//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - A Distant Memory // Story: Paw and Ring // by Teotle //------------------------------// Twilight, Celestia, and Luna looked at Scarlet with absolute silence for a long time. They had just heard that Shadowflame was being brutally tortured by royal guards after being found in the bedroom that Luna made for him. This was all a lot to take in. Luna then asked, "interrogated, by our own guards? Why wasn't I told of this?" Celestia then responded by saying, "I had no idea of this. When I found him in this room, I had only told the guards to question him. But to think that the ponies we trusted to help protect our subjects would do something so horrid is an atrocity." Luna looked at Celestia, tears flowing down her cheeks, asked with a stern tone, "Which of the guards did it to him?" "Sister..." Celestia said, trying to calm Luna down. "It has been a thousand years since then, the ones who did this will already be..." "WHO!!!"Luna shouted, only realizing, now, that Celestia was crying tears of her own. Luna then went to her sister, wrapped her front hooves around her, and held on tight. She held on for a long time, as if letting go would cause Celestia to be the next pony she'd lose. "Luna, I'm so sorry." Celestia said, continuing to sob If I had known all of this would happen, I'd never have said no to you being a mother." Luna then let go of her sister, whipped the tears off both of their cheeks, and said, "I'm sorry too." Twilight then looked at Scarlet, who was somewhat touched by the moment, wiping her eyes. Just as Scarlet opened her eyes again, she took off her backpack, which she had brought with her, on the way out of the castle. She rummaged through the front pocket and pulled out the Arc. Twilight was surprised at this and asked, "Scarlet, how'd you get that?" "I asked him to tag along." Scarlet replied. "Thought his skills would come in handy." "Would you like to explain?" Luna asked, looking away from her sister. "The Arc deconstructed Teotle and Sombra at the Science fare, remember?" Asked Scarlet. "Yes, why?" Celestia wondered. Scarlet then explained, "Well, from what Teotle had said after the fight, Sombra described him as the last good part of Shadowflame's soul. If that were true, then Teotle has to have some lingering memories from Shadowflame's sub-conscious." "Scarlet is correct in assuming this." The Arc added. "I had found many memories that Teotle still has no idea about. If you wanted me to, I could make a projection grid on top of the map in your throne room, allowing you to watch as the memories unfold as holograms." "How'd that work?" Twilight asked. The Arc then explained, "If I tap into the Map of Equestria, downloading all the relevant memories of Shadowflame's past, the map will then show us the certain place and the time of the event. The memory will then occur on the map." "How can we become involved in this 'process' you so speak of?" Luna was hesitant about the process and possible dangers, and followed her first question: "Are there also any drawbacks from this experience?" The Arc was prepared for questions, and answered with confidence. "The process is executed through neurological connection, and under normal circumstances, there is an extremely slim chance that complications occur. If they do occur, it's important to keep in mind that they are simply projections, like a dream, and nothing more." Twilight, given her personality, was worried that something would go wrong. "Though what if the dreams turn into nightmares???" "Don't forget, Twilight, Shadowflame is the key character in this projection. If the dreams do become corrupt enough to cause danger, Shadowflame himself could be reborn within this projection. If you cannot keep in mind that he is not real, he will feed off of that fear like vultures picking at a carcass, and recreate himself." Everypony was confident that, despite possible consequence, it was best for everyone to know what memories The Arc stored of Shadowflame. They all agreed to leave the quaint room, and search for more answers. Though the initial shock of what they found would never fade from their memory.