-Authors Note-
Sorry to ruin momentum, but just so you know, Zecora is in this next chapter. Please don't hate me if the rhymes are bad, I did my best.
-End Note-
Sky was standing in a dark room, with hard concrete beneath her hooves. She looked around vaguely, wondering where she was. Strangely, she saw herself walk past. Not wanting to be alone in the darkness, she followed herself, ignoring the surreality of the situation. Before long, Sky found herself and... Herself... In a large room, with candelabras lining a red carpet down the middle of it. In the middle she saw herself kneeling in front of a large dark green pony... Or at least, she might’ve been a pony. Sky knew that she hadn’t seen many ponies with holes in their legs, and wings like a bug. She trotted closer, but the voices of herself and the... Her mind held up a card....Queen. So the voices of her and the... Queen were muffled, as if she was listening through a pillow. She got closer and closer. And the voices started to clear. Suddenly the Queen looked over Sky’s head, and looked right at her... --which even confused Sky herself... Never mind-- And locked eyes with her. The... What she was guessing was the dream her spun around, and she heard herself say;
“What is it, my queen? What do you see?” The real Sky suddenly felt herself shaking with fear. She was terrified of this Queen. Whoever she was, Sky wanted to get as far away from her as she could. She turned to run, but the queen commanded:
“Stop! Face me!” Sky turned around obediently, and saw the dream her doing the same thing. What was going on?
“What is it my queen? What have I done?”
“Never mind, Sky.” The real Sky was extremely scared of this strange queen. Without meaning to, she started screaming. It started low at first, but ended up at an ear-splitting volume. She tried to run, but felt somepony holding her down. The queen laughed evilly.
“See you again soon, Sky.” Before she woke up, she heard the dream her ask;
“What do you mean, my queen? I am right here. And what is that sound?” Then darkness clouded her vision and she fainted.
Or... Sky woke up. She wasn’t sure. She opened her eyes and saw a pony holding her down. She tried to kick out, but her hind legs were tangled in something.
“Calm down girl! It was jus’ a dream! Stop your screamin’! Ah’m not gonna hurt ya! Sky!” Sky realised that she was still screaming, and that it was Applejack holding her down. She tried to stop screaming, but the vision of that... Queen was stuck in her head. She finally stopped when her voice cut out.
“Sky! What was the reason fer that? Ah wouldn’t be surprised if you woke up half o’ Ponyville with that screaming.” She saw that Sky was struggling to speak.
“I’ll get ya a glass o’ water. Wait here.” Sky tried to call her back, but her throat felt like she had swallowed sandpaper. She just curled up into a ball and tried to remember her dream. She felt it was important. She didn’t hear Applejack slowly come in to the room and sit on a chair next to the cot. Sky probably would have screamed again when Applejack spoke.
“Sugarcube? You okay? What didja dream about? Like Ah said, Ah’m surprised you didn’ wake up half o’ Ponyville.”
“Umm... Nothing...” Sky said, after taking a few gulps of water.
“Come on now, you can’t lie tah me. Don’ worry, I won’t tell anyone. Trust me.” Sky looked at Applejack and saw that she was telling the truth.
“I... I don’t remember much... I just saw... Something... Do you know of anypony, pretty tall, buggy wings, holes in her legs? Likes being called queen?” Applejack looked surprised for a moment. But then she looked right at Sky.
“That... Abomination... Calls herself Queen Chrysalis. She a bad one, she is. Queen of these things called changelings. Now... Tell me, what did she do... You know, in your dream? Tell me.” Applejack looked slightly stern. Sky found herself inching backwards.
“Umm... She was... Talking to me... Um...” She decided to just say it.
“I called her ‘My queen’! What if I’m actually on her side? What if I’m a changeling? What if I’m evil and just don’t know it?” She started shaking. If she didn’t calm down soon she would probably tear her throat apart screaming.
“Sky! Calm down, sugarcube. Ah doubt you are a changeling. They can’t get back into Equestria. Maybe she’s trying to trick you? Ah guess we’ll find out when you talk to Zecora. Ah can take you now if it’d make you feel better.”
“I wouldn’t want to bother her...”
“She’s usually up early. Ah see her in town sometimes in th’ mornings.”
