needed help itself? This thought did not comfort me in the least.

But that didn't mean that every pony didn't care about me. The very next day I was surprised to see a package with a big red heart on the doorstep. The package itself shone in a light green tone. When I looked around, however, I could see no one, no pony had knocked on the door. Surely Derpy was in a hurry today, but who did this mysterious package come from? I picked it up by the loop with my mouth and carried it into the living room, where I could already open the bow carefully with my wings. But the wrapping paper could not be removed with it and with my hooves I would certainly have crushed the package. I realized again that I should continue to practice using tools. My teeth would probably not thank me in the long run. Under the gift box was a cardboard box containing some Bits, candies and an envelope. On this envelope was painted a cutie mark that I would have recognized among a thousand others. I opened the envelope and could see a letter inside, confirming my suspicion that the package came from Lyra. Before I thought too much, I took out the letter with the wings and started to read it directly, while I tried to open a bonbon with my hooves:

Hi,

I thought I should write to you. Actually, I shouldn't, because I'm on a secret mission with BonBon. Although, mission sounds a bit too dangerous now and since I told you, I guess it's not secret anymore. But I feel like a special agent right now. All day long BonBon and I have been watching all kinds of ponies and have already come across many doubles. There are really a lot of them. But unfortunately we still don't know where all these doubles come from.

I hope that everything is fine with you in Canterlot and that you feel comfortable in my old home. I don't know when we will be back, but I wanted to let you know that we are both doing well. I sent you a few things in celebration of Hearts and Hooves Day because I really like you. BonBon doesn't know about it, you know how she is about it. Besides, she got a present from me too, so Mrs. Sweetie Drops doesn't have to complain.

Please give my love to Levita and Derpy too, I miss you.

Lyra

It was a load off my mind that there was a sign of life from Lyra and BonBon. It had been almost a year since they left for Appleloosa. A little later Derpy came with a new letter from Levita. I was surprised at that moment that she came especially again for the letter, when she had already brought the package to me before. When Derpy looked at the package, she told me that she was sure that the package was not from her. She might be a bit upset today because apparently there was a big event planned in Canterlot for which she had to make countless invitations, but still she would have remembered such a package if it had been for me. I told her that it was from Lyra on the occasion of "Hearts and Hooves Day" and since I didn't know what that day was, Derpy explained to me that it is a day when ponies give each other gifts that are very fond of each other. For example, Levita had given her a whole basket of muffins, and it came out that Derpy had the same gift idea. I could well imagine that had been a fun moment. But if Derpy hadn't brought me the package, who had?

As Derpy got back to work, I decided to read the next letter from Levita. This one was written differently and was very short this time. She told about a garden party in Canterlot to which she was invited by Rarity and would use this occasion to meet again. I found it a bit strange, especially since Levita usually wrote whole novels in her letters. Whereas it would have been easier for me to get a short letter every day. But if that meant less work for Levita, then it was fine for me. And it was nice to hear that I would see her again after Rarity's garden party. Derpy had said something about countless invitations, apparently this garden party was something special! But over the rest of the day, I could hear from the other ponies on the street that it wasn't about the garden party. Apparently it was about a large scale wedding that was to take place tomorrow and there was even a princess getting married.

The next day there was a knock on my door very early. I sleepily went down to the entrance area and opened the big front door. Levita was standing in front of it, looking at me with astonished eyes.

"Oh, uh. Hello Levita.I wasn't expecting you so early."

"Yeah...I thought the early bird catches...uh...the worm." she said nervously.

I could tell something about me was unsettling her. For some reason she seemed afraid of me, she hadn't even hugged me even though we hadn't seen each other in ages.

"Please, come in," I begged her.

She walked in slowly and took a cursory look around at first. She quickly discovered the package from Lyra, which was still lying open on the living room floor. She went a little closer to have a closer look at it.

"So, how are you doing in the meantime? Have you settled in...well?" Levita asked me, still unsure.

I was still standing at the open front door, slightly confused by her behavior.

"Well, I think Lyra's house is great, it's just that the city...is kind of not for me...you can probably guess why..."

While I was telling her my thoughts, I noticed that she wasn't really listening to me. She seemed to be looking for something and kept nodding while I was talking. When she looked closely at the package, she noticed the note. Suddenly her eyes widened and she seemed to have found something she was looking for.

"She was here!" suddenly shouted Levita at the top of her voice as BonBon abruptly stormed through the open front door and fixed me on the floor.

She looked at me with angry yet panicked eyes. Levita ran to the front door to lock it from the inside. I started to be afraid. What was happening here all of a sudden? Were they perhaps doubles who only looked like Levita and BonBon?

"WHERE IS SHE?" yelled BonBon at me.

"W...what are you doing here? I thought you were in Appleloo...."

But BonBon interrupted me immediately.

"Spare yourself, changeling! Where's Lyra?"

"No, BonBon, wait! I'm not a changeling, whatever that is!"

"Oh yeah, prove it!"

I stammered around, trying to remember anything that only the two of us could know.

"Gazpacho!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"The evening we first met, you made gazpacho."

"So, that's not proof that you weren't a changeling by then! You made that up cleverly, didn't you? Diverting my suspicions to the others to distract from you. Who are you, where are you from and what are you up to?" she said demanding.

I didn't know how to answer until Levita spoke up. Apparently she could read my mind.

"I don't think even the real one could answer these questions, BonBon. That's why we went to see you back then, remember?"

BonBon remembered and had to agree with her.

"You've got a point, but how are we going to find out if he's not a changeling?"

"Show us your wings. Please." said Levita calmly to me.

"Alright, here!" I said, spreading my wings wide open, causing BonBon to fall on her back in shock at first.

"These...these are the wings of an alicorn. But how? That's anatomically impossible for a pegasus to..." she said, horrified.

"It's okay, BonBon. It's okay, it's him! You can let him go."

"But that's what makes him suspicious, since he doesn't look like a normal Pegasus! Changelings can sometimes copy only certain parts of the original, depends on how long they've had a chance to study the original." said BonBon.

"Then please tell me this, BonBon. If he is a changeling, then somewhere out there should be the original running around. Have we ever seen a double of him since he showed up? Well I haven't, and I also have a special power of observation." Levita winked at her.

"Now that you mention it, no I haven't either. It's strange that he hasn't been copied yet, but I think it indicates that he's not a changeling." she said, getting off of me.

"I'm really sorry, we just have to be careful. This whole thing got out of hoof." BonBon apologized to me, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"It's okay. What about Lyra? Where is she?" I wanted to know.

BonBon had to swallow deeply before she looked at me with desperate eyes and told me everything that had happened since they had gone to Appleloosa by train, which very quickly turned out to be just an excuse, because she and Lyra never went to Appleloosa. They were in Ponyville the whole time. The garden party was also meant to be a pretext, which had actually taken place the previous evening. Levita felt it was necessary for her to have a reason for coming to see me, even though she could have dropped by anytime. BonBon told me that she suspected I had something to do with the doubles. Since Levita had found me in Everfree Forest, the number of doubles had increased considerably. She didn't want to keep me near the princess to protect me, but to be able to stop me as soon as possible if something should happen. She was pretty sure that the doppelgangers were waiting for an opportunity to become active in as large numbers as possible. But now that the trail was fizzling out, she was back to square one in her investigation. And now there was no trace of Lyra either. Ponyville was only a small village, large gatherings would quickly attract attention and alert the princesses as well as Twilight and her friends, whom BonBon abbreviated to F.R.O.W.N., which stood for Friendship Ranger Organization of Worldwide Neighgotiations. Now the six of them even had a name of their own, albeit one that meant frowning in shorthand.

"Wait, BonBon...you're saying that these changelings wouldn't stand out at a large gathering?"

She nodded in confusion, not knowing what I was getting at.

"I heard that a princess is getting married today in Canterlot. There will probably be a lot of ponies there."

BonBon's beige face visibly turned white.

"Oh Celestia...that's today?" she said, shakily holding her hoof in front of her mouth as she chattered her teeth.

She sprinted to the front door and pulled it open. Outside, a few ponies could already be seen making their way to the castle to witness the marriage.

"Come quickly! We have to get to the castle, now!" shouted BonBon to us.

Levita and I dropped everything to follow her. We rushed through the crowd to get to a side entrance of the castle where there were fewer ponies. Apparently, however, this one was also very well guarded. BonBon sprinted with us to the guard ponies and stopped abruptly in front of them.

"Hey! You are not allowed in here! All ponies who want to go to the wedding have to..." said the one guard pony. At this, BonBon pulled out of her mane a card of sorts with her hoof on it and held it up to the guard pony's nose.

"Special Agent Sweetie Drops! I'm here on behalf of S.M.I.L.E.! Probably every pony at this wedding is in danger! I need to get through here!"

I had no idea what BonBon was talking about. But the guard ponies seemed to have understood her perfectly and made way for her. We tried to follow behind, but the guard ponies blocked our path.

"It's okay, they're with me!" demanded BonBon.

The guard ponies seemed to have a problem letting so many ponies in at once. They both looked a little uncertain.

"Please....my best friend is missing. She is one of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's bridesmaids. We suspect that something may have happened to her during the preparations. But I can't find her alone." said BonBon plaintively.

The guard ponies understood the seriousness of the situation and let us pass, apparently they were not allowed to leave their post so they let us through. I couldn't believe what BonBon had just told us.

"BonBon! What...what's going on?" I said exhaustedly as we ran up the stairs in one of the towers.

BonBon gave no answer, but kept running stubbornly until we could mingle with the ponies who were already making their way through the stairwells toward the chapel, which was in the courtyard of the castle. She looked around in panic, calling Lyra's name in hopes that she would appear in the crowd. But when I looked around, I couldn't see her either. It seemed like looking for a needle in a haystack with the crowd of ponies, so Levita and I decided to call out for her as well. We tried not to lose each other in the crowd until a pony spoke up.

"Hey, over here! Come to me!" called a yellow unicorn with a light blue mane.

We thought at first that the pony didn't mean us. But since she waved right at us, we decided to go to her.

"I'm glad I found you! I'm Lemon Hearts, a friend of Lyra's. I heard you were looking for her too?" said the pony desperately.

BonBon nodded.

"Oh, that's not good at all. Minuette and Twinkleshine have also disappeared. I don't know where they went and the wedding is about to start." replied Lemon Hearts.

"Don't worry, we'll find them together. Come on!" said BonBon and Lemon Hearts followed us out of the crowd. Standing a little apart, the four of us stood in a circle and conferred.

"So, Lemon Hearts. When did you last see Lyra and the others?" asked BonBon.

"They were last with the bride, helping her with the wedding preparations. I've already looked everywhere in the castle, but I can't find them!"

"Then we need to go see the bride, Princess Cadance! I'm sure she can help us!" said BonBon and had Lemon Hearts show him the princess's quarters, which was not far from the chapel in the courtyard of the castle. Levita and I flew after her, since we were totally out of breath by now. BonBon really had a remarkable condition. As we approached a room with two sets of doors and a sun above, we could hear the princess singing through the door.

“...no, I do not love the groom! In my heart there is no room! But I still want him to be all mine!” she sang enthusiastically as the four of us hid behind the flower pots in the hallway.

The princess flung open the doors and ran out singing. As she disappeared around the corner, we came out of our hiding places. Why was she singing about not loving the groom? What was wrong with her? The other three seemed as confused about it as I was. BonBon, however, gave us a look that by now told me what she was thinking: Something told her that the princess had something to do with the disappearance of Lyra and her friends. We crept into the room and searched for the first clues. Near the carpet was a green pile of ashes with a crushed flower on it.

Already when BonBon entered the room, something seemed strange to her and she searched the floor of the room. She tapped the floor with her hooves and pricked up her ears. Obviously she knew exactly what she was doing. And she did it very nimbly. We just didn't know what she was doing.

"Do you hear that? Why does the floor here sound different than other places in the room? There must be a cavity under here." BonBon surmised.

We didn't know where BonBon suddenly came up with this conclusion, but she was right. The floor sounded a little different with each step. As she pulled away the rug in the middle of the room and danced wildly on it as well, we could also hear the hollow sound coming from the floor.

"You know what I'm wondering? If the castle was built on solid rock, why is this floor hollow?"

We all looked at each other unknowingly, but BonBon seemed to already know the answer anyway.

"It's simple! Because there is a huge network of tunnels running under the entire castle grounds where the stones for the castle came from. Canterlot was not built on, but in the mountain. That's also why the castle doesn't slide down the side of the mountain."

She pointed to a specific spot on the ground, whereupon Lemon Hearts was to cast a powerful explosion spell. At first she hesitated a bit, since she probably hadn't used such a spell much before. Then her horn began to glow in a bright purple hue, hitting the ground like a beam and slowly causing it to burst. Levita and I watched spellbound as the floor crumbled and the fragments disappeared into a seemingly bottomless hole. Lemon Hearts looked very exhausted as she finished the spell. When Levita asked her how she could do such a thing, Lemon Hearts replied, breathing heavily, that she had been at the school for gifted unicorns with Lyra, where they apparently learned a lot more than just how to teleport around and levitate things. I was completely fascinated and a little intimidated at the same time. Luckily, we had found Lemon Hearts.

"BonBon, how did you know about the floor? Or about her doing that spell..."

"'Tis no time to explain! Lyra needs our help!" said BonBon, pointing to the deep hole in the ground.

We couldn't see how far down it went. So Levita and I decided that we would fly down to explore the tunnel. The light through the hole in the floor was reflected off the tunnel walls, which appeared to be made of crystals. Because of this, we could at least make out something. Below us, we could see something bright that looked like a bouquet of flowers. Apparently, someone was actually down here. I flew down to take a closer look. But as I landed and picked it up, I heard various voices around me that made me freeze in fear. Three unicorns came out of the darkness towards me and looked at me with glowing green eyes. One of them was Lyra, who gave me a nasty look.

