//------------------------------// // New Memories // Story: Little Memories // by Skijarama //------------------------------// Hours came and went as the two families sat and talked about times past, and their hopes for times to come. During all of the back and forth, Rainbow was unable to keep herself from periodically glancing over at Twilight. Every time she did, she couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear at the expression of awe and wonder on Twilight’s face with every story she heard and every new bit of information she learned about herself. Eventually, Rainbow began to tune out the recounted stories. She knew them all by heart at this point anyway, and right now she was too tired to really commit to the discussion. Or maybe she was just too enthralled by the sight of the mare she loved sitting next to her…. Truth be told, it was all but impossible to really tell right now. Not that Rainbow minded either way. Wings or not, amnesia or not, she couldn’t stop the butterflies from waltzing in her stomach whenever Twilight smiled or gasped at some new detail from whatever story or other Night Light was telling her. Though Rainbow would always loathe the notion of admitting it out loud, she held no qualms with admitting it within the privacy of her own mind… Twilight was beautiful. She was suddenly jarred from her thoughts when Princess Luna rose from her seat with an exclamation of surprise. “Oh! I do believe we have lost track of time,” she announced, her eyes glued on a grandfather clock that resided against the wall. Curious, Rainbow turned her head to look and nearly blanched when she realized it was almost an hour past due for sunset. “Wow. It’s not like you guys to miss that,” she noted with a chuckle, flashing her mother and aunt a playful smirk. Celestia was unphased. She just rolled her eyes, her hoof slowly inching for the foal photo album that still rested on the table. Rainbow’s ears fell. “Are you quite certain you wish to begin a game of teasing now, my daughter? While I have such a healthy supply of ammunition right here…?” “I’ll behave,” Rainbow immediately surrendered, her cheeks burning a furious shade of red. “I’m sorry. Mercy?” Celestia hummed exaggeratedly for a second, her hoof continuing to drift over the book. Then she leaned back while giving a sage nod of her head. “Mercy.” “Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” Twilight lightly chastised while nudging Rainbow’s shoulder and giggling at their antics. “I mean, sure, you did kinda look like you were-” “One more word, Twi,” Rainbow turned to her in warning. One of her eyes twitched and an enormous and manic grin was plastered all over her muzzle. “One more word and I’ll give you amnesia two point zero.” Luna paused mid-step, a thoughtful frown on her face. “That’s… not how that works-” “Two. Point. Zero,” Rainbow cut her off emphatically. Luna rolled her eyes and gave off an exaggerated sigh of defeat before continuing on her way for the large windows at the front of the home, Celestia soon following after her. That just left Rainbow and Spike with Twilight and her family sitting at that table. Night Light cleared his throat while the royal sisters set about bringing on the night. “Well, uh… I know you should be getting back to Ponyville soon, but how would you three like to spend the night?” he asked hopefully, his eyes glued on Twilight. “Maybe spending the night in your old room will help jog your memory?” Twilight’s smile faded slightly at the less playful reminder of her amnesia. She shifted her weight uneasily on her haunches and glanced at Rainbow and Spike as if for confirmation. Rainbow didn’t need more than a second to weigh the choices. “Sure, long as you still have a guest bedroom I can use,” she replied casually while leaning back in her seat. “Oh, we do,” Velvet assured with a smile and a nod of her own. “We’d never dream of getting rid of it. Putting aside visits from our non-royal friends, we always loved it when you came over to spend the night with Twilight when you were little. Your slumber parties were just the cutest…” Rainbow puffed up her cheeks indignantly. “I’m not cute! I’m awesome!” Spike gave Rainbow a skeptical look. “Like, at least twenty percent of the time!” Spike’s deadpan deepened. “Uh huh.” Shining Armor chuckled at that before rising to his hooves. “Well, I’m glad to see you three haven't changed all that much,” he said happily before he turned for the front door. “I wish I could stay with you, but I have duties in the castle to catch up on.” “That’s fine, dear,” Velvet dismissed his apology with a wave of her hoof. “You