> Welcome to Canterlot Academy
>  by Master Maze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: A New Beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: This is a fan-based story revolving around a heavily modified version of MLP:FiM.  I do not own the rights to the Mlp cast.  Some things have been modified to fit the flow of a human-based alternate reality.  No birds or oranges were harmed in the writing of this Fanfic.  This fanfic contains 0% trans Fat and 10% of your daily required consumption of WTF.  Exposure to fan fiction is known to cause bouts of rage, laughter, depression, and may cause a mild case of Bronyism.  If these symptoms occur, refer to the following directions:  Stop, drop, and roll, until flames are dowsed or body becomes dizzy.  And for crying out loud, IT’S ALL MAKE BELIEVE!
Thank you.

Additional Warning: The first section of this chapter has some implied gore.  This is the only place where it occurs, and I leave out as much of the description as possible to keep it safe for most folks while trying to keep in the spirit of the story, but if you're a bit squeamish, you may want to skip the first section.  You've been warned.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Chapter 1:  New Beginnings


Exhaustion assaulted me head on as I came to, weighing down every part of my body.  The ground beneath me felt stiff, horribly uncomfortable, as if I had been taking a nap in the middle of a busy street.  Immediately, my arm and head exploded in pain, and it took everything I had not to pass out.  I was dazed and confused, the world spinning around me like a merry-go-round, everything blurred and distorted, the world tinted in a slightly reddish color.

I could hear some sort of a commotion going on, see blob-like shapes moving about through billows of thick smoke, peering through what looked like twisted steel.  There seemed to be some sort of a panic, but I couldn’t tell what was going on.  Through the pain and the ringing in my ears, it was really hard to get a firm grasp on the situation.
Initially, I moved my hand up to hold my head in pain, but when it came into view, it nearly took my breath away.  It was red, blood red.  Scary blood red.  Dripping blood red.

The first, most logical thought, was that I was injured.  A sharp burst of pain confirmed that thought, but not from where I was expecting it.  It came from my knee, and the sheer pain nearly knocked me out, causing my stomach to do flips and summersaults.  I gasped in agony as I tried to move to see the damage, but halted when another burst of pain came from the other arm. Turning my head, I realized it was trapped underneath something very heavy.  It took me a moment to realize what it was.

Suddenly, the urge to vomit overpowered me, and I couldn’t help but relieve my stomach of whatever contents it had.  The sight before me was far too gruesome to explain.  

I was not the only one involved in whatever mess had just occurred.  I realized at that moment that the blood on my other hand was not actually mine… it was from the pool that had formed underneath me.  The poor soul that it belonged to, whoever it might have been, was on my arm, wedged in an odd angle underneath a chaotic mess of metal, pinning me in place.  I tried twice to move, to somehow shift the weight, but found myself lacking the strength to do so.
Panic hit me hard, but I reined it in almost immediately.  I couldn’t afford to panic right now.  I needed to figure out what had happened.  Forcing myself to calm down, I tried to focus my senses as best as I could, the world starting to become a little easier to decipher.  Dark black columns of smoke were rising into the sky, the heat of flames on my back from maybe twenty paces away.  Everywhere around me, twisted metal was strewn about, and I could see…. oh god, I’m going to be sick again.

I trembled as I tried to get my stomach under control again, forcing my will on my own bodily functions.  I had to get out of here, fast.  The heat from whatever fire was raging was getting closer, and if I didn’t do something soon, things would get very bad, very fast.

That’s when my mind went back to the moving blobs.  People.  It had to be.  I could hear them calling, looking for anyone alive.  I needed to get their attention, and fast.

At first, I tried calling out, but my voice was weak, far too soft to hear over the chaos.  I tried again, with a little more force, but I could only manage another weak, strangled whimper.

Realizing I wouldn’t be able to get their attention this way, I switched tactics.  A jagged piece of metal lay just inches out of reach.  Summoning up every bit of strength, I forced myself to move, reaching towards the metal, completely aware of the heat that was growing alarmingly fast.  Finally, after one last push and a sharp stab of pain from my leg and arm, I was able to reach it.

Taking the metal, I found the nearest surface, a chunk of twisted steel protruding from what looked to have once been some sort of chair, and repeatedly hit it with the last reserves of strength I had.  

I had caught someone’s attention, I could tell, because one of the shapes stopped moving and looked my direction.  I started hitting the chair harder, faster, hoping to whoever was out there that the person would realize I was here.

They did.

Relief washed over me as exhaustion finally overwhelmed me.  I could feel someone moving close to me, could feel the weight being lifted off my arm, the rush of cool fresh air as I was pulled out and away from the chaos.  I strained hard to make out who was moving me, but my vision had become too clouded to see who it was.  I was being fitted with some sort of brace around my neck, and then I was lifted onto something, wheeled out towards a vehicle.  The last image I remember during this time was a blurry figure that I had assumed to be some sort of doctor.  He said something to me, but I could only make out one word.

Live.

And then the world went dark.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I awoke with a start, drenched in sweat and trembling fiercely.  My eyes darted wildly, and for a split second I could almost feel the heat from those flames.

It was just a dream.

At that realization, I forced myself to calm down.  I had that dream again, for the fifth time this week.  I hated it, those crazy first moments.

They were the very first memories that I had, and of course, the one thing I actually wanted to forget that, most ironically, I hadn’t.  

Couldn’t.

It had been a plane crash.  For one reason or other, I had been on that plane, when a malfunction had caused it to go down.  What I was doing on it, and who I was with, I couldn’t say.  I gained a severe case of amnesia from it.  Apparently, slamming my head against a chair after taking a nose dive from 30,000 feet in the air did that to people.  Go figure, huh?  
No memories, no past, little hope of figuring out who I was, where my home could be, or whether I had known that person next to me.  The only possible clue was the list of passengers, a list that I had studied every single day since it first came into my possession, with some hope that I would at least recognize my own name.  It had proven mostly useless, however, and after some time, I had pretty much given up on it.  Instead, I had decided to take a random name off the list… Kyle Stockman.  Well, really just Kyle.  I didn’t want to go by the last name, mainly because I didn’t want to essentially take the identity of someone else had it proven to be the wrong name.

There were some basic facts about myself that I knew for certain.  For one, I was somewhere around nineteen years old.  The place the plane had departed from had been San Francisco.  Whether that was where I was from or not was another question entirely, but at least there was a lead somewhere in there.

There was one other thing I was fairly certain about, however, and it was not something that I was willing to dwell on for any length of time at this point.  Whoever I was, any surviving family members who would recognize me were either on the plane when it crashed, or were never around to begin with.  I had been in the hospital for several weeks after the crash, and not one person came looking for me.  Being that I was the only one to survive the crash, and that the news reporters had gone to town broadcasting my story around the nation, I could only come to one conclusion.

Nobody was coming for me.

It was a frightening thought, the realization that I was entirely alone, at least for now.  It didn’t help that my hospital stay was nearing its end.  My body had nearly recovered enough to the point where they’d have to release me soon.  I could almost walk again, albeit with a bit of a limp.  They had told me earlier today that I’d need a cane for the rest of my life.  I’d be more upset about that if I hadn’t already defied astronomical odds by simply surviving, but I felt that would be like being upset that they hadn’t added an extra cherry to a free sundae.

One of the doctors was telling me that I’d be receiving a visitor a little later today to talk about my future.  Hopefully, it wouldn’t amount to “Glad you’re better, now gtfo.”

In fact, whoever it was should be showing up in the next hour or so.  

Suddenly, the door opened up, revealing a pink-haired woman in her early thirties.  She smiled at me as she approached, clipboard in hand.  I smiled back at her.  She was one of the few familiar faces to me at the moment.

“How are we feeling today, Mr. Stockman?” said Nurse Redheart.

“I told you not to use the last name.”  I muttered, wincing slightly as she adjusted the brace on my knee.  “I’m not even sure if that’s my actual identity.”

“You’ll have to get used to it for now, dear.” she said, fussing with the straps.  “And I wouldn’t worry too much about it.  It’s very possible that even if you don’t recognize the name on your own, your subconscious mind may have picked up on it.  You could very well be Kyle Stockman.”

“I don’t know about that.  It just doesn’t seem right to me.”

Nurse Redheart paused, giving me a look of sympathy.  I’d grown to hate sympathy in the last few weeks, having received so fake sympathy from total strangers due to the media, but for some reason I appreciated it from Nurse Redheart.  I knew for certain that it was genuine.  She’d gone out of her way to make sure I was doing all right, and had done a lot of searching to try to find information about who I was.  I had her to thank for the passenger list, and she’d helped me narrow that list down to a handful of unclaimed identities who were roughly the same age as me.

I was truly grateful to her for all she’d done so far.

“So, who is this person I’m supposed to be meeting today?” I asked as Redheart finished the adjustments.  “Anyone I know?” 

I added that last bit with a smirk on my face, but there was still a little bit of hope in my voice nonetheless.

“I really wish that were the case, but I’m fairly certain she isn’t related to you.” she said, squashing that small hope that I had, though I know it wasn’t really her intention to do so.  “She’s a friend of mine who offered to help you.  She’s actually waiting outside while I finish checking up on your knee.  I can let her in right now if you’re ready.”

“Might as well.  No point in prolonging the suspense.”

Nurse Redheart nodded, getting up and walking towards the door.  Peering out, she said something in a hushed voice before opening the door all the way, revealing a fairly tall woman with flowing pastel-colored hair.  She wore a white business suit and had a friendly, almost motherly smile on her face.  Pulling up a chair, she sat next to me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Stockman, it’s nice to finally meet you.” she said, offering her hand.

