The Memories of the Roses

To live forever is to lose forever; to know those you loved and cherished will perish as you move on. It's almost too much to take.

One evening, Princess Celestia relaxes out on the balcony overseeing Canterlot. A thought runs through her mind, a memory from the distant past surfaced as the sun princess gazes out into the red sky.

Life is full of meanings, but what if a pony didn't have one? To live a life is to have a soul, but what if a pony had no soul? To have a destiny is to have a place in the land of Equestria, but what if a pony had no destiny? These are the thoughts of Alma, a particular pony born lost.

A raven-haired earth pony with a coat ashen-red and eyes that resembled a faint, flickering ember, He Who is Lost sook a destiny, a longing fate to his empty life, but it never came, and he eventually gave up.

In Equestria, a long time ago were a species called the Lost Ones, ponies with no place in the world; who had no destiny; a fate possessed of nothingness. With no purpose or belonging, The Lost Ones grew bitter and resentful, fueling the only emotion they ever had. Hatred.

A Lost One can be identified as a pony with ashen or grayish coats often mixed with a variation of an existing color. All of them have manes and tails the color of a raven's feathers and the eyes of a dying ember that flew too far from the fire. They have no cutie marks.

Studies had shown that the Lost Ones were mostly earth ponies, rarely would there be pegasi or unicorns. A Lost One pegasus had droopy wings and a Lost One unicorn had very little magic or even control over the sorcery.

The Lost Ones were referred to as the wasteful and the unfortunate; omens born with no purpose, and with their ill existence were banished, excluded from the rest of the world, and placed in a barren land until the end of their days.

The anger and contempt they felt toward their brethren who had destinies were not unfounded, however, Alma was different. He shared none of the same hatred his ashen brothers and sisters felt in the past. It did not matter to Alma to hate those who had destinies or futures because nothing would change. He would be born as nothing and die as nothing.

A heart cold and hard as stone, bones faulty, body reviled, and existence soulless and dead, it would seem the Lost One, Alma, was waiting for his life to end. The endling of the Lost Ones, sulking on the cracked earth of the Graveyard of Hatred. In the future, it would become the Dragon Lands.

One day, a pony as radiant as the sun appeared.

An alicorn with a coat of pure white, a mane that shimmered a pink and blue, her illustrious eyes would shine in the deepest darkness, and a cutie mark resembling the sun. Alma has never seen a pony like her. She wore a gentle smile who exhibited an interest in Alma.

The two ponies were at complete odds. A pony is born with nothing and is nothing encountered a pony who is born with everything and is everything; the light and dark stood in front of one another, and for the first time in Alma's entire existence, he didn't feel lonely.

The young alicorn's name was Celestia, a pony who strayed from her parents to go adventuring in the Barren Lands.

"I am Celestia," she said, her voice sounding as beautiful and coruscating as an angel. "What's your name?"

Alma turned away from Celestia's bright stare as if it was too much to handle; the friendliness the stallion experienced was foreign. He felt like he didn't deserve this.

"Hey, you're one of those Lost Ones in the stories mom and dad told me, but it seems that you're all alone. I'll be your friend."

"You can't," he muttered. Alma's voice had lost any vigor and happiness. It was nothing but an arid, monotoned sound.

Celestia pouted and her cheeks puffed. "Why not?" she asks.

Alma gestured his body. "Look at me. You think you could be friends with something like me?"

Celestia tilted her head and smiled. "I would like to only if you let me. No pony should be lonely."

Alma turned his gaze from Celestia to the cracked earth. "Some ponies don't get a choice," he said, hanging his head in shame. "I was born like this; I inherit the loneliness of my ancestors."

Celestia giggled and stepped close to Alma. "There's a difference between being lonely and alone that mother taught me. Being alone means you have the choice to as long as you want, but if you're lonely, you're only holding yourself back," she explained. Even at such a young age, Celestia exhibited a shrewd rationale.

Hearing her words, Alma shifted his head to meet Celestia's ardent gaze. "Would it even matter?" he inquired. "If your parents come here and see you talking with a banished freak, it won't end well."

"I read about your people and it's horrible. Oh, I know! Here! Have this as a token of our friendship!"

"We aren't friends, and what is that?"

Celestia presented a small pendant with an even smaller gem. The auburn-colored gem glistened dimly in the evening light. Alma has never seen anything like it, and he had to admit, it was a wonderful-looking trinket.

Alma raised a brow in bewilderment. "What is that thing?"

