The Perfect Memory

by Feo Takahari

Chapter 1

        Have you been here before, Pinkie Pie?
        No, that’s quite all right. Few ponies come to the archives anymore. Fewer open the door to this annex. I only asked because two of your friends have memories stored here.
        It would be quicker to show you than to tell you. Each of these crystal spheres is a memory. Touch your hoof to one--don’t worry; they’re not breakable. 

I wake up numb. That’s good. The last time I woke up in a hospital bed, it hurt quite a bit.
It’s my usual bed--they set it aside for me after that business with the undead dragon. I can’t move much, but every part of me I can see has bandages on it.
“Stalwart! You’re awake!”
Soft Touch. She’s one of the nurses. She’s always been kind to me. (And she’s quite beautiful, too, though I’ve never dared to say so.)
“Stalwart, you idiot! That fire hydra nearly killed you! You need to be more careful!”
She’s crying?
“Stalwart . . . I kept thinking about what I’d do if you died. And about all the things I haven’t said. Stalwart, I love you.”

        Stalwart Heart lived to a ripe old age, Soft Touch by his side. His fame grew beyond even his vast accomplishments, and ponies lost sight of the stallion behind the legend. He had no skill for songs or poems, no way to set the record straight. So I offered him a chance that I’ve given many great ponies since: the opportunity to choose a memory, copied from his own mind, to represent him and what he valued.
He died seven centuries ago. His tomb no longer stands, and he’s no longer mentioned in history books. Only that memory remains.
        Pinkie Pie, you’ve saved Equestria countless times. You’ve redeemed great villains, brought joy to the despairing, and never lost your inner spark of laughter. This is the highest honor I have to give you. Choose a memory, and I’ll place it in a crystal.
        You don’t have to decide right away. Some ponies wait years to find the perfect memory to store. Some decide, but wait to store it until they’re close to death, revealing things they were afraid to show in life. Twilight chose not to store a memory at all--
        Pinkie Pie? Where are you going?

You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you’re wrong—because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!
Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty!
Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents . . .

        It’s a good memory, isn’t it? I put it in a crystal so it wouldn’t fade. It’s helped me through a lot of hard times. But I don’t think it belongs in the annex.
        Thank you, Pinkie. That means a lot to me. But it’s not about that. It’s just . . .
        I’m a princess, Pinkie. I have an official biographer whose job is to write down everything I do. I have my own wing in the Canterlot archives, and it gets bigger every year. Ponies will still remember me a thousand years from now. I might still be alive a thousand years from now!
        Star Swirl the Bearded has a memory in the annex. He was working on the amniomorphic spell, but he accidentally invented a beard spell instead. He looked in the mirror and laughed out loud, and he remembered not to take himself so seriously.
        Hardly anypony knows who Star Swirl is anymore. He deserves a place in that annex, to keep his memory alive. But I’ll have my place in the archives, and it’s not fair to take somepony else’s.
        Why don’t you talk to Applejack and Rainbow Dash? They put memories in the annex, so they can help you decide.

I am speed.
I barely notice the racers behind me. They can’t catch up to me now. The air in front of me is more important. Wind runs through my mane as I push it aside.
The air in front of me explodes into a rainbow. I don’t get what’s going on, but I like it! I can hear the crowd cheering, but I’m going so fast that I leave them behind . . .

        Yeah, it was awesome, but that’s not why I picked it. Well, not just why I picked it. It was for you guys.
        Don’t you get it? You saw a rainbow, so you wanted to make your family smile. And Applejack saw a rainbow, so she wanted to go back home. And . . . well, you get the picture, right? When I think about that first Sonic Rainboom, I think about all of us.
        My life isn’t just about being fast. Ninety percent of it is. And twenty percent is about friendship.
        Of course I give a hundred and ten percent. The Dash always goes above and beyond!
        So what’s it gonna be? Your first party?
        Not sure yet? I guess it’s a big decision. You could ask Applejack when she’s done bucking--I’m not sure what she picked.
        So, do you want to see my new trick? I call it the Flaming Corkscrew . . .

The fritters barely fit in my mouth, but they sure are delicious.
There’s family all around me, aunts and uncles I hardly ever see. They don’t pay much attention to me, talking about grownup things I don’t get. But they’re all having fun, so I’m having fun, too.
“Who are you, little one?” one asks . . .

Yeah, Ah didn’t hafta think much about it. It was gonna be about Sweet Apple Acres, or it was gonna be about my family. And a farm isn’t much without farmers.
Ah picked the first reunion Ah remember because there were ponies there who aren’t around now. Ma and Pa . . . Half Baked . . . Apple Rose . . . Ah miss them all, but Ah’m not sad, not really. Ah’ll always have the memories.
The problem’s as big as you make it. Think about the ponies you care about. What do you want folks to remember about them?
Heh. That’s so you, Pinkie!
Do you wanna stay for supper? Ah can promise the usual--plenty of apples!

        Almost everypony in Ponyville is here.
        Berry Punch is on the dance floor, looking for a partner. Spike’s asleep in the punch bowl, and Time Turner’s fishing him out. Cranky and Matilda are just sitting in the corner, watching the chaos.
        Everypony’s happy. Everypony’s smiling. This party couldn’t be more perfect!

        So I was gonna remember something about me, but what am I? I’m a party pony! And it’s not a party without ponies, so I’m not me without everypony else, so I have to remember things about them.
        Some ponies save the world, and some ponies throw the world’s biggest parties, and some ponies write really long, important books where I don’t get what they mean, but I nod when Twilight talks about them, because she nods when she doesn’t get what I mean. But some ponies run farms, and some ponies fly in races, and some ponies just make everypony else smile. And it’s not like they’re not important, or like they shouldn’t be remembered.
        That’s gonna be my memory, Princess. A party with all my friends, so a thousand years from now, ponies won’t just remember me, they’ll remember Derpy and Snowflake and Lyra . . .
        Thanks, Princess! But you know what this really calls for?
        Yupparooni! I’ll start planning right away! A party planner’s work is never done!