The Crimson Sunrise - a fan-written alternate ending to 'Background Pony'

Chapters

I - Lost
II - The Last Day
III - Sunrise
IV - Innocence
V - Another World

I - Lost

Author's Note

This is an alternate ending to "Background Pony" by ShortSkirtsandExplosions. I STRONGLY advise that you NOT read this unless you've read the source material all the way through; this drops you in about halfway through the 19th chapter. Not only will you be completely lost, but refusing to honor the source material would be a mean thing to do, you meanie. You must always honor the source material. The source material is important.

For those who've already read the original and have come across this: I hope you enjoy it. I live to please.

(Picture courtesy of NetTrip on DeviantArt.)

I - Lost

The violet veil faded around me to reveal a morning Ponyville. Luna's tent was nowhere to be seen. I slumped to the grass, my tears trickling onto the holy instrument that I held close. Since my curse began, I was aware of the scenario that I'd never lay my eyes on my home again, that I would never again be privileged to have an actual relationship with Twilight, Moondancer, or anypony else in this world. That morning, on the northeast side of Ponyville, I grieved for Aria; for all other souls touched by this cursed song, as well as myself.

I sulked in the grass for Goddess knows how long. A few ponies may have stopped in a futile attempt to help, but I wasn't in a state to acknowledge or recall them. I was lost.

Some time later, I was back in my cabin, staring at the ceiling as Al tried to soothe me with his purrs. The morning sunlight leaked through the windows. I had no recollection of my trek home, nor any idea how many hours or days had gone by since I met with Luna on Nightmare Night. My memory was already getting worse, and I didn't have the will to perform Twilight's Requiem.

"I-I'm lost, Al," I said to the only real friend I'd had throughout those months. "I can't...Wh-why does it have to be like this?" More tears streamed down my cheeks. "Everything feels so wrong..."

Al uncurled and nuzzled my nose, his whiskers tickling the tears away. I couldn't help but smile. "I don't know what to do, buddy," I began while stroking his orange coat. "Aria... She finally spoke to me, and..." I closed my eyes. "It feels like I've done all this for nothing."

He nuzzled me again. "She told me that I can become one of the chained and join her choir as other lost ones h-have, or..." I gulped. "Or play all 10 elegies in her pr-presence, lifting the curse at the cost of unlearning everything, and h-history writing me out of all the events I involved myself with while cursed..." I thought of Dinky's flute, Scootaloo's rescue, Discord...

I held him closer as my vision blurred again. "Al, h-how can one make such a choice? Eternal imprisonment, or s-selfishly dooming Equestria to chaos and giving up who I've become?? With the slim chance that I'd survive and move beyond the stubborn city pony I was before all this began?! Should...should I just keep living and let the curse take my memories peacefully? Forget Aria and her choices and just move on?" I buried my eyes in Al's coat as he meowed and nuzzled my ear. "I-is there a chance, any chance, that Twilight and her friends would be able to defeat Discord without my involvement? Could I h-have missed something? I just... I want my life back, Al! I want Twilight and Moondancer to recognize me! I want to be able to go back home to my mother! I..."

There was a knock on the door. It was morning, which meant...

"Uhm, hello? Everythin' alright in there? I heard some yellin'."

I looked up from Al's coat. He was still nuzzling me, oblivious to the voice on the other side of the door. My degenerating mind recalled a certain earth pony who was always willing to lend a helping hoof, but it was all jumbled. I grabbed the Nightbringer and played through the opening chords of Twilight's Requiem as fast as my magic would let me.

"I'm sorry, am I intrudin'? I'll just continue on if-"

I opened the door. I remembered. Applejack stood before me with two filled apple baskets on her sides. She wore a plain brown scarf that fluttered in the wind, the same she wore a year ago. Or at least, I thought it was a year ago.

"Howdy there..." Her voice lowered to a soothing tone as she tipped her hat. "Forgive me if I'm pryin', but are you alright? I heard quite the commotion." Her eyes shone in the morning sun, reflecting a defeated mint-green unicorn with a disheveled mane.

"Y-you're not prying, don't worry. I'm just..." I glanced back to see Al plopping down from the cot. "I'm just... I-I'm... I feel lost." Another tear rolled down my cheek. "I feel so lost..."

She took a step closer and smiled. "Ma'am, I may not know the full extent of your troubles, but I do know that Equestria contains plenty of opportunity for anypony to find themselves. Heck, this here town of Ponyville would be a mighty fine place for you to start!"

Applejack's optimism was more than welcome, no matter how empty it was to my curse. "Th-thank you, but... it's n-nothing like that. There's a choice I have to make, and it feels like... No matter what I c-can do, I would be lost. I..." There was a lump in my throat. I wept harder as my voice trailed off.

"Hey there, sugarcube." She put a hoof on my shoulder. "Maybe you're overthinkin' things? I'm sure you'll turn out alright no matter what you do. You seem pretty well situated here if I do say so myself."

I closed my eyes. "Y-you don't understand-"

"I don't have to understand nothin' to know you'll be just fine." She looked down at Al. "And heck, you'll always have a friend or two to lean on when the going gets tough!"

After a pause, I smiled and at last wiped my eyes. In that moment, after everything I'd been through that morning, I went against all of the guidelines I'd established while speaking with ponies throughout those months; my hooves were around Applejack in a hug.

"Whoa there," she said with a slight jump. I let go before long. She chuckled and brushed off my impulsive gesture. "I'm Applejack, by the way. I walk the same path every mornin' and can't seem to recall havin' ever run into you here before. It's like this cabin sprouted up overnight!"

I sniffled. "It's okay. I'm not usually this noisy. My name's Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings."

"Well, Miss Heartstrings," Applejack began. "You could tag along for some fresh-baked bread back at the farm, if you'd like. I figure we'd best be gettin' to know you seein' as we're practically neighbors and all. We Apple folk own Sweet Apple Acres just a short way's away, if ya couldn't guess." She made a gesture towards the two apple baskets.

"I appreciate the offer, Applejack," I replied. "But there's something I need to run to town for in relation to this choice I've yet to make. Your words have inspired me."

"Aw shucks!" She blushed and ran a hoof through her mane. "It was nothin'! I'm just glad you're feelin' better is all."

I chuckled. "I'll have to take you up on that bread offer some other time."

"Of course, sugarcube! Just gimme a holler whenever I'm passin' by. I'll remember."

My smile remained. "I will, and just one more thing. What's today's date?"

She rose an eyebrow and paused before replying. "Uhh... November the second."

I stroked one of my temples. "Ah, that's right. Nightmare Night was just two days ago. How silly of me," I said, feigning ignorance.

"Funny you should mention..." Her eyebrow was still raised. "Princess Luna was in town these past few days."

"Princess Luna was here? Really?"

She blinked. "You sure you're alright? Everypony around these parts knows about her visit. You're not losin' time or anything, are ya?"

I bit my lip. "Y-Yes, I'm fine. Thank you again for your kind words, Applejack. I'll be sure to take you up on that bread offer."

Her eyebrow descended. "Well, alrighty. Just gimme a shout whenever you're feelin' up to it! See ya soon!"

"Yes." My smile remained as warm as it could. "Goodbye, Applejack." I shut the door and held a hoof on the doorknob. For a few precious moments, I forgot about the hopelessness of my situation. Applejack became that same concerned sister I'd never had, when she found my fresh-cursed self afraid and starving in this very spot. Now, over a year later, she saved me again by pulling me out of the blind spell that Aria's words had left me in. No matter what awaited me at the end of this journey, there was one last sane day for me to live.

I filled Al's food bowl to the brim as a safety measure; I'd hoped to return by that afternoon. I grabbed my lyre and placed the Nightbringer in its chamber before putting on Rarity's glistening red sweater, along with the scarf she'd given me months ago. I was doing a rush-job on my mane when a chill went through me. Applejack was now stopping in her tracks, looking around dumbfounded without a thought of the unicorn she'd just saved for the last time.

They're each a song.

I crouched down next to Al. "I'll be back soon, buddy." He looked at me while standing over his food bowl. "Whatever happens next, a part of me will die in some form. I need to see them all one last time. Before that happens." I nuzzled my tabby friend close and kissed him between his amber eyes. He meowed at me, and I giggled. "See you soon, little guy." I stepped into the morning light and broke into a gallop.

II - The Last Day

The center of town was just ahead, but I was at a loss. Why was I going there? Was I going there? Why did I have on Rarity's fancy sweater instead of my hoodie?

Dinky's flute sounded in the distance, producing a practiced and beautiful melody. I had used my own bits to purchase that flute for her some months ago; I remembered that, but I couldn't recall what I was doing now...

I pulled out my lyre and began playing Twilight's Requiem. I had lost my hoodie a few days ago during Nightmare Night after speaking with Princess Luna. Was I there to look for it? No, that didn't seem right. I remembered speaking with Applejack. I was lost after Aria...

I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I fought them as the Requiem filled the air with Dinky's flute. Applejack told me that I'd be just fine, and then I fed Al, and... One last time...

"Miss? Are you alright? You look as though you've lost your way."

Her voice made me gasp. A familiar earth pony with a beige coat and three pieces of candy for a cutie mark had approached me. I stared at her through the messy strands of my mane, still strumming Twilight's Requiem as my heart rate increased.

She smiled. "That's quite a lovely tune you're playing. Are you taking-"

I turned away and started moving. "C'mon, Lyra. You almost had it. You're not here to find your old hoodie, or to reminisce on a stranger's selfless acts of kindness from months ago. You're here for one last time..." I closed my eyes and listened. "I need to see them all one last time."

Just then, it hit me. I was headed for the Carousel Boutique.

"Hold still, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said while levitating a tape measure. "Honestly, at this rate we'll never be ready for the pageant!"

Rainbow Dash stood in front of a mirror, posing in what looked like an unpainted Pegasus Commander uniform. Lightning was emblazoned on the chest area, and there was a slight indent on top of the helm where Rarity was trying to measure.

"Relax, miss Impatient!" began Rainbow. "You have almost two months to finish these! Just let the star admire herself for a minute!" She flexed her wings and entered a combat stance, again offsetting Rarity's measurement. "Commander Hurricane, the leader of the Pegasi before the founding of Equestria. How awesome is that? The role's perfect for me!"

Rarity let out a sigh and adjusted her orange glasses. "Yes, dear, of course it's perfect for you. Twilight said that Princess Celestia specifically chose us to star in this pageant. It comes as no surprise that you and Fluttershy would portray the pegasus characters, considering you're the only pegasi out of all of us!" She turned towards Fluttershy. "I mean no offense to you, darling. I admire that you know how to cooperate while getting costume measurements done, unlike some ponies..."

Fluttershy smiled. She wore what seemed to be an unpainted Pegasus Private uniform. The headpiece's metal brim shone in the light, with a matching lightning bolt on the front.

I didn't expect both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to be here in addition to Rarity. I'd planned to be back at the cabin in time to catch Rainbow on her collision for the day. With how fast my grip on reality was slipping, I was luckier than I'd ever been.

They're each a separate song.

"Now please, Rainbow Dash," Rarity continued, once again levitating her tape measure. "These need to be finished by the end of this week. I require much more time to focus on the other four. Pinkie's costume in particular is-"

"Umm, Rarity?" Fluttershy said, almost whispering. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but you seem to have a customer."

"Oh, excuse me!" Rarity glanced towards me while taking her measurement. "I didn't see you there! Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique! I'm terribly sorry, but I'm all booked up for the time being. You can write your order in the booklet to your right, but I won't be able to make my services available to you for quite some time."

Rarity was so caught up in her work that she didn't seem to notice my mess of a mane. I was impressed. "Don't worry, I'm not here to make an order. I assume you're this Miss Rarity I've been hearing about? Ponies around have said you're quite the artist when it comes to fashion."

She had marked her measurement and was now stepping towards me. "Really? Well, I guess being one of the holders of the Elements of Harmony helps one's name to spread around, ehehe..."

"Are you kidding, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash said. "Do you see this helmet? This awesome lightning on the front of my vest? And it's not even finished yet! You're almost as good at making costumes and fashion stuff as I am at flying! Ponies don't know my name just because I'm the Element of Loyalty..."

I snickered. Rarity rolled her eyes. "While unsubtle, Rainbow, you've certainly made your point. Thank you." She turned back towards me. "Moving on, what brings you here, Miss..."

"Heartstrings," I said in practiced enunciation.

"Miss Heartstrings. What can I do for you? You say you're not here to make an order?" Rainbow Dash went back to posing in the mirror, and Fluttershy continued listening to our conversation from a distance.

"Correct," I replied. "I'm here to make an exchange, you could say." I levitated the scarf off my neck and removed the beautiful red sweater that this very mare had made for me months ago, all the while trying not to shiver. "I have a feeling you'd be able to make use of these."

Rarity's eyes widened as she moved close to inspect the sweater. "Why, this is an impressive piece of craft! The red color has a beautiful shine in the light, and these amber beads are quite the touch! They match your eyes, Miss Heartstrings!" She levitated the sweater, inspecting every angle. "Why, it practically screams 'Hearth's Warming!' If I weren't mistaken, I'd say you had this custom made! May I ask who you went to?"

"Heh, well..." I paused. "A very generous pony made this for me some time ago. I think she's since moved to Canterlot."

"I'll have to keep an eye out when we're in the city for the pageant! This sweater is simply divine!" She looked closer. "Although I do see a few areas where it can be improved. While part of me doesn't like touching other ponies' work, I do always strive to be sure that my clients look as good as they possibly can! I could fix this up for you, Miss Heartstrings! That is, when I'm not this booked."

"Thank you," I said. "But I think it's time for me to part ways with it, and this scarf." I motioned towards the yellow scarf that lay beneath the levitated sweater.

Rarity tilted her head. "I'm afraid I don't fully understand. You're giving these to me? Miss Heartstrings, I-I can't possibly accept-"

"Rarity, please. They're yours. You're not the only one who gets to be generous around here." I smirked.

She took a few glances between the sweater and me. "I..."

"Wow! This Miss Heartstrings has you upstaged, Rarity! What a score!" Rainbow Dash had moved closer to us from the mirror. Fluttershy was still at a moderate distance.

"Not now, Rainbow." Rarity stood her ground. "Miss Heartstrings, if you're this adamant about giving these away, there are other ponies in Equestria who can get better use out of them than me. I can recommend several charities for you to consider. Just give me a moment."

I giggled. There was only one way to do this right. "Please, call me Lyra. And no, these belong to the amazing pony who crafted them. I wouldn't feel comfortable giving them to anypony else."

She blinked. "But you just..." Her mouth was agape with a loss for words. "I-I've never seen you before in my life, Miss Lyra! I didn't..." Her voice trailed off.

Rainbow Dash looked just as baffled. "Did you hit your head on the way in, or something? You just said somepony else from Canterlot made these for you."

I wanted to have a normal conversation with them one last time, no matter how brief. That conversation was now over. "I've actually met with you all several times in the past year and a half." I chuckled before continuing. "Rainbow Dash. Months ago, you helped me clear out an area for the place of residence that I've had all these blessed, confined months. I paid you fifty bits to tear down that old barn..."

"Uhh, I think your horn might be on too tight." She adjusted her helmet.

I smiled as a warm tear ran down my cheek. "More recently, I went on a trek to find Scootaloo after that teleportation accident only to collapse from cold and fatigue short after grabbing her. The strong kiddo dragged me to a granite clearing before you and Cloudkicker-"

"Whoah whoah WHOAH! That's enough!" She took off the helm and moved closer. "I've never seen you before in my life, and I sure as heck didn't see you anywhere near Scootaloo when we found her! Have you lost it?"

"Hehe." All three ponies kept gazing at me in befuddlement. "What I want to say is, thank you. All of you." I sniffled. "Thank you, Fluttershy, for helping me take care of my cat months ago when I came to you for advice. Th-thank you for always lighting up my day with how sweetly you treat everpony." I closed my eyes as more tears began flooding out. My naked body could no longer resist the shivers. "Thank you, Rarity, for your beautiful s-selfless gifts to me, and for the talks we had in Sugarcube Corner and... Everywhere, really." I looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Th-thank you for saving my life, even if you weren't conscious of it. Thank you all s-so much." I sniffled. "For everything."

"Um... I'm sorry, miss, but who are you?" Fluttershy squeaked. "I didn't see you standing there."

Rarity glanced an even more baffled look at Fluttershy. "This Lyra has been here for the past five minutes, darling. You called to me when she entered..."

I bowed my head as a cool breeze began to settle. My time was up. "No m-matter what happens, please don't any of you ever change." I sniffled. "Goodbye." I turned away from where the sweater and scarf rested; away from three confused ponies who I'm sure wanted to call to Nurse Redheart.

"Miss Lyra, wait! What-" I heard Rarity call to me as I opened the door and returned to the cool Ponyville air. A strong chill went through me, the noon sunlight doing little against it. The three ponies I'd just spoken to were gone, as I soon would be.

Part of me wanted to stop right there; go back to the cabin and wait for the curse to wipe out my memories of this beautiful town. But as much as it hurt, this was a privilege I couldn't miss. I planned to present my choice to Aria that night, to let the curse consume me in whatever way I saw fit.

