As her question hung in the air, Sapphire could only see that the guards were still staring at her, prompting her to look around. She then saw that the princesses were behind her, causing her eyes to widen with surprise. "...Um... I can explain?" Sapphire stated with a forced smile until the two guards shook their heads clear of their shock.

"Get her!" one of the guards stated, causing Sapphire to turn her attention towards them as they jumped onto the table before pouncing at her. The sight thankfully brought the two alicorns out of their own stupor.

"Wait, don't hurt her!" Cadance cried out as Sapphire shrieked in surprise, only to blink as she saw the two guards now floating in midair. Sapphire then saw that they were surrounded by a golden aura, causing everypony to turn their attention to Celestia.

"Well, while I commend you two's actions to apprehend a pony that has harmed another, I'm fairly certain that my nephew had brought this on himself. Though, I will admit that the circumstances around this have left me quite surprised," Celestia stated as she set the two guards down. Looking upon Sapphire, Celestia asked, "So, since you said you can explain what happened, I suggest you start from the beginning while the guards bring my nephew to the infirmary."

"...I can't believe that he of all ponies is related to you."

"It's a long distance... and complicated relation, dear. Though, I will admit that his recent actions were... deplorable," Celestia admitted after hearing Sapphire's explanation. While this happened, Celestia ordered the castle staff to clean up the mess and replace all the broken chairs with new ones. "But this memory that you recalled, odd that Blueblood triggered it. But it did seem that this is the most solid memory you’ve had so far, correct?"

Nodding, Sapphire said, "Yeah... and... if I'm right... then I at least know what my mother looked like," as tears started to well up in her eyes. This caused Cadance, who was sitting beside her while Celestia was on the other side of the table, to place a hoof on her wethers.

"Well, even if it wasn't Blueblood's intention, he did turn out useful in the end. And now, Luna finally has something to work with," Celestia declared, before rubbing her chin as she continued, "Though, I'm still curious about that punch you gave to Blueblood. Have you ever displayed other signs of strength that others would consider abnormal?"

"Well... there was the time where I helped Applejack with her farmwork for a day, and I wasn't all that worn out from it. And then there was the time I lugged a cart that had a big fridge on it all by myself... but doesn't that just make me a strong mare?" Sapphire asked as she looked at Celestia, who was lost in thought after hearing what she said.

"I... it is a possibility, but there are so many unknown variables in this matter. But, that memory you remembered, it might hold the keys we need in order to figure out the truth beyond your mysterious appearance in Ponyville," Celestia stated, though she immediately regretted her choice of words as she saw Sapphire flinch at the mention of her appearance, as well as their first interaction that involved it. "It might not be much, but it is our most solid lead we have. So, I humbly request that you stay in the castle for the night."

"But... I have a hotel room that Photo Finish went through the trouble to set up for me. Wouldn't it be weird if I don't show up to use it?" Sapphire asked as she pulled out a key that Photo had given to her after the fashion show.

Raising an eyebrow, Cadance said, "I don't think Photo would mind if you stayed at the castle instead of the hotel. In fact, if Auntie is alright with it, you could stay at the castle for the duration of your trip here and I could simply have one of the guards return the key and inform the hotel staff that you won't be needing the room," as she looked at Celestia, who simply nodded in approval.

As Sapphire was about to protest once more, Celestia added in, "Furthermore, I can have the cooking staff prepare you meals that you have never ever seen before, and as much as you desire during your stay here," to which she saw Sapphire's eyes gleam with interest, causing Celestia to smirk to herself at how simple this mare's desires can be at times.

"I see you have changed shape... Veritas."

"Eh, it's not like I actually possess a true shape. I can take on any form I desire on a whim, Moonbutt."

"...If my magic could have an effect on you, I would wipe you from existence for that insult," Luna growled out as Sapphire's eyes darted back and forth between the princess and Veritas as they were in her memory hall. Veritas now had a form that looked quite similar to Applejack's brother, though she still had her feminine voice present.

"Yeah, but thankfully I'm not a figment of Sapphire's dream, so you can't touch me," Veritas stated before prancing around Luna, much to Sapphire's horror.

As Luna face darkened with anger at Veritas's actions, her eyes suddenly lit up as she said, "Finally, she has entered the dream realm," as her horn lit up, summoning a portal that she partly stepped into. A second later, she pulled herself out of the portal, only for Celestia to follow, causing Sapphire's eyes to widen in shock before she jerked her head in Veritas's direction.

"Veritas, if you’re actually here to help me in some way, then please don't cause me any more trouble," Sapphire pleaded, to which Veritas gave a sagely nod to as she turned towards Celestia who was approaching her.

"I see that you're the entity that my sis—" Celestia started to say until Veritas reared up onto her rear hooves, taking on what looked to be a fighting pose with her forelegs held up before her chest.

"Stranger danger!" Veritas simply exclaimed, causing the two princesses to blink in surprise as Sapphire just gaped in horror at the entity. Luna then let out an exasperated groan as she placed a hoof on her head.

