Chapter One

Anomaly

"Your ignorance of our homeland doesn't surprise me."

~Skyfall~

My eyes opened to the sight of blue sky and the serenity of clouds floating by. Oh, and stars; stars floated overhead. Pretty stars. I watched the lights twinkling around my vision. I tried poking one, but it disappeared. I pouted and tried again. I also realized the my head was hurting. Now that was curious, why'd my head hurt? I don't remember banging it on anything... Oh well. I'll figure it out later. I was admiring stars that were floating in the middle of the day. Wait, something about that didn't add up. Hmm.

Where was I?

I was staring at stars in the sky... watching clouds float by... on a nice, hard, wood-like surface. Oh, wait, it was wood. Whew, glad that's cleared up. Okay, so what is made out of wood, and flies next to stars in the sky? ... Am I on a floating porch? No, that didn't make an ounce of sense.

Well, it seems like these stars aren't going to reveal anything to me. That was nice of them. Maybe if I looked the other direction, I could sum up what I'm on, and where I am. Actually, my neck hurt like hell as well (heh, that rhymed...), which was making it hard to turn my head. After a few tries, I managed to twist my head around, but now I was in a predicament. Instead of stargazing, I was staring into the silver eyes of a large, heavyset blue stallion.

I opened my mouth, and prepared to ask the question of who was this guy. "Ow..." Well, that wasn't right. Maybe I should try again. "Oww..." I repeated, albeit a little more dragged out. Apparently my brain wasn't on the same wavelength as me. I tried again a third time, this time concentrating hard on what it was I wanted to say. Ready? Here we go!

"...Owww..." Well, damn. So much for communication. The stallion just snorted, lips curling at the tips. It would seem my inability to communicate was a viable source of humor for him. Well laugh it up! That's right, it's the amazing me! I'm here from seven to ten every Tuesday!

"Yep, you'll be fine, just a concussion," he said, before turning his back to me and wandering out of my peripheral. I heard something creak, and a second later the thing I was on tilted as it turned. Watching clouds move by that fast was too much for my brain however, and I groaned as my headache throbbed. Closing my eyes seemed to help alleviate some of it, and I reopened them only once my head stopped hurting, or at least wasn't unbearable.

When I did, I saw that the blue stallion had walked back on over, this time with a bottle of some red liquid. Perhaps a smarter pony than I would have questioned his integrity, and by proxy the purpose of the potion, but I was not a smart pony. So it was lucky for me that the red liquid was merely a healing potion. A few seconds after ingestion my headache disappeared, and I felt a warmth in the back of my head, accompanied by a sense of relief. Everything but the pressure on my forehead seemed to vanish.

I took another sip of the liquid, and placed the now empty bottle next to me. "Who are you?" The other stallion just laughed.

"Who am I? Why now, that there's a long story. Best told in a pub, with some nice, strong liquor, and some privacy. But for now, I am Captain Bronze Nut. Most people just call me 'The Captain', however." A silver aurora encased the empty bottle, and it floated out of sight. I saw a similar silver glow coming from the mat of white mane on the Captain's head, and realized that he was a unicorn. "But," he continued, "seeing as it was you who landed on my airship, I do believe you should introduce yourself. It is only common courtesy, after all."

Oh, oops. Well that was easy. I opened my mouth, prepared to explain my accident, when I realized something. I had no idea what my name was! Or, now that I thought about it, how I even got here! I shut my mouth and my eyes widened. What was I going to say?

The Captain's jaw tightened as his lips pursed. "Well?" he said tersely. "What can you tell me about yourself?"

"I... I..." I stammered as I sought for a distraction; something to give me more time to think. He stared at me, it looked like he was calculating me with his eyes. "I... don't know..." I finished lamely.

The Captain's eyes narrowed. I swallowed. "Don't know... what? Hmm? Perhaps you do not remember how you ended up topside on my ship?" I just stared at him, sure that whatever I looked like, it was ridiculously dumbfounded. I laid there pathetically silent, waiting for him to ask the question. "But what about you? Who are you?" And there it was.

"I... I..." I stuttered, trying to grasp any sort of explanation. The Captain's eyes narrowed in thought again.