Sky nodded and Applejack walked with her through the town. While they walked, Applejack told Sky about Princesses Celestia and Luna, and how they controlled the sun and moon respectively. Applejack told her about the elements of harmony and how Twilight had been reading about them recently. She told Sky about how there had been a seventh Element, hundreds of thousands of years ago, before Discord had ruled Equestria. The Elements had been created and there had originally been seven. But when a pegasus, or an earth pony, or a unicorn became an element, the other two races where jealous, because they weren’t given the honour. So the original creators had altered the spell, and destroyed the seventh element, making it equal, while still keeping the power of the six together. They had also changed the spell, making it random, so that two unicorns, two pegasi, and two earth ponies would receive it randomly when they were required to.
She told Sky about how she was the element of honesty.
They soon found themselves on the edge of the Everfree forest.
Sky followed Applejack through the dark trees, and past the dead bushes. Soon they came to a gnarled old tree, with masks hanging outside.
“Zecora! Zecora! Are you there?” Sky jumped when she heard a deep, yet feminine voice say:
“Applejack, to what do I owe
Finding my good friend, outside my window?” There was a Zebra standing in the window, looking at them with a knowing smile on her face.
“Well, howdy Zecora, Ah just wanted you to meet my friend Sky Blue. She needs some help with her memory. She doesn’t remember any of it.”
“Come on in friends, I’ll take a look,
And see if I can find an answer in my book.”
They came in and sat down at Zecora’s table. She started chanting. Sky sat their awkwardly for about ten minutes and considered leaving, when Zecora stopped chanting and opened her eyes.
“Sorry, although I have tried my best,
This is quite a difficult test.
I don’t think this amnesia is magical,
Instead I think it is quite psychological.
You just have to wait to recover your memory to return,
And those lost secrets you will relearn.”
Sky felt like she was about to cry, or scream, or do both. She still didn’t remember anything. She was starting to think she would never.
“Well thank you anyway Zecora. What’s you fee?”
“Applejack, how could you insult me,
By asking to pay any sort of fee?
I am happy to help a friend of a friend,
Even if it comes to no end.
If your friend recovers her memory,
Make sure that you come tell me.
I wish to know how it comes back,
No matter how much information you lack.
Now I will see you later Applejack,
To Ponyville, you should go back.”
“Alrighty then, see ya later Zecora!”
Sky smiled.
“Yeah, thank you anyway Zecora.”
“Goodbye, little Sky Blue,
And don’t worry, your memories will come back to you.
Now follow Applejack back to town,
Or you will be lost here all on your own.”
Sky looked behind her, nodded and ran after Applejack. As they walked back into town, Applejack looked at Sky.
“Sorry, sugarcube. I thought Zecora could help you.” Sky looked at her and decided to just tell her the truth.
“About that dream. I don’t think it was a trick. It felt too real to be a dream. I think it was... A memory...” She heard Applejack gasp and stop walking. “I’m sorry... I’m evil and I don’t even know it!” She didn’t even look at Applejack, she just spread her wings and flew away, as fast as Rainbow Dash. She didn’t even hear Applejack yelling for her to stop. Applejack immediately regretted her reaction. She should’ve realised that Sky was still really fragile. Without thinking she bolted in the direction of Twilight’s library. If anyone would be able to make some sense of this, she would.
Meanwhile, Sky was flying faster than she could’ve ever imagined. She saw the town go past under her. Twilight’s library, Sugarcube Corner, Rarity’s Boutique --she had gotten to know Rarity last night--, and Rainbow’s cloud home. She was flying so fast she didn’t realise how she was affecting the ponies on the ground. In Twilight’s library, books flew across the room from the sheer force of Sky flying past overhead. In Sugarcube Corner, Cupcakes and Cakes alike exploded in their display case, reducing Pinkie to tears. In Rarity’s Boutique, Dresses flew around the room, strongly distressing Rarity. And Rainbow’s house actually shifted a few feet, throwing the cyan pony out of her bed. She didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t know what was going on, but usually Twilight knew these things. She decided, in her sleepy confusion to go and see her.
As Sky flew ever faster, she flew over Fluttershy’s house, where the shy pony was trying to get Angel to finish his breakfast.
“Now, Angel,” She said, saying phrases from the book exactly as she had read them.
“You know that bad things will happen to you if you don’t eat your food.”
She had read about how it could affect his appetite, and he could starve if he didn’t eat enough. Just then, Papers flew around the room, a chair hit the wall, and even an uprooted tree flew past the house. Before the commotion was over, and Fluttershy had opened her eyes, Angel had eaten all of his food. He was now looking at her in awe, as if to say ‘You said bad things would happen, but wow, that was something.’ She smiled and patted his head.
This would require a lot of cleaning.