I woke to the sound of someone yawning.

My eyes opened of their own accord. My legs slid out of bed, eliciting a clop when they touched the ground. On another note, I was standing on all fours. And an even stranger thing to note was that I was moving on my own.

Fear and confusion mixed in the drowsiness of sleep. I was being kidnapped by my own body. That was the best way to put it. Then again, maybe this was what sleepwalking was like, or perhaps this was a dream.

With eyes like windows, I watched as I crawled to a door on the other side of the room. Though, I still couldn't discern the clip-clop sound as I crawled on my limbs. The door opened in front of me on its own. For a moment, I thought I saw a blue glow around the door handle, but it vanished just as sudden as it appeared.

The lights turned on as I reached aside for the light switch. I found myself in a bathroom that seemed to be five sizes larger than the average bathroom.

I crawled to the sink. Despite my awkward posture, it was low enough for me to look over and gaze at the mirror, and I soon found out why. Staring back at me was a horse. It had a white coat and strangely, a blue mane. As if its oddly colored hair wasn't enough, it also had a horn jutting out between the locks of its mane. Its eyes carried the remnants of sleep.

I let out a yawn, and so did it.

Something didn't feel right. Where was I? But more importantly, who was I?

I stared at the reflection. Was this my face? I couldn't remember this face or the name to go with it. But apparently this was who I was. At least, I think it was. I didn't remember my own name. I couldn't remember my own name.

The unfamiliarity didn't sit well with me. The mere thought of not knowing who I was was terrifying. Many emotions came to mind: scared, confused, disoriented, lost, distressed, anxious—just to name a few. I tried to remember things about my life that would help me remember, but my mind drew a blank. I couldn't think of any families, friends, birthdays, or any other life events. I was a book with empty pages; it had no story to tell.

The blue glow from before returned, wrapping around the other objects in the room. Water poured from the faucet, and a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste floated over to me. My bewilderment didn't show on my face as it began brushing the horse's teeth—my teeth. I could feel the bristles on my gums, and I could taste the minty paste on my tongue. The possibility of this being a dream grew more unlikely.

"W-What's going on?" I said to myself. My voice was unsteady as I forced those words out. Although I said these words, the horse's lips didn't move.

The brushing stopped, and the toothbrush hung in the air. The horse in the mirror took on a confused look and turned around. I turned around too.

An unmistakably male voice came from my mouth.

"Hello? Cadance?" Those unfamiliar words left my lips.

My head turned back to the mirror, and I watched the stallion shrug it off.

I spoke again. "Hello?"

In the mirror, the stallion frowned in the midst of brushing. "Is someone here? Who's there?" he asked.

My eyes looked around the bathroom, looking for something that wasn't there. The stallion in the mirror did the same.

"Me," I said.

My vision trailed to the floating toothbrush. From the corner of my eye, I saw the stallion cock his head to the side as he stared at the tool of dental hygiene.

"You?" he asked, albeit hesitantly.

If I could shake my head, I would, but instead I said, "No, not the toothbrush."

"Then where are you?" he demanded.

"I'm…" That was a good question. Where was I and how was I talking to him? "I'm not sure."

"Well, what do you see?"

"I see a toothbrush, and I can see you in the mirror's reflection."

I spun around and looked behind. I wish I had control over my body. I was getting dizzy from moving all over the place.

"I don't see you," he said.

"Try looking in the mirror," I told him.

I now had a full view of the stallion in the mirror. He had a tail that matched his mane and an odd picture of a shield on his flank. His brows furrowed as he struggled to find me.

"Alright, that's enough. Just tell me where you are!" he shouted.

"I'm looking right at you," I said.

I stared at the horse in the mirror, and he stared back at me. His eyes shifted, scrutinizing every corner of the mirror. I felt my two front limbs plant themselves on the sink; he did the same in the reflection.

The built-up frustration he had before dissipated with a single sigh. "I give up."

"Well, I can see you clear as day," I said. "Or is it 'I can see myself as clear as day?'" I wasn't really sure.

