//------------------------------//
// Episode 5 - Memories 
// Story: EQG: Sword Art Online - Ruby Palace 
// by Mindrop 
//------------------------------//

Episode 5 - Memories
Eighth day in the Month of Cypress (November 8) in the Year of the Hawk
Floor 1 - Horunka - 5 AM

Bladescape couldn’t stay asleep, if she even slept at all. The floor was comfortable enough, her mind just wouldn’t let her rest. She was exhausted, and despite two days with no sleep, under extreme stress, it eluded her.

It felt like she was forgetting something, or couldn’t remember something, but she couldn’t remember it enough to remember she forgot it. There had been no gaps in her memory that she could tell, either. It was most likely the stress of their situation causing her to feel on edge.

Eventually she got up and slipped out of the room, careful to not wake the others. It was right before dawn. She walked down the easterly street. It stopped at the edge of the safe zone and became a dirt path, a clear visual marker for the transition from safety to danger. Sunset stepped outside the safe zone a few feet so she could lean back against a tree and watch the sun rise. 

Aincrad had an external sun that rose from east to west every day. It was only visible for a short time as its rays slipped between the Floors, bathing their lands in its warm light. The rest of the day, the ceiling, which also was the bottom of the Floor above them, served as their light source, producing its own sun in the day, and a moon and stars at night. At least, that was what happened for the First Floor. Higher Floors might be different, depending on their theme. The First Floor lacked a direct theme, but Natora had mentioned that other beta testers had reported that some of the other Floors had unique themes. 

As the sun finally began to peek its way into the First Floor, Bladescape felt a presence join her. She didn’t flinch as she glanced to her right. A man was beside her. He looked a bit translucent at first. Sword Art Online had amazing resolution and detail, but it required the player to focus on that object or get closer to reveal its true detail. Otherwise, all that data would overload the system. The man lacked a cursor; be it green, blue, or red. That meant he wasn’t a player, NPC, or monster, yet he was still beside her. 

She turned her head a bit more to get a better look at him. He stood there, confidently looking at the same sun she was. He was wearing a dull grey kimono, with a lighter grey underlayer. The outer layer was clearly silk. It was thicker, typical of the winter kimonos rather than a summer one, which was fitting since it was November. He was wearing warm tabi socks, but they were paired with the informal geta. The wooden clogs were not usually worn by a higher status individual like his silk kimono suggested. His obi belt was simple, and through it was thrust both of his swords. 

Despite the fact that he looked to only be about 30, he was bald. It wasn’t a shaved bald, but a natural bald, although it was neat and clean with a shine from some oil. He also lacked a beard or mustache, with his face being more devoid of hair than his head was.

The way he stood commanded a presence similar to the one Mister Shinmi exuded and with more wisdom than what Masazumi’s presence expressed. It was refined, yet there were informalities that made it apparent that his status was one not just of social class, but also earned. His forlorn look had an odd strength to it. He was a man that was obviously comfortable in any situation he might find himself in. 

Bladescape went back to looking at the rising sun. That was why she was there. That and to escape the insanity of not being able to sleep. The calming sunrise was her admission of that defeat. 

She needed some form of calming rest in order to be able to function. Earth or Equestria, they didn’t have stats and numbers showing how frail they were. In Aincrad they could not avoid those stats. There was no doubt that the upcoming day would be fraught with real danger. They would fight for their lives in an attempt to get the upper hand in a world that was out to consume them. There was no guarantee that all eight of them would survive to watch the sun set and that was unacceptable to Sunset, but she had no idea how to fix that. She was devoid of a solution. The sun didn’t hold that guarantee, but she wanted it to. Or, at least to give her the answer on how they could survive against the hoard they faced.

The sun was fully visible, for a brief few minutes, when the man suddenly spoke. It was a calm, cool voice that reminded her of Mister Shinmi, but was still different. It was full of the wisdom of a man who had walked a road of a thousand miles a thousand times in his lifetime. “The sun is beautiful this morning. It is always beautiful. You look to it for strength, because the night gave you none. Why?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset calmly explained, still focused on the sun. “There is a lot going on, but nothing specifically was weighing on my mind. Nothing, yet everything. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. I wasn’t ready for a death game and neither were my friends.”

