No One to Remember

by WishyWish

3 - Outfly Reality

Unlike practically every other pony in Equestria who had wings, Twilight Sparkle wasn’t born with them. Thus, she had the disadvantage of learning to fly at an age where picking up basic skills such as reading and writing wasn’t so inherent. She was therefore not, nor was she likely to ever be, Wonderbolt material.

Despite the disadvantage of age, Twilight was a star pupil, and had picked up the finer points rather quickly. She was no longer wobbly on her wings, and felt comfortable with everything from hovering to loop-de-loops. Endurance, by contrast, was something she simply hadn’t developed the muscle control for, and with her bookish nature it wasn’t likely to come any time soon. Thus, pure adrenaline was responsible for the hurricane-level urgency of her wing beats, that propelled her across town at a speed that would have impressed Wonderbolt reservists.

Fluttershy’s cottage was ominously quiet, but then, Fluttershy was not a pony of strong presence. Twilight was relieved to see the late-season flowerboxes on display and a smattering of blue jays collected around amply-stocked feeders, but the relief was short-lived - the Apple farm still looked beautiful as well, after all.

Ignoring the complaints from her wing spurs, Twilight touched down right in front of her friend’s door and made no less of a ruckus battering it than she had at the Apples’. Spike slipped off Twilight’s back and raised a claw at the display, but decided against speaking.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight called. “Fluttershy, are you home!? Oh please tell me you’re home...please tell me this is your home…”

Twilight didn’t near the latch being undone for all her banging, but she managed to stop herself an inch before smacking Fluttershy in the forehead with her hoof. The door fully ajar, the diminutive pegasus flinched and squeaked with alarm.

“Oh!” Twilight exclaimed, as much taken by surprise. “Fluttershy, thank goodness…”

“Twilight?” Fluttershy obliviously tilted her head. She glanced at Spike as if to ask if anything in the princess’s behavior had improved, but the little dragon only shrugged. “A-are you okay? Would you like to come i--OOF!”

Forgetting herself, Twilight threw her forelegs around Fluttershy’s neck and nearly bore her to the floor. The princess buried her muzzle in her friend’s ample locks and took a deep breath, just to prove to more than once of her senses that the pegasus was real.

“I-I’m sorry,” Twilight whimpered, “I...I’m getting really worried...I thought it was just Applejack, but hundreds of ponies are missing now, and I didn’t see any record of your birth at town hall…”

Fluttershy stroked her friend’s withers with a hoof. Her voice was as soothing as the rest of her countenance, and it made Twilight’s ear twitch. “Birth? You mean my birth certificate? Oh, that wouldn’t be there. I sort of...forgot to finish filling out the paperwork when I first moved into town.” She blushed. “Is that what this is about? B-because I’m really sorry about that, I can certainly fix it…”

“No, no,” Twilight finally let her friend go, favoring her instead with an overly affectionate smile. She touched Fluttershy’s shoulder again, prodding at it until the daffodil mare looked down.

“Is there something on me?”

“I just...sorry…” Twilight apologized again. “I...you’re real. You’re here. You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

Fluttershy frowned and stood aside. “Twilight, please come in. I’ll make you some tea and we can talk. You’ll feel better.”

Twilight shook her head, “I can’t...I need to do something about all of this...even though I don’t know what I can do…” The princess felt a claw on her flank. She looked down to find Spike, looking even more worried than before.

“Twilight, Fluttershy’s right. Whatever’s wrong, you’re no help to anypony if you don’t rest. And you barely slept at all last night.”

Twilight made a face. “Why didn’t you tell me that Fluttershy was okay?”

“You didn’t give me a chance to,” Spike replied. “You’re getting really edgy, and that’s all the more reason why you need to take a rest.”

Twilight glanced into the cozy, inviting cottage. Everything was as it should have been, with a small fire in the hearth to offset the early chill.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight’s wings hurt, and she was beginning to feel the bluntness of exhaustion wearing on her mind. Ignoring the question, she gave in to her friends and finally trotted into the house. “...alright. Maybe I can organize my thoughts if we talk about it some.

