Memories

by Sun Aura

At the Gala

I walked upwards on the spiraling staircase, shutting out the sounds of a party below. I did not usually attend the Grand Galloping Gala, but Celestia insisted I come this year. She had found a ‘memory expert’. I do not know who this pony was or how they could help, but I would take the chance to know what I can about my memories.

I stumbled on the hem of my dress. Rarity had originally wanted to design it for me, but I had turned her down at first thinking that I would not be going to the Gala. But when Tia sent me a letter about the memory expert, I relented and let her do her work. The dress was a very dark, nearly black, blue green, with lighter blue green swirls. I could see why Rarity wanted to work with me in particular, as the nearly black fabric showed off the true black that was my coat, a coat that everypony else would have to use dyes to get. The contrast of the blue and green made the red-orange of my mane pop even more than usual.

I will be thankful to Rarity that she made my dress a bit simpler than the others. I would have tumbled down in a dress like Fluttershy’s, but this only hinders me on stairs.

I wondered why Tia told me to meet the memory expert up in the royal chambers wing. Probably for isolation, I do not think I would want random partygoers showing up mid-spell. Ponies tend to wander after a few drinks, but they cannot get up to the royal chambers.

“Third door on the left,” I reminded myself of Tia’s directions as I reached the top of the stairs. My old bedroom was across from this one, but I had never opened it. It had always been locked when I tried to go in, but I always figured it was an empty bedroom, up for grabs next time a royal was born. I was very wrong.

I took in the sight as I opened the door. The carpet was one of the darkest blues I had seen. The bed was larger than a usual one, and covered in pillows and blankets of every shade of blue that seemed to make a nest of sorts. Shelves covered most walls, each filled with books that had obviously been read many times, but were quite cared for. Personal effects like a vanity and a chest for clothes were set in the middle of a room big enough to hold the first floor of the Carousel Boutique.

Looking up took my breath away. There were no candles in the room to light it, but the room was bright all the same. The ceiling was a painted mural of the night sky, and each star was a tiny gem, infused with a light spell. The ceiling was no match for the true night sky, as even magic paint cannot blend the way the sky does, but it was still beautiful.

Hearing a noise, I turned my head to the only wall not covered with books. The final wall was a balcony looking out over the land. A telescope and a table set were already set up out there, yet they were not what held my attention.

The only thing as beautiful as the night sky itself, was its ruler, Princess Luna back to her full power. Her coat had darkened since I last saw her; she grew taller than other ponies, yet still a bit shorter than Celestia. But the most impressive thing was her mane. I had last seen it at a simple light blue. Now, it flowed outward in a nightly hue. I wondered if it would flow with magical power like Celestia’s does.

“Hello,” I said, getting over the shock. “I am guessing that you are Celestia’s ‘memory expert’?”
“I would not call myself that,” she replied, “but I have other skills that may help.” While Celestia’s voice was strong and bold, Luna’s seemed soft and delicate, yet commanding. Celestia’s voice would make you listen, but Luna’s makes you stop on your own. Although, her voice seemed retracted tonight, as if she did not want to talk at all. I could not get a proper feel from her magic, she felt indifferent.

“If you do not want to do this tonight you do not have to,” I said, trying to shake off the awkwardness, but Luna only sighed, turning back to the table on the balcony.

“I apologize if I seem distant,” She finally said. “This whole idea, the idea of you being the same Feria, it seems too much to hope for. I will admit you are very much like Feria, in both appearance and persona. It does throw me off a bit, thinking like that, and the idea of your memories... I am trying not to get my hopes up.”

She was more straightforward than I thought she would be. I followed her out into the night air. The Gala’s sounds were nearly gone, but stayed as a continuous hum at the edge of the background. Neither of us wanted to begin, so we sat in silence for minutes, listening.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, creating the inevitable break in the silence. “I mean, for the memories. How does this work?”

“If we are correct,” Luna answered, “those memories should be locked somewhere inside your mind. We only need to get in there.” She turned to face me, and the air pressure changed, creating her spell.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my heart beating faster.

“Calm yourself,” she spoke “close your eyes, and take deep breaths. Listen to the sound of my voice, listen to the sounds from all around you, but listen to the sound of my voice. Let your body be at ease, relax even more now. Become steadier, easier, until the feeling just takes you over.” I wanted to continue asking her, but there was power in her words. My body stopped moving, my breath was a constant flow, and my eyes were closed.

I felt something shift in the world. All of my senses were at their highest, including my magic. Opening my eyes I saw an unfamiliar throne room. All of its décor were either yellow or blue, and much more like a throne room should be. I knew that if the room was filled with ponies, the ponies on those two thrones would be removed from it all. The thrones at the back fit the pattern, being high backed and not personalized at all, other than the color. This must be the newer throne room in Everfree, the one made for only Celestia and Luna.

“You teleported us to Everfree?” I asked. Unfortunately, Luna was not there with me.”No, it…. This is not the castle.” I said. I could sense something different here. There were no shifting auras of the forest around the castle, or any of the world. It felt like this room was the only thing that existed. It was an odd feeling, to feel so alone.

