//------------------------------// // 5: Schemes and Chances // Story: Reliving Memories // by Brilorodion //------------------------------// Spheres of liquid rose one after another from the otherwise calm surface of the pond. Although there were almost no ripples, the water didn't reflect the surroundings or even the blue sky. Instead, it was crystal clear, and allowed various minerals in the ground to reflect the light. Together with the light refraction of the water, it caused the small lake to shine in a vast array of colors under the summer sun. It reminded him of something which is why he liked the place so much. The light gray unicorn focused on raising the droplets of clear water which cost him a great part of his concentration. He had never been good with spells like levitation or teleportation. Once they reached the desired height, the rest was easy for him, although most unicorns weren't able to cast such spells at all. He didn't make the water take the desired shape with force from outside; he made it form the shape on its own. Although water as a substance clearly wasn't alive, he liked to think of it as convincing it to follow his wishes. With the hard part done, he relaxed and just thought of the shape he wanted to create. It was even easier for him to focus on the image while she was sitting right next to him. Her presence always calmed his thoughts. Now that he was in the middle of creating a three-dimensional portrayal of the white mare on his side, he was still getting a bit nervous. Recognizing this immediately, she leaned over and nudged his shoulder to encourage him, though careful enough to not be distracting. Feeling reassured, he continued casting his magic. The result was supposed to be a surprise; therefore, his marefriend was looking curious at what he was creating. While he finished his spell and worked on some details, he risked a glance at her face, wondering if she might like it. The white mare was looking at her portrayal, her eyes wide and her jaw slightly agape. Shaking her head to regain her dignity, she said: “It's... it's beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it! But...” “Is there something wrong? Don't you like it? Tell me, I can fix it,” he said, discouraged, his ears dropping. She looked at him, smiling. “Don't worry, dear. It is wonderful. It's just that... I don't feel like that when looking into a mirror. What you created is far more beautiful than I am.” “I didn't create it using some picture of you; it is exactly what I see when I look at you. It is the picture of you in my mind when you aren't around, and it is what I see now,” he said, which caused her to blush and bury her face in his dark mane sheepishly. “Although I think your flank might have grown juuust a bit,” he added with a cheeky smile. “My fl– oh you!” She used her hoof to splash him with some water. Taken by surprise, he let go of the magic holding the portrayal up in the air. Knowing he deserved the ‘punishment’ and also enjoying the cool water on this hot day, he stood up and jumped into the lake, causing the water to drench his marefriend's mane. He emerged again and swam closer to her. Still not reassured, he asked: “So, did you like it?” “Yes, I did. It was the most wonderful present I ever got.” Leaning forward to kiss him, she held back for a moment and whispered: “Fading Light, I lo–“ “NOOO!” Heavily panting, Fading Light jumped out of his bed. It took him some minutes to calm down and ease his mind. His hooves still shaky, he went to the bathroom to splash his face with some cold water. Just a moment before reaching the washbasin it occurred to him that this might not be a good idea regarding the nature of his dream. Cursing, he went back to his room and sat on the bed, his face buried in his hooves. Buck up, it's over! He had made an enormous effort to suppress, and even erase, memories like these. They were remnants of better times, and even though those days were long, long gone, remembering the scene at the pond felt like it had just happened. He took a deep breath and tried to shake of the thoughts, but he also knew that, ultimately, it would be of no use. The bad mood would haunt him all day; then again, the grim dedication caused by it would help him concentrate on the important things. Looking through the window, he noticed it was still dark outside. Being wide awake now, he knew that going back to sleep wasn’t an option. Let’s start with the preparations then. Ha, if those narrow-minded fools only knew all the effects of that spell. Thinking of the upcoming ritual, he smiled sinisterly. Despite the rude awakening, today would be a good day. Some hours later, Fading Light was drawing obscure lines and circles on the floor of a large hall. The geometric shapes flew into each other to form a huge circular pattern that filled out the greatest part of the room. On the outer ring of the shape there were various circles in regular intervals; other lines lead from those circles to the center of the pattern, were another small empty space was. All in all, the drawing looked like something a young pony would draw while bored and having a compass at hoof. Fading Light had to suppress his laughter. It was nothing more than that, a useless shenanigan. Maybe not entirely useless. After all, it helps to keep them from thinking too much