The Rise And Fall Of A Hero: Amnesia

by Baxter Dash

Broken Promises

"If I knew what Baxter?" said an angry voice from the front door. Malak had arrived.

"Malak..." said Baxter, slowly turning around to face the changeling.

"Subject 23..." said Raslan, not even bothering to turn around.

"I didn't know Malak I..." started Baxter before he was cut off with a loud noise from the door way.

"YOU PROMISED BAXTER! YOU SAID THAT THEY WOULDN'T GET THEIR HANDS ON HER!" Malak screamed at him.

"Malak I.." Baxter was interrupted once more by the changeling.

"I TRUSTED YOU! YOU LIED TO ME!" Malak yelled at the cyan stallion before flying at him top speed.

Baxter Dash caught the changeling's hooves as he came within reach and threw him at the wall to his left,
"THEY GOT RAINBOW DASH TOO YOU BASTARD! I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING!" Baxter yelled back angrily finally having had enough.
"YOU SEEM TO BE FORGETTING THAT YOU WEREN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS DRAGGED IN THERE TO BE TESTED ON MALAK! I NEVER WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN!" Baxter screamed at the changeling.

Malak got to his hooves and ran at the Pegasus, picking up a piece of the wooden wall to wield as a weapon.

Baxter grabbed his sword from his side and ran at the changeling, smacking him across the face with the flat of the blade.
"DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS MALAK! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!" Baxter yelled at the changeling as it tried to get up.

"Hurt me Baxter?" sneered Malak.
"You never could, even when we we were young! You were never as strong as me!" Malak shouted as he headbutted the stallion.

Baxter recoiled back and hit the changeling in the middle of the forehead with the pommel of his sword, watching as the changeling slumped to the ground of his living room. "I never wanted to hurt anypony...." he said softly.

Raslan conjured up a chain and secured Malak to the corner piece of Baxter's bed upstairs.

Baxter Dash was breaking down in the next room over, "I never...... meant to hurt..... anypony......" he said, breaking into sobs.

Raslan came into the room to see what was happening, only to find Baxter holding a picture of himself and Rainbow Dash, sobbing uncontrollably. "This wasn't meant to happen this way...." he said in between sobs.

"It never is...." said Raslan void of all emotions.

Raslan walked out ominously, leaving Baxter to cry on his own.

"Why her...." Raslan heard him sob as he left the room.

"She never hurt anyone......" Baxter continued to sob to himself.
"She was the kindest, nicest, sweetest little filly...." Baxter sighed in between sobs.

Raslan entered the room again,
"We will find her Bax, and we WILL help her...." he said softly.

Baxter looked up Raslan, a new found resolve in his eyes. "Yeah, and I bet Malak knows where she went......" he considered thoughtfully.

Baxter Dash and Raslan went back to Baxter's room,
only to find Malak conscious and trying to pull himself free quietly.

"Malak..." Baxter said with an air of seriousness in his voice.

"Fuck off liar... I never want to speak with you again... I thought we were friends Baxter!" Malak rambled.

"We were friends Malak, but then you decided to try and attack me without figuring out what happened..." Baxter explained bitterly.

"You let them take my sister you cunt!" Malak snapped at Baxter.

Baxter wasn't surprised at this,
"They took RD as well you dumb ass, I didn't know this was happening!" Baxter bit back.

"Wait.... if you didn't let them past your guards........ then who did?" asked Malak suspiciously.

"That's what I was thinking... Who would betray us like this......" said Baxter, pacing to the window and back.
Suddenly it hit him, Maliki... Maliki had the permission to get into the house in case of emergencies!

Which meant..... Oh Luna no!
Maliki's men didn't die....... they weren't there.....
which meant...

"Raslan free him, we need to leave, NOW!" Baxter whispered urgently.

"Leave me here Bax, I will buy you some time... Just get my sister back, please..." said Malak, catching onto his train of thought.
"Rainbow Dash was heading to the Everfree Forest..... Hurry and you can catch her... I don't know what she is doing in there..... But it can't be good." Malak finished before ushering Raslan and Baxter out the backdoor of his house.

As they were walking away Baxter could hear yelling and shouting as well as a lot of screaming, then after a few moments...
It stopped, and the back door of Baxter's house flew off of its hinges.

Standing in the doorway, was a very pissed looking Maliki.
"Oh no you don't you little shit, the boss told me to dispose of you and that's what I'm gonna do!" screamed Maliki,
throwing a limp Malak on the ground outside the door.

Baxter went to intervene, but as he went to step forward,
Raslan stepped forward,
"I should have done this a long time ago Maliki! I had a feeling you were in on this!" Raslan said as his horn began to glow brightly.

"What are you going to do to me you old goat! You can't even think straight anymore!" Maliki said, obviously finding the situation amusing.

"This..." uttered Raslan as a large beam of dark purple-grey energy shot forth from his horn enveloping the dark red, earth pony, causing him to scream in agony.

After a what seemed like a lifetime of nonstop agonized screams, the beam of energy faded away, Baxter saw nothing but flesh and bones scattered in a pool of blood, there was blood everywhere, coating the outside walls of the house and lining the hallways. Baxter heard more shouting from the front yard and urged Raslan to keep moving.
Raslan seemed self satisfied, but extremely drained.
Almost like he was about to collapse in a heap.

