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// Vivat Nocte 
// Story: Memories 
// by HuskSummers 
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Thank you all for the support! I have enjoyed seeing all of you reading it, and the favorites. This chapter is a little longer than the last couple, but that was necessary to fit all the information I wanted to add. Once again, please give me some constructive criticism, anything is helpful.

Twilight and I looked at each other for a couple of minutes as the others remained silent around us. I could tell we were both trying to think of a way to fix things. At the same time we were both trying to see what was going through the other’s mind. Well, we both must be psychic, or we must have some sort of connection to each other, because at exactly the same moment the same idea popped into our minds.

“I need an alias.” “You need an alias!” We said in unison. Both of us immediately lowered our heads to hide the redness of our cheeks. Everypony else in the room looked slightly shocked at how we had both come to the conclusion simultaneously, well except for Pinkie that is.

“Aliens? Why does he need aliens? We don’t even know if aliens exist Twilight!” Pinkie’s confused voice said. With that the entire room turned to look at her dumbfounded. Then everypony, Fluttershy and I included, started to laugh. She was one baffling pony, and in perfect demonstration of this, Pinkie, being herself, joined along in the laughter, even though I suspected she didn’t know why we were laughing. I probably wasn’t giving her enough credit, but it was the way it seemed to me. Once the laughter died down I decided to correct her. 

“Not aliens Pinkie..an alias. It means an alternate identity. Basically it means I need to be a completely different pony.” Twilight opened her mouth right as I began as if she was going to speak, but she closed it immediately. She frowned as I explained, but didn’t say a word. I felt as if I had offended her in some manner. I really didn’t want to make her mad at that moment, because I would need her help if I was to pull off a successful alias.  “I need to change my name, and with it my cutie mark…if that’s possible.” I looked to Twilight to see her reaction. If anypony knew a way, it would be her.

“Well, changing your name is easy, but changing your cutie mark will require powerful magic. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it.” She explained to me in a tone that told me she had already forgiven whatever offense I had committed. I understood if she didn’t want to try. It was, of course, her decision. I wasn’t going to push her into it if she didn’t want to do it. 

“Well, you don’t have to do this. I am capable of simply changing my name. That might just be enough.” I told her. It could very well be enough, but we wouldn’t know until we attempted a trial. Twilight was analyzing me for almost the hundredth time that night. It was as if I had some secret that she could pry loose simply by staring at me. Slowly she shook her head.

“No, I’ll perform the magic. A simple name change won’t work. You need a completely new identity, and for that you need a new cutie mark. We’ll leave your coat blue and your mane black though. That way you don’t have to give up all of yourself.” She elaborated on the plan. Then she paused in thought for a moment. I smiled at this. It seemed she was always thinking of one thing or another. Her eyes seemed to light up, and she spoke, “I should be able to change your cutie mark easier than I originally thought!” This was good news, and she seemed so proud of having thought of this that I had to suppress a chuckle.

“Okay…I think we should start whenever you’re ready.” I told her, and she nodded. I then continued, “I’ll change my name to Pathfinder for reasons I can’t explain, because I don’t even know why this name came to mind.” It was a confusing experience, having things appear in your mind that you couldn’t explain, or tell why. The others all seemed to agree with the name, so we continued with the process of changing my cutie mark.

“Okay, I’m going to attempt to change your cutie mark now. It shouldn’t be very hard to do…” Twilight told me. Then she started to concentrate. Her horn started to glow purple, and then I felt an odd sensation run down my spine. Suddenly, her horn stopped glowing and she opened her eyes. “Did it work?” She asked tentatively. I looked at my flank, and right where the paw print had previously been was now a forked trail. I turned back to her and moved to show that she had succeeded. “I was trying to make your mark fit your name. I guess I was successful!” She remarked happily. 

However, she then became fairly serious. “Everypony…we have to remember not to call him Waya or Wolf while in public. Only call him that when you know nopony else is around. Pathfinder is his name now, so we have to remember to use it.” The others nodded at her, except for Pinkie, who had to comment.

