Snapshot hated mornings.
He hated them even more when he woke up with a splitting headache.
But something was different this time.
The ceiling was oddly white.
And there was a distinct lack of walls, or beds or…
Anything.
Snapshot rubbed his eyes as he rolled over and dragged himself into a sitting position. His headache was already receding, quickly becoming a dull throb in the back of his mind. He shook his head and took in his surroundings.
Nothing.
Snapshot could feel his heart rate going up. Where in the world was he? How could he recognize nothing?
Alright, Snapshot thought. Maybe I’m just having a really weird dream. That was it. There was really no other explanation.
Snapshot recoiled as he felt something cold on his muzzle. And another cold sensation on his hoof. He inspected the irritated spots.
Rain? Sure enough, more and more raindrops fell on Snapshot’s coat and mane at a steady rate. He wasn’t really sure how. He looked up at the sky.
Or what Snapshot thought was the sky. If it weren’t for the fact that he was sitting on the whiteness beneath him, he wouldn’t be able to tell up from down.
“You’re going to get terribly soaked out there.”
Snapshot had never thought he could move that fast. He instinctively turned towards the voice, while at the same time jumping up and backing away from it. He couldn’t believe what he saw.
There was a mare standing beneath a tree. That definitely wasn’t there before.
There was a small, raised patch of yellow-green grass, and in the middle of it stood a tree unlike anything Snapshot had ever seen before. The leaves themselves were moving, like little movies were playing inside them.
But most peculiar of all was the unknown mare standing under it, near the trunk.
“Who are you?” Snapshot asked, taking another step back.
“I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Snapshot couldn’t help but believe her. Her voice was very soothing, and she was the only creature he had seen so far in this mysterious place. Maybe she could help him.
Snapshot carefully walked and stood underneath the tree, a respectable distance from the mare. “Miss, please. Who are you?” He flicked his wet mane out of his eyes and stared worryingly at her.
“You can call me Berry.” Berry sat down and stared unemotionally at Snapshot. It unnerved him. But at the same time, she seemed… familiar.
“Do I know you?” Snapshot slowly sat down with her as the rain began to pick up around them. It remained oddly quiet, though. He could hear the wind more than the rain.
Berry smiled. “Yes. You do.” Snapshot waited for her to tell him how, but she didn’t elaborate. He decided to drop it for the moment, he had a bigger issue.
“Where are we?”
“Hmm…” Berry looked thoughtfully out into the white void. “Call it the Between.”
Snapshot wasn’t satisfied. “The Between? Where in Tartarus is that?”
Berry giggled. “Well, it’s called the Between because you’re between Tartarus and the Aether. We aren’t in Tartarus, don’t worry.”
Snapshot was very worried.
“This is just a weird dream,” Snapshot stated. He held his head between his hooves and sighed. “Soon I’ll be back with the rest of the squad and we’ll go about our day. But I guess I don’t decide when I wake up, huh?” He glared slightly at Berry, as if this was all her fault.
Berry, however, just tilted her head, still no sign of emotion on her face. “I can assure you that this is no dream, Snapshot. We are no longer in Equestria. In fact, we are no longer in Equus at all. We’re in the Between.”
Snapshot hasn’t told her his name, but if she really knew him, he guess it wasn’t that big of a surprise. Besides, what came after his name was far more unsettling. “Uh, sure. We’re in some recess of my brain right now.” He ended his rebuttal rather sarcastically.
“Are you hungry?” Berry asked.
What was with this mare? Snapshot shook his head but decided to play along. “I suppose so. Anything to pass the time.”
Berry stared at him for a second. “Follow me,” she said as she suddenly got up and walked out into the rain. Snapshot scrambled to his hooves and ran into the rain after her.
Berry was going straight towards another tree and patch of grass that seemed pretty far away. Snapshot slightly behind and to the left of her, occasionally shaking his head to clear his vision from his soaking mane.
The two walked in silence. The sound of the wind was deafening; the rain had nothing on it. In fact, Snapshot couldn’t even feel the water beneath him. As if it was just falling through whatever they walked on.
And just like that, the rain stopped.
Snapshot blinked and turned around. No, it had not stopped. He stared as the rain refused to pass a certain point. It was like an invisible barrier only let him and Berry through and nothing else.
Snapshot didn’t have long to dwell on it. Berry didn’t slow down in the slightest. Shaking the water off, he ran to catch up with his mysterious companion. “Hey, Berry? Why did the rain just stop?”
Berry didn’t face him. “We walked out of that section.”
Snapshot was getting annoyed with the lack of coherent answers.
After another fifteen or so minutes of walking, they arrived at the other tree. Just like the other, Snapshot noticed the leaves moving. He couldn’t make out what they were showing though.
“Sit with me?” Snapshot turned to Berry, who was now sitting on the ground, a blanket on the ground and a basket next to her.
