"I know it sounds crazy Twilight, but I saw what I saw."
"But Sapphire, there's nothing written in the book. Are you sure you weren't just tired or something?" Twilight asked. Shortly after seeing the mysterious message in her book, Sapphire rushed to the library with the book in tow. There, she found both Twilight and Pinkie just leaving it with some kind of umbrella hat on their heads. However, after showing the book to Twilight, Sapphire found out that the words had disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared. Twilight then gave her a skeptical look when Sapphire decided to tell her what happened.
"Aww... don't be so hard on her Twilight. Besides, she doesn't look tired!" Pinkie said with glee as she pushed her face onto Sapphire's, her pupils shifting as if she was inspecting Sapphire's eyes. "Nope! No signs of her being sleepy!"
"Pinkie, give her some space," Twilight ordered as she used her magic to pull Pinkie's tail, dragging her away from a confused Sapphire.
Blinking for a bit before shaking her head, Sapphire said, "Twilight, I know this sounds far-fetched, but I'm telling you that something was talking to me. I just don't start hearing voices out of the blue—" only for Pinkie to start laughing as she rolled around on the ground.
"She said out of the blue! Ha ha!" Pinkie cried as she came to a stop, only to pound at the ground with her forehooves.
Giving Pinkie a bland stare, Sapphire stated, "I'm never going to use that phrase again," before turning her attention back to Twilight. "Please Twilight, I need some help with this. I mean, ponies don't normally hear voices like that, right?"
Biting her lip for a bit, Twilight responded, "They normally don't, which is why I asked if you were tired. Normally, ponies that are starting to hear voices are normally thought to be going crazy, or eccentric at least. I don't think you would fall under either category, but I rather have you just hallucinating from being tired or from hunger than being committed to an asylum," concern evident in her voice.
Stopping from her laughter, Pinkie added in, “Oh, she may be right! You're one of the few ponies that eats almost as much as I do, so maybe you were just hungry! When was your last meal?" as she got back onto her hooves.
Frowning, Sapphire replied, "I ate just an hour ago, so I don't think hunger is the problem."
"Ah, but how much did you eat?"
"Three daisy sandwiches, a bowl of apples, and two glasses of milk," Sapphire answered, as Twilight muttered to herself about how crazy Sapphire's metabolism is. "So I'm pretty certain that I'm not suffering from hunger right now."
Sighing, Twilight said, "Then short of you having an allergic reaction or encountering something toxic, I take it you were hearing things after all. However, I really don't know much about the inner workings of the mind and psyche, so all I can do is suggest for you to visit the doctors. Though, since you meet with Princess Luna regularly at night, maybe she has some insight into this. Dreams are sometimes representations of our personal conflicts, so maybe she will have some ideas on what could be causing you to be hearing things. It could even be your memories returning in a different way."
Frowning, Sapphire let out a frustrated sigh as she replied, "I suppose you're right, I guess I'll bring it up with Princess Luna tonight to see if she can help. I rather avoid going to the hospital again after going there twice this year so far."
Seeing Sapphire's downcast expression, Pinkie declared, "Aww... don't be sad Sapphire, you need to turn that frown upside down! How about a cupcake to cheer you up?" as she brought out a plate filled with cupcakes out of nowhere.
"Pinkie, Sapphire just told us she ate an hour ago. I don't think she's in the mood for food right now," Twilight reprimanded in an exasperated tone.
"Are you sure Twilight? Because she looks like she's in the mood for it," Pinkie countered as she waved a free hoof at Sapphire, who was busy munching on a couple of cupcakes, only to pause as she saw that Twilight was gaping at her.
"...What?" Sapphire muttered out from her stuffed muzzle.
"I... but... you said you ate an hour ago! Don't tell me you're suddenly hungry now‽" Twilight shrieked, drawing the attention of a few ponies who were nearby.
Swallowing her meal, Sapphire answered, "No... but she offered me cupcakes, so why not eat them?" as Pinkie flashed Twilight a smile, proud of the fact that she stopped Sapphire from becoming depressed.
"I... but stomach... limits... illogical... you know what, I'm just going to call it a day. I already had enough... shenanigans to last a year," Twilight finally declared as she turned around to trot back into the library.
"Shenanigans?" Sapphire croaked out in confusion before looking at Pinkie for some answers.
Shrugging, Pinkie explained, "Oh, it was nothing. Silly old Twilight just didn't believe in my Pinkie sense. But after a run-in with a hydra, she no longer doubts it!"
"Okay, that make se—did you just said you had a run-in with a hydra‽"
"Hmm... what you told me is distressing to hear, I will admit," Luna said as she and Sapphire looked over a pile of glass shards in Sapphire's memory hall. After hearing Pinkie tell her the day's events, Sapphire returned to her home, tentatively continuing her studies that thankfully wasn't interrupted by a mysterious voice again. "Compound this with that nightmare you had earlier, this does not bode well."