"You are not supposed to be here! Get lost!" she hissed along with the other two unicorns.

I flew up to Levita full of fear, where the unicorns couldn't catch me.

"W...what's wrong with them?" I said in a trembling voice as I clung to the bouquet of flowers in fear.

"Hm...some spell seems to be on them. Better we keep our distance from them." said Levita.

"Are you guys okay? Did you find Lyra?" called BonBon down.

"Uh, yeah! Kinda..." replied Levita hesitantly.

"Wait, we're coming to you!" shouted Lemon Hearts to us.

I was afraid that the three unicorns would do something to them. But the unicorns just stood around and watched us. I didn't like the whole thing at all.

"We have to distract them somehow! Otherwise they'll discover BonBon and Lemon Hearts when they get down here!" said Levita to me.

"Mm...hmm." I nodded to her, still slightly distraught. The sight of Lyra had scared me to death.

But suddenly something seemed to attract the ponies' attention. Nearby we could hear a pony that sounded just like Princess Cadance, only she seemed very distressed. Maybe the princess we saw was a double and the real one was locked up down here. From a distance, Levita and I could see two ponies approaching the three unicorns. As they got closer we could recognize them. It was Twilight, accompanied by a larger pink alihorn that looked just like the princess we had met earlier. Apparently this one was the real one and they were in trouble. Lyra and the other two unicorns surrounded her and slowly moved toward her.

"You're not going anywhere!" the three of them hissed.

I shivered in fear and looked at Levita in despair.

"What are we going to do?" I said haphazardly.

Levita thought for a moment and looked at me. Then she snatched the bouquet from my grasp and flew over to the princess to throw it to her. The princess noticed and picked up the bouquet that had landed behind her. As she did so, the three unicorns stood spellbound and gazed after the bouquet, which the princess waved back and forth in a mesmerizing manner. She threw it into a corner, whereupon Lyra and the other two unicorns sprinted after the bouquet. Apparently they were still full-hearted bridesmaids despite the spell, which made me smile a bit for a moment. Once the three unicorns were distracted, the princess and Twilight were able to get through to us.

"Hello everypony! Thank you for finding us! We saw a flash of light and followed it here. How did you guys know where we were?"

"We had help!" I said, pointing to BonBon and Lemon Hearts, who had just stumbled down the rocks toward us.

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! A doppelganger is trying to take your place at the wedding. You must hurry to the chapel, the ceremony has already begun!" puffed BonBon heavily.

"I know! We must stop the false me before it marries Shining Armor in my place!"

"Excuse me, your highness. But first I have to take care of my best friend who just jumped after the bouquet," said BonBon.

The princess understood BonBon's concern for Lyra, but she was already late for the wedding and couldn't waste any time, so she headed to the chapel with Twilight to stop the fake princess. Meanwhile, we looked around for Lyra and the other two unicorns. We found them behind a rock, still fighting over the bouquet. As we approached, they hissed at us like poisonous snakes.

But BonBon didn't seem to mind. She ran to Lyra and hugged her tightly. Lyra's green eyes looked around in confusion as she did so.

"Oh Lyra, I should never have put you in that kind of danger! Please forgive me, I didn't mean to!" said BonBon, desperately bursting into tears.

Please...come back...I...I love you!" she sobbed.

"Bon...bon?" said the still perplexed Lyra, before her eyes slowly regained their normal colors.

She shook her head and opened her eyes again, which were now back to their beautiful golden color. The other two unicorns also looked at her in confusion and seemed to come back to their senses. Apparently BonBon's affection for Lyra seemed to have broken the spell. I know that sounded really corny, but I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

"Oh...what happened?" said Lyra confusedly, rubbing her head.

"Thank Celestia! You're back! I was beginning to think I'd lost you!" said BonBon with tears of joy streaming down her face as she stroked her sniffling nose with her hoof.

"Oh...my head. Where...where are we?" asked the unicorn with the white and blue mane.

"Lemon Hearts? What are you doing here?" asked the other unicorn with white fur and pink mane.

"Twinkleshine, Minuette! You're all right!" rejoiced Lemon Hearts, hugging the two unicorns in turn.

"You were all under a spell put on you by the fake princess. The real one is already on her way to stop her!" I commented.

"Oh, no! The wedding! We can't miss that! We're the bridesmaids after all!" the three unicorns shouted. Apparently Lyra hadn't realized that BonBon had just poured her heart out to her, which is why BonBon also mouthed off in a very disgruntled manner.

Suddenly we heard a huge tremor from above that made the whole cave shake. Boulders fell from the ceiling and we decided to get out of the cave as quickly as possible. The unicorns teleported us to the princess room in time, before the big chunks in the cave came loose and fell hard blows to the ground.

"Whew, that was close! Where did that earthquake come from all of a sudden?" asked Lyra, frightened.

When the sound of the quake around us sounded almost like cannon blasts, BonBon ran to the window and looked out anxiously.

"That wasn't an earthquake..." she said slowly, with a very threatening undertone.

We all walked slowly to the windows and could see in the sky dozens of pitch black ponies buzzing around in the air like insects. They were attacking helpless ponies that were running around the grounds in a panic.

"What are those things?" I wanted to know.

BonBon turned to us with a serious expression.

"Get to safety...get out of Canterlot, NOW!" she screamed at me, making my blood run cold.

"BonBon! What's with you?" Lyra asked desperately.

"I have to find the members of F.R.O.W.N., only they can save Equestria now! And I won't put my friends in danger again, I have to do this alone!"

"No, BonBon! You can't go alone! I'm coming with you!" said Lyra desperately.

"I can't let you do this. I'm sorry, Lyra..." she apologized as she turned to me again.

BonBon ran towards one of the windows and jumped through, whereupon she landed in the front yard and continued running towards the chapel.

"NO!" Lyra yelled out, but I was just able to stop her from jumping through the window as well. She could have possibly hurt herself badly in the process.

"BonBon! Come back!" she sobbed.

"Hey! She'll be alright! Don't worry about her! We have to get out of here now!" I said to her, but she was completely distraught.

"LYRA! We have to get out of here now!" I yelled at her and I got her attention.

She understood the seriousness of the situation and we set off together to get out of here. Levita and I flew ahead to make sure if changelings had already broken into the castle. Some were coming in through the individual windows in the castle, and Lyra and her friends were fighting them off with magic. We arrived at the exit and snuck back out through the side entrance. The guard ponies were spread all over town to fight the black insect ponies. Absolute chaos.

"Oh Celestia...the poor ponies! What are we going to do?" shivered Levita.

I glanced around and realized that there were other ponies fighting each other besides the insect ponies. Apparently, they were doubles. It was difficult to figure out which ponies were the real ones now.

"We fight the ponies that fight us," I said.

"Lyra, Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts! Stay close together so we don't mix each other up! We'll draw the attention of the change ponies to us so you can disarm them!" shouted Levita down to the four unicorns.

It wasn't long before the insect ponies noticed us and flew out of the sky toward us.

"Careful, Levita! Here they come!" I shouted.

In response, various green beams of magic lit up in front of us, aimed at us. We managed to dodge the first beams, but apparently the changelings didn't want to hit us. They just seemed to want to scare us. When we lured them over the unicorns, Lyra and her friends cast the spells to ward off the changelings and put them out of action for a short time. But it wouldn't work for long, I hope BonBon knew what she was doing. We would not have much time.

The attack waves of the change ponies became more and more and we could hardly move from the spot. Lyra and her friends shot spell after spell into the air, a few other unicorns joined the group. I noticed a larger flying group of pegasi heading towards us, kicking changelings in the air on their way to us so they would fall unconscious from the sky.

"Your Majesty! We can't stop the change ponies much longer! What are your orders?" a pony with a fire-colored mane said to me.

Levita looked over at me, confused. I could tell by the uniforms that they were the Wonderbolts, accompanied by a few other Pegasi. Apparently the ponies thought I was someone from the royal family, probably because of my wings. But royal or not. These ponies needed help, and I was going to give it to them.

"The ponies down there need our help! We need to give them a way to escape the city. The unicorns will give us cover so we can distract the changelings!"

"You heard your majesty! Altius volantis!" said the pony, dividing the fliers into squadrons, each flying in a different direction of the city. Now at least we had a chance to get all the ponies out of the city. I checked on Lyra so I could let her know. I flew down to her and could see that she was already visibly exhausted.

"Lyra! The Wonderbolts will pave a way out of the city for you! You and your friends have to get out of the city now!" I shouted.

"I'm not leaving here without BonBon! She'll be fine!" she puffed heavily.

I looked up at the sky and could see that the change ponies were suddenly slowing down. Something seemed to have caught their attention.

"What's going on now? The change ponies...they don't attack anymore!" I said, confused.

"They are flying to the castle, do you hear? They're flying to the castle!" Levita called down to us in panic.

I looked again at Lyra, who suddenly got horrified eyes.

"Oh no...BonBon! They're after BonBon! I have to save her!" she said and ran towards the castle.

Her friends followed her while all the other ponies tried to get out of the city. I just hoped I wouldn't lose Lyra in the crowd. Levita flew to my side again and followed me on the way to the castle. In front of the castle we could see a massive army, apparently made up of very familiar lookalikes. In the midst of this army, Twilight and her friends fought the countless throng of changelings. But they seemed to be holding up well. When Lyra saw this horde, she turned fearfully into a side alley and disappeared from my sight. Shouting was useless with the noise at that distance.

"Levita, I have to help her! I'm going down!" I said, while Levita nodded at me.

I flew between the houses and landed in one of the side alleys.

"Lyra? Where are you?" I called around.

Suddenly a pony came around the corner, it was Lyra. But I immediately realized it was a double, as she had a sardonic grin on her face.

"Were you looking for me?" said the fake Lyra.

"Hmm...your appearance is interesting...especially your...wings. I've never seen a pony like you around here before." The doppelganger hissed as he eyed me.

"Anyway, I'll find your Lyra. Don't worry." the changeling laughed maliciously and changed his form again.

I couldn't believe it. The changing pony had copied me exactly. My mane, my tail, even my wings...everything. I faced myself and looked at my likeness. Before I was about to run away, fthe pony spat green goo on my hooves, which stuck them to the ground. It looked disgusting. Then the pony went off and called Lyra's name. Levita then came down to me from above and tried to help me. She tugged at my wings and body, hoping that the green goo on my hooves would come off. But it was no use, she had to try something else and asked me to wait until she would come back with help. What else but wait remained to me here also not left.

But Levita did not come back, possibly the changelings had captured her as well. A short time later, the buzzing of the change ponies became quieter. They all seemed to gather in front of the castle. Apparently, even Twilight and her friends had had no chance against the changelings. Apparently many ponies were able to get to safety, but now Canterlot was like a ghost town. I tried to be as quiet as possible so that no other change pony would find me. But one seemed to approach me from a dark alley.

"Please...please don't hurt me! You caught me, isn't that what you wanted?"

The pony scampered behind me and hid behind some wooden barrels, apparently it was not a change pony.

"Who...who's there?" I asked quietly.

"Shh, quiet." the pony whispered to me. I could tell by the voice that it was Lyra.

I could tell by the hoofsteps that she was slowly approaching. She conjured up a spell that made my hooves glow in a yellow magic aura. As a result, the goo disappeared and I was able to move freely again.

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, thank you for helping me." I said to her with relief.

"I shouldn't have run away, that was stupid of me. Because of me, you were caught and Levita probably was too," Lyra said worriedly.

"Lyra, you can't just put your life in danger like that, not even for BonBon. And not even for me." I answered her. She seemed to be blaming herself.

"But if you hadn't come back..." I said with gratitude.

"I had to, after I ran into one of your doubles."

"What, you saw him? How did you find out it wasn't me?"

“I didn't. I just realized I already knew.”

"Really?" I replied in amazement.

"Yes...and the fact that the doppelganger was running wild screaming my name. Who would do that when changelings were swarming everywhere?"

"Yeah, that would be...pretty stupid," I laughed perkily, feeling a bit ashamed of my own behavior.

"Now we just need to figure out a way to get out of town unnoticed..." continued Lyra, before we heard a low hum.

But it wasn't coming from the changelings. Something inside the castle courtyard began to glow with a bright pink light. It grew stronger and stronger until a huge pink magic bubble rose above the castle and spread over Canterlot. I hugged Lyra tightly because I didn't know what would happen if the bubble hit us. The changelings flew over our heads and were literally flung away by the force of the magic bubble.

"Lyra! Look!" I said in amazement, looking up at the sky.

"Yay! BonBon made it! I knew she would make it! Wohoo!" exclaimed Lyra euphorically.

All of Canterlot was filled with the bright pink light, which radiated from the castle. It pulsated until every single changeling fled to an area beyond the mountains. I was so relieved that BonBon had managed to free the princess. I initially thought that this would have been my first and last conflict in this new world, but now everything had taken a turn for the better again. I enjoyed the warm atmosphere that the spell cast over the entire city. Lyra and I could hardly wait to check on BonBon and the others. Immediately we rushed towards the castle to see them again. The ponies, who had just been trapped in the city, cheered joyfully and hugged each other that this nightmare had now ended. I could see Lemon Hearts hugging a little foal, possibly she had protected her from the change ponies. I only hoped that everything was all right with BonBon, too. The castle had withstood the attack so far, but parts of the city were badly damaged. We rushed through the destroyed front gate of the castle until we could see the chapel, smoke billowing from it.

When we arrived at the chapel, there were some pieces of debris in the hallways that had fallen from the ceiling due to the concussions. As we walked down the large hallway towards the main door of the chapel, we could already see other ponies through the wide open doors. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity were standing under the altar, anxiously watching the wedding couple. Twilight stood with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as we entered the center aisle of the chapel.

"Stop! Who are you?" said Twilight's friends to us, blocking our way to the princess.

