Rainbow Dash loses her memory after an accident, but will her friends be able to help her remember?
It has been 5 years since Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts. and she couldn't be happier. But if this is true, then why is she haunted by the same nightmare every night? And what is it about the strange lavender unicorn that distracts her so?
A/N: I’d like to thank Sebastian, Neko, and Thyrai for their help in editing and proofreading. Id also like to give a special thanks to Sebastian, without his help this fic would have never made it out of my notebook. I don’t own My Little Pony, or any Characters. Please enjoy.
She was happier then she remembered being in a long time. Flying through the cool night air, doing flips and barrel rolls as she went, she glanced behind her to see her friend following her. As they continued on their way, they noticed a storm blowing in over the Everfree Forest. Next thing she knew, she was fighting her hardest to keep herself afloat in the driving rain and near hurricane force winds. She glanced behind her and realizes the other pony that had been following her was no longer there. She began to frantically search for any trace of her when….
Rainbow awoke with a start. Drenched in sweat, tears running down her cheeks.
“Come on Rainbow, pull yourself together.” She said wiping the tears from her eyes. “What would Soarin’ and Spitfire think if they saw you crying like this.”
Rainbow had been having the same dream almost every night for the past few months. She would almost always wake up at the same part, searching for her friend in the storm, not knowing what had happened to her.
“Why am I even crying, I don’t know that other pony.”
The truth was that she had never seen the other ponies face. Whenever she would turn to look at her, there was always a shadow over her face, and when they talked she could never hear her voice.
Pushing the thoughts from her head she rolled over in annoyance. “Why did I have to have this… this nightmare tonight of all nights.” She said to herself. “I should be getting all the sleep I can before our big show tomorrow in Canterlot.”
Realizing that she wouldn’t be getting back to sleep anytime soon, Rainbow decided to take a late night flight through the moonlight.
Quietly slipping out of her room and creeping past the rooms of her sleeping team mates, Rainbow slipped outside and flew off into the chilly night sky of Canterlot.
When Rainbow was flying, it felt like all of her worries and fears melted away, to be replaced by the adrenaline rush she loved so much. For as long as she could remember, Rainbow always loved flying. It was the only time lately she was truly happy.
She had it all, thousands of adoring fans, all the bits she could ever need, and she was a Wonderbolt! But in the past few months she’d being feeling… off.
Around the time she started having the nightmares, she began to notice the same mysterious lavender unicorn mare at every single show she flew in. Now recognizing fans wasn’t a strange thing for Rainbow, but this pony was different. When Rainbow wasn’t performing she wasn’t watching the show, the lavender mare was watching her. After realizing this Rainbow had tried to catch her after the show was over, but she seemed to vanish as soon as the crowd started to pour out of the stadium.
Snapping back to reality, Rainbow realized she had been out flying for a while now and decided it best to try and get some sleep before the show.
Landing back at the hotel the Wonderbolts were staying at, Rainbow crept back up the hall and into her own room, lying in bed to try and get a few mores hours sleep before the show. Had she not been so wrapped up in thought, Rainbow may have noticed a worried looking Soarin’ poke his head out of is room as she went by.
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“Fillies and Gentlecolts! I give you…. THE WONDERBOLTS!!!”
The stadium filled with cheers as Rainbow and the rest of the Wonderbolts flew around the stadium, going about their dare-devil stunts with ease.
“Ok, so far so good Dash” Rainbow encouraged herself. “Now it’s your turn to shine, it’s time for the Rainboom!”
Rainbow Dash flew higher and higher, making sure she had enough room to perform the move that had made her famous.
As she flew to the height she needed to safely pull off the Rainboom, Rainbow noticed she was moving a bit slower than usual.
“Come on Rainbow Dash, you’ve done this move plenty of times before.” She said nervously to herself.
“Besides, if I don’t do it, how else will these ponies get there daily dose of Dash” She chuckled to herself.
Gaining her self-confidence, she started the rapid decent. Gaining more and more speed, she rocketed down towards the crowd, who were eagerly awaiting the trick they knew was coming next.
As she picked up speed and felt the Mach-cone forming around her, Rainbow looked with pleasure towards the crowd she knew was focused completely on her. But as she was about to break the sound barrier, her eyes fell upon that same lavender unicorn she had seen so many times before. The distraction, coupled with the fatigue, were enough to through Rainbow Dash slightly off course. As she broke the barrier, giving off the loud BOOM, along with the wave of rainbows and extreme burst of speed that made the Rainboom so incredible, she was launched wildly off into the rest of the Wonderbolts.
The last thing Rainbow saw was the piercing gaze of those purple eyes, and then with a loud and painful crunch, everything went dark.
When Rainbow Dash awoke, the first thing she was aware of was the constant nagging Beep Beep Beep of her alarm clock. As she reached over to shut it off she felt herself tangled in something. Rainbow opened her eyes to see she was in a room with plain, white walls. After a few moments of looking around, wondering where she was, Rainbow noticed a nurse pony walk into the room.
“Finally awake I see, Miss Dash.” The nurse pony said. “You gave us quiet a scare.”
”Wha... What happened? Last thing I remember... I was in Canterlot… And the Sonic Rainboom, then…”
“You lost control and flew into us.” came a voice from behind the nurse.
The nurse stepped aside to reveal Spitfire. “You crashed right into Soarin’ at full speed, you nearly killed him. HECK! You almost killed yourself.” continued Spitfire .
“I could tell you were tired going into that trick, you didn’t seem to have the same spunk going into it you normally did” She continued.
“When you were going into your decent we could tell something was off, like you were distracted. And then when you finally boomed, it launched you out of control, right into Soarin’.”
“I... I’m sorry…” Rainbow started.
“I’m not the pony you should be apologizing to. Soarin’ is the one who is going to be grounded for a month because of you.”
‘I can’t believe it’ Rainbow thought. ‘Not only did I mess up the Rainboom, but I hurt one of my friends too.’ She looked up at Spitfire and opened her mouth to talk “I…”
“Although it might be for the better,” Spitfire cut her off “with the speed you were going if you didn’t crash into Soarin’ and slow down you would have definitely died”
Spitfire waited a moment for her words to sink in before continuing “Well it looks like I’m going to need to find two more fliers to replace Soarin’ and you.”