I opened my mouth to correct her, but was cut off by a stern look from Nurse Redheart.  She may be kind, but sometimes she was downright frightening.  Swallowing my words, I simply returned the greeting with a simple handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Miss……?” 

“Celestia.  I’m the headmaster of a local education institution here.  I’ve come to discuss your plans for the future.”

“Right.”  I said, not sure of what to think.  “Forgive me for being blunt, but can we just get to the topic at hand?  I’m a bit tired of beating around the bush and being all cryptic like.”

“Of course.” said Celestia, a smile on her face.  I ignored the scowl on Nurse Redheart’s face.

“I’m here today because my good friend here has told me of your situation.  As I’m sure you know, your stay at the hospital is about to come to an end.  Tell me, have you figured out what to do once you’re released?”

“I thought I’d go hit up the local park.  Y’know, find a nice expensive box, grow a beard, scare the locals.”

“Don’t be a smart ass, Kyle.  She’s here to help you.” warned Nurse Redheart.

“It’s quite alright, no harm done.” said Celestia, never letting the smile fade.  “I can appreciate goals, but I must say that you could probably aim higher than what you’ve got in mind, Kyle.”

“I’d hope so.” I said, smirking.

“I’m sure of it.” said Celestia, winking.  “The reason why I’m here is because I’d like to have you attend my school.  It’s an academy that focuses on discovering your talents and refining them so that you may be successful in life.  We have student housing and a cafeteria, so you wouldn’t have to resort to that luxury box of yours.”

She smiled at me again, and I found that I was already liking this woman.  She had a sense of humor.

“More importantly,” she said, continuing on, “you might be able to remember things about yourself if you take our courses.  Because of the variety of subjects we offer, you’ll have a chance to try out many different things.  Something may spark a memory.  Even if that doesn’t happen, though, it will give you the skills you’ll need to make your way in the world.  Many of our students are hired directly out of graduation in their chosen field of study.  At the very least, you’ll be setting yourself up to become self-sufficient.”

She paused again, allowing me a moment to think.  It sounded like a good deal, and it was certainly better than wondering around the city aimlessly.  Still, there were a few concerns that I had.

“That’s a pretty nice offer there, but how much does it cost?  I’m not exactly well off for funds, you know.”

“I’d like to say that we’ll wave the tuition, but unfortunately I can’t do that.” said Celestia, shaking her head.  “That said, the tuition isn’t very high.  I’ve made it into my top priority to ensure that students of all backgrounds can attend.  We can make arrangements for an affordable long term payment plan that will take effect once you find yourself employed.  I have some of the paperwork right here if you want to read it over.”

I nodded, and she handed them to me, giving me several minutes to read them over.  I was surprised… this actually was very doable.  Still, something didn’t seem to add up for me.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, eying her suspiciously.  “It just seems a little too convenient.  If these figures are correct, your school would be overflowing with applicants.”

“That’s true.” she said, nodding her head.  “We receive a lot of applicants every year.  Unfortunately, we have to turn most of them down.  We have to maintain a reasonable population to get the most out of our teachers.  As such, we only accept those whom I recognize as having a lot of potential.”

“And you think I have potential?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.  “No offense, but you know nothing about me.  Hell, I know nothing about me.  How can you say that I have potential?”

Celestia smiled, and suddenly I saw her demeanor change.  She seemed older, wiser.  She looked into my eyes, peering deep into my soul.

“I know a lot more about you than you think.” she said, voice soft, yet holding a tone of authority.  “You survived a plane crash with immense odds stacked against you.  You have defied fate itself with nothing more than sheer will.  Even now, you don’t wallow in self-pity like most would do.  Instead, you walk forward, even if that means limping on a crutch.  I’d say that it speaks volumes of your character.”

I just sat there, speechless.  I guess I’d never thought of it that way, but I felt she was giving me a little too much credit.

“Not to mention that you have a certain sense of humbleness.” added Celestia, winking.  It stared in disbelief.  It was almost as if she’d read my mind.

“Of course I can’t read your mind.” she said, giggling at my dumbfounded expression.  “That would be silly.  I can simply read the reactions on your face.  You’re pretty much an open book right now.”

I heard Nurse Redheart snickering as my face heated up.  Muttering, I shook my head.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” I said.  “Anyways, I guess this is the best choice for me right now.  What do you need me to do?”

Celestia’s face broke out into a wide grin, and she went on to help me fill out the enrollment papers.  As I filled each of them out, I found myself starting to grow excited.  I couldn’t help but look forward to the future.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Remember to take your pills every day until the prescription runs out.” said Nurse Redheart as she helped me down the stairs.

“Yes, Nurse Redheart.”

“Don’t forget to take the brace off before taking a shower.”

“Yes, Nurse Redheart.”

“Remember to eat healthy, you still need to get your strength back up.  I don’t want to hear that you’ve been gorging on candy bars and potato chips.”

“Yes, Nurse Redheart.”

“Oh, and don’t forget to…”

“I think I get the point.” I said, cutting her off.  Turing my face towards her, I frowned at the downcast expression she was giving me.

“Listen, I’ll take good care of myself, so don’t you worry.  I’m not going to waste all the work that you and the other doctors put into saving my life.”

Nurse Redheart’s eyes watered up, and I groaned mentally, pulling her close into a hug as she let forth the water works.  She’d grown attached to me, as if I were her child.  Can’t say I didn’t blame her, the way she’d been taking care of me.  Hell, I felt like she really was my mother.

After a few moments, she calmed down, straightening herself out to look professional.  The look was only slightly ruined by the puffy red eyes.

“Remember to keep in touch.  I’m always around to help out if you need anything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.  Thanks for everything you’ve done, Nurse Redheart.  I mean it.”

She merely smiled and waved as I hobbled out of the hospital, cane in hand, duffel bag on my shoulders, towards the taxi that would lead me to my new life.  Headmaster Celestia was there, a gentle smile on her face, holding the door open for me.  She helped me get into the car, and then went around to the other side, sitting next to me.  The taxi fired up, and we pulled out from the hospital.  I looked back one last time at the entrance to see Nurse Redheart waving, a new set of tears on her face.  Smiling, I waved back until she was out of sight.

Turning to face forward, I caught sight of Celestia’s face.  She was smiling kindly at me.

“She seems to have taken to you quite well, hasn’t she?”

“Well, what can I say?” I replied.  “She and the other doctors brought me back from the brink of death.  Can’t say I don’t feel grateful for that.”

“Well said.” she stated, nodding in approval.  “Before we get to the campus, I’d like to go over a few things with you.  Your housing has already been decided.  I’m not sure how much you know about school dorms, but our academy is a little different from what you may be used to.  We don’t separate students by gender, and the dorms are a little…. different.”

“Okay….” I said, kind of unsure of what she meant.

“You’ll see what I mean when we get there.  First things first, though, we’re going to have to catch a boat.”
My only response was to stare at her in confusion.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Okay, this was certainly NOT what I was expecting.

I stared from the pier, momentarily in awe as I looked out at the academy.  You couldn’t even call it an academy, really.  That implied a campus, maybe spanning a block or two at the most.  What sprawled out in front of me constituted as an entire island devoted to the purpose of a campus, complete with apartments, shops, and everything you would see in a small city.  Hell, it actually WAS a city, complete with name and zip code.  The chosen name?  

The City of Canterlot .

Weird name, but that was besides the point.

It was absolutely breathtaking.  On the far end of the city was a castle, built in a way that it was hanging off the side of a cliff overlooking the bay, a marvel in architectural engineering in and of itself.  From the mainland shore it looked like a theme park.  From this close, it looked even more like one, almost like something right out of a fairy tale.  The streets were clean and well kept, built with yellow bricks, horse-drawn carriages, trollies, and bicycles taking the place of cars and taxis.  There was a pleasant smell in the air from all of the small food shops lining the streets, alleyways devoid of some of the more seedier facilities found in most large cities.  The noise level was still that of a bustling city, but there was a difference even in that.  No horns honking, no police sirens, no arguing and cussing, nothing that reminded me of where I had just come from.  In its place, there were pleasant conversations, soft music from different shops, and the sounds of people going on about their routines.

I shook my head, muttering under my breath.  If it hadn’t been for the circumstances of my arrival here, I would have enjoyed the sights, maybe even felt excitement welling up within me.  Instead, I simply felt exhausted.  Given what I’d endured lately, it wasn’t really surprising.  Still, even that couldn’t dampen the fact that I DID feel at least a little more upbeat.  Celestia smiled, gesturing towards the gate.

“Welcome to Canterlot City.” she said, a warm smile on her face.  “This is the main entrance from the pier. We’ve built this entire city on an island to allow our students to function as if they were working in a regular city.  Each and every store is actually a classroom devoted to teaching students how to operate in different settings.  If you want to learn how to cook, we’ve got several different bakeries and restaurants throughout the city where you can learn the ins and outs of their craft.  If you want to learn how to build or repair things, there are several shops where you learn to do so.  Any store that you see has an open enrollment that allows students to register for classes.  Every business here has the facilities to teach.  Even basic transportation services can be learned, should you decide that is your calling.”

I stared in amazement.  This place was nothing like I’d ever imagined.

“There is, however, a main campus.  The castle, as I like to call it, is where the bulk of your classes will take place.  Math, English, History, and all of your core classes will take place there.  We’ll be heading there first so that we can sign you up for your classes.”

An open-roof carriage pulled up to us, two brilliant white horses in gold shiny armor, the driver dressed as if he were some sort of English guard.  He smiled at us both, his blue hair contrasting with his green eyes.