"You don't mean to tell me you don't know who you are?" he said. I merely swallowed and nodded my head solemnly. "Well now, that seems like a rather convenient coincidence." But, it wasn't a coincidence! I swear! Oh hay, what's he going to do if he thinks I'm playing him for a fool? He must have seen the fear in my eyes, because he quickly said, "Now, now, don't be hasty. I believe you." He stroked his beard with a hoof. "But these are strange times we live in, lad. Must be careful. Who knows, you might be a changeling spy. Would be very intuitive for a changeling to have his mind wiped before taking on a difficult charge."

I had absolutely no idea what he was rambling about – what in Tartarus was a changeling? What was Tartarus? Damn it, what the hay happened to my memory! Then the Captain advanced on me, his horn glowing. I reeled, trying to scramble away from him.

"Whoa, now. I'm just going to perform a spell that will tell me if you're a changeling or not. If you're not, you won't feel a thing. If you are, well, you still won't feel a thing, but it will make you dizzy." My pause gave him enough time to scan me with some light that matched the glow from his horn. There was a tingly feeling, then nothing.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"That was the spell. It's a bit complicated to explain; let us just say that it's... an applied truth spell." I nodded, not really following. "Speaking of which, it also verified that you are not lying. Memory loss... it's a rather peculiar predicament you're in." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than me. "I must admit, you've rather peaked my curiosity. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions on the matter?" He smacked himself on the side of his head. "Oh, but where are my manners? Hmm? Let's get you off the floor, lad."

After I was able to pull myself off the wooden deck, I was able to better drink in my surroundings. When the Captain said airship, I didn't think he meant literally. Yet here I was, standing near the bow of a giant ship floating through the clouds, held aloft by an elaborately decorated balloon nearly three times the size of the ship I was on. The ship itself was huge, large enough that I found it hard to believe that a crew of ten could sail her, much less that Bronze Nut captained it himself. I supposed being a unicorn lightened the load, however.

I saw him trot over to the wheel (which was almost as large as him) and cast a spell on it. The wheel began twisting and turning of its own accord, adjusting the direction and steering the ship. The Captain beckoned for me to follow him, and he led me down through a set of double doors to the lower decks. The brass buttons on his uniform jangled, breaking the silence as we entered the kitchen. Grabbing two mugs with his magic, he trotted over to a spigot and poured a dark, golden liquid into both. He placed them both on a table and sat down, motioning me to do the same.

"So..." I said. "Why do you believe me?" I took a sip of the drink; it was sweet and sugary, complemented by the spice of cinnamon. The Captain was quiet at first, lips pursed and eyes squinted. He seemed to be lost in a reverie before snapping out of it, and looking to me with a unjudgeable look.

"Hmm... several reasons," he muttered, taking a generous gulp of the cider. He cleared his throat and continued. "The first of which is the truth spell. You weren't lying when you said your memory was gone. That, and I also applied a... memory spell at the same time." A memory spell? Now why did that sound off? "It, er... it lets me scrounge around in your head. Er, sorry," he said, abashed. I bit back a retort, letting him continue. The look on his face, however, put a few snakes in my stomach. "And, well, it proved you were right. No memory. And that's the second reason. When I probed your memory, I discovered something rather... disconcerting. You have no memory."

"But I already know I lost my memories." A troubled look past over his face, lingering as he thought thoroughly about what his next words were.

"It's... not an easy subject to explain. Hmm... I would tell you to sit if you were not already." He stroked his beard in thought. "But, when I say you have no memory, I don't mean you don't remember. If that were the case, then there would be phantom remnants of your past left – memories do not disappear, they are merely forgotten. But you," he pressed, staring hard at me, "You have no memories; no past. It's as if you never existed until several minutes ago.

"You are an anomaly."

And now those snakes were replaced by a multitude of rocks. No, wait, there were the snakes; they were still there. Writhing and squirming and slithering... ugh, trying not to think about it. Or the... weight... in my gut. I had no idea how to react to that, and so a pregnant silence descended in the kitchen. Bronze Nut drained the rest of his glass, and laid it back down with a thunk that resounded in the dead air. I just stared into mine. Not sure if I blinked.

"What is this?" I said, quieter than I intended.