“What do you mean two? I’ll be better and ready to perform before our next show” Rainbow attempted to strike one of her usual cocky poses, wincing as her sore muscles protested.
“That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about. I heard you last night, crying in your sleep.”
Rainbow’s face instantly went red as she looked down at the floor.
“I’ve heard you almost every night for a while now, but I never brought it up. I figured as long as it wasn’t affecting your performance it wasn’t really anything to worry about.” Spitfire looked down, shaking her head.
“I guess this is partially my fault, I knew you were upset about something, but never thought to talk to you about it.”
“It’s fine Spit,” Rainbow grinned smugly, “It would take more than a few bad dreams to shake me.”
“But that’s obviously not the case,” Spitfire sighed “which is why it pains me to say this.”
Spitfire paused for a moment before continuing. “Rainbow Dash, as of now, you are off of the Wonderbolts, until a time as you are able to take care of whatever has been bothering you.”
Rainbow just stared at Spitfire, mouth agape. “WHAT?! You’re kicking me off the team?” Rainbow could feel tears running down her cheeks now.
“Not indefinitely, think of it more as time off, to clear you’re head. You got lucky today, next time you could break a wing, or worse.” With that, Spitfire turned and left the room.
Rainbow wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but it seemed like hours passed by before the full force of everything that happened hit her.
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After a quick check-up the following morning the doctor released Rainbow Dash. “Now remember Rainbow, we may have healed all of your major injuries with magic, but you’re still pretty beat up. You should take it easy for a few weeks still, and get plenty of rest.”
“Yeah… thanks.” Dash mumbled as she walked out of the hospital. The events of the previous night still weighing heavily on her mind.
Once she was out of sight of the hospital Rainbow took to the skies. She knew the doctor told her to take it easy, but she had plenty of thinking to do, and she always did her best thinking while flying.
After what seemed like hours had passed by, Rainbow snapped out of her daze. She took in her surroundings trying to figure out where she was. She couldn’t figure out why, but everything seemed so…. familiar.
Upon noticing the sign sticking out of the ground below her, Rainbow flew down to get a closer look. As soon as she was close enough to read the sign, she realized with dread where she was, Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash hovered there for a moment, ‘Have I really been flying that long, to end up all the way out here?’
Rainbow felt feelings of fear and anxiety creep into her mind, but why did she feel this way? She knew something bad had happened here, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it.
Her feelings finally getting the better of her, Rainbow turned to leave Ponyville behind as fast as possible.
But as she turned to leave, Rainbow heard someone call her name. Now normally she would have kept going, but the voice sounded strangely familiar.
She slowly turned, to see an orange Pegasus mare flying straight towards her.
Rainbow Dash sat staring at the orange Pegasus flying towards her. She couldn’t help but think that this Pegasus looked familiar, and she knew Dash’s name, which wasn’t too big of a shock. She was The Rainbow Dash, famous Wonderbolt.
The thought was cut short as the pegasus rocketed into her, pulling Rainbow into a big hug.
“Rainbow Dash, I can’t believe it’s you!”
Finally releasing her from the hug the Pegasus hovered back a few feet. “After becoming a Wonderbolt I thought you had become too famous to be seen back in Ponyville, but here you are!”
Rainbow just gazed back, a look of utter confusion on her face.
“What’s the matter Rainbow, don’t tell me you forgot about little old Ponyville already.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of Ponyville before today, much less lived here. You must have me confused with somepony else.”
Now it was the orange pegasus who sat with a dumbfounded look on her face. “There’s no way I could confuse you for somepony else, you’re The one and only Rainbow Dash. Ponyville’s star athlete and weather pony.”
“I was never a weather pony, and I told you before, I’ve never even heard of Ponyville before.”
“But how could you forget? How could you forget your friends, and how could you forget me? You were my hero Rainbow, and then you up and disappeared five years ago after being accepted into the Wonderbolts.”
By this point the orange pegasus was fighting back tears, and Rainbow could feel tears running down her own cheeks. Taking a minute to regain her composure, Dash finally replied. "I'm sorry.... the truth is I don't remember anything of my life before the Wonderbolts."
"So you really did forget... We should go see Twilight, she will know what to do."
With that the orange pegasus turned and was off, Rainbow following close behind.
"I don't think I ever got your name." Rainbow shouted to the pegasus once she caught up.
After a short flight over the town, Scootaloo angled down and headed towards what looked like a house built into a tree.
"Strange place," Dash commented as they landed "and judging by the sign this is the library. So does this Twilight Sparkle work here?"
"Well, sort of." Scootaloo turned and opened the door, walking into the candle lit building. Following Scootaloo in, Rainbow was shocked to find that the building looked much larger from the inside than it did from above. Rainbow’s thoughts were cut off by a new voice.
"Oh, hi Scoots, what are you doing here?"
Rainbow turned to see the voice belonged to a green and purple baby dragon.
Upon noticing Dash the dragon gasped. “Scoots, is that…”
“Just go get Twilight, we need to talk to her.”
“OK, OK. She’s down in the lab, I’ll go get her.”
“Thanks Spike.” Scootaloo called after him.
Once Spike was out of earshot Dash turned to Scootaloo. “Is keeping a dragon in a library really such a good idea?”
“Oh, that’s just Spike,” Scootaloo said with a smile. “He’s pretty good about not burning the books. In fact he hasn’t started any fires since that time you and Pinkie…”
Before Scootaloo could finish they were interrupted by the sound of somepony coming up the steps.
“Honestly Spike, what’s so important that you had to drag me away from my research?”
Dash looked over to a very wide-eyed and familiar lavender unicorn standing in the doorway.
“You!” Rainbow shouted as she dashed across the room, tackling Twilight. “You’re the one that made me crash at my last show!” she now had twilight pinned down.
But before she could say anything else the teary-eyed unicorn reached up and pulled Rainbow Dash into a tight hug.
Shocked by the sudden embrace, Rainbow found herself returning the hug.
After a few seconds Rainbow broke the embrace and walked back across the room, then turned to Twilight and asked. “Who are you? I’ve seen you at ever one of our shows for the past 7 months.”
Sighing, Twilight turned and looked out the window, “Seeing you here today, I was hoping you had finally remembered. But I guess if you couldn’t remember over 5 years, then a silly little crash wouldn’t knock any sense into you.”
