The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 5 -- Faded Memories

by shysage

Chapter 1, Make Equestria Forget

A good 'background tune' for this volume is the 'Illusions in the Mist*' track from the OST for the 'Treasures of Aht Urhgan*' expansion for Final Fantasy XI*. This disorienting tune fits this Volume of Summer's chronicles well, for a while, anyway. (*=2014 by Square Enix)

---

Princess Twilight was not the only friend that Zecora had made from Ponyville. Especially after the town warmed up to this Zebra from far away, Zecora made a number of new friends.

Many of them were Unicorns. Zecora's knowledge of magic made her a good resource, and for some, a good teacher.

One of Zecora's students was a Unicorn mare named Star Dusk. Her Cutie Mark was a White star, with dark Grey clouds feathered over the top half of the star. Her coat was light Grey, and her mane and tail were Black. She was a 'transplant' from way out West. She didn't like the heat.

Star Dusk was mostly a pleasant student, yet easily distracted. This was not an asset for learning magic, but both teacher and student took it in stride. Star Dusk was also impulsive and occasionally strong-willed, and this surely tested Zecora's calm patience.

It was clear to Zecora that Star Dusk would never be a magic powerhouse, but still, there was much Zecora could teach her early on. They were making progress.

Maybe after working with Zecora for six months, Star Dusk walked into Zecora's hut for another lesson.

"Hello, Zecora" she said.

Zecora was rummaging around in one of her closets, and said

"If I could find this piece of Moon,
then I could be out very soon!"

Star Dusk just waited.

Still, she noticed a nice looking wood box on Zecora's work table. Star Dusk opened it, and looked inside. It contained a strange looking neck piece. It wasn't amazingly beautiful, but still, it looked impressive.

Star Dusk picked it up, and tried it on for size, then walked over to the mirror to have a look. Appearance quickly didn't matter, as everything immediately felt vastly different to Star Dusk... She wasn't sure why, at first... But she had a hunch.

Star Dusk tried casting the simplest of levitation spells on Zecora's work table, and almost sent the table through the roof. It was very clear that this neck piece was giving Star Dusk access to a much greater source of magic.

Wow... She liked that...

Zecora heard the noise, and came out, and was immediately very upset at Star Dusk. Zecora didn't even bother rhyming...

"PUT THAT BACK IMMEDIATELY !!!" Zecora yelled.

Star Dusk sheepishly took the strange but powerful neck piece off, and put it back in the box, not really understanding what wrong she had done. Star Dusk didn't cry, but she was close to it.

The box with the strange neck piece was quickly away and out of sight.

"I'm sorry, Zecora. I didn't know what it was." Star Dusk said quietly.

Zecora calmed down soon and said, without rhyming, "That is a very dangerous magical artifact."

That's all Zecora said about it, and that was that, and their magic lesson started from this point. It was tense at first, but both soon calmed down the rest of the way.

---

Six more months would find Star Dusk in 'Big City' Canterlot. Zecora said she could teach her no more magic, and recommended Canterlot because of the Library, and access to magic books.

Zecora also suggested that Star Dusk look for a pony Unicorn who might be interested in helping her 'refine her magic skills' (Zecora's words).

The Library she found, and quickly obtained access to the magic archives. She loved reading about magic, but she was a slow reader, and had to read things a few times, usually.

Star Dusk could not find a new teacher, however. In fact, she had to work long hours in one of the local shops to even be able to eat, and to afford a very small, 'hole in the wall' house to live in. Star Dusk just tried to make do.

In Canterlot, Star Dusk also 'stepped up' her search for the 'perfect stallion'. But much like Ponyville, most of the stallions Star Dusk met in Canterlot always seemed to have their own agenda. Most of them also frequently just tried to take what they wanted, which was usually one thing. Star Dusk was strong enough to stop them, but still... This search also proved fruitless.

In the Library, Star Dusk also met 'the great and powerful Trixie'... Trixie always laughed to herself when she said this, but it was clear she wanted it to be true.

At first, Star Dusk thought about asking Trixie to be her teacher.

But it was rapidly clear that Trixie had far more natural magical ability than Star Dusk, and Trixie frequently pointed that out -- not blatantly outright, but through carefully chosen, subtle barbs...

The teacher idea was rapidly scrapped.

Star Dusk could only study in the Library at night, but soon dreaded going to the Library at all, because of Trixie...

...

Maybe it was Trixie's subtle, but still pointed insults... Maybe it was a hang-over from that strange neck-piece... Maybe it was having to fight off one stallion too many... Maybe it was all three... It didn't matter.

