//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine: If You Still Believe // Story: But Not Forgotten // by SilverDawn97 //------------------------------// Chapter Nine: If You Still Believe When I returned from my rendezvous with Princess Luna, I wasn’t surprised to find a very upset-looking Twilight awaiting my return. “I thought you just went out for some fresh air?” She asked “Where were you? It’s been hours!” For the second time that night, I was forced to balance my desire to tell the truth, with the knowledge that the truth may well come back to hurt Luna. So… Once again, I told only part of the truth, “When I was out, I ran into Princess Luna, and we decided to talk for a while.” I answered “I didn’t realize how long we had been talking until two of her guards came to collect her.” “Oh…” Twilight said, seeming surprised “I knew Princess Luna had been staying in Ponyville the past few days, but I didn’t think the two of you would run into each other. What did you talk about?” “Well, first she told me about how she had been trapped on the Moon…” I said “…And after that, we started talking about how she found Melody, Tartanis and I when we landed in Equestria.” Twilight seemed to grow sad at this news. “… I completely forgot how new you are to Equestria. I should have told you about Luna’s history sooner… It can’t have been easy for her to tell you everything that happened.” “It’s alright, Twilight. You can’t be expected to remember everything.” I said, trying to comfort the young mare “Besides… It’s better that she told me herself, instead of me being told by somepony else; even if that somepony was you.” “I suppose you’re right.” She said, her frown slowly turning into a familiar smile. “Either way, it’s still late. Spike went to bed a while ago, but I decided to wait for you to get back. After all, we wouldn’t want another missing pony on our hooves so soon after finding our last runaway.” She said with a chuckle. My ears perked up at this. “Did somepony find Tartanis?” I asked. “Yes, I got a letter from my friend Fluttershy while you were gone.” Twlight answered, assuaging my fears. “She and Melody found him coming out of the Everfree Forest just after they got back home. He fell unconscious, but he should be able to attend the picnic at Fluttershy’s house tomorrow.” “The picnic…” I thought to myself. “Speaking of the picnic, Twilight… When I was speaking with Princess Luna… I told her about the picnic, and she asked if she could come, and meet Melody and Tartanis. I told her it should be fine, but I just wanted to let you know…” The moment I saw Twilight’s eyes widen at the mere thought of the Princess attending the picnic, I assumed I had made a grievous error. “Twilight…?” I asked, unsure of what response I might receive. But, lo and behold, her shock only seemed to last a moment, and she quickly collected herself, and then answered me. “Of course Princess Luna can come! I just… Wasn’t expecting her to be so interested in our little get-together.” “Okay then…” I replied, unsure of exactly what had just taken place. “Anyways… It’s pretty late, so maybe we should just get some sleep.” “Of course!” Twilight said, a little bit too energetically. “Good night, Silver. I’ll see you in the morning.” ------------- When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a strange, dark place I had never seen before. Standing up and looking around, I realized I was in a castle; an ancient, crumbling ruin of a castle, but a castle nonetheless. No sooner had I stood up, however, than I heard an evil, yet vaguely familiar cackle from behind me. Turning to face the source of the noise, I was shocked by the horrifying sight that awaited my eyes: A tall, pitch-black Alicorn, with a familiar mane of flowing blue… “It can’t be… No…” I thought to myself. There she was; Nightmare Moon, the pony who Luna feared most in the world… The monster that used to inhabit her body and mind. A bolt of lightning flashed outside as she began to speak in a warped, twisted voice. “Are you happy now, Seraph? You abandoned me, only to show your cowardly face once more after I returned from my exile… How dare you?!? I am the Queen of the Night, and I will not be held back by petty fools like you or Luna any longer… I will never again be held back by your foolish love… Never!” I was stunned to hear these words, even more so than I had been by Nightmare Moon’s sudden appearance. I stood motionless, unable to so much as blink as I watched her ready the spell that I knew would end my life. Suddenly, everything stopped. “You wanted to know why I brought you here. This… This is why.” Walking out of one of the castle’s many dark corners, I saw her: The Alicorn with the auburn mane; the same one I had encountered at Sugarcube Corner only a few hours prior. “I brought you here, because Luna… She deserves to be happy. She carries around this darkness inside her heart every day, just barely holding it in check. Since her return, she has known little more than sorrow… And sooner or later, one way or another, that sorrow will consume her. That’s why I need your help. She may not be my daughter in the physical sense… But I care for both her and Celestia as if they were both my own beloved children. They both deserve happiness in their lives. Celestia knew happiness for many centuries before the rise of Nightmare