Chapter 8
Twilight slowly opened her eyes, raising a hoof above her head to block out the bright sunlight that was shining right into her eyes. Her head ached like no other, she felt as if she’d stepped in front of a moving train, and for all she knew, she had.
Twilight opened her eyes some more, the light still blinding her, she could see that something was over her; a big pink blob was hovering mere centimetres from her face. Twilight’s eyes soon enough began to adjust and when her sight came into focus, that pink blob was an all too familiar form. ‘Pinkie Pie?’ Twilight asked.
‘Twilight!’ Pinkie Pie called out excitedly. ‘Have you finally stopped being grumps mcgirt!?’
‘Huh? Pinkie? What are you talking about?’ Twilight asked as she sat up, she looked around to discover that it was not only Pinkie Pie that was here, but also Princess Luna, Rarity, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Twilight looked around, and discovered something very odd about the place in which she found herself in. ‘This isn’t Ponyville...’
‘Uh... no’, Pinkie Pie said, cocking her head slightly to the left as she looked at Twilight in confusion. ‘This is the Nederlands!’
‘What? What am I doing here? What are we doing here?’ Twilight cried out in surprise.
‘You... don’t know?’ Rainbow Dash said, her ears perking up as she walked over towards where Twilight was laying.
Twilight thought as hard as she could, she was struggling to remember any of the events that had led her to this place. She could not, for the life of her recall anything. ‘The last thing I remember...’ Twilight said, as she thought about it more. ‘I went down stairs from my room, I opened the front door... and Raindrops was there to deliver the morning’s post. She found a book that wasn’t labelled to anyone, and wanted to donate it to the Library... I thanked her for it and I took it from her... and the next thing I know, I woke up here’.
Princess Luna stepped forward. ‘How... odd’, she said, looking over Twilight closely. Twilight felt an odd sensation, like something was gnawing at the back of her brain. ‘There... is nothing there’, Luna said in surprise.
‘What?’ Twilight asked in confusion, and then as she thought about it, she realised what the gnawing sensation she felt was. She quickly shut her eyes and turned her head away from Princess Luna. ‘Get out of my head!’ she cried out, causing the princess of the night to recoil in surprise.
‘I... I am sorry Twilight, I should have asked your permission before looking’, Princess Luna said apologetically.
‘I forgive you Princess’, Twilight said, keeping her eyes closed and head turned aeay. ‘What did you mean that nothing is there?’ she asked.
‘Your memories of the last two weeks have not been merely repressed or hidden. They’re gone completely, as if someone, or something, more than likely’.
‘The book stole her memories?’ Spike asked.
‘More than likely, yes, the question we have to ask is why? And where is it now?’
‘The book?’ Twilight asked, blinking her eyes. ‘You mean that book Raindrops gave me? Why would I have brought that with me?’
Princess Luna opened her mouth to answer, however, was quickly interrupted by Pinkie Pie. ‘Hey Twilight!’ Who’s this?’ she asked.
Twilight glanced over to where Pinkie Pie was and looked in confusion, lying on the ground, unconscious, was a schäferhund. Twilight didn’t know much about schäferhund culture, but she could tell by his hat, called a schirmmütze, that he fit the role of a schäferhund officer. ‘I... don’t know’.
Pinkie Pie wasted no time in prodding the stranger, snapping him awake, He sat up and got to his paws. Glancing around to Twilight. ‘Twilight!’ he cried out, rushing over to her. ‘Are you all right? Where is La Roche? Did he hurt you?’
Twilight blinked at the schäferhund for a moment, feeling more than a little awkward. She didn’t know who he was, or what he was talking about. ‘Um... I’m sorry, who are you?’ she asked.
The schäferhund recoiled slightly, he looked confused. ‘Twilight? It’s me... Heinrich? Heinrich Büschenmacher?’
Twilight said nothing. Causing the schäferhund to look more than a little hurt. He took a step back then lowered his head. Twilight didn’t recognise him, and he knew it. ‘I... I’m sorry’, Twilight said. ‘I don’t know who you are’.
Heinrich’s head lowered even further, almost touching the ground. ‘That’s okay... just as long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters’.
Heinrich picked his head back up, giving Twilight Sparkle a weak smile and turning around, trotting towards the east towards Mün. Twilight felt horribly guilty, even though she knew that she could do nothing about it. She didn’t remember him. That was that.
Twilight’s ears began to twitch, she looked up into the air, as did everyone else as they heard something coming towards them. It was faint at first, but as it began to get closer, they were able to make out what it was. It was someone’s voice.
Then once it got somewhat closer, they recognised it instantly.