Fluttershy brightened. “Of course! It always helps me to talk out my problems with a friend.” She shut the door, urged her friend towards the sofa, and hastened towards the kitchen. “I’ve got a lovely Earl Gray blend with a little kick of extra bergamot in it that will sharpen you right up!”

Twilight descended upon the couch, flopping down in such a jumble that Spike had to sit on the loveseat instead. When the princess opened her eyes again, she found herself muzzle to snout with Angel, who was tapping his lapine foot with some annoyance. Mouthing an apology, Twilight sat up and allowed the bunny to retrieve the blanket he had been lying on.

For a moment, there was nothing beyond the ticking of a clock, the whistling of birds, and the scurrying feet of mice in the walls that Fluttershy most likely invited there. Twilight glanced around until her eyes fell on Spike. The dragon was kicking his legs idly and staring off into space - even his reptilian eyes were starting to form bags under them.

“Oh Spike,” Twilight said softly, “look what I’ve been putting you through lately. You’re just a baby dragon, and you need sleep.”

Spike folded his arms and puffed his chest. “If you’re going to tell me to go home and rest Twilight, don’t bother. I won’t leave you like this.”

“But...nothing is out of the ordinary to you...is it?”

“Yes there is,” Spike corrected. “You. You’re upset, and so long as you’re upset I’m going to help you. I don’t understand what you’ve been talking about lately, but…you’re important to me, Twilight. If you say I’ve forgotten ponies who are important to me, then I believe you.”

Twilight felt like tearing up. Instead she lit her muzzle with a warm smile. “...thank you, Spike. More than anypony else, I couldn’t be who I am today without you. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” Spike grinned. “If it weren’t for me, you’d fall into a book and we’d never see you again, heh. It would be like you didn’t exist anymore!” Realizing instantly that he made a poor choice of words, the dragon backpeddled. “Uh, sorry. You know what I mean.”

There was a sound of clattering dishware from the kitchen, and Fluttershy emerged, balancing a tray of tea and snacks on her hoof. “I made some sunflower snack sandwiches up real quick and put them with vanilla wafers. Vanilla goes well with black tea. Oh Spike,” She turned the tray to show off its contents, “I even have tiny crystal fragments left over from that time we baked together. I don’t think anypony else can do much with them, so they’re all yours.”

Spike’s empty tummy instinctively rumbled. “Really? Wow, thanks Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy sat the tray down on the coffee table and giggled as she went about plating the fare. “I thought you might like them.”

The conversation halted until each pony had a steaming cup of tea and a small plate of cookies or sandwiches. Spike’s plate was laden with the entire jar of crystal fragments in lieu of sunflowers, but he had twice the number of cookies as either pony. Having neglected breakfast, neither princess nor assistant could resist helping themselves. Fluttershy refilled their plates twice, never saying a word until her guests signaled by way of long, mutual sighs that they were slowing down.

“There now,” Fluttershy sang. “Feeling better?”

Twilight sat her cup aside. “Yes, thank you.” She considered the merry expression of her pegasus friend, and thought it to be somewhat contrived. “You’re not...worried about anything though, are you Fluttershy?”

“Just about you,” the pegasus replied, a teacup pinched between her hooves. “It’s been a lovely morning otherwise. Oh dear...is there something I should be worried about?”

“Do you...know Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, or Applejack?” Twilight ventured.

Fluttershy enjoyed a cookie and sipped elegantly at her cup. “No, but I do remember you talking about that last pony at the party yesterday. Are they all friends of yours?”

Again Twilight ignored her friend’s question, this time in favor of re-confirming facts. “And just to be clear...how many Elements of Harmony are there?”

“Four,” Fluttershy smiled easily.

“Right, so--wait,” Twilight paused, “Four? Yesterday you were all insisting there were five!”

Fluttershy’s voice got smaller. “I...I don’t think that’s what we said, Twilight...there have only ever been four, as far as I know…”

“There are five--well no, there are six, but the last time we talked about it there were five Elements of Harmony.” Twilight raised a hoof, counting on it by the simple expedient of poking at it repeatedly with another. “Magic, kindness, generosity, laughter, and loyalty.”