“You entered here before I did,” Luna stated appearing, quite literally, out of nowhere. Somehow, her presence in this place made the world more real. I felt the magic around me again, but it was a created energy. Nearly everything here was the exact same magic imitating another one. All of the magic here was all part of Luna.

“Where are we, exactly?” I asked. “It… it is not the castle like I thought.”

“Welcome, to the dream world.” She replied, as if it was a normal thing. Ponies cannot freely enter the dream world. One would have to be asleep, and even then they would not know they were there. Although this seemed impossible, Alicorns never followed the rules when it came to magic.

“How did we get here?” I asked in an attempt to take it all in.

“If my spell had worked,” Luna began, “you would have fallen asleep, allowing me to enter your dream and fully immerse you in the world, allowing us to fully interact like we are now. I had planned to be in your dream.”

“If it had worked?” I felt scared. Whatever she had tried had not worked properly. Failed spells can end up disastrous. I had grown up near the School for Gifted Unicorns. Not a week went by without Celestia having to fix a failed spell from a young ambitious unicorn. Effects had ranged from minor transformations to obliterating a wall to half the class teleported to Appleloosa.

“You entered the dream world on your own. In all of my life, I have known only two ponies to have been able to enter the dream world on their own. One is myself, of course. As Princess of the night, I have reign over dreams, allowing myself to flow between them at wish.”’

I calmed myself at the idea that the spell did not fail, but she stopped it. It is a good thing. Yet entering the dream world still seems quite unbelievable. Yet here we are. I had entered. I do not know how. The more I thought on this, the more it scared me. I had entered her realm, a place only she should be able to go. The kind of power that had to be used for that is something I do not have, right? I honestly did not know anymore.

“Who was the second pony?” I asked. I was almost too scared to say it, and Luna was afraid to answer. At first, she awkwardly fidgeted, trying to figure out the best was to say what was already hanging in the air between us. Then she finally did something she had only done once since her return. She met my eyes, holding my gaze. Those eyes had seen so much, been through so much, and told many stories. I returned the gaze, maybe for her comfort, maybe for my own.

“Feria is the other pony,” Luna finally said. The weight dropped on us. The idea of the previous Feria and I being the same pony felt as more of a reality than it had been back when I climbed the staircase. I took notice that she had realized this too, as she picked the word “is” and not “was”.

“If you are her,” Luna shakily continued, “it would make sense that you entered the dream world on your own. Back when… Back in the beginning, when anypony had nightmares, Feria and I would enter their dreams and help them out there. Ponies tend to not be able to sleep when others are waiting for them to sleep, so Starswirl and I worked on a hypnotic sleep spell to use when we needed to enter dreams. I would use it on the dreamer, and we would enter the Dream World together. If you are her, the memory of slipping into the dream world is stuck in your procedural memory, entering on your own when you heard the spell.”

“If I do not remember that past, how can I use a memory like that?” I asked, even more confused.

“There are different types of memory. Procedural memory is the actions you are used to doing, such as walking, or entering the dream world when that spell is used. There is general knowledge, like language or facts. Celestia tells me that your procedural memory was fine when you were ‘created’, and so was most of your general knowledge. The things that you had either forgotten, or facts and such that did not exist back in your previous life, were taught to you over time.”

“So I am like a pony with amnesia,” I stated. I smiled at the way she was talking. She rambled on about things she found interesting. She was happy, almost excited, really. I could not put my hoof on it, but she reminded me of somepony from this lifetime.

“Yes,” Luna continued. “Like most amnesia victims, the problem is episodic memory, which involves conversations, ponies you know, even books you have read, although it is usually accompanied by some kind of trauma.”

“Death seems like plenty of trauma,” I whispered. She seemed shocked at first, then her expression softened. I had seen the expression before. The expression was of one who wanted to break down, but kept it together for others. I had seen it in Azura’s eyes during the crystal message telling of Feria’s… my… death. I had seen it every time I asked Celestia about her past.

“I am sorry,” Luna said. “Standing here, talking with you about random things, it just felt like it did back then back, before Feria died.” She sighed in defeat. “I really was trying to not become too hopeful in the idea that she… that you came back to me. I do not know what to do if I had the dream crushed. I want this crazy idea to be true.”

“Maybe we should not jump straight into this,” I suggested. “Perhaps we could get used to walking through this place.” She thought for a moment on this, thinking of where to go.

“As you wish,” she replied. “I believe there are a few Ponyville citizens that are asleep, we could pop in on what they are dreaming about.” She walked with purpose to the end of the room, throwing open the doors with a push of magic. I followed and marveled in the strangeness of the next room, in part because I had seen forest through the windows on that wall only moments ago.

The hallway seemed, at first, like any other castle hall. There were many windows and open doorways, fairly decorated walls and floors, the usual. But every doorway and window was a portal to a different place. On my left was a dragon cave, while a snowy mountain was on my right.

“It took years to figure out how this place works,” Luna began. She was using that same tone as before, happy rambling, relishing in what she knows without being pretentious that she knows more than I do. I still could not figure out what it reminded me of. “It had no sense of organization, dreams were just scattered anywhere throughout here. When I first started on the organizational system for the dream world, the only ‘organized structure’ was our castle in Everfree. Of course, as more ponies were born I expanded the world into a much bigger place, and it became a castle of my own. Some parts look like Everfree, some look like Canterlot, some are pieces of my own design.”