“Good afternoon, Headmaster.” he said, tipping his hat.  “How was your trip to the mainland?”

“Hello, Shining Armor.”  said Celestia, climbing into the carriage.  “I just went to go pick up our newest student.  Shining Armor, this is Kyle Stockman.  Kyle is the young man I’ve been telling you about.”

Shining Armor?  THAT was a weird name.  It couldn’t really be his actual name, could it?

He seemed to sense my question, because he laughed in a good-natured way as he hopped down from the carriage.”

“I’m actually native to this island.” he said, shaking my hand.  “It’s a long-standing tradition here to give your child a new name at their Coming of Age ceremony that describes their personality.  Whenever I go to the mainland, I go by the name of Brian Sparkle, but here, I go be my given name.  It’s nice to meet you, by the way.  I’ve heard a lot about you from both the Headmaster and the news.”

“Nice to meet you too.” I said, returning the handshake.  “This is a pretty interesting place.  Are you a student here or something?”

“No.” he said, chuckling.  “I graduated last year.  I actually live here as an instructor with my wife.  I teach the security forces here in Canterlot City.”

I raised my eyebrow, eying the carriage.

“Oh, that?” he asked, laughing.  “The guy who normally drives it is off on maternity leave.  His wife just recently gave birth, so I’m filling in for him.  We’d normally have students driving, but not too many sign up for carriage lessons, and the ones we have right now haven’t been given the introduction courses yet.”

“Interesting.” I said, looking up at it.  “Guess I oughta climb aboard so we can get moving, huh?”

“Need any help with that?” he said, eying my cane.

“I think I can manage.” I said.

Maybe not.

I struggled hard to push myself up, but I found that the damn thing was just a little too high for me to get up without using my other foot, and I couldn’t really put my full weight onto it.  Sighing in defeat, I glanced back at Shining.  He smiled and helped me up, forming a brace with his hands for me to stand on.  I lifted myself up and managed to swing myself up onto the seat.  He then handed me my cane, and went to the driver’s seat.  A soft snap of the reigns, and we were off.

As we drove down the streets, both Celestia and Shining Armor pointed out various places, giving me the rundown of the city from various historical facts to where the best places to eat were at.  Shining told me a little about himself as well on the way.  Apparently he’d recently married Celestia’s niece, some woman by the name of Cadance.  His parents lived here as researchers in some sort of science field as well.  He also had a younger sister, one whom he seemed to hint at a little too strongly as “being your age and very much single.”

Too bad they didn’t give classes in subtlety.  He could certainly use them.

Soon enough, we arrived at the castle, and I found myself yet again impressed by the sights.  While I certainly had no memories, I was absolutely sure I’d never seen anything so magnificent in my entire life before.  It was huge, much larger up close, with students coming in and out, many chatting idly as we pulled up in the carriage.  As I was helped down, I caught several curious glances coming our way, most directed towards the headmaster, but a few directed at me.

One girl was walking towards us, dressed in a knee high purple skirt with a long white button-up shirt, a purple vest buttoned up neatly.  Her hair was long, dark blue with a purple and pink stripe.  She had deep violet eyes, contrasting well with her slightly tanned complexion, and she looked somewhat bookish, almost nerdy, but in a cute sort of way.  Her eyes were on Shining Armor, a broad smile on her face.

“Hey BBBFF.” she said, giving him a tight hug.  He chuckled, hugging her back.

“How’s it going, Twily?” he said, a smile on his face.

“I was just about to head out to meet my friends.”  “Twily” said, her attention shifting to the Headmaster.  Her demeanor changed slightly, almost as if she were addressing a childhood icon.  “And how are you doing, Headmaster Celestia?  Was your trip enjoyable?”

“I always enjoy picking up new students.” said Celestia, hugging Twily.  Smiling, she gestured my way.  “Speaking of which, I’d like to introduce you to him.  Twilight Sparkle, this is Kyle Stockman.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” said Twilight, bowing a greeting towards me.  “I’m Headmaster Celestia’s personal student.  I’m majoring in Arcane Studies and Applied Magical Theory.  I also run the local library.  Please stop by if there’s any books you need to check out.”

“Magical theory?  What the heck is that?” I blurted out, confused.  Just what were they teaching here?

Twilight eyed Celestia, a nervous look on her face.  Celestia merely nodded to her, that soft smile of hers never wavering even for a second.

“That was actually the next topic I’d planned to discuss with Mr. Stockman, but since it’s come up, would you care to explain, my dear student?”

Twilight looked delighted, slipping into what looked like lecture mode.  I groaned inwards, expecting to find out that this island was some sort of bizarre cult.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My mind was numb as I walked towards my new dorm, the address scribbled on a sheet of paper next to a crude map.  The events that had occurred earlier were still playing in my mind, as unbelievable as they seemed to be.  Sure, I didn’t have memories, but I knew that magic didn’t exist.  I’d known that for a fact.

Or so I’d thought.

When Twilight first explained it, I’d laughed it off as lunacy, something that had somewhat upset Shining Armor.  She’d explained that she was unicorn-born, a being with a horn that was attuned and sensitive to magic.  The very thought of it was ridiculous.

Then she’d shown me.  I was completely at a loss for words, for at least twenty minutes as she displayed impossible feats.

She’d levitated objects, including myself, teleported several feet in the blink of an eye, and even proceeded to change a bird into an orange.  Well, she’d meant to change an apple into an orange, but the unlucky bird had made the mistake of landing in front of it just as she’d fired the spell off, catching the brunt of the transformation.

I think it was about the point where the orange opened up like a mouth, let forth a very bird-like chirp, and then took off flying into the air while everyone stared blankly at it when I finally decided that this was actually happening.

As for HOW this was possible, it was apparently a trait native to those who lived here.  Twilight had pulled back her hair to reveal a short horn hidden underneath on her forehead.  Apparently, through some mystical garbage, it was connected directly to her brain and allowed her to call forth some sort of magical power that was inherent in all life.  The entire explanation was technical and drawn out.  I tuned it all out, still stuck on thinking about what that bird/orange was going to tell its family when it got home.  How would it explain what happened to its wife?  What would the kids think?  Would they be teased for the rest of their lives, being the kids of a flying, chirping orange?

Godspeed, bird/orange.  Godspeed.

Eventually I was brought back to reality by an annoyed glare.  Twilight clearly didn’t like to be ignored in the middle of lecture mode.

They then went on to show that not only Twilight, but Shining Armor had the same thing, and even Celestia as well.  Moreover, Celestia apparently had wings.  In fact, many residents apparently had them, though few possessed both wings and a horn.  Yet another native trait to this messed up island.

Of course, there were plenty of regular folks as well, those who weren’t natives.  Apparently they were all used to this, and they all went through varying degrees of total system shock when they first came to this island.  Either way, one thing was made clear; telling others outside of this island was frowned upon.  They didn’t want the media sticking their noses in and publicizing to the world that the island was inhabited by what some may think of as “freaks.”

As if anyone would believe me anyways.  Nope, my lips were sealed on this matter.  Besides, I could sympathize with their reasoning, having been the focus of the media myself for the past seven weeks.

Outside of the whole “Magic and Flying People exists” thing, I learned a few other trivial facts as well.  Apparently, Twilight was Shining Armor’s little sister.  She was also the fourth most powerful magic user on the island, outside of Headmaster Celestia and two others.  Of those two others, one was Shining’s wife, Cadance, who was also “Alicorn-born”, as they liked to put it.  The other was Headmaster Celestia’s sister, Headmaster Luna.  They shared responsibilities, but Celestia ran the city during the day, and Luna ran it during the night.

All in all, it was a nice, crazy, messed up way to start a new life.

Eventually, Twilight had to excuse herself to meet up with her friends, dashing off after realizing that she’d spent a few too many hours talking to me.  Shining had also taken off, saying that he had duties to attend to.  Celestia brought me to the administration building and had helped me select my classes, giving me a schedule and a slip of paper that I could use to requisition supplies from various stores to get me started.  I’d work on getting those tomorrow.  Today, I needed some rest.
Given that I’d spent eight weeks doing nothing but that and had been itching to get out and do something, I’d say it goes to speak of just how much insanity I’d encountered in one single day.

I stopped in front of the building that was to be my new home for the next few years, staring at it in complete confusion.  I’d expected it to be a simple dorm, a place where many students were living together.  Instead, I found myself standing in front of a giant tree.

Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a tree by definition.  It appeared to be hollowed out, turned into a house, though how the tree was standing alive and quite healthy was far beyond my comprehension.  Staring back at the slip in front of me, I made certain that this was the address I was supposed to be at.

Oh.  It isn’t.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I realized I was on 40th avenue, not 41st.  I’d missed it by an entire block.  I went to retrace my steps and found myself staring at a something far more normal.  It was still a house rather than a dorm, but it was thankfully only one story, and built in a more traditional style.  Still odd, being that it had a European look and had a straw-thatched roof, but far better than living in a tree.  That said, I groaned as I looked at the building next to it.

The place next door looked like a giant gingerbread house.

I wasn’t willing to dwell on it at this point.

Pulling out the key that Celestia had given me, I stuck it in and turned the door, praying that there wouldn’t be any more surprises for the day.

Apparently, I was promptly ignored.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“SURPRISE!”

I lost my balance as something bright pink jumped up in front of me, toppling backwards as my cane slipped out from under my grip.  My knee protested in pain as I felt the wind get knocked out of me, and I lay there for a moment trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Pink filled my vision again as a girl my age suddenly appeared a mere three inches from my nose, a huge smile practically splitting her face in half.  Her hair was an obscene shade of pink, styled like bubblegum, pieces of loose confetti trapped here and there.  Excitement and bubbliness was radiating off of her in waves.

