//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Dreaming of a Princess 
// Story: Memory Lock 
// by Psychic Smith 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3 - Dreaming of a Princess
The wind howled fiercely on top of the snow capped mountain. It was almost enough to send me tumbling down the cliff face, but my feet stayed firmly planted on the ground, ankle deep in white fluffy snow.
Moonlight brightly lit the white landscape, casting a blueish glow over the land. Surrounded by forest, this mountain was high. Very high. Impossibly high. Like someone decided: ‘Hey! Why don’t we make a mountain so tall it goes higher than airplanes?’ It was definitely high enough. If it was cloudy, I wouldn’t have been able to see the trees below. Lucky for me, the sky was clear enough for me to see the ground.
Wait… if I was really that high up, how was it I was breathing? At an altitude like this, the lack of oxygen in the air would’ve killed me by now. Also, why wasn’t I cold? And if I was above cloud level, why was there snow on the top? Snow comes from clouds.
“Who art thou?!” a voice bellowed, carried by the roaring wind, but was somehow louder than it. The force of the sound waves hitting my chest made me fall backwards, landing on my ass. Surprisingly, I landed on rock. I realized that the voice blew all of the snow off the tip of the mountain. The force knocked all of the wind out of me. I couldn’t speak.
“We will ask thee once more, what is thy name?”
Catching my breath, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My name? I searched my mind for the simplest thing in the world. It was gone. No, it was there. I knew it. I had to. A migraine cut my thoughts short, causing me to double over, clenching my head, curling into the smallest ball possible.
My name was there. Why couldn’t I find it?
“We are waiting, whelp!”
I was trying, but the migraine kept pushing me away the closer I got. One step forward, two steps back.
“I- I don’t know.” I choked out through the rising bile in my stomach.
The wind stopped.
“You don’t know?” the voice asked, lowering the volume immensely. Clearly female, but very regal. Like how I imagined old European queens must have spokn. I sat in silence for another moment, letting the contents of my stomach settle. The headache was fading, and I let go of my head, breathing heavily as I sat on my knees.
“I don’t. I don’t know why I don’t,” I said, looking at the sky, searching for something to explain the voice, finding nothing other than the sky, its moon hanging high above the mountain, which was a feat in itself.
The moon!
There was something about it. The craters. I could see them, the darkest ones made a shape.
The head of a horse.
I thought it had been a dream.
“I can assure you, that this is the dream, and that you are asleep,” a beam of light emanating from the moon landed on the mountaintop next to me, and like a shadow, a figure immerged from it like a shadow under a neon streetlamp.
Four hooves, a pair of wings, and… a horn? A fucking unicorn with wings. What the hell did I have to drink last night?
Her dark blue coat almost blended in with the night sky. Her mane. It was impossible. It was like water, reflecting the night sky itself as it wove in a non-existent zephyr.
“What gives?” I asked facetiously. “You horses can read minds now too?”
She seemed to appreciate the joke, letting out a small chuckle from behind her armored hoof, stepping fully out of the light of the moon.
“Humor in the face of adversity is a good sign,” she declared, a lot more gently I should add, but her voice never dropped that impressive, royal tone. Not like some pompous noble, but very elegant.
“I guess you could say I can read thoughts, yes,” the tall mare said thoughtfully. “However, it is more similar to I can see your dreams. One’s subconscious mind is more easily seen than a conscious one.”
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to stand up, only able to get one knee off the ground.
“Princess Luna of Equestria, Princess of the Night.”
Princess… So she was royalty.
She took a step forward, and I instinctively scooted backwards, sending a pebble rolling down the mountain.
“You have nothing to fear,” she said. “Forgive me, I am not as… approachable as my sister.”
“Sister?” There were more of them?
“Yes, but that isn’t the issue at hand,” her voice getting ominous at the end of the sentence. 
“Issue? What issue?”
“Your issue,” was her blunt response.
“Wha-“ In an instant, she was inches away from my face, glaring down at me. Eyes filled with a blue fire.
“Are you, or are you not here to harm Our ponies!?”
Wait what? If this was all real, why would I try to harm the one thing that saved me? Then I realized something. Something I temporarily forgot about.
“H-How could I?” I stammered, unable to escape her stare. “I’m dead!”