Star Dusk's magic was potent, but she was a mediocre Unicorn, and realized that she would never be anything more. When she had that strange neck piece on, she felt rivers of power from another source.

Star Dusk wanted that.

Star Dusk stopped going to the Library as much. Star Dusk stopped looking for a stallion as much. Star Dusk stopped looking for a new teacher completely.

Instead, Star Dusk developed a habit.

There was a rather doleful looking, dead tree in the back of one of the lower levels of Canterlot. Star Dusk went out next to that dead tree. Still, Star Dusk knew that the location was irrelevant...

Once there, Star Dusk said quietly but forcefully "Virulent Evil, I want you." She came up with this name because it seemed to her to most closely match the nature of the power she felt. She didn't think it through much further, and maybe she didn't care either.

Star Dusk would only say this once. Then she would wait maybe half an hour, then leave.

This was her habit. Star Dusk did this as often as she could, every day frequently. She had lost track of how long she had been doing this, maybe a year, maybe more...

But the fact that she felt she needed to do this to attain more magical power; this simply hardened her resolution in this pursuit...

---

One day...

She said quietly but forcefully "Virulent Evil, I want you." She only said it once.

Star Dusk was immediately thinking about something else, the stallion from the night before, to be exact.

She and this stallion were laying on their bellies next to each other, just talking, getting to know each other.

Then the stallion casually asked "Can you roll over on your back?"

Star Dusk was immediately outraged, and used her magic to sleep the stallion on the spot. It was a very simple spell; he would wake up in half an hour, and remember the last thing he said, anyway. Then she left in a rage.

Of all the nerve... No getting to know each other or anything, and he asked that... Star Dusk mockingly said out loud at this point "Excuse me, can you roll over, so I can--"

...

"What, weakling..." The voice flooded her head, and was menacing, threatening, and hideous, all at the same time...

Star Dusk had already decided what she would say at this point.

"I want your power flowing through me."

The voice laughed fiercely, and said "Fool..."

There was a slight delay, then the voice continued, unchanged from before...

"I am only here, because you carry the stain of my artifice..."

Star Dusk knew he was referring to the strange neck piece that had given her a taste of his power...

The voice added "I warn you, my price is unreasonably great... You must FULLY accept ALL my goals as your own. And if you fail, YOU WILL DIE."

Star Dusk would not waver, and simply replied quietly but again forcefully "I fully agree..."

The voice said "I am PonyRos, and you will rue this day..."

Still thinking about the night before, Star Dusk replied "I am content with that."

PonyRos said "So be it... The binding contract has been made. Listen carefully..."

PonyRos yelled at this point

"The Nation, the Kingdom that forgets it's history will quickly destroy itself..."

PonyRos next spoke so horrendously loud that it hurt Star Dusk's ears...

...his words:

"MAKE EQUESTRIA FORGET !!!"

...and he was gone...

...and Star Dusk's ears were ringing... ...and she could barely hear...

---

Well, it was clear PonyRos' goal was the takeover of Equestria. That would probably make Star Dusk the ruler. Wouldn't that teach Trixie a lesson.

Star Dusk quit her job, and went to the Canterlot Library. She already had access to the Magic Archives. And she completely ignored Trixie that evening when she arrived.

Star Dusk started to research memory spells. This would take a while, they were really spread out. And she was a slow reader.

After three full days, Star Dusk had found maybe five spells. She doubted she had found the correct one, however.

She kept looking.

That fourth day, she found one more...

PonyRos filled her head quickly "That one, weakling..."

Nopony else in the Library responded to the sound, so Star Dusk realized that she alone could hear him.

Star Dusk copied the spell details to a piece of paper with her magic. The description involved only partial memory loss. The result wasn't zombies, but most of the past was forgotten.

Star Dusk realized she could cast this complex spell, but just barely, and it would not be fast.

Then she said quietly "PonyRos, I wish to add two more spells to this.

After a brief delay, PonyRos responded quickly, and with disdain "Whatever, weakling. Let me know when you are ready, and I will help..."

And he was gone again.

In a few hours she had found the perfect 'allegiance' spell. It wasn't too complex. If Star Dusk was to take over Equestria, she wanted nopony to oppose her.

Her last spell took maybe an hour more to find. She actually found it while looking for the memory spell, and managed to remember which book it was in. But she had to find it again.

It was just for Star Dusk, and she smiled deviously as she wrote the magical details down. She wanted nopony to oppose her in this area either.

Star Dusk was now ready.

It was dark, Star Dusk went to her 'house', and slept. She wanted to be refreshed and ready when she 'made Equestria forget'. She knew her next night would probably be in the Canterlot Palace, and she smiled at this thought.

---

Star Dusk slept well, and was up fairly early the next day. She walked up the path to the top level of Canterlot.

She had no interest in the two Princesses that were currently ruling. They would soon forget everything anyway, and would wander around aimlessly with everypony else.

And if Star Dusk saw Trixie wandering around, she would just laugh at her.

But Star Dusk knew she needed an Air Coach to complete her plans for the 'new Equestria'.

She found an Air Coach, fully ready, waiting in a large grass area next to the Commons lawn outside the Audience Hall.

Star Dusk walked over to the lead Air Coach stallion, and said quietly "I am about to take over Equestria, and I will require your services soon. And if you don't help me, I will turn you all into FIELD MICE!!!"

Star Dusk couldn't really do this last part...

The four big Pegasus stallions connected to the Air Coach didn't think she could do either part, and just laughed heartily.

Star Dusk didn't flinch, but got her paper out, with the three spells it included.

"PonyRos, I am ready..." Star Dusk said.

PonyRos spoke quickly "I like your style... Cast all three, and I will spread the magic far and wide..."

Star Dusk cast the three spells on one of the Air Coach stallions...

PonyRos spread the magic of those three spells, all over the entire realm of Equestria...

...

...and Equestria...

...simply...

...forgot...

---

As PonyRos spread the magic, it looked like disgusting Green soot appeared in the upper atmosphere, and slowly filtered down to the ground. It disappeared when it touched anything though.

Star Dusk didn't move as she watched the Green stuff fall down for maybe fifteen minutes, until it was all gone.

"PonyRos, I wished the magic to flow through me, will that happen at some point?" Star Dusk asked quietly.

"In time, weakling, enough!" PonyRos replied angrily, then he was gone.

Star Dusk stood there, motionless, for maybe ten more minutes.

Then Star Dusk thought quickly to herself that it was unwise to expect a being, who responded to 'Virulent Evil,' to NOT lie to her...

Then she just as quickly realized that even thinking this could be dangerous, as he could flood her mind at any point.

It was too late now. Star Dusk just tried to make do.

Star Dusk erased the effects of the memory spell on the Air Coach stallions next to her, one at a time, by casting the spell backwards. Well, she left the allegiance spell in place, and the last spell only worked on mares anyway.

They all blinked, then stared at her

"Do you stallions want to be FIELD MICE, or will you help me?" Star Dusk asked.

"We will do what you say Star Dusk, for you are great" the lead stallion said slowly.

"If only Trixie could hear this" Star Dusk thought to herself.

"Good, stay here. You will only fly at my command" Star Dusk said next to the Air Coach stallions.

"Of course Star Dusk, for you are great" the reply came back.

Star Dusk faced one more detail. She decided she needed a guard of sorts.

Star Dusk walked around Canterlot briefly, and smiled as she saw most ponies wandering aimlessly around, including Princess Celestia. Star Dusk just ignored her.

She found a large stallion however, in full guard gear, too.

Star Dusk walked up to the stallion, stopped in front of him, and said "You will help me, correct?"

The big stallion replied "Of course Star Dusk, for you are great".

Star Dusk next erased the memory spell, which took less than half a minute maybe, then repeated "You will help me, correct?"

The big stallion replied again "Of course Star Dusk, for you are great".

Star Dusk said to the stallion "You are my guard from now on. When I yell 'guard', you had better come.

The big stallion replied again "Of course Star Dusk, for you are great".

"Come with me" Star Dusk said.

Star Dusk walked her new guard over to the large doors leading to the Audience Hall, then said "Guard, sit here and watch over things until I return."

The big stallion sat down, then replied again "Of course Star Dusk, for you are great".

Star Dusk smiled to herself. Maybe Trixie was on to something. Star Dusk really liked ponies saying that to her.

Then Star Dusk laughed out loud as she made a mental note that she needed to hear Trixie say that to her...

Then Star Dusk thought to herself "This was just too easy..."

Author's Note:

For the inquiring mind, PonyRos is taken from the ancient Greek word for Wickedness. Phonetically, the Greek word is very close, with the emphasis on the second syllable. The 'y' sound is not far from the actual vowel sound in the second syllable, and this made it easy to include the word 'Pony' in it.

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