Mirrors Edge Ch 3 (derpy)

From the late-winter period and on through the early days of spring in Ponyville, the sunlight was a sort of blessing in the otherwise cool air. Even after the sparkling snow had melted during this years Winter Wrap Up, its chill still lingered nearby. Despite this fact, Derpy Hooves remained sheltered from the rays of sunlight under a red and white parasol. The umbrella, being perched on a long metal pole that jutted through the table in front of her, was just high enough so that it hid her body from the sun. This was true of course with the exception of her wings, which she preferred to keep in the warmth of its glow.

Derpy's table was located in the outside seating section of one of her favorite restaurants: The Blossomed Daisy. This was her preferable place to relax whilst reading the journal which she had found on her pillow upon waking. Here she could sit and sip a tall glass of fresh-made lemonade as she allowed the words to flow freely back into her mind.

It was a bit of a thrill, really. Many of the events that she had written down the previous night had indeed vacated her memory. However, while she could not remember each event itself, she could remember and recognize the emotions from certain events. For example, even though she did not directly remember diving to catch a falling baby robin after it fell from its nest, she was still familiar with the sudden rush of excitement and terror that had befallen her at that moment. Because of this she had very little trouble putting two and two together and matching each event with the emotions they had derived from.

This process of course was not without flaw. Minor events, such as eating with Fluttershy, were not quick to return to her memory. In addition to that, details to any events were often scarce. If it were not written in her journal she would have never been reminded of what the robins looked like, or the way that the elderly stallion at Red Leaf tended to mispronounce words that had a strong use of the letter L.

The mare sighed, and closed the journal once she was finished reading. She relaxed her shoulders, allowing them to slouch a little, and let her wings fold neatly back to her sides. The pegasus then looked up to the parasol. Its round shape and duel colored fabric was just like all the others on the restaurant's property. Its pole, like the rest of them, rose the same three and a half feet above the table top below, which had the same circular shape as the others.

The umbrella itself radiated with a sense of common familiarity that she felt within her, and the same feeling seemed to arouse within the atmosphere of the restaurant. The waiter, whose name she knew only because of the name tag he wore on his chest, had known to prepare her a glass of lemonade before she could even order it. When he brought the beverage to her, for he knew she was left hooved. He also acknowledged her by name twice: once when greeting her, and once again five minutes later when asking if she would like anything to eat. While these were generally recognized as displays of good customer service, they were also bits of information that could have only been learned over a period of time and a number of visits to the facility.

Derpy sighed softly as her gaze was directed towards the drink. Even in the cool air, condensation had managed to form on the outside of the glass.

It then occurred to her the question of how she had ended up at the eatery. Not once did she need to ask anypony for directions. Instead she simply knew to hover down the trail from her house for six minutes, take a left at the first turn, then continue down the path for another five until she saw the charming little faded red brick structure with the black-shingled roof. She was able to make the trip in the same way that she had lead Cheerilee to her own house the night before; that is without the need to think about it.

She leaned in closely to the glass and took a sip of the sweet tasting beverage through the straw, which held the same colors as the umbrellas. As well as quenching her thirst, the taste was very satisfying. Unlike artificial lemonade which was the concoction of a diluted powder in water, this drink had the crisp tang of freshly squeezed lemons. But the tart lemon was not without the company of the blissful sweetness brought in by the real sugar. It was funny, she thought, just how much of a difference could be found between an artificial powder and the real thing.

Derpy wondered if there were any ponies that might have a greater knowledge of how memories worked. Maybe some pony in town could better explain why she was able to remember such things as the location of a restaurant when she was unable to recall what sort of muffins she had for lunch the previous day.

Her gaze panned to her journal.

 Maybe, she thought,  there is some pony who may know after all.

---

For Derpy Hooves, a visit to the local library was not a regular occurrence. She did know where it was, and that it was in fact inside a very large tree.  She also knew that it was filled with books. However she never had the particular need to stop by. In fact, reading at all was something she rarely did on her own time. until recently she never truly had the need-or the proficiency, for that matter- to read at all. It was not that she was unable to read, but rather that it was difficult for her. Perhaps it was because of these things that she received such mixed reactions from Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike when she entered the library that noon.

Spike being the younger of the two was the first to allow his curiosity to be spoken in the form of words. "Isn't that Derpy Hooves?" he asked with a raised brow. He had been standing on a ladder to put a few books in their places on the top shelves when the pegasus had stepped through the doorway.

Upon hearing the question Twilight looked up from her studies. She acted as if this was the first time she noticed Derpy inside the store, when in fact she was aware from the very moment the door had opened. Actually she was more than aware, she seemed rather excited.