“5 years? So… Wait, did you make me crash on purpose?” Rainbow Dash shouted, feeling her anger rising again.
“No, of course not Dash. I would never do anything like that to hurt you, but after your accident, I had hoped a bump to the head would help you remember.”
“Heh, guess I didn’t hit it hard enough…. Wait, I never told anypony about losing my memory, how did you know?”
“Well, before you joined the Wonderbolts, you, me, and the girls were the best of friends. But after you’re little accident, you hit your head pretty hard and ended up with amnesia.”
“But I thought you said she made the choice to join the Wonderbolts and had to leave immediately for training?” Scootaloo cut in.
“Yes, that’s what we told everypony in town, the girls and I are the only ones who know the truth. We lied about her sneaking off so nopony would think badly of her.”
Rainbow sat thinking over everything she had just heard. She knew the name Twilight sounded familiar, she had heard it somewhere before, but she just couldn’t think of….
“Hey Twilight,” Rainbow suddenly blurted, causing the others to jump, “Are you The Twilight Sparkle? Personal student of Princess Celestia herself?”
"Once upon a time, yes but..."
"Then you must know spells nopony else does!" Dash cut in. "You must know a spell that could give me my memory back!"
"Well, I do, but..."
"Then do it Twilight! Please!" Dash begged.
"I'd love to, really, but i can't..." Twilight started, shrinking back under the gaze of Rainbow Dash.
"Can't? Or won't?" Dash said angrily.
"I... I..." Twilight was curled up on the floor now, tears steaming from her eyes.
"I thought you said you were my friend!" Dash yelled, now standing over the cowering Twilight. "But you won't even help me get my memory back when..."
"RAINBOW DASH!" Spike roared, grabbing Dash by the mane and lifting her up from over top of Twilight.
Coming back to her senses, Dash looked over at the dragon effortlessly holding her in the air, noticing for the first time that when he wasn't slouching he was a good hoof and a half taller than her.
Turning her attention back to Twilight she sighed. "Look, Twilight, I'm sorry. I just got so excited when you said you knew a spell that might give me my memory back. But why can't you help me?"
Twilight slowly got to her feet and walked to the window. After staring out into the sky for a while she finally responded. "As much as i want to help you Dash, I can't. I... I can't use magic anymore.
Rainbow Dash was shocked. "I... But... How?"
Twilight sighed. "It all started when you left..."
"Wait, you're saying this is all Rainbow's fault?" Scootaloo cut in.
Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash jumped, Completely forgetting she was there.
"No Scootaloo, Rainbow leaving wasn't the cause, just the start of it. After she left me and the girls got into an argument about why she left, and if we should go after her. After we couldn't come to an agreement, we eventually went our separate ways. We each blamed the others, when in fact it was all of our faults." She paused and looked at Rainbow Dash before continuing. "A few weeks after we split up, i started losing control of spells. At first it was the more difficult spells, but eventually it got to the point were i couldn't even open the door."
"I'm... sorry." Rainbow finally managed to say. "But if you're Celestia's student couldn't she do something to help you get your magic back?"
"When it started happening I wrote her a letter begging her to help me. She wrote me back saying that because of our argument and us splitting up like we did, that the Elements had becomes dis-harmonized, and that each of us would slowly lose the defining factors of our element. She said that the only way to do it was to get my friends back, otherwise my magic would fade until it was eventually gone."
"Elements?" Dash questioned. "You mean the Elements of Harmony? I thought those were just a myth."
Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash in shock before a realization hit her. "You forgot... But its still a shock that you didn't still know about it. The Elements of Harmony aren't a myth Dash, there very real. I represent the Element of Magic, and you, you represent the Element of Loyalty."
"Heh, now how do you like that. Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt AND bearer of the Element of Loyalty." Rainbow boasted, puffing her chest out.
"Glad to see you're still your normal boastful self, Dash." Twilight chuckled. "But if you haven't changed personality wise when the rest of us did, and you didn't know about your element, then i wonder... Hey Spike!"
"What is it, Twi, I'm in the kitchen making some food. Scootaloo and i were getting hungry."
"Well, hurry up, I've got an idea." Twilight called back.
Rainbow Dash could have sworn she saw a spark ignite in Twilight's eye.
After what seemed like forever Spike finally emerged from the kitchen, carrying plates of hay fries and daffodil sandwiches for the three ponies, and a plate of gems for himself.
As they sat down to eat Spike finally asked, "So Twi, whats this idea you had?"
"Oh, well after talking with Rainbow Dash, I realized that she may not remember that she is the bearer of the Element of Loyalty, she also hasn't shown a complete change in attitude like the rest of us did. It's gotten me to thinking, her element may have been locked away inside of herself when she lost her memory, which has prevented it from de-harmonizing, unlike the rest of us." Twilight paused to take a bite of her food, "So I have a theory."
"Yeah, and what is it." Dash asked impatiently.
"Well Rainbow Dash, I believe that if I can tap into the power of your Element, I may be able to get the energy from you to cast the spell."
"So what you're saying is that you may be able to use my energy to cast your spell? Doesn't that sound a bit dangerous?"
"I agree with Dash, that sounds to dangerous Twilight. Isn't there somepony else in Ponyville that you can teach the memory spell?"
"I already thought of that, Spike. Nopony else is strong enough..."
"What about Dinky?"
They all stopped eating and looked over at Scootaloo.
"I heard that Dinky was supposed to be a strong magician," Scootaloo continued. "In fact I heard that some of her spells could rival yours in strength Twilight."
"Hmm," Twilight thought for a minute. "Although it does sound like a very viable solution to our problem, its impossible. Dinky has already left for Celestia's School for Talented Unicorns."
"Excuse me," Dash cut in. "But who is Dinky?"
"Dinky Doo? She is the daughter of the local mail mare. Very strange that Dinky turned out to be such a strong unicorn, considering her mother is a pegasus, it's the first time in recorded history that a pegasus has given birth to a unicorn."
"Huh..." Dash was beginning to notice that Twilight was prone to lectures, even for simple questions. "So then i guess that leaves us with one choice then, but how dangerous could it be if it doesn't work?"