“I liked Waya better! But Pathfinder is great too! I still like Pinkie Pie though, I don’t think I’d ever change my name!” She seemed to bounce around the room as she spoke. The excess amount of hyperactivity in her system was starting to leak out, and it was a sight to both behold and fear. I was worried she might explode from all the energy that seemed built up inside of her.

“Thank you Twilight. I really appreciate your use of your magic to help disguise me.” I bowed my head to her in thanks, and then I turned to address Pinkie. “And thank you Pinkie for your kind words.” I faced the others and thanked them as well, “Truly I must thank you all. I will be forever indebted to each of you, and I can only hope that one day I will be able to repay the favors shown to me today.”  It was easy for me to articulate my gratitude. I didn’t have to think of what to say. I simply spoke, and the words seemed to flow of their own accord. It was perplexing, but not unexpected, simply because almost everything I found out about myself surprised me, and I had been getting quite tired of surprises.

“Don’t say another word. You needn’t thank us, because we’re just doing what anypony would do, darling.” Rarity chimed from her spot next to Applejack. It was at that moment that I realized how tired they must all be. They had been watching over me for quite a while. What made me realize this was that Rainbow Dash had suddenly curled up on the floor and promptly fallen asleep. It was getting to be quite dark outside, and I felt bad for all of them. “You really should all get sleep. I know it’s not my place to say so, but I really don’t want all of you to lose sleep over my condition, or for my benefit.” I hoped they would agree, because what I had said was true. I did not want them to lose sleep simply for my sake. Twilight was the one to speak first.

“You’re right, it isn’t your place. But, you are right. I am very tired from the magic I performed today. Please don’t do anything rash tonight Waya. You should listen to what Fluttershy tells you.” Twilight spoke. After her, it was Applejack who spoke.

“You are right. Ah should be getting on back to Sweet Apple Acres to make sure Big Mac put Apple Bloom ta bed. “ Pinkie and Rarity both also said they must be getting home as well, and before they all left they shook Rainbow Dash awake. She drowsily flew out behind the others, grumbling a goodnight, unhappy at having been woken up. 

This left only Fluttershy and I, and she quietly said, “I-um-am going to bed. You need to-um-need to sleep. That will help with the healing.” She turned to the bunny that had been roaming about the house all day and called, “Bed time Angel.” The rabbit was a stubborn one though, and he refused to move.  I figured that Fluttershy would simply be more forceful with it, but instead she repeated her request. Once again the rabbit didn’t budge. This time, Fluttershy, without raising her voice, repeated her request, but as she did so, she stared it down. This seemed to do the trick, as Angel went off into the other room. Fluttershy smiled to me and then said, “Good night Waya.”

“Good night Fluttershy.” Before I was able to finish she was already out of the room. But she came back in just a few moments and laid a blanket at my hooves. “Thank you…” And once again she was gone. I decided to get comfortable beneath the blanket she provided me, and I let my head rest on the pillow that had been furnished for my head while my lights were out. I tried falling asleep for an hour or so before I gave up the endeavor. There were too many thoughts bouncing around in my head, and the moonlight streaming in through the window was much too enticing.
I sat up and limped my way over to the window.  Looking out at the moon calmed me. It was a beautiful night, completely clear, every star in the sky visible, and the moon took center stage. It wasn’t yet a full moon, but it looked to be close. It forced even more thoughts to appear in my mind, and this made me all the more restless. 

“I wish I knew who I was. It’s just not right for somepony to have to go through this.” I quietly bemoaned. I was talking to myself, but it didn’t seem all that odd, and I continued, “At least I have the others to help me. Then again, I could save them a lot of trouble by simply disappearing.” This thought was true, but I was having trouble with it. I felt as if I’d offend some amazing ponies if I just left, and I couldn’t do that. However, the temptation to go outside ultimately became too much for me, and I quietly opened the door and hobbled out. I was about to close the door when I heard something behind me. I turned to see Fluttershy standing in the middle of the room. I hadn’t even heard her walk in, so I really didn’t know what she may have heard.