The purple unicorn used her magic to close the book on ancient civilizations that she had been reading and stood up. "Well hello Derpy," she said with a smile as she trotted cheerfully over to where the visitor stood. "I didn't expect to see you here. Is there a specific book you're looking for?"

Derpy scanned the room quickly. High walls were laced with bookshelves which were just as high as the walls. There had to be at least ten thousand books in the library, and she began to wonder just how they were able to find any book at all.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. She hadn't actually thought about what she was looking for, but maybe she could try and describe her problem. "A lot of strange things have been happening recently; some memory problems. Well, actually I think I always had memory problems. But I want to know why, and I thought maybe there would be a book that could tell me why I can remember some things and not other things. Does that make sense?" The pegasus winced.

Twilight seemed un-phased. "I am sure we have a book like that somewhere in here. What sort of things are you not having problems remembering?"

"Places."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Derpy said, looking away, "like where I live. I want to know why I don't have any trouble remembering how to get to places like home."

"Oh! Well why didn't you say so?" Twilight seemed to understand what it was that Derpy was trying to describe. "It sounds to me like you are looking for a book that talks about the subconscious."

"Sub-a-what now?" Spike said, doing a double take.

Twilight smiled. "Subconscious, Spike. It's the part of your brain that you don't control. It's what makes dreams and gives you emotions, and also what lets you remember things without thinking about them."

Derpy hadn't the slightest clue about what Twilight was speaking of. However the unicorn did seem to understand this entire situation, so she decided to listen to what the pony had to say.

A purple glow magically formed around Twilight's horn. The same glow then appeared around a thick blue book, which she lifted from its position on a shelf and placed carefully on a wooden podium not too far from where they were standing.

"Let's see here," she said as she opened the book and began magically flipping through the pages. Derpy thought it was funny the way she muttered as she searched. "No, nope, that's not it… oh I think I found… never mind, oh here it is!"

Derpy tilted her head to show interest.

"Chapter thirty-two: Subconscious Supplements Relating to Location in Space and or Time."

Derpy spaced out for a second as the unicorn read the title. It was both impressive and a bit intimidating the way that she could read such a title as if it were as simple as the title to a children's book. She shook her head as if waking from a trance before trotting over to where Twilight was. She then peeked over her host's shoulder to take a look at the title of the book, which was of course conveniently printed at the top of every even-numbered page.

Upon seeing the title her eyes widened, and she did a double take. "Wait…" she mumbled, "that's the name of a title in a book called 'Things like Remembering and Stuff?'"

Twilight must not have noticed how comical it was or how much disbelief was in the other mare's voice, for she simply continued to scan the pages offering only a slight nod as an answer to the pegasus' question.

"Ah," the unicorn said at last, "here we go. This is what you must be looking for." Twilight stepped aside as to allow the pegasus to step up and read the book for herself.

Derpy felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to make it clear that she was a poor reader, but then again it was an inevitable truth.

"You can read, can't you?" Twilight asked her, not realizing how insensitive she was being. In her mind she was only joking around. However, when Derpy blushed a bright red and bit her lip, the smile disappeared. "Oh I didn't mean to…"

"No," Derpy cut in, "I can read. Just, not very well." She looked down and kicked at the ground a little.

Twilight, who must have been feeling awful at this point because she had an expression of dread on her face, felt rather awkward. However in light of what had just happened she felt obligated to offer her assistance.

"Say no more, Derpy. I would be happy to read for you!" Her tone of voice was friendly, and it seemed as if she sincerely wanted to offer her help not only as an assistant, but as a friend too.

"Oh thank you, Twilight!" Derpy said happily. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and she felt a cold chill go down her spine.

 How do I know her name?/ She thought to herself.

All of a sudden she felt her eyes roll, and everything faded to black. In addition to an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, she felt a sudden urge of fear. Was this really happening again?

Her mind went blank, and Twilights voice dissipated into nothingness. She felt alone, and in her subconscious she was alone.

A psychedelic array of lights and pictures flashed across her vision. Pictures of the pony flashed all around. Her first visit to Ponyville, her appearance at the Summer Sun Celebration, her part in the previous year's Winter Wrap Up; memories of all sorts were flooding before her very eyes. But there was more than that. Distant images of a young filly with a purple coat appeared before her. But it wasn't the filly herself who confused Derpy; it was the scenery around her. She did not recognize this place. The buildings all around her were unfamiliar, and the flora was different than that of which grows in Ponyville.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it was all over. Her vision and hearing returned, and she was standing in the same place she had been before.

"Did that sound right?" Twilight asked curiously. Was it possible that she was completely oblivious to what had just happened?

"Wha?" Derpy stuttered, though it was more statement than question.

Twilight turned her head and cocked a brow. "Weren't you listening? I just spent five minutes reading the chapter to you."