“Why not?” he asked. “You have faced great foes before, together, and won. Even you were one of their foes. Now they are scattered and scared, yet you look to the sun, forward into the drawing day, for the answer. You do not share the same fear they do.

“Doombunny is on the verge of hiding until it is all over. If she runs, you will never find her. Konpeito is scared and anxious and she can’t bake that anxiety away. She has lost her laughter because of it. Malus is so far out of her league, the one thing that was a constant in her life, the seasons, is not here. She fears it will always stay the same, seasonless. Her life revolves around the seasons, the planting and the harvest. That and dirt, but she can’t feel the dirt of Aincrad either. Diemond is the creative one and without an outlet, it is locked in her mind, driving her insane and causing her to lose focus. The dresses, designs, and other things on her mind usually calmly dance onto the page, relieving her from the burden of keeping it all in order. Knightstar fears that her friends that she recently made will abandon her. She feels like the outsider, the new person, even if that is not how she is viewed. If Doombunny quits, it will be true. Thunderborne still thinks this is a game. She is in denial about the severity of your situation, despite checking for the log out button every time she opens her menu. And your new friend, Natora, feels swallowed up, like a little kitten, not the roaring tiger she felt in the beta. She doubts she can regain what she was, yet she also knows that even if she does, there was a ceiling to what she could do in this world. That ceiling can be raised, but she lacks the hope to do so.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Bladescape asked, narrowing her eyes at him. What he said was exactly how she would have described her friend’s current situation. “I know all of that. It is part of what is weighing on my mind. Who are you?”

“Yes, you do know all of that,” He calmly stated. “You know a lot. A lot about the way of the warrior, about the sword, about battle, about honor, about life.”

Bladescape sighed. “Yes, I do. The way of the sword is…” Bladescape trailed off. She couldn’t remember. “Or did. I can’t recall it.”

“Why not?”

“Why not‽” Bladescape exclaimed, frustrated at his question. “Why not‽ Why...not…?” Bladescape crossed her arms and snarled. “I have to make sure each of them stays together. They are very close to going their separate ways. Still friends, but if we fall apart...if we fall apart as a group, I don’t think we can get free. This is a fight for survival. Yeah, I would love to conquer the game and be the one to free everyone.” Bladescape snorted. “If we can’t survive to the point that we can live in SAO, conquering the game doesn’t matter. I’m so scattered inside my own head, that I can’t remember the lessons I was learning. How am I supposed to keep us together if I can’t remember?”

“With this,” he said, reaching into his left sleeve. He pulled out a brown book and extended it to her. The cover had a shield with her Cutie Mark on the face, and two swords crossed behind it; one a European knight sword, the other a katana.

“What is this?” Bladescape asked, as she hesitantly took it. It was just as translucent as he was.

“Our memories, the ones that were locked away in the shock of their new reality.”

“Our?” Bladescape asked as the book turned fully opaque.

He gave a single nod back. “I am you, or rather, the perfect image of a warrior in your mind. I know what you are thinking, so to answer it, I don’t know how I exist. I doubt it will be for much longer. All I know is that you needed your memories unlocked, so here I am.”

“So, if you are my perfect image of a warrior, can I...become you? Instead of, uh, me. I’m not very imposing.” 
He laughed jollily. “I am you. You can’t take my form, but you do have me inside you, for I am your memories. You can become a great warrior and you can become an even greater warrior than me, than what you think is possible.”

Bladescape sighed. “Okay. Then I have a question for my memories. What do I do next?”

“You read them, like a book,” he said. “It is indexed for quick reference.”

“I mean, about my friends,” Bladescape said with a frown. “Yes, I have the book to read, but I don’t have time to do more than thumb through it. If you are my memories, and I am having problems remembering things, I should use you to get the information I need. A simple memory recall, except I am talking aloud to myself. How do I make sure that we don’t break apart?”

“You may not be able to remember, but just giving you the answer will not help you retain your memories.”

“Training,” Bladescape nodded. “Like muscle memory.”

“Exactly,” He nodded. “Tell me, what does an army need?”

“Soldiers,” Bladescape said, knowing that it was too simple of an answer. 

“What about them?”

“Well, soldiers are in units. They have equipment, depending on the unit.”

“What about the units? For simplicity’s sake, focus on the ancient Japanese order of battle, rather than any and all time periods.”