Moon, but Luna…? She was always an outcast.” There was a long silence as I tried to digest this information. When I finally found myself able to speak, I struggled to ask the question that was in the forefront of my mind. “Who are you?” I asked. The mare chuckled before she responded. “There are only a small handful of ponies who know of my existence… And most of them simply know me as ’Mother’. You may call me by the same name that Starswirl the Bearded called me by, all those centuries ago… Faust.” “Alright then, Miss Faust…” I began “Why me? I can’t be the first pony to appreciate the night sky… I can’t be the only pony who could help Luna. And also… Who is this ‘Seraph’? I heard Luna mention him before, and now… Please, I need to know.” “Alright then, Silver.” She replied calmly “To answer your first question… You’re right. There are other ponies that could help Luna. But then who would help you?” “I don’t understand.” I said, perplexed. “I brought you and your two friends to this world not only so you could help it… But also so it could help you. Melody… She blamed herself for the mistakes of another, even after they admitted that the mistakes were theirs and theirs alone. She cared too much for the pains of others… And in a harsh world like the one you three once inhabited, such a thing can only bring sorrow. Tartanis never found satisfaction in life; only pain. He searched everywhere for love, and found only heartache in return. And once his dreams began to taunt him with visions of the life he yearned for, yet could never attain… It broke something deep inside his heart. And as for you, Silver… Yours is a long and tragic tale indeed. One filled with pain and suffering… But unlike the others, you managed to make peace with the past. You found the way forward, when it seemed as though such a path didn’t exist. Perhaps the Father took particular interest in your journey… Either way, you had found happiness. But that happiness was taken away from you in a single heartbeat. You tried to reconcile your past… To find forgiveness from the one person you loved above all others. You knew that you could never be together… And you accepted that. You knew that all you could ever be was friends… And you were alright with that. But then… Your tragic past came back to haunt you. Your own father… I am truly sorry. As for Seraph… He was a pony who Luna met many centuries ago, shortly before Nightmare Moon consumed her mind and body. He looked just like you… But you two are far from the same ponies. He knew his duty, his role in life, and even though it pained him to do so… He followed his dark road to its conclusion. He died a hero’s death, giving his life to save the one he loved…To save Luna. She loved him in return as well… Her first love. It broke her heart when he passed away… Particularly because it was Nightmare Moon who had killed him. She had been forced to watch as her true love died in front of her…” “…I’m so sorry…” I said “I understand now why you want me to help her… For both our sakes. But… How can I undo that much damage?” Faust smiled at this, and her horn began to glow as she spoke, slowly unravelling my dream even as she spoke. “Hope, Silver. Hope can mend all injuries… It can endure the harshest of storms, and act as a beacon shining in the darkness. As long as you have hope… And as long as you can provide hope to those around you… Everything will turn out for the best in the end. Now, rest my little pony… You have a long day ahead of you… Tomorrow marks the beginning of an important journey…” ------------- I awoke suddenly to a purple, scaly face looming over me. “Are you going to wake up now, or do I need to go get Twilight?” Spike asked. “Don’t bother.” I answered groggily “I’m up.” Exiting the guest bedroom, I saw Twilight scurrying to and fro downstairs, evidently doing a last-minute review of a checklist of things she needed to bring to the picnic. “You do realize that we won’t be the only ones bringing food, right Twilight?” I called out. Not slowing her frantic pace in the slightest, Twilight promptly responded with a simple “It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared!” Exchanging a knowing look with Spike, we both made our way downstairs to help check and double-check that everything was ready. ------------- As the others began arriving, Tartanis couldn’t help but feel out of place. He couldn’t quite put his horn on it, but whenever he was around Melody, he felt as though he was forgetting something incredibly important. And that wasn’t all. The moment that Rarity arrived, and he saw the look of shock and worry on her face, he knew it was terrible mistake to ever leave. He was meant to keep the Elements of Harmony safe from all threats; that was his duty… His destiny. And yet, at the first chance he got… He ran. But apparently, none of that mattered to Rarity. After she got over her initial shock, and Fluttershy explained the situation to her, she expressed nothing but happiness at his return. She didn’t care that he left without a word; she didn’t care that he had gone to such lengths to flee from her. She was just… Happy. Happy that he was back. Happy that he passed through the trials of the Everfree Forest unharmed. And for just a moment… He felt happy too. But then, the same sensation that induced his flight before returned. As he looked at