A hoof came into my view and began rubbing the temple of my head. "What are you talking about?" he said.

"Can I ask you a question, um… I'm sorry. I never asked what your name was."

I realized at this point that it was much too early to be asking him questions, but I felt that it was only polite to start with introductions.

"It's Shining Armor, miss. And sure."

"It's nice to meet you, Shining Armor. I'm just wondering... Is this body mine or yours?"

"Mine," he said, letting out a yawn. Seconds passed by before his eyes shot open. Worry crept onto his face as I watched his reflection. "I'm sorry, but I must have heard wrong. Did you say 'body?'"

"Yes."

It was quiet until a chuckle left him. He began shaking his head. "This is a joke. You're a friend of Cadance, right?"

I remained silent.

"Come on out wherever you're hiding. How did you get your voice in here? Magic?"

He started laughing as he looked around. He searched every nook and cranny of the bathroom—under the sink, in the bathtub, and even in the toilet, for some strange reason. I didn't know what was so funny, but apparently it made him hysterical. I wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Um, this isn't a joke."

His laughter was cut off by a deafening silence. Silence has never been so awkward. I was a little more than worried about him.

"Shining, are you okay?"

It was quite a while before he actually spoke again. "No."

"No?" I asked.

"You're not real," he said.

"Excuse me? I'm not real?"

"You can't be real," he said, shaking his head. "All the stress must be getting to me. I'm more tired than I thought."

"Maybe you should go get some rest," I suggested.

"Yeah, maybe you're right… Wait, no! Stop it! You're not real!"

Well, that was a rude. I had feelings too, you know. "And why not?"

"Because you don't exist! Right now, I'm imagining this conversation, and when I count to three, everything will be back to normal." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. My vision was cut off, and he began to count. When he got to three, he opened his eyes, and I could see again.

"I'm still here," I said.

He let out an exasperated groan.

A knock came at the door. "Shining, are you alright in there?" asked a female voice.

In the mirror, there was a panicked look on Shining Armor's face. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm just finishing up."

He turned to the mirror so that I was looking straight at his face. "Listen to me, voice in my head. You're not real," he said to me. "You're just a figment of my imagination brought out by all the stress. So from now on, I'm not going to listen to anything you say. You're not real." He emphasized the last few words with a poke to his reflection.

I didn't like the way he kept telling me I wasn't real. But then again, I felt a little sympathy for the stallion. It's probably not easy having another voice in your head. He was scared, just like me. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think you're crazy," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Coming from the voice in my head, that makes me feel so much better."

"Sarcasm?" I asked.

He didn't reply.

My eyes tore away from the mirror, and we were soon moving again. We left the bathroom and returned to what appeared to be a bedroom. Just the like the bathroom, it was spacious and was lavishly decorated with luxuries. The room looked odd yet magnificent. The pillars that stretched from floor to ceiling gave the appearance of crystal shards erupting out of the ground, and the floor, walls, and ceiling glimmered in the light. Call it hunch, but something told me I wasn't in a normal home.

Sitting in front of a vanity was another horse. This one had a pink coat, which I found strange, and a mane that was a mix of different shades of pink and purple. If I had to guess, this horse was a "she" not because she was the color pink but because I highly doubt a stallion would sit in front of a mirror to curl his eyelashes. Piquing out of her colorful mane was a horn perched at the top of her forehead, much like Shining Armor's. Finally, to top it off, a pair of wings rested at her side.

I may not be remember who I was, but I was pretty sure normal horses didn't look like Shining Armor or this mare. Of course, I could be wrong, and maybe horses always looked like these two. I wasn't sure how much I forgot. I would have to think about that later.

The mare turned around so I got a good look at her. "Morning," she said.

Shining Armor walked up to her, and the closer we got to her, the more nervous I became as I grew increasingly aware of what they were going to do. I could only watch in horror as his face, or should I say "our" face, closed the distance between ours and hers.

Our lips touched.