about the ritual. He wrinkled his muzzle; the paint he was using had a pungent smell, which was part of the illusion, too. He was grabbing the brush with his magic again, when somepony knocked on the door. He grumbled; he had locked himself in for a reason. There were several stories about how he created the patterns, and every single one included the use of some strange magic. It was ridiculous because it was all just part of a big web of lies. He sighed, put away the paint brush and went through the door. He closed it quickly behind himself before he shot Lucent Aura a stern glance. The unicorn mare bowed when he passed her; he ignored her and took a look at the documents she had prepared for him on the secretaire. What do we have here. Expense reports, the usual status reports... the guard department’s request for more bits, again. Money wasn’t anything he had to worry about. He had had more years than others to amass riches. Noticing his assistant was still patiently waiting in silence, holding two other files next to her with the yellow glow of her magic, he signed the documents. Without looking up, he asked in his usual stern, indifferent voice: “Anything else, Aura?” “Yes, my Lord. I have the first report you requested on the Ponyville operation,” she said, handing over one of the files. “Everything went according to your plan.” “That tends to happen when no cocky foal considers himself superior,” he responded, grinding his teeth. He took a quick look at the file. Since it wasn’t the full report with the all the details from every informant, there was only a single page with some notes. Operation “Severance” Target: Subject T Objective: Removal of memories beginning with arrival of Subject N Type of Interaction: Connection with personal guard of Subject T Course of Action: Distraction of Subject T and guard. Assumed direct control of guard. Used designated spell on Subject T. Removed short-term memory of guard. Termination of link between specialist team and guard. Condition of Subject: Suspected psychogenic amnesia without access to designated memories. Terminal examination report pending. Preliminary Result: SUCCESS With a grim smile, he put the file away. This was the second step. They had gained access to the book recently, and now his biggest problem was out of the way. Without her memories, she posed no threat to his plan. “My Lord,” Aura said. “There is another file. It’s the final report on Hopeful Vision’s condition. I know you didn’t request it, but I thought... maybe...” She faltered. Aura knew Fading Light didn’t like to think about him, but it was still her job to deliver these messages. “Don’t you dare waste my time with that insolent fool!” Fading Light said, his fury rising. “Just shred it and don’t bother me with him.” “It’s just that... He won’t recover.” “And that is my fault, yes? I think I was very clear when stating our rules. I told everypony involved what happens when they meddle around with this magic. I’m the only pony capable of what he tried, and I didn’t do it for a reason. Even if he had been capable, what do you think would have happened if he had been successful? I do not regret my order to disconnect the link or his punishment afterwards. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into. Now he has to live with the results.” Aura had retreated a few steps while Fading Light was venting his anger. It wasn’t fear that drove her; she just knew exactly what his temper could do to another pony getting in his way. With a still steady voice, she said, “Forgive me, my Lord, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. If there’s nothing you’d have me do, I’ll get back to my other tasks now.” “Make sure to remind everypony of the consequences of failing me. If you’re so concerned about that imbecile colt, maybe you should take him as an example for what happens when somepony disobeys a direct order. Or for that matter, if they think too much,” Fading Light said. He turned around and walked towards the room he had worked in before. From the corner of his eye he noticed Aura was still waiting for orders. “Have I not made myself clear? Oh for pony’s sake, yes, that will be all.” Without deigning to look at her again, he moved inside the large room and shut the door behind him. At least I won’t have to bear with them much longer now. I’ve waited for all this time, those few weeks won’t hurt. “...and so it will begin. Every challenge you met, every hardship you survived, every danger you faced led you here. Fear not, for you will soon be part of a new era of ponykind. A glorious age awaits us all, any you will be the first ponies to ascend to unknown heights of knowledge and power. You will conquer the fear of the eternal sleep. For tonight, we will rewrite the laws of magic and life itself!” Fading Light waited for his followers to stop stomping their hooves in applause. There were a hundred unicorns in the room, all looking at him. They were all eager to see what was coming and help with the ritual. I promised them immortality, and all that will happen tonight is me taking their years. Oh, the caprices of fate. “You have found the book, I have deciphered its contents and so I finally found the spell to make you live forever. With our combined strength, we can do it! Think of all the things you thought you would never be able