“Hello!”

“Err…hi.” I said, fairly uncomfortable with the lack of personal space.  I was about to ask her if she’d move back a bit and give me a little bit of breathing room.  I couldn’t even get the first syllable out before she exploded into a cheerful mass of words.

“Were you surprised?  You sure looked surprised!  You fell down in an overly comedic way, so you must’ve been highly surprised!  My name is Pinkie Pie, and I know EVERYONE on this island, but I don’t know you, which means you’re new!  Twilight told me you were going to be my new neighbor, and I just thought that the first thing we should do is to welcome you Pinkie Pie style, so I decided to throw you a Welcome to Canterlot and Glad to Meet You New Neighbor party, so I did!  I’ve invited everyone!  Do you like it?”

It took my brain a second to catch up with her verbal onslaught, but once it did, I peered past Pinkie to see that, indeed, the small house was filled with tons of people.  Twilight waved sheepishly, clearly unsure if she’d done the right thing by telling this pink mass of pure bottled energy about my arrival.

I sighed, bringing my gaze back to Pinkie.  Her face was earnest, excitement clear as day.  I couldn’t really be mad.

“Sure, why not?  It looks like fun.”

I was slightly alarmed that her smile seemed to get even wider.

Struggling, I went to stand up, looking for my cane.  I was only slightly startled as it floated up to me, enveloped in a purple glow.  I glanced back at Twilight, who was still looking sheepish.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No worries.” I said wearily, grabbing my cane and feeling its weight return to my hand as the glow disappeared.  Standing up, I leaned back on it, finally getting a chance to look around.

Everywhere where there was room, someone was standing there, many folks chatting away happily.  Off in the corner, a blue haired girl with pink shades was working as the DJ, records sitting on the table behind her as she pumped music through a huge speaker system.  Off in another corner, several people were playing darts, and in another part of the room, there was a twister mat set up, with a bunch of people standing around laughing and chatting away.  It actually looked like everyone was having fun.  More impressively, however, there was not one can of beer to be found, nor was there any… unsavory activities happening.

Given the age we were, I’d wrack that up as yet another impossibility that I’d just encountered in a day filled to the brim with nothing but unbelievable situations.

“Oooh!  Oooh!  I should introduce you to my best friends!” shouted Pinkie, grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me across the room.  I struggled to keep pace, hopping across on one foot while Twilight followed, trying to get Pinkie to release me and slow down.  We exited the room to the kitchen, and there I found only four girls, all sitting around chatting with each other.

Pinkie came to an abrupt stop and I found myself colliding into her back, dropping my cane again in the process, standing there balancing on one foot.  The four girls ended their conversations abruptly, staring at me with varying degrees of confusion and amusement, Pinkie entirely oblivious to the fact that I was yet again missing my support.  The cane floated back into my hand yet again, and I shot Twilight an appreciative look.  She smiled at me, before returning her gave back to Pinkie.

Pinkie whirled around, nearly knocking me off balance again, but I somehow managed to catch myself.  She paused, watching me flail around for a second, before giggling.

“You’re silly!  Is that some sort of dance or something?  Should I join?”

I groaned, hearing a few snickers from some of the girls.

“Oh, okay then.”  she said, only slightly disappointed.

“These are my friends!  Well, they aren’t all my friends, but they are my bestest best friends!  This is Applejack!” she said, gesturing to a blond girl wearing a orange flannel shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a Stetson hat.

“Well howdy there, sugarcube.  Ah’m Applejack, ah work the apple orchards on the western outskirts of town.  Best apples this side of Canterlot!” she said, standing and walking over.  She offered her hand, and I grasped it, surprised at her strong grip as she proceeded to nearly tear my arm off with a hearty shake.

“This here’s Rainbow Dash!” continued Pinkie.

The girl in question was leaning back in a chair, a relaxed expression on her face.  She was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and a pair of shades, a backwards hat covering her long rainbow-colored hair.  That wasn’t what really caught my attention, though.

Two blue wings extended from her back, folded up gently against her back.  She was…. what was it that Twilight called them?  Pegasus born, I think it was.

“…..’sup?” she said, giving me a slight nod.  I nodded back.

“This one here is Rarity!” said Pinkie, moving to the next girl.  She had purple hair, styled elaborately.  She looked like a model almost, wearing an elaborate white dress that ended at the knees.  She eyed me up and down, and for a moment I got the feeling I was being scrutinized under a magnifying glass.  Finally, she nodded in approval.

“Why hello there darling.” she said in a posh accent.  “My name is Rarity, I’m majoring in clothing and fashion design.  I see you have a decent eye for clothing, though there’s certainly room for improvement.  I’d be more than willing to help you there, if you ever feel the need for something more refined.”

“Err… thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And last but not least, this is Fluttershy!”

The girl in question was again built like a model, though a bit more…busty…than the rest.  She wore a yellow sweater and a long pink skirt that went down to her ankles.  She seemed pretty timid, though, almost looking like she was hiding behind her long, pink hair.  She mumbled something incoherent, and I looked at her in confusion, only causing her to hide even deeper in her hair, sinking lower into the chair she was sitting on.  I noticed that she too had wings, though they were butter-yellow.

“She says it’s nice to meet you!” said Pinkie Pie, enveloping her in a tight hug.  Fluttershy gave out a surprised squeak, clearly uncomfortable with physical contact.

“You’ve met Twilight already!” said Pinkie, and I looked back at Twilight.  She smiled and waved again, and I nodded back at her.

“Together, we’re the Elements of Harmony!” stated Pinkie.

“The what now?” I asked, looking around the room.  Everyone seemed just as baffled as me.

“Oh, that’s right, that’s a different story where we’re all ponies, isn’t it?  Silly me, never mind!”

Everyone stared blankly at her for a moment before they all broke out into a collective sigh.  I just stared on, entirely bewildered.

“Just ignore it.” mumbled Twilight from behind.  “It’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.  You’ll get used to it eventually.”

I took her advice to heart.  Hell, if the all-powerful magic casting girl isn’t going to dwell on it, neither should I.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As the party wound down, I found myself feeling exhausted.  Even then, however, I’d have to say that it really had been fun.  I’d spent the first half of it socializing with the six girls I’d just met, but after a while I’d gone out and mingled with the other folks.  To my surprise, Shining Armor was there along with a few of his students.  They’d called me over and gotten me to play a round of darts with them, joking about how they felt like the Royal Guard with the uniforms they had to wear.  Afterwords, I’d gone to talk to the DJ, discovering her name was Vinyl Scratch, and that she was another magic user.  I’d also met a somewhat strange girl by the name of Lyra Heartstrings who claimed that there were magical talking ponies.  She seemed to have some sort of strange fascination with hooves too, though she didn’t seem too bad once I started to get used to her.

Which was fortunate, because apparently this was her “dorm” as well.   There was one other resident, a kind girl by the name of Bon Bon.  She’d introduced herself after asking Lyra to go fetch some refreshments.  Apparently, she was working at a candy store a few blocks down, training to learn the art of candy making.  She was certainly far more down to earth than Lyra.

Pretty soon, the party came to an end, and the only ones left were Lyra, Bon Bon, Pinkie, and her friends.  I’d offered to help clean up, but they all refused, saying it wouldn’t be right for me to clean up after my own party.  I’d argued it a little with them, but they eventually got me to concede, saying I could help clean up after the next party.  Having nothing left to do, I went to go check out my room.

It was in the far left corner of the house at the end of the hall, across from Lyra’s room.  I was almost expecting something strange when I’d opened the door, given my track record for the day, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was perfectly normal, and even a little comfortable looking.  It was fully furnished, a comfortable full-sized bed with a dark-blue comforter.  Off to the side was a writing desk with a brand new laptop.  There was also a walk-in closet, with what looked like a school uniform hanging clean and neatly pressed.  It took a quick look and found that it was indeed my size.  
So that’s why they’d asked my size on the application.

Nodding in approval, I set my duffel bag down, deciding that putting the few clothes I had away could wait until tomorrow.  Pulling out my pajamas, I got changed and hobbled towards the bed.

I paused momentarily, seeing two white envelopes laying on the nightstand.  Curious, I picked them up and opened them.
They were greeting cards, written by my new housemates, welcoming me.

Dear Kyle,

It’s a pleasure to meet you!  I hope we can all get along while we attend school.  I think we’ll all have fun together.  Glad to meet you!

-Bon Bon

P.S. Lyra may be strange, but she’s a good girl.

All in all, a nice letter from a fairly nice girl.  Let's see what the next one looks like, shall we?


Hey Kyle!

I’m glad to meet you!  I think we’ll all have fun together!  I’m really excited to have someone new to talk to, I hope you like ponies!  And Hooves!  I’ve got so much to talk about, I can’t wait!  It’s great to meet you!

-Lyra Hearstrings

P.S. Bon Bon can be kind of strict at times, but she’s a good mare.

I smiled uncertainly, kind of unsure of whether the second letter I’d read was more charming or worrying.  I decided on the former, a little too unnerved to ponder the possibilities of the latter.  

A large yawn came to me, and I realized that I was on the verge of collapsing.  Deciding it was high time I got some rest, I climbed into bed, drifting off into sleep.

> Chapter 2: Of Bon Bons and Heart Strings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter Two: Of Bon Bons and Heart Strings




I awoke with a start, that same nightmare having played through my mind yet again as it had been doing since I’d first woken up.  I took a few moments to get my bearings, letting myself calm down.  I was getting used to waking up like this, much to my ire.  At the very least I was no longer having to deal with being sick to my stomach.  That was some progress, right?