"Well... Best case scenario, we'll get a few sparks from my horn, and that it. But worst case scenario, it could kill us both."
"Well, if we were as good of friends as you say we were, then I trust your decision in this. If you think it will work, then trust you."
Rainbow's confidence boost was all she needed to make the decision. "Then it's settled, once we finish eating, we will set up in the middle of the library for the spell."
"Wouldn't it be safer in your lab?" Dash asked.
"Well, it's a bit cramped down there, there barely room for me and Spike as it is. Plus we want to make sure we have plenty of room, just in case. But of course it won't come to that." Twilight quickly added, seeing the worried looks spread across everyponies faces
The room looked noticeably larger when Spike lead them back into the main room of the library, the furniture had all been scooted against the walls, leaving plenty of room in the middle of the library. They had been in the loft, were Twilight and Spike slept, going over the finer details of there plan.
"I've got everything set up just the way you asked Twi." Spike said, leading them to the center of the room, were some pillows and blankets had been laid out for cushioning.
"Ok, Rainbow Dash, i need you to position yourself facing me, about 3 hooves away."
Rainbow Dash did as she was told, then looked to Twilight expectantly for her next orders.
"Good, now, clear your mind and try to relax. With my magic as limited as it is, its going to be tricky finding the element without you being distracted."
As if on cue, Spike and Scootaloo ran around the library closing all windows and curtains. Spike opened the door to switch the open sign to closed before returning to the now candle lit room.
"Now what?" Dash asked
"Now? You wait while i do the hard stuff." Twilight said with a smile.
After standing there for almost an hour, Rainbow Dash was about to give up when Twilight shouted, "I got it!"
"Huh, wha...?" Spike muttered, snapped out of his nap by Twilight.
"I found the Element of Loyalty, it was tough, and I was about to give up, but I found it. Now the spell is rather simple, it just takes a lot of energy. I need to find the damaged memories and repair them, once thats done your memories should come pouring back, But if the strain of the spell gets to be too much, just let me know Dash."
Rainbow Dash nodded and said, "Well, I'm ready whenever you are Twilight. Just let me know what I need to do."
"Well, if you remember anything, anything at all, from before the Wonderbolts, it will make my job easier."
"Well... There is one, but its more of a dream then a memory."
"If you think it will help, then use it Rainbow, you're trusting me to try this risky spell, so I trust your judgement on the memory." With that, Twilight shut her eyes and scrunched her face up in concentration. After a few seconds, Twilight's horn started to glow dimly, before some sparks flew from her horn, then she dropped from the effort.
"Twilight!" Dash went to help Twilight up, but before she took more than a step, Twilight was back on her feet.
"It's ok Dash, just lost concentration for a second there, lets try this again."
"If you're to tired to continue, I understand." Dash said, taking her position again.
"No, I'm fine Dash, really." Twilight replied, getting into position and closing her eyes again.
After a few minutes Twilight's horn started to glow again, but this time it was noticeably different. Instead of a light glow and a few sparks, Twilight's horn started to glow brighter and brighter. Twilight's horn was just about to bright for Dash to continue to watch, when something finally happened. The light seemed to move to the tip of Twilight's horn, and with one final mighty pulse... released a stream of sparks as Twilight once again collapsed.
This time Rainbow Dash was at Twilight's side before she came to. "That's it Twilight, you're going to end up hurting yourself. Let's just find another way."
"No!" Twilight cried, tears running down her face. "I can't just give up on my friend, not when its my fault she's in the position she is. Please Dash, let me try one more time, i almost had it.
"Fine," Rainbow Dash sighed. "But if it doesn't work this time we're done, my memory isn't worth losing a friend, even if i can't remember them." Back in position, she turned to face Twilight.
Twilight once again closed her eyes and scrunched her face up in concentration. Her horn once again started to glow, faintly at first, but slowly getting brighter. It was then that Rainbow Dash remembered what Twilight had told her. Thinking of a memory... She cast one more worried glance at Twilight before closing her eyes and concentrating on the dream that had haunted her for so many months. That seemed to make the difference, as she felt the magic slowly begin to wrap itself around the memory, causing it to become clearer. She then felt the magic begin to drain on her strength, and for a second worried that it would be to much for her. But then Dash felt something in her head click, followed by darkness as her and Twilight collapsed.
"YAY! SHE DID IT!" Fluttershy's cheers rang above the rest of the crowd as Rainbow Dash's name was announced as the newest member of the Wonderbolts.
Rainbow Dash beamed with pride as she heard her normally quiet friend cheering above the rest of the crowd. After two years and just as many failed tryouts, the Wonderbolts had finally accepted her into there ranks.
As Dash ascended the stage she spotted Fluttershy shrinking back behind her mane, embarrassment from her sudden outburst causing her face to turn bright red.
Rainbow Dash crossed the stage and came to a stop in front of Soarin'. He handed Rainbow Dash her flight suit and a pair of flight goggles with a quick smile.
Donning her goggles, Rainbow turned and approached Spitfire. "I'd like to welcome you, Rainbow Dash, as the newest member of the Wonderbolts!" As she finished the crowd erupted into cheer once more.
Once the crowd died down Spitfire continued, "Now, do you have anything to say before we continue the Initiation Ceremony?"
"Oh my gosh, yes!!" Dash cheered, looping through the air. "I finally made it, omygoshomygosh!!"
"I'm... very happy... for you... Rainbow Dash.... But could you.... please slow down...." Fluttershy panted, straing to keep up with Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, I'm sorry 'Shy, I'm just so excited. I finally made it into the Wonderbolts!" Dash giggled to herself as she looped back to Fluttershy. "I just got so excited i kinda forgot you were back there... heh."
"Oh, it's quite alright Rainbow Dash. But... um... do you think we could maybe stop for a drink? If that's ok with you..."
"Of course we can stop, 'Shy, but i don't see any water anywhere nearby." Dash cast a quick glance around. "We're about to pass over the Everfree Forest now, and Cloudsdale is about as far away as Ponyville at this point."
"Um... what about the clouds?" Fluttershy suggested, stifling a giggle.
Dash looked up then immediately face-hoofed.
"Of course, I knew that 'Shy, I was just testin' ya." Rainbow joked as she flew up to grab Fluttershy and herself a cloud.
