Soul Ties

Chapter 3-Ponyville

A/N: Thanks everyone for accepting this quite well so far. I would like to thank you Bearie for enjoying it, and would like to thank my friend Mike for a few suggestions for the fic. I included a couple of pretty bad puns and jokes just to lighten the mood of the chapter a bit, but will make most of the upcoming less serious and more light hearted instead of serious. I do plan, however, on making the ending to the story quite grimdark as I will use it to explain the events in the story a bit more in (hopefully) quite subtle ways, so some things will remain secret until the last few chapters are released simply because it tends to add a bit more impact to the plotline. This is also why this is rated M, So for a while it will seem like its suitable for most ages. Thanks and enjoy.

We began walking towards the shape of Ponyville. On the way, I noticed the ridiculous amount of bird houses and animal what looked like animal shelters around the area. "Are all these for the animals of the forest?" I asked, turning to her. "Oh, yes. You see, I take care of all the animals around here. If they are injured, I help them recover and give them medicine, or I just befriend them and give them daily food and a nice warm home near my home." She replied with a soft smile. I was surprised at how she managed to take care of all these creatures. There were dozens of shelters. I couldn't even begin to imagine how long it would take to maintain it all if she had to feed them as well. My mind was starting to go round in circles again, so I shook it out of my head so I wouldn't be mulling it over the whole day. Nevertheless, it was touching how she obviously put their care at the height of priority. "So, what do you do apart from caring for these creatures?" I queried. I was incredibly curious at this point, I wasn't sure why but I guessed it may have been from my lack of memory. "Well, I guess you could say I'm a vet, but apart from that I tend to visit my friends." I noticed she wasn't as introvert as she was to start with, her voice had stopped petering out towards the end of each sentence. "I see. So I expect Twilight is a friend of yours?" "Yes, one of five of my other friends." She replied. Five others? For such a demure thing, I was surprised she had so many as five. I simply shrugged it off. The warm sun lit the whole area as I glanced around, still taking in the surroundings. It truly was beautiful. The diversity of colours and shapes really did give a new look wherever you turned. I stared at the now nearing Ponyville. The buildings where like a more modernised version of the natural surroundings, they were just as varied in style and texture that it was refreshing in every sense. looking harder I could spot the outlines of other creatures in the streets. Looks like this place truly is more advanced than I expected possible for a relative of the horse family.

"So, where is the library?" I asked her. We were now approaching a street with what looked like a few stalls selling food littered around the place. "Oh, it's in the centre of the village, not too far from here." I nodded. As we entered the village, I looked around at the various numbers of ponies that were shopping from the various merchandise stalls and shops around the place. There were a few who had wings like myself, some of whom I stared at as they used them to take to the air with their merchandise. I can't believe I was so shocked at the sight, after all what were they made for? Then does that mean I can fly as well? Well, it would make sense... would it? Yeah, I guess. Why not, after all. That would be cool... No, that would be amazing! The chance to be in the air on a whim, and not be confined to the ground. I shook myself out of my fantasy. Think about that later, now is an inopportune moment to be lost in your dream world. I continued to survey the surroundings, noticing a few others with what looked like a horn on their foreheads. One was eating a sandwich outside what I guessed was a cafe, and an aura seemed to be enveloping the ivory spike, and flowing to the food. It then rose up to the pony's mouth and a bite was taking out of it. My eyes widened at the scene. That must be amazing to be able to eat like that! Did they have some sort of special powers or something? Well, nerr. You don't say. I was talking to myself in my head again. I focused back on the streets ahead of me. There was only one more kind I noticed, which had neither wings or a horn. They seemed like... yes. If I remembered correctly they were most like the creatures I saw when I was still human, apart from the... seemingly unnatural colours. I mean, what is the point? Wouldn't it draw attention from predators or something? And what were those things on their buttocks? Some sort of tattoos? I shook my head. Well, this still didn't help me understand the situation. Okay, this was just getting ridiculous. Well, continue to focus on the task at hand. It could be the only way to find out what the hell had happened.

We came to a large open area of the village, lined with multiple large shops. I noticed a sign overhead: Ponyville Village Centre. "So, where is the library?" I queried. I turned to look at her. "It' straight ahead of us. Can you see it?" she returned. I returned my line of sight to directly of me, seeing nothing other than a tree. "Well, all I see is a tree. Am I missing the point here?" She looked back at me again, perplexed expression back on her face. "Umm... That is the library..." She returned quietly. My eyelids dropped. That tree is the library? As I looked closer, I could see a few small balconies jutting out the sides, and a door at the front. Well, if it's the place where the pony that could help me out was, does it matter if its constructed out of a plant? No, I guess not. "Okay, fair enough. Let's go." We continued to approach the 'library'. As we reached the door, 'Shy knocked on it with a barely audible amount of influence. "I'll just be a second! Hang on! Spike, can you get that?" The voice resonated through the door. "Why do I always have to be the one that gets it? Don't I have enough stuff to be dealing with already?" A different, more boy-like voice came through the door in the form of a grumble. The door creaked open, revealing a small purple lizard like creature staring up at us. His moped expression changed as he saw the yellow mare. He turned to look back into the tree. "Hey, Twilight! Its Fluttershy! You wanna see her?" There was a short silence. "Yes! Just a second! Tell her to come in, I'll see her as soon as I've finished sorting these new books! The dragon turned back to us. "Well, may as well come in while we wait for her. How you doin, 'Shy?" She smiled. "Oh, I'm doing great, thank you Spike." Spike? That lizard's name is Spike? And he can talk too? Okay... Things just somehow seemed to get a tad stranger. She entered, and I followed suit, but was stopped briefly by 'Spike'. "Whoa, who's the colt?" He stipulated. "Oh, he's... umm... A friend of mine." She replied. Spike observed me a second longer, before letting me through. I gazed around the gargantuan room. It was incredible who it had been hollowed out the way it had, and installed with taps and separate rooms too. Bookcases lined the walls, with a couple of tables placed near them. A huge carved staircase led up to an upper floor, what was up there I could not tell. Impressive!