“There is cavalry, and foot soldiers, and archers,” Bladescape said. “Against another clan, Japanese units employed battle banners, carrying the symbols of their clan so that they didn’t attack their own allies. Typically, archers were the first units used in battle. What happened next depending on terrain, the soldiers the enemy employed, and where your cavalry was.”

Bladescape let out a smile. “My friends are the units. Each has their specialty. That also means we need a banner to rally to.”

He became translucent. “Good. The more you remember, the less I am needed. Besides, you have the book, and it is getting rather late. Your friends, no doubt, are awake.”

"I'm surprised I haven't even heard them calling out my name. Especially Konpeito."

"One last thing," he said. "It is what really is plaguing you. The information you can't recall."

"Please," Bladescape said, letting out a tired sigh. "Give me some peace. That reprieve. Let me know the information."

"I don't think it will give you peace," he advised. "But, you need to know it, because after all, you are a leader. A leader can't stand not knowing what to do, even if that means you turn to another for the answer, it still falls on the leader to point the way. 

"What you need to remember is that you don't have the option to fail. If you fail, you will bring them down with you. You are the cornerstone, the keystone, the lynchpin. You can't be the weakest one. You have to ensure that they have something to anchor to. Even if that means sacrificing some personal aspects, you must put them first, not yourself."

"Why did I become the leader again?" Bladescape asked. "And how?"

"We became the leader because as everything fell apart, you made a choice. When Kayaba made his declaration, you put your friends first as you got them to move and assemble. You gave them a plan. Not all leaders ask for the role. Some are just born to carry that mantle. You have experience that the others don't have. 

"Besides, we don't like to lose. No one tells us when to quit. We fight until there is nothing left to fight. We go until the job is done. That job is currently in that inn."

Bladescape glanced back into the village. She could see the inn from where she was. When she turned back, she was alone. Bladescape sighed and looked at the book in her hands. She opened it. The first few pages were the listed contents. It was more than just random memories. Lessons were listed, every Iaido form she had seen had the move written down, even conversations were recorded by date, topic and people involved; but so were books. Whole pages she would never remember, but had read, were there to be once again perused. She knew the subconscious was powerful and could store a lot more than the active memories, but this was remarkable how much it stored. 

The book also should have been thicker than it was and when she wanted to read a page, she automatically flipped to the page she wanted. It was the center of the book, allowing her to move forward and back from that point with ease. Bladescape didn’t know how books in SAO worked, but it didn’t matter. This was not really a book, since they were her memories. It was no different than thinking back on them in her head, except that she got to hold them in her hand as she recalled them.

But it also was risky. The conversations held personal notes. As she skimmed through the day of the Iaido competition, it had her private thoughts about Masazumi clearly written on the page. Those she didn’t want anyone to read. 

Bladescape stopped to read a lesson from earlier that day. It was one of her first leadership lessons from Mister Shinmi at the tournament. 


"Those words of wisdom are not just applicable to warriors. They are very applicable to someone who chooses a life of service. Once you decide what light you will shine and how you will shine it, you will have to commit to carrying that light. Every day you must wake up and reaffirm that commitment, so that no matter what happens, you follow through. Not for just the day, but every day after it as well."

"I see your point," Sunset admitted. 

"I doubt you will be able to shine a light in the darkness without being out front. You don’t seem like the kind of person to sit back and follow others either. Whatever your path, you will be out front, and probably gain a following, increasing the light and warmth you spread. It is not easy being a leader. It requires you to put others before yourself. You might be the one out front, but in order to ensure that they follow you, and you all complete the goal you all want, you must put aside your own needs and desires. Selfless duty requires you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs and do whatever it takes to protect the world. 

“A real leader doesn’t force others to follow them, but inspires them to follow and to complete the same goal. A samurai defending his home could order the soldiers under him to march out across the open ground, exposed to arrows and bullets, and they would do it, but they would be afraid. Even if the samurai was leading them from the very front, they would not fight well because of that fear. But a samurai who inspires the soldiers under him, will find himself at the head of a heroic charge, fighting beside brave men, men who can break the enemy’s line and win the battle, because they may be afraid, but they are able to see the greater purpose. There is a time and place for direct orders, but if you are consistently inspiring those under you and around you, they won’t see them as harshly, and they will listen and follow your orders well, because they know that you are not forcing them to do it unless you have to."