"It's okay, let them through. They saved Cadance and me." said Twilight, coming between her friends.

"Lyra! Am I glad you're back to normal!" she said, hugging Lyra.

"Thank you, Twilight. You...you haven't seen my best friend BonBon, have you?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"Your best friend? You mean the earth pony from earlier?" Twilight asked.

Lyra nodded in concern as she realized Twilight hadn't seen her either.

"Aren't you guys missing someone, too? Where's Rainbow Dash?" I asked Twilight, who looked puzzled at her friends.

"What, she was just here...where did she go?" she said, looking around in panic.

"She was a changeling...I could see the spell flinging her away. You would have seen it too, but you all had your eyes closed." said Pinkie Pie.

"But...but where is the real Rainbow Dash?" I asked her.

We all looked at each other unknowingly before more ponies came through the main portal into the chapel. I could see Derpy and Levita escorting Rainbow Dash. I was glad to see that they were probably up, but they had a rather dismayed look on their faces. Over Rainbow’s back hung a pony that looked like BonBon. Her body was full of dirt and scratches, and it had also lost its color. Twilight and her friends ran right up to her and helped lift BonBon down carefully and lay her on the ground. We didn't know what had happened to BonBon.

"Make room! I have to get to her!" said Lyra frantically, pushing all the ponies aside to see BonBon.

She was lying lifeless on her side.

"BonBon? What's the matter with you? Say something! Anything!" Lyra pleaded with her, bursting into tears.

She grabbed her with her hooves and shook her. The other ponies around seemed to be struggling with grief as well. Slowly I realized what was going on with BonBon. But I did not want the thought to be true.

"Wake up, BonBon..." sobbed Lyra. "We won, BonBon. Wake up..."

I thought about pulling Lyra away from her. She would collapse any moment. But suddenly she stopped for a moment. She seemed to be able to control herself for some reason.

"You knew this would happen eventually, didn't you? You always warned me that it would be one day..." she said, looking a little calmer, but still sad.

I couldn't hold back my tears either. This was too much for me. I thought we had gotten out of this without any permanent damage, but a part of my heart was about to get a tear that would probably never heal. And I think Lyra felt the same way at that moment.

"...I haven't even been able to tell you yet. But...I want you to know that I've always loved you. And no matter what, I will always love you." she said and kissed BonBon.

Then suddenly something magical happened. Princess Cadance's horn began to glow brightly. She didn't seem to cast the spell, as she herself looked at her horn in great astonishment. BonBon's body also began to glow, while the scratches in her fur began to disappear. We didn't know what just happened, but apparently the spell seemed to miraculously heal her body. As we all took a step back in amazement, the bright light stopped again and BonBon began blinking her eyes. She began to cough vigorously, but she was conscious again. I felt a great sense of relief, the ponies around me seemed to feel the same way.

"Love conquers all, it seems..." I said softly to Levita as she smiled at me with a beaming face.

Chapter 5 - He’s my brother

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"BonBon! I knew you would make it! I should have never doubted you!" said Lyra euphorically, hugging BonBon tightly.

"Uh...what happened?" asked BonBon, confused.

"What happened? You gave those changelings a good thumping on the insect skulls! That was so awesome of you!" started Rainbow Dash full of excitement.

"When I had just fought a good dozen changelings, I thought my friends were yelling at me that we needed to retreat to the castle. The problem was that it wasn't you guys. It was just a trick to break us up." said Rainbow Dash, pointing to Twilight and the other ponies.

"Hm, Chrysalis probably suspected that we would try to use the Elements of Harmony against her. And without all six elements, it wouldn't have worked," Twilight said.

"It's possible, anyway I ran along with you...I mean them. When we arrived at the castle, there were already dozens of changelings waiting for us inside, or more precisely, just for me. And I almost got overpowered by them if BonBon hadn't come rushing through the door behind me and fought my way out. You should have seen her beating the buck out of one changeling after another. That was just awesome! She saved me!" said Rainbow Dash with great enthusiasm.

"I was under the assumption that you were on your way to the Elements of Harmony, so I went after you to help. Then, when I saw that Rainbow Dash had walked into a trap, I had to do something. I fought this superior force as long as I could to buy Rainbow more time. But suddenly I felt a tugging, as if something was being pulled out of my body. It was an unpleasant feeling that grew stronger and stronger until suddenly I felt nothing and then everything went black in front of my eyes." explained BonBon.

"I'm sorry you got into trouble because of me. I tried to get help as soon as possible but the whole town was evacuated and there were almost no pony left. Luckily I ran into Levita and Derpy and I asked for their help so we could get you out," Rainbow Dash told BonBon.

Levita turned to me. I understood at that moment that BonBon was in more danger than I was at that point, so I knew she hadn't forgotten about me. I was just glad she was okay.

"Wait...you said the whole town was evacuated?" asked Twilight.

When Rainbow Dash nodded, everyone turned to Princess Celestia.

"Chrysalis had incapacitated me. It must have been my sister who gave the order." Celestia said and turned to Luna, but she denied with a shake of her head.

They knew it couldn't have been Cadance either, since she was in the castle the whole time. But some noticed that Levita had a big grin on his face and was staring at me. As a result, everyone's eyes fell on me. I didn't know what to do at that moment.

"You, you gave the order? But how..." Twilight asked me in amazement.

I hesitantly spread my wings until they were unfolded to their full size. Everyone looked at my wings with a fascinated look and even the princesses seemed surprised that I had the same wings as they did. Levita had to giggle, apparently she couldn't get enough of the reaction of other ponies to my wings.

"These are the wings of an alicorn...please tell me, who are you and where are you from?" said Princess Celestia.

At that moment I realized again that I hadn't made any progress compared to when Levita had found me back then. But I could no longer make excuses for it. Now I had the chance to really speak the truth and get everything off my chest.

"I...I don't know anymore. Levita had found me back in Everfree Forest when I was probably attacked by a Timberwolf. Unfortunately, that caused me to forget everything that came before. My former life, my origins, even my name," I said, close to tears.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for you. That must have been a really difficult time for you." Celestia answered me.

"It was. But fortunately, I've made friends who are helping me find my old self so I can enjoy life again."

"I'm glad to hear that, but why didn't you come to us in the first place?" she asked, confused.

I didn't know what to say to that at that moment. We had once had the idea of including the princess, but why did we never come back to that?

"I can't give you back your lost memories, but if you wish, I can cast a spell to find out who you are and where you come from," she suggested.

I could not describe the relief I felt at that moment. At last my search had come to an end, I would finally find out the origin of my existence with Celestia's help. But I had to wait until the next day, because Princess Cadance and her groom Shining Armor wanted to celebrate their wedding. Of course, I didn't want to miss that under any circumstances. I found out that Shining Armor and Princess Cadance met when she was Twilight's foal sitter. He was Twilight's brother, of course he was. Also, how could anything else happen in Equestria where the six ponies weren't involved?

The wedding the following day was great, it was also for many other ponies the first time that they were present at a wedding of a princess. The damage to the city was quickly repaired with the help of all the ponies. I wanted to help, but Princess Celestia seemed to have a special interest in finding out where I came from, so I got a private audience with her. When I met her in the throne room of the castle, she asked me not to worry too much about the procedure and to be relaxed. Even though it was hard for me, since I didn't know what was coming, I tried my best to make it as easy as possible for her to access my thoughts. I sat down and took another deep breath before nodding to Celestia.

She cast the spell and her eyes began to glow white. I could also see my vision getting whiter and whiter until I couldn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything or feel anything at that moment, let alone say anything. It was like I was dreaming, except there was nothing to dream about. I didn't know how long it would take Celestia to read my mind. But it took what felt like only a few minutes before my vision suddenly cleared. I looked full of expectation at the princess, who pulled a face distorted with fear. She looked at me as if I were a ghost. She trembled and looked around the room in confusion, surveying me.

"Princess Celestia? Are you all right? What did you see?" I asked her worriedly.

"I...I don't know exactly what I saw..." she said nervously.

That was all she could get out, so I waited a moment for the princess to calm down a bit. I didn't know if something had gone wrong with the spell or if Celestia had discovered something in my mind that she hadn't expected. After she calmed down a bit, she apologized to me for her behavior and began to tell me about her discoveries. In my mind she could see a town that looked like Cloudsdale at first glance. But it wasn't Cloudsdale and the town didn't even seem to exist in Equestria. She said that she had seen things that did not exist in Equestria. So she guessed that I wasn't even from Equestria. Probably my home was farther away than we had first thought. But if all the ponies on this planet lived in Equestria, where did I come from? And why had this place scared Princess Celestia so much?

I asked her if it was possible to get to this place, but she doubted that I would want to go back there. It would be a place where evil things would exist, from which she wanted to keep me away. Apparently Celestia knew the danger that came from that place, perhaps she had been there herself once. But as much as Celestia advised me not to look further for this place, I still wanted to know where it was and how to get there. Hopefully, I would not regret this decision so that I could never return to Equestria. If the princess didn't want to help me, I knew by now which ponies I had to turn to now.

Twilight and her friends were willing to help me, even if she had a bit of a guilty conscience about it, when I told her that Princess Celestia did not want to help me. She seemed to think a lot of the princess's opinion. This year's Summer Sunset Celebration was cancelled because Princess Celestia wanted to celebrate the return of her sister Luna. She decided to postpone the celebration until the winter solstice, when the night was longer than the day. Twilight decided to use this day off to find a way for me to get to the world where I came from. I met her friends at the library in Ponyville at noon. She rummaged among the books on the shelves, hoping to find something useful. I wondered if I should listen to Celestia's advice and stay here in Equestria. But here I would continue to live in uncertainty about my origins...and about my family.

I hadn't told Levita and the others about my plans, but told them that I wanted to spend some time in Ponyville after this long absence. I'm sure they would have advised me against my quest and would have wanted me to stay here with them in Equestria. Besides, we already had a strong bond with each other, so saying goodbye would be more than difficult for me. But for Twilight and her friends, I was just a passing acquaintance who now needed their help. And even though I protected many ponies in Canterlot from the attack of the changelings, I was sure that Equestria would continue to exist even without my presence. It wasn't too long before Twilight pulled a book from the shelf that looked ancient. She said that these books were gifts from Princess Celestia when Twilight graduated from the Academy for Gifted Unicorns. She still had many of them in her old home in Canterlot.

"It says here: 'If a being seems lost after the worlds are apart, it is reborn in the world it knows from the start...whatever that means..."

Twilight looked uncertain. She had never cast such an old spell before.

"Oh, that's typical of old spells. They're always written so over the top. Do you think we can restore his memory with this spell?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"It's worth a try. That's the only saying that seems to fit it. But it's complicated."

Then Twilight took one deep breath and exhaled.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded and she stood in front of me. What she didn't realize was that she was standing right in front of the front door of the library. Then she tried to cast the spell and her horn slowly began to glow purple. As she did so, she muttered the spell over and over to concentrate better. First, my body began to glow and I noticed purple particles forming out of my body and floating to Twilight's horn. There they gathered until a large glowing sphere could be seen, which would hit me at any moment. Suddenly the front door opened and Spike came in.

"Hey, Twilight! Princess Celestia wants to see you! It's about a test!" he shouted.

Twilight startled and the spell shot uncontrollably from her horn. It missed and hit Rainbow Dash, who then disappeared in a purple cloud of magic dust.

"Oh Celestia. This is bad. Where did Rainbow Dash go? Where is she?" cried Twilight in panic.

Spike stood motionless, not knowing what had just happened. Neither did anyone else including me.

"We need to get to Princess Celestia quickly and tell her. Maybe she knows where Rainbow Dash might have disappeared to." said Applejack.

Twilight reacted in a panic.

"We can't! Princess Celestia had told me to stop reading those dusty old books. Oh no, what am I going to do? What are we going to tell her?"

The ponies all looked at each other, perplexed, as I spoke up.

"Rainbow Dash is in charge of the weather, right? Tell the princess that there was a thunderstorm and you wanted to help with a spell. Unfortunately, lightning struck your spell and Rainbow Dash disappeared in the process."

"Not to mention that I'm against lying to the princess...how did you come up with that idea?" wanted Applejack.

"I...I think I heard that somewhere...in a novel about time travel." I replied shyly.

The ponies seemed to think it was strange that I remembered something so crazy, despite my amnesia.

"Hmm, your story sounds plausible. But Applejack is right. We'll decide later whether we need to tell the story or not."

We hurried to the train station in Ponyville and took the next train to Canterlot. The weather was perfect again and the sun was shining brightly, but I couldn't enjoy the autumn scenery outside very much because I was worried about Rainbow Dash. I just hoped that nothing bad had happened to her. Twillight and the others remained absolutely silent about the ride so that no one else would suspect what had happened. No one but the princess could help us out of this situation, so the other ponies didn't need to know.

When we arrived at the station, we ran as fast as we could to the castle. We had to get to Princess Celestia and tell her what had happened. If she had written that spell herself, she surely knew where Rainbow Dash could be. When we were by the castle, Twilight asked me to wait outside. Apparently, she suspected that Princess Celestia might be very angry with me for asking her not to look for this world anymore. Then Twilight disappeared into the castle with her remaining four friends and Spike. So I waited for some time, but I noticed that they were gone longer than I had suspected. I remembered that Twilight had said that there were more books in her home in Canterlot. Maybe I could stop by there while they worked with the princess to figure out how Rainbow Dash would reappear. I know I sounded very selfish at that moment, but what else was I supposed to do during that time but stand around pointlessly?