“I knew you were going to leave…” That was all she said. Her tone spoke more than the words did.  I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt her. That was the last thing I’d ever want to do. I had only been going outside for some fresh air, and because the moon was too irresistible to simply view from inside. I noticed a tear starting to well up, and I realized that I had hurt her more than I originally thought. Whether it was her pride, her feelings, or something else I didn’t know. Finally I was able to force myself to speak.

“I wasn’t leaving…I promise you that. I just couldn’t sleep…there’s too much on my mind.” I tried my best to explain why I was going outside, but I felt as if all my explanations were falling short. She was still standing there, just looking at me. I decided to walk over to her, and after a few painful steps I reached her side.  Once there I lowered my head and said, “I’m sorry to have hurt you. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. I really wasn’t going to leave.” She just stood there and didn’t say a thing. I remained in my spot, but I lifted my head. Even though I was sorry that I’d hurt her, I had a pride that wouldn’t let me remain in a stance, such as the one I’d just been in, for very long. I couldn’t explain the reasons for this pride, but I had it, and I would have to fight hard if I was going to overcome it. By this point my thoughts sounded like a broken record to me, but I shook this thought and focused on Fluttershy as she spoke. 

“Then…why did you say we would be…um…better off if you disappeared?” She asked quietly. Her voice was that of a pony who didn’t believe what they were being told. It made me sad that she didn’t believe me. I guess it must have looked bad from her viewpoint. Especially since what I said out loud backed up her claim. I breathed deeply, trying to ignore the pain in my leg and head, and tried to find a way to explain.

“What I said was just one of a multitude of thoughts that have been wreaking havoc my brain since this whole thing started. I dismissed the idea as soon as I spoke it.” I told her this in the hopes she would cheer up. I really hadn’t been planning on leaving, even though there was a great temptation to do so. It would have been an easy thing to do, leaving without a trace. Then again, with my condition I likely wouldn’t have gotten very far before they found I was gone, especially since Fluttershy had been expecting it. The sound of Fluttershy’s voice shook me out of these thoughts.

“Okay…um…Why did you want to go outside?” She asked in what was clearly an innocent inquiry. I obviously owed her at least a full explanation. She deserved that much for all the care she had shown me. I wondered how she would respond to some of what was going through my mind.

“To tell the truth, the sky outside is stunningly clear tonight, and the moon has an irresistible draw to it. Do you want to see?” I hoped that by sharing a sight such as the moon, even though it is a common one, would be enough to get her to trust me. Her eyes widened at the prospect.

“Y-you mean outside at n-night?” She asked in a fearful tone.  I had to smile and nod my head at the response.

“That’s typically the only time during which you can see the moon and stars like this.” I said in a joking tone, still hoping to cheer her up. Then I added, “I promise that I won’t let anything sneak up on us.” She looked up at me and I could tell she was reluctant to go. So, I turned and started walking towards the door. If she wanted to join me she could, however, I wouldn’t force her.

Once outside I wandered only a short ways into the grass. Once I found a spot I liked, I gently let myself lay on the ground. I was very obviously treating my hurt leg with preference. This bothered me, and I tried to stop myself, as I saw it as a sign of weakness. If you don’t show others that you are hurt, they can’t exploit that weakness. This idea just kind of came to me in a string of rapid-fire thoughts, and I did my best to hold onto it, because it was one of the few things that pointed towards what I was like before today.

Being lost in my thoughts left me very unobservant. The only thing I really noticed was the moon, its beautiful glow that gave everything a soft light. This meant that I didn’t hear Fluttershy as she came up beside me. It could have also been that she seemed to have crawled most of the way from her cabin. I couldn’t tell if this was out of fear, or if it was because she was trying to sneak up on me, either way it worked in surprising me.