Snapshot had no idea where it came from, and it certainly wasn’t on her. “Alright.” He sat on the opposite side of the blanket as Berry pulled some sandwiches out of the basket. After giving him one, she grabbed some carrots and celery. She also produced a pitcher of juice out of the basket. How she fit all that inside the basket, Snapshot didn’t know. But he was wondering if he should just stop questioning everything here at this point.
“If you want seconds, just let me know. I have plenty packed.” With that said, Berry took a big bite of her sandwich. Snapshot looked at his sandwich. It looked pretty good, but he really wasn’t hungry. He didn’t want to be rude, though, so he took a small bite and ate a couple carrots.
Regardless of how good it was, Snapshot’s mind was elsewhere. “What's really going on?”
Berry cocked her head and frowned. “What do you mean?”
Snapshot had had it. “All of this!” He gestured all around them. “You say it’s not a dream, but what other explanation is there! None of this makes sense!” He laid down and put his head in his hooves. “The worst part is, it doesn’t even feel like a dream anymore…”
Berry looked at Snapshot with pity. She sighed and put her sandwich aside. “I tried to put your mind at ease, lead you gently into this.” She got up, walked over to him, and sat down again. Putting a hoof on Snapshot’s back and rubbing in circles, she continued, “But it clearly hasn’t worked.”
Snapshot didn’t respond. He just rubbed his temples. Berry took her hoof and rubbed it in circles on Snapshot’s back.
They stayed like that for a bit. Snapshot just didn’t want to talk, and Berry didn’t really know what to say. “Do you remember anything that happened before?” Berry tried to think where she was going to drag this.
“I don’t remember anything. Why don’t I remember anything from yesterday?”
Berry could hear the frustration in his voice. “Let me show you something.”
Snapshot looked up at her. The wind around them picked up suddenly, and the leaves on the tree trembled violently. One of them broke off and landed directly in Berry’s outstretched hoof. Snapshot watched her curiously. “Look at this.” Berry flattened the large leaf between her hooves and showed him the center.
Snapshot couldn’t believe it. It was him, albeit a bit younger. It was the time he graduated from the guard academy, and he could remember it as clearly as he saw it on the leaf. It was one of the happiest moments of his life. He could also see some of his family from the perspective it gave him. “What is this, Berry? How is this possible?”
“You wouldn’t understand the real name. Just call this tree, the Time Tree. Each leaf shows an unforgettable memory from your head. Even if you can’t recall it right at the moment.” They both watched as the wind picked up again and blew the leaf out of her hoof. A couple other leaves from the tree began to fall.
“What is happening? Why am I here?” Snapshot watched in a trance as the leaves full of his memories drifted off into the nothingness.
“I suppose there’s no easy way around this.” Berry didn’t continue, though. Instead, she grabbed Snapshot’s hoof and pulled him up. Together, they walked closer to the tree and Berry scanned the leaves. “Here.” She pulled a specific leaf off a branch and showed it to him.
Snapshot grabbed it and studied it. It showed a dark night, and him patrolling around the city. It was snowing and the wind was blowing gently. It looked like any other night in the Canterlot streets.
But even though he couldn’t hear anything, he could tell something caught his attention, as he saw himself stop and whip his head down an alley. He saw himself yell something, and activate the emergency signal on his chestplate.
And it all came back to him.
“This was yesterday. I remember now…” Snapshot looked at Berry in disbelief. “How could I not remember this?”
“It… wasn’t yesterday. Just keep watching.” Berry had returned to her emotionless state.
Snapshot returned to the leaf. The view had changed. He could see himself charging a rather large stallion that was accosting a young mare. “It’s you,” Snapshot said softly.
“Yes, that is me. You tried to save me rather than wait for backup and take a chance on that stallion not hurting me.”
Snapshot deflated at her words. “Tried?”
Berry shook her head. “When you startled him, he stabbed me, right in the lung. I didn’t suffer long.” Snapshot winced. “After me, you tried to stop him, not knowing I was already hurt. But he was too strong. He overpowered you and strangled you. He panicked since he thought he killed you, a guard, and tried to hide your body. Threw you in the moat.”
Snapshot didn’t say anything.
“I was already gone when they found me. You, however, survived. For the time being. Multiple hits to the head and lack of oxygen left you in a coma.” Berry paused. She analyzed Snapshot’s face.
He was a statue.
Berry continued, “You hung on in a coma for a while. Almost a week, in fact. But the doctors said you would never wake up. Princess Luna summoned your parents and family, and together they made the decision to end life support.”
Snapshot had seen enough. He dropped the leaf and it joined others in drifting off into the unknown. He looked up at the tree. It was getting rather barren.
“So what now?”
Berry didn’t answer.
Snapshot turned to her. “Were the stories and books true? Is there judgement?”
Berry smiled at him. “I don’t think you should worry about that. I know you’ve more than earned it.”