They're each a unique song.

I sniffled, strumming Twilight's Requiem once again as I moved towards the cake-topped bakery in the distance.

"Good afternoon, miss!" a harmonious voice called out. "Are you new in town?"

"Mmm, yes and..." I paused, glancing around with a hoof against my forehead. Have I done this before?

Mrs. Cake tilted her head before smiling over her concern. "You look as though you could use some tea. Please, take a seat! I'll be right with you."

I aimlessly sat down, strumming more of Twilight's Requiem on my lyre. I stopped, however, when a familiar flute sounded off from the other side of the bakery. Dinky sat with her eyes closed in a serene grace, playing to the foals and parents who sat around her. A proud Derpy looked on from a distance, smiling warmer than Celestia's sun. Her lazy eye shed a single tear. I smiled myself, shivering at my lone table. Dinky was a true protégé. In just a few months, she was producing renditions that I myself wouldn't have been capable of at her age. She could be recognized among the likes of great musicians such as Octavia and Sapphire Shores years down the line, but I wouldn't be around to see it.

Her performance wrapped up, and the little filly was met with applause. She bowed and returned to her mother's side who wrapped her in a cheerful embrace.

"Isn't that something?"

I jumped and turned to once again see Mrs. Cake. She held a cup of tea.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

"Hehe, no worries," I said before reverting my gaze. "She's quite the musician."

"She is, isn't she? Her mother must be so proud. I myself haven't gotten there just yet." She snickered, moving her eyes to a picture of two diapered foals. "Sugarcube Corner is brighter every weekend Derpy and little Dinky are present. I just know we're in the right place when loving ponies like those two come and visit. Ponyville is where we Cakes belong, although my husband might have a thing or two to say." She chuckled.

I let out a snicker. "I know the feeling. I'll be staying here for the foreseeable future myself. This is such a blessed town I've found."

"Oh! Are you new to Ponyville?"

"Mmm, yes and no," I replied. "Pardon me for changing the subject, but is that a cup of herbal tea you're carrying?"

She looked at the cup in her hoof. "Why, yes it is. I swear I'm getting senile. I can't seem to remember who ordered it..."

"Hmm." I smiled. "Tea does sound good right about now."

She glanced at the cup a moment longer. "Well, nothing's ringing a bell, and I can't let this go to waste. One bit would suffice! Do you want it?"

"Sure," I nodded. "If that's okay."

"It's fine! Here you go." She placed the cup on my table and I passed her a bit.

"Thank you!" I took a sip. "Excuse me again for keeping you occupied, but is there a Miss Pinkie Pie around? She's a distant friend of mine, and I wanted to surprise her with a visit."

"Don't worry! Today's not busy. It's good to have somepony to talk to," she replied. "Pinkie Pie is in the back taking care of an order. You won't believe it; Princess Luna herself was here yesterday, and after trying one of our cupcakes, she ordered two hundred of them for pick-up! It was as if she'd never had a cupcake before!"

"Wow." I snickered. "I keep hearing everypony speak of Luna's visit. She was here for Nightmare Night, I presume?"

"For our celebration, yes. Her visit was unannounced and unexpected. The event was a bit shaky at first, but it'll definitely be a Nightmare Night to remember." She looked to the children and smiled. "Our local librarian Twilight Sparkle invited her to stay the next day, and their first stop was here, Sugarcube Corner. That was the busiest morning we've ever had..."

I took one last sip of my tea. "Well, I sure missed out! Hopefully she'll be back next year."

"Yes, hopefully. Princess visits are always good for business!" She laughed. "Anyway, Pinkie Pie will be on break in about an hour if you want to wait."

I put a hoof on my chin. "Hmm... Two hundred cupcakes. That does sound like a lot of baking to be done. Do you think she could use a helping hoof?"

She chuckled. "Sounds like you two didn't know each other all that well! Pinkie treats baking like she treats party planning: as an art form. She'll be done in no time, don't you worry."

"Still, though," I began. "Two ponies in the kitchen would be better than one. Would you allow me to lend her a hoof for a little while? I've got a bit of baking knowledge myself, and we've done this many times in the dozens." I recalled a time long ago when Pinkie found a certain mad pony rummaging through a trash can. "We could have the order done in no time."

Mrs. Cake ran a hoof through her mane. "Well, Pinkie has pulled several different ponies into the kitchen since she started working here whom I've been completely unfamiliar with, and nothing too major has gone wrong besides that one time-"

"Then it's decided!" I said. "To the kitchen!" I grabbed my bag and trotted past Mrs. Cake.

"Uhh, miss-"

"And thank you for the tea!" A chill went through my body.

"3...2...1...DING!" A hyperactive voice imitated the oven's timer. "Another batch done! So that's 82, 83, 84..." Pinkie Pie glanced over every cupcake before speaking again. "103! More than HALFWAY THERE! You've got this, Pinkie! You've got this!" She froze to a halt when she saw me.

"Umm... Hi!" I waved an awkward hoof. "Mrs. Cake sent-"

"Less talking and more frosting, Minty Green!" She pointed to dozens of other cupcakes on the counter. "Alternate between dark blue and purple! These are for the princess! Of the night!" Two tubes of frosting came flying my way.

"Got it!" I said while moving towards the counter. "How long have you been back here, Pinkie?" There were several stacked cake boxes strewn about with iced cupcakes inside, and the kitchen looked quite rummaged.

Pinkie Pie zipped to the fridge and grabbed a few eggs before zipping back to the counter. "Just since the sun came up! Mrs. Cake said it was a bad idea, but look at all of this...CAKE to show for it!" She cracked the eggs and began mixing. "I debated between vanilla with blue-and-black funfetti and just plain chocolate for the longest time, and eventually decided on BOTH!"

I levitated the purple tube to another cake. "Sounds like you made the right choice! I'm sure Luna will enjoy every bite."

"Oh, she will!" Pinkie said. "The key, young Mintyfresh, is to think of the pony you're baking for! I did this, and decided to match Luna's color with the cake and icing!" She jumped a few times. "Didja notice?!"

I was smiling brighter than I had in weeks. "Yes, Pinkie. I noticed. They look fantastic!" I brought up the dark blue tube. "My name is Lyra, by the way."

"Heartstrings?" I couldn't bring myself to interrupt. "Because if your name was 'Cheesetrings', then why would you look like you haven't had anything to eat in a while?"

She had a point. Right here, in the middle of all these cupcakes, I realized I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten. My body was still functioning, though, so I doubt it was as long as I'd imagined.

"Go ahead, Mintbreath!" I jumped. "You can have one!"

I glanced at the cupcakes and then back to the smiling big-eyed face that was now right in front of me. "I can't, Pinkie. You've worked so hard on these. I wouldn't feel-"

"Oh, don't worry!" She put a hoof around me. "We can replace just one in no time, and I won't tell the Cakes! Pinkie promise!" She crossed her heart and put a cupcake to her eye.

I lowered my head. "Pinkie, I-"

"We aren't continuing this royal baking until your minty stomach is happy! Eat up!"

I stared for a moment longer before conceding. One of the blue-topped chocolate delights was lifted with my magic, and I began munching, trying to at least be a little graceful. It was gone in less than a minute.

"Whoa," Pinkie said. "Looks like we're doing a good job! Did that hit the spot, or what?!"

There was water forming in my eyes as it had been in my mouth. "Yes, Pinkie. It was... I-It..." My voice trailed off.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Pinkie's mane deflated a bit as a tear rolled down my cheek. "It's okay Greenhooves, really! We can replace that cupcake lickity-split! Please don't cry!"

I sniffled. "I-It's not that, Pinkie. It's..." The tubes of frosting plopped on the counter. "It isn't fair..."

She smiled. "Don't worry about me, silly filly! I've already had my share of cupcakes today! I bake so fast that I HAVE to keep eating them! It's more fun that way!" She giggled, but stopped after seeing my frown.

"N-no, Pinkie," I said. "I just wish... I wish you c-could remember me." She was a pink blur through my tears. "I wish you could remember that day we shared more th-than a year ago, and all th-the d-days after..." I let out a sob. "You saved me. All of you. Y-you all saved me..."

"But I..." Pinkie's deflated mane hung down below her neck. "I never forget anypony's face..."

"I-I wish..." I continued. "I wish you could remember me, so that I could properly th-thank you...every day of my life..."

She put a hoof on my shoulder and smiled a gentle, empty smile. "You can, here and now, and I'll do my best to remember it forever and ever," she said in a soothing tone.

I smiled back and sniffled before wrapping her in a warm hug. Her mane smelled like cotton candy even when deflated. "Thank you so much for everything, Pinkie Pie." I held tighter. "No matter what happens to me in the coming hours, I-I'll do my best to remember you as well."

"You're welcome, Mint-...Lyra," she said. "I'll always be happy to see you, every single day." She let go as her mane perked back up. "Now let's ice some more of these cakes!"

For the next two hours, we baked, iced, and laughed. Pinkie worked through her break to spend more time with me, despite my objections. With both of us working together, we finished the remainder of Luna's two hundred cupcakes. She remembered me all the way through, and I remembered her. Our goodbyes were exchanged with no tears, for we knew we'd see each other again in another time. I now trotted towards a giant tree in the middle of town, past a cloaked sarosian with a wagon sturdy enough to hold a boatload of cake boxes. Twilight's Requiem sounded from my lyre.

For one last time, I would meet with my foalhood friend and her dragon assistant; two individuals who had helped me uncover the twisted Nocturne of the Firmaments and get to where I am now. Then, I would return to the Princess of Twilight and present my choice. In just a few hours, my journey would at last come to an end, and in one way or another, so would I.

Somehow, in that moment, my mind had made peace with that.

"Hi!" a tiny purple dragon said with a book under his arm. "Dig the...swell..."

I smiled big. "Is something wrong?"

Spike scratched his forehead. "I don't know. I feel like..." He snapped his fingers. "Saddlebag!"

I giggled. "Excuse me?"

"Dig the swell saddlebag!" He said. "Heh... Umm, are you just browsing? Or do you have an appointment with Twilight?"

"Well, not an appointment," I began. "But it's very important that I see her as soon as possible." I took a glance around the empty library. "Is she here?"

"She's in her study relaxing." He pointed up. "Today isn't busy, and she just had an eventful day with Princess Luna."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," I said. "Is there a chance I could speak with her? With Twilight? I won't be long."

"Hmm...I don't know," Spike replied while sliding the book on a shelf. "She doesn't seem to be expecting any visitors today. I mean, I'll check with her and see if-"

"That won't be necessary, Spike," a smiling Twilight said as she stepped down the stairs. "Hi there! What can I do for you?" Spike nodded and went back to tending the library.

I smiled at my foalhood friend for what could have been the last time. "Hi Twilight! My name is Lyra Heartstrings..." My smile faded. "Uhh... How are you today?"

Twilight tilted her head. "I'm... I'm fine, thank you. I overheard that you had something important to discuss?"

I grinned and ran a hoof through my mane. There was someone or something to drive the conversation with the others, but now it was just Twilight and me. And I had no mysterious melodies or protection buff lessons to talk about.

"Umm-" My eyes moved around the library. I saw Spike on a ladder across the room sorting more books. The old picture of my two foalhood friends rested on a windowsill, with an awkward left space still as prominent as ever.

Twilight looked concerned, just as Applejack and Mrs. Cake had. "Are you alright? You seem to be a little..."

"Lost?" This was my chance. I looked back at my old friend and finished for her. "A few ponies have said that to me today. I've recently figured out, Twilight, that I'm always going to be lost, despite everything I've been through." I looked out one of the windows to a peaceful Ponyville. "Just a few days ago, in fact. Or this morning. Time has become a little messy for me."

Twilight snickered. "That's nonsense! Anypony can find their place in Equestria. You just have to keep looking!"

I giggled. "Applejack said the exact same thing. It's no wonder you two have become such great friends." I shook my head, but my smile remained strong. "This isn't that kind of 'lost', Twilight. It's a bit more complicated."

Her eyebrow raised. "I'm afraid you've lost me." She chuckled. "What are you getting at here?"

I adjusted my saddlebag and took a deep breath. "Remember the Summer Sun Celebration about a year and a half ago?"

"Of course!" Twilight said. "That was the longest day of the thousandth year, when I first met all of my friends. And when Nightmare Moon returned."

"Indeed," I said. "That was around when I first arrived in Ponyville, same as you. I've been here ever since."

"That long?" She paused. "Wait, how do you know that was my first time here? I don't recall ever meeting you."

"Heh. I'm getting to that." I cleared my throat. "So, I was here in Ponyville way back when visiting a foalhood friend of mine." I smiled bigger. "I told her to go ahead of me to town hall, and on my way to catch up, I made the capital sin of looking at the moon." I chuckled. "Ever since then, I've been lost."

She looked at me bewildered. "I don't... What do you mean by-?"

"I'm cursed, Twilight," I said. "I was the first to gaze at Nightmare Moon when she appeared, and something dark found me through her eyes." I stroked a hoof against my forehead. "This curse renders me trapped in Ponyville, and no one I speak to will remember me or the conversation." I gulped. "And everyone I'd known prior to being cursed have forgotten me as well."

Here eyes squinted. "A curse? I-I'm sorry, but this is a little hard to..." Spike came walking by with a pile of books in hand.

"Oh, hi there! Dig the swell...manedue!" I really missed my hoodie.

In an instant, Twilight looked just as frustrated as she did during several of our other meetings. "Spike..." She gestured towards me. "Miss Heartstrings has been here for the past five minutes, and you greeted her when she entered! Don't you..." She stopped again as my words sunk in.

"Sorry, Twilight. I haven't met our guest yet. Don't you remember?" He held the books up. "I need to finish sorting these for you. Just pretend I'm not here."

I continued. "The two things that cause one to forget me are distance, and time." I pointed a hoof to the other side of the library. "Spike was way over there, and so forgot about this lost little unicorn he'd greeted just minutes ago."

Her eyes were widening. "I-"

"And there's something else I've failed to mention..." Another deep breath. "The foalhood friend I came to visit during the Summer Sun Celebration? That was you, Twilight." My eyes glanced at the picture on the windowsill. "You, Moondancer and I went to Magic Summer Camp and Kindergarten together, and kept in touch all throughout our years at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." I sighed. It was becoming more difficult to remember. "You were accepted before Moondancer and I, and you gave us a tour when we started our first year."

She closed her eyes. "I remember that with Moondancer, but... Th-this is so much, Lyra-"

"Come here." I grabbed her hoof and led her to the window. "Tell me: does this picture look odd to you?"

Twilight let out a regretful sigh before taking a close look. "Well, now that you mention it, the photographer must have been having an off day. There's a lot of space on the..." She paused and looked at me.

"Enough for a third pony, right?" I put a hoof on her shoulder and levitated the picture in front of us. "We had this taken on our way to see Mare of La Mancha. Moondancer loved us so much that she tagged along to see a Bridleway musical of all things." I chuckled.

Twilight's eyes reflected mine. "How do you...?"

"Because I was there, Twilight. My family and I lived in the Upper...Alabaster District, on Starswirl Street." For a moment, I thought I was remembering incorrectly. "You and Moondancer lived two streets down, on Nebula Avenue."

She looked towards the distant Canterlot. A sarosian took off for the city with a cake-filled wagon in tow. "I-I can write the princess, Lyra. There has to be a way to-"

There she went. "Twilight..." I put a hoof up. "I've been here more times than I can count in the past year and a half. We've tried everything." I sighed, but kept as much positive tone going as I could. "Your letters to the princess appear blank, as does my own writing thanks to this curse. I've met with the princesses on my own here in Ponyville, and some sort of amnesiac catastrophe occurred every time, like the parasprites." I almost snickered at the thought of those crazy winged enigmas. "I've spent the past few months learning of things in this world that are meant to remain lost. I just happened to get caught in the crossfire, I guess."

There were seconds of dead silence. "Lyra, no. There has to be something you're missing, something we haven't tried yet!"

"There isn't. We've done so many things. I can't even bring myself to remember all of the possible solutions we thought of." I rubbed my forehead. "This curse is now taking a toll on my own mind. I'll soon forget so much that I won't even be the same pony."

A single tear flowed from her eye. She wouldn't budge. "T-teleportation... Canterlot... Maybe if I accompany you to meet-"

"No, Twilight," I interrupted. "We've tried that, along with everything else you can possibly say at this point. I'm sorry."

Her moist eyes were wide. "But Lyra... All of this you've told me... N-none..." She paused. "None of it is fair! To any of us! How can you be so calm about this? Why..." Her voice trailed off. "What have you done to deserve this?! This isn't a burden that anypony should have to bear! N-nopony... Under any circumstance..." She sat on the floor as her voice trailed off.

I hated seeing my old friend like this, but this would be the last time. "Twilight Sparkle..." I moved closer and wrapped my hooves around her. "There's nothing to be sad or upset about. You and your amazing friends have helped me come to terms with my situation." My eyes were closed in reminiscence. "I'm going to be just fine. There's a pony I'm meeting with later, a pony who will at last bring this journey to an end. My plan is to tell her just what I'm telling you now: that I've grown content with the way I'm living." I shivered a bit and held her closer. "I won't be the same pony for very long after, but I'll still see you all every single day, and you'll all be as kind and welcoming as you've been since I first stepped off that train all those months ago." A single tear rolled down my cheek.

