//------------------------------//
// Free 
// Story: Short Stories from Beyond Time, Space, and Shadow 
// by ZeroCore 
//------------------------------//

	Hello there.

I know this seems strange but, relax, I mean no harm.

I have something for you.

I know this is sudden, but please, listen, I have a gift to give. Oh, but look at me going on like this; perhaps I should introduce myself. 

My name is Transcendent Memory, an alicorn, but not a normal one. I was built, or rather rebuilt, not ascended or born. I live in a tall city, its buildings made of steel and glass rather than stone, in a time far off from now; oh, how useful time spells can be, why I get all giddy just thinking of...

Ahem, perhaps for another day. 

I have something for you. Read my message, and think of what I speak. The rest of my spell will activate then, and hopefully you'll be able to see my world, my flight, my magic, through my eyes, that of a pony, an alicorn.

Relax now, read, and think.

Now that you know my name, perhaps you should know more about me. I have a white coat made of thin, flexible glass filaments, occasional bits of luminescent circuitry lighting up beneath it. My wings are broad and flexible too, having a soft membrane covering them instead of feathers. My mane and tail are about the same color as my coat, and are, admittedly quite long. My horn has a yellow glow when lit, and my symbol, my “cutie mark” as you know it, well... it must be a strange emblem to your eyes, I admit. Perhaps I'll go into that later.

Now then, breath, read, and think.

Imagine yourself viewing the world through my eyes. We're in my room now, my apartment in a tall building towering above the ground. The skies are cloudy, some rain hitting my glass windows. I have the lights turned off, my mechanical body aglow with a dull yellow light. 

I'm going to walk forward now. Keep up with me; one hoof, then the next, and so on. Imagine walking on all fours, your weight perfectly balanced over all your joints, elegant wings tucked in on your sides, and a magical horn atop your head. 

One, two, three, four.

That's it.

I'm going to move my ears around a bit, left and right. Can you imagine it; a slight rush of wind past your ears, the motion atop your head?

Try it it out. Keep it up.

Now relax a bit, this is where the fun starts.

I'm going to lift a few of my things around. 

Let's walk again, one, two, three, four.

Each hoof rises and falls on my carpet. 

We're in front of my table now. I have a few things atop it; a remote control, a bowl, and a few pieces of fruit in it. 

Can you guess what we'll do now? We'll lift it.

With magic, of course.

Focus on what you want to move. It can be anything there. 

Focus.

Now imagine it lifting, floating into the air and going whichever way you want. 

Lift up.

Feel the glow on your forehead as arcane power surges through you. 

That's it.

You might notice the glow of my horn. Just keep focused and watch the objects move. They're under your control now. 

Up, down, left, and right. To, fro, and spin around.

Very nice.

Keep it up as long as you wish. Magic certainly is a beautiful thing, isn't it.

When you're done, we'll proceed; I want to show you one of my favorite things to do.

How about we go flying?

I can see you look a bit excited; that's the spirit. Come on, we're going to walk over to my balcony. 

Left front, back right, left back, front right... 

You really are good at walking on all fours, aren't you? Very nice.

Okay, I'm opening my balcony door now; it's made of glass, just in case you're having trouble visualizing. 

Ah, there we go; a rush of cool wind, a bit of rain on your fur... I find it exhilarating. It's cool, and fresh... not the slightest bit harsh either.

Get ready now, I'm going to spread my wings. They're long and broad. Not terribly heavy either, but have enough weight for you to notice. Feel them on your sides, now fully outstretched. Up, down, up, and down; can you feel me moving them around?

Good.

Now then, time for the main event.

I'm going to run off the edge and take to the skies. You with me?

Let's go!

I'm running forward. Feel the hooves on the concrete balcony, the clip-clop noise as they bolt across the wet surface. Feel the rain on me, the wind wrapping around me, and the weight of my wings as they go up and down, wind spiraling around them and flowing over their surfaces. 

I'll jump now! I'm off the ground, nothing around me but wind and rain. I'll tuck my legs close to my body, my wings fully outstretched and flapping hard.

Up! Up! Up!

Yes! I'm flying!

Look around; the city skyline is streaking past as I fly around buildings, my reflection speeding along after me as I soar past the mirror-like glass windows. The rain feels a bit harsher now, but not painful in the least, and my elegant wings are doing wonders keeping me up; keep feeling my flapping as I climb higher and higher.

I want you to focus now on the clouds ahead. Remember using magic before? Time to do it again.

Keep focusing on my flight as well, but look ahead to the clouds as we race toward them. 

Here we go.

I want you to latch onto the clouds with your mind; grab them and push them aside.

There you go. Revel in my arcane power as my horn lights up! Blast a tunnel into the clouds.

Yes! There you go! You're moving them aside. Feel the confidence flowing through you as even  part of nature bends to your command! This is the control an alicorn's magic can bring to you!

The clouds are forming a tunnel now; I like how you've made it too. You're so new at this and yet so in control. 

I'm still flying up through the tunnel in the clouds, spiraling and rolling around in my flight. Imagine it, feel it! We're nearly through!

Almost... yes!

I'm through the cloud layer, above the storm and above the horizon!

Look around at the world below, the clouds creeping below us and the wide open sky above. The sun is just setting and the moon rising; Celestia and Luna are certainly forces to be reckoned with, to be sure; one more example of just what kind of power being an alicorn can bring.

Gaze around now; you can just make out the curvature of the world from here.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Magic, flight, power... 

But there's something else you feel too.

Freedom.

Free from the shackles of society below, free from the problems in the world.

As I've said, revel in it.

This freedom, this power, in a body that not even time can touch.

Stay in this blissful state as long as you please; this is my gift to you all. 

I'll proceed back to my home as soon as you're done; don't worry, I imagine you'll see me again at some time in the future.

I sense a bit of curiosity though; why... you wonder... is an alicorn living in an apartment? Why am I mechanical? What world do I hail from, and what time? Why have I just come out of nowhere, just for you?

Well...

Those are for me to know, and you to find out later.

I know we just met, but trust me, it will be worth the wait.

Farewell for now; feel free to revisit this spell of mine whenever you wish. Let your mind wander, and run free in my magic, my flight, my power... 

Farewell, take care, and hopefully your spirit will rise just as high as I can fly, and grow as strong as my magical power.