A Journey through Memories

by Centauri

Chapter Five - The Road to Anchorage

A Journey through Memories

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Chapter Five - The Road to Anchorage

I saw Applejack racing through towards the library. It wasn’t long before I heard a knock on the door. There was some hushed but excited conversation, until I heard Twilight’s voice ring out through the library.

“Cloudrunner,” she called, believing it would be best to use my alias until we were safe out of Ponyville. I agreed with her logic; it made sense that the radicals would still be looking for me, if not in Canterlot, then close by. I went downstairs to see Twilight and Applejack with wide grins across both their faces.

“So I guess you’re able to come, Applejack?” I asked. I actually hoped that Applejack could come on this journey. It wouldn’t be as entertaining or as useful without her.

“That’s right,” she smiled. “Damn near worked ourselves to the bone getting it done, but we did, in the end.” She paused, looking a bit uneasy... scared, even? “Ah’m really sorry, Luna, Big Macintosh asked why I was working so hard, and Ah couldn’t lie to him. He didn’t seem surprised, though; Ah think he already knew.”

“Big Macintosh...” I wondered. “Is he the really large, red stallion I’ve seen around town?”

Applejack paused to think, and she nodded. “He’s been selling the apples we’ve bucked for the last couple o’ weeks now; Ah’m sure he would’ve been in town.”

“He seems like a very wise stallion,” I told Applejack, “and I think he didn’t know who I was, but rather that I wasn’t showing my true self. I don’t hold it against you Applejack. I would’ve hated to lie to my sister in your situation.” Applejack smiled at this; I was guiding her to do what she thought was right. As a ruler of Equestria, I wanted to encourage ponies when they did something right, not discipline them for doing something wrong.

“Twilight,” I continued, “can you please make sure that the others know we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, and stress that it will get cold.”

* * *

We convened the following morning in the library. Each of the ponies brought what they thought they would need: Applejack brought some apples, though she assured me they would be a luxury, aware that we could graze along the way; Pinkie Pie brought some sweets, also aware that we could graze; Fluttershy brought some bird feed (“We might find some nice ducks at a pond along the way,” she had said), along with some basic first aid equipment; Rarity brought a makeover set, which she promised would be used every morning, causing a lot of eye-rolling from the rest of the group; Rainbow Dash brought some Wonderbolt posters; and Twilight brought a miniature library in her saddlebags, including the atlas I borrowed earlier. Everypony brought some heavy cloaks, and Twilight treated them to be waterproof using her prodigious grasp of magic.

I took the atlas from Twilight’s bag, and studied the map. We wanted to go to Anchorage, in the west southwest, so I decided to take the southern exit from Ponyville. We turned right as we exited the library and we began the long journey ahead of us.

“Excuse me, princess,” Rarity began, “...sorry, Luna – but where are we headed to begin?” I was surprised that nopony had already asked this question of me. Did they just not care, I thought, or are they afraid of me? I felt frustration well up inside me. I'm trying as hard as I can to be a good friend to them, but they just don’t seem to be able to relate to me.

“We’re going to start in Anchorage,” I began. “It’s a port city and has an island nearby where there was a naval outpost. I’m not sure if it’s still there after what I’ve done, but I’m sure the area was damaged.”

“Damaged?” asked Rarity. “How do you mean?”

I turned towards the northwest. “The Everfree Forest is in that direction, isn’t it? Needless to say, it wasn’t there just over a thousand years ago.”

Twilight gasped. “You mean to say... that... the Everfree Forest... t- the whole Everfree Forest... that was you?” The six fillies stopped short and turned to me. I felt a jolt in my chest as some of the only ponies in Equestria I trusted were shocked by what I had done.

Twilight realised what she had said, and tears started forming in her eyes. “No, Luna, I- I’m really sor- sorry. That was blunt; I- I shouldn’t ha- have said it, I’m s- sorry that...”