“...loyalty?”

Just beyond her view and behind her friend, Twilight caught sight of a framed photograph on the end table. From the edge of it alone she could tell it was the same image she had in her bag the day before. The princess swallowed.

“Fluttershy...i-is that the picture of all of us behind you?”

“Mm?” Fluttershy glanced back. “Oh yes, the very one you showed around yesterday. I keep it right out where I can see it everyday, and I look at it sometimes when I’m feeling a little nervous. It’s always so inspiring.”

Fluttershy moved aside. The photograph was exactly the same as the last time Twilight had seen it...minus Rainbow Dash.

“B-but that...that can’t be!” Twilight shouted. In a flourish, she retrieved the image with her magic and nearly smacked Fluttershy with it as she brought the levitated photo to bear. “This time it really can’t be! We all know that we would never have come together as friends if it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash!”

“I...oh my…” Fluttershy meeped. “...who…?”

“You know her better than any of us!” Twilight accused. “You went to school with her! She protected you from bullies!”

Fluttershy darkened. Unable to meet her friend’s gaze, she sat her cup on the table and rubbed nervously at her thigh. “I...b-bullies, I...nopony ever did that for me…” Her voice was barely a whisper. “...b-being a filly was awful for me, I don’t even want to think about my life before that time I fell out of the sky and met all my furry friends…”

“But you never would have found your calling if it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash!” Twilight insisted. “None of us would have! We all got our cutie marks on the day we all saw the sonic rainboom at the same time!”

At a loss, Fluttershy glanced at Spike. The dragon made some gestures with his claws to assist in his explanation.

“It’s this flying move they say you can do when you’re so fast you break the sound barrier or something...I think.” He eyed Twilight. “Never heard of anypony actually pulling it off, though.”

Fluttershy no longer had an appetite, but cowed by the princess’s persistence, she focused on another cookie. “I fell out of the sky during a race in Cloudsdale, landed in Ponyville, and met my furry friends there. That’s when I found my calling.”

“Huh?” Twilight quirked a brow. “No rainboom?”

“I...have no idea, but I don’t think so.”

“What about Rarity?”

Fluttershy touched her chin in thought. “I think her cutie mark had to do with a school play where she was inspired to make beautiful costumes.”

“Pinkie Pie said she just decided to throw a party one day because she was bored,” Spike added. “Leave it to her to get a cutie mark as a result of boredom, eh heh.”

Twilight’s mind was alive again. Her thoughts wrapped around variables like tendrils, squeezing like an analytical vice around hapless facts and figures. “This just doesn’t make any sense...if some evil force were trying to undermine us, why do the Elements of Harmony still work? And why didn’t removing Rainbow Dash from the equation destroy our friendship…?”

Fluttershy and Spike looked at one another, but let the princess’s mind work out loud.

“...things are changing,” Twilight insisted. “There are historical constants that have been altered, since Granny Smith said she had a son but no grandfoals, and suddenly I’m running the day-to-day administration of Ponyville instead of the mayor. But anything that could directly cripple our ability to defend the country seems to be conveniently preserved regardless of what happens. I thought maybe somepony had managed to replicate the spell Starlight used to go back in time and prevent Rainbow Dash’s first sonic rainboom, but if that were the case...how are they manipulating other events to simply work out, and why would they undermine their own efforts in order to do that…what’s the purpose of all of this...”

“C-can I get you another cup of tea, Twilight?” Fluttershy cut in, looking for the most innocuous way to break her friend’s train of thought.

“What?” The princess considered her cup and her friends as though she hadn’t seen them before at all. “O-oh...yes please, thank you.”

“Twilight, I’m not sure I can really do anything to help you,” Fluttershy commented as she brushed a lock of mane from her eyes and served the fresh beverage. “But if you need me for anything, you know I’ll try. Everypony in town trusts you.”

Twilight stiffened. Daring not to remove her hooves or her eyes from her cup, she spoke: “...h-how many ponies is that exactly, Fluttershy?”

“How many? O-oh um...I don’t really know the exact number. Actually I thought you would, since you have access to all the files, and you like numbers and all that.”