Twilight raised her eyes to meet mine. "Who i-is this pony? And what do the parasprites have to do with all this?" she asked. "I have so many questions, Lyra. S-so many..."

"I'm sorry, Twilight," I replied. "There isn't time. For all I know, I'll forget this conversation within the hour." I let go of her and prepared to stand up. "I need to go."

"Lyra..."

"I want to thank you, Twilight," I said, smiling even bigger. "For everything, from foalhood to now. You've helped me more than you can imagine, you and Spike." I looked towards her dragon assistant on the ladder once again. "You helped me learn so much, get to where I am now. My only regret is that I couldn't be there for you when you needed me in turn. I'm so sorry, Twilight..." I thought of Moondancer's unique smile.

She now looked even more curious "Sorry for what? Lyra, I need to-" She stopped herself before entering a long silence. "What... Wh-what will you do?" She sniffled. "What will you do confined in Ponyville all your life?"

My hoof wiped another tear away. "Well, I can't say for certain, but I'm sure I'll still be searching." I levitated my lyre out of the saddlebag and strummed a note. "That is, playing music for the citizens of this blessed town in an endless search to find my place in this world, as I'm sure my amnesiac mind will be even more lost than it is now." I chuckled.

Twilight sniffled, but at last had a gentle smile on her face. Whether or not she actually calmed down or just smiled for my sake was a mystery, but it was a refreshing sight after what I put her through. "You know, I can't directly recall why," she began with a glimpse at the lyre in my hooves. "But I've always had a passing interest in music somewhere in the back of my mind, since I went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in fact..." She wiped a tear away. "I-I've become intrigued in the diversity of music more than anything else; so many genres, so many instruments," she said. "I-if there's one thing that studying friendship has taught me, it's that...each pony is their own song."

I had relaxed into a calm state while listening to her words, but that last part caused my eyes to open wide. "Wait," I said after a few moments, almost dropping my lyre. "Say that again."

"Hmm?" Twilight wiped both of her eyes.

I put both hooves on her shoulders. "That thing at the end about music, about friendship, about diversity... Say that again!"

She gasped. I put my hooves down as she closed her eyes and let her last tears trickle. "I said, if there's anything friendship has taught me, it's that each pony is their own song." She let out a half-suppressed giggle. "Is that what you meant by searching, Lyra?"

Twilight's voice faded from my consciousness. Right then and there, something in my mind clicked; something within the decaying, swirling abyss of my stupid brain that I hadn't began to piece together until that very moment in the Golden Oaks Library.

They're each their own song.

My breathing quickened to a pant; I thought of Alabaster saving me from the pull of that spanning void, of Caramel and Wind Whistler cutting their wedding cake. I remembered Morning Dew planting his flowers while Ambrosia looked on. I pictured Twilight and her friends using the Elements of Harmony to banish Discord, and Mayor Mare and Scarlet Breeze reconciling in the sealed windmill. In the wake of it all, I remembered Celestia's violet eyes before she summoned the parasprites... The Parade...

It was too much. The world turned dark as my body collapsed beneath the nauseating whirlpool in my head.

"I didn't mean anything by it!"

"You meant it!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Pegasus pen pal," I interrupted.

"Ohhh, here we go..." Moondancer fell back on the bed.

"Shush, Moondancer!" Twilight said. "Did she teach you anything about the traditional 'Soaring Cirrus Symphony', Lyra?"

"Well...not about that specifically, but we did write a lot about music. Her 'calling' is to join the Wonderbolts, but she said she often finds herself singing to nearly everpony in Cloudsdale!"

"The Wonderbolts?! Did she tell you about any cool flying tricks?!"

"As I was saying," I continued with a smirk at Moondancer, "she wrote that music and ponies are similar in a lot of ways-"

"Uuuuuuugh." She pretended to gag.

"Hush!" Twilight said.

"Her cousin made a big effort to befriend everypony and throw parties wherever she went, be it a rock farm or Fillydelphia. From singing at these countless parties, she - my pen pal - learned that ponies all over Equestria are both diverse and the same, like melodies or instruments." I grabbed each of my friends' hooves. "Big or small, pegasus or earth pony, we're all capable of connecting in a powerful harmony. Some ponies don't 'sound' well with each other, she said, and so bicker and don't get along."

"Sounds like a bunch of malarkey!" Moondancer said, letting go of my hoof.

"She also wrote that misunderstanding or distance might drown out the harmonies sometimes, as she saw a few great filly friends arguing with each other over something tiny." I smirked at both of my company. "But there's always a chance to get back together and jump-start the harmony again!" I pulled them both close.

"Pft." Moondancer rolled her eyes.

"She sure sounds like a pegasus that loves all cultures!" Twilight said with a smile that showed little dimples. "I guess we're a harmony, then!"

"Well, at least two of us are." Moondancer stuck her tongue out at Twilight.

"No, all three of us!" Twilight said. "We're all harmonious with each other! Right Lyra? Right? Lyra? Lyra?"

"Lyra?" A distant voice called out. "Lyra? Lyra?!" Two hooves shook against my coat. I opened my eyes to a distraught lavender face.

"Ngh." My ears rang. "What... What happened?"

Twilight sighed in relief and held one of my hooves. "I don't know. You lost consciousness. I-I sent Spike to get help without thinking. Are you alright?"

I ran a shaking hoof over my aching temple. "Never been better." I paused. "Hold on. You still remember me? And everything I told you?"

She hesitated. "Yes..."

"Good." Dinky's beautiful melody sounded from outside. "I'm a damned idiot, Twilight." At that, her eyes widened before she adorably tilted her head one last time.

My body shivered. "The cabin..."

"Hold on." She helped me stand and kept a stern hoof on my chest. "Nurse Redheart should take a-"

"No, Twilight. I'm fine." Cold perspiration dripped down my brow. "There's no time. Everything I need is back at my cabin."

"Lyra," Twilight pleaded while I trudged. "I don't want to forget..."

I glanced back to look her in the eye. "Don't worry! Remember what I said earlier?" I put a hoof to my chin. "Actually... Never mind. You'll see me again! Promise."

"But..." She held a hoof out before closing her eyes in acceptance. "Goodbye, Lyra."

"Twilight..." I stopped myself with a chuckle before saying, "See you later." For the penultimate time, a powerful chill went through my body as I threw myself back out into Ponyville.

III - Sunrise

We both know what it is worth.

"Ugh... Back on my hooves again... No, I'm fine! Where's the cabin? Which way?"

You bear the Nightbringer, lost one. You have earned it.

"The Requiem... It's not working. Again. AGAIN!"

All of them once lived happy and industrious lives, until they became cognizant of the unsung realm...

"Please, excuse me. Let me through. Sweet Apple Acres... Somewhere close..."

I am as powerless as you are to change this.

"It has to be here. It has to be... Feels like I'm out of my head..."

As she had her purpose, and my sister had hers, this was mine: to be lost.

"NO! SHUT UP! She doesn't... She..."

Sing my song. Become nothing.

Moonlight blanketed the distant cabin. I burst through the door to an ecstatic Al, and my magical glow immediately formed around the carpet and latch as the Nightbringer was levitated into my hooves. A quick rendition of Twilight's Requiem thundered from the holy instrument.

The raging whirlpool was calmed halfway through a second Requiem. On my lyre, it took more than several renditions just to get back home. The Nightbringer's power had started clearing most of the clouds in a matter of minutes. Alabaster's gift saved me right here just as everypony else had. The Grass stuck to my coat from the few times I collapsed had assured me that Aria's curse was at last destroying my mind.

Al looked up at me while the Nightbringer did its work. "I'm an idiot. A stupid, stupid idiot." I kept strumming. "Everything still feels wrong, buddy, but now it's a different kind of 'wrong.'" He moved close and nuzzled one of my shaking hooves.

I giggled at my orange friend. "I'm still processing, but..." My voice trailed off as more came back to me. Bits and snippets from that day and the previous months molded together into a cohesive form. In that moment, I'd remembered everything, and I shivered not because of the unstoppable cold, but because I'd at last made sense of everything. "I know what I have to do." He meowed as if understanding.

The Nightbringer's sound faded, and I dropped it while pulling Al closer. "I'm sorry buddy, but I have to leave again for a little while." I filled his food bowl back up and left the front door opened just a tad. He nuzzled my nose when I picked him back up. "If I'm not back soon, Al, find Fluttershy. She'll look after you. Understand?" Another meow. I said this for my own comfort. There was no telling what would happen in the coming hours with what I was about to do. "I'll see you later, buddy." Another kiss on his orange head, and I was off.

My hurried hooves clopped down the stairs. One last time, the dug-out cellar served as my lonely, secluded stage as I played through the twisted Nocturne of the Firmaments, from the paranoia-inducing Prelude to Shadows to the foreboding Threnody of Night.

The Threnody's final chords sounded, and the cellar became a twisting violet vortex rivaling the one in my head. Chains clinked through the storm, and in an instant the vortex subsided to reveal the familiar cold realm. She looked down at me with two piercing eyes from the throne room above.

Aria landed before me in the midst of her clinking choir, next to the pedestal that held Dawn's Advent. Her empty gaze moved to the chained ponies around us and back to me, as if my choice and fate were inevitable. I gazed back at her, adamant in light of what I'd pieced together and what I was about to do.

"Lost one," She said in a tone as cold as the ocean below. "You've returned so soon."

"Have I? Were you expecting me to stay in Ponyville until I'd forgotten you?"

She looked on unmoving. "I assume you're ready to choose? My choir awaits your addition." The chained ponies rattled, but their moans were absent.

A wave of rage steamed from my shivering body. "Oh, I'm not here to join your choir, or to 'see the dawn' as you put it."

Aria was silent. The clinking around us seemed to lessen.

I continued. "I visited a couple of amazing ponies after you sent me back. They helped me realize a lot of things that this damned curse kept obscured."

Now she spoke. "Nothing more than a dream. A figment. You know of what's at stake, of why your predicament can't be changed. There is no other way."

A laugh escaped my mouth. "You'd reduced me to a fool. They brought me back to my senses."

The clinking around us came to a stop. It would have been silent if not for the distant sounds of churning water. Aria kept her gaze on me, still blank. "Do explain."

Deep breaths. The steaming anger receded just enough for my thoughts to clear. "For starters, the explosion in Celestia's palace, the parasprites..." I took a moment to sift through my racing mind. "None of that was the Matriarch's song trying to protect itself, or whatever drivel you told me. I saw Celestia's eyes just before the parasprites appeared, those strong, violet eyes..." A quick pause. "That was your song, Aria. The powerful song of an alicorn. It was you who summoned the parasprites, who caused the explosion in the palace so many years ago. Reality wasn't 'erased'. Your song, your spell removed the incidents from our minds for a time. Alabaster and I, the ones presenting the Firmaments to the princesses, were naturally forgotten due to this curse. Those who witnessed our performances explained away the mental void with drivel; drivel in place of the destruction that your paranoia spawned." The chains began to rattle once again.

Aria's expression was unchanged. "You're wrong, lost one. I've already told you that I have no power in-"

"Don't give me that! You're an alicorn born from the essence of the Cosmic Matriarch herself! You expect me to believe that you have no power in the mortal realm, in Equestria, whatsoever?! You know deep down just as much as I do that you're mistaken." The chains rattled louder, faster. "Whether it happened consciously or unconsciously, your own flawed philosophy led to the destruction and consumption of so many lives, and to even more of our suffering. I've seen things, learned things throughout these months that-"

"Enough." Aria's voice thundered in my ears. "These fantasies do not concern me. You will join my choir." Her horn began to glow. "The song must be protected."

The rattling was now the only thing I heard, and it was getting louder. The braces sounded as if they were hitting the ground, and I heard objects plopping into the water. A familiar large platform came by with hundreds of ponies attached and collided with the side of the metal floor we stood on. Faster and angrier the ponies struggled in their chains...

And then they were moving closer.

"Come, lost one. Join us in infinite bliss."

I held the Nightbringer up in front. My eyes darted for a way out, but the half-chained ponies left no escape. I ran a hoof along the onyx strings in an attempt to summon my shield. When that didn't work, I began a quick rendition of Penumbra's Echo, but stopped myself. My gaze went to Aria's horn, still glowing with a powerful intensity as the rattling husks closed in. No. This has to end here. They were within a foreleg's distance. "Alabaster..." I inched away from the moaning ponies who were now gracing my nostrils, when a hoof slipped.

The Nightbringer left my grasp as I flew down and crashed into the depths below. Dark shapes reached out and pulled me deeper, and I felt a cold shackle lock around one of my legs. I kicked and kicked until my hoof struck a metal muzzle, and I was free. I broke the surface, freezing, gazing around across the endless ocean.

A golden object rose up from the depths, just a short paddle away. Numb legs reached and pulled closer, and my alien limbs were soon wrapped around the Nightbringer. I took a calming breath, but soon felt more iced hooves clasping onto my legs. The Nightbringer was going under with me. "N-NO!" An emerald radiance shot just below from my horn, and for a moment the dark figures were gone.

I soon found myself on a half-submerged metal platform, coughing up water and cherishing the short moment of rest. A lone shackle was still attached to my hoof. The Princess of Twilight was above, gazing down from another platform with eyes that now glowed as intensely as her horn. "You m-may be able to block th-the Nightbringer's magic, Aria, but you have nothing to stop the m-melodies themselves." More half-chained ponies were rising from the water as I began the opening chords. They're slow. I should be able to-

What surprised me here wasn't the outright confirmation of my suspicions, or the lessening glow of Aria's horn. No; what surprised me here was the choir joining their voices together with the Nightbringer's melody. At once, they all turned to face their princess, their warden, and began to sing.

"Sleep now, my little bliss

From sundown to morning mist

And dream of all the games you'll play

While parades of pretty sprites

Twinkling with forest lights

Shall gobble all your troubles away

Rest now, my little bliss

There's nothing more serene than this

Winged helpers dance into the day

They eat all fears, shadows and ghosts

And all the things you hate the most

To make mornings free of dismay

I love you, my little bliss

And hope that you'll never miss

The pretty sprites' cheerful display

And someday you'll tell your foals

About these enchanted forest souls

That clean our world while in bed we lay."

I opened my eyes and basked in the long silence. The chained ponies still faced their princess, whose horn was no longer glowing. Aria's eyes seemed to open just a bit wider. A twinkle in the abyss?

The ponies nearby moved back to the depths, while the rest of Aria's choir went to their chained places around her. Before long, her magic was carrying me back to the platform above. I couldn't make the effort to stand when she released me. The Nightbringer landed with a clunk.

"Well. I knew that song was special, but..." A shivered giggle left my mouth.

Her eyes were opened wider. "How?"

I rose my head. "During my experiment with the parasprites, there was a vision..." Feeling was returning. There was still a cold metal encased around my right hind hoof. "For a short time, softly, I heard what sounded like the Parade I'd just played being hummed between two voices." The shackle clinked as I moved to stand. "Later on, I heard it once again deep in the vision you showed me, but my memory was too messy to make a connection. An early rendition of this song was sung for comfort ages ago, from a mother to her foal, and from foal to mother, who had both experienced a heavy loss the universe hadn't seen; a loss more powerful than any other: the death of a loved one." I shivered harder at the distant sound of water.

She kept staring with that wide expression. "The foal would write lullabies years later for little ponies she cared so much about. Cute, repetitive lullabies. It's no wonder they sounded so similar. Memory loss or not, it's the same foal all grown up with the same simple melody. I was able to put them together when I remembered the Parade."

Aria replied with a short nod. "Yes. When I was still, the Matriarch and my sister held each other and sang between mother's wails of despair. But this doesn't-"

"Aria... I think you're confused," I interrupted. "None of what you've told me adds up. You say the universe would fall apart if your mother were to learn of your survival, but I think she'd be happy you've turned out okay rather than distraught with guilt."

She blinked. "You can't know that for certain, lost one."

My eyes at last met hers. "There were these two ponies back in Ponyville," I began. "A mother, the mayor of the town, and her daughter named Scarlet Breeze. They hadn't spoken in years, and Scarlet Breeze couldn't even bring herself to call the mayor 'mom.'" The chain on my leg rattled as I stood straighter. "The mayor had made a lot of mistakes raising her daughter, and she knew it, but Scarlet wouldn't hear any of her apologies." I smiled. "At some point, they found themselves in a situation where they could speak with one-another in private. The mayor had changed, and more than anything, she couldn't bear how empty she'd made herself by driving her daughter out of her life. They made up, and are now a family again on good terms."

The Princess of Twilight stayed silent. "What your mother did with the Firmaments had to be done for the universe's sake, but their purpose has long been served since you awakened, Aria. This Nocturne now only brings suffering to ponies who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ponies like Alabaster, like me, like these hundreds who are chained. What's more, those who were close to us are forced to live their lives with the eternal feeling that something is missing." I moved closer. "You yourself have called this realm a prison. Tell me: do you forgive your mother and sister for their oversight? For constructing this prison as you call it?"

Before long, she replied. "Yes. Yes, I do. But-"

"Then all you have to do is talk, and everything will be alright." She'll be there, in some way. In some form. I know it.