I cut her off. “Don’t worry about it, Twilight. In answer to your question: yes. The Everfree Forest was caused by the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, that is to say, me.”

“No,” Twilight tried to remedy the situation, but I feared the damage was done. “You are not Nightmare Moon. You are Princess Luna, an alicorn who wants to fix what she has done.”

“Perhaps, Twilight,” I stated, “but I fear that what I have done cannot be repaired.” Until we reached the farthest outskirts of the city, nothing was said between us; even after, the conversation was kept to a minimum.

* * *

We finally reached a clearing in the light forest with a stream flowing through.

“Now would be a good time to have lunch, everypony,” I declared. I walked over to the stream in the clearing and dipped my face in. As I did, I dispelled the illusion so the group of friends would see me as who I was. I munched quickly on some grass; I didn’t need as much food as many ponies due to the magic which sustained me, but I still needed some. When I finished, I used my horn to retrieve some charcoal and parchment from my own saddlebags; drawing was another activity which I hoped would mitigate my depression, and I felt that, this time, it actually worked. I quickly sketched a scene with six fillies grazing in a clearing and drinking from a stream of water with a backdrop of a coniferous forest. I admired my handiwork. I could’ve done better by using magic to mark the paper, but manipulating the charcoal with magic used more skill and I felt it produced better results.

“Can we keep going now,” it was worded a question, but Pinkie Pie said it like a command. At this, I studied the six fillies in front of me. Pinkie Pie was bouncing, as usual, and it caused me to wonder what could ever dampen the pink pony’s spirits. Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed to be soldiering on; it seemed friendly competition, in their case, kept them going even if they were sore and weary. Fluttershy seemed to enjoy the walk; she had commented on the various bird noises during the walk, so I had very few worries about her. Rarity was complaining about the state of her legs, saying that it was acutely mundane to have them covered in mud form the path. It seemed trivial enough that it did not worry me. Twilight, however, did. She was nursing a sore front hoof, so I trotted over to her.

“Are you okay?” I asked, hoping to sound genuine despite the earlier conversation.

“Yeah, my hooves are just getting quite sore,” replied Twilight, but she winced whenever she put one down, in particular.

“I think there’s a reason behind that. Let me see,” I commanded, and saw that a pebble had been lodged into the bottom of her hoof. “Fluttershy! Can you please bring the first aid things?” I called over my shoulder. Fluttershy complied and proceeded to remove the pebble from Twilight’s hoof. Thinking it would be prudent to check on the others, I asked how Applejack was. Seeing she was fine, I directed the same question to Rainbow Dash. She was also well, so I waited for Fluttershy to finish her work.

Once Fluttershy declared she was finished, I picked up my saddlebags and moved back onto the track, Fluttershy helping Twilight along; the pebble had nearly caused an infection, apparently. The rest of the day proceeded without any major incidents, and we eventually set up camp in a similar, but larger, clearing. Applejack and Rainbow Dash gathered wood for a fire and set it up in the middle of the clearing. After many failed attempts at rubbing sticks together, Twilight intervened and created a spark which set the fire going. Applejack looked a bit sheepish as to why she didn’t think of that before.

I set up a ward which would protect them from the worst of the wind and the possible rain, figuring that it would be a useful skill to employ later in the year, during winter. Deciding it would be best for them, I employed one of the powers granted to me as the night princess; I delved into the ponies’ dreams. I wanted each of them to be sleeping peacefully tonight.

I started with Applejack. She was dreaming about home, feeling slightly worried about her granny and Big Macintosh, along with her little sister, Applebloom. She was sleeping peacefully, though, so I decided to leave alone. Rainbow Dash was dreaming about flying, and the stunts she would perform for the Wonderbolts when they finally gave her an audition. I wondered if I could pull any strings in that regard when we returned home. Fluttershy was dreaming about birdsong, and dancing with all the animals in the palace gardens. I smiled as I remembered Celly telling me how that fantasy had played out. Rarity was dreaming about a fashion show she hoped she would get in, displaying all her works. I had to give her credit: she certainly knew a thing or two about fashion. Pinkie Pie was dreaming about Gummy; the pet alligator I had met at Pinkie’s birthday party. She seemed to be worried that he would get a stomach-ache.