Both ponies drank there fill from the cloud before Rainbow Dash let it break up and float away. As she watched the cloud disperse she noticed an ominous looking storm front moving towards them over the Everfree Forest.
"Uh-oh," Dash turned to Fluttershy, "that storm looks pretty nasty 'Shy. I think we should land for a while and continue once it passes over us."
"Oh, um.... but the girls... they're all waiting for us.... Don't you think we could fly through it?" Fluttershy suggested.
"Well... We could probably just fly over the storm. But then we wouldn't be able to see Ponyville unless the storm broke before we passed over it. But you're afraid of heights. Last time you flew that high your wings locked up out of fear and i had to catch you. Hmm..."
"Um... what if we just flew really low?" Fluttershy suggested.
"Hmm? What was that Fluttershy?"
"I said... um... what if.... we just.... fly... really... low?" Fluttershy mumbled before ducking behind her mane.
"That could work, yeah. But it's kind of dangerous. Are you sure you can handle it 'Shy?" Dash asked, casting a worried look at Fluttershy.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine." Fluttershy assured her.
"Ok then. Just remember, stay as low as possible and avoid updrafts. If you get pulled up by one there's no telling what could happen."
They had only been flying for about 20 minutes, but it felt like an eternity to Rainbow Dash. Her wings were burning and the driving rain was blinding her. 'Why did i have to leave my goggles back in the locker they gave me? That flight suit would come in handy, too. It's getting pretty chilly. I wonder how Fluttershy is holding up?'
As she finished her internal dialogue it hit her. "Fluttershy!"
Rainbow whipped around and began frantically searching for her friend. 'Oh no, where is she? Where is she?'
Rainbow Dash flew back the way they came searching for any trace of Fluttershy. She was scanning the tree line, looking for any sign of a landing, crash or otherwise, when a caught a brief flash of pink up in the clouds.
Rainbow was barely able to make out the pink and yellow pegasus flying dangerously high. She started flying towards her when she saw Fluttershy's wings give out.
"Oh no... Oh no, ohnonono!!" Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could, angling herself so she would meet Fluttershy mid fall.
Rainbow Dash caught Fluttershy and tried to slow there fall. As the ground was rushing up to meet them she realized that with the fatigue of the day, from her try-out and flying through the storm, that she wasn't going to be able to stop in time.
Dash re-doubled her effort and flew up with all her might, but she was to tired, and they were falling to fast.
Realizing a crash was unavoidable, Rainbow Dash spun and put herself between Fluttershy and the ground.
'So this is how it ends?' Rainbow thought as she felt the branches tearing at her back.
The last thing she heard was a crack of thunder and then her world went dark.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Rainbow Dash glanced around the room. The first thing she noticed that it was pitch black outside, and that the room was completely empty.
Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized she wasn't alone. Scootaloo was curled up on a blanket next to her, and that she had been moved onto a mattress laid out on the library floor.
'Wow, how long was I out?' Rainbow wondered.
Standing up, she contemplated waking Scootaloo, then decided against it and instead headed for the door.
Stepping out into the cool night air, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and let the breeze ruffle her feathers. When the breeze died down Dash took flight and lazily glided through the air, enjoying the feel of the cold night air through her mane.
When she felt she had had enough, she angled her way back towards the library and glided towards it. Not paying any attention she bumped right into somepony.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you th.... Soarin'?"
"Hey Rainbow Dash," Soarin' chuckled nervously "imagine bumping into you here."
"Yeah, heh, what are the odds... Hey, wait, shouldn't you be in the hospital?"
"Oh, yeah, that. They... uh... released me early!" Soarin' exclaimed "For good behavior?"
Dash face-hoofed, ignoring the obvious lie. "So what are you doing out here? I thought you would be partying it up with Spitfire when they 'released' you" Dash teased, putting a little extra emphasis on 'released'.
"She's not really my type... And as to why I'm out here, I was looking for you, actually." Soarin' mumbled, blushing a little at the end.
"And how did you know I was going to be out here?" Rainbow smirked. "Ya have them put a tracking chip in me while I was out?"
"I would never!" stated Soarin', pretending to be insulted. "I just figured that with a month off you might come to see your friends."
"Oh, my friends...." Rainbow's ears drooped a little.
"Um, so why did you dive in front of me?" Dash asked, quickly changing the subject.
"What?" asked Soarin', surprised by the sudden change of subject.
"I said why did you dive in front of me?" Dash repeated.
"Oh, well, um.... You see..." Soarin' stuttered. "The truth is... I uh..."
"Ok," Soarin' sighed "the truth is that I lo..." A light flicking on in the library caught his attention.
"Look at the time! I gottagobye!" Soarin' turned and sprinted off, leaving a confused Rainbow Dash behind.
"Wait, what? Soarin', come back!" she called after him, but Soarin' was already gone. "Well that was weird."
Rainbow Dash sighed and turned back towards the library, noticing Twilight stepping out onto her bedroom balcony and gazing up towards the stars.
Gliding down to the library, Rainbow Dash landed next to Twilight. "Hey Twi."
Twilight jumped, just noticing Dash had joined her. "Oh, Rainbow Dash, you startled me."
"Heh, sorry about that." Dash apologized, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.
"It's fine Dash, just don't sneak up on me again." Twilight joked, turning towards Dash
Now that she was looking straight at her Rainbow Dash could see a difference in Twilight from earlier. Her face looked paler and almost wrinkled, and her horn was now almost gray.
"Hey Twi, you don't look so good. You sure you should be out here?"
"I'll be fine Dash, don't worry. That spell may have taken its energy from you, but it still took quite a bit out of me."
Twilight's eyes widened with a sudden realization. "The spell! Do you remember anything?"
"Well, kind of. I remember bits and pieces." Rainbow concentrated for a moment. "I cam remember a few names, and some places, but that's all."
"So it didn't work than..." Twilight hung her head in disappointment.
"Well i wouldn't say that, after we passed out i had a dream. It was the nightmare I've been having for a while now, but it was different. It was clearer, and all the details that were always missing were there, too."
"So then the spell wasn't a complete failure..." Twilight said, cheering up upon hearing this.
"Nope. In fact, I think I like this better. Isn't to much to take in all at once, ya know?"