to do in your lifetime. After tonight, nothing can ever stop you!” Another hurricane of applause followed his speech. “But I must warn you: do not falter when you feel weakened, as it is all part of the magic. You might exhaust yourself during the ritual, but don’t lose heart, for you will be rewarded in the end. So let us make use of the talent we were born with and embrace eternity!” With a final applause, he went away from the podium and towards the double door which led to the room with the prepared drawings. Before he passed through, he turned towards Lucent Aura, who had been waiting for him. He went off to the side with her and said some words to her, so that only she could hear him: “I am the focal point of the ritual. I will be casting the spell, so I will be quite exhausted afterwards, unlike everypony else. I need you to get them all out of here as soon as we are done. No delays!” Aura gave him a puzzled look. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?” “I said ‘get them out’. Have I made myself clear? This is important. Do you understand?” “Of course, my Lord.” Fading Light took a few steps towards the door before he announced: “You have all been instructed what to do, but I repeat: Take your place in the circles, do not step on the magical markings and do not, under any circumstance, interrupt the magic currents.” A few minutes later, everypony had positioned themselves according to the drawing on the floor which resembled arcane runes. They formed a large circle with two rows, all facing towards the center, where Fading Light was standing. He looked around, pretending to make some last checks if everypony was at the correct position. In the end, it wouldn’t matter where they were standing, it was all just part of the big show. He took a deep breath to calm himself. This would require his entire concentration and a huge part of his strength. “Everypony knows what to do. On the count of three. One... two... three!” Every other pony of the inner circle was lighting their horn along with their leader. Blue arcs of light were building up between the tips of their horns and a faint white sphere around Fading Light. The circles on the floor around each one of them were glowing in the same color and subsequently ignited the respective lines that connected them to the circle in the middle. So far, so good. Yes, look at the illusions! The real magic never happens in the place the magician draws your attention to. About a minute later, the other half of the ponies in the inner circle were lighting their horns. Their arcs of light and lines on the ground were red, but also connected with Fading Lights aura and circle and made them glow stronger. Within the same intervals, the ponies of the outer ring were joining the spell casting, with yellow and green arcs and lines. Fading Light closed his eyes and concentrated on the spell he was preparing. Everything going on so far was just an illusion, packed in unnecessary complicated spell formulas to deceive his followers and make them think they were actively contributing something. He needed them, but not for what they were thinking. The spell he would cast had to create the following illusions all by itself once he would release it; he wouldn’t have the time nor the concentration to focus on that. He released the spell. In a split second, white arcs of light shot from his sphere, reached for the other ponies and built similar, but faint spheres around each of them. While the illusion was doing its work and his followers were distracted, he started casting the spell that was the real purpose of this fake ritual. Unknown and unseen to others he reached out for their magic, their very essence, their life force, as he called it. This was what would cause the exhaustion he warned them of. Not only did he reach out for their life force, he tapped it and transferred a small part of it to himself. Each of them living ten years less wasn’t something that would attract attention. Careful not to lose focus, he did it in the same order the illusion had done its work. Twenty-five... fifty... seventy... one... hun... dred! He was used to this kind of spell, it was part of his special talent, but he had never cast it on so many ponies at the same time and he had always used the energy for another spell immediately. This time, it was different; he had to store the energy until the ritual was finished and he would be alone. This was the hardest part of his plan. In the meantime, the illusion continued to amaze and distract the participants of the ritual. The sphere around each of them increased glowing every second. Just before the spheres were too bright to look at them, a silver line started to envelop each pony, beginning at the tip of their horn and following their contours. Gasps and whispers started amongst the ponies. “Is this it?” “It is really happening!” “I’ve never seen anything like it!” “FO... CUS!” The ponies immediately fell silent. Fading Light gritted his teeth, barely able to speak even that one word. The energy he had collected threatened to overwhelm him any second now; losing focus would not only mean he would have to start over, it could also severely harm him. He would have to keep control for some time, so any distraction was dangerous. Once the illusion finished enveloping the ponies with the silver