“Like fifty I guess?” Spike spoke up.

“There are maybe fifty or sixty ponies in Ponyville, yes,” Fluttershy confirmed. “It’s a very cozy town.”

Twilight didn’t move. She wanted to lose herself in the gentle, steaming ripples of the transparent brown liquid she was drinking, but it occurred to her with horror that for each wave that splashed up against the perimeter of the cup and vanished, several more ponies may have ceased to exist. “I... a hundred more ponies are gone...a-and all I did was sit here and have tea…”

“T-Twilight,” Fluttershy attempted, “...you’re my friend and I care about you...I really do. W-would you...maybe consider the possibility that you’re just not feeling well…?”

“How can I do that when there are so many ponies who are just gone!?” Twilight cried, the sleepless bags under her eyes puffing from gray to red.

Fluttershy absorbed the shout with uncharacteristic coolness. She then began calmly collecting the empty plates to set them back on the tray. To make what she had to say easier, she avoided eye contact with her friends.

“Twilight, you’re one of my special friends, and my special friends have taught me to be more assertive. So I’m going to tell you that while I will do whatever I can for you, it’s an awful lot to ask of us all to just assume that everything we’ve ever known in our lives is changing around, just like that. There were four Elements of Harmony yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. All I’m asking is that you consider the possibility that you should talk to somepony.”

“Talk to somepony? But I’m talking to you right now!”

Fluttershy looked ashamed. “...that’s not what I mean. I mean somepony who is...maybe better qualified to talk to you about whatever is bothering you lately.”

Twilight brightened. “Of course! Princess Celestia! Why didn’t I think of that before!? She’ll be able to help me fix all of you!”

“Um...no Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled. “...I mean a...professional in...um…”

“...in what…?”

“She means a doctor, Twilight,” Spike blurted. He couldn’t make eye contact anymore, but neither could he stand the topic at hoof. “She’s talking about a shrink.”

“W-we came to the palace this morning; Rarity, Pinkie and me,” Fluttershy said mousily. “But you weren’t there. Spike said you didn’t sleep much last night. You had that outburst at the party, and now you’re saying all of these things. Twilight, being a princess must be a horribly intense burden. I’m sure I can’t understand it, but maybe if you just...talked it out with somepony? It couldn’t hurt, could it?”

“Yes it can hurt!” Twilight insisted as she slid off the couch and found her hooves. “In the time I took to sit here and have a sandwich, a hundred more ponies were erased from existence. I have to do something!”

“What are you going to do, then?”

“I...I don’t…” Twilight faltered. Research was usually her answer to everything, but in this case, it meant inaction, and every moment of inaction appeared to come at the cost of another poor soul’s existence. “There has to be a pattern,” She glanced at Spike, “Does Starlight still live with us?”

Spike’s expression made it clear how bizarre he found the question. “Sure, why?”

“Then we’re going to need her help too,” Twilight concluded. “We’re going to need all the magical help we can get on this one. We’ll go back to the palace long enough to get her, and then we’re off to Canterlot.”

“Twilight?” Fluttershy spoke up.

Twilight turned to her friend. Fluttershy spoke, but the princess did not hear. There was a shape outside the window over Fluttershy’s shoulder, and instantly it drew all of Twilight’s attention. Making no attempt to conceal itself, the trench-coated pony stood between two chicken coops. Again, the phantasmal figure didn’t move a muscle - it just stared at Twilight.

The princess’s blood ran cold.

“N-no, NO! Not again!” Twilight shouted. “Fluttershy--!!”

There was no response. There couldn’t be, for Twilight found herself standing in a dark, empty room. The only shafts of pale sunlight came from the window, and they fell upon aged furniture in various states of disrepair. Some furnishings wore sheets of moth-ridden, ghostly white, and the hearth stood cold. Spike stood in the middle of it all. Every small movement kicked up more visible dust particles into the air, and he barely managed to avoid incinerating the closest object with a sudden sneeze.

“Twilight...how long are we gonna stand here?”