her… He could feel something deep inside, tugging at his heartstrings… A forgotten memory that simply couldn’t resurface. But at the same time, he felt something new welling up inside his heart. Before him sat a simple, happy group of friends. And just by being with them, he felt happy too. But then, he noticed something. Somepony was missing. And just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw them approaching from the distance. A young violet Alicorn, and walking beside her, a small, purple baby dragon. “Princess Twilight, and her assistant Spike.” The words simply popped into his mind, as though their names had been there the whole time. “Maybe it’s my cutie mark.” he thought “It’s what keeps telling me I need to keep them safe, after all…” And then he saw the white Pegasus trailing behind them, a heavy-looking picnic basket nestled on his back. And the moment he saw the stallion’s cutie mark, a single thought came unbidden into the forefront of his mind. “What have you done?” ------------- Princess Luna awoke to the sound of somepony knocking on her door. “Luna… I know you’re not used to waking up at the same time as the rest of us… But if you don’t get up, we’re going to miss your friend’s picnic!” Recognizing Colgate’s voice, the memories of the previous night’s events rushed back to the still sleepy Princess of the Night. Sitting bolt upright, she realized her simple mistake. “I’ve overslept!” her mind screamed at her. ------------- By the time we reached the field near Fluttershy’s home, I had almost begun to regret offering to carry the picnic basket that Twilight had stuffed full of all sorts of snacks and drinks. But as we passed over the final hill before Flutteshy’s Cottage, the sight that met my eyes made it all worthwhile. There they were… Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Melody, and the pony I assumed to be Tartanis… All sitting down, enjoying simple, friendly conversation. “As well as a few snacks.” I thought to myself with a grin. I noticed Tartanis give me a strange look as we approached, but I didn’t pay it much mind. “Sorry we’re late, everypony!” I shouted “Twilight here insisted we bring as much food as possible!” Twilight looked rather indignant at this remark, but the rest of us couldn’t help but laugh. Once we arrived at the large checkered blanket where the others waited for us, I felt a huge burden lifted off my back… Literally. I turned back my head to see Twilight’s horn aglow, and the picnic basket floating its way over to the others. Sitting down among them, I realized that this was the first time in this entire ordeal that Tartanis, Melody and I were all in the same place. It felt calming… Knowing that my friends were safe. But also, I felt as though something was missing… “Hey Twilight?” I asked “Shouldn’t Princess Luna have arrived by now?” She had barely even opened her mouth to answer when I saw her on the horizon… Princess Luna, her starry blue mane flowing in the wind as she crossed over the hill that Twilight and I had traversed only a few minutes prior. Behind her stood the two ponies I had met the night before… Captain Alexander, as well as the blue-maned Unicorn named Colgate. We had never been formally introduced, but… I got the strange impression that she already knew who I was. “Oh my!” I heard Fluttershy softly exclaim “I had no idea Princess Luna would come to visit today… Oh no, what should we do…” However, before she could continue with her worrying, Twilight interrupted her friend’s panic. “It’s alright, Fluttershy. Silver invited the Princess to the picnic just last night, and she was kind enough to accept.” I noticed Tartanis raise an eyebrow at this explanation, but he said nothing. “I can’t wait to meet the Princess!” Melody said, interrupting my thoughts. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to meet royalty…” She concluded. “That’s strange.” I thought to myself “I thought Melody had amnesia too… Maybe she can remember bits and pieces at times, just like I did with that song… But why would that be…?” ------------- As the twelve of them settled down and began to have lunch, Luna realized that this was the “magic of friendship” that Tia had always told her about. They all sat and shared, talking about their own individual lives and the recent events contained therein. Rarity spoke of her work at the Boutique, while Applejack told of her pride in her younger sister’s continued success in school. Fluttershy would begin to talk about the animals she cared for at her cottage, only to be interrupted by Rainbow Dash by how one such animal reminded her of one of the exotic creatures in the newest Daring Doo book. It was simple conversation interspersed with one pony or another commenting on the impeccable quality of their food. It was a beautiful thing indeed… But deep down, Luna felt as though she didn’t belong. She felt as though she simply wasn’t entitled to partake in such happy conversation… Not after the atrocities she had committed as Nightmare Moon. After a short while, Silver took notice of this, and asked her a single, simple question, his voice laced with unveiled concern. “Luna, are you all right?” This simple show of concern shook her out of the dark trap her mind had been laying for her heart to stumble into. Silver’s question, innocent as it was, stirred up an ocean of emotions