Snapshot sighed deeply through his nostrils.
Thunder boomed in the distance.
Snapshot spun around and gazed out into the nothingness. Except it seemed that now it was no longer nothing.
There was a huge black cloud. Lightning crackled within it, and it was expanding on the horizon.
Snapshot’s ears fell down in worry. “W-what is that?”
“Don’t look at it, Snapshot.” Berry’s voice was rather forceful. It didn’t help put his mind at ease. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he turned back to the tree. Berry stared at it, despite her warning to him. “Look at the leaves.”
Snapshot couldn’t help but feel immense dread at whatever was manifesting behind him. He shakily caught a fallen leaf and observed it. This time he was much younger; still in school, in fact. It was the night of a Hearts and Hooves dance. He remembered all the events of that night fondly.
Thunder boomed behind him. Berry stood watching the imminent storm. “Keep looking. Pick another if you have to.” Berry never looked away.
Snapshot didn’t answer. He looked up and caught another leaf.
It was the day his best friend got married. He saw everyone in dresses and suits; everything seemed perfect. They were all dancing and having drinks. It was a good time. He mainly focused on the bride and groom, though.
Snapshot wondered if they were doing ok.
The storm was starting to surround them.
One by one, Snapshot caught the leaves and watched events from his life go by. After a little bit, he entered a trance. The struggle of coming to terms with his death on top of whatever was happening in this dreamlike area left him catatonic.
Berry stopped watching the storm, now almost upon the tree. She turned to face Snapshot.
Berry noticed that Snapshot didn’t seem to notice his lower jaw melting away.
In fact, most of his mane and tail had already splattered onto the tree’s small island, staining it with his colors.
Snapshot was lost in another leaf. Berry observed with him.
It was the day he was born.
A strange memory for the tree to pull, Berry thought. She had never seen that before.
Regardless, Snapshot was lost in it.
The storm had surrounded them both. But it didn’t seem to want to go past where the ground started. Instead, it crackled it’s lightning and angrily roared at them, as if it was communicating.
Berry glared at it. She hated the storm. She knew why it was here, too.
But it wouldn’t get what it wanted.
Fire erupted around the edges of the island, spraying flames outwards towards the storm. A wall of magnificent colors flared high around them, protecting them from the hell outside.
Berry looked back at Snapshot. He had opted to lay down on the soft grass. All of his body was gone, leaving behind a skeleton laying in a pool of his colors. Only some of his head remained. His eyes vigilantly continued to watch himself being born.
Berry moved her eyes up to the now barren tree. It shook violently in the wind.
“I’m sorry, Berry Cobbler.”
Berry looked back down at Snapshot. His eyes were currently melting, and only the top of his head and ears remained. She knew he didn’t speak it, rather, she heard him in her mind.
“It’s ok. It’s not your fault.”
Snapshot didn’t answer. The last bit of him melted. His skeleton laid peacefully on the ground.
Thunder exploded all around Berry. She ignored it.
Berry watched as the pool began to slowly move towards the tree. The ground began to crumble away as the fire slowly moved inward.
The pool had started to wrap itself around the tree. Snapshot’s mane and tail colors had taken over the roots, while his coat had surrounded the limbs and trunk.
It was always a beautiful sight, Berry thought as she watched.
The fire had reached her body, and the ground was starting to give underneath her. Once it ignited her tail, her whole body caught at once.
It instantly burned her to ash. Berry’s remains were swept up by the winds. In it, they began to swirl around the tree.
The final drops of the pool had finished wrapping itself. The last bit of the ground had fallen, leaving just the tree itself. Prismatic fire encircled the tree, as the storm occupied the free space below it. It roared venomously at the tree.
The fire contracted and touched the tree. Immediately, a brilliant smoke, the same color as Snapshot’s eyes, arose from it.
The smoke broke through the storm and drifted upwards. Eventually, it broke through the white, exposing a beautiful yellow light above.
The storm couldn’t enter it. It longed to penetrate through. It wanted what was rightfully its.
The light enveloped the tree as the fire extinguished itself. It began to pull it up towards the Aether.
The storm could do nothing but flash its lightning and sound its thunder.
The tree rose above the break in the Between.
It sealed itself.
~~~
Mother Equus stood over the newest addition to the Garden; a tree with no leaves, ever swirling all over with the essence of its owner.
Mother Equus brought forth a talon in her magical grip.
She sliced a small incision into her frog and held it over the ground of the tree.
Small droplets of blood soaked into the soil.
Mother Equus shifted her eyes from her hoof to the tree’s limbs. She observed it quietly.
Leaves had begun to sprout. Within the leaves, the memories of its owner were shown.
The liquid around the limbs stopped swirling and became peaceful. Occasionally a small ripple would flow on the surface.
Mother Equus turned and walked down the row. Millions of leaves on thousands of trees moved around her as she slowly made her way back to the Garden’s gates.