Twilight glanced out the window again, but the shadowy figure was gone. In frustration she turned back to Spike, “W-wait, what are we doing here?”

“I have no idea,” Spike replied. “Coming here was your idea. As far as I know, nopony has lived in this cottage for a really long time.”

“F-Fluttershy…” Twilight choked, noting the absence not only of the photograph and the tea set, but every other trapping of her kind friend’s life. “Fluttershy moved in here...this is her home…”

Spike was twiddling his talons. “That’s what you said before. Then you said we needed to come to the old abandoned cottage on the edge of town, and...well, it’s the same place it was ever since we’ve lived in Ponyville. Smells kinda moldy, too. Also, it’s spooky in here and I’m pretty sure anypony would be allergic to this much dust, so can we go before I catch something on fire?”

Twilight stared at her assistant. “...Fluttershy?”

Spike only stared back. “It’s a very pretty name. She sounds nice, um…”

“...if she’s real, is what you want to say,” Twilight concluded. Spike wrapped one claw around his opposite elbow and hugged himself as he looked down at his own prints in the dust.

“I’m sorry Twilight...I don’t know what to think now.”

“How many Elements of Harmony are there?” Twilight seethed.

“The...the same three as always. Magic, generosity, and laughter.”

Spike flinched, but Twilight didn’t continue with her tirade. Instead he heard hoofbeats, and opened his eyes to find the princess on her way to the door. Twilight pushed on the remaining rotted planks that barred her path - they were so decrepit that more fell away easily, and Spike squinted as his eyes readjusted to the sun.

Twilight paused to touch an ancient symbol on the door that resembled a butterfly. It might have been a flower or a maple leaf - it was so dessicated that she could barely tell.

“...Fluttershy...Applejack...Rainbow Dash…” Twilight whispered. “...I won’t forget you. I will figure this out. I will bring you back.”

Spike followed the princess out into the light of the afternoon. Pleased to be outside again, he basked in the bit of unseasonal warmth provided by the sun. Twilight, meanwhile, gasped in shock as she looked upon the house. No bird feeders. No chicken coops. No flower boxes. All the windows and doors were boarded, and the tree itself had but a few patches of autumn life. Most of its branches were deceased beyond the point that the eventual passing of winter into springtime would make any difference.

Twilight fought back a sniffle. Frustrated at himself for his inability to console her, Spike touched her side and rubbed it once, petting the pony like a cat.

“This place...it’s upsetting you,” Spike observed. “You said we need to get to Canterlot.”

Without another word, Twilight lowered herself to allow her assistant to climb upon her back. She took again to the sky, her wings too sore to make speed, and headed for the Palace of Friendship.

“I will fix this…” Twilight said to the gray autumn sky in defiance. “I will, so help me.”

Comments

[Fresnor]

I bet it's Twilight that is abducting all of them which is causing this all in the first place. It's the Next Tuesday incident all over again.

[WishyWish]

8585777
So all Twilight needs to do is...nothing, and everything will be fine!

[PhycoKrusk]

This story is beginning to drift into thriller territory.

I love it.

[WishyWish]

8585803
Hmm, I wonder if it counts enough as a thriller for the category.

[Anonymous Critic]

I can't wait for next Friday.

[Anonymous Critic]

Have a follow.

[WishyWish]

8585855
I thank you, and you shall have this religiously every week, my word :D

[Flink]

Well, that shoots down the Starlight Glimmer hypothesis.

And holy ... cow that’s freaky! I think I would have totally lost my ... cool if that had happened, but Twilight seems to be getting more determined. Go Twilight!

[WishyWish]

8586937
Starlight's still in the picture - Spike still knows who she is, so far

Sometimes, I must mess with my dear Fluttershy in order to fic. Alas.

[Darthalex70]

I must conclude that this story is so well done it could work for a season finally. You have my praise.

[WishyWish]

8587509
Aw, gee, I'm blushin' here Sugarcube

They're certainly welcome to adapt it for the show if they want! *snrk*

[Darthalex70]

8587806
they sure can.

[Conflicting views]

“...alright. Maybe I can organize my thoughts if we talk about it some.

Missing quotation mark here.