//------------------------------// // Chapter XLIX: Journey // Story: Memoir of Misery // by Silvak //------------------------------// "What am I?" "Nopony knows, we have never seen one such as yourself. At first, we suspected that the conditions we have lived under have just resulted in you being born abnormally, but... after you demonstrated your magic that day, we may think that you're something else." "What... what do you mean?" "The Beasts have ravaged this world for far too long, have torn the ground up until there is nothing but wastelands, always on the hunt for any signs of life that is not their own. We believe that you were born, out of the sorrow of this world's pain, as a means to fight back against the Beasts. You exist to free this world, and those that still survive from their scourge." "Can... do you really think I can do this?" "Sapphire, your command over water is far greater than you know, far greater than what we might know. You are still young, but if you are like other unicorns, your power will grow as your body does. But until you are ready, we must train you in the arts of war, for having the power to fight means nothing if you do not know how to use it." "Why is it that every time that we have flying lessons, I always feel a... terror when I’m near the clouds?" "It's from your mother's blood, a fear that ran in the blood of all pegasi. But this fear is a recent thing, for it wasn't long ago that the pegasi used to roam the skies with no fears. In fact, the clouds were our playthings to the point that we made cities out of them." "...What changed, Uncle Rift?" "The Beasts are what changed things. Upon the day they emerged, they wreaked havoc on all life. Ponies, diamond dogs, griffons, minotaurs, dragons... all were not spared from their hate for life. However, each sought to end us in their own way. As you saw with Mayhem, it chooses the right moment to strike where it would put all of us into disarray. It seems that they are driven to do things in a specific way unique to each other. And when Despair emerged, it found the best way to spread despair among all of ponykind, by burning our cities in the sky to the point that the skies rained with our blood. It was then that Despair had instilled the fear of clouds in us all, for it is in the clouds that Despair awaits for us, ready to rend us asunder. "That's a surprise." "What's a surprise, Aunt Steel?" "That you took a hit like that and came out of it with just a few bruises. Any pegasi or unicorn of your age wouldn't be moving around at all for at least a few days. That must mean... heh... no way." "What? What does it mean?" "It means that you have earth pony magic running in your veins. Just what are you? I mean, the pegasi call you a horned pegasus, but the unicorns call you a winged unicorn. What, we earth ponies have to call you an earth pony with extra parts?" "...Really?" "That sounded better in my head." "The Journey of Arulas?" "Yes, it is the origin of all of us that have come to this... world." "Wait, you mean that ponykind came from another world?" "Yes, though it's not much of a story compared to the Travels of the Four Sisters. As you know, Arulas and her sisters always had a wanderlust that consumed them that had lead to them exploring the world, where they gained followers that had the same wanderlust as they did. But one day, all of the beings that lived with Arulas's group felt a strange surge, yet none of them could figure out what caused it. However, when the surge passed, they felt their bodies becoming heavier, with each step taking more energy than the last. Only a few mere hours passed before all of them, even the mightiest minotaur or dragon, had grown tired for the day, and hence stopped to rest. But, when the sun finally set, Arulas and her clan learned what the surge had done to them, why their bodies felt so heavy. For instead of one moon rising in the sky, two moons arose instead, which finally alerted to where they were. They realized that they were on another world, and that led to much shock and horror for the clan. But, as many things do, their turmoil came to an end, and they made a decision. They decided to split apart and either find the means to return home, or a place that they can call home. Ultimately, no signs of sapient life were found, leading to Arulas's clan being the one to settle in this world, and hence all life descended from that clan. That, Sapphire, was the Journey of Arulas." "Mayhem, the one that slew your parents, it is a force to be reckoned with. While the other beasts are powerful and dangerous, Mayhem is on a level far above the others." "Just how dangerous is Mayhem?" "Let's just say that you need to fight some of the lesser Beasts before you could even have enough experience to stand a chance against Mayhem. Mayhem's power was so great, that only six other Beasts were as much as a threat as Mayhem was. This is why we have to continue your training, despite how much you mastered your magic so far. We need to explore every avenue of possibilities that your magic could give you, for you will need each edge you can obtain if you wish to survive the battle with Mayhem, much less slay it in battle. Though, when the day arrives for you to finally face the monster or any of its lesser kin, know that we will be at your side, no matter how bleak the battle may look. The Beasts had taken enough from this world, and if you're the answer to their end, we will support you all the way." "Sapphire!" "Gah! What is it‽" Sapphire cried out as she found herself with Cadance's holding onto her shoulders with her forehooves as Celestia