go do captain things. We’ll look after the fillies.” “I’m a grown mare,” Rainbow bluntly pointed out with an annoyed look. “Only sometimes,” Celestia quipped right back a moment later, returning from lowering the sun while Luna set about raising the moon. Rainbow pouted pitifully at her but said nothing. Instead, she hopped down from the couch and gave a languid stretch. She sighed as a few satisfying pops emanated from the joints before standing upright. “Alright, well, I think that’s enough of that. I’m gonna head upstairs and get my room setup, I think,” she announced before giving Twilight one more look. “Actually,” Celestia suddenly said, her tone becoming somewhat more serious. Curious, all eyes turned to the solar princess to see that her expression had darkened somewhat. “Before you turn in,  there is one more matter I need to discuss with you, Rainbow… in private.” Rainbow’s ears drooped just slightly, and she gave Twilight an apologetic look. “Oh… alright, sure,” she acknowledged, a small flame of dread and concern forming in her chest. Whatever this was about, it couldn’t be good. Celestia’s grim face had told her that much… The solar alicorn nodded her head, turned, and led Rainbow away from the others. She paused after a few steps to look back towards Twilight and Spike. They gave her reassuring nods of their heads, prompting her to move on. Their route took them up the stairs and into a dimly lit hallway before Celestia came to a full stop and turned to face Rainbow. They locked gazes, and Rainbow took a moment to truly study her mother’s features and evaluate her mood. “...I received correspondence from Cadance before we came down her earlier,” Celestia began slowly, her own eyes boring into Rainbow’s and intently scrutinizing her every response. Rainbow met her gaze head-on, though she tilted her head to the side all the same. “Okay? And?” Celestia hesitated, and Rainbow could see a struggle behind those purple eyes of hers. Whatever it was she wanted to say, it was either hard to say it… or she just didn’t want to. In the end, though, Celestia steeled herself and responded. “...Stinger is missing.” It was as if someone had started a large fire under Rainbow’s belly, one whose many burning tongues licked all over her body. Her entire body began to tremble and burn with swelling feelings of hatred, especially at the base of her skull. She took in a deep breath, her pupils dilating and her nostrils flaring. “...Excuse me?” Celestia’s face twitched with a barely noticeable wince when she heard the venom in her daughter’s voice. “Stinger is missing from her cell in the Crystal Empire dungeons. She has somehow escaped her imprisonment and Cadance doesn’t know where she is. Every effort is being made to find and apprehend her, though.” Stinger had escaped… Rainbow ground her teeth together behind her lips before swallowing heavily. “...I see,” she said in a cold, shaking voice. Her eyes narrowed, and there was no missing the ferocity in them. “...Do we know what she’s up to?” she seethed, her scarred hoof drawing back along the floor. Celestia shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I consulted with Thorax before Luna and I came down here, and his guess was as good as mine. All we can do for now is hope that she has decided to return to the hive to regroup.” “And the hive is without a leader right now,” Rainbow pointed out, the image of a black-barked tree with teal hair hanging from the branches flashing through her mind. “She’ll be walking into a power vacuum.” “Precisely…” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “I know this must be upsetting for you after what Stinger did… but all the same, I thought you should know.” Rainbow slowly nodded in understanding, her lips pressed tightly together. After a few moments of silence, she let out her tension in a long breath before nodding again, more loosely this time. “Right. Thanks for telling me. Do me a favor and keep me posted, will ya?” “I will,” Celestia promised before craning her neck down to plant a light kiss on Rainbow’s forehead. When she pulled back, it was only by a few inches, their foreheads resting against one another. “I must return to the castle, now… will you come to see me before you return to Ponyville tomorrow?” “Dunno… we’ll see,” Rainbow replied noncommittally. “I gotta look after Twilight first… and she might need some time to wind down and get reacquainted with life in Ponyville. She’s had a pretty hectic few days…” Celestia nodded regretfully before smiling all the same. “I understand… goodnight, then, my daughter.” Rainbow reached out, hooking her forelegs