~America's PoV~

Relief was still filling me up as we rode past the border. I was so happy I felt like I might burst. He remembered, but it doesn't bother him.

"Hey, Mattie. The rest of this trip will be up to you." I called out behind me, slowing Thunder down to a steady trot. The stallion snorted, making the transition easily.

"What? How?" He asked as he rode up next to me on the mare Valley. Thankfully, his body remembered how to ride, so I wouldn't need to worry about him falling off or anything. After all, we are the top two equestrians in North America. I thought smugly. It wasn't really bragging, it was a fact. The only ones that could even try to top us were the original States and Provinces.

"I can't find the Provinces or Territories. That's your job."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?! In case you've forgotten, I can't remember a thing about them!"

"Sense them. Trust your gut; you guys are bound together. You're naturally drawn to each other." He looked at me like I had grown another nose, and I sighed. How the hell do I explain this to a guy with no memories..?

"It's like… Since you've woken up, have you had a feeling like you belong in another place? Like there's a part of you that's missing, and you've wanted to find it this entire time?" He shot me a withering look.

"Oh, you mean that notion I just can't shake called 'just who the hell am I'?" We were silent for a moment, both trying to decipher whether the other was joking, before I groaned.

"Just… Close your eyes, and picture the scenery around us right now, except in a type of black and white setting," He did so without complaint. "Now, do you see anything? A trail, maybe red or white? Or just any colour?"

"No…?"

"You really don't feel anything? See anything?"

"No, I really don't." Great… I'll be sure to make a note of that… Then a thought struck me. "Do you sense me?"

"Yes I do, because you're right next to me, Al!"

"Okay, give me a second." I dismounted from Thunder, and as quietly as possible dashed behind a tree a few meters off to the left. "What about now?"

"Um… Maybe?"

"What direction am I in?"

"Direction… How can I tell that without opening my eyes?"

"Gut instinct, Mattie."

"North..?" I sighed.

"Not like compass direction, don't do that to me dude. Like right, left, forward or backward."

"Left." His answer came more confidently this time. I grinned.

"Great! Now take that feeling and search for it beyond us. It might be really far though." It shouldn't be too different of a sense, right..? We are twins, after all… I walked out from behind the tree, easily remounting. Thunder gave me an exasperated look, turning his head to look at me directly. I mouthed a "what" to the horse, who snorted and returned to standing still. I shrugged, smirking and turning my attention back to Mattie.

"I… Maybe?"

"Where's it coming from?"

"There's a lot of feelings around it, but I feel some standing out from the rest…"

"Maybe Ottawa…?"

"Where?"

"It's the city that you were at at first. Your capital. It would make most sense. Is it coming from north east?"

"About, yeah."

"Let's try there then!" I grinned, giving him a thumbs up when he opened his eyes.

"Yeah, sure." He breathed, and we both kicked our horses up into a slow canter.

"Look, I told you!" I let out a whoop of victory.

"Yes, yes. I'll admit that you were right just this once."

"Hold up! France, you heard that, right?! Please tell me I didn't just hallucinate that!" I froze on my tracks, turning back to the French eagerly. He glared at me, not returning my enthusiasm at all. Though I could see a glow in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Mattie, his missing adoptive son, was somewhere in the dull grey building that stood tall in front of us. It gave all three of us a ray of hope that we had long needed.

"Oui oui, j'entendu. Tu as une problème, Amérique…"

"Hey! You do just as much as me!" I protested, "You know you'd brag about it too!"

"Can you two gits please just shut up? We need a plan," Britain intervened before our argument could move on. "The last thing we need is your two's bickering to alert somebody that we're here!" With a sigh, the three of us started formulating a plan.

I looked up at Germany, holding his frozen gaze evenly.
"You do realize vhat you are suggesting, America," He growled, "Your bruder is free, and in turn, you are in his place. You do realize zhat everyone vill abandon you? Zhere is no vay you vill keep your allies."
"I don't care, Germany," I snapped, glowering at the broken nation.

It's not his fault…

It's not his fault,

It's not his fault...

He's not himself...

I kept on repeating those words to myself in an attempt not to snap, to strangle him.

He isn't himself...

His country is rebuilding…

His people are desperate...

I can't even imagine what he must be feeling right now...

My gaze softened considerably when I thought of what I had felt during my civil war.

It had been so painful...

So torturous...

And it was always, always there...
"You vould trade great strengzh for a single zhing? He is not even fully independent yet." His ice blue eyes widened slightly in surprise, cutting off my train of thought. Any idea of sympathy was abruptly washed away when he called Matthew a 'thing.'
"I would trade allies for my brother." I snarled. Just at that moment, there was a sickening crack! as a rifle barrel collided against his head. The German's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed to the ground in a tangled heap.
"You took your dear sweet time, Arthur." I spoke through ground teeth, my steel glare still refusing to leave Germany's unconscious form. Arthur watched me warily for a moment, his thick eyebrows knitting together, before replying.
"I'm sure you're aware that we have never been in here before? It took awhile to find a safe route." I didn't respond, only stood up and started walking.
"Where's France?"
"How the bloody hell should I know? The Frog can go die in a hole for all I care!"
"Where's. France?" I asked, firmer this time. Britain sighed, mumbling to himself before answering.
"He's on his way. Frog got a little preoccupied with some guards."
"We're not waiting. If he doesn't catch up, he can find his own way out of here."
"Wha-? America! That wasn't the plan!"
"Yeah? Well, plans change, Arthur."
"A-America..."
"Come on," I stormed off down the nearest hall, "We need to find Mattie. Now."

