Once one has lost all acknowledgement of the past, they have also lost all purpose. However, if a flame has been extinguished, it can always reignite. All it takes is a single memory.
I realized I was thinking. At first, it felt as if the world was made up of absolute nothingness-but then, a single thought crept into my mind. I could tell it was myself thinking that thought. I briefly speculated the possibility of it having been someone else trying to communicate with me, but dismissed the idea, as I could tell nobody else was here, wherever “here” was. It was an original thought. I had created it. Realizing this, I felt the first emotion I’d ever felt. At first, I couldn’t identify it. Soon, I was able to pinpoint the word for it- happiness. Contentment. That fleeting feeling was short lived, but I had no complaints. Somehow, I already knew I was not the type of person to dwell on emotions.
Within seconds of my first thought, what seemed like thousands of images suddenly began to flash through my mind. Some were vague, fuzzy, barely recognizable. Others shone vividly, every detail apparent. Some of the people in them were recurring, and others only showed for a fraction of time. These weren’t events I had ever experienced, nor faces I had ever seen. Yet, somehow, they stood out to me. These images were not merely pictures- they were somehow laced with feelings, and underlying meanings of some sort. It was almost as if I could read the thoughts of whoever had experienced these things I was viewing - they held traces of rage and depression, along with the occasional bits of excitement and joy. I could observe these emotions, though I was not the one experiencing them. They had no effect on me. Instead, I paid attention to those I saw, and absorbed all information relayed through the images effortlessly. I did not know why, but I felt as if I would need this information someday. It was as if it was being shown to me for a reason.
I began to gain awareness of my body - I was floating. I felt a slight brush of feathers against my back. So, I have wings. Recalling the beings I observed less than a minute earlier, I realized some of them had the same feathery appendages. That must mean I’m a… what was the word for it? Pegasus. That’s right. One Pegasus that showed up repeatedly in the visions stood out to me. This one was more important than the others, that I already knew. At least, in my small world, he was. Alder was his name, wasn’t it?
Every time I tried to recall something, even a miniscule detail, it got easier. In another instant, I was able to scan through every image that contained this ‘Alder’, and I decided without a second thought that he was the ideal being. Nobody I knew of within the images I previously looked through could compare to this pony in terms of accomplishments, influence, or intelligence. However, an image of a gray-coated unicorn with a long black mane came to mind. There was one who managed to beat him on the intelligence side of things, though… I thought, a small frown spreading across my muzzle. I realized I was experiencing true emotion for the second time - annoyance. The idea of anyone or anything being better than Alder in any aspect was unnerving. I looked up to him already. He was the one person I wanted to meet.
Suddenly, I wanted to be apart of everything I knew. Everything I had seen. I didn’t want to be a bystander, having no power in the world. I wanted to experience things for myself, not just look through the memories of a pony I didn’t know personally. That pony, whom I couldn’t remember the name for, being the only one recurrent in every image, was also a Pegasus. An admirable one in several ways, but not comparing to Alder on any level.
I felt my feathers stand on end in agitation as it occurred to me that I felt nearly identical to the pony which appeared in every vision, in terms of personality and ways of thinking. Yet, I knew I was not that pony. I was my own being. I was already developing my own sense of self and personality. One way or another, I’ll make damn sure of that. I thought, grinning.
Wherever I was, I would break free. I would find this world which had become so familiar to me, I would finally meet those whose lives I had observed. I knew they weren’t average people - they were important, not only to me, but to the world.
Suddenly, I could tell I was falling. From where, I didn’t know. All I knew if that I was rapidly descending from wherever I had been floating. I knew then that I was finally leaving this place.
I knew a lot for having only been in existence for what felt to me like a few minutes, but one question plagued me endlessly. One I couldn’t answer, no matter how much information within my memory I picked through.
What am I here for?
I opened my eyes.