I walked down the streets until I found my way back to Twilight's old home. I looked at a stony staircase that ran along the outside of the tower of her home and went up. At the top, I saw that the door was wide open. Possibly Twilight was in quite a hurry to move out of here after being allowed to stay with her friends in Ponyville. The wind and weather messed up some of the books lying crosswise in her home. The sun shone brightly into the glass window, illuminating the entire interior. I noticed that the light was particularly bright in one corner of the room. There was also a reading desk there with an open book. Apparently Twilight had placed the reading desk here to read better with the sunlight. This book looked important, so I approached the reading desk and dared to take a look inside.

It said something about the summer solstice. The day Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria to spread eternal darkness. Inwardly, I fell into a small pang of nostalgia, because that night before, Levita had found me in the Everfree Forest. But the book apparently went back even further. Even if I probably wouldn't find anything in there about my origins, I could at least find out what had happened in Equestria before. I flipped back to the beginning of the book to see what the first entry was. The book went back to the founding days of Equestria and it was personally written by Princess Celestia. But it started out very sad and was almost entirely about how Princess Celestia had banished her sister Luna to the moon. And the book explained why. Apparently, Luna could no longer stand the fact that she controlled the part of the day when all the ponies were asleep and no one gave her the same recognition as Celestia, whose ponies' eyes shone with joy every time she let the sun rise. Now I could understand how such unbridled rage could build up in Luna that Celestia saw only one way out: to protect Equestria from her. That must have been probably the hardest decision in her life so far. The book was also about the construction of Canterlot Castle, since Celestia could no longer live in her old home. She called it "The Castle of the Two Sisters."

Where was this castle going to be? It would probably take me ages to search through the chaos that was here due to Twilight's absence. And besides, I felt like I really shouldn't be snooping around other people's houses, even if Twilight didn't live here anymore. So I flipped the book back to the Summer Solstice page so Twilight wouldn't wonder who had flipped the book if she ever returned here. I decided to get Levita and the others involved so they could tell me if this castle even still existed and if so, where it was. And since there was still no trace of the princess, Twilight or her friends, I decided to make my way to Ponyville. But since I could fly well by now, I didn't have to rely on the train anymore and flew towards the valley. I noticed how the sun was still high in the sky, although it felt like evening already. Possibly Princess Celestia was really busy so she could not fulfill her duty.

It didn't take me long to reach the bottom of the valley where Ponyville was located. Only when I looked back in the direction of Canterlot did I realize the seeming height of the structure. It was truly a masterpiece. But I had to concentrate, I felt that it was no coincidence that in Twilight's home this book about the summer solstice was open. I flew directly to Levita's house to tell her about the day's events. The first thing she was totally upset about was that I was just going to leave without saying goodbye to her. But I was more worried at that moment about Rainbow Dash, who had gotten into trouble because of me. Since I was sure that the princess was already taking care of it, Levita wanted to go see Lyra and BonBon because she thought that we would need help in finding the castle. However, she didn't tell me why at first. When we arrived at Lyra and BonBon's house, it was hard for me to admit that I wanted to leave just like that. Lyra especially seemed to be very affected by this, as she had been worried about me. I told her that she didn't have to worry about me, although she certainly would have wanted me to apologize for my behavior. But I could not apologize for it, because I was still convinced that one day the day of my return home would come, after which I would probably never be able to return to Equestria. And then she should not have regretted getting to know me. Since she was a Heartstrings, she would do the same for me. But I did not want to worry about that at this moment. I also told about the Castle of the Two Sisters that I read about in the book in Twilight's old home.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters, you say? Well, there's a good news...and a bad news." said BonBon.

"Tell me the good one first, please!" replied I.

"Well, the castle still exists. But it's been crumbling into ruins for thousands of years."

"And that was the bad news, I suppose?" I asked her.

She shook her head.

"No, the bad news is that the castle is in the middle of Everfree Forest."

At that name, the fur on the back of our necks stood up again. Again and again, I was drawn back to that enchanted forest. After what I had skimmed in the book, I knew that the chimera called Discord, also called the God of Chaos, had enchanted this forest. But the spells were dark in nature, and so the once magnificent enchanted forest became a shadow of its former self. We decided to quickly make our way to the aforementioned castle, as Celestia seemed to be letting the day grow longer. And thus we did not have to expect having to walk in the dark. At night, BonBon also advised us not to go, since this place could be very dangerous even for a group of ponies.

When we arrived at the forest, the sun was getting a little darker. Levita said that this would happen because of the magic of the forest. The further you went in, the darker it would get even despite the bright sun. A light mist lay over the forest floor, forming ghostly blankets. You could hear the creatures roaming around us in the forest, but they did not venture out of the fog. Sometimes you could see eyes shining out of the fog in a wide variety of colors. But as long as we stayed together on the main path, nothing should happen to us.

When we had to cross a rickety suspension bridge, the place became even more spooky to me. It was a good thing that the castle was already visible behind it. The creatures did not follow us across the bridge. BonBon thought it must have something to do with the Elements of Harmony that Twilight and her friends had used against Nightmare Moon back then. Apparently it had cleared the part of the forest around the castle of the dark magic. I was relieved because as I looked up into the sky, I could see that the sun was slowly fading into dusk. Apparently, the princess was able to go about her work again. I wondered how Rainbow Dash was doing at that moment. The huge wooden gates of the castle were not completely closed and one could see through them into the interior, where it was already much darker than outside. However, Lyra was able to cast a light spell with her unicorn that made her horn glow like a yellow glow stick and illuminated the area around us. This allowed us to find our way around the entrance area and we entered the castle. Cobwebs hung overhead. Then we looked into a long, two-story hall. Two flags hung on the walls at the far end of the hall. One showed a white and a black alihorn, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. So this was the Castle of the Two Sisters. My eyes wandered to the upper floor where there were many bookshelves. Levita was beside himself.

"Oh Celestia...look at this! All of this must be thousands of years old! I can't wait to see what we'll discover here!" she said excitedly.

Then we walked up the stone staircase to the second floor. Lyra managed to light the ancient torches on the wall with a spell so we all had light. She and BonBon were really a good help, I was glad to have them by my side. So we started to walk slowly from shelf to shelf to take a closer look at the books. We couldn't read the writing in these books, obviously these books were not written in our language. But there was one thing we noticed about the books. There were drawings over and over again of monkeys that apparently lived in tribes. The drawings repeatedly showed these creatures in a battle-ready pose, fighting dragons and other mythical creatures. Apparently, these books were actually from another time before Equestria and...a significantly darker time. We spent the next few hours searching through a wide variety of books. But without being able to read them, they would be of no use to us. There had to be something here written by ponies. We decided to explore the ruins further until we arrived at the old throne room. From here the princesses had ruled Equestria since it was founded. We looked around the royal family's chambers behind the thrones to see if anything was still hiding in there.

In Celestia's former chamber we could discover an open book on a writing desk, but the pages seemed to be empty. Even when I turned the pages with my hooves, there was nothing on the pages.

"So that's it? Now we've looked in all the places that are left of the castle!" I sighed.

The disappointment was palpable among the others as well, possibly it was also the exhaustion from the long walk we had taken to get to the castle. But Levita examined the empty book suspiciously.

"Yes, but this is strange. For thousands of years now, Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria. Here she has a book with countless pages, and she's never written anything in it?"

"Probably Celestia couldn't continue the book after what happened to Luna. She had certainly left the castle after that. But that there's really nothing in it...you're right, Levita. That is indeed strange." Lyra said, looking at the book more closely as well.

"Hah, it's probably a simple reading protection spell against prying eyes. Let's see if I remember how to bypass that one..." said Lyra cheekily.

Then she flipped to the first page with her magic and began to conjure up a spell. At least I could tell by her increasingly bright glowing horn. She seemed to be trying pretty hard. The book began to glow brightly. The edges of the pages turned golden and slowly you could see various decorations and characters burning into the pages. But she couldn't cast the spell for long and had to end it, so the characters on the pages faded again.

"Don't worry about it. You tried," I said thankfully to Lyra.

Levita approached the book again and took a quick deep breath.

"Hey, there's a text popping up all of a sudden. I think it worked!" she gloated.

"And what does it say?" wanted BonBon to know.

"Princess Celestia hereby presents her compliments to the talented unicorn Lyra Heartstrings and kindly asks her...to keep her magic out of other ponies' business..." Levita read aloud before looking over at us in confusion.

"What does that mean?" asked Lyra, confused.

"I'd like to explain it to you myself." a voice sounded behind us from the hallway outside the chamber.

We turned to see Princess Celestia enter the room through the curtain.

"You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous here. Even more so sneaking through Everfree Forest, you could have been hurt." said Celestia worriedly.

"Princess Celestia? How did you find us?" wanted to know BonBon.

"Well, I have great news for you. Rainbow Dash has reappeared. Because of the spell she landed in another world...your world."

She said to me with a serious look.

"I knew I would find you here because this is the only place that holds the last clues to this world."

"I'm sorry, Princess Celestia. I didn't mean to put anyone in danger, I just want to know where I came from and...who I am."

I walked over to the princess with my head down and knelt in front of her.

"Well, I was initially very displeased with the fact that Rainbow Dash got into this dangerous world through your fault..." she said in a stern tone.

"...But when I revisited this world after a long time, I had to discover that for a very long time I had an outdated idea of the beings that ruled this land before. Now a completely new image of these beings, who call themselves humans, revealed itself to me."

We were excited to hear what Celestia would say about Rainbow Dash's experiences. To be sure, I was also happy that she was back. But one thing was more important to me at that moment. I stood up again and looked at the princess from below.

"Celestia? What do you know about humans?" I asked cautiously.

She could tell by the look on my face that the answer was more important to me than anything else. The others listened intently to what she might have to say. She took a deep breath and crossed the room to look through a window on the other side. She seemed to be having a little trouble remembering the past.

"Well...it's been over...a thousand years..." she continued.

"That's all right, Princess Celestia. You can also use the book if you don't remember exactly. " Levita suggested.

"I thank you for the suggestion, Levita. But I'm sure you understand the personal experience was....a little bit different." Celestia smiled at her.

"It was over a thousand years ago, and I can still see the former beauty of Everfree Forest before me. This castle, on the other hand, was never really beautiful, and I never thought to stay here with the others. But we had called it the 'Castle of the Two Sisters'. And it was...it really was," she said, looking dreamily out the window.

Then Celestia began to tell us her story. We sat there as if we were curious and listened to her attentively.

She told about the time when this land was still ruled by humans. She called it the Dark Ages. She told us about fire-breathing dragons and human heroes who risked their lives to prove their love to a woman. And Celestia even told us that she was once allowed to experience being a human herself. But this feeling was the most horrible experience she had ever had. She suddenly felt things like suffering and she felt the decaying and mortal body of a human. Because unlike a human, unicorns lived very long in this world. She also told that she and Luna had been unicorns themselves in the past. As it turned out later for the two of them, they only had the form of a unicorn on the outside, however, like all other unicorns, they already possessed alicorn magic at that time. Over time, various unicorns had specialized and adapted their bodies with magic so that they could either carry heavy loads or fly. These adaptations caused their horns to recede, and over time they became the three breeds of ponies that exist in Equestria today. We couldn't believe our ears. It was fascinating to listen to Celestia's version of how she created this world for ponies...just before Equestria was founded.

She also told us that the most powerful mage in Equestria was also a human. He was known as Nikos at that time. In order not to disappear during the transformation of the then human world into the Equestria we know, he transformed himself into a unicorn. He sought out Celestia, who had cast the spell, and made himself known. Since he initially made a big fuss about the spell, acting as if he came from another star and wearing a long beard, Celestia gave him a new name: Stars Swirl the Bearded. The really exciting part of this for me was when she told of a magical portal she had taken over from another wizard who had played court jester for a human king at the time. However, since his magic was evil in nature, the portal at that time still led to a dreaded creature that the king sent to drive unicorns into the sea to keep them captive and never lose them again. After the unicorns were freed by her and a few humans, the former evil wizard modified the portal so that the humans could go to another world than this one. For thousands of years Celestia had kept this portal in the cellars under the newly built Canterlot Castle, until one of her students discovered it and escaped through it to the human world. She regretted this incident until today, because she has no contact with her student anymore. Because of this incident, she had placed the portal in the Crystal Kingdom's castle under the protection of King Sombra. However, another conflict arose in which the king became corrupted and evil by the eternal winter of the land. He began to exploit the ponies that lived there and to live in constant fear of his power. She and Luna had to stop him, just as later the powerful wizard used his power to throw Equestria into chaos and sow discord for pleasure, which is where his later name came from. Because of her constant need to protect Equestria from danger, she has not had the opportunity to study the portal further. Until recently, when Rainbow Dash was able to return to Equestria. However, this was only possible because another portal existed which was not known until now. I listened intently until Celestia finished telling her story.

"So, there's a portal to the human world then? Then what are we waiting for?" I jumped up after the last sentence of Celestia's story.

"I'm sorry, but where this portal leads it is not safe. It must remain closed," Celestia said with her head down.

"But why? I belong there, don't I? Why can't I go home?" I asked in exasperation.

"Understand, the portal we had to use to bring Rainbow Dash back is quite different from the one that made the human disappear back then. But now the humans themselves have built such a portal. We cannot risk a human passing through that portal. They are still a dangerous species that should not be underestimated. I have seen what they can be like, and I will never expose this world to that danger again."

She knew I didn't care about her personal problem with humans and didn't want to be stalled any longer. Sullenly, I ran out of the room, down the hallway to outside the front gates of the castle. The moon was bright in the sky and for the first time I noticed that the unicorn on it had disappeared. But I could not concentrate on that, my thoughts were elsewhere. This could not be true, there is a functioning portal to the human world and we were not allowed to use it so that I could finally come home.

Lyra came out of the castle after a short while to check on me.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"No, it's not fair. Now we've uncovered one of Equestria's most well-kept secrets, and what good has it done us?" I snorted.

"At least we've found a solution for you now. That's good, isn't it?" she said.

"Yes, for a solution that we are not allowed to use. The only solution we have." I looked at Lyra sadly.