“Dead?” she repeated. Obviously that wasn’t the response she was expecting, her face twisting into a look of confusion.
I was panting. I was dead. This was it, wasn’t it? The Afterlife? I was… gone? I continued to hyperventilate.
“I can assure you little one,” she said, placing a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “You are not dead. If you were, I would have not been able to reach you. I see dreams, not the afterlife.” It took me a second of silence to comprehend what the princess’ words meant.
“Then… Then I’m alive?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes, however your body has been put under an artificial coma in order to keep you stabilized,” she said, keeping her tone even. “We needed to know if you were worth saving.”
Worth saving? What did she-
“My sister, as I had mentioned, thought that your intention in Equestria was of evil motives. Now I can see that she was incorrect,” a small smile forming on her face. “Your mind is not tainted by bad intent. You’re clearly just confused. Just as confused as we are.” 
Removing her hoof, she sat in front of me, her horn glowing a bright blue as the scene around me shifted like a mirage. The frigid mountain and howling winds faded away, replaced by a cozy room, with a window showing the moon, a crackling fireplace lighting the table we sat at, a kettle and two mugs set on top of it, steam rising from the cups. Tapestries along the wall depicted a bright crescent moon, glittering jewels representing the stars on a purple night sky.
“How did you do that?” I asked in awe.
Princess Luna cocked her head to the side upon hearing the question. “Have you never seen magic before?” I shook my head. “I see. We are currently in your mind. As princess of the night, I can use my magic to manipulate your dreams. You must come from a world without magic, which would explain your lack of knowledge when it comes to the subject. Where do you hail from anyhow?”
Before I could respond, the headache came back in full force, interrupting any thought process I was having. My hands again instantly returned to my temples. What was I thinking about?
Looking back up at the pony princess, a look of worry spread across her muzzle.
“You can’t remember, can you?” 
I nodded weakly in response. 
“It’s worse than I thought, not only has your body experienced physical trauma, but your mind… Would you allow me to delve a little bit deeper?” Luna asked.
I looked at her quizitively from between my hands. “What do you mean by that?” I ask, clasping my hand around the handle of the mug in front of me. Raising it up to my nose, I took a sniff. It was probably the sweetest tea I have ever smelt. I took a sip, letting the liquid slip down my throat, warming my insides, a sweet, flowery taste covering over my tongue. But wait. This is a dream. I could make it taste any way I wanted. I took a second sip, thinking about a warm mug of hot chocolate. I took a second sip. The taste of the richest liquid chocolate filled my mouth. My favorite.
“I wish to try and see your memories,” Luna said, looking at me sternly. Boy she was serious. “I need to know the extent of the damage done to your mind.”
“Haven’t you done that already, being able to see my dreams or whatever?”
“I could not at the time,” she responded. “In order for me to delve into the memories of anypony, or anybody as the case may be, without their consent.”
As much as I disliked the idea of someone other than me rummaging through my mind, I reasoned that it was the only way for me to figure out what was wrong with my thinking-box. Besides, I don’t have any memories I am too uncomfortable with sharing… Do I?
“I won’t pry into any private matters if that’ll help,” Luna stated.
Reluctantly, I nodded. “Do it.”
“Excellent.” 
Sitting upright in my chair, I watched as Luna lowered her horn, aiming it right at my head, closing her eyes as the tip of her horn glowed a hot white. I stared in shock and awe as a tendril of white light snaked out of the tip of the horn, coming straight for me. It hovered between my eyebrows, making me go a bit cross-eyed. The light didn’t give off heat. It turned the air around it cold.
“This may feel a bit… odd.” Princess Luna warned.”
I braced myself for whatever she was about to do. I closed my eyes. I felt the light touch my forehead, and I closed my eyes.
Darkness.
That’s all I saw. A swirling darkness. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. I felt the floor slip away from underneath my feet as I fell. There was no wind, there was no sound.
“Think little one,” the disembodied voice of Luna echoed through the void. “Try and show me something with your mind’s eye”
I thought. And as soon as I tried, the migraines started again. The pain would’ve been blinding, had my eyes been open that is.
“You must fight it. Fight through the pain.”
Regardless how bad I wanted to give in, I kept going. Pushing against the pain. It was trying to push a brick house across a football field. I wasn’t getting anywhere.