"What do you mean Princess?" Sapphire asked as her ears folded against her head.
"What I mean is, that this may be a bout of madness instead of nightmare related to some suppressed memory," Luna idly answered, only to notice that Sapphire was starting to panic. "But that is just one possible conclusion! Fear not, for it is an unlikely one and there exists other possible explanations to what is occurring to you!"
"But... if it's not madness, than what do you think it could be?" Sapphire tentatively asked, gulping as she imagined herself being carted off to an asylum like Twilight said.
"Sapphire, while we are in the part of your mind where your memories are stored, bare in mind that we are still in a dream," Luna stated with a flat stare.
"Huh?" Sapphire uttered out in confusion, only for Luna to point a hoof at something behind her. Looking behind her, she caught the sight of herself in a straight jacket, a wild grin plastered on her face as she sat in a cart that was being pulled by an orderly. Snapping her attention back towards Luna, a blush clear on her face, Sapphire let out a laugh as she dashed her thoughts, thereby causing the dream image to disappear. "Heh heh... sorry about that Princess."
Rolling her eyes, Luna replied, "As to your question, there are several possibilities that could explain what you heard and saw. For instance, you could be under the influence of some spell cast upon you, or you could be afflicted with some magic from some lost artifact that you encountered in the past—" before noticing that she was once again starting to drive Sapphire into a panic, forcing her to backpedal, "—or maybe it's just your subconscious trying to reassert some part of you that you lost along with your memories."
"Reassert some part of me? What do you mean by that?" Sapphire said as she tilted her head as she tried to imagine what Luna meant before shaking her head. She had to make sure another dream image would not form, much to Luna's amusement.
"As some ponies would say, we are a product of both our parents and our experience. Nature versus nurture as some would say. However, since you lost your memories due to your amnesia, we only have the nature portion of your personality, which is now being molded by your new memories. It may be possible that the mare you once were and the mare you currently are now are different from one another. Different experiences could lead to different personalities as a result," Luna explained, causing Sapphire to stare at the floor in thought.
"So... if I recover my memories, I could become a different mare?" Sapphire finally croaked out, fear starting to grip at her.
"I can't say for certain, however it is unlikely to change you instantly. While there may be differences between you and the mare that you were, there are still similarities between the two due to your very nature. It may be possible that there are only minor differences. Whatever the case, when you recover your memories, you may end up with two slightly different outlooks at your memories, the perspective of an observer as well as one that experienced them. Ultimately, it is a matter of how much of an impact you choose your memories to have on yourself. For example, you could embrace them, allowing them to influence you greatly. Or you could simply abandon them, letting them become forgotten and meaningless to you. In the end, you would choose how your memories will affect you, as well as if you choose to be the mare you are now, the mare you once were, or a combination of the two."
"I see..." Sapphire responded as she looked at the shards scattered around them.
Nodding, Luna continued, "Regardless, we can't be certain if what you heard and saw will be a daily occurrence or was a one time thing. I would advise that you simply remain calm and proceed as normal. However, should this voice or images torment you once more, either inform Twilight so she can contact me or wait until our next meeting so we can address this matter. For now, I rather not take steps that would be unnecessary if this was a singular incident. Be cautious, if you are plagued by this problem again but in a continuous and intense manner, you should seek immediate medical attention."
"Understood princess," Sapphire responded, though uncertainty was still evident in her tone, which Luna chose to ignore instead of being angered by the mare's doubt.
"Now, shall we proceed with your recovery of your memories? It may be slim, but we may find an answer in them to your dilemma," Luna stated.
Nodding, Sapphire took up another shard with her magic before pouring it into the fragment. After a moment, the piece cleared, before she suddenly heard a voice screaming, "You think I'm going to give up that easily‽ Well, buck you!"
Blinking in shock, Sapphire turned her attention to Luna, who was also blinking in shock as well. "Did you hear what I just heard?" Sapphire asked.
"Yes... and oddly enough, that voice sounds like yours," Luna answered, before frowning in thought. "Odd that we see a facet of your past self in such a fashion after discussing the differences between personalities, though it may be due to your mind dwelling on that matter."
"Yeah... weird though," Sapphire said, as she watched the shard drift to an empty frame. "Though I hope that doesn't mean I was a short-tempered mare..."
Resting a hoof on Sapphire's withers, Luna replied, "Do not fret, young Sapphire. Remember, you are what you choose to be."
Giving Luna a short nod, Sapphire replied, "Thank you, Princess Luna. You're right, I shouldn't be too worried. I'm my own mare now. Not only that, maybe when I regain my memories, I'll become an even better mare than my past or present self."