around Celestia’s neck and pulling her into a warm embrace. The alicorn returned the gesture for quite some time, and both of them took the chance to just savor the other’s presence. As much as she had cherished every moment she’d gotten to spend with Celestia since they defeated Chrysalis and Sombra up north, she couldn’t stop herself from wishing with all of her being for more and more. She’d been so close to losing her, to losing her family, losing everything she loved. She never wanted to let go… But let go she did, and as Celestia trotted past her with a whispered farewell, she realized that the alicorn had smartly led her to stand right in front of the guest room… Twilight ascended the steps a minute or so after Rainbow and Celestia disappeared into the hallway. She knew where her room was, her parents had pointed it out to her in no uncertain terms, and that was where Spike had gone to wait for her. As she walked, her mind wandered from one aspect of the evening to the next, rapidly going over all of the various things that had happened. From discovering she and Rainbow had once been lovers, to discovering that the pegasus princess had some sort of adverse reaction to magic, to the delightfully hilarious foalhood photos, and of course, all of the stories about her past. It had all been enthralling and intriguing in so many ways, and she felt ready for rest and pleasant dreams. But there were still a few things she needed to do before she could go to bed for the night. And right now, the only pony she could go to for that was in a private audience with the princess of the sun. As if on cue, Celestia emerged from the hallway she and Rainbow had vanished into. She gave Twilight a smile and a nod as they passed each other on the steps. “Sleep well, Twilight,” she said softly. Twilight nodded and gave a small bow of her head. “Thank you, Your Highness. You, too.” Celestia rolled her eyes and gently lifted Twilight’s chin with her hoof. “Please, Twilight. After everything you’ve done for Equestria, for my subjects, and for my daughter, I almost think I should be the one bowing to you…” she chastised before shaking her head. “You don’t need to be formal with me… to you, I am just Celestia.” First name basis with one of the ruling monarchs? Twilight had been out of the hospital for only a few days and already she had that achievement squared away under her belt. She didn’t let it display too much on her large grin, though, or in the quiet giggle that slipped past her lips. “A-alright, Celestia,” she said all the same before continuing up the steps. “Goodnight.” “Goodnight, Twilight,” Celestia called after her before departing from the home of Twilight Sparkle’s family. With the sound of the front doors clunking closed downstairs reverberating in her ears, Twilight stepped into the hallway that Rainbow was in. She discovered that there was a door in it that stood open. A yellow light was shining from within, creating a bright patch against the wall and floor. Gingerly, Twilight peeked her head into the room. She did so just in time to see Rainbow pulling the band off of her mane, undoing her ponytail and allowing the long hair to spread freely over her neck, back, and hang limply over her shoulder. She gave her head a few shakes to untangle some of the mess, sending the hairs spreading out in every direction. She must have caught sight of Twilight out of the corner of her eyes and turned to look at her with a small smile. “Hey. You need something before bed?” Twilight slowly stepped into the room, giving it a cursory examination. It was modest but pleasant. A decently sized bed sat against the far left-side corner, decorated with white sheets and warm, fluffy blue blankets the color of the night sky. Next to the bed was an end table with a lamp that provided the light. The walls were a slightly warmer shade of purple than the walls, lending itself to an atmosphere of dusk or dawn. A dresser sat against the right wall, and a vanity mirror hung over it, which Rainbow had been looking into. The floor was a silvery grey carpet, soft and smooth beneath Twilight’s hooves. Her quick examination complete, Twilight looked at Rainbow again. “Sorry, I just had one or two more questions to ask you, that’s all,” she said quietly before her horn lit up and the door swung shut behind her. Rainbow tilted her head at the door, then shrugged her shoulders. “Oh yeah? Well, c’mon then. Out with it,” she urged simply while trotting over to the bed. Twilight followed her at a slower pace. “Well, first of all…” she paused, her teeth catching and holding her upper lip. After a second, though, she