Still talking, she leaped through a window. I lingered for a moment, wanting to follow, but also wishing to explore on my own. I felt a flick of magic at the edge of my senses; it was the equivalent of movement in your peripheral vision. Something about it was familiar, but terrifying. More terrifying than Nightmare Moon. I shrugged it off, figuring that somepony somewhere was having a nightmare, and it was affecting the dream realm a bit. Yet I did not linger longer, and jumped a little too excitedly through the portal after Luna.

There was bright light for only a moment before the dream fully took form. I was now in Cloudsdale, more specifically at the finale of the Best Young Flyers competition. Just like the Everfree castle, it felt real in the physical sense. The clouds beneath my hooves were soft, the wind blew my hair around my shoulders, I could even feel warmth coming off of the ponies next to me. Yet it was all just magic. This was not Luna’s magic, now it was the magic of the dreaming pony.

“And there we have it everypony!” shouted the competition’s announcer. “She won by a landslide, making her the most super awesomest Pegasus since the legendary Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts! Give a cheer for Scootaloo!” I watched as an orange Pegasus mare sped into the arena. Everypony was cheering, but the loudest screams of pride were coming from the ponies around me, and one rainbow-maned Wonderbolt at the judges’ table.

I felt a shuffle of wings to my left, and sense the only magic in this place not created my Scootaloo. Luna had made her way to my side. Judging by the missing seat next to Princess Celestia, she was put there when she entered the dream,

“Why was I over here and not with you when I entered?” I asked over the still roaring crowd.

“When we enter a pony’s dream, we blend with whoever we are most like in the dream. We were already here to the dreamer, but if we enter we overtake our doppelgangers. If our doppelgangers were not here we would most likely be random background ponies. Really, this is only done so that the dreamer does not completely freak out if two of me shows up. Speaking of dreamers, I know this is the dream of that orange Pegasus out there, I think her name is Scootaloo, do you know her?”

“I do not know her very well,” I replied. “But I have met and talked to her a few times. I know she idolized my friend Rainbow Dash. You probably remember her better as the Element of Loyalty. That’s her over with the Wonderbolts. I think this dream is just Scootaloo dreaming about a perfect future. She believes that Rainbow Dash’s dream of joining the Wonderbolts will come true, and hopes to be just like her as she grows. Although Scootaloo is currently just a filly without a cutiemark who can barely get her hooves off the ground, most of us think she will do something great.”

“The young ones are usually the most hopeful,” Luna mused.

“Maybe one of these days you will meet her, and the rest of my friends, face to face,” I said. “For now I can at least show you what they look like in the dream world. You have already seen Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, but there are more of my friends here. Look to my right, do these five ponies look familiar to you?”

“The other Elements of Harmony,” Luna replied, almost surprised at their appearance.

“The lavender Unicorn is Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic,” I began. “I assume Tia has told you a lot about her favorite student. The yellow Pegasus is Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. She can be quite shy, but once she gets comfortable around you she is a really great mare. The white Unicorn is Rarity, the Element of Generosity. She can be a bit overdramatic, but her eye for detail is not to be overlooked. She is the one who designed my Gala dress.”

“I was a bit disappointed it did not manifest when you entered the dream world,” Luna interrupted. “It did compliment you quite well.”

“Oh, um, thank you,” I said. I was actually blushing at that compliment. “Well, to continue, the Pink pony is Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. She is very hyper and strange, and the best at parties and making others smile. Never underestimate her. She may be only an Earth pony, but she seems to be able to mess with reality. The orange Earth Pony at the end of the row is Applejack, the Element of Honesty. Her family is huge, yet really close. There is probably at least one Apple in every town in Equestria, and they keep track of most of each other.”
“She looks like Amber,” Luna stated. “Sorry, I know you do not remember her, but I do.”

“Actually, I think I do remember her. Kind of. During one of the memory-blackout things there was a pony that Azura referred to as ‘Amber’. Her coat looked like a gem, did it not?”

“You do not know of the Crystal Ponies?” she asked. “Of course you would not. They disappeared fifteen hundred years ago.”

“Is that what they are called? ‘Crystal Ponies’? I have been calling them ‘gem ponies’ since I saw the memories. What were the ones that were insect-like?”

“If the rest of what I planned to happen turns out successful, you will remember it for yourself. If I may ask, why are you and your friends in the VIP box of Scootaloo’s stadium? You said you were not very close to Scootaloo, and I assume with the age difference, the other bearers are not in her inner circle either.”

“It is because of those two mares,” I said gesturing to the two in front of us. One was a white unicorn with a pink and purple mane; the other was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and a pink bow in her hair. “They are Scootaloo’s best friends. The three of them even formed a club together called the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, and they go around town getting into all sorts of fun and trouble in attempts to earn their own cutie marks. The unicorn is Sweetie Belle, who is Rarity’s little sister, and the Earth Pony is Applejack’s little sister Applebloom.”