Then I felt it. It was like opening an airlock without depressurizing it first. I was being sucked down, being pulled by some unknown force.

I landed face first in a puddle, the cold water soaking my leather jacket, shirt, and jeans. I must have tripped over something, and now I was sopping wet. A raised concrete slab maybe got in my way. Pushing myself off of the sidewalk, I got to my knees, squinting my eyes against the cold raindrops that were pelting my glasses. My teeth started to chatter as I continued down the road. It was pitch black, the rain clouds blotting out the moon, preventing the light it cast to reach me. There were few buildings to be seen. Just a forest with the occasional farmland with a small house off in the distance. I would pass the occasional street lamp, only a small few were casting their orange glows, while the others were dead, flickering in the darkness. I held my arms tight to my chest, trying to keep warm. Needless to say, it wasn’t working. I let out a deep breath, my voice shaking, and the air from my lungs forming steam in the air.
After a few more minutes of walking, I came across what I assumed was my destination. On the opposite side of the road was a green three story house, with steep roofs, with a lights illuminating the second floor windows. One foot off of the sidewalk sent a feeling of dread through my body. A second step across the road, I could feel my legs growing heavy. The third left me halfway across the road. Turning my head, I saw bright beams of light coming around the bend, the rumbling of an engine closing in. The fourth left me in the middle of the oncoming lane, the car rounded the corner much faster than it should have.
I willed my leg to take a hasty fifth step and bolt out of the way, but my body froze, locking up in sheer terror. 
The driver laid heavy on the horn, drowning out the sound of the rain. He tried to turn, to veer away from the man that was stopped in the middle of the road. His tires left contact with the ground, gliding atop the thin layer of water covering the street. He slammed on his brakes, screaming in terror as he watched as his car slid uncontrollably.
The wheels screeched as they reunited with the ground, but it was too late. I raised my hands protecting my face. There was nothing I could’ve done to guard my legs.
CRACK
I heard bones shatter as the bumper of the car slammed into my knees. I felt several bones splintering on the initial impact.
Time slowed down to a snail’s pace.
I watched in terror as I fell slowly towards the windshield, the eyes man behind the driver’s seat were wide, pupils the size of needles. I flew through the air, helpless to do anything but let gravity and physics take control. I listened to each individual raindrop hit the hood of the car.
My face inches away from the glass, time decided to resume its normal flow.
I felt my head explode in stars as I hit the glass.
I was lost again to blackness.

I bolted upright, like I woke up from a nightmare. Looking around the room, nothing much has changed. The mugs and tea kettle still sat on the table, vapors rising from the cups. Luna still sat opposite me, holding a hoof to her forehead.
“Well that was, interesting,” she said through gritted teeth. Looking past her hoof, she met my eyes and shook her head. “I wasn’t able to see anything more than that chariot hit you.”
“You mean the car,” I clarified. This only seemed to puzzle the princess.
“What a curious word. Under different circumstances you must tell me more about these strange things you have where you come from, but for now we must focus on what we know.” The princess sat upright, pulling her hoof away from her face, staring me directly in the eye. “I could however tell that certain memories in your mind are being blocked.”
Huh?
Luna pondered how to best phrase her explanation.
“It’s like someone has moved your memories, and locked them in a safe. Most of them are still there, in your mind, but you don’t have access to them. And, without the code or key, there is no way for you to open the safe.”
“How is that even possible,” I said under my breath. How could someone so easily tamper with my mind?
“It is a very old magic. Nopony truly understands how it works anymore. To my knowledge, there has never been a creature capable of casting such a spell.”
The princess of the night was clearly studious, for she droned on for what felt like hours. I tried to listen, but her voice was lulling me to sleep, my eyes growing heavy. My head started to droop down, hanging lazily by my neck. I heard Luna say something, but was too tired to truly comprehend what it was. My sleepy mind tried to respond with a simple ‘huh?’ but that wasn’t what came out.
“Not now professor, I’m trying to study,” I said with a yawn.
“Perhaps I was rambling,” Luna said, prodding me with a hoof from across the table, stirring me awake.
With a gasp I sat up, staring wide eyed at the winged unicorn I was sitting across from. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck, giving a sheepish smile.