gleam, it quickly wore off. The last part of the mostly self-contained magic put a refreshment spell on each of his followers. It was also directly affecting Fading Light; it dampened his senses for the needed time. He now wasn’t able to hear or smell the other ponies anymore, even his sense of touch was blurred. This was necessary in case Lucent Aura wouldn’t make the others leave quick enough. As soon as the visible manifestations of his spell stopped, he left the center of the room and cut his way through the crowd towards a small side door. Ponies were giving him confused looks, but all in all, they were too busy with their fascination of what they thought had happened. Fading Light reached the small room he had prepared for his triumph. Just... a few... more... moments! He still struggled to keep control of all the energy he had stolen. A whole millennium of years others would have lived filled up his whole body and mind. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a few steps towards the pedestal with the book on it; trickles of sweat ran down his face and his body began to tremble under the pressure. He grabbed the pedestal with his forelegs and leaned heavily upon it; sweat was dripping on the opened book. He had memorized the formula, but he didn’t want to take any risks, and so he opened his eyes to look at the page of the ancient book. He gasped for air and started working on the spell. When Fading Light finally began to use the collected life force, the relief was so enormous that it made him almost lose control by pouring too much energy into the spell at the wrong time. Small, light gray orbs appeared and began swirling around him. The immense power of the releasing energy slowly lifted him into the air and more and more orbs arose from nothingness until he was completely surrounded by them. By now, the whole room was ablaze with the magic gleam; if it had windows, it would have surely attracted attention despite the solitude of the manor, and it forced him to close his eyes. Fading Light had finished casting the spell, but it continued to fill the air around him with arcane energies, which now also began affecting his body. He could feel it changing him, strengthening every part of him; the magical currents sunk into every limb, every sinew, muscle fiber and bone, imbuing him with power down to the cellular level. Finally, the swirling around him stopped and the orbs thrust into his body, making him stagger even though he was still hanging mid-air. This last burst of energy was so intense that he almost passed out; only the fact that he had already been strengthened by the earlier effects of the spell prevented him from losing consciousness. With the magic wearing off, he was slowly being lowered to the ground. He opened his eyes and with a short glow of his horn, he lifted the spell that was still dampening his senses. Now becoming aware of what he had just accomplished, he carefully moved his limbs as if to test them. He took a deep, relieving breath and shook his entire body. A grim smile loomed on his face as he flapped his wings for the first time. “Step three: check.” Celestia strode down the hallway of Ponyville’s hospital. With her was a group of guards, fully armed and on the lookout for anything suspicious. Their faces showed a grim dedication, and made everypony who was still up at this time jump out of their way. The rattling of the armor plates would wake up some patients, but right now, Celestia didn’t care. There had been another attack on a princess, and she wouldn’t tolerate any harm being done to her subjects, her friends or her family. Twilight Sparkle was family. I hope there is at least some evidence left this time. She sighed. If Luna was close, probably not. With her temper, it’s a wonder the town is still standing. They turned the corner and arrived at the corridor where Luna was sitting. Her head was hanging low, and Celestia thought for a moment that she could spot a twinkling in her sister’s eye as if she was close to crying. Oh Luna... Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to be the strong one. You’re not the only one with problems. As soon as it reached her mind, Celestia pushed the thought away. It was nothing she could concern herself with now. There is still no evidence... “Close off the place,” she said to a guard. “Ensure that no unauthorized pony roams free, and report everything – anything suspicious.” “At your command, your Highness,” the guard said, and gave some quick orders to execute her command. Celestia went over to Luna and sat down. When the younger sister didn’t respond in any way, she said, “Luna, tell me what is going on. Your message wasn’t very informative. What happened, and how is Twilight?” Luna took a deep breath and turned to look at her sister. Celestia could now clearly see how much the ongoing events troubled her: Celestia hadn’t imagined the upcoming tears in Luna’s eyes; even her ethereal blue mane looked dull. This is going to be hard on Luna. I still can’t allow it. “I do not know much myself, Tia. Twilight... She only went out for a brief moment, and then I got called here. It was another attack, but this time, it has been successful. Pinkie Pie found her unconscious; the doctors are still trying to find out what might be wrong with her, and they will not let me