"But Celestia didn't forbid us to go through the portal. She only said that it is currently too dangerous to go there unprepared. I am sure that when the time comes, you will be allowed to visit this world. And I will accompany you," she told me.

Lyra tried to persuade me to listen to Celestia's advice and not to try. Surely she knew that my mind was made up. I wanted to finally know what the connection was between the humans and me and if it could help me finally find out who I was. Outwardly, I showed understanding for the moment and followed Lyra back inside the castle so Celestia could bring us all safely back to Ponyville. Inwardly, I thought about when would be the most appropriate moment to look for the portal in the castle. And I would soon have a suitable opportunity...

In the next few days, everyone started to get back to everyday life in Ponyville and I was allowed to move back in with Levita. But she left the house more often now to decipher the countless books we had discovered in the Castle of the Two Sisters. At least one pony was still occupied with the history of the people, but I did not blame the others. Since Celestia had forbidden the use of the portal, there was nothing left for my friends to do. But I could not give up now. I was so close to discovering my origin and Lyra knew I was planning to do the stupid thing and ignore Celestia's warning again, so she stayed with me to watch over me and be my good conscience. She really was a pony who stuck with me through thick and thin. I could say the same for Levita, of course, but with Lyra there was more. I hoped that would reveal itself before I had to choose between Equestria or my homeworld.

We had learned from Princess Celestia that the new human portal was located in her castle in Canterlot. Getting inside the castle would not be a problem, because the path up to the library inside the castle was free to enter at any time. So we would easily get past the guards, but we couldn't be caught snooping around inside. Lyra continued to suggest that I listen to Princess Celestia's advice and wait until it was safe to cross the portal. But she also knew my determination and I advised her not to put herself in unnecessary danger because of me. But I could not dissuade her from this any more than she could dissuade me.

There were usually many other ponies also out and about in the castle who would notice us. We needed a time when we could search the castle unnoticed, to search even in the most intricate corners. Maybe a time when even the princesses were not present. Lyra had a brilliant idea. Soon the winter solstice celebration was coming up in Ponyville and all the ponies would be there...all except us.

We waited for the evening for the Winter Sun Celebration in Ponyville, which was just before Hearts Warming Eve. We went to the celebration first with the others to make sure both princesses were present. When Princess Celestia lowered the sun so Princess Luna could make the moon rise, everyone stared spellbound at the spectacle. As it grew dark outside, we slowly crept out of the crowd. Once we were outside, Lyra stood close to me and cast a teleportation spell that took us to Canterlot near the castle in the blink of an eye. As we walked toward the castle entrance, we encountered two guards guarding the passageway.

"Hey you two, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the Winter Sun celebration?" said one of the guard ponies.

Lyra got nervous and tried to come up with an answer.

"Um..this is a little awkward now. I had been working on an amnesia spell with my friend here and somehow I accidentally cast it on myself. Everything seemed okay at first, but when we went to the party, I couldn't remember how to teleport, hehe."

The guardian pony started to grin.

"You don't remember how to teleport? But you're a unicorn, you don't forget something like that. Haha." laughed the guardian pony.

"I'm afraid you'll have to take the...haha...train then. Like us non-unicorns." quipped the guardian pony.

"But then...then we'll be late for the celebration. I really need to go to the library to look up the spell again, then I'll remember it. I...I also remember where the book is that I need...at least I hope I do. But my friend here is helping me find it. Can we please go inside?" begged Lyra, her eyes wide.

"It's okay, all right. I was kidding about the train, it would take too long. But hurry up, don't want you to...haha...forget the time." grinned the guard.

"A unicorn doesn't know the teleportation spell anymore, I'm laughing my ass off." grinned the other guardian pony to the other as we disappeared through the main corridor to the back inside the castle.

"Lyra, don't you think that story was a little...implausible?" I whispered to her.

"What was I supposed to say? That you came out of Everfree Forest with a mysterious bandage around your head and didn't know who you were, so we were looking for a portal built by another species? They would have handed you over to the princess right away...or laughed at you, too." she replied quietly.

"But it worked, that's the important thing. Where do we look first?" I asked her.

"Let's go to the library first, otherwise the guards will get suspicious if we go somewhere else. No one should be there now and we can look around undisturbed." she suggested.

We walked down the hall to the front door of the library. When we opened the door, there was no pony to be seen and the lights were out. The moon shone brightly through the glass facade. We didn't know how long the party went on or until when the princesses would be back at the castle. We set to work searching the huge library of the castle. Shelf by shelf, we searched the aisles. Only this time we weren't looking for information in books, but for an object large enough to be a portal. We searched together, since Lyra was the only one who could make light with her unicorn, because we didn't want to turn on the lights so that someone might notice us. But even with light, it would take too long to search the whole castle for a portal. It could be hidden anywhere. Lyra had the idea to look in another part of the library. She told me that normal unicorns were forbidden to enter this section, because the books there contained many powerful spells that could be dangerous if used incorrectly. But with Lyra I was not worried, she knew what she was doing.

She told that she spent a lot of time in the forbidden section. Even during the day, there were always very few ponies there and sometimes between the shelves she felt as if the books were talking. Of course, that sounded a bit paranoid, but it would make a good hiding place for the portal. We entered through a locked door, to which Lyra cast a spell that caused various latches and knobs on the door frame to turn and finally open. As we entered, we looked around to see if we could spot anything large enough to be a portal through which a pony could pass. Lyra suddenly looked very afraid.

"It's...pretty dark in here. Even more so than usual." she said, starting to shake slightly.

"It's okay, Lyra. There are only books here besides us. We'll just search the hallways for a bit and then we'll move on, okay?" I suggested.

She swallowed hard, but nodded at me. We walked through the corridors together, since I needed Lyra's light magic. Besides, she walked very close to me while her eyes roamed anxiously. But the department also proved to be a dead end; there was nothing here except books on dark shelves. Where else could one hide such a portal? This place was perfect, why wasn't it here?

"Well, it's not here. Can we please look somewhere else?" urged Lyra.

"Yes, we can. I just don't remember where."

"But...there are other places we haven't searched yet. It could be hidden anywhere in the castle. In the princesses' chambers, in the throne room..."

"The party will be over soon and we're running out of time. The princesses will be back any moment and I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. You're probably right that I should let it go and wait until we're allowed to use the portal. Even if I don't know how long that will take, but we're just groping in the dark here anyway," I said and looked up desperately, where I could see the moon shining brightly through a large glass dome. But something was wrong.

"Speaking of which...shouldn't the moon be shining brightly in this room?", I asked Lyra.

We both looked at the floor in confusion. Sure enough, in some places it looked darker than the sides of the room.

"That...I haven't noticed that before. Probably because I've never been here at night before..and because I usually get out of here quickly again." Lyra said sheepishly. "But there is no cloud in the sky...something seems to be blocking the room from the moonlight. ”

"So I heard that it was possible to enchant ceilings to look like the sky outside...but then there would be no light coming in here. There must be another reason..." she said, examining the phenomenon more closely. She kept looking up and at the dark spots on the ground. She stared at the floor and followed the dark spots to the end of the room. As she did so, she hit her head on the wall and fell over backwards. She rubbed her head with her hoof in confusion.

"Lyra, are you okay?" I said, helping her up. "You'll have to watch where you walk," I quipped.

"I didn't run into the wall, though." she said, still rubbing her head.

When I looked ahead, it was indeed still a few meters to the wall. What had Lyra bumped into? I carefully felt in front of me and could feel a solid object. It made a metallic sound when I knocked against it.

"What is that? An invisible wall?" I asked, confused.

"Walls aren't made of metal as far as I know." said Lyra suspiciously, briefly prodding her horn against the object, which caused its structures to glow yellow for a brief moment.

"Yay! There's actually something here! And it’s big!" rejoiced Lyra.

"But why can't we see this thing?" I asked, confused.

"It's an invisibility spell. It envelops the object and makes it practically invisible and even translucent. But by it still being a solid object, the light behind it gets weaker. That's why we see these dark spots here. In the daytime, we wouldn't have noticed them at all, because the spots would look like clouds."

"Lyra, how do you know all this?" I asked in amazement.

"Well, when I was little, I had often played hide and seek with my parents. I applied the invisibility spell to all sorts of things to hide in afterwards. Chests, bedsheets, and every once in a while...I used it on myself, too." she giggled.

"On you? Why is that?"

"As a young unicorn, you don't have access to that section yet. You can't teleport in, and the combination to open the door is only known by the ponies who have access. But I was already interested in what kind of books were here and the invisibility spell helped me to understand in which order the buttons and bolts on the door had to be pressed. Since no pony could see me, I practiced until the door opened and I could look around in peace. But many of the spells were still just too hard for me or scared me, so I stopped haunting and waited until I had official access."

"Yes, I think that was really a very wise decision. Maybe I should finally show that much sense and just practice patience," I said and nodded at her in agreement.

"That's okay, some things just come with time." replied Lyra to me with satisfaction.

"Can we at least still figure out what this invisible object is?" I asked her.

"Nothing easier than that, but after that we should see to it that we get out of the castle. Even if you changed your mind, the princess wouldn't be very pleased to meet us here." Lyra winked.

She cast the spell on the invisible object and it slowly became visible again. After a few moments the whole object was visible, it was gigantic. Three large metal pedestals stood in the room, supporting a wooden construction, which in turn consisted of a large sphere with a large ring around it that hung above the ground. We moved carefully around the object to look at it more closely.

"Is this...the portal?" I asked Lyra.

"I don't know. It doesn't necessarily look like what I would imagine a portal to look like, and...this construction. I wouldn't know of any pony that would be able to build something like that. Well...almost. The part above the ring I once saw in some books about scientific experiments. Many unicorns use this construction to power inventions via magic. The only question is what this invention does when it is energized."

We did not speak our purpose, but she was just as interested in finding out how this thing worked what we just discovered. Her horn began to shine again in a bright yellow light that spread across the supporting elements of the invention to the large sphere in the center. Then the ring around it also began to glow yellow. Suddenly, the sphere began to spin and a charging sound rang out. Lyra and I wanted to see exactly what the machine was doing, so we stood under the glowing ring. From above, we could see how the construction on top of the machine started to throw pink lightning bolts. I had a really bad feeling about this.

The sphere spun faster and faster until there was a powerful discharge whose wave hit us directly. I fell backwards and closed my eyes in shock. Then it became quiet around me and I opened my eyes again. The vision was blurred, but I could make out outlines. I was no longer in the library, and I noticed that it was suddenly daytime, as rays of sunlight shone in my face. I immediately sensed that I was no longer in Equestria. The smells were different, the environment looked different. Instead of bright green meadows, I was looking at an almost colorless ceiling of stone. When I stood up again and my vision cleared, I could see Lyra coming to beside me. She rubbed her head in confusion until she looked around her, spellbound. We were apparently standing on a kind of balcony, from here one could look into a courtyard of a row of buildings. Only these were considerably higher than the ones I knew from Ponyville. Only everything seemed somehow gloomier and colder, there were almost no bright colors. The only thing that was still noticeable was a glowing passageway that shone behind us. Apparently, that was the portal we had just come through.

"Wait, are we..." said Lyra as she picked herself back up and stood with me.

"Yes. I think we're in the human world, Lyra," I said.

Suddenly we heard noises behind the window door that led to the balcony we were standing on. We stopped in a panic, trying not to make a sound.

"Hello? Is someone there?" a voice sounded from the other side of the windows. You couldn't make out the figure, though, because the curtains blocked the view. The figure was heard mumbling something, then fell silent. Lyra still looked a bit frightened. She shook her head that I should not say anything. But I wanted to answer something, after all we were already noticed.

"Uh...hi! We come in peace! Who...or whatever you are, would you mind letting us in?"

Then the balcony door opened a crack and the creature peered through.

"That...isn't possible!" it said, and hastily disappeared back into the room.

"I don't like this. Let's better go back through the portal." Lyra said nervously to me.

But apparently the creature was more afraid of us than we were of it. I walked slowly ahead to make sure there was no danger. Lyra followed me carefully. When I could see the creature in the room, it was sitting on a large armchair and looking thoughtfully at the floor. It looked just like a human, as in the drawings we had seen in the Castle of the Two Sisters. For looking at a human for the first time, it seemed strangely familiar. It wore glasses and had a long beard. It’s mane was dark and very short in front. Its whole body was covered with clothes that had different colors. I was not afraid of it and the human did not seem to be afraid of me either. So I entered the apartment slowly when the human lifted his head and looked at me in disbelief.

"Can you understand me?" I asked cautiously.

Lyra rolled her eyes and had to giggle for a moment.

"Of course he can understand us. He opened the door for us, after all."

"He?"

"That human sounds almost exactly like you, so I think he's male."

The human started laughing, to me his behavior seemed a bit unnatural.

"Well observed, Lyra. You really are a clever unicorn." the human said in a calm voice.

I froze into stone when he said her name. With wide eyes, I eyed him. Finally I met someone who seemed to know who I was. I had to find out what he knew.

"Wait...you know her? Then...you know who I am too?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was just a little surprised that we would ever meet." he said with a grin.

"I can understand that. Who wouldn't be surprised to see two ponies from Equestria come to the human world?" laughed Lyra.

I didn't know what kind of game the human was playing with me here and what was so funny about the situation, but I was unstoppable, I had been waiting for this moment for too long. I jumped at the human's chest and stood over him like a wolf over its prey, so that he was forced to remain seated until I learned what I wanted.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you going after him? He didn't do anything to you!"

"He knows who we are, Lyra. Then he must know why I can't remember anything! All my life I've been waiting to find the answer. And now it's at my hooves. Come on, speak up! What do you know about me?"

"Wait, you lost your memory?" asked the human.

"Yes, and you will tell me who I am right now!" I said demanding.