“S-Sorry. I guess I’m just a little tired as all,” I apologized. Wait, wasn’t I still dreaming?
“No need to apologize young one,” Luna waved a dismissive hoof. “That is common after I delve into one’s mind. It is usually pretty taxing on their psyche.”
As if realizing something, Luna touched her hoof to her chin as if in thought.
“Now here is a predicament,” she said, obviously thinking of an answer before she asked the question. “If you can’t remember your name, then what shall I call you? Unless you desire for me to reference you as ‘Young One,’” her voice dripping sarcasm, a smirk forming on her muzzle.
She did have a good point though. If I was going to meet any more ponies, I couldn’t remain anonymous. There was something we called people that didn’t have a name back home, and I’m not talking about newborns. Jim? No, but it definitely started with a ‘J’. Jerimiah? No, that was some sort of religious thing wasn’t it? Was I religious? No, the sound of it tasted sour on my tongue as I sounded out the word. John! That’s what it was. A John Doe.
“Wandering Spirit,”
“John Doe,” we both said simultaneously.
We looked at each other, chuckling at our impeccable timing.
“Where did you get that from,” I asked, taking another sip from my mug.
“Why, I thought it was fitting since you have that odd pendant around your neck.”
Pendant? I looked down at my chest, and sure enough, a silver chain was hanging from my neck. Nothing fancy like a gaudy piece of jewelry, but a simple strand of shiny metallic beads holding up a solid disk with three simple symbols etched onto the face of it.
S&W
How had I not noticed this before? And why did it leave me with a bitter sweet taste in the pit of my stomach? I looked at the necklace with a mixture of sadness and a longing. I could swear it was given to me by someone. Someone important. I accidently let a tear seep from my eye.
“You recognize it don’t you?” Luna asked a hint of sorrow in her voice. I just nodded as I wiped my cheek with the back side of my hand. “Sometimes our subconscious minds can conjure images of memories that we do not remember. This is yet another sign that your memories are not completely gone.”
Clutching the small pendant in my hand, I let a small smile cross my face. There was definitely a sadness that came with the jewelry, but also a warm comfort. It was strange. My brain was trying to remember something, I could feel it. But it wouldn’t surface.
“Wild Spirit sounds better than John Doe,” I said just barely loud enough for Luna to hear me. She smiled supportively, which was appreciated.
“That settles it then,” Luna responded.
We sat in relative silence as the minutes ticked by. I relished every moment I held onto that necklace, holding onto any comfort, and bearing the emotional strain. Desperate to think of anything to take my mind off of the necklace I tried to change the subject.
“So, you said there was… physical trauma?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer. I could have changed the subject to anything. Literally, anything other than that. But no, my mouth had to doom me to bad news. Fuck me.
Luna nodded. She explained everything that she had knowledge of. She only heard of me from the reports from the pony guards that moved my body to a hospital. She herself was in a far off city called Canterlot. I had to keep a straight face, trying not to chuckle at the obvious horse pun. Apparently my body was in really rough shape. However, the report was extensive, and very detailed. I have to give kudos to whoever wrote it. One of my lungs had collapsed, there was a shocking amount of internal bleeding, the two bottom vertebrae in my spine were broken, and the bones in my legs were shattered, 18 fractures in all.
I wasn’t a doctor, which I was sure of. But I’m pretty sure I would never be able to walk again.
“Your body, as it is, could not support you if you were conscious,” Luna explained. “We have our best medical ponies doing what they can, slowing the internal bleeding, and healing the gashes on your skin. They do not, however, have enough knowledge of your anatomy to heal your skeletal structure, or your organs. It’s likely that if we wake you up, best case scenario, your legs will be unusable.”
My fears were confirmed. Today couldn’t get any worse.
“Worst case scenario, you die as soon as they bring you to consciousness.”
Well, I was wrong.
So my choices were limited to staying in a coma or risk dying. Neither were optimal options. I looked down at my hands, thinking over my options. Honestly, I would probably rather give up than live without my legs. I’d probably just kill myself anyways. No, no I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I would want to, standing right on the verge of doing it, and just chicken out. I spent a few moments in thoughtful silence. I argued back and forth with myself in my own head, debating the pros and cons when there were no pros, and only cons.