“The VIP section is not for true ‘VIPs’,” I continued, “but Scootaloo’s closest friends and the friend’s ‘plus one. She knows that her friends would pick their respective sister as their ‘plus one’, Rainbow Dash would be here for the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy could get in easily as she is a Pegasus, and I would have gotten in from my status as princess. That left two of the group out of the stadium, but they would end up getting invited by one of us already here. Yet even in her wildest dreams, quite literally I might add, she could not imagine us even sitting apart from each other.”

“You must have a really close relationship with your friends for that to happen,” Luna replied. We sat there in silence for a while, just watching the show. All of the other contestants and the Wonderbolts joined in with her, each doing complicated yet beautiful maneuvers. But you could always see Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash in the mix. We came here to the dream world to learn about the past, yet this gives hope for the future.
We might have stayed there all night if that flick of magic had not returned. I felt it coming. Cold fear grabbed onto me. I had felt it in Everfree, I had felt it when facing Nightmare Moon. I did not completely understand my terror. True, the magic felt malevolent, as if it could do much worse than kill you. This magic was particularly affecting me. I knew Luna could feel it coming too from the way she tensed up, but the fear did not take hold of her like it did to me.

“RUN!” she yelled, shoving me off the cloud. I plummeted, still frozen with fear. The malevolent magic was altering the dream, turning it into a nightmare. Scootaloo’s wings stopped working, the clouds darkened and began thundering; the crowd that once cheered for their hero was now laughing in mockery and scorn. Luna was circling, trying to bring me back, but I could not focus on her.

I saw it. I saw the magic that threatened us. I do not know what I expected it to look like. Maybe a monstrous creature, or something of the like would have been acceptable, but all it was just a visible mass of magic. It was monochrome gray, swirling around and blocking the sky, threatening to kill us. Or maybe it would do worse.

The magic reached out past the ponies laughing faces and scathing remarks. It reached for those who were real. It reached for Luna and Scootaloo. Luna attempted to dodge, but she could not keep up forever. Scootaloo was not as lucky. The dream’s magic was still working on her wings, stopping them from saving her. We might be in the dream world, but this magic was real. Could it hurt a dreamer? Luna and I were not dreamers, what would happen to us? If we die in the dream world, do we die in real life?

A smoky tendril of the magic knocked Luna out of the sky, throwing her into the same freefall Scootaloo and I were in. The magic was waiting for us below; we would fall into it soon. It is odd what one notices when fear takes over. It all seemed to slow down. The wind whipped my mane around giving it an illusion of flames. I could feel a slight tingle in my wings. I watched at the magic reached out and grabbed us. It grabbed them.

“STAY AWAY FROM THEM!” I screamed, taking back control of my body. My voice seemed to have a magic of its own, physically blowing back anything in its path. My wings unfurled, and I turned to face the magic. “YOU DO NOT DARE TOUCH THEM!” I felt my own energy build. I focused it at the magic attacking us, and it let Luna and Scootaloo go.

“DO! NOT! HARM! ANYONE! EVER! AGAIN!” I screamed at the magic, releasing a burst of my own with every word. I was practically hysterical, but it was working. The magic was backing up from us, the nightmare was calming itself. I could feel that magic weakening with each blast. Everything faded out, and I was suddenly back in the hallway looking at a blank spot on the wall.

Luna was standing nearby, breathing heavily. I realized I was doing the same, my magic fading and the fear fading faster without the malevolent force to empower it.

“What was that thing?” I asked her as soon as I was able to speak. “Why did we come back here? Where did it go?”

“We came back because the dreamer woke up,” Luna stated, still shaking. “It is a failsafe of the dream world; if the dreamer wakes up with a dreamwalker inside, the dreamwalker is shoved out of the dream. As for the thing that attacked us,” she swallowed, shuffling guiltily, “it is the last parts of Nightmare Moon. When I returned from my imprisonment on the moon, one of my first acts after banishing Celestia to the sun was entering the dream world to use my magic to attack this place. I had thought that when I was blasted by the Elements that the magic would disappear too, but I was obviously wrong. Now I have no control over what it does.”

“That magic was not you,” I stated firmly, turning to face her. “I have felt your magic, Luna. It is beautiful and comforting, it fills me with a feeling of serenity. Even when you were Nightmare Moon, through all of the rage and jealousy, I felt your fear; you held fear of what you were doing and what you had become. That magic in the dream was there with you, but it was not part of you. How was it you became Nightmare Moon?” She stumbled at the question, as if it hit her.

“You know the story,” she replied, not meeting my eyes again.

“That is the why, not the how,” I said. “I know the ‘created’ alicorns change size with magic. Tia told me the first time I asked about her mane’s ability to be pure magic. Where did you get the extra magic?"

“I-I pulled in all of my power, all of the power of the night. It is a final ‘hail Mary’ of sorts for the Immortals, us who were created.”

“But Celestia should have been able to match you by doing the same.” Pieces were falling into place, but items were missing. “Were there any other magics you used? As the Bearer of Magic you would have been at the head of investigating into new magics, was there anything you were working on at the time?”