"Sapphire... ignore your tenant's actions for the moment, and instead focus on your memory. Preferably before Veritas succeeds in driving us to our wits' end," Luna requested, to which Sapphire closed her mouth before giving her a short nod as she closed her eyes in concentration. Looking upon the unicorn, Luna lit her horn up, engulfing Sapphire in her magic before the scenery changed to that of the same fuzzy gray field that Sapphire recently remembered. It was right at the beginning of the memory where they could see all the various colored blobs around them, with only Sapphire's potential mother being the only one that was clear to see.

"Is this normal for fragmented memories to appear like this, Luna?" Celestia asked as she examined one of the blobs while Sapphire opened her eyes. She then looked around in confusion due to the part of the memory appearing to be frozen.

"Sometimes sister, for there are different ways for a broken memory to present itself to the viewer. However, in this case, the appearance is due in part of Sapphire having some recollection of the objects around her, but not a full one. Once she has managed to recall any of the things present here, it should clear up so that we all can have a better view," Luna stated, clearing some of Sapphire's confusion as the mare looked at Celestia.

"Umm... Princess Celestia, what are you doing in my mind?" Sapphire asked.

Looking at Sapphire with a simple smile, Celestia answered, "I'm here to help you out as well, Sapphire. After all, a different perspective could provide everypony more insight into the matters on hoof."

Rolling her eyes, Veritas shifted her form to match Celestia's own figure as she said, "She doesn't need another perspective when I'm already here to give one."

Letting out a snort, Luna turned to look at Sapphire, saying, "Sapphire, since we're present at a partly formed memory, we might be able to locate the ponies that you have a connection to if we were able to get a clear view of them. However, to do so, we would need you to do your best to recall what you can. Now, my sister told me that this mare before us could be your mother, but one pony may not be enough for us to track down your family. So, could you attempt to see if you can recall your father? I know I'm asking for something that might be impossible for you to do, but all you have to do is follow your heart, and it should lead you to those that matter to you."

Blinking at Luna's instructions, Sapphire said, "Okay... I'll try my best your majesty," as she closed her eyes, ears folding down on her head as she tried to feel out her dream while Veritas just shook her head as she floated above the group.

"I say this is just going to be a mistake for everypony, for this is nothing more than something that would lead you down a path to more misery, Sapphire," Veritas warned, though Sapphire ignored it as she looked to her right, away from her mother at a group of ponies that were running in the opposite direction. Slowly, Sapphire walked among the colored blobs with the two princesses behind her, before stopping in front of a grayish one that seemed to be calling out to her. Reaching out with one of her forehooves, Sapphire touched the blob before jerking back as its form shifted, turning into a thin gray coated unicorn stallion with a short mane that matched Sapphire's own coat. It had deep blue eyes that looked like they had a kind of defiance within them. Looking down, Sapphire saw that the stallion had a Cutie Mark of a pair of wands crisscrossing one another. Then, she looked back at the mare that she believed to be her mother, seeing that her own Mark was that of a raincloud.

"Interesting, it seems that you have found your father, but I don't see you among all those ponies," Celestia mused, bringing Sapphire's attention towards her.

"Umm... well, I think that light blue speck near my mother might be me..." Sapphire stated as she pointed at the said speck that was a few mere feet away from the blue mare.

"Hmm... it seems to be the most likely one, though based on its size, it could be a younger you. However, it is unclear how young you are when you had this experience. Perhaps if you could aid us by clearing your 'past you', then we could have some kind of gauge of how long ago this memory was," Luna stated as she and Celestia walked up to the speck, only to have Veritas come down before them.

"I don't think this is a good idea you three, there are some things that are best left alone," Veritas stated, causing the two princesses to glare at her in turn.

"Veritas, if that is truly your name, step aside so we can get closer to finding the answers we seek. At this point, you're becoming an obstacle instead of a barely helpful nuisance," Luna stated, causing Veritas to snort in anger. However, this served as a distraction that Sapphire needed as she went to the speck while the entity's back was turned to her, reaching out with a hoof as she wondered what she looked like a filly. Noticing that there were only two mares in her view, Veritas blinked before turning around, spotting Sapphire as her hoof was mere inches away from the construction. The sight made Veritas start to panic, causing her to reach out with her own hoof as she exclaimed, "No! Don't touch that!"

Despite Veritas’s attempt to get in Sapphire's way, the mare was able to touch the speck before having her foreleg pushed away. Upon having a brief contact with Sapphire's hoof, the speck started to shift, clearing up into a sight that caused all the mares to gasp as Veritas groaned in annoyance. As the two sisters looked with utter surprise at the figure before them, Sapphire could only stare in disbelief of the light blue unicorn filly that looked like a younger version of her that appeared to be four or five years old. Her flank was bare of her Cutie Mark as the filly looked at her mother in shock and confusion. However, it wasn't the lack of a Cutie Mark that surprised the trio, for it was the presence of a small pair of wings on the filly's back that had struck the ponies speechless.

Author's Notes:

Welp, this is the moment where I should run and hide before an angry mob can gather some pitchforks and torches to chase me down and roast me alive. Unless some of you saw this coming.