"Well, I know you're from Equestria. And that pretty unicorn over there is apparently your girlfriend." he said as he looked over at Lyra smiling. She turned slightly red in the face.

I felt like I was being made fun of. This was supposed to be the only information I had been waiting for my whole life? I was about to make the human talk when Lyra looked at me with frightened eyes. Angrily, I let go of the human and stood in a corner, snorting. Lyra helped the human up again.

"I have to apologize for him. I don't know what's wrong with him, I've never seen him like that." said Lyra.

The human seemed to take the whole thing with humor, which made me really angry. When the human stood upright again, she turned to me.

"As for you...Tell me, what possessed you to attack a human for no reason and not even apologize to him?"

"Lyra, he already told us what he knows. And that's not more like we know." I said disappointedly.

"Wrong, he probably knows more than other people. Or did you expect him to know Equestria? It's no coincidence that the portal brought us here to him."

Lyra was right. I was totally overreacting because I wanted to know about my past so badly.

"I...I'm sorry for what I did. I hope I didn't hurt you physically or emotionally, mister."

The human started laughing again.

"Don't worry. I was as surprised as you were at first because I didn't expect to ever meet you."

This statement surprised even Lyra.

"A Pegasus pony with eyes as blue as the sky, with a green mane and a purple tail. You have the looks of Rainbow Dash, yet the coat color of Lyra...and the wings of an alicorn.”

Our eyes widened. Apparently, the person really knew more than I first thought.

Chapter 6 - The Final Decision

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Chapter 6 - The Final Decision

"I knew it, he knows you! Please tell us what you mean by that. He's been looking for someone like you to provide him with answers for so long. Please..."

Lyra stood on her hind hooves and gently braced herself against the human, like a dog begging for something to eat. The human smiled at her and began to slowly stroke her mane. Apparently Lyra trusted him completely and the human seemed to have experience in handling ponies. While Lyra was just distracted according to her overjoyed grin, the human turned his gaze back to me.

"But before I say anything again that you already know, I'll ask just to be on the safe side: what else do you remember?" he said as he eyed me slightly suspiciously.

So I told him everything I had experienced so far. Everything from the day I woke up in Everfree Forest to the present day. When I told him about the injuries I had sustained from the Timberwolf attack, he seemed very concerned and expressed his sympathy. But when I was finished with my tale, the human seemed very relieved. When I was eager to know my background, he told me that unfortunately he knew nothing about my previous life in Equestria. But he had a reason for it which he revealed to me. He had created me.

I asked him how that was possible. Normally, ponies can only descend from...ponies. So how could I come from a human? He described me as a Ponysona, an exact copy of a human's personality in the form of a pony from a fictional television series. I didn't know what a television was, but the term 'fictional' was more than clear. I was not a real pony, I was the product of someone's imagination. When he noticed my reaction to this, he asked me if everything was okay. But my life was once again turned upside down. Now I had learned the truth...and it hurt. Tears began to leak from my eyes. Lyra stood beside me and tried to comfort me.

"I...I should have just left it at that I was a normal pony. But I just had to know, I had to find out the truth." I sobbed, looking at Lyra with watery eyes. I couldn't control myself, no matter how hard I tried. The emotions were too much for me.

"The truth that I am just a character of your imagination!" I screamed at the human with watery eyes.

The human looked at me a little strangely when he heard this sentence. However, not frightened, but rather astonished. But how should I have reacted differently? I would have thought to be a real, living being. I looked at him with a longing look as he started to reply.

"Well, I did create you, but that doesn't mean you're fictional. You are here! You are real! I can hardly believe it myself!" he said with relief.

His gaze turned to Lyra.

"And you've built a life for yourself by now that I could never have imagined for you. You've managed to find your way here on Earth to me...and even with a special somepony by your side! I'm so proud of you!" said the human, who also almost started to cry.

"Wait a minute. Lyra and I...we're just..." stammered I, making Lyra giggle.

"Well, she followed you this far, didn't she? I think she'll continue to follow you..." he said confidently. Lyra nodded at him in agreement as she got gentle petting over the head like a cat.

"Family is the most important thing in the world. I just didn't appreciate mine until I didn't have it anymore. I'm afraid I didn't understand how much I needed them until it was too late..." the human said sadly.

"You are the one who created me, without you I wouldn't even exist. That's what makes us a family after all. You are something like...like my father to me." said I, trying to cheer him up.

The human thought for a moment.

"Me, your father? Well, actually you're right, but...more accurately, you're not my ponysona."

I didn't really understand what he meant. But then he tried to explain it to me.

"I have always been an only child, but my parents always wanted a little brother for me. Unfortunately, it was impossible for my mother because she almost died herself when I was born. In the process, she had already thought up a name for my brother. His name would have been Richard."

Then he looked deep into my eyes.

"I began to think what my brother's personality would be. Possibly, when you were created, I gave you many characteristics that I would have liked in my brother. Thus, you are more like my unborn brother Richard...or Rico, as I would have rather called him." he said.

"Wait, then we're brothers?" I asked.

"Yes, Rico. Welcome home, little brother." he said as he tearfully hugged me.

I was beside myself with joy. We hugged for the first time in our lives. It was an indescribable feeling to have finally found my home. I never thought that I would meet a human who was my brother and also my creator. Tears of joy ran down my face, because I finally got the answer to all my questions. I finally knew who I was: I was Rico, a pony from the earth.

I could hardly believe it. I actually had a human relative on Earth. Lyra couldn't believe her ears when she heard who I really was. It made her very happy that I now knew where I came from. In the next moment, however, my brother seemed to let go of me, obviously something was wrong. At this, I heard an angry clearing of the throat behind me and I turned around. Standing directly in front of me was Princess Celestia, who came through the portal and gave me an angry look. Lyra ducked her head, not knowing what the princess was up to. But when she looked at my brother, she seemed more confused than angry. I could have made a pinkie promise by her look that the two had met before. Maybe that was why the portal had led directly to him. Had he had anything to do with Rainbow Dash, and if so, why hadn't he told us about it until now? For the next few minutes, no one said a word about what we were thinking.

He hugged me tightly, apparently trying to tell the princess something. So I hugged him too and looked at her with wide eyes. After Celestia had looked us over, she turned to Lyra and gave her a nod in the direction of the door. Lyra seemed to understand and made a head movement in my direction telling me to leave the two of them alone. I turned to my brother, who also nodded to let me know it was okay. It would be all right. Slightly unsettled, I released myself from his hug and followed Lyra towards the door of the room, while not taking my eyes off Celestia. When we were outside the room, Lyra closed the door with her magic and I could only guess what was going on behind it through the opaque glass in the door. I began to panic for my brother.

"Please, she mustn't hurt him. I've only just found him again." I said tearfully to Lyra.

"It's going to be all right. If the princess thought we were in danger here, she would have taken us back to Equestria without hesitation. But something else seems to be on her mind," Lyra said, casting a thoughtful look.

Several minutes passed, during which I walked up and down the corridor. I kept trying to listen at the door, but Celestia seemed to have soundproofed the room so we couldn't hear anything. Meanwhile, Lyra was exploring and examining my brother's apartment. She carefully tried to examine certain objects that were lying around. I could tell from the number of clothes that he didn't seem to live here alone. But we could not discover anyone else in the apartment. Then I remembered what he had told me about family. At the thought I became very sad, who knows how long he had to live alone?

After a few more minutes, the door of the room opened again and we could go back inside. Princess Celestia explained to me that she had come to an agreement with my brother. I had hoped that she would allow me to stay with him, but she could not grant me that wish.

"I'm sorry, but Earth is a dangerous place and only in Equestria can I truly protect you." she said.

"Protect me!? From what!? Changelings? Chimeras? Or a haunted forest where you have to be afraid of every rustling bush? I think I'm better protected from those dangers on Earth than I am in Equestria!" I snorted angrily.

"She's right, Rico..." said my brother, sitting next to me. "Earth is not a good place for beings from Equestria."

"But...why do you say that? Because of her?" I said, slightly tearful, as I looked to Celestia.

"No, because of you! The other humans have never seen beings like you before, and if you are discovered, they will try to catch you. They will do bad things to find out what you are and where you came from. And I won't be able to protect you...but she can." he explained.

Celestia nodded in agreement, but I wasn't going to give up so easily. I spent so long searching for my origins, probably even solved one of Equestria's greatest mysteries for it, found a way to Earth...only to now not be able to spend time with my human brother?

"But...I can stay in here, it doesn't bother me. I don't need to be outside, I just want to be here...with you." I said, looking at my brother with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, but..." he continued.

"...at least for today." I interrupted him.

He puffed deeply, obviously finding it just as hard to let me go. He looked at Celestia asking if she would at least let me have the rest of the day. She seemed to think for a moment and looked out the window as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then she turned back to us and turned her gaze to my brother.

"Very well, he may stay here on Earth for the rest of the day. But no other human may see him, and he will not leave this house. You are in charge of him until I return tonight to take him back to Equestria." she said and walked toward the portal. Lyra followed her.

"Wait, Lyra! Don't you want to spend the day with us?" I asked her.

"This time belongs to you and your brother alone, Rico. I'll see you on the other side." she said, winking at me.

I knew that saying goodbye that night would be very hard for me, so it was comforting to know that Lyra was there for me. But she was right, I had to make the most of every remaining minute with my brother, since I would probably never see him again. He also had an idea how to show me life on earth without leaving the apartment.

He put a device into operation that I had at first thought was a large black picture frame. Suddenly, thousands of moving pictures appeared in front of me, representing countless people telling about the current reports in the world. Even though there was a lot of sad news to hear, I was still fascinated by this device and now I finally realized why I seemed so lost in Equestria until now. Everything I thought I knew, I couldn't find there. But here on Earth...with my brother...I felt at home.

While I let the bundled information flood of this world pass over me, I looked at my brother, who apparently still could not believe his eyes, as enthusiastically as he looked at me. And even if the thought still pained me a little, I wanted to know how he could create me at all. He then showed me another device that bore some resemblance to the big black picture frame. He tapped and clicked on items that were attached to the picture frame with some kind of string. After a short time, he showed me a picture that had three ponies on it. He told me that he had also made this picture for two of his friends who had also come up with a character. I could make out Levita Dream and another pony, which looked a little scary. In the middle, I could be seen looking happily into the camera. When he undid the changes to the picture, my coat turned blue and my mane shone in rainbow colors. With this, he showed me that I was in fact like Rainbow Dash, but just "re-colored". I had to smile a bit at that moment because it sounded like "rico-lored" which would mean Rainbow Dash would have her look from me, which of course was not possible. I wonder if my brother had considered that there might be a lot of puns on that. But something told me that he knew long ago because he had to smile, too.

"Tell me, of all the ponies you could have chosen for me to use as a template. Why Rainbow Dash exactly?" I asked.

This question made him think.

"That's actually a good question, Rico. I...I honestly don't know. Maybe I used to know, but somehow...I don't remember. Strange..."

I could tell that the question was bothering him a lot. But he told me that he could find out. But for that, he would have to go to a place I couldn't follow him to. Probably he meant something like a library where only humans would have access. He didn't think we should worry about that anymore, though, and we spent a few more hours together until I realized I was starting to yawn.

"Oh, is someone getting a little tired? What do you think, Rico? Should we go to sleep?" my brother asked me.

I shook my head, pretending to still be wide awake.

"I don't want to go to sleep yet, I still want to spend time with you!" said I.

"I can understand that, but Celestia hasn't come back yet. Maybe we'll have some time before tomorrow."

"And what if we don't?" I asked him.

"Well, I guess we'd have to travel back through space and time." he laughed.

I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Is that possible?"

"So far, only in people's imaginations. But I learned today through you that even fantasy can become reality." he said as he hugged me.

He really never expected to actually meet me...and I just as little him. So I hugged him just as tightly. It was a wonderful feeling.

It was really late and I couldn't hide my tiredness any longer. He sat back down in the chair and I lay down on his lap. Then he put his arm over my head and started stroking my mane.

At that moment I felt an affection that until now I had only felt around Lyra. I gave myself completely to the feeling and slowly closed my eyes. Then I heard my brother slowly begin to sing a song softly.

My little pony,
get some sleep,
so close your eyes,
and count some sheep.
If you dream nice,
I'll stay with you.
And if you’re not,
I'll protect you.
But if you miss me,
when you cry,
then don’t forget,
I'll be forever by your side.

He repeated this text three times and before I fell asleep I repeated the last sentence in my mind:

...he’ll be forever by my side.

I slept soundly through the night until the sun's rays woke me up in the early morning. But when I opened my eyes, I realized that it was not sunbeams. It was Celestia, shining her horn as brightly as the sun. My brother didn't seem to notice, he still seemed to be asleep.

"It is time..." she said to me.

She noticed that I was hesitant to get up.

"I put a spell on him that he is fast asleep. He won't notice any of this."

Of course, this made it easier for us to say goodbye. But she also realized that this was not my concern. But my common sense told me that it was the right thing to do now. I pressed my forehead to his head one last time to say goodbye. A few tears flowed from my eyes, which I could not hold back. I was grateful to find my brother from Earth. And I was grateful to be able to spend time with him. I no longer felt anger toward Celestia, but I still felt sadness that the time had passed so quickly.

Slowly I got off his lap and walked towards the portal. Before I walked through the balcony door, I looked back at him one last time as Celestia approached my brother. Something told me at that moment that she was responsible for his memory lapse. So I tried to confront her before she got too close to him.

"Was it the same with Rainbow Dash?" I asked her reproachfully.

She stopped.

"When I asked him how he could create me, he showed me a picture of her. She was the template for my appearance, but he could no longer tell me why he had chosen her."

At this, the princess turned to me.

"I want you to know that he had insisted on it at the time. I had only granted him his wish." she said to me.

"Was he unconscious at that time, too?" I said flippantly.

She thought about it for a moment.

