Remember our friendship

The giant double doors crashed open. Princess Celestia strode through the doorway, her face twisted into a grim snarl. The green bodysuits the ponies wore inflamed her temper, rising like an inferno, to lick at the back of her throat. She hated this place. From the ice cold air, to the robotic attitudes of the workers, the Bastille had always had an unsettling feeling about it. But this time, Celestia was impervious to its sterile coldness. She strode past lines of suited ponies, each of whom hastened to bow as she passed. Deeper into the complex she walked, her fury increasing with each step she took. Her eyes darted about, her snarl growing each time her gaze landed on one of the suited ponies. The fire inside the Alicorn was growing stronger. Celestia tried to reign it in. It didn't work.

"P-P-Princess Celestia?" Asked a timid voice. Celestia whirled. It was Doctor Grey-matter. True to his name, the Doctor's fur was a dull, gun-metal grey, which stretched up to his horn. His eyes were also a watery grey. The stained and torn lab coat the Earth pony was wearing did not stretch enough to cover his hind quarters, upon which was inscribed the image of a brain. The image of the pink mass had always disgusted Celestia. She had no idea how a pony could get such a cutie mark, nor did she want to. The doctor was shaking violently as he looked up into Celestia's angry face. "Can....Is there something we can help with your highness?" He stammered, now shifting from hoof to hoof in nervousness. "Is there something wrong?" Grey-matter could have no idea what he was about to unleash. "Can I d-do anything?" Now he'd done it.

"Would you care to explain," Celestia growled, every syllable laced with anger. "Why I have only just now learned that Twilight Sparkle has escaped from here? Under your nose?!" The doctor froze. His face fur had gone very white. "Care to explain Doctor Grey-matter?" Celestia snarled taking a step forward. The doctor scrambled backwards, tripped over his own hooves and fell onto his backside. Avoiding Celestia's furious gaze, Grey-matter mumbled something under his breath. Celestia's ears pricked up. "A mistake!?" She shrieked, wrenching the Doctor into a standing position with her magic. The doctor choked as the grip grew tighter around his throat. "Don't you stand there and tell me it was a mistake!" The princess yelled, tossing the doctor across the corridor. He hit the wall and slid to the floor, seemingly paralyzed with fright. "I want her found!" Celestia roared, almost spitting with anger. "Find her and eliminate her!"

Twilight Sparkle gasped as the lights flared. Instead of the giant room she'd been expecting, the Unicorn was staring down at a massive city. Towering spires stretched high into the inky black sky, each constructed of different colored stones and all radiating brilliant flares of light from glass windows. Several strange floating squares floated around the spires, some carrying ponies, others floating along, unburdened. Twilight barely noticed them however. She was too entranced by the city. All the glowing lights, the bustling noises. It was all to much. Her mane was blowing in a soft breeze. She smiled widely. Even the smell was exciting. It was musky, smelling of smoke and...an odd smell that she couldn't quite place. It was flowery and yet, oily. It was all so familiar...and It was all so frustrating, knowing she'd seen this city and yet being unable to remember when. She turned to look at Edge. The armored Unicorn was smiling at her, his bronze armor glowing in the lights.

"Like what you see?" He asked. Twilight smiled widely and nodded. Edge turned his face to the city-scape in front of him and his smile faded slightly. "Welcome to Canterlot. Capital city of our GREAT nation, Neo-Equestria." His voice had attained a bitter quality to it. "I suppose you deserve to know the whole story while we wait." Edge had raised an armored hoof and waved. One of the thin, unoccupied metal platforms floated over to them. Edge stepped out onto the platform, which swayed under his wait. After a minute of unease, Twilight followed him. The platform floated out into the air. Twilight turned back to look. The building was tall but thick, made of black stone and resembling a giant black box. "That is the Bastille." Edge said coldly. "A prison for stealing ponies memory." Twilight frowned. Stealing memories? Edge shook his head, then patted her shoulder. "Understand this Twilight." He said warningly. "I will tell you all you need to know and nothing else. Understand?"

"Edge..." Twilight mumbled after a few seconds of silence. She was not looking at Edge but was pretending to examine the nearby spires. The metal plate underneath their hooves hummed slightly in the silence. "Who am I? Who are you anyways? You show up out of nowhere and..." But Edge interrupted her. It had lost the bitterness but was now dripping with anger. So much so that it made Twilight turn to face her companion. The armored Unicorn was glaring at her, which with his crimson glare, was frightening.