“There was one,” Luna replied. She looked shocked, horrified even. “I had spent years looking into a magic. The Unicorn who discovered it used it to take over a kingdom. Celestia and I tried to defeat him, but both he and the kingdom disappeared. It was my duty to study his magic, and find a way to combat it in case the magic was used again. If there was nothing to use against it, I was to attempt to create something that would work. It was before Nightmare Moon by a few hundred years.”

“Around the time your feelings of hate and jealousy began,” I said. “This is mostly speculation, but I think that magic had a sentience, and it had a power over you. It enhanced your negative feelings. Tia would tell me stories of the happy memories she had of you, and I could not believe that you and Nightmare Moon were the same pony. The ‘eternal night’ bothered me. You were intelligent, so you would have known the effects of not having both night and day; even in a blinded rage you would not put them through that.”

Luna collapsed. The whole thing was too much for her.

“A corruption,” she whispered. “The thought never occurred to me. I still do not understand something.” She looked up at me, seeming a bit broken. “How did you know the magic was not from the dream?”

“I think only I can see it,” I replied thoughtfully. “The ideas of souls and auras have been explained to a point, but it has to do with magic too. Because magic and the soul are tied, you can tell who used a spell if you look for it. It is a magical hoof print, and no two are exactly the same. This dream world you created, it has your magical hoof prints all over it. Scootaloo’s dream was full of her magical hoof prints. That magic was something that did not belong in either place. It was dreamwalking, like we were, but it did not get shoved out when we did.”

“No,” Luna corrected. “It retreated before the dreamer awoke. It is not gone, but it will not bother us for a while. You blasted it with a powerful magic. I do not know how you did it, but it worked."

“Well, some ponies say anything is possible in dreams,” I suggested tentatively. “Although, we should probably hurry with what we came here to do, in case it comes back.”

“Yes, we should,” she agreed. Luna tried to put on a brave face, but I could see it wavering. She wanted to help, and she wanted to jump in and investigate on what this was. But she was scared. If I was right, the magic corrupted her could have destroyed those she cared about, or worse all of Equestria.

“We can stop for tonight, if you want,” I said, laying my wing on her shoulder.

“No, we must-”

“Do not push yourself!” I exclaimed. “You do not have to put your sanity on the line for this! Stop if you have to! You are being just like-!” I stopped, thinking about what I was about to say.

“Just like whom?” she asked.

“Just like Twilight Sparkle,” I continued, letting her name roll off of my tongue. “That is who I was thinking of earlier. When you were enthusiastically describing the dream world and how you organized it, I kept thinking I had seen that before, but I could not place it until now. You both work past your mental limits when it comes to that you do not know, and lately Twilight has been doing it for her friends just as much.”

“I know you would want me to stop, as you think I have suffered enough,” Luna began, “but others have suffered for what I have done. There are those who will only know me as Nightmare Moon, those who I was never able to apologize to before my banishment, and those I can help now. I can help you, and helping you might help others. Please, let me do this.” Her eyes begged, almost crying.

“Okay,” I relented. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Dreams are linked to memories. Every place and pony your subconscious created in a dream is somewhere in your memory. We should be able to access them through the dream world.”

“Where?” I asked. She did not answer. Her eyes closed, and I heard a growing hum of magic. She walked toward the door we had come from before, and I followed, thinking it best not to disrupt her. The humming became louder, soon becoming a vibration throughout the room. I felt it in my heart.

Finishing the spell, she opened the doors. The throne room that had been there was replaced with a golden light. It felt kind and warm, welcoming even. Luna smiled at me, giving me the assurance that the spell was complete. We walked into it, and into darkness.

When my vision cleared, we were in an elegant ballroom. Figures danced in a graceful waltz, keeping in time with music I could not hear. I watched them circle around with their partner, never breaking. Looking out over the crowd, I recognized the ponies as the ones from my memory. They were the first ponies of Equestria.

“We are inside your mind now,” Luna said, appearing behind me. “We entered your memories, but a spot was chosen at random. Because it is a memory and not a dream, we cannot be active players. It will be like watching a play. I have done this with a few amnesia victims, and it will be like remembering the song stuck in your head.”

“This is not a memory,” I stated. “I may not remember everypony here, but I know these are too perfect, especially for that conglomeration of a creature at the center. I saw him in the memory I had at Everfree, and he seemed way to… disruptive to be in this for this long.”

Luna fully looked around this time. She had only taken in the minor details of the place, and not its full glory.

“You are partially right,’ she said. “This is a memory of a dream.”

“That sounds like a song lyric,” I giggled, trying to lighten the mood.

“We will come back to this,” Luna said without giving an explanation. She activated her magic again, and everything blinked out of existence. Not everything, really. I could feel a buzzing sensation under my hooves, like we were on a moving platform.

The sensation stopped as Luna’s horn dimmed, and we were in darkness. I knew this was the same darkness I had been scared of before, but I could not feel it. It was not real, just part of the memory.
Has it begun?” I asked. She did not have to answer, as I saw a smaller me light up her horn. It was sad to see her. Anypony would be sad at seeing a lonely filly, helpless in the darkness, nopony there for her. “I am glad dream world places cannot give off auras other than that of the one it belongs to. I remember this time. That darkness I had once called the sky is made of that magic we encountered earlier. It is much more powerful there. By the way, will this be experienced in real time, or sped up? How long have we been gone anyway?”