I finally delved into Twilight’s dreams, and stayed longer there than in any of the others’. Twilight was worried about Spike; she felt a certain attachment to that dragon. Curious, I gave the dreams a slight nudge in the direction I wanted. In Twilight’s mind, I saw the magic that Twilight had at her disposal, and I realised exactly why she was the Element of Magic; some of the alicorns (back when they were uncommon but not near-extinct) would have great difficulty performing such feats of magic, and Twilight was barely a foal at the time. This small piece of her character intrigued me. How could anypony have such magic at their disposal? I questioned myself, believing that a nigh-theological discussion with myself would take my mind off the troubles everypony at Canterlot Castle had to face because of me. The Elements of Harmony can only aid the ponies so far, so... was this planned? Did Celly know that I would come back and fashion six ponies and bring them all together? Maybe it’s just how the world ran: pure coincidence. Or... there’s something else out there. Realising I wasn’t getting anywhere with my debate, I retrieved my charcoal and parchment and drew the trees and the stars above them. I kept the moon behind me; if I was asked, it would be so I could see my parchment, but I knew it was because I couldn’t bear to draw it.

I sighed. My insomnia was quite irregular, and when I knew I needed sleep, it never came. It was two hours past midnight when I finally felt my eyelids droop. I walked over to the fire, laid down beside it, and let sleep take me.

* * *

I woke up with Celestia’s light shining through the trees and onto my face. I was comfortable, but I knew I had to get up. As I brought myself to my feet, I saw Applejack sitting at the edge of the clearing, looking towards the forest, apparently deep in thought. Worried for her, I moved over to her.

“Are you okay, Applejack?” I inquired, hoping to shed some light on the subject.

“Yeah, Ah’m fine,” Applejack assured me. “Ah’ve gotten used to gettin’ up at dawn ev’ry mornin’ so Ah can buck apples...” She trailed off. “Ah worry ‘bout them sometimes. Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Applebloom. I don’t know how they’re doin’ withou’ me.”

I paused while I thought of how I could cheer Applejack up. “Applejack... I’ve got some parchment and charcoal in my bag. When we reach Anchorage, I’m sure there’ll be a post office so you can write a letter to home.”

“That sounds mighty nice, Luna,” Applejack thanked me. “But how are they goin’ to send a letter back?”

“I’m quite sure that Spike will be able to send the letter on to Twilight, wherever she is,” I assured her. “That is, if Twilight’s happy to help.”

“Ah’m sure she will be,” said Applejack, noticeably lightened. “Should we wake the others up now?”

“You go, I need to check the map,” I stated. I checked the atlas and marked where we were now, and did some rough calculations. I guessed that we would be at Anchorage in about a week, and no more than ten days unless something happened.

* * *

We covered a good amount of ground that day, Pinkie Pie managed to keep the mood light with numerous songs, sometimes in harmony with Fluttershy’s imitation of birdsong. I found many of the lyrics which Pinkie Pie sang amusing; it seemed there was a good reason that this party pony was the Element of Laughter.

We continued walking for another five days. I managed to get some sleep through the nights, but they were mainly spent drawing pictures of the landscape around me. We arrived at the entrance to Anchorage at mid-afternoon on the sixth day of our journey, and I was pleased with the progress we had made. As we neared the outskirts, I saw one of the town guards. I decided that it would be better to adopt no disguise, so when the guard responded to my call, he saluted very sternly.

“Please, officer,” I began, trying to sound kind. “There is no need to salute. Can you kindly direct us to the nearest inn, please?”