The sun was just coming up, rays of light filtering through the blinds.  Deciding I wasn’t really going to succeed in getting any more sleep, I hopped over to my duffel bag on one foot, grabbing a change of clothes.  I had one more day to go before my classes would start, so I might as well go sightseeing and pick up my supplies.  I had a little extra cash as well, courtesy of the hospital staff.  I’ll probably use it to pick up a couple extra sets of clothes.  I had a whopping two pairs of clothing and the pair of pajamas I was currently wearing, all of which were purchased by Nurse Redheart.  As grateful as I was, I needed a little something more, at least enough to go five days without having to do laundry.  I also needed a jacket of some sort, something that would protect me from the cold.

First things first, though, I needed to stop by the local store to get some basic toiletries.  I wasn’t about to use my housemates’ soap or shampoo, nor was I going to use their towels and washcloths. 

Having changed, I located my cane and made my way out to the living room, surprised to find that Bon Bon was already awake, making a pot of coffee.  She smiled tiredly at me as she noticed me hobble in.

“Morning Kyle.” she said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.  “You’re up early.”

“Yeah.”  I said, somewhat nervously.  “I’m a bit of an early riser, I guess.”

Hey, it’s the truth.  I wake up in terror early every morning.  Hopefully I wasn’t actually screaming at night.  I didn’t want to scare my housemates or keep them awake at night.  If I was, Bon Bon made no indication of it.

“At least someone else here is a morning person.” she mumbled, pouring herself a cup of coffee.  “I usually have to wake Lyra up, or else she sleeps in.  That girl sleeps like a log.  Want a cup?”

“Sure.” I said, approaching the table.  Bon Bon pulled an extra mug out of the cupboard, filling it with coffee.  After putting some creamer in it, she passed it to me.

I had to admit, the girl knew how to brew a good cup of Joe.

“So, what have you got planned for the day?” she asked, taking her seat.

“I have to go hit up some of the stores.  I’ve got a list of school supplies to get, and there are a few additional items I need to pick up while I’m out.  I’d like to also get a better feel for the city so I’m not completely lost out here.”

“Sounds like you’ve got quite the day planned out.” said Bon Bon, taking another sip from her mug.  “The two of us would help you out, but we both have classes today.  I have to work at the candy shop, and Lyra has some make-up work to do.  Otherwise we would’ve loved to show you around.”

“No worries, I got the gist of the main areas when I first got here.  The headmaster and Shining Armor gave me a quick rundown of some of the main streets.  I should be fine.”

“Okay.” said Bon Bon.  “Still, we’d like to take you out sometime this week and give you a tour ourselves.  Lyra’s been especially excited to show someone new around.  She’s been talking non-stop about it for the past few days.”

“She seems a bit excitable.”

Bon Bon had a worried expression on her face.

“She seems that way right now, but actually, she’s fairly calm and collected most of the time. She’s just excited to be living with someone new.  It’s not often that she gets a chance to make friends.”

I paused, raising an eyebrow.  Bon Bon sighed, putting her mug down and looking me straight in the eye.

“Has she told you about the ponies yet?”

“Yeah, just briefly though.  What’s up with that anyways?”  I asked, nodding.  Bon Bon frowned, looking deep into her mug.

“She’s fixated on this idea of hers that there’s a world out there with magical talking ponies.  It’s silly, really, but she insists that they exist no matter how much anyone tells her otherwise.  She’s been like that since she was a child, though I really don’t know what brought it on.  Because of this, most folks that she meets get the wrong opinion of her.  She tends to get…. teased.  Quite a bit, actually.”

I frowned as I watched Bon Bon take another sip of her coffee.

“Whenever I’m around, I put a stop to it, but I can’t always be there.  More than that, though, I worry about Lyra.  I’m her only friend, really.  She’s a very nice girl, and she doesn’t deserve all this taunting, even if she is a little quirky.  I don’t like seeing her so sad.”

“Huh.” I said, scratching the back of my head.  “I’ll admit it’s a bit weird, but I don’t have a bad opinion of her from what I saw last night.  It seems kind of childish for people to treat her like that.  Besides, after all the stuff that’s been happening lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually turned out to be true.   Hell, I watched Twilight yesterday turn a bird into an-“

Suddenly, I heard a loud gasp from behind me, followed by a squeal of delight.  Something green appeared just barely in my field of vision, and the next thing I knew, I was wearing my ~still scalding~ coffee on my shirt, cringing in pain.  I would’ve yelled out a string of curses at this point, but someone had their arms around me in a crushing embrace that pretty much squeezed the air out of me like one of those squeak toys you give to a kid.  Bon Bon blinked at me in surprise, eyes wide at the scene in front of her.

“Do you really mean it?!” came an excited voice from behind me.  Lyra was apparently awake.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Bon Bon had spent the rest of the morning scolding Lyra, after scrubbing up the mess.  I’d gone out to the store for my supplies, and after returning had gone straight to the shower to get the smell of “morning brew” off of me.  I’d also had to borrow the washer to try to get the coffee out of my shirt before it left a permanent stain.  It was only half successful.

To say I was unhappy would be putting it nice.  I had some minor scald burns from the coffee, and one of my only two shirts was pretty much ruined.  Still, I refrained from outright yelling at Lyra.  She’d gotten enough reprimand from Bon Bon, and it wasn’t like she’d intentionally done anything wrong.

As the morning continued, I noticed that Lyra’s spirits had taken a drastic downturn.  Bon Bon kept eying me with a look of concern on her face, though whether she was worried about me or her long-time friend was up for debate.  The morning wore on, and I was getting ready to leave.

Glancing towards the couch, I saw Lyra sitting there, head down, looking like a wounded animal.  I cursed under my breath, letting forth a heavy sigh.  Changing my plans, I hobbled over towards her.  Lyra flinched as I approached.

“Sorry about what happened earlier.” she said, a sad look in her eyes.  “I was just so glad to hear someone say that, and I kind of lost myself for a moment.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I know it was just an accident.”  I said, waving it off.  “For the record, I don’t actually believe that stuff about ponies.”

Lyra nodded, sinking a little lower in the couch.

“Still, I’ve seen some very strange things lately, so if it actually HAPPENED to be true, I wouldn’t be shocked about it.” Lyra looked up at me, startled.  I grinned, resting my arms on the back of the couch.  “Did you know some of the residents here can actually use magic or fly?”

“Of course I know, I’m actually one of them.” said Lyra, pulling back her hair.  Sure enough, there was another one of those horns.  Seriously, they looked more like stubs than horns.

I blinked in surprise, noticing a weak smile form on Lyra’s face.

“See, I’ve already had several world views shattered on the first day living here, so another one isn’t that far out of the realm of possibilities.” I said, smiling.

Lyra nodded, her spirits seeming to rise.  

“Want to see some magic?” she asked.

“Sure, I have a few minutes.”

“Okay.  Um…. sit down on this couch and relax.  I’ll go pull up the stool.”

I nodded, going around and sitting on the couch where Lyra had been previously sitting, noticing the spot was still nice and warm.  Lyra went back to the dining room, grabbing the stool and dragging it over until she was situated right in front of me.  She sat down, taking a moment to get comfortable, and then her face scrunched up in concentration.

The lights in the living room dimmed slowly until they were just barely bright enough to make out Lyra’s features.  I raised an eyebrow as she opened her eyes, concentration gone.  Was that it?  She smiled, and then closed her eyes again, a calm look on her face.

What followed next was actually surprisingly beautiful.  While Twilight had shown versatility in her abilities, Lyra only showed me one thing.  Still, it was extremely impressive.  A golden lyre materialized out of thin air, suspended in a soft, mint-green glow.  Ghostly notes started to fill the air, the strings being plucked by an invisible force in a captivating melody.  She played the instrument for several minutes, her eyes closed and face seemingly relaxed as she appeared to envision the notes in her mind, humming lightly in synchronization with the lyre.  As she played, I felt a wave of tranquility hit me, my body relaxing to the soft sound of the music.  Time itself seemed to slow down, bending to the rhythm of the melody, and everything else seemed to fade out of existence.  All that seemed to matter at that moment was me, Lyra, and the soft music she was playing.

The music itself wasn’t really anything like I’d heard before, even without my memories.  It was almost like a river of sound, bending and twisting gently, washing over everything in the room.  She manipulated it with precision, that serene look on her face never wavering, and for the first time I noticed that she was actually quite beautiful, her mint-green hair hanging down over her eyes in loose strands, the shadows cast from the soft glow of her harp playing across her face.  

I also noticed offhandedly that the pain in my leg had subsided for the moment, the constant dull ache pretty much absent.  Even the worries of my missing memories seemed a long ways away, almost trivialized by the melody, my concerns all washing away with the flow of the music, everything being replaced with calm tranquility.

Finally she stopped, the last notes lingering like ghostly remnants in the air as her lyre slowly faded out of existence, the lights slowly faded back up.  I found that I was almost sad to hear it stop.  As my mind started to resurface, all I could do was stare dumbly, mouth slightly agape at the display I’d just seen.  She was staring at me sheepishly, waiting for me to say something.

Needless to say, it took me a few moments to find my voice.

“That was… wow.  That was just… I didn’t know magic could even do anything like that.”

Lyra blushed lightly, eyes suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

“It’s my specialty.  I’m not very good at other magic, but I’ve always had the ability to create a lyre with my magic.  That’s why my parents named me Lyra Heartstrings.  It took me a while to get this good at playing it, but all I have to do is visualize the melody, and the lyre plays it for me.  It takes a lot of concentration to pull off, though, and I can’t let any stray thoughts enter my mind when I play.”