She blinked a few times, but shook her head in silence.

"Aria," I said. "I know my purpose is to set this straight. Everything I've seen and been through has led me to this spot. As you said, I'm the only 'lost one' to have reached your throne room, and no less with the Nightbringer itself in hoof." I strummed a chord. "The Firmaments have been searching, and through the Nocturne they found me. It just took me a while to put everything together."

More contemplating silence. There was one last thing. "When your sister became Nightmare Moon, Celestia was forced to banish her for what would feel like eternity. She would spend years and years on the lunar surface in solitude. The Matriarch must have had an idea of what would come during the Longest Day 1000 years later, for Equestria remained intact. Would the Matriarch not come to understand that your burial and imprisonment with the Firmaments here was once necessary for the survival of Equestria, as she did with Luna's thousand-year banishment? It was Luna's time to return on the Longest Day of the Thousandth Year; now, after all these eons, it's your time, Aria."

To my surprise, the Princess of Twilight's eyes were now shut. I let her have this silence. "It's been so long..."

I took one of her hooves. She was warmer than I'd expected. "You don't have to be afraid, Princess. I'll be right by your side." Just the thought made me shiver, but I had to be there. The princess' memory could only be restored by the Nocturne, and I'd felt obligated to support Aria regardless. "I'd assume you know how to teleport?"

She nodded. "Yes, but the mortal realm is foreign to me."

"Don't worry. I've had a few magic lessons from the best there is, and I know where we're headed like the side of my hoof. I can help you." A pause. "We're going to Canterlot."

Another nod. "But just one thing." I rattled the chain still attached to my leg. "Can you help me out first?" I said with a giggle.

Aria showed a strange hint of a smile as her horn glowed once again. The black chain vanished in a puff of particles. "Thanks." I paused. "Sorry about the way I acted earlier."

Her magic formed around us. "It would seem we were both at fault." She took a quick look around and stopped channeling her spell. "May I have one last moment with them?"

That was unexpected. "Oh! Yes. Take as much time as you need." I stepped away to the other side of the platform. In the distance, Aria moved to each of the chained ponies, occasionally giving them a nuzzle as she did in the vision. There was a bit more warmth to the gesture now. Was that blank nature all a facade?

Another platform came by with hundreds of ponies chained to it. I soon realized it was being pulled closer. All of the ponies' chains were vibrant with the glow of Aria's magic; I even saw the powerful violet coming up from the water below. In the next instant, all of the chains were gone, even from their faces. For the first time in millennia, the lost ponies were free. They galloped around the metal platforms together, and some were even swimming. Their tired voices were raised in the most joyous sound I'd ever heard within the unsung realm. One startled me when she ran up and wrapped her hooves around my neck. Her warm tears trickling onto my mane assured me I was safe. I wrapped my hooves around her in a returning embrace as relieved tears of my own rolled down my cheeks. Her face had been scarred raw, but I nuzzled her regardless.

Aria walked up beside us. "I'm ready."

The lost pony trotted away towards another. "What will happen to them?"

"Perhaps they will find peace with each other?" She paused. "Or perhaps my sisters..." Her voice trailed off.

I smiled. "You're right! I'm sure they'll have some sort of idea." I moved closer and took her hoof again. "Now let's go 'see the dawn', together." I giggled before wincing at the thought of what I'd soon feel.

With that, both of our horns were glowing. The surrounding area began to shake as the ponies looked on. In an instant, everything vanished, and the chained lost ones that had been slave to the Firmaments for years beyond our comprehension would at last find their rest.

Home...

My body collapsed on arrival. Bracing for the overwhelming freeze didn't make it any easier to bear. I couldn't keep my eyes opened.

"Lost one..." Aria seemed to be placing a hoof on me.

"I'm f-fine." I wasn't. "Wh-where are we? Look f-for a s-sign..."

She searched with her unfamiliar gaze. Seeing her thin figure in Canterlot's crimson sunrise was quite the change after visiting the unsung realm so many times. I could only imagine how different the world would be now; another alicorn princess was coming home. What would she do? Would everypony accept her back into the world just as quick as they did Luna?

"One of these structures is labeled with, 'Magic Goods: all a unicorn needs to enhance-'"

"N-no, look for one on the s-side of..." I opened my eyes. The air might as well had been filled with glass. I wiped the rogue liquid away and found the familiar signpost. "N-Nebula Avenue." A nostalgic giggle tried to escape.

"Lost one, are you sure-"

"Yes, I-I'm f-fine. W-we need to go straight th-this way." I pointed a shaking hoof down the road past the magic store. "The th-third right from h-here should..."

A salespony came trotting by with a fancy wagon full of early morning goods. His whistling faded upon seeing me. "Whoa! Are you okay? What's-?" He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Aria. "AAAAHHHHHH!!!! NIGHTMARE MOON'S RETURNED, AND SHE'S ALREADY CLAIMED A VICTIM!" He turned tail and cantered away with a bouncing wagon in tow. Windows around us were lighting up.

"W-we have to m-move." My legs refused to work. Aria scooped up myself and the Nightbringer with her magic and plopped us on her bony back. She didn't seem to have a problem carrying me despite her figure. "D-don't fly. Th-the guards might... They m-might see you and try to sh-shoot you down."

"Just tell me which way." Her hooves thundered on the stone. Doors opened around us as we moved through the streets. The citizens of Canterlot were no doubt confused and afraid, but soon they would all know the truth.

"Take th-this right." She turned. The cold was worse every second. If nothing else, I would be there for their reunion. I'd come too far to miss it. This was my purpose. "Go left h-here." On this turn, my shaking hooves lost their grip, and the stone ground gave me a grazing welcome. The Nightbringer tumbled with a series of clangs. Aria doubled back, but was engulfed in a magical wave before she could reach me. Her legs buckled beneath the strain.

No. Not now. Please...

Several royal guards approached from the forming crowd, their horns bright in the early morning shadow. The ponies around us whispered with their eyes on the lost princess. One guard spoke over them. "Return to your homes! The situation's been dealt with." The crowd began to disperse. "Sir, what do you make of this?"

A grey-coated guard stepped closer to inspect a glaring Aria. "She doesn't seem to be Nightmare Moon. Look at her skin, and the wings. There's almost no coat to speak of." He paused. "Can you hear me, Miss? Who are you?" She kept glaring in silence. He turned to his unit. "Can we confirm the Princess of the Night is still in her-augh!" The others joined in his wail. "By the sun, I-I can't see!"

I wasn't about to let the princess' reunion take place through dungeon bars. "G-get us out of h-h..." That was the last of my strength. My now-blind self was once again levitated through the air onto Aria. She didn't seem to be affected. "Down th-that same road. It should b-be the fourth or fifth left. We're..." I couldn't even shiver.

She had said nothing by the time my vision returned. "I'm s-sorry, Aria. They're just afraid after wh-what happened with Luna. Everything will be f-fine once w-we get to-"

The words froze, but she half-glanced back and replied regardless. "I truly hope you're right, lost one." My scrapes felt as though they were being pelted with icicles. We're almost there. Just a little longer.

"You must try the purple variety, sister! It's as if every bite contains the combined essence of...FUN itself!" Luna was on a couch, holding out a purple-topped cupcake towards an open door that led to a balcony. Celestia came walking in, the sun now higher in the sky.

"You've gone through four boxes, Luna? Didn't these arrive just last night?" She snickered.

"Why did thou not introduce us to such sweets sooner? Shall we rely on Miss Sparkle and her friends to show us the wonderful wonders that hath graced the world since our banishment?" She smirked at her sister who was moving to the couch.

"Well, if you'd like," she began after sitting. "I could teach you how to fence later today..."

"Fence! Yes!" She threw two hooves in the air and paused. "What is this 'fence' thou speakest of? Is it the act of placing fences, such as those around the royal gardens? Or of jumping over them as sheep do in some subjects' dreams?"

Celestia let out a giggle. "'Fencing', Luna, is a sort of sport. Two ponies put on protective suits and each take a sword. And then," she grabbed a pillow with her magic. "They duel each other." The pillow went flying at Luna's face.

Celestia laughed at her sister's frown. "No fair! We weren't ready!" She enveloped three pillows in her blue magic and lobbed them back at Celestia. Pillows flew back and forth over the cake boxes as the room erupted into giggles. Both princesses were soon on their backs laughing before a familiar white-coated guard entered the room and kneeled.

"Your highnesses! Pardon my interruption." He was unmoved by the state of the room. The princesses sat up with a hoof around one-another.

"At ease, Shining Armor," Celestia said. "Is there a problem this morning?"

Shining Armor rose and darted his blue eyes around. "It's all jumbled... I'll just get right to the point. There have been strange sightings reported near the Alabaster District. Ponies are claiming to have seen Nightmare Moon herself wandering the streets."

The princesses exchanged a glance. Celestia spoke. "That can't be. They must be mistaken. How many have claimed this?"

"Just the residents of six or seven streets, and that's not all. A magic patrol found themselves under some kind of blinding spell, but couldn't remember anything leading up to it. Nopony was harmed, and their vision returned minutes later." He gulped. "The same just happened to me, and a few others on watch nearby. Something strange is going on..."

They both rose at once. Luna spoke first. "Bring my word to the sarosians, Captain. Have them scattered amongst your guard, and send more to patrol the castle."

He and Celestia nodded before the Princess of the Sun said, "You'll remain here, Sister. I'll go with the Captain and a regiment to the Alabaster-"

She froze with her gaze on the other end of the room. Luna soon followed. Their faces were getting closer in my blurred vision. Shining Armor moved in front of his two princesses and assumed a combat stance at the sight of Aria.

The Princess of Twilight looked back to me. "Lost one..."

"S-speak to them. Please. I-I'll just be..." I plopped to the ground like a sandbag, holding the Nightbringer close in a vain attempt to heat myself up. Aria took a step towards me, but I rose an alien hoof. "I-I'm fine. T-talk to..." I couldn't speak. My eyes were on her sisters.

Luna moved past Shining Armor, but Celestia remained stunned. Luna's horn glowed, and I soon felt her magic tingling around my numb body.

Celestia stared at her emaciated sister. "Leave us," She said to Shining Armor.

"But Princess-"

"Please," Celestia interrupted. "Leave us, and make sure we aren't disturbed."

After a pause, he nodded and galloped out the door. It closed with a lock, and Celestia addressed her lost sister. "You..."

The Princess of Twilight took a step back. Her horn seemed to glow for an instant. "My... My name is Aria. I'm your sister; the Matriarch's second born."

With that, I felt Luna's magic dissipate. She looked up from where she sat, but soon looked back to me and resumed channeling while circling her hooves through my coat. It wasn't enough to suppress the icy ache that cleaved my insides with each heartbeat. "She's freezing. Who is this? What hath th-thou done to her?" Celestia shook away her shock and moved to join Luna in my aid.

"Her name is Lyra Heartstrings. If it weren't for her, I'd still be trapped in Mother's oversight."

Both sisters looked up at Aria in silence. Their magic kept flowing. "I-I can't..." Celestia said with a hoof on her temple. "This can wait. We need to get her to-"

"NO!" I interrupted. Feeling had returned to my limbs, but the cold was still fringing on unbearable. "Pardon m-my interruption, your majesty, but th-the only thing that can fix me is going back to Ponyville."

"It's true," Aria chimed in before taking an awkward look at the sky outside. "Mother's Firmaments have cursed her. Soon neither of you will remember this conversation. We must act fast."

I nodded, shaking. "M-my plan is to help you both r-remember your sister at the same time. Your m-memories were removed by a sp-spell when I last tried this. The th-three of you together m-might then have the knowledge to bring an end to this c-curse."

Luna spoke. "This is so much for us to take in, Lyra. And so fast..."

"I-I know, but please understand th-that this is necessary to set everything right. There's a certain melody." I grabbed the Nightbringer with my magic. Luna's eyes were wider than ever.

"W-we hath seen this in our presence before..." She moved closer to Celestia.

"Alabaster Comethoof s-sends his regards." I mustered a weak smile at the glance they gave each other. "Please k-keep your magic going if you can. I don't think I-I could get through this without it."

Both sisters nodded with glowing horns. Aria took a few glimpses around with a shake of her head.

"Aria?"

She hesitated. "Do it. Play the Nocturne."

I nodded and began the intro to the Prelude. They were both engrossed following the transition to the Sunset Bolero. I apologized for my use of the Darkness Sonata on our way here, and kept going with the Threnody shivers and all as my audience began shedding tears. Aria looked more and more uneasy with each transition. I finished Twilight's Requiem, and a long silence followed. Both princesses were weeping, Celestia more-so. Luna wrapped her in a comforting embrace, and their gazes went to the emaciated princess when they'd calmed enough. They tried to wipe away their tears, but more flowed.

Celestia got up and approached an unsettled Aria. Luna's magic was still around me. "My sister..." The Princess of the Sun stroked Aria's thinning mane just as a powerful tremor sent us to our knees.

No...

Aria's horn glowed bright as the ground shook harder. "The song must be protected." The three of us couldn't stand by the next tremor.

"Aria, th-the song is fine. Everything is. Please..." I reached towards her.

"The song must be protected..." I tried to inch closer as the sound of churning water echoed in my freezing ears, along with the never-ending melody of the Firmaments. The unsung realm was calling me back. I'm going to forget, and everything will be reverted. It's over. We were so close...

A violet glow was now radiating from Aria's eyes and mouth. I found the two grounded princesses through the vortex. "Please do s-something."

It was no use. Their eyes were soon radiating the same powerful violet. Celestia and Luna mirrored Aria's aerial pose, and I felt myself weep as the spell did its work.

"THE SONG MUST BE PROTECTED!" thundered from all three alicorns.

I sounded the Parade from the Nightbringer in an attempt to stop Aria's madness, but it would only make my end a tad bit more peaceful. The light was now too overwhelming for sight, and a high-pitched hum filled the room. I'm sorry Alabaster, Twilight, Moondancer, Mom and Dad, everyone, for not being able to set this right. My body stilled as the tremors thundered a final song.

A brightness lit up my eyelids, and this one wasn't violet. All of the cold was gone. For a moment, I thought the spell had outright killed me; it's not every day a reality-shattering inferno is cast by the three most powerful beings in Equestria.

The lighting started to adjust. I was still in Canterlot, and the princesses were now standing among each other with shielded eyes on the opposite end of the room. The intense light grew dimmer until we saw a mane of various indigo shades, flowing from a coat that glimmered with the essence of Creation itself.

All of the breath left my lungs.

A few shared glimpses, and Celestia led their kneel.

Our kneel.

Her pure white eyes gazed at the three shocked princesses. She moved closer, the constellations on her coat twinkling with each step. Her ethereal mane soon flowed over the three alicorns in an almost comforting manner, and the motherly eyes fell to the thinnest of the three.

I froze when she faced me, invoking the echoes of countless peaceful melodies in my head. Her eyes met mine, as beautiful and cosmic as the stars themselves. They soon moved down to the ancient piece of her song that rested in my hooves.

Then she waited.

My heart was in my throat by the time I'd processed what she wanted me to do. I glanced at Aria, her eyes wide with shock but dry unlike her sisters'. She soon nodded to me, and her flute appeared in a violet blaze.

She moved to my side and exchanged another nod. The Desolation's Duet began in face of our godly audience. Luna had a hoof over her mouth, and Celestia smiled warmly towards us with glistening eyes. The Matriarch tilted her head with the haunting harmony as if in remembrance. Again, I thought of Alabaster and Luna discovering this melody so many years ago, and of Vinyl Scratch, J.R. Bard, Melodia, Octavia... If only they could see this place they've helped me reach; this performance worthy of splitting the heavens apart.

Aria's part had finished. I played on through the final chords, now thinking of Mom asking me how Twilight's been while we set the table, of Dad coming to dinner after having been absorbed in a painting all day, of dressing as Starswirl for Twilight and Moondancer during our play dates, and of our trip to Sugarcube Corner just a few months ago before things took a turn for the worse. Soon, the Duet was finished. I let a slow breath escape. Aria's flute was gone, and she stepped away to join my audience as her horn glowed.

The scroll that held Dawn's Advent was now in front of me.

"Go and see the dawn," she had said. Somehow, I knew things would be different. I knew I wouldn't forget; that history wouldn't twist and turn around me. Something much more magical was happening here. A different spell; a spell that the Mother of All herself had heard and come to witness. A spell that was almost complete.

I rose the Nightbringer once again as the four alicorns stood close. With a deep breath, the final leg of our journey sounded from the holy instrument. After all these millennia, the Matriarch and her daughters would see the dawn. The Advent sounded just as epic and triumphant as I'd imagined. Halfway through, a smile perked up across my lips. I couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride.

My warm eyes moved across the sheet. I now thought of Caramel and Wind Whistler holding each other at a bonfire in the Summer Sun Celebration's dusk, of Morning Dew walking with Ambrosia aside a field of flowers he'd planted. I thought of Mayor Mare and Scarlet Breeze embracing in the old windmill at the edge of Ponyville, and of a little orange Al nuzzling my nose. I remembered everpony whose lives I'd somehow touched while cursed: Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scarlet Breeze, Morning Dew...