~Canada's PoV~

"Shut it, ya stupid Frenchie!"

"I don't care what you say, Alberta!"

"Well ya should!"

"Mais je ne pas!"

"Oh real smooth, Quebec! You know, that's just like you really, reverting to that damn language every waking moment!"

"It's not my fault that you're too stubborn to learn it!"

"Can you two maybe shut up?!"

Al looked over at me and grinned sheepishly.

"Found 'em…" I glanced at him and then back at the scene before me, wide-eyed. 13 people stood in the clearing, one of them a kid, and a large golden dog. Were these them…? What does he expect me to do…?

"Relax, dude," Al grinned, "They'll listen to you. You're probably the only one they'll listen to, actually…" I wasn't sure if I was meant to hear that last part. Mainly because it really didn't help to calm myself down.

"Are you sure about that?" I glanced back at the scene. The dog had paused, and was turned in our direction. He blinked slowly, before turning back to the group and letting out a loud bark.

"Labrador? What is it?" A blonde boy who looked relatively younger than the rest, maybe thirteen or fourteen years of age, asked. The boy knelt down, gently rubbing the dog's head. The dog whined, turning back to look at our spot in the trees. "Guys, I think there's someone there…Something's bothering Lab." He was drowned out by the sound of arguing though, the others' voices rising in volume. He heaved a sigh, before standing up and yelling at the top of his lungs. "SHUT IT!"

Everyone froze, the two that were arguing the most glaring at him.

"What, Newfie? What's so important?" The girl - I'm assuming her name was Alberta - snapped.

"Don't you feel that? Someone's there." Alberta's eyes flickered shut, before they opened again, this time cold as stone.

"America, what the hell are you doin' here?! Haven't you done enough?" She shouted. Al winced, a small laugh escaping his lips.

"I'm not sure if it's a good thing that you've recognized me, Alberta." That's one name confirmed… I'm guessing that boy is Newfie, and the dog is called Labrador…? Is he one of the Provinces…? Why is he a dog?

"Don't ask that, by the way. Labrador has a hot temper when that's brought up." My gaze snapped over to the American. Had he heard what I had been thinking? How?

"We're brothers, remember? That's how it works with us Personifications. We're linked. Not as much as North and South Italy, but still linked. We shared a name once. That means that I can more or less know what you're thinking, feeling, and where you are, even if you're outside my borders."

"But I can't-"

"I'm passing that off as a side effect of the memory loss. It seems like your body doesn't have a full grip on what you are yet… Mostly because you haven't woken up screaming half the time at night."

"Wha-?"

"Long story. You'll understand eventually." He cut it off there. Right. He's probably worried he's said too much already. Damnit…

"You might as well come out, Alfred," Another girl called out from across the clearing, "We all know you're there."

"I'm not alone, though, Ontario," He smirked, even though they probably couldn't see it. "Take a guess who's here too- if you get it right, I'll come out!"

"Yoo're gonnae radge, Alfred! Hoo th' heel ur we supposed tae dae 'at?!" A male with dark red hair snapped.

"Sorry, Nova Scotia. Rules are rules, you know." Al chuckled, a playful gleam in his cornflower blue eyes that I don't think I've ever seen there before.

"America, there ain't nobody else over there!" Alberta snapped impatiently. An odd pang shot through my chest when she said that. I wonder why…? Probably something to do with who I was before… Oh well.

"Al, we probably should- MMPH?!" He cut me off, pulling me against his chest. I struggled, pushing against him in an attempt to get away. However, the American only tightened his grip. I was once again struck at how much strength resided in a body no bigger than my own.

"A-Alfie!" I squeaked, my voice muffled against his shirt.

"Shh. I think they're trying to sneak around and surprise us. Stay quiet, Mattie."

"Wha-?" A split second later, both Al and I were thrown to the ground by an unseen force tackling us.

"Nice going, Columbia!" A female voice shouted through the trees. Al coughed, kicking his legs up to get our attacker - apparently, the person's name was Columbia - off the two of us. My breath hitched in my throat when a crack of pain shot through my spine.

"I know," A cocky voice responded, "You don't need to state the obvious, Manitoba."

"Haha. Real funny, dudes. Y'all crack me up just as much as the States. Truly," Al wheezed, catching his breath and looking over at me. "You alright, Mattie?" He asked, a little more softly than how he had been talking before. I gave him a thumbs up, shooting him a look. Columbia's head shot up at the sound of my name, but he - I had noticed that he was a he - remained silent, hazel eyes never leaving my face.

"Oh yeah. I just love being tackled to the ground and landing on a root."

"Canada?" Columbia finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper.

"That's apparently one of the many names I go by, yes." Maple that root hurts… His eyes widened in disbelief, and he looks over to Al for confirmation. Al nodded, and his eyes clouded over, tears brimming the corners.

"Is it… Really you..?"

A/N: And so, the plot of the past thickens... Mwahahahaaaa.

I can't write Scottish accents, so I'm using a translator for it. Therefore, if anything is off, BLAME THE AI. XD Same with languages other than French. Blame AI. I try.

And yes, I know the Acadians immigrated from western France. However, Nova Scotia was named by a Scott, so it's a personal headcanon (if you can even have those for OCs) that he dropped the French accent and picked up the Ye-Ol'-Scottie as a tribute. It helps that the Maritimes have grand respect for the British Isles. Heck, according to my best friend, Newfoundland (and possibly Labrador) even share their culture.

Welp, as always, hope y'all enjoyed! n.n

English to French:
Oui oui, j'entendu. Tu as une problème, Amérique: Yes yes, I heard. You have a problem, America