"No. He told me he wanted it because he had no more use for the memories and it would only cause him pain if he remembered..."

I pondered at that moment if what Celestia was telling me could really be from my brother. She might have her secrets, but she had never lied to me before. So I nodded to her in agreement.

"...but is that what you want?" she asked me.

I hadn't thought about whether I wanted to keep my memories until now. But I didn't have to think long to make a decision.

"No..." I said hesitantly. "For me, forgetting would mean losing joy as well as pain. I'm thankful that I was able to have this experience. It would be...just not right to forget him."

Celestia's gaze smiled for a brief moment when I said I wanted to keep my memories, apparently liking my decision. Then I gave my brother one last look.

"Do what you have to do. I'm not going to stop you," I said as tears ran from my eyes.

She nodded at me and as I walked towards the portal, I could see her slowly put her horn to his head and cast a spell that made her horn glow a little more. So with that, it was done. When my brother would wake up, everything that had happened so far would seem like a dream to him. That is, if he would remember me at all.

We walked together through the portal on the balcony to get back to Equestria. There Lyra was already waiting for me in the library, as she had promised. Princess Luna had also come to see how her sister was doing. Lyra took me in her arms and I began to cry as I had never done before. But there were mixed feelings about it. Not only that I will never see my brother again...but also tears of joy that I was not alone and now realized that I had a family in Equestria too. Even though I was sad for a moment when the portal closed behind me, a smile came over my face. Because I was glad to put this chapter behind me. Now I could live a life in Equestria without worries.

During the time I was with my brother, Lyra had organized a party with Pinkie Pie. I thought that was a great idea to cheer me up. Pinkie Pie had already procured everything necessary in no time at all, so that the party could already start in Ponyville in the evening. I hadn't thought she would make it so quickly. But that's just the way Pinkie Pie was.

Many ponies from the city had gathered and several tents were set up in front of which delicious food and drinks were served. A pony named DJPon3, that I already knew from my welcome party, provided the music and Pinkie Pie went through the party schedule again and again, so as not to make any mistakes. At the party the ponies were already dancing extensively. There was apple juice and cake in great quantities. Twilight and her friends came over and Rainbow Dash even had someone with her who could have been her father. But he looked very young himself, did she also have a brother?

I wanted to talk to Rainbow Dash, but Twilight pulled me aside and told me that this was not a good time because she was afraid that I might say things that would make Rainbow Dash think. It would be better if I stayed away from her for the next while. And I understood Twilight's concern and realized that she meant no harm. I had just returned from Earth myself and would really need to talk, but I decided to cover that with Lyra instead. I sought her out at the party and because of the loud music I was able to talk to the others about my experience without having to worry that other ponies would hear us. Then I noticed how the music suddenly changed and took on a faster background, with the melody sounding very familiar.

"Come on, let's dance!" called Lyra to me, pulling me by the hoof to an area of the dance floor where few ponies were dancing. I found myself in the middle of a cluster of ponies cheering us on.

Lyra was very proficient on her hooves, spinning and swinging back and forth. Her mane came out beautifully in the headlights and I tried to do the same. I followed her steps and tried to keep up the pace. When Lyra realized that the tempo was a bit too fast for me, she waved at DJPon3 and the pony at the records flipped the pickup. Another familiar melody sounded and I noticed how I could move better to this music. I noticed how Lyra suddenly started to dance on two legs, like a human being. I tried to imitate her, but somehow she didn't seem to be able to keep her balance properly, so she propped me up a bit.

"I...I don't think I can dance, Lyra." I said, embarrassed.

"Well, I guess...there's only one way to find out." Lyra smiled at me.

That's when I remembered what I had done that time in the situation when Lyra got so close to me. She was waving my joints around as if I were a puppet. But slowly I got a routine and was able to follow her in the simple movements. It was a fun experience that I really enjoyed. And the laughter of the ponies around was turning more and more into cheering. And for a moment, I forgot all the worries I had before because of my homesickness for Earth.

As I started to get a bit exhausted Lyra had the idea to sneak out of the party with me. I did feel a little queasy about the feeling as she walked with me towards Everfree Forest. She was so filled with joy and her eyes shimmered with an amorous look in the moonlight. She cautiously asked if I could show her exactly where I had first met Levita. A little night hike wouldn't be bad at all and together with her it was also romantic...but in this case also dangerous. But Lyra had a strong will and she was really very self-confident. I was happy to have her by my side forever. She didn't seem the least bit intimidated or afraid. She was probably just too excited to see where my life was starting here, or she didn't feel any fear around me. I'm sure she also had a spell or two at the ready should we get into trouble. She was, after all, a very talented unicorn, and not just on the dance floor.

Despite the advanced darkness, which was normal to this enchanted place, After flying over the trees several times, I was able to find the clearing again, where everything had begun. It was only now that I noticed that the arrival of autumn had apparently had no effect on the forest. The trees were still fully overgrown and the weather was also milder. As I landed in the clearing, I remembered back to the last time I was here...when my life began here, at least the part I remembered. And even though I don't know yet what was before that, my brother was able to answer the questions that had really been bothering me. And that was more than enough for me.

"So...this is where the story of Rico, the pony from Earth began?" said Lyra as she came through the bushes to join me in the clearing.

I was flattered that she addressed me by the name my brother had given me.

"Hehe, yes. This is where Levita found me that time."

Lyra looked closely at the ground, walked carefully around, and then looked up at the sky where we could see numerous stars.

"Rico...I hope you don't misunderstand me. I'm glad all this happened to you..."

I looked at Lyra a little confused.

"...because without this whole story, you and I would never have met. You're real to me, and I'm glad you exist, Rico."

This gesture of absolute trust from her warmed my heart deeply. I wanted to say something similar, but that would have interrupted this pleasant silence. We just stood there and looked into each other's eyes. Nothing else. Time seemed to stand still and yet I enjoyed every second of this moment. Lyra slowly began to stroke mine with her warm face. I returned this gesture. With this gesture Lyra proved to me that she had chosen me because of my character and not only because of my story. I was so relieved when she slowly approached my face. I just wanted to experience it. So I closed my eyes and noticed how our lips gently touched. The moment was indescribable. It felt so beautiful, but the sounds in the bushes reminded me again that we shouldn't stay here much longer.

"It's getting late," I said.

She nodded, turned away from me briefly and lay sideways on the ground, her eyes still fixed on me.

"Hey, you don't want to sleep here, do you?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I? It's not like I sleep alone." she smiled at me.

I lay down next to her on the meadow floor and turned to face her. She gently reached around my body with her hooves and pulled me close to her. Immediately I noticed how her whole body relaxed and she snuggled into my belly fur. I could feel her calm heartbeat. She felt safe.

"Rico, I love you." she whispered softly.

"I love you too, Lyra." I replied before a restful yawn before I finally fell asleep in Lyra's arms.

When I woke up the next day, the sun was shining in my face. I heard no more sounds around me, apparently we were no longer in Everfree Forest. I opened my eyes and standing in front of me was a wide grinning Lyra.

"Lyra? Where are we?" I asked her as I sleepily rubbed my eyes.

She said nothing, but moved a bit to the side while still grinning broadly. Behind her was a two-story house that had a distinctive hue I recognized immediately. We were apparently in Ponyville. The house had an awning in the flower-covered front yard, on which three red hearts were pinned. At the entrance were two large plant pots. In itself, the house looked very normal, so I didn't know why Lyra was so excited.

"So, do you like it?" said Lyra euphorically.

"The house? It’s very nice. Whose is it?" I asked her, confused.

She didn't stop grinning, which immediately answered my question. Apparently, the house was ours. I wondered how Lyra could buy this house, but I hadn't understood the money system in Equestria yet anyway. But even money couldn't buy my feelings. This was my home now...our home. I asked Lyra, of course, what would happen to BonBon, but Lyra said that she would be fine. After all, BonBon had lived alone before she met Lyra. I would have been fine if we had moved into Lyra's old home. But probably she would be too far away from her friends here. And I didn't want to leave here either. I had taken Ponyville to my heart by now. And from then on Lyra and I could spend every moment of our lives here..together.

It took me the whole following winter to get used to the new living situation with Lyra. When the evening came, I always looked up to the sky and wondered how my brother would be on earth. I talked to Lyra about it, but I noticed how she kept avoiding the subject. She knew that I didn't come back to Equestria of my own free will, but because Celestia wanted me to. However, since I did not want to burden Lyra with it, I often visited Levita, since she was currently occupied with the books from the Castle of the Two Sisters. I talked to her about everything she found out about the humans and it gave me a good balance to the normal life as a pony. Ever since Levita discovered the archives in the Castle of the Two Sisters, all she did was pore over books. She wanted to fulfill her destiny and unravel as many new mysteries about Equestria as possible. But it wasn't long before Lyra herself decided to join in the research. BonBon also joined in and created a kind of alphabet to translate the human letters. With this, it was possible to see connections between the letters and maybe even the words behind them. A great help was the Journal of the Two Sisters, which Princess Celestia gave us at Lyra's request, since she had no more use for it. Especially Levita was very happy to have the summary of the last thousand years in front of her, even though I doubted that she would be able to read the book completely in the next thousand years. Celestia warned us that there were many passages that were very personal and emotional, but we also read funny parts. Like the creation of the portal, which before was just a broken clock that never showed the correct time.

I also found the idea of it funny, but inwardly I longed to go through the portal once more to be with my brother. He was certainly alone and lonely and not a day would go by that I would not feel sorry for him in this horrible world, compared to the paradise in which I lived. Fittingly, at that moment I read the entry in the book of the two sisters:

"...even if it were possible for me to step through the portal and live with the humans, I could never leave my sister Luna and all my little ponies behind. I would not be able to protect them anymore."

Princess Celestia had to care deeply about the welfare of her ponies. But she didn't have to worry about me. I am not one of her ponies, I belonged to my brother.

The next day I learned that Rainbow Dash had been accepted into the Wonderbolt Academy. I did not begrudge her that at least her dream came true. I often flew after her and watched her perform acrobatics, but whenever she noticed me and wanted to talk to me, I had to get out of her way. I watched her on her day at Wonderbolt Academy as she teamed up with another Pegasus pony to make a good impression. The pony had a yellow curved mane, but what was more interesting was that it had the same coat color as Lyra and me. Was that a coincidence?

Of course, it was wishful thinking that my brother had something to do with it. But I missed him very much and I tried to understand what he had to do with Rainbow Dash. And even if she didn't know it anymore, I felt a connection between her and me. Of course, with Lyra, it was on a whole different level. But Rainbow Dash was more like a sister to me. Although, of course, that was also absurd, since I hardly knew her personally. As the day drew to a close, I returned to Ponyville. I stayed in the village for a bit before going home and sat on a bench to watch Princess Celestia's sunset. It was really very calming.

"Well look who's here!" said a pony who just flew up from the side and stopped in front of me.

It was the rainbow colored pony that I had first seen at the big party before winter. It had bright purple colored fur and gold colored eyes. Otherwise, the mane and tail had the same colors as Rainbow Dash's.

"Excuse me, are you referring to me? Mister...Dash?" said I, confused.

"My name is Rainbow Blaze, but most ponys just call me Blaze. And what's your name?" he wanted to know.

"Rico. Most ponys call me Rico." said I shrewdly.

"Haha, all right. So...Rico. Can you tell me why you keep watching my Dashie from afar?" he said.

"Oh...uh...I didn't mean to get too close to your daughter, or...your sister..." I said uncertainly before Blaze burst out laughing.

"Well, Dashie isn't my daughter or my sister. I'm her tutor."

"Tutor? For what?" I wanted to know.

"Well, you've probably noticed that she's a special pony. I teach her everything a rainbow pegasus needs to know." he said.

My eyes widened. I wanted to know more about that. And Blaze seemed to see the interest in my eyes.

"We Rainbow Pegasus are a rare species who find it particularly easy to deal with the elements of this world. We are faster and stronger than most other pegasi. But this strength does not come by chance. Legend has it that Pegasi ponies in Rainbow Falls drank water mixed with liquid rainbows for years and absorbed the magical powers from the rainbows until their entire manes turned rainbow-like, but I personally don't know of any pony that ever drank liquid rainbows," he said before sitting down on the bench with me.

"But enough about me. Why are you secretly watching her? Do you like her?"

"Well...yes. Well, I do like her, but not the way you think. I already live with a wonderful unicorn." I said hesitantly.

"Yeah, I've seen you with her a lot. She seems nice."

"Yes, she is. And I wouldn't trade her for any other pony. However..."

"What's bothering you?" he wanted to know.

Apparently he didn't know about Rainbow Dash's time on Earth either, so I tried to hide my story a bit.

"Well, imagine that you want to live in a place where someone who really means everything to you lives. But you're not allowed to go there."

"Why not? Is someone forbidding you?" he asked me.

"Well, Princess Celestia says it's a dangerous place. She couldn't protect me there," I said.

Blaze started thinking.

"Hmm, I see. So somewhere outside of Equestria. Then I have a question: is this someone so important to you that you are also willing to live in this dangerous place?"

I didn't hesitate with my answer and nodded.

"Well, it must be well thought out. If the princess can't protect you anymore, you're on your own. But she doesn't seem to have forbidden you to choose to live there. As I see it, Princess Celestia really wants to make sure you make your decision."

"What decision would you make? What would you do if that someone was Rainbow Dash?" I asked him.

"Well, you don't have to ask me twice. I'd probably leave everything behind to be where she is. But I don't have much to keep me here either. The only family I have is her."

"To that someone, I'm the only family he has, too. He's my brother."

"Well, there you go. What are you waiting for then? Go see him!"

I lowered my head in disappointment.

"Oh, you have a family here, too," he said feelingly.

I nodded. Then he slid a little closer to me and put his front hoof around my shoulder. Even though I hadn't known him long, this feeling felt very familiar.