"Yeah," Twilight smiled at Dash "I guess"
They sat in silence looking up at the sky for a while before Rainbow Dash finally spoke. "So, Twilight..."
"Yes Dash?"
"There's one thing i couldn't remember that i wanted to ask you about."
"Go ahead Dash."
"I was wondering how you found us." Dash asked, looking hopefully at Twilight.
"Oh, that... "Well, get comfortable then, its a bit of a long story."
Once Twilight and Rainbow Dash were both comfortable, Twilight began
"I can't wait for them to get back, this is going to be such a super-duper-splendiferous party!!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around the room.
"Come now Pinkie Pie, watch were you're going! It took me ages to fix my mane, and i wouldn't want you to ruin before Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy even get back." Rarity snapped, after barely avoiding the hyperactive ball of pink bouncing past her.
"Ah don't know sugarcube, 'ts gettin' kinda late. Maybe we should jus' pack it 'n fer the night, meet back up 'n tha mornin'."
"I have to agree with Applejack, it is getting late." Twilight stated, heading towards the door.
"Oh!! I know!" Pinkie Pie shouted, bouncy in front of the door. "Let's all sleep here! That way if Dashie and Fluttershy show up in the middle of the night we can still be here to congratulate them!"
"Pinkie, darling, it's Rainbow Dash we would be congratulating, not both of them." Rarity corrected Pinkie.
"But why wouldn't we congratulate Fluttershy? Especially for making it through a big scary storm like that!" Pinkie exclaimed, once again bouncing circles around the room.
"Pinkie, what are you..." Twilight started, and then, almost as if on cue, a bright bolt of lightening made the lights flicker, followed by a deep, rumbling thunder that shook the building.
"Oh dear, now how am I going to get home without ruining my mane." Rarity complained.
"Well, Ah guess were gunna sleep here t'night after all. Ya really gotta show me how ya do that Pinkie." Applejack said, clearing herself room to sleep.
"Do what?" Pinkie asked, before happily bouncing off to get pillows and blankets for her and her friends.
Twilight awoke to the smell of pancakes and hay bacon. She stumbled groggily to the kitchen to find Pinkie Pie busy preparing breakfast.
" Wha time isit." Twilight slurred.
"Coffee is right over there, Twilight." Pinkie stated cheerfully.
Using her magic to pour herself a cup of coffee, Twilight took a seat at the counter. "Ahh, that's better. What time is it Pinkie?"
"It's pony time, of course, Twilight." Pinkie stated matter of factually.
Rolling her eyes at yet another one of Pinkie's random outbursts, Twilight glanced over at the clock. "8 A.M.?! Did Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy come in while we were sleeping?"
"Of course not silly. Why else would I be making breakfast for when they got here?"
"Oh, I don't know, I thought maybe you were making it for the other 3 ponies sleeping on your floor." Twilight responded, slightly annoyed.
Pinkie froze for a moment in mid pancake flip, a look of deep thought on her face. To Twilight's amazement, the pancake remained suspended in mid-air.
"Oh yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, returning to cooking, the pancake falling back into the pan.
"I... I'm uh, I'm going to go wake up Rarity and AJ..." Twilight turned and walked out of the kitchen, still trying to make sense of what she just saw.
A few moments later a semi-conscious Applejack came stumbling into the kitchen.
"Good morning Applejack, there's a fresh pot of coffee right over there." Pinkie motioned with her hoof towards the coffee maker. "Mugs are in the drawer below it."
Applejack poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the counter as Twilight walked back in. "Well, Rarity left. Ran off towards the boutique saying something about 'not wanting anyone to see her in this state'."
"Ahh!" Applejack exclaimed after taking a sip of her coffee. "Ain't nothin' like a good cup ah joe tah wake ya up."
"Well if you think that's good, wait until you try Pinkie's Super-Duper-Scrumdidilyumptious Pancakes!" Pinkie said, somehow crossing the kitchen with a plate in each hoof and two balanced on her head."
"Um, Pinkie. You have one to many plates." Twilight observed. "Rarity already left."
"No she didn't, you silly filly, she's right there." Pinkie giggled, pointing to the door.
Just then Rarity came prancing through he door. "I'm so sorry about running off like that, I just could not stand the thought of anyone seeing my bed mane."
Shuddering at the thought, Rarity took a seat next to Twilight.
"Well, I was thinking. After breakfast why don't we go check to see if maybe Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy just went straight home when they got in last night."
After eating, Rarity and Applejack had agreed to go check Fluttershy's cottage while Twilight and Pinkie Pie checked Dash's house. If no one was home they were supposed to meet back at the library.
"Pinkie, was it really necessary to drag that thing with us?" Twilight asked, casting a weary glance at Pinkie Pie's flying machine.
"Well Duhh! How else do you expect to get up to Dashie's house?" Pinkie asked with a grin.
"I guess I figured we would stand underneath it and call Rainbow Dash's name..." Twilight replied, disappointed in herself for a half thought out plan.
"We're here, yay! Hurry up and cast that cloud walking spell on me so i can fly up and congratulate Dashie!" Pinkie was already on her flying machine waiting for Twilight to tell her it was safe.
"Ok, you should be safe now, fly up to her house and tell me if she's home."
Twilight had barely finished her sentence when Pinkie was diving off her flying machine and through Rainbow Dash's cloud door. "Wee!!!!! Congratulations Dashie!"
"Is she there Pinkie?" Twilight called up. "Pinkie?"
Twilight was about to start looking for a way up herself when Pinkie came flying over the edge of Dash's porch on her flying machine, calling down "Nopony's home!"
When Pinkie Pie and Twilight arrived at the library, Rarity and Applejack were there waiting.
"Any luck?" Twilight called when Applejack noticed them approaching.
"Nope, looks j'st how Ah left it when Ah fed her critters yesterday mornin'" Applejack called back.
"Hmm... Well they could have stayed in Cloudsdale if the storm hit before they left. Or else they could have landed somewhere to wait it out." Twilight reasoned. "If they aren't back by lunch time I'll write the princess to see if she knows if they stayed an extra day."
With a new plan, they all headed into the library.
"The Princess wrote back! She said that after the try-outs Spitfire saw her and Fluttershy heading back this way!" Spike called to the group of ponies sitting around Twilight's kitchen table.