in! They sent Pinkie Pie away because Twilight needs rest, but I will not leave her,” Luna said. She leaned against Celestia, who put a wing around her. “I should have been with her! Why would anypony do this to my Twilight? She hasn’t done anything wrong! Not like me...” “As much as I appreciate your concern for Twilight, this is actually something we need to talk about,” Celestia said. Luna noticed the sudden seriousness in her sister’s voice, and raised an ear. “What are you talking about? Can this not wait until she gets better?” “No, it can’t.” Celestia shifted so she could meet Luna’s eyes. Here goes. “I think you two should stop meeting. At least until this situation has been resolved.” “What? Thou cannot be serious!” Luna shouted. She broke the embrace and took a step backwards. “‘Tis none of thy business, Celestia! How darest thou think thou canst interfere in Our most personal affairs?” “Luna, calm down.” “We will not ‘calm down’, sister, and We will not discuss Our relationship with Twilight with thee!” “This is a hospital, and it’s the middle of the night,” Celestia said quietly. She was still sitting on the same spot, radiating calmness. “Get ahold of yourself, Luna.” “Thou canst expect us to break up with Our loved one.” “I didn’t say that I do,” Celestia said. She sighed and continued, “Get ahold of yourself, Luna! You must see the connection, too. You’ve been attacked first, and when they couldn’t get to you, they started attacking the one you care for most. How much more danger do you want to put Twilight in?” “We...” Luna trailed off, her eyes growing wide. “I put Twilight in danger?” “Not you, but your relationship with her does. Whoever is behind these attacks, it’s obvious they intend to harm you. Trust me, I know this isn’t easy, but you should put your relationship on hiatus, if not end it,” Celestia said. With the attempt of an encouraging smile, she added, “She will understand.” “I... I can’t,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Twilight got hurt, and I cannot leave her when she needs me most. I cannot and I will not, Tia. I will not abandon her.” “Be reasonable, Luna. You have seen the power of the first attack yourself. You can’t protect her at all times. Are you willing to take that risk?” “What if we broke up, I stayed away from her, and she still gets attacked again? I would not be at her side!” Luna shook her head. “Maybe you cannot understand. You have not felt what I feel.” How dare she! She doesn’t know what I– No, keep calm. She doesn’t need to know. Celestia sighed and walked up to her smaller sister. “Luna, please listen to me. I know this isn’t easy, better than you might kn–” “Um... Your Highnesses?” Dr. Stable, the doctor of Ponyville’s hospital, said. He had just come through the door behind which Twilight was getting treated. “I’m very sorry to interrupt you, but, um, you were getting quite loud, and since this is a hospital and it’s in the middle of the night... Could you please lower your volume?” He was obviously very uncomfortable with the situation; his ears were laid back and he was looking at the floor, shooting only some glances towards the princesses. Celestia looked at her sister, who turned away with a grim face. She turned towards the doctor and said, “Of course. We won’t cause any disturbance. There’s already enough pressure on your personnel with all the security. Do you have any new information about Princess Twilight?” The doctor noticed that Celestia wasn’t bothered about the interruption and relaxed. “That’s the other thing I wanted to tell you. The patient is awake now, and you can go to see her. You mustn’t excite her, though, and you can only stay for a short time. She needs rest.” “Do you know what happened yet?” Celestia demanded. “Well, I can’t be entirely sure since these things usually take some time. She seems to suffer from a memory loss, something we call psychogenic amnesia. She knows her name and is able to do everyday tasks, but she doesn’t remember what happened in her more recent past. For example, she doesn’t even know that she is a princess now. I’d strongly advise against delving into that topic or anything else of similar importance tonight.” In the meantime, Luna had gotten over to the other two ponies, and was now joining the conversation. “What exactly are we talking about? How much has she forgotten?” Luna asked. “Will she recover those memories?” “We will find out the exact timeframe during the next days. For now, I can only say it seems to be about four years.” “Four... years?” Luna’s face grew pale while she tried to grasp the implications; she sat down with shakily knees. “Roughly, yes. As for her recovery, the patients usually just need time and the support of family and friends. That counts for the normal cases of this illness, though. What happened to the princess was of magical origin. I didn’t want to frighten you, but... I’ve never seen anything like this before. Research on that topic might yield some results. I still recommend that anypony close to her should help her regain her memories. Show her familiar faces, go to places she liked and visited often.” “Thank you, Dr. Stable. If there is anything you need, tell me. On another note, I’d like her to be referred to the Canterlot Mercy Hospital as soon as possible. You can still be the doctor in charge, of