Legacy

by Sleep Sonata

Forward

Starry was used to long journeys, now. Ever since she met Honey she’d been traveling non-stop from town to town, looking for any clues as to who she was. Even now, over a week after first waking up, she was still on the move. She didn’t mind at all. She counted herself blessed that 5 ponies, whom she had not know for more than a few days at most, would stick by her side all these many miles. It made her feel less anxious about being a stranger to herself.

May Day and Compass Rose were hard at work pulling the supply cart. As the day dragged on, their sweat seemed to come down in streams. “Don’t push yourselves too hard girls.” Triage was standing by with her aid kit, ready at a moment’s notice if anything happened. “Heat exhaustion is not fun business. I can remember the time when I was getting new flowers for my sick beds, when all of a sudden, a young foal came swaggering in, fell flat on his face, asked for water, and then just passed out. And yes, he did do it in that order.”

Rose face was in a grimace, as sweat continued to pour down her face. “He was probably out of shape. I’d never let my self pass out from a little he...” The last words were slurred, and Rose’s knees looked like they were about to buckle. Triage rushed over, propping rose up against her shoulder. “Oh no! Rosie! Don’t give up! Get me some water and chocolate! She needs to raise her blood sugar, now!”

Before her orders could be executed, Rose bucked herself back up, and started guffawing at Triage. “Ha ha! That was great! You all totally fell for it!” She continued laughing, but Triage’s concern had now turned to rage.

“Funny!? You think that was funny!? You had us all worried sick! What if you had actually succumbed? Think about your friends!” Triage would have ground her teeth to dust if Honey hadn’t interrupted her.

“Oh lighten up, sweetie. It was kind of funny.” triage wasn’t angry anymore, but she was still fuming about Rose’s little prank. Starry couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics. She may have traveled far, but she’d never before had fun while doing it.

Buttercup pulled up along side Starry, who had been staring at the looming mountains, and apparently nothing else. “What do you think we’ll find over there.” Butter cup inquired.

Starry shook her head. “Well, I had another flashback not too long ago, and I think theres a thestra; kingdom on the other side. Although, I’m not sure it’ll be very welcoming to us, especially me.”

Buttercup could understand the 5 ponies not being welcomed, but one of their own? “But your the only one who would actually fit in. Wouldn’t they accept you as their own?”

“Actually, I think I was banished by someone who took over. He must’ve been the one who wiped my memory.” The description of her punishment, for whatever she did, had Buttercup shaking.

“You mean, there’s a powerful thestral over those mountains, who can erase my memories, and throw me into the middle of bat pony wilderness?” Her tone had shifted from inquisitive, to extremely anxious. Starry gave a gentle nod, after which, Buttercup dove into the cart, causing May and Rose to lose momentum, and shift backwards.

The group came to a halt, as they all tried to pry Buttercup out of the cart. Eventually, they loosened her grip on the floorboards enough to get her out, and Starry bent down to face her. “Buttercup, whatever happens over those mountains, we’re all going to be there for each other, no matter what.”

Buttercup was still shaking. “But what if they wipe my memory, too. I like knowing who I am.”

“I’d have my mind erased a thousand times before I would let that happen to you. None of you deserve to lose your identity.” Starry’s words obviously had an effect on the nervous pegasus, as she rose to her feet without so much as a quiver.

Starry looked around, and noticed they had stopped near an inconspicuous clearing, perfect for a campsite. “This seems like a good place to rest for tonight. Let’s get set up.”

May and Rose both fell flat on the ground, panting hard as the harnesses fell from their backs. Rose was on her back, looking straight up at the sky. She could see Triage walking by, simply stepping around Rose. “What’s wrong Rosie, tired?” Now it was Rose who ground her teeth.

The group was very fortunate to have found the clearing they did. For such a large clearing, it had enough flat ground for all 6 tents, as well as being adjacent to a clean stream. May already had enough scrap wood that they didn’t even need to gather firewood. As soon as the tents were pitched, all of the ponies were in the cots asleep; all of them except for Starry.

She simply didn’t feel like sleeping. She couldn’t even justify it to herself, but she felt no fatigue whatsoever. It was strange, but she wasn’t about to complain about it. It was a cloudless night, so Starry felt like looking up and admiring her namesake.

During the trip, Buttercup had taught her that before Equestria was fully explored, ponies used the stars to find their way around. The glowing dots were fixed in place, the only thing they could ever be sure of in a strange land.

In a way, Starry felt like one of those explorers. She had come back into the world knowing absolutely nothing about it, but after all these miles, and all of the obstacles she’d overcome, her guiding stars were her new pony friends. She knew that she could trust them to have her best interests at heart, and that they would guide her out of whatever trouble befell her. She was fortunate indeed.

A rustle from the bush brought her attention down from the heavens. She stared out to the tree line, trying to find where ever the noise may have come from. “Hello?” She called out. “Who’s out there?”

As if responding to her question a familiar face jumped out from the trees, with what seemed to be a contradictory expression of big smile and watery eyes. Starry knew she recognized the face from somewhere, but it took a second for her to know exactly where. “Harvest Moon?”

The new pony let out an enormous gasp, before dashing over and embracing Starry. “Oh, Starry! You have no idea how relieved I am to see you’re alright! I tried to rescue you in San Franciscolt, but I got chased off.” Starry wanted to be welcoming, but this pony was still a total stranger to her. “Come with me. We need to get you back to Nocturna.”

Harvest tried to pull her by the hoof, but Starry pulled back, much to Harvest’s astonishment. “Look, I’ve only ever seen you once before, and I wasn’t even conscious. I’d like to be more open with you, but I just have no idea who you are.”

To Starry’s surprise, Harvest didn’t seem surprised. She was, however, saddened by the revelation. “You don’t remember me at all?” Starry shook her head, and Harvest let out a disparaging sign. “I see. You haven’t been able to break the spell yet.”

“Spell?” The word had caught Starry’s attention. “What spell?”

“It’s the reason you can’t remember anything. Crow cast an Amnesia spell on you when he banished you from the kingdom.” Harvest moon spoke as if Starry knew the slightest thing of what she was talking about. “I’m actually surprised. An alacorn like you ought to have found a way to break it easily.”

Starry had to introduce her to the reality of the situation. “I can only remember doing magic twice, and one of those times it was an accident.” Harvest was intrigued by this news.

“So you can do magic, but you’ve forgotten how to control it. We need to reteach you before going back for the throne.”

Starry was having trouble processing Harvest’s words. “What throne? Who’s Crow? I still have no idea what’s going on with me.”

Harvest caught herself. “Sorry. I’d love to simply explain everything to you, but your spell is more powerful than the one he put on me. While mine was simply on a countdown, your’s appears to be under a kind of lock. We just need to find the key.”

“How do we do that?”

Harvest’s horn began to glow, and a bright light enveloped the two thestrals, and in an instant, both Starry and Harvest were on a mountain top, overlooking a city below. “By reminding you who you are.”