“Welcome to the night Fluttershy.” I said with a sly smile. She squeaked, it seemed like she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. I watched her for a second as she sat down on the ground. She was shivering, it had to be from her fear, because it was a beautifully warm night. “You know you don’t have to be out here with me. I just can’t sleep so I thought I’d let the moon calm me.” In the time since I had last spoken, she had built up the courage to speak.

“I…um…just don’t want you to disappear.” She told me. I chuckled a small bit and assured her I wouldn’t be leaving. I don’t think she believed me, because she replied, “I still want to make sure.” I nodded to show that I understood, and then I went back to looking at the moon. I wanted to remember so bad that it hurt. I realized that my mind just pitied itself, and I forced those thoughts to cease. Instead, I guided my thoughts another way. I forced myself to look at Fluttershy, and think about her. 

She was kind, soft spoken, very caring. I ticked them off as a sort of list. Knowing who a person is often is the only way to truly respect and care for them. I respected Fluttershy and her friends on such a level that I thought it only proper to know them inside and out. I went back to my thoughts about Fluttershy after that small little detour of thought. She was a Pegasus mare, and one that was quite good-looking at that. I was merely naming what she was in my head. After a while I realized that while I thought about her I had been watching her the whole time, and it must have made her very uncomfortable, because she hid her face after a short time.

“I’m sorry…I was just thinking. I didn’t mean to stare at you.” I told her in the hopes that she would stop hiding her face. She looked at me with puzzlement.  I didn’t understand why she was confused, so I asked, “What are you thinking?” Her eyes widened and she took a couple moments, but she eventually spoke. 

“It’s just that…um…usually most ponies point out my shyness negatively. You…um…just kind of…don’t mention it.” The way she said it I had to smile. It made me feel good that I was different.

“Well, I owe you a lot. You fixed me up, and possibly saved my life from what you said about the bleeding from my head. I owe my life to you and your friends.” I hoped that my explanation would suffice. After a few moments of sitting in silence I slowly stood up. “I think we should probably go inside now. You need sleep after taking care of me all day, and I should try my best to fall asleep after the day’s events.” She nodded her head and stood up as well. We walked into the cottage in silence, the whole way the rabbit, Angel, was watching me with what seemed to be suspicion. It was obvious he had been watching the whole time, sitting on a windowsill. Once inside I waited until Fluttershy and Angel were back in their room before lying down on the makeshift bed I had been provided with.

As I did so, I decided to think about the other ponies who had helped me. Applejack, the Earth pony, strong-willed, kind, a bit of an accent. She was strong, and seemed stubborn, and I had to note once again that she was quite good looking. I shook the thought from my head, as it wasn’t appropriate to the task I’d set, then I started to think about Twilight. She was smart, quick-witted, kind, sympathetic, understanding, and the thought crept into my mind again that she too was a very good looking pony. I couldn’t help myself but to think that, and I found it amusingly frustrating. This process of thinking about the others went on for a long period of time before my mind turned to Celestia.

Her name clicked in my mind somehow, but I couldn’t figure out why. That was when I heard a voice in my head, a snippet from a memory, or maybe just an imaginary one. Either way the words spoken were, “You must learn…It is the only way.” The voice reverberated inside me, filling my head with its words. After that I decided to stop thinking about Celestia, and instead turn my thoughts toward her sister, the great Princess Luna.

As soon as I did this, just like with Celestia's name, a memory flashed through my mind. Once again it was only a voice, actually a multitude of thousands of voices. They said two simple lines, spoken in unison and with a great deal of force. 

The last one that was spoken was, “Omnus Laudem Luna!”

However, it was the first saying, chanted repeatedly that stuck with me, sending chills down my back with its power. It was:

“Vivat Nocte!”

I'm going to leave you with one last message, "Nothing is always as it seems." Take that as you will :D