“Still, that’s a pretty amazing ability you have there.” I said, smiling.  “Are you studying music then?”

“Yes.”  she said, a smile on her face.  “One of these days, I want to perform for a crowd.  I love to play the lyre for others.  For those few moments, it seems like their worries melt away while they listen to the notes being played.  It’s a very satisfying thing to watch.”

I smiled, seeing the passion in her eyes clear as day as she spoke of her dream.  There was a lot more to this girl than I had initially thought.

“I think you’re much closer to that dream than you realize.”

She smiled brightly at this, and I found out the first of many things about Lyra Heartstrings:  she was cute when she smiled.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I hobbled down the road, groaning at the pace that I was going at.  I still wasn’t very used to my cane, nor was I used to walking such long distances with a bum knee.  My arm was sore from putting my weight on it, my back was sore from hunching slightly over to use it, My neck was sore from hunching my back, and my knee was sore because no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t keep all the weight off of it.  This sucked, hands down.  And I had a lifetime to get used to it.

It wasn’t very reassuring.  I already felt like a crippled old man.

Bah, whatever.  At least I’m not dead.  Or paraplegic.  Both situations would certainly suck worse.

Still, a few things were bothering me.  I had no memories past the point of the plane crash, but I seemed to know a lot of stuff that I hadn’t encountered in my time at the hospital.  Fragmented memories would surface as I observed things, instincts guiding me as I encounter familiarity everywhere.  I could tell as someone rode past me that I’d once ridden a bike before, the muscles seemingly remembering how to remain balanced.  Restaurants would spark memories of the tastes of food, reminding me of what my favorite dishes were, even going so far as to remind me of the recipe to a delicious marinade used for grilling steak.  Even music seemed to spark a playlist of songs in my mind, though the names and lyrics would slip out of my grasp.

Yet not a damned thing about my actual past would show up in my mind.

It was maddening, really.  I wanted to know who I was, random bits were coming to me, yet nothing was really helping me figure it out.  

It’ll come in time.  

The thought came out of nowhere, but I took some small comfort in it.  I’d just have to be patient.  That was part of the reason why I was here, right?  To try to get clues as to who I was.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as I came to my next stop.  Bon Bon had advised me to go to the Carousel Boutique to get some clothing.  I wasn’t quite sure if they’d have anything for me based off the name itself, but she’d assured me that most folks on this island get clothing made from here, and that the costs were actually extremely competitive.  Looking at the store in front of me, wasn’t so sure.  It was ridiculously elaborate, built from white marble with the design of a merry-go-round, elaborate hand-carved horses posed like you’d see on the actual ride.  In the window, you could see several expensive looking dresses and tuxedos, encrusted in gems, looking like something you’d see hanging in the closet of a movie star.

I almost turned away, content to just hit up a more regular venue, but I was stopped by a surprised gasp from behind me.

“Kyle, it is such a pleasure to see you here at my store!  Have you decided to take me up on my offer?!” exclaimed Rarity, a glint in her eyes.  I was about to open my mouth to say no, but she completely cut me off before I had a chance, pushing me inside the store.  “This is so exciting, do come in darling, I can’t wait to get started with you!”

The inside of the store was surprisingly normal compared to the outside, though it was still a little on the fancy side.  Pink was a running theme, further cementing my suspicion that there was nothing here for me.  I was surprised to find that the building doubled as a house, even more so when I found out that it actually belonged to Rarity and that she wasn’t just taking classes.

“Do you like it?  I opened this little store on my own, darling, so that I could start selling my own designs.  The gentleman that teaches the fashion courses had me open it as part of an advanced class.” explained Rarity as she led me through the rooms.  “He taught me that the best way to learn is through experience, and there is no greater experience than going into business for oneself.”

Rarity sighed, a far-off look in her eye as she seemed to enter her own dreamworld.

“It’s an absolute honor to be tutored by none other than Fancy Pants.  Every morning I have to pinch myself to make sure that it isn’t just some sort of dream.  But I digress…. we’re here to bring about a new you, not to listen to me carry on about my dreams like a child.  Please, do come in.”

I sighed heavily, entering the room she was currently ushering me into.  I was surprised to find that it was actually a bit of a mess, though it was completely void of anything resembling dirt or actual filth.  There was a chaotic mass of fabrics, trim, and other assorted supplies strewn about the room, several different dummies wearing half-finished garments.  A sewing table lay off to the side, well-maintained despite its obvious abuse.  A circular platform sat in the middle of the room, several mirrors and curtains surrounding it, almost like a professional modeling stage.

“Stand right there, darling, while I collect my supplies.  We’ll have you measured and ready in no time at all!”

Hah.  No time at all, huh?

The measurements took roughly forty-five minutes.  Rarity was overly thorough, taking as precise measurements as her tape would allow, constantly re-taking the same measurements multiple times to ensure everything was correct.  When that was finally finished, she had me put on a plain jacket, giving me a few minutes to sit down and rest my knee while she set aside her tape and hunted down a bunch of pins.  Then I had to stand there for another half hour while she adjusted the jacket, placing pins and taking up the slack.

I had sighed in relief when the jacket finally came off, hoping to be done with this.  That was around the time that I discovered that Rarity, too, was a unicorn.

I would’ve stared in shock as the fabrics surrounded me, floating in a dark-purple glow as she compared colors, casting her rejections aside and carefully placing her selections in a neat pile near the sewing machine, but by that time I was far too frustrated to give a damn.  I simply stood there, body screaming in agony, letting her do her thing.  The faster she figured this out, the faster I could end this torture, and I wasn’t about to interrupt her and risk prolonging it.

While she did this, I let my eyes wonder around the room, taking in several finished garments.

They weren’t anywhere near as gaudy as I thought they’d be, and a few were even appealing to the eye, a couple of them clearly for casual wear.  The ones in the store front must’ve been mainly for display purposes.  I found myself actually relaxing slightly as I realized that Rarity actually had a very good eye.  There was, however, a catch.

Jewels.

They seemed to be a running theme.  Gems of all types adorned every piece, some garments riddled with them, others containing just a solitary emerald or sapphire.  They were actually very tastefully displayed, never too many and never too gaudy, but they were clearly of high quality, and they would certainly double, if not triple the price.  There was no way I could afford even one set of clothing if she threw a gem on it, let alone the wardrobe she seemed to want to create for me.

I tried several times to voice my concerns, but she assured me that it would be alright.  I was skeptical, but at this point I just wanted this to be done and over with.

Rarity eventually finished her preparations, finally allowing me to limp off the platform.   She then shooed me out of her workspace, handing me a slip.

“Come back this weekend and bring this slip with you, darling.  Your new wardrobe will be ready and waiting for you.  I just know you’ll love it!”

I shook my head as I exited the store.  I was already dreading the weekend.

Deciding to walk it off, I made my way to the last destination for the day, the local library.  By now, my whole body was wracked in pain.  My pills must be wearing off…  I’d have to get back soon and take a few more.  Still, I had one more thing to do.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I found myself standing in front of that tree house again, this time with the intent to enter it.  As I walked through the door, I was greeted by the smell of books and tree sap.  Well, maybe that was my imagination, but it wasn’t a bad smell.  Just… different.

I whistled low as I looked around, taking note that even if it was the inside of a tree, it was a very well-crafted building.  Books lined the shelves which were hand-carved into the walls of the tree itself, elaborate designs etched into them.  The place triggered a stray memory of a different library, much larger, yet fairly sterile and lifeless compared to this place.  I could feel the names of a few books on the tip of my mind, but they remained frustratingly out of reach. 

As I stood there looking around, I realized that this place also doubled as a house, seeing the kitchen just through the open doorway on the far side of the room.  The smell of food wafted through the air, and I realized that whoever was living here was probably in the middle of having lunch, the sound of plates being set coming from the room.

I was about to turn and give them their privacy, content to just go home and grab my pills, when I heard a familiar voice coming from the top of the staircase.

“Kyle!  What a pleasant surprise!  What are you doing here?”

Looking at the source of the voice, I saw Twilight standing at the top of the staircase, an excited look on her face.

“Hey Twilight, I didn’t know this was your place.” I said, grinning as I gave her a friendly wave.  “Is this a bad time?  I needed to pick up a few textbooks for my new classes, but it looks like you’re about to eat lunch.”

“Spike’s still finishing up setting the table, so I have a little bit of time.” she said, walking down the stairs.  “What books do you need?  I can see if we have them in stock.”

Meeting her halfway across the room, I handed the list to her.  She took it and started checking the shelves, pulling books out as she went.

“This is a fairly broad list you have.” stated Twilight, trying to strike up a conversation.  “Are you trying to find your specialty or something?  It seems like there’s a pretty big mix here.”

“Err… yeah, you could say that.” I stated, shifting uncomfortably.  So far, only Celestia knew about my amnesia.  I wasn’t really too keen on letting that information become public knowledge if I could help it.

Twilight eyed me, clearly knowing that there was more to that explanation than I was giving, but she politely dropped the subject and continued searching, checking off each book as she located them.  The pile was growing, and the suddenly I realized something:

It was going to suck carrying all these heavy books back to the house.

I glanced at my backpack that I’d purchased, light as it was for the moment due to only having notebooks, paper, and writing instruments.  Looking back at the stack of thick books, I felt my back and knee scream in horror, a terror-filled shiver running through them.  How the hell was I going to lug all this stuff around?  Maybe I’d have to make multiple trips to bring it back?  Hopefully there would be somewhere to store my books near the classrooms.