“Really?” Luna answered. “That sky is the power we faced earlier? I know I do not remember it, but I think I would have heard more about it. As for the time, it has been maybe an hour in reality. The memories should go at a very fast speed, but can be slowed down if we wish.” The memory went as I expected when the next filly showed up.

“I think I am remembering their names, but can you tell me if I am right? I want to make sure I am remembering and not learning,” I asked and she nodded. “This is Morning Aura, I think.” With every appearing foal, I named each one correctly. Evening Soul the Unicorn, Apple Luck the Earth Pony, Rini who was one of the insect-like ponies, Amber the Crystal Pony, , and a Zebra named Zed appeared after that.

“Next should be Celestia,” I said as the bright light appeared, leaving behind a pink haired filly.

“That light!” Luna exclaimed as the filly Celestia brought the first dawn, resulting in cheers from the other foals. “What is that?”

“I am not sure, but it appeared for all of the Alicorns, and two others. I assume they are all immortals. The one that appeared while we talked was Arctic Rhyme, and this is Starswirl? ‘Starswirl the bearded’ one of the most celebrated Unicorns to ever live and who created many spells?”

“Yes. He grows the beard out eventually,” Luna giggled. I named each one as they came. Platinum, Ambrosia, Diamond, Zyanthi were the next set. Tornata arrived in the next bright light, bringing weather with her. The third set consisted of Thunder, Prophetic Shadow, Bronze Gear, Misa, Onyx, and Zoneru.

“Azura,” I said as the next light hit. “I cannot truly say I remembered her from here, as I saw the crystal message. But I am remembering her.” Following Azura were the ponies Spira, Bubble Splash, Dusty, Kyto, Jade, and Zira. The bright light came again, bringing Flora. The usual set repeated, bringing Lucky Love, Star Mirage, Blade Blitz, Kirin, Opal, and Zetho. Another light brought Mira and her set of, Zephros, Monochrome Storm, Little Burst, Fury, Topaz, and Zoric. No bright light this time, and the set repeated with Virtuous Eyes, Carnival Surprise, Frosted Cake, Xerlis, Quartz, and Zantate.

“Chrysalis,” I announced when the next light dispersed. “She… she was revered to the… changelings! That is what they were called! She was important to them.”

“Yes she was,” Luna confirmed. “After you left us, they began to think of her as a queen. There was no power usurping, but the changelings felt they did not belong, so they tended to go by their own orders.” I thought on this as we waited for the next one.

“D-Discord,” I said, stumbling over the name. This one was different. I do not know why, but just his name made my heart feel heavy. Was he important to be before? More important than the others? When the light dimmed, I could see the medley of a creature that I now know we had named a Draconequus. Why we named what he is if he is the only one, I do not know.

“Can you please slow it down to real time when the next one comes?” I asked Luna.

“Yes, but why?”

“Watch.” And watch we did. The light came as the sun was setting, the dark blue filly appearing just as I knew she would. Luna and I watched as the filly raised the moon and created the night sky. The other foals flocked to her, and cheered louder than they had when Celestia first raised the sun. They knew this filly would not let the darkness get them.

“I figured you did not remember your first few minutes of life,” I told Luna. “You may speed it up now, if you wish. I remember their names, and their basic personas. More will come with the rest of the memory.” She did not have to say a word, I could feel her gratitude. She remembered her first acts, and now knew what it meant to these ponies. The rest of us lived in that darkness, but Luna never got to experience it as we had. There was no protector, only one to keep it at bay for the short time she could.

I realized that while others had Celestia’s day, or other ponies to stand by them, I had spent my first few days alone with it. No protection or support. The very idea was terrifying.

After that, Luna sped up the memories for us. They went by so quickly, but I remembered all of it. We gave ourselves names, became friends, earned cutie marks, and grew up together. It was strange, as our memories had been like what Luna described; all of us had procedural memory and general knowledge of creatures and plants that existed, but no true ‘memories’ until we blinked into existence.

As we grew, we realized we needed our own home. With all of the Unicorns and Alicorns working together, it only took a few weeks to construct the castle. Eventually, the others decided us who arrived in the bright lights would be the leaders. None of us really wanted to, but even we had to agree that we were the best choice. Well, most of us. Discord was not fit for leadership, and Chrysalis reasoned that she was too much like ‘just another changeling’ for her to rule, even with all of us protesting.

We met different animals. Some were able to understand and speak like we did, and they had already developed their own societies. Each group only had a few members, maybe a little more than our group of Unicorns, and every one had different colors. Mira was an ambassador to them, talking with their leaders and inviting them to join our group. Some, like Griffons and Dragons, agreed under the condition that they have equal say in our ruling, meaning that the Alicorns cannot rule over them. It was odd seeing a full group of little dragons. I guess we were all still kids then, were we not? Did we know how big these dragons would get?

Our society was strange compared to today’s. We seemed more like a group of foals at daycare than a small kingdom. Our money system consisted of trading, mostly of gems, but we did not really stick to it; we shared everything, and took care of each other, and the animals.

