Oh, Nelly

History is a fickle thing and more oft than not the surviving retellings are not completely true to the actual events. Sometimes it happens naturally, word of mouth muddled over generational embellishments and failing memories. Sometimes, it is influenced - records altered, scribes bribed, and naysayers silenced, all to promote one version over another.

It was not often that history was completely wiped, a hole punched in the memory of the world that no one even knew was missing.

~~

Twilight watched the vortex lazily drift around its cage, somehow seeming to enjoy her discomfort and Celestia’s pain. With the knowledge of what Celestia had done to the mare, the horrifying ability to take all of someone's memories and merge them with their soul to leave behind…that thing, came the uncomfortable realization that Twilight did not remember the supposed event. She had lived in Canterlot for most of her life and while the specific fate of Whoa Nelly could have been written over, there was no record whatsoever of her crimes.

The more she thought, the more the obvious conclusion came to light, as sick and twisted as it was. The only way Celestia could have made sure that this path she decided for Whoa Nelly would have worked, was if no one remembered the original mare and events at all.

Twilight pulled away from Celestia, as painful as the action was for the both of them and took a deep breath before bluntly stating. “You took away all of her memory and sealed it here, but that’s not all you did, is it?”

Celestia pursed her lips, responding in a diplomatic tone. “I needed to make sure that Equestria would allow her to have a second chance without the taint of her past actions. For that, I needed to…rewrite history.”

Twilight scoffed incredulously. “Rewrite history? Rewriting history is hiding that Nightmare Moon was actually your sister Luna. That’s not what happened here, you didn’t rewrite anything, this time you completely obliterated it!” Twilight motioned at the vortex that was the real Whoa Nelly. “It was one thing to take away her memories and make her pay for her crimes, however roundabout it may be, but to then use that sort of magic on the rest of the world?!”

Celestia watched, neutral, as Twilight stood and began to pace, the young alicorn’s wings half extended and feathers fluffed in irritation, the storm once more picking up as it fed off her agitation. “I mean, where would you even come up with that sort of idea? Memory magic is extremely volatile and it’s not very well researched, Clover the Clever is the last mage to have made significant progress on it, not to mention the ethical implications of-”

Twilight froze mid step, replaying the last sentence over and over in her mind. She recalled being let into a secret archive to uncover a scroll and help Sunset Shimmer. How, somewhere buried under her excitement, hindsight allowed her to recognize the tinge of déjà vu she had brushed off at the time. “Clover the Clever’s research…”

She suddenly whipped around to face Celestia, a dreadful accusation on the tip of her tongue, but her heart not having the strength to throw it. It was a double edged sword that would cut not only the once princess of the sun, but herself as well.

And the answer was already plain on Celestia’s face.

Twilight’s knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor, desperately searching for some recollection but finding blanks. In the broadest strokes she knew what had happened and what she had to have done, but her mind provided no details, no specifics. She could almost feel the nights of research she had doubtless spent, burning candle after candle as she crafted spells of a magic she had little practice with. But it wasn’t there.

Twilight remained frozen on the ground as Celestia walked over to her. “For what it is worth, I am sorry. At the time, you weren’t ready to know of your destiny, so I had to erase your involvement along with everything else revolving around Whoa Nelly.”

“Did you…did you ask me to do it?”

“I don’t see what difference-”

“Did you ask me?!”

“...Yes. It was a year or two before I sent you to Ponyville for the Thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. You were still living in Canterlot as my personal student. I showed you the archives and asked for your expertise and assistance.”

Celestia kneeled beside Twilight, her voice pleading. “It wasn’t meant to be actually used, it was more of a theoretical practice that could work. I wasn’t even entirely sure it would until I performed it.”

The maelstrom that was Whoa Nelly screamed, drawing the attention of both alicorns as it assaulted the barrier with renewed vigor. Somehow, Twilight could sense that its efforts were now directed at her, as her involvement in the punishment was made clear.

Celestia gently nudged Twilight to stand, and began to lead the trembling mare back into the passageway. When they were just past the doorway, Twilight paused and looked over her shoulder, the echoes of screams bouncing around the halls.

“We…I…did the right thing, didn’t I?”

“Yes. I still want to spare you the disturbing details, so please trust me when I say that this was the best outcome. Lives were lost back then, but so many more were forever changed for the worse. But with this, with your brilliant spells and research, they were able to have a second chance. And now, Whoa Nelly is working for the betterment of Equestria.”

Twilight nodded as Celestia brought the wall back into place, the sudden silence just as deafening as the roars of the true Whoa Nelly. It was too much for Twilight as the reality of the past hours suddenly crashed onto her. She needed to distract herself, keep talking until her hammering heart slowed again. “Why did you show me this? What would I have to do with her? Is, is there more spells I need to add, does the barrier need reinforcements, do-”

Her rambles cut off as Celestia laid a hoof on her shoulder, a comforting smile on her face. “I know it is a lot to process and understand, but the lesson I needed to impart is that a ruler must be able to weigh the cost of one to the good of the entire nation. You will need to make seemingly impossible choices in the pursuit of balance and harmony, and it’s important you are ready for whatever consequences may come from your decisions.”

Twilight took this in, her wings opening and closing on her back as she tried to bleed off some of her nervous energy. The rest went towards thinking, her mind whirring and turning over Celestia’s words at a pace that impressed herself. “This…isn’t the first time entire events have been wiped from the memories of Equestria, is it.”

“I can say this is the first time with such specific circumstances, but, yes. It was easier in the early days, when little was written on paper and naysayers were easier to discourage speaking out, but it’s happened more often than you realize. And now it is up to you to decide what the future is taught of our lives.”

~~

History is a fickle thing, said to be written by the victors - implying that surviving retellings may not be completely true to the actual events. Through altered records, the bribing of scribes, and silencing of naysayers and ‘truth spreaders’, anyone dedicated enough could promote one version over another.

What was not often said is that it could be erased by them as well, so thoroughly scrubbed clean that no one would even know there was anything missing.