Bladescape knew what she had to do; give them a banner to rally to, and then inspire them to stay together and survive. She put the book in her menu, noticing that it didn’t go into her inventory as an object, but created a new category with a name as ghostly as the book and her warrior self had been, and walked back to the inn, making note that Horunka was getting more crowded with players along the way. She opened the door to the inn and saw her friends around a table, eating breakfast.

“BLADESCAPE!” Konpeito yelled, jumping up and waving at her. 

Bladescape couldn’t resist a smile as she walked over to them. 

“Good to see you,” Natora said. “We were worried. You were not in the room when we woke up. When we found you, Malus said we should just let you think. Doom said you have been sleeping even worse than she has and backed her suggestion.”

Bladescape gave a slow nod of approval. “That’s right, I haven’t been sleeping. I’ve had stuff weighing on my mind, or rather, eluding me.” Bladescape leaned on the table. “You did the right thing, not disturbing me. This morning, I had a breakthrough of sorts.”

“What did you have in mind?” Malus asked. 

“Bear with me, I have an analogy to use,” Bladescape explained. “An army deploys under one banner, but it’s composed of different units. The archers support the swordsmen, the swordsmen need the spearmen to block the cavalry. The cavalry needs the swords and spears to engage the enemy lines so they can flank and break it. The archers need the others for protection. The one thing they all have in common, is the banner that they fall under. One army, separate units, yet one goal and one result.”

Bladescape took a deep breath in and looked at Natora. “Natora, as you know, the seven of us all go to the same school. I’m sure you know plenty about our school from Thunderborne, but in case you didn’t know, CHS has a mascot. Japanese students don’t have the same connection to their school as we do. At Canterlot High, every student, regardless of their status with any sports program, is a Wondercolt. If we are going to survive, we need all of us to be under the same banner. I've almost called all eight of us Wondercolts multiple times the past two days.

“I’m extending the offer to you, Natora, to become a Wondercolt. It is about more than a name or team colors. It’s about Friendship and Honor. Loyalty, Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, and Empathy. Those create a powerful magic of Friendship which nothing can rival.”

Natora’s lips parsed into a sly grin. “I am honored to become a Wondercolt. I accept that code, and pledge to you all that I will be the most loyal friend I can be; one who speaks with honesty yet kindness; one who is both empathetic and generous; one who will at least laugh with you, if I can’t make you laugh; all so that I can manifest myself with the magic of friendship you all have. A special bond I have seen over the past two days multiple times.”

“Then that brings me to the second matter,” Bladescape said. She let a sly grin come over her face as she looked at Diemond. “Diemond, that means we will need a war banner to rally to. Until we can create guilds, we will need to rely on our parties and more importantly on our colors. Every player in Aincrad needs to know who we are with by how we look. And even after we form our guild, we will need uniforms, banners, and other identifiers. I think you know what colors they are.”

“Blue and yellow,” Diemond grinned. “Well, probably more of a navy and gold. The softer tones of the blue and yellow were not my choosing and while they work for school colors, we need something bolder for Aincrad. But, darling, I can’t do any sewing yet, or any other crafting.”

“Then we get you to level six,” Bladescape stated. “All of us to level six. Together, we can survive and more than that, we can live. No! We can thrive. But we have to stay together, as Wondercolts. And the fact of the matter is that we will have a better life when our levels are higher. More skill slots means more things we can do and most importantly, it means more health.”

Sunset, Bladescape, made sure she locked eyes with each of her friends as she continued. “We take this one day at a time. One battle order at a time. Half a day if we need to. An hour if that is what it requires, but we stick together. We are stronger, safer, and better together, because we have the magic of friendship. For today, we need to move on. There are more people in Horunka and they will be hunting for that flower. We won’t get good XP staying here.”

“Medai is north of here,” Natora suggested. “We can head there. It doesn’t have much to offer, but it will make for a good next step. The enemies are forest goblins, armed with either a spear or a short sword. Their defense is high, but their attacks are slow. Since they are humanoid and carry a weapon, they can use some Sword Skills, but their crude weapons won’t hit us too hard. They are level six, but if we stick together, we can safely win each encounter. All of you can. Levels are not the most important thing in SAO. You have to know how to use what you have and the goblins can barely do anything except die. So, to keep with the theme, no matter if you are a cavalry unit, sword unit, spear unit, archery unit, or even a scout unit, you can all not only hold your own, but you have your place on the battlefield and in the Wondercolts!”