"There are more coming, keep moving Raslan!" said Baxter in an urgent whisper, still surprised by the unicorns spell.

Baxter and Raslan were running down a the hill behind Baxter's house that led into Everfree Forest. As he reached the outskirts of the forest, Baxter ushered Raslan inside and turned to look back at his house, ever since they had lost their parents when Rainbow Dash was still young, Baxter had brought her up there, for years they had been happy, alone with no-one bothering them, but then, Renin and his scientists came, and took Baxter away saying they needed him for something important. Baxter told Rainbow not to worry and that he would be fine. But even after all of his efforts, he couldn't protect her... He must have been the worst brother ever, and the worst friend... Baxter shook himself out of his stupor, he couldn't reside on that now. He had to go find Rainbow Dash. He had to make things right with her before, before...

"Baxter come on!" whispered Raslan urgently. Baxter hurried into the forest, tears welling up in his eyes as he remembered what he had to do after they found RD.

After a few minutes of delving deep into the Everfree Forest. Baxter heard a familiar voice, one that had been at his house every day for the past 4 years.
Always such a caring and affectionate voice, life had been hard after their parents had gone missing. Baxter had hardly enough bits to get them by, but he tried his best, and they got through.

Baxter had never mentioned to Rainbow, the fact that he HAD seen their parents since they had disappeared, at work...

"What do you want you lame excuse for a brother?!" said the voice, coming from a clearing to the left.

Upon turning towards the sound, Baxter almost broke down.

Rainbow Dash had pieces of bone jutting out of her wings where her plumage should have been, it was like they had grown out of the their usual diaphragm, become warped and out of place.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane unkempt and dull, she looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks... But that couldn't be right, he fed her last night, they had eaten hay burgers and hay-fries, she had told him not to worry about Terra and that she was fine in the attic,
he hadn't felt too good about that, but they didn't have another bedroom,
besides, there was plenty of insulation and room up there, and she was able to come down at anytime.

"Rainbow....... what have they done to you?" Baxter sobbed, tears threatening to pour out and run down his face.
"They did for me what you couldn't! A means with which to handle things for myself!" Rainbow retorted, almost unsure of how to react at the sudden tears.

Maybe, just maybe, the people at the facility were lying.
Maybe Baxter really was doing his best to care for them both.

"I was doing all I could RD..... I had to try, but I HAD to keep going to work everyday........ or I wouldn't have had enough bits to keep us alive..." Baxter said. "It was the least I could do after.... after....." he trailed off.

"After what?!" Rainbow Dash bit at him.

"After mum and dad went missing....." Baxter stated, quietly.
"I couldn't let you grow up thinking no-one ever loved you, not after all the things I did to help mum and dad take care of you.... They couldn't afford it either Dashie, but after they left I was spending all of my bits on taking care of you... I payed for a private doctor when you were sick 3 years ago, I didn't think you were going to make it Dashie, you couldn't even get out of bed, remember? I cried myself to sleep night after night after night. Praying, that you would be alright...
That's why I took this job... Malak and I applied,
because he was in a similar situation with Terra.

We had to do something Rainbow..... We had to try....." Baxter confessed, sobbing to himself.
That's why I have to do this Dashie... I have to do this for you..." Baxter said as he jumped onto Rainbow Dash's side and pinned her to the ground with his forelegs.

"Now Raslan please, but don't hurt her.." Baxter sobbed.

Rainbow Dash didn't try to struggle, she was confused and conflicted about the situation.
He really did care about her.

"I'm sorry Dashie, but you probably won't remember any of this... Just know, that you will always be loved. I don't know what you will forget... But I hope you live a happy life, I will leave you all my bits and all the bits that mum and dad left for when you grew up. But I have to go and do something important." Baxter sobbed to Rainbow Dash.

"I love you Rainbow..." said Baxter between sobs.

Raslan approached, his horn glowing.
"Stay still RD, this won't feel nice." he muttered, more to himself.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

Raslan pressed his horn against her forehead. A dull shade of grey and dark-green, pulsating energy enveloped Rainbow.
Sending shivers up her spine. When the spell had finished, Raslan pulled his head back to find Rainbow Dash unconscious with Baxter laying on top of her sobbing uncontrollably.

"Come on Bax, we have to get her to Cloudsdale." Raslan said quietly.

"She won't remember me, will she Raslan?" sobbed Baxter.

"No." said Raslan simply. "She won't." Raslan said slowly.

"I thought as much." Baxter said, sniffling and getting back to his hooves.
"It's probably for the best." he said, sniffling again.

Raslan helped Baxter get her onto the pegasi's back.
Not being all that big, Rainbow fit in between his shoulder blades snugly.
Baxter turned to Raslan.
"Meet me back at the Containment Area. I need to get her all setup,
I had a lot of bits from mum and dad in case of an emergency.... I will buy her a cloud house.
A nice one, she deserves at least that..." he said, staring at his feet.

Baxter Dash flew off towards Cloudsdale. Tears dropping from the sky like a light shower, casting rainbows at Raslan's feet as they fell.