"Ah don't know about y'all, but Ah'm startin' tah get worried. Ah think we should get a search party together an' go look fer 'em" Applejack stood up, heading for the door "Ah'm gunna go get Winona an' Big Mac to help us look."
Twilight stood, sighing. "I agree with AJ, something is wrong. Pinkie Pie, you go gather up the weather team and ask them to fly ahead. Rarity, you inform the Mayor of the situation. I'm going to use there path from Cloudsdale to Ponyville to lay out search zones. Meet back here in 30 minutes."
"When Rainbow Dash woke up she had know idea where she was. All she knew was that she was in pain. A LOT of pain. Her first attempt at sitting up resulted in her nearly passing out from the pain. Once she felt up to it again, Rainbow Dash attempted to sit up again. This time she managed to sit up and prop herself against a nearby tree.
Leaning against the tree caused a sharp pain to shoot through her back. When she finally managed to get a look at her back, she was greeted by the sight of a mangled wing hanging limply down her back.
Grimacing Rainbow forced herself to look away from her mangled wing, instead looking down the trail of damage left by her crash. It was then she noticed a pink and yellow pony laying near were she had woken up.
Gathering her strength Dash crawled to the injured pony to check on her. "'Scuse me..." she slurred, shaking the other pony. When there was no answer, Dash tried shacking her a little harder. When she did the yellow pony rolled over, pink mane moving to reveal a nasty looking gash on her head.
'Oh horseapples, that looks bad.' Rainbow thought, attempting to stand. 'I need to get this pony some help, but I'm not to much better off myself.'
Finally managing to get to her feet, Dash turned to walk down the trail left by her crash. 'But wait, i can't just leave her here. But i don't know if I can carry her.'
Rainbow Dash slid her head under the yellow pony and attempted to roll her onto her back. 'Well, she's a little lighter than she looks... Gahh! Watch the wing...'
The yellow pony now slung across her back and adjusted off Dash's bad wing, Rainbow Dash turned to head down the path left by her crash. 'Wait a minute.' She thought 'If I was heading the other way when i crashed, then maybe that's were i should go.'
Making up her mind, Dash turned around and headed back along the path she took when she crashed.
"Please... Help us..." Rainbow Dash called out to nopony in particular. She wasn't sure how long she had been walking, all Rainbow knew was that she couldn't last much longer.
"Somepony... Anypony... Please... Help..." Dash called out again.
Stumbling a few steps further, Rainbow Dash stopped when she heard something. Unable to make out what she was hearing, Rainbow turned towards the noise. That was when she saw 4 ponies sprinting towards her. Or was it 8? She didn't care, all Rainbow Dash cared about was that she had found help.
Stumbling a few steps towards the ponies, Dash called out "Please... You gotta help..."
"And that's when we found you and Fluttershy and took you both back to Ponyville. You and Futtershy were in really bad shape, too. Your wing was broken in 3 places and you had a fractured skull. And those were just the two major injuries." Stifling a yawn, Twilight laid her head down on her fore legs.
"Fluttershy got off with only a few bad injuries. The gash on her head and a few broken ribs being the worst of her injuries."
Rainbow Dash waited a minute for Twilight to continue. When she didn't Dash looked over to see that Twilight had fallen asleep. 'Heh, looks like was still pretty tired. I should probably move her to her bed... But i don't want to wake her.'
When she noticed Twilight shivering, Rainbow Dash Laid down next to her and spread a wing over Twilight. 'At least she'll stay warm tonight.' Dash smiled to herself, drifting off to sleep.
A/N Ok guys, i know this fic took a LONG time to update, and im just as upset with myself about that as im sure you guys are at me. I truly hope that there wont be anymore ridiculously long delays between the remaining chapters.
The first thing Rainbow Dash noticed when she awoke was that she was alone. She looked around groggily as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, taking note that the sun was just barely above the horizon.
'Hmm, I wonder where Twilight went to?' Rainbow Dash thought, standing up and stretching, spreading her wings to their full span and leaning first forward, then backwards.
'Forget Twilight, what's that smell?' Rainbow turned and jumped off the balcony, soaring around back to the kitchen window. Poking her head in the window, she saw Spike in a 'Kiss the Cook' apron, hard at work cooking.
"A dragon cooking? Now I've seen everything." Dash joked.
"Really, I'd say the same about a Rainbow Dash up before noon." Spike chuckled, flipping something in his pan.
"So tell me," Dash said, leaning in to get a better view of the stove "what smells so good?"
"Breakfast." Spike responded, stepping to the side to let Dash see. "I made apple pancakes, Twilight's favorite."
“Smells pretty good.” Dash complemented, leaning in to sniff.
“Ah, ah. That’s enough. Go wait with Twilight until the foods ready.” Spike scolded.
“She’s in the other room.” Spike pointed to a pair of swinging double doors with his spatula. “Go ahead and have a seat at the table and wait. Besides, Twilight needed to talk to you about something. The kitchen door is unlocked so you can just....”
“Ok, thanks Spike!” Dash cut him off, rolling through the window. Landing gracefully on her hooves, she dashed through the double doors and into the dining room.
“I don’t even know why I try.” Spike sighed aloud to himself.
The first thing Rainbow Dash noticed when she entered the dining room was that it wasn’t a separate room. In fact it was actually part of the main room of the library, just sectioned off by a few bookshelves.
“Oh, good morning Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out, seeing Dash coming out of the kitchen. “I was expecting to have to send Spike up to get you once the food was done.”
“Yeah,” Dash chuckled “Spike said something along those lines, too”
Walking over to the table and taking a seat across from Twilight, Rainbow Dash noticed that, although she didn’t look as bad as she had the night before, Twilight still looked pretty worn out.
“Well, you look.... better.” Dash said, realizing that she should have chosen her words more carefully. "Uh, I mean, you, uh....”
“Thanks, I think.” Twilight said, blushing slightly.
“So, Spike said you needed to talk to me about something?” Dash asked.
“Oh, yes.” Twilight answered. “I was thinking, now that you’ve started getting your memory back, maybe we should try to get together with the girls.”
“Well...” Dash pondered. “I still don’t really remember much about any of them.”
“But that’s just it! I had theory! If you were to see them again, maybe it would trigger some more memories.”
“I don’t know Twi...” Dash hesitated.
“Dash.... Please?” Twilight begged.
“Ok, I guess...”
“Breakfast is ready!” Spike called, stepping out of the kitchen balancing three plates in his arms.
“Only three plates? What about Scootaloo, isn’t she eating? Dash asked, instantly digging into the plate set in front of her. “Come to think of it, i haven’t seen her all morning.”
“She left for class already. She still is in school after all. After that she’s gotta head over to the weather station.” Twilight answered, picking at her food.
“Weather station, what for?” Dash asked, giving Twilight a quizzical look.
“Well, Scootaloo lives on her own, so she has a part time job after school, as a weather pony.”
“What? She lives on her own?” Dash gaped in disbelief, nearly choking on a mouthful of food. “But she’s so young! Why doesn’t she live with her parents?”
“Well... Maybe that’s something you should talk to her about.” Twilight answered hesitantly, pushing her food around her plate aimlessly. “If you head up to the weather station around lunchtime you may be able to meet her before her shift starts.”
“You know what? That sounds like a great idea, I didn’t really get to thank her for bringing me here.” Rainbow Dash said excitedly, attempting to gather up her empty plate.
“I’ll get it Dash!” shouted Spike, jumping to his feet to catch Rainbow Dash’s plate as she dropped it. “I’ll take care of cleaning up.”
“Thanks Spike.” Rainbow Dash chuckled sheepishly. “I guess Twi and I have a few letters to write before I go to meet Scoots.”
“Actually...” Twilight cut in, reaching into a bag sitting next to her. “Ah’b ahreaby wriffen wem.”
“What was that Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked, shooting Twilight a quizzical glance.
“Ah fed..” Twi paused to spit the scrolls onto the table. “I said I’ve already written them. I had a bit of time this morning while Spike was making breakfast, so i wrote the letters in case you said yes.”
“You mean for when you convinced me to say yes.”
“Eh heh heh... yeah...” Twilight chuckled, shifting awkwardly in her seat.
“But hey, you saved me the trouble of writing them. I hate writing.” Dash joked.
“Yeah, that’s true. So do you want to read them over before i send them?”
“Me? Read? Are you sure you aren’t the one who lost their memory?” Dash said, blowing Twilight a raspberry.
“Point taken.” Twilight said, giving the scrolls a quick look through. “Well, then i guess I’ll just have Spike send these then. Would you please send these for me?”
“Sure, no problem Twi.” Spike set the dishes on the table and carefully took the scrolls from Twilight.
Holding the scrolls out in front of himself, Spike blew a jet of emerald flames on them, vaporizing the scrolls and leaving green puffs of smoke in their place. All but one of the puffs floated through the kitchen door and out the window. But the last puff floated to the front door and squeezed under the door, followed by a flash of green and a knock at the door.
“Huh, I wonder who that could be?” Spike mumbled, turning towards the door.
“I’ll get it, why don’t you and Rainbow Dash take the dishes to the kitchen.”
“But Twi, are you sure...” Spike started.
"I said I'll get it," Twilight said curtly as she shakily rose to her hooves. Her lack of energy was painfully obvious as she visibly had a hard time standing on her four wobbly legs.
“If you say so...” Grabbing the dishes off the table, Spike turned and made his way to the kitchen.
Dash looked towards Spike as he carried the dishes to the kitchen, then toward Twilight as she slowly hobbled towards the door.
“Umm... Twi?”
“I can handle answering the door Dash, why don’t you go see if Spike needs any help in the kitchen.” Twilight called back.
“I...” Dash was about to argue when she heard a crash from the kitchen. “Guess I’ll go help Spike then.”
Rainbow Dash walked into the kitchen to find Spike cleaning up shards of a broken plate, a scroll lying neatly on the kitchen counter.
“What happened in here?”
“Oh, we got a response already. But I, uh, I dropped a dish when I got the letter.” Spike rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Would you mind bringing it out to Twi while I get this cleaned up?”
“Sure, no problem.” Rainbow Dash picked up the scroll and made her way to the door, but as Dash was about to step through the door she heard Twilight answer the door.
“Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?” Came Twilights surprised greeting.
‘Pinkie Pie.... Why does that name seem so familiar?’ Dash wracked her brain, trying to think of how she knew that name. ‘Wait, Pinkie was one of my friends.’
Now that she remembered who Pinkie was, the memories came flooding back. She remembered parties, with balloons and streamers everywhere. There was punch and cake, and she remembered a bright, puffy pink mane, which mirrored the owners bright and puffy personality.
Dash had been expecting a bright, cheerful response, but the voice that answered Twilight was the complete opposite. It was a dull, almost monotone response with absolutely no emotion behind it.
“I haven’t gone by that name in some time, Twilight. Everypony calls me Pinkamena these days.”
Caught off guard by the response, Twilight took a moment to answer. “Okay, Pinkie... err, Pinkamena. How did you get here so fast, I just sent the letters out.”
“It’s that dreadful ‘Pinkie Sense’ of mine. It told me you needed to see me, so I took a trip out here.” Pinkamena explained, an eary lack of emotion still present in her voice. “I had just arrived at the door when some green smoke snaked its way under the door and a scroll appeared in front of me.”
“Oh, umm, ok...” Twilight stammered, slightly shocked by the new Pinkie Pie before her. “I, err... I’m sorry if I don’t seem excited to see you, you’ve just changed so much, it’s kind of... shocking.”
Pinakmena chuckled coldly. “You were expecting the happy go lucky Pinkie Pie that used to work at the bakery? Well, after we all... split up, I moved back in with my parents on their rock farm.”
“But what happened to you? You used to be so happy, what happened?”
Pinkamena let out a sigh. “I don’t know when exactly I stopped smiling. It might have been after the argument we all had.”
Pinkamena turned and walked to the window, gazing longingly out towards Ponyville. “Or it could have been when my parents both became ill and I had to take over the farm. I don’t know when it happened, but I guess I just forgot how to smile.”
By this time, Dash had heard enough, she slowly pushed her way through the double doors and approached Pinkamena. “ Umm, Pinkie?”
Pinkamena turned to scold the new-comer for calling her Pinkie. But she stopped, mouth agape, when she saw who the offender was.
“Da... Dashie?” Pinkamena slowly approached Rainbow Dash, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
