//------------------------------// // 4. Losing precious memories // Story: The Elements of Disharmony: A Queen's Revenge // by Italibaso //------------------------------// Gallus finally felt like he had the strength to move his body again. As he tried to get up, he noticed a light blue blanket laying over his body. The ground below him felt very soft when he used his claws to raise himself. The blue griffin looked down and soon realized that he was laying on a giant bed. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, removed the blanket from his body and slowly got out of bed. "Where am I?" Gallus asked himself before he curiously checked his surroundings. The walls around him were painted in a way that made it look as if he was high up in the sky. In front of him was a wooden desk with books, blue feather quills and many pieces of paper. "What is this place?" Gallus asked himself again. Suddenly Gallus heard the door of the room bursting open from behind him. He immediately turned around and saw a purple pony with wings and a horn standing at the open door. She had an angry look on her face and slowly walked towards him. "Here you are," Twilight said to him sternly, ''We need to talk.'' "Okay," Gallus said to her with a confused look, "Maybe you could start by telling me who you are." ''Don't try to play dumb with me, Gallus!'' Twilight said. She levitated a dark blue griffin feather in front of him with her magic. ''A feather?'' Gallus said with a clueless look. ''I found it in my office close to the chest containing the magical artifacts,'' Twilight explained, ''And I know that you're the only griffin with feathers like this, so don't deny it!'' ''What are you talking about?'' Gallus asked, slightly intimidated by the alicorn's attitude. Twilight groaned in frustration, ''No more jokes, Gallus! Tell me what happened to the artifacts or else I will-'' ''Twilight!'' Twilight heard a familiar voice calling from behind her. The purple alicorn looked back to where she heard the voice and saw Spike standing at the open door. ''What is it, Spike?'' Twilight asked quickly, noticing Spike's urgent looking face. ''Princess Celestia is here,'' Spike said, ''She needs to see you and your friends for an emergency.'' Twilight looked back at Gallus, ''Stay here. We'll talk about this later.'' She said sternly before she walked out of the room along with Spike. Gallus watched how they left the room before Twilight used her purple magic to close the door behind her. ''What in griffin's name is going on here?'' Gallus asked himself. He was about to head over to the door and exit the room, but stopped as soon as he heard something knocking on the very same door. ''Gallus?'' He heard a voice saying from behind the door, ''Is everything okay in there?'' ''Is that supposed to be my name?'' Gallus asked himself quietly. He heard another knock coming from the door, this time sounding a lot louder compared to the last knock. ''Hello?!" He heard another voice saying from behind the door, only this time slightly louder, ''Are you in there?!'' Gallus got lost in thought for a bit and tried to make sense of the situaiton, but a third knock on the door quickly snapped him back into reality. ''Uh, come in!'' Gallus said quickly. The door slowly opened to reveal five different creatures on the other side. ''Did you not hear us knocking on the door, Gallus?'' Smolder asked in a slightly irritated manner. ''Why does everyone keep calling me that?'' Gallus asked confusedly. ''Uh, because that's your name.'' Smolder answered him in a slightly confused tone. ''It is?'' Gallus asked again, still sounding very confused. ''Gallus,'' Sandbar asked, sounding a bit concerend, ''Is everything okay?'' Yona giggled playfully, ''It okay. Gallus probably just teasing us again.'' ''No, I'm not,'' Gallus said, sounding slightly irritated, ''Now can any of you please explain to me what I'm doing here?'' ''You really don't remember who we are, Gallus?'' Ocellus asked, reacting surprised at Gallus's reaction. ''I...'' Gallus said as I tried to his best to remember. Suddenly he felt a slight migraine in his head. He flinched a little and placed his claw on the side of his head. ''What's wrong?'' Sandbar asked. ''Gallus having a headache?'' Yona asked concernedly. ''It's nothing,'' Gallus answered as he felt his migraine slowly go away, ''I'm fine.'' ''Gallus,'' Silverstream asked, ''You really don't remember who I am?'' Gallus shook his head, ''I'm sorry. I really don't.'' ''But.....why not?'' Silverstream asked again with a slightly sad tone in her voice. ''Okay, Gallus, '' Smolder said unamused, ''You can drop the act now. This isn't funny." ''I don't think it's an act, Smolder,'' Sandbar said, ''Something tells me he really doesn't remember anything.'' ''But that makes no sense,'' Smolder said to his friends, ''Everything was fine with him yesterday.'' ''Then this has to be a case of amnesia.'' Ocellus explained. ''That certainly would explain alot.'' Gallus commented. ''Fair enough,'' Smolder said to Ocellus, ''But how did he even get amnesia?'' ''I don't know, it could be anything.'' Ocellus answered. ''Maybe he just hit his head really hard last night.'' Silverstream explained, ''I remember back in Seaquestria when a seapony got amnesia after he accidently smacked his head really hard against a rock under water.'' ''That does seem like the best explanation so far.'' Ocellus said. ''Gallus, I want you to answer me honestly,'' Smolder said to him, ''Do you remember anything that happened to you last night?'' ''You can ask me that kind of question as many times as you like,'' Gallus said in the same irritated manner as before, ''But my answer is always going to be no.'' ''Okay. Then I believe you,'' Smolder said, ''For now.'' ''So, what yona and friends do now?'' Yona asked. ''We have to get to Twilight,'' Sandbar suggested, ''She'll know what to do.'' Gallus widened his eyes in surprise a little bit as soon as he heard that name. His mind quickly thought back to a few minutes ago as he began to remember that name being said by the small green dragon from before. He slowly began to think about the words that Twilight said to him earlier. ''What is it, Gallus?'' Silverstream asked when she noticed Gallus's suprised face. ''....It's nothing.'' Gallus said, trying his best not to sound suspicious, ''Let's just get to whoever this Twilight is.'' ''Then let's go.'' Smolder said before she and his friends exited the living quarter. Gallus stayed behind for a few seconds and looked around the room one more time before following the five creatures. ‘’We’re here, Princess Celestia!’’ Twilight said as she and the rest of her friends ran over to the tall alicorn, who was waiting for them at the front door of the school with a stoic look on her face. Spike and Starlight watched the six ponies stopping in front of them. ‘’What’s the emergency, your highness?!’’ Rarity asked. ‘’I need you to come with me to the Tree of Harmony at once.’’ Celestia answered,  ‘’Why? Did something bad happen?’’ Fluttershy asked worriedly. ‘’I’ll explain on the way,’’ Celestia quickly answered, ‘’We have to go.’’ ‘’Why can’t you tell us about-’’ ‘’I said that I will explain on the way,’’ Celestia said, interrupting Rainbow Dash’s sentence in a slightly irritated manner, ‘’Now, follow me.’’ As Twilight watched Princess Celestia walk out of the front door of the school, she suddenly remembered her conversation with Gallus. ‘’Wait, Celestia! There’s something I-’’ ‘’What did I just say, Twilight?!’’ Celestia asked strictly after she turned her head towards Twilight, ‘’There’s no time for this right now. Let’s go.’’ Twilight looked slightly shocked after hearing Celestia’s strict tone in her voice. She watched the white alicorn walk out of the school before looking back at her friends, who all looked at each other with the same shocked look on their faces. ‘’Whatever the situation is, it must be really serious.’’ Spike said to Twilight and her friends. ‘’Then we better go, and fast.’’ Twilight said before she quickly followed Celestia out of the school. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash all stayed close behind Twilight and exited the school as well. ‘’Don’t worry, we’ll look after the school!’’ Starlight said as she and Spike watched Twilight and her friends following Celestia to the Everfree Forest. She closed the door after they were almost out of their sight. Suddenly Discord teleported behind Spike and Starlight, much to their surprise. ‘’Oh o. Looks like you’re gonna need some substitutes.’’ Discord said with a confident smile. ''Counselor pony!'' Starlight, Spike and Discord looked over to where the voice came from and saw Yona and her friends walking over to them. ''Yona?'' Starlight said, looking surprised as the small yak and her friends approached her, ''What's wrong?'' ''Have you seen Headmare Twilight?'' Sandbar asked. ''She and her friends just left with Celestia for some emergency.'' Starlight explained. ''What kind of emergency?'' Smolder asked. ''She didn't say,'' Spike answered, ''But from the way she acted, it must be something very important.'' ''Hold on,'' Ocellus said, ''But if they're gone, who's going to be teaching our classes?'' ''Why none other than me, of course.'' Discord said before he snapped his fingers to dress himself like a teacher, complete with glasses and a necktie. ''You're kidding, right?'' Smolder said to Discord while looking unamused. ''Now now, I know what you're thinking,'' Discord said, ''But I promise you, that's all in the past now.'' ''It better be,'' Smolder said, ''Because your chaos is the last thing we need right now.'' ''Who is that misshapen creature?'' Gallus asked Smolder. ''Excuse me?'' Discord said to Gallus with an annoyed look, ''You're not seriously telling me you've already forgotten who I am, are you?'' ''That's not it, Discord,'' Sandbar said quickly, ''You see, Gallus has amnesia.'' ''Amnesia?'' Starlight said in surprise, ''What happened? ''We're not sure,'' Ocellus answered, ''But we think he might have hit his head against something really hard last night.'' Discord sighed in relief, "You almost had me convinced that it would actually be possible for someone to forget who I am. And in such a short time, no less.'' Starlight rolled her eyes at Discord, "I remember Twilight telling me that she once used some kind of memory spell on her friends, back when Discord turned their elements against them.'' ''Aaahh,'' Discord said, sounding a little daydreamy, ''Those were the days.'' ''Don't you mean YOUR days?'' Spike remarked to Discord in a sarcastic manner. ''Anyway,'' Starlight said, sounding a little annoyed, ''That spell showed her friends memories of their past. I'm sure Twilight can use that same spell on Gallus once she gets back.'' ''Why can't you do it?'' Sandbar suggested. ''Because it just so happens to be one of the few spells that I don't quite know how to perform,'' Starlight answered, ''Although, there might be a book somewhere in Twilight's library that can help.'' ''That would be great,'' Gallus said, ''Cause the more I try to understand any of this, the more my head hurts.'' ''I'll do whatever I can, Gallus,'' Starlight said reassuringly, ''In the meantime, just stay with the others.'' ''But what about the finals, Starlight?'' Ocellus said. ''Those will have to wait until Twilight gets back.'' Starlight explained. Ocellus sighed in disappointment, ''Okay then.'' ''Hey, look on the bright side,'' Silverstream said, ''At least that gives us more time to prepare for the finals, right?'' "Well said, Silverstream,'' Starlight said with a smile on her face, ''Now if you'll excuse me, I got a spell to master.'' She opened the front entrance of the school with her magic and walked out before closing the door behind her. ''I guess that's going to make me a temporary guidance counselor for awhile, huh?'' Spike said while rubbing the back of his head. ''Good luck, everycreature,'' Discord said before he snapped his fingers, which caused multiple copies of himself to appear right next to him, all of them dressed in the same teacher outfit. Gallus looked flabbergasted, ''How does he do that?'' ''That's Discord for ya,'' Sandbar said, ''He can do pretty much anything with one snap of his fingers.'' ''Even bring back my memories?'' Gallus asked Discord curiously. ''Well, I uh....'' Discord said nervously as his own copies all stared at him in anticipation. ''Oh, I see,'' Spike said with a smug grin on his face, ''Looks like even the lord of chaos has his limits.'' The real Discord gave Spike an annoyed look, ''Only if you want to get incredibly specific.'' He said defensively. Spike chuckled, ''Easy, Discord. I'm sure Starlight will figure it out on her own anyway.'' Discord rolled his eyes, ''Whatever, we got classes to teach.'' He snapped his fingers and made himself along with his copies disappear in a flash of light. Spike smiled and looked back at Gallus and the others, ''I better go to Starlight's office. Good luck preparing for the finals.'' He flew off and dissapeared into the left hallway. ''I hope Starlight finds that spell for me fast.'' Gallus said. ''Don't worry, Gallus,'' Silverstream said to him as she placed her arm over his shoulders, ''In the meantime, we can go to the library. We can tell you everything we know about you there.'' ''Wow.....Thanks,'' Gallus said in a uncertain tone, ''Why are you so nice to me?'' ''Because you're our best friend, of course.'' Silverstream said happily before giving Gallus a hug. ''Friend?'' Gallus said, sounding a little surprised, ''I have friends?'' ''Gallus not just have any friends,'' Yona said before she joined in on their hug, ''Gallus have best friends in Equestria.'' ''I couldn't have said it better myself.'' Sandbar said before he, Smolder and Ocellus all joined in on the group hug. For some reason, Gallus almost felt like he was about to shed a tear as all of his friends were hugging him. He could have sworn that he felt something like this before. A few seconds later they all stopped hugging each other and headed to the school library. It didn't take long for Gallus and the others to reach the empty library. They walked to their friendship table and took a seat on the floor cushions. Once the six creatures all sat at the table, they each started explaining everything to Gallus about their adventures and time they spend together at the School of Friendship. From the time when they first met and all the way to when they stopped the evil filly pegasus named Cozy Glow from