"It's not your fault that you fell in love with each other. It's only natural. Just like saying goodbye..."

"My brother said that I've made a life for myself here that he could never have given me."

"But...is it also the life you want?"

Then I remembered that although I had sprung from my brother's pen, I had taken my destiny into my own hands. None of it was predetermined for me.

"As much as I love Lyra, I still feel like I have to be here. And not because I want to," I said.

"That's the love you feel for your brother. Love relationships can last, but your family will always be the most important because that's where you originated. And while some love relationships fail, family will always be a retreat. Family is the most important thing in the world."

"You know, now you even sound a little like my brother." I grinned.

"Then you just needed someone to tell you what your brother would have told you."

"Probably," I said.

"So, Rico. What are you going to do now?"

"As much as I love Lyra, our relationship would suffer in the long run if I had to constantly worry about my brother's well-being. I need to get to him." I said and got down from the bench to walk to Lyra.

"Thank you, Blaze! I'll never forget your words!" I said and started walking.

"Wait, Rico!" he shouted to make me turn around again.

"You still haven't told me why you were watching Dashie!"

"Because she reminded me of my brother!" I said euphorically.

"Wait, what?" he asked, confused.

"My human brother from Earth!" I said, and ran on.

I left Rainbow Blaze confused to go to Lyra and tell her about my plan. At that moment, I didn't know how best to tell her. But when I arrived at our house, I nervously stopped in front of it. I remembered how she had reacted the last time I wanted to leave. She would surely try to convince me to stay here with her, and I couldn't do that. I couldn't bear to look her in the eye and say that she would never see me again. So I decided not to go into the house, but to Levita and BonBon, who were surely engrossed in the old books. They would surely be able to help me on how best to teach Lyra.

I walked through the streets of Ponyville one last time and noticed that Celestia was already setting the sun. There weren't many ponies left in the village, but I welcomed the quiet for a change. Not much had changed here since I first arrived with Levita. I was a little sad at the thought of missing everything that would happen here in the future. But that was nothing compared to what I would miss on earth. Then the moment came and I knocked on BonBon's front door...probably for the last time.

But to my amazement, Lyra opened the door for me. She smiled at me and hugged me. Even though I found this gesture exceedingly sweet, it was the last thing I needed right now. Now I had to choose the unpleasant way and tell her directly.

"Oh, Rico. There you are, where have you been all day?" she asked me, giving me a quick kiss before rejoining the other two who were sitting in the living room combing through piles of books. I stopped at the door, however.

"Lyra, I...I've been thinking," I said.

"Ah, thinking is good. It keeps the gray matter awake. But seriously, what have you been thinking about?" she grinned.

Levita and BonBon seemed to have already guessed what I wanted to talk about and were already standing up.

"What's going on?" said Lyra, really not making it easy for me to say goodbye.

"Lyra...I think he wants to go home," Levita said.

"Oh, okay. We'll go home then if you like. I'll make us something nice for dinner, ok?" said Lyra to me.

"You don't...you don't have to." said I on the verge of tears.

"Hey, Rico. What's going on with you? Are you okay?" asked Lyra, but I turned my head away from her and started sobbing.

BonBon came up behind me and put her hoof around Lyra.

"Sweetie, he means to his home...on Earth." she said.

I slowly turned my head back to the front as I saw Lyra's features suddenly shift and she looked me in the eye with a depressed face.

"Is...is that what you really want? Are you sure?" she asked me in a slightly tearful voice.

I couldn't answer her because I couldn't produce anything but sobs. I looked at her with teary eyes as I answered her question with a nod.

"Well...then...I'll just come with you. To the earth. If you go, then I'll follow you...remember? I..." she sniffled, still trying to find any words.

I could see that she had to control herself not to lose her composure. She knew as well as I did that she couldn't go. Not only because Celestia would never allow it, but also because Lyra's home was here. She belonged here, but I didn't. And Celestia wouldn't want to risk the portal remaining open after my return home.

"...goodbye, Rico." she said briefly before running out the door beside me, presumably home. I could hear her crying, which broke my heart. I just stood there stunned, not knowing what to do anymore. The two remaining ponies in the house came up to me and Levita hugged me. We didn't get any words out until I had cried a liter of tears into their manes myself. Levita started crying too, but BonBon didn't seem to react as emotionally, which Levita noticed.

"Why aren't you crying?" asked Levita, sobbing, as she turned to BonBon.

"I am...on the inside." she said as she raised her hoof to the place on her body where her heart was.

This behavior surprised me, especially since BonBon had always reacted very emotionally when it came to Lyra. I would have expected BonBon to be angry with me for hurting Lyra's feelings. But that was not the case.

"I...I'm so sorry." I said sniffling as I was able to half talk again and I broke away from their embrace.

"Don't be sorry, Rico." said Levita, who was also still fighting tears.

"Yes I do, I hurt Lyra, I didn't mean to," I said in exasperation.

"To be honest, I didn't expect Lyra to react so strongly to it. After all, she had to expect that sooner or later you might choose Earth. Well, at least I expected it." said BonBon.

"I didn't want it to end like this." said I tearfully as I rubbed my nose with my hoof.

"We know you didn't, Rico. Now let's calm down for now." said Levita, who still seemed very sad herself.

We took several deep breaths in and out. I puffed deeply before speaking up again.

"So, where do we go from here?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. I've known Lyra for a long time and she'll come around if we give her a little time."

"Yes, but won't she miss me?" I asked.

BonBon pondered.

"Oh, you want to leave today?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Well, I think it's better if I follow her and talk to her."

"Thanks. BonBon. I won't be able to go through another goodbye like that. Please make sure she doesn't regret meeting me."

BonBon put on a satisfied smile. Obviously she knew why I said that.

"She won't, trust me." said BonBon, winking at me.

She hugged me one last time and said goodbye. After that, she disappeared from the house to check on Lyra.

"What you just said..." began Levita.

I smiled at her while wiping a few tears from my eyes.

If a Heartstrings caused to pull on somepony's heartstrings, she will make sure that his heartstrings won’t regret it…”

"...to met a Heartstrings. Yes, I remember. Lyra used to say that," she said to me.

"I'd better hope that's true for both of us." I replied with a disapproving giggle.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it does, Rico Heartstrings." she quipped.

"Well...then..." said I, trying to find any words to say goodbye to Levita.

"We'll be on our way then. I'll accompany you to the portal." she said.

Levita didn't know how much this sentence of hers meant to me. She was the first pony I was allowed to meet and she would now be the last pony to accompany me on my last journey. We closed the door behind us to fly to Canterlot.

The sun had already set and you could already see the first stars in the sky, which was still shimmering orange/blue. One last time I looked back at the village that had served as my home for all this time. I would probably never see this view again. Every single house I saw would only exist in my memories. But I would not let anyone take those memories away from me.

My eyes also fell on the house of Lyra and me, where now probably BonBon was doing her best to make sure Lyra didn't regret having met me. And even if it was something like the motto of the Heartstrings family, I wanted to do for Lyra what she would have done for me. Also because I counted her to my family. For Levita that seemed to be enough reason to call me Rico Heartstrings. Why not? In Equestria it didn't seem to matter what last name you had anyway, whether you were married or not. I liked the idea of honoring Lyra forever by taking her last name and wearing it proudly on Earth.

One last glance went over my shoulder toward Ponyville as we almost arrived at the castle. We landed in front of the main gate and went inside. For the last time I looked at the silhouettes of the houses in Canterlot as well as the now almost dark blue starry sky. I would never see all this again, but instead another world would open up for me. When we entered the throne room, only Princess Celestia could be seen reading through letters. Her sister was apparently busy making the moon rise. Celestia saw my broken state and immediately put the letters aside. She seemed to know immediately why I was there. Probably also because of my facial expression, which still reflected the sadness of the farewell I had to endure.

"I see you've made your decision," Celestia said.

I nodded, expecting her to try one last time to talk me out of my idea. In fact, she confessed to me that she knew I would come back. The moment I decided to keep my memories despite the threat of pain, she knew I wouldn't last long. But she understood my point of view, which is why she had only given my brother a paralysis spell in this case, but the memories of that day remained with him as well. So when I would go through the portal, he would remember our first meeting. At first I was very surprised and at the same time shocked that without the knowledge of my whereabouts in the meantime, my brother was probably worried sick. Now I had no doubt that I had to do the right thing. Then the princess relented one last time.

"Just so you know, after you leave, I will have to close this portal to this strange world for good so that no other pony will stumble across it in the library at night..." she said, causing my cheeks to blush slightly.

"...But that doesn't mean there's no way for you to return."

"But Princess Celestia, how is that going to work without a portal?" asked Levita.

"On Earth you're on your own, I can only help you when you're in Equestria. But your indomitable faith in the goodness of humans has made me reconsider, although they are still as they were then. And if they have really changed, this reformation could work for beings in Equestria, too. I'm thinking of someone in particular." she chuckled briefly before continuing.

"Well, I think it's time I let you in on one last secret of Equestria." she said, and her horn began to glow yellow.

An object then lit up overhead, appearing out of nowhere. When the light dimmed a bit, I could see that it was a golden collar with a green gemstone that had the shape of a human.

"What is it?" I asked, confused, but Levita stood behind me with his mouth wide open.

"The Element of Humanity...I read about it in the books. I just always thought there were six elements." she said.

"There were six, until my student Twilight Sparkle summoned a new element whose magic the Tree of Harmony itself once guarded damite the prophecy of the Mane 6 could come to pass."

Now I realized why Twilight and her friends had had so many adventures. Besides, I liked the term Mane 6 better than F.R.O.W.N.. Celestia switched her gaze to the necklace with the green human stone.

"This element, however, was created at that time with the five others from the Tree of Harmony. It is capable of changing the wearer into the form of a human or a pony, in the event that humans would coexist with unicorns. Thus, every being in Equestria could decide what they wanted to be. Most recently, this element was applied to our own portal so that humans would change into ponies as soon as they entered this world and would also leave this world as humans. But with this new portal, you will need the element."

Then she looked at me a little more seriously.

"Since the element has a close connection with our portal, you can use it once to open an entrance. After you go through, the connection to your world will be lost forever," Celestia explained.

Celestia explained to me exactly how to open the portal. I understood that this was a one-time thing that I should use if I were in danger and my brother could not help me. I put the amulet around my neck and my whole body seemed to glow brightly for a moment. I guess that meant the element was working. However, I would use it only on earth, otherwise my brother would still wonder why suddenly a strange person stood in his apartment if he would not recognize me immediately.

"Rico, look!" said Levita with delighted eyes and pointed to my rear end.

A symbol had now appeared on it, what looked like two green lightning bolts and a purple arc of light leading from one lightning bolt to the other.

"I guess that means I've found my purpose," I said.

"Hmm. If only I could tell what it stands for. But I guess...you won't find out until you get to Earth. Too bad, I would have liked to know." she said.

"Don't worry about it, Levita. There are still so many undiscovered things in Equestria, I'm sure there are things that are just as mysterious," I replied.

"Which you can count on." she said with a wink.

I knew that now was the time to say goodbye and I hugged Levita one last time. I hugged her tightly, a few tears running from my eyes myself. Then Lyra let go a little and looked deep into my watery eyes.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Levita. I'll never be able to repay you," I said gratefully.

"I do realize how much it means to you to move to Earth with your brother. I'm happy for you. We've accomplished together what has been hidden all these years: confirming the existence of humans who once lived in Equestria. And if anyone deserves to live on Earth, it's you."

I continued to hug Levita tightly and rested my head on her shoulder.

"Look at the two of you. You've been through so much together, and you've solved probably one of Equestria's most well-kept mysteries. But I want to ask you to make sure that the secrets remain secret. For now, at least." Celestia said with a wink to Levita before she turned to me.

"And if you do come back to Equestria one day, please don't end up in the middle of a Timberwolf pack again. And you'll stay here. Understood?" she joked, which I answered with a nod.

Besides the tears of farewell, tears of joy ran down my face that I was now allowed to travel to Earth with a clear conscience. Celestia teleported us into the library and activated the portal until the metallic sphere began to rotate rapidly. I slowly stood under the spinning object and Levita waved at me one last time before Celestia closed her eyes to cast a spell on the machine. After that, everything became bright.

I woke up again on my brother's balcony, the portal behind me had disappeared. I noticed that the balcony window was only ajar for some reason. Inside, a small light was still on in one room and I could see that my brother was asleep in a bed. In his hand he still had a pencil and around him were fully written sheets, as well as a pair of binoculars which still hung around his neck. Apparently he had been looking for me really hard. I was really sorry for what he had to go through the last time. But now I was at home. I decided to carefully climb onto the bed and lay down on his blanket so I wouldn't wake him up. He slid back and forth, so it was more comfortable for me to lie lengthwise against him. Apparently my mane tickled his nose, so he raised his arm to rub it. After that, he rested his arm on my body and pulled me closer. He probably thought I was his pillow at that moment, but I didn't mind. He snuggled into my fur and slept on.

I felt absolutely safe in his embrace and had finally arrived on earth. After all these years. All the things I had to do in Equestria and all the things I had given up to live with him. Was I supposed to blame myself for leaving Lyra behind? No...he would have no one else and I had decided it freely of myself. And now I was lying next to a human who was more important to me than anything else. Maybe he was dreaming about how he would find me. I wondered what his reaction would be the next day when he found out that it wasn't a dream. That it was all real, just like me.

A fictional Pegasus pony.
No,
his little brother Rico.

Rico Heartstrings - A pony from the earth

by BlazeGriff1n

Chapter 1 - Awakening In A New World

Chapter 2 - Love At First Sight

Chapter 3 - Mile High In The Sky

Chapter 4 - Life Is Changing In Canterlot

Chapter 5 - He’s my brother

Chapter 6 - The Final Decision