“It is weird to see this from another perspective,” Luna interrupted.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “It gets stranger when I think about it. I mean, my memories are returning faster than I can watch, so I see things that are maybe a few months ahead. And I keep seeing different ponies that look like ones I know, or I at least physical connections to them. It is amazing really. Appleluck looks a lot like Applejack, but she is colored like Applebloom. To think the Apple family literally goes all the way back to the beginning! And that Unicorn, Virtuous Eyes, his eyes are the same shape and color of Rainbow Dash. Frosted Cake’s mane color is exactly like Lyra! Are these the only dragons? Because their leader is the only purple one so he should be related to Spike, right?”

“You always did go on and on when you found something interesting,” Luna giggled. It surprised me into silence. She really is believing me about this is she not? Before I could think about it much I began giggling myself.

“Sorry about that,” I replied. “I just, well, I started getting interested in genetics during one of the Castle Guards’ bring your family to work day a few years back. Clashing Lance brought along his wife and daughter. Both Lance and his wife were Pegasai, but the filly was a Unicorn. When I asked him about it, he told me that while both he and his wife were Pegasai, they both had a Unicorn and a Pegasus as a parent. It is amazing to see where all these traits come from, you know?”

“I understand the feeling,” Luna said. I waited to see if she would elaborate, but when she did not we fell back into our silence.
I was able to see every moment, even the ones some would see as insignificant, but it all happened at fractions of seconds. While nothing as slowed down and fully analyzed, id did not have to be. As soon at the scene went by, I could remember every detail of it as if it had happened only a day ago. Some moments I asked to see in real-time, I remembered they were important to me.

I saw the creation of the Elements of Harmony. We discovered the Element’s power on our own, each giving the abilities to spread the Magic of Friendship to others. But it was Azura who found a way to make them into what they are now.

I watched as I grew up, I watched myself learn. I even watched myself dream. It was strange to see myself not only growing, but growing bigger than I currently was. I was at nearly Celestia’s height. Well, not ‘me’, but the ‘me’ in the memories. All of Immortals were bigger than even the largest earth pony. My mane was like Luna’s, long and flowing, yet not magical.

Something seemed familiar about the next scene. Not because the memory was returning, but because I already have this memory.

“Slow this down!” I exclaimed. Luna was startled by my sudden outburst, but quickly did as I asked. It was the memory I had seen at the Everfree castle. Azura setting up for a party, with her, Celestia, Discord, and myself just talking and having a good laugh.

“This is it, is it not?” Luna asked. “I knew the end of the reel was coming soon, but to see it is just… can it really be?”

“This is the night I die,” I confirmed. It was strange to say aloud. “You never did find out who killed me, did you? You will tonight.”

“Two thousand years, I have gone without knowing what had happened to you, never knowing if it was one of our friends, or somepony else.” I nodded in agreement. I watched myself walk away from the decorations, watched myself go to bed, watched myself slip into the last dream I would ever have.

“This dream is the one we entered when we started the memory.” Luna said. I watched as the place came to life again. A gold and silver ballroom, with dancing figures. I now know that they were all of the first group, those of us who were created. We circled in a simple dance, keeping in time to music we could not hear.

“I walked your dreams this night, and I saw what you saw.” Luna was standing still. She would not elaborate on it, so I continued watching. I saw myself blink out of existence. Nopony noticed other than Luna and I. Other ponies faded out slowly, soon leaving only the Immortals. They danced longer than the others, but soon began to fade. First was Tornata, then Laruta, then Mira, and finally Azura.

I expected the others to do the same, but they blinked out, just like I did. First Chrysalis, and then Discord. After a while Luna blinked out too. I waited for Celestia to disappear, but her dance only slowed. She looked so sad, so alone. We watched her dance alone for a long time, almost as long as the time before she was alone.

“It should not be going on this long.” Luna said. Her timing was perfect, because something strange happened.

Without a true explanation, I had blinked back into existence. We waited again, and Luna reappeared, too. Then the dream was over. I watched myself awake in my bed, gasping for air.

“What did you mean when you said that it was going to long?” I asked Luna.

“The dream only lasted to the time when Celestia was alone. You and I coming back were not part of it. Something manipulated it. There is something else, too. Do you see the way you look like you had woken up from a nightmare? I remember the feelings that accompanied that dream, even though we cannot feel them now. It was the presence, the one that attacked us in Scootaloo’s dream, the one that belonged to the sky, and the one that corrupted me.

“What does that mean?” I asked as we followed my memory out to the hall. We wandered with me into the throne room, all perfectly decorated for Luna’s birthday parts. Azura’s decorating skills could give Pinkie a run for her money, but I think Pinkie could still easily win.

I watched as something walked towards me, the ‘Memory Me’. It was not a real pony, but it took a pony’s shape. It was the gray magic from before. I watched a blade appear as it was pressed into the Memory Me’s throat. I shifted my wing out over Luna’s shoulders. I needed reassurance that she was there, I wanted to tell her she was not losing me again.

“Checkmate” the magic said, bringing the blade across the Memory Me’s throat. The wound opened, blood pouring out. I could not breathe anymore. I was scared. Terrified. Have you ever watched yourself die?