"Home-brewed apple cider. Well, ship-brewed. Sometimes I purchase a few barrels from Brae every now and then." He was calm. A little too calm for just telling me that I can't exist. I didn't like it.

"Home-brewed?" I asked, not making eye-contact. "You make it yourself?"

"Yes. I buy crates of apples from the Hearts' Passion Heart Acres down in Dun Mare, whenever I make the trip. Been meaning to swing by there sometime soon. Actually... hmm... maybe..." The Captain began mumbling to himself, staring off into a dark corner of the kitchen, all the while stroking his long, white beard. He was so enthralled with... whatever had taken his fancy... that when I posed my next question, he was perturbed that I even existed. Which probably went right along with the fact that I was an anomaly. One of the snakes slithered again.

"What? Oh... er, sorry. What did you say?" he said, placing his hoof back down.

"What..." My mouth was dry, and I took another sip of the cider before continuing. "How can I not exist?" The Captain stood up to refill his mug at the tap.

"I'm sorry, that probably was not the best thing I could have said. It was... rather tactless, I admit." He turned back around to face me. "It's... difficult to –"

"– I mean," I butted in. "I'm... I'm right here," I chuckled mirthlessly. "I'm not a foal, right? I obviously exist!" He stared at me, and I stared right back. I wasn't born yesterday, so I had to have a past! That just wasn't normal. The Captain bit his lip as he thought. "I didn't... just... appear out of thin air! I exist!"

The unicorn stole a glance away, and something in me snapped. "I EXIST!" I yelled at him, jumping off the seat and stepping closer to him. "I'm RIGHT HERE! SOMEPONY GOT HAPPY AND MADE ME, SO I HAVE A BLOODY PAST! So explain... explain to me how you can say I don't have one!" To his credit, the Captain didn't flinch, and took it like a stallion. I don't know how long I went off on him. He waited until I ran out of breath to speak.

"Feel better?"

"... No," I sighed, putting my head in my hooves. He placed a comforting hoof on my shoulder.

"I have a few theories as to your lack of memory, ones that would explain the... your predicament, and the memory loss. And they're perfectly understandable theories," he told me. Then, seeing my mouth open, added, "Theories that I do not wish to explain just yet. Not until I have further proof. Does that help?"

"Not much," I replied. Personally, I believed that he made the theories up in an effort to comfort me, a gesture that did not go unappreciated. But, if he did have insight into my... anomaly, then I'd have to accept it at face value. Bronze Nut smiled.

"Well, on the scale of helpfulness, 'Not much' ranks higher than 'Not at all', so I'll take it."

I snorted a half-hearted laugh. What else was I to do? There was no point in wallowing in... whatever it was ponies wallowed in. What do ponies wallow in? Look at me! I'm so pathetic, I don't even remember what ponies wallow in! And yet somehow, that only made me laugh.

"Shall I assume that that means you'll take it as well?"

"Sure," I replied as I pushed myself off the floor. Bronze Nut hooked a hoof around me and helped lift me up, then we both walked back to the lone table. I stared at the golden puddle slowly dripping onto the floorboards, and apologized. He just waved it off, conjuring some magic that removed any trace of the spilled cider. Then, (as if he was trying to wound my pride), he grabbed my mug and refilled it.

"Well, don't try to make me feel inferior with that magic of yours," I chuckled. Bronze Nut didn't find it funny, as he responded by staring at me, eyebrows furrowed. Then his eyes widened in revelation and wonderment.

"By the Sun and Moon, you don't even know what you look like?" When I shook my head, this realization just hitting me as well, he sighed solemnly. "Well now, isn't that something. Here, let me conjure you up a mirror, and let us see what you look like." His horn glowed silver once more, and a shimmering pool of reflective magic swirled around in the air, forming into a ovalish mirror.

Cautiously I trotted up to it, taking a gander at my reflected appearance. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but my hide appeared to be white, or possibly a very light shade of blue. I stepped close enough to the mirror to find out that it was indeed solid, and that my coat was definitely white. White, like the clouds floating outside. My mane hung wildly, a vivid dark blue that partially covered my golden irises. However, the very first thing I noticed was the pale horn jutting from between locks of my hair.