“Yes, your majesty,” he answered. “That would be the Forecastle Inn, but the guard is aware that the area is dishonest. I would suggest, for a safer night, that you retire to Comet’s Bed and Breakfast.”

“Thank you, officer,” I replied. “But I feel we are too hoofsore to carry on much further. Which way is the Forecastle Inn?”

The officer gave a dubious look before showing us the street to go down. “Follow that one, take a right on the next main road and you shouldn’t miss it.”

“Thank you, sir,” I smiled.

“My pleasure, ma’am,” the guard responded, holding back a salute. I turned down the street and the others followed.

There was silence between us until Rarity nearly shrieked at me. “Why would you take us there?! It’s full of common scoundrels and- and riff-raff!”

“Oh, Rarity, that’s exactly why we’re going there,” I began, very calmly, and Rarity shrunk back as she remembered who she was shouting at. “I could go to the rich quarters of the town, indeed. But why should I? Do I need to please the rich? It seems to me that they are already happy enough with their lives.”

“Umm... Rarity... Luna’s right,” said a small voice behind me. “She needs to take care of everyone, not just the rich ponies. It might even be a nice...” Fluttershy trailed off. “Anyway, I’m sure they’re really, really, friendly there.”

Rarity had the good grace to blush at her outburst. “Okay, I guess that makes sense.”

As we reached the inn, I noticed it looked serviceable, but slightly run-down. Removing the hood of my travelling cloak, I walked inside, the rest of the group following suit. The noise coming from the common room was less than I expected, but it was still loud. As the numerous colts saw us seven mares enter the room, some wolf whistled. I grinned inwardly; I was wearing my cloak so it covered my wings, but I knew they could see my horn. I glanced behind me. The other six looked trapped, Rarity especially so. Wasting no time, I went to the barkeep.

“Excuse me, sir,” I asked politely. “How much would three rooms for the night be?”

The innkeeper, ignoring the misbehaving patrons, answered. “Three rooms for a night... that would be twenty-four bits. If you all want breakfast in the morning, then it’s thirty.”

I handed him thirty bits. “Just the rooms, thank you. Please keep the change.” I paused, and then continued. “Is there a place where we can hang our travelling cloaks?” I asked. The innkeeper pointed me towards the coat-rack in the corner of the common room. I led the way for the six fillies to the corner where the rack stood. I took off my cloak and hung it up.

A shocked silence from the common room met my actions. I walked over to the bar and raised my voice. “Mares and gentlecolts, treat yourself to a round of cider from me!” At this, I handed the innkeeper a small pouch of coins. Quietly, I said “That should cover the cost of the drinks, shouldn’t it?” Stunned, all he could do was nod. As I was wandering towards the stairs, a nondescript brown stallion unicorn stopped me.

“Excuse me, your majesty,” he began. In no rush, I motioned for him to continue. “I’m not sure that you know how much you did for this city in that action. Felix Star, I’m Captain of the Guard in Anchorage.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain,” I said, genuinely, “but, please, call me Luna. I dislike all the ponies who think it’s best to bow and grovel at me.”

“Well, as I was saying, Luna,” the Captain continued. “I’ve been a regular in this inn for well over a year now, and I keep it relatively safe for visitors such as your friends. I must say that I have not been able to get them that quiet in all my time here, and that is saying something. What you did by ordering drinks was show that the two Princesses of Equestria still care for the lowly. That innkeeper is going to have good business for the next few months, and he should then be on his way to making a really good business. I’ve known Hearth for a long time; he’s got a good heart, and I don’t think any of the money he earns will be put to trivial waste.” I smiled. This stallion was a message to me that I was doing the right thing.

“Thank you, Captain,” I replied, and I meant it to the depths of my heart. “I may come back here, sometime; I guess I might see you then.” At these words, I walked up the stairs to the rooms we paid for and climbed into a bed in a room with Pinkie Pie and Applejack, feeling very heartened.