course,” Celestia said. “I think we’re ready now to pay her a visit.” “Of course,” he responded and turned around to get back into the room where Twilight was laying in a bed. Before Celestia followed him, she turned to her sister. “Don’t be sad, little sister. Maybe she will remember the time you two had together. You were close, and from what I know, quite happy. Don’t lose hope.” Luna didn’t say anything, but Celestia’s words brightened her mood slightly. She tried her best to smile and followed her sister. Celestia reached Twilight’s bed first; it was the last in a row of otherwise empty beds. The only other ponies in the room were the doctor and Nurse Redheart, who were monitoring Twilight. Before Celestia could even greet her, Twilight started jabbering excitedly. “Princess Celestia! What are you doing here? You didn’t come for me, did you? I’m fine, you don’t need to waste your time with me passing out for a moment.” “Twilight, you’ve been my most faithful student. Of course I would come to visit you when you’re in the hospital,” Celestia said with a warm smile. “Tell me, how do you really feel, and what do you remember?” “Really, I’m fine, Princess, no need to wor– wait, who’s that behind you?” As the other pony stepped forward, Celestia saw Twilight’s eyes widening. Twilight’s gaze slowly fell upon the mare with both wings and a horn, her dark blue coat, her long, ethereal mane sprinkled with twinkling stars, and finally upon her cutiemark, a silvery crescent moon on a black background. Before Celestia could intervene, Twilight had drawn a conclusion. She jumped off the bed and began casting a spell, setting her horn aglow. All her attention was focused on the dark mare. “Princess Celestia, be careful, it’s– it’s Nightmare Moon!” “Twilight, calm down, it’s not what you think!” Celestia said, taking position between Twilight and Luna. “Princess, don’t turn your back on her; she will attack you!” Twilight shouted, almost hyperventilating now. When Celestia didn’t react, Twilight teleported a few steps through the room to confront Luna, just to find herself facing her former mentor again. “What is– Are you defending her? Princess, she wants to bring eternal night! All of Equestria will suffer from her madness!” She teleported again only to get the same result as before. “Why are you on her side? What has she done to you?” “Twilight, please trust me and calm down!” Celestia said while the doctor filled a syringe with a tranquilizer. With a practiced routine, he gave Twilight the injection, whereupon she immediately became dazed. “Princess... Nightmare Moon... she’s... evil,” Twilight brought out before she finally fell asleep while still standing. The doctor and Nurse Redheart had to support her weight while they tried to get her back into the bed. “Your Highnesses, I’m sorry, but I – uff – must ask you to leave now. Princess Twilight needs rest – phew!” He took a deep breath once they had gotten Twilight back into her bed. “I am terribly sorry about this, but like I said, we didn’t know yet how much of her memory she has lost.” “We will talk about this later, doctor. For now, just make sure you do all you can to make her get better,” Celestia said. She turned to Luna, but found she had disappeared; returning to the corridor, she found her sister sitting on the ground. Luna’s head was hanging low with her mane concealing her face and she was helplessly pawing on the tile floor with a hoof. Celestia went over to her and gave her a hug, which Luna gratefully returned. “Oh, my dear Luna...” she said, swaying back and forth, still embracing her sister. “Is this what they all think of me? That I am still that monster? Can they not see that I have changed?” Luna asked; tears ran over her face and dropped onto Celestia’s mane. “They don’t see you like that, Luna. There are ponies who cherish your night just as much as they cherish you,” Celestia said. “This is just a terrible misunderstanding. Twilight didn’t see you as what you are, but as what you once were, and you know that. She loved you and I’m sure she still does. It will just take some time for her to remember.” “Why, Tia, why? Why did they take my Twilight from me? What have I done... What has she done? She has never done anything to deserve this!” “I know, little sister. We will find out, someday, somehow,” Celestia said. Twilight’s reaction in front of her inner eye made a shiver ran down her spine. She took a deep breath to shake of this feeling. “I should have been with her... I should have been there. I could have protected her! Why did I stay? I have failed her, Tia!” “Don’t blame yourself. You can’t always be present. And even if you could, sometimes you are powerless to change the outcome. Sometimes you make the right decision, yet you still hurt somepony.” “But what do you do then? What should I do now?” Luna asked, still sobbing. “You pick up the pieces. It’s hard, but life will go on, and you have to carry on as best as you can, too. You get the chance to make things right...” Celestia said, almost unnoticeably emphasizing ‘you’. Not everypony has that chance. “You know, I was wrong. Stay with her. Help her regain her memories.” Luna raised her head and looked into Celestia’s eyes. A small glimmer of hope sparkled in her eyes, and the older sister added: “Do everything you can to get her back. Anything.”