taking over the school. ''Wow,'' Gallus said with his eyes widened, ''That sure is a lot to take in all at once. And did you say something about learning a friendship lesson from a tree?'' ''It's uh, kind of a long story.'' Smolder said with a light blush on her face. ''Okay,'' Gallus said while raising his eyebrow in confusion, ''If you say so.'' ''Maybe I can find you a book about Equestria's history,'' Ocellus suggested, ''That could help refresh your mind a little. You know, just in case Starlight might not master her spell in time before the finals.'' ''Sure. As long as the book is not too thick,'' Gallus said, ''I may have amnesia, but I still know that I'm not a big fan of reading. '' ''Don't worry, we'll start with something small and simple,'' Ocellus said with a smile, ''I'm sure I can find something for you in the back.'' She then headed the northwest part of the library. Ocellus reached the history section of the library and began searching for the right book. While looking through the shelf she noticed a blue light glowing down to her right. Ocellus looked down and saw that the light came from the hatch on the floor that led to the school's catacombs. ''Help me,'' Ocellus heard a familiar monotone voice talking from the hatch, ''I don't have much time. Get your friends and come to me.'' She eventually recognized the voice and widened her eyes in shock. ''What's taking her so long?'' Smolder asked as she turned her head over to the section where Ocellus went. ''Guys!'' Smolder heard Ocellus saying in an urgent manner. The blue changeling appeared from behind the shelf and flew towards her. ''Ocellus?'' Smolder said with a surprised look, ''What's the matter?'' ''The Tree of Harmony is in danger! It needs our help!'' Ocellus said quickly. ''What?!'' All of Ocellus's friends said at the same time. ''What happened?!'' Gallus asked. ''We don't have much time! Come on!'' Ocellus said before she immediately headed back to the history section. Her friends all quickly stood up from the table and followed Ocellus to the hatch. Smolder was the first to reach the glowing hatch and opened it with her claws. The others all went into the catacombs one by one as Smolder held the hatch open for them. She then entered the hatch herself before closing it behind her. Once inside the catacombs, the six creatures checked their surroundings and noticed that the crystal roots looked slightly different from how they remembered. While some of them had still remained the same, most of them seemed to have a much darker glow to them compared to the rest. ''Good. You have arrived.'' A slighty demonic voice said. Suddenly some of the dark roots of the tree grew over the hatch, blocking their way out. Gallus and his friends all quickly looked in front of them and saw that the Tree of Harmony had taken the form of their headmare once again. Except his time her body wasn't just sparkling in white, but in black as well. ''Wait a minute,'' Gallus said while looking suprised, ''Aren't you....'' ''There's not much time left,'' The sparkling alicorn said before Gallus could continue to talk, ''I need your help.'' ''Uh, why tree sound so scary now?'' Yona asked the Tree of Harmony in a slightly frightened voice. ''An unknown and powerful dark magic has somehow found it's way into my roots.'' The Tree of Harmony answered as the pupils in her eyes kept flickering from purple to black. ''Dark magic?!'' Sandbar asked, sounding very concerned. ''What kind of dark magic?!'' Ocellus asked. ''This magic is beyond my knowledge, but somehow feels familiar,'' The Tree of Harmony explained calmly, ''If this situation is not dealt with as soon as possible, then I sense grave danger will spread itself all over Equestria.'' The six creatures all gasped in horror. ''What are we going to do, Tree of Harmony?!'' Silverstream asked the Tree of Harmony with great concern. ''You all must complete another test,'' The Tree of Harmony began to explain, ''Once you do, the magic inside you will spread across my roots. Only then may the dark magic perish for good.'' ''You got it!'' Sandbar said with a confident smile. ''We won't let you down!'' Silverstream said determinedly. ''Yona ready!'' Yona added. ''But I must warn you,'' the Tree of Harmony said, ''These tests will not be as easy as the ones before. You're gonna have to face your deepest and darkest fears.'' Ocellus gulped and looked a bit unsure after the Tree of Harmony finished her last sentence. ''Bring it on then!'' Smolder said confidently, ''I'm not afraid of anything!'' ''Good luck.'' The Tree of Harmony said calmly before a black aura started glowing around her horn. A dark aura started glowing around the bodies of the six creatures as they got ready for whatever test they were about to face. One by one they all disappeared into nothingness thanks to the slightly dark magic.