"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not here I come!"

Apple bloom ran from tree to tree, in the forest. Her friends had always had a bad habbir of going from hiding spot to hiding spot, so she had to find new ways of catching them. Giggling could be heard from behind a bush and from the sound of things, it sounded like it was Scootaloo. Apple bloom put her hoof up to her chin and got an idea.

"Well…I guess Scootaloo isn't here!" Apple bloom started to shout but then spoke softer before going into a whisper. "I guess I will be going now….ok…I'm gone."

Scootaloo giggled and the tried sneaking out of the bush but not before getting tackled by Apple bloom.

"Gotcha."

"Hey no fair!" Scootaloo said with a giggle.

"All is fair in love and Hide & Seek war. you want to help me find Sweetie Belle."

"Hehe. Sure

The two fillies searched high and low, but for some reason Sweetie Belle was nowhere to be found. She was not in the bushes nor were she behind a rock. She wasn't even in the caves.

"Dagnabit where is she?" Apple bloom cursed.

"I don't know, do you think something happened to her?"

all of the sudden, Apple bloom and Scootaloo herd giggling. they looked up to find Sweetie Belle laughing while laying up in a tree.

"Sweetie Belle!" the two of them shouted.

"How did you get up their?" Apple bloom asked.

"I climbed." Sweetie Belle said.

Sweetie Belle leapt downward from branch to branch until she finally landed on the ground. "I guess this means I win." The three fillies started laughing that was until…

SPLASH

"What was that?" Apple bloom asked.

"I don't know. it sounds like something fell into the brook."

"Think we should go check it out?"

"It wouldn't hurt. Maybe someone needs our help. Cutie Mark Crusaders away!"

The Crusaders headed towards the brook to find a pony laying on top of the stream.

"Look over there!" Apple Bloom shouted.

The Crusaders ran to get a closer look. The pony had a purple mane and an orange coat. She also appeared to be wearing some kind of white coat.

"Who is she?" Sweetie Belle asked.

The pony let out a groan before opening up her eyes. "What…What happened?"

She looked up to see the three fillies staring back at her with their large puppy dog eyes.

"AHH!" she screamed before backing up.

"Hi there." Apple Bloom said

"Who-Who are you guys?"

"I'm Apple Bloom."

"I'm Scootaloo."

"and I'm Sweetie Belle."

"AND WE ARE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!"

"Nuh…The Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"What's your name?" Apple Bloom asked.

"uh…Absentia, my Name is Absentia."

"Cool name!" Scootaloo said.

"So what are you young fillies doing?"

"We just got done playing hide and seek. I was about to suggest we play red rover . Do you want to play with us?"

"I really need to go," Absentia's hooves started to shake and she felt herself collapse.

"Are you alright?" Apple Bloom asked

"I'm fine. I'm just exhausted that's all."

Apple Bloom put her hoof up to her chin then she came up with an idea.

'Cutie Mark Crusaders huddle!"

the fillies huddled and whispered amongst themselves

"Should we take her to the clubhouse?"

"Well I mean she looks like she's in trouble and I'd hate to see her lying face down in a brook all day. It's not like it's a secret."

"Yeah but you know what applejack says about talking to strangers."

"Yeah but she also says that we are supposed to help people."

"True."

"True."

"So It's settled then?"

"It's settled."

"Cutie mark crusaders break."

Apple Bloom proceeded to dash toward Absentia.

"So after a brief meeting. We have decided. Do you want to come rest in our clubhouse?"

Absentia was a bit hesitant. "um I don't know. I don't want to put anyone out."

"You're not putting us out. It's what we do."

the three fillies proceeded to get beside Absentia's legs to keep her balanced. Any time she would start to give, they would help her out.

"So where are you from?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I-I don't know." Absentia said.

"You don't know?"

"I-I can't remember anything, my past, my friends, nothing."

"Maybe we can help you out."

"We are here."

Once the group managed to get to the clubhouse, Absentia's eyes glazed over as visions of a house entered into her mind. Scootaloo took notice.

"Are you alright? She asked

"Huh?" Absentia asked as she shook her head.

"You looked like you were in a trance ."

"Sorry, something about this house seems familiar that's all."

Once they got inside, Absentia noted how nice the place looked. It felt simple, but it also felt incredibly innocent. It felt warm and touching.

"Feel free to collapse on the couch."

Absentia did just that groaning in pleasure as the fabric made content with her coat.

"This feels wonderful…thank you."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle started giggling. "You act as though you've never laid on a couch before.

Absentia chuckled. "I haven't."

That was enough to stop the feelings in their tracks.

"Oh."

Apple Bloom got a blanket and tossed it over Absentia's body. "There you go. you should be snug as a bug in rug now.
Tears started to form in Absentia's eyes.

"Did I do something wrong? Please don't cry."

"No, you did nothing wrong, it's just…I can't remember the last time someone has been so nice to me."

"We're the crusaders it's what we do."

Apple bloom finished covering Absentia before she realized something.

"Hey You're a blank flank!"

Absentia was confused. "A what?"

"You don't have a Cutie Mark. Mind if I show the others?"

"Uh I guess?"

"Hey guys look! Absentia's a blank flank!

"What? no way!"

The fillies oohed and ahhed at the realization that Absentia was a blank flank.

" I didn't think that it was possible for a full grown to be a blank flank."

"How have you gone this long without getting a cutie mark?"

"Well…the strange thing is, I know I had a cutie mark at one time. See the shadow?"

"Hey your right. it looks like you had a cutie mark at one time but it's gone."

Apple Bloom looked at the shadowy mark and then looked at her own.

"Hey it has a shadow that looks kind of mine."

All of a sudden there was a knock at the door. "Apple Bloom!" it sounded like Applejack.

The door knob turned, Applejack came in with a basket of apples.

"I thought you girls might be hungry so I thought I'd get you some…"

her jaw dropped when she met eyes with Absentia.

"Uhh…Apple Bloom, who is your friend."

Apple Bloom started to stutter.

"Well we found her face down in the brook and it didn't feel right just leaving her there. You always did tell me that an Apple always helps her fellow ponies."

Applejack casted her eyes sideways "Your right." She then looked at Absentia. "Name's Applejack. So what's your story?"

Absentia shied away. "Um, I don't think you would believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Absentia took the next fifteen minutes explaining her story. The Crusaders were baffled and even AppleJack looked as though she were steadily trying to grasp everything.

"So let me get this straight. You don't know who you are, you can't remember everything about your past and a mysterious pony gave you a magic book so you can jump through a portal and that's how you ended up here."

"You probably think I'm nuts." Absentia said feeling defeated.

"No, oddly enough, this isn't the craziest thing I've come across. Can I see the book?"

Absentia pulled the Necronomicon from her coat and tossed it to AppleJack.

"Ooh Creepy." Sweetie Belle whispered with a bit of a shudder.

"Have you seen anything like it?" Absentia asked.

"No, but truth be told I'm a Apple harvester, magic books aren't exactly my strong suite. that said I do know someone who does. You said a mysterious cloaked pony gave you this book?"

"Yeah she tossed it to me while she was protecting…Sweetie…Belle."

Everypony took a step back.

"Say that again?"

"One of the ponies that I escaped the factory with said her name was Sweetie Belle.

"But…I'm Sweetie Belle."

AppleJack squinted her eyes. "Scootaloo, do you notice something familiar about Absentia?"

Scootaloo took a closer look "Hey wait a minute. She looks kind of like me. How did I not notice that?"

"hmm, similar look, knows a pony named Sweetie Belle and happens to have a cutie mark silloutee that is similar to that of a crusader mark. I may not be the smartest pony on the farm, but something tells me that's can't be a coincidence. Come on, Maybe Twilight could help shed some light on this."

Absentia got up from the couch while the three fillies happily skipped along following AppleJack.

"Hey maybe we can find out where you come from." Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah maybe." Absentia said. Right now things seemed more confusing.

"Who am I?"