within her; her frustration at her inability to fit in, her regret for falling into such an emotional trap, her worry that she might commit a social faux pas… But all these feelings were replaced in a nanosecond with yet another emotional revelation: “He cares…” She thought to herself. “Luna…?” Silver repeated, bringing the azure Alicorn back to earth after her soaring flight through the heart’s wide spectrum of emotions. “Yes, Silver?” Was all she could think to utter. “I was just worried about you.” He replied so sweetly, so filled with innocence “You looked like you were sad about something, so I just wanted to check in.” “It’s nothing, Silver. Thank you for your concern, however.” She answered, feeling the beginnings of a smile crossing her face; an almost unknown feeling after all she experienced over the millennia. As soon as she answered, she saw a smile cross Silver’s face as well. “It’s nothing, Luna. After all, what sort of friend would I be if I didn’t check in with you every now and again?” “He’s right…” Luna thought to herself “I’m not alone anymore… Silver and Colgate… I have friends too now. Maybe… Maybe everything’ll be okay.” This happy thought echoing through her mind only served to heighten Luna’s shock at the scene that was about to unfold before her. ------------- “So, any idea what your cutie mark means, Melody?” I heard Pinkie Pie ask. I had only just finished trying to comfort Luna, when I heard this strange question echo through my ears. Then again… Maybe it wasn’t such a strange question after all. I certainly hadn’t figured out the meaning behind my cutie mark. So why did it seem so surprising that Melody might not know hers? The silence that filled the air after the question certainly attested to that fact. I almost thought that Rainbow Dash would be forced to rescind her statement, when Tartanis spoke up with yet another question. “I’m guessing that you have two talents, don’t you Melody? Painting and singing, right?” At first, Melody seemed perplexed by this assumption, but I could tell that as she thought about it, that Tartanis’s guess was right on the money. “I suppose it is.” She said “I didn’t really think about it that way at first, but it makes sense. And I felt so happy when I was singing this morning… I just wish I had been a bit quieter. Then you might have gotten to sleep in!” She said with a happy giggle. “I love listening to singers!” Colgate chimed in. “Do you think you could… Maybe sing a song for us?” She asked, just a hint of hopefulness in her voice. At first, Melody didn’t seem too keen on the idea, and Twilight looked as though she was about to intervene and change the subject, when Fluttershy spoke up. “It’s fine, Melody… I’m sure you’ll do great. Singing is your special talent, after all!” This seemed to give Melody the confidence she needed, causing her to stand up, then walk a short ways out into the field. A gentle breeze blew past our ears, and as she opened her mouth to sing, I heard a heavenly voice sing a familiar song through the warm summer air. “I had a dream that I could fly; I can feel each moment as time goes by. We’d never be too far away; You would always be here, I heard you say.” The moment I heard the song, my mind took me back to that moonlit field that I had visited only the night before. How I had sung this very same song there… And how Luna had known it too. I remembered back to the moment she had asked me about its origins… Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sensation of sadness as the song continued. This was more than just a song; this was a powerful memory, held within the notes and melodies of a long-forgotten dream… “I never thought… Thought that it would be our last goodbye. I still can dream… That one day love will fall out from the sky.” At that moment, I felt a powerful surge of emotions within me. As one, both me and Tartanis stood, and began to sing right alongside Melody. Although we sang two different parts of the same song, we knew… It held powerful memories for us all. Tartanis and I sang as one, all three of us spellbound by the hauntingly beautiful song that echoed synonymously through our hearts and minds. “Do you still rememeber… All the time that has gone by?” “Do you believe?” “Do you still believe that… Love can fall out from the sky? If from where you’re standing… You can see the sky above… I’ll be waiting for you; If you still believe in love.” “Do you still believe? Find a way… To bring back yesterday. Find a way… Beloved. A hopeless day… When tomorrow becomes today. Love will find a way…” Suddenly, all three of us began to sing out at once, pouring every ounce of our hearts into this one song. This was it; this was the moment that our hearts had been waiting for… A chance to remind us of who we were… Of whom we used to be. “I’ll be waiting for you; In my heart you are the one. If I cannot find you, I will look up to the sun… If from where you’re standing, You can see the sky above… I’ll be waiting for you… If you still believe in love.” As one, we dropped to the ground, our hearts and minds at war with one another as the chains imprisoning our memories slowly faded away. As the world around me faded to black, I heard Faust’s voice echo in my mind. “A simple song, yet it holds such powerful emotions… Sleep, little one. Your journey has finally begun in earnest."