and Luna were standing right behind her, looking at Sapphire with concern evident on their faces. "What is it? Sapphire, you have been standing there with your eyes glazed over. I was shaking you for ten minutes straight, yelling your name as Luna tried to get you out of it!" Cadance snapped back as she let go of Sapphire's shoulders. "I was?" Sapphire asked in a dumbfounded tone, as she looked around the area, seeing that she was still in the ruins of the memory where they were fighting Mayhem. "Yes, you were, though I suspected that your trance was due to in part of you regaining part of your memories after the defeat of Mayhem. Am I correct?” Luna stated as she stepped forward. Blinking at first, Sapphire looked up at the sky, seeing the two moons floating above them as she recalled all she had remembered. “Yeah... I think I got a large portion of my memories back. Some of them are incomplete, but a few of them do hold answers.” “Does that include the explanation to this?” Celestia asked as she lifted a foreleg to point a hoof at the two moons. After staring at the moons for a moment, Sapphire took in a deep breath before saying, “Okay... I think of I have an explanation for that, but it may be a bit shocking to hear...” before she told them about the Journey of Arulas, or at least what she knew of it. “Intriguing, yet that explains why the other three clans never found a trace of Arulas’s clan, for it had been simply transported to another world. Though, it does bring up the question of how they got to this new world, as well as where they were before they were transported. We can’t have more ponies disappear if this was something that either still persists every day or occurs again after a set period of time has passed," Celestia stated before rubbing her chin in thought. "However, your appearance in Equestria is actually the reuniting of two groups of ponies that may have never met in thousands of years. Not only that, but the differences that could exist between you and us could be far more than we have observed in the first place." "What do you mean sister?" Luna asked as she tilted her head at Celestia. "We don't know the nature of the magic in Sapphire's world, so while the magic Sapphire displayed so far is similar to our own, there is bound to be some differences as well. It may even be linked to why Sapphire has water manipulation as her special talent," Celestia explained before turning her attention to Sapphire. "So, is there anything else you can tell us about your memories?" "Well, beyond a few things that told me about my past, I remember a good portion of my lessons from Runic, Rift, and Steel. Enough that I can actually fight for myself in a serious manner instead of... how I fought earlier..." Sapphire answered, only for Cadance to frown in turn. Spotting Cadance's frown, Sapphire asked, "Cadance, is something the matter?" "Yes, there is something wrong. From what I heard, you were raised to fight after you lost your parents as a filly. While I can't say if that was the right or the wrong thing to do, considering that I don't know all the details of your world at that time, I do think that such lessons would have sculpted your personality to be rather war-like. Thus, I'm worried what these memories could do to your current personality," Cadance explained, causing Sapphire to rear her head back in surprise at Cadance's statement. Turning her attention towards Celestia, Sapphire asked, "Is she right about that? Do you think I'm a different pony than I was before?" Smirking, Celestia shook her head, placing a hoof on Sapphire's shoulder as she said, "You are a different pony, but not in the way you're thinking. You may have gotten the will to fight, but it appears to be that you're still the pony you are right now." Celestia then frowned as she looked at the two moons in thought, before saying, "But Cadance is right, your coming to this world might have given you a new outlook on the world that isn't warmongering or survivalist in nature. But, only time will tell, especially when you recover the rest of your memories. Though I do have a suggestion for you if you don't want to change, despite whatever your memories may throw at you. Just remember the times you had in Ponyville, and the friends you have made there. Also, keep in mind the love that your family and those you knew from your original world have for you. I'm certain that they would want you to be happy in the end." "On the mention of Sapphire's family and clan, there is one pressing matter we must attend to," Luna stated, bringing all the other alicorns' attention upon her. "What is it, Auntie Luna?" Cadance asked in curiosity, as Celestia's frown harden on her face. "All these talk of these Beasts, we must accept one fact. There is a great evil in existence, one that we can't simply ignore now. We don't know how many of them exist, but if Sapphire could come to our world, then it may be possible for the Beasts to find their way here as well. Henceforth, we must discover Sapphire's means of coming to our world, all the while preparing Equestria for the chance of an attack from these Beasts. Not only that, but I doubt the mental projection of Mayhem was a true showing of its power. This may be a memory, but not everything was whole, such as the sky, which could have masked its true power," Luna explained, causing Celestia to sigh. However, she stopped in the middle of her sigh as Sapphire stepped forward, saying, "As much as I rather avoid those beasts, you are right Luna. We need to know more about them, because... I have a feeling that we haven't seen the end of them yet."