"It's called a necklace," she answered with a gleeful squeal. "You put it around your neck!"

"What for?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "To look handsome! It'll go well with your eyes. I made this myself fiddling with my mother's jewelry. She wasn't very pleased I... uh... messed up some gems trying to make one."

Alma was slightly taken aback. It was a present Celestia made just for him. He didn't understand. "And you're giving this to me? Celestia, this might be the last time you'll see me. Ponies just don't come out here."

Celestia leisurely waved her hoof, dismissing Alma's concerns. "I was close by and with all the stories I heard, I just had to see it all for myself. No pony knows I snuck off, even that protective, tattletale sister of mine doesn't know," she said, sticking out her tongue in a playful manner.

Alma was reluctant. "I don't know if I should take this from you. It looks like you worked hard on it."

Celestia held out the necklace, insisting Alma takes it. "I made it give it to a Lost One and you're the only one I've seen, so it's yours. I want to be your friend even if you don't want to be mine. I understand."

Alma sighed quietly and looked at the red sky taking a deep breath. He reached out and took the necklace struggling to put it on. Thinking it was cute, Celestia helped him with a grand smile across her face. It fit perfectly around Alma's neck.

"Symbol of friendship!" Celestia shouted with merriment.

Alma waited for something to happen, but nothing did. "I don't feel any different."

Celestia laughed and snorted gleefully, covering her mouth in surprise. "Silly, that necklace is only an object of our friendship. You and I are friends, the necklaces are only a representation of that friendship."

"But Celestia, I-"

Celestia cut Alma off, looking at the sky. "Oh no! It's getting late! I have to go before some pony notices I've gone missing! I'll never hear the end of it from Luna," she groaned. "What was your name?"

Alma looked at the necklace and took another deep breath. "It's Alma. Hurry along and don't get into trouble."

"Goodbye, Alma! And take good care of that necklace!" Celestia waved, galloping off to her family.

Once again, Alma was alone. He held the necklace in his hoof as he grinned and chuckled to himself. "What was that just now?" Alma rubbed his chest. "I feel something warm inside... I see it now. Celestia, huh? Thanks. I'll cherish this, the only possession to call my own."

And then he was no longer lost but found.

Princess Celestia snapped from her stupor from hoofsteps entering the balcony. Out of her daze, Princess Celestia turns her head to meet the beautiful eyes of her little sister, Princess Luna. The lunar princess came to the balcony from seeing her big sister laying there all alone and sought to join her. She noticed tears streaming down Princess Celestia's eyes and immediately embraced her radiant sister.

"Sister, what's wrong? You're crying..."Princess Luna whispered, caressing her big sister's face. "I'm here. Tell me what ails you."

Princess Celestia looked at her sister with a smile on her face. "Nothing," she sniffled, trying to wipe away her tears. "I just remembered something from a long time ago."

"What was it?"

Princess Celestia continued to wipe the incessant tears from her eyes, but they kept coming no matter how diligently she tried. "One of my first friends I ever made."

"Oh... you told me about him," she said, nuzzling her sister's face. "Do you remember his name?"

"It eludes me... I laid up here for hours thinking about him, trying to remember," she sniffled again. "I must look like a mess. I apologize."

Princess Luna sighed. "It's fine, let it out," she said. "It was centuries ago. He's called a Lost One, right? From the stories."

Princess Celestia nodded. "Yes. I gave him a necklace I made from our mother's jewelry. I worked hard on it to give to a Lost One. When I met him, I gave that necklace to him. I even... helped put it around his neck. He felt soft and so warm."

"Oh, dear sister..."

Princess Celestia's face cracked a weakened smile. "It went wonderfully with his eyes. As I was galloping back to our parents, I could swear I heard him say something."

"Can you remember his name?"

Princess Celestia tried her best, and after a few minutes, the words began to form inside her mind. "Oh, now I remember. Yes. His name was... Al...ma. Alma, the Lost One. I never went back. I could've shown Alma so much."

Princess Luna kissed her sister's mane. "Although Alma is gone, your friendship will never perish."

Princess Celestia finally broke down, weeping profusely in the embrace of her little sister. "Please... stay with me a while longer..."

"You carry many burdens," Princess Luna whispered in her big sister's ear. "I shall comfort you forever and always."

Deep within the Dragon Lands lay a distant cave. Inside was an old necklace surpassing its age laying atop a small, pony-made pedestal. There were words inscribed on the pedestal with messy handwriting saying, "Undying Friendship."

If only she knew.