“There is a third option,” Luna said matter-of-factly, startling me, bringing me out of my train of thought.
“Seriously! You need to stop reading my mind! I have enough problems with just me in there!” This only made Luna giggle. Her laughter did little to ease the shame I felt for interrupting royalty. “But, what were you saying about a third option.” I really appreciate it if this option didn’t involve killing me, or crippling me for life, or worse.
“I’m not sure you will enjoy the idea as much as will be enjoying your reaction to it,” Luna said, a smug smirk crossing her muzzle.
“What do you mean?”
Luna place a forehoof firmly on the table with a stony look on her face. Why did she consistently make me regret asking questions? It took the lunar princess to speak, but after a deep sigh, she laid down the news, and she laid it heavy.
“We could temporarily transform your body.”
Luna was right, my face was probably priceless. What the fuck was she talking about? It’s wasn’t possible. Then again, why wouldn’t it be possible? And if I had learned anything about myself in the past hour or so, it would be that I was really good at listening. I didn’t need the mind reading princess to remind me that in this world, these ponies had magic. The extent of their capabilities, but if Luna was one of their rulers, she must have an immense knowledge of the “arcane” sciences. Was that the right term?
“Yes it is,” Luna said a smirk.
Great, she was reading my mind again.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to learn so quickly just by hearing my blabber about things I assume sound nonsensical to you,” She continued. “It appears you must be rather studious. One more piece to a puzzle without a picture. Now we need to find where it goes.”
I nodded in response. I did my best to piece together what we already knew from everything that had happened ever since I have been in this dream state. Being in my mind for so long was definitely proving to be useful. But we couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room. There was still the matter of actually surviving waking up, and Luna just provided me with one of the most curious propositions I have ever had to debate. Transforming my body.
“I agree,” Luna said, her face returning to her serious, vaguely intimidating form. “Let us not ignore the topic any longer.”
I forgot one other thing I learned today. Luna had no concept of personal privacy.
The winged unicorn opened her mouth to respond to my internal comment, but I held up a silencing hand.
“Just tell me what you had in mind,” I said, rather fed up with her mind reading antics. Luna let out a disappointed sigh, and continued.
“As you wish,” she said. She pondered her next words carefully. When she finally found a phrase she liked, a devious smirk crossed her blue muzzle.
“So, Mr. Spirit. How would you like to be a pony?”
I felt my jaw drop to the table.
The smile stayed on the pony princess’ face, but she didn’t even laugh.
“You- You’re serious?” I stuttered, my mind scrambling, trying to fully understand the idea Luna was proposing.
“I told you that there was an option that allowed you a 100% chance of survival, and this is it.”
I was originally horrified at the prospect of being turned into a horse. Being reduced to that of an animal. Then again, these ponies weren’t just animals. They were intelligent, and from what I could tell, compassionate. Just like me. Luna proceeded to explain that, while it was possible to wake up without jeopardizing my life in the process, the chances of it actually succeeding were incredibly low. The doctors could do their best to heal what they could, but I would never be completely healed. If I were to undergo this procedure, all of my new body’s organs would be restored in pristine fashion. Perfectly healthy. The more she continued, the less I was opposed to the idea.
“Not to mention, you will be able to walk. The magic we would use would also rebuild your bone structure. You wouldn’t have to worry about being immobilized,” Luna added.
It was almost too good to be true. I wanted to cry tears of relief, but at the sake of my pride, I held it in. There was one other reason for it too. Luna was looking at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. But there was one question I needed to ask.
“Luna, is there any chance that I could eventually change back?”
Luna gave me a knowing gaze, her features softening.
“I cannot guarantee anything of the sort,” Luna said softly. “But if it is within my power, and can be done safely, and with your consent, I will do it personally.”
I was expecting that kind of answer, but if it means I can be saved, just like that…
“I’ll do it,” I said with confidence, a determined glint in my eyes
Luna’s eyes instantly brightened at my words.
“Excellent, I shall begin preparations immediately!”
With a flash of light, Luna was gone, and I remained in the dream. Alone. With a warm cup of hot chocolate that would never empty.
“If all of them are as kind as this,” I said to myself. “Then I think that I’m in good hands.” Thinking about it, I had to correct myself. “Or rather, hooves.”