Dawn's Advent was abound halfway through when the Matriarch shed a tear. She wiped it away and bowed her head. A cosmic hoof was over her eyelids, but Aria moved closer to grasped it. She said something to her mother that I couldn't hear over the Advent, and the Matriarch remained composed.

Minutes later, the Nocturne was finished.

I stood in silence as my audience looked on through the dimming brightness. The Matriarch turned to her emaciated daughter and lovingly stroked what remained of her mane; a mane that had been braided on a still body when she last saw it. Before anything could happen, Aria had her mother in an embrace. Celestia and Luna joined them, and the world remained still. Shining Armor had burst in unbeknownst to the princesses, and he froze at sight of the Matriarch. He saw the embrace, and quietly retreated back to his post.

"I'm here, Mother." Aria spoke just three words and looked the Matriarch in the eye. Nothing else had to be said. Any amount of forgiveness or understanding was all there, as if Aria had always been with them. The Matriarch wiped her eyes and held a hoof on her daughter's face. There were no sky-shattering tremors, or ear-piercing wails. They embraced again, and the Matriarch kissed the lost princess on her forehead. Celestia and Luna each hugged their sister, and then their mother. Aria was home.

I wiped away happy tears, and the four alicorns were right in front of me when my vision cleared. I dropped the Nightbringer and knelt without thinking, but the Matriarch lowered and directed me to rise with a gentle hoof on my chin. She put her horn to mine, and the warm sensation of her spell lined my skull. In an instant, she understood everything I'd been through. She nuzzled me and put a wing over my body, like a mother would to calm a distressed foal. I could almost feel the twinkling constellations on her coat.

The Matriarch then rose and walked back to her daughters. She motioned Aria towards me, and her sisters followed after exchanging another glance. An intense glow filled the room once again, and I noticed the Matriarch's magic around me. The never-ending melody of the Firmaments was becoming louder. Closer. Not as it was earlier when the unsung was calling me back; it now felt as though the Firmaments were being pulled to me, rather than me to them.

I felt the powerful glow dissipate, and the cold was returning. The Matriarch rushed to my side with grace and looked towards her daughters. She nodded, and Aria returned it.

"Sisters, I know where we're reaching all too well. My magic will be the guide. Join with me when I say." Her horn began glowing, and a violet energy was around me. "Brace yourself, lost one."

"Mother-" Luna hesitated. "Sisters, what is it that we're doing here? Will she be alright? Is there no other way?"

Aria shook her head. "There's none. After all she's been through, she can take this."

Celestia chimed in. "She'll be fine, Luna." I nodded towards the Princess of the Night to reassure her, and she exchanged a glance with Celestia before complying.

I wasn't fully aware of what would happen, but the Matriarch soon had me sheltered under her wing as if to keep me warm, and still. I had a feeling this wouldn't be pleasant. She held me even closer as Aria called out: "Now, Sisters."

Celestia's and Luna's horns brightened. I felt the magical wave getting stronger around me, and then it went...through me. The sudden cold was more powerful than it'd ever been. My insides were chilled with a vein-splitting pain that refused to relent. I screamed and cried, all the while being nuzzled by the Matriarch. The cold wouldn't falter. My agonized tears trickled onto her coat, blotting out some of the constellations. As the spell had its way with me, however, the melodies that played in my head from morning to night throughout all those months faded. Further and further the Firmaments drifted away. Just when I started to lose consciousness, the Cosmic Matriarch added her magic to the wave.

Silence. The Matriarch folded her wing. Her daughters galloped close with Luna in front. She knelt down with two hooves on my coat once again. "Can you stand, Lyra?" I couldn't reply. Each alicorn sat around me. "What in Tartarus hath this mare gone through that such pain is bearable? And who are we to inflict...?" A tear trickled down her face.

"She's okay, Sister." Aria said. "You see, this was-"

I forced myself up on wobbling legs. The Matriarch placed a celestial hoof quick on my shoulder, and Celestia gasped. "Take it slow, my little pony. You've been-"

"I can't..." I paused. "I-I can't hear the Nocturne anymore. It's gone..." I was relieved, but the sound of the Firmaments had been playing in my head from dusk until dawn since the curse found me. They'd helped me reach the unsung realm, and get to where I stood, and now they would never be heard again. Despite the hell they'd put me through, a part of me would miss them.

"From you," Aria noted. "We've severed the Firmaments' hold on you, but destroying the song itself requires more direct measures." She glanced at her sisters. "We'll handle that in due time."

The Matriarch removed her hoof when I was steady. She bowed her head and began striding towards the balcony. "Mother." Celestia stepped forward.

She stopped and remained still. A long silence filled the room, and the Matriarch soon turned and walked to her daughter. She gently nuzzled Celestia, and the family moved in for one last embrace. I turned away until their hooves were settled back on the floor.

Farewells were said, and the Matriarch prepared to depart. "Just a moment, your uhh, your Majesty." I wasn't sure how to address the Mother of All herself, but she stopped and acknowledged my call. I grabbed the holy instrument nearby and held it forward.

She tilted her head. "It's a bit too flashy for me, and after all it's been through here on Equestria, I think it belongs with the rightful owner."

The Matriarch soon smiled with a humble nod and took the Nightbringer from my grasp. She nuzzled me again, and went to the door leading to the balcony. Facing us, her horn began to glow, and the Nightbringer lifted into the air. A brilliant light once again filled the room until we had to hide our gaze. A melodious voice spoke from within:

"Thank you, Lyra Heartstrings. The stars across Creation will twinkle in your name this night."

With that, the light dissipated, and she was gone.

"Well... I had a hunch something would happen, but that was a bit more than I expected," I said with a giggle that froze without warning. A sharp breath, and my legs were dead. The cold was back in an instant. Aria ran up and caught me with Celestia and Luna in tow.

"There's more to the spell. Sisters, if you have anything to say-"

"Not now, Aria," Celestia replied. "She's been through enough. Finish it."

Luna nodded. "Another time. Set her free, Sister."

With that, Aria placed her horn on my perspiring forehead. I mustered an unsure smile. The room once again shone with a blinding radiance, and the cold began to fade; that was something I wouldn't miss. By the time it was gone, I heard birds chirping and a familiar flute sounding off in the farmland air; an air that I'd long ago shunned as a hole in the ground, but had since grown to love.

When my eyes opened, I was back in the center of Ponyville, right where Nightmare Moon had descended. Ponies around bustled with their morning routines; Carrot Top trotted with a wagon in tow, while Dinky performed a flute rendition on a bench at her mother's side. Rainbow Dash kicked a cloud in the distance, and Caramel walked with Wind Whistler among Morning Dew's thinning flowers. I stood there taking it all in, until a couple playful claws were jabbing at my hind legs.

"Ouch. What in the...?" My magic surged, and the orange little feline was soon levitated to my level. "Al!" He nuzzled my nose, and I pulled him close while returning the gesture. "How did you... Are you okay?!" He meowed and nuzzled me again. He was fine. "I-I'm sorry I worried you, buddy. I'm here to stay now. Promise." I plopped down right there and just held him. At that moment, after everything, his purrs were all I needed. I shut my eyes and stroked his soft fur, but somepony was soon trotting up.

"I'm so, so sorry, miss! He just took off! He didn't mean to hurt-" I wiped my eyes. Fluttershy had stopped just a short distance away. "Oh! Is he yours? Were you looking for him?"

I sniffled. "Yes. H-He's mine, and finding him here... It means the world to me."

"Thank goodness! This little guy was close to the Everfree Forest when I found him this morning. I kept him safe and fed, don't you worry." She paused, and her tone changed when she spoke next. "You should keep a sharper eye on him! Who knows what could have happened if Angel hadn't woke me up early?"

I stood with Al still purring in my hoof. "I-I'll never be putting him through this again, Fluttershy. As long as I live. You have my word."

She went on, moving closer to stroke Al's coat. "I'm glad to hear. You take care now, Al." My eyes opened wide to match hers. She stepped back. "Al. H-his name is Al, isn't it?" Her gaze glided up to me and then back to the ground. "Wait... Haven't we...?" Fluttershy soon retreated into her pink mane and spoke almost at a whisper. "I-I'm sorry, M-Miss Heartstrings. I have to-" She trotted away with a squeak.

My heart was racing. "Fluttershy, wait!" By now, she was flying off towards her cottage. Is it just her shyness? "She knew who I was, Al. She said my name." He meowed through my shock. "Hold on tight." I broke into the fastest canter I could muster without throwing him off my back. The library door burst opened, and my eyes found the windowsill. Nothing was there. I darted to the table on the other end of the library, where a photo rested face-up.

On the left, next to two other ecstatic ponies, was a mint-green unicorn who looked more privileged than ever to be spending the day at Bridleway with her friends.

"Uhh, can I help you with something?"

It took a moment for the voice to register. I turned to face her, and Al climbed up through my mane and was soon nuzzling my forehead. He must have noticed I was crying.

Twilight moved closer. "What's going on here? Are you alright?!"

I placed the picture down and took Al in a hoof. "I-I don't think I've ever been better, Twilight." He meowed.

She stepped back. "How do you know my...?" Her brow unfurled as she spoke. Was she remembering on her own?

I took a deep breath and composed myself. No more beating around the bush. "Because we've known each other since our foalhoods," I began. "I met up with you here in Ponyville about a year and a half ago for the Summer Sun Celebration."

She said nothing. I still had no clear idea as to what was going on or how much anypony remembered. I plopped Al onto my back and grabbed the photo, moving to Twilight's side. "This looks different from yesterday, doesn't it?" I snickered. "We had this taken on our way to see-"

"'Mare of La Mancha...'" I almost jumped. "Moondancer was through by the time The Impossible Dream started, but you were there." She ran a hoof over the mint-green pony in the photo and faced me. "Y-You were always there; back when I messed up my teleportation spell in Summer Camp, you both took me to that doughnut cafe and cheered me up in no time. That was when you girls learned I was accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I gave you both a tour of the campus later on when you got in." She paused for a moment and sniffled. "And I remember when we were little, when all three of us would play together, and y-you were always Starswirl." I placed a hoof on her shoulder, and she soon returned the gesture. "And y-you've been here as well, more times than I can count. All those times, you returned my life to normal, but it all kept going away over and over again. There's so many gaps..." She placed a hoof on my face and caught a tear rolling down my cheek. "Lyra, wh-what in Equestria have you been through?"

My emotions collided all at once, and I was hysterical. Twilight had her hooves around me in an instant. Her own tears were soon trickling onto my neck while Al crept off my now-seated body to nuzzle my face again. In those sixteen months, some part of my mind became a fjord, and the memory loss towards the end spanned it even further. Throughout all I'd been through, particularly in those parting weeks, I'd forgotten just how it felt to be known, supported, and loved all at once. Right there, I was reacquainted with that feeling; the warmth of being embraced by a dear friend who remembered me and was there, along with my sole companion who'd done all he could to keep my lone spirits high. In that moment, the frozen fissure melted. The secluded journey was over, and in Twilight's arms, I'd come to realize that I was alive.

IV - Innocence

Two hooves slammed on the table. "So, like, what happened next?!"

"Simmer down, Sally!" J. R. Bard reached over and planted Vinyl back in her seat.

"No way!" She jumped back up. "I'm too hyped! We had a swarm of chained zombies go all rampage mode, followed by a numb run through Canterlot in the saddle of a skinny purple alicorn! And then a giant pony made of stars came down from the heavens!" Her hoof pounded the table again. "Sure, there was a bunch of long and boring stuff back at the beginning, and the start of the second half was almost as messy as my nose, but now it's like I'm reliving the best of my Sunday nights! Everything just got faster about halfway through that last part; sometimes real fast, but I can't complain. Man. Lyra's got you three beat."

"Miss Scratch," Octavia said. "It's good to see that you're enjoying yourself, but we'd all like to know what happens next just as much as you. Shall we let Lyra continue?"

"Oh yeah!" She waved a hoof at me. "Keep going! There's more, right? Tell me there's more!"

I giggled. "Yes, Vinyl. There's more. So after they all separated the song from me-"

"Ohhhh, this is gonna be good, I can just tell."

"-the Matriarch departed back to wherever she is now. I soon collapsed from the cold again, and Aria realized there was one last part to the spell. She finished it, and next thing I knew, I was back here in Ponyville, right where Nightmare Moon had come down. My first instinct was to go straight to my foalhood friend's library, where we are now, so I did just that." There was a meow from my left shoulder. "Just after Al here found me near Town Hall." I stroked his neck. "So Twilight and I had our teary reunion, and she insisted I get checked out at the local hospital. I was fine of course, and we both felt that having some more ponies to speak to who knew me would be a good start. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the rest of our hosts were luckily all free for the day. As we moved through town to find them all, however, other ponies recognized me. That Pegasus filly I mentioned earlier, Scootaloo, hugged me and spoke of my assisting Rainbow Dash in rescuing her." I snickered. "Caramel and Wind Whistler gave thanks for my 'music'; Caramel in particular thanked me for a particular tale, and I thanked him in turn for something important he did for me when this all started." I stopped for a moment and soon felt Melodia's hoof on my shoulder.

"Sorry. So we spoke for a little bit, mostly of the same things you've all been hearing for the past hour along with whatever else came up. The seven of us, however, hadn't come close to reaching an hour before the exhaustion hit. My nights had been restless for days; I can't remember exactly for how long. They took me back to my cabin, and I slept straight through from yesterday afternoon to this morning. Applejack and Twilight came by for an early visit and took me back to the library, where Pinkie Pie had prepared a surprise 'Congratulations On Being Un-Cursed' party for me, as she calls it." I laughed before closing the journal. "And here we are."

"Aw, bummer! No more zombies or flying star-ponies?" Vinyl pouted. "What a let-down of an ending. I should write my own. Can you, like, hook me up with a copy of all this? I'm sure it'll be just like remixing a few records."

"How remarkable," Melodia said. "No matter what happened, you just kept going! And that performance, that duet! The Matriarch!" Her wings fluttered. "Oh, I wish we could have been there to see you complete the Nocturne!"

"I'll say!" J. R. Bard chimed in. "I mean, it's a dang miracle you've turned out alright, but you're meanin' to tell me the gosh-darned Cosmic Matriarch herself came down just shy of 24 hours ago for your performance? Were it not for ya showin' us the Nightbringer at our first meeting, I'd plum call you mad!"

"Well," I replied. "With everything I've been through, Mr. Bard, I wouldn't exactly say I'm sane. It took me a while to realize I'd lived through it all, and..." I gulped, "Some of the things I've done..."

"Oh, nonsense!" Melodia's hoof was on my shoulder again. "We all heard your tale! You've done a lot of good for Equestria, Lyra. An experience like yours would change anypony! 'Change' isn't insanity! You should know that more than all of us! Heehee!"

I blushed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." This wasn't the time.

J. R. Bard turned to Octavia. "How 'bout you, Missy? You've hardly spoke a peep since she mentioned the lost princess."

Octavia let out a breath and settled her hooves on the table. "Apologies, everypony. This is just so much to take in." She turned to me. "I wanted to ask, Lyra, can you go into any more detail about being in the Matriarch's presence? I know you discussed it earlier, but is there anything else you can say? What was it like?"

"Hmmm..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, I heard a peaceful harmony that almost sounded like a calm breeze, but in musical form. It got louder-no, clearer as she approached, and it wasn't external. It seemed to come from within, and there was also that light and sudden warmth that I mentioned." I put a hoof to my chin. "It was beautiful more than anything. Everything was beautiful. Her very presence seemed to awaken some part of my soul that remained dormant since my conceiving; the part she mothered that exists in us all. I mean, heh, that's how I'd describe it. There's no way to know how true it is." They stayed silent. "She did all she could to assure me I'd be fine. Even though the Matriarch no longer walks Equestria in physical form, it was clear she loves us all as she does the princesses, like we're her own. I guess we are, in a way."

Octavia's eyes remained fixated as she took my words in. She soon smiled with a satisfied nod. "Thank you, Lyra. And I'm glad you were able to best this curse. It's good to see you again."

"Dang straight!"

"Yeah! All that stuff took guts, man, even if the ending was underwhelming!"

My cheeks were flushed again. "Heh. Thanks, guys. Your being here really means a lot to me." Octavia nodded. "Now there's something I'd like to ask, just out of curiosity."

"Shoot, darlin'."

I settled my hooves. "How is it that you all made the trip here in the first place at such short notice? I was just as surprised as everypony else to see you four enter the library. It's amazing to have you, but aren't your schedules packed?"

After a pause, J. R. Bard was the first to answer. "Well, I can't directly speak for these three as I'm retired, but look at it like this." He strummed his guitar. "Imagine me seated on my Appleloosan porch playin' a tune one fine mornin' as I do every day. Nothin's out of the ordinary and everythin's nice and quiet, when suddenly I start gettin' these visions of a meetin' I attended just barely a couple 'a weeks ago, where three music-savvy mares and I helped a certain cursed unicorn arrange a piece worthy of splittin' the heavens apart. I also recall that this same fine filly bore the gosh-danged Nightbringer itself and made a promise that she wouldn't be disappointin' the lot of us, and that she's based in the little town of Ponyville. Would you not be wantin' to hear a tale of such nature as soon as possible, to fill the holes as to how or why you'd forget such an event in the first place?"