Time seemed to slow so that I can feel the full impact of the intimate action of the two. I couldn't do anything but watch and let every detail imprint itself into my mind so that it would forever be engrained no matter how hard I try to forget.

Though truthfully, it was not as bad as I made it seem, but the awkwardness that lingered would always be shared between me and Shining Armor, if he acknowledged me any time soon that is. Our lips parted, and just like that it was over. If I had a face, it would surely be burning fiercely by now.

"Morning, Cadance," Shining Armor said as he nuzzled the side of her face, unaware of my own feelings. "Ready for your first day as Crystal Princess?"

She giggled as his nose found a ticklish spot. "I can get used to being called that."

"Well, get used to it because these ponies will be calling you that for a long time." He stroked the back of her neck. She nickered at his touch.

Ponies? I thought to myself. I wouldn't have pegged them to be ponies. Though, I wasn't sure if I've ever seen an actual pony until now.

I soon found myself in a grandiose hallway as the lovely couple trotted toward who knows where. Every now and then we would pass by ponies clad in armor. Unlike Shining Armor and Cadance's, their fur coats shimmered in the light for some reason, much like everything else I've seen in this place. All the ponies I saw would either have a horn, a pair of wings, or sometimes neither. The only unique pony I've seen was Cadance, who sported both features of a horn and wings.

At first, I wondered why security was so tight, but then Shining Armor's words rang in my mind—"Crystal Princess." The pretty pink pony walking next to Shining Armor was a princess, as in she was royalty. So, the stubborn stallion who refused to believe my presence was her lover or perhaps her fiancé.

I began to connect the dots.

I wasn't in just any pony's body. I was in a prince's body. It all made sense now. The magnificent rooms, the guards, Cadance, or should I say Princess Cadance—I was in some sort of kingdom of talking ponies. I guess that explains the fancy interior decorating. With a memory sporting a gaping hole big enough to drive a train through, I had to assume this was the norm. But where did I fit into all this? I filed that question for later whenever I get the chance to ask Shining Armor.

When the conversation between Shining Armor and Cadance lulled into a content silence. I cleared my nonexistent throat to get Shining's attention.

He flinched slightly but hid it well enough from Cadance. He kept walking as if nothing happened.

I cleared my throat louder.

I could feel him clench his teeth and tense up. I was pretty sure he could hear me.

But just to make sure, I cleared my throat even louder to the point where I sounded like I was going to hack up a lung.

"Ahem!"

"What?" he whispered, straining to keep himself from shouting.

"I thought you weren't going to listen to me?" I asked.

His frustration came out as a soft growl.

"Did you say something?" Cadance asked.

He shook his head and forced a smile. "Nope, just my stomach."

She giggled, and I could feel Shining Armor let out a sigh of relief.

Although we started off on the wrong hoof, maybe it was time to start over. Brushing away our bumpy beginning, I took this time to break the ice between me and Shining.

"Well, she seems nice. How long have you been together?" I asked.

He grunted to himself, but it was more directed at me.

"So, are you a prince?"

He didn't say anything, choosing to ignore my questions and my attempts at small talk. This wasn't going as well as I had hoped.

By now we had reached a set of doors where two guards stood. With a bow, they opened the grand doors for Shining and Cadance. A dining hall greeted us, as well as the heavenly scent of a prepared morning meal. We took our seats as servants brought out dishes topped with mouth-watering goods. The smell reached my senses and had me wrapped under its spell.

"Wow, this looks great," I said. As if to agree with me, Shining's stomach growled.

"Looks like someone's really hungry," Cadance said.

"Yeah... Hungry," he muttered.

The smile on Cadance's face faltered. "Is something wrong, dear?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

He stuffed his mouth as he dug into his breakfast. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Despite the delicious food that tantalized my taste buds, I couldn't help but feel like a third wheel. I felt awkward and out of place.

It was apparent that Shining Armor wasn't too keen on the idea of having me around. But I couldn't do anything on my own. I needed his help.

"Shining, we have to do something about this. You can't just ignore me and hope this problem will solve itself."

He kept chewing his meal, continuing to ignore my words.

"Shining!" I pleaded. "Please, I need your help, and you're the only one I can talk to."

If I were to be trapped in someone else's body forever, it would be a nightmare. The feeling of helplessness and the futility of my words only worsened the sinking feeling in my nonexistent gut. My only chance of getting help was choosing to ignore me in my time of desperation.

This awful feeling worsened. I couldn't cry even If I wanted to. This wasn't my body. I was only an unwanted spectator in this stallion's body.

Though to my surprise, I can still make the sounds of crying. Even without a mouth to control, I could hear the sobs that can only come from myself. Even without a leg to move or a mouth to speak, I still had my emotions which were mine and mine alone.

He stopped eating and set down his fork.

"Hey, Cadance. I have to go now."

She looked up from her meal. "Really? This soon?"

"Yeah, sorry I have to leave you so soon. I just remembered I have something to take care of. It's nothing serious."

"Oh, okay..."

He planted a kiss on her cheek, seeming to brighten up her mood.

"We'll talk more later. And then you can tell me all about how your day went, alright?"

She kissed him, except this time on the lips. The feeling of her lips on "mine" was not any less awkward than the first time.

"Alright, Shining. I'll see you later."

"Love you, dear," he said before making his way to the door.

Once we were some distance away from the door and away from any pony, he spoke. "Hey, um…" he said awkwardly. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but are you alright?"

My sobbing slowly came to a stop. "No, I'm not alright. I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here or what happened to me. And I can't even remember my name!"

Being reminded of my problems brought me to tears again, if I had any that is. Shining Armor brought his hooves to his ears as soon as the pang of sadness hit. I didn't think I was that loud, but then again, I was in his head. I couldn't help it. Realizing his hooves had no effect, he put them down.

"There there?" It came out more as a question than an attempt to calm someone, as if he was unsure what to say. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Everything is going to be fine."

"D-does that mean you believe I'm real?" I asked.

"Um..."

I started crying again.

"No, don't start crying! I mean, I think there's a slight possibility that you might be real."

"R-really?" I had my doubts on the truthfulness of his words.

"Yes?"

"That wasn't an answer..." I said.

He sighed. "Yes. I think there's the slight chance that you may be real. Maybe! You still haven't completely convinced me."

Well, that was better than not believing at all. It beats being ignored.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked. Where we were supposed to go from here? Who were we supposed to turn to for help?

"Well, I have to go and get some work done," he said as he trotted down the hall.

"Shouldn't we be finding a cure or something to fix our problem?"

He frowned. "I am not going to let this little 'problem' keep me from doing my job. I'll deal with it later."

I sighed as I was unwillingly dragged along with him.

"Fine." And speaking of being an unwilling observer of his everyday life, I might as well lay down some ground rules. "Hey, Shining. The next time you decide to be lovey-dovey with Cadance, can you give me a warning? It's hard enough sharing the same body without all… that."

His gait came to a grinding halt before continuing again, though his cheeks felt a tad warmer than usual. "Uh, sorry about that."

"It's okay. Though, this is going to take some getting used to."

"Listen, voice in my head…"

"Wouldn't it be easier to call me by something else?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Like what?"

I took a moment to think. "I don't know. Something that's easy to say."

"Would you rather be called Voice?"

"That… doesn't sound like a good name," I said.

"What do you want to be called?"

"Well, something nicer than that."

He tapped his chin with a hoof. "How about Melody?" he suggested.

"Why Melody?"

"It was the first thing that came to my mind. Unless you would rather be called something else…"

"No," I said. "I like it."

He resumed his trot. "Melody, listen. I don't know who you are. I don't care how, but I need you out of my head. So as soon as I'm finished with work, I'm going to start working on that."

I said nothing for quite some time. "Maybe I'm your conscious," I mused.

"You are not my conscious," he said.

"But there's always the possibility."

He groaned under his breath, the first of many to come.

I think we could work this out. If not, then well, we have a long way ahead of us.