I was following Twilight without really paying attention at this point, lost in my thoughts.  She was still rummaging through the shelves, humming to herself as she went on while the stack of books grew steadily larger, when I suddenly realized that she was standing up on a ladder near the top shelf, bending over and rummaging through its contents.  My thoughts snapped back to reality, and I suddenly realized exactly where I was standing and the direction my gaze had shifted to.

God damn it, I’d been looking directly up her skirt without even realizing it.

I immediately turned around, moving away from the ladder and giving her a respectable amount of space, my face heating up as she went about her search, completely oblivious to the fact she’d pretty much been flashing me.  I wasn’t about to act like a creep here, especially with someone as nice as Twilight was.  Still, what I’d seen had been completely unexpected.

It seemed she had a tattoo of some sort on her right…cheek.

It was partially hidden under her…undergarments.  Yeah.   It appeared to be star-shaped, purple and pink, with smaller white stars encircling it.  It was fairly girly in nature, but entirely unexpected out of someone with Twilight’s personality, especially given its location.  Still, I wasn’t about to ask her about it.  Oh hell no.

I didn’t have a death wish.

I heard a noise from in front of me, and I blinked in surprise as I realized that a kid around ten with green spiked hair was standing in front of me.  He had his eyebrow raised, a slight look of confusion on his face.  I blinked again, slightly confused myself.  His skin looked weird, almost… scaled.

“Lunch is ready, Twilight.” he said, shrugging it off, sighing in annoyance as he looked up to see her on the ladder.  

“Oh, I’ll be there in a few minutes Spike.” said Twilight, still looking through the shelf.  “Do you know if we have any more copies of the first semester geometry books?  I don’t see any left on the shelf.”

“I think there’s still a box of them somewhere in the basement.  Should I go check for you?  Lunch is going to get cold, y’know.”

“I can come back later if you want.” I said, drawing their attention, trying not to look directly at Twilight.  She didn’t seem too happy about making me come back, and I could almost feel her eyeing my cane.

Suddenly my stomach betrayed me, grumbling loudly.

Twilight made a surprised sound, while Spike snickered in front of me.  I felt my face heat up, a long stream of cusswords flying through my mind, all directed at the realization that I’d pretty much eaten nothing yet today.

“Do we have enough for an extra plate?”  asked Twilight, laughing.  Spike nodded, sighing in frustration.

“Yeah, give me a moment.  I’ll put together another plate.  By the way, Twilight, you shouldn’t be standing that high on the ladder.  I can see your cutie mark and everything from down here.” he said, walking back towards the kitchen.

Twilight made a startled sound, nearly falling off the ladder, several books crashing to the floor.  I whirled around in surprise, half expecting to have to catch her, but she seemed to have caught her balance.   Her face heated up in embarrassment to the point where I was almost sure it would burst into flames.  I felt a similar reaction on my own face.

After climbing down, the both of us got to work picking up the fallen books, an uncomfortable silence in the air.  After the books were collected and stacked on the returns desk, Twilight turned her back to me, face still red in embarrassment.

“Sorry.” we said at the same time, trying to break the uncomfortable atmosphere.

I sighed in frustration.  Twilight unconsciously fidgeted with a lock of her hair, seemingly finding the wall to be interesting.

“I think it’d be best if we both pretend that didn’t happen.”  I stated, breaking the silence yet again.  Twilight nodded in agreement, turning back towards me.  She cleared her throat, pulling herself back together.

“W-well, let’s go sit down at the table.  Spike should have lunch ready in a few moments.”

“Really, you don’t have to-“

“I insist.” said Twilight, cutting me off.  “It’ll work out better this way anyways.  We still need to find your last book, and I still need to get you signed up for a library card.  We can eat lunch, chat for a bit, and then go get the rest of this finished for you.  It’s far more convenient than making you walk home while we eat and then having you come back.  I’m sure it’s not fun being on your feet for too long.”

I sighed in defeat, unable to argue her logic.  She’d proven the night before that she was unbeatable in a debate.  I’d just be prolonging the inevitable.

She smiled in triumph as I hobbled over to the kitchen.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I had to say, Spike was a good cook despite his age.  I didn’t care too much for salad, but I was seriously reconsidering that opinion given the one I’d just eaten.  Add in the hot soup and sandwiches, and it was overall a very filling meal.

I’d learned over the course of the meal that he was something of an assistant to Twilight, and yet again was dumbfounded to find out that he wasn’t exactly… normal.  He was Dragon-born.  No, seriously.  The scales were real, slightly purple in tint, highly indestructible, and he could breathe green magical fire, which was apparently good for sending messages.

Oh, and did I mention that he eats gems?

Yeah.  He eats gems.  I watched him down a plate of sapphires and rubies, munching on them like they were candy.  How…why…I couldn’t just…

Ugh.

I was seriously getting tired of having my world shattered on a regular basis, fragile as it was at the moment.  I swear, one of these days, my eyes and brain are going to simply eject out of my head and run off screaming.

Besides the whole “human dragon” thing, he seemed like a decent guy, if a little blunt.  He’d outright asked if I was Twilight’s boyfriend, a comment which had resulted in me spitting out my drink and had left Twilight blushing and stuttering profusely.  He chattered away about being Twilight’s “Number One Assistant,” something which he seemed to take great pride in, and he seemed glad to have a guy to talk to for once.  Apparently, he was constantly surrounded by girls, so it wasn’t often he’d get to chat about “guy stuff.”

Not a bad kid, really.

Twilight, on the other hand, chattered on about her friends and some of their exploits.  I was surprised yet again to find that despite her slightly nerdy nature, she was very talkative.  She adored her friends, placing them higher in her list of priorities than pretty much anything else, a trait that I found very endearing.  The stories themselves were actually very interesting as well, and it appeared that they got into quite a few misadventures on a regular basis.

“…and then Philomena burst into flames, turning to ash right in front of us.  Fluttershy could only look on in devastation, and I thought that the headmaster was going to expel us for certain!  It was such a terrifying moment!” she said, eyes wide.

I had to admit, she certainly had my attention with her current story.

“So Headmaster Celestia shows up with a few of the security staff, and then Fluttershy breaks down right in front of her, telling her what happened.  The headmaster just stood there, looking calm, and then she went over to the smoldering remains of her bird.  She leaned down, smiled, and told it to stop teasing us!”

“The hell?” I asked, bewildered.  Where the hell was this going?

“That’s exactly what I thought at that moment, though maybe it was worded a little better.” said Twilight, laughing.  “Well, imagine my surprise when the ashes suddenly start swirling around, floating in the air!  The next thing I know, they burst into flame, and reform into a brilliant golden bird!”

I stared, dumbfounded.  There was no way this story could be true… could it?

One look at Spike, who was downing the last of his sapphires, letting forth a satisfied, fiery belch, and I groaned inwardly.  It was true.  No doubt about it.  He looked at me in confusion, and I shifted my gaze back to Twilight.

“Philomena is apparently a phoenix.” she explained.  “They catch fire when they die and are reborn in the ashes.  For the longest time I thought they were just legends, but apparently, they really exist.  It’s so amazing, every time I think I’ve seen everything on this island, something new comes out of nowhere!”

I nodded, understanding that statement far too well.

As we sat there talking, I felt another memory starting to stir.  I ignored it at first, still listening in as Twilight launched into another story involving her friend, Applejack, fairly certain that it was just another fragmented memory.  And then it happened.

I froze up, the memory assaulting me head on.  I was sitting at a small table, much like this one, eating a meal with three other people, whose faces were completely obscured.  It was a pleasant afternoon, sandwiches sitting on our plates, and I was listening to one of the other people talk.  I realized that it was a girl, four years older than me, somewhere around ten years old.  I was maybe six at the time.

It was my sister.

How I knew, I couldn’t say, but I was certain of it.  The other two people were older, in their upper thirties, one woman and one man.  I wasn’t quite sure who they were though.  The most logical answer seemed to be that they were my parents, but for some reason that answer didn’t seem right.

My sister was chatting away, talking about her day with her friends.  We were all sitting there, listening, laughing, smiling.

It was a happy memory.

Suddenly, the memory abruptly ended, and I came back to reality.  I gazed back at the table, noticing that Twilight had stopped her story, both her and Spike staring at me with varying degrees of shock and concern.  And then I realized that my eyes were stinging, my face wet as tears streamed down freely.

I had gotten my first real clue.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Twilight as we neared the house.

“I’ll be fine.” I said, grunting as the weight of the books bore down on my back, the pain in my knee nearly unbearable.  Twilight had half of my books slung over her shoulder in a book bag as she walked alongside me, watching me in concern as I stubbornly made my way down the street.  “I need to get used to walking again.  I’ve been stuck in the hospital for too long, so it’s going to be like this for the next few weeks anyways.”

“That’s not what I mean.” mumbled Twilight.  “You can tell me anything, you know.  I already consider you a good friend, even though we only met yesterday.”

I sighed, not really wanting to address the topic, but certain that I wouldn’t be able to dodge it after my slip-up earlier.  I couldn’t just say nothing about it with the way Twilight was acting concerned, and it wasn’t really fair for me to keep her in the dark.  She would just spend time worrying about it unnecessarily if I said nothing.

“I have amnesia.” I stated, not looking back to see her reaction.  “I’m sure you heard about the plane crash, right?”

“My brother told me about it.”  said Twilight.  “I assumed that was how you ended up with the cane.  I don’t think he knew about the amnesia though, I know that I wasn’t aware of it.”

“It’s severe enough that I don’t remember anything past the accident, not even my real name.  Kyle Stockman is just something I had to pick at random for the sake of having something to go by.  I don’t know if it’s my real identity or not.”