"I'm not so sure about this," Doombunny squeaked. “I just want to go back to the Town of Beginnings and wait this out. Surely someone will be able to save us?”

Bladescape turned to try and encourage her friend but Natora spoke first.

"Doom, an army's scouts are the most important unit. They won't always be the best fighters, but without them, the rest of the army is blind. We saw your skill yesterday. You have it in you to fight, to own your name. You don't have to believe in it right now, but you do have to believe in us, that we can see what you can’t see, and trust us. We won't lead you astray."

Doombunny looked around the table at her friends. Each one gave her some form of some supportive gesture. "Okay. I'll stay. I'll do what I can."

"Let’s move,” Bladescape ordered. “Same parties.”

"Hold on a moment," Natora insisted. "First off, you are sleep deprived. I know we can’t fix that, but we can ensure you go into this day with a full belly. I have no problem following you as my daimyo. After all, you have a plan and I don’t. You have given me a hope that I have not had since the tutorial. But you need to have a good head on your shoulders and that starts with food. Second, I'll take Doom and Malus today, and you can have Konpeito and Diemond. We all will need to know how to work with each other and although switching things up can come with some risk, I think we will be fine. 

"Plus, I think today I can help Doom out better than you can. She responds well to Malus as her tank. That is why we will switch. Now while you eat, the rest of us will go get what supplies we can and all grab coats like you did. That should be enough time for you to eat."

"Alright," Bladescape nodded. "That is a good reason to switch and food is a wise idea."

"I'll stay with her," Diemond said. "I already got a coat yesterday. Ugly thing, but functional."

Bladescape ordered porridge as the others left.

"Ugly and functional, but you will soon be making better pieces,” Bladescape said to Diemond to encourage her.

"I'm not sure how soon," Diemond admitted. "I'm going crazy not designing, but I'm not sure if my next skill should be a crafting one."

"Oh?" Bladescape asked.

"I'm practically a tank," Diemond explained. "You will see today. Knightstar is certainly a shield user, but you know how stubborn I can be. That and making crystals IRL...well we have had enough adventures for me to become familiar with using them as a shield. I'm not as strong or sure footed as AJ, I mean Malus, but Natora keeps saying I will make a good tank if I want to be."

"And do you want that?" Bladescape asked as a bowl of porridge was placed in front of her. Her friend was obviously turning to her for advice. 

"I think that we could use it," Diemond said. She sighed. "If I am going to fight, I need to be the best for us. I don't think one tank for eight of us is enough. We are a bit light on the numbers. We could use another shield or two. I don't think anyone, not even Doombunny, should switch. Natora is right, we have a diverse group, which will help us succeed, but that also means we will benefit more from a second tank over a second shield user."

"I think your assessment is correct," Bladescape said in between spoonfuls.

"Which means I need an armor skill," Diemond added. "My third skill needs to be that."

"Let's worry about that when we get to level six,” Bladescape advised. “For now, prepare to craft. We will get you your creative outlet as quickly as possible."

"I already have a dozen ideas," Diemond mused. 

"Oh!" Bladescape said. "I thought of something last night, while lying there. Could you take the furs we have been laying out on the floor and make them into something like a sleeping bag, maybe with some padding?"

"I'll think on it, but I bet something can be done," Diemond nodded, lost in planning. 

They had a long way to go, but Bladescape realized they were out of the first phase. They were not reacting to the news anymore, defending their right to exist. Bladescape had the answer to their questions. She had a plan. They were now on the attack, making a move that would teach them to live in this world. 

And as their leader, that meant she couldn't fail. Sunset Shimmer had to be put away. Bladescape’s personal goals had to be put aside too. She had to become the Wondercolt for them to imitate. So, she would, because Sunset Shimmer, or Bladescape, didn't lose. 



 
BLADESCAPE: Level 4 — One-Handed Sword — Searching 
NATORA: Level 4 —  One-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations 
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 4 — One-Handed Sword — Shield 
MALUS: Level 4 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield 
THUNDERBORNE: Level 4 — One-Handed Sword — Sprint 
KONPEITO: Level 4 — One-Handed Axe — Cooking
DIEMOND: Level 4 — Mace — Shield  
DOOMBUNNY: Level 4 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide