What Memories May Come

by Saffron Panther

Gray Moon Rising

Wake up.

Speck of light.

Dim light.

Dim light.

Hoof scratches against the surface of rocks piling above the face. After a few seconds of scrambling, a second hoof breaks free. A few seconds more, a face emerges. Two celadon eyes peer out of the pile with dust and pebbles dropping from the mane. A few seconds more, the colt drags his body out into the open. Coughs into the dirt cloud building around his face, dust particles flying into the remnants of sunlight.

The gray earth colt kicks his back legs and tail, knocking off clinging remains of broken stones and dirt clods. A pebble wedges into a hoof. He brushes it against the ground, feeling a little relief when it dislodges. The dust clears from a cutie mark in the shape of a white and dark gray circle with two tiny circles inside-

Shadow on the wall. Something big with giant wings and the outline of a guard’s helmet over a horned head. Something-

The colt flinches and almost falls on his side, managing to regain his balance. Chest heaves in and out. Breath catches. He takes another glance towards the wall and sees his own shadow. Nothing monstrous, nothing beastly. He inspects himself, seeing no wounds, no scars, and cutie mark still there.

He directs his eyes behind him, seeing the trailing darkness leading onwards into the cavern. Silent save for a rock pile collapsing in the distance with small clacks. The colt steps backwards, kicking a few rocks behind him. He quickly turns with frantic eyes scanning the cavern walls for any signs of an attacker. Breath catches again once the heartbeat slows to normal pace.

Stretching his sore legs, the gray colt takes one last look behind him into the trailing darkness. Seeing no bogeypony lurking among the rocks and shadows, the colt walks towards the white light. Moonlight, it has to be moonlight peeking over the rocks ahead. The colt doesn’t think much of it, fighting off the cramps and pangs mapping his legs. Just one step at a time.

A few minutes later, a blanket of moonlight covers him with a cool wind brushing his mane. He spits out some loosened and rock-torn mane hairs that flop into his mouth along with a rock he didn’t initially realize is behind his lip. The colt raises a hoof over his sensitive eyes until the rapid blinking stops. In the distance, a few firefly clusters of light stick out against the shapeless dark blue sky and blackbrown trees extending to the stars.

Deep breath.

The gray colt starts making his way across the terrain ahead, ignoring the cramps and legpangs as much as he can. He tries not to think of what he thinks he saw in the cave, the shadow on the wall that wasn’t his. Head shakes in a futile attempt to dislodge the mental image as he breaks into a run. Legpangs fade away as adrenaline builds. At least until a rock manifests in his path and trips him up.

Moan.

The gray colt gets back on his hooves, wincing with the newest addition on his leg to the collection of scratches and sores. A few more mane hairs drop around his feet like fallen leaves as he picks up speed once more. Treeshadows pass over his face, blocking out the moonlight in long strides. Another rock manifests but his hooves manage to dodge the tripping hazard this time around.

Horned shadow!

The colt panics and stumbles onto his side once more, sliding across the ground in a trail of dirt. The wind dies down as the horned shadow manifests a few hoof’s paces away. Eyes clamp shut for a moment with front legs clasped over his face as muscles tense. The horned shadow flashes with malevolent, dull winedark eyes and courses over the edges of trees. The colt slowly opens his eyes and gazes at the looming figure, seeing the helmet flashing over the glowing horn. Something screams in the distance, crying out as a flash of light forces his eyes shut. More screams. Cut off-

Eyes open and the shadow’s gone. Screams and bright lights are also gone, surrounded once more by just the trees and the welcoming quiet.

The gray colt gets back to his feet and pauses, fearing that the horned shadow may just be hiding among the treeshadows. It doesn’t surface, giving him another chance to keep moving as the adrenaline returns. Legpangs disappear again as the treeshadows shapeshift along the path with another manifested rock avoided down the way. The cool wind picks up once more, a welcomed sign of everything returning to normal. Maybe. Can’t say.

After a few minutes, breath starts losing. The colt slows to a stop, panting a bit as fear rattles inside his chest. The mental image of the horned shadow appears once more, rapidly soaring through the vision of a town. Ponies crying. Screaming. And then gone once again, like a memory sinking into murky repression as before.

Something appears ahead of him. The colt jumps to attention, fearing the worst but calms once the figure loses its shadowy form. Although he falters a bit when the figure appears, face hidden under a trailing dark hood.

“So what I saw was true./May I ask, who are you?” it asks in a smooth, rhythmic voice.

The gray colt steps back as the hood pulls back, revealing a striped Mohawked mane and neck adorned with rings. He briefly rubs his eyes, pondering if she is another image from nowhere. A colt who has never seen a zebra before has to wonder.

“Please do not be alarmed./You will not be harmed,” the figure reassures him.

He takes another step back and briefly looks behind him and ahead. The zebra moves closer while his gaze is away. Making eye contact, he falters.

“You have nothing to fear./I am not as scary as I appear,” she continues. “Could you please tell me your name?/And possibly from where you came?”

The gray colt coughs. Words come after the second hack. Like a broken chain with gaps in the links. “Sorry…I don’t know…where…in a cave, I appeared…” the words fall from the gray colt’s mouth like mane hairs. “Where…am I?”

“This is the Everfree Forest where you roam./It’s vast and deep, but I call it home.”

The gray colt looks around him again, as if expecting the striped equine’s words to draw out some creatures hiding in the treeshadows. Another look of concern forms on her face, especially as her eyes glance over the noticeable collective of scratches and sores on his legs.

“I imagine how you must feel./I can make those scratches heal,” she offers.

The gray colt considers it, mane flopping into his face a little again. Spit out a couple of hairs to the ground.

“Please, you mustn’t strain,” she places her left front hoof atop his leg. “Don’t cause more pain.” She inspects his leg and leans down to pick out an embedded rock with her teeth. Spits it to the side where it vanishes into a treeshadow’s length. The gray colt watches her with suspicion as eye contact regains.

“Sorry…I don’t know…this place…doesn’t look…familiar…”

“Please, come with me./I can help-”

The striped equine pauses as the cool wind dies down around them and the treeshadows recede. The gray colt’s blood runs cold and his eyes widen with irises shrinking. While he remains frozen in place, the zebra moves around him in a defensive circle, scanning the trees for the disturbance. Her face falters into a frown as a murky image forms from the treeshadows’ edge. Brief flickers of sound echo like the hum of a wasp. Or the screams of the past.

“It appears we are not alone./Show yourself, shadowy drone!” the zebra stands between the gray colt and the dark form.

Before the striped equine, the horned shadow manifests, looming over her with those same dull winedark eyes. Bits of moonlight reflect off the helmet adorning its head, just above its sharp horn. Breaking treeshadows in its wake, the horned shadow extends long wings, like that of the Princess. But black and worn along its edges.

The gray colt stays frozen while the zebra returns the horned shadow’s glare. She steps forward, mirroring the horned shadow’s movement. Not intimidated by its presence, the zebra remains defensive.

“What are you, monstrous thing?”

The horned shadow stretches out its wings as facial features form around the dull winedark eyes. A face like that of the winged royalty in Canterlot, but rough and worn by sorrow. The zebra takes a closer look, eyes widening slightly.

“You look like the image of Z-”

The horned shadow equine lunges at her, its helmet illuminated by the glow of a magic attack. She charges in its path to throw off its aim at the gray colt but passes through, nearly colliding with a tree. Turns around and prepares for the next move. The horned shadow vanishes for a moment, only to reappear as it soars towards the gray colt.

The gray colt breaks into a run, knocking the zebra to the side and letting out a long scream as he bolts across the terrain. She regains her footing and follows, hoping she can keep up with the shade. It moves quickly on the glide of its shadowy wings, horn still glowing as if to prepare for some attack never made.

She dives at the shadow, causing it to scatter with a swing of her hooves. But it reforms nonetheless. Angered, it turns back in her direction, winedark eyes glowing. The zebra clasps her ears when a barrage of screams strikes her head-on. Screams from some distant past, cut short and repressed once more.

She opens her eyes. The horned shadow vanishes as quickly as it appeared, blending back into the treeshadows as a dissolving constellation in the night sky. The zebra loses sight of the colt. Resigned, she draws her hood back over her face and silently hopes that gray colt escaped.

***

Fluttershy finishes the last of the mixed berry shortcake, licking the lemon frosting from her lips. Angel gnaws on the remnants of his late-night salad prepared just for him, bits of lettuce green hanging from his mouth. The rabbit swallows the leaves and dives right into the dish, pulling up some more green with hints of orange mixed in.

“I’m glad you like it. I even added those orange slices just like you wanted. I trust it was good, right?”

Angel gives an apathetic nod, too focused on finishing what’s still in the bowl.

Fluttershy smiles, taking her pet rabbit’s gesture as a good sign. “Just make sure you clean up when you’re done.”

Angel fishes the final orange slice out of the bowl, some of its juice dripping down his chin as the peel breaks off.

“Oh, here, let me get that for you,” the yellow Pegasus pulls up a cloth and brushes it against Angel’s mouth.

The rabbit fidgets a bit and pushes her hoof away, shaking his head.

“Oh, okay. Just make sure you don’t leave a mess, alright?”

Angel gives another apathetic nod as he finishes the final orange slice. Staring up at Fluttershy, he then takes the cloth and wipes his mouth clean.

“Thank you, Angel,” she says, taking the orange juice-stained cloth from his little hand. “Now, please get some sleep soon. You need your sleep.”

Another of Angel’s signature apathetic nods is cut short by the frantic sound of hens panicking outside. Fluttershy flinches, fearing the worst. She cautiously moves to the door with Angel following close behind. The yellow Pegasus glances to the side of the house after a white hen flocks towards the front steps.

From the path leading into the Everfree Forest, a gray colt appears with leg scratches and sores and a scared look painting his face. Running for so long finally catches up with him as he stumbles through Fluttershy’s yard, frightening hens as they retreat to the chicken coop or dart towards Fluttershy. Scared chicks running to their mama’s wings. Fluttershy watches as the colt takes a few more steps, opens his mouth as if to scream, and collapses on the grass.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Fluttershy reassures the hens hiding around her. “Please go back to your house. Everything is fine. I’ll make sure everything’s okay.”

The yellow Pegasus cautiously walks over towards the fallen gray colt with Angel and the hens around her hooves. Fear fades into concern once she sees his wounds and weakened state. Angel approaches the colt’s head and lightly tugs on his ear. Getting no response, he pulls back the right eyelid, watching for a telltale blink.

“Angel, don’t do that,” Fluttershy pulls her pet back. She steps back as the gray colt coughs and tries to stand. “Oh! Be careful!”

The gray colt tries to make eye contact with her but his head feels too heavy to lift. Instead, he refocuses the energy into dragging himself. The hens panic and flee towards the house, passing around the colt.

“Please don’t hurt yourself. I can help,” Fluttershy tells him.

The gray colt responds with face falling into the ground. Fluttershy pushes her front hooves under his body and lifts him up slowly. His left front leg moves around the back of her neck. She slides under his extended leg in support and lifts him up a little more. His other legs show signs of life, walking as best as they can.

“That’s it, just move nice and slow. Everything’s fine,” Fluttershy coos as she helps the gray colt. “Just a little further.”

Up the steps and into the house with Angel holding the door open. He quickly shuts it as the gray colt slips from Fluttershy’s hold and falls onto his back, spread-eagled on the mare’s living room floor.

“Please don’t strain yourself,” Fluttershy tells him as she moves to the other side of the room.

Angel, still feeling a bit suspicious about the newcomer, overlooks the fallen gray colt. The rabbit moves to inspect the cutie mark and wonders what a hazy circle with little circles in it could mean. He takes a closer look until his owner pulls him away.

“Angel, please leave him be,” she tells the rabbit that crosses his arms. She turns her attention to the colt as he reopens his eyes. Seeing himself in a new, bright sparks a panic instinct as the gray colt moves to get onto his legs.

“Please, no need to panic!” Fluttershy hurriedly places a hoof on his side. “You’re safe here. Please don’t panic. Everything’s fine.”

Breath catches up with him as the colt calms, nearly falling back onto the floor as his hooves slip beneath him. Fluttershy props him back in place and then turns her attention to the scratches and sores on his legs.

“I hope you haven’t been hurt too much,” she tells the colt as she reaches for a cloth. Recognizing what his owner needs, Angel returns with a wet cloth and places it in her extended hoof. “Thank you,” Fluttershy notes, cleaning up some of the scratches and sores. The gray colt tenses as the drops of water rub against his sensitive skin.

“Sorry, are you alright?” she asks when she notices his tense expression.

The gray colt manages to nod after a few seconds. “You’re too…kind…”

Fluttershy smiles and pulls the dirtied cloth away. Angel, still being helpful, takes the cloth from her extended hoof although not without a grimace at handling the cargo.

“Sorry…for scaring…your chickens…I was…couldn’t…”

“Don’t worry about it. They’ll be fine. You couldn’t what?”

The gray colt hangs his head for a moment, staring at his shadow stretching across the floor. No trace of horn. “Sorry…for…the intrusion…I just…don’t know where…I am…”

“Well, this is Ponyville and it’s safe, I can assure you of that. And, I’m Fluttershy and this is Angel,” the yellow Pegasus gestures towards the rabbit who still eyes the gray colt suspiciously. She turns back to him. “What’s your name?”

The gray colt looks for the words. “I…think…Gray Moon…Gray Moon sounds right…”

“Well, Gray Moon, why don’t you just make yourself comfortable,” Fluttershy offers a reassuring smile while directing Gray Moon to a spot on the floor where she draws out a blanket. “Please get some rest. You can stay for the night.” She disappears for a moment and returns with a tan pillow she places nearby.

“You’re…too…kind…”

“Thank you. Please get some rest. You’re fine now.”

Gray Moon nods and curls himself under the blanket, trying not to aggravate the scratches and sores on his front legs. He bows his head after taking one final glance around Fluttershy’s home, relieved to see no horned shadow lurking around in the brightly-lit living room. With a sigh, he closes his eyes against the pillow.

“I really hope he’s alright,” Fluttershy whispers to Angel. “He just seems so shaken.” The yellow Pegasus yawns, stretching her wings. “Well, we should get some sleep. Goodnight, Angel.”

Angel tugs on her hind leg and points at Gray Moon. Seeing she doesn’t get the message, he points at Gray Moon again and shakes his head.

“Oh Angel, how could you think that? He’s hurt. I just want to help him.”

Angel shakes his head and glares at the sleeping colt.

“Please get your rest,” Fluttershy says, not wanting to go any further with this conversation. “And please leave Gray Moon alone.”

The rabbit dismisses her with a wave as she heads towards her room, keeping his eyes on the sleeping colt. The light goes out with heavy moonlight filling in some of the gaps through the window. Something just doesn’t feel right about their guest but Angel can’t figure what. Aside from the panic and collection of scratches and sores on his front legs of course. Fluttershy can sleep. The rabbit has to find out.

But as determined as he is to figure out the whole story of the mysterious gray colt, Angel starts to nod off after several minutes. The rabbit shakes his head twice in an attempt to stay up but falls into sleep nonetheless. He remains sitting a few feet from Gray Moon’s slumbering form, just in case. Just in case.

Gray Moon’s panicking hooves bring Angel back to the waking world.

The gray colt shakes and moves, slapping his hooves against the floor but doesn’t move out from beneath the blanket. After a few seconds, he tries to cover himself and stifles a scream building up in his throat. The rabbit, feeling his suspicions are true, runs over towards the gray colt and begins to shake him. The colt doesn’t emerge from the nightmare, eyes clenched shut and hooves now moving ahead of him like fists.

Angel continues to shake Gray Moon with no success in getting him back into the waking world. He returns to attempting to pry open his eyelids but is smacked away and across the floor by a stray hoof. Irritated, Angel tries again, tugging on the colt’s ears until the frantically shaking head throws him off. Hilarious.

Behind the rabbit, a shadow starts shapeshifting, melding into an equine form with a horn between its helmeted eyes. Too concentrated on trying to wake or calm Gray Moon, Angel doesn’t notice as the shadow builds and extends wings from the manifested torso, almost as tall as the Princess. But the chill stirring against his back causes the rabbit to pause for a moment as the feeling of otherworldly horror sets in. On cue, the rabbit turns around slowly and meets eye-to-eye with twin winedark orbs staring down.

Fluttershy stirs in her bed, getting back into the waking world herself on the sounds of hooves. Brushing the lavender-pink bang out of her eyes, she slides out of bed and yawns, wondering what Gray Moon is doing. She opens the door and brushes her eyes again, thinking that shadow against the wall in the shape of a giant equine that’s looming over Angel might just be a trick of the dark.

No, still there.

Fluttershy takes a moment to fully register the scene while Angel remains transfixed at the gaze of the shadow. Fully awake, her wings seize up against her torso, as if trying to hide against her yellow form. She stays transfixed for a moment or two, sleep vanishing from her mind. Yet the figure, despite staring down Angel, doesn’t do much else.

Nevertheless, Fluttershy takes careful steps towards the two, preparing herself to grab Angel. As she moves closer, Gray Moon stops screaming and tenses up, breath going too quick and heartbeat going too fast. Angel changes position, now raising his small rabbit hands to deal with fisticuffs. The horned shadow ducks its head, drawing the horn directly towards the rabbit.

Maternal instincts rush through her as Fluttershy darts directly at the horned shadow’s body, causing it to shatter into black and gray wisps like the smoke of a dying candle. Angel leaps towards her in a defensive tactic, throwing his little fists at the remnants of the horned shadow’s head. It curves around them like a serpent, horn drawn out and charging directly at the space between them. It nears the sleeping Gray Moon and reconstitutes the tall, dark equine figure.

Clutching the put-em-up, put-em-up Angel between her front legs, Fluttershy watches as the horned shadow stands over the panicky Gray Moon. The gray colt freezes in place as the shadow bows its head and its horn begins to glow. Angel struggles in her grip and breaks free, lunging at the shadow. He passes right through and slides across the floor.

Fluttershy charges at the horned shadow as it seems to move over the rabbit.

It turns in her direction with the horn fully glowing with blowtorch brilliance. A flash of light soars over her head and collides against the wall, cutting off the moonlight over it. Like a pool of whiteout spreading over the sheet. Eats away at the wall.

Another shot!

Fluttershy jumps as the second flash of light fires directly at her legs and scatters, more acidic whiteout on the floor eating away. Angel leaps onto her back, checking his feet to make sure none of it got on his fur or flesh. It spreads outward and around here, bathing Fluttershy and her pet in an ominous glow. Gray Moon is surrounding by these white voids building around him like a moat. The horned shadow swings its head forward, taking a shot at the ceiling. A shriek hits Fluttershy in the ears. But no victim, where?

Illuminated by the white void glow, the horned shadow turns its attention on Fluttershy. The shriek from the ceiling cuts off, replaced by another sound. At first, it resembles something distant and building, like the heavy flow of water down the river. But-

Fluttershy…can…hardly…fly…

Familiar words. Unwanted words. But where-

Fluttershy…can…HARDLY FLY…

The images of laughing fillies and eyes warp around Fluttershy, melding into more imagery. Pegasi screaming at her. New her belittling her friends. The dragon’s roar. The disgusting mix-matched creature that made her into a monster. The other hers gathering around in a circle. The cryoftheanimalsscreamingmoreangryfaceslaughing

Fluttershy screams into the barrage until everything quickly retreats. The white voids vanish, revealing a still-intact floor and ceiling. Angel stares dumbfounded as everything reverts to normal and the horned shadow pulls back. The helmeted horn ceases to glow and the voices and foul images from the past fade.

Breath catches. Chest stops heaving. Gray Moon ceases to panic as the horned shadow dissolves once more into wispy chains of black. Gone.

Fluttershy shakes her head, brushing a single tear forming along the edge of her right eye. Taking another look, she sees Gray Moon sleeping peacefully. She looks in Angel’s direction, not pleased with the rabbit’s crossed arms and told-you-so expression.

***

Gray Moon stirs, taking a good look at the furniture and ambiance of the living room. The memories of the previous night come back to him but he shakes them off for the time being. Moving from underneath the blanket, he stretches under the sun’s rays coming through the window. For a few seconds, he feels an unusual peace.

“Good morning, Gray Moon. I hope you slept well.”

Gray Moon remembers his hostess and turns to face her as she approaches. Not wanting to worry her guest, Fluttershy puts the images from last night out of her mind. Smiles.

“Yes…I slept…alright…though…I had…nightmares…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Fluttershy replies as she moves towards the table with the fruit bowl. She picks out an apple and brushes it with her hoof before taking a bite. “I have some apples here if you’d like. I’m sure you’re hungry after all you’ve been through.”

Gray Moon walks towards the table, showing the first smile on his face since his arrival, as Fluttershy moves with a bag of feed between her front legs. For a couple moments, he watches her glide over the floor with her wings. Other pets gather around her feet to feast on the food presented. Birds flying from birdhouses and squirrels coming in through the stairway passages along the ceiling. All this he didn’t notice the night before. Beaming with life.

He sits at the edge and helps himself to a red apple. Bite. Chew. More bites, more chews. More as the rabbit approaches the table and positions himself not far from Gray Moon. But as soon as he sees the colt, the rabbit scoots away with a suspicious glare. The gray colt raises an eyebrow and returns to eating the apple. Angel continues giving him the suspicious glare even as Fluttershy reaches the table with a bowl.

“Seeing as how you liked it so much last night, I thought I’d just whip up another bowl of that yummy salad for you, Angel,” Fluttershy offers, trying to get her pet onto another subject than throwing death glares at their guest.

Angel takes the bowl without taking his eyes off Gray Moon. The second time, the colt notices Angel watching him, the rabbit buries his face into the bowl.

“I guess…Angel…doesn’t like…me…much…”

“Oh no no. Angel’s just not used to you is all. He was like that with all of my animal friends here,” Fluttershy gestures towards the birds and squirrels and other creatures finishing their feed and seed. “Isn’t that right, Angel?”

With face still buried in the bowl’s contents, the rabbit gives an apathetic thumbs up.

“See? Anyway, I’m glad you got a good night’s sleep,” Fluttershy glances down at his front legs. The collection of scratches and sores are gone much to her combined relief and surprise. Gray Moon catches her expression and she sheepishly responds. “Well, you had all these scrapes against your legs last night. I guess you must be a fast healer.”

Gray Moon inspects his legs. “Yeah…I suppose so…”

Angel’s face reemerges from the salad bowl with an orange slice held between his teeth. He swallows the juicy bits while pulling the rind away, dropping it on the table. A second passes before he remembers Gray Moon’s presence and continues his glare.

“Um…sorry for not being used to you…” Gray Moon apologizes, trying his best at a reassuring smile like Fluttershy’s. “Did I…do something wrong?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Fluttershy says again, patting Angel on the back. “He just was awakened when you had those nightmar-but everything’s just fine.”

“Did…I do something bad in my…sleep?”

Fluttershy shakes her head. Reassuring smile. She does her best to ignore Angel prodding her shoulder and tapping his foot impatiently.

Gray Moon doesn’t know what to make of this. “Did you…see a…horned shadow? Or…anything…like that? If you did…I’m sor-”

“No, no, nothing like that at all!” Fluttershy shakes her front hooves. “Just some tossing and turning, nothing out of the ordinary like a giant red-eyed monster with flashes of light!”

Angel facepalms.

Fluttershy notices the disturbed look on Gray Moon’s face and tries to change the subject. She turns to his flank and notices the unusual cutie mark. “My, I’ve never seen a cutie mark like that before. What’s your talent?”

Gray Moon’s look of worry morphs to a look of confusion. He glances back at the marking on his flank. Getting a closer look in the daylight, the circle bears hazy edges and the two circles within resemble a tiny sun with orange stalactite rays and crescent moon curved over a patch of blackblue. These familiar markings…

“I…honestly…don’t know…” Gray Moon admits, feeling a little dumb. “I just…have…this…cutie mark as…you call it…I dunno…what…”

“That little sun and little moon look familiar,” Fluttershy notes. “Well, whatever you talent is, it must be something great.”

“Um…yeah…” Gray Moon paces away from her and walks towards the door. “I…really…don’t remember…much…sorry…”

“It’s alright, at least you remember your name?” Fluttershy attempts comfort.

Angel slams his forehead against the table.

A thought comes to her. “Wait, Princess Celestia has a sun marking like yours there,” Fluttershy moves alongside Gray Moon and points towards the miniature sun in the circle. “Are you associated with her?”

“…Celestia?”

Behind them, Angel shakes his head in don’t-believe-this-guy manner.

“Oh, surely you know who Princess Celestia is?”

The gray colt pauses to think. Shakes head. “Doesn’t…sound familiar…”

“Well, maybe Twilight might know something,” Fluttershy salvages the conversation. “She’s her student. Maybe she might know something about this?”

Gray Moon shrugs.

Fluttershy nods, trying to shake the mental image of the horned shadow from her mind when it resurfaces. Perhaps Twilight might know something about that marking. Or the vision from last night. But less Gray Moon knows about that, the better. “Come on, I can show you the way to Twilight’s house. She might know.”

Gray Moon shrugs again.

“Yeah, come on, Gray Moon,” Fluttershy nods again. She turns to Angel. “We’ll be back in a bit. Keep an eye on the place, alright?” She opens the door and gestures for Gray Moon to follow. “Thanks!”

At the doorway, Angel eyes them with a half-worried, half-suspicious look. Reluctantly, he shuts the door behind them.

***

In the library, an indigo book hovers across the open air, protected by the purple aura about its form. The cover reads MEMORY PROJECTION: ACADEMIC EDITION. It lands just right before the purple unicorn and opens to some pages in particular. Down the stairs behind her, a small purple dragon picks up a couple of stray books left on the steps. He watches with semi-interest, wondering about his friend’s progress with her latest study.

“So how’s your work with that mindreading spell coming along, Twilight?” the dragon asks, shifting the books onto the nearest shelf.

Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes. “For the last time, Spike, it’s not a mindreading spell. It’s a memory projection spell. There’s no mindreading involved.”

“But it lets you see anypony’s memories right? Isn’t that kind of like mindreading?”

Twilight groans and returns to her reading. “‘And with memory projection, a specialized pony can search through memories for all kinds of purposes, historic, academic, and so forth. Some studies have also shown its effective use in therapy.” That could be useful.”

“For what? If you went all crazy again?”

Twilight shakes her head. “Ignoring that. Anyway, I need to keep trying these spells so maybe I can use it to gain more insight about Equestrian history. Maybe even-”

“Yeah, yeah, I just don’t like being used as a guinea dragon,” Spike grumbles. “I don’t really like having my memories and thoughts projected in a little bubble for all to see.”

“I’m sorry but for the most part, you’re the only other one here. Besides, I’m the only one who’s seen any of them.”

“What about Owlowiscious over there?” Spike gestures towards the owl on his perch. “I’m sure he’s got memories you can “project”. Probably some nice shots of the Everfree Forest.”

“I very much doubt Owlowiscious would have any memories pertaining to Equestrian history.”

“Oh, you never know,” the dragon takes a shot at reason. “Maybe he remembers the first time owls ever came to Equestria. That could be historical, right?”

Twilight facehoofs. “Please just think of something so I can project it, Spike. You know I have to perfect this.”

Spike sighs, resigning himself to a still position within range of the unicorn’s magic. “Very well. But at least promise me you won’t mention anything you see, alright? My thoughts are my private joy.”

“For the fifth time, I promise,” Twilight says before positioning herself for the mental channeling. “Now just hold still and concentrate on one thought. Just one. And please do it this time.”

She concentrates her glowing horn in Spike’s direction before starting up the spell. The glow extends towards Spike’s head. On Twilight’s end, the unicorn mentally shifts through a collection of thoughts, memories, and notes popping up like rising flowers as she retains focus on the thought standing out among them. For a moment, an indigo aura forms around the small dragon’s face as he focuses on one particular thought. One particularly pleasant thought.

The indigo aura splits from his face and forms into a thought bubble-shaped cloud. After a few little sparks of purple energy, a picture starts to form. An amorphous white blob reshapes itself into equine shape with a purple splotch gains Spike’s appearance. In this vision, a white unicorn with a deep purple mane kisses Spike on the cheek on a Ponyville bridge overlooking the water. This mental footage rewinds in a loop of her little act of affection, a slight squeaking echoing with each kiss.

“Spike!”

“Hey, you told me to concentrate on one thought, right?” Spike says defensively, a small blush stickering across his scaly cheeks. The looping image of the white unicorn kissing his cheek dissolves as the concentration breaks.

Twilight rolls her eyes, mentally facehoofing herself for not expecting a Rarity-obsessed thought to come her way. Nevertheless, progress is progress, she supposes. The Rarity-obsessed thought came into a clear picture. Memory projection complete.

Knock on the door.

Twilight sets his study aside for the moment and uses a simple telekinetic spell to open the door. She smiles as Fluttershy appears across the threshold. “Hello there, Fluttershy.”

“Hello, Twilight,” the yellow Pegasus answers. “I was just wondering if you could help me with something.”

Twilight perks up. “Sure, Fluttershy. What do you need help on?”

“Well, actually, it’s not me who needs your help. It’s Gray Moon here who does,” Fluttershy explains, taking a step to the side.

Twilight and Spike eye the gray colt as he cautiously steps inside. He takes a moment to register his new surroundings before refocusing his attention on the purple unicorn and the small dragon.

Fluttershy moves to whisper in Twilight’s ear. “He doesn’t know where he’s from but he’s never been to Ponyville before so I showed him around a bit. Gray Moon is a little shaken since his nightmares he had last night.”

Twilight nods, understanding before turning to Gray Moon. “Well, Gray Moon was it? Welcome to Ponyville. I’m Twilight Sparkle and this is my top assistant Spike.”

Feeling a bit prideful, Spike takes a little bow. “I just do what I can.”

Gray Moon looks for the words. “Nice…to…meet you…both…Fluttershy said…you know…a…lot of things…”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Is there any particular reason you space out your words so much? It’s so unusual.”

“I’m…sorry…I…haven’t spoken…much…”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’ve just never known a pony who talks like you do. Anyway, what can I do to help you, Gray Moon?”

The gray colt hangs his head. “Well…I don’t…mean…to…intrude or…sound…dumb…but I…don’t…remember who…I am…or…where I’m from…or what…my talent…is…Fluttershy…said…you…might know…what…my cutie…mark…means…”

“Sheesh, let’s make sure this guy doesn’t try to give any speeches,” Spike snarks.

“Spike!” Twilight glares at him before walking to inspect Gray Moon’s cutie mark. She notices the familiar sun marking within the circle. “Interesting. I’ve never seen a mark like this before. What an interesting taijitu pattern.”

“A tai-what?” Spike asks, moving ahead of Twilight to look over the marking. “Oh, you mean that swirly circle thingy?”

“A taijitu, Spike. It’s a classic symbol of balance in nature,” Twilight explains matter-of-factly. “And it appears Gray Moon’s has the same sun and moon designs like those on Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Maybe that could mean Gray Moon’s talent is ensuring balance somehow.”

“So what does that mean?” Fluttershy leans in to ask. “Because I asked Gray Moon and he doesn’t seem to know who Celestia is.”

“Oh yeah, he’s definitely not from around here.”

Twilight glares at the dragon before answering. “Well, it’s definitely a spot-on marking just like her sun and her moon cutie marks. But I don’t know what this could mean.”

Feeling embarrassed, Gray Moon hangs his head again. “Sorry…didn’t mean…to…waste your…time, Twilight…”

Fluttershy pulls Twilight aside from the gray colt and whispers to her. “There’s more that you should know. Last night, there was this horned shadow lurking around Gray Moon while he was sleeping. I think it was something out of his nightmares, but then it tried to, I mean, it just appeared. Do you think you could help him?”

Twilight thinks for a second, holding her left hoof to her chin. “Maybe I can. From what you’re telling me, it sounds like Gray Moon is projecting his own memories or thoughts. But I don't see a horn on him. Perhaps, he's had a memory projection spell performed on him. Maybe if I use my own memory projection spell, I can see what’s in his memories and perhaps help him overcome it, maybe overriding the spell put on him before. It’s worth a shot.”

Fluttershy offers a worried smile.

“Gray Moon, do you think you can remember the nightmares you had last night?”

The gray colt tenses, mane hairs standing on end. “Can’t…don’t want…”

“They were only nightmares, Gray Moon. And if they bother you that much, I can help. Just think about it. If we can see these nightmares, we can help you.”

“These…projections…do they…hurt?”

“Don’t worry, the projections can’t hurt anyone. Please just think about it, Gray Moon. If we can see what’s in your nightmares, maybe I can help you figure out what it is.”

The gray colt considers and lets out a heavy sigh. “If you…must…go ahead…”

“Just concentrate on what you saw in those nightmares.”

Twilight positions herself with her horn directed towards Gray Moon’s head. That same indigo aura forms around his head. Fluttershy and Spike watch on as the spell connection develops. Gray Moon tenses more as the mental image of the horned shadow is drawn out in its own little thought bubble. The same flashes develop around its shape with those same dull winedark eyes. Fluttershy’s worried squeak goes by Twilight’s ear.

“I can see why you were a bit disturbed,” Twilight muses as the vision builds and the bubble expands, showing the scenery of a settlement. “What is-”

Some screams strike Twilight in the face, driving her to clasp her ears. Fluttershy stumbles to her side, putting her hoof on Twi’s back to keep her balance. Behind them, Spike watches in horror as a bright light flashes.

“Twilight, what’s goi

ng on?!”

Books and shelves disappear, overtaken by a night sky and unfamiliar terrain as the projection expands. The indigo aura fades along the edges as the scene completes itself. A purple unicorn manifests in the center, sprawled from the sounds and light barrage that strikes her on the way in.

When the screams and bright lights die down, Twilight shakes her head back into the waking world. Spread-eagled against the earth, Twilight rises with a pain developing between her eyes and horn. She gets to her hooves and rubs her front right one to her head as headpangs echo through. Opening her eyes, her library has vanished, dissolved into a new scene of some seemingly older pony settlement. The purple unicorn stares in disbelief at the intensity of this projection, crafting the world around her like a theatre drama set in another Equestria. After a few more seconds of confusion, Twilight takes a step ahead, feeling the dirt and a straggling weed crush beneath her hooves. Such an intense projection.

“Spike? Fluttershy? Gray Moon?” she calls out. Her ears fold against her head when she receives no answer. “Fluttershy! Spike! Gray Moon!”

Noises from broken voices to cut-off cries respond around her but the settlement remains in ghost town form. Like the screams, they dart from one edge and go out the other, passing over Twilight’s head like an uncomfortable breeze. She checks one more time just to make sure she’s not in her library anymore. Eyes prove that she’s not.

“Just calm down, Twilight. It’s just a memory projection. Memory projections can’t hurt anypony.”

Twilight walks ahead, trying to discern the noises building around her. In the distance, some shapes move across the terrain with their heads raised and eyes directed towards something in the sky. Confused, Twilight pauses to watch them, wondering if Spike, Fluttershy, or Gray Moon is among them.

A scared red earth pony darts by Twilight, knocking her to the dirt with a cloud of dust kicked up into her face. She coughs a few times as the cloud clears up until another earth pony, wine dark like the sea, passes her in a hurry. More hooves come as Twilight raises her head. On her hooves, Twilight moves among the panicking crowd. They scream in voices warped and distorted beyond recognition. Failed recording. Twilight tries to ask them what happened to her friends and the newcomer but gets no answer as others nearly trample her. She counters with a small forcefield, causing a few ponies to tumble around her.

“Why are you all running? What is going on?!” Twilight calls out as the forcefield breaks and another winedark pony collides with her. Back to her hooves. “Please stop! What are you all running from?”

The ponies ignore her continuing to run. In the flow, Twilight finds herself running in the opposite direction, passing the panicking masses. Ping-pong gaze as the crowd trips, stumbles, flocks, and flees around her and a house crumbles to pieces flying directly into her path. Twilight skids to a stop, barely missing the chunks of timber that soar over her head. Their edges are dissolved to nothing, broken into more pieces as the next settlement fliES RIGHT OVER HER HEAD

Hitting the dirt again, Twilight dodges flying timber with splinters raining around her face. More dust clouds pick up, causing her to cough and blink the tossed dirt from her eyes. Using another forcefield spell, the falling pieces of timber bounce off the purple aura and clack alongside her. The wind picks up, breaking her concentration as what used to be a window flips over her back, glass specks sprinkling into the dust. The shards barely miss her flank save for a couple getting caught in her tail.

Twilight breaks into a panicking run despite it all being an intense projection that somehow seems more menacing than before. She maneuvers to the side as another house breaks into pony-sized chunks that dissolve into thin air just before they collide with her face. A window remnant here. An old stove there. A chimney fragment crumbling just above where she once stood. A bifurcated door splitting at just the right moment for Twilight to jump in-between the crack.

“Spike! Fluttershy! Gray Moon! Where are-”

Twilight flips onto her left flank, barely dodging a white void stretching past her. The ominous glow lines her body as she leaps over another void sprouting beneath her hooves. Tripping up, she slides on her chest across the dirt, nearly colliding with the edge of a void. The glow surrounds her, eating away at the ground with her hooves frantically moving to keep her balance.

Two legs curl around Twilight and she drifts above the circle of dirt as it’s erased into oblivion. The glow becomes far more brilliant as more land is engulfed and more houses collapse into the voids, swallowed whole.

“Twilight, are you alright?” a familiar voice asks. “I’m glad I found you!”

“Thank you, Fluttershy. I’m so glad you’re alright. But please, don’t drop me,” Twilight responds, looking ahead of them as a figure manifests like a horned shadow. She chokes a bit as Fluttershy’s grip tightens. “Not so tight…”

The horned shadow from before raises its front legs into the air and takes flight on massive, majestic blackgray wings. Its helmet shines like polished onyx with its winedark eyes continue to glow menacingly. Fluttershy barely has time to dodge as it fires a beam of magic, white as the voids swallowing the land, from its horn. Twilight nearly slips from her grip until Fluttershy re-grasps, determined to keep her friend from falling.

Angered by the missed shot, the horned shadow soars towards them. Fluttershy drops down as the horned equine passes overhead, intense wind brushing against her back. Her wings hold and she dives towards a piece of intact land ahead of them. Just to get Twilight for a moment-

Another shot hits Fluttershy in her right wing, leading her to scream and her grip to slacken. Twilight flails her hooves into the air as Fluttershy manages to catch her friend in the fall. Fluttershy picks up speed, swooping to the side as the horned equine charges and barely misses them once again. As it goes by, Twilight sees the face…of an alicorn. Just like the Princesss.

The horned shadow loses its shade-like form, becoming more alicorn-like by the second like a hazy memory becoming clear. A male. A very angry male. With another shot readied. Garbled words trail from his mouth, lost on Fluttershy and Twilight who duck and maneuver past to avoid any upcoming strikes.

The next shot hits Fluttershy in the right wing and takes its toll on her stamina. Twilight throws her hooves into the open air as she falls from Fluttershy’s grasp. The yellow Pegasus falters in the air, unwillingly spiraling into a couple of barrel rolls before starting her descent. As they fall, Twilight tosses herself in Fluttershy’s direction and readies a spell. Anything to keep them alive.

Her spell slows their fall as they reach the ground with a pair of soft thuds. Fluttershy winces, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. When Twilight looks over, she sees that a chunk of Fluttershy’s right wing has completely dissolved like a burn eating at every pinion. Twilight runs to her friend’s side, helping her to her hooves just as the helmeted alicorn descends upon them. Twilight glares but the angry words catch in her throat. Angry inquiry denied.

Another winedark pony stumbles in their direction. His presence draws the attention of the alicorn who bows his head towards the unfortunate mare. Twilight charges as the beam fires ahead of them, creating another void. The winedark pony slips halfway into the void, clinging desperately to the edge with her worn hooves.

Twilight throws herself down with extended hooves and readied horn spell as the victimized pony struggles to keep her grip. She grits her teeth and grabs the mare’s hooves, trying to pull her back. Her horn sparks its next spell as sweat slides down her brow.

For naught. The alicorn manifests beside Twilight and kicks her aside. The mare gazes up in horror as the alicorn brings his hoof down on her face. Her grip slackens and, with a scream like those heard in the barrage at the beginning, plummets into the white void, vanishing into the deep glow.

Twilight gets to her hooves, an angry NO! leaping into the open air. The alicorn turns to face her, horn glowing and hooves raised as if to stomp her into the nearest void. The unicorn responds with a shot of purple energy aimed at his head. The alicorn tilts his head and charges her with his front legs. She falls back as his legs come down to crush her head, firing another shot at his torso. The alicorn swift-kicks her in the side, sending Twilight careening across the scrap of terrain surrounded by voids. He raises for another shot-

“You big MEANIE!” Fluttershy yells from behind, slamming her front hooves against the alicorn’s face.

Stunned, the alicorn tries to direct another of the void beams in her direction, barely missing the yellow Pegasus with the partly-erased wing. Fluttershy dives for another strike, channeling New Fluttershy rage and succeeding as the alicorn stumbles back a bit, not expecting a would-be victim to retaliate. With another swoop, Fluttershy maneuvers around the alicorn and readies for another attack.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight yells. “That’s it! That’s-”

Twilight freezes as the horn glows with a winedark aura and something like a forcefield shoots out towards them. In an instant, the winedark aura collides face-first with the unicorn and the Pegasus. Fluttershy tumbles through the open air in the blast with Twilight flying beneath her. They soar over the glow of the voids beneath them, miraculously landing atop another patch of intact land.

Twilight tries to move her hoof or prepare for another spell when her body aches. Pain splits in her head as exhaustion overtakes her. Fluttershy fares no better, a groan turning into a cut-off moan as her still intact wing suddenly feels very heavy. Over them, the alicorn looms with his head bowed to closely inspect them.

Winedark eyes staring into theirs. “Do…you…understand now?”

Twilight raises a feeble hoof towards the alicorn’s face just as the alicorn stomps on her chest. Tears build up in her eyes, blurring her vision as the alicorn continues to look over them.

Just a projection. But projections can’t hurt.

The alicorn doesn’t gloat or smile evilly or any of the villainous things that Twilight expects him to. Instead, he lifts his head and looks to the sky. Suddenly, another flash of light appears in a pink and sea foam green blaze with wings extended overhead.

“Release them!” a familiar female voice booms overhead. “Let them go, Gareth! Don’t do this!”

The alicorn flies into the air, clashing directly into the other, a white alicorn appearing out of the pink and sea foam green blaze. They shout but their words are lost to the unicorn who nevertheless quickly recognizes their savior. Twilight cries out, seeing her mentor in the blur but her voice falters. The white glow of the voids developing around them intensifies, cutting out much of the night sky and the battle.

Despite the loss of energy, Twilight struggles to her side, rolling over towards Fluttershy. Despite the legpangs, she pushes herself against Fluttershy, trying to support her friend. Despite her own legpangs and wing pain, Fluttershy extends her intact wing to pull Twilight to her. Despite the exhaustion, the two fight on.

“Twilight…” the Pegasus manages to say.

Twilight nods, trying her hardest to not collapse. She looks up to the sky, seeing Princess Celestia and the alicorn she called Gareth battling. Her words are lost as a coughing groan follows suit, shooting into the stars. Fluttershy pulls Twilight a little closer as the two make a painful attempt to walk. Despite the energy loss, their hooves make a few steps but stop near the glowing white edge.

“Sorry…” Fluttershy apologizes as her wounded wing collapses at her side, dangling as a useless tree limb. “I can’t fly…”

Twilight tries to formulate a plan when a shot from the battle above hits the intact spot of land head-on, breaking beneath their hooves. The unicorn screams into the sky as she and Fluttershy fall into the void, spread-eagled against the glowing white oblivion below. Fluttershy shuts her eyes and tries to get a hold of Twilight with her good wing. Some mane hair flies into her face.

The Princess’ horrified expression appears at the surface, disappearing as the white blurs.

Twilight manages to open her eyes just as she sees her left front hoof start to dissolve. Frozen with fear, the unicorn watches as the hoof turns to lavender dust along with her other hoof. Tail. Bits of the torso. Hair.

The unicorn lets out one more scream as her face turns to dust and

Twilight! Are you alright?!”

Spike runs around, dodging Twilight’s flailing hooves as they whiplash at his head, barely missing his ears. The little dragon shakes the entranced Twilight Sparkle’s head, desperately trying to wake her up. The unicorn’s eyes glow with an unearthly winedark hue with telltale bloodshot markings along the edges. Her horn is entrapped in a winedark haze, throwing off embers and sparks as the memory spell persists. The screams on the other side remain trapped in Twilight’s throat.

The dragon worries even more, shaking once again to get his friend awake. Failing, he moves towards Fluttershy who glances between her wings, the same winedark hue overtaking her eyes. The yellow Pegasus’ right wing doesn’t move while the left frantically waves, slapping against the wooden floor. Spike frantically shakes her in every attempt to wake her as well but is met with no results. Instead, the left wing flaps more erratically, on the verge of losing a few feathers in the process. Failing here, Spike turns his attention towards the gray colt entrapped with them, winedark eyes and tense legs. Glare forms on the dragon’s face.

“What did you do to Twilight and Fluttershy?!” Spike demands, kicking at the still Gray Moon’s legs. “Snap them out of it! What have you done to them?!” The dragon climbs atop Gray Moon’s head and slaps the colt’s cheeks, tugs on his mane and shakes his face. “Snap them out of it now!”

Winedark aura and haze begin to fade around Twilight’s eyes and horn as Spike continues yelling at and shaking Gray Moon. The unicorn shudders as a flash of light manifests into the familiar shapes of books, shelves, and windows. The settlement and voids slide away into the recesses of her memory, the image of the dark alicorn and the Princess eroding away like a reflection shattered in the current. Twilight lowers her hooves and clutches her head as her return to the waking world leaves her with a massive headache. The bloodshot markings vanish from the edges of her eyes, healthy again once more. Somewhere in the distance, Spike is condemning Gray Moon for endangering his friends.

Twilight turns to her side and crouches, successfully standing up with the legpangs and cramps forming. She turns to Fluttershy whose left wing ceases to flap, keeping all feathers attached. The yellow Pegasus rubs her eyes and turns her focus to her left wing. Fluttershy lets out a sigh of relief when she sees her wing is intact despite the flashquick memory of it burning away in the alicorn’s shots. Her gaze meets with Twilight’s and she throws her front legs around the pony, glad to see her alive and whole.

The touching moment is broken when Gray Moon collapses to the floor with Spike still yelling and smacking his face. The winedark aura vanishes from his eyes, now clenched shut as his body seems to quit on him. Spike slides off the colt’s head and runs towards Twilight. “Twilight, you’re alright! Fluttershy! You’re both okay! I just was so worried and-”

Twilight gently pushes the ecstatic dragon off her front leg. “We’re fine, just fine. What happened?”

“You and Fluttershy just went all still and I just had no idea what was going on, it was like you were entranced! Like hypnotized and you wouldn’t move! And you had this dark red glow in both yours and Fluttershy’s eyes and around your horn and Gray Moon just stood there like he was catching you in a trap or something so I just-”

Spike pauses in his explanation as Twilight walks past him towards Gray Moon collapsed on the floor. Fluttershy follows, both ponies inspecting the colt on the ground. The yellow Pegasus gently prods the colt’s side, checking for signs of life. Twilight thinks back over the projection.

“Spike, take a letter. I think the Princess might want to know about what we saw in the memory.”

***

Spike finishes the letter, adding every detail in a very interested fervor like an author scribbling down the vicious imagery of his novel. The taijitu cutie mark with Celestia’s sun and Luna’s moon. The image of the horned shadow. The memory of the mysterious alicorn with the white voids. A few times, Twilight catches Spike attempting to paint Gray Moon as a villain and corrects him. The quill finishes its final stroke and the scroll curls in his hands.

Fluttershy stands over Gray Moon with a hoof brushing his side, still making sure the colt is breathing after the trauma. She sighs with relief when Gray Moon finally exhales after a few moments of absolute stillness. “It’s okay, Gray Moon. I don’t blame you for what happened. Neither does Twilight. It’s not your fault.”

Tears start forming between the gray colt’s eyelids. “I…shouldn’t…have…come…”

“Got that right,” Spike snarks.

Before Twilight can either glare or tell Spike to be quiet, the little dragon begins to gag. In a shot of emerald flame, another scroll appears, tumbling across the floor towards Twilight’s front hooves. Telekinetic spell raises the scroll and unfurls it before Twilight’s eyes. It simply reads: DO NOT LET HIM OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. KEEP HIM THERE.

“But why would the Princess say that-” Twilight wonders aloud just as a knocking comes at the door.

The door flings open before either pony or dragon can answer. Two royal Canterlot guards, wings tense and helmets shining golden bronze, march into the room. Immediately, they approach Gray Moon and surround the colt, one guard gently but forcefully pushing Fluttershy aside.

At the threshold, the radiant Princess Celestia bows her head and walks within, drawing back her wings to fit past the doorway. Instead of the usual smile and friendly face, the Princess looks upon the fallen gray colt with suspicious, almost angry eyes. She passes Twilight and Fluttershy without acknowledging their presence and stops just before Gray Moon. For a second, she inspects the taijitu cutie mark and her eyes widen before returning to their suspicious glare.

“Wake up for the Princess!” one of the guards yells, kicking Gray Moon in the side. “Answer truthfully or there will be consequences!”

Gray Moon opens his teary eyes and ears fold back against his head in the presence of the Princess. Fear sweeps over his eyes, turning his equine blood to ice. Twilight starts to move towards them until one guard motions for her to stay back.

“Are you Gray Moon?” the Princess finally speaks.

The gray colt finds the words. “Yes…that’s my…name…”

“Answer me truthfully,” Celestia narrows her eyes and bows her head to meet Gray Moon eye-to-eye. “Does the name “Gareth” mean anything to you?”

Gray Moon shakes his head, more frightened now. “Should…I…know…him?”

Celestia raises her hoof as if to strike him. The gray colt covers his head, fearing more pain to come. The Princess lowers her hoof and pulls back, shaking her head. “Come, guards.”

The two guard Pegasi nod and walk around Gray Moon while keeping their eyes on the colt. Celestia pauses in thought and inspects over the colt’s cutie mark once more, glancing at the sun mark on her flank. Perfect match. Nevertheless, she pulls back and turns towards Twilight, acknowledging her student. “Thank you for the notification, Twilight.”

“Princess Celestia, what is going on? Is something wrong with Gray Moon?”

“It’s nothing,” the Princess answers bluntly, then replacing her suspicious glare with the usual friendly face. “Don’t worry about it. I just mistook him for somepony else. From what I can gather, he just seems to have some kind of ghastly nightmare. Nothing more to worry about.”

Twilight is about to question when Celestia raises a hoof to silence her.

“Just be careful with your studies next time, Twilight Sparkle. And just keep an eye on Gray Moon.”

Twilight glances back towards the gray colt still covering his face and back to the Princess as she bows her head and tucks her wings to leave past the threshhold. The mental images of the memory projection flash through her mind once more. Looking at Fluttershy, she just doesn’t know what else to say.

Comments

[El Nachoman]

Zero wing?

......

ALL YOUR PONIES ARE BELONG TO US

[Book]

Hello Saffron! I read the whole story and the only bit of advice I can give you is to write your story in past tense. In order to make sense of the story I had to train my brain to read some of these words with an "ed" at the end. I just want to point out that this isn't an insult this is more along the lines of constructive criticism. I really respect people such as yourself for trying to write a story and putting it out there for everypony to see.
If you need an example of what I mean about writing in past tense here you go.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Fluttershy said while reassuring the hens hiding around her. “Please go back to your house. Everything is fine. I’ll make sure everything’s okay.”
The yellow Pegasus cautiously walked towards the fallen gray colt with Angel and the hens around her hooves. Fear faded into concern once she saw the colt's wounds and weakened state. Angel approached the colt’s head and lightly tugged on his ear. Getting no response, Angel pulled back the right eyelid, watching for a telltale blink.
“Angel, don’t do that,” Fluttershy exclaimed pulling her pet back. Fluttershy stepped back as the gray colt coughed and tried to stand. “Oh! Be careful!” Fluttershy squeaked. The gray colt tried to make eye contact with her but his head felt too heavy to lift. Instead, he refocused the energy into dragging himself. The hens panicked and fled towards the house, passing around the colt.
“Please don’t hurt yourself. I can help,” Fluttershy told him.

I did not improve grammatical errors I just put the passage into past tense. I am no grammar nazi especially since I am aware that all these stories are free lance so I forgive that easily.
I like where this story is going and I hope that you consider writing the next part in past tense. Have a good one!