There was an awkward moment of silence.

What do I do now? Do I tell her? What will she think of me? She is staring at me, I have to say something. Maybe I should just tell her the truth.

Derpy sighed. She found that there was no reason to lie. Slowly, and painstakingly, she explained to the unicorn everything that she knew. She spared no detail, and mentioned every little thing she had written down in her journal and what she had learned since then. She explained how that once before at Red Leaf she had blacked out, and also how she lost consciousness soon afterwards.

"This time was different though," she explained. "I didn't faint after returning to my senses."

Twilight voiced the oh-so popular "hmm" that every pony associates with thinking, the sound of which trailed off as she turned back to the book. Her eyes began jumping from left to right, scanning the small print on the pages before her. They stopped searching, and the smile of a satisfied scholar appeared on her face. She began to read a particular passage from the book:

"Understanding dreams is not unlike reading a map. In both cases landmarks are an essential key to success. But before you can find a landmark you must first understand what makes one. Reoccurring events or locations can become such landmarks."

Derpy took a moment to digest what had been read. At first she began to wonder how that passage could relate to the issue. It seemed to only explain why she could remember where places were, such as her home. But the way Twilight spoke the word 'reoccurring' seemed to stand out. "So," she questioned, "because I have seen you more often than Cheerilee, you are landmarked in my memory?"

Hearing Derpy say it must have contradicted what Twilight had been thinking. Her smile faded to a plain expression and she displayed a small amount of disappointment. "But that doesn't seem like the answer. I hardly see you at all around Ponyville, so I doubt you see me very much."

It was true; Derpy did not see Twilight much at all. Maybe every once in a while she would catch a glimpse of the unicorn walking with Spike riding on her back, but that was only every now and then. But there was something in particular that made it difficult to separate truth from assumptions. There was a brief moment in her visions when the images of Twilight did not seem to fit in with the others. She had seen a young filly, a child version of the present unicorn in front of her, and she was in a place not like Ponyville. Had Derpy met Twilight somewhere else?

Twilight seemed to share in Derpy's confusion, but not for the same reasons. The unicorn was once again scavenging through the chapter to see if she could find more information.

Even though Derpy was disappointed that they didn't find all the answers, she was still excited that they had solved the other problem. "While that doesn't explain why I didn't faint, at least I know why I can remember."

Twilight looked up from the studies and offered the other a smile. She appeared to be happy to accept the implied "thank you."

Derpy went on. "Maybe if I learn how to make these 'landmarks,' I could keep from forgetting as much as I do."

"Maybe," Twilight replied suggestively, "and you might be able to uncover landmarks that have already been formed!"

Derpy had her doubts, but the thought of remembering anything was enough to fill her with a sort of joy that filled her heart. "That sounds great! So how do I make landmarks?"

The unicorn looked back to the book. "According to this you create landmarks through a process called 'Incepting Reminders.' Which makes sense because inception means 'the start of' or 'beginning'. You have to 'incept' some sort of unforgettable element into an otherwise easy-to-forget area. By doing this you will be able to create a mental map, and what makes it even better is that the more of these inceptions you make the better you will remember all the others!"

Inception? thought Derpy.

Twilight must have picked up on her thoughts because she went on to say: "It sounds interesting doesn't it?"

Derpy nodded. "But wait, you said I need to insert some sort of 'unforgettable element.' What does that mean?"

Twilight read a little further on in her head. "Well it doesn't say anything else on the subject other than that there are a number of different types of these elements. But we will have to just do some research of our own!"

We? Derpy wondered. "Excuse me Twilight, but did you say we?"

Twilight smiled and closed her eyes as she offered an expression that displayed her sincerity. "Of course Derpy, I would do anything to help a friend."

Friend… There was that word again. It was the second time she had heard that word used to describe her. When Derpy first left her house the day before, she never would have dreamed that she would have friends. Then again she was too upset then to think about it, and before then she probably couldn't have had any real friends anyways. It was most likely that nopony could understand her well enough to consider Derpy a friend.

"Spike!" the unicorn called.

The pitter-patter of tiny dragon feet on the wooden ground echoed lightly in the quiet library. "I'm here!" he said holding both a quill and parchment.

"Spike, make a list and title it 'The Reminder's Inceptive.'"

Spike did as told.

The unicorn turned away from the other two and started pacing. "First we will need to try and find out what sort of 'inceptives' can be used to help with her memory. We will go to the park where we have our pet play-dates tomorrow and test out a few different ideas. Then we will go visit the Cakes and the Apples to see if we can find any landmarks you may have already embedded into your memory. Then we can come back in two days to review our progress!" She turned to Derpy. "From now on we have but one objective, to help you remember!"