Octavia nodded. "I was up in Canterlot myself when you and this Princess of Twilight made the run through the streets, when the cries of Nightmare Moon's supposed return began to spread. With everything that's been happening lately..." She paused and cleared her throat. "There have been a number of crises this past year and a half, as you're aware, Lyra. Nightmare Moon nearly plunged the world into eternal darkness, and then there was that draconequus, Discord." She shook her head. "The world is going through a strange time. We've now seen the return of two alicorn princesses in less than two years, and there have lately been increasing sightings of changelings in close proximity to Canterlot. I myself have been taking it easy in light of such events, and I'm sure everypony else here are taking similar leaves."

"Yes, and Sapphire Shores as well," Melodia confirmed. She beamed a smile my way. "That's the silver lining in all this chaos. We're able to spend time with ponies we care about. We had to be here, Lyra, to hear your story and know that you've turned out okay!"

Vinyl's magenta eyes glided over all ponies in the room, and up to Al, before settling on me. "Yeah. Pretty much all that, only with more funk thrown into the words."

"Well, like I said, it's amazing to have you four here. Thank you, all of you, for taking the time to speak with me again. It really means a lot." Al plopped off my shoulder and moved to Octavia, nuzzling her nose. She backed away, but soon had a smile on her face and was stroking his coat. We all chuckled.

"So what's your plan now?" Melodia asked. "I mean, after you relax for a little while. Do you think you'll go back to your studies?"

I paused for a moment. "I'm not sure. I think I'll just take it slow and see what the world throws at me. Way back when, I was always worried about being the top in my class, but that was a long time ago. After everything I've seen, I don't think I can go back to traditional studies. Like Octavia said weeks ago, I now believe there's more a soul side to music than anything."

She smiled. "Well, I wish you luck in whatever it is you do and wherever you go from here. It's been a privilege to speak with you again, Lyra, and I'm so happy you're able to sit here with us in remembered form. Heehee!"

Al was purring by Octavia when she spoke. "Shall we head back downstairs, everypony?"

"Heck Yeah! Pinkie and I go way back. She knows how to party! We've gotta get in on this!"

"Hehe..." Melodia moved a nervous hoof through her mane. "I wonder how condensed the guest list has become since we began?"

J. R. Bard moved to her side. "I've got me some experience with crazed pony crowds. Just stay close. I'll protect ya'."

"Oh! Umm, okay!" Her cheeks turned a familiar rose color.

A yawning purple dragon was stretching near the bottom of the first flight of stairs.

"Hey there, Spike! Where have you been all day?"

"Huh?" He wiped his eyes. "Oh! Hey, Lyra. I've been asleep, just like I was yesterday when you showed up. Twilight's been working me so hard that she's letting me sleep in for a few days. Heh. It's pretty nice."

I chuckled. "Sounds relaxing. Would you like to join us? Pinkie Pie's throwing a party downstairs."

He scratched his forehead. "Eh, maybe later. I've got things to take care of up in the study."

"Oh, alright! Take your time." We headed further down the stairs and were soon back on the first floor. Various ponies acknowledged me upon reentry; Caramel gave me a wave and smiled along with Wind Whistler, while Thunderlane and Blossomforth both looked my way with nods. Scarlet Breeze was snapping a few pictures and lowered the camera to give me a wink.

"You're back!" Twilight pranced over and gave me a friendly nuzzle. "How did it go?"

I giggled at my foalhood friend. "As well as it could have, Twi. What did we miss down here?"

"Not too much," she began. "Morning Dew and Ambrosia showed up, along with a few others. Some ponies popped in but only stayed for a little while; I believe Derpy was among them, and Dr. Whooves. Oh! And Pinkie wanted me to tell you-"

"-That we're setting up 'Pin The Hoodie on the Unicorn!'" Pinkie dropped down right in front of us. "Wanna play, Lyra Greenhooves? It's a game featuring YOU!"

I let out a chuckle. "Maybe later. There's actually something I-"

"Oh, I've gotta get in on that!" Vinyl's laugh sounded from behind. "Anypony else? How about it, Octavia? You want in? I'll try to go easy on ya!"

"I'll pass, thanks," she replied with a blank stare.

"Pfft. Buzzkills..."

"Right this way, PON-3!" Vinyl trotted away with a hopping Pinkie.

Melodia fidgeted and smiled towards the bearded stallion at her side. "So, Mr. Bard. I see you've brought your guitar."

"Hardly ever leaves my sight," he said. "What of it?"

"Well, I've gained a musical eye from working with Sapphire Shores, and I suspect many of these ponies are dancers."

Pinkie Pie zipped back over. "I can set you up with a microphone, backing track and everything! Whaddya say, Jumpin' Ray?!"

He glanced at Pinkie and then back to a giggling Melodia Braids. "Now just a minute here, Missy-"

"C'mon, Mr. Bard!" I said. "I seem to recall you stating your fondness towards dancing. Why not help these ponies to experience that?"

Octavia chimed in. "I myself would certainly love to see you perform in person, Mr. Bard."

He looked at us all, stroking his beard. Finally, he conceded. "Alright. I'll come outta my retirement just for today, Lyra. For you. This is a special occasion, after all."

"Right this way, then, Ray-Stallion!"

"And can ya stop with the name?!" He grabbed his guitar and followed Pinkie's lead.

"Heehee!" Melodia blushed and clapped her hooves. "This is so exciting! Let's grab our seats, Octavia!" Octavia smiled and moved with Melodia to a nearby table, leaving us alone.

Twilight giggled "Now that we have a minute, what was it you wanted to say?"

Before I could speak, I heard Wind Whistler laughing at a table near the center of the library with Caramel and Thunderlane. Blossomforth was approaching them with a couple slices of carrot cake, courtesy of none other than Carrot Top herself. They'd all no doubt soon be on the dance floor depending on the speed of J. R. Bard's playing. I looked his way, where Pinkie had grabbed a microphone stand and was setting him up with an acoustic amp. Octavia was saying something to Melodia, who was still ecstatic over the impending performance. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were seated nearby, chatting with eyes towards the growing stage set. Around us were ponies enjoying themselves, so shouldn't I have been doing the same with my foalhood friend after the months of hell I'd been through?

"Lyra?"

"Never mind," I said. "This isn't the time, Twilight. We'll talk about it later."

She squinted her eyes. "Is everything okay? You've seemed a little distant."

I shook my head. "No, Twilight. Not everything. But like I said, I don't feel this is the time or place." I smiled as J. R. Bard's guitar tuning echoed through the library. "Besides, a lot of things are okay. Can we just enjoy Pinkie's party for now?"

Twilight returned my smile. "Of course, Lyra. Today's your day."

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" We took our seats at the sound of Pinkie's amplified voice. "I present to you the one, the only, the coming-out-of-retirement-for-a-day pony himself, Jumpin' Ray-"

"Just 'Mr. Bard', please, Missy!"

"-Mr. J. R. Bard!!!" Applause sounded, and J. R. Bard face-hoofed before adjusting his hat.

"Alright, everpony. This is my first time playin' in quite some time, so I wanna see y'all up and at 'em. Do yer best not to go too crazy, though. This here lick and all precedin' ones are dedicated to our fine guest of honor Lyra Heartstrings. It's a song called Green Fields & High Trees." Ponies moved to the dance floor as his guitar introduction sounded.

The party then became as alive as I'd felt the day before. Hats were in the air along with the gleeful cheers, and ponies all around moved with one-another. I joined Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie in a square dance, along with Wind Whistler and various others. Even Melodia and Octavia joined in on the fun.

Two ponies approached me during one of my breaks. Before I knew it, Morning Dew was hoofing me a tulip while speaking over the music, saying "Good afternoon to you, uhh, Lyra."

He grinned at Ambrosia, whose hat was tipped to one side. She giggled, shooting me a smile as well.

"Thank you for everything you've done, for both us and everypony else in this here town, Miss Angel." She glanced at Morning Dew, then back to me as her smile faded. "And don't think I won't be keepin' my eyes on the pair of ya'."

I snickered. "You've got nothing to worry about, Ambrosia. I wouldn't think of coming between you two."

She kept her stone cold gaze for a moment longer before bursting into laughter. "I'm just messin' with y'all. Good to see you've turned out alright, Lyra. Cya around!" Morning Dew nodded to me, and I returned it with a smile while placing the tulip behind my ear. I felt Al crawl up and press his nose to the flower.

J. R. Bard wrapped up with a rendition of Saddle Jones's Ghost Herders in the Sky, and by then it was late afternoon. Most of the guests cleared out until it was just us and the four musicians.

"That was awesome, Mr. Bard!" I said after we'd finished cleaning up the set.

"I'll say! I could feel the floor shakin' beneath my hooves!" added Applejack. She removed her hat. "Thank you, Mr. Bard. Seein' ya play was quite the experience. My Pa and I were avid fans back in the day."

"Really? Well I'm glad ya liked it." He placed his pick in her hoof. "This is yours. Thank you, all y'all, in turn for keepin' out the nut-headed stampedin' nonsense. I could see myself returnin' to the stage on a more regular schedule if all my shows were like this one."

"Oh!" Melodia said. "D-Do you think there's a real chance?"

He scratched his beard. "Eh, we'll see what happens." Al meowed from Fluttershy's hooves.

"Yes! Finally!" Vinyl yelled from across the library. "I've pinned the stupid sweater, blindfolded, right in its spot! Perfectly! Guys, come look! Look what I-" Her shades dropped to the wooden floor. "Whoa. Uh, guys? You might wanna turn around..."

We did just that, and there were three crowned ponies making their way through the opened library door. The one with the thinnest figure kept her distance. Octavia's eyes widened, and Melodia's mouth was agape.

"Well, I'll be bucked..." mumbled J. R. Bard while removing his hat.

"Princess Celestia!" We all kneeled.

"She's not the only one, darling," Rarity whispered to Twilight.

"And Luna! And... Aria!" My foalhood friend joined our kneel. "Wow! So this is Princess Aria! Lyra's told us quite a bit about you."

"Hello, my little ponies," Celestia said. "Aria, this is my apprentice. She's been here in Ponyville for the past year and a half studying friendship. Her and her friends are just the right ponies for you to meet."

Twilight walked closer and bowed to the once-lost princess. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Applejack-"

"Howdy there!"

"-Rainbow Dash-"

"What's up?"

"-Rarity-"

"Oh, what a marvelous figure you have!"

"-Fluttershy-"

"H-Hello, Princess."

"-and Pinkie Pie."

"HI THERE! Welcome to Equestria! Do you like cake?"

Aria stared at the hopping pink pony. "Luna's showed me the substance, but I haven't tried it."

Pinkie breathed in a gasp that would have shred any other pony's vocal chords. "That's okay! We'll fix that in no time." She exchanged a wink with Princess Luna.

"They helped me to understand many marvels in this world, Sister," Luna said. "We're confident they'll be able to help you as well."

"Why now, though, Princess?" Rainbow Dash addressed Celestia. "I mean, it's just about sunset. Not exactly enough time for a full day like there was with Luna here."

Celestia smiled. "Another time, then. Does a princess need a reason to visit you all after a busy day? You amazing ponies who've all had a hoof in returning both long-lost sisters to her life?"

Luna nuzzled Celestia before speaking again. "Although, you could say there's a bit of a reason..." All royal eyes were on me, and the sisters moved to the side.

They walked up from where the princesses stood, their exhausted steps echoing through the old tree. His amber coat almost matched the color in the shorter mare's tired eyes that went straight to me, the little filly whose identical golden gaze she hadn't looked into for over a year.

Everypony else was gone from my world.

Mom's eyes glistened to further match mine, and Dad held a hoof to his muzzle at sight of the daughter he couldn't recognize just weeks before.

"Oh Goddess..." Mom said as I galloped into their arms. They held me. I held them. We all cried.

"M-Mom. D-Daddy." I mustered. "I-I'm so sorry I-I..."

"Shhhhh..." Mom's voice. "I-It's okay, Lyra. Everything is fine." She gave me a warm nuzzle, and I threw both hooves around her before losing myself in our tears.

"I love y-you so much, Mom." I kissed her on the cheek, and soon felt Dad's hoof on my shoulder.

My eyes met his, and I spoke with a shaking smile. "I-I love you, Daddy, and I m-missed you more th-than music itself."

His own tears fell as he snickered. "C'mere, kiddo." He pulled me close, and I held tight. "I was-" He paused. "I-I can still remember the way you looked at me."

I nuzzled him. "It's okay. It w-was beyond either of us, Dad. You have no idea."

All of our coats were covered with tears, and not all were happy. In light of what happened during my absence, I couldn't shake how painful it felt for them both to be present here.

Mom put hooves around both of us. "The princesses told us so much, but w-we still-"

"That doesn't matter right now," I said. "Come here. There are ponies I want you both to meet."

I walked them to our company who stood near the bottom of the staircase. Some had turned away to be polite, while others were sniffling almost as much as we were. Even Vinyl shed a few tears that night. I introduced everypony, and we all sat and spoke until Celestia's sun was a crimson glimmer in the sky.

"It's a beautiful evening..." I said.

Melodia glanced out the window. "It is, isn't it?" She agreed.

"Finest I've seen in ages," Applejack said. "I reckon we've got you, Aria, and Pinkie here to thank for that." She smiled at us all.

I ran a hoof over my face with a sigh. "There's something I haven't been able to mention, and I need to talk about it."

Everypony's eyes were on me. I took a deep breath to subside how sick I felt. Mom walked closer and touched my cheek. "It's okay, dear. Just take it slow."

I threw my gaze to the door. "Would anypony fancy an evening walk?"

Mom and Dad stood with an aching distance between them.

"This is where it happened, right?" Luna asked with hint of a shaking voice.

"Yes." I walked to the spot just a few yards short of Town Hall and planted a firm hoof. Al jumped from Fluttershy's arms and was on my back again. "Right here is where I stood when the Nocturne found me."

The almost-full moon glistened in Luna's eyes, and some of the others joined her gaze. Celestia gave her a comforting nuzzle.

I gulped. "Th-through my search, I listened and spoke to those around this beautiful town. As some of you know, I was more often than not involved in particular events. Several ponies would say that I'm wonderful, that I've done nothing but good things for them or others, but I haven't."

"That's crazy!" Rainbow Dash said. "I remember when you figured out where Scootaloo was after the accident with Dr. Whooves' magical leyline machine thing, and we were all too stupid to listen. And you were there when we finally found her! Don't cut yourself short!"

Rarity stepped forward. "Rainbow Dash is right! You're a magnificent pony, Lyra, and you've done amazing things for us all out of the kindness of your heart alone! Even when..."

Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder, and all eyes were once again on me. I took a deep breath. "There's s-something that happened just before Discord's return."

"Just before..." Applejack put a hoof on her chin. "Last month, right? I reckon that was when all the business with Snips happened? You came to Rainbow, Twi and me about his pa-"

"-Straight Edge." I let out a sharp breath. "Straight Edge..." My chest sparked with a heavy rage, and not just towards him.

"That was his name. What about the no-good demon?"

My face was warm. I turned away with a shaking lip.

"Lyra..." I heard Twilight step forward.

"Remember all of those injuries he seemed to wake up with? The broken legs and everything?" My foalhood friend took two steps back, and I faced them again with another deep breath. "That was me. I..." A sob escaped. "I f-followed him at night with a two-by-four, and..."

Mom gasped. Melodia put a hoof to her muzzle, and J. R. Bard adjusted his hat. I kept going.

"H-He begged. He begged as I screamed at his broken figure that nopony would miss him. I-I was going to do it, but I regained myself just in time..." I slid a hoof along the ground and slammed it down with all of my strength. Al meowed.

"Talk about a rough night out!" Vinyl said.

"H-How can I just walk away? How can I let ponies call me 'good' and 'wonderful' when I've done something just as horrible as him?"

The silence made me turn away.

"What did this Straight Edge do, exactly?" Mom asked.

"Does it matter?" I retorted. "I shouldn't have-"

"Yes, Lyra. It matters, especially with what you were going through." Twilight looked towards my mother. "Straight Edge was an alcoholic stallion who abused his family both mentally and physically, going so far as to strangle his son in public with his magic."

"Land sakes." J. R. Bard said with a sigh.

"He's one pony our town is better without," Applejack said. "Lyra here discovered the truth of what was goin' on, but she couldn't bring us to see with her situation and all." She addressed me. "I seem to recall givin' him a buck or two myself when you briefly brought it to our attention."

"Heck yeah, and me too. We saw it ourselves." Rainbow Dash flew over the crowd and landed near Applejack. "The guy had his kid in the air by the throat, but we all forgot about it just like that. I wouldn't have been able to hold myself back in your place, Lyra. You're something else."

I wiped my eyes. "Yes, yes. He's horrible, but that doesn't change what I've done. I can't just pretend it never happened."

"You aren't the only one who's lost her way under the Firmaments' spell." My eyes were wide at the sound of Aria's voice. The three alicorns stepped forward with the Princess of Twilight in the middle. "Your brief misstep is miniscule in comparison to what I've wrought. My own spell had a role in descending Luna into madness, transforming her into Nightmare Moon to guard a secret that had been kept for too long." She looked to Luna and nuzzled her close.