managed to give voice to her question. “Your… reaction to my magic. What was that?” Rainbow’s hoof had just hooked itself under the edge of the sheets, ready to pull them back. She paused at the question, however, her ears folding back. Without looking at Twilight, she looked down at the floor and heaved a heavy, tired sigh. ‘Right… I said I’d tell you about that, didn't I?” “I shouldn’t have asked,” Twilight immediately thought, and went to express that sentiment when Rainbow cut her off. “I have post-traumatic stress disorder. Or something similar to it, anyway,” Rainbow began, still not turning to look at her. Her voice was slow and deliberate, resigned even. “I’ve had it since before you and I ever met. Whenever somepony holds me in magic, I have these really vivid flashbacks to the day my parents died. It’s always like it’s happening all over again... And it happens because, on the day they died… I was taken away from the scene by a unicorn with magic… and I didn’t wanna go.” “Oh… I’m so, so sorry…” Twilight apologized, one of her hooves drifting up to hover over her muzzle. “I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” “Don’t you dare,” Rainbow cut her off before giving her a glance over her shoulder. “It was my job to tell you. You didn’t know, now you do. Let it go and don’t beat yourself up over it. Besides…” she pulled the sheets back and began to climb into the bed. “I didn’t see my parents this time.” Confused, Twilight began to inch forwards. “You… you didn’t?” “No,” Rainbow shook her head while resting her head against the pillow and letting off a sigh. “I saw Chrysalis, the changeling queen… she… tortured us before we finally defeated her. I thought I was gonna die for sure... I guess I was in more pain and more scared against her than I was when I lost my parents…” Twilight slowly nodded in understanding. She didn’t know much about Chrysalis, sure, only what she’d heard in the scattered stories of her friends and family. But what little she had heard was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stir. “I see… I’m sorry I made you relive that…” Rainbow just shook her head. “Nah… s’okay,” she dismissed before her gaze locked onto Twilight’s again. “And your other question?” Twilight took a few steps forward, coming to a stop right by the side of the bed. Her eyes lowered, and her ears folded back. “We… were lovers, right?” Rainbow's expression darkened into something somber, but she nodded all the same. “Yeah… we weren’t together for very long before you got amnesia, but yeah…” Twilight hesitated, her hoof drifting up to hover over her heart. It was beating faster in her chest the more her mind probed this subject matter, filling her with fear and anxiety but she just had to know. She had to know what this meant to her… She licked her suddenly dry lips and looked into Rainbow’s eyes again. “Do you… still love me?” Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing that question, and she sat bolt upright. At once, Twilight regretted asking it and looked down. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid question… I should-” “Twilight,” Rainbow cut her off gently before reaching over and patting her on the head. Confused, Twilight looked up and met Rainbow’s gaze again to find that she was giving her a sad smile. “Of course I do…” Twilight leaned back, surprised. “You do?” “Well, duh,” Rainbow rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. “I mean, sure, right now you might not feel it because you can’t remember it, so things are gonna have to go on hold for a while…” she withdrew her hoof, her smile fading away. “It might be a very long time before I hear you tell me the same thing again… it might be a long time before you remember. But I’m willing to wait however long it takes. For you? For what we had? No price will be too high.” Twilight looked down at the floor, her heart twisting in her chest. She couldn’t really question it after hearing a confession like that, now could she? Rainbow Dash loved her, and quite a lot apparently. And she had loved Rainbow right back. They had once been lovers… “Go get some sleep, Twi,” Rainbow encouraged her in a gentle voice before laying her head back down and turning out the light on the lamp with a tug of her hoof. “I’ll see you in the morning.” But Twilight’s didn’t get up and go. Instead, she stood there for several more seconds, a battle waging within her own mind. They were lovers. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were a couple. They loved each other very much… Twilight began to lift one of her hooves, her heart beating harder in her chest. ...She shouldn’t be doing this. It felt wrong. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to abort this stupid idea and go to her own room. To just forget it. Rainbow had said it herself, their love was on hold for now. ...But that’s not what Twilight Sparkle would want, was it? Swallowing the lump in her throat and failing to suppress the tremors filling her body, Twilight placed her hoof on the sheets and began to pull them back. Rainbow’s eyes opened up after a moment, and when she realized that Twilight was trying to climb into bed with her, she suddenly sat upright and put a hoof on the alicorn’s chest to stop her. “Woah, Woah, Woah! Twi, what are you doing?” she asked incredulously while her other hoof flew over to flick back on the light. Twilight grimaced and flinched back, shame and indecision joining her fear. “Rainbow, I… we’re lovers, so… shouldn’t I-” Rainbow’s hoof pressed more firmly into her chest, and it only then occurred to Twilight just how frenetic her heartbeat was. Rainbow must have felt it, too, for her eyes became glued to Twilight’s chest. “Twi… no. Not if you’re uncomfortable with it,” she replied slowly before looking up into Twilight’s eyes. “B-but I am comfortable with this,” Twilight stammered immediately, her words clearly forced. “I swear! Isn’t this what I would do? Didn’t you tell me we slept in the same bed while in the empire?” Rainbow’s expression became stern. “That was then, this is now. Besides, I know this is extremely uncomfortable for you. I can tell. Your heartbeat, the speed of your reply, the way your left eye is twitching just a little…” she listed off before shaking her head and gently pushing Twilight back and off of the bed. “Maybe you would have joined me in this bed if you still had your memories… but you don’t. No matter what you would do before, I don’t want you forcing yourself to do it now if it makes you uncomfortable.” “But we-” “We were lovers, Twilight,” Rainbow stopped her sternly. “And I want nothing more than to have that back… but it isn’t worth it if you force it. Because then you won’t be happy…” Rainbow’s expression turned somber, and she slowly came back to a rest in her bed. “And if you’re unhappy, then so am I…” The silence that followed was heavy on both of them. After a few seconds, though, Twilight slowly nodded her head. “...Right… sorry… I’ll go to my own room, then…” she said quietly, unable to hide her relief at the prospect. She turned and began to make her way for the door. She paused mere moments away from opening it when she heard Rainbow shift again. “And Twilight?” Perking up, Twilight turned to look at Rainbow. “Yes?” Rainbow opened her mouth a few times while trying to find her words. After a minute, she held her head higher and offered her a smile. “Don’t worry about the past, okay?” Twilight blinked and turned to face Rainbow directly again. “What?” “I know that having amnesia sucks, and it’s really hard on all of us…” Rainbow explained slowly while rolling a hoof for emphasis.”But I think that maybe you shouldn’t worry about getting your memories back all that much. It might happen, but…” she lost her smile to a forlorn frown. “...There’s always the possibility that you’re always going to have amnesia. That you might never remember… so until you do remember, do you think you can try and focus on making new memories for yourself?” Twilight tilted her head for a moment, then looked down at the floor. She scuffed one of her hooves against the carpet before giving a slow nod. “I… suppose,” she said, not really sure she believed her own words. Maybe she could let it go, but there were so many stories that she had already heard about herself… how could she just let go of the mare she was supposed to be after that? Rainbow, unaware of that internalized question, nodded her head. “Okay… I’ll still tell you about your past if you ask me, of course, and I’ll fill you in about the world around us as you need to learn about it…” she rested her head on the pillow one more time, her smile returning. “But we’ve got our whole future ahead of us… and that goes double for you. Make it count, eh? Please...” Twilight looked into Rainbow’s eyes again when she heard that last word. There was something in Rainbow’s eyes, something that ran deep… the tension in her face, the slight shimmer in her eyes… Twilight felt a stirring in her heart, and so she nodded in response. “Okay… I’ll try. Goodnight, Rainbow,” she said softly before opening the door with her magic. At the same time, Rainbow reached out and flicked out the lights one more time. “Goodnight, Twilight… sweet dreams.” The door closed.