‘SURRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!’
Before Twilight could move, she felt someone slam into her at high speed, causing her to skid backwards several metres before stopping, she looked up to discover Surprise was on top of her, looking down and grinning madly at her. ‘Hi!’ she cried out cheerfully, then promptly giving Twilight a hug.
‘Uh... hello Surprise’, Twilight said.
‘Did I surprise ya? Did I? Huh? Did I? Did I?’ Surprise cried out excitedly.
‘Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting it, I’ll say that... now let me up!’ Twilight said.
Surprise nodded, hopping off Twilight and helping her up to her hooves. ‘I helped!’ Surprise said brightly.
Twilight looked out to the east, Heinrich had passed out of sight, but coming galloping over the hill were none other than Vinyl Scratch and Whirlwind, and as could almost be expected, kangaroo soldier Benjamin Willoughby hopping along not far behind.
‘Surprise!? I thought I told you to hold her down until we got here!’ Vinyl Scratch cried out.
‘OH YEAH!’ Surprise called out, promptly tackling Twilight Sparkle to the ground. ‘Surprise!’ she cried out cheerfully.
Twilight couldn’t help but sigh loudly as Vinyl Scratch approached the group, continuing to run with her horn lowered and glowing brightly toward Twilight.
‘Vinyl Scratch! Stop! It is okay!’ Princess Luna called out.
Naturally, Vinyl Scratch skidded to a halt. Turning and looking at the Princess. ‘Oh hi! I see you’ve already fixed Twilight, okay Surprise, you can get off her’.
‘Kay!’ Surprise called out. Hopping off Twilight and helping her back to her hooves. ‘I helped!’
Princess Luna shook her head at Vinyl Scratch. ‘Not quiet’, she said.
‘Oh, well then’, Vinyl Scratch said. ‘Surprise, tackle her again!’
‘Kay!’ Surprise called out, promptly bringing Twilight to the ground. ‘Surprise!’ she cried out excitedly.
‘Okay, this really needs to stop’, Twilight said in annoyance.
‘No way! This is fun!’ Surprise said brightly.
‘What I meant was’, Princess Luna interrupted. ‘Is that we found Twilight in this state, she has no memory of the past few weeks... which is concerning’.
‘So? Twilight’s not evil?’ Vinyl Scratch asked.
‘When was I evil?!’ Twilight called out, her line of questioning falling of deaf ears.
‘No’, Princess Luna said simply.
‘Surprise?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘Let her up’.
‘Kay!’ Surprise called out. Hopping off Twilight and helping her back to her hooves. ‘I helped!’
Twilight ignored her.
‘I guess it’s time to go home then?’ Pinkie Pie asked as she trotted back over to the group.
Princess Luna nodded.
‘Well, good news then everypony! I got us a ride home!’ Vinyl Scratch said. ‘The HMSIS Dash is supposed to meet us in Trotterdam at the end of the week’.
‘You got the Dash?’ Rainbow Dash asked. ‘I bet the lef-tenant commander was real pleased to see you’.
‘More than you could ever imagine’, Vinyl said with a grin. The group fell in together and began their walk back towards Trotterdam. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Surprise, falling back from the group on purpose. Rainbow Dash wanting to have private words with Twilight, Surprise, on the other hoof, just wanted to look at everything.
‘Twilight? We need to talk about us’, Rainbow Dash said.
‘Rainbow?’ Twilight asked.
‘We broke up during the time that you’re missing your memories’, Rainbow Dash said. ‘And... I know you don’t remember doing it... but I wouldn’t want to assume...’
Twilight stopped her promptly. ‘Rainbow Dash, what kind of mare do you think I am? You weren’t thinking that I don’t love you any more do you?’
‘Well... to be honest...’ Rainbow Dash said, her voice trailing off.
‘Rainbow...’ Twilight said, moving closer to her marefriend and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. ‘I don’t know what happened. But I do know this, I love you Rainbow Dash, don’t you forget it’.
‘Thanks Twilight’, Rainbow Dash said with a smile as the two of them moved to catch up with the rest of the group.
They didn’t get very far, before they knew it, Surprise had pounced on them. ‘Surprise! Did I surprise ya? Did I? Huh? Did I? Did I?’
Twilight sighed in annoyance. ‘Pinkie Pie was never this bad... this is going to be a reoccurring thing, isn’t it Surprise?’
‘Uh huh!’ Surprise said cheerfully as she hopped off Rainbow Dash and Twilight and helping them back to their hooves. ‘I helped!’ she cried out happily.
Twilight sighed again as the group caught back up with the rest of their friends.