"And there were many things that could have been done to make the resulting conflict less impacting," Celestia said. A few of our company were shifting uncomfortably in light of this subject matter.

Luna separated from Aria and focused her godly gaze on me. "The Firmaments were ruthless, Lyra Heartstrings. Just as ruthless as this Straight Edge. We know of his crimes and trial. He would have strangled his son to death were it not for the intervention of the big red one. Knowing of his true nature for as long as you claim, it's no wonder you resorted to such measures when taking the evidence into account. It must have been maddening, tiring, to have gone through such an ordeal." She shook her head and moved close to look me in the eye. "His injuring? That wasn't you. You mustn't let that which the Firmaments had so much of a sway on drag you down. We all know what an amazing pony you are, Lyra Heartstrings. You were able to stop yourself, and just look at all the good you've accomplished through your struggles." She gestured towards Aria and the various ponies around us.

"Yep! You're something else, Lyra!" said Rainbow.

"Darned tootin'!"

"An inspiration," Octavia said, making me blush. Al meowed and licked my mane.

I closed my eyes and sniffled. "I-I'll try, your highness. I will."

"And besides," Twilight said with a hoof around me. "He's making a full recovery! He'll be back on his hooves in no time."

"Yeah, good for him," Rainbow Dash said. Applejack shushed her.

"Oh, and just one more thing..." Luna's horn glowed, and an old black sweater pinged into reality. "I believe this is yours? It was left in my presence when Aria's spell took you."

I smiled at the old hoodie that'd been through worse than ice and death with me. My gaze went to Applejack. "That's yours now, girl. Keep it." She smiled.

I nodded to her, levitating it on my back over Al. "Thank you, Princess." Spike walked up and touched the folded hoodie.

"Hmm. I knew something was missing all this time," he said. "Heh. Dig the swell hoodie!"

We all laughed. I put a hoof around him in a hug.

Rarity took a few glances around. "Umm, pardon me, everypony and your highnesses, but did any of you happen to see where-"

"I FOUND HER!" Pinkie Pie landed next to me and shouted. I jumped, almost losing the ground beneath my hooves. Al hissed.

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight said. "We hadn't even noticed you'd left! Where'd you go?"

"Where do I start?!" Pinkie said. "Oh! I guess I could start there. So, right after we set out on Lyra MintHooves' late-night post-party stroll, my tail started twitch-a-twitching out of nowhere!" She wiggled her pink tail to demonstrate. "It told me that another pony had entered town looking to enjoy my-our-'Congrats On Being Un-Cursed' party, but she'd missed it! I had to find her as soon as possible, to get her in on the after-party that we're now having, and I did! Here she is!" She put her hooves up to present her guest. "Give her a second. She's coming up from the library."

We all looked past Pinkie's direction to see her pale figure.

"Moondancer...?"

Pinkie's guest trotted closer, and her violet-streaked red mane was soon visible in the dimming sunlight.

"Moondancer!" I yelled out, cantering forward to meet her.

"There she is!" Moondancer said as we wrapped our hooves around each other. "Girl, you've got some explaining to do. Just what the hay is going on? Am I going senile, or what?"

I laughed joyously. "It's a complicated story, Moondancer, involving cursed music and lost ponies-"

"Hmm." She let go and stood in front of me. "On second thought, I might need a good night's sleep to prepare. This is sounding like one of those Bridleway plays you'd always drag us to." Her mouth formed a familiar grin, and she soon erupted a laugh while running a hoof through my mane. "It's great to see you, girl, and it's a miracle I can actually recognize you this time."

I giggled. "Oh, y-you have no idea..."

"Now where's this after-party Pinkie promised me? I'd assume it's involving everypony just over-whoa." She walked closer with two violet eyes set on the princesses. "Not your typical after-party. I think I'm getting a sense of what your little adventure involved, Lyra. Now this is something; one, two...three? Fillydelphia was filled with all kinds of rumors, and you don't look like Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to me."

The Princess of Twilight's matching eyes met Moondancer's. "My name is Aria."

"Princess Aria. It's a privilege to meet you, your highness. Highnesses. I'm Moondancer." She knelt to the three alicorns. "Dang, Aria! I like your whole get-up, wings and all."

Aria glanced back at her wing-stalks and flapped them with a hint of a smile. "Thanks."

She turned to my parents. "Nebulous. Nova." She nodded to each of them, and Mom hugged her.

And then she went to Twilight, who kept her eyes averted up until then. I couldn't help but bite my lip. "A lot of things make sense now, don't they, Twi?"

Twilight smiled. "It's no wonder. Lyra kept us out of each others' manes all the way through foalhood, didn't she?"

"Yep. That's how I remember it," Moondancer said with a smile my way. "Come here, ya egghead." She hugged Twilight with one hoof, and that was it.

"So what have you been up to, Moondancer?" I trotted up near my foalhood friends. "It's been a while. I mean, hypothetically speaking."

"Eh, all the usual," she said with a sly smile. "I'm still teaching, and I'm still with that handsome hunk of a stallion I told you two about last time I was here." She took a close look at her silver hooflet and blushed with a giggle. "Speaking of which, there is something..." Her eyes glistened. "I'm pregnant."

"What?! Wow!" I had my hooves around her again. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" Twilight and the others echoed my words.

"Whoa there, Lyra! Easy, girl! There's two of us in here now!" She laughed her laugh, and the night somehow got even better from there.

We all sat, right in the center of an evening Ponyville, watching as Celestia lower the crimson sun beneath the horizon and gazing at Luna as she filled the black sky with her mother's twinkling constellations. It was a little chilly that night, but none of us were bothered. I told everypony of Alabaster and Penumbra Comethoof beneath the bittersweet stars while J. R. Bard strummed some more 'licks' as he called them. Soon, our guests began to scatter; the princesses took off towards Canterlot, and Applejack showed Ponyville's music guests to the Horseshoe Hotel. It was soon just Mom, Dad, Twilight, Moondancer and me, gazing at the twinkling gifts of Luna's night.

"So when are you due, Moondancer?" Twilight asked.

"Six months or so," she said with a hoof to her stomach. "This whole thing... I've always wanted kids of my own, as you girls know, but I'm still so flipping nervous."

"Hey." I reached over from where I laid and touched her shoulder. "You'll do fine. If you ever need to talk, about anything, you'll know where to find me." I smiled. "Us."

"Aren't you coming home, Lyra?" Mom sat up. She was holding Dad's hoof.

I bit my lip and looked their way. "Honestly, Mom, I'm not too sure what I'm doing at this point."

"What about your studies?" Dad asked. "You were always striving tooth-and-hoof to be top in your class, and from what we've all heard today, it sounds like you've only improved."

I rolled over and ran a hoof through my mane with a sigh. "I've just seen so much," I began, picking my words carefully. "Learned so much. There's so much more to music than just studies and theories, and I was nothing more than an oblivious filly back then to have thought otherwise. After what I've been through, Dad, I can't go back to that. I can't go back to traditional studies." I gulped. "That just isn't me anymore."

Dad sighed. "Well, kiddo, it's your life. I'll support you wherever you decide to take it. Isn't that right, Nova?"

"Now just a minute," Mom said in that tone capable of stopping me in my tracks, "Let's not get too hasty, Lyra. Surely you can give yourself time to think about all this? Instead of just blowing off school completely?"

I put a hoof to my chin. "Well, I've given it a lot of thought actually, and right now I'm considering staying here in Ponyville."

Mom's eyes widened for a moment. "But Lyra, your studies! Don't you want to do something with your life? Like Octavia? She called you an inspiration today, for Luna's sake! Don't you think you should use that talent?"

I laughed with a hoof on my face. "Mother. In the past year and a half, I've been a first-hoof witness to Nightmare Moon's return, I've made multiple trips through a realm where forgotten ponies were chained for eternity and freed them along with the lost princess who resided there, I've had to face the God of Chaos against odds that weren't in my favor, and I've met the Mother of All herself. All this time, nopony knew of my existence. All I had for company was Al here, so I personally don't think it's so out-there that I'd rather settle down for the time being." Al meowed.

Mom opened her mouth, but stopped herself. She lowered her head and spoke. "Y-You're right, Lyra. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I just need to figure everything out. Give me time."

"You spoke with Discord?!" Twilight asked. "You haven't told us about that! What happened?"

I smiled and rolled back over with two hooves behind my head. "Well, the night is still young. You know him and Aria were together once? Like, thousands of years ago?"

Twilight blinked. "No way."

"With her? Chaos itself?" Moondancer let out a laugh along with Twilight. "You're pulling our legs, right? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"Yeah, it's pretty weird now that I think about it." I snickered. "Anyway, it happened when you all were recuperating, Twilight. He tried to change me like he did everypony else, but the Nightbringer kept me safe from his magic." My eyes locked on Orion's Tail in the night sky. "He wanted the instrument, so I did what I could to keep him distracted from Ponyville. I wagered it in a little game we played; the oldest game..."

"So the code word is 'Bornstellar,' alright?"

"Excuse me?" I asked with a giggle.

"The code word!" Pinkie hopped at my side. "You hid last time, so it's only fair that I hide while you take my place in presenting your gift! When I'm just out of sight, we'll need some way for you to signal if and when you're in need of me!"

"You know, Pinkie," I began. "I enjoy your company, but you don't have to tag along. The curse is gone. You can go meet the others if you want. I'll be fine."

"I know, but this is an opportunity to see lots of smiles! I can't just pass it up!" She stopped hopping and settled into a walk. "And I also get to provide moral support for you! Everypony wins!"

"Moral support?" I giggled. "Well, whatever cheers you up. Your happiness is just as important as anypony else's, Miss Pie." I glanced at the chocolate-frosted vanilla cake. It wasn't as big as last time, but there was no doubt it would taste just as sweet. "So, 'Bornstellar?' I'll keep that in mind."

"Good!" We both stopped just short of our destination. "Looks like we're here! I'll be in my place." She leapt to the bushes and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Just pretend I'm not here, Mintsleeves! And remember the code word!"

"Hehe, I will." The sleeve of my hoodie moved in the November breeze as I extended a hoof.

The doorbell rang, and my eyes glided back to where Pinkie was crouched. I took a deep breath. The door opened without a moment's expense. "Hi there!" I said.

Her beige face lit up with a smile. "Oh! Hello!" She paused as if sifting through memories that my presence brought forth. "Haven't... W-We've met before, haven't we?"

"Yes," I replied. "Although it's a bit complicated-"

She startled me with a sudden gasp. "You're that pony I found out here just a few weeks ago! And I-I forgot about you twice-no, more than that! I spoke to you again just recently! How... Goodness, are you alright?!" She stepped closer and touched my face. "Just what in Equestria have you been through?"

"Uhh..." My cheeks were flushed.

Her blue eyes closed. "I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have-"

"No no! It's alright! I've told-" I gulped. "A lot of ponies have wanted to know. You're hardly the first who I'm willing to tell," I said with a smile.

She tilted her head. "Oh! Your name's Lyra, isn't it? Carrot Top mentioned somepony this morning, and so did Morning Dew when he stopped by for some sweets. Something about that alicorn who appeared in Canterlot a few days ago."

A laugh escaped. "That's me! I mean, yes. My name is Lyra Heartstrings."

She snickered. "I'm Bon Bon, but I have a feeling you already knew that. It's nice to properly meet you, Lyra!"

"Likewise!" I replied while levitating our gift closer. "This is for you."

Her smile widened at sight of the cake. "Hmm. This looks a tad bit familiar..." She touched the velvet bag that hung from the bin. "It was you. You're 'Anonymous', aren't you?"

"What...?" It took a second for me to remember. "OH! Yes, but Pinkie had just as much a role as me. And there's only a few cupcakes in there this time. Nothing too creative."

Bon Bon giggled. "Well, it's 'creative' enough for me." She moved closer, and I gasped as she embraced me. "Hehe. Thank you, Lyra. I don't know how, but you knew exactly what I needed."

I hugged her back. "You saved me, Bon Bon. I had to return the favor somehow, despite my curse."

She let go with a sniffle. "Well, I'm glad y-you've turned out okay." Her eyes glistened. "So what was the nature of this curse? And this lost princess?"

I ran a hoof through my mane. "It's a bit of a long story, but that's partly related to why I'm here this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yes." I cleared my throat. "I'm taking it easy with a few great ponies today, some I've known for a while and others who I met when I was a ghost. Would you like to join us? I broke the curse just a few days ago, and you could say we're celebrating." I grinned. "We're heading to Sugarcube Corner, and we might take a walk around town later if the weather's not too chilly."

She giggled with a sweet smile. "Sure! I'd love to! I just need a second to sort this batch."

"Great! You do that, I'll put this somewhere it can't melt."

"Oh yeah! Just put it here in the fridge." She waved me in, and I followed her to the kitchen as she unloaded the first oven. I opened the fridge and set our gift on the top shelf.

"Alright, just a few more!" she said. I grabbed the last tray with my magic and sorted the sweets just as she had. "Well, that's a way to do it! Thank you!"

Back outside, I yelled towards the bushes. "Pinkie? You can come out now!"

Silence. Bon Bon rose an eyebrow.

I sighed with a chuckle. "Bornstellar-"

"-MAKES ETERNAL FROSTING!" She leapt out and was right next to us in less than a second. "Hi Bon Bon!"

"Pinkie Pie! Hello there!" Bon Bon said unfazed. "Why were you in that bush?"

I laughed. "She insisted that we swap roles from the last time we were here. That's where I was when Pinkie gave you our first gift; I couldn't show myself without spoiling the moment with memory loss."

"Yep!" Pinkie said. "That's pretty much the gist of it, Bonnie! I wanted to provide support for Mintyfresh here in case she needed it, and take in the smiles from this reunion of course."

I felt my cheeks flush again.

"I see," Bon Bon said with a smile of her own. "Well, I'm glad we were able to provide! Shall we get going, everypony?"

"Yes!" Pinkie started hopping back towards the library. "Last one there's a rotten First-Form!"

Bon Bon giggled and broke into a trot. "No fair! And what does that even mean?"

I chuckled to myself, taking in a breath of the beautiful air before joining in the race.

V - Another World

Dear Journal,

What can we do to deal with an unstoppable change? Should we learn to live alongside it even when it's painful? Or throw ourselves in against all odds and try to inhibit its process?

These past eighteen months have taught me that change can be beneficial more often than not. I'm proud of the pony that I've been molded into, but getting to this point involved fighting and succeeding against impossible odds. If I could conquer the song of a Goddess, would it not be illogical to think I could right any wrongs that have adapted into my life?

I have two homes now, and one of them often makes me feel as though I'm going through another curse. I've tried to find happiness in my old home of Canterlot, and it's there, but the distance and silence of the situation keeps it obscured. After all I've been through, with all said and done...

How can one adapt to so much without getting lost in the wreckage left in her stead?

"Just twenty more minutes!" Bon Bon exclaimed from my left. Her scarf shook under the two hooves she held on her cheeks. "I've never seen a play in Canterlot before! I'm so excited!"

"You and me both!" I adjusted the sleeves of Rarity's refurbished sweater. "It's been years since I've seen a production from around here, and ponies I know are going to be up there this time!" The seated crowd around us were oblivious to our words. Each adjacent conversation might as well have been a loud jumble.

"Ohhh, poor Fluttershy," Bon Bon said with a dip of her gaze. "She must be worried sick backstage. I hope she does alright."

"She'll do fine!" I said. "By the time Fluttershy steadies into her comfort zone, she becomes just as sociable as any other pony! I'm sure I've mentioned that time she helped me with Al, and the parasprites." I rubbed my chin. "Although acting in a play doesn't really involve animals... Eh, she'll be fine. I have a feeling."

She giggled. "Do you? Well then, I guess I have no choice but to trust the instinct of she who brought Princess Aria home."

"Oh, stop it," I said, blushing.

"Something's on my mind, though," Bon Bon began.

"Hmm?"

"The tradition is that every town across Equestria has a pageant for Hearth's Warming, right?"

"Yeah, I believe so," I replied.

"Well, what about Ponyville? I've heard nothing about a play of any sort back home, and a lot of Ponyvilleans are here because of Celestia's cast choices." She pointed to Caramel and Wind Whistler a few rows up. "Not that that's a bad thing."

"The Ponyville pageant was actually cancelled this year."

We both turned to see a certain red-maned photographer who was a seat to Bon Bon's left just a row behind us. "Oh! Hey there, Scarlet!" I waved a hoof. "Was it? That's unfortunate. I'll bet the Mayor had something to say about that."

Scarlet laughed. "Mom was pretty furious when we got the letter, but I kept her under control. Almost everypony from our little town made train plans for Canterlot when Twilight went public with the news, and so it was decided that the royal pageant would serve as Ponyville's as well. I'd imagine that's why they changed the booking to Madison's Saddle Garden. There's more than enough seats here for the occasion." She laughed again. "Aptly named, don't you think?"

"Ha, it is!" I replied. "I never thought of that."

"Where is Mayor Mare, anyway?" Bon Bon's question was answered as soon as she voiced it.