A flustered looking pony walked in from a separate room. She was a shade of purple, and had one of those weird horns on her head. She gave Flutter a smile, before looking at me and a small look of perplexity forming across her face. Must everything I meet give me that look? I thought to myself. She spoke up. "Who's the pegasus, Fluttershy?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of me. "Umm... Well... That's why we came really. You see, I found him passed out outside the Everfree forest. And according to him... he's not... a pony." She finished off. The mystified look deepened on her face. "What do you mean, not a pony? From what I can see, he looks just like a normal stallion to me." She replied. "And besides, humans haven't been recorded in Equestria for thousands of years." I spoke up. "We're serious. I know I wasn't like this before today. We came here thinking you may have a solution." I looked at her hopefully. She glanced back at me. "I... I have no spells that can explain a human suddenly appearing here. Don't you have any memories of what bought you here?" I was taken aback. Spell? What sort of spell? I didn't want to be some sort of dummy for what I thought was an idea out of a fairy tale. No, focus on what she asked. "No, I don't remember anything." Flutter raised her voice to ask something. "Couldn't you try the memory spell you used on Dash? That worked, so shouldn't it work here?" Twilight's face changed to that of thought. "I suppose that could work..." Whoa whoa whoa, I wasn't about to have a sort of spell be cast on me. And didn't they carry side effects as well? Stuff like headaches? Fatigue? Explosive diarrhoea? "Wait a minute! I'm not sure about that. What are the side effects?" I eyed her. She gave me a matter of fact look. "There are none. It just helps to stimulate the areas of the brain used for memory. Is that good enough?" I contemplated what if I should go through it or not. Well, if it can help my amnesia, then I guess it would be okay... "Fine. But if I get explosive bowels, you are paying the medical bill." She turned to Shy with a slightly forced smile. Turning back to me, she began her next sentence. "I promise you won't get the... side effect you described. But I've been practicing this my whole life, so I know what I'm doing. Now, you may feel a little prickling feeling..."

I cringed as her horn began to be enveloped in aura. I clasped my eyes shut as the horn rested against my forehead, and, as promised, I felt that slight tingling feeling. There was a flash of light, I couldn't see a thing but white light. My vision soon returned. I opened a single eyes slowly, biting my lip. "Well? Remember anything?" Twilight was smiling at me. I thought. Well... I remembered waking up. Seeing a strange coloured pony. Me going berserk when I saw my body. The pony fainting and... Oh, come on! That did nothing! "No. I don't remember anything." I returned, irritably Her face dropped. "But... It should have worked! It's never failed before! Spike! Get me that spell book!" She cried at the lizardy thing. "Talk about flogging dead dragon. It's over here, Twi-Glerk!" The no longer lizardy thing and now dragon called as he was yanked to the purple horse through her magic. "Sorry, spike, but I need to find what the issue is here." She hastily said. "Let's see... memory... memory... Ahah! Here it is! Memory regaining spells! Step 1...

It had been about an hour by now. The Twilight had been the scanning the page over and over for what seemed like donkey's (her her her, what a pun) years, before grunting in frustration and slamming the book shut. "Uh! I did it exactly how it says in the book! Why didn't it work?" I thought. This world certainly didn't seem like my old one... I couldn't remember hardly anything, but I somehow knew it wasn't the same. "Maybe because the memories are from a different place?" I answered, unsure. She moved her head out of her hooves. "Even so, memories are stored in the brain, so why doesn't it work?" Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I know! The princess should know more about it! Spike! Fetch a quill and a scroll!" "Got it!" Spike returned. Twilight began to speak her message.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

I have a matter I urgently need to discuss with you as soon as possible. One of my friends visited me with a pegasus colt with amnesia who claims to not be from Equestria. When I attempted the memory regain spell, it failed. I truly need your help on this matter, for I cannot fathom what is going on clearly. I ask that we may be able to organise a time to meet up and make sense on the matter.

Your loyal student,

Twilight Sparkle."

"You got all of that, Spike?" The mare turned to the dragon. "...Twilight...Spar...kle! Okay!" He inhaled before exhaling a wisp of emerald flame onto the scroll, the aura floating out an open window. "Great, now we just have to wait for her to return the letter." Twilight gleefully uttered. I hope it wouldn't take long... I really wanted to actually make some sense of what was happening.