The Memory Me’s body glowed, and the wound began to heal. The gray magic swirled with rage. It kept drawing the blade across the Memory Me’s neck over and over again, each one healing itself. I, she, tried to move away, but she could not do much more than writhe in pain.

“Immortality,” The magic mused. “It will not last long, Darling, just long enough.” The magic overtook the Memory Me. I watched the magic snuff out the light in her, my, eyes. Everything became black.

“It’s not over,” Luna whispered. Was it an observation or a warning? As I looked around I realized that even though everything was black, you could see where everything is. I could tell which way were the doors, and where each throne was. I could see every balloon, even if I no longer know their color. The gray magic was still there, but much larger, almost like gray flames. Really, it had even more of a defined pony-like shape than when it killed me.

Another presence was in the room. It was a large fire, just as big and powerful as the gray swirl. Flames licked the ceiling, but nothing was burned. Outside the walls were many presences, some as big as these here. Eight more were this size.

“This is the realm of souls,” I said. I felt Luna jump next to me. She probably forgot we were only observers, forgot that I was next to her.

“The Realm of Souls?” she asked quietly.

“It is like your dream realm, yet not a place I can control. I can see the magic in everyone and everything. I have done it many times before, and I will apologize for using it to cheat as games of Hide and Seek.” She raised an eyebrow at my last comment. “Sorry, trying to diffuse the tension.”

“Why did we not see it in your memory before?” She asked.

“I think the memories only show what I had done and where I was. It said it could not kill me, but keep me away. I do not now how I know exactly what he did, maybe it is because souls are my thing, but it separated them. It separated my soul from my body, dispersing it enough for me to not come back until, well, until now.”
The memories ended, and we were returned to Luna’s bedroom. The sounds of the gala returned, although a much lower decibel than before. The night must be at least half over by now. I slipped my sight into the Realm of Souls, trying to get a feel for what is happening by pony’s locations. For some reason, my friends were out of the castle and in town, at a donut shop I think.

“After that night, the Elements never worked the same,” Luna said, bringing me back to our world. “We never got them to full power, even with you there. It caused a rift between the rest of us. We thought we were the only ones in the world. For a while, we became suspicious of one another. It did not last that long, we knew in our hearts that none of us could do something like that. What I do not know is how you came back.”

“Well, maybe-,” I began. I had turned to look at her when I spoke, but this was off. We were still sitting at the table on her balcony, but my view was different. Before, I had to look up to see Luna’s face, but I was currently staring straight ahead. Actually, I was looking slightly down at her.

“You are taller,” Luna stated. She levitated a mirror onto the balcony, and I gasped at what I saw. I saw a pony with a coat as black as charcoal. Bright red and orange hair cascaded from the pony’s head, curling and flipping to imitate flames. A long, dark blue-green dress had grown to fit the pony’s body, still flowing off and sweeping the floor. I looked like I had in my memory, in my previous life.

“What happened? How did I-?” I could not find the words to even ask.

“The Immortals grow with their magic power,” Luna explained. “Celestia told me that when you came into this world again, you were about three, stayed like that for a few years, then continued growing until you were average pony size. You were gaining magic power as you aged, and I wondered why it had stopped. You should have been this size almost a year ago.”

“Er… yeah. I… Do you have any ideas on getting me back to the normal size? I mean, this looks, oh sweet Sunbutt this looks amazing, but it draws attention.”

“Sunbutt?” She asked, giggling.

“One of the nicknames I use for Tia. Try it out later. But can you fix this?” She thought on it a moment before answering.

“ think I have a transformation spell that should work.” She levitated an old book off a high shelf and began flipping through pages. “Here it is. It is called a magic suppression. It should temporarily cut down your magic, though I do not know how much you will have afterward.”

I looked over the spellbook. It was fairly simple of a spell, even if I have no idea why one would have made this. I concentrated on its idea, letting my magic flow through my body; it was a tingling feeling like when a limb falls asleep. I could not believe how much magic I felt running through my system. I felt it lower down to half of what it was, or more accurately, I could only access about half of it. Even so, it was still more than I had before. I glanced in the mirror when the feeling subsided, glad to see my usual form back.

“To answer your question,” I said to Luna, setting the book on the table,” I think I know why I came back. I did not give up Immortality, and even so I did not truly die. I just had to reform. Why now I have no idea.”

She held my gaze again, I could see so much in her eyes, so many memories. I slipped my vision into the realm of souls, and I could see all of her. Her soul was a giant, silver, night sky, spinning and swirling, forming constellations and comets. I could see each emotion. She wanted to break down and cry. She wanted to cry out of happiness, out of loss and loneliness, out of the fear and hope for our future.

Slipping my vision out of the realm of souls, I moved forward and wrapped her in a hug. I wanted her to know it was okay, that she could have the outburst of emotion she needed. I wanted to assure her that everything will turn out fine.
Celestia had come to check on us, and sensed what had happened, joining us in our embrace. I wanted to assure her of everything, as I could tell she wanted to break down too. We let it all out, no heavy sobbing or wailing, just three sisters who had found one another, and who were determined to not let go.