Twilight put her hand on my free arm, squeezing it gently.  I flinched slightly, tensing up for a moment as I felt her soft warm skin on my arm, but allowed myself to relax.  I hated to admit it, but the gesture felt somewhat comforting.  Never looking back, I just continued forward, eyes not really resting on anything in particular.

“I’ve been having more bits and pieces coming to me at random all day today while I was out running errands.  While we were eating, though, I got my first real memory back.”

Twilight’s grip tightened slightly, though not in a painful way.  In continued on, still not looking back at her expression, intent on not repeating my display from earlier at the table.

“I have an older sister.”  I stated.  “Whether she’s alive or not, I have no idea, but I have a sister.  We were sitting around a table, just eating and talking.  There were two other people, but I’m not sure who they were or what relationship I have to them.  I don’t really know anything more aside from that, but it’s far more than what I had when I woke up.”

“Oh Kyle…” said Twilight, squeezing tight.  “I’m so sorry… I didn’t know that you were going through this much.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”  I stated, still looking forward.  “If anything, I should be thanking you.  You helped me remember something important.  I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“I didn’t really do anything.” stated Twilight, slightly flustered.  “All I did was to just talk about my friends for over an hour.”

“Still, it sparked the memory.” I said, turning around and looking her in the eyes. “It may not have been intended, but it got the job done.  Thank you.”

“So this is why you’re taking so many subjects?” asked Twilight, a faint blush still present on her face.  I nodded in confirmation.  Twilight frowned, looking lost in thought, glancing at the books in her bag.

We continued on in silence until the house came into view, much to the relief of my aching body.  I felt my spirits rise at that, knowing that my pain medication was just minutes away.  As we came up to the door, I noticed that Twilight had paused, an odd look on her face.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“I think there may be a quicker way to recover your memories other than randomly taking classes.” she said, a small smile starting to form on her face.  “I’m studying magic, remember?”

I raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue.

“I think I remember reading a book about the application of magic to different mental conditions.  If I recall correctly, one application was to a case just like yours.  I could try to use magic to recover your memories, if you’d let me.”

“Magic can do that?”

“It’s magic, it can do just about anything.” stated Twilight, smiling brightly.  “Keep in mind, I don’t actually know how to go about it just yet.  It’s going to take me some time to find the right books, and the research would probably take a few months if not a year or more.  It’s highly possible that by the time I’m ready, you might have already regained your memories.  Even then… I’m not sure how safe the technique would be.  You might regain your memories, or the magic may do more damage to your mind.  I can’t really guarantee anything right now, but I’m willing to look into it if you want me to.”

I nodded slowly, taking in her words.  It sounded incredibly dangerous to me, messing with the mind using something as bizarre as magic, but it couldn’t hurt to let her check if it were possible.  At the very least, it was a backup plan.

“Alright.  Let’s do it.”

Twilight smiled, nodding.  

Having settled that, I fished my keys out of my pocket and opened the door, relief setting in as I hobbled to my room where I kept my medication.  Twilight followed behind, bringing the other half of my books with her.  Reaching my room, I opened the door and located my medication while Twilight set the bag down on the desk.  She paused, looking around, nodding in approval.

“You’ve got a very clean room.”

I laughed, popping two pills into my mouth.

“I’ve been here for just a day, and I own practically nothing.  Give it a few months and then see if it’s still clean.”

Twilight didn't seem too amused by that.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Twilight left shortly after, allowing me time to rest.  I’d fallen asleep on my bed, my medication doing its job in easing the aches and pains.  Thankfully, the nightmare didn’t come this time, though I did dream about the table memory.  It was the same scene playing out, sitting at the table, eating and talking.  Nothing new to the memory.

Still, it felt comforting.

I awoke, however, to Lyra poking my face.  She smiled as I opened my eyes blearily, that warm pleasant smile that seemed to light up her face.  The sun must’ve been setting, judging by the lighting in the room, the room fairly dim as the last traces of sunlight seemed to be fading fast.

“Time to wake up, sleepyhead.” said Lyra, giggling as I sat up, likely finding my appearance funny.

“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my face.

“It’s just after six.  Time for dinner.”

I nodded, going to stand up, glad to see that the pills had taken effect, the pain pretty much muffled to a dull throb.  I grabbed my cane and stood up, following Lyra as she led me out to the dining room.

I blinked at the feast before us, a small banner hanging over the table, likely left over from the party from last night.  On it, the words “Welcome to Canterlot” were printed, two crude drawings of Lyra and Bon Bon drawn underneath.  I smiled at the gesture, and then noticed Bon Bon setting plates.  She smiled at me, a party hat on top of her head.

Lyra came from behind and slipped a hat on my head, before moving towards her seat.  I sat down at the table, placing my cane to the side.

“I know we just had a party last night,” said Bon Bon, placing a plate in front of me, pot roast with a side of mashed potatoes and corn, “but we wanted to hold a smaller celebration for just the three of us.  Pinkie’s parties are amazing, but they make it difficult to get to know somebody on a personal level.”

The next half hour was spent eating and talking.  While I’d known a little about both of them from last night and the morning, it was nice to get a better grasp on both of their personalities.  Lyra still seemed energetic, but she’d calmed down considerably compared to last night and early this morning.  She talked a lot about her family, her mother and father both being musicians.  She also told me a little more about her dream of performing on stage, elaborating that she’d actually never performed in front of anyone except her parents and Bon Bon before.  I realized pretty quickly how special her earlier performance had actually been.

Overall, she seemed to be a pretty big dreamer, one who thought and acted with her emotions.  It was quite charming.

Bon Bon, on the other hand, was definitely more down to earth.  She seemed to be the big sister type, always watching out for Lyra.  She seemed more mature, too, though she was only one year older at best.  From what I gathered, she was training to be a candy maker, her father being the owner and teacher of the shop she was working at.  She seemed to take great pride in her craft, handing me a few samples to try out.

They were chocolate bon bons, with various different cream fillings.  The irony was not lost on me, nor was it lost on Bon Bon, who was smirking when she handed them to me.

They were damn good, too.

“These are my specialties.”  she stated, smiling as I downed the last one.  “My father nicknamed me Bon Bon after the first batch that I ever made.  We’re actually not from this island, but he loved the traditions here so much that he decided to mimic them.  My actual name is Bonny.”

“I’ve heard a little bit about that tradition.” I stated, remembering what Shining Armor had told me.  “It was related to the Coming of Age Ceremony.  What’s that about, anyways?”

“It’s a celebration that occurs when you discover your special talent.” said Lyra, taking a bite out of her food.  “You’ve already witnessed magic, so you know that there’s something special about this island, right?”

I sighed, nodding.  Something tells me this was going to be yet another shocker.

“Well, its magic extends further than just…well… magic.  The people that live here are all blessed with one special talent that makes them unique.  How it happens, nobody is really sure, but even some of those those that move here end up going through the same thing.  When someone discovers their hidden talent, the thing that makes them who they are, a mark appears that represents it.”

“It just appears?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.  It appears on your-“

“Lyra!” shouted Bon Bon, cutting her off.

Lyra stared at her in confusion for a moment, before realization of something seemed to dawn on her face.  I stared in confusion as a blush crept across her face.

“Ermm…” continued Lyra, slightly flustered. “Let’s just say that it appears on your body somewhere.”

Something clicked in my mind, and the memory of Twilight came back.

That’s why she had the tattoo.

I forced the memory back out of my mind, finding that I was getting strange stares from the two girls in front of me.  I coughed into my hand, gesturing for them to continue.  Lyra eyed me with suspicion before continuing with her explanation.

“Yeah… so, after the….mark…. you are given a new name to reflect your personality.  I was actually named Heartstrings before my coming of age.  The name was meant to signify love and compassion.  When I discovered my ability to create a lyre, my parents added Lyra to the name.  That’s how I came to be called Lyra Heartstrings.”

“So, is there actually some sort of official ceremony that occurs, or is it just something that you decide at that moment?”

“The Coming of Age Ceremony is held once a month on the first of the month, depending on if there is anyone new who has received their mark.  You are given a new name on that day by your parents in front of the whole island, so that everyone knows your new identity.  It’s something that everyone looks forward to.”

“Huh.” I said, taking in the explanation.  “It sounds interesting.”

“You’ll see it for yourself eventually.” stated Bon Bon.  “Those who are destined to live on the island all end up getting one.  Who knows, you may find one yourself.”

Yeah, right.  The prospect of waking up with a tattoo on my ass didn’t sound very appealing in even the most innocent of situations.

The conversation continued on from that point as Lyra described her own experience in the Coming of Age Ceremony.  I was tempted to ask what her mark looked like, but something told me that it was probably considered very rude.  Needless to say, I decided to leave that topic alone.

As for me, they tried to ask me a little about my own past.  I decided at that point that I might as well tell them about the amnesia thing too, since I’d be living with them.  I received genuine looks of sympathy from them both, but I held up far better than I did when I was near Twilight, assuring them that I was fine and that I’d eventually sort it out.  Regardless, they offered to help in any way they could if I needed anything.

The night ended with another performance from Lyra, something that Bon Bon said was a nightly tradition.  The tune, this time, was more subdued and calming, almost like a lullaby.  I found myself calm and relaxed by the end of it, ready to fall asleep.  Bon Bon seemed the same way, her eyelids drooping slightly.  We all said goodnight to each other and retreated to our respective rooms, turning in for the night.

As I drifted off to sleep, I felt once again like my worries were far away.  Really, I needed to figure out how she was able to do that.

Bah, screw that.  It’s magic.  I don’t need to explain shi-.

I never got to finish that line of thought as slumber finally overtook me.