"I'm a unicorn." It wasn't a question, or even an exclamation. It might not have even counted as a statement; it just was. I am a unicorn. What did that mean? I'm not sure what I expected. Did I expect a sudden surge of joy in knowing what I look like? Happy? Excitement? If I did, I received none of those things. I didn't feel cold, or mirthless either. I merely felt... normal. Possibly content, but that might be stretching it. No, content might actually be what I was feeling; yeah, I was content. And, looking back at my reflection, I also felt like a part of me had been returned.

"Really? I might have guessed, what with your lack of wings," Bronze Nut chuckled, then paused. "Er... too soon?" My look gave him his answer, then it was my turn to pause as what he said registered.

"Wings?" I said as we walked back to the table and sat down. "There are pegasi too?"

The blue stallion looked stunned. After a moment he frowned, and said, "Sorry, it astounds me still the depth of your... perhaps I should ask instead what do you know? Such as, you know of the existence of us unicorns, but not of the pegasi?"

I felt like I was being studied. Was I being studied? Well, based on the way his eyes bore into me, and the thoughtful way he stroked that beard of his, then yes. I was being studied. When I saw that I too was an unicorn, then I assumed that was all there was. Not a solution that, in hindsight, made any sense. Of course there were other species, like pegasi! How absurd was I to think otherwise?

What did I know? Random things, certainly. For instance, I knew the word Tartarus, but had nothing to relate it to. What was Tartarus? Or possibly who was Tartarus? Was it a thing, an object, or something more, like a place, or perhaps even a person?

In the end, Bronze Nut thought it best to just explain everything, and what I knew we could skip over.

"Hmm... where to start, where to start," he murmured, tapping a hoof to his chin. "Well, let's start at the very beginning."

"– A very good place to start," I interjected. Bronze Nut huffed.

"Yes, so it would seem. Well, before I begin your history lesson, lad, how about I renew our mugs, hm?" Then, noticing my untouched second, corrected, "Er, perhaps just mine, then." I felt slightly guilty, reminded that he had brewed it himself, and promptly took a sip of the cider, hoping to curb any ill feelings. Of course, as I took my sip, I realized that I was, indeed, very thirsty.

Bronze Nut stopped short as he trotted back with his... third? Or was it fourth? full mug of cider. He stared at my empty mug with a raised eyebrow, then looked at me and snorted. "You would have to wait till I got back from the tap, wouldn't you?" I smiled sheepishly as he carried my mug off.

"Sorry."

"Ah, don't be sorry, lad. It's the good stuff I brew, and I can't remember the last time I had somepony to sit down and drink with." Bronze Nut sat down on the wooden bench across from me once more, hoofing over my mug. "But back to your lesson. Would I be wrong in assuming you don't know the name of our country?" I shook my head, flushing at the ludicracy of that monumental ignorance. "Well, the land we are in is named Equestria. Not too hard of a name to remember, seeing as you'll hear it everywhere I imagine.

"Us ponies didn't always live in Equestria, however. About a... decade or so... hmm; er – several years ago, the three tribes made an exodus to Equestria. Now, hold on, I'll get to that," he said, motioning for me to keep my questions until the end. "We used to live in a far off land to the north. Back then, the three tribes lived in a sort of... mutualistic symbiosis that was borderline parasitic in some respects." The last part was delivered in a cold and dangerous tone of voice, and a pained hatred flickered in his eyes as he said it. Then, just as it came, it went, and he continued after taking a generous gulp from the mug. "Those were hard times, lad."

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_-/(_)\-_/^._/^._/^._/)

After Bronze regaled me with what would come to be known as the Tale of Hearth's Warming in decades to come, we continued to sit in the silence of the meadery (cidery? Is that even that right word?). However, as opposed to the earlier silence, this one was void of the dark shadows looming over me. It was a peaceful silence, a moment seemingly stopped in time where me and the Captain just sat, draining his supply of home brewed apple cider. Then, as the whole ship tilted slightly, I came to a realization.

"Um... Captain?" I said, breaking the silence as I hooked a hoof around my mug before it could roll any further away.

"Hmm? Yes lad, what is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering... If you're down here with me, then who's flying this ship?"