"I've got the flower bits, Scarlet!" The Mayor squeezed through several seated ponies. "Two bags! This should be good for the whole play by my count."

Bon Bon and I giggled. "Enjoy the show, you two," I said.

"Thanks, and you girls as well!" Scarlet replied.

I put my gaze back on the stage as Bon Bon spoke past me. "So how have you been, Nova? Are you as excited for the play as we are?"

"Hmm?" Mom looked distantly towards my friend. "Oh. I've been fine, and yes. I can't wait to see Twilight." Her eyes rolled down to the floor. "If you girls would excuse me, I'll be back." She stood and squeezed her way out of the row.

Bon Bon watched her go through the exit with a raised eyebrow. "What was...?" I shook my head, running a hoof over my face before I felt her gentle touch on my shoulder. "Hey, is everything okay?" Bon Bon asked in a hushed tone.

"The split-up," I said while looking down. "She hasn't been taking it well since I re-entered her life. I thought coming back home with her for a little while after our week-long celebration would lift her spirits, but it didn't." I rubbed my forehead with a frustrated hoof. "Dad isn't here with us for the holidays because of how she's acting. Why does it have to be like this?"

"Shhhh..." Bon Bon ran a hoof along my back. "This is a rather unique situation they're going through, Lyra. The light of their lives was snuffed out without warning for almost two years. I don't know why they drifted apart, or if there's any chance of them coming back together, but I do know that your mother will come around eventually." She nuzzled me close. "All you have to do is support her in any way you can, and be patient." I sniffled before returning her nuzzle with a smile. "And I'm always here for you if you need to talk. We all are." She gestured towards the stage.

"I know," I said. "It's just difficult to process that after how long the Firmaments held me. To realize I'm no longer alone." I remembered when Dad came to Ponyville with Scarlet. "I'm so used to my words getting lost in time, and letting everything out to Al and no one else. Part of me can't believe I've even made it this far. I wake up some mornings hysterical like I used to when I was cursed, before realizing I can't hear the Nocturne."

"Lyra..."

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," I continued. "And Mom is distant, Dad is still traveling around Equestria... I know Mom will get better with time, as you've said, but what about me? What if there's some kind of long-term damage from the degeneration my mind was subjected to?" I gulped. "What if I'm slipping?"

"Lyra..." She had two hooves on my shoulders. "It's okay. I think you're giving all this a bit more worry than it's worth. We've all seen that you still talk, laugh and function just as any pony should." Bon Bon smiled while stroking my mane. "If this curse had any lasting effects, they would have been more prominent by now. You've been through a lot in a relatively short amount of time, and I don't think this is anything more than the stress of both old and new events piling up."

I stared into her blue eyes, letting out a sigh.

"And I'm thinking, how about you and Al stay with me for a little while when you come back to Ponyville after Hearth's Warming is all wrapped up?" she suggested. "I think you could do with a change of scenery from that cabin you were cooped up in all those months."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Bon Bon, I don't want to be a burden to-"

"You won't be! Really!" she said with a giggle. "I've seen how well you take care of your own place, and I could do with some company myself. I just want you to be okay, Lyra, and I feel getting out of that cabin for a little bit could help you."

She kept her hooves on my shoulders with an unrelenting smile. How could I say no? With how my former home of Canterlot had treated me since I'd broken the curse, it felt like I was being saved again. "Alright. For a little while. I could help you with the baking, and maybe spruce up your shop a bit with some music? N-not that it isn't already spruce-y enough..."

Bon Bon giggled. "Yes. That sounds wonderful. I'd love it!"

"Yeah," I replied. "It does sound wonderful." Right there in the crowd, I threw my hooves around Bon Bon and held her in the same fashion as she had me nearly three months before. She returned the gesture without hesitation, stroking my mane again without a thought of the ponies around us. "Th-thank you for everything, Bon Bon."

We separated at the sound of a little dragon's amplified voice. "Attention, everypony! Our journey through history will begin in just ten minutes!" Dead silence filled the air. "Uhh, you all excited?"

A few ponies cheered with claps of their hooves.

"Great! Uhh, we'll see you soon!" He retreated backstage, and we both giggled.

"Maybe Fluttershy isn't the only one we should be worried about," Bon Bon joked. Her eyes opened wider, and she gestured behind me. Mom was trudging back through the row, turning a blind eye to the other seated ponies. She plopped into her seat with a sigh. Dry streaks covered her cheeks.

I smiled, taking her hoof and wiping one of her fresh tears away. "It's okay, Mommy. I'm here."

She returned my smile, moving close for a nuzzle. "And thank goodness for that," she said. I put a hoof around her, and the three of us sat in comfortable silence awaiting curtain call. Not a few moments later, however, something caught my eye.

Two radiant circles appeared straight ahead, brightening near the stage. They turned a blinding violet and moved above the audience, vanishing near the far right wall. I took a quick glimpse around. Nopony seemed to bat an eye.

"Umm," I said to my company. "Did you guys see that?"

"Hmm?" Bon Bon tilted her head. "See what?"

"Did somepony peek through the curtains?" Mom asked.

"I think so, actually." The right-side doorway entered my sight. "I'll be right back."

"Lyra?" Bon Bon grabbed my hoof. "What's going on?"

"There's someone who wants to see me," I replied. "I'll be quick. Don't worry."

Bon Bon let me go, and I was soon excusing myself as I moved up the aisle. The hallway on the right was empty, with the exception of a crinkling poster ad for some group called Iron Mare Den. "Hello?" I trotted past the ad and was hit by a cool winter draft. One of the balcony doors was opened, and her thin figure stood just outside against the crimson sunset.

"There you are." My legs shivered as I crunched through the snow to her side. "Hi there, Aria."

She gave me a nod with her eyes towards the sun, the cool wind whistling in the distance. "Lyra Heartstrings," she said in greeting. "I apologize for reaching out in this way. I was unsure of how to approach you directly."

I scraped a hoof in the snow as the crowd's faces filled my vision. "Yeah, I don't blame you for that." I giggled. "You look great, Princess." Her figure was filling in, as was her black coat, obscuring the runes burned into her flesh. Even her wings showed a hint of feathers. "You have your mother's mane."

Her gaze was on me at last, and she smiled. "My sisters have me on a 'diet', as it's called. They want me to be as healthy as can be. It unfortunately doesn't involve that wonderful cake substance the pink one gifted me, but it's good. I... I feel alive." She flapped her wings, smiling bigger as her ethereal violet mane flowed in the breeze. "I never thanked you, Lyra Heartstrings."

"Oh!" I fiddled with my sleeves. "It was nothing, Princess. Really. I just did what I had to do."

"You thought you were going to die here, didn't you?" Aria asked.

I gasped, stepping back through the all-too-familiar chills. "Huh?"

"When we came here to Canterlot," she said. "You thought you wouldn't make it, but you wanted to see us reunited if it was the last thing you did. How is that 'nothing?'"

"Well," I cleared my throat. "I-I didn't exactly have a choice, your highness."

"And that's my fault," she said, looking away. "Things would have been different if I hadn't intervened when you first met with Celestia."

"Uhh..."

"And if I hadn't interrupted Alabaster Comethoof..." Her voice trailed off, and she turned towards me before speaking again. "Despite all that, you still went on with me here in Canterlot to guide the way and be there by my side, after everything I did to keep you confined. After I hurt so many." Aria moved down to my eye-level. "So thank you for helping me to see the error of my ways, Lyra Heartstrings. We're all grateful for the sacrifices you've made."

I stared at her, my cheeks flushed. She blinked at my silence. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No! Of course not." I ran a hoof through my mane and let out an awkward giggle. "This is just so much, and so sudden."

"I see," she said. "Forgive me. I'm still getting used to conversing."

"Yeah, I'm having a bit of trouble myself after everything." I thought of Al's tear-smeared fur, and of Bon Bon. "You're doing just fine, Princess. Don't worry about the times you used your spell. Given your situation, it was beyond your control."

She paused for a moment, her ethereal mane flowing. "Call me 'Aria,'" she said with another smile.

I snickered. "Okay, Aria." My hoof scraped at the snow again. "Oh! I just had an idea!"

She moved back at my sudden realization. "What?"

"I could write you!" I said. "Kind of like how Twilight sends letters to Celestia! We're both trying to get used to everything after how long we were gone. I myself still haven't fully grasped that I can talk to ponies again without my words falling on deaf ears." I stepped closer. "We could learn and re-learn together. What do you say?"

She blinked. "It sounds appealing, as many concepts are foreign to me. My sisters have been helping me to learn how to write, as well."

I giggled. "I'll try to keep everything short. No promises." The sunset glimmered behind her. "So what have you been up to since your second visit to Ponyville? What's been going on at the Royal Palace?"

She eyed the most prominent structure on the beautiful horizon. "Well, through much trial and error, we've managed to unlock some secrets of my alicorn magic that the Firmaments kept obscured."

"Have you?" I asked. "What's come of that? What can you do?"

"Well," Aria began. "It seems that I'm capable of entering another plane. I can enter a realm that holds those who have passed on from this world." She looked up towards the lone, bright star that twinkled in the dim sky. "It's similar to how Luna can enter the realm of dreams. Some ponies have needed guidance and understanding in regards to their morality, which is what I provide. Rather than just caring for those who had been affected by the song, I now calm and soothe all who have passed with what this world has taught me. Through exercise of our magic, we were able to move those who served as my choir to this realm for their overdue rest." She looked me in the eye again. "This is how I know of your thoughts from just weeks ago, Lyra. That morning, you were close to this place, but you held on thanks to your sheer will and my mother's song."

A strong chill had settled within me, and it wasn't from the breeze. "Wow," I said. "Well, that's something. You definitely need to come back to Ponyville with Luna on the next Nightmare Night. The foals would have a blast."

She nodded. "Luna has already made me aware of this Nightmare Night. It sounds fun, as she says." She took a slow step in the snow as her expression became blank. "There was something else. One stallion in particular approached me when I made myself known. He'd inquired about a certain mare who'd visited him several times in his final days; a mare he'd forgotten about until weeks after his passing." There was a glint in her eyes as she smiled warmer. "His name was Granite Shuffle."

A bittersweet, unexpected note was plucked deep in my soul, striking me speechless. Something as beautiful and happy as this was the last thing I'd expected all throughout my cursed months. I stood there, melting under a single warm tear as Aria spoke on.

"Both he and his companion wanted to thank you for giving him the most memorable days he'd had in years. I told him what it was that led to your omission from his mind, and he felt that a part of your visits broke through the curse and resonated with him. You lifted his spirits before the end, and he couldn't be more grateful, in his words."

I hadn't realized how much I'd needed that until just then, to know that Granite was okay and with Grace. Aria crunched closer and placed an unsure hoof on my shoulder. "I wanted you to know."

I took her hoof and held it close. "Thank you, Aria. You have n-no idea how much this means to me."

She gave me a silent nuzzle until I was composed, in the same way she had the other lost ones before breaking their chains.

The other lost ones...

"You said there were other cursed ponies wandering the world besides Alabaster and me, back when we first spoke." I sniffled. "What happened to them? I haven't noticed anypony new or out of the ordinary since coming back."

She sighed. "Most of them were taken to the choir shortly after hearing the song. None of them lingered in the world as long as you or Comethoof," Aria said. "We've had reports of ponies reintegrating into society, but these are few and far between. The majority have been put to rest with those who were on the choir." She looked towards the side of Canterlot that Twilight and I used to live on. "Have you not heard? We're planning on having a memorial placed in the Alabaster District."

My ears perked up. "No, I haven't! That sounds amazing, but I thought you said there was 'no number' regarding those who were cursed. How do you plan on immortalizing them all?"

"Oh, there's a number," she said. "83,932."

I blinked.

"The Firmaments were rather selective all throughout history, resulting in a much lower amount of lost ones than we'd anticipated. It was easier to keep track of those in the unsung once we got them out. All of their names will be engraved, and Luna herself has made plans to have a sculpture of Alabaster Comethoof constructed, holding the Nightbringer."

"Wow!" I said. "When will everything be finished?"

"Two years at most," she said. "We wanted to have something featuring you as well, perhaps a sculpture of your own?"

I raised a hoof, picturing what Alabaster would look like in my mind's eye. "It's okay. I think my friend deserves the spotlight for this one. It was his actions that ultimately led to the curse's end."

Aria smiled. "Well, we're still going to name you on the engraving. You were a part of bringing their names back to history, after all."

I giggled. "Okay, that I can handle."

"Lyra?" I heard Bon Bon calling my name from the hallway. "Where are you? It's almost-" She stopped at sight of the opened balcony door and joined us outside.

"Hey there, Bon Bon," I said. "You've met Princess Aria."

"Oh! Hello, your highness! You look well." Bon Bon gave her a slight bow, and Aria replied with a nod.

"Is it almost time for curtain call?" I asked. Bon Bon turned my way and nodded. "Forgive me, Aria, but I don't want to miss a second-"

"It's fine. I enjoyed the time we had to talk," she said. "You are going to write, correct?"

"Of course!" I replied. "I'll send you a letter every week! Mail from Ponyville to Canterlot doesn't take too long. And once you get good enough yourself, you can send me letters of your own!"

She smiled and let out a hint of a snicker.

"Are you here to watch the play, Aria?" Bon Bon asked.

"Yes. Celestia said it would be important for me to see this part of Equestria's history." She looked over both her shoulders and spoke in a lower tone. "The three of us are sitting just above the audience, all the way in the back behind an invisibility spell. Don't tell anypony. Celestia doesn't want our presence to affect those on stage."

I snickered. "We won't, Aria. It was good seeing you again. I'll write." She nodded, and with a brilliant glow of her horn, she was gone. "Alright, let's head back."

We stepped onto the red carpet. "Is everything alright?" Bon Bon asked.

I imagined a middle-aged Granite Shuffle dancing with Grace as other ponies looked on with glee. I pictured what the stone sculpture of Alabaster would look like with the etched slabs around him. In light of it all, I saw myself at my mother's side, and playing an old rendition back in Ponyville at Bon Bon's shop. "Yeah," I said. "Everything is perfect."

"Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia..."

"It's starting!" I said.

"Hurry!" We both broke into a trot.

"...and before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony. It was a strange and dark time. A time when ponies were torn apart...by hatred!"

We reached our seats just as the entire crowd gasped. I threw a hoof around Mom as Spike continued the introduction.

While some odds might be conquerable by sheer will and determination alone,

"...cared not for what befell the other tribes, but only for their own welfare."

...there are others that just can't be swayed in your favor no matter how hard you try to fix things. What I need to focus on is helping the ponies who have been affected by these odds while grasping that I myself don't have to keep everything inside anymore.

"The normally industrious Earth ponies were unable to farm their land."

Bon Bon, Twilight, Moondancer, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity... They're all here now to help me see the way through this wreckage. With their help, I in turn can be there for ponies like my mother, like Aria, who are scared and afraid in this world that I've spent the past 18 months observing.

"And so it was decided that a grand summit would be held to figure out a way to cope with the blizzard."

We cheered when Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity came on-stage. A violet radiance shone from behind, and I looked to see the Princess of Twilight up in her seat. Nopony else turned around. Her eyes met mine, and she closed one of them in a wink. I returned it.

No matter what life throws at me, be it the ancient forgotten song of a goddess or a fissure that couldn't be averted, I'll always do my best to support and save those ponies around me who have lost sight of the music in their lives, and seek support for myself when the going gets tough.

Yours, as real as she is harmonious,

-Lyra Heartstrings.

Author's Note

Well... That was quite the doozy.

So I read this little story called Background Pony back in April/May (after being recommended to do so by an awesome fella on Reddit), and... Well, what can I say that hasn't been said before? It had great characterization, it was emotional in every sense of the word, and it was altogether pretty good. I was just a bit late to the party.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the ending. I felt it skewed the progression of the story in more ways than one, and ultimately made the whole thing feel like it could have concluded several chapters before without having been too different, along with several other things that I'm too burned out to type up coherently.

So a day or two after I finished the story, the ideas started coming. I jotted them down, got to writing, worked on it all the way through summer, and here it is. Now, take note: I primarily took up this alternate ending to challenge myself. I don't consider my conclusion "better", nor am I trying to compare myself to Skirts, nor do I consider this "canon" over that of the original story; the only person this ending is canon for, is myself. Along with the challenge, I wrote this for my own satisfaction, and for anyone else to enjoy who may or may not have been underwhelmed by the canonical conclusion. But mostly for me; I very much took a Walter White mindset with this project.

Yeah. Special thanks goes to my good friend PsychoMotorBoat; this project would NEVER have happened were it not for his original recommendation and constant support. And of course, a super special thank you goes to ShortSkirts&Explosions himself for writing the original story. He's an awesome, talented dude.

Also, I'd like to say thank you to the community as a whole. 1 billion words of fanfiction, along with all of the awesome stuff we can find on Youtube? You guys are amazing. It's great being a part of this fandom, and although I'm late to the party, it feels good to at last be throwing works into our huge fandom that I can actually say I'm proud of.

Stay tuned, fellas. There's a lot of cool stuff on the horizon.

Also, post your thoughts on the writing quality of this here alternate ending you've read, if you have the time. I'm always looking to improve.