"You want answers? Then shut up and let me talk!" Twilight stared in open-mouthed shock. Then Edge drew in a deep breath and letting it between his teeth. His horn glowed, enveloped in a crimson light. A red version of the symbols that had floated behind the ponies heads appeared in front of them. "These circles are a symbol." He mumbled softly. "They symbolize Sen-Sen. A new breed of Science. It's based upon storing memories in a digital format." Edge smiled at the mystified look on Twilight's face. "You can swap around memories, store them like money, even use them as money." He chuckled lightly, waving his hoof. The red symbol vanished in a puff of smoke. Twilight was still staring at him, drool slipping along the seam of her open mouth. Edge produced a small handkerchief from nowhere and wiped her mouth. Twilight pulled back, blushing. "That is where we come in. The memory hunters, also known at the Errorists." He smiled as Twilight finally reclaimed her senses.

"The Errorists?" She asked, unconsciously aware that the platform was beginning to descend rather rapidly. Edge was grinning wider than ever at the look on Twilight's face. "What?!" She demanded angrily, feeling insulted at the patronizing grin on the other Unicorn's face. "It's not like a have much choice is it? I don't no anything about this place. I can't even remember if I've been here before! So don't just stand there like you're so...so.." There was a loud thump. Twilight staggered and looked down. The platform they'd been standing on had finally hit the ground. The platform had landed outside one of the smaller buildings. Instead of the majestic spires that Twilight had expected, the purple Unicorn saw that this one had a domed roof and was exceptionally smaller than the others. "Now what?" Twilight demanded, still feeling slightly resentful towards Edge. The other Unicorn chuckled, pointing towards the building. Twilight sighed and stepped off the platform. She turned to look at Edge.

"Go uptown of here." Edge said with a smile. "Look for the local bar. It's called the Apple Barrel. Get into contact with the owner. She's called AppleJack." Twilight turned to look down the street Edge was indicating. It was still very dark, and the streetlamps only produced a minimum amount of light. "Good luck Twilight." Twilight whirled round. The platform Edge was standing on was rising into the air again. The armored Unicorn was smiling as the platform rose higher and higher into the night sky. "I'm counting on you!" Edge shouted, giving a wave of his hoof again. Then, he was gone. Twilight turned her head to look down the street. It wasn't very promising. With a shake of her head, Twilight started the long walk down the street.

Twilight sighed in anger as she continued to walk down the street. Canterlot's streets were freezing. The Unicorn shivered. It was unnerving. Twilight had attempted to ask several of the ponies along the street for directions to the Apple Barrel but most had just snorted and ignored her. Others just stared at her. Twilight had noticed that that the amount of stares she'd been getting had increased the longer she walked. It frightened her. She couldn't understand why the ponies here liked to stare so much. Then again, she supposed she had just escaped from...what had Edge called it? The Bastille? Twilight shook her head. Edge had told her to find this bar and what was she doing? She was getting distracted. Instead, the Unicorn focused on looking for...

Twilight stopped dead. There, in giant letters that glowed a bright orange were the words: "The Apple Barrel! Fresh Cider every day!" Twilight frowned, walking up to the bar. It was a shabby looking place. Instead of a tall, majestic building, the bar looked almost like a small shop. Several bales of hay sat in front of the bar, upon which several empty bottles lay scattered.Among the bottles, was a small, rusted bell. Twilight stopped again, just short of one of the bales. The inside of the bar looked filthy. Cobwebs and dust caked every available surface. They weaved in-between the bottles and hung over the side of the bar. What should she do? Edge had told her to find this bar as well as a Pony called AppleJack. But Edge had not told her what AppleJack looked like or even if the Pony was a Stallion or a mare. Feeling completely out of place, Twilight sat down on one of the bales. Twilight reached out, feeling stupid for just being here and rang the bell.

"Howdy do!" A voice said, its owner hidden by the shadows inside the bar. The voice had a southern accent and it was definitely female. Despite the filth in the bar, the voice sounded high spirited. "You wanna' bottle'a Cider?" Twilight mumbled what she supposed was a satisfactory reply, because the next thing she knew a dusty bottle of bubbling liquid had been placed in front of her with a resounding clink. Twilight looked up. The mare standing in front of her had a wavy mane of blonde hair which clashed with the Mares orange fur. The Mare was also wearing a large, though slightly patched Stetson hat perched on top of her head. A pair of grass-green eyes widened as they took in Twilight. The Mare gasped. "Twilight. Is that you?" Twilight frowned at the Orange mare. "Twi!" The mare gasped, tears starting to leak out of the those emerald green eyes. "It's me. AppleJack! It's so good to see ya!"